bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Curating light: daylight-centric design for promoting wellness
Authors: Alexander Ryan
Published: May 2021

Daylighting in architecture has traditionally been a practice-based, intuitive and experiential process, based on the common notion that daylight enhances our spatial and sensory awareness. This Thesis tests the effectiveness of daylight as a mechanism for creating a psychological and emotional impact, and promoting wellness within the confines of designed spaces. The creation of the project is based on a Maggie’s Cancer Centre model of patient-centric design. Maggie’s Centers have been traditionally located in suburban settings, where they may be ideally oriented for day-light infiltration and outdoor connectivity. The Maggie’s model promotes three primary design factors: i) abundance of daylight, ii) connection to nature, and iii) a de-institutionalized environment.

The design project was purposefully situated within the specific constraint of an urban environment, in downtown Toronto, Ontario; where the goal is to achieve a spatial character that embodies these three design factors where daylight and access to views of nature are limited by the urban context. The project demonstrates a method of daylight centric design that utilizes three primary techniques for daylighting that were extracted from precedent analysis: i) Direct light, ii) Bounced light, and iii) Diffused light.

Through the methodical harvesting and manipulation of daylight, the project highlights its potential for positively enhancing patient experience and aptly demonstrates the curation of varied experiential narratives in light.
The role of internet-based social support network in immigrant settlement
Authors: Lin Julie Xiaoping
Published: May 2021

This is an exploratory study on the roles that internet-based social networks play in supporting immigrants in their settlement process, using NewBridger as an example. This research finds that online social networks are able to provide informational, socio-emotional, and some material and instrumental support to immigrants that help meet their settlement needs. Information passed through NewBridger helps immigrants with employment, housing, education and training, leisure, and daily living related issues. Socio-emotional support helps reduce acculturative stress by fostering a sense of belonging and friendship, and by exchanging expressions of love, care and encouragement. Support for immigrants also takes the form of social capital building. This study concludes that online social support networks are valuable supplement to formal support networks consisting of the government and the non-profit sector. This study builds on the theoretical frameworks of social support, social capital and acculturative stress.
Asian representation and anti-Asian racism in contemporary Hollywood film
Authors: Murphy Peter
Published: May 2021

From early in the 20th century, the Hollywood film industry has played a major role in the racialization of visibly identifiable ethnic groups in the West. Asians, and in particular East Asians, have traditionally been characterised by Hollywood as aliens. Originally such characterizations served to extol the virtues of the West by contrast with the East and to express xenophobic anxieties in movie narratives. In recent decades, corresponding to the development of the Hollywood "blockbuster", the Asian has been depicted in a more positive, idealized light, yet s/he has continued to be depicted as the archetypal Other. This paper explores portrayals of Asians in several recent Hollywood blockbusters, asserting that the under-representation of racially Asian actors onscreen throughout the West is directly related to, among other factors, the continued stereotyping of Asians and Asianness in popular American film.
Examining emotion discrimination in 7-month-old infants and adults using Fast Periodic Visual Stimulation (FPVS)
Authors: Marquis Alexandra Rose
Published: May 2021

The ability to discriminate facial expressions of emotion is important for human communication and interaction. When this ability develops is largely unknown, with the origins believed to lie in infancy. Behavioural and brain-based evidence suggests that infants are capable of differentiating positive and negative facial expressions (i.e., sad vs. happy, surprised vs. angry), however there is little research examining whether infants can make more fine-grained discriminations among negative facial expressions (e.g., fearful vs. angry). In the present paper, two experiments use a novel technique known as Fast Periodic Visual Stimulation (FPVS) to assess discrimination of facial expressions by adults (n = 33) and 7-month-old infants (n = 33). Adults discriminated facial expressions, but 7-month-old infants did not. Reasons why infants did not show a discrimination response are explored and the potential benefits of FPVS are discussed.
Experimental Manipulation of Processing Style: Impact on Interpretive Bias, Problem Solving, and Worry in Individuals with Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Authors: Pawluck Elizabeth Jane
Published: May 2021

The present study investigated whether individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) could be trained to adopt an abstract or concrete processing style and the impact of processing style training on GAD symptoms and cognitive processes, including an interpretation bias, negative problem solving orientation, poor problem solving, and worry. Participants (N=47) were trained to adopt an abstract or concrete processing style, and outcome measures were completed at posttraining and 1 week follow-up. At posttraining, processing style training was effective in inducing an abstract or concrete processing style. In addition, at posttraining, the concrete training condition reported reduced concern with ambiguous scenarios and produced problem solutions that were rated as more effective compared with the abstract training condition. At follow-up, there was no difference between training conditions on processing style and associated GAD symptoms and cognitive processes. Study limitations and future directions are discussed.
Nanoindentation simulations for large atomic systems : an analysis of molecular dynamics and bridged finite element - molecular dynamics methodologies
Authors: Vandersluis Jonathan
Published: May 2021

This thesis develops a molecular dynamics (MD) custom made computational tool to perform nanoindentation simulations on copper nanomaterials, a Face Centred Cubic (FCC) metal. The Embedding Atom Method (EAM) is used to model the interatomic forces with the substrate. Further, a bridged finite element - molecular dynamics (FE-MD) simulation tool is also adapted to perform nanoindentation experimentation. Using this bridged FE-MD simulation tool, nanoindentations are performed much more effectively than the MD simulations while saving substantial computational simulation time. While the MD simulation experienced difficulties capturing the behaviour of the system during indentation especially at faster indentation speeds, the bridged FE-MD method is capable of reaching a state of equilibrium within a single step for each indentation depth interval analyzed throughout the nanoindentation. Although the hardness values for these simulations cannot be obtained without larger scale simulations using more powerful computational resources, the simulations provide insight into the behaviour of the copper nanomaterial during nanoindentation. As a result, it is clear that the bridged FE-MD nanoindentation tool is much more effective for executing nanoindentation simulations than the traditional MD methodologies.
The Transformation of The Marble Faun: A case study of the extra-illustrated volumes of The Marble Faun published by Tauchnitz
Authors: Balconi Andreane
Published: May 2021

This thesis explores the use and development of the photographically illustrated novel from a souvenir to a mass-market publication. An examination of three volumes of the Tauchnitz printing of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Marble Faun details how tourists and booksellers adapted the novel through the addition of albumen prints to create a unique
souvenir. By 1889, the technological advances in the printing process, the demands of tourism and the photographic selections from the Tauchnitz volumes made it possible for Houghton, Mifflin and Company to publish an illustrated copy of The Marble Faun containing photogravure prints. Like the European title of the book - Transformation or
,the Romance of Monte Beni - this paper demonstrates how the Tauchnitz touristproduced souvenir copies of the novel evolved into a mass-market product.
Accessing the Border: The Mobility Rights of Asylum Seekers with Precarious Status
Authors: Walcott Ashley
Published: May 2021

The mobility rights of migrants have been presented as universal and non-discriminatory in United Nation declarations, protocols and conventions. These inherent rights are often placed in opposition to states’ sovereign right to control their borders. The international refugee regime has faced challenges to the defence and advocacy of human rights. The right to seek asylum has faced questions of security, and terrorism. Politicians have successfully re-framed asylum seekers as active ‘threats’ to the social, cultural and economic security of the state and campaign to enforce the protection of the state. By de-linking the border from the territorial boundaries of the state, Canadian officials have excluded, deterred and halted the movement of asylum seekers seeking refuge in Canada, adding to the surmountable geographic barriers the state holds to resettlement.
Experimental measurement of Soret coefficient and numerical study on effect of g-jitter in liquid mixtures
Authors: Ezzatian Pouyan
Published: May 2021

A ground based experiment using digital optical interferometry was conducted to measure the Soret and thermodiffusion coefficients of a liquid binary mixture of water-isopropanol with different mass fractions in a rectangular glass cell. The cell was subjected to a temperature gradient of 6oC, and the entire experimental setup was placed inside a heat insulation box. The results showed good agreement with published results and established that the method of measurement is a competitive and accurate method to measure the transport coefficients in binary liquid mixtures. In preparation for IVIDIL (influence of vibrations on diffision in liquids) experiments on board the International Space Station, a numerical analysis for the mixture of water-10% isopropanol was performed to determine the effects of g-jitter on the flow inside a cylindrical model subject to a temperature gradient of 10oC. The data for g-jitter, Soret and thermodiffusion coefficients were obtrained fom FOTON-12 and used in the analysis. A comparison between zero-gravity, micro-gravity and g-jitter scenarios showed that the presence of g-jitter does affect the flow inside the cell. Temperature and concentration times to reach the steady state were increased.
New bang-bang phase detectors for high-speed serial links
Authors: Li Jiwang
Published: May 2021

Bang-bang phase detector studies were carried out in this thesis. Based on the comparison of linear and non-linear phase detectors, a hybrid phase detector was proposed. It possesses the characteristics of two-XOR phase detectors and improved bang-bang phase detectors. PLLs with the proposed hybrid phase detector possess low timing jitter in lock states and a fast locking process. The effectiveness of the proposed hybrid phase detector was quantified by comparing the performance of three PLLs with identical loop components but different phase detectors. A new bang-bang phase detector with regenerative DFFs was also proposed. The regenerative bang-bang phase detector ensures a fast acquisition of incoming clocks. The effectiveness of the regenerative phase detector was assessed in a 2GHz PLL. A 1X bang-bang phase detector was proposed also. Compared to a 2X bang-bang phase detector, PLLs with a 1X bang-bang phase detector offer faster locking. A DFF frequency detector and a charge-pump frequency detector were also proposed. Both effectively detect the frequency difference.
The Experiences and Perceived Differences in Working Conditions among Early Childhood Educators Who Have Worked in both For-Profit and Non-Profit Childcare Centres in the Greater Toronto Area
Authors: Romain-Tappin Christine
Published: May 2021

This study examined early childhood educators’ perceptions of the differences in working conditions between for-profit and non-profit childcare centres and childcare sectors, in the Greater Toronto Area. Four early childhood educators who have worked in both for-profit and non-profit childcare centres were interviewed. This project was guided by Moss’ theory of democratic political practice with the goals of illuminating why early childhood education and care (ECEC) should be a public system and how researchers can ensure that ECEs’ experiences and voices are highlighted especially in early childhood practices and policies affecting them. Two themes emerged from the interviews. The first theme reveals variation between the material conditions in the participants’ working environments across the two sectors; the second theme exposes non-material factors of working in each sector as an ECE. Interviewed ECEs reported that non-profit childcare centres provide higher quality working conditions than forprofit childcare centres.
Resource-Aware Topology Adaptation in P2P Overlay Adhoc Network
Authors: Lau Gabriel
Published: May 2021

With the emergence of wireless devices, service delivery for mobile ad hoc networks (MANET) has started to attract a lot of attention recently. We believe that overlay networks, particularly peer-to-peer (P2P) systems, is a good abstraction for application design and deployment over ad hoc networks. The principal benefit of this approach is that application states are only maintained by the nodes involved in the application execution and all other nodes only perform networking related functions. We propose a P2P system for MANET, RAON, which performs query forwarding and overlay topology adaptation based on link instability and power constraints. We evaluated and compared the performance of RAON with an existing P2P system, Gia. Our simulation results show that RAON improves the success rate and delay of query search as compared to Gia. It, however, achieves this at the expense of higher energy consumption.
Photographic Preservation; On Becoming A Professionalized Field
Authors: Kirschenbaum Megan J.
Published: May 2021

This paper considers whether or not the occupation of photographic preservation is a professional field, discussing both its current attributes and the elements that are still missing. It includes a discussion of the histories of photographic preservation and conservation, and of the growing interest in advanced professional education. It also includes a historical account of how the only MA in Photographic Preservation and Collections Management grew into what it is now.

Drawing on the work of sociologists on the topic of professionalization, this paper asserts that a professionalized field demonstrates certain characteristics that include unified knowledge, standardized skills, and codes of ethical conduct. By comparing the field of photographic preservation to other more established professions my research shows that the field of photographic preservation and collections management is moving toward a professionalized state. This paper concludes with a proposed 'Code of Conduct' document suitable for the field of photographic preservation.
Deep vision pipeline for self-driving cars based on machine learning methods
Authors: Ahmed Mohammed Nabeel
Published: May 2021

The purpose of this thesis project is to design and implement a vision pipeline useful for self-driving cars, based on computer vision methods and deep learning frameworks. This pipeline is useful for identifying the lane, other cars in the view, as well as traffic signs. A final vision pipeline design is proposed that explores a network that can control steering based on vision input.

Firstly, the working model of computer vision techniques used are presented. The mathematical models used are explored, and implementation in source code developed. These models comprise the vision side of the pipeline.

Secondly, this report explores the deep learning models implemented as part of the pipeline. The mathematical approach is presented as well as the source code implementation. The models are industry and academia proven and their implementation is developed in detail.

The final part provides details on full pipeline architecture, and required hardware. A comprehensive discussion is made on the pipeline, the lessons learned, and future work.
Fun With Freire : Grassroot Soccer, Participatory Learning, and HIV and AIDS Prevention in South Africa
Authors: Colucci Emma Christine
Published: May 2021

This thesis focuses on the universality of soccer, and participatory educational methodologies as tools to combat HIV and AIDS through a case study of Grassroot Soccer (GRS). GRS is an organization that empowers African youth with the knowledge, skills and support to combat the HIV and AIDS pandemic. This thesis specifically explores GRS's work in Port Elizabeth (PE) South Africa. The role of sport, specifically soccer, as a form of Entertainment-Education (E-E) is explored in order to exemplify the value of an otherwise overlooked avenue of positive social change. Paulo Freire's notion of participatory learning is used to analyze the GRS methodology in order to establish the ways in which the program uses interactive learning structures through soccer as a tool to enhance the GRS student's sense of self-efficacy and overall knowledge about HIV and AIDS. This thesis substantiates the effectiveness of GRS's participatory learning structure made possible through sport.
HIV stigma, psychological distress and social support and their relationship to fertility intentions amongst HIV positive (HIV+) women
Authors: Wagner Anne C.
Published: May 2021

The current study examined the relationship of demographic and psychological predictors to fertility intentions in HIV+ women in Ontario. 326 HIV+ women between the ages of 18 and 52 were recruited through 28 AIDS service organizations, 8 HIV clinics and 2 community health centres across the province. 58.6% of the sample intended to become pregnant. African ethnicity, living in Toronto, high social support for having a child, and high perceived HIV stigma were associated with higher fertility intentions. Higher age, and European, Canadian and British ethnicity were all associated with lower fertility intentions. No moderation effects were found in multiple regression analyses, but main effects were found for African ethnicity, lower age, living in Toronto, high perceived HIV stigma and high social support for having a child. The majority of the sample intended to become pregnant, suggesting the need for effective health care support for HIV+ women in Ontario.
Conditional random field based image and video content analysis
Authors: Wang Xiaofeng
Published: May 2021

Image and video content analysis is an interesting, meaningful and challenging topic. In recent years much of the research effort in the multimedia field focuses on indexing and retrieval. Semantic gap between low-level features and high-level content is a bottleneck in most systems. To bridge the semantic gap, new content analysis models need to be developed. In this thesis, algorithms based on a relatively new graphical model, called the conditional random field (CRF) model, are developed for two closely-related problems in content analysis: image labeling and video content analysis. The CRF model can represent spatial interactions in image labeling and temporal interactions in video content analysis. New feature functions are designed to better represent the feature distributions. The mixture feature functions are used in image labeling for databases with nature images, and the independent component analysis (ICA) mixture function is applied in sports video content analysis. The spatial dependence of image parts and the temporal dependence of video frames can be explored by the CRF model more effectively using new feature functions. For image labeling with large databases, the content-based image retrieval method is combined with the CRF image labeling model successfully.
Investigating The Impact Of Thermal Mass Towards Energy Efficient Housing In Canada
Authors: Ahmed Tasnuva
Published: May 2021

The building industry is striving for environmental friendly and energy efficient facility developments, as we have used most of our natural resources for comfortable living. Therefore energy efficient houses are very significant to reduce energy consumption. Thermal mass can be used as one of the many techniques of energy efficiency in the housing industry. Thermal mass can store heat in it which can be released at a later time. This behaviour of thermal mass can play a significant role in heating and cooling energy consumption of houses. This study investigates the impact of thermal mass on heating and cooling energy performance of a detached house and a row attached house, which are two main types of housing in Canada. Energy Plus simulation software has been used in the study. Also the study includes two different climatic conditions in Canada, such as Toronto and Vancouver, to envision how thermal mass behaviour changes with climates. All these different studies show thermal mass has significant impact on reduced energy consumption (15% savings in Vancouver for CCHT house) and lowering indoor air temperature. Other strategies such as insulation high R value, increased south face glazing and reduced glazing U value have been integrated with thermal mass to see energy performance in both climates. It hows more energy reduction than only thermal mass strategy. For instance, in CCHT house insulation high R value with concrete high mass reduces maximum 27% of total energy for Vancouver location.
Biomechanical Evaluation of a Carbon Fibre Epoxy Composite Plate in an Injured and Healed Femur Using Infrared Thermography and Finite Element Analysis
Authors: Siddiqui Faisal Sharaf
Published: May 2021

Femur fractures are caused by high energy trauma or by musculoskeletal impairments, such as osteoporosis. The presence of total hip replacement (THR) superior to a femoral mid-shaft fracture greatly complicates fixation and treatment. The most conventional fracture fixation method is internal fixation by metal plate and screws. However, metal being stiffer than bone, causes stress shielding and bone resorption. The goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of a less stiff carbon fibre epoxy plate as fracture fixation in an injured and healed femur. IR thermography validated by finite element analysis (FEA) was used to investigate the stress patterns of an injured and healed femur under an average cyclic loading of 800 N at an adduction angle of 7 degrees to simulate the single-legged stance phase of walking. The average stiffness of an injured femur with carbon/epoxy plate was 532.1 N/mm (static) and 625.3 N/mm (dynamic) respectively, that increased to 597.6 N/mm (static) and 697.9 N/mm (dynamic) for the metal plate. For the healed femur, the average stiffness increased from 1660.3 N/mm (static) and 2010.0 N/mm (dynamic) for the carbon/epoxy plate to 1704.4 N/mm (static) and 2070.4 N/mm (dynamic) for the metal plate. IR stress maps for carbon/epoxy and metal plate (injured femur) showed an overall difference of 29.2% for the anterior and posterior sides. This is the first study to assess experimentally and computationally the biomechanical behavior of injured and healed synthetic femur with two different plates construct.
A Vision for the Future of Non-Binary Fashion on Video Trans Animal Conceptual Sculpture Performance Explorations
Authors: Edelman Patrick James
Published: May 2021

The Vision for the Future of Non-binary Fashion on Video is a practice- based research project that examines the relationship between trans and non-binary bodies to, public space through creative methods of wearable sculpture, dance, performance and experimental video. This project enacts my theory of gender pregnancy, that one can achieve a non-binary appearance through using garments, motifs, or colors typically associated with binary gender and juxtaposing them into one look that is full of gender.

This project dismantles binary notions of gender, public/private, mind/body and human/animal. Through the use of performance this project speaks to the transformative power of queer visibility in reclaiming public space. The resulting video, Trans Animal Fashion Futures, presents similarities between trans experiences and non-human animals in an to situate trans narratives as part of the ‘natural’ environment. Ultimately, this project engages with trans subjects and experiences to imagine queer collective futures in the interest of all.
Bioactive Borate-Based Glass Coatings For Titanium Alloy Femoral Stems
Authors: Li Yiming
Published: May 2021

Hydroxyapatite (HA)-coated Ti6Al4V stems are currently used in total hip replacement (THR) surgeries. However, the residual stress in the HA coating due to mismatch in coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between HA and Ti6Al4V limits their application. Borate-based glasses can be promising alternatives to HA because of their similar CTEs to that of Ti6Al4V and excellent bioactivity that can promote bone repair. In this project, six borate-based glasses (Ly-B0, Ly-B1, Ly-B2, Ly-B3, Ly-B4, Ly-B5) from the B2O3-P2O5-CaO-Na2O-TiO2-SrO series were formulated by increasing the concentration of strontium oxide (SrO)from 0 to 25 in mol% at the expense of B2O3 in the glass series. Increased SrO content induced larger amounts of non-bridging oxygens and resulted in gradual increases in glass transition temperature (Tg). Discs of each glass powder were immersed in de-ionized water under 1, 7 and 30 days, and then the water extracts were used to determine the solubility and osteo-stimulatory effect of the glasses. Sr2+ doping retarded the dissolution rate of the glasses and the higher levels of Sr2+ doping (20 mol% and 25 mol%) promoted proliferation of osteoblasts. Except for Ly-B5 (containing 25 mol% SrO), discs of each glass powder exhibited bacteriostatic behavior against Staphylococcus aureus after 24 hours exposure. The glasses were enamelled onto Ti6Al4V substrates, and then bi-layer double cantilever beam (DCB) specimens were manufactured to measure the Mode I (GIC) and Mode II (GIIC) energy release rate of the glass coating/Ti6Al4V constructs. The mean GIC values increased from 6.56 ± 0.9 to 14.6 1 ± 2.1 J/m2 with increasing SrO content from Ly-B0 to Ly-B5, and the mean GIIC values increased from 36.07 ± 3.8 to 46.92 ± 3.3 J/m2 with increasing SrO content from Ly-B0 to Ly-B5, indicating that the incorporation of 15-25 mol% SrO significantly increased the fracture toughness of the construct. Moreover, the GIC and GIIC values of the coating/substrate system for all the six glasses significantly reduced (p ≤ 0.05) due to degradation in de-ionized water.
A New Dynamic Finite Element Formulation with Applications to Composite Aircraft Wings
Authors: Bomeman Stephen R.
Published: May 2021

This  thesis  presents  a  new  dynamic  finite  element  (DFE)  formulation  for  the  free vibration  of  composite  wings  modeled  as  beam  assemblies.  Implementing  Euler- Bemoulli  beam  theory,  the  initially  assumed  uniform  beam  is  modeled  in  a progressive manner  to  produce  a  complex  tapered  composite  thin-walled  wing.  The  DFE  employs dynamic  trigonometric  shape  functions  (DTSF’s)  to  produce  a  single  dynamic  stiffness matrix  containing  both  mass  and  stiffness  properties.  Then,  the  Wittrick-William  root counting  algorithm  is  used  to  solve  the  resulting  non-linear  eigenvalue  problem. The effective  stiffness  of a flat fiberous  composite beam  is  modeled using classical  laminate theory.  The  effective  stiffness  of  a  thin-walled  wing-box  is  achieved  by  employing  a circumferentially asymmetric stiffness (CAS) configuration. The convergence of the DFE is  significantly better as  compared to other existing methods,  the Finite Element Method (FEM)  and  the Dynamic  Stiffness Matrix  (DSM),  particularly for complex elements  and higher modes of free coupled vibration.
Interview Techniques for Children with Disabilities
Authors: Chan Cherry Chui Ying
Published: May 2021

The goal of the present study was to examine interview techniques that can be used with young children with disabilities. Four children aged three to five were recruited at a family resource center affiliated with a university in Toronto and were interviewed twice at their childcare centers. Multiple methods were used in the interviews to examine techniques that worked well with the children. The types and purposes of interview questions were analyzed, and the themes emerged from the interactions between the interviewers and the children were discussed. Overall, this study provides insights to the research methodologies that can be used to investigate the perspectives of young children with disabilities and underscores the importance of listening to this population through multiple ways.
Pedagogical future of architecture
Authors: Mazharai Leila
Published: May 2021

"Architecture is a constant journey across the boundaries of binary realms: of science and art; visible and invisible; inside and outside. Architectural education is simply the practice of soaking into these worlds, moving in between, and creating new ones. The role of academy is to not only raise the consciousness of these thresholds, but to become the conductor for those cross-boundary movements. In this project, the possibility of weaving the heart of the pedagogy, the individuals, to the architectural milieu is examined. The institute is defined as a processor which embraces the spontaneous linearity of individual's growth. It becomes the "Bazaar", in which the possibility of knowledge transfer becomes endless. The physical environment is formed through a weave of pedagogical ribbons. Each ribbon is defined base on the communicative nature of contained labs. The weave emphasizes "thresholds" throughout a temporal experience of constant separation and reintegration."
Softskin: anticipating change for the future architectural envelope
Authors: Al-Ameen Rawya
Published: May 2021

The architectural proposition in this thesis aims to study the symbolic, physiological and emotional implications of the spatial and experiential qualities of architectural space, through an exploration of future possibilities for the envelope. The Architectural envelope defines a relationship between inside and outside, marking a threshold between two different environments. It is therefore of a dual nature, a two-sided surface. The outside is the expressive face of architecture, a communicative surface; the inside is an expression of our own intimate worlds, which we decorate with desires and memories. Thus the envelope is determined by our timeless desires for both protection from and connection to the outside world. Yet the future of the architectural envelope is uncertain. Entering this space of uncertainty, the objective of this thesis is to question the possibility of imagining the envelope as a more complex skin, a soft skin, one that is a multi-layered system, following the model of the living skin.
Mechatronic system parameter identification via genetic algorithms
Authors: Adamson Mathew I.
Published: May 2021

This thesis develops a novel way to identify both the joint friction parameters and a built in torque sensor gain and offset. The identification method is based on a genetic algorithm (GA). A model based friction compensation method and a real coded GA are selected from a variety of methods available. A model of a single degree of freedom mechatronic joint with a link is presented. Numerical simulations are run to determine the optimum configuration of the GA with respect to the population size and maximum number of generations necessary to identify the parameters to within 5% of their actual value. The GA identification technique is then used on an experimental mechatronic joint with a harmonic drive and built-in torque sensor. The friction parameters as well as the sensor gain and offset are identified in the experimental system and the position tracking error is reduced. Based on the experimental results, the method is found to be an effective way of identifying system parameters in a mechatronic joint.
The Blonde Salad: a case study of the democratic potential of fashion blogging in a new media environment
Authors: Mostert Rachel
Published: May 2021

This Major Research Project examines the ways in which the trust that consumers have in fashion blogging as a form of user-generated fashion media may aid in the reproduction of conventional fashion hierarchies. Where consumers may assume that all blog content is created by bloggers themselves, other influences (from fashion “experts” and established brands) often play a large role in dictating content for bloggers. This research questions whether fashion
blogging has the potential to create a more open and democratic fashion market. To illustrate these ideas, the project engages in an in-depth case study of one popular fashion blogger, Chiara Ferragni and her blog, The Blonde Salad. Using a theoretical analysis based on concepts of capital discussed by Pierre Bourdieu, this research uses The Blonde Salad blog as an example to demonstrate the influences at play within the making of popular fashion blog content and to question power relations at play within the fashion blogosphere.
Inter-Signal Timing Skew Compensation Of Source-Synchronized Parallel Links With Incremental Signaling
Authors: Hu An
Published: May 2021

This thesis deals with inter-signal timing skew compensation of source-synchronized multi-Gbytes/s parallel links with both voltage-mode and current-mode incremental signaling schemes. To compensate for the inter-signal timing skew of parallel links with voltage-mode incremental signaling, an early/late block that detects the rising and falling edges of the pulses generated by inter-signal timing skews at the far end of the channels, and subsequently allocates the optimal sampling point of the sampler of each data bit to maximize the timing margins.

Two cascaded delay-locked loops are employed to place the sampling clock to the optimal sampling position of each data bit. To compensate for the inter-signal timing skew of parallel links with current-mode incremental signaling, each current-mode receiver maps the direction of its channel current representing the logic state of the incoming data to two voltages of different values. The feedback at the front-end of the receiver minimizes the dependence of the input imedance of the receiver on the channel current so that data dependent impedance mismatch is minimized. Inter-signal timing skews are compensated by inserting a delay line in each channel.
Canadian snowbirds in Mexico: transnational life experiences - a reverse perspective
Authors: Espinosa de los Monteros Romo Adriana
Published: May 2021

Much has been said of migrants coming from all over the world to Canada, but there is a rarely interest in the other side of the fence. Every year thousands of Canadians escape from the cold weather during winter season, they are the so-called snowbirds. This paper portrays the life experiences of seven Canadian snowbirds who shared the journey of spending three to seven months each year in five different cities in Mexico. Through the lens of transnationalism, this paper sheds light on a better understanding of this growing phenomenon. It explains how this seasonal migration has developed transnational behaviours in the life of the snowbirds; reflected in their mobility, identity, social networks, political awareness, as well as their cultural and economic practices. This study is not focusing on a specific community but rather on the broader phenomenon across Mexico given Canadian snowbirds are not a homogeneous diaspora in Mexico.

Keywords: Canadian snowbirds, Mexico, transnationalism, seasonal migratio
Developing an evaluation tool for green roof typologies
Authors: Laidlaw Cameron
Published: May 2021

Green roofs possess the potential to provide a plethora of benefits in the urban environment. The variability among the green roof typologies (intensive, extensive, and agriculture) leads to different benefits when one system is selected over another. By the collection and analyzing of metadata, an evaluation tool is developed to assist green roof designers to meet the goals of their specific project. Included criteria for evaluation are: water runoff quantity, water runoff quality, maintenance, amenity, and irrigation. The evaluation tool is designed to be compartmentalized, with each criteria treated independently, allowing further expansion, alteration, or refinement of the tool in the future.
Application Of Residue Codes For Error Detection In Mixed Signal Devices
Authors: Feyzmohammadi Leila
Published: May 2021

Testing methods based on residue codes are considered as simple, with high probability of detecting errors. Most of the literatures on arithmetic error control codes are mainly focused on applications of secure data transmission and testing digital circuits rather than testing mixed-signal systems. In both cases implementation of residue computing circuit (RCC), also known as the residue generator is an integral part of the hardware design. In this work a low-cost compactor circuit to calculate the residue for on-line testing of analog-to-digital converter has been presented. Aliasing rate and its relationship with the resolution of the ADC have been analyzed. Theory and operation of Linear Feedback Shift Registers have been applied for the implementation of the modulo adder circuit. The compaction circuits were simulated, and the result confirmed the theoretical analysis.
The Anthropomorphized Animal In Children’s Culture
Authors: Ratelle Amy
Published: May 2021

The reliance on animals in children’s literature over the past two centuries has become a key means by which the civilizing process that children go through has been mediated by the animal body. Children are asked both implicitly and explicitly to identify with animals, but then to position themselves as distinctly human through the mode of their interactions with both lived animals and those depicted in literature and film. This core question of identity formation – child/adult, animal/human – forms the foundation of my dissertation, which investigates the overlapping, double-sided rhetorics addressing children, childhood and animals. My dissertation is organized into five areas of interest that pose complementary questions regarding the way in which relationships between animals and children inform and underscore adults’ lived relationships with both of them.

Posthumanist scholarship, then, becomes a key means by which to de-prioritize a conception of an exclusively human subjectivity. Cary Wolfe in particular has recently worked to criticize liberal humanism and find ways to push cultural analysis beyond its inherent anthropocentrism in order to combat institutionalized speciesism, which continues to prioritize human beings, thereby excusing the exploitation or extermination of other species. What has been notably overlooked in posthumanism’s challenge to anthropocentric human liberalism, however, is how the human is encultured through literature geared specifically towards a child audience. By examining culturally significant and widely popular works of children’s culture through a posthumanist, or animality studies lens, I argue that Western philosophy’s objective to establish a notion of an exclusively human subjectivity is continually countered in the very texts that ostensibly work to configure human identity. Literature geared toward a child audience reflects and contributes to the cultural tensions created by the oscillation between upholding and undermining the divisions between the human and the animal. My dissertation focuses on the ways in which these works present the boundary between humans and animals as, at best, permeable and in a state of continual flux.
A Study of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) in Control Systems for Effective Learning
Authors: Suresh Anup
Published: May 2021

PLC controllers in today's day are a staple mechanism to control operation of large number of machines and devices in the industry. With their advanced usage, it is increasingly becoming a staple and important part of Engineering. Thus, it is crucial that this knowledge is effectively delivered to students with practical applications.
This paper presents a series of laboratory experiments for students to learn and explore the various industrial applications of PLC’s. The control problems in this paper are defined with respect to their applications in different industries such as automotive, steel, oil and electronics. Applications are typical processes that can be observed in these industries such as material conveying, material handling, cutting processes, system control and temperature control. All the problems are solved using Ladder Logic programming on Automation Studio to simulate these processes and provide students with a wholesome learning experience.
Thermo-physical characteristics of building integrated phase change materials (PCM) and their applicability to energy efficient homes
Authors: Siddiqui Omar
Published: May 2021

The applicability of utilizing a variety of thermal mass including phase change materials with commonly used building materials is investigated through the use of simulations and physical testing. The thermal performance and occupant comfort potential of a novel solid-solid phase change material, known as Dal HSM, is compared and contrasted to commonly available forms of thermal mass. Detailed experimentation is conducted to successfully integrate Dal HSM with gypsum and concrete. The measurement of physical characteristics such as compressive strength and modulus of rupture is conducted to ensure that the PCM-composite compound retains the structural integrity to be utilized in a typical building. The use of thermal mass in the Toronto Net Zero house was found to contribute to energy savings of 10-15% when different types of thermal mass were used. The comfort level of the indoor occupants was also found to increase. The performance of Dal HSM was found to be comparable to a commercially available PCM known as Micronal in the heating mode. The cooling mode revealed that Dal HSM provided slightly lower energy savings when compared to Micronal due to a lower phase transition temperature and latent heat. The performance of physical test revealed a decrease in the compressive strength as the concentration of Dal HSM was increased in the PCM-gypsum specimens. Tests were also performed to analyze the impact of increasing the PCM concentration on the flexural strength of PCM-gypsum composite.
An experimental and experience sampling study of emotion in people with generalized anxiety disorder
Authors: Pawluk Elizabeth J.
Published: May 2021

Difficulties with emotion and emotion regulation have a significant role in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), however, much remains unknown about the emotional profile of people with GAD. The emotion dysregulation model (Mennin et al., 2005) suggests that people with GAD experience emotions at a heightened intensity and use maladaptive strategies, including worry, to regulate their distress. This dissertation comprises two independent studies to test tenets of the model. Study 1 was a laboratory-based experiment to clarify if the heightened emotional intensity experienced by people with GAD is due to baseline arousal or emotional reactivity. The subjective emotional and physiological responses of people with GAD (n = 22) were compared to those of people with social anxiety disorder (SAD; n = 23) and nonclinical controls (NCC; n = 20) at baseline and following an emotion induction. The GAD group reported greater subjective intensity of negative emotions and lower intensity of positive emotions relative to the control groups. No differences were found across the three groups in their level of emotional reactivity. The findings highlight that baseline intensity, not emotional reactivity, accounts for the heightened emotional intensity reported by people with GAD. Study 2 was an experience sampling study to identify the emotional profile of people with GAD and examine direct effect of worry and of external events on negative and positive emotions in daily life. Relative to the NCC group (n = 41), the GAD group (n = 39) exhibited an emotional profile characterized by elevated mean intensity, greater instability and greater inertia of negative emotions and lower mean intensity, greater instability and lower inertia of positive emotions. Worry had a greater negative effect on the emotions reported by the GAD group relative to those of the NCC group. Finally, the groups did not differ in degree of emotional reactivity to negative events, but the GAD group reported a greater increase in positive emotion and a greater decrease in negative emotion following a positive event compared to the NCC group. Overall, the findings inform the emotion dysregulation model and provide unique insights into the dynamic emotional experiences of those with GAD.
Characterization of the mixing of wheat straw slurries through electrical resistance tomography (ERT)
Authors: Movafagh Hiva
Published: May 2021

Wheat straw is a good source for the production of bioethanol. It can be converted into smaller fibers using mechanical treatment such as milling and grinding. These fibers can then be suspended in water and the slurry behaves as a non-Newtonian fluid possessing yield stress. In mixing operations, the presence of yield stress creates a region of active motion (called cavern) around the impeller, and stagnant zones in the rest of the tank. 2D and 3D electrical resistance tomography (ERT) images of wheat straw slurries were used in this study to measure the cavern diameter and height, respectively, created by mixing the slurries, and to estimate their yield stress from these dimensions. The average yield stresses of 5, 7, and 10 wt% slurries were 1.31 Pa, 4.2 Pa, and 14.8 Pa, respectively, when fiber size was ≤ 2 mm, and 3.4 Pa, 6.8 Pa, and 16.7 Pa, respectively, when fiber size was 8 mm ± 0.014 mm. The author believes that this study is the first novel application of ERT to estimate the yield stress of wheat straw slurries, as opposed to directly measuring it with a rheological instrument.
TDD Dynamics: Understanding the Impact of Test-Driven Development on Software Quality and Productivity
Authors: Rafique Yahha
Published: May 2021

Test-Driven Development (TDD) is one of the cornerstone practices of the Extreme Programming agile methodology. Today, despite the large scale adoption of TDD in industry, including large software firms such as Microsoft and IBM, its usefulness with regard to the quality and productivity constructs it still under question. Empirical Research has failed to produce conclusive results; all possible results have been reported for both constructs. This research adopts non-empirical measures to gain a deeper understanding of TDD. A two-phased approach has been undertaken towards the goal. The first phase involves conducting a meta-analysis of past empirical research. The meta-analysis quantitatively combines the results of individual empirical studies and identifies moderator variables that could potentially govern the performance of TDD. The second phase of the approach involves the construction of a simulation model of a TDD-based development process. The presented model further analyzes the impact of changes in moderator variables.