bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Frequency-Domain Synthetic Aperture Focusing Techniques for Imaging with Single-Element Focused Transducers
Authors: Shaswary Elyas
Published: May 2021

Synthetic aperture focusing techniques (SAFT) make the lateral spatial resolution of the conventional ultrasound imaging from a single-element focused transducer more uniform. In this work, two new frequency-domain SAFT (FD-SAFT) algorithms are proposed, which are based on 2D matched filtering techniques. The first algorithm is the FD-SAFT virtual disk source (FD-VDS) that treats the focus of a focused transducer as a finite sized virtual source and the diffraction effect in the far-field is accounted for in the image reconstruction. The second algorithm is the FD-SAFT deconvolution (FD-DC) that uses the simulated point spread function of the imaging system as a matched filter kernel in the image reconstruction. These algorithms were implemented for pulsed and linear frequency modulated chirp excitations. The performance of these algorithms was studied using a series of simulations and experiments, and it was compared with the conventional B-mode and time-domain virtual point source SAFT (TD-VPS) imaging techniques. The image quality was analyzed in terms of spatial resolution, sidelobe level, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast resolution, contrast-to- speckle ratio, and ex vivo tissue image quality. The results showed that the FD-VDS had the highest spatial resolution and FD-DC had the second highest spatial resolution. In addition, FD-DC had generally the highest SNR. The computation run time of the proposed methods was significantly lower than the TD-VPS. Furthermore, chirp excitation improves the SNR of all methods by about 8 dB without significantly affecting the spatial resolution and sidelobe level. Thus, the FD-VDS and FD-DC methods offer efficient solutions to make the spatial resolution of conventional B-mode imaging more uniform.
Yo Cuento*: Latin American Immigrant Children Tell Their Stories *Yo cuento is Spanish for I narrate/I matter
Authors: Vega Monica Carolina Valencia
Published: May 2021

Despite considerable interest in studying immigrant children in Canada, few studies include immigrant children as study participants. This study involved 10 children born in Latin American who have lived in Canada for five years or less. These children were between the ages of nine and 11 - five boys and five girls. Five children were from Colombia, two from Venezuela, one from Mexico, one from Bolivia and one from Ecuador. I conducted individual research sessions where children and I drew, wrote and conversed. Children drew the most significant events in their migration process and wrote short narratives. The main findings from this study include the impact of grandmother/grandchild separation on immigrant children, children’s multiple transitions across countries and within Canada, children’s worries due to language barriers, and the value children place on peer cultural brokering. The paper concludes with recommendations and a reminder of the importance of conducting research with children. Key words: Immigrant children, Latin America, loss, residential mobility, cultural brokering.
Rapid Response to Day Hospital Treatment in Bulimia Nervosa and Purging Disorder: a Randomized Controlled Trial of an Intervention to Facilitate Early Behaviour Change
Authors: MacDonald Danielle Elziabeth
Published: May 2021

Even the most effective treatments for bulimia nervosa and purging disorder have high rates of nonremission and relapse. As such, improving treatment efficacy is an important research priority in this area. Research has consistently demonstrated that rapid response – defined as substantial improvements in key eating disorder behaviours (e.g., binge eating, vomiting, dietary restriction) during the initial weeks of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) – is the strongest and most robust predictor of good outcomes at end-of-treatment and in follow-up (Vall & Wade, 2015). Further, research has failed to identify pre-treatment demographic or clinical variables that account for this relationship, suggesting that rapid response is due to elements of CBT itself. This study aimed to demonstrate that rapid response can be clinically facilitated. A four-session CBT intervention focused on encouraging rapid response was compared to a matched-intensity motivational interviewing intervention, both adjunctive to intensive treatment in a randomized controlled trial. The CBT intervention included psychoeducation about rapid response, a focus on goal-setting, and use of behavioural skills for making concrete changes. Forty-four women with bulimia nervosa or purging disorder participated in the study. There were no baseline differences between groups on any demographic or clinical variables. Intent-to-treat results showed that compared to those who received motivational interviewing, participants who received CBT were significantly more likely to make a rapid response to day hospital treatment, and had fewer total eating disorder behaviours and more normalized eating during the first 4 weeks of day hospital treatment. Additionally, between baseline and day hospital end-of-treatment, participants who received CBT made significantly greater improvements on overvaluation of weight and shape and difficulties with emotion regulation. These findings indicate that rapid response to intensive treatment can be clinically facilitated using an adjunctive intervention focused on encouraging rapid and substantial change. These findings also suggest that rapid response may be related to improved outcome via improvements in overvaluation of weight and shape or emotion regulation. This study provides support for theoretical contentions that rapid response is due to CBT-related factors, and provides the framework for future research investigating rapid response as a causal mechanism of good outcome for eating disorders.
Gender analysis of learning needs in first time coronary artery bypass graft surgery patients
Authors: Jones Lilibeth Caduhada
Published: May 2021

Gender differences in the preoperative profiles and postoperative outcomes of patients after coronary artery bypass graft surgery raises the question of whether gender also influences learning needs that may necessitate different approaches to the education of these vulnerable patients.The purpose of this study was to examine if learning needs differed between males and females after CABG surgery in the immediate period prior to and after discharge.This secondary analysis utilized a non-experimental, descriptive-comparative design based on existing data. The sample was selected based on a matched-pairs sampling method (32 males, 32 females). Learning needs were assessed through the use of the Patient Learning Needs Scale. Significant gender differences were found in the rank ordering of learning needs and the type of learning needs relating to physical activities only after discharge. These finding suggest that gender and the timing of appraisal may influence the learning needs of patients after CABG surgery.
High Efficiency High Power Density Isolated Matrix-Type Rectifier for Telecom and Data Center Applications
Authors: Afsharian Jahangir
Published: May 2021

With the fast development of information technology (IT) industry, the demand and market volume for off-line power supplies keep increasing, especially those for telecommunication, computer servers and data centers. As the capital expenditure was measured by the square footage occupied rather than power consumption, the development of high power density converter system is of greater interesting. The rising energy prices have resulted in the cost of power and cooling exceeding the purchase cost in less than two years. Therefore, highly efficient power conversion is required for the power converter system. Generally, the power supply unit (PSU) for power distribution system (PDS) in data center and telecom are the standard two-stage approach which normally consists of power factor correction (PFC) circuit and isolated DC-DC converter. The two-stage power conversion has demonstrated excellent performance and high reliability, since the design can be optimized for each stage. However, limitations to prevent the existing two-stage PSU to fulfill future requirements for the PDS in data center and telecom applications are revealed, and a very promising and fundamentally different approach with the single-stage isolated converter is proposed in this dissertation.

The development of single-stage converters with the option of placing the energy storage outside of the PSU creates new degrees of freedom regarding e.g. simplified rectifier racks in telecom and data center. This provides tangible benefits in the form of space saving, better airflow for power unit in rectifier racks and improved lifespan. The three-phase isolated buck matrix-type rectifier, capable of achieving high power density and high efficiency, is identified as an excellent candidate for the medium power level (5 kW~10 kW) single-stage power supply design. Nevertheless, the matrix-type rectifiers are known for their relatively complex modulation and commutation techniques, and lack of ride-through capability such as the stringent case of one phase loss operation.

This dissertation work provides comprehensive study on the commutation method and modulation scheme design for the isolated buck matrix-type rectifier. It aims to analyze the operation principle of the rectifier and propose viable modulation and commutation schemes for this rectifier under both three-phase and single-phase operation. The method is verified by the hardware experiments of the PSUs with high efficiency (> 98%) and high power density (> 70 W/in3 ) for 54 V and 380 VDC applications. The prototypes demonstrated in the experiments show the effectiveness of the proposed modulation and commutation schemes for industry.
#Work! The Effect of Hashtag Campaigns: a Modern Form of Free Labour
Authors: Yacoub Nadine
Published: May 2021

This MRP will attempt to explain social media today by applying Smythe’s (2006) research on audience commodity and free labour regarding television and broadcast to hashtag campaigns on Instagram, such as Coca-Cola’s #ShareaCoke, and Calvin Klein’s #MyCalvins. This MRP will support literature pertaining to audience commodity and free labour, the monetization of user-generated content via social media marketing, and the nature of the audience. Through a mixed methods approach, the campaigns will be analyzed in hopes of discovering how social media has revolutionized the role of the audience, which has shifted drastically due to the participatory nature of the Internet—thus, demonstrating the transformation of the audience as users to producers to advertisers of user-generated content created for hashtag campaigns on Instagram. Ultimately, this MRP will seek to demonstrate that this transformation has resulted in exploitation of users, and have revolutionized the model of free labour and commodity as outline by Smythe (2006).
A matter of survival: why unaccompanied children leave the northern triangle of Central America
Authors: Jarmasz Lidia-Gabriela
Published: May 2021

This MRP applies a grounded theory approach to a scoping review of a range of sources examining the factors driving the migration of unaccompanied children from the Northern Triangle of Central America. Four principal drivers are identified in the literature; of these, two represent push factors in the country of origin: violence and dismal economic conditions; the other two—family reunification and a perception of ease of entry into the destination country— can be construed as pull factors. I argue that the push factors are the main cause of the migration of unaccompanied children, while the pull factors represent enabling factors that facilitate this migration. Further, I also contend that, for this migration flow, violence and economic factors form a vicious cycle and therefore cannot easily be teased apart. This case therefore challenges traditional models of migration that assume a dichotomy between voluntary and forced migration.

Key words: unaccompanied child migrants; Northern Triangle of Central America; drivers of migration; survival migration; push and pull factors
Cops and robbers on graphs and hypergraphs
Authors: Baird William David
Published: May 2021

Cops and Robbers is a vertex-pursuit game played on a graph where a set of cops attempts to capture a robber. Meyniel's Conjecture gives as asymptotic upper bound on the cop number, the number of cops required to win on a connected graph. The incidence graphs of affine planes meet this bound from below, they are called Meyniel extremal. The new parameters mқ and Mқ describe the minimum orders of k-cop-win graphs. The relation of these parameters to Meyniel's Conjecture is discussed. Further, the cop number for all connected graphs of order 10 or less is given. Finally, it is shown that cop win hypergraphs, a generalization of graphs, cannot be characterized in terms of retractions in the same manner as cop win graphs. This thesis presents some small steps towards a solution to Meyniel's Conjecture.
Electricity market efficiency and voltage stability
Authors: Elkasrawy Ayman Helmy Mostafa
Published: May 2021

Several electricity markets were created in the last two decades by deregulation and restructuring vertically integrated utilities. In order to serve the best interest of participating entities, it is important to operate electricity markets at their maximum efficiency.

In most cases, electricity markets were formed to operate on existing physical power systems that had evolved over several decades as vertically integrated utilities. Location of generating stations, large urban load centers and enabling transmission systems were unique to every power system and followed the 'lay of the land'. Depending upon a power system layout, voltage stability and margin to voltage collapse are unique to it. While an electricity market is to be operated efficiently, its optimal generation schedule to supply energy through an electric power system has to be reliable and meet the strict standards including those that relate to voltage stability. This work elicits the relationship between market efficiency and voltage stability. To this end, a formulation and a solution algorithm are presented. Two contrasting 5-bus cases illustrate how the transmission system layout influences the relationship between voltage stability and market efficiency. The IEEE 118-bus system is also used to illustrate this relationship.
Fault Diagnosis And Prognosis Of Satellite Attitude Control System With Reaction Wheels and Control Moment Gyros
Authors: Rahimi Afshin
Published: May 2021

Condition-based maintenance (CBM) and prognostics and health management (PHM), as consisting parts of diagnosis, prognosis, and health monitoring (DPHM) framework, have developed over the past decades to remedy the limitations of the traditional maintenance practices for complex systems. In space, where mass and power budget are restricted, application of CBM and PHM has become more vital to the success of a mission.

Reaction wheels (RW) and Control Moment Gyros (CMG), as the most commonly used actuators onboard satellites, are prone to faults and failures. The ability to detect faults, isolate their location and severity, and estimate the remaining useful life (RUL) of the faulty unit can enhance mission success rate and reduce maintenance and damage costs extensively.

Therefore, in this thesis, a model-based DPHM framework is developed and evaluated. Firstly, a novel fault detection algorithm is proposed, using Unscented Kalman filters (UKF) in conjunction with residual and innovation sequences, for detecting agile faults in RW/CMG onboard satellites. Secondly, a novel fault isolation algorithm is proposed, using UKF, Bayes’ probability and interacting multiple models (IMM), to isolate the location of the fault and its severity. Finally, a new fault prognosis approach is proposed, using UKF and particle filters (PF) to estimate the RUL of a faulty unit. Extensive simulations were conducted for each phase of the DPHM to verify advantages of the proposed techniques over the available methods in the literature.

Extensive simulations were conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed methods in each module of the framework. Regarding the proposed fault detection scheme, results showed superior performance of the proposed adaptation technique compared to the original UKF and a previously developed AUKF. The proposed fault isolation scheme was able to successfully isolate the faulty unit at multiple levels of isolation including formation level, system level, and actuator level with over 99% success rate for formation level, over 99% success rate for the RW assembly and for up to 90% success rate for the CMG assembly in the system level. For the CMG assembly, due to direct estimation of the fault parameters, it was possible to determine the severity of the faults as well as their location. Finally, the proposed fault prognosis approach provided RUL estimates with errors as low as 1.5% compared to the actual remaining useful life.

Overall, the proposed framework can be regarded as a promising tool for fault detection, isolation and identification, and prognosis of the complex nonlinear systems. Furthermore, the proposed framework can be extended to other complex systems in space including multi-agent formation systems and other areas where the model of the system under study is available.
The Impact Of The Virtual Fitting Room On E-Commerce
Authors: Marzouk Nada
Published: May 2021

On a high level, this research project explores the impact of the Virtual Fitting Room (“VFR”) technology on e-commerce. More specifically, this project is concerned with exploring the impact of the VFR technology in relation to online fashion sales. The central question this project has considered is: Does a virtual fitting room lead to an increase in 1) social media engagement and 2) product sales? VFR technology provides end users with an understanding of how a piece of clothing fits. This project oversaw the implementation of a series of interventions to measure the value of VFR. To test the premise of this research, six Egyptian fashion designers with an ineffective online presence were assigned to an e-commerce platform with VFR technology. To measure the impact of VFR, the researcher targeted three key audiences: 1) designers who only use social media, 2) designers who use social media and have a website, and 3) designers who use social media and have an e-commerce store with VFR. A benchmark for each of social media engagement, sales, and returns were provided by each designer. Results demonstrated that the presence of VFR significantly increased curiosity, customer loyalty, and engagement, while reducing uncertainty about sizing. However, the data collected was not sufficient to prove a direct correlation between the conversion rate and sales
Multifractal correlation using wavelet transform modulus maxima
Authors: Sharif Asif Hasan
Published: May 2021

The wavelet transform modulus maxima method (WTMM) for a single time series is generalized to multiple time series. The new method, which is called the joint WTMM analysis in this work, allows analyses of multifractal correlation between simultaneously measured data. Dependent, partly dependent and independent binomial cascades are used to test the joint WTMM formulism and the degree of correlation assessed qualitatively is found to agree well with the theoretical predictions. Finally, the technique is applied to simultaneously measured surface scalp potential and heart rate data taken from two healthy human subjects. Via this new method, it is shown that there is multifractal correlation between the fractal dynamics in the cortex and the autonomic regulation of the heart rate.
Experimental and Numerical Study of Free Convection in a Vertical Channel with Opposing Buoyancy Forces
Authors: Roeleveld Derek
Published: May 2021

Free convective heat transfer inside a vertical channel was studied both experimentally and numerically. An experimental model of an isothermally, asymmetrically heated vertical channel was constructed to study various cases of opposing buoyancy forces. Many studies in the literature have investigated buoyancy forces in a single direction. The study presented here investigated opposing buoyancy forces, where one wall is warmer than the ambient and the other wall is cooler than the ambient. Five different temperature ratios were studied using four different channel spacings between the two channel walls. A Mach-Zehnder interferometer provided temperature field visualization. In addition, local and average heat transfer measurements were made with the interferometer. Flow visualization was conducted to determine the flow pattern inside the channel. The measured local and average Nusselt number data were compared to numerical solutions obtained using ANSYS FLUENT. A steady laminar model and a steady k-ε turbulence model with two different wall functions were used. Numerical solutions were obtained for a Prandtl number of 0.71 and Rayleigh numbers ranging from the laminar fully developed flow regime to the turbulent isolated boundary layer regime.
Fashion Upcycling: The Fashion Upcycling: The Challenges, Successes, and Solutions From A Designers Perspective
Authors: Dares Jennifer
Published: May 2021

Upcycling is a design practice that uses pre-consumer textile waste from apparel manufacturers or post-consumer textile waste derived from disassembled garments to create new fashion, providing a sustainable design solution to divert textile waste from landfills. Although Canadian data is scarce, Weber, Lynes and Young (2016) have determined that textile waste in the United States contributed 11.3 million tonnes to landfills in 2009, a 40% increase since 1999. This comparative case study was designed to include a literature review of past academic research, a demographic questionnaire, and interviews with Canadian fashion companies who practice upcycling. The objective of this study was to examine the challenges faced by companies that upcycle and the strategic solutions they integrated into their business models. The findings from this research study contribute to knowledge regarding strategies for designing, producing, and retailing upcycled fashion in Canada and on a global scale.
Skin Lesion Segmentation Techniques for Melanoma Diagnosis: Comparative Studies
Authors: Nowroozipour Farzad
Published: May 2021

In recent years, melanoma skin cancer has been one of the rapidest risings of all cancers, which has a high risk of spread. This deadliest form of skin cancer must be diagnosed early for effective treatment. Due to the difficulty and subjectivity of human interpretation, computerized analysis of dermoscopy images has become an important research area. One of the most important steps in dermoscopy image analysis is the segmentation of skin lesion. In this research, we create different new algorithms for the skin lesion segmentation in dermoscopic images. The segmentation algorithms compared are a modified automatic Seeded Region Growing based on Particle swarm optimization image clustering which was used for breast MRI Tumours segmentation, Generalized rough fuzzy c-means algorithm which has been used for brain MR image segmentation, a Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Self-Organizing Map (SOM) with Genetic Algorithm. We used two different datasets with their masks to evaluate the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of various segmentation techniques. The results shows that a modified automatic Seeded Region Growing based on Particle swarm optimization image clustering has the highest accuracy (92%) compares with the other algorithms.
Chaotic time series forecasting with residual analysis using synergy of ensemble neural networks and Taguchi's design of experiments
Authors: Ardalani-Farsa Muhammad
Published: May 2021

This dissertation aims to develop an effective and practical method to forecast chaotic time series. Chaotic behaviour has been observed in the areas of marketing, stock markets, supply chain management, foreign exchange rates, weather forecasting and many others. An effective forecasting model can reduce the potential risks and uncertainty and facilitate planning and decision making in chaotic systems. In this study, residual analysis using a combination of the embedding theorem and ensemble artificial neural networks is adopted to forecast chaotic time series. Based on the embedding theorem, the embedding parameters are determined and the time series is reconstructed into proper phase space points. The embedded phase space points are fed into the first neural network and trained. The weights and biases are kept to predict the future values of phase space points and accordingly to obtain future values of chaotic time series. The residual of the predicted time series is further analyzed; and, if a chaotic behaviour is observed, then the residuals are processed as a new chaotic time series and predicted. This iterative residual analysis can be repeated several times depending on the desired accuracy level and computational efficiency. Finally, the last neural network is trained using neural networks' result values of the time series and the residuals as input and the original time series as output. The initial weights and biases of the neural networks are improved using genetic algorithms. Taguchi's design of experiments is adopted to identify appropriate factor-level combinations to improve the result of the proposed forecasting method. A systematic approach is proposed to improve the combination of ensemble artificial neural networks and their parameters. The proposed methodology is applied to a number of benchmark and some real life chaotic time series. In addition, the proposed forecasting method has been applied to financial sector time series, namely, the stock markets and foreign exchange rates. The experimental results confirm that the proposed method can predict the chaotic time series more effectively in terms of error indices when compared with other forecasting methods in the literature.
Productivity improvement in a client-based service company through value stream mapping and simulation
Authors: Ataei Sam
Published: May 2021

For many years, productivity improvement through value stream mapping and simulation has been studied in manufacturing industry where the flow of materials is visible and the work can be standardized. In recent years, the service industry has become a new arena for lean operations. Within the service industry, client-based companies have distinct challenges in streamlining their process, as it may not be feasible to standardize the needs of different clients. This thesis focuses on a case from a client-based company in the area of graphic communications and brand point management services. The thesis examines the application of lean principles towards a set of subjective processes and provides directions for improving productivity. Some lean methods utilized in the study include creating process flows, conducting operator interviews to back-up the process flow, collecting data such as processing time and creating a detailed values stream map of the retail packaging process in order to analyze any necessary areas of improvement. Value stream mapping has been used to identify the areas where the non-value-added tasks can be reduced, and simulation models have been used to imitate and predict the company's different scenarios in dealing with bottlenecks, different kinds of wastes, and to assess potential areas for improvements. The analysis of results indicates that it is necessary to have two different streams of the processes; one for a team-based job and another one for a non-team-based job. The proper touch points from each department have been found and value-added and non-value added times have been determined in order to create the current-state. Furthermore, future-states have been created with some recommendations kept in mind to validate the time savings. The results have been verified through a simulation analysis.
Novel ultrasound transmission and reconstruction techniques for synthetic transmit aperture imaging
Authors: Gong Ping
Published: May 2021

This dissertation describes ultrasound algorithms developed for synthetic transmit aperture (STA) imaging during the transmission and the image reconstruction stages. Images generated using these algorithms demonstrate image quality enhancement both theoretically and experimentally. The advanced algorithms also improve the application of STA imaging.

Due to the single element transmission pattern, the low signal-to-noise ratio is a major limitation for STA imaging. A delay-encoded transmission scheme (DE-STA) was designed in this dissertation to encode all the transmissions. The decoded RF signals were equivalent to the standard STA signals, but with a higher SNR. Improved image qualities were observed under DE-STA transmission in terms of lateral resolution (+28%), peak-signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR, +7 dB) and target contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR, +360%) compared to those acquired with the standard STA mode.

The stability of DE-STA was analyzed and verified under various noise levels by the special distribution of the singular values of the encoding matrix through singular value decomposition (SVD) (i.e. all the singular values were the same except for the first one and the last one). A more efficient decoding process was also derived based on pseudo-inversion (PI) and the computation complexity was reduced by 2/3.

Speckle and undesired sidelobe signals can reduce the lesion CNR and detectability in ultrasound images. Typically, the CNR can be increased by spatial compounding (SC) or frequency compounding (FC) during reconstruction. We proposed methods to implement a 2-dimentional (2-D) aperture domain filter in the SC/FC processes, referred to as filtered spatial compounding (FSC) and filtered frequency compounding (FFC), for synthetic transmit aperture (STA) imaging. Both techniques reduced the sidelobe interference and provided improved lesion CNR. Consequently, the lesion signal-to-noise ratio (lSNR) in FSC and FFC increased (up to +130%), compared to that in the standard delay-and-sum (DAS) method.

This dissertation investigates all these proposed advanced ultrasound algorithms, with the end goal of implementing these methods in STA imaging to extend its application in clinic.
Investigations of agent-based modelling for inpatient healthcare systems
Authors: Kiani Amirkiarash
Published: May 2021

The goal of this research was to investigate the possibility of using Agent-based Modelling, a novel approach in computerized simulation, to assess the effects of staff ratio on recovery time and to develop an empirical research plan based on an inpatient unit. By creating a virtual unit, the researcher was able to develop an adjustable model to test several scenarios based on empirical evidence; to comprehend the impact of changes to staff ratio and patient
acuity on nurses’ workload and quality of care to patients. This investigation found that acuity indices of patients have no significant effect on available recovery time or the number of unperformed activities. On the contrary, nurse/patient ratio has substantial effects on both available recovery time and the number of unperformed activities; which asserts the significant effect of insufficient nurse staffing on the well-being of nurses as well as quality of care to patients.
Association of Escherichia Coli 0157:H7 in Flocs: Role of Extracellular Polymeric Substances and Fate of Pathogenic Organisms
Authors: Kanetani Mitsuko
Published: May 2021

In North America, Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 has been frequently associated with outbreaks of food-borne and water-borne infection. The association of E. coli O157:H7 to flocs is hypothesized to be a potential mechanism of transport and survival in natural environments. This study examines this hypothesis with a focus on the role of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and on E. coli O157:H7 survival/pathogenicity in an aquatic environment. The floc characterization experiment indicted that EPS play a significant role in floc stability. The EPS distribution experiment revealed abundant hydrophobic protein throughout the floc, which contributed to floc stability and microbial adhesion. In examining the survivability of E. coli O157:H7 in a low nutrient water sample for 10-day incubation, more floc-adherent E. coli O157:H7 survived than the free-living form since EPS provided protection, nutrients and stable sites for survival. Surviving E. coli O157:H7 exhibited both decreased host adhesion ability and ª-actinin accumulation; however, their infection ability was not affected. This suggests that low nutrient levels did not affect pathogenicity over 10 days in this study.
Conceptual Design of an Attachment Based Reconfigurable Machine Tool Using Design Structure Matrix
Authors: Gupta Ambrish
Published: May 2021

There has been very little research in the field of Reconfigurable machine Tools (RMTs). None of the past research developed a method to design a set of RMT configurations required to machine a part-family. This thesis presents a novel method to determine the functional specifications of the RMT configurations required to machine a part-family. The method is developed by firstly designing the RMT required to machine a single part. Thereafter, this method is extrapolated to suit the problem of a part-family. To design the RMTs for a single part, firstly, the part is decomposed into manufacturing features. Next, a novel method is developed to cluster the features. Each of these feature-clusters corresponds to a single RMT configuration. Based on the machining requirements of these RMT configurations, the modules are designed. These modules are assembled to form the final RMTs. The method is demonstrated by applying it to an example part.
Future Cinema: The Transition From Film-Making To Experience-Making Experiencing Alzheimer's Through Immersive Design For Emotions And Empathy In Extended Realities
Authors: Kroma Assem
Published: May 2021

Demographic projections of many western democracies show them to be aging nations. To keep thriving we must ensure that our citizens are aging in a healthy manner without isolation from society. This means, in turn, that we must increase our understanding for the experience of aging in society. Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most misunderstood conditions for our aging populations, and is a problematic condition for caregivers and family members to support. This MRP seeks to build extended reality experiences that immerse users emotionally in some of the symptoms of aging and Alzheimer’s to build understanding and empathy. The project seeks to use mixed reality to make a positive social impact on the general population.
Streamlined News Recommendation System Using a Variable Markov Model
Authors: Spanovic Dejan
Published: May 2021

Providing news to users in a news article recommendation system is a balancing act between delivering news that is recent and news that is relevant to their interests. Users should be able to receive a stream of similar articles that interest them and control their traversal through the topics of news articles in a stream-wise fashion as well. A Variable Markov Model (VMM), built on trends in recently published news articles, is proposed as a single solution to categorically cater news to all users with minimal overhead and maintenance. This single model provided to all users throughout experimentation has shown that, though it is not built based on user interests, it is applicable as a basis for applying user interest and trend factors upon to achieve catered and novel news recommendation experiences.
The role of PI3K signaling in enteropathogenic escherichia coli induced apoptosis in epithelial cells
Authors: Park Heather
Published: May 2021

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) is a diarrheagic pathogen that has been the cause of severe and persistent infant diarrhea worldwide. EPEC invades the gastrointestinal tract where it hijacks host cell signaling and evades immune response long enough to cause the disease. This study was done to establish the role of PI3K signaling in EPEC induced apoptosis in epithelial cells. This report demonstrates that EPEC infected cells activate the anti-apoptotic signaling protein Akt via phosphorylation along with another anti-apoptotic signaling protein, Bcl-2. At the same time during EPEC infection the pro-aptoptotic protein Bax is inhibited. The activation of Akt was also observed with the addition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the presence of serum. This thesis suggests that there are likely separate sensing mechanisms for EPEC, LPS and serum that are independent but synergistic and that Akt is the integration site of these signaling cascades.
Prospection and goals in health aging
Authors: Lapp Leann K.
Published: May 2021

The focus of this dissertation is on future prospection and goals in healthy aging. More broadly, this dissertation is contextualized within a particular theoretical framework that proposes that some of the cognitive decline associated with aging reflects adaptive changes in motivation and resource allocation (Hess, 2014). We used prospection as the cognitive domain within which to explore these motivational changes. In particular, we looked at a subtype of
prospection known as episodic future thinking, which is concerned with how individuals imagine future scenarios, and what effects this might have on behaviour. Whereas the first experiment took up questions about motivational influences on the nature and bounds of future thinking deficits in older adults, the second experiment tested hypotheses about the adaptive function of future thinking. Specifically, episodic future thinking is often presumed to be adaptive for planning and successful action execution. Using prospective memory as a platform, we tested
the idea that episodic future thinking can facilitate goal achievement, specifically in older adults.

In the first experiment, a cue-word paradigm, with words chosen to reflect age-relevant goal domains, was used to prompt the imagination of future scenarios. The results from the first experiment suggest that contrary to predictions, goal activation does not affect level of episodic detail in future thinking. However, phenomenological characteristics were modulated, with younger adults showing more sensitivity than older adults. In the second experiment, participants employed different cognitive strategies – one of which included future thinking – in a gold standard test of prospective memory. The results from the second experiment failed to find episodic future thinking a helpful strategy and did not replicate previous work demonstrating a beneficial effect of another commonly used strategy, implementation intentions, which was used for comparison. Nonetheless, secondary analyses suggest that individual differences in strategy preference may be critical to consider before ruling out the utility of episodic future thinking. The results from these experiments contribute to a growing literature on motivation-cognition interactions across the lifespan, and suggest promising future directions regarding research into motivation, prospection, and healthy aging.
Suboptimal rate adaptive resource allocation in multiuser OFDM communication systems
Authors: Sadr Sanam
Published: May 2021

This thesis aims to study the performance of adaptive resource allocation in the downlink of multiuse OFDM systems with fixed or varialbe rate requirements (with fairness consideration) as well as low complexity algorithms for real-time implementations in practical systems.

We first verify the simplifying assumption of flat transmit power over the entire bandwidth. Two different optimal and suboptimal power allocation schemes are applied in a single-user system and the decrease in the total throughput due to the presence of the power mask on subcarriers is measured. Based on the comparison of the achieved data rates, a flat transmit power is then assumed in the proposed suboptimal multiuser resource allocation algorithms. Two suboptimal resource allocation algorithms are then proposed using this simplifying assumption. The objective of the first algorithm is to maximize the total throughput while maintaining rate proportionality among the users. The proposed suboptimal algorithm prioritizes the user with the highest sensitivity to the subcarrier allocation and the variance over the subchannel gains is sued to define the sensitivity of each user. The second algorithm concerns rate adaptive resource allocation in multiuser OFDM systems with fixed rate constraints for each user. We propose a suboptimal joint subchannel and power allocation algorithm which attempts to maximize the total throughput wihile supporting the users with their minimum rate requirments. The main feature of this algorithm is its low complexity while achieving close to optimum capacity.
Creative Exploration of the Consumption and Disposal Habits of Fashion Retail Employees
Authors: Harlow Sara
Published: May 2021

This research project was conducted to assess the potential influence of fashion retail workers on industry sustainability by critiquing the standard practices of brand consumption as required by retail employers. A mixed-methodological approach, with an emphasis on creative exploration, was undertaken to examine employee experience and propose alternatives to unsustainable practices. Creative experimentation was supported by an anonymous online survey and photo submissions by individuals working in the fashion retail sector. Bourdieu’s Field Theory was applied to establish a lens from which to view retail employees as actors in the field of the fashion industry that functions as a group according to a unique habitus with specific dispositions. Use of Aesthetic Labour practices by fashion brands encourage the development of this habitus and manipulation of employees for the sole benefit of the company. The modes of interaction as both marketer and consumer are acquired and learned within the job and build upon the employee’s existing experience. It is therefore argued that these learned behaviours could be altered in a direction more beneficial to the employees themselves, as well as for improving the industry as a whole. The main finding of this research study was the need for awareness regarding the current economically and environmentally unsustainable expectations for fashion retail employees. Further participant-informed research would be beneficial and assist in broadening awareness. This information brought directly to the employees themselves has the potential to instigate significant change to an industry facing new challenges in both the retail and environmental sector
El-Hibeh: reconstructing the past in virtual realtiy
Authors: Howald Kristian D.
Published: May 2021

There is a desire to push for innovation in the field of archaeology. Technologies like photogrammetry, point cloud scans, and additive printing are being utilized to document historical sites to cataloguing entire museum collections. The breadth of my research focuses on how Virtual Reality can be used as a tool to preserve the past and build new knowledge for our future. During this examination, questions arise around an object’s authenticity, as Aura, and whether or not this is a transferable attribute from something with materiality to something with no physicality, such as a digital reconstruction.
The Albanian diaspora : immigration and settlement experiences
Authors: Sulemani Valbona
Published: May 2021

This study attempts to analyze the immigration and settlement experiences of the Albanian diaspora. The paper takes an historical and anthropological perspective in outlining the experiences of Albanian people through a comparative analysis of Europe and North America. This paper examines the difference experiences of migrants in Greece and Italy to those of the United States and Canada in relation to the country of origin (Albania, Kosova, or Macedonia), the time period of migration, and the reason for migration. This study will outline and analyze the more positive experiences of Albanian people in North America, compared to the somewhat more negative experiences in Europe, with a discussion on the effects media representation has had on Albanian migrants in Greece and Italy. The history of a receiving country strongly affects its perspective on immigration and consequently its reception of immigrants.
Building blocks: Children's open-ended play in Minecraft
Authors: O'Donnell Liam
Published: May 2021

This qualitative research study tracks the evolution of the video game Minecraft as a tool for education and connects it with constructionist theories of learning. It highlights an emerging model of pedagogy that severs these constructionist connections in favour of heteronomous, teacher-directed lessons that limit children’s autonomy and negate their affinity with cultures surrounding Minecraft. To explore alternatives to this teaching model, eight children, aged 6 to 8 years, engaged in open-ended, self-directed play in Minecraft over four 20-minute sessions and shared their experiences through focus group discussions. The results highlight the importance for educators to create a constructionist culture around Minecraft by allowing children to autonomously pursue their intrinsic interests and respecting their affinity with practices not traditionally welcomed in the classroom, including playing with in-game explosives. The paper concludes with guidelines for teachers to implement these practices and create a constructionist culture in their own classrooms.
Residential energy management systems with renewables and battery energy storage
Authors: Brookson Aidan
Published: May 2021

With increasing concern towards the environmental impact of energy production, distribution, and consumption in the modern world, the overall energy landscape is changing. This Master’s Thesis investigates methods of addressing these inevitable transformations through the incorporation of renewable energy and energy storage on the residential-scale using energy management systems (EMSs). A simulated residential house model was developed in order to compare a variety of different energy management techniques on the same basis. The simulated EMS investigation has covered: deterministic EMSs, those in their most basic forms; adaptive EMSs, utilizing machine learning and predictive control algorithms; and, a transactional EMS. The deterministic EMSs produced the least annual cost savings, but are the simplest to implement. Adaptive EMSs have shown the highest estimated cost savings, with increased controller complexity as a trade-off. The transactive EMS has shown intermediate cost savings, with additional potential benefits such as demand response and community integration capabilities. Experimental work has been conducted verifying critical claims of the systems, focusing on battery output control and inter-agent controller communication. The most interesting areas warranting future research involve implementing predictive control experimentally – and on a wider scale – and investigating transactive control on the community level.