bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deterministic planning in incompletely known domains with local effects
Authors: Batusov Vitaliy
Published: May 2021

Conformant planning has been traditionally studied in the form of classical planning extended with a mechanism for expressing unknown facts and/or disjunctive knowledge. Despite a sizable body of research, most approaches do not attempt to move beyond essentially propositional planning. We address this shortcoming by defining conformant planning in terms of the situation calculus semantics and use recent advances in the fields of first-order knowledge base progression and query answering to develop a sound and complete conformant planning algorithm capable of handling knowledge defined in an expressive fragment of first-order logic. We implement a prototype planner and evaluate its performance on several existing domains.
Integrated ageing : an architectural strategy for the ageing baby boomers
Authors: Rotenberg Jessica Feldman
Published: May 2021

The Baby Boomer generation has exerted significant influence within Canadian society. This power will continue to strengthen as Baby Boomers will redefine their lives in their golden years. The sheer volume of this generation has continuously affected economic and political clout, which constantly alters society. The current model of traditional institutional care, which keeps the elderly apart from their community to receive additional healthcare, will no longer be a suitable option for the Baby Boomers. As such, an investigation into an alternative solution for senior living is needed in order to provide an adequate environment to support this powerful and diverse elderly Baby boomer generation. This thesis establishes architectural strategies that address the fundamental theory that encourages ageing in a place within the community, allowing for a "society for all ages." This thesis also identifies how architecture can reduce the reliance of formal care through providing social connectivity within an intergenerational setting, which promotes independence and community support. The result is an architectural exploration reinterpreting the way we design for the ageing Baby Boomer population by creating unique spatial relationships that provide the opportunity for the community to engage in social activities.
AIDS in action: a new movement led by Canadians living with HIV & its implications on critical anti-oppressive social work practice
Authors: Hui Christian
Published: May 2021

Conducted by an HIV+ activist-researcher, the study reported upon in this MRP aimed to 1) explore the challenges and opportunities faced by a new movement led by Canadians living with HIV to place the affected community of people living with HIV/AIDS (PHAs) back to the forefront of the national HIV response; and 2) establish the key factors and conditions that may help strengthen this community-led effort. The qualitative study utilized the Positive People Centred Perspective as theoretical framework comprised of interviews with key Canadian HIV+ activists on their reflections of the recent efforts by the new Canadian Positive People Network (CPPN) to create a collective voice for Canadian PHAs and their views of the essential elements that are necessary for the network and movement to thrive. Results of the research will help strengthen the development of CPPN and inform critical, anti-oppressive social work practice and scholarship.
Power Quality Improvement by Supercapacitor Energy Storage
Authors: Syed Irtaza Mohammad
Published: May 2021

Harnessing green and renewable sources of energy is a future solution that addresses rising energy demands and growing environmental concerns. Among these, tapping wind energy using wind turbines appears to be one of the most promising solutions. A wind energy conversion system captures kinetic energy of wind and converts it into electrical energy. By nature, availability of wind energy is stochastic and intermittent. In contrast, electric power system expects a steady and planned supply of energy. This thesis addresses the gap in characteristics of wind energy supply and conventional electric energy demand. This thesis considers a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) connected to a wind turbine to harness wind energy. The proposed topology connects a Supercapacitor through a buck-boost chopper to the DC link of rotor circuit. The Supercapacitor works to perform the job of a flywheel. The thesis proposes an appropriate control system that controls the output of the DFIG to constant value (Pref) eliminating short-term fluctuations. This control system works to control the buck-boost chopper and works as a inner control loop. Thereafter, this thesis proposes and optimization algorithm that considers short-term forecasted wind speeds (energy) for several minutes. It then optimizes to determine a minimum set of output values of the DFIG (Pref). It ensures that output of the DFIG has minimum changes thus minimizing intermittency in the DFIG output. This optimization algorithm forms the outer loop in the overall control strategy.

The complete system is implemented in Matlab/Simulink and analysed in this thesis. The results demonstrate that the inner and outer control loops work to minimize output power oscillations and improve power quality.
A Methodology for Maintenance Evaluation and Improvement of Repairable Systems in a Mine
Authors: Said Uthman
Published: May 2021

In this thesis, a maintenance evaluation and improvement methodology is presented, which makes use of maintenance data to determine failure characteristics of repairable systems and the effectiveness of maintenance policies being conducted on them. The objective is to provide a way in which maintenance data can be collected, organized, cleaned and formatted to provide information on component failures analytics, system availability and utilization so as to determine flaws in maintenance strategies. The methodology also provides context for the study of maintenance effectiveness, and synthesizes its importance within the grander scheme of maintenance optimization of repairable systems. We consider a repairable system whose failures follow a Non-Homogenous Poisson Process (NHPP) with the power law intensity function. The system is subject to corrective and multiple types of preventive maintenance. We assume the effects of different preventive maintenance on the system are not identical, and estimate the parameters of the failure process as well as the effects of preventive maintenance. Ultimately, the methodology serves to guide maintenance designers in measuring the effectiveness of current maintenance policies and providing granular analysis on current failure trends to arrive at data-driven options for maintenance improvement. The proposed methodology was applied to a real case study of four AC-powered dump trucks used at an underground mine in Sudbury, Canada.
Wavelet OFDM for Power Line Communication
Authors: Kar Sagar C.
Published: May 2021

Power Line Communication (PLC) system offers cheaper mode of signal communication facilities. In fast Fourier transform (FFT) based multicarrier PLC system, a cyclic prefix (CP) of the same length of the channel impulse response is added to each symbol in order to transmit data. As a result, there is always an inherent wastage of bandwidth and resources. This research presents a wavelet transform based orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (WTOFDM) approach that eliminates the need for these cyclic prefix and improves the efficiency of the PLC transmission. The presented PLC model is designed for faster and efficient transmission over the power line. The obtained results indicate that the proposed approach enhances the transmission throughput; provides better performance for impulsive noise, and increases the efficiency of the PLC system as a whole. In the end a performance comparison of different wavelet techniques have also been incorporated.
Other(ing) practices: critiquing the Canada Council for the Arts' Equity Office
Authors: Capistrano Alexandra Danielle
Published: May 2021

As part of the Canada Council for the Arts' Equity Office' s mandate, support is maintained for artists of African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American, and mixed-race heritage. To fulfill this duty, grant programs have been developed specifically for these artists who are identified as 'culturally diverse'. As an art world unto itself, the Canada Council is responsible not only for creating its own conventions but also for determining what kind of artists may operate within it. With differentiated grant programs for culturally diverse artists, it appears that this group occupies a marginal space within the Canada Council's art world. Drawing from the experiences of two culturally diverse artists, this paper examines issues of belonging, representation, and identity. It was found that while the artists are aware and uncomfortable with the stigma that arises from the 'culturally diverse' label, the reception of public funding takes precedence over feelings of Otherness.

Key words: Canada Council for the Arts; culturally diverse; artist; equity; Othering
Creating a cultural dialogue : reinforcing cultural identity on First Nations communities through the use of local materials and vernacular strategies
Authors: Eic Ksenia
Published: May 2021

The focus of this thesis/project is to reinforce the cultural identity of First Nations communities by incorporating local materials, vernacular strategies, and a collaborative effort into the design and build process. The Maliseet First Nations at Tobique, N.B., which will be used as a case study for this thesis/project, has experienced a deterioration of culture and community throughout the years. As oral tradition is fundamental to Maliseet culture, speaking the language, practicing techniques, and engaging with the community is vital in order to uphold the Maliseet people's cultural identity. However, these practices and values are fading in Aboriginal communities throughout the country. Isolated reserves such as Tobique also suffer from a lack of economic development and employment opportunities, causing residents to feel that they must fend for themselves rather than work collaboratively. Currently, almost all residential construction is contracted to outside developers, which use little to no band labour or resources. With limited government funding, houses constructed over the past few decades have generally been low in quality and constantly require repair, with many instances of severe mould damage. Learning from and incorporating vernacular strategies, techniques, and material use would offer appropriate responses to site and climate while reinforcing the Maliseet people's connection with their land and heritage. Engaging the entire community in the design and built process would pass on knowledge, techniques, and cultural values to the younger generation while strengthening the sense of community and cultural identity. An architectural approach which strives to enable a group of people through use of these strategies will promote self-sufficiency, engage the people in their culture and community, and open a cultural dialogue on the possibilities of design and its contribution to an evolving cultural identity.
User-initiated design for disabled children: teaching and learning in online DIY/maker communities
Authors: Le Ben
Published: May 2021

A disabled child who requires an assistive device, like a wheelchair or prosthetics, often waits many months to use very expensive commercial devices that are less than ideal. However, as the popularity of DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Maker online communities increases, disabled children and their caregivers can instead take design back into their own control, by engaging in user-initiated design (UID). By learning from other DIY/Makers and their design tutorials, disabled children and their caregivers can custom make assistive devices at a fraction of the cost. What remains to be addressed are the barriers that prevent them from participating in these online communities; preliminary research has identified some barriers, including poor tutorial design and lack of perceived skill. Thus the purpose of this research paper was to further analyze popular online communities in order to make recommendation on how to increase disabled participation, further enabling them to practice UID.
Measuring the Effects of Temperature on Optical Propagation in Heated Tissues Using Point Radiance Spectroscopy
Authors: Sadowski Radoslaw
Published: May 2021

Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is a minimally invasive therapy in which light is delivered using optical fibers inserted into tissue to treat malignant tumours. Heating tissue above 55°C causes tissue coagulation, creating non-viable tissue. Previous work has demonstrated that radiance measurements are sensitive to heat-induced changes in tissue optical properties. This study investigates the use of radiance measurements to differentiate permanent temperature-induced changes in optical propagation, which reflect thermal damage, from any transient changes in optical propagation. Experiments in water using our white-light point radiance spectroscopy (PRS) technique demonstrate that PRS is sensitive to detect optical absorption and temperature-dependence in the optical absorption of water, and a change in the acceptance cone with temperature. Experimental results using PRS in heated ex vivo porcine tissue show that the optical signal mainly represents permanent thermal damage and only a small part of the signal represent a temperature-dependent change due to water.
FAK and PYK2 are specifically associated with the activated phagocytic receptor complexes from human U937 cells.
Authors: AbidAlthagafi Marwan G.
Published: May 2021

The innate immune system is the first shield against foreign attack inside the human body, and it is usually carried out with phagocytosis. An essential macrophage cell surface protein is the Fc receptor which contributes to the engulfment of unknown antigens. One of the important members of Fc receptors is the gamma receptor that binds to the immunoglobulin G (IgG) ligand. Another key receptor in this study is the CD36 receptor, which plays a crucial role in the progression of atherosclerosis, the hardening of arteries, with its ligand oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL). In this report, protein tyrosine kinase enzymes have been detected in the involvement of receptor complexes with human U937 macrophages, specifically PTK2 and PTK2b genes. Protein tyrosine kinases were known to promote cell migration as a main player in intracellular signal transduction cascades in relation to extracellular stimuli. Cell surface proteins are essential for the immunization of various diseases; yet, the molecular machinery of surface receptors remains unclear. This research primarily examined the dynamic nature of protein tyrosine kinases in an ongoing investigation of macrophage cell surface receptors, particularly the role of Fc γ and CD36 receptors with their ligands IgG and oxLDL coated beads in phagocytosis. Our report demonstrates a novel role of PTK2 and PTK2b functions in relation to U937 CD36-mediated phagocytosis. The Phagocytic efficiency of U937 macrophages was analyzed using laser scanning confocal microscope after silencing the cells with siRNA followed by quantitative counting of phagocytosis.
The PF drug FAK inhibitor was also introduced to compare the phagocytic efficiency of siRNA cells.
Self-representation in the family court: is justice for all in Canada?
Authors: Jovel-Rollins Maria Evelyn
Published: May 2021

This research study examines the experience of self-represented litigants (SRLs) in family court and their challenges accessing justice. It focuses on barriers that women litigants experience in accessing justice and explores how the process of self-representation affects their health and finances. Despite the growing corpus of literature in recent years on the theme, few studies have been done from the social work perspective. Grounded in structural social work and anti-oppressive approaches, his qualitative research focuses on analyzing the stories of three women who are or have been SRLs in the family court. Data collected from one-on-one narrative interviews are utilized to analyze the issue from a social work perspective. Most current literature is concerned with the lack of legal aid in addressing the issue. Findings of this study are expected to facilitate deeper debates and influence policy change.
Fault Detection for ASIC Design Reliability on Resistive Delay Faults and Strength-Based Soft-Errors
Authors: Javaheri Mohammad R.S.
Published: May 2021

Soft-errors (SEs) and delay faults (DFs) frequently occur in modern high-density, high-speed, low-power VLSI circuits. Therefore, SE hardened design and DF testing are essential. This thesis introduces two novel methods for soft-error detection and delay fault propagation in nanometre technology. A new idea is proposed to propagate those delay faults that are not causing logic failure at the site of the defect, but the delay makes the circuit more prone to soft-errors that manifest the effect of delay faults. This approach propagates the fault from the fault location by mapping a nine-valued voltage model on top of a five-valued voltage model to convert delay faults to static faults. This original idea reduces the complexity of delay fault propagation. This thesis introduces an original approach toward soft-error detection based on the strength violation in the circuit. This research shows that transient pulses of less than threshold voltage will cause soft-errors without altering the logic value at the strike location. This method will increase the Soft-Error Rates (SER) for all existing methods if strength-based Soft-Error detection will be considered. The offered approach uses a novel coding system that carries both logic and strength which applies to certain logic functions that are sensitive to strength variations. A wide range of soft-errors are the result of strength violation in switch-level that have never been investigated before.
Cosplay Culture: The Development of Interactive and Living Art through Play
Authors: Lotecki Ashley
Published: May 2021

“Cosplay” (from kosupure, which combines the Japanese words for “costume” –コス– and “play” – プレ), is a term used to describe costume fandom, where individuals are costumed as fictional characters. The aim of this research was to develop a deeper understanding of North American cosplayers. Mixed methodology was used to collect and analyze demographic, behavioural, and creative data. In stage one, information was collected from 529 cosplayers in an online survey. In stage two, on-site ethnography was used to observe and gather data. In stage three, seven cosplayers participated in self-directed recording of their creation processes. This study has developed original demographic data on North American cosplayers. It has also explored the creative, emotional, social, and behavioural processes in which cosplayers participate while interpreting and constructing their characters, including the negotiation between fiction and reality, and the place of temporary identity.
Maternal sensitivity as a moderator of the relation between maternal maltreatment history and child executive function
Authors: Dryer Arielle
Published: May 2021

Parenting is linked to child executive function, however support for this association is inconsistent. Further, little research has addressed the link between maternal maltreatment history and child executive function, despite findings that maternal maltreatment history is associated with child outcomes linked to executive function. I hypothesised that maternal
sensitivity moderates the association between maternal maltreatment history and child executive function, such that maltreatment history is negatively associated with executive function for less sensitive mothers. Maternal maltreatment history was assessed via self-report at child age 3 months. Maternal sensitivity was assessed observationally at child age 8 months and child executive function was assessed using performance-based measures at child age 3 years. Results indicate that higher maternal maltreatment history is negatively associated with child executive function, only when mothers are relatively insensitive. Results elucidate mixed findings on parenting and child executive function by introducing a model that accounts for past maternal experiences.
Identification of a Novel Gene Altered in the RQ1 Mutant Strain Affecting Motor Axon Migration in Caenorhabditis Elegans
Authors: Naqvi Haider Z.
Published: May 2021

Novel genetic enhancer screens were conducted targeting mutants involved in the guidance of axons of the DA and DB classes of motor neurons in C. elegans. These mutations are expected in genes that function in parallel to the unc-g/Netrin pathway. The screen was conducted in an unc-5(e53) genetic background and enhancers of the axon guidance defects caused by the absence of UNC-5 were identified. Three mutants were previously identified in the screen called rq1, rq2 and rq3 and two additional mutants called H2-4 and M1-3, were isolated in this study. In order to identify the gene affected by the rq1 mutation, wild-type copies of genes in the mapped rq1 mutation region were injected into the mutants to rescue the phenotypic defects. This is a strong indication that the gene of interest is a novel gene called H04D03.1. Promising results indicate that the H04D03.1 protein also works in germ-line apoptosis.
Mental Time Travel in Depression: Disentangling Cue Valence, Temporal Orientation and Task Instructions
Authors: Burley Madelaine Clair
Published: May 2021

Unique patterns in thinking about events from one’s personal past (episodic memory) or events that could feasibly occur in one’s future (episodic FT) have been linked to depression symptoms. Extensive research has examined reductions in reporting of specific memories in depression and recent interventions are designed to improve retrieval of specific memories. Reduced positive future fluency, or reduced speeded reporting of positive events plausible in one’s personal future, is another characteristic of depression. While the Mental Time Travel (MTT) Model predicts a relationship between memory for past events and future thinking, there is no consensus regarding their relation in depression. This study examined the effects of Temporal Orientation (Past, Future) and Cue Valence (Negative, Neutral, Positive) within and between Fluency and Specificity Instruction Tasks (FIT and SIT) in Depressed (n=44) and Never Depressed (n=27) undergraduate student samples. Performance on Future conditions of the SIT was significantly positively correlated with performance on Past and Future FIT task conditions. The Past conditions of the SIT correlated negatively with the Future conditions of the SIT and inconsistently with the FIT. Surprisingly, neither performance on FIT nor SIT correlated significantly with depression as assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory, second edition (BDI-II). On the FIT, more events were reported in the Positive and Negative than Neutral conditions, but there were no significant differences between Past and Future conditions. On the SIT, more specific events were reported in the Neutral and Positive conditions. Lack of positive correlations within and between conditions of the FIT and SIT suggests that these tasks involve different cognitive processes. In addition, the lack of correlation between the BDI-II and both the FIT and SIT and lack of group effects suggests that more research is needed to determine moderators of reporting fluency and specificity in depression. Implications of my dissertation include adding to the considerable support of the MTT Model and its applicability to depressed samples, highlighting the need to conduct carefully controlled studies and clarify the influence of sample selection, use of prompts and scoring criteria on effects in the literature, and translate
knowledge and methodology from basic research, such as models from brain imaging studies, to inform clinical practice.
A three-dimensional multibody computational model of lumbar spine
Authors: Zadeh Roozbeh Seradj
Published: May 2021

The lower back is the most sensitive part of the human spine and over loading and bad posture during lifting can damage this area of the body. The lumbar spine consists of five vertebrae, which are responsible for carrying the weight of the upper body and loads. Intervertebral discs allow articulation between vertebrae. These discs are primarily made of non-homogeneous soft tissue, which allows the vertebrae to move and flex in all directions.

Biomechanical models have been developed in the past decades to model and to predict the behavior of the spine in response to different loads. With the advances in computer modeling technology, analytical methods have become more popular in modeling the spine. These models are more cost effective and practical compared to the early models and use of human volunteers and cadavers. Unfortunately due to the complexity of the spine, most of the models failed to offer an accurate estimation of reaction moments and forces. Most models also use proprietary and custom-made software which makes it difficult for other researchers to use and modify them. This thesis reports the development and verification of a multi-body computational model of the lumbar spine. The model comprises five lumbar vertebrae (L1 to L5) and pelvis (S1). The vertebrae are connected to each other by invertebral discs, which consist of an anatomically correct kinematic and dynamic constraints. This combination represents a six degree-of-freedom mobility and enables the model to accommodate flexion, lateral bending, and axial rotation. The model is validated by carrying out a series of case studies including experimental motion studies. It is also used for preliminary evaluation of an ergonomical device called the dynamic trunk support (DTS), developed at Ryerson, School of Occupational and Public Health, in conjunction with the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering department. The results are in good agreement with the experimental results.
Re-architecture: means-oriented design
Authors: Zjawin Arkadiusz
Published: May 2021

Depleting fossil fuels and heavy reliance on such energy sources for production of construction materials can render a great deal of disorder in the near future for the architectural, engineering and construction industries. The ideal resource management methods are currently in trial stage, and as much as ‘cradle to cradle’ or ‘closed cycle loop’ are achievable they will have to be accompanied by a different mindset from the designer’s standpoint. Design with reused or superused materials requires a means-oriented approach. With such high levels of residential post construction and demolition waste lies a great opportunity for their direct application (with minor processing), which is currently highly underutilized. Shortcircuiting the material flow and its possibilities for reuse or superuse may lead to a different kind of aesthetics that this thesis seeks to explore.
Heavy metals in indoor settled dusts in Toronto, Canada
Authors: Al Hejami Ahmed
Published: May 2021

Total concentrations of nine potentially toxic heavy metals (Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in indoor settled dusts from houses, offices, classrooms, and laboratories in Greater Toronto Area, Canada were determined. Mercury concentrations were determined using cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectroscopy (CVAFS), whereas the concentrations of eight other metals were determined using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The results showed that the highest level of heavy metals was in the laboratory dusts. Metal concentrations (except those for Mn and Zn) in household, office, and classroom dusts were comparable. Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn concentrations in the laboratory dusts and Cu and Zn concentrations in household, office, and classroom dusts exceeded the Canadian Soil Guideline. Metal concentrations in the indoor dusts found in this study were, in general, consistent with those reported in literature. Among the metals studied, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn showed the greatest enrichment in the indoor environments relative to their crustal abundances.
Optimization of Hybrid Ground Source Heat Pump System Design
Authors: Ghahfarrokhy Seyed Masih Alavy
Published: May 2021

The lack of a computerized approach to optimally size hybrid Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) systems leaves a glaring gap in our knowledge of their benefits when utilized in an urban environment. To address this issue, this study introduces two new, robust methodologies, one for determining optimal GSHP size as part of a hybrid system for an individual building and one for assessing the appropriateness of combining multiple buildings onto a single hybrid GSHP system. Both methodologies simultaneously consider heating and cooling and are applicable to residential, commercial and industrial buildings that are either heating or cooling dominant. Using these methodologies can result in significant reductions in initial costs of installation, payback period, and operation costs, when compared to following rules of thumb or using non-hybrid systems. In most cases, when optimization is performed, the GSHP meets very large portions of the total annual heating and cooling demand of buildings.
Finite Element Modeling of 3D Printed Parts With Defects
Authors: Chandramouli Geethanjali
Published: May 2021

To manufacture a component, one first needs to assess its structural design performance, damage tolerance, and service experience, and validate them with pertinent test results. Finite Element (FE) modeling can predict mechanical performance, save time and cost by limiting required structural testing. 3D printing is a layer-by-layer manufacturing technology that has been widely used for rapid prototyping applications in product design and development. Recently, there has been a move towards manufacturing functional products using 3D printing, which requires materials mechanical characterization and simulation. Mechanical characterization testing results are available for 3D printed ASTM D638 tensile coupons without defects, i.e. tension along (0°) and transverse (90°) to the printing direction, and a quasiisotropic stacking sequence. In addition, tensile test results of a quasi-isotropic coupon with intentional defects are also available. In this project, FE models of the coupons are created to obtain their tensile strength, modulus, and failure strain. First ply, last ply failure and stiffness reduction iterative approach have been implemented on a 2D shell model. MSC Software is used to simulate the analyses due to its ease of use for composites using 2d shell elements. This simulation is then extended to predict strength and stiffness of a quasi-isotropic coupon with defects. The analysis is also extended to implement progressive failure analysis to predict the ultimate strength of the laminate. For coupons without defects, FE models estimated test results of stiffness and strength within 1% error, while the error for estimating failure strain is higher. For coupons with defects, the error in calculating stiffness and strength is below 8%, while it is higher for failure strain. Although the stress-strain curve from FE simulation looks similar to experimental result, it is found that progressive failure analysis is necessary for obtaining failure strain values with acceptable error percentage.
Privacy protection for role-based access control in service oriented architecture
Authors: Yu Ye
Published: May 2021

Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) changes the way of conducting business by opening their services/information to the larger business world over the networks. However, properties of "open" and "interoperable" of SOA make privacy security a sensitive issue since this architecture combines unknown individuals and individuals systems together. In SOA, service providers limit the permission of access to specific authorized individuals only, so they have to verify these
individuals' identity information to decide if permission should be granted or not. On the other hand, access requestors are not willing to disclose their privacy in an open system to unknown parties. In this thesis, we present cryptography-based protocols to solve this issue of conflict. Our protocols are proposed for Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), which is a most popular access control methodology, in SOA environment. In addition, our protocols are compatible with current SOA standards and technologies such as XACML and SOAP.
Architectural object-states: the crisis of the architectural object
Authors: Lobach Kyrylo
Published: May 2021

Design computing is concerned with general conditions deriving a specific result. This is done through an explicit design of process. This results in a shift from design process to process design. Process design describes design through series of algorithms together forming a notion of an objectile – an incomplete general yet specific notation capable of generating a family of objects or object-states. In a practice that embraces process design, the creation of custom algorithmic tools (both virtual and actual) and the design of architectural objects, will be augmented with the design of architectural objectiles and object-states.
Development of a Template to Benchmark Municipal Climate Change Action
Authors: Beare Daniel
Published: May 2021

The goal of this thesis is to produce a benchmarking template that can be applied by municipalities across Canada to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their operations. This template will provide a common set of indicators for benchmarking municipal emissions. It will attempt to link the academic literature to existing conditions and practices within municipalities. It also provides original insight through interviews with municipal officials and municipal policy experts.

Research has shown that municipalities can mitigate climate change. Municipalities have authority to enact policies which reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While many municipalities have taken action, benchmarking initiatives still do not exist to allow for direct comparison of municipalities. Following a review of academic literature interviews were held with a panel of nine municipal policy experts to assess existing programs and a proposed benchmarking template. An indicator set with nine categories and 18 individual indicators measuring corporate and community GHG emissions was developed through consultations with the panel. A questionnaire was sent to 32 municipalities with a response rate of 25%.

Based on the results participating municipalities were compared against one another to determine best practices and areas for improvement. Indicators for residential densities, municipal building heating, solid waste, and municipal buildings and operations had the highest tCO

An examination of indicator set development, improved methods for modelling community emissions, assessment of the benefits of climate action and municipal networking for small municipalities would build upon this research.
Canadian citizenship in the imagined future
Authors: Dinshaw Farishta Murzban
Published: May 2021

Citizenship, encompassing the related issues of identity and equality, is impacted by multiple factors and is constantly transforming. It follows then that what we define as citizenship today will be different in the future. Working on the principle of Appreciative Inquiry (Cooperrider & Srivastva, 1997) that language precedes reality, this study uses a unique combination of personal, academic and professional knowledge and experience of the 2004 cohort of the part-time graduate students enrolled in the Immigrationa and Settlement Studies program at Ryerson University, Toronto to construct a vision of Canadian citizenship in the imagined future, and recommend ways of achieving it. The participants highlighted political participation and education as the two key strategies to attain a vision of an inclusive Canada.
The transition to high definition in English Canadian broadcasting: challenges and opportunities in a changing media environment
Authors: Hepes Laura  Melinda
Published: May 2021

This Major Research Paper sets out to provide an overview of the transition to High Definition television broadcasting from a Canadian perspective using a variety of research methods including interviews with executives from Canada's top media companies, policy research and case studies. This paper will illustrate how the transition to digital television and High Definition (HDTV) technology will fundamentally change the way a television program is produced, broadcast, distributed, and viewed by the audience. It is anticipated that this changeover will significantly alter the economic business models of broadcasters, producers, and broadcast distribution undertakings. It will also affect programming services, while completely restructuring the technical infrastructure of the industry. Therefore, the significance of this changeover has been compared by many as being similar to the switch from black and white to colour television in the 1950s (Brace, 2007; Brinkley, 1997; Galperin, 2004; Hart, 2004; Heidendahl, 2007).
3.3V Transmitter Using 1.8V Transistors In A Cascode Configuration
Authors: Ng Marcs
Published: May 2021

A voltage-mode transmitter using a 1.8V-to-3.3V levelshifter and cascoded output buffer is proposed. 1.8V TSMC 65nm transistors are used. The design is targeted to meet JEDEC Interface Standard for Nominal 3 V/3.3 V Supply Digital Integrated Circuits DC Specifications as well as an AC transmission rate of 200 MHz on a 30 cm 50Ω board trace terminated with a 4 pF capacitive load. Overstress voltages will not be exceeded in order to avoid device failure due to breaching Gate Oxide Integrity, Hot Carrier Injection, or Negative Bias Temperature Instability.
In limited release : the political economy of the Canadian motion picture distribution system
Authors: Mills Nicholas
Published: May 2021

Canadian motion pictures face a unique challenge when it comes to reaching a domestic theatrical audience. In fact roughly 96 percent of the annual screen time of Canadian theatres is occupied by foreign-produced, mostly American, films. This thesis recognizes that the motion picture distributor in particular the Hollywood studio firm, holds the balance of power in the Canadian film industry. Using a political and economy framework, this thesis identifies five unique channels of distribution within the Canadian motion picture distribution system and through historical analysis, investigates the political and economic motivations behind their formation. The results of this analysis reveal that because the industry's distribution structure was negotiated between political and corporate actors under asymmetrical conditions of power, it places limitations upon the exchange of cultural resources across and within borders, restricts intra-industry firm-level negotiations, and perpetuates the dominant market preference for Hollywood films and the underperformance of domestic films within the Canadian marketplace.
A Matter Of Choice: A Critical Discourse Analysis of ECEC Policy in Canada's 2006 Federal Election
Authors: Richardson Brooke
Published: May 2021

This paper used a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to analyze the representation of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in the 2006 federal election in Canada. Using Fairclough’s approach to CDA, the study analyzed written documents including newspaper articles from The Globe and Mail and The National Post, the policy platforms of the Liberal and Conservative parties, and political speeches from party leaders. The “choice” discourse was found to be dominant in the majority of texts examined. A dominant discourse is one that is created and sustained by those with power thus contributing to hegemony in society. Three textual and discourse processes were found to legitimize the “choice” discourse and contribute to its dominance: rationalization, nominalization and conversationalization. It is suggested that the language used in public documents throughout this election and the subsequent dominance of the “choice” discourse may have had a significant impact on citizens’ understanding and appreciation of the complexities of the ECEC issue.
Motivating children to 'write' stories through the use of visual art and technology
Authors: Udo John-Patrick
Published: May 2021

In this thesis the viability of using visual art and technology to motivate children to write stories is explored from a pedagogical and empirical perspective. A study was devised where forty-two children in grades four and five participated in a visual art workshop where they created a drawing and an accompanying story. In addition, the children were provided with three different technologies through which to record their stories: handwriting, dictating and typing. The children were required to produce a sample handwritten story for comparison to those written with one of these technologies. Results indicate that although children reported being motivated to communicate through visual art and alternative writing technologies, the stories created after the workshop and assessed by a teacher-developed rubric were significantly worse than the sample stories and the expected performance levels of the provincial Education and Accountability Office (EQAO). Reasons for this outcome could be that children lack experience communicating through alternative means, and that they are more concerned with the technicalities of authorship such as spelling, grammar and formatting in their drawings and writing.
Stereo vision-based visual odometry for planetary exploration
Authors: Kneisel Kieran
Published: May 2021

The ability to localize an unmanned vehicle is an essential requirement for extraterrestrial robotic exploration missions. The goal of this thesis is to develop a visual odometry algorithm capable of operating in real-time and in natural unstructured environments. Accuracy, repeatability and computational cost were the primary considerations during the development of the algorithm. The resulting visual odometry algorithm can operate in real-time and provides the foundations for further development. More commonly used approaches for localization include the use of inertial measurement units (IMU) or wheel odometry, which are prone to drift and slippage respectively, making them unreliable for long duration missions. Visual odometry also experiences error accumulation, however, it offers the possibility of mitigating this problem through techniques such as loop closing and bundle adjustment. The performance of the Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm in conjunction within the visual odometer was also evaluated and shown to have improved overall localization performance.
Data Analytics of Library Resources
Authors: Roy Debashish
Published: May 2021

Library Analytics is used to analyze the huge amount of data that is collected by most colleges and universities when the library website is browsed. It is really useful to assess and evaluate the usage of different types of library e-resource items such as books, journals etc. In this thesis work we have designed and implemented a multi-threaded Library Analytics system specifically for the Ryerson Library. We have analyzed the library usage data to generate different types of reports through a data visualization engine based on requirements from the librarian. Furthermore, we have paid special attention to the task of e-resource item clustering, which could better organize the resources and potentially be used to recommend interesting items to users. We have compared different clustering algorithms and found that association-rule based clustering is 20% more accurate than others and it also identifies the hidden relationships between different browsed articles.
Negotiating "cultural" identities: exploration of young Asian women's racialized-gendered experiences and mental well-being
Authors: Abulencia Maria Krisel
Published: May 2021

Explanations of mental health outcomes of Asian women in diaspora are often invoked through the concepts of “culture” and “acculturation” with little consideration of asymmetric power relations and structural influences. Informed by critical theories and a narrative approach, this secondary research analyzed data of an exploratory study with fourteen 1.5 and second generation young Asian women living in Toronto, Canada. Research results include: (1) identity construction is a complex process shaped by participants’ experiences in both the “mainstream” and “heritage” contexts; (2) participants’ encounters of racialized-sexism, microaggressions, and “Othering” contributed to varying degrees of internalized oppressions, which compromised their mental well-being; (3) family support and community engagement enhanced participants’ positive self-concept and resilience; and (4) current conceptualizations of “acculturation” and “enculturation” are inadequate as they negate the structural determinants of integration. Nursing research, policy and practice must consider the effects of structural factors in identity construction and mental well-being.
Audio display and environmental sound analysis of diagnostic and therapeutic respiratory sounds
Authors: Garingo Mario
Published: May 2021

The objective of this study is to provide a framework to aid physicians in identifying early respiratory ailments as well as provide a means of monitoring medication compliancy for both the patient and physicians. To aid physicians identify abnormal sounds during auscultations such as crackle, this work proposes a multimedia approach in the form of audio display (AD) to enhance crackle sounds produced in respiration. This work utilize a two step AD approach in which the crackle sound is first separated from the rest of the vesicular sound and then either sonified or audified. To aid in monitoring use of medication this work proposes an environmental sound analysis (ESA) framework to autonomously quantify adherence to medication. This work employed traditional audio features to extract meaningful discriminatory information to identify the inhaler sounds from the environment with the aid of maximum relevance and minimum redundancy algorithm and the hidden markov model.
The neuroscience of groove: neural mechanisms marrying music and movement
Authors: Nespoli Gabriel A.
Published: May 2021

Music has a long history of being associated with movement synchronization such as foot-tapping or dance. These behaviours are easier with some music compared to others, and the reasons for this are not well understood. Groove is a quality of music that compels synchronous movement in the listener, and certain acoustic and musical features have been identified that contribute to a sense of groove.Neurons have been found to entrain to the beat of music. Combining these two ideas, it is reasonable to predict that neural populations involved in movement (i.e. premotor areas) would entrain more to high-groove than to low-groove music. This dissertation explores some of the psychological, musical and acoustic aspects of music that contribute to neural entrainment in premotor areas of the brain. Study 1 investigates the effects of feelings of groove on pre-motor entrainment, using stimuli that have been rated on extent of groove in a previous study. Study 2 investigates the musical feature of syncopation – which has previously been found to be associated with sense of groove – on extent of premotor entrainment and behavioural synchronization ability. Study 3 investigates the effects of acoustic features that have been found to be related to groove and movement synchronization such as event density and percussiveness. The pattern of results across all studies suggests that the complexity of the rhythms in the stimulus determines the extent of beat entrainment. Feelings of groove, however, are better characterized by “beat complexity”, which depends on a) the extent to which the listener perceives the beat, and b) the extent to which other rhythmic elements of the music compete with the beat. A network of brain areas integral to the perception of groove is proposed, where activation of premotor areas enables music to drive motor output.