bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pengaruh Penyajian Laporan Keuangan Dan Aksesibilitas Laporan Keuangan Terhadap Akuntabilitas Pengelolaan Keuangan Daerah Kabupaten Indragiri Hilir
Authors: Yusriwarti
Published: March 2024

Penelitian Ini Bertujuan Untuk Mengetahui Dan Menguji Secara Empiris Pengaruh Penyajian Laporan Keuangan Dan Aksesibilitas Laporan Keuangan Terhadap Akuntabilitas Pengelolaan Keuangan Daerah Kabupaten Indragiri Hilir. Sampel Dalam Penelitian Ini Sebanyak 48 Responden Yaitu Kepala Sub Bagian Keuangan Dan Bendahara. Teknik Pengumpulan Data Menggunakan Data Primer Yaitu Dengan Menyebarkan Kuesioner Secara Langsung Kepada Responden. Penelitian Ini Menggunakan Metode Analisis Data Regresi Linear Berganda Dengan Menggunakan SPSS Versi 26. Hasil Uji Hipotesa Secara Parsial Menunjukan Bahwa Penyajian Laporan Keuangan Berpengaruh Terhadap Akuntabilitas Pengelolaan Daerah Kabupaten Indragiri Hilir Dan Aksesibilitas Laporan Keuangan Berpengaruh Terhadap Akuntabilitas Pengelolaan Keuangan Daerah Kabupaten Indragiri Hilir. Hasil Uji Hipotesa Secara Simultan Yaitu Penyajian Laporan Keuangan Dan Aksesibilitas Laporan Keuangan Berpengaruh Secara Simultan Terhadap Akuntabilitas Pengelolaan Keuangan Daerah Kabupaten Indragiri Hilir. Nilai Koefisien Determinasi Sebesar 59.5% Akuntabilitas Pengelolaan Keuangan Daerah Kabupaten Indragiri Hilir Dipengaruhi Oleh Penyajian Laporan Keuangan Dan Aksesibilitas Laporan Keuangan, Sedangkan Sisanya 40.5% Dipengaruhi Oleh Variabel Lain Yang Tidak Diteliti Dalam Penelitian Ini.
EXPLORING THE DIGITAL LITERACY OF PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS: A STUDY ON THE TEACHING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Authors: Hafizhah Nur , Mariani Nanik , Hidayat Fahmi
Published: March 2024

In today's educational landscape, digital literacy has emerged as a critical skill for pre-service teachers, enabling them to effectively utilize technology in classrooms and provide students with valuable information technology resources. This study aims to investigate the digital literacy levels of pre-service teachers participating in a teaching assistance program at school. Employing descriptive statistics, the research analyzed data collected from pre-service teachers enrolled in the Teaching Assistance Program, using a framework designed to assess teacher digital literacy across five key dimensions: information management, team-based learning, information processing and presentation, digital integrity, and social responsibility. The findings reveal that pre-service teachers demonstrated a high level of digital literacy across all dimensions. While highlighting their readiness to employ information and communications technology (ICT) for educational purposes, the results also underscore an ongoing need for further development in digital literacy skills. Importantly, these findings contribute significantly to providing insightful data regarding the level of digital literacy of pre-service teachers. Next, future research endeavors should address the limitations of this study by employing diversified methodologies and ensuring broader sample representations.
Management models of innovative projects and program products in the field of water
transport and environmental protection activities in the post-war period
Authors: Kramskyі Serhii , Darushin Oleksandr , Zakharchenko Oleh
Published: March 2024

The beginning of the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine caused significant
human, economic and political losses, as well as destruction of infrastructure.
Nevertheless, in the future (during the post-war economic recovery) all the resulting
losses must be compensated and restored. Thus, the formation of management models for
the implementation of innovative projects, in particular programs for the recovery and
development of Ukraine in its post-war conditions, remains relevant. The goal of the
work was to build a model that would allow in the future to ensure the highest
efficiency of management during the implementation of innovative projects in the
post-war period, to describe the possibilities of its use in practice. The main methods
used during the research were analysis, modeling and abstraction. Thus, within the
framework of the study, a conceptual model of management for the implementation of
innovative projects and programs in the post-war period was built. An analysis of the
modern theoretical base of management of innovative projects was also performed, and the
problem of substantiation of product parameters of innovative strategic development
programs and projects was singled out. Network models were described, their features and
possibilities of use to provide a clearer picture of the works of the environmental
project, more effective management of resources in it. The work emphasizes that
infrastructure projects are often divided into two phases: creation and operation; in
addition, the importance of environmental protection infrastructure projects for
efficient transportation of goods and passengers and their impact on the economy,
ecology, and competitiveness of the transport system are described. This study allows
for a more detailed understanding of the features of managing the phases of the
implementation of infrastructure projects, especially in the conditions of the post-war
period, and also brings new knowledge to management in terms of building large-scale
investment programs. Obtaining maximum benefits from participation in innovative
projects of freight transportation by water transport, taking into account the component
of international mechanisms of balanced post-war development of Ukraine, which provides
for high productivity, fair distribution of opportunities and results of profits from
activities in logistics centers, hubs, ports in the paradigm of uncertainty of crises
and post-war economic infrastructure restoration.
Economic aspects of project decision-makingat the stage of designing the utility
network
Authors: Bezklubenko Iryna , Getun Galyna , Balina Olena , Butsenko Yurii , Mashchenko Anastasia
Published: March 2024

The efficiency of the economic functioning of any facility largely depends on the
ability of managers of various levels to carefully prepare and justify the decisions
made. The conditions of the market (competitive) economy put forward serious. In solving
the problem of increasing the economic efficiency of the construction of engineering
networks, a special place belongs to design, in the field of which scientific and
technical achievements are implemented, which determine the technical and economic level
of construction. The article examines the theoretical and methodological principles of
designing engineering networks, which are aimed at improving the procedural and
instrumental basis for making project decisions and justifying measures to optimize the
management of engineering networks in the conditions of dynamic changes in construction
projects requirements for the quality, timeliness, completeness, reliability of economic
information, depth of analysis of economic indicators. The interaction of the
construction of new utility networks and the economy is very important for the
fulfillment of the tasks of the economic strategy, which are related to capital
construction. Current problems of creating a modern design automation system (CAD) of
engineering networks are considered in order to ensure the effective use of the
resources of the target product, which, even at the design stage, allows to take into
account the possibility of expanding or reconstructing the system in case of the
addition of new consumers of the target product. network The paper proposes a new
approach to the design of modern systems of automated design, which allows the use of
CAD to solve the problems of external and internal design of network systems. The tasks
that are solved at the stages of external and internal design are formulated and
specified. The key task of external design is to find out the fundamental possibility of
creating a network according to the desired properties that satisfy the imposed
restrictions. Internal design includes the synthesis and analysis of the network being
designed. It is shown that the CAD of engineering networks can be represented as a set
of methodological, informational, software, technical and organizational support, and a
general diagram of the interconnection of CAD tools at the stages of engineering network
design and operation has been developed and researched.
Features of information modeling based on swarm metaphors
Authors: Gorda Olena , Liashchenko Tamara , Khrolenko Volodymyr , Tykhonova Olha
Published: March 2024

The procedure of information modeling based on metaphors of swarms in an
intelligent information environment, its features and composition are considered. For
the formation of the concept in the intellectual environment of construction, the
possibility of using the swarm particle algorithm of metaphorical optimization in
cognitive technologies to normalize the concept and its features of the intellectual
within the limits of the defined issues is determined and substantiated. A promising
direction for solving complex optimization tasks is heuristics, which is determined by
the objective ambiguity of the task statement and involves choosing from a set of
solutions based on the relations of analogy, similarity, similarity. In order to
understand the ontology of the subject area, an analysis of the choice of metaphor,
which provides effective solutions to specific problems due to evolutionary origin, was
carried out. The metaphor helps to effectively build fuzzy classifiers, on the basis of
which to informationally determine the areas of maximum overlap of concepts based on the
results of processing the information of fuzzy prototypes of the concepts of the assumed
fuzzy data cluster of the functioning of the basic definition based on the basic
information for the swarm. The fundamental property of the swarm is the information
exchange between the particles of the swarm, which connects the particles in the swarm
as such, which realizes the asymmetry of the information exchange for the particle of
the swarm. At the same time, a family of solutions for a collection of swarms of
particles based on basic information and connected information spaces generates a
solution as the most general basic solution. An analysis of the features of information
modeling based on metaphors of swarms was carried out. The peculiarities of concepts of
the ontology of the subject area for choosing a metaphor are determined.
Forecasting Stock Market Realized Volatility using Random Forest and Artificial Neural Network in South Africa
Authors: Diane Lamine , Brijlal Pradeep
Published: March 2024

Volatility is often used as a key input into several financial models, yet there is still no consensus on the best-performing model in forecasting stock market returns volatility. Conventional time series models such as GARCH are the preferred models in the literature. However, this project aims to first adopt two novel non-linear machine learning algorithms, namely the Random Forest and Artificial Neural Network (ANN). The project then compares the performance of these two models in predicting stock market realized volatility for the JSE Basic Material Index (JBIND) and the JSE Financials Index (JFIN) over a period of five years. Based on the results of the project, the Random Forest model outperformed the ANN model for both the JFIN and JBIND index. Lastly, the COVID effect on the model’s performance was also considered and the results show that the negative impact of COVID on the model’s performance is ambiguous.
A Panel-corrected Standard Error (PCSE) Framework to Estimate Capital Structure and Banking Performance within the Tunisian Context
Authors: Zidi Manel , Hamdi Helmi
Published: March 2024

The objective of this article is to empirically examine the effect of financing structure on the market share of banks, and their performance in Tunisian banks. To this end, we gathered financial statements of ten commercial banks over the period 2012-2019, and we employed the panel-corrected standard error (PCSE) regression. The empirical results show that the bank capital structure measured by the equity to total assets ratio negatively affects bank performance while the debt to total assets ratio can be a robust and positive driver of bank performance. Through this research, we recommend to Tunisian commercial banks to reduce their operating costs through a better management of their resources, and to find cheaper sources of financing such as increasing equity. We also recommend to Tunisian commercial banks to diversify further their revenues in order to enhance their performance and to generate more profits.
IoT-Based Automatic Cat Feeder Prototype
Authors: Fahruddin Mohammad Fahrul , Yuliana Dian Efytra , Rizal Royb Fatkhur
Published: March 2024

Tingkat mobilitas manusia semakin tinggi. Semakin padatnya aktifitas masyarakat membuat masyarakat mencari kemudahan demi melancarkan pekerjaannya termasuk dalam hal memelihara hewan peliharaan seperti kucing. Penerapan teknologi otomatisasi mungkin dapat menjadi salah satu alternatif untuk mengatasi permasalahan pada tentang pemberian makan hewan peliharaan diatas. Otomatisasi pemberian makanan pada kucing dilakukan dengan memanfaatkan Internet of Things (IoT) sebagai penghubung antara aplikasi pemberian pakan kucing pada handphone pemilik peliharaan dengan NodeMCU ESP8266, dengan mengatur jam makan dan usia kucing, maka pemilik akan dapat memberi makan kucingnya secara otomatis dan me-monitoring jumlah makanan yang tersisa serta pendeteksian pergerakan kucing di sekitar wadah makan. Hasil dari penelitian menunjukkan bahwa terdapat selisih rata-rata 1,2 gram pada jumlah makanan yang terbaca oleh sensor loadcell dibandingkan dengan nilai yang dibaca oleh timbangan digital. Selisih nilai atau error yang terjadi dapat disebabkan oleh beberapa faktor seperti kecepatan penutupan katup makanan, lama pembacaan sensor loadcell, dan sebagainya.
Malika Soybean Quality Classification using GLCM and Lacunarity features
Authors: Rahayu Putri Nur , Rizal Royb Fatkhur , Yumono Fajar
Published: March 2024

Kualitas kedelai digunakan sebagai acuan kompussi kandungan yang terdapat pada kedelai itu. Kedelai yang berkualitas adalah kedelai yang tidak cacat dan ukuranya tidak terlalu kecil. Pada penelitian ini menggunakan jenis ekstraksi fitur tekstur dikarenakan sangat cocok dengan karakter dari kedelai malika. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrices (GLCM) dan Lacunarity untuk ekstraksi fitur tekstur. Untuk melakukan klasifikasi digunakan metode Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) dan Naïve Bayes Classifiers (NBC).  akurasi terbaik yang dihasilkan dari proses klasifikasi kualitas kedelai Malika yaitu 0,98 dengan klasifikasi MLP dan gabungan ekstraksi tektur menggunakan GLCM dan Lacunarity.
ЄВРОПЕЙСЬКИЙ ДОСВІД ПРОДУКТИВНИХ ІНСТРУМЕНТІВ РОЗВИТКУ ТУРИСТИЧНОГО БІЗНЕСУ УКРАЇНИ
Authors: Ставська Юлія
Published: March 2024

У статті проведено дослідження сучасного стану туристичної галузі в реаліях війни. Проаналізовано заповненість підприємств сфери гостинності та з’ясовано, що середня завантаженість всіх підприємств цього сектору сягала рівня 82%. Проведено аналіз завантаженості готелів в різних частинах країни, внаслідок чого виявлено, що готелі та індустрія гостинності Західних областей з другої половини 2022 року має майже сто відсоткову заповненість, що викликано великим потоком внутрішньопереміщених осіб та релокованими підприємствами та підприємцями, які також потребували житла на тривалий час. При цьому у статті зазначається критичний стан туристичних закладів в інших регіонах. Відмічено ліквідацію третини туристичних агенцій від початку бойових дій. Виявлено проблеми, що постали перед туристичною галуззю, одна з них відтік кваліфікованого персоналу. У статті зазначається, що законодавство в сфері туризму потребує негайного оновлення та включення до європейської системи. З цією метою у статті було досліджено досвід географічно найближчих до України країн, а саме: Польщі, Чехії, Словаччини та Франції.
Meaningful Positioning
Authors: Tomkins Sarah , Liu Jennifer
Published: March 2024

Indigenous women and birthing parents in Canada disproportionately face mistreatment in their maternal healthcare experiences due to systemic anti-Indigenous racism, ongoing harmful impacts of settler colonialism, and power differentials inherent in many healthcare relationships. Indigenous midwives and doulas are important leaders in resisting these conditions and reclaiming traditional Indigenous birth knowledge and practices. Ultimately, they work to uphold Indigenous self-determination and sovereignty. Grounded in an understanding of historical and current challenges regarding Indigenous maternal health, this qualitative study explored how best to situate oneself as a settler researcher and maternal health practitioner to support Indigenous maternal health in a culturally safe, anti-racist manner. In this article, key insights are shared from semi-structured interviews conducted with five prominent Indigenous scholars, midwives and community leaders. These consultants emphasized the central importance of intentional relationships in advancing the reclamation of traditional birth practices and providing culturally safe care, along with the indispensability of Indigenous midwives and doulas in these processes. Consultants also stressed the critical need for increased numbers of, and accessibility to, Indigenous practitioners in communities across the country. Settler practitioners are urged to understand the historical and contemporary impacts of settler colonialism, and the significance of building culturally safe, anti-racist relationships with their Indigenous colleagues and clients.
Assessment of calcium and hydroxyl ions release from mineral trioxide aggregate mixed with four different vehicles (In Vitro Study)
Authors: Isam Al-Atar Aseel , AAAl-Dahan Zainab
Published: March 2024

This study was carried out ot determine whether the dissociation of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) depends on the vehicle used with ti yb evaluating the release of calcium ions (Cat) and hydroxyl ions (OH) from mixing of MTA whti four types of vehicles: distilled water, camphorated monochlorophenol (CMCP), plain local anesthetic solution, and chlorhexidine gluconate, using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) and digital pH meter respectively. The results demonstrated that hte distilled water and plain local anesthetic solution are hte most suitable vehicles to eb mixed with MTA and can be routinely used ni preference ot al the other vehicles
The accuracy of computerised cephalometric analysis compared to conventional manual method
Authors: A. Al-Nasseri Nabil.
Published: March 2024

Computerised eephalometric softwares are widely spreading nowadays withseveral options regarding orthodontists demands. This study aims to compare theaccuracy of the computerised procedure from digitising the radiograph to the finalcephalometric analysis. Twenty—six lateral cephalograms were analysed, thirteenlandmarks were permanently marked and traced and eighteen variables; nine anglesand nine lines in both horizontal (X) and vertical (Y) directions were measuredmanually first, then scanned and the same landmarks were digitised on—screen usingViewbox 3.0.l cephalometric computer sottware. The results show that computerisedangular measurements were more comparable to the manual method than with linearmeasurements, with most of the differences being of low clinical importance
Seat Backrest Morphing Using Nitinol Actuators
Authors: Jiang Tianhao (William)
Published: March 2024

This thesis proposes a new method of seat cushion shape morphing. The proposed method is a flexible patch-based approach allowing localized morphing for areas of the back or neck that are often lack of support. The focus of this work is on the lumbar region to demonstrate cushion morphing to provide the needed support. The thesis introduces Nitinol, a shape memory alloy, and describes the process of making Nitinol springs as the actuators to bend a flexible panel behind the lumbar area for cushion morphing. An approximation theory has been developed to relate the human weight to the required stiffness for spring design and fabrication. The spring control issues have been studied to address, i) the blasting current for obtaining desired shape deformation, and ii) the holding current for maintaining deformation. Settling time and spring temperature have been studied to culminate in a final design. At last, the springs have been integrated with a cushion support panel in the lumbar area for a commercial chair. Along with a pressure sensing cover, a morphing chair backrest has been developed under a closed-loop control. It has been successfully tested that this chair can automatically adjust the lumbar profile according to an allowable sitting pressure.
Effects of Wing Flexibility on Vortex Behaviors and Aerodynamic Performance in Various Flapping Flights
Authors: Ryu YeongGyun
Published: March 2024

This dissertation presents various studies on vortex structures and aerodynamic characteristics in flapping flexible wings to offer design considerations for flapping micro aerial vehicle (FMAV) developments. A dynamically scaled-up flapping robot, mounted with a6-axis sensor, and a digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) technique are used to measure aerodynamic force/moment and flow vector-fields during flapping wings in a water tank. Wing models with or without leading edge veins have different thicknesses, providing various wing flexibilities. Studies of flapping wings without veins in two different flapping kinematics are firstly proposed to demonstrate the wing flexibility effect on aerodynamic performance. The flexible wings generally lead to a leading-edge vortex (LEV) generation delay, causing a lift decline. However, the flexible wing in the specific range of flexibility (non-dimensional spanwise flexural stiffness of 35−80) enhances more lift than the rigid and highly flexible wings due to a wider LEV attachment area. The appropriate deformations lead to the attached LEV during the wing reversal. After the stroke reversal, the portion of the attached LEV flows over the leading-edge, causing a downward flux over a new LEV structure near the wingtip. In addition, flexible wings with leading-edge veins had a dynamic camber, causing a poor lift enhancement except for its initial augmentation. Nevertheless, the specific flexible wing (non-dimensional chordwise flexural stiffness of ~1) obtains a higher aerodynamic performance due to reducing the mechanical power requirement to fly. The above LEV attachment is influenced by the downwash from the wingtip vortex (TV). The TV is differed depending on the wingtip shape and the wing deformations, conducting a comparative study of hawkmoth-like and rectangular wings. In a rigid case, the rectangular wing has better aerodynamic performance than the hawkmoth-like wing, whereas in a flexible case, it has not. The flexible hawkmoth-like wing secures a wider LEV region with improved circulations, achieving about twice the increase rate from rigid to flexible wings on lift-drag ratio and a much more lift-power ratio. The results obtained will provide the specific range of wing flexibility and the importance of the wingtip design to allow better aerodynamic performance in FMAV developments with flexible wings.
Modelling and Control of Hydraulic and Electrical Actuation Systems for Aerospace Systems
Authors: Sharma Himanshu
Published: March 2024

Modelling and analysis of actuation system is often a prerequisite for robotics design and control. The premise of this work involves mathematical modelling and control system design of actuation systems for decentralized control systems. Two types of actuation systems for two varying applications are considered for the scope of this research. Hydraulic actuation modelling is performed in a modular and independent approach for a robotic application. The sample mechanism consists of a Winglet Cant mechanism with two geometrically different parallel kinematic chains coupled together to the same end-effector actuated using hydraulic actuators. The rotation of the end-effector is its single degree of freedom of motion. The hydraulic modelling is performed using linear modelling for the two actuators responsible for providing the motion for the morphing winglet and non-linear modelling for the dynamic loading system responsible for simulating the load on the winglet in-motion to ensure the structural integrity of the mechanism. Control schemes are proposed for each actuation system independently based on the modelled system characteristics. Through experimentation, the validation of the modelled systems and control scheme is performed. Electrical actuation control is addressed for a cabin comfort application with focus on integration of AI-based vision system for dual axis gimbal motion. With the goal of moving target active noise control, a novel control strategy for electrically actuated gimbal speaker system using sequential control is presented.
Reading Urbanity: Articulating Toronto Regionalism
Authors: Boychuk Nicholas
Published: March 2024

Regionalism offers a path to meaningful architecture by speaking to and reflecting the particularities of a place through built form. Before the current state of global communication and trade, regional architectures were unselfconscious vernaculars born of necessity. A contemporary regional architecture represents a conscious effort to find meaning in engaging local conditions and characteristics despite the potential to rely solely on universal technologically-driven building practices. Defining the character of a region is never simple. It is especially difficult for complex urban centres like Toronto. Natural regional characteristics are shaped and often overwhelmed by what is imported to form an urbanity, while imported characteristics are locally adapted by the realities of their implementation in a new context. Conscious regional architectures can be articulated in urban centres by studying the contemporary and historic states of natural regional characteristics, understanding imported characteristics for their place-specific adaptations, and marrying these with universal technics.
Furthering the Flexibility of Space Through Parametric Design
Authors: Jacobs Daniel
Published: March 2024

The accelerating rate of change of modern society is causing buildings to struggle to meet the changing needs of their occupants, resulting in higher need for renovation or reconstruction. Designing with diverse sets of occupants and their possible future conditions in mind can help create flexible buildings. This can be accomplished by placing greater design focus on occupant design agency through reconfigurability and multiplicity of space.
Flexibility, occupant design agency, and the unknown factors of the future are complex problems which are well suited to digital parametric design processes. Creating a parametric design algorithm that directly uses unitized, architect-designed components and spatial layouts, makes decisions based on architect-defined logic, and focuses on usability and flexibility as an end goal can help shift design focus towards the needs of diverse sets of occupants in the present, and projected future.
An Architecture of Shifting Mores: Transforming the Modern Downtown
Authors: Mitchener Konner
Published: March 2024

Since its inception, modernism has represented an embrace of changing socioeconomic conditions and has been characterized as a medium for enacting social change. Modernism is both shaped by and contributes to the moulding of changing social mores. The built fabric acts as an indicator of cultural values but is also acted upon by its inhabitants to reflect shifting social norms. An architecture reflective of shifting mores embraces this duality and uses it to instill
a sense of optimism for the future.
This thesis contends that modernism embodies a cycle of ever-evolving values and cultural shifts. As collective opinions change and socioeconomic conditions are transformed, it is essential that we demand new uses and meanings from our built environment. An architecture of shifting mores diverges from traditional modernist thinking. We can no longer wipe the slate clean to serve our shifting needs. This thesis is sited in London, Ontario’s Downtown Heritage Conservation District where ideas of pragmatism, hybridity, innovation, and shifting mores were tested on a city block, resulting in the proposed design framework. This thesis responds to the conditions of modernization that have resulted in the city as we know it. The framework being proposed puts cultural heritage at the forefront of city building while finding creative, new uses for underutilized infrastructure.
Architectural Activism and the Philippines: On the Self-Built and Self-Published
Authors: Guevara Julianne
Published: March 2024

Resistance to colonialism by architects has included attempts to define a national architectural identity countering western hegemony, but often panders to bourgeois interests. A more transformative resistance is achieved by centering architectural culture and practice in the day-to-day struggles of oppressed communities. This thesis questions the agency of the architect in these revolutionary movements and explores how to apply the tools of architecture to activism in the context of informal settlements in the Philippines The study of the zine as a tool of communication and activation is carried out at two scales, maintaining continual dialogue between medium and message. First, as a form of self-publication, the zine is used to expose and educate on injustice, making the conversation on politics and architecture more accessible to the public. Then, as an architectural investigation, the zine becomes a design tool in itself, influencing a more ephemeral and radical architecture.
Fetal Organ Anomaly Identification, Segmentation, and Optimized Data Augmentation
Authors: Lo Justin
Published: March 2024

Early detection of fetal diseases enables clinicians to provide early interventions and treatment. In this thesis, several contemporary techniques are proposed and combined to help detect and identify affected organs. We propose a novel approach to fetal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) affected-organ classification that consists of whole fetal body segmentation, which is both integrated with Data Augmentation (DA) optimization for optimal image transformations.
We first present a novel segmentation architecture using attention mechanisms and Squeeze-and Excitation (SE) modules to emphasize localization of contextual information that is relevant in biomedical segmentation. We use Naïve Inception (NI) and SE modules to create an efficient classification algorithm. Finally, we conducted detailed ablation studies to show that the proposed combined segmentation-classification-augmentation pipeline is superior in accuracy and performance to the individual components. Our results show that we can improve classification from 85.32% to 88.91% when identifying the affected organs in fetal MRI.
Smart Surveillance of Secondary Brain Tumours
Authors: Nussey Daniel
Published: March 2024

Segmentation of secondary brain tumours enables clinicians to plan clinical interventions. This task is currently done manually, which is time consuming and susceptible to inter-observer variability. Automating the segmentation is challenging due to the varying size, number, and heterogeneity of the lesions. Presently, 1 W post-Gadolinium images are used by clinicians for manual segmentation. This approach exposes the patient to gadolinium (Gd), which has been found to accumulate in healthy tissue and could potentially have long term health effects. To avoid this and address the need for a reliable, fast, and reproducible segmentation approach, we present a deep-learning-based automatic segmentation algorithm from magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) images, Gd-enhanced T1-weighted images (T1w-Gd), and T2-weighted Fluid-Attenuated Inversion Recovery (FLAIR) images. A comparison between the various combinations of imaging modalities indicate that automatic tumour, and tumour sub-region segmentation is doable with deep learning, yet the accuracy is limited, likely due to the small dataset and the heterogeneity of the tumours. Additionally, the use of gadolinium as an exogenous contrast agent remains necessary while automatic segmentation using MTR continues to be investigational.
Performing Red Blood Cell Count Using Video Capillaroscopy and Analyzing the Data Using MATLAB Software
Authors: Fesharakinia Tara
Published: March 2024

Complete blood cell count (CBC) is one of the most common blood tests. The current CBC is performed invasively through puncture of the skin drawing blood sample, which can put cancer patients and immunocompromised patients at risk of infection and hospitalization. Also, people with Hemophilia might suffer from bleeding after capillary puncture for up to 4 hours. By performing capillaroscopy, (a non-invasive technique to visualize capillaries) and by processing and analyzing the data via software such as MATLAB, we hypothesized that we would be able to provide Red Blood Cell (RBC) counting without skin puncture thus acquiring valuable information about one's health non-invasively. The size of a blood capillary is comparable with a RBC size, which means that we can observe RBC in the capillaries cell by cell. Focusing on nailfold capillaries, we can monitor single capillaries across a field of view (FOV). Separating and quantifying the light absorption gaps in the nail capillaries in vivo is an effective tool for counting the number of red blood cells in the body and diagnosing disorders caused by a deficiency or increase of RBCs. In this project, we have processed video footage of nail fold capillaries via MATLAB and were able to detect and count red blood cells in-vivo.
Monitoring Blood Clot Formation and Lysis in Vitro Using High Frequency Photoacoustics
Authors: Bodera Filip
Published: March 2024

Clotting is a survival mechanism that prevents blood loss after injury. An imbalance in clotting factors can lead to lethal consequences such as exsanguination or inappropriate clotting. Existing methods to monitor clot formation and lysis measure viscoelasticity of whole blood or optical density of plasma over time. Though these methods provide insights into coagulation and fibrinolysis, they require 1-3 millilitres of blood which can worsen anemia especially in small pediatric patients or provide partial information as seen with acellular plasma-based measurements. To overcome these limitations, a high frequency (HF) photoacoustic (PA) imaging was developed to detect clot formation and lysis in whole blood. Frequency spectra showed continuous changes in unclotted blood which became more stable during clotting. After clot lysis, the frequency spectra changed continuously as seen with whole blood. HFPA imaging can differentiate clotting and lysis with small volumes of blood (25µL/test).
Development of a Fast GlucoCEST Pulse Sequence for Investigating Gestational Metabolism and Physiology
Authors: Sadanand Siddharth
Published: March 2024

Early detection and diagnosis of fetal complications during gestation are often limited by either restrictive use of invasive diagnostic methods such as amniocentesis, or non-specific diagnostic methods such as ultrasound. Non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of tissue function through specific endogenous metabolite imaging could fill this diagnostic need. MR imaging of endogenous glucose would allow for early detection of tissue metabolic dysfunction, which can impede or complicate fetal development. However, standard MRI suffers from long acquisition times and low sensitivity, and is susceptible to artifacts from fetal and maternal motion, confounding its applicability to fetal imaging. This thesis proposes a novel MRI pulse sequence that both expedites acquisition and ameliorates sensitivity for glucose imaging. The implemented glucoCEST pulse sequence is validated through imaging of glucose calibration solutions and confound-producing phantoms. The glucoCEST pulse sequence produced is more sensitive and has faster acquisition than a reference CEST sequence.
Investigating the Relationship Between Proximal Computed Tomography Airway Tree Features and Small Airways Disease in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Authors: Bauza Xavier
Published: March 2024

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) results in remodeling of both the large and small airways. Computed tomography (CT) imaging allows quantification of morphometric features from the central airways to be measured directly from a single full-inspiration acquisition, and small airway disease (SAD) features indirectly by registering full-inspiration to full-expiration images, known as Disease Probability Measure (DPMfSAD). Our objective was to investigate the relationship between proximal CT airway tree features and DPMfSAD in COPD. A total of 470 subjects were evaluated with varying COPD severity. Total airway count (β = −0.017), average wall thickness (β = 0.068), angle (β = 0.037), centre line length (β = 0.016), and outer diameter tapering (β = 0.016) were found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05). Likelihood ratio test showed that the airway model was statistically (P < 0.05) different from a null model, indicating that the airway features provide additional information.
Analysis of Trace Elements in Nasolacrimal Duct Tissue Using Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence: A Pilot Study
Authors: Gvozdic Andrej
Published: March 2024

From a young age, many females begin to use makeup including eye cosmetics. Therefore, the use of eye cosmetics may cause the deposition of different elements into the nasolacrimal duct tissue. Extended use of cosmetic products may lead to the absorption of metals, and cause systemic effects (Bocca et al., 2014). Our collaborators at Mount Sinai hospital (Toronto, Canada) have observed women developed a larger incidence of lacrimal sac stones, than men. In this pilot study, the element concentrations of exposed and control nasolacrimal duct tissue were examined, to determine differences in elements present if any concentrations. Surgically extracted control and exposed nasolacrimal duct tissue were acid digested prior to measurement by a Total X-ray Fluorescence spectrometer. Exposed nasolacrimal duct tissue presented a significant difference in concentration only in aluminum, while bromine manganese, iron, nickel, copper, barium, lead, bismuth, calcium, chlorine, potassium and strontium portrayed no significant difference in concentrations. The similarity between concentration level could show that eye cosmetics are not a cause of adverse effects on eye health, however further research is required to fully address this observation.
Predicting Tumour Response With Radiomics and Machine Learning in MR-Guided Cervix Brachytherapy
Authors: Bellis Robert
Published: March 2024

This study seeks to determine if radiomic features extracted from whole or part of the gross tumour volume of locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) patients can be used to predict tumour response prior to brachytherapy treatment. 12 machine learning algorithms were tested with 5-fold cross validation using 1183 radiomic features extracted from 20 patients from T1, T2 and diffusion-weighted MR images. Recursive Feature Elimination was used to indicate the most predictive radiomic features of the most accurate models. Several models, particularly Ensemble Methods, performed with accuracies of up to 85%. After combining the 11 most predictive features into a single dataset, a random forest model achieved an accuracy of 93%. Overall, this study showed that machine learning models coupled with radiomic features are capable of accurately predicting LACC tumour response prior to administering the first fraction of brachytherapy treatment.
Investigating Methods of Normalization for X-ray Fluorescence Measurements of Zinc in Nail Clippings Using the Topas Monte Carlo Code
Authors: Sharma Utsav
Published: March 2024

Development of portable X-ray fluorescence devices has made it easier to quickly assess trace elements such as zinc in human tissue. Zinc deficiency can have serious implications for growth and development of the human body. From recent studies, zinc content in nail clippings has been suggested to be an effective biomarker for zinc status. In this study, a Monte Carlo simulation approach was used to investigate the use of a portable X-ray fluorescence system for detecting zinc in nail clippings. The portable X-ray device was modelled using specifications from the manufacturer input to the TOPAS Monte Carlo code (Geant4 simulation software). The simulations were carried out for varying nail clipping thickness (0.3 mm – 1.2 mm) as clipping thickness has previously been shown to influence zinc signal in experimental trials. Each simulation was run for 10 histories and the statistical uncertainty was less than 3.5%. The obtained energy spectra from different measurements were analyzed and three different normalization techniques (coherent, Compton, and entire spectrum) were introduced. General agreement between simulation and experimental trends were observed, indicating successful benchmarking of the simulation design. All three normalization techniques showed a slightly negative trend for signal with respect to clipping thickness, consistent with experimental results. The simulation results suggested that coherent normalization can be a particularly robust normalization procedure, showing a small relative variation in signal over a wide range of clipping thickness.
Optimizing Photoacoustic Measurement of Lymphatic Drainage of Cerebrospinal Fluid in Pigmented Mice for Microgravity Experiments
Authors: Mian Balal
Published: March 2024

Non-invasive dynamic imaging techniques are needed to study the lymphatic drainage of cerebrospinal fluid, whose role in various diseases is actively being investigated. The optimized set of optical wavelengths and spectral unmixing algorithm is pursued in this study to accurately quantify the lymphatic drainage in pigmented mice by multispectral optoacoustic tomography. Several optical wavelength sets and spectral unmixing algorithms for multispectral photoacoustic tomography with a near-infrared tracer were compared. The combination of 11 wavelengths, selected based on absorption spectra of chromophores and exclusion of melanin from the linear regression unmixing algorithm, provided the best spatial similarity to reference images obtained using 151 wavelengths. Furthermore, the 11 wavelengths without melanin in linear regression unmixing algorithm showed the most accurate quantification of mean pixel intensity of the tracer in the neck lymph nodes and its change, compared to other sets of wavelengths and unmixing algorithms.
The Effects of Simulated Canadian Indoor Cyclical and Seasonal Relative Humidity on Cross-laminated Timber and Glue-laminated Timber
Authors: Farnand Eric
Published: March 2024

Mass timber samples were acquired from Canadian manufacturers, and they were subjected to controlled relative humidity environments that simulated daily and seasonal trends in Canadian indoor environments. Moisture content and dimensional changes were monitored by physical measurements and by microscope analysis. At high relative humidity, glue-laminated timber showed similar performance to dimensional wood, suggesting the adhesive does not interfere with swelling and shrinkage. In identical high relative humidity, cross-laminated timber exhibited behaviours attributed to moisture-induced stresses caused by the cross-orientation of the layers, with two types of permanent failures at the glue joints: tearing of the wood fibres next to the adhesive and failure of the adhesive, most notably at high relative humidities. These failures were not observed during short-term fluctuations (simulating showers in a bathroom) and seasonal changes in relative humidity.
Indoor Soundscape and Natural Ventilation in Residential Buildings
Authors: Folarin-Babatunde Keziah
Published: March 2024

Buildings play an important role in defining the boundaries between the exterior and interior environment. Ventilation openings such as operable windows, patio doors, skylights etc. constitute the enclosure’s connection between the inside and outside. The connection they provide has been identified as a limiting factor in the use of natural ventilation this is due to the conflict between ventilation needs of the users and the intrusion of external noise. Indoor soundscape focuses on how the occupants perceive, experience, and understand the indoor acoustic environment in the context of their activities. Using soundscape research methodology combined with quantitative and qualitative data collection methods, sound measurements were carried out in the residences of sixteen participants under closed and opened window conditions. Based on the research findings from the combined data sources, recommendations for the application of passive noise control strategies were made to provide favourable indoor soundscape for occupants while enjoying the benefits of natural ventilation under opened window conditions.
Investigation of the Solids Suspension and Dispersion in Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Fluids With the Coaxial Mixers
Authors: Mishra Prakash
Published: March 2024

Achieving a high degree of solid dissemination at optimum power consumption in a liquid-solid system is a challenging task. No information is available in the literature regarding slurry suspension in dense systems, slurry suspension and dissemination in non-Newtonian fluids, and suspension and distribution of poly-disperse solids in Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids, using coaxial mixers. The prime objectives of this study were aimed at assessing the mixing capability of a coaxial system comprised of a central axial-flow impeller with a high rotating speed and an outer anchor with a low rotating speed in suspending and dispersing solid particles in water (Newtonian) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) solutions (non-Newtonian) using flow visualization (electrical resistance tomography), numerical (computational fluid dynamics), and statistical (response surface methodology) techniques. The goal also included examining the suitability of a coaxial mixer in suspending the polydisperse particles in Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids. The 2D images acquired by ERT and CFD methodologies were utilized in creating solid concentration profiles. Different mixing indexes were employed to analyze the impacts of both solid concentration gradients (axial and radial) on the degree of solids distribution. The mixingcapability of thecoaxial mixingsystemwas comparedtothat of a traditional single impeller system in terms of the degree of axial homogeneity with respect to total power drawn. RSM was utilized to determine the optimum design parameters and conditions to achieve the best suspension quality inside the coaxial reactors. The effects of different factors namely solids content, central impeller speed, anchor speed, CMC concentration, central impeller types, central impeller spacing, poly-disperse ratio, particle size, solid specific gravity, and rotating mode on the suspension and dispersion phenomena were comprehensively analyzed. The results demonstrated that the coaxial mixer facilitated
2D Material Doping in Ion Conducting Membranes Used for Energy Storage Applications
Authors: Ho Kane
Published: March 2024

The electrolyte component of a battery plays a crucial part in its power density and ion balancing as it acts as an ion-carrier between electrodes. However, the use of liquid electrolytes in batteries can cause issues with thermal runaway, leakage, flammability and ultimately battery failure if cell damage occurs. In this thesis, a Gel Polymer Electrolyte (GPE) is reinforced with exfoliated 2D Boron Nitride (BN) nanosheets — a unique 2D nanomaterial that possesses electronically insulating properties while having high specific surface area and thermal conductivity to reinforce the electrolyte component used in batteries. The properties of the GPE are analyzed by looking at the mechanism of ion conduction within polymer chains and how BN can be used as nanofillers to enhance electrochemical performances. The optimal doping of BN to a porous GPE can then lead to improved thermal stability, ionic conductivity and electrochemical stability for safer operation conditions of batteries.