bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
State Intervention, Videogames and The Public Sphere: a Critical Political Economic Analysis
Authors: Joseph Daniel
Published: May 2021

This thesis illustrates, using political economy, the ways in which governments increasingly play a large role in developing, or encouraging the development of, videogames, and how these games then circulate and interact as political texts in the public sphere. This is achieved in four parts: two on history and theory, and two case studies. The theoretical chapters have two main foci: the first is by finding value in videogames as meaningful cultural artifacts that play a role in the ongoing maintenance of the state and civil society. This is achieved through a literature review and discussion of the contemporary theoretical parameters of the public sphere, which draws heavily on the work of Habermas (1991), Warner (2002) and Drache (2008). In the second chapter this discussion is located inside the field of game studies, drawing heavily on the work of Bogost (2007), whose theoretical frameworks about the persuasive potential of videogames is investigated through their unique status as computational objects. The two second chapters each conduct a political economy through commodification, spatialization and structuration (Mosco, 2009) on the development of videogames who have a direct link with state intervention: The United States Army recruitment videogame
The effect of face-to-face communication on editorial stance: a case study of the 2010 Liberal Express tour
Authors: MacLeod Michelle Anne
Published: May 2021

This Major Research Paper explores the value of face-to-face communication in a digital age by examining the effect of face-to-face communication on media coverage. The author outlines the theoretical components of agenda-setting theory, presentation theory, and invitational rhetoric to illustrate the process by which individuals or groups
compete to gain attention and power, and the role that face-to-face communication can play to persuade. This theory is examined with a political case study of the Liberal Party of Canada’s cross-Canada bus tour in July and August of 2010. The author provides a discourse analysis of newspaper editorials published in Ontario, Canada before and after then-Party Leader Michael Ignatieff visited. The author observes that the tone of media coverage is more favourable after face-to-face communication with citizens and journalists took place, suggesting that face-to-face communication is an effective tool for politicians in a digital age.
Arch play: applications of narrative theory in video game aesthetics
Authors: Fradley-Pereira Evan
Published: May 2021

As of 2015, the incumbent international eSports paradigm centers on genre-defining systems and games that were not initially designed for mass spectatorship. As a result, would-be fans are often confronted with a high-friction onboarding process verging on hostility. With global viewership estimated to reach over 238m unique annual viewers by 2017 (Superdata, 2015), leading developers have adapted the designs of new products to prioritize audiences as well as players. The most successful among them have capitalized off of the resulting spectator
virality. Lacking is a high-level framework for evaluating games based on aesthetic composition and their resulting viability as a spectator experience.

This paper offers critical evaluations of dominant and lesser-known gaming spectator experiences via in-depth analyses of their constituent design affordances relating to a combined, interdisciplinary aesthetic framework centered heavily around narrative-bias. It is asserted throughout that any viewing experience with certain aesthetic factors configured to prioritize a clear and approachable classical narrative design, when evaluated aesthetically, can be considered rich in quality. Conforming to this aesthetic standard also permits games the potential to enjoy mass popularity. This paper is intended to serve as a foundation for an interdisciplinary framework of best practices in video game design.
Effect of aeration on fresh and aged municipal solid waste
Authors: Takata Graham Jon
Published: May 2021

Under the anaerobic conditions of conventional sanitary landfill, entombed municipal solid waste (MSW) is slow to stabilize necessitating long-term monitoring and pollution control. Although anaerobic conditions can provide revenue through energy generation, aerobic stabilization may offer several advantages including reduced fugitive greenhouse gas emissions, accelerated landfill stabilization, and increased landfill airspace recovery.

Air injection was applied to bench-scale bioreactor landfills in order to determine the potential for active aeration to accelerate municipal solid waste stabilization and settlement in both new and pre-existing landfills. Fresh and aged wastes were used to represent newly constructed and existing landfill matrices over 130 days.

In the fresh MSW bioreactors, aeration reduced the time to stabilization of leachate pH by 44%, TSS by 25%, TDS by 54%, BOD5 by 38% and COD by 59%. Ammonia concentrations stabilized after 129 days of aeration, but remained problematic in the anaerobic bioreactors at the study conclusion. Final leachate concentrations were consistently lower in the aerobic bioreactors than in their anaerobic counterparts. Physical settlement also improved, resulting in a 21.5% recovery of landfill airspace in the aerobic fresh waste bioreactors. Aeration had a similar but reduced influence in the aged waste bioreactors since they were near stabilization at the study inception.

The results of this study indicate that aeration significantly accelerates stabilization of MSW with greatest influence on fresh waste with a high biodegradable organic fraction.
Childhood sexual abuse and sexual dysfunction in gay and bisexual men: the role of substance use, emotion dysregulation, and coping strategies
Authors: Faaborg-Andersen Marie
Published: May 2021

Sexual dysfunction has been associated with considerable mental health and interpersonal problems. Gay and bisexual men report a higher rate of sexual dysfunction and childhood sexual abuse (CSA) compared to heterosexual men. The relationship between CSA and adult sexual health problems has been well established; however, the pathways leading from CSA to erectile dysfunction are poorly understood. The role that coping strategies, emotion dysregulation, and substance use play in the association between CSA and erectile dysfunction was examined using a mediational model. Results were not found to be statistically significant, with the exception of a significant relationship between CSA and avoidant coping. Possible explanations for the lack of significant findings are discussed, including problems with the measurement of ED. This study provided support for the disproportionately high rates of CSA among gay men.
Is punk Haram? : Taqwacore, resistance and Muslim youth identity in Canada
Authors: Hussain Anya
Published: May 2021

Diasporic Muslim identity in the West is increasingly conceptualized as being "under siege", especially in a post 9/11 context. This paper examines some of the complexities of identity formation and belonging as experienced by Muslim youth in the current political climate in Canada. However intense and antagonizing this social and political climate may be, I argue that there is room for dissenting and subversive reconfigurations of a Muslim identity that resists the eviction of Muslims from full belonging and citizenship in Western society. This paper explores this possibility by focusing on Muslim youth identity formation in the context of Taqwarcore, a Muslim punk scene popular among some second-generation youth. Representing hybrid identities for Muslim youth, Taqwacore creates the space for creative self-expression and subversive challenges to impositions from both the Muslim community and the mainstream Western culture.
A Fast, Fully Automated Prostate Boundary Segmentation Using Probabilistic Approaches In Ultrasound Images
Authors: Vafaie Rasa
Published: May 2021

Segmentation of prostate boundaries in transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) images plays a great role in prostate cancer diagnosis. Due to the low signal to noise ratio and existence of the speckle noise in TRUS images, prostate image segmentation has proven to be an extremely difficult task. In this thesis report, a fast fully automated hybrid segmentation method based on probabilistic approaches is presented. First, the position of the initial model is automatically estimated using prostate boundary representative patterns. Next, the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm and Markov Random Field (MRF) theory are utilized in the deformation strategy to optimally fit the initial model on the prostate boundaries. A less computationally EM algorithm and a new surface smoothing technique are proposed to decrease the segmentation time. Successful experimental results with the average Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) value 93.9±2.7% and computational time around 9 seconds validate the algorithm.
Young Children’s Trust in the False Testimony of ingroup versus outgroup speakers
Authors: McDonald Kyla
Published: May 2021

The present research explores whether young children display different levels of trust in the testimony of speakers from their own social group (ingroups) versus another social group (outgroups). Three- and 4-year-old children watched through a window as an adult hid a toy in one of three containers. The adult then told the child that she had put the toy in a container different from the one where it was actually hidden (i.e., false testimony). At the end the child was asked to retrieve the toy. The adult was either a Caucasian, native English speaker ingroup) or an Asian English speaker with a noticeable foreign accent (outgroup). Four-year-old children were credulous to the false testimony of the ingroup speaker, despite their firsthand observations, but were skeptical and relied on their own observations when the false testimony was provided by the outgroup speaker. In contrast, 3-year-old children remained credulous to the false testimony of both speakers. These findings were discussed in relation to children’s early preferences for ingroup members and the developmental shift in skepticism displayed by 4-year-old, but not 3-year-old children. This research will make a unique contribution to our understanding of how young children selectively learn from other people and why they remain credulous to some speakers, but not to others.
Regime-Switching Behaviour In US Equity Indices: Two State Model With Kalman Filter Tracking And Finite State Machine Trading System
Authors: Little Timothy
Published: May 2021

This thesis presents a time varying regime-switching model for US equity index daily returns. The parameters of the model are estimated recursively with the Kalman lter. We demonstrate our model and parameter estimation technique are effective by demonstrating improvements in model t compared to alternate models. Information from our model is used to build a Finite State Machine trading system with back-tested performance in excess of 15,000% above a buy and hold strategy for the DOW Jones Industrial average from 1928-2012. Similar results are found for both the S&P 500 index and the NASDAQ Composite index over a long period. Our model succeeds at identifying pro table investment opportunities and improving model t with a minimum of parameters.
A Comparison of Building Envelope Performance Levels Between Ontario, Denmark, Germany and the Passive House Standard, in the Low-Rise, Residential Context
Authors: Attwood Blaine
Published: May 2021

This research compared and analyzed where the Ontario Building Code rates in the low-rise, residential sector in terms of its:

in comparison to Denmark, Germany and the Passive House Standard. This was analyzed to see how Ontario compared against other world renowned energy efficient regulations and where or if there was room for improvement. For this, HOT2000 and THERM were utilized on all four of the reference standards, where both of these programs were managed in a way to compare the results of ‘typical’ building envelopes and the current regulation from each of the standards. These results were then able to provide a whole home’s heating and air conditioning energy use in the Greater Toronto Area climate. Overall, the results illustrated Ontario homes consume the most energy for both typically constructed homes and homes utilizing the minimum requirements. In addition to this, Ontario also had the least performing building envelope connection details. In total, the Passive House performed at the highest level followed by Germany, Denmark and then Ontario.
Characterization of a Single Pixel Beta Detector for Guidance in Breast-Conserving Surgery
Authors: Singh Amritpal
Published: May 2021

Breast-conserving surgery (BCS) is a challenging surgical procedure due to the lack of intraoperative image guidance available to surgeons. One potential method of intra-operative guidance would be radio-guided surgery with adiopharmaceutical emitting beta particles. In this thesis, a single pixel beta sensitive detector was constructed and characterized for intra-operative guidance during BCS. The thickness of the scintillation element of the detector was optimized to obtain a superior beta to gamma detection ratio. A computer model of the detector response was derived from an empirically measured, two-dimensional (2D) detector response. An in silico study evaluated whether the novel single pixel beta detector could detect less than 1 mm² deposits of cancer at the cut edge of the surgically excised cancerous tissue, with a sensitivity and specificity of 95%.
A thickness of 0.5 mm for a CaF₂(Eu) scintillator was found to be optimal for a beta to gamma detection ratio. Additionally, according to an in silico study it is expected that with an acquisition time of 30 seconds, a tumour-to-background ratio of 5 or higher, and a normal breast tissue activity of 1.69 kBq/ml, detection of cancerous deposits of less than 1 mm² is possible.
The result of this thesis demonstrate that radio-guided BCS, with a CaF₂(Eu) scintillation beta particle detector, can intra-operatively assess the tumour margin involvement, which would help surgeons in determining resection margins.
It's the colour of my skin: race and beauty discourse with Fenty beauty captions and user comments on Instagram
Authors: Boodram Sarah
Published: May 2021

People of colour have long endured a lack of makeup products formulated for melanated skin. In 2017, Fenty Beauty released 40 shades of its foundation and concealer products and expanded its selection in 2019 to match 50 distinct skin tones. These events inspired a new industry standard, labelled “The Fenty Effect”, that prompted other makeup brands to practice greater inclusivity toward darker skin tones. This Major Research Paper (MRP) uses a narrative approach to examine discourses around race and beauty. With a theoretical perspective on power and hegemony, it interprets the intersections of representation, colourism, identity, consumption, and counterpublics through an analysis of Fenty Beauty captions and user comments on Instagram. The results of this study provide preliminary knowledge toward a larger investigation on the shift in racial representations in the beauty industry.

Keywords: race; representation; colourism; beauty; social media; identity; consumption
Flexible power flow control for brushless doubly fed induction generator
Authors: Protsenko Kostyantyn
Published: May 2021

This thesis presents the brushless doubly fed induction generator (BDFIG) system for wind energy conversion. The system is proposed as an advanced solution to the traditional doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) to reduce the maintenance cost and improve the system reliability of the wind turbine system. The proposed BDFIG employs two cascaded induction machines to eliminate the brushes and copper rings in DFIG. The dynamic model of BDFIG with two machines' rotors electromechanically coupled in the back-to-back converter is developed. The independent control of the active and reactive power flow is achieved by means of a four-quadrant power converter under the closed-loop stator flux oriented control scheme. In the proposed control strategy, the generator speed tracks well the reference speed, thus the maximum power extraction is achieved. The experiment was done on a 2kW BDFIG system. Simulations and experimental results from the experimental system verify the proposed system model and control design.
Identity, development and belonging of First Nations women from Georgina Island
Authors: Warton Carolynne
Published: May 2021

This study explores the effects of the Indian Act and Bill C-31 on the identity development and sense of belonging felt by women from Georgina Island First Nation. The purpose of this study is to give voice to the First Nations women from Georgina Island whose identity and lives have been impacted by this legislation. The framework and methodology that guided this research was respectful of the indigenous knowledge and traditions of this community. The vision of the community and the participants was the most important focus of this study. The sharing which took place provided insight into the how it felt for the women to have their identity removed by the Canadian Government, the challenges that the removal created within the community, what it felt like to have that identity 'given' back, how important community is and what these women wish for our future generations.
Host diet and parasitic helminth infections within native, established and introduced fish of Algonquin Park
Authors: Zahlan Ferris
Published: May 2021

Freshwater fish biodiversity loss has been attributed to many reasons, including invasive species infectious diseases. I examined 112 invasive Rock Bass (Ambloplites rupestris), 59 established Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu), and 60 native Pumpkinseed sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus) from 8 different lakes in Algonquin Park, ON, Canada to evaluate their endohelminth parasites. My results indicate that established and native fish are not only more likely to be infected with trophically-transmitted parasites such as cestodes (tapeworms) and acanthocephalans (thorny-headed worms) than invasive Rock Bass, but they also have a higher infection intensity and greater diversity of endohelminths. There was also a significant difference between the three fish species with respect to non-trophically transmitted larval trematodes (flatworms), which reflect the habitat of fish. Along with host size, I examined fish diet and habitat use to demonstrate how the ecology of different species influences their probability of infection, parasite communities, and possible ease of establishment in novel environments.
Instruments of Gaia
Authors: Ferguson Matthew
Published: May 2021

Instruments of Gaia is a thesis which interviews the role of architecture as an interface between nature and human experience. The contained argument is a critique on architecture’s reliance on climatic mitigation; whereas relationships between site and user are nullified through concealed building systems. This thesis project as a counterpoint explores new ideas of architectural design and expression as a register for and active agent in the anthropocene where the magnification and understanding of place and site plays a key role in the development of the climatic imagination needed ever more, to grapple with human impact on the very ground we rest our foundations upon.

Architectural expression as an intuitive, didactic mechanism and amplifier of this relationship is explored through the collapsing of multidisciplinary research, and expression of the fragility, and enormity of Gaia as a new secular mythos of the cosmos, and the embedding of these new myths, through weathering and geologic time scales, into an architectural project. The experiential memories formed within this expanded field of architecture constitute a new body of sensible knowledge. The art of architecture offers the medium with which to collapse these assemblages into poetic space and memory, and the beginning of a new dialogue with the Gaia of the Anthropocene.
Cryogenic Abrasive Jet Machining of Polydimethylsiloxane and Polytetrafluoroethylene at Different Temperatures
Authors: Gradeen Aaron Glenn
Published: May 2021

The temperature dependence of the solid particle erosion of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and high carbon steel using aluminum oxide particles was investigated. The most efficient machining of PDMS occurred at approximately -178°C, at angles of attack between 30° and 60°. Although it was demonstrated that PDMS could be machined at temperatures above its glass transition, the erosion rate increased by a factor of more than 10 when the machining temperature was below this point. The maximum erosion in PTFE occurred at the coldest temperature of -177°C between the angles of 30 and 90°. This scenario improved the erosion rate by more than a factor of five. The erosion rate in high carbon steel was increased approximately twofold when lowering the temperature from 17°C to -177°C. The surface evolution results presented can be used to predict feature shapes both polymers while minimizing cooling costs, minimizing mask wear or maximizing substrate erosion.
“I Haven’t Done Anything to Be Polarizing”: Jeremy Lin’s Strategic Appropriation of Black Masculinity
Authors: Wong Nicholas
Published: May 2021

This thesis investigates the appropriation of Black masculinity by Asian American basketball player Jeremy Lin. Subjecting media coverage to a combination of content analysis and critical discourse analysis uncovers the presence of four appropriative themes of Asianness: (a) the supraethnic viability of Asianness; (b) the necessary defeat of Blackness; (c) the disallowance of anti-Asian sentiment; and (d) the presence of a helpful Black cohort. These themes are themselves given meaning by five racially magnetized frames that position Asian Americans in opposition to Blackness across multiple dimensions: (a) Asian Americans as model minorities; (b) Asian American men as emasculated; (c) Asian Americans as invisible; (d) Asian Americans as forever foreign; and (e) Asian and Black Americans as enemies. The results of this study suggest that Asian American men benefit from the appropriation of Blackness, but that this benefit is contingent upon their ability to uphold heterosexist, white supremacist ideologies.

Keywords: Jeremy Lin, basketball, race
Tracking Human Motion in Monocular Video Sequence with the De-Mc Particle Filter
Authors: Ming Du
Published: May 2021

Tracking human motion from monocular video sequences has attracted a great deal of interests in recent years. The difficulty in solving this problem is largely due to the nonlinear property of human dynamics and the high dimensionality of the state vector space required to model human motion. Traditional particle filtering methods usually fail in this situation because the distributions they sample from are ill-defined. In this thesis we propose a novel tracking algorithm, namely the Differential Evolution - Markov Chain (DE-MC) particle filtering. It is based on the particle filter framework but makes substantial changes to its core, i.e. the sampling strategy. In this new approach, the Differential Evolution algorithm and the Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm are integrated, aiming at improving both the accuracy and efficiency in approximating the posterior distribution. Global optimization and importance sampling are spirits of the proposed method. To apply the DE-MC particle filter to articulated model-based human motion tracking, we also integrate multiple image cues including the area of silhouettes, color histograms and boundaries to measure the image likelihoods. We find the Fourier Descriptor (FD) to be a new and effective image feature in human motion tracking applications. Our other contributions, such as a modified color cue-based measurement function and a simple adaptive strategy for sampling, also help to improve the performance of the human tracker. Experimental results including the comparison with the performance of other particle filtering methods demonstrate the power of the proposed approach.
A two level supply chain design under demand and exchange rate uncertainty: a real options evaluation
Authors: Sharan Yasmeen
Published: May 2021

In this thesis, a real options approach is developed to value a two level supply chain. An integrated solution framework has been developed: where (1) a product life cycle model is formed to characterize stochastic demands in the market, (2) an exchange rate lattice is presented to account for exchange rate uncertainty, (3) a supply chain model is created to utilize stochastic demands and exchange rates to maximize the firm's after tax profit, and (4) are cursive dynamic programming algorithm is developed to calculate the expected after tax profit. The model allows for capacity flexibility and factors in adjustment costs. Results show that the proposed solution framework allows decision makers to hedge against risks by switching between manufacturing options and or by changing capacity levels at the manufacturing facilities.
Instability of the Non-Isothermal Inclined Film Flow of a Power-Law Fluid With Temperature Dependent Consistency
Authors: Hasan Mohammad Mahmud
Published: May 2021

In this thesis we undertake a theoretical study of the flow stability of a liquid film with power-law rheology down a heated incline. We develop and implement a mathematical model for the flow that captures the variation with temperature of the rheological aspect of the fluid. We carry out a linear stability analysis and obtain Orr-Sommerfeld type equations for the evolution of infintesimal perturbations imposed on the equilibrium flow. We obtain asymptotic solutions based on the assumption of perturbations of long wavelength and small variation in viscosity with respect to temperature. We investigate the critical conditions for the onset of instability and determine the effect of a non-Newtonian reheology and the dependence of the fluid properties on temperature
A Short, Qualitative Analysis Of Virtual Private Networks
Authors: Bonder Alexandra
Published: May 2021

This paper provides an overview of the current state of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) by combining a general analysis of key issues with the perspectives of employees working at five popular VPN companies. This paper argues that VPN
technology cannot be analyzed in a meaningful way without reference to the values and motivations of the people of which the companies comprise. A key finding is the differences observed between different employees’ understanding of terms essential to VPN competence: “security” and “privacy”. These differences highlight the difficulty of judging VPNs objectively, as, their perceived functionality ultimately depends on an affective alignment of values between user and company.
Reconfigurable platform for 3D-panoramic telepresence system for mobile applications
Authors: Saakov Artur
Published: May 2021

The concept of telepresence allows human beings to interact with hazardous environments and situations without facing any actual risks. Examples include the nuclear industry, outer space and underwater operations, mining, bomb disposal and firefighting. Recent progress in digital system technology, especially in technology of reconfigurable logic devices (e.g. FPGA), allows the effective implementation of advanced embedded systems characterized by high-performance data processing and high-bandwidth communication. However, most of the existing telepresence systems do not benefit from these advancements. Therefore, the goal of this work was to develop a concept and architecture of the platform for the 3D-Panoramic Telepresence System for mobile robotic applications based on reconfigurable logic devices. During the development process, two versions of the system were implemented. The first system focused on feasibility testing of major components of the proposed architecture. Based on the experimental results obtained on the first prototype of the system and their analyses, a set of recommendations were derived for an updated version of the system. These recommendations were incorporated into the implementation of the second and final version of the system.
The fecund interval: visualizing acoustic space in Canadian experimental cinema.
Authors: Browne Daniel
Published: May 2021

"In this paper, I seek to develop an analysis of an aesthetic framework in which my filmmaking practice is situated, through Marshall McLuhan's ideas concerning acoustic space and their resonances within the avant-garde cinema. This may sound at first to be an inherently contradictory formula, given that a visually predominant medium such as the cinema may not be considered to impart experiences beyond this realm, with the exception of its acoustic components. (Sound cinema, similarly, is generally assumed to evoke sense impressions that exist merely in support of the fidelity of its 'realistic' image). However, I seek to demonstrate how the visualization of acoustic space forms a centrally unifying aesthetic strategy within the Canadian avant-garde cinema and many of the perceptual investigations conducted by film artists working during the time of Mcluhan's writings, resulting in a tradition of works which aim to translate visual experience beyond a fragmentary, visually-abstracted field, thus embodying aspects of kinesthetic vision and tactile/acoustic spatial experience. begin by examining the reception of Mcluhan's scholarship from within communication studies, suggesting the most fruitful reading of his often controversial figure as an artist-mystic rather than strictly as a theorist. I will then examine the varied influences from literary and cultural traditions that shaped his unique approach to media analysis and the development of his model of acoustic space-which Richard Cavell proposes as the primary feature that "connects a multiplicity of elements in Mcluhan's large and diverse oeuvre" (2003: xiii)-and consider the relationship of the cinema to Mcluhan's project of a history of the human sensorium."--Introduction.
Software-defined inter-domain switching
Authors: Selvakumaran Ashvanth Kumar
Published: May 2021

Software Defined Networking (SDN) technology has garnered much attention in the field of networking. Even though there have been several SDN based data centre (domain) implementations, there is a need to inter-connect multiple SDN domains. In this thesis we will focus on enabling inter-domain layer 2 switching. We propose an approach wherein a central controller is responsible for inter-domain switching while the domain controllers are responsible for intra-domain switching in their respective domains. To achieve this, the central controller initially communicates with the domain controllers to gather the overall topology of the network. From the overall topology, the central controller can derive the domain-level topology, compute the domain-level spanning tree and install the tree on the
topology. In addition, the central controller also computes the inter-domain shortest path between any pair of domains. The shortest path information are then pushed to the domain controllers in order to setup the network-wide shortest path. We demonstrate the viability of the proposed approach by implementing it in OpenDayLight, a popular SDN platform. To further demonstrate the flexibility and openness of the approach, we have also successfully implemented a user case to achieve inter-domain load balancing.
Establishing A Journey Architecture
Authors: Seligman Shawna
Published: May 2021

This thesis documents and analyses my research and design that led to the synthesis of a new philosophy called
Journey Architecture, the basis of my design work. Journey Architecture utilises movement and emotion to enhance the
human experience through constant change. A series of design explorations build the understanding that a journey
is never about the end point but rather the creation of a framework of objects, spaces and places to be experienced
uniquely by each individual. Through an iterative process of multi-media techniques, methods for representing ideas,
both visually and temporally, are illustrated. The final design project, the Dwelling of Walt Whitman, is a representation of a Journey Architecture. The dwelling celebrates life within the spaces by recognising that memory and emotion directly impact our experience of an environment. This thesis removes the limitations of architectural conventions and explores architectural ideas that enhance the continuously changing world around us.
A Digital-to-Time Converter for Time-Mode Successive-Approximation Register Analog-to-Digital Converters
Authors: Lee Daniel Junehee
Published: May 2021

The 8-bit digital-to-time converter (DTC) to be used for a time-mode successive-approximation register analog-to-digital converter (SAR ADC) with a minimum power consumption and silicon area is presented. The architecture and the drawbacks of a conventional voltage-mode SAR ADC are discussed. The principle of time-mode circuits and benefits of their applications to mixed-signal circuits are explained. The architecture of a time-mode SAR ADC is presented. The need for an area and power-efficient DTC to be used for a time-mode SAR ADC is discussed. The principle of a DTC is explained and prior works on a DTC are reviewed. The principle of a phase interpolator (PI), to be used for a DTC, is explained and prior works on digital PIs are reviewed. The design of the proposed DTC is presented. Each block of the proposed DTC is explained using schematic and layout views. Optimal slope of the input of the PI and the condition for linear phase interpolation are investigated. Simulation results of the proposed DTC designed in TSMC 65 nm 1.0 V CMOS technology are provided. According to simulation results with BSIM4.4 device models only, the time resolution of 0.33 ps, a maximum operation frequency of 2.53 G Hz, the power consumption of 1.38 mW, and peak differential nonlinearity (DNL) and integral nonlinearity (INL) less than 0.14 least significant bit (LSB) and 0.49 LSB, respectively, for a nominal process (TT) and a temperature condition (27 C°) are achieved.
Sociotope mapping: perceptions of public space at Ryerson University
Authors: Magalhaes Olivia Afonso
Published: May 2021

Sociotope mapping is a tool that has been used to identify values in public spaces, as defined by the public. By developing an original sociotope map using the sociotope map methodology, utilizing the technique created in Stockhom, Sweden, this research attempts to understand the values of public space within and around Ryerson University, while providing a critique on the utility of the tool in this context. The information collected from an online survey will be analyzed and visually displayed on a sociotope map. This may be utilized by the school administration, municipal planners, urban designers or landscape architecture professionals to understand what concerns may be provoked by the development of certain spaces and the resources valued by the public in the public realm. This project explores how different public spaces within the Ryerson University Campus are utilized and how useful is the sociotope mapping tool in inferring these values.

keywords: planning; sociotope; parks planning; perceptions of space; engagement; public consultation.
Seeking truths: ableist media representations and Toronto’s youth
Authors: Belle Kendra Joyce
Published: May 2021

This MRP examines the impact that ableist media representations have on youth living with disabilities in the GTA. More specifically, it seeks to answer three essential questions, (1) How have ableist representations of disability in media impacted the way youth with disabilities see themselves? (2) What representations of disability would youth with disabilities like to see in mainstream media? (3) What is social work’s role in changing these ableist media tropes and stereotypes? Using a narrative research methodology, this researcher collected the stories of three Torontonian youths between the ages of 18 to 29 years old, who self-identify as living with a disability. Episodic interviews and thematic data analysis were used to reveal several significant findings. Overall, participants felt that the media does not accurately represent their experiences of disability, often relying on stigmatizing stereotypes that influence their interactions with others, ultimately impacting the way they feel about themselves.
Anti-black racism and community violence: an autoethnography of the experiences of a black male social worker in community settings
Authors: Quamina Olu
Published: May 2021

This research represents a highly personalized account of my experience as a black male frontline worker supporting black families impacted by community violence. Using myself as the subject this paper explores complexities of navigating community violence in relation to structural violence, anti-black racism mental health impacts. Through utilizing autoethnography as a methodology this paper examines two transformative events that provides an insider’s vantage point into the challenges I have faced as a black man within my practice. Through sharing my experience, I hope to raise awareness about the impacts on mental health on frontline workers that support communities that experience trauma.
Sexual violence and the mental health system: A critical discourse analysis
Authors: Getchell Julia
Published: May 2021

Sexual violence is a relevant topic in the Canadian mental health system. However, the dominant bio-medical understanding of mental health can be harmful to survivors. This study is focused on analyzing how sexual violence is discussed within the bio-medical mental health system. The bio-medical understanding of mental health is one that conceptualizes “mental illness” is brain disease and emphasizes pharmacological treatment. Sexual violence is a broad term that describes any violence, physical or psychological, carried out through sexual means or by targeting sexuality. Critical Discourse Analysis is used in this study to find and analyze discourses in the bio-medical mental health system found in three interviews with mental health service providers. The discourses that emerged were as follows: 1. people were “boiled down” to their diagnoses or experiences of sexual violence; 2. professionalism; 3. being funneled into “streams of care”; 4. what makes someone credible; and 5. who “gets it”. The MRP concludes with a discussion of implications of these findings for social work.
Solving Channel Allocation by Reinforcement Learning in Cognitive Enabled Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks
Authors: Su Yunfan
Published: May 2021

Vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) is a promising technique that improves traffic safety and transportation efficiency and provides a comfortable driving experience. However, due to the rapid growth of applications that demand channel resources, efficient channel allocation schemes are required to utilize the performance of the vehicular networks. In this thesis, two Reinforcement learning (RL)-based channel allocation methods are proposed for a cognitive enabled VANET environment to maximize a long-term average system reward. First, we present a model-based dynamic programming method, which requires the calculations of the transition probabilities and time intervals between decision epochs. After obtaining the transition probabilities and time intervals, a relative value iteration (RVI) algorithm is used to find the asymptotically optimal policy. Then, we propose a model-free reinforcement learning method, in which we employ an agent to interact with the environment iteratively and learn from the feedback to approximate the optimal policy. Simulation results show that our reinforcement learning method can acquire a similar performance to that of the dynamic programming while both outperform the greedy method.
Encapsulation Through The Use Of Emulsified Microemulsions
Authors: Rafanan Ruby R.
Published: May 2021

Emulsified microemulsions (EMEs), first described in detail in 2005 by the group of Garti, consist of a thermodynamically stable water-in-oil microemulsion phase (w1/o) further dispersed within an aqueous continuous phase (w2). These internally-structured w1/o/w2 dispersions are promising controlled release vehicles for water-soluble flavouring compounds, drugs and nutraceuticals. With a stable internal droplet structure, storage stability is improved over non-thermodynamically stable structured emulsions and may exhibit unique controlled release behaviour. Use of food-grade components allows for wider and safer applications in food and pharmaceutical products. In this thesis, a food-grade w1/o microemulsion consisting of glycerol monooleate, tricaprylin and water was dispersed in an aqueous (w2) phase by membrane emulsification and stabilized by a caseinate-pectin complex to produce w1/o/w2 EMEs. The resulting EME showed no signs of phase separation for weeks at room temperature. The microemulsion and EME were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), cryo-TEM and small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) to determine whether the microemulsion’s internal structure was maintained after emulsification. It was shown that EME droplets displayed ordering around the periphery consistent with some loss of microemulsion structure, but maintained the characteristic disordered microemulsion structure at the droplet core. Overall, this research demonstrated the feasibility of developing EME for possible applications in food and non-food applications.
The social integration of barrel children in Canadian society
Authors: Lawrence Andrea Denise
Published: May 2021

People migrate globally in search of better lives, and migration often produces political, sociocultural, and economic turbulence. This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of two Caribbean barrel children, whose mothers sought employment in Canada and abandoned or left their children in the care of family members. Data consisted of two daughters’ stories daughters, which illustrate the complexities of the barrel-children phenomena. A narrative approach was used to collect the data, and theoretical frameworks guiding the study included Bowlby’s attachment theory, Black feminism, and the intersectionality of race, class, and gender. Data analysis involved structural and narrative analysis. The study found that, in contrast to the literature, the two participants had positive experiences as barrel children and in reuniting with their parents in Toronto. The study highlights the importance of grandmothers in caring for children left behind and even after reunification with parents in Canada. The Black community, along with Black teachers, also play key roles in helping barrel children integrate into Canadian society and face challenges such as racism.
Multi-modal reconfigurable robotic platform with 3D-immersive telepresence system
Authors: Mehrabi Mohammad
Published: May 2021

The concept of reconfigurability and its applications in robotics have become prominent in the past few years as they provide versatility, adaptability and scalability to the systems. The reconfigurable robots can perform tasks in outer space, under the sea and in hazardous environments by rearranging their physical configurations to alter the system’s behavior and geometry. However, the concept of reconfigurable robots is not just constrained by the mechanical reconfiguration of the components, for the system should also demonstrate a modular reconfigurable behavior to newly imposed conditions.

The objective of this work was to design and implement a multi-modal reconfigurable platform based on the concept of “form follows function” to be integrated with 3D-Immersive telepresence systems. The developed system was analyzed to verify the feasibility and functionality of the proposed architecture, and suggestions were made for future improvements.
Combined anaerobic-aerobic and UV/H2O2 processes for the treatment of synthetic slaughterhouse wastewater
Authors: Bustillo Lecompte Ciro
Published: May 2021

The biological treatment of a synthetic slaughterhouse wastewater (SSWW) was studied using an anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) and an aerobic activated sludge (AS) at a laboratory scale, with total organic carbon (TOC) loading rates of 0.03–1.01 g/(L.day), total nitrogen (TN) loading rates of 0.01–0.19 g/(L.day), and a flow rate of 2.93 to 11.70 mL/min in continuous mode. Results revealed that combined anaerobic-aerobic processes had higher efficiency to treat SSWW than a single process. Up to 96.36% TOC, 80.53% TN, and 99.38% 5-day carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (CBOD5) removal from an influent concentration of 1,008.85 mgTOC/L, 419.77 mgTN/L, and 640 mgCBOD5/L at the hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 6.24 days and a flow rate of 3.75 mL/min was achieved. The UV/H2O2 process was studied to treat a secondary effluent of SSWW with TOC loadings of 64.88–349.84 mg/L. Up to 75.22% TOC and 84.38% CBOD5 removal were obtained for an influent concentration of 64.88 mgTOC/L at the HRT of 3 h with H2O2 concentration of 900 mg/L. An optimum molar ratio dosage of 13.87 mgH2O2/mgTOCin was also obtained. Combined anaerobic-aerobic and UV/H2O2 processes enhanced the biodegradability of the TOC, TN, and CBOD5 present in the SSWW. Up to 99.98% TOC, 82.84% TN, and 99.69% CBOD5 overall removals were obtained for an influent concentration of 1,004.88 mgTOC/L, 200.03 mgTN/L, and 640 mgCBOD5/L at the HRT of 4 days and a flow rate of 5.90 mL/min. A cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) was performed for the optimum conditions for the SSWW treatment by optimizing total electricity cost and HRT, in which the combined anaerobic-aerobic and UV/H2O2 processes had an optimal TOC removal of 92.46% at an HRT of 41 h, a cost of $1.25/kg of TOC removed, and $11.60/m3 of treated SSWW. This process reaches a maximum TOC removal of 99% in 76.5 h with an estimated cost of $2.19/kg TOC removed and $21.65/m3 treated SSWW.
Dynamic Equilibrium: The Intensification Of Toronto Avenues
Authors: Waxman Sander
Published: May 2021

This thesis envisions a successful intensification of Toronto avenues, using the vehicle of newly formulated design guidelines for higher-density, mixed-use, mid-rise built form. The aim of this thesis is to invigorate development along Toronto's historically relevant yet often contested main streets, in a way that recognizes infrastructure as a defining element for culturally and economically sustainable urban development.
Vanitas Obsolescentum : An exhibition of images
Authors: Ho Lianne Wing Yan
Published: May 2021

Vanitas Obsolescentum is a comment on the obsolescence of contemporary commodity. It draws from prominent theories of obsolescence and appropriates 17th century Dutch Vanitas paintings. This paper begins by addressing themes relevant to the conceptual development of the series, including theories of obsolescence as presented by Packard, Papanek and Slade, the relationship of Dutch Golden Age society to contemporary North American society, Dutch Vanitas paintings, and appropriation of the Vanitas genre in contemporary art history and within this series. It provides a rationale for the use of holography as medium to express concepts of transience and hyperreality. This paper concludes with a discussion of the specifics of Vanitas Obsolescentum, including the symbolism and meaning of each piece within the series.