cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Palladium-Based Catalysts for Ethanol Electrooxidation in Alkaline Media
Creators: name: Brazeau, Nicolas
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2015
Subjects: Ethanol oxidation
Nanoparticle
Fuel Cells
Pd catalyst

description: Direct ethanol fuel cells have been shown to be a good alternative to internal combustion engines in order to reduce the CO2 emissions. In this study, Pd and Pd-based nanocatalysts were deposited on various supports (carbon black, graphene, SnO2, CeO2, TiO2, TiO2 nanotubes and SnO2/TiO2 nanotubes) and their effects on the catalytic properties of the deposited metal for ethanol oxidation in alkaline media are studied. These modifications to the catalytic systems have shown to cause an increase in the reaction rate at the surface of the catalyst and to reduce the overpotential of the ethanol oxidation reaction. Two different promotion mechanisms have been identified. Firstly, the supply of OH- ions at the metal-support interface facilitates the oxidation of adsorbed molecules on neighbouring Pd sites. Secondly, an increase in electron density of Pd nanoparticles with increasing support reducibility modifies the adsorption strength of ethanol and its oxidation intermediates.
Development and Implementation of a Kinetic Quantitative Analysis of Novel Small Molecule Ice Recrystallization Inhibitors
Creators: name: Abraham, Stephanie
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2015

description: The effects of ice recrystallization are well recognized throughout the literature. This phenomenon is the major cause of cellular damage during freezing and thawing of cells, ultimately reducing post-thaw viability and function. Herein, we describe a method for quantifying the inhibitory effect on ice recrystallization of novel small molecules that are cryoprotectants for red blood cells. The method is ideally suited to the splat-cooling assay, where ice high ice volume fractions are present. Using our method, we have derived first order rate constants for the increase of average crystal size based upon a “binning” approach of ice crystals as a function of size and time. Using this reliable metric, dose-response curves were constructed to obtain IC50 values. Two very effective inhibitors of ice recrystallization, PMP-Glc and pBrPh-Glc, were shown to have low IC50 values while Glc, a known ineffective inhibitor of ice recrystallization, did not. Furthermore, this kinetic approach was adapted to suit a condensed and simplified assay for the screening of new compounds for their ice recrystallization inhibition activity. This was accomplished through studying the initial rates from the binning approach and constructing dose-response curves that led to very comparable IC50 values when the full kinetic profile was assessed. This work therefore presents the quantification of ice recrystallization inhibition and the adaptation to a condensed screening assay for use in our laboratory.
Cloud-based Ontology Solution for Conceptualizing Human Needs
Creators: name: Dsouza, Shawn Dexter
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2015
Subjects: ontology
human needs

description: The current generation has seen technology penetrate every aspect of our life. However, even with recent advancements, adopters of contemporary technology are often angry and frustrated with their devices. With the increasing number of devices available to us in our day-to-day lives, and with the emergence of newer technologies like the Internet of Things, there is a stronger need than ever for computers to better understand human needs. However, there is still no machine understandable vocabulary that conceptualizes and describes the human-needs domain. As such, in this thesis we present a cloud-based ontology solution that conceptualizes the needs-domain by describing the relationships between the concepts of an Agent, a Role, a Need, and a Satisfier. The thesis focusses on the design of an OWL ontology which is based on an existing human-needs model. The human-needs model chosen for the ontology stems from a trans-disciplinary approach led by Manfred Max-Neef, called the Fundamental Human Needs model. It is seen as classifiable, finite and constant across all cultures and time periods. The methodology approach used to develop a new ontology is METHONTOLOGY, which is geared toward conceptualizing an ontology from scratch with the mindset of continual evaluation. We then further discuss the overall FHN Ontology comprising of various components including a RESTful Web Service and a SPARQL endpoint for querying and updating the FHN Ontology. The ontology is evaluated via competency questions for validation and via the Ontology Pitfall Scanner for verification and correctness across multiple criteria. The entire system is tested and evaluated by implementing a native android application which serves as a REST client to connect to the FHN Ontology end-point
Scaling proximity to whiteness : Racial boundary-making on São Tomé Island
Creators: name: Bouchard, Marie-Eve
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2023

description: In this article, I examine how scales are produced, stabilized, and challenged through communicative practices, and how these scales organize (since colonial times) the racial groups that form Santomean society. I argue that the historical distinctive status of the Forros and the prestigious status of the Portuguese language are influenced by different scaling practices that are intertwined and interrelated. I demonstrate that it is the Forros’ imagined and historical proximity to whiteness that bestow them racial privilege, and that allows them to maintain their position of social and political power in the country. In other words, their power results from proximity to Whiteness.
Supplementary document for A correntropy-induced metric with laplacian kernel for robust fluorescence molecular tomography - 5422868.pdf
Creators: name: Yuan, Yating
name: hongbo, Guo
name: Yi, Huangjian
name: Yu, Jingjing
name: He, Xuelei
name: He, Xiaowei
Publisher: name: Optica Publishing Group
Year: 2025
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: 434679 Properties and proofs of properties
Malice enough in their hearts and courage enough in ours: reflections on US Indigenous and Palestinian experiences under occupation
Creators: name: Waziyatawin
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024

description: To see for ourselves the conditions under which Palestinians live and struggle---this was the mission of the delegation of Indigenous and Women of Color Feminists that traveled to Occupied Palestine in June 2011.1 All of us had been part of social justice struggles in our respective communities and all of us sought to increase our capacity for effective solidarity action with Palestinians. I traveled with the delegation as an Indigenous woman living under US occupation seeking to understand how another Indigenous population struggled under settler colonialism. Sometimes it takes seeing the suffering of others to realise the full magnitude of our own suffering. As a Dakota woman in Palestine, I had the painful experience of witnessing the monstrous destructiveness of settler colonialism's war against a People and a land base. I told one friend that it was like witnessing a high-speed and high-tech version of the colonisation of our Indigenous homelands. Colonisation ought to be one of the most easily recognised forms of oppression in the world, but it is not. In fact, colonising powers work so steadfastly to rationalise and justify this crime against humanity that it eventually becomes normalised, acceptable, and even righteous. I come from a place where the government denies that it is colonial---it denies that it is a government of occupation. I recognised this same colonial deception at play in Israel's disavowal of itself as a colonial entity.
Enzyme Properties of a Laccase Obtained from the Transcriptome of the Marine-Derived Fungus Stemphylium lucomagnoense
Creators: name: Ali, Wissal Ben
name: Ayed, Amal Ben
name: Turbé-Doan, Annick
name: Bertrand, Emmanuel
name: Mathieu, Yann
name: Faulds, Craig B.
name: Lomascolo, Anne
name: Sciara, Giuliano
name: Record, Eric
name: Mechichi, Tahar
Publisher: name: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Year: 2020

description: Only a few studies have examined how marine-derived fungi and their enzymes adapt to salinity and plant biomass degradation. This work concerns the production and characterisation of an oxidative enzyme identified from the transcriptome of marine-derived fungus Stemphylium lucomagnoense. The laccase-encoding gene SlLac2 from S. lucomagnoense was cloned for heterologous expression in Aspergillus niger D15#26 for protein production in the extracellular medium of around 30 mg L−1. The extracellular recombinant enzyme SlLac2 was successfully produced and purified in three steps protocol: ultrafiltration, anion-exchange chromatography, and size exclusion chromatography, with a final recovery yield of 24%. SlLac2 was characterised by physicochemical properties, kinetic parameters, and ability to oxidise diverse phenolic substrates. We also studied its activity in the presence and absence of sea salt. The molecular mass of SlLac2 was about 75 kDa, consistent with that of most ascomycete fungal laccases. With syringaldazine as substrate, SlLac2 showed an optimal activity at pH 6 and retained nearly 100% of its activity when incubated at 50°C for 180 min. SlLac2 exhibited more than 50% of its activity with 5% wt/vol of sea salt.
A Population-based Evaluation of the Delivery of Care for People Living with HIV in Ontario
Creators: name: Kendall, Claire Elizabeth
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2015
Subjects: HIV
Primary care
Heath services delivery
Chronic disease management

description: Background: Health care needs to evolve to meet the needs of people living with HIV as they age and become a more diverse population. For HIV and other conditions, physician specialty and experience are often positively associated with disease-specific outcomes but negatively associated with primary care outcomes. The objectives of this thesis were to: 1) assess comorbidity prevalence among people living with HIV in Ontario; 2) describe the type and extent of care by physician specialty; 3) use a theoretical shared primary/specialist care typology to characterize this care; 4) measure the quality of care delivered related to this typology; and 5) assess the independent effect of family physician HIV experience. Methods: Population-based data were used to describe a cohort of 14,282 individuals living with HIV in Ontario. Health care visits to this cohort were categorized by physician specialty, physician HIV experience, and HIV-related versus HIV-unrelated care. A theoretically-based typology of care was developed by linking patients to usual family physicians and to HIV specialists with 5 possible patterns of care. Prevention and chronic disease management adherence, antiretroviral (ART) prescribing, and health care utilization were compared across typology models using multivariable hierarchical logistic regression analyses. The independent effect of family physician experience was also examined. Results: People with HIV had significant comorbidity. Family physicians provided the majority of care. Five patterns of care were described: exclusively primary care (45.4%); specialist-dominated co-management (30.7%); family physician-dominated co-management (10.1%); low engagement (8.6%); and exclusively specialist care (5.3%). After adjustment, HIV patients in exclusively specialist care had lower odds of colorectal cancer screening but higher odds of receiving ART. Odds of having an emergency department visit did not differ among models. Among HIV patients seeing only family physicians, those linked to family physicians with high HIV experience were significantly more likely to receive ART than those with lower HIV experience. Discussion: People with HIV in Ontario have substantial comorbidity. A typology of shared care between family physicians and HIV specialists had a strong influence on the quality of care delivered. These findings have important policy and practice implications and support emerging evidence that multi-specialty expertise is required to address the care needs of this population.
Enhanced Outsourced and Secure Inference for Tall Sparse Decision Trees
Creators: name: Quijano, Andrew
name: Halkidis, Spyros T.
name: Gallagher, Kevin
name: Akkaya, Kemal
name: Samaras, Nikolaos
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2025
Subjects: subject: Cryptography and Security (cs.CR)
subject: Machine Learning (cs.LG)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: A decision tree is an easy-to-understand tool that has been widely used for classification tasks. On the one hand, due to privacy concerns, there has been an urgent need to create privacy-preserving classifiers that conceal the user's input from the classifier. On the other hand, with the rise of cloud computing, data owners are keen to reduce risk by outsourcing their model, but want security guarantees that third parties cannot steal their decision tree model. To address these issues, Joye and Salehi introduced a theoretical protocol that efficiently evaluates decision trees while maintaining privacy by leveraging their comparison protocol that is resistant to timing attacks. However, their approach was not only inefficient but also prone to side-channel attacks. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a new decision tree inference protocol in which the model is shared and evaluated among multiple entities. We partition our decision tree model by each level to be stored in a new entity we refer to as a "level-site." Utilizing this approach, we were able to gain improved average run time for classifier evaluation for a non-complete tree, while also having strong mitigations against side-channel attacks.
Toward Inclusive Low-Code Development: Detecting Accessibility Issues in User Reviews
Creators: name: Mohammadkhani, Mohammadali
name: Movahed, Sara Zahedi
name: Khalajzadeh, Hourieh
name: Shahin, Mojtaba
name: Hoang, Khuong Tran
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2025
Subjects: subject: Software Engineering (cs.SE)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: Low-code applications are gaining popularity across various fields, enabling non-developers to participate in the software development process. However, due to the strong reliance on graphical user interfaces, they may unintentionally exclude users with visual impairments, such as color blindness and low vision. This paper investigates the accessibility issues users report when using low-code applications. We construct a comprehensive dataset of low-code application reviews, consisting of accessibility-related reviews and non-accessibility-related reviews. We then design and implement a complex model to identify whether a review contains an accessibility-related issue, combining two state-of-the-art Transformers-based models and a traditional keyword-based system. Our proposed hybrid model achieves an accuracy and F1-score of 78% in detecting accessibility-related issues.
title: Entwicklung eines Konzeptes zur Gesamtlärmbewertung
title: Development of a concept for total noise assessment
titleType: AlternativeTitle
Creators: name: Steindorf, Annett
name: Treichel, Julia
Publisher: name: My University
Year: 2019

description: Die Bevölkerung ist einer Vielzahl von Lärmquellen ausgesetzt, wobei die Bürgerinnen und Bürger häufig von unterschiedlichen Quellen gleichzeitig belastet werden. Die Grundlagen für eine fundierte wirkungsgerechte Beurteilung einer Gesamtlärmproblematik müssen deshalb deutlich erweitert werden. Hierzu wurde in einem Forschungsprojekt ein erweitertes Berechnungsmodell basierend auf der VDI-Richtlinie 3722-2 entwickelt sowie ein Finanzierungsmodell für Schallschutzmaßnahmen bei einer Gesamtlärmbetrachtung ausgearbeitet. Ebenso wird eine erste Einschätzung der rechtlichen Umsetzung in die nationale Gesetzgebung abgegeben. Mit diesem Gesamtkonzept soll die Erstellung von Lärmkarten und -aktionsplänen unterstützt und die Planungs- und Rechtssicherheit bei Genehmigungsverfahren verbessert werden. In: UMID : Umwelt und Mensch - Informationsdienst ; Umwelt & Gesundheit, Umweltmedizin, Verbraucherschutz / Boden- und Lufthygiene (Berlin) Institut für Wasser-. - (2019), Heft 2, Seite 27
description: The population is exposed from several range of noise sources, often from different multiple sources at the same time. The basis for a well-founded and effective assessment of an overall noise problem nevertheless has to be significantly expanded. For this purpose, an extended calculation model based on VDI 3722-2 was developed and a financing model for noise abatement measures was worked out for an overall noise assessment. An initial assessment of the legal transposition implementation into national legislation procedures is also given. This overall concept is intended to support the preparation of noise maps and action plans and to improve planning and legal certainty in licensing procedures. In: UMID : Umwelt und Mensch - Informationsdienst ; Umwelt & Gesundheit, Umweltmedizin, Verbraucherschutz / Boden- und Lufthygiene (Berlin) Institut für Wasser-. - (2019), Heft 2, Seite 27
Characterizing the Role of NuA4 in Glucose Deprivation Stress Granule Assembly and Acetyl-CoA Signaling in Yeast
Creators: name: Rollins, Meaghen
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2015

description: A conserved mechanism of the cellular stress response is the formation of stress granules (SGs), cytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein (RNP) granules that contain translationally repressed messenger RNA (mRNA), translation initiation factors and numerous other proteins. Despite the strengthening association between SG assembly and cellular survival, the mechanisms regulating SG formation remain uncharacterized. Our lab identified a physical interaction between the lysine acetyltransferase (KAT) NuA4 and SG complex proteins (Pab1, Lsm12, Pbp1, and Pbp4) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae; which led us to hypothesize that lysine acetylation contributes to SG dynamics. Pab1 is a substrate for NuA4 in-vitro and the in-vivo acetylation state of Pab1 is dependent on NuA4. Further, we have determined that SG assembly upon glucose deprivation (GD) is dependent on NuA4. Thus, the objective of this project is to better define the role of NuA4 and other KATs and lysine deacetylases (KDACs) in GD SG dynamics. In addition to NuA4, the KAT Gcn5 and KDAC Rpd3 were implicated in the regulation of GD SG dynamics. It was also determined that cellular acetyl-CoA, a co-factor necessary for KAT activity, may serve as a regulator of GD SG assembly. Increasing levels of acetyl-CoA by either genetic or chemical means suppresses GD SG formation. Further, in order to identify downstream protein targets of NuA4 that may impact GD SG formation, a NuA4-dependent Pab1 protein interaction network was established under GD and non-stressed conditions. This interactome demonstrates that NuA4 impacts Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase 1 (Acc1). As Acc1 influences acetyl-CoA levels within the cell, and as acetyl-CoA impacts SG formation, this work has potentially uncovered a mechanism by which NuA4 regulates GD SG dynamics. Together this work reveals that acetyl-CoA, a metabolic readout of glucose availability, along with KAT/KDACs is a signalling pathway regulating GD SG dynamics.
2D Effects of Anisotropy on the Ductile Fracture of Titanium
Creators: name: Azhar, Mishaal
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2013
Subjects: titanium
crystal plasticity
aniostropy
void growth
void coalescence
ductile fracture
digital image correlation

description: Titanium is a widely used metal in industrial and commercial applications. It retains anisotropic mechanical properties at room temperature due to its HCP crystal structure. The effects of crystal orientation have been studied theoretically and through modeling though there is a lack of empirical data available on the topic. The work presented here uses laser-machined voids along with EBSD analysis to study the ductility of grains in different orientations to better understand the microscale fracture process in α-titanium. Experimental results show that hard grains with their c-axis parallel to the tensile direction behave in a less ductile manner than grains with their c-axis oriented away from the tensile direction. This is due to the basal slip systems activating in the former case and prismatic slip systems in the latter. Models utilized include the McClintock model for void growth, Brown-Embury model for void coalescence and FEM crystal plasticity simulations
Hedge Funds and Survival Analysis
Creators: name: Nhogue Wabo, Blanche Nadege
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2013
Subjects: Survival Analysis
HedgeFunds
Data analysis

description: Using data from Hedge Fund Research, Inc. (HFR), this study adapts and expands on existing methods in survival analysis in an attempt to investigate whether hedge funds mortality can be predicted on the basis of certain hedge funds characteristics. The main idea is to determine the characteristics which contribute the most to the survival and failure probabilities of hedge funds and interpret them. We establish hazard models with time-independent covariates, as well as time-varying covariates to interpret the selected hedge funds characteristics. Our results show that size, age, performance, strategy, annual audit, fund offshore and fund denomination are the characteristics that best explain hedge fund failure. We find that 1% increase in performance decreases the hazard by 3.3%, the small size and the less than 5 years old hedge funds are the most likely to die and the event-driven strategy is the best to use as compare to others. The risk of death is 0.668 times lower for funds who indicated that an annual audit is performed as compared to the funds who did not indicated that an annual audit is performed. The risk of death for the offshore hedge funds is 1.059 times higher than the non-offshore hedge funds.
An Experimental Facility for Studying Heat Transfer in Supercritical Fluids
Creators: name: Jiang, Kai
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2015
Subjects: Nuclear Power
Heat Transfer
Supercritical Fluids
Fluid Dynamics
Experimentation
Reactor Cooling
Thermal Hydraulics
Research Facility
Nuclear Energy

description: A state-of-art research facility has been built at the University of Ottawa, which is suitable for thermalhydraulic experiments in support of the development of the Canadian Supercritical-Water-Cooled Reactor (SCWR). The facility is a recirculating flow loop, using carbon dioxide as a medium and having three different test sections, two tubes with inner diameters of 8 and 22 mm, respectively, and a three-rod bundle. The loop can operate within ranges of pressure, temperature, heat flux and mass flux, which are of interest to the current SCWR design. The present thesis includes a comprehensive description of the facility. It also documents the procedure and results of its commissioning, as well as some preliminary measurements that have been collected so far. It is intended to provide an insight to the design of the facility and its functionality and to serve as a reference for future research activities. A number of tests performed by previous researchers in other facilities were replicated and nearly identical results were obtained. It was demonstrated that the design of the facility is sound and its performance is adequate within the intended ranges of operation conditions. It is expected that the results obtained in this facility will make a significant contribution to the understanding of supercritical heat transfer and pressure losses in the SCWR context.
Mechanisms Underlying the Postexercise Attenuation of Skin Blood Flow and Sweating
Creators: name: McGinn, Ryan
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2015
Subjects: thermoregulation
post-exercise
sudomotor
baroreflex

description: Reports indicate that postexercise heat loss is modulated by baroreceptor input; however, the mechanisms remain unknown. We examined the time-dependent involvement of adenosine receptors, noradrenergic transmitters, and nitric oxide (NO) in modulating baroreceptor-mediated changes in postexercise heat loss. Eight males performed two 15-min cycling bouts (85% VO2max) each followed by a 45-min recovery in the heat (35°C). Lower body positive (LBPP), negative (LBNP), or no (Control) pressure was applied in three separate sessions during the final 30-min of each recovery. Four microdialysis fibres in the forearm skin were perfused with: 1) lactated Ringer’s (Ringer’s); 2) 4mM Theophylline (inhibits adenosine receptors); 3) 10mM Bretylium (inhibits noradrenergic transmitter release); or 4) 10mM L-NAME (inhibits NO synthase). We measured cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC; percentage of maximum) calculated as perfusion units divided by mean arterial pressure, and local sweat rate. Compared to Control, LBPP did not influence CVC at L-NAME, Theophylline or Bretylium during either recovery (P>0.07); however, CVC at Ringer’s was increased by ~5-8% throughout 30 min of LBPP during Recovery 1 (all P<0.02). In fact, CVC at Ringer’s was similar to Theophylline and Bretylium during LBPP. Conversely, LBNP reduced CVC at all microdialysis sites by ~7-10% in the last 15 min of Recovery 2 (all P<0.05). Local sweat rate was similar at all treatment sites as a function of pressure condition (P>0.10). We show that baroreceptor input modulates postexercise CVC to some extent via adenosine receptors, noradrenergic vasoconstriction, and NO whereas no influence was observed for postexercise sweating.
More data storage? Here's how to fit 1,000 terabytes on a DVD
Creators: name: Gu, Min
name: Cao, Yaoyu
name: Gan, Zongsong
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024

description: We live in a world where digital information is exploding. Some 90% of the world's data was generated in the past two years. The obvious question is: how can we store it all? In Nature Communications today, we, along with Richard Evans from CSIRO, show how we developed a new technique to enable the data capacity of a single DVD to increase from 4.7 gigabytes up to one petabyte (1,000 terabytes). This is equivalent of 10.6 years of compressed high-definition video or 50,000 full high-definition movies. So how did we manage to achieve such a huge boost in data storage? First, we need to understand how data is stored on optical discs such as CDs and DVDs.
A density-functional-theory investigation of Cu5 atomic quantum clusters deposited on TiO2 and Cu substrates as catalysts for green energy
Creators: name: Alhawiti, Fatimah Rafi
Publisher: name: Lancaster University
Year: 2024

description: Environmental concerns are exacerbated by the fact that conventional
 fossil fuel combustion is still a significant source of atmospheric CO2.
 Several strategies are being investigated to counter this. The first
 promising avenue is an environmentally friendly way to produce hydrogen by
 splitting water with solar energy. Hydrogen (H2) has emerged as a clean,
 renewable, and energy-efficient energy vector. However, the majority of
 hydrogen gas comes from fossil fuels through processes like steam
 reforming or coal gasification. There is a pressing need for
 environmentally friendly methods, particularly novel inorganic
 photocatalysts, to produce green hydrogen through renewable means by
 splitting water using sunlight. Another important way to reduce emissions
 and produce useful materials is to reduce CO2 levels in order to produce
 valuable carbon-based chemicals. Based on density-functional theory (DFT),
 using the Vienna ab initio simulation package (VASP), I employed the
 generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and a hybrid functional combined
 with Hartree Fock (HF) theory to systematically study their geometric and
 electronic structures. The first focus of this thesis is to enhance the
 photocatalytic properties of perfect and defective rutile TiO2 by doping
 with Cu5 atomic quantum clusters (AQCs). Furthermore, the influence of
 silicate (SiO32−), which is added experimentally during the purification
 of the AQCs, on the electronic structures of titania is examined. I found
 that the creation of a single polaron at either a five-fold coordinated
 (Ti5c) or a six-fold coordinated (Ti6c) atoms, indicating increased
 surface activity, is caused by the Cu AQCs donating electrons to both
 perfect and decreased TiO2 surfaces. I also discovered that the gap states
 of Cu5/TiO2 are unaffected by the presence of SiO32−.

 In the second part, I investigate the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) using
 electrocatalysts based on (Cu) electrodes. According to a suggested energy
 diagram, adding Cu5 dramatically reduces the energy barriers needed to
 form important intermediates, improving the selectivity of the process for
 producing carbon monoxide (CO) and formic acid (HCOOH). For this reason,
 Cu5 is recommended as a surface modification that can be used to optimize
 catalytic performance in CO2 reduction on Cu surfaces. This provides a
 workable approach to defect engineering, which can optimize catalyst
 efficiency.
“The Truth Behind the Headlines”: Media Portrayals and Their Impacts on the Relatives of Sex Offenders
Creators: name: Vaz, Marshneil
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2015
Subjects: Collateral consequences
Media coverage
Stigma
Relatives of offenders
Sexual offenders

description: Traditionally, emphases in the mass media coverage of almost all crimes have been placed on the alleged offender and the victim (and on occasion, their families). As a result, the families of offenders have been either largely ignored or presented unfairly even though their lives have also been devastatingly impacted by the media coverage of their loved one. While scholars have explored the impacts of offending on offenders’ relatives, this exploratory study adds to the literature by focusing on a uniquely marginalized sub-population of relatives of sex offenders in Canada. This study examines some of the collateral consequences of sex offending on the relatives, while focusing primarily on the impacts and effects of media coverage on these relatives. The findings of this study are based on a thematic analysis of nine in-depth semi-structured interviews with partners, mothers and daughters of Canadian adult male sex offenders. Drawing on the theoretical contributions of Herbert Blumer’s (1969) symbolic interactionism and Erving Goffman’s (1963) stigma, this research finds that relatives of sex offenders encounter a myriad of consequences and repercussions resulting from a loved one’s sexually offending behaviour. In particular, the interview data suggests that the media coverage of a loved one’s criminalized behaviour exacerbates many of the already difficult and challenging collateral consequences, as well as the overall stigmatizing effects that arise when a loved one engages in sexually offending behaviour. Recommendations, offered by the participants, regarding future media reporting practices are presented, along with important directions for future research within this area of study.
title: Immunosuppressive therapy in dental medicine
Creators: name: Mijatovic, Milana
Year: 2024

description: Diese Masterarbeit bietet eine umfassende Analyse immunsuppressiver Therapien im Kontext der Zahnmedizin. Die Arbeit untersucht systematisch den historischen Verlauf, die Klassifizierungen und die molekularen Mechanismen wichtiger immunsuppressiver Medikamente, darunter Kortikosteroide, Calcineurin-Inhibitoren, Nukleotidbiosynthese-Inhibitoren und biologische Wirkstoffe. Die Forschung konzentriert sich auf ihre Pharmakodynamik und Pharmakokinetik und erklärt, wie diese Medikamente verschiedene Aspekte der Immunantwort modulieren, z. B. die Unterdrückung der Bildung von Vorläuferzellen, die Hemmung der Proliferation und Differenzierung von Lymphozyten und Monozyten und die Störung der Nukleinsäure- und Proteinbiosynthese. Darüber hinaus untersucht die Arbeit die klinischen Auswirkungen dieser Therapien in der Zahnarztpraxis und hebt sowohl den therapeutischen Nutzen als auch die möglichen negativen Auswirkungen auf die Mundgesundheit hervor. Zu den Methoden gehören eine detaillierte Literaturübersicht und eine Analyse klinischer Daten, um einen soliden Rahmen zum Verständnis dieser Therapien zu bieten. Durch eine Synthese aus Literatur und klinischen Daten soll diese Forschung zu einem differenzierteren Verständnis der immunsuppressiven Therapie bei Zahnpatienten beitragen und für einen interdisziplinären Ansatz zur Optimierung der Behandlungswirksamkeit und Patientensicherheit plädieren.
description: This master’s thesis provides a comprehensive analysis of immunosuppressive therapies in the context of dental medicine. The thesis systematically reviews the historical progression, classifications, and molecular mechanisms of key immunosuppressive drugs, including corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors, nucleotide biosynthesis inhibitors, and biological agents. Focusing on their pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, the research explains how these drugs modulate various aspects of the immune response, such as suppressing progenitor cell formation, inhibiting lymphocyte and monocyte proliferation and differentiation, and disrupting nucleic acid and protein biosynthesis. Additionally, the thesis explores the clinical implications of these therapies in dental practices, highlighting both therapeutic benefits and potential adverse effects on oral health. Methodologies include a detailed literature review and analysis of clinical data to provide a robust framework for understanding these therapies. Through a synthesis of literature and clinical data, this research aims to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of immunosuppressive therapy management in dental patients, advocating for an interdisciplinary approach to optimize treatment efficacy and patient safety.
Assessing 2D and 3D Motion Tracking Technologies for Measuring the Immediate Impact of Feldenkrais Training on the Playing Postures of Pianists
Creators: name: Beacon, Jillian
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2015
Subjects: pianist posture
motion tracking
motion capture
Kinect
Dartfish
somatic training
Feldenkrais Method
piano pedagogy

description: The Feldenkrais Method of somatic education has become popular with pianists for improving ease of motion and musculoskeletal health. This thesis contains three studies investigating motion-tracking technologies as means to objectively assess the impact of Feldenkrais training on pianist posture. The first study investigates the accuracy and reliability of Dartfish 2D motion tracking software. Results indicate that Dartfish tracking error is within +/- 0.25 centimeters. The second study uses Dartfish to track head, shoulder, and spine positions of 15 pianists during performance before and after receiving a Feldenkrais Functional Integration Lesson. Comparisons of pre- and post-test measurements indicate no group trends in posture change. However, intriguing changes to movement quality in the head and torso were observable for two participants. The third study compares tracking quality of Dartfish and the Microsoft Kinect for the head, shoulders, and arms of four pianists attending a weeklong Feldenkrais workshop. Results reveal frequent tracking errors with the Kinect sensor, making it unsuitable to measure the impact of somatic training on pianist posture.
Obesity, Central Fat Patterning, and Their Metabolic Correlates among the Inuit of the Central Canadian Arctic
Creators: Young, T. Kue
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 1996

"I report on the occurrence and metabolic correlates of obesity among the Inuit (Eskimos) of the central Canadian Arctic using data from the Keewatin Health Assessment Study conducted during 1990 and 1991 in eight Inuit communities in the Northwest Territories (n = 434, adults aged 18 years and older). Data from the 1990 Manitoba Heart Health Survey among 2200 predominantly white residents of the province of Manitoba were used for comparison. Judging by body mass index and two skinfold thicknesses, obesity among the Inuit is as prevalent as it is in the general North American population." (as cited in abstract)
“It’s an emotional roller coaster… But sometimes it’s fucking awesome” : Meaning and Motivation of Work for Peers in Overdose Response Environments in British Columbia
Creators: name: Pauly, Bernadette
name: Mamdani, Zahra
name: Mesley, Lacey
name: McKenzie, Sophie
name: Cameron, Fred
name: Edwards, Denice
name: Howell, Amy
name: Knott, Michael
name: Scott, Tracy
name: Seguin, Ryan
name: Greer, Alissa M.
name: Buxton, Jane A.
Publisher: name: Elsevier
Year: 2021

description: The province of British Columbia (BC), Canada is amid dual public health emergencies in which the overdose epidemic declared in 2016 has been exacerbated by restrictions imposed by the Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Experiential workers, commonly known as ‘peers’ (workers with past or present drug use experience) are at the forefront of overdose response initiatives and are essential in creating safe spaces for people who use drugs (PWUD) in harm reduction. Working in overdose response environments can be stressful, with lasting emotional and mental health effects. There is limited knowledge about the personal meaning that experiential workers derive from their work, which serve as motivators for them to take on these often stressful roles.
Molecular Marker Applications in Oat (Avena Sativa L.) Breeding and Germplasm Diagnostics
Creators: name: Benazir Katarina, Marquez
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2014
Subjects: oat (Avena sativa L.)
DNA fingerprinting
genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS)
graphical genotyping
single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)
quantitative trait loci (QTL)
pedigree
haplotype
intra-cultivar variation
cultivar
genomic heterogeneity
KBioscience's Allele-Specific PCR (KASP)

description: The ability to identify germplasm and select traits accurately is fundamental to successful plant breeding. Pedigrees and molecular markers facilitate these processes; however misleading experimental results can occur when incorrect relationships and/or cultivar names are recorded. Molecular markers can identify these inconsistencies, and with advances in genotyping technology these diagnostics can be done faster and more objectively. This study aimed to develop molecular marker assays and graphical genotyping methodologies for cultivar identification, seed purity assessment and trait selection in oat (Avena sativa L.). KBioscience’s Allele-Specific PCR (KASP™) and genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) technologies were applied to a set of current Canadian oat cultivars to evaluate their utility for identifying cultivars and detecting intra-cultivar variation. Both KASP™ and GBS detected different extents of heterogeneity among a set of 160 seeds that originated from four seed sources of four cultivars. In both cases, the detected variation did not appear to be limited to a specific cultivar or seed source, reinforcing that all cultivars are heterogeneous. Graphical genotyping localized heterogeneity to specific chromosome regions, thereby distinguishing physical contamination from true genetic heterogeneity and heterozygosity. Pre-existing genotype data for 700 oat cultivars and breeding lines were also used to construct graphical genotypes for pedigree validation and discovery of potential sources for favourable quantitative trait loci (QTL) alleles. This methodology used historical QTLs and anchoring markers to identify 25 putative “high oil” allele carriers. The results from this study will provide diagnostic tools for cultivar identification and pedigree validation, in addition to meaningful information about existing heterogeneity and possible QTL locations in current cultivars.
Climate data
Creators: name: Folfas, Edita
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2024
Subjects: classificationCode: 310302
subject: Community ecology (excl. invasive species ecology)

description: Climate files can be downloaded from https://www.worldclim.org/data/worldclim21.html. Variables 1 (temperature), 4 (temperature seasonality), 12 (precipitation), and 15 (precipitation seasonality) are needed at the 30s spatial resolution. I recommend downloading the .zip file that contains all 19 of the bioclimatic variables and then reading in the necessary files from there and deleting the excess ones.
Sorption of Microconstituents onto Primary and Activated Sludge to which Alum Has Been Added
Creators: name: Zhu, Ying
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2014
Subjects: microconstituents
alum
sorption
wastewater treatment

description: Microconstituents (MCs) have become an emerging concern to scientists and researchers. Due to the development of analytical technology, it is now possible to study MCs at ηg/L to μg/L levels. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are the major point source for MCs entering the environment based on the literature. WWTPs are known to be unable to remove many MCs to a safe level. In order to fully understand the fate of MCs in WWTPs and to further improve the design of WWTPs in terms of MC removal, it is necessary to examine removal mechanisms such as sorption and biodegradation in WWTPs. Three MCs, bisphenol A (BPA), 17-α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) and triclosan (TCS), were chosen for this study. They are chemicals reported to be hydrophobic and have low vapor pressure, which makes sorption a highly potential removal mechanism. Primary sludge and activated sludge (AS) were used to perform sorption kinetics and isotherm experiments for BPA, EE2 and TCS. Primary sludge was collected from local WWTPs, and AS was generated from a lab-scale continuous flow bioreactor system maintained at solids retention times of 15, 10 and 5 d and hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 6 h. Alum was added to synthetic wastewater influent at concentrations typically used for phosphorus removal at some plants. Alum has the potential to change sludge structure and influence the sorption process. A comparison was made with AS as the adsorbent with and without alum addition to the AS to study the influence of alum on the sorption processes. The selected MCs were found to reach sorption equilibrium with primary sludge within 7 h. A pseudo second-order kinetic model was an excellent fit to describe the sorption processes of selected MCs. The solids-liquid partitioning coefficient (Kd) was determined for the three chosen MCs. The Kd values found for primary sludge and AS are very close. The Kd for MCs sorbed to AS in this study were compared with the Kd for AS without alum addition. Although alum addition showed no influence on effluent soluble chemical oxygen demand, it decreases the Kd for BPA and EE2 sorbed to AS. In contrast, a much higher Kd for TCS was observed for AS with alum addition. Judging from the R2 values, the linear sorption model is not suitable for some of the isotherms. Langmuir and Freundlich sorption isotherms were further used to fit the experimental data by applying linear regression and nonlinear regression approaches. The Freundlich isotherm was found to be the most suitable model to describe the experiment data.
The fate of silver nanoparticles in riverbank filtration systems - The role of biological components and flow velocity
Creators: name: Degenkolb, Laura
name: Klitzke, Sondra
name: Leuther, Frederic
name: Lüderwald, Simon
Publisher: name: My University
Year: 2020
Subjects: Langzeitversuch

description: Riverbank filtration is a natural process that may ensure the cleaning of surface water for producing drinking water. For silver nanoparticles (AgNP), physico-chemical interaction with sediment surfaces is one major retention mechanism. However, the effect of flow velocity and the importance of biological retention, such as AgNP attachment to biomass, are not well understood, yet. We investigated AgNP (c=0.6 mg L-1) transport at different spatial and temporal scales in pristine and previously pond water-aged sediment columns. Transport of AgNP under near-natural conditions was studied in a long-term riverbank filtration experiment over the course of one month with changing flow scenarios (i.e. transport at 0.7m d-1, stagnation, and remobilization at 1.7m d-1). To elucidate retention processes, we conducted small-scale lab column experiments at low (0.2m d-1) and high (0.7m d-1) flow rate using pristine and aged sediments. Overall, AgNP accumulated in the upper centimeters of the sediment both in lab and outdoor experiments. In the lab study, retention of AgNP by attachment to biological components was very effective under high and low flow rate with nearly complete NP accumulation in the upper 2mm. When organic material was absent, abiotic filtration mechanisms led to NP retention in the upper 5 to 7cm of the column. In the long-term study, AgNP were transported up to a depth of 25cm. For the pristine sediment in the lab study and the outdoor experiments only erratic particle breakthrough was detected in a depth of 15cm. We conclude that physico-chemical interactions of AgNP with sediment surfaces are efficient in retaining AgNP. The presence of organic material provides additional retention sites which increase the filtration capacity of the system. Nevertheless, erratic breakthrough events might transport NP into deeper sediment layers. © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Supplementary document for Utilizing thermally-induced selective mode shaping for high extinction ratio in-line fiber modulator/polarizer - 5422877.pdf
Creators: name: Heidari, Mohsen
Publisher: name: Optica Publishing Group
Year: 2025
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: Supplementary Document: Utilizing thermally-induced selective mode shaping for high extinction ratio in-line fiber modulator/polarizer
Derivation and verification of a constitutive model for FRP anchors
Creators: name: Zhang, Huawen
name: Smith, Scott T.
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024

description: Premature debonding failure limits the effectiveness of fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites when bonded onto the surfaces of concrete members as a repair or strengthening measure. The FRP can debond at strains considerably lower (e.g. 20 %) of the strain capacity of the FRP. The addition of anchorage devices made from FRP (herein FRP anchors) has been shown to significantly increase the utilisation of the FRP strengthening and the ductility of the FRP-strengthened element. No constitutive models currently exist though with which to quantify the strength and behaviour of FRP anchors. This paper therefore reports the development of a load-slip model for FRP anchors based on a series of tests on single-shear FRP-to-concrete joints anchored with FRP anchors that have been undertaken by the authors and reported in other studies. The FRP anchor model is then incorporated into a partial interaction model upon which the response of a selected test joint is simulated.