title: Walk, stop, search : the effect of simulated motion on visual attention

subject:
Visual perception (Testing)
Attention
Motion perception (Vision)

abstract:
Responses in covert orienting of visual attention tasks (COVAT) produce a
biphasic pattern of results. When the stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) is less than 300
ms, reaction times (RTs) to cued targets are faster than uncued targets, whereas when the
SOA is greater than 300 ms RTs to uncued targets are faster than cued targets. This latter
phenomenon is termed inhibition of return (lOR). lOR is believed to be a mechanism
that promotes efficient search by biasing attention to new locations or objects. To date,
most research on lOR has been restricted to situations in which participants are seated
while viewing stimuli presented on a monitor; however, many real life searches take
place while the searcher is in motion. One way to look at the effect of motion on the
orienting of attention is to stimulate the otoliths of the vestibular system by having people
lie prone with their neck in a flexed position (known as head down neck flexion or
HDNF). We had participants complete a COVAT (with SO As of 100 and 800 ms) while
in three different positions: seated, lying prone, and in HDNF. When in HDNF there
was a significant decrease in the magnitude of responses compared to the other two
positions; both less facilitation and less inhibition were observed. The results are
discussed in terms of the relationship between vestibular activation (i.e., HDNF) and the
orienting of visual attention.


title: Attitude stabilization of a quadrotor aircraft

subject:
Quadrotor
Helicoptors (Models, Automatic control)
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
Control design

abstract:
The quadrotor aircraft has seen a growing interest in the research community over
the past few years, with a focus on modeling and control however. Early rotating
wing aircraft pioneers designed similar four-rotor aircraft with varied success over a
number of years. With the introduction of new lightweight sensors for measuring
the attitude and angular velocity of a rigid body, model sized versions of traditional
helicopters with autonomous capabilities have emerged, with the advantage of vertical
take-off and landing (VTOL) over fixed wing aircraft. The quadrotor aircraft, with
its symmetrical design, has a potential advantage with respect to the traditional
helicopter in terms of maneuverability and mechanical simplicity. In fact, autonomous
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s) have gained popularity for their numerous potential
applications where human interaction is difficult or hazardous. Attitude stabilization,
which could be considered the most important component for flight control, is essential
for autonomous or even pilotable aircraft such as the quadrotor, as their designs are
inherently unstable. As the literature suggests, a number of control algorithms have
been proposed for the attitude control of a rigid body. In this thesis, a control strategy
for the attitude stabilization of the quadrotor aircraft as well as some simulation and
experimental results are presented.


title: A Comparative study of min-sum based decoding algorithms for low density parity check codes

subject: Coding theory

subject: Error-correcting codes (Information theory)

abstract: The demand for large scale broadband networks is gaining immense popularity for convenient access of information. A common concern of transmitting data through a wireless medium is the effects of noise on the signal. Maintaining the reliability of the data becomes crucial. Employing Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes specified by the IEEE 802.16e (WiMAX) standard simplifies the encoding and decoding structure within a digital communication system, making it attractive for the premise of this study.


title: The relationship of patterns of creativity and Machiavellianism to leadership, self-actualization, authoritarianism, and alienation

subject: Creativity Machiavellianism Leadership Authoritarianism Alienation Self-actualization

abstract:
The purpose of this study was to investigate patterns of creativity
and Machiavellianism and how they relate to leadership, self-actualization,
authoritarianism, and alienation. Creativity and Machiavellianism served
as the independent variables and the others as dependent variables. The
relationship between the two independent variables was (1) hypothesized
to be not significantly different from zero. Since subjects can score
high on both personality measures, or high on one and low on the other,
or low on both, hypotheses were derived in regard to personality patterns
of creativity and Machiavellianism. It was hypothesized that, (2) subjects
who scored high on both creativity and Machiavellianism would score significantly
higher on leadership when compared with subjects from the other
3 contingency groups, (3) subjects who scored high on creativity but low
on Machiavellianism would score significantly higher on self-actualization when compared with subjects from the other 3 contingency groups, (4)
subjects who scored low on creativity but high on Machiavellianism would
score significantly higher on authoritarianism when compared with the other
3 contingency groups and, (5) subjects who scored low on creativity and
low on Machiavellianism would score significantly higher on alienation when
compared with subjects of the other 3 contingency groups. One hundred-and-twenty
first year students from an introductory psychology class participated
in the study. The subjects were assessed in groups of six, in two sessions,
for the administration of seven paper and pencil tests: creativity,
Machiavellianism (two forms), leadership, self-actualization, authoritarianism,
and alienation. Subjects were divided into the 4 contingency groups using the median of the creativity and the median of the Machiavellianism score
disttibutions as cut-off points. The results obtained showed that the
relationship between creativity and Machiavellianism was not significant.
Orthogonal comparisons of the group means on leadership, self-actualization,
authoritarianism, and alienation failed to demonstrate any significant
differences as predicted.


title: Water chemistry: its effects on amphibians in Northwestern Ontario, Canada

subject: Amphibian declines

subject: Effect of water quality on amphibians

subject: Road salts (Environmental aspects)

subject: Deicing chemicals (Environmental aspects)

subject: Water chemistry and species richness

abstract: Understanding the role that abiotic environmental factors play in determining the distribution of organisms is of fundamental importance to ecologists. Most amphibians are inherently dependent on aquatic habitats and differences in water may influence community structure. However, few comprehensive studies of amphibian distribution in relation to water chemistry exist, but they suggest that the importance of chemistry may differ among regions. The boreal forest contains nearly half of the world's freshwater wetlands, but its amphibian ecology is poorly understood relative to other biomes. I sampled 73 wetlands in northwestern Ontario for presence/absence of amphibians using repeated day and night visits between April and August 2003.


title: Evaluation of GaN and InGaN semiconductors as potentiometric anion selective electrodes

contributor:
Catalan, Lionel
Alexandrov, Dimiter

subject:
Electrodes, Ion selective
Indium gallium nitride
Gallium nitride

abstract: Ion selective electrodes (ISEs) are chemical sensors primarily used for in situ analysis and monitoring of air, water, and land. Despite their easy fabrication, low cost, and simple usage, ISEs still suffer from the sensitivity of their response to temperature variations, solution turbidity, interferences from other ions in solution, drift of the electrode potential, membrane fouling, and short lifetime. As a result, investigating new materials to develop ISEs that can address some of these limitations is a worthwhile and challenging topic of research. The excellent mechanical, thermal and chemical stability of gallium nitride (GaN) and indium gallium nitride (InGaN) semiconductors, coupled with their resistance to corrosion and low toxicity if dissolved, are some of the properties that make these materials prime candidates for a variety of sensor applications, particularly at high temperatures and in harsh environments. This thesis evaluates the potential of these two semiconductor materials for replacing conventional ISE membranes with a solid-state semiconductor surface/solution interface. The benefits gained from this novel design of the ISE sensing element are assessed.


title: Forest harvesting impacts on forested wetland forest ecosystem function – biogeochemical cycling

subject:
Biogeochemical cycles
Forest harvesting
Forest wetland
Wetland ecosystem

abstract:
The wetland ecosystem is located at the interface of the atmospheric, terrestrial
and water system. It is one of the most biologically diverse ecological landscapes on
earth and one of the most important environments for mankind. It also called
“kidney” of the landscape because it can purify water that passed through the
wetland. Forested wetland is one of the classifications of wetland, also defined as
swamp, dominated by trees and plays a significant role in timber supply for forestry
business. Forest harvesting such as clear-cut, is the most common silvicultural
method used in forest regeneration. However, it can alter the functions of the
forested wetland ecosystems –biogeochemical cycling. Data have been collected
from several literature reviews and explores how forest harvesting impacts carbon,
phosphorus, nitrogen, calcium and potassium cycles. After data analysis, the five
nutrients were reduced after forest harvesting, but the changes in nitrogen content
were considered minimal. Harvesting has a direct impact on biogeochemical cycles
and it is important to protect the wetlands by maintaining the levels of nutrients and
quality of environment and ecosystem.


title: Effects of soil microorganisms on bamboo (Phyllostachys praecon C. D. Chu et C. S. Chao 'Prevernalis) growth

subject:
Soil microorganisms
Phyllostachys praecon
Microbial diversity and soil function

abstract:
Soil microorganisms and plants together form a stable dynamic system in which
they interact and influence each other. The growth and development of plants provide
nutrients to the soil microorganisms, which in turn promote and contribute to the
growth of plants. In addition, microorganisms are the most active components of the
soil. They are diverse and numerous, and each performs a unique function in the soil
ecosystem. Different soil environments will develop different microbial population
structures. Therefore, in this paper, I will verify the relationship between soil
microorganisms and temperature by measuring and analyzing the microbial biomass
at specific locations for a stand of bamboo Phyllostachys praecon.


title: Microbial toxicity assessment and biodegradation of triclopyr using Arthrobacter globiformis and Pseudomonas pictorum

subject:
Triclopyr
Arthrobacter globiformis
Pseudomonas pictorum

abstract:
Triclopyr (3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinyloxyacetic acid) was investigated for
biodegradation using Arthrobacter and Pseudomonas sp. bacteria. No
evidence of the proposed major metabolite, 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol was
found in sole carbon source or enriched growth medium experiments.
Triclopyr, and various salts of triclopyr were also tested for toxicity using a
modified INT reduction method which relied upon the enzymes from dead,
lysed cells in the mature culture. The EC50 values for Arthrobacter and
Pseudomonas sp. bacteria were found to be 46 and 470 ppm respectively
for triclopyr. The proposed major metabolite 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol was
found to be considerably more toxic to both bacteria than triclopyr. The EC50
results were compared to those for 2,4-D and picloram using the same
method. Analysis of triclopyr by gas chromatography and
nuclear magnetic resonance was investigated in order to
simultaneously quantitate the herbicide and its proposed major
metabolite. Synthesis of triclopyr using various starting
materials was also investigated to achieve an efficient
laboratory scale synthesis. Different synthetic routes will be
useful for further studies which may make use of radiolabeled
triclopyr since selective inclusion of the radiolabeled depends on
the synthesis used.


title: Evaluation and assessment in teacher education : an analysis of the assessment culture of an Ontario initial teacher education program

subject:
Curriculum-based assessment
Program validity
Teacher education
Student workload
Program transparency
Assessment culture

abstract:
The Ontario Ministry of Education, with the shortest teacher evaluation programs in the nation, is proposing changes to the two-semester teacher education "Professional Year" in favour of a longer program. Rather than looking at either the semester length or the number of semesters of a program, an evaluation of the assessment culture and curriculum of the teacher education program may be more appropriate to evaluate the effectiveness and quality of Ontario's pre-service teacher education. This is one such audit.
This mixed method analysis uses a course syllabus review, teacher candidate surveys and semi-structured interviews to identify the assessment culture of the initial teacher education program. The creation and comparison of ethnographic profiles of course assignments allow for a deeper analysis of the assessment protocols associated with the Primary/Junior, Junior/Intermediate, and Intermediate/Senior divisions.
Initial results show that the teacher education program at the Faculty in this study uses summative assessment through in-class presentations, lesson and unit plans, and reflective essays. Also, teacher candidates exhibit characteristics of both achieving and deep achieving learners.
There is sufficient evidence to suggest that students would benefit from having all assignment information upfront on the first day of class with the course syllabi containing not only the assignment weight, name, and due date, but also all information required to complete the assessment of the course.


title: S U (3) Squeezing: quantum and semiclassical evolutions

contributor:
de Guise, Hubert
Gallagher, Mark
Rubel, Oleg

subject:
Quantum mechanics
Classical mechanics
S U (3) squeezing

abstract: In this thesis we describe a squeezing for SU(3) systems and compare squeezing in the phase space in the semiclassical approximation with squeezing obtained by the full quantum mechanical calculation. We show that the equations of motion in phase space for SU(3) Wigner function are given in terms of the Poisson bracket plus quantum correction terms which depend on the inverse dimension of the system. In the semiclassical approximation, for large values of the SU(3) representation label  , we can ignore the quantum correction terms and use the truncated Liouville equation; squeezing in SU(3) systems is well described by this truncated Liouville equation. Finally, we find some scaling behaviors associated with squeezing in SU(3) and compare these with the corresponding SU(2) calculations.


title: Male same-sex couples and the division of household labour

contributor:
Stone, Sharon Dale
Wakewich, Pam
Liu, Jianye

subject:
Division of labor (Same-sex couples)
Gay couples
Home economics
Gender role attitudes

abstract:
Studies on heterosexual couples show that women continue to perform the
overwhelming majority of household tasks, and that factors, such as gender, parental
influence, relationship status, income, education, age, and occupational status, affect their
division of labour. Studies also show that men continue to remain more satisfied with the
division of labour than women. The purpose of this study was to examine the division of
labour in male same-sex couples, the factors which contribute to the division of labour,
satisfaction and perceptions of fairness, and participants’ perceptions regarding
conventional gender roles. Using data from 92 questionnaires and 20 interviews, this
study found that male couples shared household labour more equitably than heterosexual
couples. Factors contributing to their division of labour were unlike those found in
studies on heterosexuals. Factors included interest, skill and ability, time in paid labour,
and practicality. Other emphasized themes included negotiation, conscious sharing, and
the option of hiring help. Overall, participants felt that their sexual orientation gave them
the freedom to reject conventional gender roles and invent new ways of sharing domestic
labour. Findings from this study add to the growing body of literature on the division of
labour in same-sex couples.


title: Stakeholder perspectives on climate change and adaptation in expedition cruise tourism in Nunavut

subject:
Aboriginal tourism Nunavut
Inuit Nunavut
Cruise lines Nunavut

abstract:
Climate change and tourism change are global phenomena (Keskitalo, 2008;
Page, 2003). As climate change becomes more pronounced and the tourism industry
continues to be susceptible to changes in climate (Coombes, Jones, & Sutherland, 2009),
understanding the tourism industry’s vulnerabilities and potential adaptive strategies
become imperative (Keskitalo, 2008). This dynamic relationship between the tourism
industry and climate change is important as the changes occurring are interpreted and
responded to in various ways depending on the emphasis put on change by the broad
decision making networks that are characteristic of multi-level governing systems
(Keskitalo, 2008). One of the jurisdictions where the tourism industry is likely to be
vulnerable and require adaptation to the climate change-tourism relationship is in the
Territory of Nunavut in Canada’s Arctic.
Nunavut’s tourism industry is influenced by vulnerabilities and opportunities that
are particular to the Arctic (Loverseed, 2008; Milne, 2006); these influences require
Arctic specific responses, innovations and adaptations. Arctic specific adaptations are
facilitated by the stakeholders involved in the management of Nunavut’s tourism
industry. On an ongoing basis, Arctic stakeholders have to address current and predicted
vulnerabilities and opportunities; these need to be addressed in such a way that the
political, economic, social, and ecological systems of the region are able to cope with and
recover from various stresses. Through coping with and recovering from stress the
Territory can maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets, and ensure that opportunities
are available for future generations (Armitage, 2007).


title: Sedimentology and stratigraphy of the northern and central metasedimentary belts in the Beardmore-Geraldton area of northern Ontario

format: application/pdf application/pdf

subject:
Geology, Stratigraphic Archaean
Geology Ontario Beardmore
Geology Ontario Geraldton

abstract:
The northern and central metasedimentary belts (NMB,
CMB) are east-trending, regional (formation- to group-scale)
iithostratigraphic units within the Beardmore-Geraldton
Archean terrane of northern Ontario's Superior Province.
Gravelly braided rivers deposited the lithofacies
assemblage of clast-supported polymict conglomerate and interbedded sandstone that comprises most of the NMB.  Felsic
volcanic pebbles and cobbles are the most abundant clast
lithology.
The CMB contains several east-trendinq lithofacies
assemblages that together form a generally northward coarsening
sequence. The southern CMB is composed of
mudstone, iron formation and sandstone with common graded
beds. This fine-grained assemblage is paralleled to the
north by a horizon of rhythmically bedded and cross-bedded
sandstone units, and a heterogeneous, conglomerate-rich
assemblage. The northern CMB strata are mostly a conglomeratic
assemblage similar in form (lithofacies) and composition
(provenance) to the NMB. Some fine-grained units
(mudstone. iron formation, graded sandstone) of relatively
minor regional extent are present near the north margin of
the CMB.
The CMB's southern (lower) fine-grained subaqueous
facies are apparently capped at different sites by: 1)
rhythmic delta front couplets; 2) sandy braided river
deposits with very rare associated intertidal strata; and 3)
a conglomeratic submarine fan or fan-delta front resedimented
assemblage. The northern (upper) CMB is a gravelly braided
river deposit, with minor aquabasinal facies.
The CMB is probably a 1-2 km thick structurally modified
homoclinal sequence. Relative positions of its depositional paleoenvironments, as deduced from lithofacies
assemblages, suggest that the epiclastic portion of the CMB
is the record of a dominantly coarsening-upward, subaqueous to subaerial trend that was produced by a prograding clastic
system(s), likely a number of fan-deltas.
The extreme eastern part of the CMB is composed of
generally oligomict, coarse (conglomeratic) felsic pyroclastic
and/or reworked volcaniclastic facies which are
probably subaerial deposits.
Similar clast compositions and several sedimentoiogical
criteria, including average maximum deformed clast size,
strongly suggest that highly proximal fluvial facies in the
NMB and more distal fluvial and aquabasinal facies in the CMB
were originally part of a continuous coarse clastic wedge or
sheet.


title: Sedimentology and paleogeographic reconstruction of the strata in and adjacent to the Sudbury impact layer in the northern Paleoproterozoic Animikie basin

subject:
Gunflint Formation
Sudbury Impact Layer
Rove Formation
Geochemistry

abstract:
The Sudbury Impact Layer (S.I.L.) is dated at 1850 Ma and is located between the
underlying Gunflint Formation, with an age of 1878±1 Ma that was obtained from zircons in a
tuffaceous zone approximately 105 meters below the S.I.L., and the overlying Rove Formation
that has an U-Pb zircon age of 1832 Ma which was obtained from tuffs 5-6 meters above the
S.I.L. There is an 18 Ma hiatus between the Sudbury Impact Layer and from where the zircon
was extracted from the overlying Rove Formation, and a 46 Ma hiatus between the Sudbury
Impact Layer and the underlying Gunflint Formation. These large age anomalies associated with
the hiatuses, along with little sedimentation between the tuffs that supplied the ages, suggest that
periods of non-deposition and sub-aerial exposure eroded the land, resulting in a lack of
sedimentation in the allotted age gaps.
This time interval was investigated in a number of outcrops and cored drill-holes in the
northern portion of the basin. Sedimentological aspects of the rocks were noted and samples
collected for geochemical studies. The upper portion of the Gunflint Formation contains
grainstones that were deposited in shallow water along with chemical sediments precipitated
from Paleoproterozoic seawater. Positive Ce anomalies indicate oxygen production by
stromatolites in the inter-tidal to very shallow sub-tidal lead to some oxygenation of the shallow
nearshore. The chemical sediments in the limestone that overlies the Gunflint ankerite and chert
had their calcite cement formed in meteoric phreatic conditions, with extremely elevated contents
of vanadium and large negative cerium anomalies indicating these waters were significantly oxic.
The overlying Sudbury Impact Layer shares these characteristic, though in the southeast it was
probably deposited in a very wet, likely marine, setting. Ankeritic grainstones overlying the
Sudbury Impact Layer refute the idea that the impact caused an end to iron formation deposition
and show a transition from flooding and sub-tidal deposition to extensive sabkha development.
The common occurrence of gypsum is indicated by the presence of its pseudomorphs forming
bladed crystals, desert roses and vein systems. The Rove sea flooded over this surface after
lithification.


title: Between two gazes: Kubrick's alienating aesthetic

abstract:
In his explanation of 2001: A Space Odyssey’s concluding “Stargate” sequence, Stanley Kubrick privileges its psychological and affective aspects, stating that “[the concluding sequence’s] meaning has to be found on a sort of psychological level rather than in a specific literal interpretation” (qtd. in Grant 81-82). Expanded beyond this film and into Kubrick’s corpus altogether, his films largely display an emphasis on the psychological impacts they have over spectators. More specifically, Kubrick’s films have been described as cold cinematic texts that resist emotional engagement (Kolker, “Rage for Order” 60; Freer 114). Consider 2001’s Stargate sequence—in which a series of chromatic images appear onscreen at random with no obvious narrative purpose or explanation—as exemplary of the emotional estrangement underlying Kubrick’s films. Conventional narrative cinema provides clear-cut narratives that allow méconnaissance (or misrecognition) to occur in the cinema, during which spectators immerse themselves into the film’s narrative verisimilitude; but Kubrick’s films resist this by thwarting such expectations—as is evident in the convoluted Stargate sequence—to create an alienating aesthetic unique to the Kubrickian corpus. Psychologically, Kubrick’s cinema alienates
spectators from identifying with his narratives, which consequently thwarts emotional identification from spectators. In order to theorize this trend from a psychoanalytical perspective, I explore the convergence of two conflicting Lacanian film theories—an earlier version which resists méconnaissance and the latter version which alternatively requests that theorists use misrecognition to observe moments when their immersion is disrupted—occurring throughout Kubrick’s films. There is a marked discordance between conventional narrative structures and Kubrick’s deconstruction of them, one which shall be explored in this thesis to illustrate the various ways in which Kubrick’s alienating aesthetic is manifested, particularly in A Clockwork Orange, Eyes Wide Shut, and 2001: A Space Odyssey.


title: The effect of polyphenols on the angiotensin II receptor type 1 activation

contributor:
Khaper, Neelam
Schraft, Heidi
Lees, Simon

subject:
Hypertension
Angiotensin II
Resveratrol
Pterostilbene

abstract: Hypertension, an increase in blood pressure, can lead to many serious complications, one of which is heart failure. Angiotensin (Ang) II is associated with hypertension; specifically, the Ang II receptor type 1 (AGTR1) is known to cause vasoconstriction. Currently, medication is available to lower blood pressure, but it presents limitations. For this reason, naturally occurring substances are being examined in combination with antihypertensive medication. Two polyphenols that have been shown to lower blood pressure are resveratrol and pterostilbene. Although they present a possible ability to lower blood pressure, they both require a more intensive understanding of how the compound works to reduce blood pressure. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of resveratrol and pterostilbene at the receptor level for the first time using parallel receptor-ome expression and screening via transcriptional output- transcriptional activation following arrestin translocation (PRESTO-TANGO). This novel method will allow AGTR1 activation to be measured through luminescence. This study demonstrated that resveratrol alone at concentrations of 50 μM, 100 μM, and 200 μM activates AGTR1 and also when combined with Ang II. Ang II with 50 μM and 100 μM resveratrol had a greater activation than Ang II alone. It was also found that 20 μM pterostilbene combined with Ang II activated AGTR1 and had a greater activation than Ang II alone. Although the results were not statistically significant, the trends suggested that resveratrol and pterostilbene do promote the activation of AGTR1. Since this is the first time that the effect of resveratrol and pterostilbene on AGTR1 has been examined, more studies will need to be conducted at the receptor level to understand the compound’s ability to regulate receptor activity.


title: Use of scenario planning in public health : a tool for anticipating alternative futures for strategic planning [research project]

subject:
Public health
Public health Forecasting
Health planning

abstract:
The environment of public health is unpredictable and constantly changing (Venable, Li, Ginter , &
Duncan, 1993). As such, the use of strategic management techniques, notably those that deal with
the analysis of the forces in the external environment, are of growing interest in the field of
public health management (Venable_et al., 1993). Scenario planning is one such strategic
pla ing technique. It is in large part an adaptation and generalization of classic methods used by
military intelligence. It has been adopted and widely used in business applications, most notably
in the energy industry. It works especially well under conditions of high uncertainty and risk conditions that characterize-most public health issues facing our world today (Neiner, Howze, Greaney, 2004). As such, scenario planning appears to be a particularly well suited technique for
use in public health (Venable et al., 1993). This paper will explore the history and development of
scenario planning. It will outline how it has been successfully used in the private sector and
examine how it has and can be successfully used in the field of public health. Further, it will
outline scenario planning methodology and discuss the benefits of its use in public health.


title: Emotions, metaphors and reality : a phenomenological approach to William Lyall's Intellect, the emotions and the moral nature

subject:
Emotions (Philosophy)
Intellect
Reason

abstract:
In their work The Faces of Reason: An Essay on Philosophy and
Culture in English Canada 1850-1950, Leslie Armour and Elizabeth
Trott consider that the Canadian way of doing philosophy uses
reason in an accommodationist manner. I propose in this thesis that
William Lyall's Intellect, the Emotions and the Moral Nature
represents a splendid example of the accommodationist use of
reason.
The Maritimes philosopher advances the idea that emotions
have a cognitive value, a claim which I support by trying to put
Lyall's ideas in a modern framework offered by French philosopher
Jean Paul Sartre. Latent in Lyall's work can also be found a theory
of metaphor which I try to revive with the help of French
philosopher Paul Ricoeur.
Thus, following Lyall, emotions and reason are always in a
balance and they work together in order to give us a more
consistent and fuller grasp of reality.


title: Petrography and mineralogy of the C29/30 Candle Lake Kimberlite, Saskatchewan, Canada

subject:
Kimberlite
Saskatchewan
Candle Lake Region
Petrology
Mineralogy
Geology

abstract: Petrography and mineralogy of the C29/30 Candle Lake kimberlite (Saskatchewan, Canada) was studied to understand the characteristics of the kimberlite. Using standard optical microscopy three units where distinguished; pyroclastic kimberlite; resedimented volcaniclastic kimberlite and a crystal tuff kimberlite unit. Each kimberlite unit has been classified based on textural relationships between magmaclasts and the interstitial matrix, as well as phenocrysts, macrocrysts and minor mineral phases within the magmaclasts ... The mineralogy of the C29/30 is typical of an archetype kimberlite. The minerals analyzed include spinels, serpentine, olivine, carbonates, phlogopite, perovskite, apatite, garnets, ilmenite and magnetite ... The eruption was shallow and excavated Mannville sandstones, Paleozoic limestone and any Colorado mudstone if present. The eruption style was probably dry-phreatomagmatic. This is supported by the shallow bowl shape of the kimberlite body with a depth to width ratio of 1:5.


title: Dielectric relaxation and infrared studies of hydrogen bonding

subject:
Dielectrics
Hydrogen bonding

abstract:
Dielectric relaxation and infrared study of a number
of associating (H-bonding) compounds in glassy media,
mainly polystyrene, have been carried out. The dielectric
measurements by a General Radio 1621 Precision Capacitance
bridge and infrared measurements by a Beckman spectrophotometer
IR4250 have been described. The experimental dielectric data
as a function of frequency at different temperatures were
subjected to analysis by a series of computer programs written
in APL and BASIC languages. The activation energy barriers
opposing the dielectric relaxation processes were obtained
by the application of the Eyring rate equation.
An infrared study of various sterically hindered
alcohols in polystyrene have been carried out. It is shown
that a decrease in temperature leads to an increase in the
degree of polymerization. The effect of steric factors on
the degree of polymerization at a given temperature has also
been discussed.
Dielectric studies of sterically hindered alcohols,
mainly in polystyrene matrix, have yielded, in some cases,
completely separated molecular and intramolecular processes due to the H-bonded species. All alcohols gave a process
owing to the H-bonded species with the exception of the most
sterically hindered di-tert-butyl carbinol, tricyclohexyl
carbinol and diphenyl methyl carbinol. The presence of Hbonded
species was indentified by the infrared spectrum of
the sample. In addition to sterically hindered alcohols, some
simple small alcohols and water were also studied in a polystyrene
matrix and in some other glassy media. The process
owing to the H-bonded species was found to occur in the
similar temperature region as was observed for sterically
hindered alcohols. The energy barriers of the process related
with H-bonded species for all the alcohols and water in a polystyrene were of a similar order of magnitude. A possible
mechanism for the process related to H-bonded species was
discussed.
Dielectric studies on alcohol and amine systems in a
polystyrene matrix have been carried out. It has been discussed
that alcohols interact with amines, thus increase the dipole
moment of the complexes which leads to an increase in the
dielectric loss factor of the system. However, in many cases
the dielectric process due to the complex, formed by alcoholamine
interaction, was overlapped with the absorption owing
to the H-bonded species of the alcohol and/or to the molecular
process of amine.


title: Heuristic approaches for energy-efficient shared restoration in WDM networks

subject: Energy-efficiency in networks

subject: Wavelength division multiplexing network

subject: Network survivability

abstract:
In recent years, there has been ongoing research on the design of energy-efficient Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) networks. The explosive growth of Internet traffic has led to increased power consumption of network components. Network survivability has also been a relevant research topic, as it plays a crucial role in assuring continuity of service with no disruption, regardless of network component failure. Network survivability mechanisms tend to utilize considerable resources such as spare capacity in order to protect and restore information.
This thesis investigates techniques for reducing energy demand and enhancing energy efficiency in the context of network survivability. We propose two novel heuristic energy-efficient shared protection approaches for WDM networks. These approaches intend to save energy by setting on sleep mode devices that are not being used while providing shared backup paths to satisfy network survivability. The first approach exploits properties of a math series in order to assign weight to the network links. It aims at reducing power consumption at the network indirectly by aggregating traffic on a set of nodes and links with high traffic load level. Routing traffic on links and nodes that are already under utilization makes it possible for the links and nodes with no load to be set on sleep mode. The second approach is intended to dynamically route traffic through nodes and links with high traffic load level. Similar to the first approach, this approach computes a pair of paths for every newly arrived demand. It computes these paths for every new demand by comparing the power consumption of nodes and links in the network before the demand arrives with their potential power consumption if they are chosen along the paths of this demand.
Simulations of two different networks were used to compare the total network power consumption obtained using the proposed techniques against a standard shared-path restoration scheme. Shared-path restoration is a network survivability method in which a link-disjoint backup path and wavelength is reserved at the time of call setup for a working path. However, in order to reduce spare capacity consumption, this reserved backup path and wavelength may be shared with other backup paths. Pool Sharing Scheme (PSS) is employed to implement shared-path restoration scheme [1]. In an optical network, the failure of a single link leads to the failure of all the lightpaths that pass through that particular link. PSS ensures that the amount of backup bandwidth required on a link to restore the failed connections will not be more than the total amount of reserved backup bandwidth on that link.
Simulation results indicate that the proposed approaches lead to up to 35% power savings in WDM networks when traffic load is low. However, power saving decreases to 14% at high traffic load level. Furthermore, in terms of the total capacity consumption for working paths, PSS outperforms the two proposed approaches, as expected. In terms of total capacity consumption all the approaches behave similarly. In general, at low traffic load level, the two proposed approaches behave similar to PSS in terms of average link load, and the ratio of block demands. Nevertheless, at high traffic load, the proposed approaches result in higher ratio of blocked demands than PSS. They also lead to higher average link load than PSS for the equal number of generated demands.


title: Photochemistry of substituted poly(acrylophenones) / by Michelle Marie Delaney-Luu.

subject:
Photochemistry.
Polymers Deterioration.
Acrylophenones.


title: Forest analyses and modelling of wintering areas of woodland caribou in Northwestern Ontario

subject:
Woodland caribou
Vertical & horizontal distribution
Timber values
Forest ecosystem classification
Lichen
Habitat suitability index model


title: 3D GPU-based image reconstruction algorithm for the application in a clinical organ-targeted PET camera

contributor:
Fadlullah, Zubair Md.
Reznik, Alla

subject:
Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
Breast imaging

abstract:
Functional medical imaging is unique in its ability to visualize molecular interactions and
pathways in the body. Organ-targeted Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a
functional imaging technique that has emerged to meet the demands of precision
medicine and has shown advantages in terms of sensitivity and image quality compared
to whole-body (WB) PET. A common application for organ-targeted PET is oncology,
particular breast cancer imaging. In this work we present the application of Graphics
Processing Unit (GPU) to significantly accelerate reconstruction of clinical breast images
acquired with an organ-targeted PET camera and reconstructed using the Maximum
Likelihood Estimation Maximization (MLEM) algorithm. The PET camera is configured
with two planar detector heads with a sensing area of 232mm×174mm. Acquired raw
image data are converted into list mode format and reconstructed by a GPU-based 3D
MLEM algorithm that was developed specifically for the limited-angle capabilities of the
planar PET geometry. The algorithm applies corrections including attenuation and scatter
to provide clinical grade image quality. We demonstrate that a transition from originally
developed Central Processing Unit (CPU) to newly developed GPU-based algorithm
improves single iteration speed by more than 400 times, while preserving image quality.
The latter has been assessed on clinical data and through phantom tests performed
according to the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) NU-4 standards.
The gain in reconstruction speed is expected to result in improved patient throughput
capabilities of the clinical organ-targeted PET. Indeed, GPU-based image reconstruction
reduces time needed for a typical breast image reconstruction to less than 5 minutes thus
making it shorter than the image acquisition time. This is of particular importance in
improving patient throughput and clinical adaptation of the PET system.


title: The effect of variable type of practice on one handed catching in children with developmental disorders

contributor:
Przysucha, Eryk
Zerpa, Carlos
Kivi, Derek

subject:
Developmental coordination disorder
Motor skill intervention techniques

abstract:
Children with developmental disorders, such as DCD, struggle with interceptive tasks like
ball catching. These problems may be due to less than optimal abilities to coordinate and control
actions at intra- and inter-limb levels of organization. Although the kinematic characteristics
exhibited by these children while catching are well documented, little has been done to enhance
their skills to accomplish this seemingly simple task. One possible avenue to explore is the
utilization of variable type of practice (Schmidt, 1975), which has been widely implemented as an
intervention approach across many populations and skills (Van Rossum, 1990). From the
conceptual standpoint, performance of a particular skill under varying task demands leads to
improvements in parameterization of spatial and temporal aspects of organization, thus affording
more flexible and adaptable movement patterns. It is plausible that this type of practice may
positively affect the movement organization of children with developmental difficulties, however
this issue has not been investigated thus far. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine
the effects of variable type of practice on coordination and control of one-handed catching in
children with symptoms of DCD and their typically functioning peers.
Three boys and one girl (mean age = 10.5 years, SD = 1.29 years) with symptoms of DCD,
and four typically functioning boys (mean age = 9 years, SD = 0 years) were recruited. Both
groups participated in 12 variable practice sessions over a 6-week period. Three-dimensional
kinematic analysis occurred at pre-, mid-, and post-intervention. Following a one-week delay,
retention and transfer tests were administered to assess permanency and generalizability of the
acquired patterns, respectively. The nature (mean and variability) of intra-limb coordination was
inferred from intra-class correlations, which captured the degree of association between angular
displacement of shoulder-elbow and elbow-wrist joint pairs.


title: Patterns and mechanisms of tree species diversity effects on fine root processes associated with stand development in boreal forests

contributor:
Chen, Han
Wiang, Jian
Shahi, Chander

subject:
Biodiversity and ecosystem functions
Carbon storage
Fine root process
Natural boreal forest
Stand development

abstract:
Over the last two decades, one major advance in ecology has been the demonstration that
biodiversity has positive effects on a broad range of ecosystem functions. However, diversity-ecosystem
functioning studies for belowground are underrepresented, due to methodological
limitations and the relative inaccessibility to root systems. This lack of understanding of
belowground processes has cast doubt on the predictability of various ecosystem models; the
forecasting of which serve as the basis for numerous global policies. The objective of this
dissertation, therefore, is to improve the understanding of patterns and mechanisms of tree
species diversity effects on fine root processes associated with stand development in natural
forest ecosystems. To achieve this goal, I initially conducted a global meta-analysis on the
effects of species diversity on fine root productivity in diverse ecosystems by synthesizing the
results of 48 published studies. This meta-analysis demonstrated a positive mixture effects on
fine root biomass and production, and showed that the mixture effects increased with species
richness across all ecosystem types. More importantly, the meta-analysis also revealed shifts in
diversity effects over time in both forests and grasslands.
Inspired by the results of the meta-analysis, I conducted an empirical diversity
experiment in the central region of the North American natural boreal forest, to examine the
temporal (seasonal and developmental) changes in fine root production, and their underlying
mechanisms associated with tree species diversity. I found that annual fine root production was
higher in mixtures than the mean of single species dominated stands in all age classes, with a
significantly higher magnitude of effects in mature than young stands. My results also indicated
that the increased positive diversity effects with stand development was the result of multiple
mechanisms, including higher horizontal soil volume filling, a thicker forest floor layer for
rooting, a higher magnitude of complementarity in deep nutrient-poor soil layers, and stronger
nutrient foraging toward soil layers with high nutrient concentrations in older than younger
stands.
Whether the results obtained on productivity can be generalized to other ecosystem
processes remains patchy. I therefore examined species mixture effects on fine root turnover and
mortality along stand development. I found that like biomass production, fine root turnover and
mortality were also higher in mixtures than the mean of single-species-dominated stands in all
age classes, with a higher mixture effects in mature than young stands. Moreover, my results suggested that increased mixture effects with stand development resulted from a higher
competition intensity that was induced by the overyielding of fine root biomass production in
mixtures.
Moreover, most published diversity and productivity relationship (DPR) studies focus on
one component of ecosystem production. Species diversity could alter production allocation, at
least, in part, contributing to divergent DPR relationships. By synthesizing the production data of
all individual components (i.e., aboveground trees, litterfall, understory vegetation, coarse roots,
and fine roots) of boreal forest stands, collected from the same study sites, I examined how
species mixtures affected the production of the entire ecosystem, and production partitioning
among individual components along stand development. I found that the overyielding of the
entire ecosystem production occurred in young stands, but not in older stands, despite the fact
that fine root production was higher in species mixtures than single-species dominated stands in
all ages. Species mixtures led to more production allocated to belowground than expected from
single species-dominant stands.
These studies offer a new and important understanding of DPR by showing the temporal
changes of mixture effects on fine root dynamics (i.e., production, turnover, and mortality),
production allocation, and their underlying mechanisms. The results have relevance for
calculating the energy allocation, as well as the carbon storage of terrestrial ecosystems, and may
provide a broad guide for management practices with the aim of increasing belowground
productivity, element cycling, and carbon sequestration.


title: How Ontario’s managed forest tax incentive program (MFTIP) works, why it is useful, and its benefits to private landowners and the environment

subject: Managed forest

subject: Ontario woodlots

subject: Privately owned forests

subject: Ontario Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program (MFTIP)

abstract:
The vast majority of Ontario’s forest is owned by the Province. However, most
of the deciduous and Great Lakes- St. Lawrence forest is privately owned. Government
has very little control over private land. To encourage good forestry practices on private
lands the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program was created. To be enrolled in the
program, landowners must have a minimum of four hectares of eligible forested land
and have a Forest Management Plan approved by a registered approver. Participants of
the program have eligible lands taxed at 25% of the municipal rate. The program
benefits the environment. Studies have shown that the participants are more likely to
remove invasive species and plant native species than woodlot owners not enrolled.
Landowners benefit by having reduced tax rates and increased knowledge of their
property. The major limitation is that most woodlots are owned by farmers as part of a
larger property. Their farms are already taxed at the same rate and the MFTIP requires
additional work and limits what activities they can do on their land. Reducing the
taxation rate below that of the farm tax may increase enrollment. The other issue is that
the program is poorly advertised, and many landowners are unaware.


title: Unpaved roads’ surface evaluation using unmanned aerial  vehicle and deep learning segmentation

subject:
Automated assessment of unpaved roads
Road surface evaluation
Road damage detection

abstract:
Unpaved roads have a significant role in Canada's transportation and service activities,
accounting for close to 60% of Canada's total public road networks. Furthermore, they
connect agricultural, mining, recreational areas, and small communities to the nearby towns
and businesses. An effective maintenance program for a network of unpaved roads requires
a detailed assessment of the road surface’s condition, and such assessment is usually made
by visual inspections which can be time-consuming and error prone. The main part of these
evaluations aims to identify distresses on the road surface, such as washboarding
(corrugation), potholes, and rutting. Many research studies have developed methods to
automate condition assessment of asphalt roads by combining machine learning algorithms
and low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), but the research on the automated assessment
of unpaved roads is very limited. A system has been developed in this study to automate the
assessment of unpaved roads by coupling computer vision methods, namely deep
convolutional neural networks, and UAV-based imaging. This automated system could be
used as an alternative method to reduce the need for human effort and possible manual errors,
and therefore improve road maintenance programs in remote areas. The performance of the
proposed method was evaluated using different test settings, and despite having some
challenges, such as false positives, it showed promising outcomes that can contribute to the
proposed purpose of this research. This proposed method has a potential for further
improvement and the findings can be used as a basis for similar studies.


title: Involvement of oral contraceptive side effects and genes in body dissatisfaction and eating dysfunction

subject: Oral contraceptives (Side effects)

subject: Eating disorders in women

subject: Oral contraceptives (Psychological aspects)

subject: Eating disorder symptomology and hormones

subject: Genetics and eating disorder symptoms

subject: Body dissatisfaction

abstract:
Previous research has indicated that body dissatisfaction and eating dysfunction fluctuate with
hormone levels (Lester, Keel & Lipson, 2003). However, the im pact of oral contraceptives
(OCs) on these phenomena has not yet been assessed. Research has also indicated a genetic
component to eating disorders and body image, and certain genes have been implicated,
although none consistently (Gorwood, Kipman & Foulon, 2003). This study examined the link
between oral contraceptive side effects and both body dissatisfaction and eating dysfunction,
and the link between various hormonal genes and these constructs. Two-hundred-seventy-nine
female participants completed a screening questionnaire which contained questions on OC use
and three subscales of the Eating Disorder Inventory-2. O f these participants, 127 women
provided a sample of DNA to be analyzed. After controlling for BMI and lifetime history of
depression, number of oral contraceptive mood and physical side effects significantly predicted
both body dissatisfaction and eating dysfunction. Furthermore, mood side effects were a
unique predictor of both criterion variables. Examination of the TA repeat on the estrogen
receptor alpha gene revealed a trend such that participants homozygous for long alleles had
higher mean eating dysfunction when compared to those homozygous for short alleles. A
significant association was found between the estrogen receptor beta genotype and body mass
index (BMI). Women with short/long heterozygous alleles on the CA repeat had a significantly
higher BMI when compared to those with homozygous short alleles. The number of repeats on
the serotonin transporter gene and the progesterone receptor gene were not related to eating
disorder symptoms. These findings provide additional support for a role of estrogen and the
estrogen receptor genes in eating disorders symptoms and BMI.


title: Jungian bridge to native philosophy

contributor:
Rabb, Douglas
Lynes, Jeanette
McPherson, Dennis

subject:
Indian philosophy Psychological aspects
Jungian psychology

abstract:
The gap between Western and Native world views is much more profound than the West
has imagined. I support this claim from a variety of angles and offer insight into it from
the work of Swiss psychologist C. G. Jung (1875-1861). Too narrowly logocentric, the
mainstream Western view provides no way to recognize, let alone appreciate, the more
well-rounded outlook of others. A means to counteract this blinding cultural
impoverishment is illustrated from both Jungian and Native material. It involves a
radically different way of being, which has roots in Native and (to a lesser extent)
Western traditions. Since there are a number of fundamental values common to both
Native and Jungian perspectives, I propose in this thesis that the West could appreciably
bridge the gap between views by taking Jung’s ideas seriously and expanding its
conception of personal excellence to include much more than the conscious facility to be
“reasonable”.


title: The development of an in-situ ATR-FTIR technique for the study of nanomaterials

contributor:
Chen, Aicheng
Mawhinney, Robert
MacKinnon, Craig

subject:
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
Electrochemical analysis
Nanostructured materials

abstract: The Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy technique utilizes a short acquisition time and high sensitivity to function as a strong analytical tool in electrochemical studies. This work will focus on the development of an ATR-FTIR technique and its introduction into our laboratory.


title: Pre-harvest lumber value recovery modeling: integrating sawline laser-scanning with an enhanced forest inventory

contributor:
Pulkki, Reino
Shahi, Chander
Leitch, Mathew

subject:
Lumber value recovery
Boreal
Stud sawmill
Log scanning
Enhanced forest inventory
Supply chain

abstract: Supply chain management research in forestry is becoming increasingly important in the forest sector worldwide. Predicting lumber value recovery from pre-harvest forest inventory forms an important aspect of forestry supply chain management research. The purpose of this research was to conduct a case study for tracking a stud sawmill's supply chain in Ontario's boreal forest from pre-harvest forest inventory through to green lumber value recovery (GLVR).


title: Exploration of the meaning of menopause among Ghanaian-Canadian women

contributor:
Wakewich, Pamela
Stone, Sharon Dale
Nelsen, Randle

subject:
Menopause (Cross-cultural studies)
Menopause (Canada Sociological aspects)
Menopause (Social aspects Canada)

abstract:
In spite of its biological universality, menopause is a complex
phenomenon influenced by gender, identity and culture. The meanings of
menopause and what it signifies for women vary considerably. They are shaped
by social attitudes about aging and women’s roles over the life course. Utilizing
in-depth interviews, this study examines the meanings and experience of
menopause for ten Ghanaian-Canadian women living in the city of Toronto.
For these women, the understanding of menopause transcends the
narrow biomedical definition of menopause as a deficiency disease requiring
pharmaceutical intervention. Instead, they view it as part of a normative aging
process and recognize that it is accompanied by changes in health, social role
and status.
This research contributes to the growing body of literature on women’s
health and aging as well as to our understanding of culturally-diverse approaches
to menopause and midlife.


title: The Effect of Pesticides on the Degradation of Oxobiodegradable Agricultural Mulch Films

contributor:
Laredo, Thamara
Murray, Christopher
Kinrade, Stephen

subject:
Mulch films.
Pesticides.
Biodeterioration
Biodegredation

abstract:
Oxobiodegradable agriculture mulch films made from polyethylene (PE) are known to
have many benefits for agriculture practice, including increased yields and resource efficiency,
without the drawback of removing the film after the growing season. However, anecdotal
evidence suggested when pesticides are applied to these films, their rate of degradation may be
affected. The goal of this investigation was to characterize the delay in degradation that occurs
when pesticides are applied to oxobiodegradable agriculture mulch films. Two pesticides,
Pyrinex 480 and Round Up, were tested in the field and laboratory environment to determine the
effects on degradation with normal and accelerated exposure conditions for the films. Exposure
tests indicated the pesticides were having stabilizing effects on the PE films, delaying degradation. Therefore, tests were designed to explore the chemical mechanisms underlying each
pesticide’s stabilizing influence. These included experimental and computational measurements
of redox potential to define chain breaking donor and chain breaking acceptor capacities of the
pesticides. UV (ultraviolet) screener capacity of the pesticides was also investigated. We
concluded that Pyrinex 480 likely has the ability to absorb UV energy that would normally break
bonds in PE, along with some other capacity to stabilize degradation, such as the ability to accept electrons. In contrast, Round Up likely donates electrons or atoms to prevent degradation reactions and stabilize
PE films.


title: Theory of inner measures : an axiomatic approach

subject: Measure theory

abstract:
This thesis presents an axiomatic approach to the theory of inner
measures.
In Chapter I, we recognize that an axiomatic approach analogous
to that for the theory of outer measures is not appropriate: such
an approach involves only a finiteness concept, and consequently,
as soon as countable collections are involved, it fails. It is then
natural for us to speculate that our model should permit the change
of limits. This idea leads us to the definition of an inner measure.
In Chapter II, we consider a space of finite measure and characterize
inner measurability. We also prove that the definitions of
inner measurability given by Young and Caratheodory are equivalent,
and that Lebesgue’s definition of measurability is equivalent to
those given by Young and Caratheodory. Then, the assumption that the
space has finite measure is dropped, and we study the inner measures
induced by a measure.
In Chapter III, inner measures are contracted so as to guarantee
that they are countably additive over their classes of inner
measurable sets, and so that they always generate an outer measure.
The last part of this chapter deals with conditions under which the
set function [symbol] generated by an inner measure [symbol] is a regular
outer measure.
Finally, in Chapter IV, some relation between a sequence of
contracted inner measures and the associated measure spaces is established
.


title: Vegetation and vegetation-environment relationships in a muskeg-fen near Thunder Bay, Ontario

subject:
Wetlands Ontario Thunder Bay
Bogs Ontario Thunder Bay.
Plant ecology Ontario Thunder Bay.

abstract:
This study takes place in an endangered peatland
within the city of Thunder Bay Ontario. The study area,
William Bog, is one of a few remaining peatlands in the
Thunder Bay district which have developed on abandoned
Minong phase lake basins on the north shore of Lake Superior.
An Inventory of vascular plants, mosses, hepatics, and
ground lichens reveals that the vascular flora is richer
than the moss or hepatic flora and that ground lichens are
rare. Vegetation zones identified in the study area are
similar to communities described for peatlands in Ontario
by Jeglum et.al. (1974). The study area is centered on a
Carex spp. dominated graminoid fen which is bounded to the north and west by a conifer swamp, and to the east by a
shrub rich treed bog. Ordination of vegetation data reveals
that vegetation varies continuously from fen to swamp and
from fen to bog. The nature and flow of groundwater is
related to vegetation type such that within the fen, and
to the north and west, vegetation can be classified as
mlnerotrophic. East of the fen vegetation appears to be
ombrotrophic in nature. The pH of both soil and water,
calcium concentration , and conductance of water samples
varies continuously along the vegetation gradients. This
results in a corresponding environmental gradient which
runs from strongly minerotrophic (fen) to weakly minerotrophic (conifer swamp) to the north and west, and from strongly minerotrophic (fen) to ombrotrophic (bog) in the east.
William Bog exibits consistently higher and lower
air temperatures when compared to the Thunder Bay Airport,
3 km SW, this peatland has a significantly shorter frost
free period. Within the study area peats are coolest in
ombrotrophic Sphagnum spp. hummocks east of the fen, and
frost persists within these hummocks well into the growing
season. West of the fen peats are warmer, likely the result
of subsurface groundwater flow. There is no evidence of
permafrost in the study area.
The historical and evolutionary development of William
Bog is based upon the lateral expansion of Phragmites communis
marshes through paludification of the sandy lowland basin.
This resulted in two developmental sequences which are based
upon the flow of groundwater within the basin. Minerotrophic
communities evolve where groundwater flow is concentrated.
Ombrotrophic communities develop in drier sites where Sphagnum
spp. growth elevates the surface above the influence of
groundwater. Dynamics between these communities are based
upon local climatic variations during the period following
initial colonization of the site, and disturbance by wildlife.
The proposed development of vegetation in William Bog appears
to resemble sequences proposed by several peatland
studies undertaken in northern Minnesota, southern Ontario,
and southern Quebec.


title: Investigation of the relationship between self awareness, private self consciousness and self evaluation

subject: Self-perception

abstract:
This study examined the effects of self awareness and
private self consciousness on self evaluation. Sixty female
undergraduate students completed the private self consciousness
subscale developed by Fenigstein et al.i (1973)• They were
then randomly assigned to either the high (N=30) or low
(N=30) self awareness treatment conditions. Those placed in
the high self awareness condition listened to their own
taperecorded voices which was intended to increase self awareness.
The remainder listened to another's taperecorded voice
which was intended to decrease self awareness.
All subjects first completed the ideal self evaluation
form consisting of 20 randomly arranged bipolar adjective
dimensions. Then, depending on the self awareness condition,
subjects either listened to their own taperecorded voices or
another's voice while completing the real self evaluation form
consisting of the Same 20 items. The absolute difference scores
between the two self evaluation forms were used as an index
of the intensity of self evaluation.
Self awareness significantly increased the intensity of
self evaluation. This effect was especially noted on initial
,items: 1, 2, 3 and 7i providing further evidence that the
effect of listening to one's own voice diminishes quickly as
originally observed by Ickes et al., (1973). Private self
consciousness did not have a significant overall effect, but
a post hoc analysis using subjects scoring in the extremes of
this subscale showed that subjects scoring higher in private
self consciousness exhibited more intense self evaluation.
The present findings offer tentative support for the existence of two factors of awareness which affect self evaluation.
One, self awareness as a state of the individual, was indicated
by a temporary increase in intense self evaluation. The other,
private self consciousness as a trait of the individual, was
indicated by a consistent intense effect on self evaluation.


title: Secret sharing for mobile agent cryptography

subject:
Mobile agents (Computer software)
Data encryption (Computer science)
Electronic commerce Security measures

abstract:
A mobile agent is a multi-threaded autonomous program that can be distributed over a heterogeneous network to perform some predefined task for its hum an
creator (user). The independence, flexibility and autonomy offered by the mobile
agent paradigm hold many promises for the future of distributed computing [18].
However, for an agent to be autonomous, it must carry its code, states and results
from host to host. Since an agent executes on remote potentially hostile environments,
hiding information from hosts has proven to be a tough challenge.
This thesis introduces two novel ideas th at can be used in the mobile agent
paradigm. First, is the use of Shamir’s [33] (f, n)-threshold secret sharing scheme
for the distribution of the private key of a public/private key pair amongst n agents.
Thus giving an agent the ability to use cryptographic primitives for protection of
intermediate results obtained from previously visited hosts. An agent can use the
public key for encryption while the private key is safely shared between the agent
and its siblings. Second, a “cookie” will be introduced as an tool for avoiding agent
collisions. Analogous to cookies used by web browsers for tracking of visitors to a site,
it will be used as a tool for marking previously visited hosts. The goal of marking
previously visited hosts is to resolve the problem of agent collisions. Agent collisions
occurs when a group of agents from the same originator with the same purpose visits
a particular host more than once.


title: The promoted growth of genetically lodgepole and white spruce in Western Alberta compared to natural stocks

subject:
Forest regeneration
Tree improvement
Climate change & forest adaptation

abstract:
Forest regeneration has been an important focus across Alberta and the rest of
Canada over recent decades. An industrial company in Alberta known as Canfor have
recently began regenerating using a genetic stock where a seed bank has been used from
an orchard to create the tallest, strongest and fastest growing trees in the vicinity.
Although the trees are genetically improved they are not considered GMO’s simply
because they have been bred properly and have not endured any unnatural tampering.
GMO’s are considered genetically modified organisms which have had modification
done on them. Orchard trees are improved be breeding the best mother and father within
the orchard for cone production and reproducing with these cones. The idea behind this
stock is to speed up the reforestation process in post-harvest stands to shorten the harvest
rotation and to recreate habitat in a shorter period of time. The results from the findings
show a direct comparison between the genetic stock and the natural stock at different
age classes from seedling to 5 years of age. The results derived from this experiment are
significant to forestry due to its potential for rapid growth which will speed up block
regeneration and harvest rotations noticeably in the future.


title: Systematic literature search on health promotion strategies for adults with intellectual disabilities

subject:
People with mental disabilities
Health promotion
Health and hygiene

abstract:
Intellectual disability (ID) is not a disease itself, rather it is a condition that is
characterized by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptation in
conceptual and practical skills (van Schrojenstein Lantman-de Valk & Walsh, 2008); though
engaging in community living and social skills can also be affected (Fisher, 2004). Examples of
adaptation skills include communication, self-care, and self-direction. Diagnosing the presence
of ID is usually conducted by a psychologist using established criteria including having an
intelligence quotient (IQ) score of 70 or below, with an onset of the condition before the age of
18 (APA, 1994).
There are a number of terms that have been used by healthcare professionals to
define intellectual disability. The term “mental retardation”, though still used within the
International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), is currently considered unacceptable by most
(World Health Organization, 2001), The term intellectual disability (ID) is generally preferred,
and will be used in this paper,


title: Effects of early education on later social, adaptative and behavioural functioning / by Arlene D. Whiffen.

subject:
Education, Preschool
Child psychology.

abstract:
The effects of early education on later social, adaptive and
behavioural functioning was assessed using the Child Behavior
Checklist and the Teacher’s Report Form. Twenty- five primary grade
children who had been previously exposed to a pre school programme
were compared with twenty- five children who were either cared for by a
babysitter or a parent at home prior to entering the primary grade.
Results indicated that children exposed to an early education programme
were more likely to be rated by parents as socially withdrawn, that is,
having poor peer relations, feeling persecuted, preferring to be alone
and being teased. In addition, children cared for by a parent in the home,
as opposed to a babysitter, were rated by parents as less involved in
social activitiies, i.e., sports, clubs. Teacher’s described children raised
by a babysitter as having anxious qualities such as being shy, timid and
clinging to adults. Correlations between length of care and the
dependent variables and the association between parent and teacher
ratings on various sub- scales of the Child Behavior Checklist and the
Teacher’s Report Form are also discussed. The social Implications of
these findings are reviewed.


title: Characterization of Campylobacter jejuni growing in biofilms under different conditions

contributor:
Schraft, Heidi
Leung, Kam
Duivenvoorden, Helga

subject:
Campylobacter jejuni
Biofilms

abstract:
The viability of C. jejuni biofilms growing in different conditions was
investigated by conventional plate counts and microscopy after nucleic acid staining.
Differences were detected for each condition tested. However, total biofilm cells
grown at 42°C microaerobically and at 22°C aerobically were not significantly
different, which might indicate that C. jejuni biofilms grown in the natural
environment might contribute to food contamination. Further, it was demonstrated
that viable but not culturable (VBNC) cells might exist in C. jejuni biofilms, since both
biofilm and planktonic cells in the 22°C aerobic condition had great differences in
their cell counts obtained by plate counting and microscopy. Protein profiles of C.
jejuni biofilms grown in different conditions were also determined and different
protein patterns were observed by 1D SDS-PAGE. Therefore, we concluded that C.
jejuni underwent physiological changes when growing in its biofilm mode.


title: Trade-offs between economic gains and ecological functions following forest management alternatives in boreal forests

contributor:
Shahi, Chander
Chen, Han
McLaren, Brian

subject:
Boreal forest
Forest management alternatives
Forest ecosystem
Ecological functions
Economic analysis, gains
Plant diversity
Vegetation strata

abstract:
Intensive forest management activities that maximize economic gains could negatively impact the long-term sustainability of ecological functions and associated ecosystem services. Understanding the trade-offs between economic gains and ecological losses is critical for sustainable management of forest resources. However, the effects of management alternatives on ecological functions and services have not been thoroughly investigated. The objective of this dissertation is to improve the understanding of trade-offs and synergies between economic gains and ecological functions in the boreal forest ecosystem. To achieve this goal, I first conducted a global review of economic and ecological trade-off analysis of forest ecosystems in chapter 2, demonstrated the principal analytical economic and ecological trade-off methods, and found that economic and ecological trade-offs remained poorly understood with limited ecological functions and ecosystem services following forest management alternatives in boreal forests.
In chapter 3, in order to help decision makers select the economically optimal forest management alternatives, I examined the impact of forest management alternatives on economic gains, assessed as profit. I found that silvicultural intensity, forest composition, rotation age, and harvest method significantly affected profit. The results indicated that profit was higher when low silvicultural intensity (conifer – conifer) and Full-Tree to Roadside Tree-Length-to-Mill harvesting method (FT-TL) were applied with a rotation age of 100 years.
Inspired by the conclusion of the global review, I chose two important ecological functions, plant diversity (habitat function) and carbon (C) stocks (regulation function), to evaluate their relationship with economic gains following forest management alternatives (managing rotation age and overstorey composition) in chapters 4 and 5, respectively. I found that forest management alternatives as major drivers determining profit, and plant diversity and C stocks. In the economic gain-plant diversity relationship study, I found hump-shaped trade-off relationships between profit and plant diversity following forest management alternatives, both for total species richness and richness of individual forest strata (shrub, understorey vascular and non-vascular species strata), except for a positive linear relationship between profit and overstorey diversity. Among the alternatives, I concluded that managing for mixedwood with approximately a rotation of 100 years is an optimal compromise between economic gain and plant diversity objectives.
In the economic gain-C stock relationship study, I also found hump-shaped relationships between profit and C stocks of total ecosystem and individual pools (total live biomass, total deadwood, forest floor and mineral soil). When analyzed by overstorey composition, the relationships between profit and total deadwood C and mineral soil C were synergic across a wide range of profits in coniferous stands, while those were initially synergic and became trade-off with increasing profit in broadleaved and mixedwood stands. Among the alternatives, I further concluded that managing for coniferous stands with approximately a rotation of 100 years is an optimal management option that optimizes both economic gain and C stocks objectives.
The results showed that the relationships between economic gains and ecological functions are predominantly non-linear in boreal forests. These results will help forest managers and decision-makers in defining optimum management options with limited or no ecological losses while satisfying economic gains.


title: Effects of antipsychotic medications on older adults with dementia in Canadian complex and long-term care facilities / by Sarah Worobetz.

subject: Dementia Patients Care Canada

subject: Dementia Patients Long-term care Canada.

subject: Antipsychotic drugs Therapeutic use.

abstract:
Dementia is a neurodegenerative disease that involves progressive cognitive and functional
decline. Symptoms vary and commonly include behaviour and psychological disturbances that can
result in patients being prescribed antipsychotic medications. The use of these medications in
managing the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia is controversial and have been
the subject of numerous safety warnings. Research has consistently shown that high numbers of
patients with dementia are still being prescribed antipsychotic medications despite these warnings
and that there is a significantly higher rate of death for these individuals, compared to those who
were not taking this type of medication.
Through descriptive statistics and generalized linear mixed modelling this study aimed to
show the nature of antipsychotic medication use in Canadian complex and long-term care facilities,
as well the effects these medication have on various areas of functioning, health, and death rates in
those with dementia. Approximately 40% of those diagnosed with dementia in Canadian care
facilities are prescribed antipsychotic medications. Contrary to earlier studies, there was actually a
slightly lower death rate for those individuals’ prescribed antipsychotic medications daily but a
significantly higher death rate for those who were taking this form of medication inconsistently (1 to
6 days a week). These results suggest that there may be fundamental differences between the
individuals receiving antipsychotic medications as a PRN and those who received them everyday, or
that medical professionals and caregivers should ensure that patients with dementia consistently take
antipsychotic medication, if required, rather than prescribing it on an as needed basis. Future
research into the differences in death rate based on the frequency of antipsychotic medication use
would be highly beneficial to confirm these findings, which contradict past research, to provide
further insight into the safety of these medications for older adults with and without dementia.


title: Protease production and in vitro growth of Sarracenia purpurea

subject:
Sarracenia purpurea Food
Pitcher plants Food
Carnivorous plants Food

abstract:
Prey digestion in the insectivorous plant Sarracenia purpuero was investigated with
consideration of three sources of proteolytic enzymes self-digestion by the prey, bacteria in the
plant pitcher, and enzymes produced by the plant itself. To do this, 5. purpurea seedlings were
grown under sterile conditions and tissue cultures were established. The plant seedlings and
tissue culture grew slowly. Tests on pitcher fluid in plant pitchers, or artificial pitchers
containing water, or pitcher fluid, and with or without a cricket as prey showed that the cricket
is a very important source of protease and that without induction of proteolytic activity by
captured prey, the pitcher is largely inactive. More research is needed to determine the
relative importance of the different sources of protease in the 5. purpurea plant pitcher,
particularly pitcher plants grown in sterile conditions will greatly advance this research by
permitting investigation of the contribution of the plant pitcher alone.


title: Structural fire performance of bolted glulam beam-to-column concealed connections

subject:
Glulam manufacturing and grading
Glued-laminated timber (glulam)
Cross-laminated timber (CLT)

abstract: Recent increased interest in the application of engineered-wood products, such as glued-laminated (glulam) timber and cross-laminated timber (CLT), in the Canadian building construction market has prompted amendments to be made to the building codes of several provinces. Until recently, the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) restricted the use of wood as the primary building structural systems’ material by limiting its application to buildings up to only four storeys. The current version of the National Building Code of Canada, NBCC 2015, increased the height restriction to six storeys. The experimental research study detailed in this thesis has been carried out to investigate the behaviour of concealed steel-glulam bolted connections subjected to monotonic loading at both ambient and elevated temperatures. At ambient temperature, sixteen full-size test assemblies were examined, representing a total of thirty-two tested beam-to-column glulam bolted connections. The connections in eight of the test assemblies were strengthened perpendicular to the wood grain with long self-tapping screws (STS). For both unstrengthened and strengthened connections, increasing the number of bolt rows, each row having two bolts, from two to three rows increased the connection’s moment capacity with increments more than that obtained by increasing the bolt’s end distance from four to five-times bolt diameters. STS-strengthened connections failed in a relatively ductile manner in contrast to the unstrengthened connections. Increasing the number of bolts to six bolts in three rows in strengthened connections reduced the occurrence of brittle failure modes compared to connections with four bolts in two rows. Critically, STS-strengthened connections experienced increased moment-resisting capacity between 1.3 and 2.4 folds. The results of the ambient tests were used to verify the calculated moment capacities of the test assemblies in order to determine the full-service design load of the connection exposed to CAN/ULC-S101 standard fire in the large-size fire testing furnace accommodated at Lakehead University’s Fire Testing and Research Laboratory (LUFTRL). Outcomes of the fire resistance tests revealed that increasing the number of bolt rows from two to three, each of two bolts, increased the glulam beam-to-column connection’s fire resistance time by greater increments than those achieved by increasing the bolt’s end distance from four to five-times bolt diameter. Strengthened connections were found to have an increased fire resistance time compared to unstrengthened connections. Also, the STS strengthening increased the fire resistance time of the glulam connections by greater increments than those obtained by increasing the number of bolt rows and the bolt’s end distance.


title: Tunable high-power fiber laser and its application to produce Brillouin fiber lasers

subject:
High power lasers
Fiber optics

abstract:
A tunable continuous wave single-longitudinal-mode fiber laser is proposed and
developed. A saturable absorber, as well as, an all-fiber Fabry-Perot filter was used in the
laser cavity to reduce mode-hopping. The laser was tunable from 1 565nm to 1 575nm and could produce an output power of 300m W while still maintaining single-mode operation with no mode-hoping. The linewidth of the laser was 􀁜9 MHz. The stability of the laser based on the length of the saturable absorber and the modal structure has been explored. We developed two Brillouin fiber lasers using this laser as a pump source. A highly nonlinear photonic crystal fiber and a chalcogenide fiber were used as the nonlinear
medium. The Brillouin fiber laser based on PCF could produce either single wavelength
or multiwavelength laser outputs. Further, we investigated the coupling mechanism for
the pump light into the chalcogenide glass fiber. In all cases the lasers were operated at
room temperature.


title: Issues and underlying factors relating to the graduation rates of Aboriginal students from mathematics programs

subject:
Native students
Study and teaching (Elementary)
Mathematics research

abstract:
The intent of my research was to shed light on the factors that impede Aboriginal students from finding success in their formal mathematical instruction within the Ontario provincial education system. The goal of my research was to provide a direction with which to proceed into the future. Specifically, my research was an attempt to explore the issues surrounding the high dropout rate of Aboriginal students. This research project is critically important because recent data is indicating that Aboriginals continue to struggle in school with dropout rates far above the national average (Auditor General of Canada, 2010; Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery, 2009). The aligning of my ontology, my understanding of epistemology and my methodology was critical in this process. My ontology encompasses a Euro-western perspective but has been swayed by the Aboriginal perspectives of my husband and family. My epistemology includes a mathematical framework combined with an attempt to understand situations through narrative. This aligning process has required incorporation of a unique ethno-epistemology, as I am also working with First Nations people.
The study involved First Nations participants who had completed their elementary education in their community. Participants who had completed a partial elementary program in their community, with the remainder in provincial schools were also included in the study. All students had transferred their elementary mathematics education to provincial Lakehead Public Schools Board secondary schools. None of the participants had completed post-secondary education. Therefore, the participants were asked questions pertaining to their early mathematical experiences through to their secondary mathematics education encounters, in an attempt to discover why they dropped out of their high school mathematics program.


title: Morphology and phylogeny of the Elaphostrongylinae : (Nematoda: Protostrongylidae)

subject:
Elaphostrongylinae
Nematoda Anatomy
Cervidae Parasites

abstract:
The morphology of elaphostrongyline nematodes parasitizing North American
cervids was studied using light and scanning electron microscopy in order to improve
previous descriptions that were based exclusively on light microscopical studies.
Structures including the spicules, gubernaculum, bursa, cephalic region, sensory
structures, and female tails of Parelaphostrongylus tenuis, P. odocoilei, P. andersoni,
and Elaphostrongylus cervi rangiferi are described. The morphology of E. c. rangiferi
as described in this study is similar to previous light microscopical descriptions. The
spicules of all three Parelaphostrongylus spp. were alike but differed from those of E.
c. rangiferi by having a dorsal branch of the spicule shaft in the distal region that
extends to the tip. A membrane spans the area between the branch and the shaft.
The corpus of the gubernaculum of P. odocoilei is not split distally as has been
described by previous authors, but instead has a longitudinal groove in the distal
region. Ventral protuberances associated with the cloaca are present in
Parelaphostrongylus spp. but absent in E. c. rangiferi. Sensory papillae and pores
associated with the cloaca and the bursal rays are described. In dorsal view, the base
of the dorsal ray has a prominent edge of thickened cuticle in P. odocoilei and P.
andersoni, whereas in E. c. rangiferi and P. tenuis it is smooth. The female tails of
Parelaphostrongylus spp. have a papilla-like projection at their tips.
The phylogeny of the Elaphostrongylinae was reconstructed using cladistic
techniques. Morphological characters described in this study provide strong evidence for the monophyly of Parelaphostrongylus. The genus is made up of two clades, one
containing P. odocoilei and P. andersoni, the other being P. tenuis. The biogeography
of the Cervidae of North America in relation to the phylogeny of the
Elaphostrongylinae is discussed. The genus Parelaphostrongylus probably coevolved
with the genus Odocoileus in the Nearctic, while Elaphostrongylus spp. most likely had
a Palearctic origin.


title: Prediction of overheating close to bone interfaces generated by high intensity ultrasound transducers

contributor:
Pichardo, Samuel
Curiel, Laura

subject:
High intensity ultrasound (HIU)
Acoustic pressure
Thermal effects in soft tissue
Thermally induced bio-effects
Thermal bio-effects close to bone
Acoustic fields close to bone

abstract:
One of the driving forces for research in medical sciences is to develop more
effective and less intrusive treatments. High Intensity Ultrasound (HIU) is a technique that uses the acoustic field produced by a transducer to induce thermal effects in soft tissue for therapeutic purposes like tissue ablation for cancer treatment, localized drug delivery,
sonoporation, among others. The bioeffects induced in soft tissue by HIU, particularly close to solid (bone) interfaces, are not yet fully understood. The objective of this thesis work is to gain further understanding of the effects that the waves reflected by bone have on the treatment outcome.
This study presents the experimental validation of a simple and efficient method to calculate the acoustic field generated by a high intensity ultra- sound (HIU) transducer that is used in the vicinity of a solid interface. The model takes into account the interaction between the forward and the re- flected wave generated at the boundary between a fluid and a solid. It uses a modified Rayleigh-Sommerfeld integral to calculate the particle displacement over a reflecting surface and uses the particle displacement at the boundary as a new acoustic source to obtain the reflected particle displacement. The thermal effect of the acoustic field is finally calculated using the bio heat transfer equation (BHTE) accounting for both the forward and the reflected waves.


title: Identity in a love marriage? Exploring the consequences of South Asian women's choice to take part in inter-racial relationships

subject:
South Asians in Canada
Intermarriage
Interracial relationships
Love and marriage
Othering
Multiculturalism and identity

abstract:
This thesis examines the challenges faced by young South Asian Canadian women when
they choose to become involved in interracial intimate relationships. A feminist intersectional
framework was used to analyze the ‘othering’ by home communities and experiences of ‘insider’
and ‘outsider’ status negotiated on a regular basis by the women. Data was collected through a
mixed methods approach combining findings from semi-structured in-depth interviews with 10
South Asian women between the ages of 18-30 in Surrey and Vancouver, British Columbia and
reflexive autobiographical analysis of the study author’s own lived experience. Secondary
sources used to contextualize the findings include sociological and feminist literature on South
Asian women in Canada and multiculturalism, race and ethnic relations.
The study findings indicate that South Asian women construct their own racialized and
bicultural identities over time and in relation to the stigmatization they experience from both
their own community and dominant Canadian society. Self-identification is complex and
difficult for some women because of the interplay of the intense cultural socialization most
received at home, and the ongoing influence of Western culture as they grew up. Not all of the
women experienced the same negative consequences when involved in interracial relationships,
but most showed similar emotional consequences such as distress and fear caused by familial and
home community pressures to meet culturally prescribed gender role expectations and duties.
Most also wanted to balance both the ethnic and Canadian aspects of their lives, retaining their
South Asian heritage while adopting Westernized views on subjects such as personal happiness,
marriage and independence. Multiculturalism is valued by some and seen as justification of their
mixed unions. Others critiqued multiculturalism, seeing it as useful or practiced only in theory.
For the 10 South Asian female participants of this study, the subject of interracial
relationships and its impact on young women needs more dialogue. This thesis provides a
beginning point.


title: Attitude control for a quadrotor UAV using adaptive fuzzy backstepping

subject: Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)

subject: Quadrotor UAV

subject: Control design

subject: Fuzzy adaptive integral backstepping design

abstract:
With improvements on automation, computer, electronics and other technologies, applications
of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have expanded from pure military field to civilian areas.
As a multirotor aircraft, a quadrotor UAV has the advantages of simple structure, small
size, high manoeuvrability, etc. On the basis of summarizing the current research situation
of the quadrotor UAV, a deep research has been conducted on the attitude control system
of the quadrotor UAV and two controllers are proposed to generate a stable performance:
Back-stepping controller, adaptive fuzzy back-stepping nonlinear controller.
The quadrotor UAV consists of two pairs of rotors and propellers, which can generate thrust
and air drag. The dynamic model is derived using the Euler-Lagrangian method and Newton
method with 6 degrees of freedom. To represent the model of the quadrotor, Euler angles
representation is first derived. However, facing the gimbal lock drawback of Euler angles
representation, unit quaternion representation is then discussed afterwards.
In normal situations, model parameter uncertainties and external disturbances would affect
the system output. Due to this problem, an adaptive fuzzy strategy is designed to approximate
the uncertain model using back-stepping techniques with the Lyapunov stability
theorem. Firstly, simulations are used to prove the mathematical feasibility. And then
experimental results will be provided to illustrate the satisfactory performances of the
proposed approach in real time.


title: Attitude estimation and control of a ducted fan VTOL UAV

subject: Vertically rising aircraft (Automatic control)

subject: Rotors (Automatic control)

subject: Drone aircraft

abstract: A significant area of current research is to develop aircraft which are unmanned. More specifically, some researchers are focusing on hovering type aircraft, or vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. Since these types of aircraft do not need to be constantly in motion to maintain lift, they have certain advantages over fixed-wing aircraft. Suitable applications could involve aerial photography, atmospheric measurements or surveillance and defense. The most common type of VTOL aircraft is the helicopter. One disadvantage of this aircraft is the degree of danger involved due to the exposed rotor blades. This is one motivating factor behind the 'ducted fan' system. This type of system uses a rotor which is enclosed in a aerodynamically shaped duct.


title: Power-aware caches for GPGPUs

subject: General Purpose Graphics Processing Units (GPGPUs)

subject: Microprocessors

subject: Power consumption

abstract: In this thesis, we propose two optimization techniques to reduce power consumption in L1 caches (data, texture and constant), shared memory and L2 cache. The first optimization technique targets static power. Evaluation of GPGPU applications shows that once a cache block is accessed by a thread, it takes several hundreds of clock cycles until the same block is accessed again. The long inter-access cycle can be used to put cache cells into drowsy mode and reduce static power. While drowsy cells reduce static power, they increase access time as voltage of a cache cell in drowsy mode should be raised before the block can be accessed. To mitigate performance impact of drowsy cells, we propose a novel technique called coarse grained drowsy mode. In coarse grained drowsy mode, we partition each cache into regions of consecutive cache blocks and wake up a region upon cache access. Due to temporal and spatial locality of cache accesses, this method dramatically reduces performance impact caused by drowsy cells. The second optimization technique relies on branch divergence in GPGPUs. The execution model in GPGPUs is Single Instruction Multiple Thread (SIMT) which means processing cores execute the same instruction with different data for GPGPU threads. The SIMT execution model may result in divergence of threads when a control instruction is executed. GPGPUs execute branch instructions in two phases. In the first phase, threads in the taken path are active and the rest are idle. In the second phase, threads in the not-taken path are executed and the rest are idle. Contemporary GPGPUs access all portions of cache blocks, although some threads are idle due to branch divergence. We propose accessing only portions of cache blocks corresponding to active threads. By disabling unnecessary sections of cache blocks, we are able to reduce dynamic power of caches. Our results show that on average, the two optimization techniques together reduce power of caches by up to 98% and 15% for static and dynamic power, respectively.