title: Improving Novel Gene Discovery in High-Throughput Gene Expression Datasets

subject:
Gene discovery
Gene expression datasets

abstract:
High-throughput gene expression datasets (including RNA-seq and microarray datasets) can quantify the expression level of tens of thousands of genes in an organism, which allows for the identification of putative functions for previously unstudied genes involved in treatment/condition responses.
For static (single timepoint) high-throughput gene expression experiments, the most common first analysis step to discover novel genes is to filter out genes based on their degree of differential expression and the amount of inter-replicate noise. However, this filtering step may remove genes with very high baseline expression levels, and genes with important functional annotations in the experiment being studied. Chapter 2 presents a novel knowledge-based clustering approach for novel gene discovery, in which known functionally important genes as well as genes with very high expression levels (which would typically be removed by a strict fold change filter) are saved prior to filtering.


title: Hydrostatic pressure effect on the electrical conductivity of indium antimonide

subject:
Electric conductivity
Indium antimonide
Hydrostatic pressure

abstract:
The electrical conductivity of n-type InSb in the
temperature range 77K - 300K has been calculated by using the
Boltzmann equation with a relaxation time ansatz. The tv/o
dominant scattering mechanisms in this temperature range are the
impurity scattering and the polar scattering. The hydrostatic
pressure effects on the electrical conductivity have been studied
by considering the variations of the band structure, the carrier
concentration, the electron effective mass and the static dielectric
constant of the material. The variation of the electrical
conductivity up to 10 kbar at the temperatures T = 81 K and
T = 290 K is compared with experimental data.


title: Attitude and position control of flapping-wing micro aerial vehicles

contributor:
Liu, Xiaoping
Zhou, Yushi

subject:
Flapping-wing micro aerial vehicle
Unmanned aerial vehicles
Fuzzy logic
Controller design

abstract:
Compared with the  fixed-wing and rotor aircraft, the
flapping-wing micro aerial vehicle
is of great interest to many communities because of its high efficiency and
flexible maneuverability.
However, issues such as the small size of the vehicles, complex dynamics and
complicated systems due to uncertainty, nonlinearity, and multi-coupled parameters cause
several significant challenges in construction and control. In this thesis, based on Euler angle
and unit quaternion representations, the backstepping technique is used to design attitude
stabilization controllers and position tracking controllers for a good control performance of
a
flapping-wing micro aerial vehicle.
The attitude control of a
apping{wing micro aerial vehicle is achieved by controlling the
aerodynamic forces and torques, which are highly nonlinear and time{varying. To control
such a complex system, a dynamic model is derived by using the Newton{Euler method.
Based on the mathematical model, the backstepping technique is applied with the Lyapunov
stability theory for the controller design. Moreover, because a
flapping-wing micro aerial
vehicle has very
exible wings and oscillatory
flight characteristics, the adaptive fuzzy control
law as well as H1 control strategy are also used to estimate the unknown parameters and
attenuate the impact of external disturbances. What is more, due to the problem of the
gimbal lock of Euler angles, the unit quaternion representation is used afterwards.
As for position control, the forward movement is controlled by the thrust and lift force
generated by the wings of
flapping-wing micro aerial vehicles. To make the actual position
and velocity follow the desired trajectory and velocity, the backstepping scheme is used based
on a unit quaternion representation. In order to reduce the complexity of differentiation of
the virtual control in the design process, a dynamic surface control method is then used by
the idea of a low-pass  filter.
Matlab simulation results prove the mathematical feasibility and also illustrate that all the
proposed controllers have a stable control performance.


title: Urban forestry plan of Birch Point Park disc golf course

subject:
Disc golf
Urban forestry
Urban forest management plans
Benefits of green spaces

abstract: This urban forestry plan is for the sustainable management of the Birch Point disc golf course in Thunder Bay. A tree inventory was conducted on the course to create a map and gain information to aid in making management decisions. Approximately 750 trees and 21 species were surveyed. White spruce, white birch and poplar were the most common species found on the course. The majority of trees surveyed were considered rather healthy. Issues seen on the course include erosion and compaction, health issues, trees growing in proximity to utility lines and the suspected presence of bronze birch borer and tomentosus. Some of the recommendations within the plan include application of woodchip mulch, use of alternate course layout, and the planting of a diversity of species. This plan is intended to aid with the continuing progression of the Birch Point disc golf course now and far into the future.


title: Physiological and growth responses of eleven Ontario provenances of one-year old Picea glauca seedlings to elevated CO2 concentrations

contributor:
Parker, William H.
Dang, Qinglai

subject: Photosynthetic acclimation

subject: Effect of atmospheric carbon dioxide on White spruce seedlings

subject: Biomass allocation

subject: White spruce - silvics and genetic variation

subject: CO2 and physiological response

abstract:
To study the physiological and growth responses of eleven Ontario provenances of
white spruce [Picea glauca (Moench) Voss] to elevated atmospheric CO2
concentrations, one-year old seedlings were grown in three greenhouses under CO2
concentrations of ambient, 530 ppm, and 700 ppm for a period 90 days. The following
physiological traits were measured after 60 and 90 days of treatment: net assimilation
rate (A), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration (E), water-use efficiency (WUE),
and intercellular to ambient CO2 concentration ratio (C|/Ca). Shoot, root, and total
biomass and biomass allocation were also measured after 60 and 90 days of treatment.
Height and root collar diameter (RCD) data were collected after 0, 30, 60, and 90 days
of treatment.
Net CO2 assimilation was significantly enhanced by elevated [CO2 ] after 60 and
90 days of treatment despite reductions in photosynthetic capacity. Elevated [CO2 ]
also enhanced WUE and decreased gs and E after 60 days of treatment. There was
significant down-regulation of photosynthesis in response to CO2 concentration
elevation. Elevated [CO2] significantly reduced Rubisco carboxylation efficiency
(Vcmax), RuBP regeneration capacity (Jmax), and triose phosphate utilisation (TPU), but
had no significant effect on leaf respiration (Rj) or C 0 2 compensation point. Despite
its substantial influence on gas exchange, CO2 concentration did not significantly
affect seedling biomass, biomass allocation, height, or RCD. No significant CO2 x
provenance interactions were found in the gas exchange measurements. Provenance
had a significant effect on the height and RCD of the white spruce seedlings. Strong
correlations existed between gas exchange and monthly climate variables for the 11
Ontario provenances of white spruce at ambient and elevated CO2 concentrations,
suggesting adaptation of individual provenances to local climate.
The implications of CO2 response of diverse sources of white spruce seedlings on
tree improvement programs will probably be minimal. Seed sources of white spruce
in Ontario selected for superior growth characteristics in the present climate will
probably perform well in the predicted future climate.


title: Elastic-based multi-scale graph drawing

contributor:
Benson, Maurice
Wei, Ruizhong

subject:
Computer graphics
Graph theory
Graphic methods

abstract: Graph drawing is an important information visualization technique with applications in a variety of disciplines, including VLSI design, bioinformatics, geography, and social network analysis. We present a new force-directed, multi-scale algorithm for the drawing of undirected graphs, using the analogy of elastics (with an unstretched length of zero), instead of springs, resulting in a force model similar to that of Tutte[65] that produces competitive results on a variety of problems.


Idea of society in William Shakespeare's Pericles, Cymbeline and the Winter's Tale


title: Virtual work from home and mental health: a mixed methods systematic review

subject:
Mental health
Virtual office/workplace
Workplace isolation
Working from home (well-being)
Job satisfaction

abstract:
Poor mental health is a risk factor for a number of chronic physical conditions and may
impact individuals’ ability to remain in the work force (World Health Organization, 2004b).
Further, the workplace itself may pose a risk to mental health, affecting one’s ability to
contribute meaningfully in both personal and professional lives (Jnaneswar & Sulphey, 2020). A
number of workplace factors have been identified as risk factors to mental health (Burton, 2010)
and the literature suggests that some these factors may be augmented for employees who are
working remotely from a virtual office, removed from their central organization (Marshall et al.,
2007; Mulki & Jaramillo, 2011; Orhan et al., 2016; J. Stich, 2020). Working from a virtual office
poses a number of challenges, including workplace isolation, increased job stress, decreased job
satisfaction, and poor communication, to name a few (Mulki & Jaramillo, 2011; Stich, 2020). As
the body of evidence on the implications of working from a virtual office has grown, so too has
the need for synthesizing the best available evidence. This study is a comprehensive systematic
review, examining the quantitative and qualitative literature on virtual offices and mental health.
This review is particularly important due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, as millions of
employees have transitioned to working virtually, from a home office. The overall goal of this
study was to make available evidence more accessible, allowing researchers and other
stakeholders to better understand the impact that a virtual office may have on employee mental
health.


title: Retention of ethnic culture among Thunder Bay Finns / by Michael J. Maunula. --

subject: Finns Ontario Thunder Bay.

abstract:
The thesis addresses the question: "What are
the factors influencing the level of ethnic culture
retention among Thunder Bay Finns?" The investigation
is focused on three characteristics: residency (urban
or rural), residential propinquity to other Finns,
and socio-economic status.
The survey instrument gathers additional respondent
characteristics to allow evaluation of the influence
of other factors. In measuring culture, a distinction
is made between knowledge and practise of Finnish
customs and culture and efforts to maintain a Finnish
identity. The latter allows a response to current
ethnic assimilation literature which suggests a resurging
interest in selective areas of ethnic heritage.
Preceeding the review of the literature, a
historical perspective is given to the present situation
by summarizing the history of the Finnish people, their
emigration to Canada, and the experiences of the immigrants
in Canada and particularly Thunder Bay.
Among the young adults of Finnish descent who
formed the sample population, those who were raised
in an urban setting were likely to have a higher culture
retention level than those raised in a rural setting.
Not surprising, those raised in a neighbourhood predom-inantly Finnish also had a higher culture retention level
than those raised in a non-Finnish neighbourhood.
Socio-economic status proves interesting in that those
respondents from families having a low socio-economic
status retain more of their culture than those from
families having a high socio-economic status. However,
when the respondent’s own present socio-economic status
is considered, those with a high socio-economic status
retain more Finnish culture than the low socio-economic
status respondents. It is arguable that upward mobility
among this group has not resulted in abandonment of
their ethnic heritage. An adjustment, where both success
in the dominant society and a continued identification
with one’s ethnic heritage co-exist, appears to have
occurred. The bond of ethnic affinity displays considerable
endurance.


title: P-type gallium nitride semiconductor development and characterization for LEDs and other devices

subject:
Gallium nitride
Compound semiconductors
Light emitting diodes

abstract:
Migration Enhanced Afterglow (AIEAglow) is proposed as a fabrication technology to produce high indium content indium gallium nitride (IriGaN) LEDs operating in the green wavelengths.  This research presents results for the first confirmed p-type gallium nitride films grown in a AIEAglow system for these applications. Films were fabricated at a variety of low temperatures, illustrating the technology’s capability to grow p-GaN at indium preserving conditions for high indium content InGaN LEDs.
Films were resistive and exhibited a degree of codoping that stemmed from background oxygen concentration present during growth, rendering Hall effect measurements unsuitable.  Electroluminescent spectra exposed three different emission sources: that from the bandgap, that from magnesium to nitrogen vacancy transitions, and the well known yellow defect. Current-
Voltage characterization of films grown on top of an ii-GaN template determined the Fermi level inside the p-layer, yielding a net hole concentration of 9.9 x 10[superscript 16] cm [superscript -3] in one film. p-GaN semiconductors were investigated using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Alicroscopy (AFM), transmission spectroscopy and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). It was found that growth rate decreased as the growth temperature increased from 545°C to 635°C indicating the desorption of gallium and nitrogen from the lattice at low growth pressures. Conditions used in the fabrication of films were also conducive to producing nanowires and nanostructures, which were shown to correlate with a decrease in luminosity; a worsening of the crystal structure, and is indicative of metal rich material. Attempts were made at optimizing the molecular flow rates of gallium, nitrogen and magnesium to yield better materials.
A single heterojuriction GaN-IiiGaN LED was fabricated using the material studied in this thesis. It was shown that a small degree of codoping reduced the resistivity of commercially acquired p-GaN by two orders of magnitude, down to 0.038 [symbol]. cm. This p-GaN was placed below an IriGaN active layer, removing the need for magnesium doping at low temperatures. The low series resistance along the p-GaN material allowed large currents to be applied without much overheating. The high iridium content IiiGaN layer produced yellow light with high electrical conversion efficiency not usually characteristic of nitride or phosphide semiconductor LEDs.


title: Comparison of fructose and glucose ingestion before and during endurance cycling to exhaustion

subject: Exercise tests

subject: Glucose

subject: Fructose

subject: Absorption and metabolism of fructose and glucose

subject: Insulin and glucagon response to exercise

subject: Lactate as energy

abstract:
The aim of this study was to compare the effect of pre-exercise and exercise
ingestion of fructose and glucose during prolonged cycling exercise. The primary
purpose was to determine if ingesting fructose before and during exercise was as
beneficial or more beneficial than glucose ingestion. Seventeen trained subjects
performed a control cycle to exhaustion. At least one week later, each subject
performed a second ride to exhaustion ingesting either fructose or glucose before
and during exercise. Blood was drawn before and at timed intervals during
exercise to determine blood glucose, lactate and free fatty acid (FFA) levels for all
three conditions (control, fructose, glucose). Gas measurements (Beckman
Metabolic Measurement Cart) were taken at approximately 10 minute intervals,
to ensure each subject was cycling at 75% VO2 max. and to determine respiratory
exchange ratio (RER).
Exercise time to exhaustion for the control group was significantly less (see document)
than either the fructose (p < .02) or glucose (p < .001) group, but the fructose and
glucose groups were not significantly different from each other. Blood glucose
levels in the fructose group remained more stable than the glucose group and
actually increased throughout the exercise test to exhaustion. Prior to the onset
of exercise, the blood lactate level of the control group was significantly (see document)
lower than either the fructose (p < .002) or the glucose (p < .01) group. The
fructose and glucose groups did not show any significant differences in blood
lactate over time. There were no significant differences in blood FFA between the
treatment groups during the exercise test to exhaustion, but the control group
FFA level was significantly (see document) higher than that of the fructose group
(p <.02) prior to the onset of exercise. All three groups demonstrated gradual declines
in RER throughout the exercise test to exhaustion.
In this study it was established that fructose and glucose are of equal value in
prolonging exercise time to exhaustion in endurance cycling performance.
Ingesting fructose before and during exercise allowed for a more constant supply
of glucose to be available to the working muscles than glucose ingestion. The
more stable blood glucose levels with fructose ingestion may be beneficial in
reducing perceived exhaustion, increasing mental alertness and postponing the
athletes' perception of 'hitting the wall’, thereby allowing for an enhancement in
exercise performance.


title: The effects of competition on underplanted juvenile white spruce in fill blocks in northern Alberta

subject:
Mixedwood management
Shelterwood harvesting
White spruce growth
Fill planting
Root collar diameter

abstract:
This paper examined the effects of competition on juvenile white spruce growth
planted in the understory of lodgepole pine on a mixedwood boreal site. Growth and
success of planted white spruce seedlings were investigated under four young canopy
densities. Seedlings showed no statistically significant differences in total height growth
or total root collar diameter between any density. The mortality rate was found to be
extremely low (3%). This finding supports the suggestion low mortality rates of
underplanted species is in part the result of protection from the overstory canopy. The
findings of this study can be applied to similar situations where white spruce is planted
beneath an established or establishing canopy. A review of applicable literature regarding
light availability and competition from shading is included.


title: Growing media, feeding schedules, and container coating for Eucalyptus globulus Labill. container stock production

subject:
Eucalyptus globulus
Eucalyptus Seedlings, Container

abstract:
Present day container nursery systems for the production of Eucalyptus Dill, are
reviewed and documented from the results of a comprehensive questionnaire distributed to
30 major Eucalyptus producing countries. The results of the survey showed that 41
Eucalyptus species were under production in 1990. Most of these species were grown in
containers that varied in diameter, depth, diameter to depth ratio, and volume. The
growing media, fertilizer types, fertilizer formulation, and the morphological standards
used for the production of Eucalyptus stock for outplanting varied considerably.
Two separate experiments were conducted with Eucalyptus globulus nursery
stock. 1) The media and feeding schedule study tested the merits of Sphagnum peat,
Vermiculite, and Perlite in various proportions as growing media under the exponential
and replacement feeding schedules. Seedling height (cm), root collar diameter (mm), top
dry weight (mg) and root dry weight (mg) were measured to study growth of the
seedlings. 2) The media and container coating study tested the merits of radiata pine bark.
Sphagnum peat, Vermiculite, and Perlite in various proportions as growing media in
coated and uncoated containers. It also evaluated the effects of container coating on root
growth potential and root form. In addition to the morphological attributes measured in the
media and feeding schedule study, root number, and root elongation were measured.
Both studies were subjected to Analyses of Variance to determine the significance
of differences in growth attributes. Both studies showed that seedling height and root
collar diameter are not appropriate morphological characteristics to determine or compare
the size and quality of finished Eucalyptus globulus stock. A response surface showed
that the highest seedling dry weight range lies between 60 to 67% Sphagnum peat, 33 to
40% Vermiculite and 0 to 3% Perlite in the experimental region. The highest predicted
seedling dry weight was found at 62% Sphagnum peat and 38% Vermiculite. In each
growing medium, seedlings grown under the exponential feeding schedule had a more
rapid seedling dry weight gain and higher Dickson's Seedling Quality Index than those
grown under the replacement feeding schedule. Eucalyptus globulus seedlings grown in
coated Ventblock containers filled with various proportions of radiata pine bark.
Sphagnum peat, Vermiculite, and Perlite were physiologically and morphologically
superior to their counter parts grown in uncoated containers.


title: Gold-induced nanostructuring of silicon surfaces

subject:
Silicon surfaces
Nanostructures
Gold electric properties
Electron diffraction
Auger electron spectroscopy
Scanning tunneling microscopy

abstract: In this thesis, a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy and low energy electron diffraction is used to investigate how submonolayer amounts of Au affect the large scale surface morphology of a vicinal Si sample miscut from (111) by 8° toward [11-2]. It is found that the structure of this surface is exquisitely sensitive to Au coverage. The surface exhibits nanofacets whose orientation depends critically on the amount of Au deposited. These nanofacets must preserve the total off-axis angle of the wafer. We find that the (775) facet persists over a wide range of Au coverages up to 0.32 ML. The (775)-Au reconstruction is characterized by a self-assembled array of 1-d atomic chains spaced 21.3 A apart and is optimized at a Au coverage of 0.24± 0.03 ML. Oddly, the stoichiometry at optimal coverage incorporates 1.5 Au atoms per unit cell. The persistence of the (775)-Au reconstruction over such a wide range of Au coverages suggests that it is a low energy surface.


title: Role of service dogs for two children with autism spectrum disorder

subject:
Services for autistic children
Service dogs
Autism in children (Treatment)

abstract:
This qualitative study investigated the role of service dogs for two children with autism spectrum
disorder. The participants in this study were eight adults who all had direct and continuing
interaction with a service dog team. Six themes emerged following an analysis of the qualitative
data: (a) safety - the service dogs helped the children avoid dangerous situations; (b) anxiety -
the service dogs were seen as a calming influence; (c) normalizing effects - the service dogs
assisted in allowing families to engage in activities outside the home; (d) communication — the
service dogs helped to encourage the children to speak and interact with others; (e) friendship -
the service dogs provided a constant source of friendship for the children; and (f) educating the
school community - service dogs for autism are still a relatively rare phenomenon, and as such it
is important that parents, students and teaching staff are all given the necessary information so
that implementation and transitions run smoothly. Although service dogs are not a cure for
autism, all of the participants in this study strongly believed that the service dog was a beneficial
and useful tool for children with autism spectrum disorder.


title: Effects of aging on the neural networks underlying visuomotor adaptation

contributor:
Lawrence-Dewar, Jane
Bedard, Michel
Kristman, Vicki
Livingston, Lori
Przysucha, Eryk

subject:
Visuomotor adaptation behaviour
Functional magnetic resonance imaging
Neural activity

abstract:
Visuomotor adaptation is the ability to correct movements in response to an error and becomes increasingly important during the aging process when assistive devices may become necessary. Neuroimaging has observed age-related atrophy in several brain regions implicated with visuomotor adaptation, and the integrity of white matter connections between these regions is also known to decline. The present research is a three-part study that assessed age-related changes in brain function and structure during healthy aging. Functional magnetic resonance images (fMRI) and diffusion tensor images (DTI) were acquired from 37 neurologically healthy, right handed participants from three age groups: young (N = 12, age range = 22-39), middle-aged (N = 13, age range = 41-58), and older (N=12, age range = 65-80). During two fMRI scans, participants completed a novel moving-target task in which visual feedback of a cursor on a computer screen was manipulated in order to elicit a visuomotor response.
In the first paper of this thesis, the behavioural and neural differences between the first fMRI scan (early adaptation trials) and second scan (late adaptation trials) were analyzed for the young age group. This study aimed to outline the visuomotor transformations associated with a novel task that incorporates more natural behaviours. Visuomotor behaviour was examined through measurements of the mean cursor velocity and number of reversals in cursor direction. Although the interaction between scan number and cursor type was found to be insignificant for cursor velocity along with an insignificant main effect of scan number, a repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) found a significant main effect of cursor type. Pairwise comparisons revealed significant differences between normal and x-flip cursor conditions, and x- and y-flip conditions. Following an insignificant interaction between scan and condition, a significant main effect of cursor condition (normal, x-flip, or y-flip) for the number of reversals was determined. Pairwise comparisons revealed that participants made fewer reversals during the normal cursor condition when compared to either the x- or y-flip conditions. Areas of neural activity related to visuomotor transformations were subsequently identified through fMRI using contrast to examine regions of greater signal change for distorted vs. normal cursor conditions. A random-effects General Linear Model (GLM) was then performed to examine differences in neural activity between the two fMRI scans. Frontal regions and the postcentral and anterior cingulate gyri were activated for the early adaptation trials, while the superior temporal, inferior frontal and parahippocampal gyri, as well as the putamen and parietal regions were activated for the late trials.


title: Assessment of the Native Teacher Education Program (Lakehead University) / byNeva Baxter. --

subject: Indians of North America Education Ontario.

subject: Teachers Training of Ontario Thunder Bay.


title: Books and readers, 1594; a survey and analysis of all books printed in England or in English abroad during the year 1594

subject: history of books


title: Effects of adrenocorticotrophic hormone on cycloheximide induced amnesia in rat

subject: ACTH Cycloheximide Amnesia


title: Anisota senatoria habitat selection analysis in Pinery Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada

subject: Orange-striped oakworm

subject: Red oak (Q. rubra L.)

subject: Effect of defoliation (oak tree growth & vigor)

subject: Anisota senatoria


title: Reliability analysis of soil liquefaction using truncated distributions

contributor:
Deng, Jian
Mohamedelhassan, Eltayteb

subject: Soil liquefaction

subject: Standard penetration test

subject: Artificial neural network

subject: Bayesian mapping

subject: First order reliability analysis

subject: Truncated normal & log-normal distribution

abstract:
Soil liquefaction is a phenomenon caused by seismic activity in the
ground which may result in surface settlement, the formation of sand
boils, lateral spreading that ultimately damages the super-structure and
loss of lives. This kind of natural disasters has been reported vastly from
last few decades in different regions of the world. Soil Liquefaction
triggering occurs in silty and sandy soils. The huge damage due to
liquefaction at Niigata, Japan, and Alaska due to the earthquake that
occurred in 1964, extensively grabbed the attention of many geotechnical
researchers. SPT based empirical relationship is usually used to evaluate
soil liquefaction. However, a few parameters involved in the analysis are
associated with a great extent of uncertainties. A reliability-based
analysis provides an approach to consider various uncertainties and
provides the probability for the failure of the structure. Due to site
conditions and other reasons, it is difficult to obtain complete information
about a random variable. Therefore, very often we come across censored
samples. It is important that we design an reliable engineering structure
based on censored samples.
The primary objective of the research is to perform a reliability
analysis based on censored samples. The research focuses on developing
the deterministic, probabilistic and reliability-based models to calculate
soil liquefaction resistance using historical liquefaction database based
on the SPT. The principle of maximum entropy is incorporated to develop
probability density function that includes various uncertainties associated
with soil and site parameters.
With the development of computing techniques like artificial
intelligence, it is possible to frame the empirical relationship between the
seismic load and resistance offered by the soil. Standard penetration test
based database of soil liquefaction is used in the artificial neural network
to predict the liquefaction index. Further, the developed liquefaction
index model is utilized for modeling the empirical relationship between
clean sand equivalence corrected standard penetration test-N count and
cyclic resistance ratio. The deterministic model is developed, and the
relationship for estimating the resistance offered by soil to liquefaction is
established by identifying the best fit curve. Bayesian mapping theory is
used for determining the function for liquefaction probability. With the
knowledge about the expected values from the database, maximum
entropy distributions are plotted for seismic, site and soil parameters.
The developed probability density function of the random variables are
utilized for performing the first order reliability analysis. Using
sensitivity analysis, the degree of conservatism is identified and
eliminated from performance function. Finally, the calibrated
performance function is framed which can be used for performing
reliability analysis on truncated samples.
The truncated normal and log-normal probability density
function are developed using the information available on censored
samples. The parameters of the truncated normal distribution are
estimated using maximum likelihood method and Newton-Raphson’s
iterative procedure. When dealing with censored samples, the flow of
iteration points has a limitation in reliability analysis. For this reason, a
new algorithm is proposed to identify the reliability index for liquefaction
potential based on global search.


title: Analysis of hierarchical characteristics of landscapes in Ontario : detecting emergent levels of organizaton

subject: Landscape ecology (Ontario)

subject: Forest mapping (Ontario)

subject: Forests and forestry (Ontario Remote sensing)

subject: Lacunarity

abstract:
Hierarchy theory suggests that complex systems such as ecosystems will develop
hierarchical structure that can be reflected in multiple emergent levels of organization in
landscape patterning. Emergent levels of organization are defined as the scales where
non-random patterning of forest landcovers occur. Forest policy initiatives that address
sustainable forest ecosystems, as opposed to sustainable fibre yield, provide direction for
the emulation of natural landscape patterns when allocating timber harvest blocks.
Emergent levels of organization and scale-dependent structure o f landscapes are new
issues, which until recent advances in technology, have been difficult to tackle. I use
thematic landcover maps, derived from satellite imagery, to evaluate the hypotheses that
among regions divided by boundaries that are based on broad-scale climatic processes,
emergent levels of organization within landscape structure do not exist, and if they do,
that they do not differ among regions. I use lacunarity and landscape statistic analyses
on sample plots of 400 km2 and 5,625 km2 to detect and compare emergent levels of
organization. Hierarchical characteristics, in the form of multiple emergent levels of
organization, were not consistently detected in the 400 km2 sample plots. In contrast,
multiple emergent levels of organization were detected in the 5,625 km2 sample plots
located in northwestern Ontario but not in northeastern Ontario. The hierarchical
characteristics detected in northwestern Ontario were in both mature overstory forest and
recent fire disturbance. Current landscape patterns are a result of recent historic
disturbance regimes. The results indicate that by emulating current patterns at fine-scales
through forest harvest, the resulting landscape patterns could be mature forests with
hierarchical characteristics similar to natural systems. Broad-scale patterns in the form
of emergent levels of organization exist within and among individual forest management
units. The results indicate that if sustainable ecosystems are an objective of natural
resource management, management strategies that include multi-scale analyses and
planning techniques are necessary.


title: Ordinary lives : extraordinary narratives, the transformation of character and theme in the fiction of Carol Shields

abstract:
The primary objective o f this thesis is to examine the ways in which the ordinary lives
that Carol Shields describes in her fiction are transformed into extraordinary narratives. I will
use three of Shields’ novels as anchor texts—The Stone Diaries Happenstance and Marv
Swarm—in the sense that I will focus closely on these novels in my close textual analysis and
draw from them my arguments about Shields fiction. Yet, the ideas and arguments presented
here have not been based on these novels alone as the fuller context of Shields’ work —her
other novels Small Ceremonies and Various Miracles as well as her poetry and short stories —
have informed my opinions, as has my wider critical reading. Also, I have been assisted greatly
by the opportunity to meet and interview Shields herself in Winnipeg during February 1996.
In order to be able to meet my primary objective successfully, I have divided discussion
into four chapters. In the first I will consider the ways in which Shields’ fiction is underscored
by visual politics which challenge power relations in her texts and necessitate the inclusion of
photographs, letters and other graphics, as part of the narratives. These visual components
disturb the narrative and provide visual counter-narratives without destroying the original voice
so multiple layers are formed. The effect o f these visual disturbances is to bring the dynamics
of reading into focus as the reader begins to “read” the narrative thread presented in the visual
inclusions as well as the narrative threads that are presented as written text.
The challenges to traditional power relations that I identify that Shields’ makes in her
fiction are continued in the second chapter. Here there will be a concentration on Shields’
narrative constructs and an attempt to come to an understanding o f the exact nature of her works’ narratological features as Shields experiments with new voices and new ways of telling.
I will attempt to identify the exact voices that can be seen to exist in the polyphony of voices
that her novels create and sustain.
The third chapter will identify the gender dynamics at work in Shields’ fiction through
the ways in which she depicts relationships between men and women, the dynamics of same
sex friendships and also the ways in which familial relationships are affected by gender. Also, I
will examine the ways in which Shields foregrounds a parallel male and female experience in an
attempt to draw the sexes together on common ground through shared experience rather than
forcing them apart with the threat of irreconcilable differences.
The final chapter will examine in close detail the way in which Shields’ narratives can be
seen to explode generic expectation by presenting a collage of disparate parts drawn from many
disciplines, such as, art, psychology, medicine, literature and (auto) biography. This chapter
primarily concentrates on (auto) biography as Shields makes huge leaps forward in
manipulating this recognisable form for the benefit o f ordinary voices that have been silenced
for too long. Also, (auto) biography is Shields’ favourite theme in her work and she returns to
it frequently.
Ultimately, Shields’ fiction aims to take the stigma away from the ordinary and
commonplace aspects of life and bring a new respect and understanding to them. This thesis
attempts to outline the ways in which she achieves this goal and is able to transform ordinary
lives into extraordinary narratives.


title: Ten-year growth response of 45-year old Pinus banksiana Lamb. to urea fertilization and low thinning

subject:
Jack pine
Trees Growth
Trees Fertilizers

abstract:
The objectives of this investigation were 1) to examine
the duration and pattern of jack pine growth response to urea
fertilization and low thinning, and 2) to examine methods commonly
used in the measurement of fertilization and thinning trials in
jack pine.
The study area was located near Chapleau, Ontario in a
fire-originated jack pine stand. The stand was treated at age 45
with 336 kg urea-N/ha and a low thinning of 20 percent basal area
in a 2 X 2 factorial design with four replicates.
At stand age 55, 80 trees were felled for stem analysis,
representing 5 tree diameter classes within each stand treatment.
Volume increment, height increment, measures of form, and local
volume equations were determined from the stem analysis data. The
local volume equations were applied to diameter frequency distributions
at stand ages 45, 50, and 55 to calculate stand volumes at
these ages. A growth model was developed to characterize the
annual volume growth of individual trees. The model related the
annual volume growth of an individual tree to its volume, and the
stand volume. Aggregation of the annual volume increments of individual
trees allowed annual stand volume increments to be estimated.
Individual trees responded to fertilization with greater
10-year volume increment and merchantable height increment. On a
stand basis, fertilization resulted in about 20 m[superscript 3] ha[superscript 2] of additional gross volume growth during the ten-year response period,
This volume growth response was greatest in the third and fourth
years after fertilization. Fertilization appeared to have both a
direct effect and an indirect effect. Tlie direct effect was
growth response to the improved nitrogen status, and this effect
ceased 10 years after treatment. The indirect effect was greater
growth due to larger average tree size, and this effect was still
evident 10 years after treatment. Thinning had little effect beyond
salvaging potential mortality.
An examination of methods commonly used to estimate growth
responses to silvicultural treatments was made. The results suggest
that it is necessary to use treatment-specific and age-specific
local volume equations to accurately measure growth response
to fertilization.


title: Ontological approach for searching multi datasource web services

subject: Web service definition language (WSDL)

subject: Service oriented architecture

subject: Web service search via XML schema & ontology

abstract:
This thesis addresses the issue of Web Service search. This thesis focuses on solving
the problem of searching for Web Services which are associated with relatively
similar datasources. It attempts to overcome the search limitations of the UDDI
standard Web discovery protocol which is based on simplest keyword search and
have no primitives to look into datasource associated w ith Web Services.
This thesis developed a searching framework that take into account the Web Service
w ith variety of ontologies and through adopting techniques like schema matching
and ontology merging; the developed prototype can find relatively similar
datasources. The prototype also adopted techniques based on Collaborative Filtering
to infer more datasources that are relevant to the search request based on relatively
similar matches from other datasources.
The prototype represents an extension to the capability of Apache Axis. The
prototype has been tested on sample of locally published Web Services that have
datasources on books. The developed searching techniques prove to be more flexible
than other frameworks including UDDI.


title: Analysis and design of networked predictive control systems

subject:
Networked control systems
Control design methodologies
Communication networks

abstract: Recently Networked Control System (NCS) has been used in several areas and received much attention due to its applications. An NCS is a system with all its units connected through communication network, which is also called Integrated Communication and Control Systems (ICCS). The NCS is a completely distributed and networked real time feedback control system.


title: Adolescent images of the future and the 'ideology of schooling' / by Susan Heald. --

subject: Forecasting. Adolescence.

abstract:
The thesis addresses questions of both the methodology and
the substantive content of 'cultural reproduction' studies. At
the methodological level, the thesis examines the use of 'images
of the future' as a tool for discovering respondents'
'knowledge.' Substantively, the thesis examines the 'ideology of
schooling' as it is created/recreated by Grade 10 students in a
small town in northwestern Ontario.
Unlike many other 'cultural reproduction' studies, this
study uses both boys and girls as subjects, although substantial
differences in their ideas were not found.
The data chapter records student reactions to possible
schools of the future. Overall, the students are not found to
have ideas about future schools that are different from those in
the current system, and appear to support that system. The
analysis attempts to explain this apparent lack of 'resistance'
to schooling. Student views of 'human nature', of the
relationship between school and work, and reactions to
'counter-school' influences appear as potential explanations.
Advances in theory, feminist methodology, and the use of
science fiction in developing 'images of the future' are
discussed as areas of further research and practice.


title: Flexural bending behaviour of built-up glulam box-selection beams at ambient and elevated temperatures

subject:
Sustainable construction
Glued-laminated timber (glulam)
Cross-laminated timber (CLT)
Engineered wood products
Flexural behaviour of timber beams

abstract:
The recent increasing trend of sustainable construction and advancement in the manufacturing of engineered wood have made products such as glued-laminated timber (glulam) and cross-laminated timber (CLT) preferred building materials. The intensifying demand for engineered-wood products in Canada also has prompted amendments to the building codes of several provinces by reducing the height restriction of timber structures from four to six stories. Unfortunately, the design of built-up timber beams has not yet been incorporated in most wood design standards worldwide. Thus, this lack of design guidelines brings forth the demand of acceptable methods to analyze, design and manufacture such built-up beam sections.
The experimental research study detailed here in this thesis has been carried out to investigate the flexural bending behaviour of built-up glulam box-section beam assemblies fabricated using two engineered-control techniques at both, ambient and elevated temperatures. Seven full-size built-up glulam beam test assemblies were experimentally examined under four-point flexural bending to determine their maximum bending strengths at ambient temperature. Five of the seven beam assemblies tested at ambient temperature were fabricated using self-tapping screws; while the other two assemblies were built using industrial structural adhesive. The outcomes of ambient testing showed that reducing the spacing from 800 mm to 200 mm for the screws connecting the built-up beam section’s top and bottom flange panels to the web panels increased the beam flexural bending strength by about 45%. While reducing the spacing from 200 mm to 100 mm only for the screws connecting the bottom flange panel to the web panels over a distance equal to one-third beam span length from each support, where shear stresses are maximum, increased the beam flexural bending strength by an additional 10%. However, the experimental results of the glued beam assemblies showed considerable flexural bending strengths that are almost equal to the calculated strength of an equivalent hollow-section glulam beam. The influence of the bonding technique and configuration followed in fabricating the built-up beam sections, whether screwed or glued, was also investigated through observing the different failure modes that the built-up beam assemblies exhibited during testing. In addition, the experimental results of the ambient tests were used to verify the calculated bending strength capacity of the built-up glulam beams.
Out of each of the glued and screwed assembly groups, only the strongest built-up beam assembly was examined under the effect of CAN/ULC-S101 standard fire while subjected to monotonic loading that was equivalent to the full-capacity design load of the weakest screwed built-up beam assembly with 200-mm screw spacings. The fire resistance tests were conducted using 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 the glued built-up beam assemblies experienced greater mid-span deflections as well as beam end rotations in comparison to the screwed built-up beam assemblies. This inferior behaviour can be interpreted to the low fire resistance of the adhesive used in fabricating the built-up beam assemblies, which excessively limited the beam’s shear and bending strengths at elevated temperatures. On contrary, the self-tapping screws noticeably helped in keeping the built-up beam assemblies intact for longer time during fire testing even when the screws were exposed to direct fire heating.


title: Towards designing AI-aided lightweight solutions for key challenges in sensing, communication and computing layers of IoT: smart health use-cases

subject:
IoT sensor technology
Machine learning
Deep learning
Artificial neural networks
Mobile health (mHealth)
Reservoir Computing

abstract:
The advent of the 5G and Beyond 5G (B5G) communication system, along with the
proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), have started to
evolve the vision of the smart world into a reality. Similarly, the Internet of Medical Things
(IoMT) and AI have introduced numerous new dimensions towards attaining intelligent and
connected mobile health (mHealth). The demands of continuous remote health monitoring
with automated, lightweight, and secure systems have massively escalated. The AI-driven
IoT/IoMT can play an essential role in sufficing this demand, but there are several challenges in attaining it. We can look into these emerging hurdles in IoT from three directions:
the sensing layer, the communication layer, and the computing layer. Existing centralized
remote cloud-based AI analytics is not adequate for solving these challenges, and we need
to emphasize bringing the analytics into the ultra-edge IoT. Furthermore, from the communication perspective, the conventional techniques are not viable for the practical delivery of
health data in dynamic network conditions in 5G and B5G network systems. Therefore, we
need to go beyond the traditional realm and press the need to incorporate lightweight AI
architecture to solve various challenges in the three mentioned IoT planes, enhancing the
healthcare system in decision making and health data transmission.
In this thesis, we present different AI-enabled techniques to provide practical and lightweight
solutions to some selected challenges in the three IoT planes.


title: Attitude control of a quadrotor UAV: Experimental results

contributor:
Tayebi, Abdelhamid
Liu, Xiaoping

subject:
Quadrotor UAV control approaches
Airframe and electronics
Attitude estimation and control

abstract:
The quadrotor is a type of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) which is gaining popularity
over the past few years for its potential applications. Quadrotor UAVs are used, for instance,
for surveillance, search and rescue missions, monuments inspection, and aerial photography.
The crucial step towards a reliable application is the development of efficient attitude estimation
and control algorithms. The primary focus of this thesis consists in investigating
various attitude control techniques and their applications.
A nonlinear attitude estimator and a PD-like controller have been successfully implemented
on a Quadrotor UAV. However, the stability proof of the attitude observer/controller combination
is not obvious as the system is nonlinear. To solve this problem, an attitude
controller directly relying on inertial vector measurements and angular velocity has been
proposed. Some practical methods such as filtering and vector decoupling were developed
and discussed. Moreover, an inertial measurements based velocity-free attitude controller
has been designed.
Finally, real-time implementation has been conducted on a small-scale low-cost quadrotor
UAV. Experimental results have been carried out to show the effectiveness of the proposed
controllers and some experimental problems and further approaches of the velocity-free
controller are discussed.


title: Tsattine People and Bison: Pre-Colonial Relationships and Ancestral Territories

contributor:
Metcalfe, Jessica
Dowsley, Martha
Hamilton, Scott

subject: Human-animal relationships (Traditional hunting practices)

subject: Communal hunting

subject: Beaver (and bison) reconciliation and revitalization

abstract:
Traditional knowledge and historical records indicate that communal hunting was an
important practice for subarctic Beaver people (Dunne-zaa / Dane-zaa / Tsattine) of northern
Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. Prior to the 20th century Beaver people hunted a
variety of animals, including American bison (plains bison [Bison bison bison] and wood bison
[Bison bison athabascae]), which were nearly eradicated in North America by the late 1800s due
to colonial impacts associated with European settlement. My thesis explores traditional
relationships Beaver people had with animals, possible Beaver communal hunting methods and
locations, and the subarctic/northern plains range of bison. I explore the social relationships
between Beaver people and animals through stories, ethnographic and historical records. I argue
that acknowledging this social relationship with animals supports revitalization efforts by
challenging Western standpoints that often view animals (particularly food animals) as non-sentient beings, which is in contrast to Beaver/Indigenous understandings of animals as persons.
I describe five potential communal hunting sites that may have been utilized by Beaver people
for bison drives and/or jumps. Oral accounts of bison jumps in these northern regions contradicts
Western literature which suggest that jumps did not occur in these areas, so further examination
of these sites is recommended. [...]


title: Characteristics, functions, and body investment of non–suicidal self–injury in individuals of Middle Eastern and European ethnicity

contributor:
Tan, Josephine
Stroink, Mirella
Wesner, Michael

subject:
Non–suicidal self–injury
Body investment
NSSI severity
NSSI functions

abstract:
The objective of the study was to investigate differences in non–suicidal self–injury (NSSI)
characteristics, NSSI functions, and body investment for individuals of Middle Eastern and
European descent recruited from Middle Eastern countries, Canada, and the United States.
Individuals who did not have a history of NSSI served as control groups. A total sample of 649
participants completed an online questionnaire that consisted of a demographics background
section which also contained questions about NSSI during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Body
Investment Scale (BIS), Marlowe–Crowne Social Desirability Scale, the Deliberate Self–Harm
Inventory, and the Inventory of Statements About Self–Harm (ISAS). The findings showed
body investment to be negatively correlated with NSSI severity. Analyses based on groups (n =
80) matched on sex, gender, age, education, and socioeconomic status were carried out. Among
self–injurers, those of Middle Eastern descent endorsed higher levels of body care and comfort
with physical touch than those of European descent. Examination of effect size showed that
self–injurers endorsed body investment more strongly than non–self–injurers, and that this was
more prominent among those of Middle Eastern descent. Effect size also showed that self–
injurers of European descent endorsed the NSSI functions more strongly than self–injurers of
Middle Eastern descent. Finally, fewer than half of self–injurers continue to hurt themselves
during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for those who did, they hurt themselves more frequently
and more severely. It was reported that they self–injured for the same reasons as before the
pandemic, and they took more time to act on their desire to self-injure.


title: Visual cryptography with cheating shares

subject: Cryptography

abstract:
Visual cryptography is a technique that applies the human visual system to decode
encrypted information, such as text, image and number, without any sophisticated
devices and computing capabilities. Therefore, compared with the traditional cryptography,
it is apparent that it saves a large amount of time and money on devices and
computations. Also, visual cryptography provides the convenience for humans to carry
out decryption with a portal card which is significant to the business application. In
the past decade, visual cryptography has been thoroughly researched not only on its
contrast and subpixel expansion, but also on its applications.
The main contribution of this thesis is the security of visual cryptography related
to the dishonest shareholders. This is the first known work concerning this variety
of potentially secure problem. In the previous papers, the shareholders are inherently
honest. However, in the real world, it is impossible to guarantee that every shareholder
would be honest forever(e.g., because of the interest of business or military, some
shareholders might change to be the traitors). Therefore, a new method based on
visual authentication[16] is proposed and the improvement is also made. In this thesis,
we also review the previous papers on different fields of the visual cryptography.


title: Impact of weather variability and climate change on grain yield of Sable wheat in Thunder Bay, Ontario

subject:
Grain yield
Spring wheat
Effects of weather on wheat growth

abstract:
Cultivation of spring wheat varieties has expanded into northern areas where it is an
integral part of the crop rotations followed by the farmers. Around Thunder Bay, in Northern
Ontario, spring wheat is typically grown from May until September. Crop success or failure
depends on critical stages of growth in spring wheat that include emergence and tillering (in
May-June), stem elongation (jointing) and booting (in June-July), spike emergence, heading
(mid July), anthesis, grain filling (July-August), and kernel hardening or maturity (in August).
Weather plays a vital role at each of these stages. Here, analysis is presented of the role of
weather during seeding, tillering, jointing, grain-filling and kernel-hardening stages on the grain
yield of spring wheat (cultivar Sable) from 2003-2017 at the Lakehead University Agricultural
Research Station (LUARS), Thunder Bay. The analysis was conducted using the CROP-SIM
CERES model and weather records at the Thunder Bay Airport (~10 km from LUARS).
Simulation of future yields followed with projected climate according to the Representative
Concentration Pathway (RCP) 2.6, a greenhouse gas trajectory adopted by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The simulation predicted an average 26%
lower grain yield by 2030. Sable grain yield was correlated to maximum (R2 = 0.69) and
minimum (R2 = 0.46) temperature, but rainfall was not a factor that could predict wheat grain
yield on its own. In the future, growers could experience a greater number of heat-stress days,
and an increase in minimum temperatures during the jointing, grain filling and kernel-hardening
stages that may limit future yields.


title: Effects of cognitive strategies on running performance

subject:
Running (Training)
Runner (Sports)


title: The Newly developed competitiveness orientation measure : psychometric development and evaluation

subject:
Competition (Psychology)
Personality
Psychometrics
Achievement orientation

abstract: The concept of competitiveness as a personality trait has been alluded to for over 70 years; yet, it has surprisingly been largely neglected as an individual differences variable. Instead, researchers have focused on the application of competitiveness to more context-specific environments, such as sports, academics and occupational settings. In spite of the potential utility of identifying individual differences in competitiveness, there currently exists no psychometrically valid, broadly applicable and unified measure of these differences. Furthermore, a review of the literature, has illuminated the need for at least two underlying dimensions of this trait; Dominant and Personal-Enhancement competitiveness. Thus, the goal of the present study is to provide preliminary construct-validity and confirmation of the factor structure of a new measure of competitiveness: the Competitiveness Orientation Measure.                                                                            The initial 137-item Competitiveness Orientation Measure was tested in two independent samples of 886 University, and community participants. Examination of item-total correlations, discrimination indices and factor analysis procedures using Horn's Parallel Analysis and the Velicer's test resulted in the retention of 37 final items with Cronbach's alpha reported as .96 and split-half reliability reported as .93. Retained items supported past theoretical accounts of Dominant and Personal-Enhancement competitiveness in addition to two newly-emerged dimensions corresponding to General Competitiveness and Pervasive Competitiveness. Theoretically, the Competitiveness Orientation Measure is the first comprehensive, psychometrically valid scale that adequately captures individual differences in competitiveness across four dimensions. Multidimensional differences in competitiveness may serve to differentiate competitors' success in sports, occupational and academic contexts.


title: Buffering against the negative effects of body image media exposure : a comparison of social psychological interventions

subject:
Women in mass media
Body image in women

abstract:
Evidence of sociocultural influences on the development and maintenance of body image
comes from shifting media trends and cross-cultural differences in the prevalence of eating
disorders. Further, previous research has indicated that brief exposure to media portrayals of
ideal female attractiveness can have significant affective and cognitive impacts on young women
with low levels of dispositional body satisfaction. The current research employed principles
elaborated in the literature on social influence and persuasion to develop and test the efficacy of
two types of interventions aimed at buffering women against the deleterious effects of brief
media exposure. Interventions were provided to 53 female undergraduates in groups of 3 - 9.
Thirty-three females formed the control group. In a “social influence" intervention, peer
pressure was exerted upon participants to report that the media ought to have a very minor role in
determining how people feel about themselves and others by way of a simulated consensus of a
homogeneous group reporting the same. In a second type of intervention, participants viewed a
psychoeducational video which taught skills for critically appraising body image related
messages conveyed through popular media. Participants were exposed to the combined
intervention (social influence and persuasive video), the video, or no intervention. Participants
then viewed pictures of fashion models depicting the sociocultural standard of female
attractiveness. Measures of current mood states and body image taken prior and subsequent to
interventions and exposure to images indicated that the interventions did not buffer against the
effects of media exposure. In fact, mood actually worsened. Results are discussed in terms in
terms of theories of social influence and persuasion. Future directions for research are provided.


title: Introduction to the legacy forest small streams study : runoff patterns and related biogeochemistry on the western portion of the boreal shield

contributor:
Prepas, Ellie
Lovett-Doust, Lesley
Mundy, Jeff
Kreutzweiser, Dave

subject:
Runoff Ontario, Northwestern
Snowfall Ontario, Northwestern
Snow Ontario, Northwestern
Boreal forest
Watershed disturbance
Forest harvest
Macroinvertebrates

abstract: The Forest Watershed and Riparian Disturbance (FORWARD) Project is an ongoing study initiated on the western Boreal Plain (northwestern Alberta) in 2001 to incorporate hydrologic processes into industrial forest management. Data collection and modelling focused on streamflow during the growing season (01 May to 31 October) in eight recently disturbed (>50% by total area) and six reference first- to fourth-order watersheds. In 2003, the Legacy Forest Small Streams (LFSS) study was launched in the western Boreal Shield (northwestern Ontario) to extend the geographical scope of the FORWARD Project. The objectives of my study were to provide a comparable baseline data set on stream flow dynamics for the modelling process within industrial forest management and in the context of a comparative study of storm driven patterns. Long-term intention is to apply controlled disturbance (ie. forest harvest) to a subset of the study watersheds.


title: Violent and aggressive students in Newfoundland and Labrador

subject: School violence

subject: School violence prevention

subject: School violence Newfoundland and Labrador

abstract:
Youth violence is a very real problem in North American schools. Understanding youth
violence and aggression is key to developing effective school programs to reduce the number
of violent acts in schools. This was a descriptive study that Reused on the small population
of students who are considered to be highly aggressive to the point where they can no longer
be managed in the schools. Representatives from 8 of the 10 school boards in the Province
of Newfoundland and Labrador were questioned to learn more about the background
characteristics of this population of students, to find out what programs were currently in
place to deal with violent and aggressive behaviour, and to determine what programs should
be implemented to reduce the number of students considered unmanageable due to violent
behaviour. The major findings were the majority of severely aggressive students were males,
who had low levels of reading and required the assistance of a special education teacher, and
had displayed acts of aggression for more than two years. School boards offered a range of
programs for students with violent and aggressive behaviours, however, these programs were
not consistent across school boards and programs were not equally accessible to rural and
urban schools. Participants agreed that more programs were needed, and offered suggestions
of what they would like to see in place, especially alternative schools. The findings are
discussed with a focus on the need for additional research that could guide policy and
development and school-based services for violent students.


title: An Integrated Full-bridge Class-DE Ultrasound Transducer Driver for HIFU Applications

contributor:
Christoffersen, Carlos
Curiel, Laura

subject:
High intensity focused ultrasound
CMOS integrated transducer driver
Ultrasound transducer
Transducer array
Ultrasonic transducer driver design

abstract:
This thesis present a CMOS integrated transducer driver for high intensity focused ultrasound
(HIFU) applications. Because this driver will be used in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
environment, no magnetic components such as inductors and transformers have been used in this
design. The transducer is directly connected to the driver without a matching network. The output
stage of this driver is a full-bridge Class DE RF amplifer which is able to deliver more power than
the previous design that has a half-bridge Class DE amplifer.
The driver was also designed to be used in a transducer array. A digital control unit was
integrated with the power amplifer that allows to program the drivers phase shift and duty ratio.
A strategy to drive a ultrasound transducer array using the designed driver is also presented in this
thesis.
This design was implemented using the AMS H35B4 CMOS technology using the Cadence suite
of design tools and occupies a die area of 2mm by 1.5mm with 20 input and output pads. Simulation
and initial experimental results are presented in this work. The proposed integrated CMOS driver
has an efficiency of 89.4% with 3.60 W of output power. Results are little bit different for each
transducer.


title: Nonlinear transient analysis based on wave digital filters

subject: Digital filters (Mathematics)

subject: Parallel processing (Electronic computers)

abstract: Simulation of large circuit networks is a CPU-time and memory consuming task. Computer clusters and multi-core processors have become common but algorithms must be parallelizable to fully take advantage of these architectures. Therefore, it is of great interest to find efficient parallel algorithms for circuit simulation. In this thesis an algorithm based on a Wave digital Filter (WDF) model of the circuit combined with waveform relaxation is presented for the first time. The new approach is tested with the simulation of a nonlinear transmission line. Several variations of the algorithm and the potential for parallelization are analyzed. Topics relevant for the work in this thesis are presented first followed by transient simulation results using a Jacobi-like algorithm applied to two different WDF models of a nonlinear transmission line. The simulation results are shown to be in agreement with the results obtained using a traditional method. The Waveform Relaxation implementation is presented next followed by a set of simulation results and a discussion. Simulation results indicate that the approach requires more CPU time than traditional methods. Some suggestions for future improvements are given in the last chapter of this thesis.


title: Analysis on the influencing factors of forest natural regeneration in northern China

subject:
Forest regeneration
Forest ecosystem
Natural forest regeneration
Human disturbance in forests
Environmental disturbance (forests)

abstract:
The purpose of this paper is to clarify that the differences in natural regeneration
between the two forests in northern China are caused by precipitation, altitude, temperature, and canopy density. Similarly, the regeneration ability is related to the
composition of tree species in the forest. Generally, the growth trend of a hardwood
forest is not as good as that of a conifer forest in the northern cold area. At the same
time, we also explored the possibility of human disturbance in forests. Due to the
different geographical locations of the two forests, the human disturbance of
Tuoketuo forest farm is more serious, which is also one of the reasons for the weak
forest regeneration ability. By comparing the natural regeneration data of Guandi
mountain and the natural regeneration data of Tuoketuo Forest Farm collected by
previous scholars, the results showed that: (1) there were 17 seedlings and 44 saplings
in ten Guandishan 20 m × 20 m square sampling plots. 9 plot has the highest
regeneration density was 250 stems/ ha which canopy density was 0.25. When canopy
density higher than 0.25, the regeneration density decreased significantly with the
increase of canopy density; when canopy density higher than 0.80, there was no
regeneration. (2) Four 1 × 1 (m) (1 m2) small plots were set in 2 × 2 (m2) plant plots to
examine the natural regeneration frequency of Tuoketuo county. The total area of
regeneration is 10756.8 ha, the total number of regeneration plants is 236650 stems, and the average number of regeneration stems per hectare was only 22 stems. (3) The
regeneration quantity of young forest and seedling in Guandishan mountain forest is
more. Light, altitude, and other factors were the main factors affecting the
regeneration of Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr on Guandishan Mountain. The forest
in Tuoketuo county is not only affected by stand structure, site conditions, climate and
other natural conditions but also affected by human disturbance.


title: Rewording elder abuse : a test of six frameworks

subject: Elder abuse

abstract:
The term “elder abuse” carries powerful connotations and preconceptions, making the
topic a difficult one to broach. In order to effectively reach older adults, their family
members and caregivers, educators would do well to avoid language that could
automatically repel these individuals. The main objective o f this study was to take a step
toward finding more accessible forms o f written information on elder abuse by testing the
effects o f the manner in which this information is presented. Combinations o f three
message types (informational, empowerment, and elder abuse) and two message tones
(neutral and emotional) produced six alternative versions or frameworks. Informational
messages featured an objective, factual approach, while empowerment messages took a
more subjective, positive aging approach. Elder abuse messages referred directly to abuse
and neglect. Each participant (305 university students and 60 older adults) read one o f the
six versions and completed a questionnaire. Two sets o f three-way ANOVAs and
multinomial logistic regressions examining type, tone, and group effects were conducted.
The results indicated that elder abuse messages had higher perceived quality than
empowerment messages, and that emotionally-toned messages had higher perceived
impact than neutrally-toned messages. Compared to other frameworks, the informationneutral
message was more likely to result in indications that most older Canadians have
no problems or few problems with those close to them. A number o f group effects and
interactions occurred. It was concluded that the wording o f information on elder abuse
does have significant effects on readers’ responses, effects that often vary according to
the characteristics o f the reader.


title: Freeze-thaw effect on selected fecal indicator bacteria : Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis / by Nicole A. Hawdon.

contributor:
Gao, Wa
Leung, Kam Tin
Schraft, Heidi
Providenti, Miguel

subject:
Feces
Enterococcus faecalis
Escherichia coli
Microbiology

abstract:
The survival of two selected fecal indicator organisms, two strains of Escherichia coli, a Gram-negative bacterium, and two strains of Enterococcus faecalis, a Gram-positive bacterium, after freezing and thawing successively for five cycles was determined using a drop plating method. It was found that all bacterial strains, when an initial concentration of 1.0 x E +08 was used, showed significant decreases in their ability to be cultured (p < 0.05) when frozen and thawed at -15C, compared to three other freezing temperatures, -7, -30 and -80C, when all four were frozen for 24 hours. In addition, the number of culturable cells at -7, -30, or -80C were not significantly different from each other (p > 0.05). The differences in cell inactivation between the two strains of each species of bacteria tested at all temperatures was not significantly different after five freeze-thaw cycles; while the difference between species was shown to be significant, depending on the temperature and condition tested (p < 0.05). When comparing small sample volume sizes (100l) to larger sample volume sizes (100ml) the observed differences were that Escherichia coli strains showed a decrease in cell culturability at both -7C and -15C when cycled in the larger volume; whereas, Enterococcus faecalis strains showed a decrease in cell culturability at -7C and an increase in cell culturability at -15C when cycled at the larger volume.
Additional studies investigating culturability, cell wall integrity, and membrane damage of the bacterial strains were conducted using 100ml samples, cycled at -7, -15, and -30°C, and evaluated by three microbiological methods: drop plating, epi-fluorescent microscopy, and flow cytometry, respectively. In all instances, the plate counting method
indicated that there was a decrease in cells that were culturable. Results from flow cytometry indicated a smaller decrease in cell culturability, followed, lastly, by results using the epi-fluorescent microscope. Thus, these studies would suggest that the most damage that occurs to frozen and thawed cells, when cycled five times at -7,-15 or -30°C, would be due to damages occurring at the cellular level, rather than damages occurring
on the cell envelope, since less cells were able to uptake nutrients from the culture plates.


title: Habitat use and movement by brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in three tributaries of Nipigon Bay, Lake Superior

subject: Brook trout Habitat Nipigon Bay (Lake Superior)

subject: Salmonidae Habitat Nipigon Bay (Lake Superior)

subject: Rainbow trout Habitat Nipigon Bay (Lake Superior)

abstract: Three streams were surveyed: Dublin Creek, MacInnes Creek, and Little Cypress River in Northwestern Ontario.

abstract:
Knowledge of the physical habitat features of streams that are used by
brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is an
essential component of insuring that the habitat is protected from potential
impacts of land-use. In three small streams along the north shore of Lake
Superior I examined the characteristics of the stream habitat and length of
stream generally occupied by the brook trout and rainbow trout during the
summer, including brook trout in the presence and absence of rainbow trout in
the same stream. Electrofishing, passive integrated transponder (PIT) tagging,
minnow trapping, two-way weirs, and habitat manipulations were techniques
utilized in this study. Catch rates and fish biomass were examined in relation to
associated characteristics of the stream habitat. The length of stream generally
occupied was extrapolated from the capture locations of PIT-tagged brook trout
and rainbow trout. Two-way weirs were placed at the top and bottom of a reach
within a section of one of the streams to monitor immigration and emigration of
brook trout and rainbow trout. Brook trout catch-per-unit-effort (CUE) using
baited minnow traps was more variable when traps were placed near low to high
amounts of structure in pools compared to areas with no structure. Whereas,
rainbow trout CUE using baited minnow traps was low for all categories, from no
structure to high amounts of structure. Brook trout biomass for entire pools was
found to be significantly correlated with canopy closure over pools in the absence
of rainbow trout (r2 = 0.056, p = 0.037) and in the presence of rainbow trout (r2 =
0.059, p = 0.044). However, no significant correlations were found between
rainbow trout biomass for entire pools and various physical features that were
measured within pools. The majority of re-captured brook trout (20/23) and
rainbow trout (13/15) were less than two pools from the pool in which they were
originally captured one month earlier. Primarily young-of-the-year (YOY) brook
trout and rainbow trout moved through the two-way weirs. The majority of
movement through the weirs was in the upstream direction (74 %) and the
majority of the downstream movement (66 %) occurred during the latter third of
the monitoring period (July and August). The results of this study may be
indicative of responses by salmonids to infertile conditions. The salmonid
biomass in streams that are relatively infertile may be at carrying capacity with
respect to the chemical characteristics or productivity of the water, but the
physical habitat is not likely used to its full potential when compared to more
productive waterbodies. Therefore, habitat use and movement patterns exhibited
by salmonids inhabiting small infertile streams may be less common, but it may
also be the natural response by salmonids that encounter these conditions
across their geographic range.


title: Rare and exotic mineralogy of the western subcomplex of the Deadhorse Creek "diatreme", Northwestern Ontario

subject:
Geology (Ontario, Northwestern)
Mineralogy (Ontario, Northwestern)

abstract:
The Deadhorse Creek ‘Diatreme’ is a Proterozoic vent breccia that probably
formed in response to early mid-continent rifting. Following emplacement of
the breccia, the western subcomplex experienced three alteration events,
producing the complex mineralogy observed in the main mineralized zone.
Each event has produced a unique mineral paragenesis and the timing o f each
has been deduced from both textural and compositional evidence. While
independent, these events made use o f the same pre-existing fracture system
along which the western subcomplex is situated. In order, these events were:
intrusion o f granitic fluids, alkaline metasomatism, and thermal metamorphism
due to the emplacement o f the Coldwell alkaline complex. Following the
alteration events, and presumably a result o f denudation, oxidization and
leaching o f the main mineralized zone has produced a supergene paragenesis of:
calcite, tyuyamunite, hollandite and barite. The main mineralized zone was
enriched in first- and second-row transition metals, rare-earth elements,
beryllium, Th and U. The mineralization is represented by the presence of:
aegirine-jervisite, aegirine-natalyite, barite, baryhte, hollandite, coffinite,
hematite, Umenorutile, magnetite, monazite-(Ce), phenakite, pyrite, rutile,
thorite, thorogummite, thortveitite, tyuyamunite, uraninite, V-crichtonite,
xenotime-(Y), zircon, zircon-thorite-coffinite solid solutions and a few
unnamed mineral species. The resulting mineralogy is both unique and
complex, with several rare minerals and new compositional extremes reported
(i.e., Nb-V-rutile, aegirine-jervisite, aegifine-natalyite, zircon-thorite-coffinite
solid solutions, Dy-xenotdme-(Y), thortveitite, baotite, barylite and Vcrichtonite).
In addition, unique parageneses are reported, giving further insight
into the geochemistry o f Be, Ba, Sc, V, N b, Ti and Cr and conditions of
formation of phenakite, baryhte, thortveitite, crichtonite, ilmenorutile, barian
feldspars and zircon-thorite-coffinite solid solutions.


title: Empirical evidence of a chronic pain schema using a recall task

subject: Chronic pain Psychological aspects

abstract: Study group from the Thunder Bay region of Northwestern Ontario

abstract:
The purpose of the proposed investigation was to provide empirical evidence of a pain
schema. The effect of various durations of pain experienced on pain schema
development was explored. Fifty-one pain patients were recruited from the university
community, the Thunder Bay community, and area hospitals. Pain patients were divided
into three groups based on pain duration. In addition, sixteen healthy control subjects
were recruited from the Thunder Bay community. Each participant completed a free
recall task. We hypothesized that patients who had suffered chronic pain syndromes the
longest would demonstrate a greater recall bias toward pain-related stimuli. Results
failed to support the hypothesis. There were no differences found across pain groups in
the number or percentage of pain words recalled. However, pain patients did
demonstrate more cognitive bias towards pain-related stimuli overall compared to control
participants. Results clearly provide support for the existence of a pain-related self-schema
in pain patients. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed in relation
to the prevention, assessment, and management of chronic pain.


title: Context aware services for smart learning environments

subject:
Context-aware computing
Ubiquitous computing
Internet in education
Educatinal technology
Computer network architectures

abstract: This thesis describes a cost-effective infrastructure and implementation for building ubiquitous learning spaces. It uses techniques from the semantic web and ubiquitous computing to build a learner-centric service-based architecture to transform existing traditional learning spaces (e.g. classrooms, computer labs, meeting rooms, and hallways) into intelligent ambient learning environments. This is achieved by blending a number of inexpensive technologies which are optimally configured to provide services that can perceive learners' location and schedule, identify current learning activity, recommend learning resources, and enable effective real-time collaboration and resource sharing between learners and their instructors. These services are semantically defined using service policies based on a shared ontology and reasoning techniques, and the system is designed to dynamically adapt to fulfill technological needs in a variety of learning situations. The proposed system uses many patterns of formal, informal, and collaborative learning supported by a range of mobile and handheld computer devices to enable better instruction in various learning setups. A prototype system is designed and built, a few learning scenarios are presented, and some test case user feedback is provided to evaluate and analyze the system.


title: Association among age, sex, and geographical region with health care utilization through the Ontario telemedicine network

contributor:
Kristman, Vicki
Hogenbirk, John
Warry, Wayne
Moller, Helle

subject: Canadian rural health care system (challenges)

subject: Health care utilization

subject: Ontario Telemedicine Network

subject: Virtual health care

abstract:
The Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) facilitates virtual health care services across all of Ontario. Founded in 2006, OTN has allowed patients to access specialized care that was once only accessible in urban settings.1 The services that the services that OTN facilitates has impacted the health and quality of life of hundreds of thousands of residents in the province. It has been suggested that telemedicine decreases the patient’s need to travel long distances to receive appropriate health care.2,3 Traveling to medical appointments is time-consuming and poses many safety risks to those residing in Ontario, particularly for northern and rural residents.2,3 Further, it can create issues of inequity (e.g., vehicle ownership), social disruption, and anxiety in the populations who must travel to seek health care. A lack of public transportation is another reason why patients and providers may choose to use telemedicine over in-person services.4,5 The use of telemedicine services in the Ontario population is not well understood. Specifically, it is unknown how telemedicine service utilization varies between men and women, and among various age groups. It is also unknown how utilization rates within these age and sex groups differ by patient geography; and particularly in older adults, where there is growing familiarity and comfort with telemedicine technologies. To fill this knowledge gap, more research is needed to understand how telemedicine can be used to help older adults, especially those with chronic health conditions.6
Thus, my thesis sought to determine what telemedicine services are utilized through OTN. More specifically, administrative billing data from April 2008 to March 2015 were analyzed to determine what age and sex groups are using telemedicine services most frequently and to further investigate these population utilization rates in a rural and urban context. This study is the first to examine the associations among age, sex and utilization of OTN services. The results show which OTN therapies were most sought out by Ontario patients in different age and sex groups and how utilization rates vary by region and rurality. This study also examined whether telemedicine in Ontario is targeting particular demographics (i.e., if a clinical service area is being utilized by a particular age, sex, or regional group). Through dissemination and knowledge translation, this study hopes to inform rural, northern policy and decision-makers on the OTN utilization patterns of men and women in different age groups, and potentially providing justification on how funding resources should be allocated to improve the specialized health care services that are most needed in the community.


title: Soil-site relations for jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) in Northeastern Ontario

subject: Jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb)

subject: Forest site quality Ontario, Northeastern

subject: Site index (Forestry) Ontario, Northeastern

abstract:
Site index of jack pine {Pinus banksiana Lamb) measured on 76 plots in
northeastern Ontario was related to features of soil and topography using
multiple regression. Site index at breast height age 50 years (SIBHSO) was used
as the dependent variable, and 119 soil and topographic values were used as
independent variables. Regression equations were imprecise using all 76 plots.
When separate equations were computed for bedrock-moraine, glaciofluvial, and
moraine landforms, precision was much greater with R2 values of 0.78, 0.51 and
0.60, respectively.
The final bedrock-moraine equation consisted of slope percent, thickness
of the B horizon, and percent stones in the top 25 cm of the soil profile. The
glaciofluvial equation consisted of depth to average rooting, depth to moisture
restricting layer, and percent silt in the B horizon. The moraine equation
consisted of depth to maximum rooting, pore pattern, percent sand and percent
silt In the BC horizon.
The northeastern Ontario plots were combined with Schmidt and
Carmean's (1988) 131 plots. New regressions based on the pooled data had R2
values of 0.84, 0.55, 0.37, 0.57, and 0.24 for bedrock-glaciofluvial, bedrock-moraine,
glaciofluvial, lacustrine, and moraine landforms, respectively. These
analyses produced valid jack pine soil-site equations for the combined bedrock
and lacustrine landforms in northeastern and north central Ontario; but
equations combining data for glaciofluvial and moraine landforms were
imprecise.
The northeastern and north central Ontario plots were pooled with 16
plots from northwestern Ontario. New regressions based on the pooled data
had R2 values of 0.22, 0.47, and 0.17 for glaciofluvial, lacustrine, and moraine
landforms, respectively. These analyses resulted in equations that had
unacceptably low precision. The failure to compute acceptable soil-site
equations was attributed to different soil and topographic variables influencing
the height growth of jack pine in northwestern Ontario.


title: Validation of the Diabetes Attitude Scale on a sample of Quebec health-care professionals

subject: Diabetics Quebec (Province) Attitudes

subject: Medical personnel and patient Quebec Attitudes

subject: Diabetes Research Quebec (Province)

abstract:
The following study aimed to: (1) compose a French version ofAnderson
et al.'s (1989) original Diabetes Attitude Scale (DAS) by sampling 5 groups of
Quebec health care professionals; (2) increase the reliability and validity ofthe
DAS (Anderson et al., 1989) through the creation ofa revised version ofthis
instrument.
This scale, entitled the revised Diabetes Attitude Scale (DAS-R), was
developed through the efforts of a panel of 6 diabetes educators from Notre Dame
Hospital, Montreal, Quebec. Thirty-eight items, thirty-one of these with
Cronbach alphas greater than 0.37, were selected from the original DAS (1989)
and combined with 27 items that had been created by members of the panel to
form a 65-item scale. The items were revised by the panel and those deemed to
be redundant or to increase scale variability were dropped. A total of fifteen
items were dropped, and the final version of the scale contained 50 questions.
The 50 -item scale was then mailed to 478 health care professionals, nurses,
dietitians, physicians, pharmacists, and psychologists (specialists and
nonspecialists in diabetes care) in all regions of Quebec. Four-hundred additional
surveys were distributed to health care professionals through Quebec Diabetes
Association conferences.
The surveys were returned by 62 nurses, 49 dietitians, 149 physicians, 55
pharmacists, and 5 psychologists, totaling 320 returns (a return rate of 36%). The
returned surveys were analyzed, and a 37-item DAS-R composed of 8 subscales resulted. Evidence for the reliability and validity ofthe 37-item DAS-R are
included in this study.
The Diabetes Behaviour Scale (DBS) was created to provide evidence for
the validity of the DAS-R. This 13-item scale was developed specifically to
accompany the DAS-R and is a measure ofdiabetes management-related
behaviours applicable to physicians. The development ofthe DBS was based on
information obtained from specialized texts in diabetes care and opinions from a
specialist in diabetes care and education (Notre Dame Hospital, Montreal). The
scale is comprised of questions based on various behavioural issues appropriate to
diabetes care (i.e. are patients referred to cardiologists, ophthalmologists when
required? Does the physician attend diabetes workshops, seminars? Are patients
referred to outpatient education clinics?). An item analysis ofthe scale revealed
that 7 items had poor item-total correlations. These were dropped from further
analyses. The resulting 6-item scale had a satisfactory Cronbach alpha value
(alpha= .48).
Analyses of the results showed that there were significant correlations
between two ofthe DAS-R subscales and the DBS. This is the first time in
diabetes care research that an attempt at discovering a correlation between
attitudes and behaviours has been accomplished using scales derived specifically
for their measurement. The relationship between attitudes and behaviours found
in this study supports Ajzen and Fishbein's theory of reasoned action.


title: Changes in yellow perch diets associated with nanosilver exposure in freshwater lakes

subject: Nanosilver

subject: Aquatic ecosystem

subject: Effects of nanomaterials on the environment

abstract: Freshwater lake experiments on the effects of nanosilver were completed at the Experimental Lakes Area in northwestern Ontario. Since nanosilver has antibacterial properties it is expected to have negative effects on microorganisms causing indirect consequences to an aquatic food web. Diets of Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) populations from a lake with nanosilver added were compared to an unmanipulated reference lake. These two study lakes were compared across the same duration period of nanosilver addition years (2014 & 2015) to lake recovery (2016 to present) during summer and fall seasons. Nanosilver was added to the lakes with a mean particle size of 40 nm with 9 kg added in 2014 and 6 kg added in 2015. The results showed no differences in diet contents due to exposure to nanosilver. There was a greater propensity for piscivory in large Yellow Perch from Lake 239, whereas Lake 222 had high levels of benthivory in both time periods and seasons but no evidence of piscivory. This study showed only natural alterations in diets, but no effects from the nanosilver added at a nearshore point source. In conclusion, ongoing monitoring is recommended, to see if future tests reveal any effects from nanosilver material entry to freshwater aquatic ecosystems.


title: Designing a secure ubiquitous mammography consultation system

subject: Breast radiography

subject: Radiographic Image Interpretation (Computer-Assisted)

subject: Radiography, Medical Digital techniques

abstract:
This thesis attempts to design and develop a prototype for mammography image
consultation that can work securely within a ubiquitous environment. Mammogram images
differ largely from other type of images and it requires special and dedicated techniques to
identify the required regions of interest. Thus in Chapter 2 we started to explore the
affectivity of the various traditional techniques based on convolution operators (e.g. Sobol,
Pretwitt, Canny) for mammography edge detection. The second part of chapter 2 tries to
enhance the results obtained via the traditional techniques by hybriding some of them. The
hybriding technique is called in our thesis as Pipelined Operators. In this direction we
proposed four pipeline operators, which contribute to the edge enhancement as well as
abnormalities rendering through the introduction of an additional coloring mechanism.
Although the visualization pipelines represent in our view an advancement on the
traditional techniques applied to mammograms, such pipelines expose healthcare users to
further usage complexities. For this purpose we extended our research work in chapter 2 to
find a better single technique that can work smoothly within the healthcare system. In this
direction, we developed in the third part of chapter 2 a novel technique for finding edges
based on analyzing the dynamic and fuzzy nature of edges in mammograms. We called our
developed method as "Dynamic Fuzzy Classifier or the DFC".


title: Genetic and environmental variation in seed, cone and progeny characteristics of black spruce clones in a northern Ontario seed orchard

subject:
Seed orchards
Black spruce
Forest genetics

abstract:
Genetic and environmental variance in cone and seed
properties and early progeny growth of Picea mariana (Mill.)
B.S.P. clones were evaluated using cones and seed from two to
three ramets of 19 clones each growing in a northern Ontario
grafted clonal seed orchard. A cone analysis and a germination
test were conducted to estimate variation among clones and among
ramets within clones. Variation in growth of 19 open-pollinated
families growing under two fertilizer regimes in a greenhouse was
evaluated after three, four and five months of test
establishment. Mean cone volume and mean cone length were found
to be 2.2 cm[superscript 3] and 24.4 mm, respectively. The mean for
number of seed per cone was 71, although only 18% of these seeds
were filled. Nested analyses of variance indicated that clones
accounted for 23% to 39% of the total variation in cone size and
seed yield per cone. Variation among ramets within clones for
these characteristics accounted for 13% to 19% of total variance.
The average germination percent, based on filled seed, was 68%
and was completed (90%) after 11 days. Genetic variance in
germination percent and germination speed acccounted for 67% and
21% of the total variance, respectively. For germination percent
and germination speed, 18% and 33% of the total variation,
respectively, were due to ramets within clones. In the progeny
test, family heights were highly significant at all three ages.
At five months family height means ranged from 30 cm to 34 cm and from 11 cm to 14 cm at the low and high fertilizer level,
respectively, Ramet-within-clone effects were only significant
after three and four months, when seedling heights were
significantly correlated with seed weights. Family-fertilizer
interactions were not significant at all three ages, although the
variance component for this source of variation increased
substantially towards the end of the test period.


title: Comparing optimal and actual forest road locations using least-cost analysis in QGIS

subject:
Forest roads
Least-cost path analysis
ArcGIS
QGIS
ArcPy
Forest planning (Ontario)

abstract:
For the Lakehead Forest licence, west of Thunder Bay, Ontario, a least-cost
roads model was built in QGIS using provincial Digital Elevation Model (PDEM) data,
and data provided by Greenmantle. A cost-surface was also generated from the PDEM
using a script created in the ArcPy module of Python. The model identified the most
cost-efficient routes for operational roads within a limited criterion, connecting terminal
points in harvested stands to terminal points along primary access roads. The modelled
roads were then compared to existing roads mirroring the modelled versions, to analyze
whether differences were significant. The network of roads as a whole was significantly
different at the 0.05-alpha level, while 41 of 42 individual road pairs were significantly
different at the 0.05-alpha level.