title: Uncertainty Quantification in Large Scale Systems Design

abstract: One of the main challenges facing designers of high-speed integrated circuits and interconnects is predicting the effect of the variability of geometrical and physical parameters on the circuit performance. In this thesis, an algorithm based on Parametric Model Order Reduction (PMOR) is presented for statistical analysis of large microwave and high-speed circuits with multiple stochastic parameters. Using the proposed algorithm, a set of local reduced-order parameterized circuits are derived based on adaptive frequency sampling and implicit multi-moment matching projection techniques. The local models preserve the stochastic parameters as symbolic quantities. As a result, stochastic response of the circuit can be obtained by simulating the local reduced models instead of the original large system leading to significant reduction in the computational cost compared to traditional Monte-Carlo techniques. In addition, a method is presented for high-dimensional variability analysis. This algorithm is based on two main concepts, namely node tearing for parameter partitioning and sparse grid interpolation. Node-tearing is used to localize the parameters and thus reducing the number of stochastic parameters within the subcircuits and sparse grids reduce the required number of samples for a targeted accuracy. MC analysis of the overall circuit is carried out using interface equations of much smaller dimension than the original circuit equations. On the other hand, the conventional time-domain simulation algorithms are another bottleneck for uncertainty quantification. In this thesis, a higher order time-domain algorithm based on numerical inversion of the Laplace transform (NILT) is presented. The proposed method, labeled NILTn, shows that for the same computational cost of the conventional NILT, referred to as NILT0, the approximation error is reduced by a significant factor, permitting time-marching with much larger time-steps and, consequently, saving significant computational cost per time step. In addition, while the proposed approach enables increasing the simulation time step, it highlighted the need for robust approach that can recover the full waveform in between the time points generated by NILTn. Eventually, an error estimation algorithm is presented to estimate the approximation error in a given time step.


title: The Space Between the Lands: Migration in the Works of Iranian Canadian Diasporic Artists

abstract: Canada's 'multicultural' and 'diverse' identity has surely effected artists' lives and careers. Taking the Iranian artist as case study, this project aims to explore the ways in which migration has affected the work of the artist. The focus of this paper is to investigate how Iranian artists are navigating the Canadian artistic landscape. The process includes the analyzation of their works through three main lenses: politics of movement and space, issues of representation, as well as intersectional feminisms and the examination of the autonomy of the Iranian Canadian woman artist. Private interviews have been conducted to gain deeper insight on the experiences of migration as endured by the Iranian Canadian artists. This thesis seeks to investigate the spaces that diasporic artists occupy. Further, it can be realized that the artists analyzed are finding their voices while also standing in solidarity with other underrepresented artists.


title: Do Angler Handling Practices Influence the Short-Term Post-Release Behaviour of Black Bass?

abstract: Black bass (Micropterus spp.) are a popular group of sportfish in North America, caught year-round, providing economic benefits to local communities. Anglers often release Black bass due to seasonal regulations, tournament regulations or because of personal conservation ethic, with the expectation that released fish will survive the angling interaction. Biologgers were used to analyse the short-term post-release behaviour of Black bass that were angled and released during different seasons of the year. Black bass exposed to sub-freezing windchill temperatures during ice fishing had reduced skin temperatures and increased locomotory activity. The type of weigh-in format influenced the water temperature and depth selected during the short-term post-release period, while also influencing locomotory activity of Black bass. Fish held in livewells demonstrated increased locomotory activity and selected shallower and warmer waters relative to controls. These findings will help to inform the development of best practices for catch and release.


title: Celebrity Humanitarianism and the Politics of Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

abstract: Abstract Over the past 30 years, celebrities have been increasingly involved in humanitarian and philanthropic work and in bringing attention to poverty, disease and other disasters around the world, especially in developing countries. Africa, in particular, has caught the attention of celebrities, some of whom have turned themselves into advocates for the continent and its development issues. Through their humanitarian and philanthropic work, celebrities have portrayed international development as the panacea for poverty, conflict and disease that plague many countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Their activities, however, raise serious questions about legitimacy, accountability, as well as efficacy and motivation. In light of this, my dissertation engages in a critical theoretical analysis of the phenomena of celebrity humanitarianism and philanthropy by embarking on an empirical research of the work of the Bono-led ONE Campaign and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in South Africa and across sub-Saharan Africa in order to understand how these activities are conducted and how they are viewed by their beneficiaries. My research questions are: what are the benefits and limitations of celebrity humanitarian and philanthropic organizations for development and to what extent have celebrity humanitarianism and philanthropy contributed to development and the improvement of life in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa? The literature on celebrity humanitarianism and philanthropy has focused on the debate between cosmopolitan/liberal perspectives, which suggest that these practices are a moral good, on the one hand, and critical approaches on the other. Critical perspectives view celebrity humanitarianism and philanthropy as ways of exercising power over, and exploitation of beneficiaries. But few of these critiques are based on empirical research of how celebrity humanitarians and philanthropic foundations operate on the ground and how they are viewed by their beneficiaries. My research addresses this gap. The findings show that although celebrity humanitarian and philanthropic organizations are helpful, there is evident unease with the control that they and their founders have over development in sub-Saharan Africa. Employing a neoliberal imperialism theoretical lens, I argue that celebrity humanitarianism and philanthropy re-entrench the saviour-victim hierarchy, thus perpetuating, rather than challenge, global hierarchies between the Global North and Global South.


title: Pilot Study for Cutting Force Model of Robotic Deburring

abstract: The knowledge of machining forces in robotic machining is of critical importance to ensure the accuracy and stability of the tool-workpiece interaction. To that end, this thesis presents a method for applying conventional mechanistic milling models to the prediction of cutting forces generated through the robotic machining of chamfers with arbitrary cross-sections. To apply the existing cutting force models, the edges of the workpiece to be machined are measured with a laser scanner. The resulting scan is discretized into rectangular segments, allowing the existing cutting force models to be applied to predict the forces generated through the machining of the scanned edge ... Abstract exceeds word limit


title: A Method for the Assessment of Moisture Conditions of Painted Wood Siding in Historic Wood Frame Buildings

abstract: There are many wood frame buildings in the Ottawa area with painted wood siding. As vinyl is a popular replacement, most historic buildings continue to use wood due to its heritage value. Painting the wood siding protects the underlying material from degradation from the surrounding exterior environment. For painted wood siding, periods of high moisture content can lead to premature decay of the wood or cause paint to blister. The role of the paint layer and its importance in protecting wood siding from moisture is the focus in this research. The permeability of the paint layer to vapour and liquid moisture sources is analyzed using WUFI Pro based on the Sd-value and Aw coefficient. Interior and exterior sources of moisture were found to impact the exterior siding. For Ottawa's climate, an exterior paint layer that is permeable (Sd<=0.5m) and with a lower Aw coefficient (<=0.0003 kg/m2h0.5) is recommended.


title: Optimization and Modeling for Optical Phased Array

abstract: The rapid growth of technology these years has brought up the demands on LiDAR. Research on LiDAR has shown a higher detecting range, resolution, and detection speed than microwave radar. As the essential component of LiDAR, the optical phased array plays a fundamental role in the beamforming for the LiDAR.


title: Python Code for Sturm-Liouville Eigenvalue Problems

abstract: The goal of this thesis is to use Python in order to estimate the eigenvalues of regular Sturm-Liouville problems with Dirichlet boundary conditions. We will study the Sturm-Liouville problem and the properties of the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions. Moreover, we will discuss and use the Prufer transformation and a Prufer-based shooting method to implement the Python code. Finally, we will test the code by computing the first ten eigenvalues of different examples.


title: A Family Home for Toronto's Aged Poor:  The Social Service Mission of Strachan House, 1925-1958

abstract: This dissertation explores the origins, leadership, and occupants of Strachan House, a home for Toronto's aged poor that was founded in 1925 by Mabel Cartwright and the Toronto Diocese Women's Auxiliary to the Missionary Society of the Church of England in Canada (WA). While the national WA was established in 1885 to support foreign and domestic missions, Strachan House emerged as a local activity of the Toronto diocese that, beginning in 1921, expanded its mandate to include social work. Through an investigation of the WA's social Christian undertaking, this project spotlights how the social problem of old age became a significant alternative mission of the women's organization. Assisting the needy elderly encouraged the WA's public engagement in social reform. The thesis rethinks the periodization of the first half of the twentieth century as a time of waning religious influence. It also writes the women of the WA into the historical narrative of the emerging welfare state. Utilizing a range of documents from the home's superintendent and committee of management, this thesis examines the interplay between the home's religious leadership, elderly residents, workers, committee of management members, and physical structure. Strachan House evolved from a home offering shelter and comfort to one extolling the virtues of productivity, yet paternalism toward the elderly residents remained a constant. Contradictions in the home's family mission were evident in strict screening procedures, lack of privacy, and eviction in cases of illness. Occupants inhabited a deteriorating building that was not compatible with safety. Discrepancies between the institutional setting and rhetoric of the family home were pronounced. Following the home to 1958 presents a revisionist history of the era of postwar reconstruction. Neither stability nor prosperity were realities for Strachan House occupants, who struggled, sustained injuries, and faced illness. The thesis also shows how elderly men and women challenged authority, adopted non-traditional roles, and took up workers' duties. This study observes the active agents that carried out the Strachan House mission in practice, including how they worked to ensure the home's survival.


title: Chemically enhanced backwashing for NOM removal of ceramic ultrafiltration membranes using conventional cleaning chemicals with a surfactant

abstract: Membrane filtration has developed into a robust water treatment step. However, limited research has been conducted on new membrane cleaning solutions. Conventional membrane cleaners such as NaOCl are known to form DBPs with organic matter and damage polymeric membranes at high concentrations. Our research examines the use of surfactant (SDS) in combination with conventional membrane cleaners (NaOCl and NaOH) to clean a ceramic UF membrane as chemically enhanced backwash (CEB). Existing research primarily looked at the combination of surfactants with NaOH for long duration cleaning. Limited research has also been conducted on the combination of surfactants with high NaOCl concentrations. Initial tests showed the addition of SDS significantly reduced the surface tension of various CEB solutions. Subsequent fouling and cleaning studies demonstrated better cleaning efficiency when CEB contained SDS. In general, the addition of SDS provided some improvement to backwash fouling control although more research is needed in this area.


title: Truth, Lies and 'Deepfakes': The Epistemology of Photographic Depictions

abstract: When provided a large variety of photographs and videos, AI algorithms can generate synthetic, manipulable video representations of human faces to a significant degree of perceptual realism. These visual media, commonly referred to as 'deepfakes,' are largely seen as serious threats to our understanding of truth. Within the context of longstanding epistemological debates, I argue that these aforementioned negative consequences are all possible using 'deepfakes'; however, they are not inherently deceptive or malicious. It is not the medium itself that poses these threats, but rather how humans use them. 'Deepfakes' do not show a radical departure in our conceptions of truth in representations, but they do demonstrate an overconfidence in the truth of photographic images. Rather than outright bans or other technology-specific regulation, I propose that the careful study of 'deepfakes' is an opportunity to address some lapses in critical accounts of imagery and visual representation more generally.


title: The Role of Legacy Media: An Examination of Coverage During the Coastal GasLink Conflict

abstract: This thesis examines three legacy media outlets' (Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, and National Post) digital coverage of the Coastal GasLink conflict between January 1 and March 15, 2020. This thesis aims to understand how Canada's largest daily newspapers portray Indigenous communities, particularly during times of conflict with the government. Through a content analysis, a review of past coverage as examined in existing academic literature, as well as through interviews with academics, experts and critics, this thesis uncovers minimal change in coverage patterns over the past several decades. Legacy media still relies on stereotypical portrayals of Indigenous communities and often does not present the larger context of a conflict that would provide better information for readers to interpret. Ultimately the thesis addresses some of the questions about how legacy journalism is built and conducted overall and argues that it does not work to best portray Indigenous issues and communities.


title: A Reasonable Officer: Examining the Relationship between Stress, Training, and Performance in Use of Force Encounters

abstract: High-stress police encounters can evoke psychological and physiological stress reactions in officers, which can result in cognitive and perceptual deficits, as well as inferior performance. These effects can be particularly detrimental during a critical incident, when officers are expected to demonstrate sound judgement and proficient performance. This dissertation reports on two studies, one drawing on data from officers during active-duty and the other using an experimental scenario, to examine the relationship between stress, training, and performance in UoF encounters. Study 1 examined autonomic stress responses experienced by 64 police officers, during general duty calls for service and interactions with the public. Officer characteristics, including years of service and training profiles, were also examined to explore whether experience and training impacted cardiovascular reactivity. Study results highlight the sorts of risks that officers are routinely exposed to in the course of their duties, as well as the nature and frequency of the stress reactions experienced by officers. Study 2 assessed the performance of 122 officers during a realistic lethal force scenario to examine whether performance was affected by the officer's level of training, years of service, and stress reactivity. Results demonstrated that the scenario produced elevated heart rates, as well as perceptual and cognitive distortions, commensurate with those observed in naturalistic settings. Elevated stress was a predictor of poorer performance and increased lethal force errors. Training and years of service had complex effects on both performance and lethal force errors. The results from these two studies provide important insights into the general relationship between stress, training, and performance in UoF encounters. The findings provide LEAs with an opportunity to critically reflect on current training practices and offer a roadmap for making evidence-based improvements to training. They also provide important evidence that may inform the reasonableness standard used in courts of law by painting a realistic picture of police performance under stress given the current training available to officers. Perhaps most importantly, the research identifies a need for a concerted effort to increase police training standards and ensure the necessary infrastructure is in place to achieve them.


title: Atomic simulation of pull-out Halloysite nanotube from polyurethane by molecular dynamic method

abstract: Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation has been applied to study of pull-out of Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) from a polyurethane (PU) matrix. First, the Machine learning (ML) particle swarm optimization (PSO) method was used to obtain force field parameters for MD from data of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The current study shows the possibility of using a PSO technique to modify the force field with DFT data with less than 5 kcal/mol discrepancy. Second, we considered the influence of atomic interface on pulling out of HNT from PU. Energy variation has been proposed as the cohesion strength between matrix and nanoparticle. In addition, the best Lennard Jones parameters in the MD simulation make good agreement with an experimental sample stress-strain response.


title: Modelling, Flight Dynamics and Inner-Loop Control of an Urban Air Mobility Vehicle Subject to Empirically-Developed Urban Airflow Disturbances

abstract: Advanced Air Mobility in general, and Urban Air Mobility in particular, are expected to play a significant role in improving transportation of people and goods in increasingly growing urban centres while contributing to reduction in emissions and reaching the goal of sustainable urban growth. The goal of this work was to investigate the performance of a novel controller as an autopilot for a generic aircraft operating in urban airflow. In this investigation, the extraction of geometric, inertial and aerodynamic properties of a generic urban air taxi, similar in design to the Bell Nexus 4EX, was carried out. Subsequently the properties were used as a basis for the development of a linearized flight dynamics numerical model of the aircraft. Flights about a trimmed condition at cruising speed were simulated including cases where the urban air taxi was immersed in empirically-developed urban airflow disturbances. The open-loop response of the urban air taxi...


title: A Study of the Effect of Halloysite-Reinforcement on the Dynamic Behaviour of Polyurethane

abstract: Polyurethanes (PU) are commonly used in transparent armor systems to increase the survivability, blast resistance, multi-hit resistance and fragment containment of multilayered systems. The high tensile-ductility, fracture toughness and self-healing ability are key factors that determine the performance of polyurethanes under high-strain rate conditions. However, so far it is not clear how the macromolecular structural features influence the failure mechanism of PU under dynamic loading conditions. Here, Halloysite nanotubes-reinforced polyurethane nanocomposites are produced that dramatically improve the macromolecular structure's ability to resist fracture. A low content of Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) (maximum 0.8 wt.%) was introduced in the polyurethane to investigate the effect of the nanotubes on the resultant micro-domain morphological architecture. Gas-gun spall testing results showed an increase of 35% in spall strength and 21% fracture toughness for the nanocomposite. Subsequent characterization results show present the influence of the HNTs to alter the resultant hard domain spherulitic structure, which leads to a more energy dissipative fracture mechanism characterized by a rougher fracture surface with highly deformed interspherulitic regions. Analysis of the free-surface velocity histories, combined with fractographies of the spalled surfaces provides information about the failure mechanism and fracture kinetics. The spherulites present a brittle fracture character, while the interspherulitic regions present a ductile behaviour with large deformation. Ballistic testing on multilayered glass/polymer plates (transparent armour configuration) results showed an increase in the ballistic limit, from 457 to 491 m/s, with the change from a neat polyurethane interlayer to the nanocomposite. A higher degree of phase separation was detected within the structure of the nanocomposite, indicating that the presence of the HNTs increases the chemical incompatibility of the hard and soft segments of the polyurethane. Molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to further investigate the effect of HNTs on the immiscibility and mobility of the segmented structure of the polyurethane. These results demonstrate that the significant improvement in the ballistic performance of the nanocomposite interlayers were not due to the small concentration of HNTs acting as simple reinforcing phase, but rather their influence in the formation of the micro-structure of the matrix polymer.


title: Storying Living Memories about Indian Day Schools:  Transforming Reconciliation

abstract: This work is an intricate history of an Indian Day School located at Listuguj on Mi'gmaw territory of Gespe'gewa'gi, Mi'gma'gi, present-day Gaspé Peninsula (Québec). The dissertation assembles living oral memory of former students together with finely detailed archival research. The Indian Day school (and its many forms) operated at Listuguj (formerly Restigouche), from 1856 until 1969. The dissertation makes a real contribution to our understandings of the genocidal 'education' of Indigenous peoples in Canada, complicating the dominant narrative about residential schools and also introducing Québec into this history. Is it possible to conceptualize deeper forms of reconciliation on the basis of a more complex story of colonial schooling as well as the affirmation of Indigenous knowledge systems? If so, how? The historiography assembles fragments from archival records together with living oral memories to create a picture, with the hope that others will take what is needed to create other stories, new memories. The dissertation works with Indigenous concepts of relationality and storywork and uses Western analytics as a webbing in its analysis. There are also moments of settler self-reflexivity necessary for deeper forms of reconciliation. The dissertation animates the concept of "trans-systemic knowledges". The concept of "ethical space" is brought into play to facilitate the active relationship sense of trans-systemic knowledge building. The research on day schooling exposes how state violence operated from the inside out: Indigenous children did not necessarily need to leave their families or their ancestral lands to feel (or experience) the harms of "white possession". The storying approach, centering the voices of former students, seeks to ethically honour Mi'gmaw knowledges, which continued, changed, and adapted, while settler institutions (and logics) encroached and attempted to take root on the territory. Beneath (beyond, despite) the dominant narrative depicting reconciliation as a 'national' and 'big hug' there are possibilities. Standing still, hearing the difficult history of day schooling, the dissertation balances the demonstration of pain and harm with an insistence on survivance and resistance. Attending to the history of a particular place, there are possibilities for transformative reconciliation.


title: Long-Term Care Worker Experience during the Pandemic: Explorations in Visual Storytelling

abstract: The Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) drastically impacted the nature of work within Ontario's long-term care (LTC) homes as regulatory bodies moved to protect LTC residents through protocols designed to reduce the risk of transmission. This research aims to reveal a view of these impacts from the perspective of employees working in LTC homes. The study utilized a work experience questionnaire and a series of semi-structured interviews to generate both quantitative and qualitative data to pair with existing recommendations within the sector. As a part of the research process, I combined perspectives and expertise from the discipline of journalism with design research practices to explore and reflect on the use of visual storytelling within the field of design. The result of this exploration in storytelling is a prototypical information architecture and visualization that attempts to combine quantitative and qualitative research data in an honest, engaging, and accessible way.


title: Safe Supply in Canada: Perspectives of Drug Policy Actors

abstract: The overdose epidemic in Canada has taken thousands of lives since 2016. The toxic drug supply which has been flooded with fentanyl and other dangerous substances has made the country's illicit drug supply the most dangerous it has ever been. Safe supply programs are being proposed to provide long-term relief to the overdose epidemic. Throughout this thesis, I look at how safe supply is being administered in Canada and how that has impacted the overdose epidemic and the safety of drug use. Through interviews with a variety of safe supply advocates from across Canada and also conducting a document analysis on documents produced on a safe supply and the overdose epidemic, this thesis intends to look at the various methods that safe supply is being carried out through, how effective it is, what problems are arising within each method, and how this is impacting the lives of drug users.


title: The Factor Structure of Intimate Partner Violence Risk

abstract: Intimate partner violence (IPV) has elicited a great deal of attention from the research, clinical practice, and policy communities because of its widespread prevalence and harmful impact on the individuals and society. Effective risk assessment can help identify individuals who are in the highest risk category and are thus in most need of management strategies. Therefore, a better understanding of risk factors that underlie IPV risk is necessary to optimize available risk assessment measures and effectively manage risk. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the factor structure of combined items from the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment, Spousal Assault Risk Assessment, and Brief Spousal Assault Form for the Evaluation of Risk and examine whether the underlying risk factors predict recidivism outcomes. Data were collected for 300 adult men who were charged or accused of violence against their past or current female intimate partners and whose files were referred for a comprehensive threat assessment between 2010 and 2016. Using exploratory factor analysis, I found that items from these measures assessed six underlying risk factors. Although two factors significantly predicted IPV, any violent (violence against anyone), and general (violent and non-violent) recidivism outcomes, only one factor containing mostly Central Eight risk factors (for general violent and criminal recidivism) independently predicted violent and IPV recidivism over time above and beyond other factors, suggesting that not all risk factors included in these measures are independently predictive of recidivism, particularly IPV recidivism. Additionally, I found that randomized selections of items predicted as well as the original measures, indicating that these risk measures are potentially missing pertinent risk-relevant information. Overall, findings from this dissertation suggest that IPV risk assessment measures are far from ideal, and researchers have suggested that the development of informative causal theories of IPV recidivism can help motivate risk factors for consideration in risk assessment measures, as current IPV theories fail to produce predictive models. In addition to this, more empirical work is also needed to identify and validate risk factors strongly related to IPV recidivism that can assist in risk assessment and ultimately risk management.


title: Fabrication of Functionalized Graphene Coated OTFT Humidity and Chloride Ion Sensors for Detecting Corrosion Precursors in Metallic Structures

abstract: Corrosion monitoring has been the focus of structural health monitoring due to its damaging effects on metallic structures. Early detection of environmental factors responsible for corrosion can reduce maintenance related expenses. There is growing interest in developing compact and low-cost thin film sensors with high sensitivity to corrosion precursors. In this work, chemical sensors are fabricated using solution processed C60 organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) coated with functionalized graphene oxide for humidity sensing and functionalized graphene nanoparticles for Cl- detection. The fabricated OTFTs exhibit good carrier mobilities and current ON/OFF ratios reaching 1.2 cm2/V.s and 5x103, respectively. The rGO coated OTFT humidity sensor is designed for qualitative measurements, and it exhibits a relative responsivity for dry to surface wetness transition of 122.6%, with a response time of 20 ms. Chemically functionalized hydrogenated graphene coated OTFT is used for Cl- ion sensing which yielded sensitivity of 4%/ppm to ultrafine ionic concentrations.


title: How is the Appropriate Use of Enterprise Social Media Determined? The Case of GCConnex Within the Canadian Federal Government

abstract: The success of enterprise social media depends on users' social interactions. Individual users must determine how to use the system and if their usage is appropriate. Governments are generally risk-averse, and missteps by public servants can have negative implications on their careers. This research explores how the appropriate use of enterprise social media is socially constructed in the use of GCConnex within the Canadian federal government. It addresses two research questions: What influences a public servant's individual judgment that a specific action is appropriate when using enterprise social media? And How are actions taken by public servants using ESM validated as appropriate? The use of an interpretive case study approach allowed for data collection from various sources to capture the complexity of enterprise social media use in the Canadian federal government. Data sources included the results of 22 semi-structured interviews with federal public servants plus policy and help documents. This research is guided by a conceptual process model that draws on the literature on legitimacy, IT value, IS use, and enterprise social media. This study explores the first three stages of the Appropriate Use process model - Individual Judgment, Innovation, and Local Validation. The final two stages, Diffusion and General Validation, were out of scope for this study. The findings indicate that appropriate use is a continuous and dynamic concept that is socially constructed. Appropriate use also has multiple dimensions, and in this research, three were discovered: Task, Feature and Form. Employee judgment of appropriate use is influenced by the affordances of the technology and the employee backgrounds and environment. Federal public servants carefully partition their use of social media. GCConnex is strictly for the benefit of federal public servants to share information and to collaborate. A specific appropriate use policy is not essential if there are other means to communicate organizational norms. The Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector is foundational in forming the organizational norms of behaviour. Although employees may be reticent to comment on other users' use, explicit validation is needed to legitimize new actions. Keywords: appropriate use, legitimacy, enterprise social media, government, social construction of reality


title: The Multilingual Advantage in Language Learning: Contribution of Multilingualism and Programming Knowledge on Artificial Grammar Learning

abstract: Multilingualism allegedly makes learning new languages easier. However, in view of grammar learning, experimental results so far have been inconclusive. Moreover, multilingualism is often defined as knowledge of more than one natural language, but it is unknown how knowledge of an artificial language such as a programming language fares within this equation. We examined the effect of participants' linguistic and programming experience on their accuracy scores in an artificial grammar learning (AGL) task. Our results revealed no evidence that multilinguals were better in the AGL task than monolinguals. In contrast, participants who reported knowledge of a programming language performed significantly better than non-programmers in this task. I conclude that knowledge of a natural language and that of a programming language have different effects on cognition in view of AGL.


title: In Situ Intracranial Strain Measurements within an Elastomeric Brain Surrogate

abstract: Incidence of concussion remains high despite the widespread use of helmets. While the primary cause of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is thought to be intracranial strain, current helmet evaluation techniques resolve head kinematics as the primary evaluation metrics. These techniques have been highly effective in reducing focal brain injuries. However, their effectiveness in reducing the incidence or severity of concussion has been less clear. There remains a need to advance tools and methodologies capable of making a more direct link between helmet certification protocols and the causes of concussive injury. This study presents displacement and strain within a deformable head surrogate, the BIPED headform, subjected to an extensive series of impacts. Impacts were captured under high speed X-ray at 5,000 fps, and strain fields were computed using digital image correlation. Results from this study were compared to cadaveric brain tissue displacements measured under similar impact experiments.


title: Taking a Hit: Resistance to Handling in Model-Mimic Insect Complexes

abstract: Aposematism has been hypothesised to co-occur with an improved ability to survive being handled by a predator with negligible damage. The current literature on this "resistance to handling" is reviewed, including anecdotal accounts, experimental evidence and bio-physical considerations. The relationship between resistance to handling and Batesian mimicry is tested through two experiments on field-caught specimens. The first evaluates the ability of specimens to survive a given amount of compressive force using the successive application of increasing weights, comparing mimics (Diptera: Syrphidae) to non-mimics (non-syrphid Diptera) and their models (Hymenoptera). The second experiment measures the force required to deform an insect by a given proportion. Hymenopterans were the most resistant group, syrphid flies the least, and non-syrphid dipterans intermediate between the two. In all groups, both larger body size and a greater resistance to deformation were correlated with higher kill weights, while mimicry status and mimetic fidelity were not.


title: Combined Analysis of the Association Between Air Pollution, Urban Green Space, and Neurodevelopmental Disorders

abstract: This thesis aimed to test the association between environmental exposures and neurodevelopmental diagnoses, trait, and cognitive scores in a sample of children and adolescents living in Toronto, Canada. The influence of the environment on the prevalence and severity of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Obsessive-Compulsive disorder (OCD), and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is not yet clear. Studying the effects of these exposures is critical, as they represent potentially important modifiable risk factors. This thesis found evidence of an association between environmental exposures and OCD traits within the community. Consistent results are promising; however, the results are preliminary and require further study. The results add to the uncertainty surrounding the effect of the environment on ADHD. The combined results support the use of quantitative measures for assessing neurodevelopmental disorders, and the idea that disorders like ADHD and OCD exist at extreme ends of a spectrum of traits within the community.


title: Genomically Informed Custom Selective Enrichment of Shiga-toxigenic E. coli (STEC) outbreak strains in foods

abstract: Foodborne bacterial outbreaks caused by Shiga-toxigenic E. coli (STEC) continue to place a burden on public health systems in developed countries. The STEC family of pathogens is biochemically diverse and current microbiological methods for detecting STEC may be encumbered by lack of a universal selective enrichment method. Here we build upon a previously described method where genomic antimicrobial resistance (AMR) prediction tools are used to inform a selection of custom enrichment techniques for recovery of a target STEC strain from ground beef, and demonstrate the broader applicability of custom selective enrichment using recovery of five unique STEC strains from additional food commodities. Drastically improved recovery of STEC strains was shown for all 9 antibiotics examined in this study. The ability to accurately leverage AMR traits in specific pathogens for their recovery from high levels of background microbiota suggests this approach can be universally applicable in support of foodborne illness investigations.


title: Quantum Teleportation: An Operator Algebraic Perspective

abstract: We show that quantum teleportation is intimately connected to Jones' basic construction. This connection leads to generalized, or hybrid teleportation protocols to simultaneously transmit classical and quantum information through finite dimensional von Neumann algebras. We present two operationally concrete teleportation protocols, Hybrid teleportation and our so-called Scaffolding teleportation. Under some mild symmetry assumptions, we establish that any teleportation scheme in the scaffolding framework is equivalent to a teleportation scheme of a special form.


title: Optimal Robust Output-Tracking of Autonomous Rovers with Dynamic Traction Control

abstract: This thesis develops a robust output-tracking control strategy for autonomous rover systems with redundant control directions. Taking advantage of their redundancy, an optimal distribution of control actions is proposed to enhance the dynamic traction of such systems. A robust optimal output-tracking control strategy for underactuated mechanical systems subject to mixed holonomic and nonholonomic constraints is presented. Then, we develop a novel methodology to optimally lift the proposed robust control law from the output dynamics to the space of control actions. This methodology aims at enhancing the dynamic traction of autonomous rovers, without affecting the tracking performance of the system. To improve approximations used in this optimization, a disturbance observer is designed in the time domain. The developed control strategy is evaluated for a six-wheel autonomous Lunar rover in a simulation environment. The developed traction control algorithm is also implemented in a software-in-the-loop simulation environment using Vortex Studio.


title: Experimental and Computational Investigation of a Highly Flexible Airframe Taxiing Over an Uneven Runway for Aircraft Vibration Testing

abstract: Ground Vibration Test (GVT) is an important phase of the development of new aircraft prototypes to experimentally determine the modal parameters of aircraft prototypes. These modal parameters are used to validate and update the finite element model of the aircraft for reliable predictions of their structural, aeroelastic and aeroservoelastic responses. Due to the high cost and the extensive preparations of such tests, a new method of vibration testing called Taxi Vibration Test (TVT) was recently proposed and investigated by the German Institute for Aerospace Research as an alternative method to conventional GVT. In this presented work, an experimental and a computational setups were designed and constructed to further investigate the applicability of TVT to airframes encountered in fixed-wing autonomous aerial systems, and the influence of certain fundamental parameters, namely the taxiing speed, the LG-shock-absorber's damping coefficient and the bump shape or geometry, on the outcome of the test.


title: Nudges and Cybersecurity: Harnessing Choice Architecture for Safer Work-From-Home Cybersecurity Behaviour

abstract: The number of security breaches and the cost of damages hit a record high in 2021, with an average cost of $5.4 million per incident in Canada, according to the IBM Security Report (2021). Despite safety measures and risk management policies, work-from-home arrangements and employee behaviour are reported as major factors affecting cybersecurity. This research examines the choice architecture of work-from-home cybersecurity behaviour through a multiple case study research design and cross-case analysis of employees from eight small and medium businesses. Contributions include an inventory of individual and organizational factors that influence cybersecurity behaviour, a framework to specify a nudge, three nudges specified using the framework, and a six-step method to design a nudge to influence the cybersecurity behaviour of work-from-home employees. These results can assist mangers, researchers, and entrepreneurs to understand and improve their work-from-home cybersecurity posture.


title: An Evaluation of Inclusive Augmented Reality Prototyping Techniques for Non Technical Users

abstract: This project analyzes the current state of low-fidelity augmented reality prototyping. It examines recent works in low-fidelity prototyping, as well as conducts a cognitive walkthrough for a higher-fidelity, yet no-coding-required augmented reality authoring tool. LensStudio is a popular digital augmented reality prototyping tool. This study compares the use of a custom prototype kit to another popular low-fidelity prototyping method, sketching, to see if one method produced more positive results for novice augmented reality users. These results are then compared with a group of more experienced users performing the same task. Results showed that though some materials in the proposed kit provided inspiration to novices, the materials also constrained them. This study proposes a workflow that involves novice AR users being presented with some overview information to properly ground themselves in what AR can do, and then to use their scenario to inform what materials should be part of their kit


title: Modelling Parkinson’s Disease Pre-Clinically: A Novel Virus-Fibril Inducible Mouse Model  Exploring Disease Characteristics and Therapeutic Intervention via Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 5 Negative Allosteric Modulation

abstract: The objective of this thesis was two-fold: first, to develop and characterize a novel Parkinson's disease (PD) mouse model, and second, to assess the therapeutic potential of a metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) negative allosteric modulator (NAM). Using viral overexpression of α-synuclein in combination with the addition of exogenous synthetic α-synuclein pre-formed fibrils (PFFs), we demonstrate that the double-hit virus-fibril model can consistently induce motor impairments and α-synuclein spread in male mice. Remarkably, we observed motor impairment in the absence of degeneration, suggesting that perhaps α-synuclein induces biochemical changes in the motor cortex that translate to behavioural impairment. Secondly, we also demonstrate that treatment with the mGluR5 NAM, (2-chloro-4-[2[2,5-dimethyl-1-[4-(trifluoromethoxy) phenyl] imidazol-4-yl] ethynyl] pyridine (CTEP), prevented the onset of and improved existing motor impairments, α-synuclein burden, along with altering S6 ribosomal (rS6) protein activity. Finally, we observed a robust sex difference, that clearly favored motor pathology in males. In fact, males displayed motor impairment after 8-16-weeks, whereas females show no motor impairment whatsoever (even after many months). Yet, it was surprising that there were no clear pathological differences between the sexes that could possibly explain the differences observed in motor behaviour. Taken together, the data presented in this thesis offers insight into the role of α-synuclein in the development of PD and offers support for mGluR5 NAMs as potential disease altering therapeutic for PD, with the obvious caveat being that dramatic sex-differences were evident for the behavioral outcomes.


title: Multi-Sensor Fusion for Navigation of Ground Vehicles

abstract: In this thesis the navigation solution of a ground vehicle is computed by fusing navigation data from Inertial Navigation System (INS), Visual Odometry (VO), and Global Positioning System (GPS) using a Dual Extended Kalman Filter (DEKF) algorithm. The research in this thesis is conducted in three phases. The first phase presents the VO navigation system. In this phase an improvement to traditional Stereo Visual Odometry (SVO) methodology is proposed and the Modified Stereo Visual Odometry (ModSVO) algorithm is presented. The second phase presents the development of INS/VO and INS/GPS navigation solutions using EKF. The results showed improved accuracy compared single sensors. However, in case of VO failure or GPS failure the accuracy is shown to deteriorate. The third phase presents the development of INS/VO/GPS system using DEKF algorithm. It is shown that the INS/VO/GPS system outperforms INS/VO and INS/GPS systems in cases VO or GPS sensor failure.


title: 4D Monte Carlo Based Patient Dose Reconstruction Incorporating Surface Motion Measurements

abstract: A framework was developed to assess the impact of respiratory motion on the dose delivered during radiotherapy using a previously validated 4D Monte Carlo-based dose reconstruction tool, 4Ddefdosxyznrc. As a surrogate for tumour motion, abdominal surface motion measurements were recorded during patient treatments using the RADPOS system. Motion traces, treatment log files and deformation vectors representing each patient's respiratory motion were used as inputs to the 4D dose reconstructions. Motion measurements were performed for 3 patients undergoing radiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer, totalling 12 fractions. No statistically significant inter-fractional differences in 4D reconstructed dose metrics were found. A maximum difference of 2.0% in the GTV D98% was found between 4D calculations and the treatment planning system. This result is consistent with small abdominal displacements of 5.5 ± 1.4 mm, 5.4 ± 0.4 mm, and 0.40 ± 0.03 mm, respectively, observed for these 3 patients during treatments.


title: The Goldilocks Hypothesis: Exploring Links Between Shyness, Computer-Mediated Communication, and Socio-Emotional Functioning in Adolescents

abstract: The aim of this study was to explore a conceptual model linking shyness, different types of computer-mediated communication (CMC), and indices of social-emotional functioning among adolescents. Participants were N = 434 (67% female) Ottawa high school students, age 15-18 (M = 16.15 years, SD = .49), who completed self-report assessments of shyness, CMC use (talking, texting, video chat, scrolling, liking), time spent alone, loneliness, social connectedness, and positive/negative affect. Among the results, shyness was positively related time spent alone, loneliness, and negative affect, as well as negatively related to social connectedness, positive affect, and video chat. Different types of CMC were differentially related to indices of socio-emotional functioning, but no significant interactions between shyness and technology were found in the prediction of these outcomes. Results are discussed in terms of the implication of technology use on shy adolescents.


title: Examining Stigma and User Comfort Through the Reimagination of Crutch Design

abstract: Crutches are intended to support, restore independence, and aid social inclusion of individuals. However, crutch use may lead to undesirable mental and/or physical impacts. The dominant medical, functionalist aesthetic of crutches typically does not align with individual's self-identities, which may lead to reluctance of use, device abandonment, and/or negative social impacts that limit a person's societal participation. This study identifies postural risks associated with crutch use; presents the experiences and perceptions from current, past, and non-users; documents crutch concepts developed with SMEs; and evaluates people's perceptions of the concepts. These methods served to explore the concepts' anthropometric potential and whether they could move crutches toward personal aesthetic and social preferences, and the realm of fashion and wearables. The findings suggest that there is comfort in device familiarity and that new design developments should evaluate the whole-body impact of use to deliver devices that support all needs of users.


title: Environmental change in Yellowknife Bay, Northwest Territories, over the last two centuries inferred through diatom paleolimnological analysis

abstract: Great Slave Lake is one of the largest subarctic lakes in the world and the deepest lake in Canada. The duration and strength of thermal stratification is increasing in many subarctic lakes across the northern hemisphere, but little information is available for larger and deeper systems such as Great Slave Lake. This thesis uses paleolimnological techniques to investigate ecological changes occurring in Yellowknife Bay, Great Slave Lake, over approximately the last two centuries based on diatom and Chla analysis of a dated sediment core. The results of this thesis showed a sharp increase in the relative abundance of the smaller planktonic Discostella stelligera from <10% to ~25% diatoms and a decline in heavier Aulacoseira sp. These data suggest that over the last ~two centuries thermal stratification is increasing in Yellowknife Bay with potentially important ecological consequences for this large subarctic lake.


title: Reliable Streaming of Stereoscopic Video Considering Region of Interest

abstract: 3D video applications are growing increasingly common as the required infrastructure and technology to stream 3D video becomes more predominant. However, the quality of displayed videos may fluctuate due to packet failure as an integral part of either wired or wireless streaming networks. Therefore, more robust methods of video streaming have always been fascinating to show more favourable efficiency outcomes. This thesis first examines different video streaming techniques and compares the pros and cons of each technique. It then introduces a new streaming method that applies to 3D video for live video streaming applications especially for a sporting event or other live video applications. To this end, the thesis describes how a 3D video is captured and represented, and how humans perceive the 3D scene. Considering the pros and cons of current video streaming techniques and intended applications, the proposed method introduces a new multiple description coding (MDC) method focusing on interesting objects of the scene, called the region of interest (ROI). It is worth mentioning that a new technique, using the scene's depth information, is used to extract the ROI. This technique is not as complex as learning algorithms are, and there is no need to train the algorithm. Since the human eye is more sensitive to objects than pixels, this method can also provide better performance from the point of subjective assessment (which is out of focus of this thesis) because the proposed method focuses on important objects of the scene and assigns more bandwidth to them.


title: Searching Beyond the Standard Model: Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Data

abstract: The current standard model (SM) of particle physics is known to be an incomplete model of the Universe. Experiments have given strong evidence for the existence of dark matter. Other alterations to the SM could include the presence of extra forces and/or non-standard cosmologies. In our current era, we have many experimental methods that can probe the boundaries of the SM using particle colliders, astrophysical observatories, or gravitational wave interferometers. In the latter case, we explore the possibility of detecting gravitational waves generated by first-order phase transitions in multiple hidden sectors. These hidden sectors are completely decoupled from the SM, hosting exotic particles with unique forces. Each thermally decoupled sector evolves and undergoes phase transitions at completely different times. We take N-naturalness as a sample model that features multiple additional sectors, many of which undergo phase transitions that produce gravitational waves. We examine the cosmological history of this framework and then calculate novel gravitational wave signatures characteristic to only models with multiple decoupled sectors. These unique profiles, when compared to the sensitivity of future gravitational wave interferometers, could be a smoking gun for non-standard cosmologies. In the case where one of these hidden sectors instead contains a dark matter candidate which couples weakly with the SM, we propose novel searching methods to be employed at particle colliders. These confining hidden sectors at the GeV scale can lead to novel collider signatures including those termed emerging jets with large numbers of displaced vertices. The triggers at the LHC experiments were not designed with this type of new physics in mind, and triggering can be challenging. We show that the efficiency and the total event rate at current triggers can be significantly improved by considering additional sources of radiation. We also explore possible new triggers that employ hit counts in different tracker layers as input into a machine learning algorithm. We show that these new triggers can have reasonably low background rates and sensitive to a wide range of new physics parameters even when trained on a single model.


title: Application of Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter (TEPC) in Intercalibration with NaI (Tl) Spectrometer

abstract: Tissue equivalent proportional counters (TEPCs) are recognized as standard instrument for cosmic radiation dose measurement because it can separate gamma and neutron spectra in mixed field microdosimetry. HAWK TEPC was employed in the project as a reference instrument to measure the cosmic radiation exposure in terms of dose equivalent and ambient dose equivalent at ground level, calibrate and compare the doses obtained from the analytical model based on Excel-based Program for Calculating Atmospheric Cosmic Ray Spectrum (EXPACS) and the overflow channel of Canada's Fixed Point Surveillance (FPS) spectrometer. The process of understanding the performance of TEPC as well as designed experiments for cosmic radiation dose measurement done at 8 different locations were presented. Experimental doses obtained with TEPC is consistent with the analytical results, the minimum and maximum discrepancies are 3.8 % and 26.8 % respectively. The work will be further evaluated and applied to other FPS stations.


title: Automated Segmentation of Complex Biological Structures in Histopathology Images

abstract: Analysis of high-resolution histopathology whole slide images (WSIs) is a vital step in diagnosis and treatment of many diseases, including placenta-mediated diseases (PMDs) and respiratory illnesses. Currently, the most trusted approach is manual/semi-automated analysis of histopathology WSIs by an expert pathologist. This is problematic because high-resolution histopathology WSIs usually have a very large size (e.g., 80,000×80,000 pixels) and a large number of complex biological structures. As such, applying manual/semi-automated approaches to assess histopathology WSIs can be inefficient, expensive, and subject inter- and intra-rater variability. An alternative approach to manual and semi-automated approaches is to implement machine learning and image processing techniques to develop automated histopathology image analysis (AHIA) pipelines. A fundamental step in generating accurate AHIA approaches is semantic segmentation of biological structures in high-resolution histopathology images. In this thesis, our main objective is to develop accurate AHIA pipelines for semantic segmentation of complex biological structures in histopathology WSIs. We specifically focus on two histopathology applications: 1) segmentation of villi in histopathology WSIs of human placenta and 2) segmentation of complex biological structures of mouse lung tissue. Initially, we investigate the rule-based methods using conventional machine learning and image processing methods for segmentation of histopathology WSIs, developing two separate pipelines to address the challenges associated with each of our applications. We demonstrate that rule-based AHIA approaches show promising performance for analysis of histopathology WSIs in each of applications in comparison to manual assessment by expert pathologists and can be considered as a potential replacement for manual/semi-automated approaches. Then, we investigate deep learning methods in semantic segmentation of histopathology WSIs to further improve our developed rule-based approaches in terms of segmentation performance, generalizability, and training and testing speed. One of the bottlenecks in developing deep learning methods is the large size of histopathology WSIs, which requires implementing a patch-based approach to feed the images to deep learning models. We demonstrate that this bottleneck may limit the performance of the deep learning models due to three-fold trade-off between field-of-view, computational efficiency, and spatial resolution. As such, we propose a multi-resolution semantic segmentation pipeline to address this trade-off in AHIA using deep learning.


title: Cellular Effects Nanosilver on Cancer and Non-cancer Cells: Potential Environmental and Human Health Impacts

abstract: Nanosilver is extremely small silver particles (1-100 nm in diameter) and have antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiviral properties, which make them one of the most commonly used nanoparticles. There is a lack of biological and toxicological knowledge on the impacts of nanosilver on cellular stress responses, as well as human and environmental health. Nanosilver and ascorbic acid has the potential to be an anticancer therapeutic. In this study, human colon cancer (HCT116) and intestinal epithelial (HIEC-6) cells were used to study nanosilver effects in cancer versus non-cancer cells. Nanosilver increased Nrf2 protein expression and disrupted the cell cycle at the G1 and G2/M phases. Hypoxia attenuated nanosilver-induced oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress responses. Nanosilver induced significant mitochondrial oxidative stress in HCT116, whereas it did not in the non-cancer HIEC-6 and nanosilver/sodium ascorbate co-treatment was preferentially lethal to HCT116 cells, which is promising for further research for anticancer therapies.


title: Fiction as Pedagogy: Toward a De-Anthropocentric Architectural Education

abstract: Critiquing the anthropocentric dispositions of architectural education, this dissertation introduces a "de-anthropocentric" vector of ethical thinking through fiction as a form of pedagogy. The term de-anthropocentric as opposed to non-anthropocentric here posits nonhuman life as an important dimension of architectural consideration while acknowledging that there are limitations to understanding or advocating on behalf of the nonhuman other. By problematizing anthropocentrism in this way, the research participates in concurrent discourses in philosophy, education theory, anthropology, biology and literature studies that challenge the inherited biases of Western ontology and epistemology. Recognizing the predominance of education in structuring these biases, the research takes inspiration from experimental approaches in posthuman education studies that historically situate and reorient definitions of the human and disciplinarity. Toward this, the dissertation investigates three trajectories in literature studies as departure points: the weird realism of Howard Phillips Lovecraft, the multispecies worlding of Donna Haraway and the graphic portrayal of animal subjectivities in David Herman's narratology beyond the human. From these examples, the dissertation theorizes nonhuman narrative, representation and worldbuilding approaches in an architectural context. Finally, locating the early Renaissance as a period of major educational transition in architecture, the research analyzes Antonio di Pietro Averlino's Libro architettonico (1461-63) as a model of fiction-based pedagogy for the present. Written as a continuous fictional dialogue disrupted by digressions into the natural environment, animals, anecdotes, fictional buildings and social practices, the work offers a multifaceted educational model for questioning human-nonhuman relations. Between text and image, the work instructs by imagining the ideal city of Sforzinda through the narrative device of the golden book: a source of ancient literary wisdom. Following an analysis of Filarete, the dissertation presents a re-interpretation of Filarete's golden book as a pedagogical device to channel critical insight from literature and other disciplines into architectural education.


title: The impact of local macrophyte control on lake ecosystems

abstract: Macrophytes impact the structure and function of freshwater ecosystems but can also have an adverse impact on human activity. While the efficacy of macrophyte control methods are well-known, there are few studies on the environmental impacts of these treatments. In a pair of studies, the impacts of both mechanical cutting and the application of benthic barriers used in the control of the invasive Myriophyllum spicatum on the physical, chemical and biological components of four Ontario Lakes were investigated over four months. A Before-After-Control-Impact study design was employed, and three of the lakes were selected across a nutrient gradient. Observed impacts were minimal and not consistent across lakes. Nevertheless, some significant changes were observed for temperature, pH and zooplankton density. Changes to benthic macroinvertebrate and zooplankton community structure were observed in all four lakes. There were no significant differences in control-impact nutrient levels in any of the lakes.


title: Development and Application of Simplified Methods for Analysis of Floors under Human-induced Vibrations

abstract: This study presents a simplified model for vibration assessment of floors under walking load. The model is developed by converting the floor system into an equivalent SDOF model using transformation factors and applying simplified forcing functions to simulate the walking. The accuracy of the proposed model is verified against experimental tests and detailed FE analyses. A parametric study is also carried out on 67 floors with a wide range of design parameters. The results show that, unlike most existing simplified vibration analysis methods which have a limited application range, the proposed model is able to accurately capture the peak acceleration of floors with different frequencies and structural systems. The model is used for the vibration design of modular hospital floors. It is demonstrated that the proposed SDOF model greatly facilitates the design of modular floors with high natural frequencies, which is impractical to do with existing simplified vibration analysis methods.


title: Socio-ecological Studies of Inland Recreational Rainbow Trout Fisheries Facing Anthropogenic Stressors: Implications for Fisheries Management and Policy Development

abstract: This thesis takes a trans-disciplinary approach to studying the management of the socio-economically valuable, socio-ecological system that is the recreational B.C. rainbow trout and steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fishery. Chapters are presented under a novel framework to studying the management of socio-ecological systems in a changing world, and is organized under three pillars: A) Identifying the capacity for aquatic ecosystems and ecosystem users to overcome climate change induced stressors (bottom-up conservation management) and providing solutions to encourage and facilitate bottom-up conservation management, B) Determining the capacity for current government-mandated management strategies and policies at protecting aquatic Canadian species, as well as providing solutions to foster the betterment of top-down conservation management of socio-economically valuable aquatic species, and C) Providing strategies and avenues forward that can facilitate the incorporation of findings from pillars A and B into the management of socio-economically valuable aquatic species. Chapters two and three (pillar A) provide evidence that steelhead are more susceptible to the negative effects of multiple angling events under predicted water temperatures, and that recreational anglers are likely to engage in pro-environmental behaviours whilst fishing (offsetting ecological impacts of angling), especially if they hold high environmental threat perceptions because of targeted species or chosen fishing locations. Chapters four and five (pillar B) provide evidence that current management strategies in place to protect steelhead in B.C. at both the provincial and federal level have significant limitations inhibiting the successful management of this species, and can be significantly improved. Overlaps in jurisdictional management and faults in imperilled species legislation in Canada should be addressed and improved to allow for the conservation of Pacific salmonid species. Chapters six and seven (pillar C) share initiatives and best practices for incorporating scientific evidence into and improving conservation management. Chapter six highlights the importance of both individual and collective actions, cross-scale collaborations, and adaptive management in successful environmental management. Chapter seven echoes the need for collaboration and suggests facilitating communication between decision-makers and knowledge generators to ensure the proper management and delivery of scientific findings, and credibility behind scientific findings when incorporating environmental scientific evidence into management decision-making.


title: Mapping the Experiences and Struggles of Un(der)employed Afro-Caribbean “Black” (ACB) Young Men in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa.

abstract: This dissertation investigates how first- and second-generation Afro-Caribbean Black (ACB) male youth utilize youth employment training programs (YETPs) in three Canadian cities. ACB male youth are often marginalized through their encounters with racial discrimination, their lack of social capital, and their lived experiences which are significantly different than those of white, middle class young men in mainstream Canada. My study found that these young people are consistently met with racism, sexism and classism from employers who partner with YETPs, who presume ACB male youth are 'not good for business.' The study also found that YETP counsellors unintentionally reinforce class, race, and gender-based exclusions for ACB young men, which lowers their likelihood of finding success in the job market. Young ACB men both recognize the social exclusions they experience in these settings, and also take responsibility, as neoliberal subjects, for their own so-called 'failures' to find meaningful paid employment. I suggest that this reinforcing constellation of experiences leaves young ACB men in marginalized positions that are strikingly similar to those that ACB men have been forced to inhabit historically in Canada - that is, low-paying and menial labour that ultimately degrades their humanity and sense of self. This study considers the lived experiences of marginalized ACB young men and the perspectives of YETP counsellors, employers, and funders of YETPs. The research approach allows me to understand how better to support young ACB men and their socio-economic development while challenging misconceptions about Black masculinity in Canada.


title: Development of Shear Plastic Hinge Models for Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Members

abstract: The lumped plasticity analysis approach is one of the most efficient methods to calculate the nonlinear behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. However, the number of models that can capture shear effects using this approach are limited, and the existing models mostly require iterations or calibration. This study presents three shear hinge models developed based on the Modified Compression Field Theory, applicable to RC beams and columns with various shear span-to-depth ratios. A set of closed-form equations is developed for each model to calculate the shear force and shear deformation of the member at key points of the structural response. The proposed plastic hinge models are verified against various experimental results and finite element models. Moreover, parametric studies are conducted to assess the application range of the models. It is shown that the proposed models can accurately capture the nonlinear response of shear-critical RC structures in a computationally efficient manner.


title: "For Good or Evil":  The Early Atomic Age in Maclean's, Saturday Night, Life and The Saturday Evening Post, 1945-1950

abstract: This thesis explores coverage of the atomic bomb and atomic energy in the Canadian magazines, Maclean's and Saturday Night, and the American magazines, Life and The Saturday Evening Post, between 1945 and 1950. Commentaries in 1945 presented a straightforward dichotomy: either the bomb would remain in the hands of individual states, and atomic war would inevitably result, or atomic power would be brought under international control and improve society. Once the onset of the Cold War had blunted the momentum for international control, the magazines urged the United States to maintain its technological lead over the Soviet Union, while continuing to oppose excessive atomic secrecy. By 1950, faith in the positive impact of atomic energy was tempered by more measured accounts of its potential, though optimism remained about the medical uses of radioactive isotopes. The thesis finds a broad similarity in the four magazines' views of the early atomic age.


title: Evaluation of High-Rise Building-Based Hydroelectric Systems for Improving Energy Efficiency at the Urban Scale

abstract: This thesis presents two alternative building-based hydroelectric technologies with the potential to improve energy efficiency at an urban scale. These systems are a hydroelectric turbine driven by wastewater, and building-based electricity storage systems in the form of either pumped hydro or gravity modules. Current analysis investigates the techno-economic tradeoffs of each technology through numerical modeling of each system and their corresponding scenarios. Results show that the wastewater hydroelectric turbine can increase a building's pumping system's efficiency by 36% and is cost-effective when installed in buildings with a minimum of 35 floors and 47 units per floor. This is highly sensitive to electricity rate. The gravity module can offer higher power capacity at a lower levelized electricity cost than the pumped hydro, with a maximum energy capacity reaching 1,358 kWh in 300 m buildings, and lower levelized electricity cost than equivalent lithium-ion battery systems in all buildings taller than 156 m.


title: Rates of Use of Force by Police Officers in Canada: A Move Toward Standardized Reporting

abstract: The use of force by police officers remains an unfortunate reality of policing. This study gathered data from a sample of Canadian police services in an effort to determine how often force is applied, what type of force is employed, and what impact this has (in terms of effectiveness and injury, both to the subject and the officer). Results indicated that across jurisdictions in Canada, police officers rarely use force. Moreover, the rates at which officers apply force are unrelated to organizational factors such as the size of the policing jurisdiction or the gender demographics of the  individual agency. Collectively, the results of this study suggest that the use of force by police is very much the result of the circumstances in which individual officers find themselves at the time the force is applied.  	Keywords: Use of force, police, training, intervention option, effectiveness


title: A Statistical Approach for Determining the Impact of Sensor Orientation and Electrode Type on Moisture Content Measurements in Eastern White Pine

abstract: Current methods for quantifying the moisture content (MC) of wood species involve the measurement of electrical resistance between two installed electrodes and the use of existing empirical correlations to evaluate the MC. The objective of this study was to statistically examine the impact of sensor orientation and electrode geometry on MC measurements in 126 eastern white pine samples with electrodes placed along the grain of the wood (longitudinal) and across the grain of the wood (tangential) using six different fasteners. MC measurements were taken and electrical resistances were measured in both directions at temperatures ranging from -10℃ to 40℃ as samples reached steady state at different relative humidity levels. It was statistically determined that grain orientation does not need to be considered (p>0.05) when assessing MC in eastern white pine, while electrode type should be considered (p<0.05) when fasteners of high vs. low contact surface areas are compared.


title: The Use of a Novel Alpha-Synuclein Binding Aptamer in Models of Parkinson’s Disease

abstract: Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by a range of motor and non-motor behavioral deficits thought to occur because of the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. It has been thought that the appearance of the disorder stems from elevated alpha-synuclein (asyn) protein expression, known to form Lewy body inclusions. The overarching theme of the current series of experiments comprised the evaluation of how increased asyn expression contributes to the development of PD, and whether these actions could be attenuated by a DNA sequence designed to inhibit asyn oligomer formation. A better understanding of asyn protein accumulation and toxic aggregate formation might provide a therapeutic avenue with considerable clinical relevance, especially if tolerance does not develop as it does with other therapeutic approaches. As such, we assessed a novel asyn binding aptamer within both in vitro and in vivo models of Parkinson's disease. In vitro, a single treatment with the asyn aptamer reduced levels of pAsyn, but multiple treatments unexpectedly had less noteworthy effects. Accordingly, the influence of the asyn aptamer was assessed in mice in vivo. It was demonstrated that the aptamer could be detected in several brain regions and in the liver at various times following administration. Ordinarily, in transgenic mice overexpressing the human A53T variant of asyn protein, the elevated expression of asyn protein occurs at 5 months of age. Thus, transgenic mice of this age were treated with the asyn aptamer both acutely and repeatedly to detect asyn protein level changes. The aptamer reduced pAsyn levels compared to control wildtype animals. Indeed, Western blot analyses revealed that this was evident with respect to pAsyn and oligomer asyn in response to both acute and repeated treatment conditions. These reductions in asyn conformations were evident in the more exterior and interior regions of the brain. Overall, the data have important preliminary implications for the development of asyn aptamer treatment strategies that target asyn processes in PD. To be sure, the asyn aptamer needs to be assessed in other preclinically relevant models to determine the validity of the approach to halt or slow the progression of PD.


title: Non-Cooperative Spacecraft Pose Estimation Using Convolutional Neural Networks

abstract: With the advent of privatized space flight and the growing number of satellites in low earth orbit, the ability to remove subsequent debris and defective satellites is increasing in need. Autonomous spacecraft will likely be at the forefront for this due to the dangerous nature of approaching uncontrolled space debris as well as the logistics of removing large amounts of debris from earth orbit. This thesis provides a new convolutional network architecture that is capable of tracking three degrees of motion of the test platforms while be able to be deployed on an embedded platform. The novel convolutional model, coined SPOTNet, uses the input of a stereo camera to be able to resolve the relative x, y and attitude of the target spacecraft


title: Cycle Lengths of Finite Cyclotomic Mappings

abstract: We examine several classes of finite cyclotomic mappings and derive necessary and sufficient conditions for polynomials of these classes to have a cycle length dividing a given integer $k$. In particular, we give necessary and sufficient conditions for any cyclotomic mapping of index $4$ or fewer to have cycle of length dividing $k$ in terms of the values of the function $f(x^s)$.


title: Additive Manufacturing with Stellite 6 Metal-Cored Wire by Gas Tungsten Arc Welding and Plasma Arc Welding Methods

abstract: Metal-cored wires offer an opportunity to manufacture highly alloyed materials in the form of a tubular wire which may include any compatible powder alloy. These wires can be used with Wire and Arc Additive Manufacturing methods such as GTAW and PAW. These methods use a lower cost, and less complex heat source compared with Laser and Electron-Beam Processes. In this study, Stellite 6 metal-cored wire was utilized with GTAW to determine printing parameters. However, initial experiment showed that manufacturing thin walls with <3.5 mm thickness would not be possible with continuous weld beads, resulting in poor repeatability and geometrical defects. Therefore, the Coordinated Heat and Feed (CHF) printing strategy was developed and validated to address these issues. Furthermore, a PAW system was adopted in place of GTAW for an increased flexibility. However, preliminary tests with the CHF method resulted in high amount of oxidation although the geometrical features were improved.


title: A statistical analysis of landfast sea ice breakout events at the northern floe edge of Admiralty Inlet, Nunavut

abstract: In the spring, Inuit travel across landfast ice to the northern floe edge in Admiralty Inlet to hunt. During this time, the floe edge can be unstable, and floes can break free (I.e., breakout) from landfast ice, stranding hunters on mobile ice floes. To assess this risk, a climatology of breakout events from 2000-2020 was developed, which revealed that first events in the spring now occur 46 days earlier and 6-7 more of these events now occur each year than two decades ago. Point-biserial correlations between past breakout events and meteorological variables from ECMWF's reanalysis dataset (ERA5) were calculated to explore potential associations. These yielded weak (|r| = 0.06-0.12) yet significant relationships to winds, rainfall, and snowfall. A logistic regression model to predict breakout timing outperformed climatology but had low skill. In situ observations of breakout events and environmental conditions near the floe edge are recommended to improve prediction.


title: A Wide-Bandwidth Galvanically Isolated Current Sensor with Frequency Modulation

abstract: Highly-integrated galvanically isolated current sensing solutions are required to satisfy the demands arising from recent developments in areas such as electric vehicles, smart homes and industrial electronics. These sensors must also be able to provide measurements for wide bandwidths and with high sensitivity levels according to their application. In this thesis, a wide-bandwidth and highly sensitive fully integrated shunt-resistor current sensor for off-chip current sensing is presented. The architecture of the proposed sensor includes a voltage-controlled oscillator-based frequency modulator that offers inductive galvanic isolation and a phase-locked loop-based frequency demodulator. This current sensor solution is implemented in a 65nm CMOS technology, occupies an area of 1.88 mm^2, and achieves a bandwidth of 12.5 MHz. Realizing a sensitivity of 19 mV/A, this sensor is one of the most sensitive solutions reported in the state of the art.


title: A Hybrid De-icing Strategy Utilizing Tailored Anti-Icing Coatings Paired with Electro-Thermal and Electro-Mechanical Ice Protection Systems for Use on Rotary-Wing Aircraft

abstract: Since the beginning of aviation, ice accumulation on aircraft surfaces has been a persistent problem. On rotorcraft, the consequences can be catastrophic as small changes to the blade aerodynamics can result in a loss of the vehicle. Most small and medium-sized civil helicopters do not have a means of de-icing while in flight as these systems are heavy and require a significant amount of power. This dissertation aims to investigate hybrid ice protection systems (IPS), in which an icephobic coating is paired with an electro-thermal or electro-mechanical IPS to reduce the weight and required power of the system. First, the surface properties required for an effective hybrid IPS pairing were identified. For an electro-thermal IPS, the coating should have a low ice adhesion strength and high thermal conductivity while electro-mechanical IPS require a coating with a low ice adhesion strength, high elastic modulus, and low critical energy release rate. In this study, polymer coatings were developed with enhanced mechanical properties. Although they had a high icephobicity, their mechanical properties were insufficient to facilitate an effective pairing. Metallic coatings had a very high wear resistance and moderate ice adhesion strength, which would still make for a good pairing. Then, a model was developed which evaluated the heating requirements for rotorcraft operating in icing conditions. The model found that, when a coating was added to the blade surface, the thermal power required for ice shedding could be reduced by up to 50 per cent. Finally, the critical energy release rate of coated samples was measured using a three-point bend test and a vibratory-based method. The latter method proposed in this dissertation is based on the measurement of the frequency shift during crack propagation, the displacement, and the crack length. The final results show the consistency of the two methods and the efficiency of the coatings: the critical energy release rate of coated titanium plates can be reduced from 0.35 J/m2 to 0.18 J/m2. From the findings of this research, de-icing strategies incorporating the ice protection method and desired coating properties were developed for electro-thermal and electro-mechanical IPS to be installed on rotor blades.


title: Anchoring in Time Estimation: The Effects of Explicit Anchoring on Prospective Time Estimates

abstract: Quantitative estimates are biased when they are preceded by a guiding value. This is known as the anchoring effect (Tversky & Kahneman, 1974). Limited research has examined anchoring effects in duration judgment tasks. Five-hundred and twenty-eight undergraduates kept track of time while playing a Tetris game. The experiment consisted of a 4 (Durations: 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 4 minutes) X 3 (Anchors: 0.5, 1, 2) between-subjects design. After the task, the participants estimated the game's duration. As expected, raw estimates increased linearly with duration. However, evidence for anchoring was mixed. Overall, large anchors yielded overestimation, but small anchors did not yield underestimation. Moreover, these effects were inconsistent across durations. The results indicated that the anchoring bias might not emerge at short durations. Further research is required to replicate this research and determine the conditions under which anchors influence time judgments.


title: Framing the Western Jihad: A Grounded Theory Analysis of Inspire, Dabiq, and Rumiyah Magazines

abstract: From skilled propagandists to self-trained lone wolf attackers to armies of foreign fighters, so-called homegrown terrorists (or Western supporters of al Qaeda and Daesh) have played important roles in each movement's promotion, development and strategy. This dissertation project uses grounded theory analysis to examine the ways that al Qaeda and Daesh (also known as ISIS, ISIL, or IS) present their respective movements to English-speakers in Western societies. Ten issues of al Qaeda's Inspire, five issues of Daesh's Dabiq and five issues of Rumiyah (Dabiq's successor publication), published between 2011-2017, are studied. The analysis suggests that al Qaeda and Daesh employ three overlapping sets of frames in these English-language magazines. These frames position themselves within broader historical trends, establish their legitimacy as actors, and establish actors and actions (defining enemies, threats, heroes and recommended activities).


title: The Role of Design Thinking in Innovation Centres and Hubs

abstract: This study involved exploring how and why the design thinking approach is used in innovation centres and hubs by incorporating the expert interview method, which addressed the perspective of senior experts on the research question. A thematic analysis with deductive and inductive approaches was completed to examine the data. The results of this thesis provide beneficial insights to better understand the systematic approach of innovation centres and hubs. These organizations can benefit from a comprehensive understanding of the work processes of the innovation ecosystem across Canada. This thesis helps the design community better comprehend the impact of the design thinking in the absence of designers. The researcher has presented a comprehensive conclusion of the research project and explained the study's key takeaways, considering the limitations and possible opportunities and provided recommendations for future research that can particularly help researchers in the same area to determine future topics.


title: Evaluating Evidence-informed Decision-making in the Management and Conservation of British Columbia’s Fish and Wildlife Resources

abstract: Wildlife managers are faced with decisions and issues that are increasingly complex, spanning natural and human dimensions. A strong evidence base that includes multiple forms and sources of knowledge would support these complex decisions. However, a growing body of literature demonstrates that environmental managers are far more likely to draw on intuition, experience, or opinion to inform important decisions rather than empirical evidence. In 2018, I interviewed members from natural resource management branches of Indigenous (n = 4) and parliamentary (n = 33) governments, as well as nongovernmental stakeholder groups (n = 28) involved in wildlife management and conservation in British Columbia, Canada. I set out to: assess how interviewees perceive and use western-based scientific, Indigenous and local knowledge and the extent to which socio-economic and political considerations challenge the integration of evidence [Chapter 2]; examine perceptions on the current and future status of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) populations and fisheries [Chapter 3] (supplemented with n = 1029 online survey responses from rainbow trout anglers); and identify perceived benefits and existing barriers supporting or limiting the use of a particular type of evidence, conservation genomics [Chapter 4]. Then in 2019, I facilitated fuzzy cognitive mapping workshops with n = 12 participants from four groups of fisheries managers, detailing their perceptions on the evidence influencing freshwater fish and fisheries decisions [Chapter 5]. Collectively, this research suggests that wildlife management issues and decisions are time-sensitive and value-laden. Interviewees relied heavily on personal contacts with internal colleagues and institutional information to inform decisions and practices. Evidence which may influence decisions is within a closed social network, centralized to a handful of decision-making organizations and their partners. A lack of time and information overload were major barriers to external evidence use. A lack of trust and hesitancy to share were major barriers to Indigenous and local knowledge use. Abundant environmental evidence may not be immediately 'actionable' and relevant to known problems faced by decision-makers due in part to poor communication and dissemination. Participants perceived a diminishing role of evidence in decisions due to increases in socio-economic and political influence that may supersede conservation.


title: Domain-Specific Analog Accelerators for Artificial Intelligent Algorithms Implementation

abstract: This thesis discusses some circuit designs for AI algorithm acceleration. Instead of using digital computing components for algorithm implementations, this thesis describes new ideas to design and implement algorithms directly at the circuit-level. The first large section is about feedforward algorithm implementations that include using 1*4 analog multiply-accumulation arrays for DSP algorithm implementation and 2*3*3 analog multiply-accumulation matrices for computer vision algorithm and artificial intelligent algorithm implementations. The second large section concerns backward algorithm implementations that include using programmable resistor-based feedback loop, 'Add-division circuit' for convolutional kernel training algorithm implementation, and 'Random matrix generator' for solving Diophantine equations of neural networks.


title: Multi-Layer Approximate Computing

abstract: Approximate computing can efficiently trade accuracy for power savings, thus optimizing the power for applications that don't require exact solutions. This tradeoff has been studied in recent years across several implementation technologies, but mostly focused on approximations on a specific system layer. This thesis investigates how approximations interact at different layers and affect accuracy and power. We present a hierarchical model that attempts to analytically define levels of approximations, such that we can model the effects of approximations at multiple layers, as a function of a priori knowledge of the approximations' effects at each layer. We evaluate the validity of our model for an image processing application on a RISC-V simulator across two layers. The results indicate while type A model predicts accuracy pessimistically, type B model anticipates both power and accuracy with >98% accuracy. We discuss work towards improving this model and evaluating it across more comprehensive empirical results.


title: Modelling of Wall Pressure Fluctuations Induced by Turbulent Boundary Layer Flow

abstract: Semi-empirical models are used to predict the power spectral density of wall pressure fluctuations in the turbulent boundary layer. From the analysis of current semi-empirical models and a large survey of experimental data, it was found that the models proposed by Goody and Smol'yakov have the lowest mean squared error when predicting the power spectral density for wind tunnel experiments. The Rackl and Weston model has the lowest mean squared error when predicting the power spectral density for flight test data. Current advancements in power spectral density wall pressure fluctuation prediction have expanded the range of experiments that can be predicted to include adverse pressure gradient flows, however, favourable pressure gradient flows have not received much attention. An experiment was performed to capture the effects of the favourable pressure gradient on the power spectral density. A model was created to improve upon some of the limitations of existing models.


title: Canada’s Double Standard: How Hegemony, Fear and Post 9/11 Understandings of Security Inform our Perceptions of Who is Deemed ‘Terrorist’

abstract: The terrorist attacks of 9/11 brought the reality of terrorism experienced throughout the Middle East to Western shores. The binaries of 'us' and 'them' were solidified through hegemonic narratives meant to stabilize the country, ensuring that only one type of terrorist, the 'brown' terrorist, is visible. These narratives presented the attacks as a new 'exceptional' threat, painting the world as a much riskier place which mobilized security in different ways. The emphasis on national security in the post 9/11 environment ensures that particular threats ('brown' terrorists) are prioritized, enabling more serious threats to persist while remaining hidden ('white' terrorists). This thesis analyses the differing responses and narratives from the government, media, and experts regarding right-wing extremists and the refugees aboard the MV Sun Sea. Theories of hegemony, fear, and security are drawn upon to explain why, and how, one group is redeemable while the other is condemned.


title: Evaluating the Antagonistic Potential of Bacteria on Sclerotinia Slerotiorum, Causal Agent of White Mould of Carrots

abstract: Disease suppressive composts are known to contain beneficial bacteria that can be antagonistic to plant pathogens. This research evaluated whether Sclerotinia sclerotiorum — commonly known as white mould disease — can be managed using antagonistic bacteria from forestry compost. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that bacteria from the Pseudomonas and Bacillus genera can inhibit mycelial growth and reduce white mould disease. Extraction of culture filtrates and isolation procedures were performed to identify potential bioactive compounds. Three cyclodipeptides were purified and characterized from culture filtrates of Pseudomonas arsenicoxydans (F9-7). The three cyclodipeptide were L-Val-L-Pro, L-Leu-L-Pro, and L-Phe-L-Pro and they are though to be bioactive compounds responsible for the antagonistic against S. sclerotiorum. The most antagonistic effect was obtained with the cyclodipeptide L-Leu-L-Pro at a concentration of 100 mg/mL. These results indicated a potential for some bacteria to reduce the growth of the fungus and its associated disease on carrots.


title: Interaction of a Turbulent Spot with a Two-Dimensional Cavity

abstract: A study with experimental and numerical components is conducted to establish the effect of a two-dimensional surface cavity on the structure and growth rate of a turbulent spot. The spot is artificially created in a two-dimensional laminar boundary layer developing under zero streamwise pressure gradient. Interactions of the turbu lent spot and its wake with the Kelvin-Helmholtz rollers of the cavity shear layer are shown to result in significant increases in its lateral and streamwise growth rates. The underlying physics of these developments are identified.


title: Formalization of Cyber-Physical System Interface using Discrete Event System Specifications

abstract: Cyber-Physical systems are complex engineered systems that integrate embedded computing into the physical environment. These systems are considered to be "safety-critical" due to their application in the field of medical, transportation, or building control. CPS is composed of tight coupling of the physical and cyber worlds, and the interfaces are interactions that are defined as a bridge between these worlds. The interface is a fundamental characteristic of a CPS and CPS cannot function without it. In this thesis, we propose an architecture named DEVS CPS Interface Framework (DCIF) that portrays the complete working of the CPS interface. We also implement and evaluate this interface on real-time hardware. The architecture is verified by creating a synthetic environment that includes multiple test cases in the simulation as well as real-time implementation. Additionally, we apply this framework to a practical case study in the field of building information modeling.


title: The Role of Hypoxia on PORCN and WLS Expression in Human Embryonic Kidney (HEK293T) and Human Colon Cancer (HCT-116T) Cells

abstract: WNT proteins activate different intracellular signal transduction pathways, regulate cell proliferation, adult tissue homeostasis and the progression of disease. In this thesis, I examine the WNT modifying proteins: Porcupine (PORCN) and GPR177/Wntless (WLS). PORCN is responsible for palmitoylation of WNT proteins, while WLS has been suggested to be responsible for their glycosylation. Given that tumor microenvironments in the body are low in oxygen (hypoxic), I hypothesized that PORCN and WLS are regulated by the Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (HIF) transcription factors. We used RNA interference to knockdown HIF-1 alpha expression in HCT116 cells to determine how loss of HIF-1 alpha affected PORCN, WLS and WNT3A expression. We provide the first evidence that PORCN, WLS and WNT3A may be directly regulated by HIF-1 alpha in response to hypoxia. PORCN and WLS proteins may also impact WNT3A post-transcriptional modifications under these conditions.