title: Detecting deception in second-language speakers

subject:
Deception detection
Bilingualism
Cognitive load
Bias

abstract: It is currently unknown how lie detection accuracy is affected when someone is speaking in his or her second language. We examined whether language proficiency had an impact on lie detection. We hypothesized that when judging the veracity of second-language speakers, participants would be better able to discriminate between truth- and lie-tellers and would have bias toward picking ‘lying’ since they may display cues associated with lying when communicating.We collected video footage of native- and second-language English speakers who lied or told the truth about a transgression. Undergraduate students (N = 51) then judged the veracity of these clips and indicated how confident they were in their ratings. Participants were most accurate and confident when judging native-language truth-tellers. In addition, participants were more likely to exhibit a truth-bias when observing native-language speakers, whereas they were more likely to exhibit a lie-bias when viewing second-language speakers. Implications for the justice system will be discussed.


title: Study on specifics of thermalhydraulics and neutronics of pressure-channel supercritical water-cooled reactors (SCWRs)

contributor:
Pioro, Igor
Gabriel, Kamiel

subject:
SCWR
Thermalhydraulics
Neutronics
Generation IV
Nuclear fuel

abstract:
A group of countries has initiated an international collaboration to develop a next generation (i.e., Generation IV) of nuclear reactors. Chosen as one of the six Generation‒IV nuclear-reactor concepts, the SCWRs are expected to have high thermal efficiencies within the range of 40 ‒ 50% owing to reactor’s high outlet temperatures. The Canadian pressure-tube-type SCWR is featured with 3-batch refueling, 336 vertical fuel channels, a porous ceramic insulator inside the pressure tube, and stainless-steel cladding. The reactor operates at a pressure of 25 MPa with the coolant temperature rising from 350 to 625°C. Consequently, sheath and fuel centerline temperatures are significantly higher in SCWRs compared to those of the current water-cooled nuclear reactors.
The main objective of this thesis is to conduct a study on specifics of the thermalhydraulics and neutronics of a pressure-tube SCWR based on an understanding of the supercritical water phenomena and their impacts on reactor design and operation.  This thesis investigates the impact of several thermalhydraulic modeling parameters on fuel and cladding temperatures of a pressure-tube SCWR. The investigated thermalhydraulic modeling parameters are: 1) variable heat transfer coefficient, which is affected by thermophysical properties of supercritical water, axial heat flux, and three heat-transfer regimes: normal, improved and deteriorated; 2) thermophysical properties, which are affected by the bulk-fluid-temperature profile along the heated length and pressure drop along the fuel channel; 3) variable axial and radial heat-flux profiles of a fuel assembly (bundle string), which are affected by the neutron flux; 4) radial non-uniform heat generation inside the fuel; 5) axial and radial variable thermal conductivity of a fuel; 6) contact thermal resistance between the fuel and cladding; 7) heat loss from the coolant to the moderator, which is affected by the thermal conductivity of a ceramic insert; and 8) pressure drop of the coolant along the fuel channel. The main neutronic aspects, which have been incorporated in the neutronic model, include 1) variable coolant density along the heated length of the fuel channel, which affects neutronic properties of a lattice and, hence, the neutron flux and 2) number of energy groups, which affects the calculated channel powers.

abstract: University of Ontario Institute of Technology


title: Is non-medical use of prescription sedatives and sleeping pills associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress in undergraduate university students

subject:
Cross-sectional
Non-medical
Sedative use
Mental health
University students

abstract:
Introduction: Mental health is a public health concern on university campuses. However, little is understood about the etiology of mental health in this population.
Purposes: To measure the association between the non-medical use of sedative and sleeping pills in the past three months and moderate-extremely severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress in the past week, in undergraduate students at the University of Ontario Institutes of Technology (University of Ontario Institute of Technology).
Methods: Cross-sectional study of undergraduate students enrolled in the faculty of health sciences and faculty of education at University of Ontario Institute of Technology in the Fall semester of 2017.
Findings: Few students reported lifetime (7.8%) and past three month (3.7%) non-medical sedative and sleeping pill use. More students reported moderate-extremely severe symptoms of depression (30.3%), anxiety (47.3%), and stress (25.5%). I found no association between non-medical sedative and sleeping pill use and moderate-extremely severe symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression.
Discussion: Despite no association between non-medical sedative and sleeping pills use and symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression, students must be educated about the potential negative health impacts of non-medical sedative and sleeping pill use.


title: Development of a heat-transfer correlation for supercritical water in supercritical water-cooled reactor applications

subject:
Supercritical water-cooled reactors
Supercritical water
Heat-transfer
Correlations
Generation IV nuclear reactors

abstract: A large set of experimental data, obtained in Russia, was analyzed and a new heat-transfer correlation for supercritical water was developed. This experimental dataset was obtained within conditions similar to those for proposed SuperCritical Water-cooled nuclear Reactor (SCWR) concepts. Thus, this new correlation, for forced convective heat transfer in the normal heat-transfer regime, can be used for preliminary heat-transfer calculations in SCWR fuel channels. It has demonstrated a good fit for Heat Transfer Coefficient (HTC) values (±25%) and for wall temperature calculations (±15) for the analyzed dataset. This correlation can be used for supercritical water heat exchangers linked to indirectcycle concepts and the co-generation of hydrogen, for future comparisons with other independent datasets, with bundle data, as the reference case, for the verification of computer codes for SCWR core thermalhydraulics and for the verification of scaling parameters between water and modeling fluids.


title: Investigation into smoothed particle hydrodynamics for non-newtonian droplet modelling

contributor:
Aruliah, Dhavide
Qureshi, Faisal

subject: SPH Non-newtonian Hydrodynamics Particle Droplet

abstract:
Droplet splatter dynamics is an important study in the field of forensics since a crime
event can produce many blood stains. Understanding the origins of the blood stains
from pure observations is very difficult because much of the information about the
impact is lost. A theoretical model is therefore needed to better understand the dynamics
of droplet impact and splatter. We chose to explore a fluid modelling method
known as Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) to determine whether it is capable
of modelling droplet splatter accurately. Specifically, we chose to investigate an SPH
version of a non-Newtonian pressure correction method with surface tension. Three
experiments were performed to analyze the different aspects of SPH. From the results
of the experiments, we concluded that this method can produce stable simulations if
an artificial viscosity model is included, a third-order polynomial kernel is used and
the pressure boundary condition on surface particles are non-zero.


title: Development of a 37-element fuel bundle for the production of molybdenum-99 in CANDU power reactors.

subject:
Medical isotopes
CANDU
Molybdenum-99
Six-day curies
Linear heat rating

abstract:
In this study, the potential use of CANDU power reactors for the production of Mo-99 is assessed. Five different modifications of a 37-element fuel bundle that could be used for the production of Mo-99 in existing CANDU type power reactors are explored. Since Mo-99 is generated by the fission of U-235 with a fission yield of 6.1%, the proposed designs use enriched uranium in the Mo-99 producing fuel pins. The challenge lies in designing a fuel that is able to produce significant quantities of Mo-99 while having similar neutronics and thermalhydraulic characteristics to the standard CANDU fuel.
The proposed designs, when irradiated in the peak power channel of a CANDU core, are shown to produce significant quantities of Mo-99 while maintaining the necessary reactivity and power rating limits. The total Mo-99 production activities are found to be approximately 2335, 2297, 2336, 4131 and 4268 six-day Curies per bundle for Designs 1 to 5, respectively. The yield corresponds to approximately 19% (for Designs 1, 2 and 3) and 34% (for Designs 4 and 5) of the world weekly demand for Mo-99. A production cycle of 6 bundles per week (for Designs 1, 2 and 3), or 3 bundles per week (for Designs 4 and 5) can meet the global demand of Mo-99 medical isotopes.


title: Growth, survivability, and reproductive effects of pulse-dosed endosulfan on jordanella floridae (florida flagfish) over one complete life-cycle

subject: Endosulfan Life-cycle Reproduction Flagfish

abstract:
Endosulfan is a commonly used organochlorine in Durham Region, Ontario Canada
which has known toxic effects on non-target organisms including fish. This research
investigated the effects of endosulfan on Florida flagfish (Jordanella floridae), using both
continuous and pulse-exposure. The 96 hour continuous exposure LC50 in larval flagfish
was 4.35 μg/L; sub-lethal observations included hyperactivity, convulsions, and some
axis malformation. The effects of a 4 hour endosulfan pulse-exposure on 7-8 day-old
larval growth, reproduction, and survivability were investigated over one full life-cycle.
The 4 hour pulse-exposure LC50 value for larval flagfish was 49.7 μg/L; there were no
growth or reproductive effects of endosulfan pulse-exposure up to the highest exposure
concentration of 10 μg/L. Thus, the life-cycle 4-h pulse-exposure no observed effect
concentration (NOEC) and lowest observed effect concentration (LOEC) were 3.2 and 10
μg/L endosulfan, respectively, due to significantly higher mortality.


title: Effects of ibuprofen on Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) following acute and chronic waterborne exposures

subject:
Rainbow Trout
Ibuprofen
Cyclooxygenase (COX)
Vitellogenin (VTG)
Ethoxyresorufin-O-Deethylase (EROD)

abstract: Pharmaceuticals and personal care products are a growing concern in the aquatic environment. Compounds from the class of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are commonly detected in surface waters and have the potential to negatively affect aquatic organisms. The purpose of this experiment was to determine the acute and chronic effects of ibuprofen on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Cyclooxygenase (COX) activity, vitellogenin (VTG) concentration and ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity were evaluated following waterborne ibuprofen exposure of trout to 1 and 10 mg/L in the acute exposure and 1, 32 and 1000 μg/L in the chronic exposure, along with an experimental control, E2 control of 1000 μg/L and an E2-ibuprofen mixed treatment. Ibuprofen did not inhibit COX enzyme activity in either gill or kidney tissue. To evaluate the estrogenic effects of ibuprofen, VTG concentrations were measured; by the end of the 56 day chronic exposure VTG concentrations significantly increased in all of the ibuprofen treatments relative to the controls. EROD activity may have been inhibited by ibuprofen but definitive conclusions could not be made. These findings indicate that more research needs to be done studying ibuprofen in aquatic systems.


title: Why would someone send me that?! Exploring the prevalence, contexts, motivations, and predictors of sending unsolicited sexual images

subject:
Unsolicited sexual image
Motivations
Personality
Sexual offending
Technology

abstract: Technology has afforded the development of new ways to perpetrate non-consensual sexual acts, one being sending unsolicited sexual images (USIs). This thesis examined this underexplored act by examining the prevalence, contexts and motivations associated with, and predictors (i.e., personality, contact sexual offending, exhibitionistic behaviour) of sending USIs. These queries were investigated by conducting an anonymous online survey with North American adults. Approximately one in ten participants reported sending a USI. Most participants reported sending USIs to recipients they were in an established relationship with and through Snapchat. The most common motivational category endorsed for sending USIs was acting in a transactional mindset (i.e., trying to get something in return from the recipient of their USI). Sexual narcissism and sociosexual orientation were found to positively predict and psychopathy was found to negatively predict sending USIs. History engaging in contact sexual offending and exhibitionistic behaviours did not significantly predict sending USIs.


title: Effective design of multiplexing network for applications in communications satellites

subject:
Multiplexer
Communication satellite
Network
Satellite filter

abstract:
Microwave multiplexing networks are widely used in satellite communication systems. Their performances, such as the insertion loss and rejection between channels, are extremely critical. This research aims at effective design of multiplexing networks for applications in communication satellites exploring different design methodologies.
First, the enhanced type of multiplexer has been proven to be able to significantly improve its performances by forming an extra pole in the pass-band of each channel using the existing manifold. For completeness of the design methodology, the design of the enhanced type of multiplexers with H-plane T-junctions is investigated in this thesis. Design equations are given. By changing the distance between the channel filters and the distance between manifold waveguide and channel filter, the resonances and the magnitude of coupling can be readily controlled to satisfy the design requirement. Examples are used to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the new design using H-plane T-junctions.
Secondly, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is applied in the spurious mode compensation in the multiplexer design. Channel filter tuning, circuit model simplification, and neural network training processes are detailed in the thesis. Space-Mapping optimization technology has been applied in the tuning of a channel filter. The artificial neural network is applied as the method to compensate disadvantages of both electromagnetic (EM) simulation, which is accurate but extremely time consuming, and circuit model, which is fast but with limited accuracy. The neural network model of a simplified circuit can rapidly and accurately simulate the spurious mode of a channel filter in its out-of-band. Design examples are used to demonstrate the modeling steps. Good agreements are observed between EM simulation and the results from the developed model.


title: An examination of interacting residues in the GABA-gated ion channel UNC-49 within the parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus

subject:
Haemonchus contortus
UNC-49
Cys-loop receptor
GABA
Electrophysiology
Salt bridge

abstract:
Haemonchus contortus is a blood-feeding parasitic nematode that infects ruminant animals around the world, including those with significant economic importance such as cattle, sheep, and goats. UNC-49 is a GABA-gated chloride channel found to be exclusive to nematodes which could be a viable future target for anthelminthic drugs. An analysis of the model of the Hco-UNC-49 receptor has identified potentially interacting residues that may be important to its structure and function. One such potential interaction between
K181 and E183, which appears to be unique to nematode GABA receptors, was selected for study based on charge and proximity to each other and the ligand binding site. A variety of mutations at these positions were introduced and analyzed by two-electrode voltage clamp electrophysiology. It was found that both residues are important for receptor function, but modifications to the E183 residue yielded a greater negative impact. It was also found that K181 and E183 are energetically coupled suggesting that they interact possibly through a salt-bridge. Disulfide trapping indicated that the two residues
are in close enough proximity to directly interact. This analysis of key residues in a unique receptor could potentially be utilized for the future development of new anthelmintics to combat the increasing prevalence of infection by H. contortus.


title: Cognitive function during exertional heat stress assessed using traditional and serious game technology

contributor:
Murphy, Bernadette
McLellan, Tom

subject:
Occupational physiology
Thermophysiology
Working memory
Attention
Firefighting

abstract:
Firefighting is a physically demanding occupation requiring intermittent bouts of work resulting in increased levels of cardiovascular and thermal strain, while making decisions requiring higher order cognitive abilities e.g. working memory, sustained attention, reaction time, spatial awareness, and information processing. These activities can take place in dangerous conditions with elevated temperatures imposing external stressors on physiological and cognitive function. Previous research has examined the impact of heat stress on cognitive function in general, but the specific influence on firefighters wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) is not well understood. Specific domains of cognitive function can be assessed using computer-based neuropsychological testing batteries, such as the Cambridge Neuropsychological Automated Testing Battery (CANTAB). The CANTAB automatically records the response measures for each test and provides consistent feedback in between trials. Although the CANTAB is well established the cognitive domains it tests may not adequately capture the complexity of the specific decision making required of firefighters while on-duty. The use of serious game technology provides a possible solution to develop a more ecologically valid assessment tool capable of evaluating the specific decision making tasks required of firefighters at an emergency scenario.
Thus, the current thesis aimed to evaluate the effects of exercise-induced heat stress on cognitive function in firefighters using the CANTAB testing battery and a recently developed serious game simulating the decision making tasks required of firefighters in a two-storey residential fire while walking on a treadmill. Additionally, the reliability of repeated CANTAB administrations during treadmill walking was measured and found to have reasonable overall reliability. Decrements in cognitive function (working memory and executive function were observed at a core temperature of 38.5°C and restored following an active cooling recovery protocol. However, when decision making was evaluated using the serious game scenario, task specific performance deficits were not seen during treadmill walking but impairment in memory recall was found following the active cooling recovery protocol. These findings provide fire service personnel with information regarding the cognitive implications of heat stress and the potential use of serious games to evaluate and train cognitive function during exposure to environmental stressors.


title: Sum-rate maximization for two-way active channels.

subject:
Sum rate maximization
Two-way active channel
Two-way communication
Cooperative communication

abstract:
In this thesis, the term passive channel refers to the conventional parallel wireless
channel model, where there is no control over the gain of each individual subchannel.
We de ne an active channel as a parallel channel where by injecting power into
the subchannels, somewhere between a transmitter and a receiver, the gain of the
subchannels are adjusted. We herein study the problem of joint power allocation
and channel design over a reciprocal two-way active channel. Assuming the channel
is reciprocal, we consider the sum-rate maximization problem under the assumption
that the powers of transceivers as well as the channel power are limited. The goal is to
jointly optimize the power of each subchannel as well as the allocated power by each
transceiver to each subchannel. We use the KKT conditions to  nd the necessary
conditions for the optimality. Then we devise a semi-closed-form solution for the
problem by searching over the set of the solutions provided by the KKT conditions.
We show that for a two-way active channel, the sum-rate maximization problem has a
unique global solution. We prove that at the optimum the power should be allocated
uniformly only to a subset of parallel subchannels.
Next we consider the sum-rate maximization problem for a reciprocal two-way active
channel, when the total power of the network is limited. In our system model, the
total power of the network is de ned as the summation of the total power of each
transceiver and the power of the active channel. We show that at the optimum, half
of the total power of the network should be allocated to the active channel, while the
remaining half should be distributed equally between the two transceivers.
Furthermore, we analyze the non-reciprocal two-way active channels. We consider
the sum-rate maximization problem over a non-reciprocal two-way active channel. To
solve this problem, without loss of optimality, we break the maximization problem into
two sub-problems. Then using the solution to the sum-rate maximization problem
for the one-way reciprocal active channels, we  nd the optimal power distribution.
Finally, in the simulation result section, we analyze several passive channels as well
as several active channels. As shown in our numerical results two-way active channels
outperform the passive channels in terms of sum-rate under the same total network
power.


title: Automatic fall risk detection based on imbalanced data

subject:
Fall detection
Pose estimation
Machine learning
Data sampling
Anomaly detection

abstract: In recent years, the declining birthrate and ageing population have gradually brought countries into an ageing society. In regards to the accidents that occur amongst the elderly, falls are an important problem that quickly causes indirect physical loss. In this thesis, we propose a pose estimation-based fall detection algorithm to detect fall risks. Since fall data is rare in real-world situations, we train and evaluate our approach in a highly imbalanced data setting. We assess not only different imbalanced data handling methods, but also different machine learning algorithms. After oversampling on our training data, the K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) algorithm achieves the best performance. This experiment provides evidence that our approach is more interpretable, with key features from skeleton information, and workable in multi-people scenarios.


title: A framework for integrating wireless sensors and cloud computing

subject:
Cloud computing
Wireless sensors
Windows Azure
Load testing

abstract: Wireless sensors generate a large volume of data that require a highly scalable framework that enables storage, processing, and analysis. Cloud computing technology can provide unlimited storage in addition to a flexible processing infrastructure, allowing for the management and analysis of vast amounts of sensor data. This thesis presents a framework for integrating wireless sensors and cloud computing. This framework can provide scalability and high availability for applications that use wireless sensors. Moreover, this cloud-based framework is designed to immediately make decisions based on real-time sensor and historical data, and a list of sensor and user policies are defined by the system administrator. In order to evaluate the framework performance after applying scalability and availability techniques, a load testing environment was built in the cloud to simulate a large number of virtual users. This environment was created in order to examine the quality of the services as provided by Windows Azure. The results have shown that the use of scalability techniques can significantly increase availability and performance. Finally, we present an eHealth smart system as a case study for collecting real-time data that can be used for real-time monitoring and data analysis.


title: Assessing the influence of geological and land-use gradients on zooplankton and phytoplankton biodiversity in the land between ecotone

subject:
Plankton communities
Water quality
Land-use
Calcium
Ontario lakes

abstract: The Land Between (TLB) is an ecotone in south-central Ontario that represents a transition from limestone-dominated bedrock to granite-dominated bedrock, creating notable calcium and land-use gradients across this unique geographic region. The goal of this study was to investigate water quality and plankton community patterns in lakes across TLB as a function of geological and spatial drivers. Lake water quality profiles were differentiated based on calcium concentrations, and increased watershed land-use was related to increased lake nutrient levels. Plankton communities were not spatially structured. Phytoplankton communities were influenced by environmental drivers including nutrients and water temperature, as well as the inferred effect of zooplankton grazing. Zooplankton communities were influenced by environmental drivers including calcium concentration. Additionally, plankton communities appeared to be influenced by species-specific and trophic interactions. Overall, my research has provided insight into the important drivers of lake water quality and plankton communities in TLB.


title: Developing effective virtual simulations and serious games: the effect of background sound cues on visual quality perception

subject:
Serious games
Virtual simulation
Visual quality
Multi-modal cue interaction
Audio-visual interaction

abstract:
Virtual simulations and serious games (video game-based technologies applied to
teaching and learning) have been incorporated in the teaching and training curricula of a
large number of professions including medicine/surgery. Despite their benefits, there are
open, fundamental issues regarding simulation quality, multi-modal cue interaction, and
the resulting effect on visual quality perception and ultimately on knowledge transfer and
retention. Here the results of a series of seven studies that examined the effect of
background sound (contextually related and non-related with respect to the visual scene)
on the perception of visual quality (defined with respect to texture resolution, polygon
count) presented in stereoscopic and non-stereoscopic 3D. Results indicate that the
perception of visual quality is dependent on ambient (background) sound. The results of
these studies have implications for designers and developers of serious games who
typically strive for high quality virtual worlds despite the computational burden
associated with doing so. The results of these studies also bring us closer to
understanding the role of quality, multi-modal interactions, and their effect on visual
quality perception. This thesis is part of a larger effort in developing an understanding of
virtual environment rendering quality, multi-modal interactions, user-specific factors and
their effect on knowledge transfer and retention.


title: Design and development of advanced control techniques for an unmanned ground vehicle

contributor:
Ren, Jing
El-Gindy, Moustafa

subject:
Multi-wheeled combat vehicle
Path planning
Obstacle avoidance
Robust control

abstract:
Recent years have seen considerable progress towards the goal of autonomous and unmanned ground vehicles which became essential for conducting military operations. These autonomous vehicles have the capability to operate and react to their environments without external control. Autonomous multi-wheeled combat vehicles are crucial for military applications which offer numerous leverages on modern battlefields. Applying autonomy features to such vehicles significantly increases its combat capabilities and expands its applications to work-day and night for risky missions compared with traditional manned ground vehicles. However, it is associated with some challenges because of their large dimension, heavy weight, and complex geometry. Therefore, the development of autonomous combat vehicles has become a cutting-edge research topic in robotics and automotive engineering.
This thesis focuses on the control issues related to applying autonomous features for the multi-wheeled combat vehicles due to their significant influence especially when navigating in the presence of obstacles. The primary concern of path planning is to compute collision-free paths. Another equally important issue is to compute a realizable path and, if possible, achieving an optimal path bringing the vehicle to the final position. For these purposes, the developed methodology considers the combination between the optimal control theory using Pontryagin's Minimum Principle (PMP) and Artificial Potential Filed (APF). In addition, a four-axle bicycle model of the actual multi-wheeled combat vehicle considering the vehicle body lateral and yaw dynamics is developed.
To generate the vehicle optimal path in real time, an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model is proposed. The introduced ANN model allows the vehicle to carry out an autonomous navigation in real time with maintaining the path optimality by considering the vehicle parameters in terms of yaw rate, lateral velocity, heading angle and steering angle. Subsequently, a comparative study and performance analysis of the developed optimal path algorithm using PMP with Dynamic Programming (DP) method was carried out in order to guarantee the global optimum solution.
Determining the accurate vehicle position offers sufficient capabilities which increase the autonomy and safety features, especially in case of off-road locomotion. In this regard, a hybrid framework for positioning technique based on the integration of GPS/INS for combat vehicles is developed. The developed algorithm is able to provide an accurate and reliable vehicle positioning information, even if the number of visible satellites is less than four, due to the harsh vehicle operation environments.
In this work, a scaled multi-wheeled combat vehicle model was developed using system identification methodology. Different system identification methods are considered and applied to solve and identify this problem. An advanced control system in terms of fuzzy logic, robust, and PID control systems are designed. In addition, the Processor-In-the-Loop co-simulation (PIL) is considered, which permits and achieves a more realistic situation where the developed control algorithms running on a dedicated processor. The performance and effectiveness of the developed controllers are evaluated for vehicle heading angle tracking using different predefined heading angles. Furthermore, a comparative evaluation to assess the feasibility of the developed control algorithms is discussed. Finally, it should be stated that this work offers the first attempt in the open literature to control the scaled multi-wheeled combat vehicle using different advanced control techniques such as, fuzzy logic, 𝐻∞.


title: A criminology of catastrophe: a critical analysis of imperialistic state crime and the Haiti earthquake

contributor:
Perry, Barbara
Ammar, Nawal
Alvi, Shahid

subject:
Natural disaster
State crime
Imperialism
Haiti

abstract:
Despite the devastation caused by environmental catastrophes, these phenomena have yet
to garner significant attention as a subject of criminological inquiry. This thesis is framed
by the following question: How can we problematize the notion of “natural” disaster to
arrive at a criminological understanding of human culpability in the production of harm?
I argue that the degree of human suffering caused by natural disasters is aggravated by
imperialistic state crimes, which predispose populations to conditions of vulnerability and
dependency. I substantiate this argument with an analysis of Haiti and demonstrate how
its history of imperialistic exploitation by the US amounted to a pattern of state crime
victimization that marginalized Haitians and, consequently, shaped their suffering from
the 2010 earthquake. The story of Haiti exemplifies the relationship between the
contemporary hardships of a natural disaster and the historical injustices of state crime,
thus illuminating the relevance of a criminology of catastrophe.

abstract: University of Ontario Institute of Technology


title: Robust curved road boundary identification using hierarchical clustering.

contributor:
Pu, Ken
Qureshi, Faisal

subject:
Road boundary
Hierarchical clustering

abstract:
We develop a new method for automatic curved road boundary detection in images captured by
traffic cameras. The proposed method combines data driven (edge segments) and model based
(2nd degree polynomial models for road boundaries) techniques to identify dominant road
boundary in images exhibiting extreme weather conditions, low visibility and poor lighting.
The proposed method constructs a ranked list of possible road boundaries through agglomerative
hierarchical clustering of edge segments. Each node in the hierarchical clustering is a
potential road boundary. Top ranked road boundaries are paired with each other to identify potential
road regions. The road regions are then ranked using appearance and perspective cues
and the top ranked road region is used to construct the dominant road boundary in the image.
We evaluate our method on a realistic dataset captured by traffic cameras managed by Ontario’s
Ministry of Transportation.


title: Development of a layerless additive manufacturing stereolithography machine to improve surface quality and dimensional accuracy

subject:
Stereolithography
Additive manufacturing
Surface quality
Dimensional accuracy

abstract: Stereolithography (SLA) is an Additive Manufacturing (AM) process that has recently gained significant popularity in manufacturing research. The material used in SLA is a photocurable resin. SLA fabrication has conventionally been executed in a layered build process, which results in the staircase effect: a common problem in layered manufacturing giving a lower quality part surface due to created cusps on the surface. Manufacturing the part using a continuous build should theoretically eliminate this issue. A methodology for the design, development and calibration of a new layerless additive manufacturing system is introduced in this thesis. The methodology involves synchronizing the display of cross-sectional images with the platform elevation on an SLA machine and finding the optimal parameters in order to obtain a more dimensionally accurate and higher surface quality part. A variety of geometric features are constructed through experiments and their properties are examined to extract the most adequate fabrication parameters. The layerless process was found to reduce the staircase effect and the surface roughness on fabricated parts, as well as improve the ability of the machine to build complex features.


title: A Framework for Interactive Conference Posters

subject:
interactive
conference poster

abstract: In this paper, we present a complete framework for extending conference posters with interactive content. Poster content will become interactive, allowing viewers to manipulate visualizations, and save them for later. We used a web-based backend to allow authors to upload academic posters, and mask areas with interactive content. An image recognition model was trained on submitted posters using the Tensorflow framework [1], and deployed using a mobile application for use at poster sessions


title: Design of 3-DOF parallel manipulators for micro-motion applications

subject:
Parallel manipulator
Inverse kinematic
Jacobian matrix
Stiffness analysis

abstract:
This thesis presents two unique micro-motion parallel kinematic manipulators (PKM):
a three degrees of freedom (3-DOF) micro-motion manipulator and a 3-DOF micro-motion
manipulator with actuation redundancy. The 3-DOF micro-motion manipulator has three
linear-motion driving units, and the 3-DOF micro-motion manipulator with redundancy has
four of these units.
For both designs, the linear motion driving units are identical, and both machines
have a passive link in the center of the structure. The purpose of this passive link is to
restrain the movement of the manipulator and to improve the stiffness of the structure. As a
result, both structures support 3-DOF, including one translation on the Z-axis and two
rotations around the X and Y axes. The manipulator with redundancy is designed to prevent
singularity and to improve stiffness.
In this thesis, the inverse kinematic, Jacobian matrix and stiffness analyses have been
conducted, followed by the design optimization for structures. Finally, the FEA (Finite
Element Analysis) and dynamic analysis have also been performed.
There are many practical applications for micro-motion parallel manipulators. The
typical applications include micro-machine assembly, biological cell operation, and microsurgery
.


title: The news coverage of honour killings in Canadian newspapers

subject:
Honour
Honour killings
Violence against immigrant women
Culture
Islam

abstract: The issue of honour killings has become a prominent topic of discussion in the Western discourse of violence against immigrant women. In Canada, particularly, the recent high-profile cases of honour killings have drawn increased attention from the media, academics and the public. The prevalent discussion links these murders to the broader issues of immigration, multiculturalism, and violence against immigrant women. In this thesis, I examine the nature of honour killings, their components, and the discourse of honour killings in its Canadian context. In doing so, I conduct a textual analysis of the representation of three recent honour killings in two major Canadian newspapers; The Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail. Results suggest that honour killings touched a nerve in Canadian media leading to the use of culturalist approaches to understand and represent these killings. This culturalist approach to the debate created serious obstacles for clarifying or explaining this form of violence against women. It further hindered any constructive public debate about ending these killings. The consequences of the culturalist approach to honour killings as well as recommendations for future research and theoretical developments in this area of violence against women are suggested.


title: Inspection & modelling of cusp geometry in additive manufacturing to predict product’s surface roughness

subject:
Additive manufacturing
Surface roughness

abstract: The final dimensional and geometric inaccuracies, and the resulting high surface roughness of the products have been the major problems in employing Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies. Most of commonly used Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies are developed based on a layer-based manufacturing process to fabricate 3D models. However, a critical drawback that reduces the surface quality of the AM parts is the stair case effect as a direct result of the layered deposition of the material. In this thesis, a new approach to model surface roughness in Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is proposed. Based on actual observations and modeling of the cusp geometry under various setups and fabrication conditions, an empirical model to express the surface roughness distribution is presented. The developed methodology presents mathematical expressions for the profile of cusps classified based on two parameters of additive manufacturing layer thickness and the slope of the fabricated surface. Considering the fact that the cusp profile crucially affects the surface quality, the developed model is used directly to estimate surface roughness of the final product. The proposed expression is verified by implementation and comparison with the experimental case studies. The developed models can be used for optimum selection of the build direction or layer thickness when a certain surface roughness range is targeted. It can also be used as a tool for modification of the design to control the final surface roughness of the AM products.


title: Active transport and concentration of analytes in microfluidic paper based analytical devices using ion concentration polarization

subject:
Microfluidics
Paper-based
Analyte Transport
Concentration
Allergy test

abstract: Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (µPADs) have a high potential for miniaturizing complex testing functions, since they are inexpensive, disposable, and portable. Paper has the advantage over traditional fluid channel systems in that it houses capillary-driven flow, which requires no external pumps or equipment. However, these paper-based devices have one disadvantage in that they do not enable further flow of fluids after becoming fully wet. In this work, active transport and concentration of analytes in fully wet paper-based assays is demonstrated by leveraging ion concentration polarization (ICP). The efficacy of ICP-inducing µPADs is demonstrated through transporting and concentrating dye, fluorescein and immunoglobulins. The application of actively concentrating immunoglobulins - antibodies with sample concentrations that are typically below traditional limits of detection - is a novel application of ICP and can be used to create universally accessible allergy tests.


title: Societal perceptions of wrongful convictions

subject:
Wrongful conviction
Public perception
Structuration theory
Compensation
Apology

abstract: In recent years wrongful convictions have received a considerable amount of research attention. This flourishing interest has resulted in a growing body of literature that aims to investigate this criminal justice phenomenon. Specifically, the current academic literature suggests that exonerees have reported feeling stigmatized; however, public perception research suggests that the public is actually supportive of exonerees. As very little research has been conducted on public perceptions of wrongful conviction—and on the views of community members, in particular—this thesis sought to further explore this topic using open-ended, structured interviews. In addition, the literature has been criticized for its lack of theory integration. Therefore, the results of this study have been interpreted in the context of Giddens‘ Structuration Theory. Indeed, public perception and support are important as they may influence policy changes and encourage the government to be more forthcoming when it comes to preventing wrongful convictions and helping exonerees post-conviction. Overall, results indicated that community members defined wrongful conviction as cases of factual innocence. They also had limited knowledge of wrongful conviction, leading some participants to believe that wrongful convictions were infrequent. Community members were also able to identify several factors that lead to wrongful convictions (e.g., mistaken eyewitnesses), felt that the criminal justice system did a fair job in light of wrongful convictions, and generally held positive views toward exonerees (e.g., believing that they should receive supportive services, such as financial compensation, job training, and apologies). Furthermore, results highlight that while community members acknowledge that exonerees likely experience stigmatization, the majority of participants did not personally express stigmatizing views.


title: Characterization and transcriptomic profiling of Arabidopsis thaliana under cellulose biosynthesis inhibitor treatment

subject:
CESAs
CBIs
Transcriptomic profiles
Stress response
Fxr and ixr alleles

abstract: Cellulose is one of the most important components of plant cell walls for industry and plant development. Screening mutants resistant to chemicals that conditionally inhibit cellulose synthesis, known as cellulose biosynthesis inhibitors (CBIs), allows us to dissect the cellulose biosynthetic process. Using flupoxam resistant (fxr) and isoxaben resistant (ixr) mutants, we characterized their response to our novel CBIs. Root length clustering showed similar responses and cross-resistance patterns based on mutation location. A 3-D homology protein model of the cellulose synthases (CESAs) was generated to display our alleles. This model contradicted previous models and predicted a protein with seven-membrane spanning helices. Transcriptomic profiling of Arabidopsis thaliana in response to CBI treatment revealed differential expression of genes related to membrane dynamics, stress responses, cellular transporters, and general metabolism. Processes containing CESA co-expressed genes shared high overlap with CBI regulated processes. Through this study, we uncovered linkages between CESAs and cellular processes, discovering new avenues of research into cellulose biosynthesis.


title: Modeling and experimental investigations of drilling carbon fiber reinforced composites

subject:
Delamination
Feed rate scheduling
Woven composites
Drilling
Critical thrust force

abstract: The application of composites in different industries especially aerospace industry has significantly increased due to their phenomenal mechanical characteristics. Drilling woven composite parts is one of the most common operations in assembly, and therefore selecting the ideal process parameters and tool geometry is a vital key to control the drilling-caused damages (i.e. delamination). In this study, a novel mathematical model is proposed to predict the critical thrust force at which delamination starts. The model takes into account the thermo-mechanical loads with considering a mixed-mode of fracture that takes place in the delamination area for unidirectional composites. The proposed model has been benchmarked with five previous models including different composite materials, drill bits and feed rates. It was found that the proposed model offered the highest average accuracy among all studied cases. This model explains how the delamination area starts with a circular cross-sectional area in the entrance layer and grows into an ellipsoid, in the same direction of the fibers, in the exit layer. In addition, the visualization of this phenomena is executed through Finite Element Analysis. Furthermore, the second phase of this work offers an integrated approach to fully understand the machining process of woven composites. This integrated approach includes three stages; (i) experimental investigation of drilling thrust force, (ii) investigating the importance of drill bit geometry, and (iii) Effects of feed rate scheduling on minimizing delamination. It was perceived that only scheduling the feed rate is not sufficient for minimizing the delamination. However, updating the chisel edge ratio based on the drill bit geometry results in predicting a more accurate thrust force which can sufficiently minimize the delamination. Finally, the results obtained in this work provide a valuable guideline to better utilize common machining tools and resources while maintaining the quality of drilled holes.


title: Opportunities for the deep neural network method of solving partial differential equations in the computational study of biomolecules driven through periodic geometries

contributor:
de Haan, Hendrick
Waller, Ed

subject:
Computational science
Biophysics
Differential equations
Neural networks
Deep learning

abstract: As deep learning emerged in the 2010s to become a groundbreaking technology in machine vision and natural language processing, it also ushered in many new algorithms for use in scientific research. Among these is the neural network method, in which the solution to a differential equation is approximated by varying the parameters of a deep neural network trial function. Although this idea has been explored with shallow neural networks since the 1990s, it has experienced a resurgence of interest in recent years now that it can be implemented with deep neural networks. A series of empirical and theoretical studies have acclaimed the deep variants of the neural network method for being able to solve many classes of traditionally challenging partial differential equations. These early works emphasized its potential to solve high-dimensional, highly parameterized, and nonlinear equations in arbitrary geometries, all without requiring the discretization of the geometry into a mesh. Problems exhibiting these challenging features abound in computational biophysics, and this thesis presents recent efforts to adapt the neural network method for use in this _eld. The investigations in this thesis center on models of biomolecular motion in periodic geometries. Such models arise, for example, in the study of microfluidic and nanofluidic devices used for the separation of free-draining molecules. These problems exhibit many of the characteristics for which the neural network method is appealing, and serve here as non-trivial test problems on which to characterize its performance. Perspectives from biophysics, numerical analysis, and deep learning are combined to elucidate the true potential of the neural network method as a technique for studying such differential equations. Altogether, these works have moved the neural network method closer to being another reliable numerical method in the computational biophysicist's toolkit.


title: Characterization of a secreted escherichia coli 086a:K61 protease that inactivates human coagulation FV

subject:
Coagulation
Factor V
Protease
Escherichia coli
Outer membrane vesicle

abstract: Background: Escherichia coli (E.coli) O86a:K61 belongs to the Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) group of pathogens. Acute gastroenteritis affects 2-4 billion people annually and EPEC is associated with 10-40% of hospitalized diarrhea cases globally. Coagulation Factor (F) V circulates as an inactive procofactor (Mr 330kDa) which upon thrombin activation to the active cofactor, FVa, functions in prothombinase to accelerate prothrombin to thrombin conversion by 300,000-fold. The ability of E.coli O86a:K61 to cause intestinal hemorrhage is of interest because previous research demonstrated that during E.coli O86a:K61 sepsis in baboons, a dose-dependent inactivation of FV was observed as the bacterial dose increased. These results suggested a secreted E.coli protease may have mediated this effect on FV. This research has focused on the purification, identification, and characterization of a secreted E. coli O86a:K61 protease that inactivates FV. The final partially-purified protease inactivated FV to a 250kDa product by immunoblotting, and possessed a 900-fold increase in specific activity versus FV in human plasma compared to the culture supernatant. At least 3 proteins were observed upon SDS-PAGE. Proteolytic inactivation of FV was activated by up to 500-fold with β-mercaptoethanol and 2-fold with 1M urea. The protease was heat stable retaining all of its activity versus FV after 1h at 70°C or 80°C, and partial activity (50%) at 95°C. Proteolysis of FV was blocked by 90% with alpha-1-protease inhibitor; however, the protease was resistant to 1.5 mM PMSF, and unaffected by E64, or iodoacetamide. FV is a major regulator of the coagulation process and its inactivation by the secreted E.coli protease would be expected to result in a net bleeding tendency which may contribute to the mucosal hemorrhage observed in humans with associated hemorrhagic colitis. Proteolytic inactivation of FV is predicted to result in decreased bacterial containment by host fibrin thereby increasing pathogen survival and growth. FV inactivation by the secreted E.coli protease may be part of a novel pathogenic virulence mechanism that deregulates the blood coagulation process to enhance bacterial infectivity and transmission.


title: Examing the effects of apology and compensation on participants' perceptions of exonerees.

subject:
Wrongful conviction
Stigma
Apology
Exoneree

abstract:
Research suggests that exonerees experience stigma post-incarceration that causes reintegration
difficulties (Westervelt & Cook, 2010). Using Weiner’s (1993) theory of social motivation, we
investigated whether apology or compensation influenced perceptions of exonerees. Participants
read vignettes detailing the release of an exoneree with a video component added in the second
study. Study One manipulated exoneree sex as well as the presence of compensation and
apology. Results indicated that the presence of an apology increased positive attributes (overall
attitudes, feelings of sympathy, and willingness to assist) with minimal effects found for
compensation or exoneree sex. Study Two examined the impact of apologies on perceptions of
exonerees based on the type of apology issued and the factor that lead to their wrongful
conviction. Participants` ratings of responsibility and anger indicate negative perceptions of
individuals who falsely confess. The implications of issuing apologies are discussed in hopes of
decreasing the reintegration difficulties of exonerees.


title: Perceptions of false confessions: Reducing prejudice toward exonerees through the use of educational materials

subject:
Wrongful conviction
Prejudice reduction
Exonerees
False confessions
Contact hypothesis

abstract: Educational campaigns are commonly used for prejudice reduction (Levy Paluck & Green, 2009). We were interested if educational campaigns, such as those used by innocence organizations, were successful in reducing prejudice toward exonerees. In particular, we examined whether prejudice toward an individual who falsely confessed could be reduced through watching educational videos (personal story video and/or fact based video) about false confessions and wrongful conviction. Participants who watched the personal story video rated the exoneree as significantly less responsible for his wrongful conviction than participants who did not watch the personal story video. The two different videos interacted to impact willingness to assist the exoneree and attitudes toward the exoneree. The findings are discussed within the context of Allport’s contact hypothesis and explore the implications for exonerees who falsely confess.


title: User aid-based evolutionary computation for optimal parameter setting of image enhancement and segmentation

subject:
Image processing
Segmentation
Optimization
Image enhancement

abstract:
Applications of imaging and image processing become a part of our daily life
and find their crucial way in real-world areas. Accordingly, the corresponding
techniques get more and more complicated.
Many tasks are recognizable for a image processing chain, such as, filtering, color
balancing, enhancement, segmentation, and post processing. Generally speaking,
all of the image processing techniques need a control parameter setting. The better
these parameters are set the better results can be achieved. Usually, these parameters
are real numbers so search space is really large and brute-force searching
is impossible or at least very time consuming. Therefore, the optimal setting of
the parameters is an essential requirement to obtain desirable results. Obviously,
we are faced with an optimization problem, which its complexity depends on the
number of the parameters to be optimized and correlation among them.
By reviewing the optimization methods, it can be understood that metaheuristic
algorithms are the best candidates for these kind of problems. Metaheuristic
algorithms are iterative approaches which can search very complex large spaces to
come up with an optimal or close to optimal solution(s). They are able to solve
black-box global optimization problems which are not solvable by classic mathematical
methods.
The first part of this thesis optimizes the control parameters for an eye-illusion,
image enhancement, and image thresholding tasks by using an interactive evolutionary
optimization approach. Eye illusion and image enhancement are subjective
human perception-based issues, so, there is no proposed analytical fitness function
for them. Their optimization is only possible through interactive methods. The second
part is about setting of active contour (snake) parameters. The performance
of active contours (snakes) is sensitive to its eight correlated control parameters
which makes the parameter setting problem complex to solve. In this work, wehave tried to set the parameters to their optimal values by using a sample segmented
image provided by an expert. As our case studies, we have used breast
ultrasound, prostate ultrasound, and lung X-ray medical images. The proposed
schemes are general enough to be investigated with other optimization methods
and also image processing tasks. The achieved experimental results are promising
for both directions, namely, interactive-based image processing and sample-based
medical image segmentation.


title: Individuals’ empathic responses to exonerees’ emotional and physical suffering

subject:
Wrongful conviction
Exoneree
Suffering
Empathy
Helping

abstract: In exploring avenues to combat the stigma exonerees experience, a study was conducted to examine whether exposure to an exoneree’s suffering increases empathy and helping, and whether different empathic responses (e.g., emotions) result from the type of suffering witnessed. Participants were randomly assigned to three conditions: emotional suffering, physical suffering, or control. In all conditions, participants watched a video clip of an exoneree talking about his case. In the two suffering conditions, participants then read and imagined the suffering (emotional or physical) that an exoneree might experience. All participants were then asked about their emotions and helping behaviours. Suffering type did not show the same impact as has been found in previous research. Instead, imaging the exoneree’s suffering – regardless of it being emotional or physical – led to greater empathic responses. The findings are discussed in terms of Stellar et al. (2020)’s work and increasing support for exonerees.


title: Passive methods for suppressing acoustic resonance excitation in shallow rectangular cavities.

subject:
Rectangular cavities
Resonance
Passive methods

abstract: The flow-excited acoustic resonance in shallow rectangular cavities can be a source of severe noise and/or excessive vibration. This phenomenon is excited when one of the acoustic modes in the accommodating enclosure is coupled with the flow instabilities resulting from the shear layer formation at the cavity mouth. In this thesis, two passive methods for suppressing the flow-excited acoustic resonance phenomenon are addressed. The first passive method considers the edge geometry effect on the phenomenon. Several edge geometries including chamfered, round, and different configurations of spoilers are considered. The effect of the spoilers dimensions is investigated to provide criteria that help designing and optimizing spoilers. Some of the spoilers are found to be effective in suppressing the acoustic resonance excitation, while some other edges including chamfered and round edges result in shifting the resonance excitations to higher velocities with amplification in the acoustic pressure. To enrich the understanding of the suppression mechanism introduced by these passive methods, hotwire measurements are performed revealing the existence of orthogonal vortices interacting with the shear layer at the cavity mouth. The second passive method investigated is the effect of placing a high frequency vortex generator (control cylinder) in vicinity of the upstream edge of the cavity on the acoustic resonance excitation. The method is investigated experimentally and numerically. The effectiveness of the control cylinder method is studied by investigating different cylinder diameters and locations on both horizontal and vertical directions. It is found that locating the cylinder at relatively small height from the bottom wall and with a distance of 25.4 mm upstream the leading edge can significantly suppress the resonance excitation. To further understand the interaction between the cylinder vortex shedding and the shear layer at the cavity mouth and the influence on the shear layer thickness, a 2D numerical simulation using K-epsilon and Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) models has been carried out and compared to the experimental results. For both passive methods, the study included two cavities with different aspect ratios (L/D=1.0 and L/D=1.67, L: cavity length, D: cavity depth) to address the effectiveness of the methods with respect to the cavity depth. The methods are investigated in flow with Mach number up to 0.45. All different configurations investigated are compared to the base case which is the bare cavity with sharp edges installed upstream and downstream.

abstract: University of Ontario Institute of Technology


title: Cluster-based target tracking in vehicular ad hoc networks

contributor:
El-Khatib, Khalil
Pazzi, Richard W.

subject: VANET

abstract:
Recently Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs) have drawn the attention of academic and industry researchers due to their potential applications in enabling Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), including safe driving, entertainment, emergency response, and content sharing. Another potential application for VANET lies in vehicle tracking, where a tracking system is used to visually track a specific vehicle or to monitor a particular area. In this case, and in similar applications such as multimedia content sharing, a large volume of information is required to be transferred between vehicles, which can easily congest the wireless network in a VANET if not designed properly. The development of low-delay, low-overhead, and precise tracking system in VANET is a major challenge requiring novel techniques to guarantee performance and reduce network congestion.
Among the several proposed data dissemination and management methods implemented in VANETs, clustering has been used to reduce data propagation traffic and to facilitate network management. However, clustering for target tracking in VANETs is still a challenge. In this thesis, we propose two clustering algorithms for vehicle tracking in VANETs. These algorithms provide a reliable and stable platform for tracking specific vehicles based on their visual features under various conditions. These algorithms have also been tested and evaluated in the context of vehicular tracking under various scenarios. Performance evaluation results demonstrate that the proposed schemes provide a more stable clustering structure with reduced overhead.


title: A survey of algebraic algorithms in computerized tomography

subject:
Algebraic reconstruction
Medical imaging
Computed tomography (CT)

abstract:
X-ray computed tomography (CT) is a medical imaging framework. It takes measured
projections of X-rays through two-dimensional cross-sections of an object from
multiple angles and incorporates algorithms in building a sequence of two-dimensional
reconstructions of the interior structure. This thesis comprises a review of the different
types of algebraic algorithms used in X-ray CT. Using simulated test data, I
evaluate the viability of algorithmic alternatives that could potentially reduce overexposure
to radiation, as this is seen as a major health concern and the limiting
factor in the advancement of CT [36, 34]. Most of the current evaluations in the
literature [31, 39, 11] deal with low-resolution reconstructions and the results are
impressive, however, modern CT applications demand very high-resolution imaging.
Consequently, I selected  ve of the fundamental algebraic reconstruction algorithms
(ART, SART, Cimmino's Method, CAV, DROP) for extensive testing and the results
are reported in this thesis. The quantitative numerical results obtained in this study,
con rm the qualitative suggestion that algebraic techniques are not yet adequate
for practical use. However, as algebraic techniques can actually produce an image
from corrupt and/or missing data, I conclude that further re nement of algebraic
techniques may ultimately lead to a breakthrough in CT.


title: Examining complex diabetes and patient illness experiences: utilizing syndemic and health capabilities approach

subject:
Diabetes
Syndemic
Health capabilities
Patient illness experience

abstract: Health complications often accompany complex diabetes. Compared to the biomedical model, this study uses a syndemic and health capabilities approach. The purpose of this study was to explore how social factors shape the health of those who experience complex diabetes, and the perceived challenges these individuals encountered when interacting with the healthcare system. Data collected in this study came from multiple sources including secondary data, surveys, and interviews. Findings of this study demonstrate most individuals perceived the cause of their health and psychosocial condition to be associated with genetics or lifestyle habits. A person’s health capability was often reduced by: competing aliments, social circumstances, financial insecurity, and inaccessibility to healthcare resources. Implications of this study suggest that access to social and economic resources built into the structure help shape a person’s health capability. Fundamental to the syndemic phenomenon associated with complex diabetes is the failure and insecurity of social context.


title: Efficient data search and synchronization for tree-structured data on mobile devices

subject:
Bloom filters
Tree-structured data
Data search
Data synchronization
Mobile devices

abstract: We consider two methods about operating data for tree-structured data sets. The first method is to search particular data items and still retains all the important metadata information; the second method is to allow the data synchronization between two tree-structured files. Both of the methods are based on a special data structure we proposed, called Bloom Filter Tree. It is to compute a bloom filter for each interior node of the tree, essentially building a co-existing BF-tree to enhance the original data tree in order to allow more operations. Using the BF-tree, these two processes become faster by pruning out entire subtrees from being searched and precisely locate the parts we are looking for. Experiments are performed to verify the efficiency of each method. What’s more, we deploy the search method as an android application for practical purposes on mobile devices. We focus on a particular tree-structured dataset, DBLP, and select hundreds of records from it and enrich it as a neat XML file for parsing. With hundreds of records, more than 35,000 nodes in the tree structure, our method responds accurately and efficiently.


title: An integrated wind-powered energy system for residential applications in cold regions

subject:
Energy system
Wind turbine
Heat pump
Greenhouse gases
Desalination

abstract: This thesis proposed an integrated direct wind-powered energy system that can provide drinking water, domestic hot water, space heating as well as electricity for residential applications of a remote community in a cold region. The novelty of the system is that it uses a wind turbine to directly power the heat pump, with the sea water as the evaporator that provides a constant temperature, without the need to use the wind turbine to convert the wind energy to electricity to power the heat pump. Environmental data from the selected location and the Engineering Equation Solver were used to perform the thermodynamic analyses of the system. The results indicate that the proposed system is promising. It is shown that in addition to being more environmentally benign, purchasing a wind turbine is more cost-effective over its lifetime than purchasing electricity from the local grid.


title: Alterations in neck muscle performance and proprioception with fatique, altered posture and recurrent neck pain

subject: Cervical flexion relaxation ratio (response)

subject: Fatigue

subject: Joint position sense

subject: Manipulation

subject: Neck pain

abstract: Altered neuromuscular processing and motor output as both a risk and perpetuating factor for chronic neck pain is a relative new area of study. The cervical flexion relaxation response (FRR) is a reproducible and reliable marker of differences in neuromuscular function between neck pain patients and controls. Change in joint position sense (JPS) of upper limb joints has also been linked to chronic neck pain. Studies in this thesis sought to develop an experimental model in humans to investigate whether the FRR and JPS can be altered by fatigue and/or postural stress. Additionally a pilot study on the effect of three months of chiropractic treatment on the FRR was conducted. The studies revealed that muscular fatigue is a modulator of the FRR and may play a large role in spine stabilization. Minor postural alterations in the neck can impact joint position error at the elbow and 12 weeks of chiropractic care is a useful therapy to improve chronic and recurrent neck pain as well as improving the cervical FRR.


title: Transport-theory-equivalent diffusion coefficients for node-homogenized neutron diffusion problems in CANDU lattices

subject:
Applied reactor physics
Transport theory
Diffusion theory
CANDU
Nuclear reactor

abstract: Calculation of the neutron flux in a nuclear reactor core is ideally performed by solving the neutron transport equation for a detailed-geometry model using several tens of energy groups. However, performing such detailed calculations for an entire core is prohibitively expensive from a computational perspective. Full-core neutronic calculations for CANDU reactors are therefore performed customarily using two-energy-group diffusion theory (no angular dependence) for a node-homogenized reactor model. The work presented here is concerned with reducing the loss in accuracy entailed when going from Transport to Diffusion. To this end a new method of calculating the diffusion coefficient was developed, based on equating the neutron balance equation expressed by the transport equation with the neutron balance equation expressed by the diffusion equation. The technique is tested on a simple twelve-node model and is shown to produce transport-like accuracy without the associated computational effort.


title: Design and development of a parallel Proof of Work for permissionless blockchain systems

subject:
Blockchain
Parallel computing
Scalability
Bitcoin

abstract: Blockchain, which is the underlying technology for the Bitcoin cryptocurrency, is a distributed ledger forming a decentralized consensus in a peer-to-peer network. A large number of the current cryptocurrencies use blockchain technology to maintain the network and the peers use a consensus mechanism called Proof of Work to verify and confirm the transactions. However, the transaction speed in this process is significantly slower than traditional digital transaction systems such as credit cards or PayPal. In this thesis, a parallel Proof of Work model is proposed in order to increase the scalability of the processing of the transactions. The goal of this model is to ensure that, no two or more miners put the same effort into solving the same block. This model differs from traditional Proof of Work or the Bitcoin pool mining in many aspects, such as the responsibilities of the manager, contribution of active miners, and the reward system. A proof of concept prototype of the proposed model has been constructed based on the attributes of Bitcoin. The prototype has been tested in a local as well as in a cloud environment and results show the feasibility of the proposed model.


title: Exploring game analytics solutions for data-driven user research in indie studios

subject:
Games user research
Mixed-methods
Analytics
Data-driven user research

abstract:
User research methodologies can be applied to games for the purposes of evaluating and improving them. Performing user testing during game development can highlight issues in gameplay early on, generally improving the end product. However, this evaluation can be costly, requiring frequent user tests and analysis. Because of
this, small-size studios can find it difficult to perform formative evaluations of their games, simply due to a lack of resources. In this thesis, analytics methodologies in a mixed-methodology approach are proposed to help optimize the user research process, helping developers make informed choices to improve their games. This thesis
features a framework which can be used to help assist these small-size developers in choosing from different solutions. Using this framework, three solutions are discussed and recommendations are given based on developer needs.


title: Gendered pathways: family violence as a primary pathway into homelessness for women

subject:
Homeless pathways
Intimate partner violence
Family violence
Dramaturgy
Indigenous

abstract: This thesis analyzes secondary data from a study done on 30 homeless men and women in a region in Southern Ontario to assess the gendering of homeless pathways between each group. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to assess participant interviews and form themes which include family violence as a primary pathway for women, with more traditional pathways such as substance abuse and loss of income for men. Lack of services for women was a recurring issue, while feelings of embarrassment and/or shame were consistent with the male participants. Indigenous identity and homelessness were also explored. Erving Goffman’s theory of dramaturgy was used to portray identity in terms of homelessness and victimization to demonstrate the hidden nature of these two issues. The common themes and findings within this study suggest that pathways into homelessness are gendered, with family violence being a primary pathway for women specifically.


title: Exploring experiences of mental health in second generation South Asian Canadians

contributor:
Smye, Victoria
Stanyon, Wendy

subject:
Mental health
Stigma
Culture
South Asian

abstract: Although many studies have focused on the conceptualization of mental health, the literature only sparsely describes this phenomenon within the South Asian Canadian immigrant population. Furthermore, despite experiencing differential acculturation, there is a paucity in the literature concerning second generation South Asian Canadians. Thus, this research explored their experiences of mental health using Interpretive Description to conduct seven individual in-depth interviews. Seven themes were identified during data analysis: mental health stigma; mental health literacy; the in-between space; primary care; stress; the positive mind; and community participatory approaches. This research highlights the complexity of the conceptualization of mental health, the prevalence of the stigma of mental health, as well as the need for increased mental health literacy in the South Asian community. Findings of this research have implications for the development of targeted anti-stigma campaigns and for advocating for increased cultural safety and humility in the Canadian healthcare system.


title: A monitoring framework for side-channel information leaks

subject:
Computer systems
Information sources
Machine learning classifier
Adversary-observable side-channels cues
Private system activity

abstract:
Security and privacy in computer systems is becoming an ever important field of study as the information available on these systems is of ever increasing value. The state of research on direct security attacks to computer systems, such as exploiting memory safety errors or exploiting unfiltered inputs to shells is at an advanced state and a rich set of security testing tools are available for testing software against these common types of attacks. Machine-learning based intrusion detection systems which monitor system activity for suspicious patterns are also available and are commonly deployed in production environments. What is missing, however, is the consideration of implicit information flows, or side-channels. One significant factor which has been holding back development on side-channel detection and mitigation is the very broad scope of the topic. Research in this topic has revealed side-channels formed by observable signals such as acoustic noise from a CPU, encrypted network traffic patterns, and ambient monitor light. Furthermore, there currently exists no portable method for distributing test cases for side-channels - as does for other security tests such as recon-ng for network footprinting. This thesis introduces a framework based on interoperable components for the purpose of modelling an adversary and generating feedback on what the adversary is capable of learning through the monitoring of a myriad of adversary-observable side-channel information sources. The framework operates by monitoring two data streams;
the first being the stream of adversary-observable side-channel cues, and the second being the stream of private system activity. These data streams are ultimately used for the training and evaluation of a selected machine learning classifier to determine its performance of private system activity prediction. A prototype has been built to evaluate the effects of side-channel information leaks on five common computer system use cases.


title: Exploring the factors that influence equitable access to and social participation in dementia care programs by foreign-born population living in Toronto and Durham Region

subject: Access Dementia Barriers Immigrant Canada

abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore the barriers that influence participation and utilization of dementia care and support programs by the foreign-born population. A qualitative interpretive study was conducted using one-on-one semi-structured interviews with the following three subgroups who are users and practitioners of dementia support programs: person with dementia, caregivers of PWD, and healthcare professionals. Themes associated with structure, processes, and outcomes related to barriers were identified. Structural barriers include: Homogenous composition of program cohort, lack of financial sensitivity in existing programs, and lack of linguistically diverse programs. Process barriers include barriers related to the process of care delivery (i.e., insufficient cultural and age sensitivity in program facilitation) and the process of implementation (i.e., strategies to protect cultural safety, impact of stigma and normalization of dementia symptoms). The study identifies the importance of raising awareness and culturally competent dementia care system to increase participation and access.


title: Analysis of the thermal hydraulics of a multiphase oxygen production reactor in the Cu-Cl cycle

contributor:
Agelin-Chaab, Martin
Wang, Zhaolin

subject:
Cu-Cl cycle
Oxygen gas
Multiphase
Thermolysis
Slurry bubble column

abstract:
In the thermochemical water splitting process by Cu-Cl cycle, oxygen gas is produced by an endothermic thermolysis process in a three-phase reactor. In this thesis, the required heat for the thermolysis process is provided by adopting the idea of heating some of the stoichiometric oxygen gas by using a nuclear reactor heat source. Then, the gas is re-injected into the reactor from the bottom, to transfer heat directly to the slurry bed of molten salt and solid reactant. In this thesis, the thermal hydraulics of the oxygen slurry bubble column reactor (SBCR) is investigated experimentally and numerically. In the experiments, lower temperature alternative materials, such as helium gas at 90°C and water at 22°C, are used to mimic the actual materials of the oxygen gas at 600°C and molten CuCl at 530°C. From the experimental studies, new forms of empirical equations are formulated for the overall gas holdup and the volumetric heat transfer coefficient in terms of the design and input parameters of the SBCR, such as; the superficial gas velocity, reactor height, and solid particles concentration. The empirical equations are obtained for both bubbly and churn-turbulent flow regimes. It is also determined experimentally the flow regime transition point between bubbly and churn-turbulent flow regimes. Furthermore, it is found experimentally that the solid particle diameter has insignificant effect on the overall gas holdup.
To better understand the thermal hydraulics of the oxygen SBCR, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models are developed by using the ANSYS FLUENT software. All CFD simulation results are validated by the experimental results of the alternative materials system with good agreements. From the CFD simulations, it is also found that the gas temperature decreases dramatically near the bottom of the reactor, and the effects of the superficial gas velocity, reactor height, and solid concentration on the gas temperature are negligible. Finally, a simple correlation is obtained to calculate the number of oxygen reactors in terms of the superficial gas velocity of the oxygen gas and the oxygen production rate.


title: Perceptions of police use of force: the role of context-specific factors, police legitimacy, and belief in a just world

subject:
Police use of force
Legitimacy

abstract: This thesis explores various factors that could explain variations in how acceptable police use of force is perceived to be among a Canadian sample. Four text-based vignettes depicting a police use of force encounter were used in the current study. The vignettes manipulated two factors that were hypothesized to influence perceptions of police use of force: (1) civilian resistance during the encounter (resistant versus non-resistant) and (2) disciplinary action imposed on the police officer that used force (suspended versus not suspended). Perceptions of police legitimacy and Belief in a Just World were also measured to assess whether prior attitudes and beliefs influence how acceptable police use of force is viewed. Only civilian resistance during the encounter and increased perceptions of police legitimacy were found to be significantly associated with higher acceptability judgements of the police officer’s actions. An exploratory analysis revealed that civilian resistance during the encounter was also significantly associated with higher ratings of blame toward the civilian for the use of force applied by the police officer in the vignettes.


title: Increasing the efficiency of cam follower systems through energy recovery

subject:
Cam follower
Pressure angle
Energy recovery

abstract: A cam and follower system is a mechanical linkage designed to transform a rotating motion to that of a linear reciprocating motion. Cams are well known for valving in internal combustion engines but are commonly utilized in industrial processes including stamping, food processing, and textile manufacturing. Most systems use an input torque in order to produce a linear force during the rise portion and rely on a spring to produce the return motion on the fall. Experiments using multiple test apparatuses suggest that the commonly used 30 degree pressure angle limit can be exceeded in low speed applications. Results also show that energy can be recovered from the system during the fall portion when the follower subjects the cam to a high return force. An analytical analysis describes the characteristics of how this return force can be recovered to increase overall system efficiency.


title: Development of a new integrated sustainability assessment model for energy systems

subject: Sustainability Energy Exergy Economy

abstract: This thesis presents a novel and comprehensive sustainability assessment model for energy systems. The model features an integrated approach and encompasses various multi-disciplinary areas of study, which influence energy systems. Two case studies are used to implement this model including solar photovoltaic and wind energy systems. The case studies are designed to meet the demand of 150 Ontario households for electricity, heating, cooling and hot water. The energy and exergy efficiencies of the integrated solar photovoltaic system are 66% and 30% respectively. On the other hand, the energy and exergy efficiencies of the integrated wind system are 31% and 24% respectively. Furthermore, the sustainability index for the wind energy system varies between 0.55 and 0.58 using the weighted geometric mean. On the other hand, the sustainability index of the solar photovoltaic system varies between 0.56 and 0.59 using the same method.

abstract: University of Ontario Institute of Technology


title: New numeracies: the social practice of functional skills and social justice

contributor:
Hughes, Janette
Greenlaw, Jim

subject:
New numeracies
Digital numeracy
Social justice
Functional skills
Performance

abstract: This thesis explores how creating and performing digital numeracy texts, affords students learning opportunities in Mathematics that demonstrate their numerical social practice. In an environment that celebrates performance before competence, students explore how to design and engineer their digital understanding of social justice issues, such that they begin to connect their numeracy to socio-cultural issues in both local and global communities.


title: Design and development of a custom dual fuel (hydrogen and gasoline) power system for an extended range electric vehicle architecture

subject:
Greenhouse gas
Air pollution
Internal combustion engine
Automotive fuels
Extended range electric vehicle
Fossil fuels
Renewable transportation
Duel-fuel power generation

abstract:
In recent decades there has been a growing global concern with regards to vehicle-generated
green house gas (GHG) emissions and the resulting air pollution. Currently, gasoline and diesel
are the most widely used automotive fuels and are refined from crude oil which is a nonrenewable
resource. When they are combusted in an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) they
release significant amounts of air pollutants and Green House Gasses (GHG’s), such as NOx,
CO2, SOx, CO, and PM10 into the atmosphere.
The results of a feasibility study indicate that intermediary automotive propulsion
systems are needed in order to begin a transition from fossil fuels to a clean, renewable
transportation system. The Extended Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV) has been identified as an
ideal intermediate vehicle technology.
In this context, the objective of this thesis is to establish the scientific and engineering
fundamentals for the design and development of a Dual-Fuel (hydrogen + Gasoline) Power
Generation System for the E-REV sustainable mobility architecture. The devised power
generation system is comprised of hydrogen and gasoline storage reservoirs, their respective
fuelling systems, a Spark Ignition Internal Combustion Engine (SI ICE), an electric generator,
batteries, as well as supplementary electronic systems. The batteries are used to provide power
directly to the electric motors and are recharged with both the on-board electric generator and via
plug-in capabilities. The developed prototype vehicle, which used a commercial Dune Buggy as
a test bed, combined with the on-board rechargeable LiFePO4 battery pack, can provide the users
with a daily commute range of ~ 65 [km] relying solely on the battery’s electric power, whereas
for longer duration trips the use of the on-board generator would be necessary. The developed
Dual-Fuel E-REV power generation system offers the following benefits when compared to the
original gasoline ICE architecture: reduced emissions, improved acceleration (47% ↑), improved
range (75% ↑), improved fuel economy (22% ↑) and decreased average fuel cost/km (29% ↓).


title: System integration and optimization of copper-chlorine thermochemical cycle with various options for hydrogen production

contributor:
Dincer, Ibrahim
Naterer, Greg

subject:
Process integration
Electrolysis
Hydrolysis
Experiment
Cu-Cl cycle

abstract:
The Copper-Chlorine (Cu-Cl) thermochemical water splitting cycle is one of the most attractive alternative thermochemical cycles for clean hydrogen production due to its lower temperature requirement and better overall efficiency. CuCl electrolysis is considered a key process in the Cu-Cl cycle of hydrogen production where H2 gas is produced by oxidation of CuCl particles dissolved in concentrated HCl solution. A lower electrochemical cell voltage than water electrolysis is a significant advantage of CuCl electrolysis and makes this process attractive for hydrogen production. Nevertheless, an integration of both hydrolysis and electrolysis processes is one of the most important engineering challenges associated with the Cu-Cl cycle of hydrogen production. The kinetics of the hydrolysis reaction indicates the reversibility of this process. This requires H2O in excess of the stoichiometric quantity which significantly decreases the overall thermal efficiency of the Cu-Cl cycle. Moreover, the HCl concentration in the produced gas mixture of H2O and HCl in the hydrolysis reaction is in much lower concentration of the electrolysis reaction requirement for an effective electrolytic cell performance.
In this PhD thesis, an integrated process model of the hydrolysis and electrolysis processes is simulated by introducing intermediate heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and HCl-H2O separation process consisting of rectification and absorption columns. In the separation processes, the influence of operating parameters including reflux ratio, mole fraction of HCl in the feed stream, solvent flow rate and temperature, and column configuration variables, such as the location of feed stage and number of stages on the heat duty requirements and the composition of products are investigated and analyzed. It is shown that the amount of steam generated in the HRSG unit satisfies the
extra steam requirement of the hydrolysis reaction up to 14 times more than its stoichiometric value and the separation process effectively provides HCl acid up to the concentration of 22 mol% for the electrolysis reaction.
In order to achieve an effective integration of the electrolysis process with hydrolysis and decomposition reactions of the Cu-Cl cycle, a lab-scale CuCl electrolysis unit is designed, fabricated and tested. The influences of operational factors on the cell performance are then investigated. In the experiments, the effects of operating parameters, including HCl and CuCl concentrations, applied current density, temperature and solution flow rate on the cell potential and hydrogen production rate are experimentally investigated and analyzed. A fractional factorial design is performed, based on design of experiment methods, to find a correlation between cell voltage and operation factors. The present model predicts the effects of various operating variables on the cell voltage to provide new insight into an integration of the electrolysis process. A close agreement of the measured and theoretical hydrogen production rate confirms the accuracy of measurements and reliability of the experimental studies.
An innovative integration of gasification process and Cu-Cl cycle, which can effectively contribute to hydrogen production with higher efficiency and lower environmental impact, is also studied and evaluated. In this study, the effects of using oxygen instead of air in the gasification process, where it is produced and supplied by the integrated Cu-Cl cycle is investigated. It is shown that using oxygen instead of air in the gasification process increases the gasification temperature and helps to eliminate NOx emissions. It is demonstrated that increasing the equivalence ratio (ER) from 0.1 to 0.4 improves the gasification exergy efficiency by about 10%. The influence of ER on the
iv
syngas composition is also studied. The gasification products rely on specific syngas compositions and could potentially provide a precursor to the combined cycle for power generation in an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power plant. The process model of a gasification process is simulated based on the industrial Texaco IGCC plant in which the heat of syngas cooling process is utilized to supply extra steam requirement of the hydrolysis reaction in the Cu-Cl cycle. The effects of steam recovery in the hydrolysis reaction on energy and exergy efficiencies of the Cu-Cl cycle are analyzed and discussed.


title: Strategies and applications for creating more memorable passwords

contributor:
Thorpe, Julie
Collins, Christopher

subject: Passwords Authentication Memorability Security Usability

abstract:
As we continue to learn and grow in an ever evolving technological age, we deepen our
understanding of the importance of authentication. There are many different types of
authentication, each exhibiting their own strengths and weaknesses. Each authentication
mechanism serves the same purpose: to verify a user’s identity. In this thesis, we explore
two authentication mechanisms aimed at helping users remember stronger authentication
tokens: one aimed at creating a secure, memorable token, and the other aimed at
strengthening a previous token (known as a password strengthening technique). The first
is GeoPassNotes, a geographic location-based authentication scheme. GeoPassNotes
requires users to select a location on a digital map and then annotate it in order to authenticate.
The combination of the location and the annotation is the authentication token.
GeoPassNotes allows users to select a location that is tied to a significant event / memory,
which is very memorable to that person. The other system we design and explore is
PassMod, a system designed to help users create more secure versions of their password.
This system separates itself from other password strengthening techniques because it
interprets and attempts to preserve the original meaning behind the user’s password. We
demonstrate that it is possible to create a more secure password without compromising
the memorability of the original password. Both GeoPassNotes and PassMod help users
produce a more secure, yet memorable authentication token.


title: Polarization, passivation, intercalation, and generation: an examination of In-Situ and Ex-Situ analytical techniques for the study of carbon anode materials for the electrochemical generation of elemental fluorine.

subject: Fluorine Electrochemistry Carbon Passivation Electrode

abstract: The field of industrial fluorine generation has not made significant progress in the past 60 years due to the difficulty and hazards surrounding the use of hydrofluoric acid (HF) and fluorine gas. This work examines various carbon materials for their use as electrodes in the electrochemical generation of elemental fluorine. An experimental apparatus was designed and constructed to melt and maintain the temperature of the KF·2HF electrolyte in a suitable range for electrochemical measurements. An electrochemical cell was designed and tested for operations in a highly corrosive atmosphere at elevated temperatures. The importance of safe operating procedures surrounding HF is outlined in this work. Various in-situ electrochemical techniques were used to study the ability of the different carbon anode materials in their ability to carry out the fluorine discharge reaction (FDR) as well as study the growth of passivating film. Ex-situ analytical techniques were used to examine the microstructure and composition of the carbon materials before and after electrochemical polarization. The results suggest that the level of non-carbon impurities had the most significant effect on the ability of the carbon material to carry out the FDR efficiently at most potentials tested. The results show that multiple analytical techniques are required to obtain a better understanding of a chemical system, and that no single method can be used to fully explain a single set of results.


title: Correlation and real time classification of physiological streams for critical care monitoring.

contributor:
Eklund, Mikael
McGregor, Carolyn

subject:
Streams
Critical care monitoring
Real-time classification
Neonatal apnoea
Spells

abstract: This thesis presents a framework for the deployment of algorithms that support the correlation and real-time classification of physiological data streams through the development of clinically meaningful alerts using a blend of expert knowledge in the domain and pattern recognition programming based on clinical rules. Its relevance is demonstrated via a real world case study within the context of neonatal intensive care to provide real-time classification of neonatal spells. Events are first detected in individual streams independently; then synced together based on timestamps; and finally assessed to determine the start and end of a multi-signal episode. The episode is then processed through a classifier based on clinical rules to determine a classification. The output of the algorithms has been shown, in a single use case study with 24 hours of patient data, to detect clinically significant relative changes in heart rate, blood oxygen saturation levels and pauses in breathing in the respiratory impedance signal. The accuracy of the algorithm for detecting these is 97.8%, 98.3% and 98.9% respectively. The accuracy for correlating the streams and determining spells classifications is 98.9%. Future research will focus on the clinical validation of these algorithms and the application of the framework for the detection and classification of signals in other clinical contexts.


title: Mechanics of machining metal matrix composites: analytical modeling and finite element simulation

subject:
Machining
Metal matrix composites
Finite element simulation

abstract: Metal matrix composites (MMCs) are commonly utilized materials in various industries, including applications in aerospace and automotive industries, due to their outstanding strength-to-weight ratio and wear resistance. In this thesis, a detailed understanding of MMC machining is accomplished through numerical and analytical modeling of the process. A finite element model of MMC cutting is developed for analysis of various unique aspects of the process, including the interactions between the cutting tool, the matrix, and the particles. Analytical models of MMC machining process are developed for prediction of cutting forces. These models rely on constitutive equations for capturing MMC behavior. Therefore, a novel constitutive equation is proposed for depicting the MMC behavior during machining.