title: Optimal farm design with parabolic shape photovoltaic panels using multi-objective optimization

contributor:
Rahnamayan, Shahryar
Yilbas, Bekir

subject:
Photovoltaic
Parabolic trough panel
Multi-objective optimization

abstract: To acquire the maximum efficiency for solar electricity conversion, a solar panel has to absorb nearly every single photon of light emitted from the sun. The shape of the solar panel itself plays an important role in achieving this goal. Several studies have been conducted for different solar panel designs regardless of change in their internal or external shapes. In the first part of this thesis, a survey of solar photovoltaic (PV) panel shapes together with the advantages and disadvantages of the shapes is presented. The second part deals with using parabolic trough PV panels to obtain an optimal field design with two objectives, namely, maximum incident energy and minimum of the deployment cost. This design involves the relationships between the field and collector decision parameters and solar radiation data.To acquire the maximum efficiency for solar electricity conversion, a solar panel has to absorb nearly every single photon of light emitted from the sun. The shape of the solar panel itself plays an important role in achieving this goal. Several studies have been conducted for different solar panel designs regardless of change in their internal or external shapes. In the first part of this thesis, a survey of solar photovoltaic (PV) panel shapes together with the advantages and disadvantages of the shapes is presented. The second part deals with using parabolic trough PV panels to obtain an optimal field design with two objectives, namely, maximum incident energy and minimum of the deployment cost. This design involves the relationships between the field and collector decision parameters and solar radiation data.

abstract: University of Ontario Institute of Technology


title: Design and development of a novel DC/DC bidirectional converter with dual solar/PV-based snow removal and EV charging functionality

contributor:
Williamson, Sheldon
Sidhu, Tarlochan

subject: Solar PV systems

subject: Bidirectional DC-DC converter

subject: Bidirectional synchronous buck converter

subject: Snow removal

subject: EV charging

abstract: Different factors affect solar photovoltaic (PV) systems by decreasing input energy and reducing the conversion efficiency of the system. One of these factors is the effect of snow cover on PV panels, a subject lacking sufficient academic research. This thesis reviews current research for snow removal in solar PV modules and power electronic circuit topologies used. Additionally, it presents the design, analysis and modelling of a smart heating system for solar PV electric vehicle (EV) charging applications. The system is based on a bidirectional buck-boost DC/DC converter that redirects the grid/battery power into heating of the PV modules thus removing snow cover, as well as providing the function of MPPT when required to charge the EV battery. A performance evaluation by simulating and testing the system under various climatic conditions is presented validating the usefulness of the proposed converter to be used in solar PV systems under extreme winter conditions.


title: Investigation of drying conditions for dental practice loads

subject:
Drying
Vacuum drying
Energy
Exergy
Pressure pulses

abstract: This thesis investigates different drying techniques for dental practice loads experimentally and numerically. Several experiments are carried out by changing both top and bottom wall temperatures while changing the ranges of the pressure pulses during the drying phase. The studies show that both cases result in the best drying quality with only 2 grams of water remaining on the pouches at the end of the cycle under the conditions where the pressure pulse ranges from 14 to 16 kPa at a wall temperature of 170ºC and when the pressure ranges from 14 to 18 kPa at a top wall temperature of 160ºC and a bottom temperature of 170ºC, respectively. In addition, several simulations are presented using the COMSOL Multiphysics software to study the effect of fluid velocity on the evaporation rate of water droplets. Also, the effects of changing the top and bottom wall temperatures on the natural circulation and thus on the average velocity inside the chamber. Finally, the effects of changing both the wall temperatures and the pressure pulses range from 15 kPa to 20 kPa after one complete pressure pulse is presented. The maximum energy and exergy efficiencies are obtained as 78.29% and 30.3%, respectively.


title: A framework for provisioning algorithms as a service

subject:
Algorithms as a Service
Cloud computing
AWS

abstract: Designing, implementing and executing algorithms have become a relevant and important element in various fields. Public users and data researchers are interested in analyzing and interpreting data with shorter execution time and higher performance. Using a scalable and high resource usage environment will help improve algorithm performance. Cloud computing is an environment which provides scalable and high-end virtual resources to achieve high quality services. This thesis presents the design, implementation and evaluation of a framework for provisioning algorithms as a service in the cloud. This framework introduces solutions to help clients overcome different concerns and difficulties, such as looking for an appropriate algorithm, understanding algorithm source code, installing and configuring specific libraries, and achieving high algorithmic performance. The framework provides clients the possibility to discover available algorithms and/or deploy new algorithms over multiple scalable platforms. It also allows clients to analyze data, compare results, and measure algorithm’s performance. A prototype implementation of the framework has been developed to demonstrate the feasibility of the solution. The results of evaluating the prototype demonstrate that providing multiple scalability models and high-end web servers will improve algorithm performance and achieve availability and reliability using the framework.


title: Development and validation of an Active Grille Shutter testing platform

subject:
Aerodynamics
Active Grille Shutter (AGS)
Radiator
Condenser
Pressure drop

abstract: In this thesis, a testbench is developed for testing the functionality of Active Grille Shutters (AGS) and radiators in wind tunnels. Additionally, a generic pressure plate is designed to mimic commercial radiators, and a testing procedure is developed for AGS testing. Together, they provide a comprehensive and consistent platform for AGS testing with or without the radiator in a wind tunnel. The platform has been validated using an actual test vehicle in a full-scale wind tunnel. The results show that the testbench produces data consistent with those obtained from the actual test vehicle for validation. Furthermore, leakage characteristics of the testbench were quantified and can be used to replicate the engine bay conditions of any production vehicle.


title: Extending the relational model with constraint satisfaction

subject: Constraints Databases Algebra Optimization Satisfiability

abstract:
We propose a new approach to data driven constraint programming. By extending the relational model to handle constraints and variables as first class citizens, we are able to express first order logic SAT problems using an extended SQL which we refer to as SAT/SQL. With SAT/SQL, one can efficiently solve a wide range of practical constraint and optimization problems. SAT/SQL integrates both SAT solver and relational data processing to enable efficient and large scale data driven constraint programming.
Furthermore, our research presents two novel meta-programming operators: MINREPAIR and MIN-CONFLICT which are iterative debugging facilities for constraint programming with SAT/SQL.


title: Customized topology optimization for additive manufacturing

subject:
Topology optimization
Additive manufacturing
Print time reduction
Slicing
Finite element analysis

abstract: One of the biggest limitations of additive manufacturing (AM) is the resulting production times. Due to the layer-based method of material deposition, the time to produce a single part is substantial compared to techniques like injection molding or casting. However, the level of part complexity that can be achieved using AM processes is also unrivaled. This is a perfect match for the structural design method of topology optimization. It often produces parts with complex organic features that can perform substantially better in terms of weight and stiffness compared to their conventionally designed counterparts. Thus, an AM topology optimization constraint is developed to address the limitations of these processes while maintaining the advantages of the optimization. This is achieved through a penalization scheme applied to boundary contours identified through a slicing mechanism. The result is parts that print substantially faster, while only losing some stiffness compared to the normal topology optimization.


title: Development and analysis of techniques to improve air-cooling and temperature uniformity in battery packs

subject:
Battery thermal management
Forced air passive cooling
Computational fluid dynamics

abstract:
One of the challenges to the advancement of electric vehicles is the requirement of an effective
thermal management system to maintain the temperature, and temperature uniformity of the
battery pack and the cell within the operating limits. In this study, a novel concept has been
developed to improve air-cooling and temperature uniformity in a simple battery pack by
incorporating inlet plenum, jet inlets, and vortex generators. The proposed battery pack concept
reduced the maximum temperature by about 6%. Furthermore, the temperature difference
between the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature exhibited by the battery pack
was reduced by 24%. Additionally, up to 37% improvement in the temperature uniformity
within a single cell was achieved. Moreover, the new concept developed in this study achieved
the desired temperature uniformity at the cell level and the pack level to within 5 ºC.


title: Improving x-ray operator performance using virtual environments

subject:
X-ray
Virtual reality
Nuclear security

abstract: There are significant limitations in the training for x-ray operators under current regulatory and operational constraints. Advances in technology now allow for the creation of realistic virtual reality environments, which, when designed and implemented based on scientific principles and instructional system design concepts, can allow operators to test the full range of their tactics, techniques, and procedures. This research thesis presents novel synthetic virtual reality training environments for explosive ordnance disposal and security screening. This includes the development of physics simulation package for generating and imaging x-rays which can be applied in interactive, realistic and variable training environments for operators.


title: Design of dust-filtering algorithms for LiDAR sensors in off-road vehicles using the AI and non-AI methods

subject:
LiDAR
Dust filtering
Dust classification
LIDROR

abstract: The performance of Lidar sensors degrades in the presence of dust. These particles can impact sensor measurements and cause robot perception algorithms to misinterpret data. This thesis proposes two distinct dust filtering methods to address this issue. These methods utilize both AI and non-AI techniques. Specifically, we designed various dust filters including the Low-Intensity Dynamic Outlier Removal (LIDROR) using intensity and range information. In addition, we proposed a voxel-based classification method with multiple classifiers, such as Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Deep Neural Network (DNN). Two dust LiDAR datasets were collected and labeled for evaluation purposes. All proposed algorithms were implemented in the Robotic Operating System, allowing for the testing of these filters in real time. Using labeled data, a comprehensive comparison was made between these two methods. The proposed filters outperform conventional filters in terms of achieving dust removal without losing the surrounding data.


title: Constant-temperature constant-voltage charging method for lithium-ion battery technology

subject:
Lithium-ion
Fast-charging
Electrical vehicles
Charging methods

abstract:
Lithium-ion batteries are the Electrical Vehicles' (EVs) best choice of Energy Storage Systems (ESS) on account of their energy density, power density, and life cycle. In order for the EVs to compete with conventional vehicles, they need faster-charging methods to have equivalent refueling time. However, fast-charging can hamper the life cycle due to higher currents applied to the battery because of the Li-ion battery's uncontrolled temperature increase.
This thesis evaluates the Constant-Temperature and Constant-Voltage (CT-CV) charging methodology for three different Li-ion batteries over a temperature range of 0°C-50°C. Similarly, the conventional Constant-Current and Constant-Voltage (CCCV) charging methodology is assessed for comparison. Moreover, a Battery Automated System (BAS) is developed to acquire the charging time, coulombic efficiency, and life cycle. Finally, a model capable of predicting the charging time, battery voltage, and surface temperature is described.


title: A content analysis of women's safety websites: rape myths and the internet

subject:
Rape myth
Gender roles
Women's safety

abstract:
Women’s sexual victimization is perceived as a one sided problem that emphasizes women’s choices and neglect men’s accountability. Rape myths support an explanation of rape that allows women to remain fearful of sexual victimization. This thesis questions whether contemporary websites regarding women’s safety reinforce rape myths. Components of rape myths include the idea that women’s safety is her responsibility alone, echo traditional gender role expectations, perpetuate dependence on others and security products, and suggest that women’s fear of victimization is normal. A content analysis of thirteen websites regarding women’s safety is the subject of this study. Findings suggest that websites regarding women’s safety are perpetuating components of rape myths through safety suggestions.
Key


title: Design of robust active trailer steering controllers for multi-trailer articulated heavy vehicles using software/hardware-in-the-loop real-time simulations

subject:
B-train double
Active trailer steering
LMI+LQR-based controller
Trailer steering actuator
Trailer payload

abstract: Due to their remarkable economic and environmental benefits, Multi-Trailer Articulated Heavy Vehicles (MTAHVs) have been frequently adopted by the trucking industry. Despite the above advantages, MTAHVs exhibit two particular challenges concerning road safety. MTAHVs exhibit poor maneuverability at low speeds and low lateral stability at high speeds. To address these issues, an Active Trailer Steering (ATS) system using two control techniques is proposed. In recent years, the Linear Quadratic Regular (LQR) technique has been applied to the design of controllers for ATS systems of Articulated Heavy Vehicles (AHVs). In the LQR-based controller designs, all vehicle system parameters, e.g., forward speed and operating conditions, are assumed to be predefined. However, in real-life applications, the operating conditions, such as trailer payload and forward speed, may vary. Thus, the robustness of the LQR-based ATS controllers is doubted. To address this dilemma, a robust ATS controller is designed using the combined method of a Linear Matrix Inequality (LMI) and the LQR technique. To assess the robustness of the LMI+LQRbased ATS controller, the payload of the trailer and the dynamic parameters of the trailer steering actuator are introduced as the vehicle system parametric uncertainties. The performance of the proposed ATS controllers is evaluated using Software/Hardware-In-the-Loop (SHIL) real-time (RT) simulations. The results of the research indicate that the LMI+LQR-based ATS controller can achieve desired system performance under parametric uncertainties.


title: Experimental investigations of thermodynamic properties of the LiF –CsF binary system and FliNaK

subject:
Molten salt reactor
Fluoride salts
Thermodynamics
Fission products
DSC

abstract:
Generation IV nuclear power technologies, including various molten salt reactor designs are considered to accommodate growing energy needs with minimal impact on the environment. The development of the molten salt reactor class highly depends on understanding molten fluoride salt physicochemical properties, which are studied and verified by reviewing existing data coupled with modern experimental techniques.
Experimental investigations of thermodynamic properties of several fluorides were performed to fill knowledge gaps identified in the thermodynamics of fluoride salts. A custom crucible design, selection of suitable calibrants, sample preparation refinement, benchmarking, qualification, and new experimental measurements have been performed. Crucibles worked well for phase transition measurements, benchmarking results gave confidence in developed procedures, capabilities and limitations of the proposed approach were also identified. New measurements of the LiF –CsF system filled some knowledge gaps on the melting behaviour and revealed an additional phase that was not previously reported in the open literature.


title: Specifics of forced-convective heat transfer to supercritical CO2 flowing upward in vertical bare tubes

contributor:
Pioro, Igor
Harvel, Glenn

subject:
Supercritical CO2
Heat transfer correlation
Deteriorated heat transfer
New methodology

abstract:
Heat transfer in the forced convection regime of fluids at supercritical conditions has been studied extensively for the past 60 years. The dominant approach to summarize the experimental results was by proposing empirical correlations for the data within the investigated range of parameters. It was soon realized by researchers worldwide that heat transfer coefficients become non-linear functions of wall and bulk-fluid temperatures at certain combinations of experimental parameters within the region of the peak of specific heat at supercritical pressures. Thus, it has become a standard approach to remove nonlinear experimental heat transfer coefficient values treating them as a sign of a deteriorated (as opposed to normal) heat transfer regime. There were recent attempts to address this shortcoming and extend the applicability of conventional empirical correlations to the deteriorated heat transfer regime. However, these attempts were not satisfactory.
In this thesis, a new methodology has been developed that allows the use conventional empirical correlations without distinguishing entrance effects or deteriorated heat transfer regime. The methodology is based on binning experimental data according to the parameter X = (h_b - h_pc) / (q/G)  and then combining correlations based on wall and bulk-fluid temperature on each bin to minimize RMS and maximal overprediction of heat transfer coefficients within each of the bins.
Using this methodology, 95% of normal heat transfer data were predicted with a spread of ±19%, which is 1.74 times narrower compared to the prediction by the empirical correlations developed based on the conventional methodology and on the same data; while all the data (2786 points, including entrance effects and deteriorated heat transfer) were predicted with a spread of ±20% (based on 2σ-level). The data correlated based on the new methodology where obtained within the following range of experimental parameters: P = 7.58 – 8.91 MPa, Tb = 20 – 142 ˚C, Tw = 32 – 231 ˚C, G = 885 – 3048 kg/m2s, q = 26 – 616 kW/m2K, D = 8.1 mm.
The experimental data were obtained based on a series of tests on supercritical CO2 flowing upwards in a bare tube at the MR-1 loop (located in Chalk River) of the former Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL). Normal, deteriorated, and improved heat transfer regimes were covered in the experiments.


title: A location privacy model and framework for mobile toy computing

subject:
Privacy
Mobile services
Toy computing
Location privacy
BYOD

abstract: Many toys on the market are becoming integrated with the sensory and networking capabilities of mobile technology. Toy computing is an emerging area of research with the characteristics of physical computing, services computing, mobile technologies, and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). There is currently no standard privacy-preserving framework for mobile toy computing applications. Children’s privacy is becoming a major concern for parents who wish to protect their children from potential harms related to the collection or misuse of their private data, particularly their location. This thesis provides an access control model for location privacy for children in the mobile toy computing environment. From this model we derive a policy specification language using XACML vocabulary with extensions for location privacy, as well as a technical framework to enforce the policies. Finally, the framework is tested through prototyping and case studies for proof of concept.


title: Investigation of thermal management options for robots

contributor:
Dincer, Ibrahim
Lang, Haoxiang

subject:
Robots
Thermal management
Efficiency
Heating
Cooling

abstract: This thesis research studies the thermal challenges of robots and evaluates the potential thermal management options. In this regard, it aims to develop and analyze various thermal management options for robotic systems. Ten different thermal management options are investigated theoretically in this thesis, such as forced air/liquid systems, heat pipes, thermal interface materials, thermoelectric generators, phase change materials, thermal insulating materials, etc. Three different thermal insulating materials (namely stone wool, fiberglass, and extruded polyurethane) and an air heating/cooling thermal management system are tested at both high and low temperatures. At 40⁰C, the energy efficiencies for the utilization of these thermal insulating materials are obtained 47.34% for the stone wool, 48.09% for the fiberglass, and 32% for the extruded polyurethane. At the same temperature, the exergy efficiencies for the utilization of these thermal insulating materials are 23.66% for the stone wool, 18.19% for the fiberglass, and 20.73% for the extruded polyurethane. At the -25⁰C, the energy efficiencies are 49.91% for the stone wool, 48.24% for the fiberglass, and 31.31% for the extruded polyurethane, while the exergy efficiencies for the stone wool, fiberglass, and extruded polyurethane are 17.25%, 21%, and 21.12%, respectively. On the other hand, the energy efficiency of the air cooling system is obtained 37.58% at 40⁰C, while the exergy efficiency is 5.89%. Finally, at -25⁰C, the energy efficiency of the air heating thermal management system is 27.32%, and its exergy efficiency becomes 3.60%, respectively.


title: Petri net modeling of fault analysis for probabilistic risk assessment

subject:
Petri net
Fault analysis
Coherent
Non-Coherent
CANDU

abstract: Fault trees and event trees have been widely accepted as the modeling strategy to perform Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA). However, there are several limitations associated with fault tree/event tree modeling. These include 1. It only considers binary events; 2. It assumes independence among basic events; and 3. It does not consider timing sequence of basic events. This thesis investigates Petri net modeling as a potential alternative for PRA modeling. Petri nets have mainly been used as a simulation tool for queuing and network systems. However, it has been suggested that they could also model failure scenarios, and thus could be a potential modeling strategy for PRA. In this thesis, the transformations required to model logic gates in a fault tree by Petri nets are explored. The gap between fault tree analysis and Petri net analysis is bridged through gate equivalency analysis. Methods for qualitative and quantitative analysis for Petri nets are presented. Techniques are developed and implemented to revise and tailor traditional Petri net modeling for system failure analysis. The airlock system and the maintenance cooling system of a CANada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) reactor are used as case studies to demonstrate Petri nets ability to model system failure and provide a structured approach for qualitative and quantitative analysis. The minimal cutsets and the probability of the airlock system failing to maintain the pressure boundary are obtained. Furthermore, the case study is extended to non-coherent system analysis due to system maintenance.

abstract: University of Ontario Institute of Technology


title: Characterization of a novel cellulose biosynthesis inhibitor, CBI28, in Gluconacetobacter xylinus

subject:
Cellulose
Cellulose biosynthesis inhibitor
CBI28
Gluconacetobacter xylinus

abstract: To study the underlying mechanisms for microbial cellulose biosythesis, a novel compound, CBI28, was used as an inhibitor along with classical genetics and EMS mutagenesis. An EZ-Link Biotin Hydrazide Kit was used to create a CBI28-Biotin conjugate for further studies. Gluconacetobacter xylinus cells were exposed to 10 uM CBI28 to induce cellulose biosythesis inhibition, lysed and small hydrophobic molecules were extracted using methanol and Waters Oasis HLB SPE-Paks. Samples were separated and detected using the Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer/Photo Diode Array. Putative mutants were isolated but did not survive for further study. An ion with the expected mass of a CBI28-Biotin conjugate (552 m/z) was detected but not in sufficiently high concentrations for characterization. Metabolite studies revealed putative metabolites derived from the HLB SPE and methanol extractions with no significant difference in extraction methods. Potential metabolites with masses of ~281.77 m/z and ~79 m/z were detected in CBI28 exposed cells. Further analysis needs to be performed to determine if CBI28 metabolites prevent cellulose production.


title: Development of waste management systems: applications of Durham Region

subject:
Sustainable community
Waste to energy
Circular waste management
Exergy
Life cycle assessment

abstract: This thesis aims to reduce environmental impacts and increase overall efficiencies of domestic waste management systems by proposing case studies for Durham Region. Case study 1 integrates an anaerobic digestion facility with an incinerator to produce biogas and electricity. Case study 2 combines a gasification unit with an anaerobic digestion to generate biogas, syngas, and electricity. Case study 3 uses a pyrolysis unit for biogas, gasoline, and electricity. Diesel and alternative-fueled trucks are also compared based on their environmental impacts. According to the results, case study 2 is observed to be the most sustainable case with the highest energy and exergy efficiencies, 58.7% and 56.8%, the lowest global warming potential, 0.167 kgCO2 eq, and a competitive levelized cost of 0.23$/kWh. Electric fueled trucks have better overall environmental impacts with the least in global warming, ozone depletion, and acidification potential with 3.92E-05 kgCO2 eq, 5.57E-12 kgCFC-11 eq and 2.19E-07 kgSO2 eq.


title: Design synthesis of articulated heavy vehicles with active trailer steering systems

subject:
Articulated heavy vehicle
Design synthesis method
Active trailer steering
Rearward amplification
Off-tracking

abstract: A new design synthesis method for articulated heavy vehicles (AHVs) with an active trailer steering (ATS) system is examined and evaluated. Due to their heavy weights, large sizes, and complex configurations, AHVs have poor maneuverability at low speeds, and low lateral stability at high speeds. Various passive trailer steering and ATS systems have been developed for improving the low-speed maneuverability. However, they often have detrimental effects on the high-speed stability. To date, no systematic design synthesis method has been developed to coordinate the opposing design goals of AHVs. In this thesis, a new automated design synthesis approach, called a Single Design Loop (SDL) method, is proposed and investigated. The SDL method has the following distinguished features: 1) the optimal active design variables of ATS systems and the optimal passive vehicle design variables are searched in a single design loop; 2) in the design process, to evaluate the vehicle performance measures, a driver model is developed and it „drives‟ the vehicle model based on the well-defined testing specifications; and 3) the ATS controller derived from this method has two operational modes: one for improving the lateral stability at high speeds and the other for enhancing path-following at low speeds. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the new SDL method, it is applied to the design of an ATS system for an AHV with a tractor/full-trailer. In comparison to a conventional design approach, the SDL method can search through solutions in a much larger design space, and consequently it provides a more comprehensive set of optimal designs..


title: Modeling of voltage source converter based HVDC transmission system in EMTP-RV

subject:
HVDC transmission
Direct control
Vector control
Voltage source converter

abstract:
Voltage Source Converter (VSC) applications include but are not limited to HVDC, Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) devices such as STATCOM, SSSC, UPFC and Wind generators and active filters. The VSC based HVDC system is a feasible option for bulk power transmission over long or short distances and the grid integration of renewable energy sources in existing transmission and distribution systems. The main requirement in a power transmission system is the precise control of active and reactive power flow to maintain the system voltage stability. The VSC operating with the specified vector control strategy can perform independent control of active/reactive power at both ends. This ability of VSC makes it suitable for connection to weak AC networks or even dead networks i.e. without local voltage sources. For power reversal, the DC voltage polarity remains the same for VSC based transmission system and the power transfer depends only on the direction of the DC current. This is advantageous when compared to the conventional Current Source Converter (CSC) based HVDC system. Furthermore, in case of VSC, the reactive power flow can be bi-directional depending on the AC network operating conditions.
In this thesis, a 3-phase, 2-level, 6-switch VSC connected to an active but weak AC system at both ends of the HVDC link is developed using EMTP-RV. The VSC-HVDC transmission system model is developed using both direct control and vector control techniques. The direct control method is an approximate method in which the active power, AC voltages at both ends of HVDC link and DC link voltage are controlled directly by using PI-controllers. In vector control method, closed loop feed-forward control system is used to control the active power, reactive power at both ends and DC voltage.
By comparing the simulation results, it is concluded that the vector control method is superior to the direct control because of the removal of the coupling between control variables to achieve the independent control of active and reactive powers at both ends of the HVDC link.


title: Power efficient designs for 5G wireless networks

contributor:
ShahbazPanahi, Shahram
Dong, Min

subject:
Asynchronous Two-Way Relay Networks
Filter-and-Forward Relaying
Power Domain NOMA Massive MIMO
Channel Equalization
User Clustering

abstract: In this dissertation, to step forward towards green communication, we study power efficient solutions in three potential 5G wireless networks, namely an asynchronous multicarrier two-way Amplify-and-Forward (AF) relay network, a multi-carrier two-way Filter-and-Forward (FF) network, and a massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) network using the Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) scheme. In the first network, two transceivers using the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) scheme communicate through multiple relays in an asynchronous manner. As an attempt to design a simple solution, we assume the AF protocol at the relays. We jointly design the power allocation and distributed beamforming coefficients to minimize the total transmission power subject to sum-rate constraints. We propose an optimal semi-closed form solution to this problem and we show that at the optimum, the end-to-end channel has only one non-zero tap. To extend the first work to high data-rate scenarios, we consider a second relaying-based network which consists of two OFDM-based transceivers and multiple FF relays. We propose two approaches to tackle a total transmission power minimization problem: a gradient steepest descent-based technique, and a low-complexity method enforcing a frequency-flat Channel Impulse Response (CIR) response at the optimum. As the last network, we consider a massive MIMO-NOMA network with both co-located and distributed structures. We study the joint problem of power allocation and user clustering to minimize the total transmit power subject to QoS constraints. We propose a novel clustering algorithm which groups the correlated users into the same cluster and has an unique ability to automatically switch between using the spatial-domain-MIMO and the power-domain-NOMA. We show that our proposed method can substantially improve the feasibility probability and power consumption performance compared to existing methods.


title: Social-based trustworthy data forwarding in vehicular delay tolerant networks

contributor:
Lin, Xiaodong
Grami, Ali

subject: VANET RSU Privacy Security DTN

abstract:
Vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) is an emerging new communication technol-ogy which has attracted a lot of research attention from academic community and indus-try. For many applications in VANETs, information has to be transmitted through mul-tiple hops before it reaches its destination that makes it a subject to various security at-tacks and privacy breaches. Thus, security and privacy issues could limit its adaption by the public community.
In this study, we propose and evaluate social based trustworthy data forwarding scheme for VANET. First, by using social network analysis techniques, we provide a framework to strategically deploy Road-Side Units (RSUs) infrastructure in order to im-prove reliability, efficiency, and high packet delivery for VANET. It is based on multiple social centrality assessments of street network which help in placing RSUs at high social intersections. This social placement of RSUs will dramatically improve data dissemina-tion as the opportunity of contacting vehicles increase while costs of RSU deployment can be kept under control. Second, we propose a secure and privacy-preserving message forwarding protocol, which utilizes RSUs to forward messages between vehicles. The protocol takes advantage of high performance capability of RSUs to store and forward messages to their destinations, where these RSUs utilize re-encryption technique to form a mix network to provide adequate privacy for senders and receivers. Then detailed anal-ysis in terms of security, message overhead, delivery ratio, and average delay are per-formed to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of our proposed scheme. Lastly, we tackled the security and privacy challenges existing in social-aware data diffusion by proposing an efficient vehicle social evaluation (EVSE) scheme. Our scheme enables each vehicle to show its authentic social evaluation to others while not disclosing its past location information. As a result, it can meet the prerequisites for the success of social aware data diffusion in VANETs.


title: Unified processing of natural language and relational data

contributor:
Pu, Ken
Davoudi, Kourosh

subject:
Query language
Database
Natural language processing
Embedding vectors
Text processing

abstract: This work outlines a method for performing natural language tasks as part of a relational framework. Utilizing features of PostgreSQL as a relational database and its extensibility to allow for word embedding without leaving the relational database. This system can be extended to incorporate several natural language processing (NLP) techniques, such as latent Dirichlet allocations(LDA) or modern models, such as BERT. The combination of NLP and relational operations allows for extracting data from and analyzing text in the same interface used for general data analysis. This combination allows for gathering richer information from existing sources and makes it all available from one standard interface. The declarative nature of SQL allows for more ad-hoc application of NLP techniques. Two case studies using the DBLP dataset demonstrate this integration’s power. Building an LDA model, augmenting the topic labels for greater descriptiveness, and applying preexisting models for semantic analysis.


title: Design and development of a blockchain-based consent management system

subject:
Blockchain
Consent management
Data privacy
Hyperledger
Ethereum

abstract: Data management is defined as obtaining, processing, safeguarding, and storing information about an organization to aid in making better business decisions for the firm. With the proliferation of smart devices, the amount of data available to enterprises has expanded tremendously. They often share the information gathered across organizations without the consent of the individuals who provided the information. As a result, we must protect the information from unauthorized access or exploitation. As a result, companies must ensure that their systems are transparent to build user confidence. To accomplish this, we are confident that Blockchain properties will accommodate, as transactions recorded on the network cannot be modified and are accessible to everyone on the network. This thesis introduces the architectural design of a blockchain system for controlled private data management, discusses the prototype implementation using Hyperledger Fabric, and presents evaluation results of the proposed system using Hyperledger Caliper.


title: Synthesis of internal amide bond short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and investigation of their gene silencing properties

subject:
siRNAs
Internal amide bond
Gene silencing properties

abstract:
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for around 13% of all death [1]. Traditional cancer therapeutics usually require careful selection of one or more intervention, such as surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, which have made momentous progress, but have ample limitations [2]. The next generation of cancer therapeutics will specifically target processes responsible for the growth and survival of cancer cells. Among the most promising of these molecularly-targeted therapeutics are short interfering RNAs (siRNAs). These siRNAs serve as the effectors of RNA interference, a naturally occurring and highly specific mechanism for regulating gene expression through sequence-specific degradation of messenger RNA. However, the native structure of RNA is plagued with undesirable chemical properties. For example, the sugar-phosphate backbone contains a negative charge which hinders its ability to cross the negatively charged lipid bilayer. Furthermore, the phosphodiester backbone is a substrate for nucleases, which catalytically cleaves the phosphate-oxygen bond, thus degrading the native RNA [3]. As such, there is widespread interest in chemically modifying the backbone of siRNAs in order to overcome some of the inherent problems with its native structure.
There have been only two reports that have employed amide-bond linkages as phosphate replacements within siRNAs [4, 5]. In both of these studies, the amide bond containing monomer units were placed at the 3’-overhangs and not within the internal Watson-Crick region of the double stranded siRNA due to the limitation of standard solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis. In this thesis, we proposed to utilize phosphoramidite chemistry to localize internal amide-bond modifications [6]. A practical synthesis of a peptide nucleic acid unit combined with an RNA nucleoside (PNA-RNA dimer, UaU) is reported [7]. Using this PNA-RNA dimer phosphoramidite allows us to control the site-specific location of the internal amide-bond
modification throughout the desired RNA strand. Polyacrylamide gel (PAGE) and mass spectrometry analysis were performed to ensure the formation of full-length modified siRNA molecules.
The effects of these modifications were explored with respect to the biophysical and biological properties of the modified siRNAs. The techniques used in this work included hybridization affinity assays (melting temperature), secondary structure determination (circular dichroism), cell-based luciferase assays, and nuclease stability assays. Melting temperature experiment reveals that localizing a UaU dimer unit within the RNA oligonucleotides has an overall destabilizing effect, whereas UaU modifications at the 3’-overhang positions show little change in thermal stability. Circular dichroism experimental results illustrate that all chemically modified siRNAs exhibit the standard A-form helix. In cell-based luciferase assays, we utilized two different target sequences and our results highlight the compatibility of utilizing a neutral amide-bond backbone within siRNAs. Specifically, the internal amide-bond modification is compatible within the RNAi machinery when placed at 3’-overhang position in the sense strand of the double-stranded siRNA. However, poor efficacy is observed when this unit is placed adjacent the Ago 2 cleavage site on the antisense strand. The nuclease stability assays reveal that the introduction of a PNA-RNA dimer at the 3’-end of the siRNA where the exonuclease cleaves the terminal nucleotide, increased markedly the resistance to serum-derived nucleases. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that involves amide-bonds as phosphate backbone replacements within the internal regions of siRNAs and thus opens the future possibility for examining and utilizing this modification in studying new structure-function relationships.


title: Optimization of a GEM-based detector to measure tritium and discriminate against other radiation types

subject:
Nuclear
Tritium
Ion Chambers
Gas Electron Multiplier
Electron Avalanche

abstract: Tritium poses a radioprotection issue, in the Canadian Nuclear industry due to the operation of its fleet of Canadian Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) heavy water reactors. Although it is a less penetrative radionuclide, tritium is shown to have a detrimental effect on the human body when ingested, inhaled or absorbed. GEM detectors have proven to be very useful in the detection of low energy ionizing radiation, with their ability to multiply electrons via avalanches and amplify the signal thereby increasing the ease of detection. This work aims to optimize the design of the collection plate of a GEM-based tritium monitor in order to discriminate between short and long-range beta particles and electrons. The THGEM gain was also investigated with experimental and computational modelling. Recommendations include modification of the collection plate and increasing the gain of the detector to improve the efficiency of tritium detection and discrimination against other radiation types.


title: A qualitative study of parental perceptions, beliefs, and experiences when making decision regarding physical activity for children with asthma

subject:
Physical activity
Children with asthma
Lived experience
Phenomenology
Physical environment

abstract: This thesis presents the findings of a qualitative, phenomenological study of the lived experiences of parents of children with asthma when making decisions regarding physical activity. The perceptions and beliefs of parents in relation to physical activity and the physical environment were also explored. Eight parents of children with asthma between the ages of five to twelve years old participated in this study. Within the verbatim transcripts of the in-depth interviews four major themes emerged. Parents acknowledged the importance of physical activity and its role in promoting the health and well-being of their children with asthma. Although parents experienced worry and fear in relation to their child’s asthma, parents felt that through good asthma management and communication they are able to normalize living with asthma and support their children’s participation in physical activity. Parents considered the physical environment when making decisions regarding physical activity; parents were aware of environmental factors which could trigger or exacerbate their child’s asthma symptoms during physical activity. The knowledge constructed in this study suggests that for parents of children with asthma, having asthma did not influence parents to restrict their children’s participation in physical activity. Instead, parents worked to minimize asthma symptoms which may arise during physical activity. These findings have implications for healthcare professionals to work with parents to further solidify their stance on the beneficial role of physical activity for children with asthma.


title: Analysis and design of computationally efficient modulation schemes for Three Phase Three Switch rectifier for transportation electrification

subject:
Space vector modulation
AC-DC power converter
Rectifiers

abstract: It is a well-known fact that the transportation sector emits a large amount of pollutants to the atmosphere. The growing need for reducing the carbon footprint has led to sincere efforts being made in the direction of electrification of commercial vehicles, which conventionally run on by-products of crude oil. The Canadian government is currently aiming at reducing greenhouse emissions by 30% below the early 2000s levels by the year 2030. This goal has led to major auto manufacturers releasing their respective models of battery-powered electric vehicles (EVs) completely compliant with the SAE J1772 standards. However, the commercial success of EVs heavily relies on the presence of high-efficiency charging stations. This thesis reviews presently available, Level 3/DC fast charging systems, followed by a brief description and evaluation of DC fast-charging infrastructure. Different power converter topologies and viable configurations are presented, compared, and evaluated, based on the power level requirements, efficiency of the topology, cost, and technical specifications. In this thesis the possibility of employing the Three Phase Three Switch (TPTS) converter as a single-stage charger for DC fast charging of electric vehicles is explored. Control of contemporary three phase power converters, employed in charging infrastructures, is achieved by Space Vector (SV) based modulation schemes. This thesis proposes a novel modulation technique for TPTS rectifier. The general SV modulation scheme xxvii xxviii used to control the TPTS is reviewed in this thesis. Numerous switching combinations possible for different positions of the Zero and Active vectors are derived. Based on the positions of these vectors in different sectors of the SV diagram, several switching sequences are presented. The switching combinations are analyzed to obtain three modulating waves. The new carrier-based modulation scheme for TPTS is implemented and validated using software simulation. This new scheme is easier to implement compared to the traditional SV based modulation technique due to reduced number of mathematical computations. A 1 kW hardware prototype was built to validate the proposed modulation scheme. This thesis provides a detailed description about arriving at the proposed modulation scheme for TPTS from traditional SV modulation scheme. The implementation of the converter and its performance analysis is reported in this thesis


title: Adaptive learning game to personalize occupational health and safety training

contributor:
Mirza-Babaei, Pejman
Sankaranarayanan, Karthik

subject:
Adaptive learning
Serious games
Game development
User-centered design

abstract:
In 2012, the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada recorded approximately a quarter-million workplace injuries, a staggering figure keeping in mind that some incidents go undocumented. It is important that organizations continue make Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) one of their top priorities.
In this thesis, we discuss an implementation of an adaptive personalized learning support system within a game that is centered on health and safety training to promote the understanding of health and safety material. The design of the game incorporates a feedback loop that constantly evaluates the player’s performance while they complete learning challenges. As the players proceed within the game's environment their profile is constantly updated thus providing an insight into their strengths and weaknesses. The game is designed to adjust the challenges given to the player to focus on improving the player’s underperforming skills. The goal of this game is to promote health and safety in small and medium enterprises. Through this game we created a motivational designed application that helps to teach targeted health and safety information to the workers.
The game was made in collaboration with the Public Services Health and Safety Association based in Toronto. The game aims to better the player’s health and safety performance in the Organizational Performance Metric and hone their underlying health and safety skills.


title: Compensation in movement behaviours following exercise of different intensities in older adults

subject:
Compensation
Movement behaviours
Aging
High intensity

abstract: The overall purpose of this thesis was to assess compensation in movement behaviours of older adults following exercise. Participants (n=28, 69.7±6.5 years) completed the following exercise protocols in random order, one week apart: moderate continuous exercise (MOD), high intensity interval exercise (HI), and sprint interval exercise (SPRT). A thigh-worn device (ActivPALTM) was used to measure movement behaviours at baseline (two weeks prior to exercise), day zero (the day of exercise), and the subsequent three days. Overall, compensation was observed in all movement behaviours but sleep. It appears that the greatest compensation occurred following SPRT, with increases in ST and decreases in LPA and MVPA. Fatigue could explain this compensation. Higher intensity exercise appears to have a more profound effect on future movement behaviour patterns than moderate intensity. This has important implications for prescribing high intensity exercises in older adults as it may increase ST, decrease LPA and displace current MVPA.


title: Performance and emission characteristics of natural gas combined cycle power generation system with steam injection and oxyfuel combustion.

subject:
Steam injection
Combined cycle
Energy efficiency
Exergy efficiency
Turbines
CO2 Capture,
Oxyfuel

abstract: Natural gas combined cycle power generation systems are gaining popularity due to their high power generation efficiency and reduced emission. In the present work, combined cycle power generation configuration systems studied with natural gas as primary fuel oxidizes with air and pure oxygen separately. Steam is injected in main combustion chamber and reheater combustion chamber individually and simultaneously to understand the performance of combined cycle work output and greenhouse gas emission. The effect of pressure ratio, turbine inlet temperature, isentropic efficiency, ambient temperature on combined cycle work output, thermal and exergy efficiency are carried out with and without steam injection. In present range of investigation, it is observed that the steam injection increases gas cycle efficiency and decreases the steam cycle efficiency. Ideal pressure ratio found to be 25 in all different combined cycle power generation system configurations. Maximum CO2 emission reduction (7.2%) occurs when steam is injected in reheater combustion chamber for fuel combustion with air and (3.2%) when steam injection in both combustion chambers for oxy fuel configuration. Thermal efficiency of combined cycle system increased by 8.2% when 10% steam injection in both combustion chambers. In oxyfuel combustion, higher ratio of recycle flue gas brings higher thermal efficiency and highest thermal efficiency achieved when steam is injected in main combustion chamber only. Maximum exergy destruction found in combustion chambers (57%), steam injection lowers exergy destruction by 4%. More than 10% steam in combustion chamber brings combined cycle thermal efficiency down.


title: Investigating the relationship between modifiable environmental risk factors and incidence of colorectal cancer: a community based study

subject:
Colorectal cancer
Environmental risk factors
Community based study

abstract: Colorectal cancer is the third most diagnosed cancer and second leading cause of cancer related deaths in Canada. As Ontario has the largest population in Canada, it also has great disparities in colorectal cancer incidence. The region of Timiskaming has the highest incidence for colorectal cancer, while the region of Peel has the lowest incidence for colorectal cancer in Ontario. The purpose of this study is to identify the dominant non-nutritional modifiable environmental risk factors in the region of Timiskaming compared to the region of Peel that may be associated with diverging colorectal cancer incidence rates. The three objectives of the study included performing a systematic review on available published literature, creating an assessment questionnaire tool regarding environmental exposures, and utilizing the questionnaire assessment tool within a pilot study group while expanding it into the communities of interest. Findings indicate that there are dominant non-nutritional modifiable environmental risk factors in the regions of Timiskaming and Peel that may be associated with colorectal cancer. The dominant factors identified are tobacco/smoking, alcohol use, pesticides/organochlorines, and metal toxins. Following this study, it is imperative that recommendations are directed at a community level and relate to the assessment of potential non-nutritional modifiable environmental risk factors. Future research should accompany a larger sample size, multiple participant communities, and catering of the questionnaire tool towards the communities of interest.


title: Simulation of microgrid system and low-cost wireless communication network

subject:
Microgrid
Distribution generation
Islanding detection
Wireless communication

abstract: The MATLAB/SIMULINK model of a microgrid system is presented in this thesis. The microgrid consists of a converter-fed distributed generator photovoltaic array with maximum power point tracking, a converter-fed battery storage system and a critical load which must be fed power under all circumstances. The microgrid is capable of functioning in either grid-connected or isolated modes of operation. A passive islanding detection method is utilized to switch over from P-Q to V/F control mode, when islanding is detected. The behavior of the microgrid under various faults and other conditions is analyzed. In the second part of the thesis, the need for a wireless communication between the secondary and primary controllers of the microgrid are discussed. Proof of concept results to establish a two-way communication channel for the exchange of information between the controllers are presented.

abstract: University of Ontario Institute of Technology


title: Well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emissions and energy use analysis of hypothetical fleet of electrified vehicles in Canada and the U.S.

subject:
Well-to-wheel
Greenhouse gas
Electric vehicle
Hybrid
PHEV
Fuel cell
Energy use

abstract:
The shift to strong hybrid and electrified vehicle architectures engenders controversy and brings about many unanswered questions. It is unclear whether developed markets will have the infrastructure in place to support and successfully implement them.
To date, limited effort has been made to comprehend if the energy and transportation solutions that work well for one city or geographic region may extend broadly. A region's capacity to supply a fleet of EVs, or plug-in hybrid vehicles with the required charging infrastructure, does not necessarily make such vehicle architectures an optimal solution. In this study, a mix of technologies ranging from HEV to PHEV and EREV through to Battery Electric Vehicles were analyzed and set in three Canadian Provinces and 3 U.S. Regions for the year 2020.
Government agency developed environmental software tools were used to estimate greenhouse gas emissions and energy use. Projected vehicle technology shares were employed to estimate regional environmental implications. Alternative vehicle technologies and fuels are recommended for each region based on local power generation schemes.


title: Modeling and analysis of off-road tire cornering characteristics

contributor:
El-Gindy, Moustafa
Rakheja, Subhash

subject:
Tire modeling
Terrain calibration
Tire-terrain interaction
Smoothed-Particle Hydrodynamics
Finite Element Analysis

abstract:
Cornering performance characteristics of wheeled vehicles substantially rely on the forces/moments generated from interactions between pneumatic tires and terrains. Accurate models are thus required to predict these forces/moments to be employed in vehicle simulations for development and design. The goal of this dissertation research is to provide a virtual testing environment in Pam-Crash software as an alternative to actual tests for Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) analysis of rolling tire interactions on deformable terrains. SPH method and hydrodynamics-elastic plastic material were used to simulate different soil types that are often utilized in vehicle-terrain interactions. Two pressure-sinkage and shear-strength experiments were used to calibrate the terrains. The simulation findings were compared with the measured data that showed good agreements.
Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the rolling resistance coefficient and cornering properties of the tire over various terrains is presented, as well as the development of Genetic Algorithms (GA) to determine the mathematical relations for the cornering force, self-aligning moment, and overturning moment as functions of important operating factors. Cornering tests were performed for the RHD tire operating over the mud soil to examine the validity of the GA-based cornering force, self-aligning moment, and overturning moment relationships. It was concluded that the identified mathematical relations could provide very good estimations of the cornering characteristics under a broad range of operating conditions and soils.


title: Development of a new technology-based learning tool to promote the uptake of clinical practice guidelines on the management of neck pain in chiropractic teaching faculty

subject:
Knowledge translation
Technology-based learning
Chiropractic
Education
Clinical practice guidelines

abstract:
Background:
Ensuring teaching faculty are well-informed of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines may help to ensure chiropractic students are educated accordingly throughout their training. This is imperative for maintaining high-quality education and developing competent chiropractic graduates.
Objective:
To develop a pedagogically-sound, technology-based learning tool aimed at improving knowledge of an evidence-based clinical practice guideline for teaching and clinical faculty at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College.
Methods:
I developed an online, module-based learning tool using an integrated knowledge translation approach informed by a systematic review and pedagogical theory. I conducted a cross-sectional evaluation of the user-centred constructs in a sample of teaching and clinical faculty.
Results:
The constructs of the learning tool were evaluated favourably. Participant feedback informed the development of pedagogically-focused recommendations for future development of the learning tool.
Conclusions:
My research can inform the development of pedagogically-sound, educational tools aimed to improve knowledge of clinical practice guidelines for chiropractic educators.


title: Exploring constraints to sport participation among immigrant adolescent girls who reside in the Greater Toronto Area

subject: Sport Immigrant Girls Constraints Adolescents

abstract: Rates of sport participation decrease during adolescence, particularly among girls. Although research has documented this decline, it tends to largely ignore diverse samples such as immigrants. This study explored constraints to sport participation among immigrant adolescent girls who reside in the GTA using a mixed-methods design. Guided by Newell’s theory of constraints, secondary analysis consisting of bivariate and multivariate analyses was conducted on survey responses from 90 participants to examine significant constraints to sport participation and compare results with their non-immigrant counterparts. Results were further explored through semi-structured interviews with seven participants, which were guided through an interpretive phenomenological approach. The information gathered highlighted constraints to sport participation faced among this sample which may aid in informing future programs related to sport participation. Importantly, findings are relevant for knowledge mobilization efforts that aim to increase rates of sport participation among girls.


title: Study of an internal combustion engine to burn hydrogen fuel and backfire elimination using a carburetor fuel delivery method

subject: ICE Hydrogen Backfire Carburetor Chevrolet

abstract:
Hydrogen appears to be a clean and sustainable fuel for transportation vehicles, including internal combustion engine vehicles. In this research, a 1986 GMC Sierra truck with a 350CID 5.7L V8, 4 barrel carbureted Chevrolet gasoline engine is converted to burn hydrogen as a sustainable and envirnmentally benign fuel with a shorter energetic cycle. It demonstrates that the problems of backfire can be eliminated using several less expensive methods, such as employing cold spark plugs with reduced spark gap and low temperature cooled valves along with the introduction of water vapor to the mixture.
In the experiments, the internal combustion engine was tested for two fuels: (i) octane 95 gasoline, and (ii) gaseous hydrogen at 99% purity. The vehicle underwent dynamometer tests using both the  gasoline and hydrogen fuels for performance comparisons. A comprehensive thermodynamic analysis, through energy and exergy, of the engine is conducted for both cases: (i) with the octane 95 gasoline fuel and (ii) with hydrogen gaseous fuel. The performance results through energy and exergy efficiencies are compared for possible improvements.
The mileage and energy efficiencies calculated and tested using this engine showed that it is more efficient operating on gasoline fuel rather than hydrogen. This is explained fully in the thesis as to the properties of hydrogen and gasoline fuels that differ, and the particular vehicle technology makes this difficult to achieve a reasonable mileage and efficiency.


title: How do persons living with lower back pain experience disability in their daily lives? A qualitative study

contributor:
Cote, Pierre
Weaver, Robert

subject:
Low back pain
Disability
Biopsychosocial model
ICF framework

abstract:
This paper describes how persons living with lower back pain (LBP) experience
disability using the International Classification of Function, Disability and Health (ICF)
framework. I conducted three focus groups. Participants ages 20-65 years, living with
LBP and seeking chiropractic treatment for their LBP were recruited from chiropractic
clinics in Toronto, Canada. Using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment
Schedule (WHODAS) questionnaire to assess disability, participants were divided into
low and high disability groups. An ICF-based focus group schedule was created to
explore participant experiences with disability. A qualitative thematic analysis was
conducted. Twelve LBP patients participated in this study. Participants emphasized how
environmental factors impacted their experiences with disability. They struggled with the
invisibility of LBP and were sensitive about others’ attitudes towards them. The results
show a consistent feedback loop supporting the interaction between various ICF domains.
My thesis highlights the importance of considering patients’ perspectives when managing
LBP.


title: Computational methods for medical image registration

subject:
Image registration
Cardiac fiber atlas
Motion correction
Landmark detection
Contour matching

abstract: A significant amount of research has been dedicated to the improvement of techniques in the field of medical image analysis. Imaging modalities have been improved and new acquisition methods have been introduced to reveal greater anatomical detail and to allow for more information to be extracted from medical images. However, certain challenges remain when processing and analyzing information from medical images. Image registration is a technique to find a reasonable transformation that best aligns a pair or group of images. Of particular interest in this thesis is the use of image registration in three main categories: cardiac fiber atlas construction from healthy porcine hearts, motion correction in contrast-enhanced image sequences, and the development of novel computational techniques that improve the performance of existing medical image registration methods. We provide an overview of each of the problems that we tackled, followed by a discussion of the underlying motivation and theory behind the proposed methods, and extensive validations. Most importantly, this work highlights the central role that image registration plays in biomedical research - from producing clinically relevant image-based predictive models, to enabling accurate diagnosis of diseases and the analysis of treatment response.


title: Electrical impedance tomography for internal radiation therapy

contributor:
Rossa, Carlos
Seo, Jaho

subject:
Electrical impedance tomography
Acoustic electrical tomography
Internal radiation therapy
Brachytherapy
Medical image reconstruction

abstract: Internal radiation therapy is a radiation-based treatment for various forms of localized cancer. In this treatment, several needles or catheters are inserted percutaneously into the tissue, and radiation is delivered through them directly to the site of the tumour growth. Imaging methods to delineate the dominant tumour are imperative to ensure the maximum success of the radiation procedure. This thesis investigates a new imaging approach for internal radiation therapy based on the principle of electrical impedance tomography (EIT). A novel procedure utilizing brachytherapy needles as electrodes is proposed to map the internal electrical conductivity of the tissue. Since cancerous tissue exhibits different levels of conductivity than healthy tissue, it is hypothesized that the electrical conductivity map of the tissue can be used to delineate cancerous nodules via EIT. In addition, this thesis explores the use of electrical impedance modulation via ultrasound to improve the spatial resolution of EIT images.


title: Heat and fluid flow analysis in a molten CuCl heat exchanger

contributor:
Naterer, Greg
Dincer, Ibrahim

subject:
Heat transfer
Hydrogen
CuCl
Heat exchanger

abstract:
The Cu-Cl thermochemical cycle is a promising method to generate hydrogen
as a clean fuel for human use in the future. The cycle can be coupled to nuclear
reactors to supply its heat requirements. The cycle generates hydrogen by splitting
water molecules through a series of chemical reactions. Thermal management within
the cycle is crucial for improving its thermal efficiency. The cycle has an average
theoretical efficiency of around 46% without any heat recovery. The efficiency may
increase up to 74%, if all heat associated with the products of the cycle’s steps is
recycled internally. The products of the different processes that transfer heat are;
oxygen, hydrogen, and molten CuCl. The heat carried by oxygen and hydrogen can be
recovered by the use of conventional heat exchangers. However, recovering heat from
molten CuCl is very challenging due to the phase transformations that molten CuCl
undergoes, as it cools down from liquid to solid states. This thesis presents a new
model that predicts the fluid flow and heat transfer in a direct contact heat exchanger,
designed to recover the heat from molten CuCl, through the physical interaction
between CuCl droplets and air. Numerical results for the variations of temperature,
velocity, heat transfer rate, and so forth, are given for two cases of CuCl flow. The
predicted dimensions of the heat exchanger were found to be a diameter of 0.13 m,
and a height of 0.6 and 0.8 m for 1 and 0.5 mm droplet diameters, respectively. The
results obtained provide valuable insights for the equipment design and scale-up of
the Cu-Cl cycle.


title: Prototype development and testing of active yaw moment control system using vehicle momentum wheel

subject:
Momentum wheel
Yaw moment control
LQR
Arduino
Prototype development

abstract:
Vehicle stability is the essential key to evade accidents and drive without harm. It is in actual an extremely dynamic and active research topic nowadays. Active yaw moment control to improve vehicle’s handling and stability has been chosen as the control strategy. This technique uses a momentum wheel control (MWC) independent of the tire/road interaction to generate the corrective yaw moment. A fully functional prototype of the control system on an RC model car with onboard processing capabilities is designed and developed. Vehicle dynamics analysis and the test results are discussed.
Control system is designed using the Linear-Quadratic Regulator (LQR) theory, calculates the necessary torque required to apply to the vehicle chassis in order to generate the corrective yaw moment. Kalman filter is used to supress the sensors noise and any irregularities in the system model design. Motor controller board provides enough current to generate the required torque. All the calculations are done using Advanced RISC Machines (ARM) microcontroller. System dynamics are analysed on the computer using LabVIEW software.


title: Experiences in a multi-sport parasport program: the female adolescent perspective

subject: Disability Parasport Adolescents Qualitative

abstract: This phenomenological study utilized semi-structured interviewing to understand the experiences of adolescent females (N=3) in a multi-sport parasport program. The results of this study revealed several aspects of the parasport program that influenced participants’ experiences, as well as some potential outcomes of participation. Some key aspects of the program that were addressed by participants included: its para-specific design, the program’s coaches, and the new opportunities for sport engagement that participants were afforded. The program gave participants opportunities for physical development, social development, and changes in self-perceptions, while imparting a desire for continued sport participation. How well the participants were supported by the various aspects of the program influenced the outcomes that they achieved. These findings indicate that adolescents with disabilities’ participation in an introductory multisport parasport program was overall positive, but there is still a need for more parasport opportunities.


title: High-speed lateral stability analysis of articulated heavy vehicles using driver-in-the-loop real time simulation

contributor:
Lang, Haoxiang
He, Yuping

subject:
Driver-in-the-loop real-time simulation
Human-vehicle interactions
Long combination vehicles

abstract: High-speed testing procedures for evaluating the lateral stability of multi-trailer articulated heavy vehicles (MTAHV) include the use of both an open-loop and a closed-loop maneuvers as specified in ISO-14791. The standard testing procedures are used to determine the Rearward Amplification (RA), which is a well-accepted performance measure for the lateral stability of MTAHVs. The open-loop testing maneuver includes the use of a single cycle sinewave steer input, while the closed-loop procedure prescribes a single lane-change path, following which a driver drives a testing vehicle. The closed-loop single lane-change maneuver can be performed by a human driver for in-vehicle tests. In numerical simulation, a driver model may be used to drive the virtual vehicle under the closed-loop maneuver for simplicity and repeatability. Very little attention has been paid to investigating into the interactions of driver-MTAHV. It has been reported that a driver is typically at fault in many heavy vehicle accidents, and many studies focus on improving the dynamic performance of the vehicle and ignore the driving skills of the driver. This thesis attempts to examine the driver-MTAHV interactions and quantify driver skills for controlling a MTAHV as compared to a single unit vehicle. This thesis proposes a method for driver skill analysis via comparing virtual drivers in various operating conditions. The driver skill analysis is conducted by evaluating the lateral stability and path-following ability of the vehicle under the control of the driver model. The evaluation is implemented using driver-in-the-loop (DIL) real-time simulations, where the RA measures derived from a group of human drivers are compared to those from the virtual driver. The numerical and DIL real-time simulation results demonstrate that the human and the virtual driver achieved similar a good agreement in terms of the performance measures, indicating the validity of the driver model, testing procedure and the interactions of driver-MTAHV.


title: Proportional-integral control in the evaluation of glucose homeostasis and Type 2 Diabetes

publisher: University of Ontario Institute of Technology

subject:
Glucose homeostasis
Diabetes
Proportional-integral control
Math modelling

abstract: Mathematical modelling of blood sugar dynamics has been explored since the early 1960s. For most of these models, measurements of hormones such as insulin and glucagon are required to find parameter values that yield plausible glucose behaviour. These hormone measurements require repeated blood tests and limit the feasibility of applying the model to “real world” medical applications such as disease diagnosis. We apply a proportional-integral control model to human glucose homeostasis. The model can be fit using glucose data obtained exclusively from a continuous glucose monitor, and measurements of hormone concentrations do not need to be taken. The resulting parameters from model tuning can be used as an evaluation of the effectiveness of an individual’s blood glucose homeostasis and as a biomarker of diabetic status. This research has the potential to be a diagnostic or intervention tool in type 2 diabetes and may aid in the early prediction of prediabetes.


title: An evaluation method for the evaluation of big data based streaming analytic clinical decision support systems

subject:
Decision support
Health analytics
Evaluation methods
Metrics

abstract:
This thesis presents a methodology for evaluating a scalable clinical decision support systems (CDSS) that uses high frequency streaming physiological data using a holistic approach that includes the presence of population health indicators. The plan applies concepts and uses indicators suggested in the HOT-Fit framework, while applying the evaluation template developed by Public Health Ontario and uses an indicator structure described in York Region Public Health’s Monitoring and Evaluation Framework.
The methodology is applied within the research to the implementation of the Artemis Platform at the McMaster Children’s Hospital (MCH) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). NICUs, have specific requirements relating to the use of clinical data and the implementation of new IT infrastructure. These requirements predicate the need for informative documentation that describes the utilization of the CDSS including a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA), Threat and Risk Assessment (TRA), and a research and ethics proposal.


title: Predicting mutation score using source code and test suite metrics

subject:
Machine learning
Mutation testing
Software metrics
Support vector machine
Test suite effectiveness

abstract:
Mutation testing has traditionally been used to evaluate the effectiveness of test suites
and provide con dence in the testing process. Mutation testing involves the creation of
many versions of a program each with a single syntactic fault. A test suite is evaluated
against these program versions (i.e., mutants) in order to determine the percentage
of mutants a test suite is able to identify (i.e., mutation score). A major drawback
of mutation testing is that even a small program may yield thousands of mutants
and can potentially make the process cost prohibitive. To improve the performance
and reduce the cost of mutation testing, we proposed a machine learning approach to
predict mutation score based on a combination of source code and test suite metrics.
We conducted an empirical evaluation of our approach to evaluated its effectiveness
using eight open source software systems.


title: Conceptual development and analysis of multiple integrated hydrogen production plants with Cu-Cl cycle

contributor:
Dincer, Ibrahim
Rosen, Marc A.

subject: Hydrogen production

subject: Cu-Cl cycle

subject: Coal gasification

subject: Supercritical water-cooled nuclear reactor

subject: Solar heliostat field

abstract: This thesis develops and analyzes four hydrogen production integrated energy systems, where hydrogen is produced via hybrid electrical and thermochemical water decomposition cycle, based on the chemical couple Cu-Cl. The first system consists of coal gasifier, membrane shift reactor, hydrogen fueled combined cycle, cryogenic air separation unit, compression system and five-step Cu-Cl cycle. The second system consists of SCWR, hydrogen fueled combined cycle, compression system and five-step Cu-Cl cycle. The third system consists of solar heliostat steam generator, Rankine cycle, compression system and five-step Cu-Cl cycle. The fourth system consists of SCWR, four-step Cu-Cl cycle, Rankine cycle and compression system. Modeling the developed systems is carried out using Aspen Plus, Aspen Hysys, and EES. The systems are assessed thermodynamically based on the energy and exergy efficiencies. The results show that the integration of nuclear reactor SCWR with the four-step copper and chlorine cycle is a promising integration in terms of energy and exergy efficiencies.


title: Integration of component-based frameworks with sensor modeling languages for the sensor web

subject:
Sensor languages
SensorML
IEEE1451
Sensor web
Component based framework
Java beans
Unified Modeling Language.

abstract: The goal of this thesis is to develop an easily modifiable sensor system. To achieve this goal SensorML (an XML based sensor language) is combined with Java Beans (a component model language). An important part of SensorML is its process model. Each sensor in the real world is depicted in SensorML by a process model, whereas the connections between the sensors are shown by a process chain. This thesis presents a translator that reads these documents and converts them to Java Beans. Through testing the Translator is proved more efficient than the convenient Object Oriented approach.

abstract: University of Ontario Institute of Technology


title: Monte Carlo simulations for the purpose of efficiency curve calibration for the Fastscan whole body counter

subject:
Monte Carlo
MCNP
Efficiency
Fastscan
BOMAB

abstract: In order to be able to qualify and quantify radiation exposure in terms of dose, a Fastscan whole body counter must be calibrated correctly. Current calibration methods do not take the full range of body types into consideration when creating efficiency curve calibrations. The goal of this work is the creation of a Monte Carlo (MCNP) model, that allows the simulation of efficiency curves for a diverse population of subjects. Models were created for both the Darlington and the Pickering Fastscan WBCs, and the simulations were benchmarked against experimental results with good agreement. The Pickering Fastscan was found to have agreement to within ±9%, and the Darlington Fastscan had agreement to within ±11%. Further simulations were conducted to investigate the effects of increased body fat on the detected activity, as well as locating the position of external contamination using front/back ratios of activity. Simulations were also conducted to create efficiency calibrations that had good agreement with the manufacturer's efficiency curves. The work completed in this thesis can be used to create efficiency calibration curves for unique body compositions in the future.


title: Toward enhancing metaheuristic optimization algorithms using center-based sampling strategies for solving single- and multi- objective large-scale problems

subject:
Center-based sampling
Large-scale optimization
Monte-Carlo simulation
Differential evolution
High-dimensional optimization

abstract:
Over the last decade, metaheuristic algorithms have become well-established approaches utilized for solving complex real-world optimization problems. Most metaheuristic algorithms have used stochastic strategies in their initialization as well as during the new candidate solution generation process where there is no a priori knowledge about the solution, which is a common assumption for any black-box optimization problem.
In recent years, researchers have introduced a new concept called center-based sampling that can be used in any search component of the optimization process, but so far, it has mainly been utilized for population initialization. This concept clarifies that in a search space, the center point has a higher probability value to be closer to an unknown solution compared to a uniformly generated random point, especially when the dimension increases. Thus, this novel concept helps the optimizer to find a better solution efficiently.
In this thesis, a comprehensive study has been conducted on the effect of center-based sampling to solve an optimization problem using three different levels of investigation. These levels are as follows: 1) no specific algorithm and no specific landscape (i.e., Monte-Carlo-based simulation); 2) a specific landscape but no specific algorithm (random search vs. center-based random search), and finally, 3) a specific algorithm and specific landscape (proposing three different schemes for using center-based sampling for solving Large-scale Global Optimization (LSGO) problems). Also, a center-based sampling for multi-objective optimization is proposed. Furthermore, in this thesis, I seek to investigate the properties and capabilities of center-based sampling during optimization, which can be extended to utilize it in machine learning techniques, as well.
The proposed methods are evaluated on discrete and continuous Large-scale Global Optimization (LSGO) benchmark functions. The experimental results confirm that center based sampling has a crucial impact on improving the convergence rate of optimization/search algorithms when solving high-dimensional optimization problems.


title: On matrix-free pseudo-arclength continuation methods applied to a nonlocal partial differential equation in 1+1D with pseudo-spectral time-stepping

contributor:
Buono, Pietro-Luciano
Van Veen, Lennaert

subject: Pseudo-spectral Continuation Matrix-free Aggregation Pseudo-arclength

abstract:
In this thesis we examine a recent animal aggregation model which describes the
evolution of two populations of animals moving on a 1-dimensional spatial domain
differing only by the direction they travel. The equations describing the evolution of
the populations is a hyperbolic, nonlocal partial di erential equation with periodic
boundary conditions [5].
We apply pseudo-spectral methods to numerically integrate initial states of the
populations given as small perturbations from a homogeneous steady state from which
bifurcations and dynamics have been studied from a linear and weakly nonlinear analysis
perspective [10, 11]. The existence of transcendental nonlinearities within the
equations makes this application of pseudo-spectral methods interestingly nontrivial
and simulations do display dynamics similar to those observed in Eftimie et al. [5].
Finally we apply matrix-free, pseudo-arclength continuation methods with consideration
given to symmetries within the model in an attempt to trace curves from
known states to more dynamically exotic regions of parameter space. The
ow operator
is used to condition the Newton systems arising from the continuation and to
allow for a matrix-free continuation algorithm [13]. However, unforeseen degeneracies
arise within the Newton system which necessitates further research in order to build
a robust continuation software.


title: Modeling, analysis, simulation and real-time hardware in-the-loop implementation of hybrid/electric vehicles’ powertrain

subject: Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs)

subject: Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs)

subject: Permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM)

subject: Real-time Simulation

subject: Hardware in-the-Loop (HIL)

abstract:
This thesis investigates modeling, analysis and simulation of propulsion system in HEVs/EVs with particular emphasis on transient modeling. To achieve that, a novel complete simulation model on PSIM platform has been performed; proved worthy on two commercially existing cars in the market, namely Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf. This was done using real data obtained from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Another milestone is that the simulation results have been validated experimentally in real-time through using Hardware in-the Loop (HIL) technology. In this thesis, the main focus is to develop a versatile generic approach based on transient analysis of HEVs/EVs propulsion powertrain.
Moreover, evaluates the power train performance when incorporated with new futuristic innovative components. For example, a new proposed two-speed transmission system developed by inMotive corporation that can be applied to most of electrified vehicles. Further, wide band gap (WBG) devices such as GaN semiconductors and SiC devices have been integrated in the system, one at a time. A comparison study in terms of total power losses and efficiency calculations at different temperatures and switching frequencies due to using each of them has been accomplished. This approach is not only considering the system dynamics through controlling different state variables, but also implementing a daily real driving cycle to emulate exactly the same real driving environment. For a sound design, the developed model, which has low computational intensity, is utilized to determine the proper sizing and later the dynamic behavior of the main components such as battery, DC-DC converter, DC-AC converter and electrical motor.
To prove the versatility of the developed model, it was tried on permanent magnet based cars (Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf) and futuristic high performance induction motors (Audi eTron), a thorough investigation of the performance of three different topologies of induction motors; singly-fed induction motor (SFIM), doubly-fed induction motor (DFIM), and cascaded doubly-fed induction motor (CDFIM) has been conducted. This performance comparison is supported by a comprehensive finite element analysis and cost assessment to obtain the best candidate to be used in HEVs/EVs applications.


title: Adaptive serious games for computer science education

subject:
Adaptation
Programming
Education
Serious games

abstract: Serious games have the potential to effectively engage students to learn, however, these games tend to struggle accommodating learners with diverse abilities and needs. Furthermore, customizing a serious game to the individual learner has historically required a great deal of effort on the part of subject matter experts, and is not always feasible for increasingly complex games. This thesis proposes the use of automatic methods to adapt serious programming games to learners' abilities. To understand the context of the problem, a survey was conducted of the serious programming game literature, which found that while many games exist, there has been very little consideration for the use of adaptation. Given the breadth of the existing serious programming game literature, a methodology was developed to support adaptation of existing games. To demonstrate the efficacy of this adaptive methodology in serious programming games, two case studies were conducted: 1) a study comparing adaptive and non-adaptive gameplay in the Gidget game, and 2) a study assessing non-adaptive gameplay, adaptive gameplay, and adaptive hints in the RoboBug game. The results from both case studies provide evidence to the need for adaptation in serious programming games, and illustrate how the adaptive methodology can be utilized to positively affect the engagement of learners and their ability to achieve learning outcomes.


title: An exploration of Muslim Canadians’ perceptions towards law enforcement authorities and their willingness to cooperate in general crime control and counterterrorism efforts

contributor:
Zaidi, Arshia
Perry, Barbara

subject:
Cooperation with law authorities
Muslim Canadians
Discrimination
Counterterrorism
Procedural justice

abstract: Research suggests that following the tragic events of 9/11, Muslim Canadians have been subjected to increased discrimination by law enforcement officers. Nonetheless, few studies have explored how such experiences may impact: (a) their perceptions of law authorities, and (b) their willingness to cooperate in general crime control and counterterrorism efforts. This thesis seeks to address these two gaps by employing face-to-face interviews with ten Muslim men and women enrolled at a Canadian University in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) between the ages of 19-25. Utilizing a procedural justice theoretical framework, it was hypothesized that perceived discrimination by enforcement officers would precipitate negative perceptions and reduced cooperative intentions towards them. A thematic analysis of the qualitative data revealed four key themes surrounding participants’ perceptions and attitudes towards authorities: (a) a lack of confidence in enforcement abilities to combat crime, (b) perceived discrimination, (c) positivity, and (d) a need for relation-building. Additionally, three determinants of cooperative intentions were identified: (a) moral incentives, (b) distrust in authorities, and (c) instrumental/personal factors. The theoretical and practical implications of the present study’s findings and future areas of research are discussed.


title: Design optimization of aerodynamic drag at the rear of generic passenger cars using nurbs representation

contributor:
Barari, Ahmed
Agelin-Chaab, Martin

subject:
Rear geometry
Passenger cars
Non-uniform rational B-spine (NURBS)
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD)

abstract:
The rear geometry of a passenger car has the most significant influence on its aerodynamic characteristics. This thesis studied aerodynamic shape optimization of the rear geometry of passenger cars. The Non-uniform rational B-spline (NURBS) curve was used to represent the rear body of a generic passenger car model (the Ahmed Body) and the NURBS parameters were employed for geometry parameterization. These geometry parameters were systematically modified using design of experiments to obtain different geometries of the simplified car model. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed on these geometries to obtain drag coefficients. Once the results of CFD simulations were available, a response surface model was constructed using linear regression technique. Finally, the design exploration was performed using the response surface model instead of actual CFD simulations. This technique resulted in a radical simplification of the design process as the behaviour of the aerodynamic drag was predicted using a simple polynomial.
The proposed methodology was implemented to perform design exploration of a generic fast back model. The response surface model was able to predict the aerodynamic drag coefficients within an error of 5%. Aerodynamic shape optimization was also performed on a generic notch back model using the response surface technique and the optimized geometry parameters for minimum drag were obtained in only 18 iterations. On the basis of the results, it can be concluded that the proposed methodology is inexpensive, simple and robust. It can therefore provide the basic framework for the design and development of low drag passenger cars.


title: First steps toward the construction of a channel cell for electrochemical studies under hydrothermal conditions

subject:
Hydrodynamic electrodes
Channel flow cell
UV-visible spectroscopy
COMSOL multiphysics
Numerical simulations

abstract: The high-T,p channel flow cell (HT-CFC) for electrochemical studies under hydrothermal conditions would allow to investigate at a fundamental level the interaction between new materials and media conditions such those found in modern power plants, industrial processes, and geochemistry. A first CFC prototype was constructed and the performance of the cell was studied using the oxidation of ferrocyanide in 0.1M KCl as reference system under room temperature conditions. A numerical simulation software, COMSOL Multiphysics, was used to analyze the experimental results. At the same time, the thermal stability of hydroquinone (H2Q) and 1,4-benzoquinone (BQ), a redox couple that it could be used to extend the evaluation of the CFC to higher temperatures and pressures was also investigated using UV-visible spectroscopy up to 250 ˚C at 70 bar. These studies confirmed H2Q is stable in hot compressed water (pH ~ 2) up to at least 250 ˚C at 70 bar, but BQ, the oxidation production of H2Q, decomposes at temperatures lower than 100 ˚C with the formation H2Q and other non-absorbing products.


title: The impact of the digital society on police recruit training in Canada

subject:
Police training
Recruit training
Digital literacy
UTAUT
Digital technology

abstract: This research study examines the recruit training of police officers in Canada in light of society’s increasing dependence on digital technologies, systems, and devices. The study employed qualitative interviews with eight participants from recognized police recruit training academies in Canada. An extensive review of the literature indicates that societies face increasing cyber-crimes and crimes involving digital evidence. This, along with police agencies’ adoption of digital tools, software, systems, and devices, have created policing environments where officers need proficiency to understand and use digital technologies. This study uses a theoretical framework of technology adoption, called UTAUT (Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology) alongside a grounded theory approach to understand the impact, challenges, and opportunities for digital literacy skills development at the basic recruit training academies. Findings from the interviews reveal that there is a need for Canadian police officers to be digitally literate in order to provide policing services to an increasingly digital crime landscape.


title: A novel spatiotemporal framework for efficient traffic prediction and visualization

subject:
Traffic data extraction
Bayesian linear regression
Traffic simulator

abstract: This thesis proposes an efficient traffic prediction framework to estimate congestion at intersections depending on neighboring road links. The framework encompasses three major components, data extraction, Bayesian Linear Regression-based traffic prediction model, and an interactive map-based traffic simulator to visualize the results. To collect traffic data, we have developed an open-source web-based data scraper tool to extract and export publicly available traffic data from the Google Maps web interface. We also developed a Bayesian Linear Regression-based traffic prediction model to estimate traffic congestion that leverages Bayesian inference to facilitate model interpretability and quantify model uncertainty. The experiments show that Bayesian linear regression modeling can be trained on small data observations to quantify model uncertainty and predict traffic congestion without sacrificing interpretability and accuracy compared to the frequentist approach. We have also developed a web-based traffic simulator to simulate linear regression-based traffic prediction models and visualize the results on interactive maps.


title: Detecting road boundaries and drivable regions in challenging weather conditions

subject:
Road detection
Autonomous vehicle
Camera radar fusion
Perception
Mmwave radar

abstract:
Road detection is a core component of self-driving vehicle perception, where it covers detecting road boundaries and drivable road regions. It can also help human drivers to drive safely in lower visibility. The majority of current road detection techniques use camera and lidar sensors. These sensors struggle in inclement weather conditions.
MMwave radar works well in all weather conditions. However, due to the low resolution of the radar, it is currently limited to object detection for cruise control applications. This thesis investigates the impact of bad weather on vision-based systems and introduces a camera and radar-based method for efficient road detection.
We propose a novel approach to overcome the sparse resolution of mmwave-radars and use it in the segmentation task. We augment the nuScenes dataset with fog and rain and use it for our validation. We achieve 20% and 18% better road boundary and drivable region detection in inclement weather.