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Pathways From Childhood Sexual Abuse To Sexual Risk Behaviour In Msm: A Mixed Methods Study, Daniel Provenzano Jan 2024

Pathways From Childhood Sexual Abuse To Sexual Risk Behaviour In Msm: A Mixed Methods Study, Daniel Provenzano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately affected by childhood sexual abuse (CSA) compared to heterosexual men. CSA has been associated with a wide range of adverse outcomes later in life, including engagement in sexual risk behaviours (e.g., condomless anal intercourse), that place MSM at greater risk for HIV acquisition and transmission. Although the links between CSA and sexual risk are well-established among MSM, little research has investigated psychosocial factors that may mediate this relationship. Using a mixed-method approach, this study (a) explored psychosocial factors as pathways linking a composite of complex CSA experiences (i.e., CSA complexities) with …


Development Of A High-Level Discrete Event Simulation Model For The Harvesting Of White Button Mushrooms With Human-Robot Collaboration (Hrc), Ava Recchia Jan 2024

Development Of A High-Level Discrete Event Simulation Model For The Harvesting Of White Button Mushrooms With Human-Robot Collaboration (Hrc), Ava Recchia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Canada is a leading global mushroom producer, with the white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) being the most popular type produced. Harvesting activities are labour-intensive, and farms are currently experiencing labour shortages, which are impacting productivity, growth, and overall revenue. Robotic technologies are valid mechanisms for mushroom harvesting and demonstrate a potential to reduce this gap. Examining the performance of a harvesting system with different robotics scenarios, such as manual, robotics automation, and human robot collaboration (HRC) is crucial to realizing this potential. Simulation models are useful tools for testing and assessing systems without making any physical change to the system. …


City Guarding With Cameras Of Bounded Field Of View, Mohammad Hashemi Jan 2024

City Guarding With Cameras Of Bounded Field Of View, Mohammad Hashemi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We study two problems related to the City Guarding and the Art Gallery problems. 1. Given a city with k rectangular buildings, we prove that 3k+1 cameras of 180◦ field of view (half-sphere guards) are always sufficient to guard the free space (the ground, walls, roofs, and the sky). This answers a conjecture of Daescu and Malik (CCCG, 2020). 2. Given k orthogonally convex polygons of total m vertices in the plane, we prove that (m/2)+k+1 cameras of 180◦ field of view are always sufficient to guard the free space (avoiding all the polygons). This answers another conjecture of Daescu …


Automatic Construction Of Ontology With Public-Domain Datasets For Personalized Tutoring With Eca, Asim Jamal Jan 2024

Automatic Construction Of Ontology With Public-Domain Datasets For Personalized Tutoring With Eca, Asim Jamal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

E-tutoring systems have transformed remote learning and personalized education, offering potent tools for tailored instruction. The core of a personalized tutor lies in its robust ontology and knowledge base, working seamlessly to deliver captivating educational experiences. These two integral components collaborate to empower the tutor to discern learners’ needs, adapt content accordingly, and provide tailored guidance. This study introduces an automated approach for constructing an ontology utilizing publicly accessible datasets, aiming to enhance personalized tutoring through Embodied Conversational Agents (ECA). The objective is to improve the tutoring encounter by delivering bespoke, domain-specific knowledge to learners. The approach harnesses natural language …


Quantifying The Relative Importance Of Boat Wakes In Fetch-Limited Environments, Abigail Maria Carswell Jan 2024

Quantifying The Relative Importance Of Boat Wakes In Fetch-Limited Environments, Abigail Maria Carswell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wind waves and wave-generated currents are known to contribute to shoreline change, but there is increasing evidence that vessel-generated waves (i.e., boat wakes) may be responsible for erosion of shorelines in fetch-limited environments. Depending on vessel type and speed of operation, boat wakes have also been shown to be capable of resuspending sediment, degrading habitat, and water quality, and causing damage to shoreline infrastructure. The number of cottages and recreational boats on inland lakes has been steadily increasing in recent decades in Ontario, Canada, which has resulted in a growing perception that boat wakes are detrimental to the environment, infrastructure, …


An Soa-Based Approach Of Adaptive E-Tutoring Systems, Parth Hetalkumar Mistry Jan 2024

An Soa-Based Approach Of Adaptive E-Tutoring Systems, Parth Hetalkumar Mistry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The educational technology landscape continually evolves, and e-tutoring systems are pivotal in modern pedagogy. Traditional e-tutoring methods often need help with adaptability and user-friendliness across various devices and platforms. To address these challenges, this research introduces a novel approach that leverages service-oriented architecture (SOA) principles, enhancing scalability and flexibility. The SOA configuration streamlines communication between system components, optimizing question delivery and response evaluation. Additionally, the research contributes adaptive interfaces that intelligently engage users based on their device configurations and preferences, offering facial, vocal, or textual interactions. These interfaces ensure a consistent and tailored learning experience across PCs, laptops, and mobile …


Narratives Of Learning And Resisting: An Intersectional Analysis Of Lived Experiences Of First-Generation South Asian Female International Graduate Students, Tasnia Tarannum Jan 2024

Narratives Of Learning And Resisting: An Intersectional Analysis Of Lived Experiences Of First-Generation South Asian Female International Graduate Students, Tasnia Tarannum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was influenced by my own experience as a first-generation South Asian female international graduate student in Canada. As I reflected on my experiences as part of an assignment for one of my Master of Education courses, I became interested in experiences of others who have followed a similar path. Namely, first-generation female international graduate students from South Asia. A literature searches of education databases at the University of Windsor Leddy Library led me to the conclusion that while several studies have examined experiences of international students in Canadian post secondary institutions (Chataway & Berry, 1989; De Moissac et …


Non-Hermitian Physics Achieved Via Non-Local Gilbert Damping, Trevor Joshua Macintosh Jan 2024

Non-Hermitian Physics Achieved Via Non-Local Gilbert Damping, Trevor Joshua Macintosh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we study a simple model for a ferromagnet starting with Heisenberg exchange interaction including the effects of dissipation. Gilbert damping is consid- ered and generalized from an on-site term to include non-local damping interactions between neighbouring spins. The strength of the damping interaction between neigh- bours can be tuned individually to provide the freedom to change the parameters of the system and explore the range of possible non-Hermitian behaviours. We consider the example of a honeycomb lattice ferromagnet featuring Dirac cones and two sub- lattices and analyse the resulting spectra and eigenstates. Under periodic boundary conditions, we …


Dynamic Material Characterization Of Polymeric Foam By Means Of Experimental, Analytical, Phenomenological And Numerical Methods, Foad Rahimidehgolan Jan 2024

Dynamic Material Characterization Of Polymeric Foam By Means Of Experimental, Analytical, Phenomenological And Numerical Methods, Foad Rahimidehgolan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The main objective of this study was to advance the experimental, numerical, phenomenological and analytical methods of assessing the dynamic compressive response of polymeric foams, especially at an intermediate strain rate range of 50 s-1 to 600 s-1. Different experimental apparatuses and techniques, including the universal compression/tension testing machine (strain rates up to 0.5 s-1), custom-build droptower (a strain rate range of 50 s-1 to 200 s-1) and pneumatic testing apparatus (a strain rate range of 200 s-1 to 600 s-1) were utilized in the macro-mechanical characterization. The microstructure of the investigated polymeric foams was studied by means of Scanning …


Xlnet4rec: Modeling User’S Long-Term And Short-Term Interests In E-Commerce Recommender Systems, Namarta Vij Jan 2024

Xlnet4rec: Modeling User’S Long-Term And Short-Term Interests In E-Commerce Recommender Systems, Namarta Vij

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In e-commerce, a sequential recommender system is often used to predict the item that the user is likely to select next. This prediction can be used to create a recommender system to assist the user in making selections. However, when the user’s interests evolve over time, it becomes challenging to make such personalized recommendations. A more accurate recommender system thus needs to effectively interpret and adapt to a user’s changing interests by considering user’s long-term and short-term interests. Many attention-based methods focus on a user’s last clicked item to learn short-term interests. However, this approach may not consistently represent the …


Applying Functional Data Analysis To Estimate The Mental Workload Of The Human Driver, David Olorunfemi Eniyandunmo Jan 2024

Applying Functional Data Analysis To Estimate The Mental Workload Of The Human Driver, David Olorunfemi Eniyandunmo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent studies have focused on accurately estimating mental workload using machine learning algorithms and extracting features from psycho-physiological measures. However, feature extraction leads to the loss of valuable information and often results in binary classifications that lack specificity in the identification of optimum mental workload levels. This study investigates the feasibility of using raw psycho-physiological data (EEG, facial EMG, ECG, EDA, pupillometry) combined with Functional Data Analysis (FDA) to estimate mental workload of human drivers. A driving scenario with five tasks was employed, and subjective ratings were collected using the modified Bedford workload scale. Results demonstrate that the FDA applied …


Construction Of Quot-Schemes, Majid Dehghani Jan 2024

Construction Of Quot-Schemes, Majid Dehghani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Quot Scheme is a construction representing parameter spaces for quotient objects of sheaves or coherent modules over a scheme. It encapsulates families of quotients by fixing a certain quotient's structure. The Hilbert Scheme, a specific type of Quot Scheme, focuses on parameterizing subschemes of a fixed projective space by fixing their Hilbert polynomials. After recalling the basic concepts of the theory, we explain the Grothendieck’s Quot scheme construction and its Grassmannian embedding. Then we continue to an explicit construction of Quot scheme in the case of graded modules over graded rings.


Effects Of Political Transition On The Education System In Ghana: An Analysis Of The Fourth Republic, Lovinger Yamoah Jan 2024

Effects Of Political Transition On The Education System In Ghana: An Analysis Of The Fourth Republic, Lovinger Yamoah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study examines the intricate relationship between political transitions and the educational landscape in Ghana, with a specific focus on the Fourth Republic that commenced in 1992. The objective of this study is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of how changes in government have influenced educational policies and outcomes in the country. By employing a qualitative research methodology, six participants were selected who represent a diverse range of perspectives, including teachers and education researchers. The research investigates the nuanced dynamics of consecutive political transitions, exploring the development of educational agendas and programs under different administrations. By engaging with …


Knowledge Informed Fake News Detection Using Large Language Models, Jess Joseph Joseph Benny Jan 2024

Knowledge Informed Fake News Detection Using Large Language Models, Jess Joseph Joseph Benny

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The spread of false or misleading information as news has been a significant threat to governments, organizations and the economy for a long time. However, it has become more prevalent and influential in recent years due to the growing popularity of social media, which is now the primary source of information for more than half of the world’s population. Detecting fake news used to rely mostly on statistical and linguistic analysis of texts, but with the advancement of AI and computer-assisted writing tools, fake news authors can now deceive statistical models. Therefore, more sophisticated methods that use document representations from …


Novel Approaches To Fast Ocv Characterization And Improved Capacity Estimation In Lithium Ion Batteries, James Vu Nguyen Jan 2024

Novel Approaches To Fast Ocv Characterization And Improved Capacity Estimation In Lithium Ion Batteries, James Vu Nguyen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis considers the problem of open circuit voltage (OCV) to state of charge (SOC) characterization in li-ion batteries for battery reuse applications. The traditional approach to OCV-SOC characterization is done by collecting voltage and current data through a slow discharge and charge process; this process usually takes about 60 hours. Such OCV-SOC characterization is performed on a few sample batteries because the OCV-SOC characterization is considered to be the same for new batteries coming out of the same manufacturing process. However, the characteristics of a battery may change as it is used for years in different environmental and usage …


Dynamic Metal-Ligand Interactions In Semiconducting Π-Conjugated Materials, Peter Blake Joseph St Onge Jan 2024

Dynamic Metal-Ligand Interactions In Semiconducting Π-Conjugated Materials, Peter Blake Joseph St Onge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the years, the development of materials has seen a vast amount of expansion into a variety of disciplines which have demonstrated usefulness in a large span of applications. One of these new and developing themes is the use of metals and ligands which are incorporated into polymers to modify their properties, which can enable different desired properties. Incorporation of metal-ligand complexes in materials chemistry has proven to be an area of rising interest, however, many of these interactions and systems remained completely unexplored. Understanding the key fundamental principles of how these materials can be changed and modified through metal-ligand …


Dc-Link Capacitor State-Of-Health (Soh) Monitoring And Lifetime Extension For Ev Applications, Cameron Pickersgill Jan 2024

Dc-Link Capacitor State-Of-Health (Soh) Monitoring And Lifetime Extension For Ev Applications, Cameron Pickersgill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Electric vehicles offer the benefit of eliminating tailpipe emissions, which emit greenhouse gases (GHG) into the atmosphere, lead to diminished air quality, and contribute to global warming. Therefore, plenty of research has gone into the development and improvement of EV technologies to create more effective and reliable vehicles in comparison to traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. The electric traction drive, or powertrain, is the fundamental system responsible for controlling the output response of the electric motor within an EV. High efficiency and reliability are extremely desirable traits for the electric drive to extend the range of the EV to …


On A Class Of James-Stein’S Estimators In High-Dimensional Data, Arash Aghaei Foroushani Jan 2024

On A Class Of James-Stein’S Estimators In High-Dimensional Data, Arash Aghaei Foroushani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we consider the estimation problem of the mean matrix of a multivariate normal distribution in high-dimensional data. Building upon the groundwork laid by Chételat and Wells (2012), we extend their method to the cases where the parameter is the mean matrix of a matrix normal distribution. In particular, we propose a novel class of James-Stein’s estimators for the mean matrix of a multivariate normal distribution with an unknown row covariance matrix and independent columns. Given a realistic assumption, we establish that our proposed estimator outperforms the classical maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) in the context of high-dimensional data. …


Assessing Responses For Hockey Teams Following Team Tragedy, Owen James Bravo Jan 2024

Assessing Responses For Hockey Teams Following Team Tragedy, Owen James Bravo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historically, hockey has been a sport entrenched in a culture of silence rooted in the ideals of hegemonic masculinity and the refusal to show vulnerability. Accordingly, it can be difficult for athletes to receive appropriate care and resources following a team tragedy or crisis. Although there has recently been a greater acknowledgement of the importance of mental health within society, hockey organizations tend to resist change – holding to past patterns. There has been, however, a greater call to action from prominent industry stakeholders to increase mental health resources and provide improved player outcomes. In team-related emergency situations, athletes may …


A Mems Planar Fresnel Lens For Cmut Array, Shivani Nilesh Upadhyay Jan 2024

A Mems Planar Fresnel Lens For Cmut Array, Shivani Nilesh Upadhyay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) planar Fresnel lens for use with a Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer (CMUT) array for high-resolution cardiac diagnostic imaging applications. The research exploited the excellent sound propagation and thermal properties of cross-linked silica aerogel, a nano-porous, nano-networked ultra-light-weight material, to design a planar thinfilm lens that can be easily microfabricated or integrated with a CMUT array. The designed lens, comprised of 32 various width concentric rings, was optimized to operate with a 256 element 6 MHz CMUT array. The 4 µm thick lens was designed to generate a 1.9 mm focal spot at a …


Adaptive Model Selection In Stock Market Prediction: A Modular And Scalable Big Data Analytics Approach, Mohammadehsan Akhavanpour Jan 2024

Adaptive Model Selection In Stock Market Prediction: A Modular And Scalable Big Data Analytics Approach, Mohammadehsan Akhavanpour

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In today's globalized economy, financial markets are more interconnected than ever, generating vast amounts of data from thousands of sources every second. The need to accurately analyze and interpret this data is crucial for investors, analysts, and researchers alike. Traditional models for market prediction are limited by their ability to adapt to the real-time nature and 'big data' dimensions of these complex financial datasets. To address these challenges, this thesis proposes and implements a novel framework that combines Apache Kafka with a microservices framework. This framework offers a scalable, real-time solution for financial market prediction that effectively manages the 5Vs …


Boat Wake Attenuation Through Artificial Vegetation - A Case Study From Peche Island, Jamie Kathryn Lilly Jan 2024

Boat Wake Attenuation Through Artificial Vegetation - A Case Study From Peche Island, Jamie Kathryn Lilly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of nature-based solutions and engineering ideas has sparked interest in the value of vegetated shorelines for protecting against erosion. However, there is a lack of field data, and more research is needed to understand how effective vegetation is in reducing the impact of wind waves and boat wakes. The difference in period between wind waves and boat wakes suggests that they may be attenuated differently, requiring further study to determine the optimal management design. The purpose of this study is to quantify the ability of artificial vegetation to attenuate boat wakes and calculate the drag coefficient for model …


Quantifying Survival And Behaviour Of Hatchery-Reared Juvenile Bloater Stocked Across Bathymetric Depths In Lake Ontario, Lydia L. Paulic Jan 2024

Quantifying Survival And Behaviour Of Hatchery-Reared Juvenile Bloater Stocked Across Bathymetric Depths In Lake Ontario, Lydia L. Paulic

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over 20 million native and non-native fishes are stocked into the Great Lakes annually as part of restoration initiatives and to support commercial and recreational fisheries. Bloater (Coregonus hoyi), a deep-water planktivore that was extirpated from Lake Ontario in the 1980s, has been consistently stocked in the lake since 2012 by Canadian and American natural resource agencies with the goal of producing a self-sustaining population. Previous research has highlighted challenges with stocking such as poor survival, attributed to high predation, potential maladaptive behaviour and barotrauma resulting from introducing a hatchery-reared species into a foreign environment. To address these survival challenges, …


Medicinal Mushrooms: The Extraction And Analysis Of Bioactive Compounds From Hericium Erinaceus And Ganoderma Lucidum Mushrooms., Jhanielle Amanda-Kaye James Jan 2024

Medicinal Mushrooms: The Extraction And Analysis Of Bioactive Compounds From Hericium Erinaceus And Ganoderma Lucidum Mushrooms., Jhanielle Amanda-Kaye James

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Medicinal mushrooms, such as Hericium erinaceus (lion's mane) and Ganoderma lucidum (reishi), have a rich history of traditional use in natural remedies, garnering attention for their bioactive compounds and nutritional benefits. Renowned for being protein-rich and low in fat, these fungi exhibit antimicrobial, anti-tumor, antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and anti-hypercholesterolemic properties attributed to their diverse bioactive components, including polysaccharides, proteins, terpenes, sterols, vitamins, polyphenols, and fatty acids. This study aimed to optimize extraction techniques, comparing maceration, ultrasound-assisted maceration, and Soxhlet extraction on fresh and dried lion's mane and reishi mushrooms. Varying solvent polarities and extraction times revealed that 8-hour extractions with dried …


Triple Current Control Of Transformer-Less Distributed Generators For Optimal Protection Coordination And Power Oscillation Elimination, Johnny Msawbah Jan 2024

Triple Current Control Of Transformer-Less Distributed Generators For Optimal Protection Coordination And Power Oscillation Elimination, Johnny Msawbah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Inverter-interfaced distributed generators (IIDGs) face issues related to disruptive power oscillations and overcurrent during unbalanced faults. This thesis focuses on a specific type of IIDGs known as the four-wire IIDG, often referred to as a transformer-less (TL)-IIDG. The TL-IIDG stands out as it possesses the unique capability to completely eliminate power oscillations in both active and reactive power. This is made possible by the addition of a fourth wire, which enhances control capabilities. To address these challenges, a triple current control (TCC) strategy is devised. It leverages sequence currents within a synchronous frame of reference, allowing the creation of a …


Artistic Organizations. Joseph Beuys' Claim: An Expanded Concept Of Argument, Rose Marie Barrientos Galindo Jan 2024

Artistic Organizations. Joseph Beuys' Claim: An Expanded Concept Of Argument, Rose Marie Barrientos Galindo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this thesis is to explore argumentation studies as an alternative approach to art interpretation, and, in parallel, address the possibility of conceptual art as an area of interest to argumentation studies. While the expanded field of argumentation admits a growing range of argument modes, it has not yet tackled the argumentative potential of conceptual art. While art history and visual studies offer a variety of effective methodologies, the emergence of new artistic practices and the ensuing advent of revolutionary art forms – as are artistic organizations – call for more adapted and updated approaches. The interdisciplinary scope …


A Descriptive Analysis Of The Upper Body Kinematics Of Conductors, Jessica Rosemary Flammia Jan 2024

A Descriptive Analysis Of The Upper Body Kinematics Of Conductors, Jessica Rosemary Flammia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A high prevalence of the physical symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders has been identified in conductors (Luger and Trouli, 2023; Geraldo and Fiorini, 2022). Both repetition and non-neutral postures have been identified as risk factors in the development of musculoskeletal disorders (Kumar, 2008; Frievalds, 2018) and are clearly present in a conductor’s job description. The current study aims to examine conductors’ exposures to these factors by answering the guiding research question: what does the upper body movement patterns of a conductor look like? Seven conductors were instrumented with the Xsens MVN AwindaTM motion capture system during one of their ensembles’ regular …


Ultrasonic Phased Array Imaging And Data Post Processing With Applications To Resistance Spot Welding, Milos Draskovic Jan 2024

Ultrasonic Phased Array Imaging And Data Post Processing With Applications To Resistance Spot Welding, Milos Draskovic

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Resistance spot welding is a widely used metal joining method in the automotive industry due to its low cost, ease of automation and high throughput. Resistance spot welding is a process that joins two or more metal sheets through the application of force and high current in a localized region, or spot. With the average car containing thousands of such spot welds, some of which compose structural and safety components, the evaluation of the quality metrics related to this process is of key interest to the automotive sector. With this in mind, the evaluation of spot weld parameters including, size, …


Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy With Widely Tunable Probe Pulse For Measuring Dissolved Inorganic Phosphorus In The Great Lakes, Nathan Gregory Drouillard Jan 2024

Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy With Widely Tunable Probe Pulse For Measuring Dissolved Inorganic Phosphorus In The Great Lakes, Nathan Gregory Drouillard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The eutrophication of freshwater ecosystems remains a persistent global problem threatening biodiversity, drinking water, and economic interests. Among the Laurentian Great Lakes, Lake Erie is most severely impacted by eutrophication, experiencing annual harmful algal blooms that are thought to result from excess phosphate deposition into the ecosystem. Efforts to study and mitigate the effects of eutrophication require accurate monitoring of phosphate concentrations. The current method for measuring phosphate, the molybdenum blue method, suffers from signal interference. In this thesis, I recommend Raman spectroscopy as a label-free, reagent-free spectroscopic technique for accurately measuring phosphate in freshwater. I verify the Raman spectrum …


Evaluating The Effect Of Automated Driving Systems On Drivers' Visual Attention, Reem Jalal Eddine Jan 2024

Evaluating The Effect Of Automated Driving Systems On Drivers' Visual Attention, Reem Jalal Eddine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the automotive industry's recent shift towards automation, understanding the interaction between humans and automated system vehicles becomes crucial. The current technology in these systems is level 2 vehicles, where the driver still has to take-over the vehicle manually when needed. However, concerns were raised about the safety of these vehicles due to the monotonous monitoring role of the driver which leads to low cognitive workload. Using the inverted U-model, a low cognitive workload leads to boredom which might cause task disengagement and a severe loss of situation awareness. Thus, this study aimed to investigate attentional costs and recall performance …