Digital Commons Network^™

Intelligent Advancements In Location Management And C-Ran Power-Aware Resource Allocation, Emad Ali Aqeeli

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The evolving of cellular networks within the last decade continues to focus on delivering a robust and reliable means to cope with the increasing number of users and demanded capacity. Recent advancements of cellular networks such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-advanced offer a remarkable high bandwidth connectivity delivered to the users. Signalling overhead is one of the vital issues that impact the cellular behavior. Causing a significant load in the core network hence effecting the cellular network reliability. Moreover, the signaling overhead decreases the Quality of Experience (QoE) of users. The first topic of the thesis attempts to reduce …

Antithrombotic Therapy In Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A Systematic Review And Network Meta-Analysis, Karla Solo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Comprehensive evidence on the comparative effects of various oral antithrombotic agents on the prevention of saphenous vein graft failure (SVGF) for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass is lacking. A systematic review and frequentist random-effects network meta-analysis of 18 RCTs (n=3,413 patients) comparing the effect of antithrombotic agents on SVGF and clinical outcomes was performed. Based on moderate quality evidence, among the six eligible interventions, dual-antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel was superior to aspirin monotherapy in reducing SVGF (OR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.41-0.97). No statistical differences were found for major bleeding, mortality, and myocardial infarction between antithrombotic agents, owing to …

On The Extended Hensel Construction And Its Application To The Computation Of Real Limit Points, Masoud Ataei Jaliseh

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Extended Hensel Construction (EHC) is a procedure which, for an input bivariate polyno- mial with complex coefficients, can serve the same purpose as the Newton-Puiseux algorithm. We show that the EHC requires only linear algebra and univariate polynomial arithmetic. We deduce complexity estimates and report on a software implementation together with experimental results. This work is motivated and illustrated by two applications. The first one is the computation of real branches of space curves. The second one is the computation of limits of real multivariate rational function. For the latter, we present an algorithm for determining the existence of …

Mitigating Non-Linearity In Full Waveform Inversion Using Scaled-Sobolev Norms, Mohammad Akbar Hosain Zuberi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Seismic full waveform inversion (FWI) is a non-linear problem. The Born approximation provides a way to linearize FWI and obtain a gradient in a computationally efficient manner. However, this linearization is only valid if the background velocity is sufficiently known, which often is not possible in practice. There have been various attempts at solving problems associated with the non-linearity of FWI by separating the problems of background and scatterer inversion. Most of the methods, however either depend on the availability of low frequencies and large offsets in the data, or separate the spatial scales completely, which removes the scattered information …

Adaption Of Catechol And Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain-Transfer (Raft) Chemistries For Water-Based Applications, Olabode Oyeneye

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Incorporating the binding chemistry of catechol functionality with RAFT chemistry offers a facile and simplified approach for developing a suite of new 2D and 3D hybrid materials with tailored morphologies. Leveraging both chemistries by synthesizing catechol-end functionalized RAFT agents and catechol-containing monomeric species for RAFT (co)polymerization, this dissertation examined a new series of advanced materials that were designed for water-based applications including model flocculants, thermoresponsive hydrogels, adsorbents and underwater adhesives.

To prepare the RAFT agents, novel trithiocarbonates with several catechol end R groups (as postpolymerization anchors) were synthesized that differ in their carbonyl α-substituents (Dopa-CTAs). These materials were evaluated for …

Resource Selection, Survival, And Departure Of Adult Female Mallards From The Lake St. Clair Region During Autumn And Winter, Matthew Palumbo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

During autumn and winter, mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) maximize fitness through their spatiotemporal distribution to avoid mortality risks while balancing trade-offs to access foods to undergo migration and maintain homeostasis. Thousands of mallards use Lake St. Clair as it is an important, but threatened, migratory staging area in the Great Lakes. My goal was to understand how mallards were selecting resources in the region and potential relationships of selection strategies. My objectives were to estimate resource selection of adult female mallards, in relation to perceived risk of hunting mortality, and determine if selection strategies were related to survival and …

Feasible Computation In Symbolic And Numeric Integration, Robert H.C. Moir

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Two central concerns in scientific computing are the reliability and efficiency of algorithms. We introduce the term feasible computation to describe algorithms that are reliable and efficient given the contextual constraints imposed in practice. The main focus of this dissertation then, is to bring greater clarity to the forms of error introduced in computation and modeling, and in the limited context of symbolic and numeric integration, to contribute to integration algorithms that better account for error while providing results efficiently.

Chapter 2 considers the problem of spurious discontinuities in the symbolic integration problem, proposing a new method to restore continuity …

A Performance Based Design Approach For Tall Buildings Under Wind Loading, Fouad Y. Elezaby

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The wind design of buildings is typically based on strength provisions under ultimate loads. This is unlike the ductility-based approach used in seismic design, which allows inelastic actions to take place in the structure under extreme seismic events. This research investigates the application of a similar concept in wind engineering. In seismic design, the elastic forces resulting from an extreme event of high return period are reduced by a load reduction factor. A load reduction factor is chosen by the designer and accordingly a certain ductility capacity needs to be achieved in the structure. Two reasons have triggered the investigation …

Understanding Instructional Leadership: Perceptions Of Elementary Principals, Georgia M. Powell

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

With a proverbial finger pointing to principals as the school leaders responsible for overall student success, there is some increase in the accountability measures leadership provides. There is then more emphasis placed on principals’ capacity to take charge of the teaching and learning processes at the school level. The practices associated with the planning and guiding of the learning within schools is classified as instructional leadership. As part of their work. Principals are expected to be instructional leaders. This study explores how elementary principals in Ontario schools approach instructional leadership work especially since there is much ambiguity that exists about …

Adsorbed Gas Behaviour And Guest-Host Interactions In Ultramicroporous Metal-Organic Frameworks, Bligh Desveaux

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of porous materials that have attracted much attention due to their large surface areas, high tunability and their high selectivity for gas adsorption applications. In this work, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) experiments and single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) experiments are used to investigate carbon dioxide adsorption within the ultramicroporous MOFs SIFSIX-3-Zn (Chapter 2) and ZnAtzOx. (Chapter 3). Analysis finds that the CO₂ SIFSIX-3-Zn undergoes wobbling motions with a low temperature dependence, and in ZnAtzOx undergoes wobbling and hopping motions with a low temperature dependence. SCXRD is used to precisely determine the CO …

Rethinking Holocene Ecological Relationships Among Caribou, Muskoxen, And Human Hunters On Banks Island, Nwt, Canada: A Stable Isotope Approach, Jordon S. Munizzi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation explores the ecology of caribou (Rangifer tarandus spp.) and muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus), and its relevance to human hunters on Banks Island, NWT, Canada, over the last 4000 years, primarily through the isotopic analysis of modern and archaeological faunal remains.

First, we establish baseline carbon and nitrogen isotope relationships between modern vegetation and caribou and muskox bone collagen using Bayesian mixing models. The models indicate that dwarf shrub (Salix arctica) does not contribute significantly to bone collagen isotopic compositions in either species, while sedges and yellow lichen (Cetraria tilesii) do. These findings …

Goals Of Family Caregivers Of Persons With Dementia Across The Caregiving Career, Shalane R. Basque

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Understanding goals of family caregivers of persons with dementia is critical to provide effective education and support. However, there is little understanding about family caregivers’ goals. This study investigated goals set by family caregivers prior to an education and training program and whether their goals varied across the caregiving career. Phases of the caregiving career were measured by relationship identity; the extent to which participants viewed their relationship in terms of familial and caregiver roles. Conventional content analysis on goals of 30 family caregivers yielded five categories which varied by relationship identity. Enhancing relationships reflected goals for the familial role …

Assessment Of Dynamic Effect Of Transmission Line Conductor Longitudinal Reaction Due To Downburst Loading, Ibrahim Ibrahim

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Due to the locality and non-stationary nature of downburst wind loading events, their effect on the structural response of transmission line structures is of special nature that differs from conventional atmospheric boundary layer wind loading. Acknowledging such difference, the current thesis aims to quantify the dynamic effect associated with downburst loading on transmission line systems. To achieve that, several steps had to be realized, including experimentally verifying the numerical model used for analysis using wind field that was generated using computational fluid dynamics. The verified model was extended from model scale to full scale, where the wind field used for …

Investigating The Regulatory Circuitry Of Protein Kinases And Proteases In Apoptosis, Stephanie A. Zukowski

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Apoptosis is a tightly regulated cellular process essential for normal development and tissue homeostasis. Perturbations to apoptotic signaling underscores numerous pathogenic processes emphasizing the importance of apoptotic regulation. During apoptosis, caspases orchestrate cellular degradation through proteolytic cleavage of key structural and enzymatic proteins. In a different manner, protein kinases regulate apoptosis by catalyzing the post-translational phosphorylation of substrate proteins to facilitate either pro- or anti-apoptotic signal transduction pathways. Emerging paradigms have indicated that bidirectional crosstalk between protein kinases and caspases serves to globally fine-tune the equilibrium between signals directing cell survival and cell death. In this regard, identifying points of …

Fabrication And Modification Of Titania Nanotube Arrays For Harvesting Solar Energy And Drug Delivery Applications, Ahmed El Ruby Abdel Rahman Mohamed

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The fast diminishing of fossil fuels in the near future, as well as the global warming caused by increasing greenhouse gases have motivated the urgent quest to develop advanced materials as cost-effective photoanodes for solar light harvesting and many other photocatalytic applications. Recently, titania nanotube arrays (TNTAs) fabricated by anodization process has attracted great interest due to their excellent properties such as: high surface area, vertically oriented, highly organized, one-dimensional, nanotubular structure, photoactivity, chemical stability and biocompatibility. This unique combination of excellent properties makes TNTAs an excellent photoanode for solar light harvesting. However, the relatively wide band gap energy of …

Understanding Parent And Child Perceptions Of Barriers And Enablers Influencing Active School Travel, Katherine Wilson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Physical activity plays a fundamental role in developing and sustaining the health and well-being of children. Walking is the most common form of physical activity for people of all ages and the daily journey to and from school is a convenient opportunity for children to be physically active through the use of active school travel. This thesis uses a mixed methods approach, using: (a) parent and child surveys to examine how perceptions of barriers influence children’s active school travel; and (b) participatory mapping exercises and qualitative GIS to understand environmental influences on children’s journeys to and from school. Results suggest …

Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (Sar) Application For Geological Mapping And Resource Exploration In The Canadian Arctic, Byung-Hun Choe

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The role of remote sensing in geological mapping has been rapidly growing by providing predictive maps in advance of field surveys. Remote predictive maps with broad spatial coverage have been produced for northern Canada and the Canadian Arctic which are typically very difficult to access. Multi and hyperspectral airborne and spaceborne sensors are widely used for geological mapping as spectral characteristics are able to constrain the minerals and rocks that are present in a target region. Rock surfaces in the Canadian Arctic are altered by extensive glacial activity and freeze-thaw weathering, and form different surface roughnesses depending on rock type. …

Carbohydrates And Fungal Toxin Exposure Influence The Vaginal Microbiota, Metabolome, And Reproductive Health Of Women, Stephanie L. Collins

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The reproductive health of women is influenced by microorganisms and their metabolites, namely those representing the vaginal microbiota and those producing toxins that are ingested. To manipulate the vaginal microbiota toward a health-associated, Lactobacillusdominant state, an approach adopting prebiotic lactulose was taken. Using batch culture, lactulose supported Lactobacillus maintenance and positively altered metabolites, while not disrupting indigenous L. crispatus epithelial adherence. The vagina also harbours abundant glycogen, but initial assumptions that lactobacilli utilize it were incorrect. I have now shown that glycogen selectively stimulates organisms associated with dysbiosis and L. iners in a self-limiting manner. Other compounds such as environmental …

The Development Of Peptide Analogues As Potential Fluorescent And Pet Imaging Probes., Neha Sharma

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Molecular imaging is a non-invasive way to diagnose disease. Molecular imaging probes consist of a targeting entity that has a high affinity for a biological target and a signaling source for external detection. Multimodality imaging combines the advantages of different imaging modalities, at the same time eliminating their shortcomings, thereby providing more accurate results. This thesis focuses on the development of novel dual PET/fluorescence imaging agents based on peptides as targeting entities.

Porphyrins are suitable for multimodality imaging applications due to their innate characteristics such as an ability to fluoresce and to coordinate metals. A gallium-protoporphyrin IX(PPIX)-ghrelin based analogue was …

Regulation Of Liver Mitochondrial Metabolism During Hibernation By Post-Translational Modification, Katherine E. Mathers

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Hibernation, characterized by a seasonal reduction in metabolism and body temperature, allows animals to conserve energy when environmental conditions (e.g. temperature, food availability) are unfavourable. During hibernation, small mammals such as the 13-lined ground squirrel (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) cycle between two distinct metabolic states: torpor, where metabolic rate is suppressed by >95% and body temperature falls to ~5 °C, and interbout euthermia (IBE), where metabolic rate and body temperature rapidly increase and are maintained at euthermic levels several hours. Suppression of metabolism during entrance into torpor is paralleled by rapid suppression of liver mitochondrial metabolism. In my thesis, I …

Modelling Of Future Flood Risk Across Canada Under Climate Change, Ayushi Gaur

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Climate change has induced changes in key climate variables and hydrological cycle in Canada. In this study, future runoff projections made by 21 GCMs following four Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) are used as inputs into a macro-scaled hydrodynamic model: CaMa-Flood to simulate 25 km resolution daily streamflow across Canada for historical (1961-2005) and future (2061-2100) time-periods. Future changes in flood-hazard as a consequence of changes in flooding frequencies of historical 100-year and 250-year return period flood events, and changes in the month of occurrence of extreme flows are analyzed. Changes in flood risk at Canada’s 100 most populous cities and …

Optimal Decomposition Strategy For Tree Edit Distance, Shaofeng Jiang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

An ordered labeled tree is a tree where the left-to-right order among siblings is significant. Given two ordered labeled trees, the edit distance between them is the minimum cost edit operations that convert one tree to the other.

In this thesis, we present an algorithm for the tree edit distance problem by using the optimal tree decomposition strategy. By combining the vertical compression of trees with optimal decomposition we can significantly reduce the running time of the algorithm. We compare our method with other methods both theoretically and experimentally. The test results show that our strategies on compressed trees are …

Study Of Motion Of Agglomerates Through A Fluidized Bed, Muhammad Owais Iqbal Bhatti

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Formation of agglomerates in Fluid Cokers^TM can cause operating problems, such as excessive shed fouling, which can lead to premature unit shut down. Better understanding of how agglomerates move through a fluidized bed can help improve the design and operation of Fluid Cokers^TM and minimize the risk of agglomerates reaching regions where they cause problems.

To identify key factors in agglomerates motion in a fluidized bed, a new two-dimensional (2D) Radioactive Particle Tracking (RPT) method was developed which tracks model agglomerates motion. In conjunction, a tribo-electric method was used to determine bubble flow distribution in the fluidized bed. …

Three Experiments On Complex Fluids, Yang Liu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The behaviour of complex fluids is fundamentally interesting and important in many applications. This thesis reports on three experiments on the thermal and rheological behaviour of complex fluids. The first is a study of the rheological properties of and heat transport in a saline solution of hydroxyethyl cellulose. This material has been used as a tissue phantom in testing the behavior of medical devices in MRI scanners. We find it behaves as a typical entangled polymer, and flows in response to local heating, such as could occur due to eddy-current heating of metallic devices in an MR scanner. We use …

Ordovician Continental Paleogeography And Paleoenvironment For The Michigan Basin From Paleomagnetic Analysis, Michelle Macrae

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study investigates the paleomagnetic record of Paleozoic rocks from two Michigan basin localities in southwestern Ontario to help close the 40 myr gap in Paleozoic paleomagnetic data. Paleomagnetic data from the Queenston (Upper Ordovician) formation consistently exhibits easily removed viscous remanence, an intermediate and a high temperature component consistent with the unblocking temperatures of magnetite and hematite respectively. Alternating-field and thermal demagnetization in 16–20 steps up to 670º C typically reveal a southeastern, shallow up direction removed from magnetite, and a southwestern, steep up direction removed from hematite. A Late Paleozoic overprint was preserved in the magnetite and a …

Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Analysis Of Evaporation From Unsaturated Soils, Seyed Morteza Mousavi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

ABSTRACT

Estimating evaporation from unsaturated soil is important for many applications including agriculture, climate, hydrology, water resources, saturated and unsaturated groundwater flow, slope stability, and soil covers. As an example, the long term performance of soil covers, which are widely used in mining and landfill applications to protect the environment, strongly depends on evaporation from their surfaces.

Evaporation depends on both moisture flow within an unsaturated soil mass, which is generally coupled with heat flow, and void ratio and hydraulic and air conductivities, which are in turn affected by stress and strain and resulting soil settlement. This makes thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) …

Correction Of Dna Sequencing Data With Spaced Seeds, Stephen Lu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The advent of next-generation sequencing technologies has allowed for the bridging of wet lab work and large data analysis into a cohesive work flow; with the increasing speed and efficiency of sequencing organisms, it becomes imperative that we are able to ensure the data that is produced is correct.

We designed and implemented a new algorithm, QUESS, which based on using multiple spaced seeds to correct DNA sequencing data from Illumina MiSeq, HiSeq and NextSeq machines using C++ and OpenMP for parallel computing. We compared our method with ten leading programs, producing consistently better overall results for most tested measures. …

Factors Associated With Involuntary Hospitalization Among Young People With Early Psychosis, Rebecca Rodrigues

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Involuntary hospitalization may impact subsequent service engagement in people newly diagnosed with psychosis. We sought to estimate the proportion of young people aged 16-35 years with early psychosis in Ontario hospitalized involuntarily at first admission, and to identify the factors associated. Using health administrative data, we followed-up 17,725 incident cases of non-affective psychosis for 2-years (2009-2016). We used logistic regression with augmented backward elimination to identify associated risk factors. During follow-up, 32% were hospitalized voluntarily or involuntarily, 81% of which were involuntary. Factors associated with higher odds of involuntary status included younger age, immigrants/refugees, psychosis not-otherwise-specified diagnosis, poor insight or …

Synthesis Of Vo2 Nanomaterials Using Green Solvents For Thermochromic Window Coatings, Hanna Qin

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Progress in the development of energy-efficient coatings has led to recent investigations of smart windows with the ability to control heat and light. Of particular interest for this dissertation is the fabrication of vanadium dioxide (VO₂) thermochromic nanomaterials using an environmentally friendly approach with good performance for optical switching. Tungsten (W) doped VO₂/GO (graphene oxide) hybrids were successfully prepared using a one-step hydrothermal method. At 2 at. % doping, VO₂ nanotubes were successfully synthesized with tunable phase transition temperatures (T_c) achieved as low as 42^oC. In addition, various experimental parameters including …

Prostate Cancer Microparticles In Men Undergoing Radical Prostatectomy, Malcolm James Dewar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Objectives: To determine changes in prostate microparticle (PMP) concentrations in men with prostate cancer (PCa) after digital rectal examination (DRE), after radical prostatectomy (RP), and at follow-up.

Materials and Methods: 22 men were recruited before RP. Four blood specimens were collected – baseline (specimen 1), post-DRE (specimen 2), immediately post-RP (specimen 3), and follow-up (specimen 4). Pre- and post-DRE urine was collected (Specimen A and B respectively). Flow cytometric analysis of biofluids was performed with fluorescent-labeled antibodies against prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) and polysialic acid. Total MP (TMP) and dual positive (PMP) events per µl of plasma or urine were …