Digital Commons Network^™

Self-Healing Of Concrete Under Diverse Environmental Exposure, Ahmed Ramadan Suleiman

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Self-healing efficiency of cement-based materials has so far been evaluated mostly through the healing of surface cracks, without adequately capturing the dominant effects of environmental exposure or accurately quantifying the volume of cracks healed. In addition, the effects of diverse additions such as silica-based materials, swelling agents, superabsorbent polymers, and carbonating minerals on self-healing performance under different environmental exposure, remain largely unexplored.

In this dissertation, multiple test methods were used to investigate self-healing of cracks in cement mortar incorporating metakaolin, bentonite, fly ash, superabsorbent polymers, and calcium carbonate microfiller under different environmental exposure (i.e. cold and hot temperatures, high and …

Role Of Groundwater-Lake Interactions On The Behavior Of Chemicals In A Nearshore Aquifer, Sabina Rakhimbekova

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

It is well recognized that groundwater-surface water interactions play an important role in controlling the flux of groundwater-derived inorganic chemicals to surface waters. While these interactions have been well-studied in marine, and river and stream settings, the influence of these interactions on chemical fluxes to large lakes is poorly understood. Nearshore aquifers adjacent to inland coastal waters, such as the Great Lakes, are characterized by dynamic flow patterns and the mixing of groundwater and lake water, which have distinct chemical compositions. This sets up an important reaction zone in the nearshore aquifer that may modify the fate of groundwater-derived chemicals …

Partial Nitritation Anammox Process For Sidestream Wastewater Treatment In Mabr Technology, Panagiota Stamatopoulou

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

There has been an increased interest in alternative wastewater treatment systems to improve nutrients removal and energy consumptions while achieving acceptable discharge limits. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) have shifted their interest in treating the sidestream wastewater; a reject liquid post anaerobic digestion, rich in ammonium-nitrogen. A dedicated sidestream wastewater treatment unit has become an attractive option with the finding of a relatively new species of bacteria, anaerobic ammonium oxidizers (anammox), able to convert ammonium and nitrite into nitrogen gas. However, anammox bacteria are sensitive in environmental changes, and in combination with their low growth rate, it is challenging to establish …

Algorithms For Mappings And Symmetries Of Differential Equations, Zahra Mohammadi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Differential Equations are used to mathematically express the laws of physics and models in biology, finance, and many other fields. Examining the solutions of related differential equation systems helps to gain insights into the phenomena described by the differential equations. However, finding exact solutions of differential equations can be extremely difficult and is often impossible. A common approach to addressing this problem is to analyze solutions of differential equations by using their symmetries. In this thesis, we develop algorithms based on analyzing infinitesimal symmetry features of differential equations to determine the existence of invertible mappings of less tractable systems of …

Miniature Cone Penetration Tests With Shear Wave Velocity And Electrical Resistivity Measurements In Characterization Of Silica Sand, Ronit Ganguly

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Geotechnical engineering design and analysis require sound identification and characterization of in-situ soil. To characterize is to gather information about the engineering properties of a particular soil which will affect the performance of any structure built on it. As a result of complications associated with the retrieving of undisturbed samples of cohesionless soils, calibration chamber-based experiments under controlled laboratory settings are used for the determination of several geotechnical engineering parameters. The capability of a reduced-scale calibration chamber-based cone penetration testing system along with shear wave velocity and electrical resistivity measurements, to better characterize in-situ soil is examined in this study. …

Biomechanical Analysis Of Open-Skull High-Rate Traumatic Brain Injury Using Finite Element Mouse Brain Model, Lihong Lu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

To better understand traumatic brain injury (TBI), it is necessary to correlate with injuries, which are observed from in vivo laboratory experiments, to brain mechanical responses, which can so far be best predicted by finite element (FE) models. Firstly, a previously validated FE model was improved to investigate the effect of repeated impacts and lateral movements on brain responses to ensure the accuracy and reproducibility of controlled cortical impact (CCI) across different labs. Then, a new FE mouse brain model with the detailed three-dimensional (3D), non-linear vasculature was developed to study how the vasculature affected brain response in CCI and …

Public Interest In Razón Pública: A Data-Driven Network Analysis, Emilio Calderon Reyes

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis is a case study based on a network analysis of the magazine Razón Pública. This project took an inductive, data-driven approach to public interest in the context of a specific digital network. The main objectives were to characterize the magazine’s authors and subscribers, identify its prevalent news topics, and validate to what extent subscribers agree that the resulting topics are of public interest or not. In order to achieve these objectives, a mixed methodology was used; it consisted of combining Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques -keyword network, n-grams analysis, and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling-, qualitative …

Energy Modelling To Evaluate The Thermal Regulation Of Aquaculture Raceways Using Geothermal Heat Exchange, Mitchell H. Kuska

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Raceways are used in the aquaculture industry to farm fish species that swim against an upstream current. Raceways often draw water from a large waterbody and hence, their temperature changes due to seasonal variation, which directly affect the production yield. This study investigates a novel approach to regulate the raceway water temperature in a sustainable way by utilizing geothermal energy exchange. Energy models were developed to simulate heat transfer in a geothermal borehole heat exchange system and in the raceway system. The two models were then coupled to simulate the thermal regulation of the raceway water via borehole heat exchangers. …

Numerical And Semi-Analytical Estimation Of Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient For Buildings In An Urban-Like Setting, Anwar Demsis Awol

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Urban building arrangements such as packing density, orientation and size are known to influence the microclimate surrounding each building. Studies on the impact of urban microclimatic changes on convective heat transfer coefficient (CHTC) from a stock of buildings, however, have been rare in surveyed literature. The present study focuses on numerical and analytical investigation of CHTC from building-like models with homogeneous set of equal and unequal planar and frontal densities. Consequently, the study discusses the CHTC response in relation to broader changes in the urban surface form. Part of the process involves the development of a simplified one-dimensional semi-analytical CHTC …

Leveraging Cloud-Based Nfv And Sdn Platform Towards Quality-Driven Next-Generation Mobile Networks, Hassan Hawilo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Network virtualization has become a key approach for Network Service Providers (NSPs) to mitigate the challenge of the continually increasing demands for network services. Tightly coupled with their software components, legacy network devices are difficult to upgrade or modify to meet the dynamically changing end-user needs. To virtualize their infrastructure and mitigate those challenges, NSPs have started to adopt Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV). To this end, this thesis addresses the challenges faced on the road of transforming the legacy networking infrastructure to a more dynamic and agile virtualized environment to meet the rapidly increasing demand …

Spatial And Temporal Characteristics Of Temperature-Precipitation Covariability Across Canada In A Changing Climate, Harsimrenjit Singh

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Changes in the regional characteristics of temperature and precipitation can intensify the occurrence and severity of extreme events such as rain-on-snow induced flooding, droughts and wildfires. Analyzing these climate variables in isolation without considering their interdependencies might result in severe underestimation of their combined effects. In this study, copula functions are used to describe the joint behaviour of temperature and precipitation across Canada over a historical period of 1910-present using observations and further till the end of the 21st century using three large ensembles of regional climate models. Moreover, given the lack of observation data over Canada, gridded datasets are …

X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction And Optical Luminescence Studies Of Phase Transition Of Titania Nanotubes, Lu Yao

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The one-dimensional (1D) TiO₂ nanotubes (NTs) and their derivatives have been extensively studied due to their wide applications, such as photocatalysts, solar cell, paints and so on. Since TiO₂ has a wide band gap (~3.0 eV), its photo-absorption as the photocatalyst only occurs in the UV region that wastes mostly solar energy. Therefore, the solution to higher photocatalytic efficiency has been sought for some time. This thesis presents a study of the size-dependent phase transitions of TiO₂ NTs using synchrotron-based X-ray techniques. The chemical environment including local symmetry and the luminescence origin of the TiO₂ NTs …

Exploring Cognitive Maps Through Sketching, Melissa M. Nantais

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Abstract

Periodic testing has been found to improve the accuracy of participants’ cognitive maps when an onscreen map is provided, however, it is unclear whether the same results would occur without the onscreen map. The current study investigated whether drawing a map periodically while exploring the virtual environment Silcton would improve cognitive map accuracy. Participants explored Silcton and were stopped every 4 minutes to either sketch a map of Silcton, identify items seen in Silcton, or colour an unrelated picture, and a baseline group was not stopped. All groups drew a final sketch map and completed a direction estimation task. …

No Space To Sing: A Narrative Inquiry Into The Experiences Of Classical Singers With Primary Muscle Tension Dysphonia, Elizabeth Lepock

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study was designed as a qualitative narrative inquiry study into the experiences of classical singers with Primary Muscle Tension Dysphonia (PMTD). PMTD is defined as Muscle Tension Dysphonia (MTD) without organic or neurological factors. In the population of professional voice users, PMTD is typically associated with occupational/behavioural causes.

A review of the literature shows that occupational disorders are associated with stigma in the classical music community, that research on PMTD in the demographic of singers is sparse and often broadly defined, and that PMTD is not well-represented in the vocal pedagogy literature. Additionally, PMTD may present differently in classical …

High Strain Dynamic Test On Helical Piles: Analytical And Numerical Investigations, Mohammed Fahad Alwalan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Helical piles are currently considered a preferred foundation option in a wide range of engineering projects to provide high compressive and uplift resistance to static and dynamic loads. In view of the large capacity of large diameter helical piles, there is a need to determine their capacity using accurate and economically feasible testing techniques. The capacity of piles is usually determined by conducting a Static Load Test (SLT). However, the SLT can be costly and time consuming, especially for large capacity piles. The High Strain Dynamic Load Test (HSDT) evaluates the pile capacity using dynamic measurements generated through subjecting the …

The Simultaneous Book: Women's Writing In Contemporary Art, Maryse Lariviere

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Novels written by women authors who don’t adhere to the classification “visual artist” are nonetheless gaining momentum in today's contemporary art world. Yet works by authors such as Chris Kraus or Catherine Millet are often not recognized as artist’s novels because their authors are not or/and do not consider themselves to be visual artists. I contend that we can usefully situate their work within the genre of the artist’s novel by addressing how they invent artistic postures and artistic alter-egos within the autofictional worlds of their texts. My dissertation The Simultaneous Book proposes to open up the definition of the …

Application Of Bayesian Networks To Integrity Management Of Energy Pipelines, Wei Xiang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Metal-loss corrosion and third-party damage (TPD) are the leading threats to the integrity of buried oil and natural gas pipelines. This thesis employs Bayesian networks (BNs) and non-parametric Bayesian networks (NPBNs) to deal with four issues with regard to the reliability-based management program of corrosion and TPD. The first study integrates the quantification of measurement errors of the ILI tools, corrosion growth modeling and reliability analysis in a single dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) model, and employs the parameter learning technique to learn the parameters of the DBN model from the ILI-reported and filed-measured corrosion depths. The second study develops the …

Exploring Stretto: An Investigation Into The Use Of Stretto In J. S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, Kathryn Mcdonald

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Stretto—the technique of using a fugue subject in counterpoint with itself, beginning at different time points—occurs prevalently in fugues by J. S. Bach and other baroque composers. This study investigates the formal function of stretto using a corpus analysis of Bach’s use of stretto in the forty-eight fugues of the Well-Tempered Clavier. It documents details regarding each instance of stretto within the corpus and explores connections between these data using graphs and statistical tests, generally as well as in investigation of three specific hypotheses. The conclusion, density, and quantity hypotheses predict that there will be more stretto passages, time-intervals between …

Evaluating The Utility Of Protein Biomarker, S100a7, And Diagnostic Test, Straticyte, In Predicting The Progression Of Oral Dysplasia, Lachlan Mclean

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Five-year survival of oral cancer has remained relatively unchanged despite advancements in treatment, mostly because diagnosis is often made at an advanced stage of disease. The progression of dysplasia to oral cancer often follows a stepwise progression. Histopathology is considered the ‘gold standard’ for diagnosing dysplasia and lesions at a high risk of progression to oral cancer, but lends itself to subjectivity. The protein biomarker, S100A7, in oral dysplasia and squamous cell carcinoma has shown some predictive value for the transformation of dysplasia to cancer. Straticyte, a diagnostic test utilizing S100A7 to predict the probability of progression of oral dysplasia …

Arthropod Diversity In Contrasting Ontario Peatlands, Grace Carscallen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Peatlands are important wetland systems, but dominant macroarthropod groups endemic to peatlands and the environmental factors that affect them are poorly represented in the literature. I examined the richness, abundance, and community composition of soil and surface dwelling macroarthropods using emergence traps, peat sorting, and pitfall traps in two Ontario fens differing in water table, nutrient level, and vegetation. I found 218 arthropod morphospecies, with each site having a similar richness of emergent arthropods, but patterns of community composition differed between the two sites. The Carex (sedge) dominated site had twice as many emergent individuals, and total abundances declined dramatically …

A Wearable Mechatronic Device For Hand Tremor Monitoring And Suppression: Development And Evaluation, Yue Zhou

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Tremor, one of the most disabling symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), significantly affects the quality of life of the individuals who suffer from it. These people live with difficulties with fine motor tasks, such as eating and writing, and suffer from social embarrassment. Traditional medicines are often ineffective, and surgery is highly invasive and risky. The emergence of wearable technology facilitates an externally worn mechatronic tremor suppression device as a potential alternative approach for tremor management. However, no device has been developed for the suppression of finger tremor that has been validated on a human.

It has been reported in …

The Psychosocial Health And Wellbeing Impacts Of Large Scale Land Acquisitions In Coastal Tanzania, Kilian Nasung Atuoye

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation examines the psychosocial health and wellbeing impacts of Large Scale Land Acquisitions (LSLAs) in coastal Tanzania. Contemporary acquisition of large parcels of land in low-income countries by investors is both transformational and a neo-colonization strategy depending on the philosophical frame and scale of analysis. Despite multiple narratives about its impacts across scale, there is consensus in the conceptualization of LSLAs as a global force that is changing local ecologies and communities. Yet, the impact of these changes on the psychosocial health and wellbeing of local populations is less evident. This study employs mixed methods that combines qualitative and …

Numerical Simulations Of Complex Crater Formation In Layered And Mixed Targets, Ryan Hopkins

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Numerical simulations of hypervelocity impact events provide a unique method of analyzing the mechanics that govern impact crater formation. This thesis describes modifications that were made to the impact Simplified Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (iSALE) shock-physics code in order to more accurately simulate meteorite impacts into layered target sequences and details several applications that were investigated using this improved strength model.

Meteorite impacts occur frequently in layered targets but resolving thin layers in the target sequence is computationally expensive and therefore not often considered in numerical simulations. To address this limitation iSALE was modified to include an anisotropic yield criterion and …

Narratives Of Canadian Identity At The Ultimate Fighting Championship, Jared V. Walters

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the use of representations and symbols of Canadian identity within the event coverage produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship Corporation, in the context of its two key events, Ultimate Fighting Championship, and Fight Night, produced in Canada. To establish the historical context in which the sport developed in Canada, a narrative historiography of the political and legal struggles that led to the legalization and increasing popularity of Mixed Martial Arts, and the UFCC’s version of the sport, in particular. This first major part of the dissertation is contained in Study 1. The …

Junctophilin-2 Protects Cardiomyocytes Against Palmitate-Induced Injury, Xiaoyun Ji

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Cardiac lipotoxicity may induce cardiomyocyte apoptosis, eventually leading to myocardial dysfunction and heart failure. This study investigated whether and how junctophilin-2 (JPH2) plays a role in palmitate-induced apoptosis in cardiomyocytes. Here, we found palmitate incubation reduced JPH2 protein levels, increased cytosolic Ca²⁺ and induced apoptosis in cardiomyocytes. JPH2 over-expression prevented the increased cytosolic Ca²⁺ and apoptosis in palmitate-stimulated cardiomyocytes. JPH2 over-expression also attenuated palmitate-induced CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) expression and CHOP deletion alleviated palmitate-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, blocking Ca²⁺ release from ryanodine receptor-2 (RyR2) prevented palmitate-stimulated CHOP induction and apoptosis. Additionally, JPH2 silencing elevated cytosolic Ca^{2+ …}

Raman-Scatter Lidar Measurements Of Water Vapor Determined Using An Integrated Microwave Radiometer-Lidar Retrieval, Jeffrey Vankerkhove

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Water vapor plays a crucially important role in many atmospheric processes. However, it is poorly characterized in much of the atmosphere. Vibrational Raman-scattering Lidar has excellent spatial and temporal resolution, but requires an external calibration to correct for instrumental biases. Microwave Radiometers have poorer resolution, but can be calibrated absolutely and can be used to calibrate the Lidar system. I have implemented a new technique, incorporating both instruments to generate a calibrated water vapor mixing ratio profile. This integrated retrieval uses an inverse method which includes a combined forward model, integrating radiative transfer equations (Schroeder and Westwater 1991) and lidar …

Trends In Asthma Prevalence In Canadians, Asthma Course Trajectories In Children, And The Effect Of Maternal Gestational Diabetes Mellitus On The Risk Of Asthma In The Offspring, Sharifa Nasreen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Asthma causes substantial public health burden. An enhanced understanding of asthma burden, asthma course and identification of intervenable risk factor is warranted.

The objectives of this research were to: 1) examine the age, period and cohort effects on asthma prevalence among Canadian adults during 1994–2011 (manuscript one); 2) identify the trajectories of asthma exacerbation and their predictors in children with incident asthma (manuscript two); and 3) examine the effect of maternal gestational diabetes mellitus on the risk of asthma in offspring (manuscript three).

Longitudinal data from 13,616 individuals in the National Population Health Survey, household component were used to address …

An Exploration Of How Persons Requiring Hemodialysis Treatment Explain The Ways In Which Access To Transportation For Such Treatment Influences Their Overall Health., Navpreet Kamboj

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The number of Canadians being treated for kidney failure has more than tripled in the last 20 years, making hemodialysis (HD) a more common and expensive treatment option. Individuals having in-center HD require access to transportation to and from an HD center on average three days a week for a total of six trips. Therefore, access to transportation is a vital component for sustaining the health and well-being of this population. The purpose of this interpretive descriptive qualitative study was to explore how persons requiring in-center HD treatment explain the ways in which access to transportation for such treatment influences …

Love, Sex, And The Noose: The Emotions Of Sodomy In 18th-Century England, Frances H.I. Henry

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

At the end of the 19^th century, it was believed that men who desired other men were 'despicable, degraded, depraved, vicious, and incapable of humane and generous sentiments'. This dissertation examines how the emotional reactions of and towards sodomites in England between 1691 and 1828 shaped this perception. It considers six sets of paired emotions: lust and disgust, love and hatred, hope and fear, gratitude and anger, joy and sadness, and pride and shame. It examines how changes in law, gender norms, in religious and philosophical thought, the rise of sentimentalism, evangelism, nationalism and the middle-class shaped these emotional …

Modes Of Argumentation In Aristotle's Natural Science, Adam W. Woodcox

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Through a detailed analysis of the various modes of argumentation employed by Aristotle throughout his natural scientific works, I aim to contribute to the growing scholarship on the relation between Aristotle’s theory of science and his actual scientific practice. I challenge the standard reading of Aristotle as a methodological empiricist and show that he permits a variety of non-empirical arguments to support controversial theses in properly scientific contexts. Specifically, I examine his use of logical (logikôs) argumentation in the discussion of mule sterility in Generation of Animals II 8, rational (kata ton logon) argumentation in his discussion of cardiocentrism throughout …