Digital Commons Network^™

Transportation And Land Use Planning For Healthy Cities, Naser Ahmed

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Healthy cities provide physical and mental health benefits to citizens. To promote scientific transportation and land use planning for healthy cities, robust geospatial methods are required. This thesis introduces two new geospatial methods to facilitate healthy transportation and land use planning. First, to help healthy land use planning, a new analytical framework for identifying green space deserts based on various walking distance thresholds is introduced. This method is particularly useful in low-middle-income countries in the Global South where guidelines for proper walking distance thresholds to green spaces are missing. Second, to aid healthy transportation planning, a new measure of transit-based …

Developing Youth-Informed And Quality-Aware Spatial Accessibility Measures To Urban Parks Using A Survey-Based 2sfca Method In London, Ontario And Halifax, Nova Scotia, Zhe Chang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Park-related research has gained much attention in recent years, yet not enough studies have focused on the inequity of park accessibility and quality. These are crucial elements that influence youth’s park use, which in turn influence their physical, mental, and social development. Existing literature uses park size as the supply level to examine park accessibility but fails to consider any other park characteristics (e.g., amenities, general condition). This research developed youth-informed and quality-aware measures to consider the influence on park attraction by its quality and size rather than size only. This was implemented by consulting a youth advisory council to …

Autonomous 3d Urban And Complex Terrain Geometry Generation And Micro-Climate Modelling Using Cfd And Deep Learning, Tewodros F. Alemayehu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Sustainable building design requires a clear understanding and realistic modelling of the complex interaction between climate and built environment to create safe and comfortable outdoor and indoor spaces. This necessitates unprecedented urban climate modelling at high temporal and spatial resolution. The interaction between complex urban geometries and the microclimate is characterized by complex transport mechanisms. The challenge to generate geometric and physics boundary conditions in an automated manner is hindering the progress of computational methods in urban design. Thus, the challenge of modelling realistic and pragmatic numerical urban micro-climate for wind engineering, environmental, and building energy simulation applications should address …

Towards A Novel And Intelligent E-Commerce Framework For Smart-Shopping Applications, Susmitha Hanumanthu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Nowadays, with the advancement of market digitalization accompanied by internet technologies, consumers can buy products from anywhere in the world. Finding the best-offered deal from numerous e-commerce sites and online stores is overwhelming, time-consuming, and often not very effective. Customers need to visit many online stores to find their desired product at the desired price. Also, the option of finding a product in the future time that is not currently available is limited in the current e-commerce platform. To address these limitations, there is a need to develop a new one-stop e-shopping model that would allow customers to search for …

Evaluation Of Healthcare Facilities And Services Provided For Tuberculosis And Zoonotic Tuberculosis In Kajiado County, Kenya, Joel Zhang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

There are key challenges people face due to the burden of tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and zoonotic tuberculosis (ZTB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, in Kenyan Maasai rural communities. Thus, the objective of this study was to describe current capacities/infrastructure for diagnosis/treatment of TB/ZTB, and knowledge, attitudes, and practices among healthcare workers in rural Kajiado, Kenya.

Environmental Influences On E-Cigarette Use Among Young People, Zoe O. Askwith

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

E-cigarette use is a recent phenomenon that is growing in prevalence among young people. The devices often contain various substances, such as nicotine, tobacco, cannabis, and/or flavouring and other chemicals, which may lead to addiction, respiratory issues, and impact brain development. Recent studies have identified various features of neighbourhood environments that may be associated with e-cigarette use. This thesis explores elements of the neighbourhood environment that may be influential in e-cigarette use. It includes a systematic review that examines how neighbourhood environments influence e-cigarette use among young people. It also includes a geospatial analysis of how e-cigarette retailers are distributed …

Surface Morphology And Subsurface Ice Content Relationships In Arcadia Planitia, Mars And The Canadian High Arctic, Shannon M. Hibbard

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

As NASA and SpaceX prepare for future human missions to Mars as part of an In-situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) Space Act Agreement (SAA), we need more detailed characterization of ice at proposed landing sites to constrain ice accessibility, landing safety, and scientific value. Obtaining near-surface in situ water-ice can be used for rocket fuel and life support needs which would significantly reduce the mass needed for transport to and from Mars. Arcadia Planitia is the lowest-lying region in the northern hemisphere of Mars where abundant evidence exists for an ice-rich subsurface. Shallow Radar observations indicate a decameters-thick layer of water-ice …

Social Structure And Cohesiveness Of Gps Tracked Wild Pigs In The Southeastern United States, Jack Mcilraith

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The social structure of invasive wild pigs directly affects the risk of disease transmission and other harmful effects. Here, the social structure of wild pigs at four study sites in the United States was measured between individuals and within dyads over time to gain insight into contact heterogeneity and the cohesiveness of social groups using GPS tracking data. A data stream randomization test was used to identify pairwise social associations based on synchronous movement, and contact patterns within social pairs were measured over time. Wild pigs at all four study sites exhibited contact heterogeneity, but more moderate association rates were …

Quantifying Timely Access To Surgery: A Global Modelling Study, Joo-Hyun Jeong

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery proposed six core indicators to track access to safe, timely, and affordable surgery. We identified published data for countries reporting Indicator 1 (Access to timely essential surgery), defined as a country’s proportion of population living within two hours from the nearest surgery-capable facility, and conducted geospatial analyses to estimate this metric in other countries. In the primary analysis using this data, linear regression models were run to project this indicator for all countries globally according to their Human Development Index; followed by secondary analyses using broader definitions for surgical access, then by sensitivity analyses …

Quebec’S Uninhabitable Community: Identity And Community Among Anglo-Quebecer Out-Migrants, Evan A. Mardell

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

How do Anglo-Quebecers who have migrated to Ontario in the past 45 years perceive and negotiate their identity in relation to Quebec? Since 1971, 600 000 anglophones have left Quebec for other parts of Canada. This out-migration coincided with political tensions that influenced a complete economic and linguistic shift in power from English to French. The symbolic and literal reclamation of Quebec as a French province set the conditions for the partial erasure of the Quebec anglophone (Anglo-Quebecer) community and sense of identity. From a series of semi-structured interviews with anglophones who left Quebec within the past 45 years, I …

The Physical Properties Of Volcanic And Impact Melt, Gavin Douglas Tolometti

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The emplacement mechanisms of lunar impact melt flows, that form from hypervelocity impact events, have been a subject of debate in the lunar science community, because of their unique physical properties that separate them from other geologic features. Understanding how lunar impact melt flows were emplaced on the surface of the Moon will not only grant us new information about the flow dynamics of impact melt but provide insight into the production and distribution of impact melt and how it built and modified the surfaces of planetary surfaces.

Lunar impact melt flows exhibit surface roughness textures and morphologies that are …

A Novel Spatio-Temporal Examination Of Children's Accessibility, Exposure, And Engagement To Parks And Recreation Spaces In Middlesex-London, Ontario, Malcolm K. Little

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Children are spending more free time engaged in activities indoors, rather than in outdoor environments such as parks and recreation spaces. Parks and recreation spaces provide amenities that promote physical, cognitive, and social health among children. As it relates to the complexities of children’s living situations, properly measuring children’s levels of interactions with these spaces is poorly understood in geography research.

By examining various attributes of children, this thesis improves on the measurement of children’s levels of interactions with parks and recreation spaces. Research herein utilized household survey data, a high-resolution GIS dataset of environmental factors, and GPS logs from …

Signs With A Side Of Fries: The Influence Of Outdoor Advertising On Retail Food Outlet Purchases By Adolescents, Alexander Wray

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Most Canadian adolescents have diets high in fat, sodium, and free sugar. There are concerns among researchers and policymakers that food and beverage marketing has an adverse impact on adolescent dietary attitudes, knowledge, and behaviours. The food environment plays an important role in shaping diets and health. The food information environment, and more specifically outdoor food and beverage advertising, may have an effect on adolescent food and beverage purchases. This thesis investigates the associations between the availability of, accessibility to, or exposure to outdoor advertising and retail food outlets, coupled with attitudes related to food and beverage consumption, and purchases …

Investigating Children's Experiences And Participation In A Free Community-Based Physical Activity Program: The Grade 5 Act-I-Pass, Emma E. Ostermeier

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Physical activity is an important component of children’s health and development; however, a majority of Canadian children are not meeting the physical activity recommendations. This thesis aimed to identify the factors that influenced children’s enrollment and participation in a free community-based physical activity program, the Grade 5 ACT-i-Pass (G5AP). This thesis consisted of two individual, but interrelated studies. First, focus groups with G5AP participants were used to explore the factors that influenced children’s perceived physical activity levels and participation in the program. Second, a spatially-targeted promotional campaign was developed and implemented to help evaluate the impact of promotions on program …

Examining Geographic And Social Barriers To Hiv Treatment Adherence In Kampala, Uganda, Gabrielle Bruser

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

With the rapid expansion of HIV treatment programs across sub-Saharan Africa, substantial progress has been made towards universal treatment accessibility in Uganda; however, new healthcare challenges have been emerging, such as the development of drug-resistant HIV, which threaten to undermine achievements made thus far. In order for HIV treatment to be effective, people living with HIV (PLWH) must be highly adherent without missing a single dose, which can be challenging for those also facing difficulties such as financial insecurity. In the context of Kampala, Uganda’s urban capital, it has been suggested that healthcare accessibility is made difficult by several physical …

Spatial And Temporal Variation Of Nutrients In The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin: Implications For Primary Production In Stream Ecosystems, Nolan Pearce

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Growing human populations and associated land use activities has increased the amount of nutrients delivered to surface waters. Eutrophication from the over-enrichment of nitrogen and phosphorus has degraded ecosystem conditions in streams, lakes, and coastal areas worldwide. Thus, the management of anthropogenic nutrient loading is a global concern. This thesis employed a combination of field and experimental research to provide watershed managers with information on the spatial and temporal patterns in stream nutrient enrichment, and the associated ecological effects of anthropogenic nutrient loading in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin. Four studies were completed to address this research goal. First, I …

Correlations In Movement Behaviour Over Large And Small Geographic Scales In Song Sparrows (Melospiza Melodia), Christopher D. Posliff

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

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In many animals, individuals show consistent variation in activity and movement, suggesting the existence of movement-related behavioural syndromes. I assessed the relationship between exploratory behaviour (over a small spatial scale) and migration distance (over a much larger scale) in song sparrows (Melospiza melodia). I quantified exploration using a novel environment test and inferred migration distance (overwintering latitude) using stable hydrogen isotope analysis of winter-grown claw tissue. Exploration was positively related to migration distance. I also investigated candidate mechanisms that if common to both exploration and migration, could explain the correlation between these behaviours. Circulating androgen levels were …

Quantification Of Septic System Contribution To Nutrient Loads In Surface Waters, Archana Tamang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Freshwater systems worldwide are threatened by excessive nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) loading. This study evaluated the contribution of septic systems to stream nutrient loads in nine subwatersheds. Stream sampling was conducted during low and high discharge conditions, with samples analyzed for total phosphorus (TP), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), nitrate (NO₃-N), and acesulfame (ACE; wastewater tracer). Higher septic effluent reached the subwatershed outlets during high discharge conditions. Subwatersheds with newer households had a lower percentage of septic effluent reaching the stream compared with subwatersheds with older households. Seasonal and event-based ACE concentration-discharge relationships revealed that the hydrological pathways delivering …

Hyperspectral Image Classification For Remote Sensing, Hadis Madani

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis is focused on deep learning-based, pixel-wise classification of hyperspectral images (HSI) in remote sensing. Although presence of many spectral bands in an HSI provides a valuable source of features, dimensionality reduction is often performed in the pre-processing step to reduce the correlation between bands. Most of the deep learning-based classification algorithms use unsupervised dimensionality reduction methods such as principal component analysis (PCA).

However, in this thesis in order to take advantage of class discriminatory information in the dimensionality reduction step as well as power of deep neural network we propose a new method that combines a supervised dimensionality …

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 …

Climate Change And Dissolved Organic Matter In Subarctic Lakes: Relevance To Methylmercury Bioavailability, Kyra Lyn Simone

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

One of the first steps of methylmercury (MeHg) bioaccumulation, uptake by phytoplankton, is regulated by dissolved organic matter (DOM). Methylmercury binds strongly with DOM, especially high-molecular weight (HMW) compounds containing reduced sulphur; this binding decreases MeHg bioavailability. Climate-induced changes were measured at the landscape level using ArcGIS; land-cover changes between 2005-2010 were assessed around lakes in Mackenzie Valley, NWT. The observed changes, a 10% increase in forest-classified area and up to 15% decrease in wetland area, will likely increase delivery of HMW DOM and MeHg to lakes. Partitioning experiments were conducted to examine effects of DOM ligand quality on MeHg …

Vegetation And Tree Species Classification Using Multidate And High-Resolution Satellite Imagery And Lidar Data, Matthew Roffey

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Remote sensing can play a key role in understanding the makeup of urban forests. This thesis analyzes how high-resolution multispectral imagery, lidar point clouds, and multidate multispectral imagery allow for improved classification of London, Ontario’s urban forest. Chapter 2 uses object-based support vector machine classification (SVM) to classify five types of trees using features derived from Geoeye-1 imagery and lidar data. This results in an overall accuracy of 85.08% when features from both data sources are combined, compared with 77.73% when using only lidar features, and 71.85% when using only imagery features. Chapter 3 makes use of Planetscope and VENuS …

Spatiotemporal Forecasting At Scale, Rafael Felipe Nascimento De Aguiar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Spatiotemporal forecasting can be described as predicting the future value of a variable given when and where it will happen. This type of forecasting task has the potential to aid many institutions and businesses in asking questions, such as how many people will visit a given hospital in the next hour. Answers to these questions have the potential to spur significant socioeconomic impact, providing privacy-friendly short-term forecasts about geolocated events, which in turn can help entities to plan and operate more efficiently. These seemingly simple questions, however, present complex challenges to forecasting systems. With more GPS-enabled devices connected every year, …

Digital Representation Of Inuvialuit Traditional Knowledge: A Case Study In Community Engagement Using Google Earth, Jeffrey Grieve

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Many Indigenous communities are mobilizing to document and share their traditional knowledge and cultural heritage.  Information technology has created new opportunities for Indigenous communities, archaeologists, heritage groups, and technologists to collaborate on digital strategies to meet these objectives.  Every Indigenous community has a unique history and world view, so the use of these digital approaches must be tailored to the needs of each case.  The Inuvialuit are the Inuit of the Western Arctic, and their traditional knowledge is practiced through land-based activities such as hunting and fishing.   The spatial nature of these activities has good potential to be represented in …

Estimation Of Nutrient Loads From Septic Systems To Tributaries In The Lake Erie Basin, Lauren Oldfield

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Septic systems are often cited as an important source of nutrient loading to surface waters; however, there is limited quantitative evidence supporting this. To address phosphorus (P) load reduction targets for Lake Erie that were set by the Canadian and United States governments, there is a need to quantify the contribution of septic systems to P tributary loads. Doing so is challenging due to the diffuse nature of this nonpoint source, the lack of septic system inventory across Ontario, and the complexity of P transport in the environment. In this study, the artificial sweetener acesulfame, a tracer for human wastewater, …

The Impact-Generated Hydrothermal System Of The East Clearwater Lake Impact Structure, Quebec, Canada, Derek King

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Alteration mineralization at impact craters gives insight into the hydrothermal system generated post-impact. This is the first work to document the alteration mineralization to characterize the East Clearwater impact-generated hydrothermal system. The East Clearwater hydrothermal system in the impact melt rocks and melt-bearing breccias transitions from zeolite-smectite assemblages to chlorite-dominant assemblages with depth. pH evolution of the East Clearwater impact-generated hydrothermal system reflects magmatic-driven hydrothermal systems in granitic rocks. West Clearwater has a different alteration style. Given an impact forms a hydrothermal system, the style of alteration will not only vary dependent on target lithologies (i.e., crystalline, sedimentary, mixed target), …

Development Of Exploratory Data Analysis Methods For Chemical, Spatial And Temporal Analysis Of Surface Water Quality Data: The Ontario Provincial Water Quality Monitoring Network, Shuyang Wang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Surface water quality (SWQ) databases have been widely compiled to provide information characterizing environmental conditions. But SWQ databases appear to be under-utilized, given the large investment in their creation. One reason is that database spatial, temporal, and compositional dimension vary through time, reflecting changing priorities through time and contrasts between different agencies, making coherent analysis challenging. This thesis explores the Ontario Provincial Water Quality Monitoring Network (PWQMN) to derive higher order hydrochemical properties, to render SWQ data in “network space” permitting catchment-wide visualization, and in undertaking temporal trend analysis.

Rivers play a critical role in the terrestrial carbon cycle, but …

Hierarchical Variation In Cellulose Decomposition Across Southern Ontario Reference Streams, Jenna R. Webb

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The cotton strip assay (CSA) has been promoted as a method of incorporating functional indicators into standardized river assessments by study of organic-matter decomposition. However, operationalization of the CSA as an indicator requires testing the spatial and temporal controls of variance associated with decomposition of cotton strips at regional reference sites. I conducted a hierarchically structured study of decomposition rates in Ontario, Canada. Cotton strips were deployed during the spring, summer and fall in pool and riffle habitats of 22 streams located in three distinct physiographic regions. Partitioning of variation among hierarchical scales associated with rates of decomposition were examined …

Space-Time Analysis Of Breast Cancer In Middlesex County Between 2003 And 2013, Jenny T. Tjhin

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Breast cancer is the leading cancer among women in Canada and the incidence rate continues to increase despite improved screening programs and advanced cancer treatments. Some studies have linked breast cancer with risk factors such as genetics, the age of first menstruation, parity, and environmental exposures. This study investigated the spatial distribution of breast cancer cases between 2003 and 2013 in Middlesex County using geospatial techniques. Point data were analyzed with SaTScan and aggregated data were observed at two geographical units, census sub-divisions and dissemination areas using Moran’s Index to detect clusters. Both analyses showed consistency in the cluster locations …

Comparing Geospatial Approaches To Delineating Children’S Interactions With Their Physical Environments: A Case Study Of Children In Rural Northwestern Ontario, Katherine L. Schieman

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Researchers from a variety of disciplines have produced a large body of evidence indicating that the environment a child lives in can profoundly impact their overall health in a multitude of ways. Among this growing body of literature, there is a wide diversity of methodologies and general inconsistency in how the physical environment is conceptualized and delineated. The primary purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of how the physical (natural and built) environment is conceptualized in children’s health studies and to quantify how children engage with their environment. Using a multi-tool protocol, 128 children in grades …