Digital Commons Network^™

Green Cooling Solution For Buildings: Enhancing A Natural Ventilation And Passive Cooling System With Phase Change Material Integration, Amirhossein Khayyaminejad

Major Papers

The ever-growing demand for air conditioning in buildings contributes significantly to global energy consumption. This trend necessitates the exploration of sustainable cooling solutions that prioritize energy efficiency and occupant comfort. This research investigates the integration of phase change materials (PCMs) with natural ventilation and established passive cooling systems to achieve these goals. A numerical model is developed to simulate a building with a naturally ventilated design and a PCM-integrated rooftop (Chapter 2). This chapter delves into the impact of various PCM types and thicknesses on indoor thermal comfort and energy savings potential. Furthermore, the optimal location for PCMs within the …

Biases In The Nba Draft, Shaumik Baki

Major Papers

Drafting in sports is an endeavor in which there is a great degree of subjectivity and value judgement. This requires the individuals responsible for decision making to have sound abilities to evaluate talent. However, each and every draft has a sub-optimal order of drafted individuals. Consequently, there is a need for identification of the biases and systematic errors that take place in the evaluation process.

This paper aims to identify and evaluate the decision making biases commonly present amongst the drafting process and combine them with a data-driven evaluation of the resulting performance of the drafted players. The study will …

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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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

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. …

Impact Of Particle Size On Biomethane Recovery From Organic Waste, Geethalakshmi Sonaimuthu

Major Papers

As per the 2021 data from Canada's Greenhouse Gas Inventory, emissions from Canadian landfills constituted 19% of the nation's methane emissions. Shifting organic waste away from landfills and employing controlled anaerobic digestion not only facilitates the efficient capture and utilization of this renewable energy source but also extends the operational lifespan of landfills. In the Leamington-Kingsville (L-K) area, where greenhouse vegetable cultivation is prominent, substantial quantities of tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers are produced. Unfortunately, a significant portion of the organic waste generated by this sector currently ends up in landfills. Anaerobic digestion (AD) presents a viable option for managing …

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

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

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 …

The Development Of Sustainability Accounting Globally, Yang Yan

Major Papers

This paper focuses primarily on the global state of development of sustainability accounting. At the same time, this article also discusses the development of sustainability accounting in the financial industry and banking sector. The development of sustainability accounting systems is influenced by the concept of sustainable development, and different regions of the world have different views on the concept of sustainability due to their different levels of political and economic development. In addition, sustainability accounting first appeared in the manufacturing industry, followed by the banking industry. Therefore, in addition to the introduction and conclusion, this paper mainly consists of four …

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 …

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 …

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.

Climate Adaptation Plans In Ontario: Small And Medium Municipalities Preparedness For Extreme Weather, Zakary Blomme

Major Papers

Combatting climate change has largely been understood as a matter of federal and provincial jurisdiction and as a result has mostly been executed in a preventative lens. However, the effects of climate change are most significantly felt at the municipal level. As a result, I argue the onus for combatting climate change should switch to the municipalities in order to focus on climate mitigation and adaptation. In fact, many of the larger cities in Ontario such as the City of Windsor have acted on this and created Climate Adaptation Plans to aid in mitigation and adaptation efforts. The larger cities …

Can Ontario's Housing Crisis Be Fixed? Understanding The Origins And Proposed Solutions To An Ongoing Crisis In Housing Affordability., Peter Bawuah

Major Papers

In the 15 years before the First World War, Toronto's population increased quickly by over 140 percent and the city annexed significant amounts of land to keep up with suburban growth. This period marked the beginning of the housing challenges in Toronto (Purdy, 2003). Stagnant real incomes, the delayed expansion of the streetcar system, and rising residential densities all contributed to Toronto's housing crisis during this period of reforms. Since then, the size of Toronto’s population increased from 470,000 before the First World War to 6,372,000 in 2023 and the housing crisis has only gotten worse, with 1 in 5 …

A Historiography Of International Harvester: How A Company Helped Spread American Culture And Products Across The World, Carl Sinnott

Major Papers

The history of International Harvester is inseparable with American imperialism, culture, and the spread of the United States throughout the world. International Harvester had manufacturing plants in both North America and Europe, and was able to sell its products on six continents. These products included everything from cookie cutters to construction equipment, and almost everything in between. This work focuses on the historiography of International Harvester and how it relates to the American Empire. Additionally, it will focus on how America’s empire, both formal and informal, benefited as International Harvester was able to bring American ideals throughout the world as …

“For The Benefit And Enjoyment Of The People”?: The Imperial Nature Of The United States National Park System, Mitchell Macdonald

Major Papers

As the founders of national parks, the National Parks and National Park Service of the United States are monoliths on the global stage, inspiring all other national parks worldwide. Ever since the first park was created in 1872 at Yellowstone, Wyoming, people have been captivated by the idea of going into a land that is supposedly unspoiled by man. In a world where fossil fuels and industry are having extremely adverse effects on the global environment, the existence of land that has been set aside and protected is essential for global health. Yet, viewing national parks as institutions that are …

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

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 …

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 …

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 …

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. …

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

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

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 …

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 …

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 …