Digital Commons Network^™

Enhancing Measurement Accuracy In Industrial Applications: The Impact Of Sensor Data Imputation On Model Parameter Estimation, Steven Thompson, Michkath Omanda Bouraima, Maciej Jan Zawodniok

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Digital twins are meant to revolutionize the manufacturing industry by enabling advanced condition monitoring and predictive maintenance processes. However, disruptions within the manufacturing process, such as sensor malfunctions or connectivity issues are inevitable and will cripple these advanced analysis methods if not properly addressed. Therefore, efficient data management and analysis practices are key to advancing this technology. This work examines the impact of missing data imputation on model parameter estimation, a crucial task in developing models for digital twins. We theoretically derive the Cramer-Rao Lower Bound (CRLB) for a DC signal with an unknown scalar parameter in the presence of …

A Cost-Effective Nilm Solution With Three-Point Labelling And Non-Causal Convolution Technique, Yanan Zhang, Gan Zhou, Yanjun Feng, Zhan Liu, Li Huang, Zhi Li, Rui Bo

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Although deep learning is increasingly promising in the field of Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring (NILM) these days, the high costs of data recording and labelling represent a significant challenge for the training of supervised models. To address this, a cost-effective sequence-to-points NILM solution is proposed, integrating three-point labelling with non-causal convolution techniques. The approach introduces a semi-automatic labelling framework for obtaining NILM three-point data, which provides a low-cost data collection and labelling solution for large-scale applications. Then, a novel loss function combining coordinate loss and confidence loss is developed to address the positional misalignment and negative sample confusion in sequence-to-points scenario …

A Hybrid Method For Source Direction Finding With Radio Frequency Interference And Gaussian White Noise, Yanming Zhang, Wenchao Xu, Antonios Argyriou, A. Long Jin, Tianquan Tang, Peifeng Ma, Lijun Jiang, Steven Gao

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a hybrid data-driven method, termed moving average-Hankel-dynamic mode decomposition (MAHankDMD), for joint direction of arrival (DOA) and frequency estimation in environments affected by both radio frequency interference (RFI) and Gaussian white noise. The proposed approach integrates two key components: (1) a moving average-DMD filter that effectively mitigates Gaussian white noise and separates RFI from the source signal, and (2) a Hankel-DMD method that accurately estimates the DOA of the filtered signal and associates it with the corresponding frequency. The moving average-DMD stage first enhances the signal-to-noise ratio and improves the robustness of the estimation process through noise …

Distributed Sapphire Fiber Bragg Grating-Based Thermal Profiling Of Submerged Entry Nozzles, Farhan Mumtaz, Hanok W. Tekle, Bohong Zhang, Xiaodong Li, Sunday Abraham, Bryant Mathis, Jeffrey D. Smith, Ronald J. O'Malley, Jie Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This article focuses on the application of sapphire fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) for instrumentation in submerged entry nozzles (SENs) within the steelmaking industry. The SEN is pivotal for transferring molten steel from a tundish to a mold, while preventing the infiltration of oxygen and nitrogen from the surrounding environment. Maintaining optimal flow conditions in the mold is crucial for ensuring casting process stability and maintaining high-quality steel. Sapphire FBG sensors have been instrumented in SENs to enable distributed thermal mapping for monitoring the health of the SEN. The optical sensor comprises three cascaded sapphire FBGs inscribed using femtosecond (FS) laser …

Filter Based Motor Control For Robotic Applications, Shuzan Kumar Sarkar, Noah Wilding, Shruti Pandey, Nicholas Hawkins, Michael L. Mcintyre

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Controlling coreless DC motor in the field of humanoid robotic application involves considering various surrounding electromagnetic environment interference and sudden change of load with parameters variation of motor dynamics which makes the system complex. This paper presents a filter-based control scheme for a coreless DC motor drive system using an H-bridge inverter as the input circuit of the motor which is easy to implement and cost effective. From the electromagnetic characteristics, the dynamic model of the motor along with the control scheme is implemented in the commercial software PLECS. Then the effectiveness of this approach is validated through simulations demonstrating …

Characterization And Full-Wave Modeling Of Corona Discharge Induced Coupling To Touchscreen Displays, Zhekun Peng, Shubhankar Marathe, Javad Meiguni, Ali Foudazi, Jianchi Zhou, Li Shen, Viswa Pilla, Cheung Wei Lam, Donghyun Kim, David Pommerenke, Daryl G. Beetner

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An electrostatic discharge (ESD) to the glass of a touchscreen display can damage capacitive touch sensor circuitry and traces. The ESD creates a sparkless corona discharge on the glass surface, which couples to sense patches on the other side of the glass. Currents induced on sense traces during the corona discharge are measured in an evaluation setup, which resembles the touchscreen design. Waveforms for current induced at different distances from the discharge position are recorded and compared. The induced currents are analyzed by their peak value and the total charge or energy delivered to the sense trace for different discharge …

Centralized And Federated Heart Disease Classification Using Uci Dataset: A Benchmark With Interpretability Analysis, Mario Padilla Rodriguez, Eyiara Oladipo, Mohamed Nafea

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of global mortality, highlighting the need for accurate diagnostic methods. This study benchmarks centralized and federated learning (FL) algorithms for heart disease binary classification using the UCI dataset, which includes 920 patient records from four hospitals in the USA, Hungary, and Switzerland. Our benchmark is supported by Shapley-value as well as Local Interpretable Model-agnostic Explanations (LIME) interpretability analyses to quantify feature importance for classification. In the centralized setup, various classification algorithms are trained on pooled data, with the Naive Bayes classifier achieving the highest test accuracy of 81.1%. Further, FL algorithms with four …

Clinical Relapse Versus Treatment Failure: The Case For Surveillance For Re-Appearance Of Minimal Measurable Disease In Pediatric Patients With Higher Risk B-All, Paul S. Gaynon, Linwei Li

School of Medicine Publications

No abstract provided.

Genetic Associations Among Inflammation, White Matter Architecture, And Extracellular Free Water, Amanda L. Rodrigue, Emma M. Knowles, Josephine Mollon, Samuel R. Mathias, Juan M. Peralta, Ana C. Leandro, Peter T. Fox, Peter Kochunov, Rene L. Olvera, Laura Almasy, Joanne E. Curran, John Blangero, David C. Glahn

School of Medicine Publications

Phenotypic and genetic relationships between white matter microstructure (i.e., fractional anisotropy [FA]) and peripheral inflammatory responses (i.e., circulating cytokines) have important implications for health and disease. However, it is unclear whether previously discovered genetic correlations between the two traits are due to tissue‐specific white matter architecture or increased free water in the extracellular space. We applied a two‐compartment model to diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data and estimated tissue‐specific white matter microstructure (FAT) and free water volume (FW). We then quantified their heritability and their genetic correlations with two peripherally circulating proinflammatory cytokines (IL‐8 and TNFα), and compared these correlations to …

Macrowire For Intracranial Thrombectomy: An Early Experience Of A New Device And Technique For Anterior Circulation Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke, Kaustubh Limaye, Sami Al Kasab, Jaidevsinh Dolia, Mohamad Ezzeldin, Daniel Vela Duarte, Vinodh Doss, Sourabh Lahoti, David Hasan, Alejandro Spiotta, Ameer E. Hassan

School of Medicine Publications

Background and Purpose

Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) has become the standard of care for treatment of acute ischemic stroke secondary to large vessel occlusion up to 24 h from the last known normal time. With ADAPT and SOLUMBRA techniques, classically, a large bore aspiration catheter is delivered over a microcatheter and microwire crossing the clot to perform thrombectomy. Recently, a novel macrowire (Colossus 035 in.) has been introduced as a potential alternative to the use of microwire-microcatheter to allow the delivery of the aspiration catheter (ID = 0.070 in. up to 0.088 in.) over a macrowire alone.

Objective

To test the …

Clinical Criteria For Limbic-Predominant Age-Related Tdp-43 Encephalopathy, David A. Wolk, Peter T. Nelson, Liana Apostolova, Konstantinos Arfanakis, Patricia A. Boyle, Cynthia M. Carlsson, Nick Corriveau-Lecavalier, Penny Dacks, Bradford C. Dickerson, Gladys E. Maestre

School of Medicine Publications

Limbic predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy neuropathologic change (LATE-NC) is highly prevalent in late life and a common co-pathology with Alzheimer's disease neuropathologic change (ADNC). LATE-NC is a slowly progressive, amnestic clinical syndrome. Alternatively, when present with ADNC, LATE-NC is associated with a more rapid course. With the emergence of anti-amyloid therapeutics, discrimination of LATE-NC from ADNC is critical and will lead to greater clinical recognition of amnestic patients without ADNC. Furthermore, co-pathology with LATE-NC may influence outcomes of these therapeutics. Thus there is a need to identify patients during life with likely LATE-NC. We propose criteria for clinical diagnosis of …

The Internist's Post V.1 N.11, The University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley. School Of Medicine, Eunbee Cho, Osiris Fernandez, Hector D. Preciado, Sobia Memon, Diana Acosta Pozo, Corey Haines, Roque Mifuji Lira, Martha Solis, Cesar Gutierrez

School of Medicine Publications

No abstract provided.

Refinement Of A Published Gene-Physical Activity Interaction Impacting Hdl-Cholesterol: Role Of Sex And Lipoprotein Subfractions, Kenneth E Westerman, Tuomas O Kilpeläinen, Magdalena Sevilla-Gonzalez, Margery A Connelly, Alexis C Wood, Michael Y Tsai, Kent D Taylor, Stephen S Rich, Jerome I Rotter, James D Otvos, Amy R Bentley, Samia Mora, Hugues Aschard, D C Rao, Charles Gu, Daniel I Chasman, Alisa K Manning

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Large-scale gene-environment interaction (GxE) discovery efforts often involve analytical compromises for the sake of data harmonization and statistical power. Refinement of exposures, covariates, outcomes, and population subsets may be helpful to establish often-elusive replication and evaluate potential clinical utility. Here, we used additional datasets, an expanded set of statistical models, and interrogation of lipoprotein metabolism via nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based lipoprotein subfractions to refine a previously discovered GxE modifying the relationship between physical activity (PA) and HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C). We explored this GxE in the Women’s Genome Health Study (WGHS; N=23,294; the strongest cohort-specific signal in the original meta-analysis), the UK …

Comparative Analysis Of Hydration Status And Microbial Quality Of Tap Water Between Urban And Rural Settings In The Ashanti Region Of Ghana, Marina A. Tandoh, Priscilla Owusu, Claire-Rush N.A. Nkrumah, Veronica Tawiah Annaful, Chris Y. Asare, Samuel Selormi Attu

Food Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Maintaining proper hydration is crucial for human health, physiological functions, and cognitive performance. This study sought to determine the hydration status and the microbial safety of tap water in an urban setting (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Campus) and a rural community (Adjamesu) in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The water safety perception and hydration status of 171 study participants aged 10-61 years were assessed. Six taps were randomly selected at each site in triplicates, resulting in 36 water samples. The microbial quality of the water was assessed by testing for heterotrophic bacteria, coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella. …

Coupling Remote Sensing And Modelling To Monitor The Spatial Distribution And Trends Of Surface Temperature And Ice Thickness On Sub-Arctic Lakes, Gifty Attiah

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Lake surface temperature (LST), lake ice thickness (LIT), and lake ice phenology (LIP) play significant roles in the diverse regional processes of freshwater in cold regions. They offer direct indications of regional weather and climate conditions, and their interactions with the atmosphere impact climate processes. Furthermore, lake ice is valuable to northern communities, such as those in the Northwest Territories (NWT). Ice roads, including the longest ice road in the NWT, spanning over 80 lakes, are constructed during winter to haul goods to and from industrial establishments (e.g., mines) and for travel within and between communities. A significant challenge to …

The Impacts Of Permafrost Thaw Slumps On Arctic Stream Ecology, Maria Dolan

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Climate change is intensifying permafrost thaw across terrain of the circumpolar Arctic. Increased temperatures and rainfall at northern latitudes have resulted in the expansion of thermokarst features such as retrogressive thaw slumps, which make previously frozen debris available for transport into nearby river systems. In the Peel Plateau, Northwest Territories, the mobilization of these materials exposes rivers to a large quantity of sediment and solutes that may act as a chronic, press disturbance, potentially altering stream food webs. Here, I examine if: 1) thaw slumps have driven changes to the physical and biological properties of slump impacted streams since an …

Anoxia And Re-Oxygenation At Colder Temperatures In Goldfish (Carassius Auratus): Effects On Oxidative Stress And Metabolites, Matthew E. Trzcinski

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Under the ice of ponds and lakes, goldfish (Carassius auratus) can survive weeks of anoxia at low temperatures by conserving ATP and by reducing their metabolic rate and relying on liver glycogen stores to meet their ATP demands using glycolysis. The following period of re-oxygenation is also known to be damaging in most vertebrates because it can lead to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can cause oxidative damage to lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. Anoxia tolerant vertebrates such as the goldfish and crucian carp (Carassius carassius) accumulate reduced molecules with anoxia, overwhelming the …

“People [Are] Not Dying Because Officers Aren't Following Their Training. ‘It's Because They Are.”: The Construction Of Police De-Escalation Of Individuals In Mental Health Crises In Canadian Media, Renée Haddock

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Police are often assumed to be the "de facto" response to people in mental health crises. Contact between police and Canadians with mental illness and in crisis is routine and on the rise (Livingston, 2016). Police responses to these incidences have been criticized after several, highly publicized and tragic encounters between police and people in mental health crisis and the overrepresentation of people of colour in these instances. Media outlets determine which stories are prioritized, how they are framed, and which information to include or omit (Fawzi, 2018). Notably, public knowledge of police activities greatly impacts community perceptions of police …

Constructions Of Serial Killers And Victims: Analysis Of True Crime Docuseries, Mira Dhaliwal

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Stories of crime have consistently captured the attention of the public, with stories of heists, kidnappings and murder. The true crime genre receives enormous attention and serves for many as the primary source of crime knowledge, including who commits crime, how they commit crime and how law enforcement responds. Books and podcasts have been interrogated by researchers to understand the nature of the content but missing are the true crime documentaries and docuseries that have dominated streaming platforms in North America. The present study examined three true crime series about serial killers using social constructionism and social problems theory, and …

The Impact Of Covid-19 Pandemic Demands On By-Law Officer Wellness And Work, Harveen Randhawa

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This research sheds light on how the rapid demand to enforce transitioning pandemic-related (and reopening) mandates impacts the wellness of bylaw officers in the context of resource strain. Ontario bylaw officers are at the forefront of the province’s response, enforcing lockdown rules to ensure community safety. This research is imperative in understanding how bylaw officers maintain their roles in municipal enforcement, while enforcing rapidly shifting COVID-19 regulations and moving forward into a post-lockdown climate. The research focuses on identifying and understanding the demands and resources that currently typify bylaw officers working in Southern Ontario. It further examines how the COVID-19 …

Lactate's Role In Appetite Suppression, Seth Mccarthy

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Once considered metabolic waste produced during exercise, lactate is now known to have diverse roles in biology. Muscle-derived lactate can travel through the bloodstream and be taken up by other tissues and i) oxidized, ii) converted to glucose via gluconeogenesis, or iii) bind to its receptor to trigger molecular signaling cascades. Lactate has been described as a “myokine” capable of inter-organ crosstalk and compelling evidence demonstrates lactate’s role as a signalling molecule in pathways related to the regulation of appetite. The purpose of this dissertation was to further elucidate lactate’s role in appetite regulation using series of studies aimed at …

“It Is Tiny And It Is Everything”: Exploring The Effects Of Arts-Integrated Gardening On Experiences Of Ecological Grief Through Autoethnographic Research, Christina Kingsbury

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study explores how arts-integrated gardening affects experiences of ecological grief through autoethnography and draws on my personal experiences as a survivor of environmentally linked cancer and artist working with gardens through social practice. My research builds on two areas of emergent scholarship—investigations of ecological grief and gardens as sites for social work practice—to explore how social work may address ecological grief through arts-integrated gardening. I use a quilting autoethnography as a method of inquiry to foreground my subjective knowledge and analyze it through intersectional feminist, disability and decolonizing theories. By incorporating narrative analysis and arts-based inquiry—writing in place, poetic …

Exploring Mating Patterns: The Interplay Of Genes, Environment, And Their Evolutionary Outcomes, Sanduni Talagala

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

There is great variation in the reproductive tactics exhibited both between and within different species, which is reflected in how individuals engage in mate assessment, mate choice and offspring production. It is therefore important to understand general mating patterns of populations, the factors that influence these mating patterns, and the consequences they carry, in order to get a more holistic understanding of mating systems. This doctoral research represents a multi-pronged investigation of the factors shaping mating patterns and their consequences, how environmental factors influence mating patterns, and how both genotypes and the environment interact to influence mate choice decisions and …

Creativity, Fame And Power: A Critical Political Economy Of Social Media Comedy Skit In Nigeria, Idowu Badmus

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study explores social media comedy skits in Nigeria as a novel type of creativity that is both an economic and cultural activity with political and social implications within the context of the rapidly expanding global ecosystem of online content creation. Academic interest in social media comedy skits has grown as a result of their emergence as a popular culture within Nigeria's entertainment landscape. However, most research has focused on understanding this form of humour through its positive societal correlates. Hence, within the notion of industrialization of culture, which suggests that various methods of financing and arranging communication resources have …

Evaluation Of The Dnazyme Gr5 For The Determination Of Lead Speciation In Natural Waters, Gaganprit Gill

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis explores the development and application of a DNAzyme-based biosensor designed to detect labile metal species in environmental samples. Real time and on-site monitoring of labile metal fractions would make a valuable contribution to environmental management, as these fractions are the most bioavailable and pose significant toxicity risks to aquatic organisms. Conventional methods for detecting labile metals, while effective, are often burdened by high costs, complexity, and lengthy processing times, making them less ideal for rapid and widespread environmental assessments.

The first manuscript of this thesis (chapter 2) establishes the fundamental capabilities of the Pb²⁺-specific DNAzyme GR5 …

Moral Identity: From Theory To Research, Jean Paul Lefebvre

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Moral identity, often defined as the importance or centrality of moral values to a person’s sense of self, has long been understood to play an important role in moral functioning. However, critical gaps remain regarding its development, cross-context stability, and behavioural significance. This dissertation addresses these gaps in three empirical studies, providing new insights into the nature and function of moral identity across the lifespan and in daily life.

The first study (Chapter 2) explores developmental trends in moral identity, testing predictions from moral identity goal theory (Krettenauer, 2022). Using a cross-sectional sample spanning adolescence to old age, the study …

Influence Of Temperature On Tfm Tolerance In Lake Sturgeon, Emily Bouffard

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The lampricide, 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM), has been used to successfully control invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) in the Laurentian Great Lakes for over 50 years. TFM’s effectiveness is due to the relatively low capacity of sea lamprey to detoxify TFM. Water temperature has been shown to increase TFM tolerance in larval sea lamprey. However, the effects of temperature on TFM sensitivity in non-target species such as the endangered lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) are poorly understood, particularly during their early life stages. To determine how temperature affected TFM sensitivity, age 1-year-plus (1+) lake sturgeon acclimated to 8, 16, …

Exploring The Interconnections Between Mitochondrial Carrier Proteins Involved In Energy Transfer: The Case Of Uncouplig Proteins 2 And 4, Adenine Nucleotide Translocase, And Phosphate Translocase, Marzieh Tabefam

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Mitochondrial carrier (MC) proteins play an essential role in cellular energy metabolism by mediating the transport of solutes and protons across the mitochondrial inner membrane (MIM). This thesis explores the structural and functional characteristics of three groups of MC proteins—Uncoupling Proteins (UCPs), Adenine Nucleotide Translocase (ANT), and Phosphate Translocase (P_iT)—to elucidate their individual and interrelated cooperative roles in mitochondrial proton transport and energy regulation.

The study develops and applies novel methodologies for the overexpression, purification, and reconstitution of MC proteins into model lipid bilayers mimicking the native mitochondrial inner membrane environment. These methods ensure proteins maintain their native-like …

Grief On The Margins: The Death Of A Family Member To Substance Use, Adair Shaw

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Despite Canada's high death rates from substance use, there is limited research on the sociopsychological impact on families, who often face stigma and disenfranchised grief. This study explores how family members make meaning of a substance-related death. Through qualitative inquiry, eleven family members were interviewed on their experience of grief from substance death. The imprint of losing a family member to mental illness and substance use is fraught with intergenerational grief, ambiguity, prolonged mental-emotional distress, and relationship challenges. Substance death was also associated with stigma, social withdrawal, and shame for many participants. However, grievers reconstructed the socially prescribed negative perceptions …

Environmental, Governance, And Bibliometric Research On Corporate Tax Avoidance, Harjot S. Mehmi

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation is composed of a literature review and three essays positioned in the corporate tax avoidance (CTA) space. The literature review summarizes the relationship between CTA and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. Although there are mixed findings within each of the E-S-G categories in the CTA literature, in general, better environmental circumstances are negatively associated with CTA, social performance displays an inverse relationship with CTA, and governance factors also display an inverse relationship with CTA. The first essay is an empirical archival investigation of the relationship between CTA and an environmental factor – the risk of environmental hazards …