University of Regina Thèses et mémoires publiés en 2025

Spatially stable touch menus, such as FastTap, utilize users’ spatial memory to facilitate efficient command selection on tablets. However, accommodating a larger number of commands within these menus may slow down users’ spatial memory development of commands. To explore the impact of increasing the command capacity of spatial memory-based tablet menus, we conducted two studies with FastTap menus. The first study focused on spatial learning within single-tab FastTap menus of various sizes: Small (16 items), Medium (30 items), Large (42 items), and Extra-Large (56 items). The second study assessed multi-tab FastTap menus in Small (64 items), Medium (120 items), and …  Read more

This thesis investigates the application of absorber catalysts developed and optimized for effective CO₂ capture in a power production process involving the indirect co-combustion of biomass and natural gas, addressing a crucial case study challenge of carbon emissions from large. By employing a novel bi-blend amine solvent system, improved by heterogeneous solid base catalysts, the study explores the synthesis of various super basic catalysts in a bid to optimize CO₂ absorption rates, solvent loading, and overall process efficiency A series of heterogeneous catalysts which include PEI modified catalysts, K/MgO, K/MgO-CaO, and activated carbon blends, were synthesized and tested using a …  Read more

Fatou Diome, née au Sénégal, a quitté son pays natal pour aller en France. Cette période a été difficile pour elle, mais elle en a tiré l'inspiration pour Le Ventre de l'Atlantique, roman à caractère autobiographique paru en 2003. Elle y confronte les rêves d'émigration des jeunes Sénégalais, qui voient la France comme un paradis, à la dure réalité de l’exploitation des immigrants africains. Tout au long de son oeuvre, Fatou Diome navigue entre les mondes européens et africains et il en résulte de nombreux procédés de métissage culturel. Cette étude se concentre sur l’analyse du métissage culturel dans Le …  Read more

The study aimed to characterize the CO2 capture capabilities of Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanocomposite membranes by reinforcing them with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and silica (SiO2). These membranes were made using the electrospinning manufacturing method. The nanoparticles were functionalized using Gum Arabic (GA) to improve nanoparticle distribution, which further improved the capture efficiency. The morphological techniques were used to examine the nanoparticle structures after functionalization to optimize the functionalization parameters. Experimental results showed that increasing nanoparticle concentrations enhanced CO2 permeability while maintaining stable N2 permeability, resulting in favourable CO2/N2 selectivity ratios. The 4 wt. % MWCNTs nanocomposite membrane exhibited the best …  Read more

Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) was thrust into the policy spotlight a decade ago when the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously ruled that prohibiting assisted dying infringed upon the constitutional rights to life, liberty, and security of the person for consenting patients with grievous, irremediable medical conditions who experience intolerable suffering (Carter v. Canada, 2015). Since then, Canadian policymakers have been tasked with balancing the rights of MAiD-seeking patients with the interests of potentially vulnerable persons and those who oppose MAiD. Given the profound impact of MAiD, empirical evidence is vital to inform these policies. One policy that has garnered …  Read more

Selecting amine solvents for industrial post combustion CO2 capture has never been easy. Usually, this process requires conducting a thorough experiment in order to determine the CO2 absorption and desorption activities of the amine solvents such as equilibrium CO2 rich loading, lean loading, initial CO2 absorption and desorption rates, heat of CO2 desorption, and cyclic capacity which depend so much on the structural, physical, and chemical properties of the amine solvents. This experimental process is not only stressful but also expensive, and time consuming. To address these problems, several machine learning models have been developed in this study to predict …  Read more

Aging is linked to various co-occurring health issues commonly referred to as geriatric syndromes. This trend has resulted in an increasing number of dependent older adults being admitted to long-term care (LTC) facilities. In addition to the primary care services provided to older adults in LTC homes, activity engagement has been shown to positively impact all aspects of residents’ health and overall quality of life. Therapeutic recreation (TR) is an important inclusion for older adults in LTC as it provides the opportunity for engagement using recreation and leisure-based interventions. Older adults are motivated and perform better in activities when offered …  Read more

Approximately one in six Canadian couples are infertile, defined as the inability to achieve pregnancy despite 12 or more months of active attempts to conceive. While the psychological burden is well-established in the literature, currently available and adapted psychological interventions have had minimal effects on infertility-related distress, anxiety, or depression. We examined the efficacy of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to reduce distress associated with infertility. In Study One, we created the ACT-based intervention in collaboration with a panel of women who had lived experience with infertility. We then conducted a pilot trial with 20 women and used their feedback …  Read more

This paper is in support of the exhibition “Manufactured Memory” my Master of Fine Arts graduating exhibition that was held at the Fifth Parallel Gallery from November 6th - November 19th, 2024. This paper, and the exhibition explore my use of the conversational Artificial Intelligence system ChatGPT to recreate a childhood memory that serves as a framework for navigating themes of loneliness, longing, authenticity and failure. I begin by describing the works in the exhibition and how they were installed. I then go on to describe the development of the exhibition and the decisions that led to its final form. …  Read more

The material demands of the energy transition will be immense, requiring new sources of critical metals required in clean energy technologies. Among the most important of these are the rare earth elements (REE) and lithium (Li). The REE, which include the lanthanide elements and yttrium (Y), are currently produced from peralkaline igneous complexes, carbonatites, or ion-adsorption clay deposits and are prized for their unique chemical, magnetic, and catalytic properties. Their primary importance in the energy transition is their necessity in permanent magnets for wind turbines and electric vehicles. Conversely, Li is the lightest metal on the periodic table and is …  Read more

The revitalization of the Lakota language is hindered by the absence of a universally accepted orthographic standard. This thesis investigates how non-standard orthographies influence Lakota language acquisition, cultural preservation, and educational practices. Guided by qualitative methodologies, this research explores the diverse orthographies used within the Lakota-speaking community and their impacts on learners, educators, and cultural authenticity. Data were collected through surveys and interviews with students, educators, and community members, focusing on their experiences and perceptions of orthographic systems. Analysis revealed key themes, including the challenges posed by inconsistent orthographies, the cultural tensions arising from orthographic choices, and the need for …  Read more

By utilizing the case study approach, the primary question this study seeks to address is “Why is the window of opportunity open for SMR deployment as a climate change mitigation strategy in Saskatchewan?” This paper was situated within John Kingdon’s three streams framework as a lens to guide the analysis and evaluation of factors affecting and shaping policies including events, roles, and interactions among actors, the public mood, and indicators, and other elements within the environmental and energy policy domain in Saskatchewan. The following specific questions were asked and reported based on the three streams to help answer the main …  Read more

The rapid advance of digital technologies offers enhanced methods for engaging citizens and stakeholders in public policy formation. However, one downside of digital engagement is an increase in the volume of external feedback that can overwhelm public servants and political decision makers. One potential solution lies in Natural Language Processing (NLP), a branch of artificial intelligence (AI) that can automatically filter, parse, understand, interpret, and synthesize large amounts of human language. This research assesses the potential of AI for managing the anticipated flood of citizen and stakeholder inputs from digital engagement exercises, and if public administrators find such tools valuable. …  Read more

Ceramic materials possess excellent mechanical properties, chemical durability, and corrosion resistance, making them a good candidate for various uses in industry. They can also be made porous, which makes them highly suitable for fluid filtration applications, one of which is water treatment. This study focuses on developing ceramic filters specifically designed for water treatment usage, aiming to create durable, reusable, environmentally friendly, and efficient filters. Additive manufacturing (3D Printing) was chosen as the method of fabrication. In this type of 3D printing, the material will be extruded from the nozzle with the ability to choose different flow, infill density, wall …  Read more

The Shrike is a collection of poetry that draws on poetics and theory related to surrealism, the ghazal, the uncanny and the gothic to explore an interest in the boundaries, limitations and transformation that comes from experimenting with genre and form. The notion of the “antighazal” or “non-ghazal” is adopted and challenged by The Shrike and is used as a means for further poetic experimentation and to understand the capacity for change within the ghazal form. The difference between ghazals in English and ghazals in Urdu is also discussed in regards to the tradition and culture the ghazal finds itself …  Read more

The objective of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore how participants’ feelings of hope were impacted by their lived experience of material deprivation or poverty. An ecological perspective framed by the social determinants of health and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs shaped my understanding of the elements of a healthy, hopeful life. Literature describing the prevalence and impact of suicide, and seven suicide theories guided my understanding of the importance of hope in human lives. A purposeful criterion sampling method was used to recruit five current or former residents of Saskatchewan, Canada, who have lived experience of poverty or material …  Read more

The nursing academy, motivated by the release of the national Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action in 2015, has unequivocally declared support for and commitment to Indigenization. However, the way Indigenization is defined and operationalized in the nursing academy is varied and sometimes contested. Situated within the context of colonialism in the Canadian healthcare system and nursing education, this study aimed to unpack the conceptualization of Indigenization using the undergraduate nursing programs in the province of Saskatchewan as a focus of the research. To conceptualize Indigenization in the nursing programs, I explored the following three questions: How do …  Read more

The conditions of homelessness pose a barrier to the health and well-being of people experiencing homelessness (PEH), which is especially true during extreme weather events. As the homelessness crisis worsens, existing service providers find it challenging to address the issue of homelessness and reduce risk during extreme weather events. I conducted a qualitative case study of homeless governance and extreme weather response in Regina, Saskatchewan, by conducting 22 semi-structured interviews with local government officials, healthcare and outreach workers, housing and shelter staff members, and community workers and advocates. The following questions guided my study: How have responses to extreme weather …  Read more

Autosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSACS) is a rare, progressive, and debilitating neurodegenerative disease. ARSACS is caused by mutations in the SACS molecular chaperone gene, which encodes Sacsin, a large, 520 kDa multidomain protein called. This protein is highly expressed in the central nervous system, including Purkinje cells, the only neurons that provide output from the cerebellar cortex. While the explicit function of Sacsin is not well understood, mitochondrial dynamics have been suggested based on reports of impaired mitochondrial function in Sacsin knockdown cell models. Using a neuronal-like cell line and patient-derived fibroblasts, we aimed to elucidate the role …  Read more

The Sọ̀rọ̀-sókè movement, which emerged from the #EndSARS protests of 2020, marks a crucial moment in Nigeria’s resistance against systemic injustice. The Yoruba phrase “Sọ̀rọ̀-sókè” meaning “Speak Up” "or “Speak Louder,” became a unifying anthem, capturing the collective outcry against police brutality, particularly the abuses of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police Force. Employing Digital Artivism as its theoretical framework, this thesis explores the blending of art and activism within the Sọ̀rọ̀-sókè movement. It analyzes how creative expressions and performative elements served as powerful tools for mobilization, resistance, and reclaiming narratives. Grounded in Practice-Based Research (PBR), the …  Read more

In an age of severe climate change, resource depletion, and global population growth, the agricultural industry faces unprecedented challenges. The overuse of natural resources is a major concern. Therefore, the importance of greenhouses (GH) capable of growing high-quality crops throughout the year becomes more apparent. However, conventional GHs have high energy costs and pose sustainability challenges. To address these concerns, the use of smart technologies and the integration of renewable energy sources (RES), including photovoltaics (PV), wind turbines (WT), geothermal systems, biomass, and energy storage systems (ESS), have gained momentum. This integration not only reduces the environmental impact of GH …  Read more

Many mathematics teachers in Canada are searching for ways to decolonize their teaching practice and include Indigenous epistemologies and pedagogies in their classroom. Unfortunately, these same mathematics teachers struggle to find practical ways to do this decolonizing work that do not reduce complex Indigenous cultural phenomena to simplistic, and often tokenistic, textbook questions. In this thesis, inspired by the 4 Rs of Indigenous Research (respect, responsibility, relevance, and reciprocity), I present and enact a 4 Rs pedagogical framework composed of theoretical approaches (outcomes) and practical teacher actions (indicators). Instead of focusing on lesson topics/standards, my framework focuses on shifts in …  Read more

From the beginning, mythmaking has been profoundly patriarchal, and with the emergence of feminist movements came feminist revisionary adaptations of ancient myth. In this thesis, I argue Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad (2005) and Madeline Miller’s Circe (2018) both stand as examples of feminist revisionary mythmaking, and they use their power as revisionary texts to amplify exemplary female characters’ voices that address and comment upon women’s circumstances and social movements from the periods in which they were written. This study goes back to the beginning when The Odyssey was first recorded to see how the myth represents women and creates ideals …  Read more

This research focuses on optimizing the production of biodiesel to reduce overdependence on fossil fuels by utilizing waste resources. In recent years there have been concerns on the use of fossil fuels in the increasing demand of energy and its drawbacks. Fossil fuels, unlike biodiesel, are carbon rich and hence on combustion, releases excessive amounts of CO2, NOX and SOX leading to global warming. In this research, waste cooking oil (WCO) and ethanol were used as the main raw materials to produce biodiesel known to have net zero carbon emission potential to meet Canada’s commitment to attain net zero carbon …  Read more

The advent of 5G networks has revolutionized telecommunications by enabling flexible and efficient service deployment through network slicing. These slices ensure logical isolation among various services, facilitating tailored Quality of Service (QoS) and security policies. However, while network slicing enhances service differentiation, it also increases architectural complexity and broadens the attack surface, making slices more susceptible to cyber threats specifically Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks. Furthermore, the rapid proliferation of connected devices in 5G networks, driven by diverse service offerings, exacerbates security risks. Due to the growing attack landscape, Machine Learning (ML) based Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) are getting popular over …  Read more

A common problem that faces many is the tension between doing what aligns with our values and doing what is fiscally best. A system leveraging Multi-Objective Evolutionary Computation, specifically MOEA/D, was proposed to produce highly performant portfolios tailored to an individual’s ESG preferences given a custom survey. The survey, written using the greater context of other risk and ESG relevant surveys, was conducted and used to construct a weighting to normalize a given investor’s own survey responses and allow a single portfolio from the collection of the best portfolios to be matched to that investor. Two potential architectures were considered …  Read more

Psychological stress injuries (PSIs) among Canadian paramedics and police continue to rise despite expanded research, funding, and mental health programming. This study explores this paradox through an institutional policy lens, drawing on qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with frontline and leadership personnel in public safety organizations. Findings reveal that entrenched institutional norms such as quasi-military organizational cultures, stigma surrounding mental health, and resistance to change undermine the effectiveness of PSI interventions. Rather than replacing outdated practices, new policies and resources are frequently layered onto existing structures, leading to fragmented and insufficient responses. Interviewees highlighted systemic issues such as long wait …  Read more

Achieving reliable communication in high-data-rate applications and densely populated environments remains a significant challenge for next-generation wireless networks. Millimeterwave (mmWave) technology offers substantial bandwidth and data rate advantages but necessitates precise beam steering to maintain connectivity. The dynamic nature of mobile environments, coupled with diverse user behaviors and trajectories, complicates this task. Traditional beamforming approaches struggle to adapt to such scenarios, often leading to signal degradation, connectivity drops, inefficient resource utilization and more power consumption. This research presents an advanced framework that integrates historical user trajectories through beam sweeping, user tracking via sensor-based information combined with beam sweeping, and Kalman …  Read more

In recent decades, Canadian governments have increasingly drawn upon global neoliberal policies to regulate the work of teachers and their professional organizations (Bascia, 2015; Smaller, 1998). Neoliberalism has radically altered educational policies with respect to curriculum, teaching pedagogy, and teachers’ professionalism (Apple, 2006; Ball, 2003), impeding teachers’ ability to deliver democratic education (Darder, 2019). Viewing teacher activism broadly, this research explored Saskatchewan teacher activists’ resistance to marketdriven educational reforms through their engagement with both the power of grassroots social movements and the institutional authority of their union. Guided by Harding et al.’s (2018) poststructural framework of alliances, assemblages, and affects, …  Read more

Natural Language Processing (NLP) is used to address several problems across various domains. There is an increasing demand for domain-specific NLP applications, and telecommunication networks are one of the vital fields of this application. In NLP, generative artificial intelligence (Gen-AI) has shown an excellent potential to solve many problems with its natural language understanding, comprehension, and generation capabilities. Large Language Models (LLMs) have been instrumental and one of the most integral parts of the Gen-AI applications. There are several open-source and proprietary LLMs available, where their parameter size can vary from a few billion to several trillion parameters. However, there …  Read more

A paleoenvironmental reconstruction performed on a lacustrine archive from Deep Lake (DL) located 70 km east of Regina, Saskatchewan, in the Canadian Western Prairie, provides insight into the lake’s past hydrological conditions, water level, nutrients and salinity during mid and late Holocene until modern day. The reconstruction utilizing 14C dating, lithological descriptions, granulometry, diatom analyses , and geochemical XRF analysis, was performed on a 195 cm sediment core (6698 cal yr BP) from the ungauged, shallow (<3 m), and small (3.52 km²) DL reservoir. The results revealed seven distinct zones in the lake's sediment record: 1) From 6698 to 6383 …  Read more

This thesis will examine numerous photo responsive drug delivery nanoparticles containing two different first-generation (1G) donor-acceptor Stenhouse adduct (DASA) molecules, DOPC, DLPC, cholesterol and lauric acid. The DASA isomerizes upon visible light irradiation, thereby increasing membrane permeability through disruption of the bilayer and releasing cargo. A 1G dioctyl DASA and a new 1G cholesterol-DASA conjugate were synthesized, and their photophysical properties were studied and compared. The dioctyl DASA was studied in DLPC with and without lauric acid, as it was observed that the lauric acid promotes thermal isomerization of the photochrome, eliminating photocontrol of the system. Thus, the incorporation of …  Read more

Discussions of environmental protection in the Canadian prairie province of Saskatchewan have historically been complex and controversial. With an economy that relies on emissions-heavy industry such as oil and gas production, mining, agriculture and forestry, the Government of Saskatchewan faces unique challenges in responding to the increasing calls for climate action and stricter regulations that will help minimize the effects of climate change. This seemingly deadlocked political and economic situation makes the 2010 introduction of results-based regulation in Saskatchewan a notable policy-making event, intended to both aid in environmental protection while allowing industry to thrive. An in-depth investigation of this …  Read more

The Interlake Formation, located in southern Saskatchewan, dates to the Early Silurian period and was deposited on the northern shelf of the Williston Basin. The formation is characterized by dolostone lithology and spans southwestern Manitoba, eastern Alberta, and neighbouring U.S. states. Late Ordovician – early Silurian glacio-eustatic sea level drop resulted in a stratigraphic temporal gap between the Upper Ordovician Stonewall Formation and the Lower Silurian Interlake Formation. Cores, wireline logs, and petrographic information were gathered from 30 wells and analyzed from the research area. The results indicate that the formation can be categorized into three informal members: lower, middle, …  Read more

Using participatory action research (PAR), five teachers and one school psychologist from one urban elementary school in Saskatchewan worked together on a mutual desire to promote positive student mental health. Together they established a collaborative group, narrowed the topic, developed research questions, and decided on data gathering through journals and a self-created rating scale. A document was to be created that would provide the teachers with strategies and language to address emergent student emotional needs. The study resulted in the creation of the Validation, Regulation and Collaboration Model (VRC Model) —a simple three step strategy that helps teachers with a …  Read more

Translanguaging as a sociolinguistic theory and a pedagogy has captured the attention of language instructors in recent years, especially those working with culturally and linguistically diverse students. Most research on using translanguaging in teaching English has primarily been conducted in English as an Additional Language (EAL) context, particularly in the United States (see studies by Canagarajah, 2012; Carbonara & Scibetta, 2022; Creese & Blackledge, 2010; García & Kano, 2014). However, as a theory and pedagogy highly valued by language educators, its application should be extended to a broader context, reaching more diverse language learners. The literature suggests that translanguaging remains …  Read more

Assembling the Shards is an autoethnographic participatory documentary film project that tackles the issue of migrant representation by recruiting three participants who learned about the process of filmmaking and created their own documentary short films that tell their personal stories, in addition to a short film done by myself. The participants learned about documentary filmmaking through a series of workshops that allowed them to acquire both practical and theoretical knowledge. My MFA project was planned and informed by the theories, methods and authors that are presented in this engagement paper, as well as the artists working in a similar fashion …  Read more

"Self as Archive: Fragments in a Persian Mirror" explores the evolution of my artistic practice from painting in the Russian Academic tradition to a more contemporary visual language. While representational and dealing with themes familiar to Academic painting—the figure and history—my current work is more expressive and concerned with personal issues and contemporary content. This exhibition consists primarily of large, narrative and symbolic self-portraits that explore what it means to be a contemporary Persian man both at home and abroad. It also reconsiders the role of the artist, particularly one trained to celebrate themes, bodies, and identities that are thrown …  Read more

One branch of computational learning theory focuses on algorithms for learning discrete structured objects from queries. In this context, we consider the problem of learning a labeled hypergraph from a given family of hypergraphs using shortest path (SP) queries. An SP query specifies two vertices and asks for their distance in the target hypergraph. For various classes H of hypertrees, we present bounds on the number of queries required to learn an unknown hypertree from H. Matching upper and lower asymptotic bounds are presented for learning hyperpaths and hyperstars. Moreover, inspired by Hein’s algorithm for learning evolutionary trees with bounded …  Read more

The Oracle's Dream is a work of historical fiction set in 5th century BCE Greece, exploring the intersection of myth, history, and the feminine psyche through a feminist-Jungian and historical fiction lens. In this creative writing thesis, I will develop the first 81 pages of my novel. I apply Jungian concepts of the “shadow” and “anima/animus” with a double narrative plot that follows protagonists Nefeli, an Apollonian priestess in training turned hetaera; and her daughter Lena, a young lyricist navigating patriarchal society, grief, and guilt years later following Nefeli’s unexpected passing. The Oracle’s Dream challenges and subverts patriarchal leanings in …  Read more

The invention and widespread adoption of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has begun to disrupt the field of education, as leading scholars debate its potential to enhance or hinder learning. GenAI models such as ChatGPT demonstrate remarkable capabilities, evidenced by its success on the United States Medical Licensing Exam and Uniform Bar Exam, for example. With over one billion current users and more than one million users within five days of launching, ChatGPT remains one of the most rapidly adopted consumer applications. ChatGPT’s ability to amass users at a significantly greater rate than other popular platforms such as Facebook and Instagram …  Read more

Reasoning about actual causes of observed effects is fundamental to the study of rationality. As such, this important problem has been studied since the time of Aristotle, with formal mathematical accounts emerging recently. We live in a world where change due to actions can be both discrete and continuous, i.e., hybrid. Yet, while there has been extensive research on actual primary and indirect causes in discrete dynamic domains, only few recent studies address causation in such hybrid domains. Building on recent progress, in this thesis I propose a first definition of primary cause in a hybrid temporal action-theoretic framework. My …  Read more

The spruce tree, a key species in Canada, is crucial to industries like timber and pulp. Effective management of these resources relies on monitoring forest parameters to ensure long-term forest health and productivity. Tree crown dimensions contribute valuable insights into these parameters. This study investigates an automated approach for detecting and measuring spruce tree crowns using the YOLOv5 machine learning model combined with watershed segmentation. The method enhances the accuracy of crown measurements from aerial drone images. Over 2,000 spruce trees in a limited forested area of Saskatchewan, Canada, are analysed using top-view images captured by a DJI Mavic 3 …  Read more

This dissertation presents a body of research that addresses the policy issue of the effectiveness and role of curriculum in building energy literacy. Energy literacy, which encompasses broad content knowledge as well as affective and behavioural characteristics, will empower students to make responsible and appropriate energy-related choices, and embrace changes in the way they use and produce energy. Students who are energy literate will be more capable of engaging in thoughtful energy-related decisions as they become adults, informing policies and energy projects moving forward. A framework to assess if the elementary science curricula across Canada would meet the required elements …  Read more

When Laurence Olivier contemplated filming an adaptation of Shakespeare’s famous play Hamlet, it was with an understanding that the crux of the story was a Prince who could not make up his mind. However, after an encounter with Ernest Jones, a student of Sigmund Freud and an acclaimed psychoanalyst in his own right, Olivier identified a different trajectory based on the Oedipus complex. First coined by Freud, the Oedipus complex describes a theory of how a young boy unconsciously wishes to kill his father and sexually possess his mother in his stage of gender differentiation towards independence and adulthood. Olivier …  Read more

Optimizing routing in Software-Defined Networks (SDNs) to meet Quality of Service (QoS) demands presents notable challenges, particularly with traditional methods that struggle with the dynamic nature of SDNs. Existing techniques often fail to adapt efficiently to varying traffic patterns, resulting in suboptimal network performance. Furthermore, the existing routing methods typically prioritize either the infrastructure provider or service provider benefits, neglecting a balanced approach that ensures efficient utilization of network resources while meeting QoS metrics for clients, such as guaranteed latency and throughput. Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) has shown potential for optimizing decisionmaking problems in network routing. SDN empowered by DRL …  Read more

This study explores the integration of social sustainability within supply chain management (SSCM) and its alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). It also highlights the importance of incorporating social considerations in supply chain practices to support these goals. Through conducting a comprehensive literature review, it identifies significant gaps and challenges that need to be addressed to ensure long-term implications as well as the mitigating strategies and a framework for how to address these challenges. For writing the literature review section a four-step methodology has been utilized to gather the most relevant information from the authentic resources …  Read more

After a brutal civil war, different Sierra Leone governments prioritized education, launching different education policies and programs to provide quality basic and secondary education, reduce poverty and enhance resources in public and government-assisted schools. This research aims to answer the following questions: What is the status of French teaching/learning in basic and secondary education in Sierra Leone? How can learning French contribute to the development and strengthening of human capital in Sierra Leone? Using the approaches developed within human capital development theory, this qualitative method study prioritizes semi-structured interviews. An overview of French language teachers' views, beliefs, and experiences with …  Read more

This thesis explores the concept of interculturality in translation, focusing on cultural nuances in the translation from French to English of letters and memoranda from three Oblate documents relating to residential schools in Canada. Considering that residential schools are generally viewed as institutions of cultural assimilation and colonial oppression, translating archival texts from these institutions poses significant challenges due to their cultural, historical and emotional weight. Drawing on Chen Ling's theory of negotiating meaning across cultures, this study examines the ways in which cultural and ideological contexts shape translation decisions. This research analyzes the difficulties encountered in intercultural translation and …  Read more

The effects of climate change due to anthropogenic activities have generated discussions on controlling greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, coal is predicted to lose prominence in power generation due to the greenhouse gas emissions associated with its combustion. Therefore, this research investigates char production from coal to provide alternate applications for coal postcombustion. Lignite coal and leonardite from the Poplar River mine in Saskatchewan, Canada, were characterized using proximate and ultimate analyses, pore structural analyses, X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to establish their physical and chemical properties. They were then used …  Read more