Liste complète
La lecture de ces thèses nécessite une redirection vers le site du dépôt institutionnel.
-
2013 — A Parallel Hybrid Metaheuristic Approach for TimetablingRésumé
University timetabling is a well-known problem and much research has been done about it. This is an interesting subject to study because neither modeling nor solving it is straightforward. It has different variants ranging from teaching assignment to course timetabling to examination timetabling. Constructing any of these problems as a conflict-free timetable is a challenging task encountered every year by many educational institutions and universities across the world. Most of the current research in timetabling concentrates on exploring how the level of generalization of algorithms applied can be advanced, so that a broader range of problems can be addressed. In … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Potential mercury methylation Rates in Prairie Wetland SedimentRésumé
Neurotoxic methylmercury (MeHg) biomagnifies in food webs and may harm human and wildlife health. Methylmercury is produced by the methylation of mercury (Hg), primarily by sulphate reducing bacteria and iron reducing bacteria in anaerobic sediments of aquatic systems. Anthropogenic emissions of Hg may circulate globally in the atmosphere and have increased deposition of Hg to aquatic systems remote from the sources of Hg emissions. Deposited Hg adds to the pool of Hg available for methylation. Wetlands in particular have been identified as sites of elevated MeHg production because of the anaerobic nature of wetland sediments. North America’s prairie pothole region … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Risk and Resilience Variables as Predictors of Posttraumatic Stress and Growth: A Longitudinal Media-Based StudyRésumé
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) requires a causal traumatic event that produces severely maladaptive reactions (APA, 2000). Not all people exposed to a traumatic event develop PTSD; as such, identifying predispositional variables (i.e., risk and resiliency factors) associated with PTSD symptoms is important and clinically advantageous. Most experimental investigations of PTSD symptoms have been necessarily retrospective, making causal determinations of predispositional variables difficult, if not impossible. Media imagery of fictional events (e.g., movies) can produce acute states of anxiety and symptoms similar to PTSD. Recent research (Carleton, Sikorski, & Asmundson, 2010) indicates such media may be useful for experimental studies exploring … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Catalytic Production of Furfural by the Subcritical Hydrothermal Gasification of Flax StrawRésumé
Developing new sources of energy that can mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has generated a strong research interest in the past two decades. Renewable sources of energy have become strong candidates for replacing the conventional resources in order to ameliorate the high level of pollution caused by the use of conventional fossil fuels. Biomass is a type of renewable resource that is considered to be carbon neutral when used in producing fuels and chemicals. Flax straw is an example of biomass that accumulates in Canada in high amounts. It is difficult to dispose of because it does not decompose easily … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Body Image: Complexity and Conflict within the Classroom TeacherRésumé
The role of the teacher in educating and socializing children is an extremely important one. The beliefs and understandings that a teacher possesses impact her behaviors and practices. In turn, the classroom and its pupils are also impacted. It is therefore important to consider that the ways in which a teacher’s definition of body image, understanding of her own body image, and perceived role with respect to the curriculum will have an impact on the beliefs and values of her students. This thesis examines health teachers’ positions in relation to body image to better understand what teachers bring to their … Lire la suite
-
2013 — An Improved Vapour Solvent Injection Technique for Enhanced Heavy Oil RecoveryRésumé
There are tremendous heavy oil and bitumen resources in Canada, and most of them are located in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. Thermal-based recovery techniques, such as steam flooding, cyclic steam stimulation (CSS), and steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD), are effective and have been widely applied in the field to reduce heavy oil viscosity. However, thermal-based methods are costly and uneconomic, particularly for reservoirs with a thin net-pay. In Saskatchewan, half of the heavy oil resources are contained in reservoirs with a pay zone thickness of less than 10 metres. Non-thermal methods, such as cold production, and solvent-based methods, are the … Lire la suite
-
2013 — A Numerical Approach for Oil Slug Mobilization in a Capillary Tube Under Absence and Presence of External ExcitationsRésumé
This research attempts to study the mobilization of an oil drop, also known as a \slug", via the aid of a water film. This differs from other work in this area wherein the oil drop is forced through the throat of a pore using external excitations. In the first simulation, an oil drop is placed in a small diameter tube filled with water and then flushed from the tube by injecting more water. The pressure difference between the inlet and outlet of the tube is then recorded. Unlike past research in this field, this work employs dimensionless numbers and sensitivity … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Quasi-elliptic Microwave Filter Design Using the Reflected Group Delay MethodRésumé
Microwave filters are essential components in a microwave system, as they define the usable and allowable bandwidth and as they reject unwanted signals from passing through them. The design and required optimization of microwave filters is an involved process and getting the desired filter response can be difficult, especially for filters with a higher order and those with narrow bandwidths. In most instances, a fabricated microwave filter will need to be tuned to get the desired response, so it can be very important to achieve accurate simulation results to limit the required post-fabrication tuning. As the electromagnetic simulations can take … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Emotional Adjustment to Multiple Sclerosis: Evaluation of a Stress and Coping Model and a Cognitive Adaptation ModelRésumé
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable health condition that affects physical, cognitive, and emotional aspects of life (Compston & Coles, 2008). Emotional adjustment to MS is often studied by examining psychopathology rather than positive adjustment outcomes. Lacking in the literature on adjustment to MS is attention to integrated and parsimonious models of both negative and positive aspects of emotional adjustment. The purpose of this study was to examine, compare, and integrate two models of emotional adjustment to MS, with adjustment conceptualized as including both negative outcomes (i.e., anxiety, depression, negative affect) and positive outcomes (i.e., positive affect and quality of … Lire la suite
-
2013 — A Dendroclimatic Investigation of Southwestern SaskatchewanRésumé
Water resources of the southwestern Canadian Prairies are limited and sensitive to changes in climate and land cover. An increasing demand for water resources has increased vulnerability to hydrological drought. Because few instrumental records exceed 100 years, climate proxies are used to extend the historical record of natural variability. Understanding the frequency, magnitude, and duration of past climate extremes allows researchers to better forecast the probability of future extreme hydrological events. Through standard dendrochronological methods, fifteen moisture sensitive tree-ring chronologies (Pinus albicaulis, Pinus ponderosa, Pinus contorta, Picea glauca, and Pseudotsuga menziesii) were collected and updated from the Sweet Grass Hills … Lire la suite
-
2013 — A Fuzzy inference Systems Approach for Resource Constrained Scheduling and Closely Related ProblemsRésumé
Today, the need to use some kind of Intelligent Systems (IS) techniques from the Soft Computing / Computational Intelligence fields is rapidly growing. This is because intelligent processes have the capability to deal with problems relating user-experience-knowledge and also they can consider data being uncertain or vague. This research focuses on applying IS techniques to solve the Resource Constrained Scheduling Problem (RSCP) and some related problems. Traditional methods to solve the RSCP have proven to be useful; however, they are somewhat limited, time consuming, and not always effective. Among the traditional heuristic methods that have been used for years, the … Lire la suite
-
2013 — iScholar: A Mobile Research Support SystemRésumé
The daily lives of researchers have been influenced in many ways by technological developments, especially mobile technology. Nevertheless, little attention has been paid to the formal adaptation of mobile technology into scienti fic research. iScholar, a mobile information retrieval support and recommender system for supporting research activities, is presented. The objective of this thesis is to integrate the latest, particularly mobile, technology when building effective research tools. Ubiquitously available connectivity and new features of mobile devices make it possible to create more flexible and portable research support systems. As a result, advanced research support systems will bring more effi ciency … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Prenatal Testosterone, Empathy, Emotion Recognition, and Facial Mimicry in WomenRésumé
This study examined whether individual differences in facial mimicry, emotion recognition, and empathy are related to prenatal testosterone (PT) exposure. Previous studies have found relationships among facial mimicry, emotion recognition, and selfreport empathy scores; further, imaging studies suggest that mimicry, emotion recognition, and empathy have shared neural bases. Previous evidence also suggests that the development of some of these shared brain regions is influenced by prenatal sex hormones (Goldstein et al., 2001), and a recent study demonstrated that exogenous testosterone administration decreases facial mimicry in women (Hermans, Putman, & van Honk, 2006). The present study examined the relationships among PT … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Intelligent Tutoring Systems Measuring Student Effort During AssessmentRésumé
Each tutoring system must face the problem of dealing with uncertainty involved in student interactions. The quality of a correct answer to a question may be di erent for each individual student. Some answers are produced by careful thinking and anal- ysis using memorised facts, where other answers are just guesses. Therefore there is a need to develop a tutoring system which takes into consideration the quality of an answer to produce a more detailed student model. Many tutoring systems developed to this point use question-answer techniques to estimate the student knowledge state, however none of them take into consideration … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Mécanismes linguistiques de la communication orale de l’humour: Une approche analytique de corpusRésumé
En appliquant la General Theory of Verbal Humor (Attardo 1994) et le schéma de la communication linguistique de Roman Jakobson (1963), nous précisons la nature des procédés phonologiques, lexicaux, syntaxiques et sémantiques aptes à faciliter l’expression orale de l’humour. Ces hypothèses sont mises à l'épreuve dans l'analyse d'un corpus qui se compose de monologues tirés des 10e, 15e et 20e Galas de l’École nationale de l’humour ainsi que des extraits de la collection des meilleurs moments du Festival Juste pour rire 2008 et 2011. L'analyse du corpus nous confirme la nature primordiale de la notion de script opposition selon la … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Effects of Whole-Body Vibration and Resistance Training in Individuals with Multiple SclerosisRésumé
The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two exercise training protocols for 12 weeks in individuals with mild to moderate Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: Resistance Training (RT; n=7, males=1, females=6, 43.2±8.7 years), Whole-Body Vibration (WBV; n=9, males=2, females=7, 45.1±10.0 years) or Control Group (CON; n=5, males=0, females=5, 53.0±12.6 years). Participants in the RT and WBV groups performed supervised training sessions, two days per week for 12 weeks. The primary dependent variables assessed at baseline and after 6 and 12 weeks of training were body composition (lean tissue, fat, … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Mental Health Services in Canada: Building a Model of Mental Health Care UtilizationRésumé
Existing research literature shows that mental health care services are under-utilized among individuals who have mental health problems. In Canada, it is estimated that only 40% of individuals who have mental health problems are provided with mental health care. Although some past research have examined predictors of mental health care utilization, there are gaps in our knowledge of how these predictors interact with one another and how these predictors specifically affect mental health care utilization in Canada. In this study, data from the 2007/2008 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) were used with the goal of developing a more accurate picture … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Your Children – Our Students: Can Saskatchewan Parents and Schools Connect in Support of Career Development of Youth?Résumé
Research has identified that parents are a key influence in the career planning process of adolescents. Despite this, limited research exists in regard to how schools and parents/guardians might connect in support of the career development process of youth. The purpose of this research was to explore what Saskatchewan parents/guardians do to support the career development process of their high school aged children, investigate what types of school-based supports parent/guardians deem most helpful in support of their children, and attempt to identify if and how parents/guardians and schools might connect in meaningful ways in support of the students’ career exploration … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Development of GHG-Mitigation Oriented Models for the Planning of Integrated Energy-Environment Systems (IEES) Under UncertaintiesRésumé
Energy-related activities are a major contributor of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The mitigation of GHG emissions should thus be incorporated within the framework of integrated energy-environment systems (IEES) planning. However, various uncertainties and dynamics of the systems pose difficulties for IEES planning. As well, variations associated with random weather/climatic conditions aggravate planning challenges. This dissertation aims to address such complexities through developing a series of inexact optimization models. The associated models include: (a) an interval multi-stage stochastic programming model (IMSP-IEES), (b) an interval fuzzy multi-stage stochastic programming model (IFMP-IEES), (c) a dual-interval mixed-integer linear programming model (DMLP-IEES), (d) a … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Phase Behaviour and Mass Transfer of Solvent(s)-CO2-Heavy Oil Systems Under Reservoir ConditionsRésumé
CO2 has been found to be an efficient agent for recovering heavy oil resources worldwide through an immiscible displacement process. One major disadvantage of CO2 immiscible process is the limited solubility of CO2 in heavy oil, resulting in limited enhanced oil recovery. Addition of light alkane solvents to CO2 stream may provide a better recovery efficiency of heavy oil, though it is not well understood how addition of solvents will affect the phase behaviour and mass transfer of CO2-heavy oil systems. Therefore, it is of fundamental and practical importance to study phase behaviour and mass transfer of the solvent(s)-CO2-heavy oil … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Generalized Unified Approach to Regression Models with Covariates Missing in Nonmonotone PatternsRésumé
Complicated designs (eg. partially questionnaire design), which are often used in epidemiologic studies to reduce the cost of data collection while at the same time improving data quality, generate data with nonmonotone missing patterns. This thesis focuses on statistical inference for regression models with nonmonotone missing covariate data under some designs that generate nonmonotone missing data in covariates. Proposed methods in this scenario often depend on additional assumptions about covariates, for example, the covariates need to be categorical or follow a particular semiparametric joint distribution. This thesis describes a generalized unified estimation method for regression models with covariates missing in … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Breeding Biology of Grassland Songbirds and the Effects of Oil and Natural Gas Development on Their Density and Reproductive SuccessRésumé
Understanding the breeding ecology of grassland birds is vital for identifying the mechanisms underlying their widespread population declines. I describe the breeding biology of and quantify the effects of nest predation and brood parasitism on Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis), Baird’s Sparrow (Ammodramus bairdii), Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus), Western Meadowlark (Sternella neglecta), and Sprague’s Pipit (Anthus spragueii) in south-eastern Alberta. Nest predation was the primary cause of nest failure, accounting for 75% of all nest losses. For the three sparrow species, daily survival rates were higher during the incubation compared to the nestling stage. For all five species, clutch size, hatching … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Intentionality, Information and Consciousness: A Naturalistic PerspectiveRésumé
In this thesis, I offer a new interpretation of the principles of Naturalistic philosophy that are relevant to the philosophy of mind. In doing so, I attempt to accomplish the broader task of showing how we can make significant progress in our thinking about consciousness by first offering new conceptual foundations that can ground our theorizing, and then applying these new ideas to specific problems in the field. The thesis first articulates the advantages of Naturalism, properly understood, as a valuable methodological alternative to traditional approaches to problems in the field. Next, I explore what we can distill from work … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Granular State Space SearchRésumé
Granular computing is an emerging field of study that derives general principles and models from a wide range of disciplines and uses these principles and models to solve problems. One basic structure in granular computing is a granular struc- ture, which is a hierarchical multi-level structure made of granules. The granular structure implies important ways to problem solving such as hierarchical problem solving and top-down progressive processing. These ways can be used in artifi- cial intelligence. This thesis focuses on how to use granular computing to solve problems in state space search. State space search is a classical approach to … Lire la suite
-
2013 — L’amalgamation lexicale dans un corpus specializé: Analyse morphologiqueRésumé
Word formation phenomenon in French is constantly evolving. There are debates, research and conferences that focus on the description and clarification of the mechanisms employed in the creation of new lexical units. As a result of technical advancements, social, economic and political changes, new lexical forms are created to express new concepts and ideas. Hence, language being a social phenomenon remains dynamic. Terminology as a branch of study that specializes, among others, in the development of Language for Special Purposes (LSP) employs different mechanisms in the formation of terms used in a specific technical domain of knowledge. It is therefore … Lire la suite
-
2013 — A Grounded Theory Study on Student Perceptions of Online Distance LearningRésumé
The student population in higher educational institutions in North American Societies of the 21st century is rapidly changing (Allen & Seaman, 2011). The findings in a recent study conducted by Allen and Seaman of universities in the United States indicates that approximately 6.1 million students were enrolled in at least one online course during their academic program. Allen and Seaman further state the increased offerings of an online learning option are also forms an integral part of the long term strategy of educational institutions to increase student enrollment. With the upsurge of sophisticated technologies, students have become more informed of … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Learning Pattern Languages from a Small Number of Helpfully Chosen ExamplesRésumé
A pattern is a string containing variable symbols and constants. The language of a pattern is the set of all strings obtained by replacing all variables in the pattern with non-empty strings. Patterns and their languages were introduced by Angluin in 1980. Since that time, learning of pattern languages has been a topic of great interest in the research area of computational learning theory, mainly because of its relevance for many applications. Areas in which patterns are suitable for modelling data are for example bioinformatics (e.g., when representing sets of amino acid sequences) or text mining (e.g., for automated information … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Characterization of Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphylococcus aureus associated with mixed skin and soft tissue infections in northern Saskatchewan communitiesRésumé
Community-associated infections are a significant public health concern worldwide. In particular, epidemic and emerging antibiotic-resistant bacteria associated with skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) are becoming more prevalent in certain populations. Bacterial pathogens Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphylococcus aureus can each cause infections that range from being mild in nature to severe and life-threatening. Together, these bacteria can be isolated from mixed, polymicrobial SSTI. These infections, such as impetigo, can be typically mild, but are easily spread by contact transmission. Treatment of these uncomplicated cases may include either prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) topical antibiotic therapy. In northern Saskatchewan communities experiencing high … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Osteoporosis Care GapRésumé
Osteoporosis and its related fractures pose a major public health concern and a considerable economic burden on health care systems. There are recognized gaps, not only in care between best practice and actual care delivery as it relates to osteoporosis screening access, but also from knowledge to practice as men and women at risk of osteoporosis and fragility fractures are not engaging in adequate preventive health behaviours. A series of three studies were conducted and emphasized primary and secondary prevention of osteoporosis in effort to reduce the care gap. The purpose of Study 1 was to conduct a systematic review … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Play Pals Case Study: Promoting Physical Activity and Health Literacy Through Near-peer Role Modeling and MentoringRésumé
Adolescent girls are not meeting the recommended daily physical activity levels needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The 2012 Active Healthy Kids Canada report card states that only 17% of girls ages 10-16 accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity on each of the past seven days (Active Healthy Kids Canada, 2012). If this trend continues into adulthood, many girls are facing the risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, asthma, and arthritis, which could easily be prevented by establishing and maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle early in life (Center for … Lire la suite
-
2013 — The Experiences of International Students in Cooperative Education: A Case StudyRésumé
This research explores the experiences of adult international students participating in the Cooperative Education Program at the University of Regina. Purposive sampling was used to select four participants for this study. A case study methodology was used with data gathered through semi-structured interviews and journals and then thematically analyzed. Although the participants reported difficulty finding work placements, the Cooperative Education Program allowed them to gain Canadian work experience and to develop a network of contacts they felt would enhance their careers. Each participant had a unique experience in the workplace with language and cultural differences playing a critical role. Participants … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Mass Transfer Studies of Carbon Dioxide Absorption into Aqueous Solutions of 4-(Diethylamine)-2-Butanol, Blended Monoethanolamine with 4-(Diethylamine)-2-Butanol, and Blended Monoethanolamine with MethyldiethanolamineRésumé
One of the parameters used to characterize the performance of a solvent for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture is the mass transfer performance of CO2 absorption in the solvent. In this study, a newly developed amino alcohol solvent, 4-(diethylamino)-2-butanol (DEAB), was evaluated for its mass transfer performance as a single or blended solvent in comparison with existing commercially available amine solvents. Consequently, the mass transfer performance characteristics of the absorption of CO2 in aqueous solutions of a primary alkanolamine (e.g. monoethanolamine, MEA), a tertiary amine (e.g. methyldiethanolamine, MDEA) and DEAB were compared using a bench-scale absorber packed with high efficiency DX … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Sociocultural Literacy Practices of a Sudanese Mother and Son in CanadaRésumé
Students learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) within Canada often need extra supports. However, the further needs of students who lack first language print literacy skills are, more often than not, neglected. The purpose of this thesis is to look at the social and cultural practices of literacy of EAL learners who are illiterate or have a low level of literacy in their first language (L1), since it takes these learners significantly longer to develop Second Language Acquisition (SLA) in comparison to EAL learners who have first language print literacy skills. This thesis begins by recognizing the issue of … Lire la suite
-
2013 — A Description of Monolingual English Teachers Appreciations of Student Language Repertoires in Hutterian Colony SchoolsRésumé
This phenomenological study describes five monolingual English teachers’ understandings of the language repertoires of their students in a Hutterian colony context. The five participants deliver the provincial curriculum through the English language to Hutterian colony students who have the three languages of spoken Hutterisch, written High German and English. In brief, findings demonstrate that the teachers had limited or inaccurate understanding of the students' language repertoires before beginning their teaching positions. In addition , the teacher participants’ awareness of the students’ language resources was, and is, an ongoing developmental process, one that is shaped by their own linguistic identities. The … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Measurements of the Molar Heat Capacity and the Molar Excess Enthalpy for Various Alkanolamines in Aqueous SolutionsRésumé
The purpose of this study is to determine the molar heat capacity (Cp) and molar excess enthalpy for 4-Ethylmorpholine, 2-(Isopropylamino)ethanol, 2-(Diisopropylamino)ethanol, 3-Dimethylamino-1-propanol(3-DEAP), and1-Dimethylamino-2-propanol (1-DEAP) in aqueous solutions by means of a C80 heat flow calorimeter over the entire range of mole fractions at different temperatures. The heat capacity measurements were carried out from 303.15K to 353.15K, whereas the excess enthalpies were measured at 298.15, 313.15, and 333.15K. An estimated uncertainty of 1% was found in the measured amount of the molar excess enthalpy as well as heat capacity. Among the five selected alkanolamines, 2-DPAE possessed the highest value in terms … Lire la suite
-
2013 — A Theoretical Framework for Analysis of Communication PathwaysRésumé
Networks such as Peer-to-Peer (P2P), ad hoc, wireless sensor, and other complex networks do not support optimal communication between different devices across their configurations. They require appropriate algorithms to distribute data because they may have unspecific structures with a large amount of nodes, energy constraints, channel restrictions, and delays. The desired communication algorithms for these networks are simple and robust in order to handle these unpredictable characteristics. For example, gossip algorithms are used as core messaging algorithms for many distributed applications in wireless ad-hoc networks, sensor networks, and peer-to-peer networks because the underlying networks have complex unstructured topologies. This thesis … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Phosphorus Removal From Stormwater Using Electric Arc Furnace Steel SlagRésumé
The use of electric arc furnace steel slag (EAF) as a viable add-on technology to existing stormwater systems for the removal of dissolved phosphorus was investigated. Existing popular stormwater treatment measures such as grassed swales, detention ponds and constructed wetlands, while effective in removing certain components such as suspended solids, have not fared very well in dealing with dissolved nutrients and heavy metals. This can create a host of health and economic challenges for the communities that rely on these water supplies for their upkeep and well-being. Synthetic stormwater solutions of different metal to phosphorus concentration ratios observed in actual … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Hydrogen Production by Water Gas Shift Reaction Following Dry Reforming of Biogas Methane in Membrane and Packed Bed Tubular ReactorsRésumé
The goal of this study was to develop a high performance catalyst for the water gas shift reaction of reformate gas obtained from the dry reforming of biogas methane, in order to produce bio-renewable hydrogen suitable for feed to a fuel cell. Accordingly, three phases of the study were executed involving the identification and optimization of the catalyst, application in a membrane reactor and kinetic studies of the water gas shift reaction. A portfolio of ternary oxide catalysts with a nominal composition of 3Ni5Cu/CeZrM (where M = La, Mg, Y, Gd, Ca) were developed and prepared by surfactant assisted route. … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Statistical Evaluation of Rapid Biochemical Oxygen Demand Test for Monitoring Municipal Wastewater QualityRésumé
The conventional standard methods for measuring wastewater quality include the 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) and carbonaceous BOD (CBOD5). This thesis presents an alternative wastewater quality test that requires much less time to achieve valid results. This research addresses the precision and statistical validity of an alternative methodology consisting of a two-phased testing approach: an enhanced total adenosine triphosphate (E-tATP) process and percent confirmatory bacterial reduction (%CBR) process that evaluates the aggressiveness of heterotrophic aerobic bacteria (HAB) communities as a means to determining the overall wastewater quality. Primary influent (PI) and final effluent (FE) samples from two municipal wastewater treatment … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Dewatering Behavior of Centrifuged Oil Sand Fine Tailings for Surface DepositionRésumé
Tailings footprint reduction efforts have led to the investigation of several treatment technologies (natural, physical, chemical and physicochemical processes) to improve tailings dewatering. Most of these methods develop slurries with solids content ranging between 50% and 60% (Devenny, 2010). However, this solids content is not enough because the material cannot be readily reclaimed as a soil. The required improvement is achieved through subsequent dewatering in the disposal facility by evaporation that, in turn, is governed by the prevalent climate. Centrifuge technology is being adapted as part of long time management of oil sand fine tailings. The main objective of this … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Fear Rises from the Dead: A Sociological Analysis of Contemporary Zombie Films as Mirrors of Social FearsRésumé
This thesis explores three contemporary zombie films, 28 Days Later (2002), Land of the Dead (2005), and Zombieland (2009), released between the years 2000 and 2010, and provides a sociological analysis of the fears in the films and their relation to the social fears present in North American society during that time period. What we consume in entertainment is directly related to what we believe, fear, and love in our current social existence. Thus, this paper argues that the rise in popularity of zombie films, and zombies in general, is directly connected to our fears and anxieties as a culture, … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Development and Evaluation of a Hybrid Membrane Bioreactor for Greywater ReclamationRésumé
The development and evaluation of novel treatment and sanitation devices are necessary for the advancement of wastewater management practices. Considering future water demands and the limitation of current supplies, water security will likely become a central issue of the 21st century. To address this concern, a greywater reclamation system for non-potable water applications was developed and evaluated during this research. The reclamation system consisted primarily of a hybrid membrane bioreactor (HMBR), a biological treatment system containing both attached and suspended growth processes and membrane separation. A 10 month pilot study using synthetic and real greywater was conducted at the University … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Can Meaning Associated with Perceptual Grouping Modulate Attention?Résumé
In an environment rich with information, performance on a task depends on the ability to select only the relevant pieces of information for achieving a current goal. Cognitive psychologists propose that selective attention helps to segregate the relevant information from the irrelevant information. A combination of bottom-up and top-down factors jointly influences the settings of the attentional filter (Spalek, Falcon & Di Lollo, 2006) such that only task-relevant information is selected for further processing. However, biologically- and socially-important stimuli like affective faces are proposed to influence allocation of attention (Vuilleumier & Schwartz, 2001). Task-irrelevant emotional faces are proposed to capture … Lire la suite
-
2013 — The Use of Object-Based Classification of High Resolution Panchromatic Satellite Imagery for the Inventory of Shelterbelts in the Province of SaskatchewanRésumé
The Prairie Shelterbelt Program of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, has produced many benefits for farmers and the prairie landscape: reducing soil erosion, protecting crops, controlling snow drifting over highways/roads and providing wildlife habitat. Due to growing concerns about rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the ability of shelterbelts to sequester carbon dioxide may also be of importance. Although the Prairie Shelterbelt Program has been distributing tree and shrub seedlings for more than 100 years, and records of the numbers of trees shipped have been kept, an inventory of the number of trees that have been successfully planted and … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Smoking to Cope with Pain: The Motivating Effects of Pain Induction on Smoking Urge and BehaviourRésumé
Millions of Canadians live with chronic pain. Substantial evidence has linked tobacco smoking with both acute and chronic pain conditions. Contemporary models of pain and smoking posit a cyclical relationship wherein individuals smoke to reduce pain in the short term; however, smoking to cope with pain indirectly exacerbates pain in the long term. Recent findings suggest situational pain is sufficient to increase smoking urge and immediate smoking behaviour (Ditre & Brandon, 2008). The purpose of the current investigation is to replicate and extend the findings of Ditre and Brandon (2008) by investigating the effects of (a) situational pain on smoking … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Simulation Study of Distillation, Stripping, and Flash Technology for an Energy Efficient Methanol Recovery Unit in Biodiesel Production ProcessesRésumé
Biodiesel is an important alternative renewable energy source currently produced by transesterification reaction of oil or fat with methanol. To improve the conversion, excess methanol is required, which must be recovered from the product stream and recycled back into the process for further biodiesel production. The intensive energy requirements for methanol recovery are an important issue that directly impacts the production costs of biodiesel. To reduce the cost of biodiesel production, an energy efficient methanol recovery unit (MRU) is crucial. This work focuses on energy requirement reduction by distillation, flash-based recovery, and newly-introduced stripping-based methanol recovery units. Four different continuous … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Comparison of the vegetation and seed banks of natural and restored wetlands In the Prairie Pothole Region, Saskatchewan.Résumé
In the early 1970s, many wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of Saskatchewan, Canada, were drained to increase the agricultural land base. In the early-mid 1990s, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) restored many of these drained wetlands to their original spill elevations, reverting back to the natural hydrological cycles and relying on any existing seed banks to passively revegetate the basins. This study compared the vegetation communities and seed banks of “Restored” wetlands to those of “Natural” (never drained) wetlands after almost twenty years, and considered whether relict seed banks could successfully restore drained wetlands without reseeding typical wetland vegetation species. … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Dissemination of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria and Plasmids Encoding Antibiotic Resistance Genes in the EnvironmentRésumé
Multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria (also referred to as superbugs) are classified among the world’s leading cause of death in humans. The continued emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) among different bacteria in clinical and non-clinical environments is cause for concern. Identifying and studying important reservoirs could lead to understanding of persistence, transfer and dissemination of these bacteria and ARGs from environmental sources to humans. The specific objectives of this study are to; a) Investigate the role computer keyboards may play as an environmental reservoir for community-associated methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) using culture based and molecular tools. b) … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Intentions in Attending Faith-based Schools: Stories of Muslim Students in SaskatchewanRésumé
This qualitative study explores the question: How are students' intentions and experiences in attending a faith-based school reflected in the scholarly and religious intentions and practices of faith-based schools that are found in research? The study question is inspired in part by the works of Tariq Ramadan (2004), which used mixed methods, drawing on some aspects of grounded theory for data interpretation including coding analysis, narrative theory for the storyline method. In this study, the data collection was accomplished through the methods of interviews and an on-line survey. The data was based on seven participants from the graduating class of … Lire la suite
-
2013 — Childhood Abuse and Health Anxiety: The Roles of Attachment and Emotion RegulationRésumé
Health anxiety refers to excessive preoccupation or worry about one’s health. A number of childhood experiences have been linked to the development of health anxiety in adulthood; however, the influence of childhood abuse on health anxiety is unclear. Previous literature has revealed mixed findings (e.g., Noyes et al., 2002; Salmon & Calderbank, 1996). The purpose of the current study was to examine levels of health anxiety in adults who have a history of childhood abuse (i.e., physical, sexual, emotional, and neglect) and to investigate the roles of emotion regulation and attachment in this relationship. It was hypothesized that there would … Lire la suite