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2023 — Experiences of professionals working with pre-adolescent children who are using psychoactive substances in Regina, SKRésumé
The purpose of this thesis research was to 1) explore the pathways to seeking and accessing support for substance use among pre-adolescents from the point of view of professionals working with children under age of 12, and, 2) examine how these professionals’ views on pre-adolescent substance use inform what services this population receives. The goal of the study was not only to understand how preadolescents access services for substance use but how the views of professionals assist or create barriers to accessing these services. The study used a qualitative, multiple case study method to interview four service providers, representing different … Lire la suite
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2023 — Effects of flue gas impurities on amine stability in C02 capture processRésumé
Amine stability in a post-combustion carbon capture plant is considered one of the most essential parameters tracked to keep the process running at peak efficiency. The presence of impurities in exhaust gases (O2, SOx, NOx) is known to undergo undesired irreversible reactions with the amine to form products leading to solvent loss which impedes the optimum operation of the plant. Metal oxides (the main constituents of industrial exhaust gas fly ash) influence on solvent degradation however have not been reported extensively and hence this study aims at investigating the effects of different metal oxides common in the blast furnace exhaust … Lire la suite
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2023 — Fostering food security through local culture: Insights from Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in SaskatchewanRésumé
Food insecurity has become a wicked problem and a global challenge, raising the concerns of farmers, consumers, and world leaders. Against the common opinion that food insecurity exists only in developing nations, research has shown that food insecurity is also experienced in developed countries like Canada and has been documented for over four decades. Findings from an online provincial survey with urban and rural respondents (n=168) have shown that Saskatchewan people have significant concerns about food insecurity. Hence, this thesis builds on the survey results and collects valuable insights through semi-structured interviews with 14 Val Marie and Muskeg Lake participants, … Lire la suite
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2023 — "Call him what he is—a cannibal killer": Representations of mental illness in Canadian news and social media through a case study of the Greyhound bus attackRésumé
Using the 2008 Greyhound bus attack in Manitoba, Canada, as a case study, this project explores representations of mental illness in the media. The study analyzes news coverage of the case from 2008 to 2017, public Facebook comments on stories posted via news agencies’ Facebook profiles, and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, professionals, and subject matter experts. The data were analyzed through a combined and updated theoretical framework of C. Wright Mills’ sociological imagination and Stuart Hall’s encoding/decoding model of communication, and an interpretivist approach to data analysis using sociological discourse analysis. The findings of this project demonstrated significant gaps … Lire la suite
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2023 — Examining native Saskatchewan bumble bees health using species occurrence data, pathogen incidence and gut microbial associationsRésumé
Bees are important pollinators, though, recent evidence suggests some species of bumble bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombini, Bombus Latreille) are declining in parts of their ranges due to a combination of drivers such as climate change, pesticide use, habitat loss, competition for resources and pathogens acting upon the bees at once. A relatively new and important area of gut microbial research, the fungal and bacterial gut community members, could offer insight on why some species of bumble bees are declining while others remain stable. In this thesis, I use a combination of field and molecular methods to investigate aspects of bumble … Lire la suite
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2023 — Efficient estimation for time series modelsRésumé
In this dissertation, we discuss the pretest, improved pretest and shrinkage estimators for some time series regression models, such as ARIMA, GARMA, and GARFIMA. We study the asymptotic biases and risks of these estimators and compare their relative performance with respect to the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) analytically and numerically using Monte Carlo experiments and real data examples. In Chapter 2, we consider the James-Stein shrinkage estimation procedure for the ARIMA regression model when some prior/auxilliary information is available about insignificant covariates in the model. The asymptotic properties of the shrinkage estimators, under local alternatives, are implemented including the derivations … Lire la suite
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2023 — Saturated–Unsaturated behaviour of compacted claysRésumé
Clayey soils are often compacted for geotechnical and geo-environmental construction such as hydraulic dams, road embankments, tailings containment facilities, and municipal landfills. Post construction, these earthworks are exposed to variations in seasonal weather and extreme climatic events (drought, flood, and freezing), contaminations (deicing salts, ion-rich slurries, and toxic leachates), and applied stresses (self-weight, vehicular traffic, and heavy equipment), thereby affecting the integrity of civil infrastructures. The geotechnical behavior (flow through, volume change, and shear strength) is governed by soil composition and compaction, soil-water-electrolyte mechanisms, soil-atmosphere interactions, and field conditions. This research focused on developing a clear understanding of saturated–unsaturated behavior … Lire la suite
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2023 — Drag-and-drop query refinement and query history visualization for mobile exploratory searchRésumé
Search plays a crucial role in digital public libraries due to the vast amount of information available to users. These users often require support because their search tasks are inherently complex. Complex search tasks, characterized as ill-defined, open-ended, or multi-faceted, occur when the information need cannot be satisfied by simply finding a single optimal resource; searchers are required to revise, refine, and reformulate their queries multiple times. One challenge that users face is how to refine their queries. This challenge is compounded when using a mobile device, where typing is time-consuming and error-prone. Conducting searches in a mobile context adds … Lire la suite
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2023 — Sword fighting in virtual reality: Where are we and how do we make it realRésumé
Virtual Reality has historically been a research space concerned with recreating the natural world around us. It is currently best known for its role in gaming and escapism. A number of different mediums have used virtual reality for its strengths in training. It is particularly useful for its ability to recreate real world locations and situations while still having full control over the environment. One area where it has failed in this realism is in its portrayal of fencing. Fencing, also known as sword fighting, is a common interaction in virtual reality gaming. Virtual reality fencing is plagued by a … Lire la suite
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2023 — Understanding hadronic mass through light meson structure at the EICRésumé
The Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) is a new US $2 billion high-luminosity accelerator that is expected to be operational at BrookhavenNational Laboratory (BNL), USAat the beginning of the next decade [1]. One of the main goals of the EIC is to understand the origin of hadronic mass, this is the majority of visible mass (¡99%) in the universe. Based on current understanding, it is known that the mass of these systems is intricately connected to their internal structure. To understand this structure, and therefore these hadronic mass generation mechanisms, one of the simplest ways to examine the lightest hadronic systems such … Lire la suite
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2023 — Cellular network KPI prediction on simulated 5G-NR V2N traffic dataset using machine learningRésumé
The arrival of 5G has brought a promise of better connectivity for users, but also a challenge for cellular networks to maintain high-quality service and energy efficiency. To optimize the network and meet user demands, a resource management system is used to allocate resources in the 5G Radio Access Network (RAN). However, manual tuning of this system is complex and time-consuming. By predicting the future behavior of Network Key Performance Indexes (KPIs) of the 5G network using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its subfield, Machine Learning (ML), this study can automate the operations of the Resource Management system, improve resource allocation, … Lire la suite
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2023 — Effects of high permeability channel parameters on VAPEX performance: A numerical and experimental approach utilizing the reservoir-on-the-chipRésumé
Numerous heavy oil and bitumen reservoirs exist in Canada. Regarding the ever-growing energy demands and the economic aspects and the rising environmental concerns, these underground resources need to be produced from through advanced, environmentally friendly, and economically viable methods. The implementation of such techniques can secure the future of the heavy oil industry. Despite resulting in lower production rates, the solvent-based methods hold major advantages over the thermal recovery methods in many other areas such as those mentioned. The present research carries out an in-detail study of the VAPEX process, as one of the most recent solvent-based heavy oil recovery … Lire la suite
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2023 — A novel scaling approach for micro-optical analysis of nanoparticle-stabilized CO2 foam flooding for enhanced heavy oil recoveryRésumé
Heavy oil reservoirs are considered one of the prime hydrocarbon resources for the upcoming decades in Canada. However, more technological and effective methods are needed to overcome the economic and environmental limitations of existing sole surfactants, polymers, nanoparticles, and CO2 flooding recovery methods. Laboratory experiments of these combined methods yields promising outcomes, but cost-effective manners and optimal operating conditions still need to be determined. In this dissertation, mathematical and experimental investigations of nanoparticle-stabilized CO2 foam flooding were performed to enhance heavy oil recovery. CO2 injection is one of the most promising techniques that can enhance heavy oil recovery by reducing … Lire la suite
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2023 — Classifying ovarian cancer using machine learning methodsRésumé
Ovarian cancer is one of the most fatal cancers for women nowadays. It is ranked as fifth most common cancer deaths among women resulting more deaths than any other cancers in female reproductive system. According to Canadian Cancer society that about 3000 ovarian cancer patients were detected, and among them 1950 patients died in 2022 which indicating more than 50% of mortality rate. Ovarian cancer is mainly generated from cancerous ovarian tumour. So, it is very important to classify cancerous tumour from noncancerous tumour to prevent false positive for ovarian cancer. Moreover, if cancerous tumour is diagnosed in early stage, … Lire la suite
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2023 — Systems Biology of Host-Pathogen Protein-Protein InteractionsRésumé
Despite undeniable therapeutic developments in infectiology, emerging infectious diseases continue to be a growing threat to public health, as seen by the current COVID- 19 pandemic caused by the novel virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). This virus is classified as an obligate intracellular parasite that co-opts host cellular proteins, often through protein-protein interactions (PPIs), to ensure its replication. Therefore, this thesis aims to integrate high-throughput proteomic approaches with computational modelling to systematically characterize SARS-CoV-2-human networks for a detailed understanding of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis. The angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE2) receptor of SARS-CoV-2 is displayed on many human cells, including the lungs … Lire la suite
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2023 — An intelligent system approach for predicting the risk of heart failureRésumé
Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition in which the heart muscle is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs for blood and oxygen. It is a severe and long-term condition and there are several complications from heart failure that include irregular heartbeat, sudden cardiac arrest, heart valve problems, pulmonary hypertension, kidney damage, liver damage, malnutrition etc. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number one cause of death in cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is estimated at 17.9 million a year, which accounts for 31% of all deaths worldwide. The majority of heart patients are diagnosed at … Lire la suite
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2023 — I was about to be them/thereRésumé
This paper supports my Master of Fine Arts graduation thesis exhibition, I Was About to Be Them/There, presented at the Fifth Parallel Gallery from December 13- 21 in 2023. My MFA exhibition consists of videos of performances, an audio/video installation, and a photograph, through which I convey the experience of being subject to external forces that shape my behavior, thoughts, and emotions. This work offers a metaphoric perspective on my experiences as an Iranian woman, and resonates with the experiences of many other women in our homeland. I aim to share the confusion and paradox that arises from existing in … Lire la suite
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2023 — Precision-based boosting for regressionRésumé
Regression is a type of predictive modeling problem that involves estimating a continuous numerical value based on input variables. The goal of this research is to investigate whether incorporating the precision of regression models on specific target values can improve the performance of ensemble-based regression models. We begin by reviewing two existing ensemble methods for classification, namely AdaBoost and PrAdaBoost, which will form the basis of our proposed ensemble method for regression. We also provide a formal analysis of the training error upper bounds for PrAdaBoost and AdaBoost. The mathematical proof shows that PrAdaBoost’s upper bound is always less than … Lire la suite
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2023 — Establishing wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 in Southern SaskatchewanRésumé
Wastewater surveillance has become a crucial part in the monitoring of the COVID-19 pandemic. Infected people shed SARS-CoV-2 in their feces, therefore, virus levels in wastewater reflect the trends in infection numbers in the population that contributes to the wastewater. Wastewater surveillance offers information about the spread of SARS-CoV-2 independent of testing strategies and individual choices and therefore better reflects population health than individual testing. In this study we compared five RNA extraction kits and reagents and different enrichment methods for wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and determined that the solids fraction of wastewater was most suitable for RNA extraction … Lire la suite
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2023 — Discretization of nature-inspired techniques for combinatorial problemsRésumé
Scientists across various domains like scheduling, computational biology, and machine learning face constraint-solving and optimization problems. Classical systematic and mathematical methods often fall short of providing suitable solutions for such complex problems, leading to the introduction of metaheuristic algorithms. These algorithms exhibit diverse characteristics and can effectively address specific optimization problems. The primary motivation is to develop robust metaheuristics that can efficiently handle scaling problems. However, one challenge with metaheuristics is their immature convergence. In the context of Constraint Satisfaction Problems (CSPs), a framework applicable to numerous real-world problems, metaheuristics play a significant role. To address these objectives and challenges, … Lire la suite
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2023 — Credit card fraud detection using incremental feature learningRésumé
Detecting credit card fraud is essential and it is one of the most popular payment methods. Credit card fraud can cause huge losses for cardholders. Therefore, so many studies have focused on proposing different standard machine learning methods and limited use of incremental learning to create a robust detective system. None of these studies can solve all the credit card fraud challenges together. The reason is the complicated real-world scenario and data we have in our hands. Some of these challenges are rapid data arrival rate, concept drift which causes model performance to decline over time and data sensitivity which … Lire la suite
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2023 — Studying the background response of Minihalo for design optimizationsRésumé
The Neutron Detection Characterization Facility also called Minihalo Neutrino Detector is a planned research and development project that will enhance the detection capabilities of lead based neutrino detectors for supernova physics. It will will be used to construct low background He-3 counters for HALO-1kT supernova neutrino detector and will also provide experimental data on cross-sections of ν-Pb interactions at supernova energy scale. The detector will be placed at the SNS Facility in Oak Ridge National Laboratory on Oak Ridge, Tennesse, USA. The SNS Facility produces three ν species from impinging protons at liquid-mecury target. The νμ, ¯νμ, and νe are … Lire la suite
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2023 — Predictive visual servoing; uncertainty analysis and probabilistic robust frameworksRésumé
Motion control of robots in unstructured environments is a challenging task. The utilization of cameras as an information-rich sensor shows promise. In this context, image-based visual predictive controllers have gained attention due to their optimal-ity and constraint-handling capabilities. However, their performance deteriorates in presence of uncertainties in the robotic platforms, system models, and measurements. This work proposes a set of robust image-based visual predictive control methods that overcome the shortcomings of the previous visual servoing methods in the presence of uncertainties. In this dissertation, we have proposed a set of adaptive, stochastic, risk-averse, and learning-based visual servoing schemes that improve … Lire la suite
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2023 — Problem recognition and treatment recommendations of somatic and cognitive-affective presentations of depression and generalized anxietyRésumé
Major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are among the leading causes of disability in the world; yet, rates of treatment seeking are exceptionally low. Poor mental health literacy is an important barrier to treatment seeking. One component of mental health literacy that impedes help seeking is poor problem recognition, or misidentifying a disorder and its symptoms when they are present. Although a wealth of research has established that accuracy of problem recognition is associated with help seeking related constructs (e.g., types of treatments recommended, intentions to seek treatment), no study to date has examined problem recognition of … Lire la suite
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2023 — Development of solvent for CO2 capture for utilization in concrete and storage in geological formationsRésumé
This study focused on developing an environmentally benign solvent for CO2 capture for utilization in concrete and the potential permanent storage in geological formations. Initial solvent screening and the selection included 2M aqueous solvents of KOH, NaOH, K2CO3, Na2CO3, sodium and potassium salts of glycine and lysine at 40oC and 20% CO2 balance nitrogen. The performance of the solvents was evaluated in terms of initial absorption rate, solvent precipitation and CO2 equilibrium loading. To present the best performing solvents as commercial products, the selected solvents were further optimized concerning solvent concentration, precipitation, CO2 partial pressure and absorption temperature. The absorption … Lire la suite
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2023 — Developing a new approach for estimating oil recovery during Steam-Assisted-Gravity-Drainage (SAGD)Résumé
Canada possesses a substantial abundance of heavy oil and bitumen reserves. Given the continuously growing energy requirements, in conjunction with economic factors and expanding environmental issues, it becomes crucial to employ modern and economically viable techniques for extracting these subsurface resources. These methods not only demonstrate alignment with present requirements but also contribute to the long-term sustainability of the heavy oil business. Among the array of thermal procedures available, Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) emerges as a highly promising approach for attaining substantial oil recovery. Despite the practicality of this technique and extensive research dedicated to it, there exists a notable … Lire la suite
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2023 — The role of neurosteriod fluctuation in perimenopausal depressionRésumé
There is a well-established increase in depression risk during the menopause transition – known as perimenopausal depression. Increased fluctuation of estradiol has long been thought to be an important causal factor in perimenopausal depression, and recent research suggests that increases, decreases, or absolute changes in estradiol may be associated with depressive symptoms in different subsets of perimenopausal women. However, the mechanisms by which estradiol differentially influences mood are still very unclear. Preliminary evidence suggests that estradiol may increase vulnerability to developing depressive symptoms through the effects of a neurosteroid called allopregnanolone. In the current study, the role of estradiol and … Lire la suite
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2023 — The environmental and geochemical controls on mercury and sulphur cycling in Prairie Pothole Region wetland complexesRésumé
Wetlands are known to play important roles in the cycling of mercury (Hg), which may ultimately lead to the generation of methylmercury (MeHg), a neurotoxin that bioaccumulates in food webs. The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America hosts sulphur-rich wetlands that favour the production of MeHg. Within these wetland systems, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and sulphate fuel bacterial sulphate reduction (BSR), resulting in increased Hg methylation in select PPR wetlands. Due to local variability in wetland geochemistry, a reflection of hydrologic processes and differences in surficial Quaternary lithology, understanding the biogeochemical cycling of Hg in these wetlands is inherently … Lire la suite
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2023 — Inclusive internal governance policies to support women’s representation: A case study of three mid-sized municipalities in CanadaRésumé
This thesis explores the recent phenomenon of inclusive internal governance policies (IIGPs) for municipal councils. Prior research urges the adoptions of IIGPs as they may help mitigate one of the biggest barriers to women’s representation – the negative political environment on municipal councils (Federation of Canadian Municipalities [FCM], 2018; Seasonova, 2022; Seiferling, 2016). IIGPs are needed to act as safeguards enabling a safer, more respectful and inclusive council workspace environment. Municipalities only recently started to adopt IIGPs, therefore, there has not been much research about these policies. The objective of this research is to expand the knowledge of IIGPs and … Lire la suite
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2023 — Analysis and prediction of traffic accidents at urban intersectionsRésumé
Traffic accidents generate significant harm, injuries, and fatalities on a global scale, making their investigation an important topic of study. In the initial phase of the study, we examine the influence of three micro traffic parameters, namely standstill distance, headway duration, and following distance oscillation, on both traffic flow and intersection safety. A data-driven approach is proposed for identifying the Pareto optimal sets of parameter combinations that both maximise the flow volume and minimise the risk of crashes. The analysis of traffic flow is conducted by considering different scenarios involving standstill distances ranging from 0 to 5 metres, headway times … Lire la suite
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2023 — Performance evaluation of BioPET detector for plant-imagingRésumé
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging for plants has the potential to advance our understanding of plant physiology and metabolism, leading to the more efficient and sustainable agricultural practices. However, conventional clinical and preclinical PET systems are not fully suitable to plant studies due to requirement of a very good spatial resolution in order to distinguish plant tissues of small size. Additionally, a proper axial and transaxial Field of View (FOV) is needed to adapt plants of different sizes in a vertical alignment before imaging. In order to overcome these technical constraints, BioPET, a plant-imaging instrument was designed and developed. The … Lire la suite
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2023 — Investigations in plasmid biology at the levels of the gene, community, and ecosystemRésumé
Bacteria are diverse microorganisms that interact with and impact human life in myriad ways. Their genomes are typically comprised of a single chromosome on which core genes are encoded, and additional genetic structures that carry additional, accessory loci. Plasmids are one type of accessory genetic element that have a capacity to jump horizontally between bacteria, and in doing so, provide genes and associated functions to new hosts. Plasmids have established impacts on bacterial physiology and evolution, but many ques- tions remain about how plasmids persist, spread, and change in nature. Furthermore, since plas- mids evade standard sequencing and assembly approaches, … Lire la suite
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2023 — Forged within power relations: A narrative study about non-academics becoming community-based research facilitatorsRésumé
This dissertation is rooted in my lived experience as an adult educator and my commitment to community-led development. I am committed to seeing more community groups organize themselves and lead change processes to dismantle unjust structures and create a better world. This process commonly occurs through loops of knowledge production, learning, and action known as community-based research (CBR). Although CBR started as a grassroots movement in the Global South, it became institutionalized as an action-oriented research approach which engages community members throughout the participatory project. To date, scholars have given little attention to experiences in which community members function as … Lire la suite
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2023 — Using unmanned aerial vehicles to examine how aboveground forest biomass and bat activity are related to three-dimensional canopy structureRésumé
Canopies are emergent properties of a large number of individual trees and provide the underlying structure which affects many other components of forest ecosystems. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) data fills an important gap in aerial imaging by offering an affordable and repeatable source of data to assess variation between forest stands across a given landscape. Individual tree crowns can be segmented from canopy height models to provide detailed information about forest and canopy structure, and photogrammetric point cloud data can be used to identify key habitat variables which affect bat activity. A greater density of biomass may reflect higher productivity … Lire la suite
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2023 — Frequency domain analysis of U-Net segmented ultrasound imagesRésumé
During prostate cancer brachytherapy, catheters are inserted into a patient's prostate for a highly localized radiation treatment. Accurately placed catheters are critical for successful treatment and ultrasound images are taken throughout the procedure to verify their exact positions. However, manually locating catheters on ultrasound images is extremely di cult, time consuming, and happens while the catheters are still in the patient. A fully automatic solution could signi cantly reduce procedure time and potentially even improve the precision. This thesis introduces a novel approach that segments 2D ultrasound images using the successful U-Net architecture to determine catheter candidates. These candidates are … Lire la suite
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2023 — Learning to listen differently: Witnessing survivor testimony and implications for ethical responsesRésumé
During the Educators for Solidarity Initiative in 2017, participants bore witness to survivor testimony about the 1981 massacre that took place on the banks of the Rio Lempa in El Salvador. It is the experience of bearing witness to survivor testimony with participants who accompanied me on this journey, whose affective responses, unsettlement, and understanding of settler responsibilities are at the center of this study. Explored through autoethnography and life writing methodologies this qualitative study aimed to answer the central research question: “Does the act of witnessing survivor testimony at the Rio Lempa impact the obligations of (settler) witnessing and … Lire la suite
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2023 — Determination of evaporative flux from water and soil surfacesRésumé
The Canadian Prairies has the highest water demand-to-availability ratio in Canada. The region is characterized by a scarcity of water resources because evaporation generally exceed precipitation. Evaporation is a complex phenomenon based on interactions between meteorological and physiological factors. The purpose of this research was to accurately determine evaporative flux from water and soil surfaces. The main research contributions of this research are summarized as follows: (i) a Bench-scale Atmospheric Simulator (BAS/BAS2) was developed to control artificially generated parameters for short time periods; (ii) a Controlled Photogrammetry System (CPS) using Structure-from-Motion (SfM) technology was developed for accurate and non-destructive measurement … Lire la suite
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2023 — Perceptions and experiences of leisure-time physical activity among older adults following a heart attackRésumé
Leisure has been found to improve later-life well-being and to help people in coping with life changes (Dupuis & Alzheimer, 2008; Michèle et al., 2019). Leisure activities, including leisuretime physical activity, may significantly affect healthy aging and improve health-related quality of life among older persons. However, there is a lack of literature revealing the determining factors of participation in leisure-time physical activity among older adults following a heart attack. The aim of this research was to explore the perceptions and experiences of leisure-time physical activity among older people who have had a heart attack. To obtain participants’ perspectives, a parallel … Lire la suite
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2023 — Partial wave analysis of Neutral b1 Meson at GlueXRésumé
A long-standing goal of hadron physics has been to understand how the quark and gluon degrees of freedom that are present in the fundamental QCD Lagrangian manifest themselves in the spectrum of hadrons. The GlueX experiment at JLab contributes to the global spectroscopy program through studies of the mesons produced using a beam of 8-9 GeV linearly polarized photons. This experiment focuses on the exploration of the light-quark domain, potentially accessing hybrid mesons with exotic JPC quantum numbers in photoproduction reactions. Recent Lattice QCD calculations predict that the lightest exotic π1(1600) decays primarily to a b1 system and can be … Lire la suite
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2023 — National identity and Canadian hockey: Narratives on the 1972 Canada-Russia seriesRésumé
National identity in Canada is rooted in ice hockey. Research on the cultural, social and political significance of hockey have codified Canada’s identity, especially on the international stage. The 1972 Canada-Russia Series, also known as the Summit Series, is not only a national memory – it has helped forge the Canadian identity. By this token, a sense of belonging became central to Canadians while their shared experience of the Series showed how it affected the national consciousness. As expressions of nationalism, Canada’s identity was created, challenged and defended during the Series. In this context, my thesis attempts to illuminate how … Lire la suite
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2023 — Numerical and economical studies of light oil carbonate reservoir for enhanced oil recoveryRésumé
Reservoir simulation studies are essential in setting up the appropriate development plan to increase oil and gas field production because they aid corporations in making the greatest choices for their business's economics, and those studies can save the corporation money and time. Accordingly, a full field simulation study was conducted to determine the best IOR and EOR processes to develop a carbonate-light oil field in north Africa. OFM, PETREL, ECLIPSE100, and ECLIPSE300 (Compositional Simulator) were utilized to reach the overall objectives of the reservoir simulation study. At the same time, EXCEL Microsoft Office was used to carry out the study’s … Lire la suite
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2023 — Injury prevalence in open water swimmersRésumé
Open water swimming (OWS) is currently one of the fastest growing mass participation sports worldwide, and differs from pool swimming in that athletes swim in natural bodies of water such as lakes, oceans and rivers. Participation in this sport spans a wide range of individuals of all ages with a roughly equal sex distribution. No prior investigations have evaluated the musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries characteristic to the sport in a recreational capacity, and only one group has completed biannual surveillance in an elite population on three occasions. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the prevalence and explore possible … Lire la suite
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2023 — Improving applicability of the non-monotone unified estimate for missing dataRésumé
In applied statistics missing data are a common problem. Performing a "complete case analysis" by removing individuals with missing data causes a loss of statistical power and can cause non-response bias. Inverse probability weighting is one method used to avoid non-response bias. However, when some individuals have partially observed data inverse probability weighting has only a limited ability to use this data. The unified approach (Zhao and Liu, 2021) is a modification of inverse probability weighting that uses "working models" to extract information from individuals with partially observed data. When the probability an individual has missing data can be accurately … Lire la suite
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2023 — Depositional environment and hydrothermal-diagenetic history of pre-salt carbonate in an Early Cretaceous rifted basin, offshore BrazilRésumé
This study aimed to reveal the depositional and hydrothermal-diagenetic history for the sampled carbonates of the Macabu Formation, in Campos Basin, offshore Brazil. It also investigated the possible alteration conditions affecting these rocks, including: temperature, water pH, pCO2, and fluid origins. The carbonates of the Macabu Formation and their equivalent formations are commonly reported with lithologies composed of stevensite, spherulitic calcite, shrub-like calcite, dolomite matrix, and different forms of silica formed from hydrothermal alteration. However, no spherulite and shrub-like calcite have been observed in the samples investigated herein from well S2. The lithologies of the Upper and Lower units are … Lire la suite
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2023 — NHL draft gem mining: Use of the impact score to find Successful NHL playersRésumé
Less than 48% of NHL Draftees play in a single NHL game (Wilson, 2016). This percentage further decreases when looking at the players selected after the first round of the draft (Tingling et al., 2011). The objective of this study was to determine if the impact score can accurately predict NHL success for forwards and defensemen selected after the first round, when it comes to games played and points scored. The impact score is a percentage analytic that I created, that measures the player’s points per game total relative to the points scored by their teammates. Data was collected using … Lire la suite
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2023 — Development of high-resolution climate projections over Canada in the 21st centuryRésumé
In this research, high-resolution climate projections over Canada have been developed through the WRF model. The spatial and temporal variations of Canada’s temperature, precipitation, and precipitation extremes in the 21st century have been comprehensively analyzed. Potential mechanisms in terms of temperature, precipitation, and precipitation extremes over Canada have been investigated, and effects of anthropogenic warming on these variables have been revealed. In addition, permafrost degradation under climate change is extended to a global scale, and a dynamic longterm classification scheme for discontinuous permafrost is proposed. The annual mean temperature over Canada is projected to increase by [1.53, 1.98], [2.51, 3.86], … Lire la suite
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2023 — Improvement of weakly compressible moving particle semi-implicit method and its applicationRésumé
Moving Particle semi-implicit method (MPS) is one of the well-known Lagrange particle methods that is advantageous in addressing complex hydraulic engineering problems. Although the accuracy and reliability can be addressed in particle methods, instability arises due to pressure fluctuations from particle clustering and improvements are beneficial for method development. Particle distribution is an area that requires improvement. In this study, a particle smoothing algorithm was developed and incorporated to the weakly compressible MPS, namely sWCMPS. From the definition and derivation of basic MPS operators, uniform particle distribution is critically important to numerical accuracy. Within the framework of sWCMPS, numerical operators … Lire la suite
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2023 — Ensemble-based framework and its applications to characterizing growth and propagation dynamics of wormhole networks and steam chambers in a heavy oil reservoirRésumé
As for the enormous heavy oil resources all over the world, cold heavy oil production with sand (CHOPS) technique has been successfully utilized to exploit them as the primary recovery due to the induced high-permeability channels (i.e., wormholes) together with foamy oil flow, while the steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) process has been widely used as an efficient enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method because of the steam chamber propagation together with viscosity reduction and gravity drainage. Numerous efforts have been made to characterize the growth and propagation dynamics of wormhole networks and steam chambers; however, it is still a challenging task … Lire la suite
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2023 — Optimizing golf ball detection by applying channel pruning to a YOLOv3-Tiny detectorRésumé
This thesis presents an approach to golf ball detection using a channel pruned YOLOv3- Tiny detector. Object detection is a challenging task, influenced not only by the appearance of objects but also by the surrounding environment. In the case of golf ball detection, the object can vary in size, color, and texture, and may be partially or fully occluded by other objects in the scene. Additionally, environmental factors such as lighting conditions and background clutter can further complicate the task. In addition, the fast motion of the golf ball adds another level of difficulty to the detection process. The proposed … Lire la suite
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2023 — Optimal pricing and control strategy for electric vehicle charging stationsRésumé
The increasing popularity and number of electric vehicles (EVs) globally have resulted in a growing demand for efficient, affordable and convenient electric vehicle charging station (EVCS) infrastructure. However, the development and implementation of this infrastructure involve various challenges, such as EV battery and charging station parameters, transportation and power system congestion, user satisfaction, and station operators' profitability. This study proposes an optimized pricing and control strategy for EVCSs, considering the integrated operation of the transportation network and the power distribution system. This model offers a competitive pricing strategy that accounts for both competitive and non-competitive charging demand. Additionally, the model … Lire la suite