19614 research outputs found
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Human-Centered Intelligent Monitoring and Control of Industrial Systems: A Framework for Immersive Cyber-Physical Systems
No full textThis thesis embarks on a comprehensive exploration of modern industrial workplaces, delving into the intricate interplay between humans, machines, and software. Motivated by the imperative to bridge existing gaps in industrial automation, the research aims to contribute practical solutions to address the evolving nature of industrial systems. The objectives encompass unraveling the characteristics of so-called Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0, understanding the contributions of Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), and Artificial Intelligence (AI), and enhancing human-machine collaboration in manufacturing environments.
The thesis unfolds through a literature review, introducing an Intelligent Manufacturing Execution System (IMES) framework and presenting real-world applications of AI. Two compelling use cases demonstrate AI's transformative potential in manufacturing control and monitoring applications, addressing challenges hindering widespread adoption. The study further introduces a novel human-centered Cyber-Physical System framework (HC-CPS), leveraging Extended Reality (XR) interfaces and offering design principles for intuitive and collaborative environments. A tangible implementation of this framework serves as a proof of concept, showcasing feasibility and effectiveness in real-world settings.
The contributions of this work extend beyond conceptual frameworks, with practical insights provided through use cases and implementations. The proposed IMES framework and HC-CPS advance understanding and set the stage for the evolution of intelligent and user-friendly manufacturing systems. The thesis concludes with a prototype Cyber-Physical System featuring a 3D digital twin and demonstrating the integration of extended reality technologies to create immersive and human-centered systems. Overall, this research makes significant strides in advancing manufacturing systems toward next-generation solutions.Graduat
Models and data used to predict the abundance and distribution of Ixodes scapularis (blacklegged tick) in North America: A scoping review
No full textTick-borne diseases (TBD) remain prevalent worldwide, and risk assessment of tick habitat suitability is crucial to prevent or reduce their burden. This scoping review provides a comprehensive survey of models and data used to predict I. scapularis distribution and abundance in North America. We identified 4661 relevant primary research articles published in English between January 1st, 2012, and July 18th, 2022, and selected 41 articles following full-text review. Models used data-driven and mechanistic modelling frameworks informed by diverse tick, hydroclimatic, and ecological variables. Predictions captured tick abundance (n = 14, 34.1%), distribution (n = 22, 53.6%) and both (n = 5, 12.1%). All studies used tick data, and many incorporated both hydroclimatic and ecological variables. Minimal host- and human-specific data were utilized. Biases related to data collection, protocols, and tick data quality affect completeness and representativeness of prediction models. Further research and collaboration are needed to improve prediction accuracy and develop effective strategies to reduce TBD.This study is funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Emerging Infectious Diseases Modelling Initiative (EIDM), awarded to the Mathematics for Public Health (MfPH) program led by the Fields Institute. The funder source had no role in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or writing of the report.FacultyReviewe
Dosimetry and radiobiology of ultrahigh dose-rate radiotherapy delivered with low-energy x-rays and very high-energy electrons
Full text linkRadiotherapy is a powerful tool in oncology, from curative treatments to pain relief in palliative care. However, the efficacy of radiotherapy is limited by side effects caused by damage to healthy tissues. Ultrahigh dose-rate radiotherapy (UHDR-RT) has emerged as a possible method of reducing damage to normal tissues while maintaining the ability to control the progression of cancer. UHDR treatments are delivered three orders of magnitude faster than conventional dose-rate radiotherapy (CDR-RT). To reach the dose rates associated with UHDR-RT, novel radiation sources have been developed, spanning a wide range of radiation types, energies, and time structures of delivery. These include kilovoltage x-rays produced by a shutter-controlled x-ray tube, and very high energy electrons (VHEE) accelerated to 200 MeV at high energy physics laboratories. Testing the capability of these sources requires specialized dosimeters and radiobiological models which are not commonly used in traditional radiotherapy.
In this work, plastic scintillation detectors (PSDs) of various compositions were used to measure dose from both 120 kVp x-rays and 200 MeV electrons. Experiments with the shutter-controlled x-ray tube demonstrated that lead-doped polystyrene PSDs can be used as accurate dosimeters for dose-rates of up to 40.1 Gy/s and for pulse widths of 1 - 100 ms. At the CERN linear electron accelerator for research (CLEAR) the ability of PSDs to respond linearly with dose and independent of dose rate with 200 MeV electrons was assessed as well as the radiation hardness of the probes. Polystyrene-based PSDs maintained linear light output with dose up to 125.2 Gy per pulse. After receiving tens of kGy within one day, PSDs showed reduced light output. However, they exhibited dose-dependent recovery, and maintained linearity of output with dose per pulse.
To explore the radiobiological effects of the same radiation sources, Drosophila melanogaster were irradiated as larvae and were monitored for effects on their development. It was shown that UHDR 120 kVp x-rays are capable of reducing normal tissue damage in flies compared to CDR treatments. At 22 Gy, the UHDR irradiated flies had a longer median lifespan, while at 24 Gy they survived to adulthood at higher rates than the corresponding CDR groups. Irradiations of D. melanogaster with 200 MeV and 9-20 MeV over a range of doses from 10 - 45 Gy at both UHDR and CDR were also performed. The dose response curves allowed for an in vivo determination of the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of VHEE beams, cal- culated to be between 0.97 and 1.01. This work establishes that PSDs and D. melanogaster are useful platforms for characterizing the physical and radiobiological properties of novel UHDR-RT sources.Graduat
“I’m just asking questions.” An analysis of White supremacist pseudo-archaeology
No full textPseudo-archaeology is the rejection of academic archaeological explanations of the past, for the explicit purpose of inserting one's own speculative analysis. This research explores how white supremacists use pseudo-archaeology to propagate their ideology into the present, and how their ideas have adapted from their initial creation. It attempts to solve this question by a comparative synthetic analysis of the two case studies. The first is the ideologically dictated Archaeology that was carried out by nazi academics under the Third Reich, which was analyzed through a meta-analysis of secondary sources on the given subject matter. The second is the conspiratorial rhetoric propagated by Grahm Hancock’s media, using his first book Finger Prints of the Gods, and his docutainment series Ancient Apocalypse as an analytical framework. This research reveals the continued legacy of white supremacist ideas into modern pseudo-archaeology with the use of prehistory as a medium, the concept of a white precursor civilization, and the use of pseudo-intellectual echo chambers to bolster their ideas. The results of this study also reveal the changes in their methodologies and how Nazi rhetoric has been adapted to modernity through the modification of the concept of “Aryaness” to just “Whiteness,” The change from a war of races to a war against culture, and the effective modernization of propaganda. The results of this research attempt to unveil how Hancock has modified white supremacist history, in order to make it more palatable to the modern white audience.UndergraduateReviewe
Quantitative analysis of mass mortality events in salmon aquaculture shows increasing scale of fish loss events around the world
Full text linkGlobally, salmon aquaculture promises to contribute to sustainable sources of animal protein for a growing human population. However, the growth of the industry also includes increased reports of mass mortality events—disaster events where large numbers of fish die in short periods of time. As salmon production increases in scale and more technology is used to grow salmon in contexts otherwise not suited for them, there is a possibility for more frequent and more severe mortality events. Despite investigations into specific cases of mass mortality events—no global study has been conducted to see if large scale mortality is increasing in frequency and scale. Using a global dataset of publicly available and government-collated data on salmon mortality events including nations responsible for the majority of salmon aquaculture, we document trends in mortality events, showing that in some of the major salmon producing nations of the world (in particular Norway, Canada, and the UK), mass mortality events have increased in frequency from 2012 to 2022. We also show that the scope of mass mortality events has increased over time—that is, the upper bound of how many fish were killed in a specific mortality event has increased over time. Finally, the expected maximum size of a mass mortality event differs from country to country, but is likely much larger than site and jurisdictional thresholds of concern for animal welfare, early warning thresholds, and capacity to respond to mortality events. The consequences of the increased scale and scope of mass mortality events extend past aquaculture production to include severe consequences to aquaculture companies and to coastal communities who depend on aquaculture. Our results agree with predictions of the concept of “manufactured risk”, which suggests that risk emerges from the aggressive use of technology to optimize production in variable environments, and we argue that there is a need for more fine-scale and standard data collection on salmon mortality events, and that future investigations into salmon aquaculture should increase focus on disaster potential and realization.The authors acknowledge support from the Department of Industry, Energy, and Technology in the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada (grant number 20210487), in addition to support from the Ocean Frontier Institute through an award from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund. GGS would like to acknowledge support from the Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Center at EarthLab, University of Washington.FacultyReviewe
Open Educational Resources (OER) Showcase
No full textThis event, which took place on March 7, 2024, was in celebration of Open Education Week 2024. It was a panel discussion between UVic authors who have created open textbooks. After the panel discussion, there was an opportunity for informal discussion over some light refreshments. This was a hybrid event, taking place in the Digital Scholarship Commons and over Zoom. The panellists were Dr. Rosalie Starzomski (Nursing), Natalie Boldt (English), and Dr. Lijun Zhang (Economics). The event was organized by the Copyright and Scholarly Communications Office at the University of Victoria Libraries.BCcampu
Communicating net-zero climate policy and energy modeling results via an interactive visualization dashboard
No full textThe Canadian Government has pledged to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. To achieve this target, energy modeling is required to evaluate different decarbonization pathways and possible policy options, however, its impact is currently stunted due to a communication gap between energy modelers and stakeholders. This thesis presents the development and testing of the Integrated Dashboard for Energy transition Analysis (IDEA), an open-sourced tool used to address the communication gap and promote evidence-based decision making. IDEA enables policy makers to evaluate decarbonization pathways and complex policy decisions through the use of visualizations and an interactive dashboard. A Human Centered Design process was implemented to develop a prototype dashboard and evaluate its functionality and applications. Key stakeholders including Environment and Climate Change Canada, Natural Resources Canada, the David Suzuki Foundation, Clean Energy Canada, BC’s Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation and BC’s Climate Action Secretariate were involved in the development and evaluations. An output of this thesis is a fully tested visualization dashboard that is adaptable to multiple models and visualization types. The major contributions of this thesis include insights and guidelines surrounding the needs of stakeholders, a detailed discussion on the current and future applications of IDEA, and a call for further communication tools that can advance data-driven decision making. IDEA successfully operates as a results analysis tool, enabling modeling teams and stakeholders to evaluate complex policy decisions. Future applications include expanding IDEA to a key insights tool, supporting decision makers with the most pertinent information, and a modeling tool, allowing stakeholders to implement their own assumptions and model formulations to conduct independent evaluations. Future work includes implementing the discovered improvements to strengthen IDEA as a results analysis tool and further investigating the feasibility and impact of the other tools uncovered.Graduat
Microbial Pioneers: Unravelling the Mysteries of Akkermansia Colonization in the Gut
No full textAkkermansia muciniphila is a gram-negative, anaerobic bacterium within the phylum Verrucomicrobia. A. muciniphila comprises up to 5% of the total bacterial content in the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and it is unique in its ability to utilize GI mucin glycans as its sole carbon source. Some species of A.muciniphila can undergo assimilatory sulfate reduction (ASR) to utilize sulfur from mucin glycans to synthesize H2S, which is used to generate essential nutrients. A. muciniphila genes in the Amuc_1294 - 1301 loci encode enzymes required to undergo the ASR pathway; mutants with genes knocked out in this loci cannot undergo ASR, and consequently, display enhanced growth in the presence of exogenous cysteine or H2S. Naturally occurring Akkermansia species that lack the ASR pathway (ASR-) have been shown to outcompete ASR+ strains due to this pathway being energy-consuming. Thus, we hypothesize that A. muciniphila mutants that cannot undergo the ASR pathway will outcompete the wildtype strain when grown together in cysteine. Our in vitro and in vivo co-colonization experiments with an A.muciniphila mutant and wildtype species revealed that the ASR-deficient mutant had enhanced growth in cysteine, and this mutant outcompeted the wildtype strain when introduced to the gut microbiome.Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Awards (JCURA)UndergraduateReviewe
New inequalities using multiple Erdélyi–Kober fractional integral operators
No full textThe role of fractional integral inequalities is vital in fractional calculus to develop new models and techniques in the most trending sciences. Taking motivation from this fact, we use multiple Erdélyi–Kober (M-E-K) fractional integral operators to establish Minkowski fractional inequalities. Several other new and novel fractional integral inequalities are also established. Compared to the existing results, these fractional integral inequalities are more general and substantial enough to create new and novel results. M-E-K fractional integral operators have been previously applied for other purposes but have never been applied to the subject of this paper. These operators generalize a popular class of fractional integrals; therefore, this approach will open an avenue for new research. The smart properties of these operators urge us to investigate more results using them.FacultyReviewe