19614 research outputs found
Sort by
Teacher talk: Holy shirt! How to live sustainably in a world of fast fashion
No full textThis conversation addresses some of the human and environmental harm caused by the fast fashion industry and provides numerous alternatives to participating in the incessant trend cycles and mindless garment disposal habits that have become commonplace in our societies.UndergraduateUnreviewe
Use of Landsat imagery time-series and random forests classifier to reconstruct eelgrass bed distribution maps in Eeyou Istchee
Full text linkThe eastern coastline of James Bay is known to have been home to sizeable eelgrass beds (Zostera marina L.) which thrived in the bay’s shallow, subarctic waters. The region was subjected to substantial hydroelectric dams, large fires, and other human activities in the past half-century. To assess the impact of these factors on eelgrass beds, a historical reconstruction of eelgrass bed distribution was performed from images acquired by Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper (TM) in 1988, 1991, and 1996 and images of the Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) in 2019. All the images were classified using the Random Forests classifier (RF) and assessed for accuracy each year on a bay-wide scale using an independent field validation dataset. The validation data were extracted from an eelgrass bed map established using aerial photos and field surveys in 1986, 1991, and 1995 and from a field survey in 2019. The overall validation accuracy of the classified images (between 72% and 85%) showed good agreement with the other datasets for most locations, providing reassurance about the reliability of the research. This makes it possible to use satellite imagery to detect past changes to eelgrass distribution within a bay. The classified images of 1988 and 1996 were also compared to aerial photos taken in years close to each other at ten sites to determine their ability to assess small eelgrass beds’ shape and presence. Such a comparison revealed that the classified images accurately portrayed eelgrass distribution even at finer scales.This study is part of an ongoing multidisciplinary research project entitled the “Eeyou Istchee Coastal Habitat Comprehensive Research Project” (https://www.eeyoucoastalhabitat.ca) (accessed on 2 March 2024), conducted in the James Bay region of northern Québec. The project is co-funded by the Cree Nation Government, Niskamoon Corporation, and Hydro-Québec and administered through Niskamoon Corporation, a Cree-run organization. Kevin Clyne was funded by an MITACS grant awarded to Dr. Leblon and sponsored by Niskamoon Corporation.FacultyReviewe
Virtual spaces, real perceptions: Analyzing crowding in virtual environments
No full textThis thesis explores the dynamics of crowding perceptions and emotional responses within virtual environments, focusing on the impact of avatar density and representation. The study aims to extend the understanding of how digital spaces influence user experiences, particularly as interactions increasingly transition to virtual platforms. The research problem centers on how varying crowd densities and different avatar representations affect user perceptions and emotional responses. The study addresses four primary research questions: the consistency of crowding perceptions and emotional responses (RQ1), the threshold densities at which emotional responses significantly change (RQ2), the impact of different avatar representations on perceptions and responses (RQ3), and the linear relationship between avatar density and perceived crowding (RQ4). Using a within-subjects experimental design, participants were exposed to virtual environments with varying densities of particle, 2D, and 3D avatars. Data were collected on users' crowding perceptions and emotional responses (valence, arousal, dominance). Results revealed significant inconsistencies in crowding perceptions and emotional responses across multiple exposures, highlighting the critical role of avatar representation. 3D avatars led to more consistent experiences compared to particle and 2D avatars. Threshold densities at which emotional responses changed were identified, with density 8 being a significant point across various measures. Different avatar representations significantly impacted perceptions and responses, with particle avatars generally resulting in less intense emotional responses. Linear relationships were found between avatar density, perceived crowding, and emotional responses. The findings emphasize the importance of avatar representation in virtual environment design, contributing to a broader understanding of crowding in both virtual and physical settings. This research bridges the gap between traditional architectural practice and virtual environments, offering practical recommendations for enhancing user comfort, satisfaction, and well-being in digital spaces.Graduat
Investigating variations and combinations of geospatial visualizations based on spatial dimensionality of attribute space and reference space
No full textThe effectiveness of information presentation in different forms plays a vital role in our ability to address challenges and make informed decisions. In this thesis, a focus is placed on the visualization of geospatial data. The study begins with the establishment of a systematic framework that categorizes the presentation space consisting of attribute (data) and reference (terrain) space based on their dimensionality. We also introduce MultiDim, an innovative information visualization system capable of rendering a photo-realistic environment in 2D, 2.5D, and 3D reference spaces. To assess its efficacy, we conducted a comprehensive comparative evaluation of user performance (accuracy and completion time) in different dimensions of attribute and reference space. We also conducted a qualitative analysis where we analyzed with the help of an eye-tracker the different strategies that participants adopted while solving tasks. The eye-tracker enabled us to monitor participants' gaze and discern the preferred views for task-solving. Our findings indicate that the dimensionality of the attribute space (data) has negligible effects on accuracy and task completion time. Conversely, the dimensionality of the reference space (terrain) and the presence of distractors within the environment significantly impact both accuracy and task completion time. Notably, our qualitative analysis reveals a preference for views incorporating 3D terrain. These results offer valuable insights for the future design of geospatial visualizations, guiding decisions on the optimal view selection for enhanced task-solving capabilities.Graduat
Uncovering Layers of an Artist-Teacher’s Identity: Engaging in Collage Processes
No full textThis paper examines the multifaceted identity of the artist-teacher using collage and its non-linear process. It first discusses my early relationship with artmaking and learning through experiences in the classroom. I then explore the concept of the artist-teacher and the challenge of balancing the responsibilities of the classroom while maintaining an authentic artistic practice. My capstone project led me to focus on using my collage process as a way to navigate and revisit my artistic process, but also reflect on how it has shaped my artist-teacher identity. I then discuss how I brought this artmaking experience into the classroom and incorporated my artistic process into my lessons. This led to my students and my own involvement in a gallery show where students and artist-teachers showcased their work side-by-side, cultivating conversations about the importance of art education. It was also an opportunity to connect with the artist-teacher community. My project concludes with a final reflection on the connections I discovered between my collage process and my approaches to teaching and how it will affect my classroom practice in the future
Feminization & globalization
No full textThe present study investigated the effect of socialized, community-based services on the liberation of women by revisiting the revolutionary feminist ideas of the 1970s, and conducting an analysis of the contemporary implications of those policies. Socialist feminists have conceptualized a continuum of sites of exploitation within the home and the care economy, including sites of industrial production system associated with capitalism. Under these social conditions, some argue that women’s liberation must take the form of a step-by-step process, beginning from the recognition of the struggle itself, through the demand of “Wages for Housework”, and ending with the establishment of institutions to “socialize” gendered private domestic labor (Forrester 2022, 1278). These institutions would bring women’s labor into the public domain through, for example, publicly funded child-care, laundering, and cleaning services controlled by the community (Federici 2012, 49). However, these practices of socializing housework have been counteracted by the “globalization of care”, and domestic workers have also been on a rapid decline since the late 20th century (Klots 2024, 273). To aid globalization, structural adjustment policies of the IMF and WTO have also led to a restructuring of the world economy by recentering reproductive labor in the home and destroying local markets of developing countries through mass land and industry privatization, fueling the global hegemony of capitalist relations (Federici 2012, 85-90). Therefore, given the short vitality of the socialist vision and inequalities present within both socialist and capitalist implementations, more research is needed to discover alternative solutions.Valerie Kuehne Undergraduate Research Awards (VKURA)UndergraduateReviewe
Chinese-as-a-First-Language (CL1) and English-as-a-First-Language (EL1) Undergraduate Students' Business Writing in Canadian Universities: A Corpus-Based Contrastive Study of Linguistic Features
Full text linkThe importance of formulaic language, such as Lexical bundles (LBs) (e.g., as a result of, the value of the), the introductory it patterns (e.g., it is important to), and self-mention markers (e.g., I, me, you) in academic writing have been well recognized (Guan, 2022; Hyland, 2002b, 2005; Larsson, 2017). Those linguistic patterns are essential for organizing texts, constructing writers’ arguments, and projecting their voices in academic prose (Güngör, 2019; Hyland, 2002; Zhang, 2015). Nevertheless, the investigation of LBs, the introductory it patterns, and self-mention markers used by English-as-an-additional-language (EAL) undergraduates is limited.
In Canada, the number of Chinese-as-a-first-language (CL1) undergraduate students in the business major has increased significantly (CBIE, 2022). Given that LBs, introductory it patterns, and self-mention markers are challenging for CL1 students (Leedham, 2011), it is crucial for researchers and practitioners to understand those linguistics features used by CL1 students in the business discipline compared to English-as-a-first-language (EL1) students. Through comparative analysis, this study aims to provide greater insights into the structural and functional uses of LBs, the introductory it patterns, and self-mention markers used by CL1 and EL1 business students.
Specifically, the current study aims to fill the gap by analyzing the most frequent 4-word LBs, the introductory it patterns, and self-mention markers in CL1 and EL1 undergraduate students’ business writing concerning the frequency, structures, and functions of those linguistic features. The two self-compiled corpora, EL1 corpus, and CL1 corpus, including 42 articles in each corpus, were collected from second-year university-level business writing courses. Those linguistic patterns were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively using the corpus analysis software AntConc (Anthony, 2023).
The results suggest that CL1 students showed significantly higher use and more variation of LBs and self-mention markers than EL1 students, while EL1 students employed significantly more instances with introductory it patterns. Regarding LBs, the use of LBs in EL1 and CL1 writing was similar, with a heavy reliance on verb-based phrases, indicating undergraduate students’ writing style as immature learner writing (Chen & Baker, 2010, 2016). With respect to the introductory it patterns, the introductory it has two prominent interpersonal roles in stance marking and interpreting observations. The main differences between the two corpora are in using the introductory it to hedge a claim and emphasize the writer’s attitude, with CL1 students making fewer hedges and overt persuasive statements. Concerning self-mention markers, the first-person pronoun I was the most frequent self-mention marker, followed by we in both corpora. The functions of self-mention markers used by both groups are primarily associated with low-risk functions, including expressing self-benefits and explaining procedures. Since limited uses of those linguistic patterns were identified in both corpora, the findings suggest pedagogical implications for teaching LBs, introductory it patterns, and self-mention markers in the business writing curriculum for CL1 and EL1 undergraduates.Graduat
Revegetation as a method for dust mitigation along reservoir drawdown zones
Full text linkLarge-scale industrial development, such as construction of hydroelectric dams and reservoirs, can have long-lasting environmental and social impacts on communities and surrounding ecosystems. Williston Reservoir, located in northern British Columbia, is one example where intense wind erosion and fugitive dust impacts the local community of Tsay Keh Dene and surrounding area. To try and address the dust impacts, BC Hydro, the public utility that operates the reservoir, and Tsay Keh Dene Nation, have established the Williston Dust Mitigation program with the goal of reducing fugitive dust emissions along the reservoir. Dust mitigation trials have been implemented for over three decades, but efforts have struggled to scale due to factors like remoteness, challenging reservoir environment conditions, cost, and the capacity to scale mitigation solutions. To help inform the WDMP’s efforts, I investigated how vegetation may be used to mitigate dust at the necessary scale to address the issue. My first study involved conducting greenhouse and field experiments to select plant species suitable for revegetation efforts, which found cover crop species, like Secale cereale and Avena sativa, to be best suited for annual seeding in regions of the drawdown zone that flood every year, while some native grasses like Elymus trachycaulus and Elymus lanceolatus may be good candidates for higher elevation regions that do not flood every year. The second study investigated seeding rates and the application of fertilizer, along with measuring dust emissions across a 120-hectare beach to determine how varying treatments influenced total vegetation cover, and how vegetation cover impacted fugitive dust emissions. Vegetation cover was found to significantly reduce fugitive dust emissions and the application of fertilizer significantly increased vegetation cover. This suggests that fertilizer should be applied in moderation with cover crop planting to bolster early plant growth, but that the application be properly calculated so that excess nutrients do not leach to into the reservoir environment and costs are reduced. Overall, using cover crops in annually flooded areas of Williston Reservoir appears to be the most cost-effective dust mitigation treatment, while restoration efforts in higher drawdown zone areas using native plants should be explored further.Graduate2024-11-2
Quantifying spatiotemporal variability in mesozooplankton distribution and nutritional quality around seamounts within the Canadian Offshore Pacific Bioregion
Full text linkZooplankton are a diverse group of organisms that are the key link between primary producers and higher trophic levels in marine ecosystems. They are an important food source for many fish, marine mammal, and sea bird species, and are a major allochthonous energy source for seamounts. Therefore, zooplankton are an important indicator of ecosystem processes in the open ocean. The southern portion of the Canadian Offshore Pacific Bioregion (OPB), in the Northeast Pacific, is a seamount-rich environment that has recently been a target of conservation efforts by the Canadian Government via the proposal of the Tang.G̲wan - ḥačxwiqak - Tsig̲is (TḥT) Marine Protected Area (MPA). Oceanographic research expeditions (Northeast Pacific Deep-sea Exploration Project; NEPDEP) from 2015 to 2022 surveyed near seamounts to inform the monitoring and management of TḥT and other MPAs in the Canadian OPB. Part of this sampling program included oceanographic and zooplankton sampling. Marine monitoring typically only accounts for variability in zooplankton biomass and/or species abundance, overlooking potential variability in zooplankton nutritional quality. This thesis uses size fractionated zooplankton biomass samples to quantify the spatiotemporal variability in zooplankton biomass and nutritional quality (i.e., energy density, total lipids, and total proteins) in the Canadian OPB. The data presented in this thesis indicate that zooplankton distribution is driven primarily by mesoscale oceanographic processes and not by the presence of seamounts, per se. Interannual variability was the most significant driver of change in the zooplankton community, representing up to a 7-fold difference in biomass and up to a 2-fold difference in zooplankton nutritional quality, where generally warm (cool) water years had less (more) nutritious zooplankton communities. Spatially, there were distinct differences between zooplankton collected within offshore and continental slope regions, which influences the allochthonous energy provided to seamount ecosystems. This data was also used to identify key zooplankton taxa which appear to have a disproportionate effect on total zooplankton nutritional quality. Notably, Neocalanus spp. were associated with lipid-rich zooplankton samples, while gelatinous species (e.g., doliolids and salps) were associated with lower energy density. These data and analyses have important implications for the future monitoring and conservation of the Canadian OPB and provide important baseline characterization of the spatiotemporal variability of the zooplankton community around seamounts in this region.Graduat
Wind turbine damage equivalent load assessment using Gaussian process regression combining measurement and synthetic data
Full text linkAssessing the structural health of operational wind turbines is crucial, given their exposure to harsh environments and the resultant impact on longevity and performance. However, this is hindered by the lack of data in commercial machines and accurate models based on manufacturers’ proprietary design data. To overcome these challenges, this study focuses on using Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) to evaluate the loads in wind turbines using a hybrid approach. The methodology involves constructing a hybrid database of aero-servo-elastic simulations, integrating publicly available wind turbine models, tools and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) measurement data. Then, constructing GPR models with hybrid data, the prediction is validated against the hybrid and SCADA measurements. The results, derived from a year of SCADA data, demonstrate the GPR model’s effectiveness in interpreting and predicting turbine performance metrics. The findings of this study underscore the potential of GPR for the health and reliability assessment and management of wind turbine systems.We greatly acknowledge the funding for this study by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and MiTACS.FacultyReviewe