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Effects of a global pandemic on the collection and disposal of municipal solid waste
No full textA Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Applied Science in Environmental Systems Engineering, University of Regina. x, 81 p.The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns had significant effects on
solid waste management, which has received greater research focus during this time due
to the infectious nature of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. As such, in the first part of the study,
SARIMA models were developed to predict residential waste collection rates (RWCR)
across four North American jurisdictions before and during the pandemic. Unlike waste
disposal rates, RWCR is relatively less sensitive to the changes in COVID-19 regulatory
policies and administrative measures, making RWCR more appropriate for crossjurisdictional
comparisons. It is hypothesized that the use of RWCR in forecasting models
will help us to better understand the residential waste generation behaviors in North
America. Both SARIMA models performed satisfactorily in predicting Regina's RWCR.
The SARIMA DCV model's performance is noticeably better during COVID-19, with a
15.7% lower RMSE than that of the benchmark model (SARIMA BCV). The skewness of
overprediction ratios was noticeably different between jurisdictions, and modeling errors
were generally lower in less populated cities. Conflicting behavioral changes might have
altered the residential waste generation characteristics and recycling behaviors differently
across the jurisdictions. Overall, SARIMA DCV performed better in the Canadian
jurisdiction than in U.S. jurisdictions, likely due to the model's bias on a less variable input
dataset. The use of RWCR in forecasting models helps us to better understand the
residential waste generation behaviors in North America and better prepare us for a future
global pandemic.
The second part of the study aims to identify the effects of continued COVID-19
transmission on waste management trends in a Canadian capital city, using pandemic
periods defined from epidemiology and the WHO guidelines. Trends are detected using
both regression and Mann-Kendall tests. The proposed analytical method is
jurisdictionally comparable and does not rely on administrative measures. A reduction of
190.30 tonnes/week in average residential waste collection is observed in the Group II
period. COVID-19 infection negatively correlated with residential waste generation. Data
variability in average collection rates during the Group II period increased (SD=228.73
tonnes/week). A slightly lower COVID-19 induced Waste Disposal Variability (CWDV)
of 0.63 was observed in the Group II period. Increasing residential waste collection trends
during Group II are observed from both regression (b = +1.6) and the MK test (z = +5.0).
Both trend analyses reveal a decreasing CWDV trend during the Group I period, indicating
higher diversion activities. Decreasing CWDV trends are also observed during the Group
II period, probably due to the implementation of new waste programs. The use of pandemic
periods derived from epidemiology helps us to better understand the effect of COVID-19
on waste generation and disposal behaviors, allowing us to better compare results in
regions with different socio-economic affluences.
The results of both studies will assist policy makers in developing data-driven solid
waste management policies during a global pandemic.Studentye
Detection of DoS and DDoS attacks on 5G network slices using deep learning approach
No full textA Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Computer Science, University of Regina. x, 85 p.A new degree of connectedness and interaction has been introduced by the development
of 5G networks. By dividing a physical network into several logical networks,
5G network slicing is a special feature that gives network operators the ability to
allocate specific resources and services to various applications and customers. However,
5G network slicing is susceptible to cyberattacks, particularly Denial-of-Service
(DoS) or Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, just like any other network.
Such attacks can have a significant negative effect on network performance, degrading
services and reducing the availability of slices.
The primary objective of this thesis is to examine the impact of DoS/DDoS attacks
on 5G network slicing and their potential to disrupt the performance of legitimate
users and slice availability. Additionally, a novel dataset specifically tailored to
DoS/DDoS attacks in 5G network slicing is generated, as there is no available dataset
based on a 5G network slice. Through extensive research, key features relevant to
DoS/DDoS attacks are identified and prioritized. To categorize and detect different
types of DoS/DDoS attacks, two deep learning techniques, namely the convolutional
neural network (CNN) and the Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BLSTM)
models, are employed. These models not only utilize the newly created dataset but
also enable comparison with existing datasets to assess their effectiveness.
This thesis emphasizes how crucial it is to create strong security measures to guard
against DoS/DDoS attacks on 5G network slicing. A step in the right direction toward
reaching this goal is the construction of a deep learning model for the classification,
detection, and production of a new dataset specifically for 5G network slicing. To
keep enhancing the security and stability of 5G network slicing, more study in this
area will be required.
The results indicate that the proposed models have a high accuracy rate of 99.96%
in distinguishing different types of DoS/DDoS attacks within the networking slice
environment. This achievement is noteworthy as it pertains to a novel context. Additionally,
the newly developed models exhibit comparable performance in terms of
other confusion metrics. To verify the research outcome, some well-known data sets
are used to show the results.Studentye
The intersection of race and gender in an insanity case
No full textA Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology, University of Regina. 16 p.How jury members perceive race and gender in the courtroom has been an important topic for legal researchers given implications for the defendant’s right to a fair trial. The literature presents competing theories for how such categories may intersect to inform decision-making (i.e., double jeopardy and intersectional invisibility). The purpose of this study was to test whether U.S. jury-eligible community participants (N = 285) recruited via Prolific Academic would give harsher verdicts for Black and male defendants in an insanity case. Participants were tasked with reading a fabricated murder trial transcript where the defendant is diagnosed with schizophrenia - in which we manipulated the defendant’s race (Asian, Black, White) and gender (male, female) - then made verdict decisions and completed manipulation checks. There were no significant differences in verdicts as a function of race or genders. Researchers should replicate this experiment with a different set of case facts.Studentn
Late Paleocene-Early Eocene outer shelf depositional system of the Upper Indus Basin: The Patala Formation of the Hazara and Potwar Sub-basins, Northern Pakistan
No full textA Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geology, University of Regina. x, 143 p.The Patala Formation is among a number of Paleogene sedimentary units deposited in the eastern part of the Neo-Tetheys Ocean. The basin was getting more restricted as the Indian Plate was rapidly converging toward the Euroasian Plate. The deposition of the Patala Formation occured in a ramp environment ranging from an inner to outer ramp setting. The study area, which is the Hazara sub-basin of the Upper Indus Basin, represents the distal portion (middle to outer ramp) of the late Paleocene to early Eocene deposits. The Patala Fm. represents a deepening event dominated by clastics sandwiched between shallow water carbonates of the underlying Lockhart Fm. and overlying Margala Hill Limestone.
In the Hazara sub-basin, the Patala Fm. is 39 to 118m thick; it is divisible to 3 units (A, B & C), in ascending order. Units A and C consist of limestone and shale interbeds, whereas unit B is predominantly shale. Stratigraphic mapping and petrographic studies of the Patala Fm. led to the identification of the following six lithofacies units: Pf1 is dark brown to black, medium to thick bedded organic-rich shale, Pf2 is planktonic bearing mudstone, Pf3 is mollusk rudstone Pf4 is bioclastic wackestone with planktonic and benthic foraminifera fossils, crinoids and thin-walled ostracods, Pf5 is Discocyclina-Ranikothalia wackestone, and Pf6 is mixed benthic foraminiferal packstone. Planktonic organisms, thin-walled ostracods, trace fossils, and the overall predominance of fine-grained texture of most of the lithofacies units of the formation suggest that deposition took place primarily in a quiet subtidal setting. Furthermore, absence of any intertidal and supratidal signatures further underscores the subtidal depositional setting. The six lithofacies can be grouped under two lithofacies associations: LA1 and LA2. LA1 is made up of interbedded Pf1 and Pf2 with Pf3 occurring subordinately, while LA2 is comprised of Pf4, Pf5, and Pf6 interbeds. LA1 is dominated by shale facies (Pf1) with planktonic-bearing mudstone (Pf2) and rare beds of Pf3. This association accumulated in quiet environment where suspending sedimentary particles (mud and planktonic remains) settled on the depositional site. Sedimentary properties of the coarse-grained Pf3 (e.g., normal grading and basal scour surface) suggest occasions of tempestite deposition. The LA1 is thus envisaged to have accumulated in an open distal to proximal outer ramp setting. The second lithofacies association (LA2) contains various limestone lithofacies with fair to high larger benthic foraminifera content along with other shelly fauna (e.g., ostracods) and trace fossils. This association accumulated in a slightly agitated environment landward of LA1. LA2 is thus envisaged as being accumulated on mid-ramp setting.
The Patala Fm. Preserves important index fossils of Lockhartia conditi, L. haimei, Miscellanea miscella, M. juliettae, Ranikothalia sindensis, R. sahni, Discocyclina ranikotensis, D. dispensa, and Nummulites mammillatus. These fossils, along with previously reported fossils, suggest two biozones (PFBZ1 and PFBZ2) for the Patala Fm. These species indicate early Paleocene to early Eocene age. The age range of Miscellanea miscella, M. juliettae, Lockhartia haimei, Ranikothalia sindensis, and R. sahni is known to be relatively narrow, beginning from the lower boundary of SBZ3/early Thanetian (58 Ma) to SBZ5/lower Ilredian stages (55.5 Ma). The Patala Fm. is therefore envisaged to be early Thanetian to lower Ilredian (SBZ3-SBZ5, i.e., ~ 2.5 Ma duration).Studentye
National identity and Canadian hockey: Narratives on the 1972 Canada-Russia series
No full textA Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in History, University of Regina. v, 87 p.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 Canadian hockey revealed integral elements of the Canadian identity – on the ice, off the ice, in the newspapers and in the streets. From a Canadian perspective, primary source newspapers which covered the Series drive the narrative of this thesis. Eight themes on national identity and hockey uncover the stages, or progression, of Canada’s identity during the course of twenty-seven days in September 1972.Studentye
Impacts of a century of land-use change on the eutrophication of large, shallow, prairie Lake Manitoba in relation to adjacent Lake Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada)
No full text1. Evaluation of large lake response to centennial changes in land use and climate can be complicated by high spatial and hydrological complexity within their catchments, particularly in regions of low relief. Furthermore, large lakes can exhibit abrupt changes in structure and function that obscure causes of eutrophication.
2. We provide the first quantification of historical trends in lake production, cyanobacterial abundance, sediment geochemistry and diatom composition since c. 1800 in Lake Manitoba, the 29th largest lake in the world, and compared them to Lake Winnipeg, a morphologically similar, adjacent basin with a 10-fold larger catchment and an abrupt increase in production around 1990.
3. Before 1900, Lake Manitoba was mesotrophic, with low sedimentary concentrations of carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen, cyanobacteria and algal pigments, as well as assemblages of low-light-adapted benthic diatoms. Analysis of pigment time-series with hierarchical generalised additive models revealed that Lake Manitoba eutrophied during 1900–1930 as a consequence of the development of intensive agriculture within its local catchment, but thereafter exhibited stable cyanobacterial densities with limited expansion of N2-fixing cyanobacteria despite persistent eutrophication.
4. Lake Manitoba did not undergo an abrupt change as seen in Lake Winnipeg.
5. These findings suggest that catchment size had little influence on water quality degradation and that nutrient influx from proximal agricultural sources was sufficient to initially degrade these large prairie lakes. The abrupt change in Lake Winnipeg around 1990 required additional intensification of local land use that did not occur in the Lake Manitoba catchment.Canada Research Chairs
Canadian Foundation for Innovation
Fullbright Canada
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Province of Saskatchewa
Establishing wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 in Southern Saskatchewan
No full textA Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Biology, University of Regina. ix, 95 p.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 using
the AllPrep PowerViral DNA/RNA Kit by Qiagen. We also examined the impact of storage on
wastewater samples and determined that while short-term storage does not affect the samples
significantly, longer storage changes the measured viral levels. We then used our protocol to
establish a wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 viral levels in Regina and nine other
locations in Southern Saskatchewan, Canada. We observed that the three waves of COVID-19
during the study time were caused by the variants Alpha, Delta and Omicron and that the SARSCoV-
2 RNA levels in wastewater were a good reflection of the reported active COVID-19 case
numbers.Studentye
Paraprofessional delivery of online narrative exposure therapy for firefighters
No full textFirefighters are at increased risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and face numerous barriers to accessing mental health care. Innovative ways to increase access to evidence-based interventions are needed. This study was a case series testing the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary effectiveness of a paraprofessional-delivered, virtual narrative exposure therapy (eNET) intervention for PTSD. Participants were 21 firefighters who met the criteria for clinical or subclinical probable PTSD and completed 10–12 sessions of eNET via videoconference. Participants completed self-report measures pre- and postintervention and at 2- and 6-month follow-ups as well as a postintervention qualitative interview. Paired samples t tests evidenced statistically significant decreases in PTSD, anxiety, and depressive symptom severity and functional impairment from pre- to postintervention, ds = 1.08–1.33, and in PTSD and anxiety symptom severity and functional impairment from preintervention to 6-month follow-up, ds = 0.69–1.10. The average PTSD symptom severity score fell from above to below the clinical cutoff for probable PTSD at postintervention and follow-ups. Qualitative interviews indicated that paraprofessionals were considered central to participants’ success and experience with the intervention. No adverse events or safety concerns were raised. This study is an important step in demonstrating that appropriately trained and supervised paraprofessionals can effectively deliver eNET to firefighters with PTSD.Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Grant Number: 162543Facultyye
The Impact Of Provincial Proof- Of-Vaccination Policies On Age-Specific First-Dose Uptake Of COVID-19 Vaccines In Canada
No full textRequirements of proof of COVID-19 vaccination were mandated
for nonessential businesses and venues by Canada’s ten provinces
throughout the fall of 2021. Leveraging variations in the timing of these
measures across the provinces, we applied event study regression to
estimate the impact the announcement of these measures had nationally
on age-specific first-dose uptake in the subsequent seven-week period.
Proof-of-vaccination mandate announcements were associated with a
rapid, significant increase in first-dose uptake, particularly in people
younger than age fifty. However, these behavioral changes were short-
lived, with uptake returning to preannouncement levels—or lower—in all
age groups within six weeks, despite mandates remaining in place for at
least four months; this decline occurred earlier and was more apparent
among adolescents ages 12–17. We estimated that nationally, 290,168
additional people received their first dose in the seven weeks after
provinces announced proof-of-vaccination policies, for a 17.5 percent
increase over the number of vaccinations estimated in the absence of
these policies. This study provides novel age-specific evidence showing
that proof-of-vaccination mandates led to an immediate, significant
increase in national first-dose uptake and were particularly effective for
increasing vaccination uptake in younger to middle-aged adults. Proof-of-
vaccination mandates may be effective short-term policy measures for
increasing population vaccination uptake, but their impact may differ
across age groups.This project
was supported by funding from a
CoVaRR-Net Rapid Response Research
Grant. CoVaRR-Net
is funded by an operating grant from
the Canadian Institutes of Health
Research (FRN 175622)
Searching for a Pion-Like Dark Sector at MoEDAL-MAPP
No full textA Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Physics, University of Regina. ix, 111 p.This thesis explores the phenomenology of Pion-like Dark Matter, a specific type
of Strongly Interacting Dark Matter, within the context of the Monopole and Exotics
Detector at the Large Hadron Collider (MoEDAL). MoEDAL is designed to search
for Highly Ionizing Particles (HIPs) that are predicted in numerous models of physics
beyond the Standard Model. The ongoing installation of Phase 1 of the MoEDAL
Apparatus for Penetrating Particles (MAPP-1) during LHC’s Run-3 aims to broaden
MoEDAL’s discovery potential by enabling its sensitivity to Feebly Interacting Particles
(FIPs), including mini-charged particles (mCPs), as well as very long-lived
charged and neutral particles (LLPs). This thesis focuses on constructing a Feynrules
model for Pion-like Dark Matter, influenced by Chiral Perturbation Theory -
a field theory that describes Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). Using Madgraph,
we generate cross-sections and decay widths to investigate the phenomenology of these
dark pions. MAPP has sensitivity to a class of dark pions with the charge being as
low as 1/100 of the charge of the electron, and we will investigate three processes:
Drell–Yan production of charged dark pions, decay of dark π0D
, and the photon-fusion
to three dark pions.Studentye