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Mademoiselle de Beaumont is a man: The folklorization of the Chevalier d'Eon in French-language historical novels
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. iii, 56 p.Academic historians have traditionally regarded historical fiction as of little value to serious research.
However, the popularity of historical fiction as a genre demonstrates that it is a meaningful way to
engage with history. This thesis explores how the Chevalier d'Éon (1728-1810) has been portrayed in
historical fiction, concentrating on four French and one Japanese novel published in French between
1986 and 2011. Through the application of trans-world identity theory and identifying the factors
necessary for a historical figure to be recognisable in historical fiction, this thesis analyzes how the
close association of d'Éon with gender transgression makes them easily recognizable across different
texts and narrative scenarios. The understanding of gender plays a role in the cultural memory of the
Chevalier d'Éon, and is core to how d'Éon has gone from a minor historical person to a folklorized
symbol concerning gender.
Keywords: Chevalier d'Éon, historical fiction, trans-world identity theory, French-language novels,
gender, queer studies, folklore, historyStudentye
Early detection of Prostate Cancer by machine learning technology
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 Industrial Systems Engineering , University of Regina. x, 63 p.Prostate cancer is becoming a significant public health concern around the world. It is the fourth most common cancer in Canada. One in nine men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetimes. About 23,300 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2020. In men, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and 99% of cases occur in men aged 50+. According to Public Health Agency of Canada statistics, risk factors for prostate cancer include age, race, family history, racial or cultural background, inherited gene mutations, whether or not one has had a vasectomy, and dietary fat intake. The frequency of clinical and histologic this cancer diagnoses increases with age. The mortality rates from prostate cancer increase at a nearly exponential rate among men older than 50. The purpose of this research is to prove that deep learning has this ability to predict prostate cancer better than other methods of machine learnings for the dataset that has 130 patients which is not a lot but it has more than 20 features. Four machine learning techniques called Random Forest, K-Nearest Neighbors Algorithm, Support Vector Machine and General Linear Model and one deep learning method called feed-forward are used to predict whether the patient is getting involved with prostate cancer. The results show the proposed feed-forward technique outperformed the other techniques.Studentye
Adapting Cognitive Remediation Group Therapy as an Online or Hybrid Intervention for People Aging With HIV and Cognitive Concerns: Focus Group Protocol
No full textCognitive impairment is a significant health issue for people aging with HIV/AIDS. Cognitive challenges can include forgetfulness, trouble concentrating, and increasing struggles to learn new skills, all of which contribute to poorer mental health and decreased quality of life. Although there is no specific drug therapy that can reverse the brain impairment, group therapies may help people aging with HIV and cognitive challenges to better cope with their symptoms when combined with their usual medical treatment and follow-up. This community-based study will involve peer-led focus groups to discuss cognitive remediation group therapy – a combination of mindfulness-based stress reduction and brain training activities tested in a pilot randomized, controlled trial – as an in-person intervention for people aging with HIV in 2019. Via a brief demographic survey and technology-mediated focus groups (n = 40) in Ontario and Saskatchewan, we will determine how the intervention could be adapted in an online or hybrid format considering the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Content analysis will be employed whereby a team of independent coders will code the focus group transcripts in line with the co-design framework and “Double Diamond” model of developing interventions, including intervention structure, content, and mode of delivery. Given the aging of the HIV population in Canada, increasing support will be required in addition to medical care to improve quality of life, and proactively address concerns about cognition. This protocol provides a roadmap for adapting in-person psychosocial interventions using community-based and technology-mediated methodsThis research is supported by a Planning and Dissemination Grant from the
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) via grant number
478015 and by a Pilot Study Grant from the CIHR Canadian HIV
Trials Network (CTN) via grant number PT029.Facultyye
Release: Government of Canada provides $5 million to support research at the University of Regina
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Release: Statement on today's demonstration calling for a freeze on tuition for international students
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Dr. John Archer Library Award 2022 Presentation (Virtual)
No full textThe Dr. John Archer Library Award was established in 2011 through funding from the library for an undergraduate student who demonstrates written evidence of significant inquiry using the Library’s resources and services along with learning about the research and information-gathering process for their graded research project. The award is for $1,000 and the winner must have written a 250 to 500 word reflective essay describing their use of the library. Librarians normally choose a recipient near the end of regularly scheduled classes in the Winter Semester. Details about the award are on the library's website Library Award page.Facultyye
Investigation of water-in-oil emulsion on CSI solvent dissolution and ex-solution performance for heavy oil
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 Petroleum Systems Engineering, University of Regina. xv, 110 p.The previous phase behavior studies of solvent and heavy oil systems were studied with cleaned tank oil samples only without considering the natural emulsion state of heavy oils, which does not fully reflect the proper fluid flow mechanisms at actual reservoir conditions. Therefore, in this study, the influence of water-oil emulsion on heavy oil's fluid properties and phase behavior was conducted.
The effects of the water content on the physical properties of dead and live oils and their influence on the exsolution and dissolution processes of heavy oil mixtures were examined. The experiments used emulsion oils with three different water contents, 10%, 20% and 30 vol%. And the results were compared with the previous experimental data for pure oil only.
Initially, the density and viscosity of emulsion stock tank oil (STO) at specified temperatures and pressures were measured. The measured emulsion oil densities and viscosities were compared with pure oil (Dong, 2020). The comparison results show that when the water content increased, the viscosity and density of the emulsified oil increased significantly. Furthermore, the interfacial tension (IFT) experiments for C1 and CO2 with emulsion STO were performed for pressure ranging from 1,000 kPa to 4,000 kPa and the temperature was set at 75°C and 15°C. The measurement results show that an increase in temperature and pressure can affect the measured IFT values.
Next, the emulsion stock tank oils, with three different water content, were recombined with methane according to the specified gas-oil ratio (GOR). The resulting live oil samples went through the density and viscosity measurements the same as the dead oil. In addition, the Constant Composition Expansion and Compression (CCEC) PVT tests using the recombined emulsion live oils were conducted at 15 and 7°C with three different volume change rates (“Fast Rate” 1.5 cc/min; “Moderate Rate” 0.015 cc/min; and “Slow Rate” 0.0003 cc/min). For CCEC tests, the expansion stage starts with the initial pressure higher than the bubble point pressure of the live oil, then the system was depressurized at a fast, moderate or slow rate. Following that, the expansion process was reversed to the compression process when the expanded volume reached four times of the initial volume. The pressure was increased back to the initial pressure (11800 kPa) with the same rate as utilized in the expansion stage. For slow rate CCEC PVT tests, only an additional 15% of the volume expansion was required after the bubble point pressure was reached to save the test time. For all CCEC tests of live oil samples, the pseudo-bubble point pressures were determined from the slope changes of the plotted pressure-volume curves.
The results prove that water content in heavy oil can significantly influence the heavy oil's physical properties and phase behaviour. This kind of research has seldomly been comprehensively examined and has never been published in the open domain based on our best knowledge. More specifically, the water content of the emulsion oil influences the density, viscosity, IFT and phase behaviour of the heavy oil systems to different extents. After analyzing the experimental data, it was found that the densities, viscosities increased, the IFTs slightly increased, and pseudo bubble point pressures decreased with the increasing water content up to 30% (this study only achieved up to 30% water content). Among these data analyzed, the effect of water content on the viscosity of emulsion oils is very pronounced.Studentye
Faciliter l’intégration des immigrants du Moyen-Orient dans la communauté fransaskoise
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 French and Francophone Intercultural Studies , University of Regina. v, 107 p.This research aims to facilitate the integration of immigrants from the Middle East (with different linguistic backgrounds) into the Fransaskois community. The existing literature illustrates the importance of immigration in Canada and, particularly, in Western Canada. This immigration plays a major role in securing francophone minorities’ demographic weight. The Fransaskois community, given its flexible inclusion criteria, seems capable of integrating immigrants. Immigrants from the Middle East also show much linguistic and cultural flexibility and are willing to choose the “Francophone route” when they settle in Saskatchewan.
However, in this study, through interviews with immigrants from the Middle East and representatives of Fransaskois organizations, we try to clarify the ambiguities that can result from the lack of promotion, communication, information, or presentation of French-speaking settlement services (schooling, francization and acculturation). Good will is not lacking; Middle Eastern immigrants and leaders of Fransaskois organizations are convinced of the positive effects of integrating immigrants from the Middle East into the Fransaskois community. All that remains is to improve communication and mutual understanding.Studentye
Application of artificial intelligence techniques to well spacing optimization in fractured tight reservoirs
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 Petroleum Systems Engineering, University of Regina. xii, 147 p.Well spacing optimization is critical to the success of any hydrocarbon field development particularly unconventional fields and significantly affects the economic performance of oil and gas production operations. Oil and gas field operators over the years have resorted to field trials, surveillance and numerical simulation as the modes of determining optimal well spacing. Although field trials and surveillance are relatively easier to undertake, they are characterized by huge capital investments and a large amount of time requirement in order to arrive at conclusive decisions. Additionally, there are huge number of combinations to test, making it difficult to find a definitive solution. The use of numerical simulation is also computationally expensive in exploring various combinations of field development schemes (well spacing and completion design). As such, in spite of the many theoretical and practical studies, the desire to achieve a fast-paced well spacing optimization outcome is not yet realised.
In this study, artificial intelligence techniques are employed with the primary aim of developing a workflow for optimizing well spacing in unconventional fractured tight reservoirs. To achieve this objective, a coupled artificial neural network (ANN) based proxy and evolutionary algorithm is proposed and applied to Avon Hill field in west central Saskatchewan which is a tight fractured oil field. Multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network, particle swarm optimization (PSO) and genetic algorithm (GA) were utilized.
In the development of the ANN based proxy model, four input parameters (well spacing, fracture half-length, fracture conductivity and production time) and two outputs (cumulative oil and gas production) were used. The training and testing data were obtained from a history matched numerical reservoir model of the Avon Hill field.
The ANN topology consists of one hidden layer with 20 neurons. Logarithmic sigmoid (logsig) activation function and Levenberg–Marquardt backpropagation training algorithm were employed. The trained proxy model is then coupled with PSO and GA and serves as a substitute for the numerical simulation in the optimization process. Maximizing net present value (NPV) was considered as the objective function while well spacing, fracture half-length and fracture conductivity were set as the optimization variables. 3 well spacing optimization workflows are then developed comprising of ANN based proxy only, ANN-PSO and ANN-GA.
It is found that the use of the ANN based proxy model enables various combinations of well spacing and fracture designs to be tested at higher computational speed compared to the numerical simulation. Comparing the two evolutionary algorithms used, the results show that the PSO outperformed the GA in terms of converging at a higher objective function value (NPV) and at a higher convergence speed.
In relation to the field understudy, based on a 20-year production forecast, the workflow using only ANN based proxy gave NPV of 1.24 x107. NPV of 1.509 x107 which corresponds to 21.7% increase. The optimal well spacing ranges between 124 m to 132 m. From the results obtained, to achieve a maximized NPV for the field, it is required to drill 6 wells (compared to current 5 wells) and this result is consistently predicted by all 3 workflows used in this research.Studentye