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Release: 2022-23 budget charts a course for pandemic recovery at the University of Regina
No full textStaffn
Parameter variations in Hector SLAM
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 Electronic Systems Engineering, University of Regina. xii, 116 p.The technique of Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) has been broadly studied and used in different mobile robot applications. SLAM algorithms can build maps of an unknown environment and at the same time estimate the robot position. There are several different SLAM algorithms, such as: Gmapping, Hector SLAM, and Tiny SLAM etc. Each of these SLAM algorithms can be used with mobile robots, which uses a laser-based sensor. This thesis presents a method of evaluating the impact of parameter variations on map degradation using SLAM. The mobile robot used in this work is connected to a laser sensor and the SLAM algorithm being used is Hector SLAM. This evaluation is achieved by changing two parameters: one is changing the Field of View (FOV) of the laser scanner; the other is changing the speed of the mobile robot. A map of an environment can be constructed when a user moves the robot in the environment. The laser sensor collects scan data and passes it to the SLAM algorithm. Hector SLAM then uses that data to build a map of the environment. Additionally, using the Robot Operating System (ROS) (an open-source middleware), the laser sensor, and Hector SLAM, two initial measurement parameters for FOV and mobile speed were set. These initial measurements are considered as the best parameters that could be used with the mobile robot and the laser sensor for building a map throughout this study. Maps of an indoor environment were built using the two initial measurement parameters and with the two changed parameters. The map degradation is examined by comparing the two maps obtained from using both. This assessment is done using an image processing tool in python. This helps in assessing the impact of parameter changes on map degradation. This study can be of significant value in different mapping applications used in rescue missions, large scale indoor warehouses and emergency departments. Additionally, this evaluation can be used to further examine the impact of parameter variation on map degradation for other SLAM algorithms. The results presented in this study were well promising to confirm that both changing the FOV, and the speed of the mobile robot have impact on the map degradation and the thresholds obtained for these changes further validate the understanding of parameter changes using Hector SLAM.Studentye
The Indian solution to the policy problem: Articulating Indigenous and colonial policymaking models using an Indigenous lens
No full textA Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy, University of Regina. viii, 128 p.A defining feature of the post-contact policymaking era between Western colonial governments and Indigenous communities was the creation of the so-called “Indian problem” as an actual phrase used within colonial governments (Satzewich 1997; Episkenew 2009; Erasmus 2003). More than a phrase though, the “Indian problem: was the misidentification of an issue that defined the relationship between Indigenous people and the colonial government from that point forward and it is the basic premise of all the paternalistic policies Indigenous people are still subject to in Canada, such as the Indian Act (1985). Though often referred to, the concept of the “Indian problem” has yet to be properly unpacked from a theoretical policy perspective. For the purposes of this study, the phrase “Western policymaking process” is used to denote the present-day policymaking process that evolved over time from the historical experience of European nations expanding into and colonizing Indigenous territories. The phrase encompasses more than a political history, but a policy tradition whereby colonial governments implemented their own forms of policymaking, such as the British during the colonization of Indigenous territories in the parts of the world now known as Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the United States. This policymaking process fails to create effective policies for closing the education, income and health gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in these countries. The resulting policy failures have led scholars to call for an examination of the policy process that looks at “systemic and foundational rather than attitudinal and incidental” solutions (Maaka and Fleras 2005).
In this new era of espoused reconciliation, we see that both Indigenous communities and the colonial government are calling for the same thing – a new relationship. How do we capitalize on this emerging rhetorical opening? Why do policies and programs continue to fall short of truly improving Indigenous health, education and socio-economic outcomes? It is within this new intellectual space that the disconnect starts to become clearer – we may have begun to change the rhetoric but the way policies and programs continue to be delivered has remained largely unchanged. This paper unpacks the concept of the “Indian problem” utilizing western colonial policy theories to explain its permeance and endurance in modern day policies that continue to negatively impact Indigenous people. The western colonial policymaking model is also examined at its ontological, epistemological, and methodological levels via an Indigenous lens to expose its inherent limitations when applied in Indigenous contexts. An Indigenous research methodology is used to gather knowledge (collect data), make meaning (data analysis) and share stories (results) collected from ten participants affiliated with two Indigenous community partners – the All Nations Healing Hospital in Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan and Papa Ola Lokahi, a health service/advocacy organization with locations throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Through a combination of “talking story” sessions, archival research, and a review of Indigenous methodologies, an Indigenous policymaking model is articulated from its ontological and epistemological roots to its methodological approach. This model is presented as an experiential, multi-media art installation featuring the Indigenous policymaking model painted on a moose hide.Studentye
An efficient Internet of Things (IoT) device fingerprinting approach using machine learning
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. xv, 107 p.Internet of Things (IoT) usage is steadily becoming a way of life. IoT devices have applications in smart homes, factories, and farming. Thousands of IoT devices are hooked up to the cyberspace each day. However, the increased usage of IoT devices comes with many security concerns due to their small and constrained build-up; consequently, perpetrators could target an IoT device as an access point to attack the whole network. Further, the number of IoT device manufacturers keeps expanding by the day, although a high number of these manufacturers have less or little knowledge about IoT security. Therefore, a comprised IoT device in a network presents a vulnerability for an attacker to exploit the network.
Notwithstanding, relying on the most typical approaches to securing IoT devices is becoming increasingly complex and less prone to attackers. To determine the identities (fingerprints) and nature of these devices, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) often analyze the traffic generated by these devices (legitimate, faulty, or malicious). When a new IoT device is attached to the network and is compromised, the fingerprinting process takes quick action to determine the real identity of the device.
This thesis presents an effective way to fingerprint IoT devices using machine learning. Many security benefits come with fingerprinting IoT devices on a network, including automatic vulnerability patching, the introduction of behaviour-based anomaly detection, and dynamic attack mitigation. A better way of securing IoT devices is by using a machine-learning algorithm to fingerprint IoT devices in the network accurately. This process should be achieved using minimal features to reduce the amount of data to process, which is critical in real-time prediction applications.
Focusing on the optimal (minimal) features of IoT devices requires accurately fingerprinting the device. In this study, new features were generated from the original features of an IoT dataset that contains IoT network traffic. These new features, extracted using reduction methods, were then trained on selected machine learning algorithms, and the prediction quality of each model was analyzed. The obtained results are appealing. Indeed, with only five (5) features instead of the 17 features from the original dataset, the proposed solution is capable of accurately fingerprinting IoT devices with an accuracy of 97%, as measured using the Precision, Recall, and Harmonic mean metrics.Studentye
Multi-level energy-environmental-economic modeling for supporting low-carbon transition of power systems under uncertainty
No full textA Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Systems Engineering, University of Regina. xiv, 267 p.To combat climate change, the low-carbon transition of electricity systems is of critical significance. Such transition is a complex and long-term process, involving many social, economic, environmental, technical and political factors, and requires a complete analysis for every aspect of the transition pathways. In this dissertation, low-carbon transition strategies of electricity systems were studied from three levels. A set of identification, optimization, and simulation models were developed to facilitate the analysis.
For the efforts made at the technical level, the necessity and feasibility of introducing an emerging low-carbon power generating technology (i.e., SMRs) have been studied, with a focus on suitable site selection and environmental impact analysis. For the power systems level, optimized low-carbon transition pathways have been identified, taking into account the effects of multiple uncertainties and the associated risks. In addition, given the tight ties that exist between socio-economic systems and power systems, corresponding impacts of the transition strategy made in the second level on socioeconomic systems have been explored, such that the performance of the entire economy can be assessed.
The major contribution of this research is the development of a set of innovative models to aid in the management of power system transition under uncertainty. Overall, the proposed models outperformed the previous modeling approaches due to their advantages in complexity characterization, uncertainty representation, impact analysis, and policy formulation. In detail, the proposed models and related contributions are: (1) climate-oriented SMR site recognition model (CSSR), which is capable of taking long term variation of climate conditions into consideration while conducting siting studies; (2) SMR-induced environmental input-output model (SEIOM), which can quantify contributions of having an emerging power-generating technology as an alternative energy supplier to emission mitigation and related impacts on other sectors; (3) stochastic multistage lifecycle programming model (SMLP), through which detailed environmental and economic profiles of each power generation technology were systematically investigated within lifecycle frameworks and were considered in power system optimization modeling, such that the robustness of the resulting decision support can be enhanced; (4) coupled non-deterministic optimization and mixed-level factorial analysis model (NOMFA), which is an attempt to integrate the system optimization methods with mixed-level factorial design under various uncertainties, such that effects of various external interferences and their interactions on the systems can be investigated; (5) nondeterministic optimization-driven factorial CGE model (NFCGE), which is an integration of “economy-wide” equilibrium models and “technology-rich” energy system optimization approaches, and can help investigate the responses of various economic sectors to alternative transition strategies as identified through the optimization efforts.
The developed models were applied to a number of Canadian and Chinese cases to demonstrate the applicability and superiority. The results can assist decision-makers in identifying the most efficient and feasible low-carbon transition pathways for power systems and in achieving a more balanced energy-environment-economic structure.Studentye
What makes a ghoster?
No full textA Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology, University of Regina. 53 p.Ghosting is an emerging area of research in relationships and social psychology. The present study aims to add to the limited literature on when and why people use ghosting to end relationships. Participants were presented with various scenarios in which they sought to end a relationship to measure their willingness to ghost. Participants were also assessed for their standing on measures of the Dark Triad and Love Styles. The scenarios were analyzed by a series of double-repeated ANOVAs to test whether willingness to ghost decreased as commitment and time spent in the relationship increased. Hierarchical multiple linear regressions served to identify those Dark Triad traits, Love Styles, genders, and interactions between these variables predicted ghosting. Willingness to ghost decreased as commitment and amount of time spent in the relationship increased, consistent with the previous literature on ghosting initiation. However, no associations between the Dark Triad traits and willingness to ghost were found, inconsistent with previous literature. There was also no support for the previous finding that men who scored high in narcissism are more likely than women to ghost. Correlations were found between Ludus and Storge Love Styles and ghosting, and interactions with gender showed previously unidentified predictors of ghosting. This study illustrates gendered differences in ghosting initiation not found in previous research and furthers understanding of how personality can affect relationship dissolution strategies.Studentn
Entanglements of Pediatric Pain Practices in an Acute Care Setting: Critical Participatory Action Research with Student Co-Researchers in an Interprofessional Education Context
No full textA Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education, University of Regina. xiv, 268 p.Children’s pain continues to be undertreated despite extensive research over the past five
decades and this has ethical implications for practice. In this inquiry, I examine pediatric
pain practices in my local health region through critical participatory action research
(CPAR) with eight student co-researchers. CPAR is aligned with a clinical
interprofessional education (IPE) experience in pediatric pain where students from
medicine, nursing and psychology had varying degrees of involvement. As a facultystudent
research team we explored the perspectives of 226 participants (children, parents,
students, and health care professionals) on pediatric pain management. Data was gathered
through interviews, focus groups and questionnaires. All participant groups identified the
need for improvement in pediatric pain management. Several barriers were identified and
suggestions were made for change. In the presentation of findings, data are entangled
with critical theory, post-structuralism (genealogy) and post qualitative concepts
(diffraction, rhizoanalysis). Vignettes of children in pain are presented using long quotes
and raw data. This inquiry demonstrates the benefits of CPAR in creating awareness
about pediatric pain and seeking local recommendations for change, as well as the
benefits of combining CPAR with a student clinical IPE experience. Co-researcher
discussions illuminate emotions experienced when witnessing the undertreatment of
children’s pain and struggles with power when attempting to advocate. Co-researchers
describe the benefits of participating in CPAR including learning about pediatric pain,
opportunities for interprofessional collaboration (IPC) and implementation of action
items. Identified challenges include blurring of student-researcher roles, student power
imbalances and ethical issues with participation. Recommendations include further
examination of student-faculty research partnerships, examination of student ethical
distress in pediatric clinical settings, exploration of opportunities for patient-studentfaculty
research partnerships, and engagement with the realism of post qualitative
inquiry.Studentye
Re*Spire: An Artaudian Exploration of the Cough and 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 Fine Arts in Media & Artistics Research, University of Regina. viii, 149 p.Re*Spire: An Artaudian Exploration of the Cough and Technology
In this support paper, theatre technologist Patrick James reflects on the technology, creative process, and theory implemented during the creation of Re*Spire: a technology fueled dance performance which investigates the performers’ and audience’s sense of liveness as the performance world has moved to digital platforms due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper and creative work argues that, specifically in post COVID contemporary theatre, combining theatre and creative technology via the medium of the “coughing body” can produce what Artaud calls “cruelty” to reengage audiences and re-enliven scenography. This paper outlines James’ background and experience as a theatre technician, head of lighting at a Canadian regional theatre, and his shift to becoming a theatre technologist in the prairies. The performance piece Re*Spire engages two dance-based collaborators, Robin Poitras
(choreographer) and Krista Solheim (performer), with James in the creation and exploration of Artaud’s theories from his writings in The Theatre and Its Double. James’ work seeks to re-engage the audience with the performance in a digital world, and further enhance the sense of liveness in a performance through the introduction of creative technologies. In this support paper, James assesses the usage and implementation of 3D printing, live streaming, and the use of 360-cameras for performances.Studentye
Implementation of crystal mapping and energy calibration procedures for PET block detectors with pixelated scintillators
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. xii, * 103.The prevailing high-resolution Positron Emission Tomography (PET) block detector architecture uses pixelated scintillating crystals coupled to a position sensitive photomultiplier tube (PS-PMTs) or a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) array. In such detector designs a light guide layer between the finely segmented scintillating crystal array and coarsely segmented photosensitive layer is introduced, which allows to distribute the scintillation light over several elements of the photosensor. Commonly, such detectors employ some form of analog signal multiplexing to minimize the number of readout electronics channels and employ Center of Gravity (CoG) approach to calculate the positions of gamma ray interactions. The list mode data used by a typical PET image reconstruction software uses scintillating crystal array element positions as surrogate for the location of interaction of annihilation gamma ray with the detector. The positions of gamma ray interactions with a PET block detector, obtained through a Center of Gravity (CoG) calculation, are encoded into corresponding scintillating crystal array element position through a lookup table – crystal map. In this work I focus on implementing a crystal mapping procedure, based on K-Means algorithm, for PET block detectors using pixelated scintillating crystals, and apply said procedure to preliminary data obtained from a block detector used in the next generation plant and soil-microbiome PET imaging system, BioPET, that employs state of the art Gadolinium Aluminum Gallium Garnet (GAGG) scintillator arrays. However the crystal mapping procedure presented in this work should be in principle applicable to any PET block detector employing similar design. Furthermore, crystal mapping procedure is essential for performing per-scintillating-crystal-array-element energy calibration of the annihilation gamma ray energy spectra collected by the block detectors, a necessary step as light collection efficiencies from elements of scintillating crystal array in a PET block detector are non-uniform and highly location dependent within the scintillating array.Studentye