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It was neither Confucian nor confusion: dynamics of intercultural sensitivity among East-Asian students at Canadian universities
Get PDFInternational students from Confucian heritage culture countries are often perceived
by westerners as having low intercultural communication competence (ICC) (Zhu &
Bresnahan, 2018). In popular media and mainstream cultural-psychological research,
Confucian culture is often the scapegoat for subjecting East Asian international students
(EAISs) to cultural archetypes of reticence, obedience, unassailability, and similar. In the
present study, intercultural sensitivity was used to measure the affective domain of ICC, and
quantitative analyses were performed to investigate 1) whether international students (EAISs
vs non-EAISs) reported different capacities of intercultural sensitivity in cross-cultural
interaction. 2) Did EAISs particularly identify with Confucian values as widely perceived? 3)
Did EAISs rate stronger social confusion than non-EAISs that may contribute to low ICC? 4)
How did social and cultural factors of international students’ adjustment impact their
intercultural sensitivity? A total of 120 international students enrolled at Canadian
universities completed an online questionnaire. The results of the group comparison show
that there was no difference in intercultural sensitivity and identification of Confucian
cultural attributes between EAISs and non-EAISs. However, non-EAISs unexpectedly
reported much higher social confusion than EAISs, as measured by culture shock and
language apprehension. [...
Insect pest and disease incidence in Northwestern Ontario canola fields
Get PDFWhile canola has enjoyed a long and lucrative history as a globally successful crop, it
has only recently gained popularity in the Thunder Bay District, having been grown
locally for just over 10 years. As part of any crop management strategy, it is a vitally
important first step to plan mitigation tactics to prevent insect pests and disease
infestation. Known insect pests and diseases detrimental to canola in the Manitoba,
Saskatchewan and Southern Ontario areas include insect pests such as; Diamondback
moth, three species of Flea beetle and the Lygus bug – and diseases such as Aster
Yellows, Clubroot and Blackleg. While these insect pests and diseases have begun to
migrate to Northwestern Ontario crops, their numbers have not yet proved significantly
detrimental to the locally grown canola crops. As part of an Integrated Pest Management
plan (IPM), crop rotation is among the recommended measures to prevent pest damage
and is recognized as an effective practice for suppressing pests and/or improving
biological control, especially with the addition of perennial species. To assist four local
farmers with their crop management strategies, this study undertook a net-sweep survey
and visual monitoring of eight local privately owned canola fields to determine the
effectiveness of crop rotation as a part of their IPM plans. Rotation of canola crops is
one such strategy that has been utilized in the prairie provinces and for many generations
with a multitude of other crops with success. This study showed that there were
significant effects on the incidence of Flea beetles when rotation age was changed but in
general the levels of Lygus bugs and Diamondback moths stayed the same. Date of
capture had significant effect on the incidence of Diamondback moth and field size had
significant differences when divided into above and below 50 acres but no direct effect
on insect pest incidence. Diseases existed in such low amounts that it was nearly
impossible to attain proper statistical analysis for. Future studies can expand upon this
with more rigorous testing measures to ensure proper management of canola in the
Thunder Bay District
Neutrophils in the interface between innate and adaptive immunity in response to Haemophilus influenzae type a
Get PDFHaemophilus influenzae type a (Hia) is a bacterial human pathogen that has emerged as a
significant cause of invasive disease in Canadian Indigenous populations. Protection against
encapsulated bacteria such as Hia is mediated by the antigen-specific antibody response, in
cooperation with innate immune mechanisms. Anti-capsular antibodies and complement
opsonize bacteria for phagocytosis. Neutrophils are abundant innate immune cells primarily
involved in bacterial clearance via opsonophagocytosis. Recent studies revealed they can
modulate the adaptive immune response, but this function is poorly understood. Also, much is
still unknown about the innate and adaptive immune responses to Hia and its polysaccharide
capsule. As such, this study aimed to determine if Hia can activate the innate and adaptive
immune responses through neutrophils and if these responses differ between encapsulated versus
unencapsulated, or invasive versus non-invasive strains. [...
Influence of building neighbors on wind flow around a tall building
Get PDFThis thesis focuses on how building neighbors influence wind flow around a tall building. The
wake dynamics and flow structures around a tall building are first explored using Large Eddy
Simulations (LES). Following this, wake topology, flow structures, and vortical structures are
investigated when a small building is placed downstream and upstream of a tall building. The wake
and flow structures formed from the building neighbors’ effects around the tall building were
compared with the wake features and flow structures observed for the single tall building case.
The study of the wake was first investigated when a building neighbor (small building) was present
downstream of a tall building. The influence a small building has on wind flow around the tall
building was investigated by examining how wake and flow structures change when a small
building was introduced. A weaker downwash flow shown by the decrease in vorticity was
observed as opposed to when the tall building was isolated. This is primarily due to the presence
of the small building downstream which subsequently reduced the wake effects from the tall
building. Pedestrians will therefore experience better comfort at the wake region as opposed to
when the tall building was isolated. Different flow structures were observed. First, a reverse-c
shaped type of vortex was formed at the near wake which develops into hairpin type of vortices at
the far wake. When upwash, downwash, and shear layers interact, hairpin vortices form, creating
an increase in wake instabilities. A horseshoe vortex forms in the wake, with its legs extending
into the wake, interacting with the wake structure formed behind the buildings and having an
immediate effect on wake dynamics. At the windward face of the small building, which lies in the
aerodynamic wake of the tall building, the mean pressure coefficient decreased even more,
reaching
̅̅̅ ≈ 0.07. The progressive decrease in mean pressure coefficient (82.5%) shows how the
mean wind load reduces downstream due to the presence of the small building downstream. This
further shows how aerodynamic wake effects decrease considerably more quickly. [...
Nonlinear mathematical and numerical modeling of the effect of temperature on membrane pore size
Get PDFDue to the growth of the global population, water stress has risen sharply. However,
water stress in high latitudes is not only due to population growth but also to low local
temperatures. Numerous studies have shown that temperature affects the pore size of
membranes, becoming larger at higher temperatures and smaller at lower temperatures.
Since the average low temperature at high latitudes is usually below 10°C, the effect of
low temperature on the membrane can reduce water flow and thus reduce the
effectiveness of the membrane. In this paper, the effect of temperature change on the
membrane is mainly studied using the nonlinear thermoelastic model. In the model, an
axisymmetric large mechanical deformation as well a large temperature change is
considered. Traction-free mechanical boundary conditions and convective thermal
boundary conditions were used in the study. The finite difference method is used to
solve the nonlinear system of equations. The proposed model is validated by
comparison with limited published experimental results. Differences between the
model and the published results were analyzed by comparing the MATLAB and
experimental results. The effects of the mechanical and thermal properties of the
material on the membrane under increasing temperature changes were investigated. The
modeling results are in reasonably good agreement with the experimental results
Impact of transport industry and its dynamics on the reserve forests in China
Get PDFThe transport sector in China has grown rapidly. China's transportation
system is a vast network of nodes that cluster around economically developed
coastal areas and inland towns along major rivers. The physical condition and
comprehensiveness of China's transportation infrastructure varies greatly across the
country. While isolated and rural areas still rely on non-mechanized modes of
transportation, a modern maglev system connecting Shanghai to Shanghai Pudong
International Airport has been built in China. Construction of airports, roads, and
railways will create millions of jobs in China over the next decade. The role of
transportation in promoting forest expansion and development cannot be overstated. We have a good chance of turning them into active and successful forest sites if we
provide excellent transportation services to forest businesses and their dynamics. This study used a systematic review to gather data from books, journals, articles, and other related publications. To improve the outcome, secondary sources were
used to gather qualitative data. A systematic review collects and analyzes secondary
data using repeatable analytical methods. The collated paper was then used for the
study's statistical analysis. As a result, comprehensive safety assessments of such
drugs must include data from more study types than currently exist. Including
comparative studies of any kind was made possible by anticipating the research
available at the time of inclusion. According to the data gathered, the transportation
industry has significantly expanded China's reserve forests. For example, increased
accessibility has increased the number of tourists visiting the region to see the wild animals and natural resources. This study suggests that forest managers expand forest reserves by allowing tourists to visit protected areas like national parks
Design of polarization reconfigurable beam-steerable and frequency tunable FPMS based SIW-slot antennas
Get PDFWith the rapid evolution of modern and smart communication technologies such as 5th generation of
mobile network (5G), (internet of things) IoT, Autonomous Vehicles, Aviation Technology, etc., the
need for reconfigurable radio frequency (RF) components cannot be emphasized enough. Thus, the
rationale for plethora of research carried out in the design and development of
reconfigurable/tunable RF components and devices. This work focuses on the design of a polarization
reconfigurable and beam-steerable substrate integrated waveguide-slot (SIW-slot) antenna using a
novel technology, field programmable microwave substrate (FPMS). At first, the antenna is optimized
to operate at 4 GHz on a Duroid 5880 substrate with six slots rotated at 5° towards the center of
the waveguide. This follows the integration of optimized FPMS unit cells on the slot radiators.
While varying the capacitance values of the unit cells, close attention is paid to the impedance
and radiation performance of the antenna. Initial results presented here show a beam steering of
±40°. In addition, the antenna is also seen to provide gain modulation in maximum steered
direction. Interestingly, as the antenna radiation is steered, the polarization of the antenna
switches from E (maximum at 0) to Eθ (40). This makes the design an excellent candidate for
end-to-end secured communication with minimum interference in applications such as aircraft RADARs.
Thus, the antenna performance
metrics show the promise of the unique FPMS technology in designing of smart RF components
Application of artificial intelligence in fault detection and classification of solar power plants and prediction of power generation of combined cycled power plants
Get PDFSolar energy is one of the most dependable renewable energy technologies, as it is feasible
almost everywhere globally and is environmentally friendly. Photovoltaic-based renewable energy
systems are highly susceptible to power grid transients. Their operation may suffer drastically
during faults in the solar arrays, power electronics, and the inverter. Thus, it is vital to develop an
intelligent mechanism to detect any type of fault or abnormalities within the shortest possible time
that will increase reliability and decrease the maintenance cost of the solar system. To accomplish
that, in this research, different artificial intelligence (AI) techniques are utilized to develop
classification, fault detection, and optimization algorithms for solar photovoltaic (PV) panels.
Initially, a convolutional neural network (CNN) model was designed to detect and classify PV
modules based on the images taken from the solar panels. It is found that the proposed CNN model
can identify the fault with an accuracy of 91.1% for binary (i.e., healthy and faulty) and 88.6% for
multi-classification (i.e. cracked, shadowy, dusty and normal). However, sometimes the fault in
the solar panel may not be detectable from the images of the solar panels. That is why an adaptive
neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) model is developed to detect and classify the defects of PV
systems based on the signals collected from the solar panels. The performance of the developed
defect detection and classification algorithms was tested using real-life solar farm datasets. The
performance of the proposed ANFIS-based fault detection scheme has been compared with
different machine learning algorithms. It is found from the comparative results that the proposed
ANFIS-based fault detection technique is robust and straightforward. Thus, the developed ANFISbased intelligent technique will enhance the reliability of the PV system by minimizing the
maintenance cost and saving energy.
Finally, another ANFIS model is developed to predict the power generation in a combined
cycle power plant. The codes were written in MATLAB, and their validity is confirmed with the
available ANFIS toolboxes in MATLAB. The proposed ANFIS is found capable of successfully
predicting power generation with extremely high accuracy and being much faster than the built-in
ANFIS of MATLAB Toolbox. Thus, the developed ANFIS model could be utilized as a promising
tool for energy generation applications
Power in the Image | Visual Literacy in the Age of COVID-19
Get PDFThe aim of this portfolio is to explore a journey of research examining the role of
photography and visual literacy in contemporary society through the lens of COVID-19 media
coverage, attending to the misrepresentation of marginalized communities. The digital revolution
has made a significant impact on the way photographs are created, modified, and shared, yet not
enough attention is devoted to investigating the implications of this shift. Images published on
online platforms, including mainstream media, social media and elsewhere, continue to function
as public pedagogy, influencing the ways we understand the pandemic, the world, and ourselves.
This portfolio presents four artifacts which contribute to the discourse examining the role of
visual culture and visual literacy following the digital turn. These items include 1) a literature
review; 2) chapters from a book which examines visual documentation of the Capitol Riots; 3) a
visual synthesis of a media observatory study which examines discourse on social media and
finally, 4) an educational video presentation exploring visual literacy through the lens of
COVID-19 media coverage
Chemical de-polymerization for reuse of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) towards a circular economy
Get PDFSustainable and effective waste management is very important to address environmental pollution.
This is especially the case for plastics as their inherent resistance to breakdown leads to their
accumulation the environment. This is the case if the conventional linear economy is practised.
The overall aim of this study is to breakdown Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottle products to
its monomers so that it can be re-polymerized and used in the same or similar applications. This
will lead to reduced use of the virgin reactant, reduce accumulation in the environment and lead to
a circular economy. [...