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Structural Performance of the Z Block Modular Connector Under Various Loadings
No full textSteel modular construction has emerged as an efficient alternative to conventional building methods, offering enhanced speed, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability. A critical aspect of this construction approach is the connection between modular units, which significantly influences structural integrity and load transfer efficiency. The Z Block connector, designed for inter-modular and intra-modular connections in steel modular buildings, plays a vital role in ensuring stability. However, standardized design guidelines for the pretensioning of ASTM A574 bolts, which are essential for mitigating separation between connected modules, are currently unavailable. This study aims to develop pretension guidelines, evaluate the effects of pretensioning on connection performance, and analyze the structural response of Z Block connectors under varying loading conditions. The first phase of this research focuses on developing pretensioning guidelines for ASTM A574 bolts used in Z Block connectors. Experimental studies involving Skidmore and Z Block tests were conducted to establish pretension equations for both the calibrated wrench method and the turn-of-nut method. These guidelines were validated through full-scale column-to-column connection tests, demonstrating a 39% reduction in separation when pretension was applied, with a negligible 0.4% decrease in maximum tensile load capacity. The second phase investigates the effect of different bolt pretension levels (30, 50, 61.5, 65, 70, and 85 kips) on column-to-column connections subjected to axial tensile loading. Six full-scale specimens were tested, and results indicated a reduction in block separation with increasing pretension levels, albeit with a minor decrease in tensile capacity. The optimal pretension level was determined to be 61.5 kips, which yielded an 82% reduction in separation relative to non-pretensioned specimens. Finite element analysis (FEA) was subsequently performed to validate experimental observations and explore alternative design pretension levels. The third phase of this study examines the compressive behavior of Z Block modular connections. Previous research focused on axial compressive loading for single-column configurations with different boundary conditions; however, this study expands the scope by evaluating three distinct column configurations: Axial Compressive Single Column (ACSC), Axial Compressive Bundled Column (ACBC), and Axial Compressive Single Column–Bundled Column (ACSC-BC). Experimental tests and numerical modeling were conducted to assess load-displacement characteristics, failure mechanisms, and structural integrity. Results indicated that the predominant failure mode was buckling of the Hollow Structural Steel (HSS) members, while the Z Block connectors sustained the applied loads without structural compromise. The final phase investigates the shear behavior of Z Block connections under three different configurations: Lateral Shear (LS), Lateral Shear-Registration Pin (LS-RP), and Lateral Shear-Pretension (LS-PT). Experimental analysis revealed a 46% reduction in shear capacity between LS and LS-RP specimens, highlighting the critical role of SHCSs in shear resistance. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of non-pretensioned (LS) and pretensioned (LS-PT) specimens showed a marginal 3% reduction in shear capacity. Load-displacement curves were analyzed, confirming that the primary failure mode was rupture of the SHCSs and/or the registration pin within the Z Block connector. This study provides an in-depth evaluation of the structural performance of Z Block connectors under different loading conditions. The findings contribute to the development of standardized pretension guidelines and optimized design recommendations, thereby enhancing the reliability and structural efficiency of modular steel construction
Experiment in Ethical Listening #1
No full textThis project could be installed over the course of the conference or could be presented and facilitated in a particular time slot. I would be happy to present the project in full with the accompanying research paper that informed the project and also my thoughts in the work as it evolves from a project I did personally and now am looking to now work with the public.I propose to curate and share artistic work that I developed through a research project during the winter semester of 2019 in PHIL2800: Indigenous Thought of the Americas. The work was inspired by my growing awareness of the housing crisis and ongoing Indigenous struggles against the various forms of genocide being enacted by the Canadian state both at "home" and abroad. The aim being to help other settlers learn the real colonial history of Canada, the current material situation, and encourage us towards being better treaty people. Inspired by experimental learning installations, I developed an experiment in spatial relation, ethical listening, and representation of statistics to explore a material reality that I found difficult to comprehend and appreciate. I played a CBC report, "This family of five lives in a laundry room, a sign of Nunavut's housing crisis" and projected images of the family in the laundry room on the wall. I used tape to mark the floor with the dimensions of the laundry room and confined myself to that space for the duration of the report. I propose to remake the original experiment for participants to experience, inviting them to listen to the report and confine themselves to the space for the duration. This experience aims to enrich the understanding of participants of the ongoing colonial violence and struggle of First Nation, Metis, and Inuit communities and to foster relations based in understanding and respect and promote solidarity and mutual aid, helping to building viable, healthy, and safe communities for everyone
Accusatory Based Discourse Strategies: Apologia, Kategoria and Strategic Image Repair Discourse
No full textThe purpose of this paper is to suggest that an orator can strategically pick discourse strategies when issuing their apologia if they understand the attitudes they are combatting in the subsequent kategoria. This paper draws heavily on works by William Benoit and Halford Ryan. Using a general understanding of apologia, and the concept of kategoria as conceptualized by Ryan, I suggest that once an orator understands apologia and kategoria as a speech set, they can use Benoit’s image repair tactics as an effective way to repair their image to their respective audience. The combination of an orator’s understanding of apologia, kategoria, and image repair theory are like a warrior’s sword and shield. It enables an orator to deflect what ought to be deflected and attack what ought to be attacked when the goal is to repair one's image. This I go on to term accusatory-based discourse strategies. To put it in other words, accusatory-based discourse strategies simply means to choose the rhetorical strategies an orator will use in their apologia depending on the component of the negative attitude, held by the audience, one wishes to combat. By understanding the negative attitudes that compose the kategoria, an orator can better tailor their apologia to effectively repair their image
Using Silver to Enhance Spectroscopic Signals of Bacteria
No full text['UNSDG 3: Good Health and Well-being (https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal3)']Viable, Healthy and Safe CommunitiesLaser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a technique in which a laser pulse is focused on a target to produce a plasma. As the plasma cools, it emits light to be collected by a spectrometer to determine the elemental composition of the target. We use LIBS to rapidly identify and classify bacterial pathogens with an end goal of using our methods for diagnosis of bacterial infections in clinical applications. I have worked to enhance the bacterial LIBS emission spectra using silver. A 60 mJ 1064 nm pulsed laser was focused onto a rotating silver foil target in a vacuum chamber to sputter a highly uniform silver thin film onto a nitrocellulose filter. Sputtering times from 1 minute to 20 minutes were investigated. Uniformity was determined with LIBS and a scanning electron microscope. The silver filters were removed from the vacuum sputtering chamber, bacteria were deposited, and the deposition was ablated to acquire LIBS spectra. Analysis of these spectra showed a 50-100% increase in the ion emission intensity and a decrease in neutral element emission intensity, indicating an increase in plasma temperature. While overall LIBS emission enhancement was observed for a sample deposited on a silver filter compared to an empty filter for sputtering times greater than 15 minutes, this increase was not statistically significant. Work is ongoing to produce nanoparticle solutions using pulsed laser ablation in water to give statistically significant enhancement of the bacterial emission spectra using silver nanoparticles instead of a silver thin film
Wastewater-based surveillance of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) genome sequence variations in the Windsor-Essex border region
No full textRespiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of respiratory tract infections in both pediatric and elderly populations. RSV is an enveloped, negative-sense, single-stranded RNA virus that belongs to the Pneumoviridae family. In addition to the variation seen in the two antigenically distinct subtypes of RSV, A and B, previous genomic sequencing studies on clinical samples show particular variability in the sequences of the attachment protein G and fusion protein F. To more thoroughly evaluate the amount of variation in RSV genomic sequences in the Windsor-Essex border region, we are in the process of developing a robust tiled amplicon sequencing method that targets the G and F genes for RSV subtypes A and B. Our method uses primer sequences from the ARTIC network, R10.4.1 flow cells on the Oxford Nanopore MinION platform, and data processing and bioinformatics analysis from the Galaxy Suite. Preliminary results indicate that high levels of sequence coverage and redundancy can be obtained for the complete G gene and part of the F gene of RSV A and B from many of wastewater samples collected from hospitals, student residence halls, and wastewater plants. Improvements in sample preparation, primer design and the conditions for multiplex amplification are currently being explored to further improve the reliability and sensitivity of our novel genomic surveillance method for monitoring the evolution of sequence variations over time, including the emergence of novel variants of concern
The Fine-Tuning Effect: A Study on Instruction Tuning for Code Generation
Full text linkInstruction tuning enhances language models by fine-tuning them on instruction-output pairs, particularly improving performance in code generation tasks. Models like OctoCoder and Wavecoder have shown significant gains in pass@k metrics. However, instruction tuning is resource-intensive and often inaccessible for users with limited computational power. Additionally, many existing datasets are too simplistic, hindering performance on complex tasks. In this research, we introduce a new Leetcode dataset featuring complex problems and Python implementations to improve instruction tuning. We fine-tune the CodeLlama model using this dataset and explore two fine-tuning methods: Instruction Tuning, which focuses on generated code tokens, and Instruction Modelling, which considers both instruction and code tokens for better context awareness. We also use Llama 3 in the Evol-Instruct method to generate additional instructions, avoiding closed-source models like GPT. Additionally, we investigate the impact of different LoRA ranks in Instruction Tuning and present a detailed analysis of failure cases on the HumanEval dataset. To address the high resource demands, we employ parameter-efficient techniques like LoRA (Low-Rank Adaptation) and qLoRA, which reduce model weights to 4-bit precision. Our evaluation, using the HumanEval and MBPP datasets, with pass@k as the primary metric, demonstrates a scalable, resource-efficient approach to instruction tuning for code generation
Investigating Moldstar for Stretchable Electronics
No full textWearable technology emerged as one of the most promising innovations that are reshaping the way we interact with the world around us. Currently, there is a mechanical mismatch between the rigidity of these devices and the softness of our skin, but this can be improved upon. When making wearable and stretchable electronics, the most common material used is an elastomer. An elastomer provides mechanical stability, a soft surface, and protection from the environment for sensitive electronic components. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is the most common elastomer used because it is transparent, biodegradable, non-toxic, and you can easily modify the surface. Ecoflex is a commercially available ultrasoft and ultra-stretchable silicone elastomer that is ideal for skin-mounted soft electronics because it has a low Young's modulus. In this work, we set out to expand the elastomer library by looking at different elastomers such as Smooth Sil, Mold Star, Dragon Skin, and Ecoflex. We propose to take advantage of these properties to create stretchable and wearable devices that are unattainable with single elastomers
Mapping Journeys of Care: The Impact of Arts-Informed Storytelling Approaches in Improving Diagnosis and Care in Women with PCOS
No full textPolycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine syndrome in people assigned female at birth, affecting up to 25% of individuals worldwide. Symptoms fall into three specific clusters: reproductive, metabolic, and mental health impacts. Reproductive symptoms include ovarian cysts, menstrual irregularities, and fertility-related concerns, and high testosterone. Excess androgen results in changes to one's physical appearance, namely hirsutism and alopecia. Metabolic concerns are insulin-resistance, high body mass index, and dyslipidemia. Higher rates of anxiety, depression, body image disturbances, and a lower quality of life are also reported in PCOS patients. PCOS also increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, endometrial cancer, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Early detection is crucial in mitigating these risks. However, PCOS remains misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and neglected as a chronic health condition, and diagnosis and treatment lags are common worldwide. To understand these delays, and amplify patient-centered research goals, we merged life story approaches with artistic expression to capture and understand diverse patients' lived experiences seeking diagnosis, care, and treatment for PCOS in Canada. Participants first sketched out the chapters of their PCOS story, filled in the details with events/scenes in health care settings that were memorable, and then reflected on their experience holistically, along with their goals for care in the future. In this talk, we will share themes constructed from patients' life stories that capture their intersecting and complex journeys with the health care system. This work illuminates the value of multimethod qualitative approaches to foster health equity in women's health
Fermentative methane production from glycerol
Full text linkSustainable IndustryFermentative methane production from glycerol Lu Cao and Jerald A. Lalman Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Windsor Abstract Glycerol (1,2,3-propanetriol) is a waste from biodiesel production. Increasing biodiesel production has caused a surplus of glycerol on global markets. Converting glycerol into value-added chemicals would aid in alleviating this global 'glut'. Producing fuels such as hydrogen and methane from glycerol are possible routes for adding value to glycerol. The current studies focus on fermentative methane production from glycerol. Screening studies to establish optimal conditions for methane production were conducted at different pH levels (5.5-8.5), initial glycerol concentrations (312-10,000 mg·l-1) and varying glucose to glycerol ratios (1:1-1:4). The preliminary data indicate that the optimal pH was 7.6. The optimal initial glycerol concentration for maximum methane production at pH 7.6 was 625 mg·l-1. Decreasing methane yields were correlated with increasing the initial glycerol concentration. In terms of glucose and glycerol as co-substrate, methane production was inhibited in the presence of glucose, while adding glucose boosts the glycerol degradation rate to some extent. A series of experiments was conducted to examine the effect of vitamin B12 on methane production using glycerol as the substrate. Preliminary results indicate that less methane and more 1,3-PD were produced in cultures containing vitamin B12. Keywords: glycerol, methane production, co-substrate, vitamin B1
Understanding the Dynamics of Climate Change, Migration and Conflict: The Case of Bangladesh
Full text linkSouth Asia is fast becoming a zone depletion as a result of the frequency and intensity in climate change events. Amidst these changing patterns and trends Bangladesh remains one of the most vulnerable countries in the region, and this has resulted in millions of people being displaced by disasters associated to climate change. Over time these displacements have resulted in conflicts in destination areas as a result of several factors. There have been many challenges emerging due to the interaction between climate change, migration and conflict thereby making the affected population vulnerable, although the Bangladesh government has put in place some policies to respond the challenges following climate change and its impact on migration and conflict. There have been many shortcomings of the strategies, and this indicates a need for the reassessment of policies and strategies, also the need to adopt various adaptation strategies to combat the woes of climate change and migration in Bangladesh