Toronto Metropolitan University Open Journals
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Shrinking and Expanding Within the Anti-Obesity Assemblage: Towards A Critical Phenomenology of Weight-Cycling
No full textExisting discussions of weight-cycling in fat studies rarely center the lived experience of weight-cyclers as they move between fatter and thinner states of embodiment in a fatphobic world. Drawing on critical feminist phenomenology and Rachel Fox’s (2024) concept of the Anti-Obesity Assemblage, this paper examines how weight-cyclers’ experiences reveal the everyday, embodied effects of fat oppression. I conceptualize the Anti-Obesity Assemblage as a quasi-transcendental structure of experience that shapes meaning-making within fatphobic worlds, imbuing perception with the imperative to eliminate fatness. Through first-personal, social-scientific, and fictional accounts, I identify three phenomenological forms of suffering produced by oscillating between differently perceived states of embodiment: anxious perception, intelligibility slippage, and proprioceptive ambivalence. Anxious perception names the anxiety directed toward the futurity of one’s body, which can be experienced as being drawn into thinking about how one’s body might or will be. Intelligibility slippage refers to the experience of slipping between different modes of intersubjective intelligibility, which can erode one’s trust in the world. Proprioceptive ambivalence describes the tension between hyper-awareness of one’s physical body (through monitoring its size, weight, proportions, and diet) and uncertainty about its physical qualities (like appearance and size)—a tension that can culminate in feelings of disembodiment
Everybody Loves A Clown
No full text\u27Everybody Loves a Clown\u27 explores a video art project I created in 2023. The video centers on a Halloween costume Fat Suit and the song \u27Everybody Love a Clown\u27 by Gary Lewis and the Playboys. I examine different ways the fat suit exemplifies anti-fat sentiment, and detail the intended interpretations of the video artwork.
Numerical Evaluation of the Use of Highly Concentrated Organic Salt Solutions to Improve PRO Efficiency
No full textThis paper presents the results of a numerical modeling of water and salt transport through a semi-permeable membrane. The aim of the research is to find out the effect of using different salts in a rich solution on the efficiency of the pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO) process. For this purpose, three inorganic salts (i.e., NaCl, MgCl2, and MgSO4) and two organic salts (i.e., CH3COOK and C2H5COONa) were tested. The NaCl solution is the most frequently studied solution in the literature and is therefore considered the reference solution. The simulations were carried out using a novel CFD model that took into account the transport of salt and water through the membrane. The calculations were performed for a laboratory-scale 3D PRO module model without spacers. The results were compared for a constant value of the osmotic pressure of the draw solution of 2.8 MPa and for constant fractions of the maximum salt solubility (i.e., in the range of 10-50%). It turned out that organic salts have the best properties, i.e., low salt permeability coefficient, low diffusivity coefficient, high viscosity, and density. The results for MgCl2 also exceeded those for NaCl. The worst results were obtained with the MgSO4 solution due to its poor properties, i.e., low diffusivity coefficient, high viscosity, and high density
Heat Transfer Optimization in Hybrid Nanofluid Flow over a Convectively Heated Stretching/Shrinking Sheet Considering Different Nanoparticle Shapes
No full textA sophisticated statistical tool called the response surface methodology (RSM) can be utilized to find the optimal settings for efficient heat performance of hybrid nanofluids with various flow conditions. The present study examines the steady flow of Ag-MgO/H2O hybrid nanofluid over a permeable stretching/shrinking sheet. The effects of chemical reaction, activation energy, magnetic field, various nanoparticle shapes, zero mass flux, velocity slip, and convective boundary condition are incorporated into the flow problem. Similarity variables are then used to transform the governing partial differential equations and boundary conditions into non-linear ordinary differential equations. These equations are solved numerically using the bvp4c solver in MATLAB, and optimization is conducted using the RSM in Minitab. Hybrid nanofluid with platelet- and spherical-shaped nanoparticles is found to have the lowest local skin friction coefficient in the stretching and shrinking cases, respectively. Meanwhile, the augmentation of the suction parameter () and Biot number () improves the local Nusselt number. Through the RSM, the local Nusselt number is estimated to be optimized at and . With the desirability of 100%, the local Nusselt numbers for the stretching and shrinking cases are approximated to be maximized at 0.68501 and 0.68493, respectively
Two-dimensional Thermo-Fluid-Dynamic Simulation and Analyses of a Thermal Pumped Piston Storage
No full textThis work presents a two-dimensional Thermo-Fluid-Dynamic simulation of a novel Thermal Pumped Piston Storage (TPPS), within a renewable heat and power system. In a preliminary study, an one-dimensional model was developed and long-term storage performance within various energy system scenarios was investigated. While this approach provided valuable results, it could not provide insights into the spatially resolved Thermo-Fluid-Dynamic process in energy storage. For this purpose and to validate the computationally efficient one-dimensional model, we develop a two-dimensional Thermo-Fluid-Dynamic TPPS model. The primary focus is to evaluate the occurrence and relevance of Thermo-Fluid-Dynamic phenomena in the storage, such as natural convection, subscale flow in the seal gap around the piston, turbulent mixing caused by the piston movement, and mixing effects at the water inlets. The results will be compared with the one-dimensional model for validation. The insights from this study will help optimize the one-dimensional model, improving its accuracy and reliability for future long-term studies. In the presentation, we will summarize the one-dimensional model and simulation results and outline the extensions of the two-dimensional model. The discussion will focus on the analysis of heat and fluid transport phenomena within the TPPS and conclude with a comparison between the two models
Optimum Tilt for Maximum Yearly Electric Energy of a Photovoltaic Module Operating in Bucharest
No full textThe present work regards the study of a standard photovoltaic module operating in Bucharest sky conditions (44°N latitude). Meteorological data such as air temperature, global solar radiation and wind speed are used in order to simulate the electric energy production over an entire year. While considering different tilt angles for the solar panel, the optimum one is revealed for maximum electric energy delivered to the user. The module is set to operate at maximum power point all day long. Graphical results emphasize daily variation of electric power, cell temperature, cell efficiency. The operation is then simulated for 365 days so that yearly energy production is computed. The results revealed an optimum tilt of 38°, constant all over the year.
 
Ideal Surface Radiative Cooling Potential
No full textThe present work regards the study of radiative cooling process under daytime solar radiation conditions. A mathematical modelling is presented for a selective-dependent approach, emphasizing the heat rate surface densities transferred between the atmosphere and an opaque body whose exterior surface is covered by a selective material. The aim of the study is to find the maximum radiative cooling that could be theoretically achieved when applying coatings with a specific wavelength-band selective emissivity. The results emphasize 8.43 K surface temperature drop under ambient one in conditions of no net cooling load on the surface, for the numerical case studied. A comparison to a selective-independent approach is included
Electrical Conductivity vs Solution Concentration Correlations: Experimental Study for Pressure-Retarded Osmosis Application.
No full textThis study aims to develop and prove a method for establishing a correlation between electrical conductivity and concentration of a solution, based on experimental investigation with different solutes, namely, sodium chloride and sodium propionate. The primary motivation for this work stems from the need for continuous monitoring of solution concentrations in a pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO) experimental system
Analytical Studies to Justify the Design Parameters of Springs Combining the Qualities of Fluctuations Damper
No full textРассмотрено уравнение крутильных колебаний секций цилиндрической пружины, аналитическое решение которого выполнено под действием статических и динамических нагрузок на пружинный подвес железнодорожного подвижного состава. Получены аналитические зависимости (формулы) для определения резонансных частот колебаний цилиндрической пружины с учетом профиля поперечного сечения ее витка. Доказано, что для серийного и композитного сечений пружинного подвеса электропоезда ЭР2 резонансные частоты колебаний витков пружины и желоба различны, а среднее значение спектра резонансных частот пружины композитного сечения будет шире упомянутого спектра серийной пружины примерно в 2,2 раза (толщина стенки желоба равна 1 мм) и в 2,4 раза (толщина стенки желоба 2 мм), при этом указанные резонансные частоты будут находиться в высокочастотной части спектра и будут превышать «рабочие» частоты пружин пружинного подвеса примерно в 7,42-35,6 раза. Предложены рекомендации по выбору материала для изготовления пружинного желоба исходя из его механических характеристик. Разработанную методику расчета винтовых цилиндрических рессор рекомендуется использовать на этапе проектирования пружинной подвески железнодорожного подвижного состав
Individual plus Policy, System, Environment Framework to Address Racial and Ethnic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as an Adaptive Challenge in Dietetics
No full textAddressing the lack of diversity within the nutrition and dietetics profession has become a vital key to mitigating health disparities. Research has shown greater racial/ethnic diversity to be efficacious in addressing these challenges due to improved racial concordance and impacts on unconscious bias. Despite efforts to increase diversity within the dietetics profession, it continues to lack proportional representation of Black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). Furthermore, it lags behind other health professionals in addressing this dearth of representation. The stagnation in outcomes from the efforts of the Academy presents a unique opportunity to examine those efforts and develop a framework for action which will cultivate synergistic strategies to impact inclusion, diversity, and equity. The Individual plus Policy, System, Environment (I+PSE) conceptual framework for action provides a blueprint for dietetics practitioners to develop and implement multidimensional strategies using a systems approach to address adaptive challenges and achieve collective impact more effectively. The diversification of the dietetics profession presents an adaptive challenge which a systematic approach would prove beneficial. The I+PSE framework was used to conceptualize the complex challenges of recruiting and retaining BIPOC dietetic professionals, specifically focusing on barriers within the pipeline, practice, and the profession. The examination of each framework construct provides a more targeted multidimensional approach by identifying key barriers and facilitators. The I+PSE framework for action provides the Academy with a means by which to critically examine root causes that are impeding initiatives to cultivate an inclusive and equitable profession