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    Estimating the win probability in a hockey game

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    When a hockey game is being played, its data comes continuously. Therefore, it is possible to use the stream mining method to estimate the win probability (WP) of a team once the game begins. Based on 8 seasons’ data of NHL from 2003-2014, we provide three methods to estimate the win probability in a hockey game. Win probability calculation method based on statistics is the first model, which is built based on the summary of the historical data. Win probability calculation method based on data mining classification technique is the second model. In this model, we implemented some data classification algorithms on our data and compared the results, then chose the best algorithm to build the win probability model. Naive Bayes, SVM, VFDT, and Random Tree data classification methods have been compared in this thesis on the hockey dataset. We used stream mining technique in our last model, which is a real time prediction model, which can be interpreted as a trainingupdate- training model. Every 20 events in a hockey game are split as a window. We use the last window as the training data set to get decision tree rules used for classifying the current window. Then a parameter can be calculated by the rules trained by these two windows. This parameter can tell us which rule is better than another to train the next window. In our models the variables time, leadsize, number of shots, number of misses, number of penalties are combined to calculate the win probability. Our WP estimates can provide useful evaluations of plays, prediction of game result and in some cases, guidance for coach decisions

    Unpacking histories: the decolonization of Indigenous health data on Manitoulin Island between the years of 1869-1940

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    This study presents a critical perspective of historical accounts regarding settler and Indigenous population health on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, between the years 1869-1940. Early literature, including Jesuit missionary accounts and local historical records are re-examined through a contemporary decolonial lens to reframe Indigenous health transitions in a colonial setting, and from an under-represented viewpoint. This study utilizes qualitative research design, critical historical analysis, and literature informed by contemporary postcolonial theory to contextualize historic and present day health data and help facilitate a new, more inclusive health narrative. Throughout this research, diet, accidental deaths, and infectious disease narratives will be addressed and critiqued as a way to distance health realities from early historical accounts published by colonial forces. In conclusion, this research addresses how historical data records Indigenous health, and demonstrates that forces of colonialism contributed to settler-dominated health narratives in the historical record

    Utilization of drinking water sludge and modified coal fly ash as adsorbents of metals and metalloids

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    The presence of toxic trace metals and trace elements has drastically increased in recent decades as a consequence of industrialization and a growing demand for natural resources. These toxic metals and elements can be severely harmful to human health and to the environment in general, if they are not properly contained and treated. In the recent years, many papers on the use of low-cost adsorbents to remove toxic metals and metalloids from wastewaters have appeared in the literature. In the category of low-cost adsorbents, coal fly ash or products synthesized from it are commonly studied but drinking water sludge is much less used. This study is aiming at using waste products to clean the water stream from mine tailing ponds, and developing a new material, which is efficient, and of high performance. Fly ash, sludge and modified fly ash as low-cost adsorbents are presented in this paper and their performance for the removal of metals and metalloids from contaminated water is compared. The adsorption phenomenon could be generally modeled by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Factors that can affect oxyanions (AsO43-, SeO32-, CrO42- and MoO42-) adsorption by sludge and fly ash influence the mobility of these inorganic anions in wastewater. This research attempted to compare the adsorption capacities of inorganic anions on sludge and fly ash commonly found in Canada in a tailing pond system. The effects of sample modification, pH and matrix on adsorption were studied; the adsorption kinetics and adsorption capacity if different materials and matrix were investigated. The main goal of this study is to provide some information concerning the use of industrial waste materials as adsorbents for the removal of toxic elements (inorganic anions) from mining wastewater. It is also to determine the chemical mechanisms of toxic elements in water treatment and optimize systematic parameters to be more efficient on the removal of toxic elements from water streams

    Identification of phenotypic variation across levels of cSOD activity in Drosophila melanogaster reveals that phenotypes are most influenced by second chromosome genetic background and sex at high cSOD activity

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    This thesis examined how variable the effects of changes in cSOD activity were on phenotypes across genetic backgrounds and between sexes. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the effect size partial eta squared (η2p) were used to partition the amount of variation attributable to sex, cSOD activity, and genetic background across the distal and proximal phenotypes assayed. The absence of cSOD activity results in pervasive changes in phenotypic expression, and these changes are only slightly modified by sex or genetic background. Higher levels of cSOD activity generally result in phenotypic expression closer to wild-type levels, though phenotypes were more susceptible to modification depending on sex and genetic background when some cSOD activity was present. Results here indicate that the cSOD-null syndrome is pervasive, and the significant influence of sex and genetic background across phenotypes supports the utilization of both sexes and multiple genetic backgrounds in genetic analyses

    Optimal design and control of mine site energy supply systems.

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    The mining sector has seen an increase in costs associated with the use of energy in recent decades. Due to lower ore grade, deeper mineralization, or more remote location new mines generally require more energy to produce the same amount of mineral. Mining operations require reliable and cost-effective energy supply, without which extraction becomes economically risky, as well as unsafe for miners. Commercial software and research-oriented computer models are now available to assist in the decision making process regarding the optimal selection of Energy Supply Systems (ESS) and associated costs. However, software and models present limitations: some are designed to minimize the cost of supplying only heat and electricity, while others are custom applications for the residential and commercial sectors. Most computer tools assume invariable operating conditions, e.g. energy supply and demand profiles that do not change throughout the lifetime of the mine, or conditions whose variations can be perfectly predicted. As a result, the optimization of ESS can yield designs that lack robustness to deal with real life, changing environments. Under the same approach, the Optimal Mine Site Energy Supply (OMSES) concept was originally developed as a deterministic mathematical programming tool to find the optimal combination of energy technologies and sources that could meet final energy demands. The solution also included the optimal operation strategy based on typical energy demands of a specific mine site. This thesis expands OMSES to address the robustness of the solution, by considering the uncertainty and variability of real operating conditions. A method is proposed herein, based on the optimal solution obtained by OMSES and utilizing Model Predictive Control (MPC). The MPC-based simulation under changing environmental conditions ensures that energy demands are met at all times, taking into account energy demands and supply forecast, as well as their inherent variability. Results show that near optimal, more robust design solutions are obtained when the system is simulated under uncertain, more realistic operational conditions, leaving MPC in charge of exploring under-capacity events and of redesigning the system to ensure feasibility with minimum cost increase. This new method has been termed MPC-OMSES dynamic redesign. This thesis also reports on research work to adapt OMSES formulation to account for varying demands throughout the life of the mine, as a consequence of the natural process of mine development and extraction, which means deeper operations over time. This process entails a progressive increase in energy demands, and therefore the energy supply system must be planned accordingly. The proposed Long Term OMSES (LTOMSES) shows the advantages of considering an investment plan for the ESS, especially in the case of capital-intensive renewable energy technologies. Other concepts that have been integrated in OMSES and are covered in this thesis include: (i) material flows with considerable impact in the energy consumption have been included in the mathematical formulation, in combination with the corresponding technologies, such as pumps, fans and mobile equipment; (ii) energy and material storage have been also included, along with complex utility tariff structures, and grid and pipeline extensions. More innovative and integrated solutions can be considered by expanding the feasibility region of the optimization problem, as shown in a case study covering the integration of battery-powered electric underground mobile equipment. Overall, this thesis provides insight and tools to assist engineers in the important task of designing comprehensive and cost-effective energy supply systems for underground mines. Future work suggested includes: the development of a methodology to design fully adaptive ESS (not considering a pre-existing optimal or sub-optimal design); the simultaneous optimization of the production plan (ore extracted per day) and the design and operation of the ESS; and a dynamic approach to review the investment plan in the face of long-term environmental operating conditions

    Families raising children with FASD and autism in Ontario

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    The current document is a two-paper manuscript-based thesis investigating the experiences of parents raising children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Ontario, Canada. Supports are available in Ontario for families of children with disabilities. However, many parents report that they are not adequately meeting their needs. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to determine what supports parents believe they require to help facilitate adaptation. Both papers used mixed methods, including a qualitative analysis of semi structured interviews and a descriptive statistical analysis of their respective questionnaires. The first paper examined the experiences of parents of adopted adult children with FASD and their needs as they adapted to their children’s transition into adulthood. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to analyze the interviews, and the Questionnaire on Resources and Stress- Friedrich’s Version (QRS-F) was examined. Parents described a number of stressors related to their children’s transition to adulthood and reported moderate levels of perceived stress. The second paper examined parents’ formal and informal support needs as they adapted to raising their middle childhood aged children with ASD and FASD. Thematic analysis was used analyze to the interviews, and the Family Resource Scale as well as the Family Crisis Oriented Personal Scales were administered. Results indicated that there are not enough services to satisfy family needs. Implications for clinical interventions are discussed

    Identification of secreted metalloprotease from the culture supernatant of Mycobacterium bovis BCG

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    Tuberculosis is considered one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide, claiming the lives of approximately 1.2 to 1.5 million people each year. It is caused by a member of a class of bacteria called Mycobacterium (M. tuberculosis), which includes saprophytic and pathogenic species. M. bovis causes similar disease in cattle. This latter species is used for the production of all currently available tuberculosis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccines. There has been progress made in the past 20 years in understanding the pathogenesis of Tuberculosis but much more research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms that mediate the survival of the pathogen in phagocytic cells. Metalloproteases are a subfamily of proteases that utilize metals, mostly zinc, for their catalytic activities. They are involved in virulence, cell wall processes and intermediary metabolism in bacteria. Metalloprotease activity in the culture supernatant of M. tuberculosis has been detected previously in other laboratories and we are able to detect this activity in the culture supernatant of M. bovis BCG. Bioinformatics analysis of the proteome of M. tuberculosis reveals a large number of putative proteases (66 in total) with 23 having the zinc-binding motif (PROSITE PDOC00129). The goal of this study was the direct identification of the protein responsible for the protease activity in the culture supernatant of M. bovis BCG. The protease in the supernatant was identified by zymography, with partial purification of the protease activity by ion exchange chromatography. A band on electrophoresis gels associated with the protease activity was then subjected to N-terminal sequencing of the purified protein, which identified hexapeptide sequence VTGGGA. Using a bioinformatics approach, the best matching protein with this sequence was identified as PstS, a phosphate binding protein normally considered a component of the phosphate transport system

    Gold mineralization in the Missanabie-Renabie district of the Wawa subprovince (Missanabie, Ontario, Canada)

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    The geological processes responsible for the formation of hydrothermal gold deposits are often equivocal. For example, gold-bearing, shear zone-hosted laminated quartz veins in the Missanabie-Renabie gold district (Archean Wawa subprovince, Ontario, Canada) have been interpreted as both intrusion-related and metamorphic-hydrothermal in origin. The veins were mined at the past-producing Renabie mine, which yielded ~1.1 Moz of gold during production from 1941-1991. Whereas the intrusion-related interpretation links the veins to magmatic-hydrothermal fluids released during the crystallization and solidification of their hosting tonalitic pluton, the metamorphic interpretation suggests the veins were deposited from hydrothermal fluids produced during greenschist-facies metamorphism. This study integrates detailed structural field mapping with a number of geochemical techniques to unravel the evolution of the historically controversial ore zones. Results suggest that: (1) the laminated veins and their alteration envelopes pre-date regional deformation, and spatially localized later shear zones, which subsequently focused hydrothermal activity resulting in the formation multistage, composite ore zones; (2) the laminated veins formed during an early, intrusion-related gold event, and the later, co-spatial hydrothermal events are orogenic in nature, and thus more likely to be the products of metamorphic fluids; and (3) discriminating intrusion-related from orogenic events requires constraints provided by geological field mapping. Whereas pressure-temperature information from fluid inclusions and U-Pb geochronology facilitate discrimination, the geochemical signatures of the different hydrothermal events are largely overlapping and do not aid in classification

    Cinema Derrida: the law of inspection in the age of global spectral film and video

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    My contribution in the interdisciplinary field of film studies involves expanding the concept of spectrality from its linguistic, deconstructive context to articulate new cinematic subjectivities and visual forms of mourning. Spectrality emerges as a key theme in Derrida’s cinematic collaborations, like Ghost Dance (1983), D’ailleurs Derrida (1999), Derrida (2002), and has gained traction in the postmodernist cinema of Jean-Luc Godard and contemporary documentary. Unlike many of his generation, Derrida made it a critical point to experiment with film from the early 1980s onward by exploring and exposing the archival, haunting nature of film. This dissertation studies the cinematic collaborations of Jacques Derrida through the lens of both primary and secondary Derrida literature with a view to critically examine the evolution of this idea that became so central in his philosophical project and important for his legacy. With postmodernism there is a break from the past and all we are left with ostensibly is history without the foundations that would make it a teleological process. Deconstruction’s critique of the transcendental signifier helped pave the way for much of this shift in thinking. Hauntology comes into high relief with post-modernism and poststructuralist philosophical movements to articulate the haunting of the sign. Poststructuralism is the last great philosophical attempt to explain this sense of flickering between presence and absence, and how spectrality stages an encounter with the other and with the law of another time. I draw out the main tenets of spectrality from Derrida’s seminal texts Of Grammatology and Specters of Marx and other writings, like Echographies of Television, in order to fill a gap in studies of Derrida and film. For this project, I draw on communication, media, and film theorists, including Jaimie Baron, Barthes, Edgar Morin, Mulvey, Michael Naas, and John Durham Peters

    Regreening program : Annual report 2016

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