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Evaluating the impact of an educational intervention on the management of BPPV: an interrupted time series analysis
No full textThis study examines the impact of an educational intervention on the use of key diagnostic and treatment maneuvers for Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) and the reduction of unnecessary CT scans in clinical practice. Data were sourced from three healthcare institutions in Ontario, encompassing over 2000 patient records from the pre- and post-intervention periods. The primary diagnostic and treatment outcomes analyzed include Dix-Hallpike, Supine Roll, and Canalith Repositioning Maneuver (CRM), while the secondary focus is on the utilization of CT scans. The analysis employs Interrupted Time Series (ITS) methodology, with segmented regression used to assess changes in the frequency of these procedures. Adjustments were made for potential confounders such as history of BPPV, vomiting, and vertigo. The intervention led to an immediate increase in the appropriate use of Dix-Hallpike and Supine Roll maneuvers, followed by sustained positive trends in their application. Similarly, CRM usage significantly increased post-intervention. However, the intervention had no significant effect on reducing CT scan usage, highlighting the complex challenges of minimizing unnecessary imaging in clinical settings. Nevertheless, after accounting for confounding variables, the post-intervention increases observed previously were no longer statistically significant. This research underscores the importance of targeted educational programs in promoting evidence-based diagnostic and treatment maneuvers for BPPV. While the intervention effectively increased the use of appropriate procedures, its impact on reducing CT scan usage was limited. Future work will focus on extending the follow-up period to assess long-term trends and exploring alternative analytical methods to uncover complex patterns and validate intervention effectiveness
Enhancing fairness and player satisfaction in electronic games: an analysis of matchmaking algorithms and player feedback in MOBA games
No full textThis research focuses on addressing the challenges identified in current matchmaking systems to enhance matching accuracy, fairness, and player satisfaction in Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games through the development and implementation of a novel matchmaking algorithm, CentroMatch. Leveraging foundational elements from established skill rating systems such as Elo and TrueSkill 2, and innovative graph-based algorithms, CentroMatch aims to create a more accurate and balanced matchmaking process. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to examine existing skill rating systems mentioned previously and emphasize the importance of player feedback and fairness in maintaining player engagement in MOBA games. The Elo system's estimation of winning probabilities and score updates, TrueSkill 2's incorporation of additional variables, and graph-based models' visualization of skill gaps form the fundamental structure of CentroMatch. Surveys and interviews were administered to collect quantitative and qualitative data that would be integrated within the fundamental structure of CentroMatch to apply to the CentroMatch algorithm. The MOBA game of interest, League of Legends ™ (LoL), was selected to serve as the empirical testing ground for the new algorithm. From the gameplay results, CentroMatch creates more balanced matches and reduced the possibility of toxic behaviour by constructing a model structure based on the feedback from questionnaires and interviews. The improvements contribute to the broader field of electronic game design and development, offering insights for future advancements in matchmaking algorithms
L'impact du confinement et des mesures d'éloignement durant la pandémie de covid-19 sur la santé mentale des élèves: le cas des élèves en 12e année au secondaire
Get PDFLa pandémie de COVID-19 entraîne au Canada, la mise sur pied d’une série mesures pour
freiner l’expansion du virus. À travers un cadre conceptuel sur les déterminants sociaux de la santé,
ce mémoire explore l’impact du confinement et des mesures d’éloignement sur les élèves du
secondaire, en mettant en lumière les inégalités sociales et les disparités qui affectent ce groupe
vulnérable. Dans ce cadre, nous adaptons les six dimensions de l’échelle de mesure des
manifestations du bien-être psychologique (ÉMMBEP) pour explorer le vécu des jeunes autour de
l’estime de soi, de l’équilibre, du contrôle de soi et des évènements, de la sociabilité, de
l’engagement social et du bonheur.
Cette étude qualitative exploratoire repose sur des entretiens semi-dirigés effectués auprès
de quatre participants en 12e année. Les résultats montrent que l’isolement cause chez eux un
sentiment de perte de contrôle, des tensions familiales, des habitudes de vie néfastes, une perte
d’intérêt. Les difficultés auxquelles ils font face s’accentuent lorsqu’ils sont confrontés aux
difficultés d’accès aux soins, issus de familles pauvres, ou vivant avec des parents souffrant de
problèmes de santé mentale. Ils démontrent ainsi un niveau de stress, dépression et d’anxiété élevé,
des troubles du sommeil, une détresse émotionnelle, divers problèmes de santé mentale. Étant
donné qu’on note une anxiété qui perdure, il est suggéré de sensibiliser les intervenants de
premières lignes afin de développer plus de programmes en santé mentale, mettant l’accent sur les
besoins des jeunes francophones.Maîtrise en Service Socia
Remetabolise: employing mycelium as a biohack in the forestry supply chain to close the loop in circular material culture
No full textIn response to the incessant waste production and
linear framework in the architecture, engineering, and
construction industry, and the need for the optimization of
forestry production, this thesis explores the convergence
of biotechnology and design using mycelium, the
vegetative part of fungi, to replace synthetic foams and
valorize wood wastes. This thesis examines how the AEC
industry can employ mycelium to produce construction
systems that embody circular material cultures. A review
of the properties of mycelium, its potential applications
in architecture, and the challenges associated with
its production reveals the need to determine optimal
composite design streams. Fabrication techniques such as
biowelding and internal aeration are prototyped and offer
a refined proof of concept for mycelium-bound structural
insulated panels. A research centre is proposed where
panels are further developed in 1:1 testing and as a didactic
tool to inform the architectural requirements of the panel
system itself.Master of Architecture (M.Arch
Community healing within M’Chigeeng First Nation: a land-based healing and treatment centre
No full textSettler colonialism has had a profound and
long-lasting effect on the health of Indigenous
communities across Turtle Island. The resulting
trauma has led to widespread substance
use disorders leading many communities
to respond through Land-based healing
initiatives. Considering settler colonialism’s
goal is to dispossess Indigenous peoples of
their lands, Land-based practices contribute
to healing and decolonization by restoring
that connection with Land. Anishinaabek
communities on Manitoulin Island have begun
implementing land-based practices in multiple
sectors including addictions treatment;
however, there are only two local in-patient
programs offering culturally grounded
services. To combat long wait times and the
need to travel off-island for treatment, more
Indigenous-led treatment facilities are urgently
required. Informed by conversations with local
leadership and professionals, and partnering
with community members Neil Debassige and
Dianne Glasby-Debassige, this thesis proposes
a design for a community-engaged and land-
based in-patient healing and treatment centre
on Lake Mindemoya, in M’Chigeeng First
Nation.Master of Architecture (M.Arch
Natures of natures: integrating ecologies in North Bay
No full textIdeas of dynamic nature have been pushed to the edges of our
cultural spheres. We refrain from seeing ourselves as part of
nature, and have placed ourselves above and apart from broader
ecological systems. These ideas are reinforced in rectilinear
organizations applied despite existing conditions, and amongst
our values for ownership of private property as a distinction of the
individual. Amongst these values, domestic spheres have been
isolated from broader natural and social ecologies, aestheticizing
the role of women amongst the housing commodity. Ecological
thinking expanding contexts and ideas of the domestic objects with
values for relations amongst a broader range of scales. This project
explores ideas of nature that have formed the way we organize land
and the domestic sphere, and proposes an alternative model for
dynamic integrations of social and natural ecologies.Master of Architecture (M.Arch
Analysis of the composition of Halo's 252CF neutron source
No full textThe Helium and Lead Observatory (HALO) is a supernova neutrino detector located un-
derground at SNOLAB. HALO consists of 128 3He neutron counters and 79 tonnes of lead.
In the event of a supernova, neutrinos will interact with the lead, releasing neutrons which
will be detected by the 3He neutron counters. Each neutron counter in HALO has a different
neutron capture efficiency by virtue of its position within the array. These efficiencies were
found by previous work using Monte Carlo simulations and verified with a californium neu-
tron source. A previous analysis using this source has assumed that it was purely comprised
of 252Cf, but recently it has been recognized that several isotopes are present and contribute
to the source’s neutron output. A better knowledge of the isotopic composition of the cali-
bration source is necessary to more accurately determine HALO’s neutron capture efficiency
in different locations.
In addition to the 252Cf present in the source, other neutron emitting isotopes of various
half-lives and multiplicity distributions are present, such as some 250Cf, which was present at
the source’s creation, and 248Cm which is created as an alpha decay product of 252Cf. This
demands a more complex model of the source, which is undertaken in this thesis.
New data of the 252Cf source was taken with the source in HALO’s central tube. This
data, as well as data taken over the past few years, was analyzed with maximum likelihood
methods with hopes of learning more about the isotopic composition of the source.
It was found that by analyzing the past five years of runs taken with the source in HALO,
the decay pattern does not match any expected set of initial conditions. Assuming a central
neutron capture efficiency of 48%, the strength of the source appears to be 24.8 ± 0.2 neutrons
per second greater than the 7.7 ± 0.1 neutrons per second expected.
If the ICP-MS report made at the beginning of the source’s lifetime is correct pertaining
to the source’s isotopic composition and the curium was removed from the source on the date
provided, then some other phenomena must account for the discrepancy experienced. Various
explanations for this discrepancy were tested, including gamma-induced fission, alpha-induced
fission, and spontaneous fission of isotopes in the nearby rocks. No method examined
appeared to give a strong explanation for this discrepancy.Master of Science (MSc) in Physic
Youth-centric city: school-oriented transportation planning informed by play-based and child-friendly design in mid-sized cities
No full textCar-centric North-American cities focus on workforce and resource
mobility, which led to the decline of youth’s independent mobility as safety
concerns grow for children in this hostile environment. Unfortunately,
in mid-size cities, public transit is inefficient, which subjects children
to car dependency from a young age. Transportation habits are thus
environmentally unsustainable, harmful to physical health, as well
as detrimental to the well-being and cognitive development of teens.
Leveraging research on child-friendly planning and play-based design,
this thesis argues that a novel approach to transportation and urban
planning is required to support the healthy development of teens,
increase their mobility, and as such develop good transportation literacy
and habits that can stop the cycle of car dependency. This thesis thus
proposes to extend Sudbury’s (Ontario) public transit through a school-
oriented system that connects youth areas of interest and adds playful
hubs to cater to the young population, too often overlooked.Master of Architecture (M.Arch
Investigating the impact of perinatal EMF exposure and nitric oxide modulation on rat brain development: a histological analysis of neuronal alterations and GFAP expression
No full textThe environment in which we develop can have profound but subtle impacts on a multitude
of biological systems. Small changes in this environment during prenatal development, such as the
presence of an electromagnetic field (EMF) have been shown previously to have the ability to alter
the neurobiology and behaviour of humans and animals. The present study builds on current
knowledge of environmental influences by investigating the impact of nitric oxide (NO)
modulation and EMF exposure on neurodevelopment. During a previous study rats were exposed
perinatally to either water, 1g/L of L-arginine (LA), or 0.5g/L of N-methylarginine (NMA) and a
7Hz square wave EMF at three separate intensities (0nT, ≤50nT, and 500nT) starting ~3 days prior
to birth and completing 14 days after. They were then allowed to develop until adulthood and their
brains were harvested (Mean age=568.17 days, SD=162.73). While the prior study focused
primarily on behaviour, the present study examined possible changes to the neurobiology by
looking at alterations in neuron counts and glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) expression. Results
of which, highlight significant changes in multiple brain areas including the amygdala,
hippocampus, cortices, and hypothalamus, resulting from NO modulation and EMF exposure.
Particularly, exposure to EMF resulted in a significant increase in neurons within the right
secondary somatosensory cortex along with a significant increase in the average length of branches
on GFAP-expressing cells in the right ventromedial hypothalamus. Additionally, sex-specific
interactions with the EMF exposures were observed in the hippocampus where females exposed
to the EMF had a significant increase in the number of neurons within the left CA3 compared to
males. However, the EMF exposure elevated the number of branches on GFAP-expressing cells in
the left CA2 of male rats. These results point to an intricate interaction-based relationship between
sex, hemisphere, NO modulation and EMF exposure during developmental periods.Master of Science (M. Sc.) in Biolog
A story of reconnecting with Inuit ways of learning: designing a post-secondary institution in Nunavik
No full textInuit students in Nunavik do not have access to local culturally relevant
post-secondary education and must relocate to southern Québec if they
wish to pursue further education. The high dropout rates experienced
as a result of culture shock, financial strain, distance from support
systems and culturally irrelevant programs communicate that this is an
insufficient solution. The local Inuit-led Kativik School Board plans to
create a local post-secondary institution to address this issue based
on years of community conversations which reveals an opportunity
to support the existing project by exploring the question: how can
the design of a post-secondary institution to support Inuit
ways of learning in Nunavik? Community engagement, case
studies, reciprocity, and the theoretical framework about Inuit ways of
learning inform strategies for facilitating knowledge sharing through
the design of a new school typology to support Inuit student success.Master of Architecture (M.Arch