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Give a Hoot: evaluating population augmentation efforts of the Western Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia hypugeae) in Canada
No full textMigratory animals are a growing conservation concern and present unique challenges to
population augmentation programs. Quantitatively evaluating and monitoring augmentation
efforts is critical for conservation success. My research formally evaluated the success of two
Western Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) population augmentation programs in
Manitoba and British Columbia using survival, recruitment, and reproduction. Manitoba’s headstarting program holds hatching year (HY) owls overwinter taken from the nests of previous
captive-released pairs. After being overwintered in human care, the HY owls are released in pairs
as second year (SY) owls. British Columbia has a breeding and release program where owls are
bred in facilities; their offspring are then held overwinter, paired and soft-released in the spring.
Both programs soft-release SY pairs that lay clutches in the wild and young are referred to as
“wild-hatched owls”. In British Columbia, wild-hatched owls returned significantly more than
captive-released (ß = 1.05±0.29, p < 0.001). Holding animals overwinter may hinder accurate
migratory behaviour. Fewer owls returned to release sites with more cropland (p = 0.049).
Releases should be prioritized at sites with low percentages of cropland. Interestingly,
individuals who returned from migration to form pairs and breed had significantly higher
reproductive success than captive-released pairs (p < 0.001), suggesting effects of survivor-bias
or mate choice. My thesis has identified opportunities to implement research with a priori
hypotheses and data-driven management directions for the conservation of Burrowing Owls in
Canada
Semi-supervised learning for pancreas cancer survival analysis
No full textIn this thesis, the survival analysis was of interest for the high dimensional data, in which the
number of observations in the study is much less than the number of parameters, usually the
clinical datasets are in this type because there are few experiments and each one includes many
gene expressions. Treating with high dimensional data is necessary, because the redundant and
non-prognostic genes can lead the researchers to incorrect results. In this study L1/2 regularization
has been used to shrink the coefficients of unimportant genes toward zero. Four methods of
Single Cox, Single AFT, Semi-supervised Cox and Semi-supervised AFT have been used to
implement survival analysis. The aim of the simulation study was to compare the four models in
correctly detecting the prognostic genes. So, for two types of correlated and uncorrelated
simulated data with 3 different sample sizes, the four models were compared. The single cox is
sensitive to sample size but the semi-supervised cox model is less sensitive to sample size
because we get a high value of average correctly selected parameters also in low sample size.
The total number of selected parameters is lower in correlated data compared with uncorrelated
data. Hence the precision is higher for correlated data using the semi-supervised cox model. The
Semi-supervised Cox model implemented in this study was done by using Modified Newton
Raphson method and coordinate descent to minimize the loss function. In the Semi-supervised
method, the censored data were imputed by using the mean imputation method. The fraction of
censoring right in our study is more. We get slightly more parameters in simulation compared
with previous study. But we also found much correctly the prognostic genes in our study. The
results of semi-supervised cox were seen to be better than previous study, in both simulation
study and the real dataset.Master of Science (MSc.) in Computational Science
Camps of listening: speculating visceral forms of ecological awareness at resource extraction sites through an acoustically attentive architecture
No full textUrgently prompted by the climate crisis, the
discourse around environmental action is
spearheaded by technological innovation, which
promises futures of optimized mechanics and
reduced carbon emissions. However, denying
technology’s ecological purview beyond efficiency
overlooks its untapped potential in acquainting
humans to ecological thinking, “a practice
and a process of becoming fully aware of how
human beings are connected with other beings.”
1
Technology’s capacity to behave organismically
and autonomously make it capable of dissolving
categorical thinking towards nature. In an
attempt to envision a future of sustainable human
existence, this thesis reimagines technology as
an agent of visceral ecological thinking through
its architectural integration. The mobile work
camps of the Athabasca oil sand mines are at the
site of this architectural speculation. The series
of bitumen mines, together forming the world’s
largest industrial landscape, house over 30,000
workers in fly-in-fly-out camps.
Here, technology
leverages the human’s destructive capacity
towards the environment to a geological scale.
This thesis redefines the work camp as a tool in
augmenting the oil worker’s capacity to think and
act ecologically. The design is speculated within
the Frontier Project, one of the largest bitumen
mines ever proposed for construction. In the face of
vast public opposition, the application process for
the 290 square-kilometer project was terminated in
2020 after over a decade of planning Frontier’s outcome symbolizes the conflict
between Canada’s resource economy, its goal of
negating carbon emissions and the urgent need
to acknowledge the value of land for indigenous
peoples and for all life on Earth. This thesis enters the
conversation around this conflict using speculative
design to critique attitudes towards resource
extraction and to provoke thinking around ecology,
labour, democracy and technology. The intention is
not to push the undertaking of the Frontier Project
nor to propose a pragmatic alternative to current
workforce housing. The speculative design posits
an alternate reality wherein workers monitor the
ecological impacts of the mine in visceral and
intimate ways enabled by architecture. Acoustic
technology integrated in the building envelope
renders the camp transparent to the surrounding
soundscape, creating an interior space of passive
ecological analysis and intimacy with nonhuman
entities of the site. The heightened soundscape
condition inside the camp facilitates ecoacoustic
analysis and serves as an ecopsychological means
of inquiry and relaxation. The design speculates the
democratization Frontier’s managerial structure,
assigning workers regulatory capacities, ultimately
cultivating their roles as constituents of ecology
and industry. In treating ecological awareness as the
recognition of ecological interconnectedness rather
than the anxious realization of ecological peril and
anthropogenic guilt, new possibilities in worker
and ecosystem wellbeing are made possible
Manifesting architectural memory in Sudbury, Ontario
No full textThis thesis investigates various types of memory
through a design process that reveals faded architectural
narratives in Sudbury, Ontario. The city’s ambiguous
architectural identity is, in part, the result of the excessive
demolition of it’s historical buildings. Historical research
and mappings uncover patterns in the city’s morphology
and destruction. A series of interpretive graphite drawings
reveal the architectural memory and memory loss in the
downtown. A design process exploring ‘remembrance’,
a concept that synthesizes memory and imagination, is
employed toward the creation of several new structures.
These additions to the downtown attempt to reinforce
the identity of the city with place-specific architecture
that remembers the past while offering a framework for
new memories
The suburban neighborhood redefined: establishing diverse and socially connected 21st century housing
Get PDFThis thesis examines how 21st century suburban housing can influence the creation of
diverse social community. Extensive research, community engagement, multi-disciplinary
interviews, and in-field site analysis of 21st century Milton neighborhoods has revealed
the need for integration of social and cultural expression of identity within new housing
development models and has highlighted possible solutions. The suburbs are historically
known for low density housing, and occupancy by middle-class nuclear families.1
Today it
can be said that the ‘image’ or perception of the ‘typical suburban resident’ hardly exists.
2
Residential suburban towns and cities have continually evolved to respond to the shift in
suburban demographics. They now attempt to include smaller and higher density housing
for lower- income households and diverse occupant populations. In order to accommodate
the current housing demands new suburban residential development models have been
created. Local officials, urban planners, architects, and developers have each contributed
to the redesign of suburban neighborhood housing to meet the diverse demographical
needs. Within this redesign a primary element of historic suburban neighborhoods has
been overlooked. This is the consideration for social community integration and culturally
diverse inclusivity.
Through a multidisciplinary exploration the search for reality and responsibility of today’s
suburban residential social structure and demographic trends will be discovered. The
suburban site analyzed for this study is Milton Ontario Canada, my hometown, the place
that has shaped my view of suburban life. Across the several disciplines and jurisdictions
that contribute to this town’s development of suburban neighborhoods, the analysis of
community identity is observed. Through community engagement survey research,
the sense of community within Milton’s residential neighborhoods is explored. This
exploration of social and demographic foundations are analyzed to understand what type
of community is being produced specifically within Milton’s new suburban neighborhoods.
Historically, change in residential housing typology was based on a combination of social,
cultural, functional, and economic factors.
3
These principles, re-imagined and integrated,
will discover a new suburban social community structure. This thesis will look at the
possibility of a new suburbia, one that acknowledges diverse cultural appeal and focuses
on the needs of our current social, economic, and demographic conditions. The research
composition consists of both geographical, and statistical analysis. Ultimately this study
has been informed by the local’s knowledge and perspective to build upon the community’s
set needs. The goal is to conceive a means of accommodating shifting housing needs and
create architectural, ethical, and urban integrity within suburbia
Air pollutant forecasting using deep learning
Get PDFIn nearly every country, air pollution has become a serious issue. whether it is developing
countries or developed countries, as urbanization and industrialization hasincreased. Governments
and citizens are greatly concerned about air pollution, which has a negative impact on human
health, the well-being of all life forms, and global economic development. Numerical data is used
in traditional air quality forecast systems, which necessitates more computing resources for
pollutant concentration measurement and yields poor results. We used a commonly used deep
learning model to solve this problem. Particulate Matter 10 was the pollutant studied in this study
(PM10).
This study examines the methods and techniques for predicting air quality using Deep
Learning. Various deep learning models have been investigated. This research incorporates a
recurrent neural network (RNN), a long short-term memory (LSTM), a gated recurrent unit (GRU)
and a bidirectional long short-term memory combination for forecasting. The dataset is primarily
comprised of pollution and meteorological time series data from AirNet China and the United
States Environmental Protection Agency. We studied various architectures and their variations in
topologies and model parameters in order to decide the best architecture. The Root Mean Squared
Error (RMSE) and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) were used to assess the models
(MAPE). Each experiment was run for up to 1000 epochs by varying the learning rate, the number
of nodes in a layer, and the total number of hidden layers. All models performed admirably in
terms of prediction, according to the results. For AirNet dataset GRU based architecture produced
best outcome while for EPA dataset LSTM based architecture outperformed other models.Master of Science (MSc) in Computational Science
Traditional healing and medicine in dementia care for Indigenous populations in North America, Australia, and New Zealand: a scoping review
No full textAccess to culturally-safe dementia assessment, diagnosis, and care in Indigenous populations
worldwide is an emerging challenge. In 2018, the World Health Organization recognized
traditional healers as stakeholders in dementia care and prevention. Traditional healers contribute
to dementia assessment, diagnosis, and care in unique ways, and play a catalytic role in the
process of culturally-safe dementia care planning and assessment with health care providers at
the community level. The purpose of this scoping review was to understand the roles and
experiences of traditional healers, to evaluate strategies for integration between Indigenous
traditional healing and western dementia care approaches, and to examine the policy barriers and
research gaps in North America (Canada and United States), Australia, and New Zealand. The
scoping review methodology used was the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) approach that included
six steps: protocol development based on participants, content and context framework,
development of a search strategy, selection of relevant studies, charting of relevant data,
synthesis, and reporting of results, and conducting stakeholder consultation. We searched
English literature in select bibliographic databases, including CINAHL, EMBASE, Medline and
PsycINFO. The initial search identified 516 papers published between 2000 and 2020 that met
the search criteria. After 164 duplicates were removed, we screened 352 titles and abstracts,
excluding the 209 that did not meet the inclusion criteria. Our second stage review of 143 full text studies resulted in the further exclusion of 141 studies. Only two studies from Canada met all inclusion criteria for this scoping review and explored the potential integration of
traditional healing in dementia care and the roles and perceptions of traditional healers. The two
studies were conducted in Southwestern Ontario in an urban First Nations community and
Saskatchewan with Cree, Salteaux, and Metis populations in rural and remote communities. The
studies indicated that the inclusion of traditional healers, Elder knowledge-holders, Grandmother
groups, and emerging Indigenous scholars and researchers can contribute to building an
evidence-based dementia care decision-making process for Indigenous people with dementia.
Hence, integrating Indigenous traditional healing and medicine in dementia care is a path to
culturally-safe dementia care and social support systems for people with dementia
Clinical handovers by paramedics in the emergency department: a focused ethnographic study in an urban hospital in Northeastern Ontario
No full textClinical handover is a high-risk communicative process that involves the exchange of
clear and concise patient-focused information between healthcare providers during the transfer of
professional responsibility and accountability for patient care. When a patient is transported to
hospital by Emergency Medical Services the trajectory of their care in the emergency department
is influenced by the clinical handover given by a paramedic to a registered nurse. A focused
ethnographic study was conducted to explore the process of Emergency Medical Service clinical
handover within the emergency department of a small urban hospital in Northeastern Ontario
from the perspective of the paramedic. The findings revealed paramedic handover was
influenced by the communication context including attitude of attention and assurance, both
reflected in the professional dynamic between the paramedic and ED staff; the ambience of the
ED reflected in the physical layout and activity level of the ED; and the patient acuity reflected
in the assigned Canadian Triage Acuity Scale level and frequency of individual visits to the ED.
The study provides evidence that paramedics strive to deliver concise, accurate
communication of a clinical handover so that ED patients receive safe, competent care and that
there is opportunity to improve on the organizational and cultural practices of clinical handover
in the ED
The problematic internet use in Pakistan
Get PDFThe revolution of smart devices, and smart objects has dramatically improved
the usability of the Internet around the world. It’s happening, and over the last
few decades, we’ve seen such a dynamic the Internet trend. The increasing use
of the Internet today has played a very significant role in the compulsion of the
Internet. It can affect the educational, psychological, medical, and social well-
being of the user. The Internet restriction in developing countries like Pakistan
are becoming more severe, and the public is not fully aware of the Internet
usage. The current COVID-19 and subsequent lockdowns situation have further
raised the level of the Internet coercion in developing countries like Pakistan.
This treatise explores existing literature, social dilemmas, and problematic
Internet use in Pakistan. We look forward to formally analyzing the literature
and conducting pilot studies to make further contributions to this issue.Master of Science (M.Sc.) Computational Science
"La représentation des autochtones et des francophones du Canada dans les manuels scolaires du programme d'histoire du ministère de l'éducation de l'Ontario (1977-1985)"
Get PDFCe mémoire explore les ressources pédagogiques utilisées dans les écoles franco-ontariennes
dans les cours d’histoire de la 7e
à la 10e
année durant les années 1977-1985. Nous nous
concentrons sur la représentation des francophones du Canada et des peuples autochtones dans
ces ressources en raison de leur statut de minorités nationales. Suivant une époque de
transformation identitaire chez les francophones hors Québec et une époque de revendications
grandissantes du côté des peuples autochtones, les ressources mises de l’avant par le ministère
de l’Éducation de l’Ontario privilégiaient malgré tout un récit historique officiel qui excluait la
perspective franco-ontarienne et la perspective autochtone.Maîtrise en histoir