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From Sentiment to Sale: The Impact of Macroeconomic Indicators on Multi-Family Real Estate Investments in Canada
Get PDFThis paper explores the investment appetite for multi-family dwellings in the greater metropolitan areas of Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, and Montréal from 2015 to 2023. The study uses macroeconomic variables and a sentiment index built from Google Trends to analyze sale volumes of developers, individuals, institutional investors, and private corporations. The results of the study indicate that both developers and institutional investors are susceptible to the economic conditions and market sentiment when making decisions to securitize their investments. Conversely, individuals and private corporations respond inversely to periods of high or low volatility, with higher or lower transaction volumes, respectively, possibly with the strategic intent of purchasing properties at a discount. Additionally, the analysis reveals that increasing the money supply in Canada consistently correlates with increased investment volumes across all investor types. In contrast, periods of negative sentiment are consistently associated with lower investments
Amiodarone Effects on Phospholipidosis in NR8383 Lung Macrophages: A Multimodal Analysis Using SIMS and Fluorescence Microscopy
No full textAbstract
Amiodarone Effects on Phospholipidosis in NR8383 Lung Macrophages: A Multimodal Analysis Using SIMS and Fluorescence Microscopy
Matin Bastani
Abstract: Cationic amphiphilic Ddugs (CADs) constitute an intriguing group of FDA-approved pharmaceuticals that have the capability to accumulate within human cells, influencing their functions and structural integrity.1 Our research focuses on gaining a deeper understanding of the accumulation of amiodarone, an antiarrhythmic drug classified as a CAD, within a specific model system, NR8383 lung macrophages. To achieve this, we employed advanced techniques such as fluorescent microscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) to shed light on this phenomenon. Our investigation is particularly concerned with phospholipidosis, a condition characterized by abnormal lipid build-up in cellular membranes induced by CADs.2 By characterizing the accumulation of amiodarone within individual cells, our research aims to unveil the underlying mechanisms. Two fundamental factors, drug dosage and incubation time, were central to our study. By exploring the effects of varying concentrations and exposure durations, we gained valuable insights into the dynamics of drug uptake and accumulation.
We utilized the state-of-the-art PHI nanoTOF II TOF-SIMS instrument to image individual cells, dosed and un-dosed, and compared their biochemical signatures.
Fluorescence microscopy was used to characterize the frequency and size of lysosomes, as well as the total cell size and shape in each cell. Despite the cells being monoclonal and cultured under consistent environmental conditions, we observed a significant variation in their response to amiodarone. By understanding the factors underlying this variation within a cell population, we can gain insights into the broader context of drug-cellular interactions and identify toxicological indicators
Point Cloud-based Computer Vision Framework for Detecting Proximity of Trees to Power Distribution Lines
Get PDFThe maintenance of power lines is challenged by the encroachment of vegetation, posing significant risks to the reliability and safety of power utilities. Traditional methods, based on manual inspection, are not only resource-intensive but also lack the necessary precision for effective and proactive maintenance. This paper aims to develop an automated, accurate, and efficient approach to vegetation management in the vicinity of power lines. It leverages advancements in data collection using LiDAR scanning technology, which despite its potential, faces computational challenges in processing large-scale 3D point clouds to accurately identify power lines and surrounding vegetation. To overcome this challenge, the proposed method deploys the RandLA-Net model for the semantic segmentation of power lines and nearby vegetation in point cloud datasets. Furthermore, the post-processing analysis of the segmented data uses clustering and rule-based thresholding to refine the identification of vegetation. Then, proximity detection is applied using spatial queries based on a KDTree structure. The results of the case study demonstrate the computational efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method, presenting a promising solution for power utilities
Imagining open-access scholarship dissemination for a community-centered research project
Get PDFThis project documentation is the initial seed of modelling scholarly stacks for open-access dissemination for a community-centered research project. The documentation was produced as part of the project Scholarly Stack for Open Educational Workflows, which aimed to craft collaborative workflows with scholarly stacks that support open education and open scholarship. Some of the guiding questions were: What may be the digital tools to support workflows and habits to sustain communities around the emergence of open educational resources and related open scholarship? What are the missing pieces around Zotero and Open Textbooks (Pressbooks)? Could a scholar with a pedagogical dedication leverage classroom blogging and storytelling tools to curate learning outcomes around students sustaining their own open textbook? The Concordia Library Research grant (P.I. Dr. Rachel Harris, 2023-2024) that supported the project aimed to build avenues of collaboration, between librarians and non-librarian scholars, using information flows including WordPress, for the benefit of a wider public. The non-librarian collaborator and author of the project reports, Dr. Désirée Rochat, came to this research project as a FRQSC Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling, invested in community-anchored research, archival pedagogy, and popular education.
Report 1 outlines the scope and content of the Black lives in/and archives project and explores different elements of a web platform that would support the other activities of the project. It presents different technological tools that could be stacked to enhance knowledge dissemination and proposes the initial frame of an editorial chart.
Report 2 presents an annotated bibliography of articles about blogging and websites for research, visualization tools and editorial charts. It also presents an analysis of elements of different web platforms and technological tools that can be stacked.
Report 3 details my learning journey through the collaboration and a proposal for a teaching framework based on my learning outcomes
Understanding Through the Ostrakon
Get PDFThis paper proposes the figure of the ostrakon as a heuristic device for analyzing the circulation of polysemic signs across communities. In this context, the ostrakon is an abstract structure composed of a single signifier and a multitude of meanings. This structure is mobilized by its processes, which map the flows of interpretive work done by individuals as they participate in groups and negotiate their own identifications. When applied, the ostrakon highlights the subjective experiences and contextualizations which develop, maintain, and destabilize meanings within and across groups. This approach, this investigation argues, propitiates new lines of inquiry which are better suited to understanding changing meanings in contemporary culture. Examinations of contemporary cultural cases through the ostrakon illustrate some of its potential applications
Three Essays on Social Security Disability Insurance Participation
Get PDFOver the last three decades, the U.S. labor force has increased by less than thirty percent, while the number of Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) beneficiaries has almost tripled, despite improvements in overall labor force health. This thesis examines individual-level DI participation using micro-public surveys and a blend of empirical and theoretical dynamic models, presented in three chapters.
The first chapter explores the relationship between DI participation, skill level, and labor market outcomes. By extending the Diamond-Mortensen-Pissarides framework to include heterogeneous skills and endogenous DI participation, the model examines the effects of aggregate productivity, health-related eligibility criteria, and DI application success rates. Key findings include: (1) economic downturns prompt higher-skilled individuals to seek disability benefits, narrowing the wage gap; (2) relaxed health-related eligibility criteria increase DI participation among less skilled workers, widening the wage gap; and (3) higher DI application success rates boost participation with minor effects on skill composition.
The second chapter investigates how health, productivity, and labor market outcomes influence DI participation. Using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), the study finds that better health conditions are associated with higher wage growth and lower DI participation probability. An equilibrium search model incorporating health-driven productivity, endogenous DI participation, and job separation reveals that health shocks significantly impact DI participation and labor market outcomes. Policy evaluations show that shorter initial determination periods raise unemployment, while shorter appeal processes reduce it. The persistence and volatility of individual health conditions are critical for understanding DI participation levels.
The third chapter analyzes the impact of non-health factors, such as DI and Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefit replacement rates and unemployment duration, on DI participation using an empirical logistic model. This chapter provides the first microdata-based evidence on these factors. Results indicate that higher DI benefit replacement rates and longer unemployment duration strongly increase DI participation, especially among less educated and older workers.
In summary, this thesis offers a comprehensive analysis of DI participation, highlighting the roles of economic conditions, health dynamics, and policy factors in shaping labor market and DI outcomes
Point-based Real-Time Recalibration for Infrared Multi-Camera Systems
Get PDFThis thesis addresses the critical challenge of achieving real-time and precise calibration for multi-camera systems, particularly crucial for applications demanding high precision. Departing from conventional methodologies characterized by limited adaptability and incapacity for on-the-fly recalibrations, this research introduces an innovative neural network-based approach designed to facilitate dynamic real-time calibration. This work incorporates the camera pose synthesis pipeline to simulate real-world camera parameters, introducing various levels of perturbation to the camera parameters to enhance model robustness. Also, a differentiable projection model is utilized to establish a direct correlation between 3D geometries and their 2D image projections, thereby facilitating concurrent optimization of intrinsic and extrinsic camera parameters. This solution entails a multi-headed deep neural network regression model and is tailored for multi-camera systems equipped with onboard processing capabilities, leveraging direct 2D projections of 3D fiducials. A comprehensive series of experiments are conducted to demonstrate the superior efficacy of the proposed method over traditional calibration techniques. This research contributes significantly to the advancement of real-time multi-camera system calibration, offering promising implications for diverse domains reliant on precise temporal synchronization and spatial accuracy
The Trial Grounds: Exploring Transgressive Queer Play Possibilities in Dead by Daylight
Get PDFOnline multiplayer games are notable breeding grounds for toxic behaviour that disproportionately affects marginalized players. For LGBTQ+ players, this is due in part with videogame’s problematic history of queer representations which relied on harmful tropes and stereotypes. Although there have been many efforts for more inclusion and representation in these games, deep rooted hegemonic play structures persist and often players resort to transgressive styles of play to create a sense of community and identity. Despite the toxicity of these spaces, many online multiplayer games have very vibrant and diverse queer player communities, especially the asymmetrical horror game Dead by Daylight (2016). This thesis uses two combined methods of analysis Dead by Daylight (2016) and its surrounding fan-content on TikTok to explore how LGBTQIA2S+ players challenge hegemonic games cultures in online multiplayer games through transgressive queer play. This thesis will first use a media-specific analysis of the game text to explore the queer play potentials of Dead by Daylight. This will inform a discourse analysis of LGBTQ+ fan content on the short form video platform TikTok to explore the documented queer play strategies of players. This project forwards the concept “the queer metagame” to describe the linkages and impact of player paratext and game text, recognizing how queer transgressive play can manifest in online multiplayer games
Maintaining physical activity in older adults: The importance of health-specific control strategies
Get PDFThe Lines-of-Defense model postulates that older adults should engage in important health goals and behaviours for as long as possible and adjust them downwardly only when they become impossible to pursue. This process is thought to be supported by goal engagement and self-protective control strategies. We tested this model in a 4-year longitudinal study of 236 older adults by predicting the maintenance of physical activity using accelerometers. We hypothesized that older adults would exert shifts from more strenuous (e.g., vigorous and moderate intensity) to less strenuous (e.g., light intensity) physical activity over time. In addition, we expected that these processes would be supported by the use of health-specific control strategies. Multilevel modeling revealed that older adults experienced declines in moderate and vigorous physical activity but increases in light physical activity. Health engagement predicted an accelerated increase in light physical activity, and exerted substantial, but longitudinally decreasing, benefits for moderate physical activity. Health-related self-protection, by contrast, predicted the maintenance of vigorous physical activity over time. These results support the Lines-of-Defense model by demonstrating that control strategies can predict the maintenance of older adults’ physical activity levels
Design and Optimization of Sustainable Cementitious Systems Incorporating Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials
No full textTo improve energy efficiency in concrete buildings and reduce CO2 emissions, this thesis explores the integration of microencapsulated phase change materials (MPCMs) into cementitious materials. This approach can negatively affect the properties of the mixtures, so a multi-response TOPSIS-based Taguchi optimization was used to address these issues.
The first study focused on optimizing mixtures with MPCMs by considering workability, compressive strength, and tensile strength. Key factors included cement content (400, 450, 500 kg/m³), water-to-cement ratio (0.45, 0.50, 0.55), and MPCMs content (5%, 10%, 20% volume replacement of sand). The water-to-cement ratio was found to be crucial for workability, while MPCMs content significantly influenced strength, particularly above 10%. Suitable mixtures with adequate thermal properties were identified, and multivariable regression models were developed for performance prediction.
The second study examined the role of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM), specifically fly ash (FA) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber, in enhancing mixtures with MPCMs. PVA fiber notably affected workability and compressive strength, especially above 0.5%. Fly ash improved workability and compensated for later-age strength loss, with regression models predicting mixture performance.
The third study explored MPCMs in ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) to enhance thermal storage and reduce energy use. Despite initial negative impacts, the inclusion of micro steel fibers improved both thermal properties and impact energy absorption, increasing the ductility of MPCM-UHPC samples