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Two Essays on the Impact of Affect on Users’ Perception of Fake News on Social Media Platforms
No full textThis dissertation comprises two interrelated essays that examine how affect influences fake news discernment and sharing intentions on social media platforms. The first essay systematically reviews existing literature to identify theoretical foundations, research themes, and gaps. It emphasizes the absence of affect in theoretical models of misinformation and the design of social media interventions. This provided motivation for the second essay, which presents three online studies that investigate the impact of three affective constructs: mood arousal, affective cues, and emotion, alongside the cognitive disposition of actively open-minded thinking (AOT) on fake news discernment and sharing intentions in a social media context. Study 1 demonstrated that mood arousal impaired fake news discernment at low AOT levels, had no impact at moderate AOT levels, and improved discernment at high AOT levels, demonstrating a continuum of mood arousal regulation ranging from dysregulation to adaptive optimization. It also demonstrated that mood arousal increased fake news sharing intentions only at low AOT levels. Study 2 found that affective cues impaired fake news discernment and increased sharing intentions regardless of AOT levels, suggesting such cues bypass affective regulation. Study 3 revealed that while emotional experiences diminished the influence of mood arousal, emotion itself had no direct effect on either fake news discernment or sharing intent, nor was it moderated by AOT. Overall, this work underscores key differences between the affective constructs and the need for fake news interventions that account for both cognitive and affective dimensions in emotionally charged online environments
Deep Learning-Based Medical Image Analysis for Enhanced Diagnosis and Severity Assessment of Viral Pneumonia
No full textViral pneumonia remains a critical global health concern due to its potential for rapid transmission and widespread outbreaks, as highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Timely and accurate diagnosis, severity assessment, and prognosis are essential for effective patient care and public health management. Chest imaging modalities such as chest X-rays (CXRs) and computed tomography (CT) scans play a central role in diagnosing and managing viral pneumonia. However, interpreting these images is often resource-intensive and subject to inter-observer variability, especially during surges in clinical demand. Deep learning (DL) holds promise for automating image analysis, detecting subtle radiologic features, and enhancing clinical decision-making. Nevertheless, real-world deployment faces persistent challenges, including limited access to large-scale well-annotated
datasets, domain shifts, and the heterogeneous presentation of disease. To address these challenges, this thesis advances DL-based medical image analysis for the diagnosis and severity assessment of viral pneumonia, with a specific focus on COVID-19. Key contributions include: (i) Employing game-theoretic data valuation (Data Shapley) to identify mislabeled samples in chest image training datasets; (ii) Introducing a domain-adaptive strategy guided by model prediction confidence to improve the generalization of DL segmentation models; (iii) Developing robust DL frameworks for precise segmentation of COVID-19 lesions in chest CT scans, accounting for their diverse visual
characteristics and spatial variability; and (iv) Designing a DL-based diagnostic and severity scoring system for early-stage COVID-19 using baseline CXRs, with performance comparable to expert radiologists. Together, these contributions advance DL-assisted tools for the diagnosis and severity assessment of viral pneumonia in clinical practice
Hegel and the Modern Debate of Historicism in Art: A Contemporary Reading of Hegel’s Ideal of Art through the Musical Form
No full textThe aim of this inquiry is to contribute an interpretation of Hegel’s Ideal of art, suggesting that historical context is one of the factors that determines the form of an artwork, if it is an actualization of the Ideal of art. I motivate my approach through locating Hegel's view in an unresolved contemporary debate, between two views in the domain of the ontology of music. The first view, representing the pure structuralist or formalist argument, taking more or less a Platonic line, maintains that a great deal of Western notated art music, consists of “abstract” entities, i.e., types, existing as pure and eternal sound structures. The opposing view, known as contextualist, holds that the musico-historical context of the composer of a musical work is, among other factors, determinative of the artistic and aesthetic properties of the work. I aim to argue that Hegel’s account of the Ideal of art can be interpreted in favor of the contextualist view, in so far as it holds that the ideal form of art is not, and cannot be, examined in abstraction from the broader context of its external world. I focus this study for a contextualist interpretation of Hegel through examining what Hegel means by the external determinacy of the Ideal in the Lectures on Aesthetics
A Within-Subject Appetitive Procedure for Investigating the Neural Mechanisms of Latent Inhibition and Perceptual Learning
No full textLatent inhibition (LI) refers to the retardation of learning about a stimulus following repeated non-reinforced exposure, whereas perceptual learning (PL) reflects enhanced discriminability among preexposed stimuli. Although both phenomena are fundamental to associative learning theories, they are usually studied separately, limiting direct comparison and obscuring shared mechanisms. This thesis developed and validated a novel within-subject paradigm for examining LI and PL under common experimental conditions, with the goal of establishing a behavioral platform for future neuroscience and translational research. In Chapter 1, we manipulated preexposure duration and found that extensive preexposure (12 days) yielded robust LI, while limited preexposure (4 days) produced PL, showing that both effects can emerge within the same design. Chapter 2 applied this approach to a within-modality context. Here, LI was attenuated and variable across individuals, suggesting that perceptual similarity between preexposed and novel cues reduced discrimination. Chapter 3 tested whether LI arises from attentional decrement or associative interference by aligning preexposure and test contingencies. No net LI or facilitation was observed, indicating that attentional and associative processes may interact in complex, cancelling ways. Together, these findings highlight the utility of a within-subject paradigm for investigating LI and PL, while also revealing boundary conditions related to preexposure amount, cue modality, and theoretical mechanism. This work establishes a foundation for probing the neural circuit underlying LI, including the hippocampus, amygdala, striatum, thalamus, prefrontal cortex, and dopaminergic midbrain regions, and offers a translational tool for studying attentional filtering deficits in disorders such as schizophrenia
AUTOGENOUS SELF-HEALING OF ALKALI-ACTIVATED SLAG EXPOSED TO ELEVATED TEMPERATURES
No full textThe increasing urgency of mitigating climate change has accelerated the shift toward sustainable construction materials with reduced carbon emissions. Alkali-activated materials (AAMs) have emerged as a promising alternative to Portland cement, offering significant CO2 reduction while maintaining comparable mechanical and durability properties. However, similar to conventional binders, AAMs remain vulnerable to cracking and deterioration under extreme conditions, such as fire exposure. This research aims to develop a low-carbon, high-resilience construction material by enhancing the post-fire autogenous self-healing ability of alkali-activated slag (AAS). The study investigates the self-healing potential of AAS exposed to elevated temperatures (200°C, 400°C, 600°C, and 800°C) under different curing conditions, including water, ambient air, and sodium hydroxide solution. Furthermore, the incorporation of self-healing agents such as crystalline admixtures (CA) will be explored to maximize self-healing efficiency. The experimental program, including compressive strength tests, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), water sorptivity, rapid chloride penetration test (RCPT), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) reveals a notable recovery in both mechanical and durability properties after self-healing. By leveraging the inherent reactivity of un-hydrated slag and promoting the crystallization of healing products, this study advances the development of fire-resistant, self-repairing, and environmentally sustainable construction materials. The findings contribute to a more resilient built environment, ensuring improved structural performance and sustainability
SAUDADE: An Analogue Father’s Digital Rebirth
No full textThis research-creation project brings together a written component and a series of visual experiments under the title SAUDADE: An Analogue Father’s Digital Rebirth.
The visual experiments document my pursuit to create a digital doppelgänger of my deceased father by employing Generative AI technologies to replicate his voice and animate still photographs—enabling him to speak and make facial expressions. The result is a series of self-reflexive, posthumous correspondences between us—narrated letters in which we reflect on grief, our parallel lives, our family’s emigration from the Azores to Montreal, and, of course, his uncanny digital rebirth. These exchanges are illustrated primarily using personal family archives.
Whereas the visual experiments explore my attempt to revive, better understand, and interact with my father, the written component serves to contextualize this process. It offers a deep exploration of grief through the lens of the Portuguese concept of Saudade—a profound, nostalgic longing for something or someone beloved yet absent (Wikipedia). At the same time, this research aims to assess the potential of generative AI tools to produce strong emotional responses in viewers and to preserve the personal histories of the deceased, using their own voice. I reflect on how the process has reshaped my relationship to memory and clarified the motivation behind my long-term commitment to preserving my family image archive. I examine the intimate relationship between the still and moving image, and confront the ethical complexities of using generative AI to bring my father back for these purposes
A History of ARLIS/NA MOQ = Un historique d'ARLIS/NA MOQ
No full textARLIS/NA MOQ was founded in 1987 as the first Canadian chapter of ARLIS/NA (the Art Libraries Society of North America). The chapter is a non-profit, volunteer-run association of art librarians, archivists, curators, technicians, documentation specialists, and students in the regions of Montréal, Ottawa, and Québec City. Originally known variously as “ARLIS/MOQ,” “ARLIS M/O/Q,” or simply “M/O/Q,” the chapter officially changed its name to “ARLIS/NA MOQ” after 2006; although the more colloquial “MOQ” is often used by its members. The chapter’s founders recognized the benefits of coming together to build a professional community that straddles two provinces (Ontario and Québec), operates bilingually (in English and French), and comprises members associated with academic libraries, archives, museums, visual resource centres and other educational and cultural institutions. Drawing on archival sources from the ARLIS MOQ fonds and a close reading of the chapter’s publications, this history aims to document the origins and evolution of ARLIS/NA MOQ and draw attention to the association’s unique contributions to the field of art information specialists at the local, national, and international levels.
This bilingual publication was produced as part of the author’s six-month sabbatical research carried out in 2024
Integrating user perceptions of socio-emotional aspects in wheelchair design: A pilot study using Kansei Engineering
Get PDFIntroduction
Comfort in wheelchair use is influenced not only by ergonomic factors but also by socio-emotional aspects that shape the user's experience. This study aims to explore how socio-emotional factors can be integrated into the representational aspects of wheelchairs.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted with 37 wheelchair users using Kansei Engineering methods. Participants provided data on semantic and product spaces through a questionnaire covering demographics, aesthetic importance, symbolic importance, and social communication challenges. They also rated four distinct wheelchairs using Kansei words (KWs). Then, Quality Function Deployment (QFD) linked users' insights to specific wheelchair properties.
Results
Aesthetic (76%) and Symbolic (56%) importance, as well as age, were significantly associated with social communication challenges (57%) (p < 0.05). Age was significantly associated with both Aesthetic and Symbolic importance, while gender was only linked to Aesthetic importance (p < 0.05). Descriptive analysis indicated that advanced manual and powered wheelchair designs scored higher than conventional ones. Accordingly, three key components were identified for both categories, with the highest loadings of KW in each. QFD results prioritized adjustable frame design, with 8.61% for manual and 10.44% for powered models, as key to enhancing socio-emotional aspects.
Conclusions
Beyond analyzing the dynamics of aesthetics, symbolism, and social challenges, this study uncovers users' perceptions of wheelchair design characteristics. It proposes principal components to guide designers and includes computational analysis to connect these insights with wheelchair properties, aspects often overlooked in assistive device literature. However, redesign effectiveness also hinges on understanding social factors like stereotypes, and wheelchair-related metaphors
The Noise Within the Silence
No full textThe Noise Within the Silence: A reflection on the implications of hearing differently, and an attempt to transmit what words fail to articulate.
Mariana Rocha De Alba
This graduate project (non-thesis) document presents the analysis and process behind the production of the film The Noise Within the Silence (2025). This research-creation film explores the emotional and perceptual challenges I have faced due to living with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) and tinnitus through a sensory cinematic experience. Using visual techniques, such as long exposure video, overlays, superimposition, digital animation, and 5.1 surround sound design, the film aims to provide an embodied representation of how it feels to live with SSNHL and tinnitus, with the goal of offering an alternative understanding of these conditions
How Do You Picture It? Suggested Guidelines for Alt-text in Art Books
No full textThis document is the result of the 2024 Elspeth McConnell Fine Arts Internship Award undertaken by Mehrnoosh Alborzi, with Concordia University Press. Alborzi spent several months exploring, researching, and engaging in writing alt-text specifically for academic and art-historical books. The internship concluded with a presentation where Alborzi shared these reflections in conversation with CUP's Ryan Van Huijstee in October 2024 at Concordia University’s 4th Space during Open Access Week. A recording of this presentation is available on the 4th Space YouTube channel. The following set of suggested guidelines and practices is a result and summary of the internship and presentation