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A New Music Therapist's Experience of Exploring Internalized Ableism: A Heuristic Self-Inquiry
Get PDFThe purpose of this research was to develop a better understanding of my internalized ableism and the ways it has impacted how I think about and engage in my work as a new music therapist. The self-heuristic inquiry methodology was chosen to delve into my experience of internalized ableism and my lived experience of this phenomenon. I used a combination of reflexive journaling and piano improvisation as a means to engage with my internalized ableism. The journal entries provided the raw data for this research, which, upon coding, led to the organization of findings in three categories: Feeling Internalization, Recognizing and Identifying Fatigue, and Increased Sense of Accountability. Through this process, I found empowerment and pride in my identity as a disabled music therapist
Novel Thermal Controller for Active Stabilization of Microring Modulators
Get PDFThe bandwidth of electrical interconnects is reaching a bottleneck, leading to a surge of interest in silicon photonic interconnects. Microring modulators (MRM) are particularly attractive because of their high bandwidth, energy efficiency, and small size. However, implementing MRMs in commercial products is challenging due to their high thermal sensitivity caused by their high thermo-optic coefficient. Control systems that actively stabilize MRM have demonstrated the ability to compensate for thermal fluctuations, but none have addressed all system requirements for large-scale commercial applications. This work presents a simple and calibration-free method to stabilize MRM that can potentially fulfill all system prerequisites.
The proposed thermal controller requires a double-bus microring resonator (MRR) to monitor the through and drop averages and lock the operation where the through and drop power outputs are identical. This operating point has been shown to be within 3 \% of the optimal optical modulation amplitude (OMA), making it an excellent operating point. Furthermore, this controller is proven to be immune to any external perturbations and requires only analog components. After designing and building a printed circuit board (PCB) that incorporated the proposed thermal tuner, experimental tests were conducted on the controller using an MRM. The obtained results served to validate the functionality of the controller.
Finally, in applications where MRMs have unbalanced input data, the original proposed design is demonstrated to suffer from a region of locking instead of a single operating wavelength. A modified design was then developed and validated to extend that approach to unbalanced data
Basic Ecclesial Communities: Pathways for Ecumenical Collaboration
Get PDFThe Basic Ecclesial Communities, being centered on the Sacred Scriptures, visibly manifest the essential elements of the ecumenical fraternity. The article illustrates their historical development and theological foundations. Then it analyses the ecumenical initiatives inspired by the decree on ecumenism. Further, it invites the readers to view them as expressions of ecumenically diversified unity on the essentials and promotes the dialogue of life, action, discourse, spirituality, and proclamation at the grassroots
Navigating the Educational Landscape: Enhancing Youth Adult Education (EJA) in Brazil Through the Paulo Freire Method
Get PDFNavigating the Educational Landscape: Enhancing Youth Adult Education (EJA) in Brazil Through the Paulo Freire Method
Patricia Rodrigues Chagas
This thesis explores the historical significance and contemporary dynamics of Educação de Jovens e Adultos (EJA) [Youth and Adult Education] in Brazil. I aim to comprehensively understand the socio-political contexts that have shaped EJA by tracing its evolution from the colonial era to today. Then, I investigate the literacy dynamics within EJA settings and explore Paulo Freire's pedagogical method to see if it can enhance literacy inside EJA. Using the relevant literature and legal Brazilian documents, drawing on personal experiences and insights gained from an internship in a public school in Brazil, and the narrative of my mother's journey through EJA literacy, I offer valuable perspectives on the challenges and opportunities in adult education. Through this research, I aim to underscore the importance of EJA in promoting social justice, empowerment, and inclusive growth in Brazil while highlighting the enduring legacy of Paulo Freire's pedagogical philosophy in shaping educational practices and policies in the country
What makes emotional ads go viral?: The mediating role of emotional intensity and the moderating role of narrative transportation
Get PDFThis study investigates the impact of negative emotional appeals in digital marketing, specifically focusing on how emotions of fear and sadness influence the intention to share. Viral marketing utilizes the immense influence of social media to help brand advertisements achieve faster and wider distribution. Previous studies have mainly focused on the effects of positive emotional ad appeals, or have compared the effects of positive versus negative ad appeals on consumer outcomes. Conversely, this study explores how different negative emotions (fear, sadness) differentially influence consumers' intentions to share. This study also explores the mediating role of emotional intensity and the moderating effect of narrative transportation. Through two experimental studies, the findings reveal that high arousal negative appeals (i.e., fear and high-intensity sadness) are more likely to increase sharing intentions among people who are either moderately or deeply engaged with the story in the advertisement, in contrast to low arousal negative appeals (i.e., low-intensity sadness) and positive emotional appeals (i.e., joy). The investigation provides new insight for digital marketing professionals to create compelling advertising content that encourages content sharing
Vertical Interactions in the U.S. Pharmaceutical Supply Chain in the Presence of a Generic Substitute
Get PDFThis paper builds upon prior work on vertical interactions in the drug supply chain in the United States. There is limited research to date seeking to model these vertical relationships, particularly in the presence of generic substitute availability. We begin with a model based on Conti et al. (2021), where two branded drug manufacturers compete for preferred formulary placement by offering rebates to a monopolist pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), and add a generic drug whose price is non-negotiable. Additionally, we allow for consumer heterogeneity in terms of willingness to sacrifice perceived quality in exchange for cost savings when deciding between a branded or generic drug. We show that an equilibrium exists whereby the PBM sets the copayment for the generic drug higher than that of the preferred brand in exchange for higher rebates and examine how the incentives produced by the formulary contest may lead PBMs to discourage generic uptake
Alternative Instagram Memes: Intersectional Community and Collaborative Storytelling in the Digital Age
Get PDFMemes are an increasingly popular medium for self-expression in a digital context. On the social media site Instagram, queer and politically-left meme creators are subverting hegemonic power dynamics to present humorous and original memes, with sincere self-representation at their core: what I designate, alternative Instagram memes. Queer people often face discrimination and social exclusion in their local communities, exacerbated by the isolating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which leads many to seek out and forge digital communities of their own. In this research-creation project, I analyze the themes and discourse present in alternative Instagram memes posted by myself and by my peers to examine how this content and the community around it forms a digital intimate public. The expansion of #deardiarymemes, an interactive meme project based on anonymous confessions, exemplifies how memes function as digital storytelling tools and is central to this research. Through a curated series of memes by myself and by my peers as well as 41 new #deardiarymemes, this work builds on existing meme scholarship using feminist theorypractice to present a previously unstudied aspect of meme culture: a subversive, leftist meme community sprouting from the social media site Instagram
Valorizing Recycled Concrete Aggregate as Base and Subbase for Quebec’s Roadways
No full textThis research investigates the feasibility of using recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) in pavement construction applications throughout Quebec, with the aim of promoting sustainable construction practices and expanding the implementation of recycled materials in road construction. The study examines six distinct RCA samples sourced from different suppliers including Lafarge Company and Eurovia Quebec. A comprehensive experimental program was conducted to evaluate the physical and mechanical properties of these materials, including particle shape analysis, gradation, specific gravity, water absorption, bulk density, and Micro-Deval abrasion resistance. Special attention was given to the washing cycle analysis, where samples underwent four sequential washing cycles to evaluate fine particle content and material stability. Additionally, infiltration rate testing using a modified double-ring infiltrometer was conducted to assess drainage capacity, a crucial characteristic for pavement applications in Quebec's climate. All tests were performed in accordance with ASTM standards and evaluated against the Ministry of Transportation of Quebec (MTQ) specifications. Results indicate that properly processed RCA can achieve physical and mechanical properties suitable for pavement applications, particularly in base and subbase layers. The samples demonstrated bulk densities ranging from 980 to 1400 kg/m³ and Micro-Deval losses between 14.4% and 20.2%. Water absorption values varied from 2.2% to 12.8%, while specific gravity remained consistent across all samples (2.69-2.76). Infiltration rates showed significant variation between treated (210-260 cm/h) and untreated (60 cm/h) samples, correlating strongly with fine content and processing methods. Additionally, a survey was conducted among key stakeholders in Quebec's construction industry to assess current practices and barriers. The study concludes that with appropriate quality control measures and processing methods, RCA can serve as an effective alternative to natural aggregates in road construction, successfully balancing sustainability goals with performance requirements while maintaining high-quality standards
Best Practice Copyright Codes for Media Use, Re-Use & Preservation
Get PDFPresentation deck presented at the Conferences of the Film & Media Studies Association of Canada and the Canadian Communication Association at the
Congress of the Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences 202
Dynamic graph CNN based semantic segmentation of concrete defects and as-inspected modeling
Get PDFObtaining accurate information of defective areas of infrastructures helps to perform repair actions more efficiently. Recently, LiDAR scanners have been used for the inspection of surface defects. Moreover, machine learning methods have attracted the attention of researchers for semantic segmentation and classification based on point cloud data. Although much work has been done for processing visual information with images, research on machine learning methods for semantic segmentation of raw point cloud data is still in its early stages. Moreover, LiDAR technology is commonly used to create as-is BIM models. Therefore, the BIM model needs to be integrated with the results of defect semantic segmentation after the LiDAR-based inspection. Addressing the above issues, this paper has the following objectives: (1) Developing a method for point cloud-based concrete surface defects semantic segmentation; and (2) Developing a semi-automated process for as-inspected modeling. The challenges related to the size of the dataset and imbalanced classes are studied. Sensitivity analysis is applied to capture the best combination of hyperparameters and investigate their effects on the network performance. The proposed method resulted in 98.56% and 96.50% recalls for semantic segmentation of cracks and spalls, respectively. Furthermore, post-processing of the results of the concrete surface defects semantic segmentation is done to semi-automate the process of as-inspected modeling. As-inspected BIM includes the updated information of the facilities at the time of data collection. This semi-automated process made it possible to manage and visualize the detected defects by extracting their dimensions and identifying the conditions on the 3D model