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Rhythm of Paradise: Isfahan’s Spiritual Architecture, Harmonizing the Earthly and the Divine
No full textThis thesis reflects the deep connection between the material and the spiritual, shaped by the belief that space can embody cosmic order. Isfahan, known as Nesf-e Jahan (Half the World), exemplifies this philosophy through its architecture, where houses, mosques, gardens, and urban spaces foster contemplation and connection beyond the physical world. This thesis explores the architectural elements that define spiritual spaces in Isfahan and examines their relevance in contemporary design. Through mapping, collaging, and narrative exploration, this research identifies how light, geometry, ornamentation, and spatial sequences contribute to the experience of spiritual spaces. The study concludes with a design proposal that reinterprets these principles, offering ways to integrate spirituality into modern architecture and re-establish a meaningful relationship between people, space, and the unseen
(Trans)forming the Binary: An Archive of Gender Affect
No full textFor many, the gender binary is an experience of tyrannical and oppressive force upheld by the patriarchal and heteronormative power structures enmeshed in the built environment. Through investigation of the complex feedback relationship between our bodies and the social and physical landscapes in the performance and embodiment of gender, this thesis asks how non-heteronormative perspectives of self-understanding can construct liberatory spaces for us all. The theory of ‘transing’ spatializes the logic of expansive ideas of gender, integrating design as research method to explore a speculative transgender architecture as resistance to heteronormative spatial production. The sex-segregated washroom is unravelled as a rich ecosystem of gender affect, studied through spatial disciplinary tools, gender delineation, and matrices of power. In response, the potential of transed spaces is explored through architectural representation focused on embodied and relational experiences to create an ever-shifting and collaborative archive of gender affect
Full-Scale Drinking Water Filter Assessments: Mapping Traditional and Novel Methods to Biofilter Health
Get PDFBiofiltration is a sustainable and effective method in drinking water treatment, yet operational parameters are often adopted from conventional filtration without validation. This two-year study at the Britannia and Lemieux Island Water Purification Plants evaluates biofiltration performance and backwashing strategies under full-scale conditions. Key metrics include floc retention turbidity, unit filter run volume (UFRV), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal, and the effects of backwash methods. Seasonal changes, particularly colder temperatures, increased solids accumulation, indicating a need for adaptive backwashing. Reduced air scour durations maintained floc retention while improving efficiency. Findings suggest conventional turbidity thresholds (<60 NTU) may be too conservative; increasing to 120 NTU or using site-specific limits may be more appropriate. While air scouring removed more floc, hydraulic backwashing maintained better DOC removal. These results demonstrate the unique behaviour of biofilters, advocating for revised operational guidelines and tailored monitoring to optimize performance and ensure effective treatment outcomes
Intelligent Intent-based Network Slicing for IoT Systems: A Framework for Traffic Modeling, Autonomous Resource Management, and Privacy-Preserving Orchestration
Get PDFThe emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) has introduced a multitude of services into our daily routines, encompassing smart cities, eHealth, and smart homes. These services exhibit varying Quality of Service (QoS) and functional requirements, posing distinctive challenges for contemporary Management and Orchestration (MO) systems. Envisioned MO systems are characterized by intelligence, abstract user interactions, and autonomous adaptability with cost optimization. This thesis aims to advance the development of efficient MO systems tailored for IoT networks. At the core of this research is the introduction of a pioneering mathematical framework, the Tiered Markov Modulated Stochastic Process (TMMSP), that comprehends application-specific characteristics of IoT traffic and enables the generation of realistic IoT traffic data. The TMMSP framework serves as a linchpin in the research, enabling comprehensive simulations and evaluations of network performance. Furthermore, the thesis presents an Intelligent and Autonomous Edge Slicing (IAES) system, a novel approach designed to recognize diverse IoT environments and implement per-slice resource allocation policies. The IAES enables intelligent automation within edge systems by policy optimization that enhances resource efficiency while accommodating the diverse needs of IoT services. The IAES leverages the TMMSP framework for generating IoT data for the IAES system’s evaluation. Lastly, the thesis proposes the Harmony Slice Master (H-SliceMaster), a privacy-preserving Intelligent Intent-Based Network Slicing (I-IBNS) framework that enables end-to-end MO while preserving data privacy and control autonomy in multi-administrator and multi-tenant environments. The H-SliceMaster comprises several integral components: the knowledge management framework, intent propagation framework, Promise and Price Network Operation (PPNO) principle, and Soft Network Control (SNC) approach. These components provide a foundation for dynamic MO of end-to-end IoT system, meeting services' unique quality and functional demands in a cost-effective manner while preserving the privacy of system domains
Legacies of Art and Activism: Black Feminist Resistance, Transformation, and Collective Care in the Caribbean
Get PDFThis thesis explores the central role of art, storytelling, and community organizing in Caribbean Black feminist activism, tracing intergenerational continuities from the 1980s to the present. Using a Critical Black Feminist Analysis, it brings the Sistren Theatre Collective’s magazine archive into dialogue with interviews from eight contemporary activists across the Anglophone Caribbean. It argues that art and storytelling have long been radical tools to resist colonialism, capitalism, patriarchy, and racial injustice. Analyzing two issues of Sistren magazine (1986, 1988), the study highlights how theatre, comics, and poetry critiqued labor exploitation and gender violence. Contemporary activists extend these strategies through digital platforms and community-based care. This work contributes to Caribbean and Black Feminist Thought by centering cultural practices as feminist epistemologies of resistance, care, and transformation
Object Detection Using Efficient Partitioning and Frame Reduction
Get PDFRapid object detection is crucial for safety-critical applications, such as post-event analysis of surveillance videos in crime investigations. The objective of this thesis is to improve the performance of object detection through efficient data partitioning, frame reduction techniques, and parallel processing. Techniques to improve the performance of Spark’s default partitioning algorithms by creating more evenly distributed partitions based on the estimated workload of the frames are considered. Redundant frames are removed to efficiently reduce the workload. The proposed partitioning and frame removal techniques are evaluated under noisy conditions and in a Graphic Processing Unit-accelerated environment. The results from this thesis demonstrate that partitioning algorithms that estimate workload using entropy provide better performance when compared to those that use random partitioning. The results indicate that frame removal algorithms that use frame-specific information, further improve performance without reducing detection accuracy when compared to those that do not utilize frame-specific information
Spaces of Resistance: Reflections on Algerian Domesticity
No full textThe thesis explores the role of Algerian domesticity in designing culturally, socially, and environmentally resonant spaces. This research engages critically with the legacy of French colonial housing projects in Algiers by confronting colonial practices that disregarded the cultural and social needs of Algerian families and challenging them by integrating indigenous architectural principles to enable a built environment that accommodates historical practices and contemporary needs. Central to this approach is creating sustainable environments prioritizing social well-being, cultural continuity, and economic sustainability. This research challenges the Modernist emphasis on efficiency, advocating instead for housing that fosters community interaction, supports diverse roles within multigenerational Algerian families and their adaptive spaces, and promotes belonging. Ultimately, it strives to resist colonial legacies by reintegrating cultural heritage into contemporary Algerian life
