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Reframing Racial Passing in Asian Diaspora Comics
No full textThis dissertation examines how racial passing is represented and articulated in Asian diaspora comics dealing with the theme of assimilation. I argue that there is a growing contingent of North American cartoonists of Asian descent exploring the practice of passing in revisionary and expanded ways. As a racialized group not usually associated with passing (except for mixed heritage individuals), the Asian American community does not view the practice as a viable option to facilitate assimilation. However, this impossibility does not stop some Asian Americans from yearning for the ability to pass for white, especially when they witness its benefits for members of other ethnic minorities, such as some Jewish Americans. Consequently, in the graphic novels I address, the yearning to pass is nuanced and depicted mainly as a fantasy. The cartoonists in my corpus favour fantastical, imaginative and aspirational forms of passing mainly because of their flexibility in capturing and representing the desire for, or fantasy of, assimilation rather than the actuality of being able to assume a different identity phenotypically. Moreover, the affordances of comics (image-text relations, history with racial representation and affinity with fantasy-oriented genres like the superhero genre) allow the creators to experiment with body transformation, build alternate versions of American society and creatively articulate the complex obsession that some Asian Americans have with whiteness. This dissertation starts with a theoretical introductory chapter anchored in Art Spiegelman's Maus, which serves as a reference for reframing racial passing. The analysis of Maus also helps illuminate and theorize the unique connection between Asian and Jewish Americans regarding passing and assimilation. I then focus on four graphic novels written by cartoonists of Asian descent: Gene Luen Yang's The Shadow Hero (in collaboration with Sonny Liew), Superman Smashes the Klan (with the artwork of Gurihiru), American Born Chinese (by Yang again) and finally, Aminder Dhaliwal's Cyclopedia Exotica. Each comic book depicts and deals with the role of racial passing as a fantasy in unique ways, using tropes and narratives specific to some genres, such as superheroes, mythology and science fiction
Life Cycle Analysis Frameworks in Sustainable Aviation
No full textThis thesis demonstrates a comparative Life Cycle Analysis framework tailored for sustainable aviation and engineering design. Two case studies are conducted: the first evaluates the environmental benefits of retrofitting a Piper Archer LX airframe with a fully electric propulsion system, compared to continued operation with an internal combustion engine; the second analyzes the life cycle impacts of the same propulsion system during overhaul, comparing an electrified solution to a conventional combustion engine. The use of NMC811 Li-ion battery chemistry is identified as the most environmentally beneficial option using the Tool for Reduction and Assessment of Chemicals and Other Environmental Impacts impact assessment method. However, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change impact assessment method finds that electrified options present a higher risk of global warming potential and temperature change potential. Despite conflicting results, this framework underscores the potential of LCA to inform better decision-making in the development of sustainable aviation technologies
The impact of observation depth and depth of zero annual amplitude on the interpretation of permafrost warning
No full textThis is an extended abstract of a paper presented as part of ICOP 2024
A Game-Theoretic Approach for Security Control Selection
No full textSelecting the combination of security controls that will most effectively protect a system is a difficult task. If the wrong controls are selected, the system may be left vulnerable to cyber-attacks that can impact critical data and services. In practical settings, it is not possible to implement every control possible. Instead, considerations, such as budget, effectiveness, and dependencies among various controls, must be considered to choose a combination of security controls that best achieve a set of system security objectives. In this thesis, we propose a game-theoretic approach for selecting effective combinations of security controls based on expected attacker profiles and a set budget. The results from the approach were shown to be reliable through a sensitivity analysis. Furthermore, a tool was developed to eliminate the manual effort required to apply the approach to large and complex systems. Lastly, the proposed approach is applied to a simulated Canadian military system
Ethical AGI Action Selection Module
No full textContinuous improvements in artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities make the possibility of an AI with human-level or greater intelligence all the more likely, often called artificial general intelligence (AGI). A problem arises with the creation of AGI, that is how can one align an AGI's goals and values with the goals and values of humanity, this problem is called the alignment problem. Currently, there is little work being done to address the alignment problem. This paper seeks to address the alignment problem by discussing the issues that exist with building an ethics module for an AGI that follows the established ethical framework of utilitarianism. These issues include constructing a practical utilitarian calculus, integrating an ethics module into an AGI, and dealing with an AGI that tries to deceive its ethics module. Where possible, hypothetical solutions to these problems are also discussed
P50-Indexed Sensory Gating & EEG-Based Microstates in People with Schizophrenia and Auditory Verbal Hallucinations
No full textTreatment-resistant auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) highlight a need for alternative therapeutics for schizophrenia patients (SZ). Sensory gating deficits and altered microstate activity related to auditory processing/attention have been observed in SZ. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is potentially effective at reducing AVHs. We compared SZ and healthy volunteers (HVs) on P50 paradigm outcomes and microstates. Correlations with SZ AVH ratings were performed. Exploratory comparisons of SZ change scores of these measures from pre- to post-tDCS were conducted. SZ had reduced P50 S1 amplitudes, microstate A occurrence, and microstate D occurrence/coverage compared to HVs. S1 amplitude correlated positively with coping with AVHs. Microstate A global field power correlated negatively with benevolent AVH perception. We observed significant change score reduction for S2/S1 ratios and greater change scores on microstate D coverage for different treatment conditions. These findings suggest early auditory processing and attention deficits in SZ, and associations with subjective AVH experience
Everything is Ruined: Mechanics, Play, and Meaning in Video Game Ruins
No full textThis project explores how Euro-American modes of ruin-gazing dating back to the seventeenth century are (re)imagined in the virtual worlds of video games. Historically, ruins and artificially constructed “follies” have been material sites invested with meaning, where ruin-gazers might contemplate nationality, mortality, and their own interiority. Within contemporary virtual game spaces, the ubiquitous presence of ruins with which players must interact raises new culturally significant questions about how the remediation of such modes through their incorporation into playable, gamified virtual space advances and develops this historical form of contemplative ruin-engagement. This project explores such remediations, tracing the way game mechanics move contemporary players, often literally, through affective and discursive possibilities in ruined spaces. To do so, it expands on what game studies scholars have called the “possibility space” of video games by mobilizing an interdisciplinary methodology foregrounding video games as unique cultural sites built by and for use by people. Historically, the ruin-gazer engaged with ruins through thoughtful contemplation alone; in video games, the ruin-gazer punctures the boundary between thought and action. Playing in virtual ruins develops the affective and contemplative dimension of ruin-gazing by enabling players to move through psychological interiority, metaphorically preserve political institutions, enact their will over space and time, and, perhaps, subvert the medium’s underlying paradigmatic ambivalence towards empire. The development of ruin-gazing modes through the action-oriented activity of video games demonstrates that players are negotiating their understanding of the self, imperialism, impermanence, and hegemony as they play based on the confluence of meanings produced by the interconnected semiotics of ruin-gazing modes and game mechanics in virtual ruins
Reimagining the Role of Cruise Ships: Floating Housing Solutions Along our Shores
No full textThroughout history, humans have depended on watercraft to move between cities, countries, and continents. The scale of these vessels has increased over time in response to advances in technology, the growth of trade, and an increased demand for leisure activities. As they age, large, sea-going vessels – notably cruise and cargo ships – are frequently decommissioned, dismantled, and scrapped. The larger the vessel, the greater the environmental impact associated with its disposal. This thesis explores challenges and opportunities associated with retrofitting a soon-to-be-decommissioned cruise liner to address the lack of supply and affordability of housing in New York City. It is intended as a proof-of-concept exercise for similar projects in other cities, many of which are experiencing similar housing challenges and, like New York, are engaged in transforming their waterfronts in response to changes in the travel and the shipping industries
Microstructural Characterization and Phase Prediction of High Entropy Alloys using Empirical and Machine Learning Based Methodologies
No full textAlloys containing four or more principal alloying elements in near equal atomic percentage, so called High Entropy Alloys (HEA), break down the solvent-solute relationship generally seen in traditional alloys. This creates a vast and unpredictable design space, unfeasible to explore purely experimentally or through computational simulations. This thesis aims to present a newly developed machine learning based phase prediction methodology for HEA alloys, the empirical design and characterization of a Zr-containing HEA system, and a performance comparison of the developed methodology and established empirical method at predicting the impact of Zr on the phase composition with experimental results as a reference. Findings show that the developed phase prediction methodology, which leverages a convolutional neural network, could predict the formation of a secondary BCC solid solution phase within the high entropy alloys caused by the addition Zr and intermetallic compound formation, while the empirical parameters failed to do so
Integrity of Drilling Waste Sumps, Mackenzie Delta Area, NT
No full textn 1960–2005, over 220 sumps were constructed in Mackenzie Delta and adjacent uplands to contain used drilling muds within permafrost. Past records were compared with current field data at 12 sites to investigate egress of contaminants from the sumps under a warming climate. Electromagnetic surveys by EM-31 determined ground conductivity fields on and off the sumps. These surveys were complimented by ICP-MS analysis of soil samples to determine concentrations of Na, Cl and K at the sites. Three sites, one in the uplands and two in the delta appeared to be holding the saline fluids in place; elsewhere there was little difference in conductivity on and off the sumps. The principal contributor to the performance of these sumps was age. Younger sumps showed a distinct region of elevated conductivity near the center of the sump, whereas the older features had similar conductivity on the sump and in surrounding ground