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A Novel Analog-Based Matched Filter Design
No full textDigital signal processing requires complex circuits and large power consumption for phased arrays. For intermediate frequencies, filtering techniques lack high-Q and switchable bandwidths. This thesis develops, measures, and analyzes a novel analog-based matched filter design for RADAR applications to reduce the complexity and power consumption and improve intermediate frequency filtering. The gain-boosted N-path filter has a measured peak passband S21 of 10 dB, a maximum out-of-band attenuation of -50 dB, and a tunable passband between 0.4-3.0 MHz. Then, the switchable bandwidth gain boosted N-path filter has measured bandwidths below the kHz range with quality factors from 55-4673. Finally, the analog-based matched filter design was implemented using gain boosted N-path filters with a peak detector and sample/hold circuit. This achieved a frequency-transformed output voltage detection of a swept frequency input, which produced an output voltage of around 1 V for out-of-band and rose to 5 V, corresponding to the detected frequencies
Citizens’ Empowerment through NGOs and their Participation in Local Governance in Tanzania
No full textThis study explores the relationship between participation in NGOs and citizens’ political competence in Tanzania. It draws on Carole Pateman’s Participation and Democratic Theory to examine how NGOs employ participatory approaches to cultivate citizens’ political empowerment. It also considers the ways in which Local Government Authorities (LGAs) and NGOs address issues of power inequity to ensure that citizens participate effectively in decision-making. Based on field work with four Tanzanian NGOs across Arusha and Morogoro regions, the study seeks to establish the extent that NGOs empower citizens to participate in the processes of decision-making at the level of LGAs. The findings of this study were obtained through semi-structured interviews, observation, and content analysis. They indicate that while participation in NGOs indeed increases citizens’ political capacity, their participation in LGA decision-making processes is dependent on other social, cultural, and political factors. Among other factors, citizens’ conceptions of participation and what it means to be a good citizen, gender norms, and leaders’ attitudes towards inclusion have significantly influenced citizens’ ability to participate in decision-making. Moreover, citizens’ capacity to participate, and the form of their participation are influenced by the overall political climate of the country which dictates the political spaces available to citizens. By examining context-specific factors influencing citizens’ participation and taking into consideration the experience of Deaf people in Tanzania, the study helps broaden our understanding of participation and democratization processes. The findings of the study have application for NGOs in strengthening participatory mechanisms for citizens’ empowerment. They are also valuable to government as they highlight opportunities for improvement to enable local government authorities to better engage and support citizens’ participation in decision-making
The Mothers of Freedom: The Fringe-Right in Southern Alberta
No full textThe Covid-19 pandemic catalyzed shifts in Canada's social and cultural fabric, amplifying ideologies of white supremacy and nationalism. Despite claims of immunity, Canada's colonial past and history of supremacist movements reveal entrenched inequalities. Movements for social justice and decolonization challenge traditional Canadian identity, prompting the emergence of counterrevolutions that seek to resist these changes. This thesis examines the Freedom Movement's role in this resistance, arguing that it seeks to uphold white supremacist notions of citizenship and belonging. It explores how the movement shapes national identity through a gendered division of labor, particularly emphasizing the central role of mothers in enforcing societal boundaries. Ultimately, this thesis questions Canadian identity, the notion of 'freedom,' and the unequal access to national identity perpetuated by groups like the Freedom Movement
Beyond Verbal Self-Explanations: Student Annotations of a Code-Tracing Example Produced by ChatGPT
No full textPrior research shows that for students need to actively process examples to learn from them, for instance through self-explanation. Historically, research has focused on student explanations expressed in words, so less is known about other forms of expression, such as ones involving spatial elements (e.g., flowcharts, drawings). I used a novel qualitative approach to (1) identify strategies students used to annotate a code-tracing example produced by ChatGPT and (2) assess the quality of student annotations, including how constructive they were. Overall, students used a variety of verbal and visual strategies to annotate the code-tracing example produced by ChatGPT, with flowcharts used more frequently by students who received the highest quality scores. This contributes to the domain of programming education by examining the effectiveness of different student annotation strategies on code-tracing examples, emphasizing the benefits of visual tools like flowcharts
Political Messaging in a Post-Truth Era: An Examination of How Conspiratorial Beliefs Influenced Electoral Outcomes in Poland Between 2015-2019
No full textThe Law and Justice (PiS) party secured a parliamentary majority in 2015 and replaced the incumbent Civic Platform in the Polish government. Scholars proposed several factors that explained why this happened, however none have investigated the influence of conspiratorial beliefs on voter preferences. Hence, this study performed statistical analysis of datasets compiled from nationally representative surveys conducted in 2015 and 2019. The results were supplemented by qualitative analysis of party platform documents to ascertain which conspiracy theories were being endorsed, and at which time. It was found that PiS crafted a conspiratorial narrative to explain the Smoleńsk disaster and integrated it with their platform during the 2015 election cycle. Consequently, PiS successfully motivated and captured votes from a notable segment of conspiratorially-minded individuals. However, PiS abandoned conspiratorial rhetoric soon after, and conspiratorially-minded voters shifted allegiances to newer, more extreme far-right parties that distinctly endorsed conspiracies regarding the LGBT-indoctrination of children
Therapist Factors on Autistic Children’s Socio-emotional Outcomes After Participating in a Cognitive Behavioural Intervention
No full textTherapist factors (education, training, experience, attitudes) may influence therapy effectiveness and client outcomes. This study explores the impact of these therapist factors on autistic children’s socio-emotional outcomes following participation in the Secret Agent Society: Small Group program (SAS:SG). The SAS:SG program is a mental health intervention aimed at autistic children and youth (Mage = 9.90 years) to enhance social and emotional regulation skills. Caregiver reports measured pre- and post-intervention changes in social skills and emotion regulation, social communication difficulties, and emotion dysregulation (n = 77). Therapists (n = 21) were trained to administer the intervention and delivered it in teams of three to groups of 2-6 children. The findings suggest that therapist factors, such as their type of training, years of professional practice, and education level, may influence children’s socio-emotional functioning outcomes following the SAS:SG intervention. The study discusses implications and future research directions
Enhancing the Online Shopping Experience: The Impact of Tactility in Augmented Reality
No full textConsumers encounter various difficulties when online shopping, such as receiving apparel that does not align with their fabric preference or does not fit as expected. Particularly, it lacks the capability for consumers to physically experience the fabric through touch or to ascertain fit through trying on the apparel. This study investigates how tactile feedback can provide enhancement within Augmented Reality (AR) and alleviate the sensory constraints of online shopping, aiming to furnish a more immersive and information-rich consumer experience. The study concludes that tactile feedback significantly bolsters the authenticity of product presentations within AR environments, granting consumers a nuanced comprehension of attributes such as texture and fit. The findings underscore the innovative application of tactile feedback in AR try-on technology, highlighting its role in bridging the gap between the convenience of online shopping and the rich sensory experience of traditional retail
Random Forest Modelling and Monitoring of Surface-Atmosphere Carbon Dioxide Flux in the Hudson Bay Lowlands
No full textPeatlands are a critical component of the global carbon cycle despite covering only 3% of the earth’s surface. Within Canada the largest contiguous peatland is the Hudson Bay Lowland (HBL), storing an estimated 33 Gt of carbon as peat as a result of a small but persistent difference between gross primary productivity (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER) over millennia. The vastness and remote nature of the HBL makes in-situ monitoring of its carbon cycle difficult. To address this, random forest (RF) regression models driven solely by remote sensing imagery (either 500 m MODIS or 30 m Harmonized Landsat Sentinel) are trained to predict GPP based on eddy covariance CO2 flux data from 2012-2019 for five sites spanning a climatic gradient in the HBL. There is little difference between daily GPP simulations for spatial resolutions between 30 m and 500 m (R2 = 0.65-0.78), but better temporal resolution improves model results at the annual time step. Additional RF models are trained to predict ER and the net difference between ER and GPP (net ecosystem exchange; NEE) using MODIS data. While ER remains accurately predicted (R2 ~0.82) by the models, NEE models are weaker (R2 ~0.48) but generally do better than published semi-empirical methods based on light use efficiency and temperature-respiration relationships. These RF models are then applied to three 48 km x 48 km regions around the field sites and compared with established global products from other machine learning algorithms, process-based, atmospheric inversion, and remote sensing-based models for the period 2000-2020. These products predict greater GPP compared to the RF models given that few include peatland-specific parameterizations. However, all models (RF and global products) present a common latitudinal trend with the greatest GPP in the south and decreasing northward. Most of the models agree that the HBL is a net sink of CO2 for this period but there is less agreement on the magnitude and latitudinal gradient. Remote sensing-based RF models of CO2 flux show promise for monitoring changes in the HBL’s carbon flux, particularly when there is land use change or other impactful disturbances on a large scale
Secure Delegation Over the Internet
No full textOccurring frequently over the Internet, delegation involves authorizing a third party to operate on your behalf. Over the internet, this is usually done to offload some of the operational overhead of providing a service, such as owning and operating many distribution servers. Content Delivery Network (CDN)s, domain hosting, and identity authentication can all involve some form of delegation to another party. Secure delegation involves the delegating party maintaining control over who and what is being delegated, and how it is being delegated by providing the delegator various abilities such as being able to securely issue, enforce, and revoke the delegation to another party. This thesis explores delegation schemes across various applications, modeling the frequently occurring patterns, which can pave the way for unifying strategies for secure delegation over the internet. This thesis also defines design goals for secure delegation and analyzes their presence (or lack thereof) in current delegation practices
