Electronic Theses / Thèses en format électronique

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The 0 -1 multiple knapsack problem
(2017-05-31) Shamakhai, Hayat Abdullah
In operation research, the Multiple Knapsack Problem (MKP) is classified as a combinatorial optimization problem. It is a particular case of the Generalized Assignment Problem. The MKP has been applied to many applications in naval as well as financial management. There are several methods to solve the Knapsack Problem (KP) and Multiple Knapsack Problem (MKP); in particular the Bound and Bound Algorithm (B&B). The bound and bound method is a modification of the Branch and Bound Algorithm which is defined as a particular tree-search technique for the integer linear programming. It has been used to obtain an optimal solution. In this research, we provide a new approach called the Adapted Transportation Algorithm (ATA) to solve the KP and MKP. The solution results of these methods are presented in this thesis. The Adapted Transportation Algorithm is applied to solve the Multiple Knapsack Problem where the unit profit of the items is dependent on the knapsack. In addition, we will show the link between the Multiple Knapsack Problem (MKP) and the multiple Assignment Problem (MAP). These results open a new field of research in order to solve KP and MKP by using the algorithms developed in transportation.
222Rn measurements within the water phase of the SNO+ experiment
(2018-12-06) Woosaree, Pooja
The SNO+ experiment is a large multipurpose scintillator detector. In the first phase of the experiment, close monitoring is done to determine radioactivity background levels, in particular the monitoring of 222Rn as its presence can obscure or mimic physics data. This thesis focuses on a cryogenic technique used to collect and concentrate 222Rn in the water used for the SNO+ experiment. The target level for 222Rn using this system is 3.5 × 10−14 g 238U/gH2O equivalent for the initial water phase. The radon assay technique and resulting measurements are discussed. Further analysis was done to determine the content and locations of areas within the detector emitting higher than expected rate of events. This is informally known as the "hotspot" problem.
3D geological modelling of the northern Swayze area of the Abitibi greenstone belt: assisting mineral exploration by mapping controls on gold (Au) deposits
(2021-08-20) Mogashoa, Lawraine Lerato
A 3D geological model of the northern Swayze area is constructed through the integration of lithological, structural, geological cross-sections, and seismic information in a Leapfrog Geo® modelling software to delineate structural geometry and geological distribution of rock units in the area. Using a mineral system approach, important geological features are extracted from the 3D geological model. A log-linear 3D weights of evidence method is used to quantify the spatial association between orogenic gold (Au) mineralization and various geological features that might represent ore-controlling factors. This method reveals that the dominant controls on Au mineralization are the second and third generation of deformation zones (D2 and D3), lithological contacts, and second and third-order faults. The posterior probability model is effective in capturing most of the Au occurrences (81%) within 18% of the study area, and the predictive rate curve indicates that the model performs better than random, as it is effective in predicting 71% of the validation points within 30% of the study area.
The (a, b, r) class of discrete distributions with applications
(2020-09-29) Yartey, Esther
In the insurance field the number of events such as losses to the insured or claims to the insurance company are an important aspect of loss modeling. Understanding the size of claims in terms of numbers and amounts makes it possible to modify and address issues related to creating insurance contracts. In general, certain counting (or discrete) distributions are used to model the number and amount of claims. There are situations where the modelled probability of having no claim is high. Indeed this is a desirable case for the benefit of insurance companies. An approach in modeling the number of claims in this case is by using Panjer’s (a, b, 1) class of discrete distributions. In this thesis, we look at a more general case of this class of distributions where there is an excess of claims at 0 to say r. We modify the existing (a, b, 1) model by assigning values greater than 0 to p0 (the probability of no claims) all the way up to pr (the probability of r claims). We then analyze this new model in terms of goodness of fit to actual claim data and compare with the classical (a, b, 1) and (a, b, 0) class of discrete distributions. This is done by using the maximum likelihood estimate (MLE) in estimating the parameters of each distribution discussed. In addition, the Akaike information criterion (AIC) is used to choose between competing distributions. This new model will be called (a, b, r) class of distributions, where r > 1.
Aboriginal perspectives understanding and comparing the lived experiences and resilience of aboriginal men and women attending higher education
(Laurentian University of Sudbury, 2015-07-09) Rowe, Robyn
Through an in-depth examination and review of the traumatic impact of colonialism and oppression faced by Aboriginal peoples, trends being to appear within the literature. These trends include the intergenerational cycles that foster negative outcomes for Aboriginal Peoples, specifically for those who were forced to endure the physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and sexual abuse within the Residential school system. The survivors of this era experience lifelong trauma which is then passed on through the generations to their children, grand-children, great grand-children etc. The numbers of Aboriginal students attending University level, higher education are increasingly low and the research has indicated that this is, in large part, due to the impact of the residential school system and the outlook that Aboriginal Peoples now have towards the education system. Factors of resiliency both positive and negative are described throughout. Positive resiliency, from a western perspective, include the ability to overcome adversity (Scarpino, 2007). This research project utilizes a qualitative method of open-ended one-on-one interviews with Aboriginal men and women who are students at Laurentian University in order to better understand their lived experiences and the aspects that have fostered positive resiliency for them to pursue higher education.
Absenteeism in a health care setting
(Laurentian University of Sudbury, 2013-09-12) Sherrington, Steven
Not provided
The adaptation challenges and strategies of immigrant high performance coaches working within the canadian sport system
(Laurentian University of Sudbury, 2014-01-27) Cummings, Jessica
The objective of this study was to understand the adaptation challenges and solutions experienced by immigrant coaches relocated to Canada. Ten high performance immigrant coaches were recruited, each completing a demographic questionnaire and partaking in an individual interview, providing insight into their experiences and cultural challenges. Results of the study were presented under two central themes: a) communication (language barriers and coach-athlete negotiations), and b) socialization (Canadian sport backdrop and views of sport in the immigrant coach’s home versus host country). A common adaptation solution was the importance of social support resources, with the immigrant coaches adjusting with less acculturative stress when a reciprocal relationship was developed between themselves and those they worked with. From this preliminary project there is an indication that sport psychology consultants (SPCs) should work with immigrant coaches, and coaches and athletes of the host country to foster this bi-directional learning processes, facilitating the coaches’ transition.
Adaptation during a longitudinal integrated clerkship: the lived experiences of third-year medical students at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.
(Laurentian University of Sudbury, 2013-07-31) Dubé, Tim V.
There are three interrelated concepts of what medical students learn, which include the formal, informal, and hidden curriculum. Several researchers who have investigated notions of the hidden curriculum have demonstrated how the experiences of medical training entrenched in the hidden curriculum can have a profound impact on medical student adaptation. The most influential transitional stage in undergraduate medical education is the third-year clinical clerkship, when medical students transition from classroom learners into clinicians. The Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s (NOSM) clinical clerkship year consists of a mandatory eightmonths of living and working in rural and northern communities throughout Northern Ontario, and learning in the context of rural family practice. Informed by a social constructivist research paradigm, I explored how 12 third-year students described the challenges they had to manage and, in response, the strategies they employed to adapt to their clerkship. I elicited their experiences and perspectives to contribute to a rich understanding of how students at the NOSM describe developing processes of adaptation during the Comprehensive Community Clerkship. Data were collected between August 2011 and April 2012, including: a) pre-clerkship interviews and a demographic questionnaire, b) mobile methods in the form of ‘guided walks’ in the communities, and c) post-clerkship interviews. The quality of the data collection and analysis were enhanced through processes of methodological and interpretive rigour, representativeness and authenticity, rich description and contextual relevance, audit trail, and reflexivity. Through an inductive thematic analysis of the data, the findings provide a rich description of events experienced such as medical training in one’s hometown or a familiar community, iv transitions including adaptation to the clinical setting and to the medical profession, and the influence of the clerkship on career path, personal well-being, and empathy for patients. The findings serve to advance our understanding of how medical students describe developing processes of adaptation throughout a longitudinal integrated clerkship. Implications are considered for medical students, the NOSM, the clerkship communities, and medical schools nationally and internationally. I propose recommendations regarding the suitability of authentic methods in medical education research, and discuss the implications for rural and northern health research.
Adaptation of microalgae bioprospected from stressed environments in Northern Ontario for the production of lipids
(2020-12-16) Desjardins, Sabrina Marie
Photosynthetic green microalgae are a promising bio-feedstock that can be used to generate lipids for transesterification into biodiesel and/or various human health products such as polyunsaturated fatty acids. Unfortunately, due to their cultivation requirements, such as high energy requirements and carbon dioxide (CO2) as a carbon source, large-scale biomass production generally remains uneconomical. To address this issue, the use of industrial flue gas as a low-cost source of CO2 and a biorefinery approach to help mend the economic burden of microalgae-based products with an emphasis on creating co-products from lipid-extracted biomass (LEB) are assessed in this thesis. Microalgae’s ability to sequester CO2 through photosynthesis is also advantageous in mitigating harmful industrial emissions. While these flue gases can have high concentrations of CO2, they also can contain numerous contaminants (e.g., heavy metals, particulate matter) that discourage microalgae growth, and therefore their ability to fix CO2. But, the most significant issue can be high nitrous oxide (NOx) and sulphuric dioxide (SO2) concentrations within a flue gas that cause acidification when bubbled through liquid media. It is due to this acidification that finding the productive microalgae species to grow in those systems can be problematic. To address this, bioprospecting acid-tolerant microalgae from low pH environments in active and non-active mining sites was explored and the acidophilic species present identified through DNA sequence analysis. Bioprospected algal species were then grown in acidic conditions similar to those created by bubbling flue gas from a nickel smelter into water (pH 2.5). From this work, it was found that the acid-tolerant green microalgae in the genus Coccomyxa acclimated to the acidic conditions with suitable growth rates (0.136 day-1) and biomass production (25.71 mg L-1day-1). However, anabolic production of target biochemical molecules, such as lipids, is the key step in the bio-product process. It is known that microalgae have the ability to accumulate bioactive compounds when placed in stressed environments, such as high illumination and low nutrient availability, but little is known an about the impact of low pH and in particular the lipid composition of acidophilic microalgae. Research confirmed that the lipid compositions of bioprospected acid-tolerant microalgae was in the target range (13%). However, further work showed that an increased total lipid content (up to 27%), with a desirable rise in the relative level of health beneficial higher polyunsaturated fatty acid, could be achieved by applying dark stress at the end of the exponential growth phase. It is, therefore, proposed that this approach could be an easy, low-cost method to enhance lipid productivity
Adapting methodologies from the forestry industry to measure the productivity of underground hard rock mining equipment
(2017-08-30) Hauta, Rebecca Lynn
The purpose of this dissertation is to develop and apply a framework to characterize the ground support installation component of the mining development cycle in underground hard rock mines for the purposes of comparing equipment. A secondary goal is to identify opportunities to improve the productivity of the ground support installation process. It was found that the forestry industry faces similar challenges as the mining industry when measuring equipment output in a variable environment where equipment productivity is affected by a range of external conditions. Despite this challenge, forestry researchers successfully developed and applied a standardized methodology and nomenclature to measure the productivity of equipment for the purposes of equipment and process comparison in variable external conditions. The methodology used in the forestry industry was modified to measure mechanized and semimechanized ground support installation productivity in three Canadian underground hard rock mines. Furthermore, opportunities to improve the ground support installation process were identified. This framework can be modified to measure and compare other types of mining equipment. By using a standardized methodology to measure, compare and improve mining processes, development and production rates can be increased in underground hard rock mines. In summary, a framework was adapted from the forestry industry to measure and compare the productivity of the ground support installation cycle in three Canadian hard rock mines, and opportunities to improve the process were found.
Adaptive reuse in a declining city: altering the Station Mall on the Sault Ste. Marie Waterfront
(2020-04-08) Legge, Devin
This Thesis takes a closer look at my hometown of Sault Ste. Marie, ON. I have found that overall this industrial city has been in a decline or dying over the past decade or longer. The differences when compared to the decline of other industrial cities is that the industry backbone of Sault Ste. Marie is currently thriving. This decline is stressed by an aging community, lack of available work, and continuous emigration of younger generations. This has led to a stagnant economy, degradation of infrastructure, and rise of criminal culture throughout the city. Nowhere else is this more evident than in the downtown core of Sault Ste. Marie Within this thesis, I look towards the efficient use of our existing built environment; focusing on adaptive reuse on multiple scales, from existing architectural structures to sites and reintroducing it to the social urban environment of the community. Taking this opportunity to research how to work with these spaces architecturally, programmatically and urbanistically, I am making the effort to effectively revitalize these declining rough areas or neighbourhoods. This topic stems from a belief in the importance of taking a sustainable approach to an existing building’s embodied energy, while also mitigating urban sprawl. Meanwhile, recognizing that the re-use of existing buildings or spaces allows for the chance of preserving (rediscovering) history, emotion, and atmosphere while introducing new programs to these spaces. The question that is explored within this thesis is whether the revitalization of a historical centerpiece within a city that is in a state of decline can have enough of an impact to stabilize the surrounding community. Throughout the growth of medium sized cities there develops a phenomenon known as ‘doughnut cities’. This happens when a city continues to expand outwards and less focus is placed on the center or downtown leading to the death or decline of said area. In addition to this, there is also precedent for the death or decline of single industry cities. These cities tend to fall into decline when the main industry takes a downturn; resulting in effects to job availability and the local economy. Both of these phenomena look as though to play a part in the situation Sault Ste. Marie finds itself in currently. The proposed project looks at redesigning and reprogramming the Station Mall and Downtown Waterfront site in Sault Ste. Marie. Over the years, projects reprogramming existing historical buildings have had positive impact on their surrounding sites and the community. Although, the city’s downtown and predominantly this site has suffered a gradual abandonment and decline, through this research project I believe a positive change can be made for the city and its community. This thesis explores these topics and questions through extensive research in addition to a methodology focusing on the use of mapping and layering to progress through the project. From historical mapping to current site analysis; working at multiple scales from city, to neighbourhoods, to the building. Taking a layered approach to fully understand the historical and situational basis within the project and transition into the final design proposition.
Aerial image segmentation
(2016-07-25) Althwaini, Abdulkareem Ali
Image segmentation plays a vital role in applications such as remote sensing. For this example, remote sensing, aerial image segmentation is a special case of image segmentation. There are some unique features of aerial images, like noise in natural landscapes, which need to be addressed in order to obtain an optimal solution. Bushes and rocks are examples of landscape features with diverse and variable pixel values that need to be distinguished by the segmentation process. Smoothing filters present a common solution to address the problem of noise in images, as does aerial image segmentation. There are several image segmentation techniques used for aerial image segmentation. Some of these techniques are more sensitive to noise problems, and are necessary to discriminate between different smoothing filters. In this thesis, a number of different aspects of aerial image segmentation and their solutions are explained. In addition to this, a novel smoothing filter is introduced and compared with other methods using different segmentation techniques. Finally, all of the previous points are applied to a real world problem.
After the dust settles: a qualitative study of underground workers exposed to an aluminum dust prophylaxis
(2020-05-26) Aubin, Danielle M.
From 1943 to 1980, some underground gold and uranium workers in Ontario were required to inhale aluminum powder, up to approximately 30 minutes daily, for silicosis prevention. This qualitative descriptive study explored the perceived impact of exposed workers to the aluminum powder. Sixteen respondents from Northeastern Ontario participated in interviews which were transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically. Themes that were constructed on a personal impact level included: 1) compulsory exposure, 2) hesitancy to complain, 3) feelings of betrayal, and 4) concern about health impact and dying. Themes on an organizational impact level included: 1) confidence and trust in company, 2) lack of knowledge, and 3) need for compensation and formal apology. Workers’ perceived that their long-term health was impacted by exposure on a personal and organizational level. The latest information from this study on McIntyre powder will enhance the knowledge within the occupational health and safety system.
Air entrainment and air-water separation in hydraulic air compressors
(2018-08-16) Hutchison, Alex
A hydraulic air compressor (HAC) is an isothermal gas compressor that uses hydropower to compress air, originally developed by Charles Taylor in the 1890s to supply industry with compressed air. In the modern revival of this technology, the hydropower will be provided by pumps rather than natural sources. As such, energy efficiency is an important driver of component design; all of the hydropower is consumed either to overcome irreversibility or to compress air. The compressor relies on the increasing pressure of water flowing downward in a downcomer to compress air in the form of bubbles being dragged along with the flow. The air entrainment process at the top of the downcomer is facilitated by a mixing head. At the bottom of the downcomer, the bubbles are separated from the flow in a separator vessel. The objective of this thesis is to develop the design methodology for the air entrainment and air-water separation components on either end of the downcomer process. Several mixing heads were tested on a small (4.5 m height) prototype HAC. The test without a mixing head successfully entrained air, confirming that air entrainment is a system effect. Two heads with dissimilar geometry were associated with the lowest irreversibility, leading to the conclusion that the best design at that scale is a mixing head incorporating some form of vortex breaker. Air entrainment is driven by a system energy balance and not exclusively by a local Venturi geometry. The fraction of the air successfully captured in the plenum of the separator is called the separator effectiveness. Mechanistic models have been created to characterize both the irreversibility and separator effectiveness of two types of gravity separator (horizontal and vertical orientation) for iv the design of separators for future commercial-scale compressors. The separator effectiveness models require as input the flow field information from computational fluid dynamics analysis and the bubble size distribution at inlet. The bubble size distribution was measured on the small prototype and used to select a bubble size prediction model for testing on a much larger scale (29 m height) demonstrator HAC. The displacement model for horizontal separators matched the actual performance at the prototype scale well, particularly at high flow rate. The vertical velocity model produced a good match for the separator on the demonstrator HAC, but not for the same bubble size model identified on the small prototype.
Alcoholics anonymous: from spiritual void to spiritual awakening
(2017-06-19) Vermeulen, Carla J.
Examining the program of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) reveals that it grew out of a Christian fundamentalist group known as the Oxford Group. This history connects AA to the writings of St Paul and St Augustine. Their writings look into the lives of every human being, into the struggle of the divided will, into obsession, and made them particularly well suited to the study of addiction. There was no castigation, simply an acceptance and understanding as to the scope and needs of those who struggle with the chains of boundless appetite. The program of AA presents the twelve steps as the process one is required to undergo in order to return to health. The gift of a spiritual awakening is the promise in having worked these steps. This distinguishes AA from other recovery programs. This thesis traces spiritual awakening through the program of AA utilizing literature from the early Christian church to demonstrate how those works were integral in the original program of AA.
America's war on drugs (and drug addicts) : a Foucauldian history
(Laurentian University of Sudbury, 2014-10-15) Heft, Ian Andrew
This thesis applies some teachings and methods of Michel Foucault (1926-1984) to critically analyze the history and current practices related to the United States’ “War on Drugs.” By tracing the history of the Drug War and placing drugs and drug addicts in a less hyperbolized context than traditionally presented in the media and in drug war propaganda, it is possible to critique what can be seen as a war on drug addicts and to gain insight as to its hidden motives, relevant patterns, social implications and ultimately its effect on American culture and society and notably its deleterious effects among America’s people of colour and urban communities. With respect to Foucault’s concept of a race war and the notion that “politics is the continuation of war by other means,” the War on Drugs can be contextualized in terms of a discourse of perpetual war that rages even in times of putative peace.
An analysis of claim frequency and claim severity for third party motor insurance using Monte Carlo simulation techniques
(2019-08-22) Dumais, Cedric
The purpose of this thesis is to introduce the reader to Multiple Regression and Monte Carlo simulation techniques in order to find the expected compensation cost the insurance company needs to pay due to claims made. With a fundamental understanding of probability theory, we can advance to Markov chain theory and Monte Carlo Markov Chains (MCMC). In the insurance field, in particular non-life insurance, expected compensation is very important to calculate the average cost of each claim. Applying Markov models, simulations will be run in order to predict claim frequency and claim severity. A variety of models will be implemented to compute claim frequency. These claim frequency results, along with the claim severity results, will then be used to compute an expected compensation for third party auto insurance claims. Multiple models are tested and compared.
The analysis of eye-movements in the judgment of enjoyment and non-enjoyment smiles in people with schizophrenia
(Laurentian University of Sudbury, 2014-10-10) Ryan, R.J.
Research has consistently shown that people with schizophrenia have impairments in emotional facial recognition. This deficit has been associated with irregular visual scanning patterns of the face. Since people have the ability to control the expression of emotion that they display, the communication process becomes more complex. In fact, in addition to processing the emotion expressed, decoders must pay attention to the subtle details about the sincerity of the expression. The goal of the current study was to conduct a systematic examination of the ability and perceptual-attentional mechanisms used in distinguishing enjoyment and non-enjoyment smiles in individuals with schizophrenia. More specifically, the activation of the orbicularis oculi muscle and symmetry was examined. Sixteen individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and sixteen control (no diagnosis of schizophrenia) were asked to judge the sincerity of smiles while their eye movements were recorded. Individuals with schizophrenia were less accurate than controls in judging the no-cheek smile as a non-enjoyment smile. This difficulty could be explained by their bias towards the mouth. Furthermore, like their healthy counterparts, individuals with schizophrenia showed difficulty with the judgement of asymmetric smiles. However, while perceptual processing can be ruled out as an explanation for the difficulty suggesting interpretation problems in control individuals, the former explanation cannot be discredited for individuals with schizophrenia.
An analysis of physical activity levels of children following the balanced school day schedule
(Laurentian University of Sudbury, 2015-05-28) Jaunzarins, Bridget
Background: Physical activity is a key determinant of children’s health. However, increasingly children are not attaining adequate amounts of physical activity. Children spend a considerable amount of time at school and school-based physical activity can significantly contribute to total daily physical activity achieved by children. Specifically, recess time can significantly contribute to a child’s daily opportunity to attain the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day. In this thesis, I assessed the impact of block scheduling on physical activity levels during recess for children in grades 3 and 6. More specifically, I examined the impact of time of day (am vs. pm) and season (fall vs. winter) on levels of recess-based physical activity among children using the “Balanced School Day” schedule. Methods: Data were collected at a school using the Balanced School Day schedule over five consecutive days during fall and winter in a school from a community in northern Ontario. Children wore the Yamax SW-200 pedometer and a segmented data collection approach to assess step counts during ‘class-time’ and ‘recess-time’ was used. Results: Seventy-eight students participated in this study. Average daily steps were higher in the fall compared to the winter. There were no meaningful differences in the number of steps taken when considering time of day. Boys accumulated significantly more steps than girls for total recess steps regardless of season. Grade 3 students experienced the greatest decrease in steps seasonally. Conclusions: As a result of this study, we have reaffirmed that children are not maximizing opportunities for physical activity during the school day. In general, lower step counts are noted among girls and grade 6 students. We can also conclude that the recess schedule (i.e. morning vs. iv afternoon) does not affect physical activity during recess in children using the BSD; however, there is a seasonal influence. All children were less active in the winter recess when compared to the fall and this was particularly accentuated among the younger participants.
Analysis of plasma immune response to clostridium difficle proteins in hospitalized patients at Health Sciences North, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
(2017-03-03) Dubé, Kristy-Anne
Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the leading cause of nosocomial diarrhea worldwide. Prevention and treatment of CDI requires an intimate understanding of the immune response to the bacterium. Thus, this study investigated the plasma immune response of 79 patients at Health Sciences North in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada to identify immunodominant C. difficile proteins. Plasma samples were obtained from patients diagnosed with C. difficile infection, patients positive for C. difficile without symptoms, and patients who were negative for C. difficile, with and without symptoms. The plasma samples were tested for the presence of antibody reacting to C. difficile protein extracts using Western Blot analysis, Wes immunoblotting, and subsequent characterization by 2-D immunoblot analysis and mass spectrometry. Candidate immunodominant C. difficile proteins were found to be enolase, acetyl-coA acetyltransferase, and the 50s ribosomal protein, L7/L12. However, the presence and/or levels of antibodies that recognized these proteins in patient plasma were not statistically different between patient cohorts. Further analysis of the potential immunogenicity of these proteins could be useful to CDI treatment and prevention

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