Theses and Dissertations

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Open Access
10,000 Drowned: Commemorating the Caribou
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2020-01) Orr, Margaret Grace; Garneau, David; Streifler, Leesa; Chambers, Ruth
This exhibition commemorates a caribou herd that drown during their fall migration in 1984. The disaster occurred when Hydro-Quebec opened the Caniapiscau reservoir spill gates two hundred and seventy miles upstream from Limestone Falls on the Caniapiscau River. This caused the river level to rise and send a torrent of water towards the Ungava Bay. At their traditional river crossing, thousands of caribou were swept over the falls and drowned. This paper supports my MFA graduating exhibition, 10,000 Drowned, installed in The Fifth Parallel Gallery from November 25 to December 6, 2019. 10,000 Drowned is an installation of six large oil paintings representing the land, sky, water, fire, four directions, and the migration of caribou. There are also four large ceramic vessels representing air, water, land, and fire, and one hundred ceramic antlers representing the lost caribou. In addition, a video installation shows the caribou’s point of view as they travel over the land and then drown. The exhibition is my delayed response to my anguish over this disaster. I grew up on the land situated around the Chisasibi River in Northern Quebec. Through my Cree and Inuit relatives, I absorbed a lot of knowledge about how to live with the land and animals; how to survive using only basic of tools. These teachings come from how we relate with the natural environment and with one another. This paper describes my life and community. This background is essential to understanding the meaning of the caribou and this event in our lives. Through stories and by reflecting on my research process, I hope to offer insight into how contemporary forms of Indigenous art-making continue from traditional Cree knowledge practices. I returned to the site of the drownings many times. I mapped the caribou migration territory from a bird’s-eye view. I talked to elders and others about this event. But it was only when I took this experiential research method to a deeper embodied level that I got close to the meaning of this event. Only by submerging myself in icy water, feeling what drowning was like, was I able to complete my connection with these beings.
Open Access
A commercial pathway for evaluating the performance of a novel amine solvent blend in a mini-pilot plant for carbon capture
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2024-08) Bekoe, Patience Tiorkor; Idem, Raphael; Supap, Teeradet; Tontiwachwuthikul, Paitoon (P.T.)
This study investigates the performance of a novel solvent bi-blend, 4M (2:2) AMP:1-(2HE) PRLD, for CO2 capture through absorption and desorption, providing a potential alternative to the conventional 5M Monoethanolamine (MEA). The pathway utilized to assess the performance of the amine bi-blend for commercial application involved conducting carbon capture experiments in a laboratory bench-scale mini-pilot plant. This approach aimed to validate the solvent's performance under conditions that mimic a full-scale commercial industrial CO2 capture plant. The research also addresses the urgent need for more efficient and cost-effective carbon capture solutions to combat increasing greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Experiments were conducted with varying feed gas compositions, with CO2 concentrations ranging from 4.5% to 30%, to simulate different industrial emission scenarios. Key performance metrics, including CO2 absorption efficiency, cyclic capacity, mass transfer rates, and energy consumption for solvent regeneration, were meticulously evaluated. For a CO2 partial pressure of 4.5%, the novel solvent blend demonstrated significant performance enhancements compared to 5M MEA. Specifically, the 4M (2:2) AMP:1-(2HE) PRLD blend exhibited an enhancement in absorption efficiency by up to 25% at a reboiler temperature of 110 °C, 41% at 100 °C, and over 700% at 90 °C. Additionally, there was a reduction in regeneration energy requirements by approximately 30% at 110 °C, 43% at 100 °C, and 84% at 90 °C. The novel blend showed robust performance across a wide range of these parameters, indicating its versatility and suitability for diverse industrial applications. The study also revealed an average increase of 150% in the overall gas phase volumetric mass transfer coefficient (KGav) and 110% for the overall liquid-phase volumetric mass transfer coefficient (KLav). These significant improvements emphasize the novel blend's superior mass transfer performance, which is crucial for maximizing CO2 capture efficiency and column design. Parametric studies were conducted to understand the influence of various operational parameters on mass transfer performance. It was observed that the absorption efficiency and mass transfer rates were significantly influenced by CO2 loading, gas flow rate, desorption temperature and pressure. Results from this exercise showed that there is a strong positive correlation between the reboiler temperature and the efficiency as well as the overall mass transfer coefficient. It was also noted that the mass transfer was mainly controlled by the liquid phase while increasing the desorber pressure had an inverse effect on the lean amine loading which was attributed to the higher gas solubility at the higher pressure. The effect of CO2 partial pressure was also studied and a negative correlation was observed between CO2 partial pressure and the absorber efficiency, overall gas phase mass transfer coefficient. Heat duty analysis revealed that the novel solvent blend required less energy for regeneration, thus offering a more energy-efficient solution. The specific energy consumption for the AMP-PRLD blend was found to be significantly lower than that for 5M MEA, highlighting its potential to reduce operational costs and environmental impacts. The study concludes that the novel solvent blend not only provides a more efficient CO2 capture solution but also aligns with the goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving net-zero emissions from the indirect co-combustion of natural gas and biomass for energy generation even at relatively lower desorption temperature (100-110 °C) thus significantly contributing to energy savings.
Open Access
A decision-making system for medical transportation mode using machine learning methods
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2023-09) Khodabakhshi, Sahar; Peng, Wei; Stilling, Denise; Wang, Zhanle; Zeng, Fanhua
There is number of complicated operations in freight transportation system to cover customer demands in the world. Nowadays, companies have huge competition to fulfill customer needs and get a higher level of performance in freight transportation. Transportation mode has been considered as one of the components that has influence on service levels of freight transportation. Road, sea, air are popular modes of transportation which have different features and unique benefits. They also have various costs, different emissions in environment and risks in society. People use these transportation modes based on their needs, but they do have some advantages and disadvantages. When we are dealing with a lot of shipment transactions in a company, making decision for choosing the best option will not be easy. Companies face with challenges since there are numerous factors effecting shipment mode selection. Moreover, the number of low-volume and high-frequency shipments has also increased due to increased demand diversity, shorter product life cycles, and increased agile customer response. Consequently, logistics costs are increasing for those shippers who need to export a small number of products abroad. As a result, researchers have been actively focusing on this matter, which has a significant impact on a country's social and economic situation. This research aims to develop a hybrid approach to create a shipment selection model with a case study of pharmaceutical drugs by machine learning algorithms, checking the accuracy of predictions and using multi-criteria decision-making methods (MCDM) for validation of our work. Several different features of the dataset including shipping cost, country of origin and destination, cargo weight, cargo dimensions, etc., are given to decision tree, Random forest, logistic regression, XGboost and SVM machine learning algorithms so that we can predict the best shipping method by land, air, or sea. Then, using different criteria F1 score, Recall and precision, accuracy score we measured the accuracy of the forecast and finally, we validated the research method by MCDM methods SAW, MARCOS, TOPSIS, MULTIMOORA and VIKOR. After being familiar with all important factors, tools, research gap in literature review, we realized that choosing one machine algorithm is not enough to get an accurate result and we used the most popular ones. data science scored important features influencing transportation modes and used machine learning techniques to learn the factors and the relationships between them to increase the accuracy of the pharmaceuticals drugs shipment selection system. By MCDM we found XGboost as the best machine learning algorithm to predict the shipment mode with the average performance evaluation of 84 percentage then random forest, decision tree, SVM and LR respectively.
Open Access
A flight for survival and safety: A feminist phenomenological study of women's experiences of intimate partner violence and homelessness
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2023-10) Bayda, Brandy Andrea; Fletcher, Kara; Milne, Lise; Lovrod, Marie; Stewart-Tufescu, Ashley
his study explores the experiences of four Saskatchewan women as they describe their experiences attempting to maintain housing after their abusive relationship had ended. Using phenomenological methodology provides rich descriptions of what it is like for survivors to navigate housing support services in Saskatchewan. The women’s experiences were gathered through in-person semi-structured interviews, allowing for both structure and flexibility. The study's findings highlight how additional barriers such as stigma, economic abuse, and financial struggles can create significant barriers for some women. These findings add to the growing scholarship in Saskatchewan exploring the link between intimate partner violence (IPV) and women's housing issues.
Open Access
A narrative exploration of the right to health in the lives of Indigenous women
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2023-06) Latta, Lori Patricia; Hoeber, Larena; Cooper , Elizabeth; Green , Brenda; Abonyi, Sylvia; McIntosh, Thomas; Forman, Lisa
This study explores, through critical narrative analysis, the understanding of Indigenous women about conditions that they need to be healthy, and how their stories and reflections provide a critique that can inform thinking around the right to health. Literature from varied disciplinary perspectives describes the right to health, and a body of health human rights, as conceptual tools that identify the conditions all people require to be healthy, encompassing not just health care and access to material goods, but equality, culture, power and participation. Literature also provides some critique of human rights, and indicates that their alignment with dominant discourses and powers may be a barrier to their effectiveness for Indigenous people. With reference to Habermas’ theories of communicative action, including the colonization thesis, the lifeworlds of 14 Indigenous women were explored in relation to the institutional discourse of health human rights. The study finds that in the stories that women shared there was some validation of human rights instruments relating to health, which identify as rights violations health harms such as violence, disruption of families, experiences of racism, and lack of support for mental health. However, women’s interpretation of these events often differed from institutional discourse in that they located responsibility for violations less in the people or organizations that harmed them, and more in processes of colonization carried out by successive Canadian governments, that effectively undermined their rights and their health. As they reflected on their stories, women identified a right to knowledge about history and the impact of colonization on Indigenous people as being important to their physical and mental health. Other findings are that a rights-based assessment of women’s health that focuses on experiences of violations and harms may be perceived as deficit-based. To be more meaningful to Indigenous women, a discourse of human rights in health could speak to their strengths and resources, and support broadly defined goals in physical, spiritual and mental health by removing barriers to agency. This study joins a body of other research in finding that explicit rights-based participation in service delivery and health policy development and evaluation may help to avoid abuses in the future, but may require more autonomous forms of governance and service delivery to address longstanding power imbalance and distrust. The study concludes that a discourse of health human rights can better meet the needs of Indigenous women when colonialism is named as a human rights abuse and the primary cause of health inequity that affects their families and communities, reinforcing their life world knowledge with rights-based accountability, and creating common understanding in the public sphere.
Open Access
A robust intrusion detection system utilizing uncertain reasoning techniques in artificial intelligence
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2024-05) Singh, Harpreet; Louafi, Habib; Yao, Yiyu; Shahriar, Nashid
Network Intrusion Detection Systems (NIDS) are essential components in cybersecurity, but they face several challenges, including uncertainty and a significant computational overhead. Network attacks and unauthorized access to remote computers can be detected by NIDS. Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques have been used to automate the intrusion detection process and reduce human intervention, thereby enhancing intrusion detection systems (IDS) performance. AI techniques, such as fuzzy logic, neural networks, and evolutionary computing can also be used in IDS. One proposed application of AI is to utilize evidential reasoning to handle uncertainty in NIDS. This approach leads to more efficient abnormality detection in user behaviour, making it a powerful tool for NIDS. This research primarily focuses on NIDS based on uncertain reasoning AI. The latter is more explainable than machine learning and deep learning approaches because it relies on well-understood principles, such as probabilities. In contrast, machine learning approaches are often considered black boxes, which makes them challenging to explain. We primarily work on real-time network traffic or packet-captured files, with the main objective of looking for attack signs of various types, using Bayesian belief networks (probabilistic graphical models). Throughout this thesis, we describe the IDS and the analysis of network traffic using a BN and Markov network (MN). BN is used to formulate the problem domain, whereas the MN is used for the inference and calculation of marginal distribution. To do so, different propagation algorithms are explored, such as Variable Elimination (VE), Lauritzen-Spiegelhalter Propagation (LS), Shafer-Shenoy Propagation (SS), and Lazy Propagation(LP). The data used in the experiments originated from the CAIDA Lab. CAIDA dataset contains network traffic packets from Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks. Therefore, the main objective of this thesis is to develop an uncertain reasoning-based NIDS system capable of predicting DoS/DDoS attacks with higher accuracy while reducing the computation overhead. Extensive experiments are conducted using the above-listed inference algorithms, and thus three models are trained for each protocol on the CAIDA dataset. The experiments show appealing results, measured using well-known metrics, such as Precision, Recall, and F1-Score. Overall, the SS and LP are efficient, but with minor differences.
Open Access
A serving of empathy
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2024-07) Watt, Brenda Faye; Garneau, David; Chambers, Ruth; Fay, Holly
A Serving of Empathy, my MFA graduating exhibition at the Fifth Parallel Gallery at the University of Regina (June 10–21, 2024), consists of two bodies of work. Potent Moments (2024) is a collection of sixteen ceramic plates exploring the lives of young people at moments of crisis, transition, and suspense. Fragments of Memory (2022) is a suite of ten conjoined ceramic plates that depict my mother’s train journey from Regina to Victoria in 1950 when she was fifteen. The plates are displayed on the gallery walls at eye-level. In addition, “Carousel of Innocence,” an interactive work set on a low plinth in the centre of the gallery, provides a moment of pleasure amid the tension of the surrounding pieces. Potent Moments are visual narratives painted on modified ceramic plates. Thin slabs are added to the surface while the wheel-thrown clay is soft. They are torn to produce shallow ragged openings for the painted scenes. The scenes are mostly private moments that my omniscient visual narrator invades to reveal hidden truths and to generate empathy. These paintings realize the mental images I had when I heard stories, and the mental images I created over the years when reviving the original stories. Fragments of Memory is a suite of five ceramic artworks that reconstruct my memory of my mother’s remembered experience. This artwork is about the relationship between narrative content, memory, imagination, and perceptual position; about how we try to inhabit and understand the experiences of others through imaginative means. Using conjoined ceramic forms, painted images, and ceramic shards, I create artworks that not only reconstruct what can be remembered but also describe the process of remembering. Keywords: ceramics, clay, plates, stories, heterotopias, omniscient viewer, omniscient narrator
Open Access
Aboriginal Communities in Canada and HIV/Aids: The Voices Must Be Heard
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2012-09) McKay-McNabb, Kim Verna; Hampton, Mary; Baydala, Angelina; Shercliffe, Regan; Episkenew, Jo-Ann; Lavalee, Lynn
The purpose of this research was to develop a theory grounded in the life experiences of Aboriginal community members in Canada that describes the ways in which they have been affected by HIV/AIDS. This theory has incorporated the effects of colonization within Aboriginal communities; although historical, effects of colonization have been linked by researchers to many health challenges confronting Aboriginal communities today. This thesis has reviewed the research evidence that suggests the higher prevalence and incidence of HIV/AIDS in Aboriginal communities has roots in historical colonization. The qualitative data collected provides experiential information documenting present-day experience of community members who are affected by HIV/AIDS in Canada. I conducted 20 qualitative interviews with Aboriginal community members from across Canada who have been infected (been diagnosed with) or affected (relative has been diagnosed with) by HIV and AIDS to gain a better understanding of how HIV/AIDS is changing the health landscape within Aboriginal communities. Grounded theory methodology was utilized to analyze the interview data. The participants in this research are made up of a unique group of Aboriginal individuals in Canada and may represent the experience of a portion of the population. As there is a paucity of research about Aboriginal Peoples living with HIV and AIDS in Canada, the results of this research study has contributed to development of a theory describing what it is like for Aboriginal Peoples who are living with or affected by HIV/AIDS and suggestions about culturally relevant methods of healing. This research gave voice to those Aboriginal community members in Canada, who are diagnosed with HIV/AIDS or affected by HIV/AIDS. The theory describes participants’ journeys of transformation where they have learned to embrace their new identities. Life experiences of Aboriginal community members in Canada that were infected by HIV/AIDS (APHAs) or family members affected by having a loved one infected by HIV/AIDS (APAAs) generated a propositional theory. APHAs who participated in the study were significantly open about their identity with HIV/AIDS and most identified with also being affected by HIV. The APHAs were more willing to be open about their diagnosis and were very interested in sharing their life experiences of living with HIV/AIDS. They made up over half of the participants in the study (n=14). Those individuals that were APAA’s were more challenging to recruit, and ultimately, I extended my study by another year to ensure that Aboriginal community members who are affected by HIV/AIDs participated. They made up approximately one third of the participants (n=6). The theory suggests that these individuals are more likely to have not shared their life experiences with other The current propositional theory that emerged suggests that the healing journeys of APHAs and APAAs are significantly different in nature. The tree depicts the emerging theory, a journey on the path to psychological and cultural healing: transformation of identity. The visual depiction includes the transformation of identity that an Aboriginal individual might experience when living with their HIV diagnosis or having been affected by HIV either directly or through a loved one being infected. Two models emerged that depict the journey and the transformations of identity that begin as seeds in the earth and throughout the transformation grow into trees.
Open Access
Aboriginal Dispossession and Proletarianization in Canadian Industrial Capitalism: Creating the Right Profile for the Labour Market
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2013-07) Bird, John Albert; McIntosh, Tom; Zhu, Yuchao; Farney, Jim; Sponer, Marc
The central theme of this paper revolves around the dispossession of Aboriginal peoples (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) from their traditional socio-economic means of production and their subsumption into the industrial-capitalist mode of production. The investigation is a hypothesis about the historical proletarianization process regarding Aboriginal peoples in Canada stemming from dispossession. The analysis utilizes a critical political economic approach primarily in regard the revolutionary power of private property relations as the competitive antithesis to traditional-subsistence economy relations. Positing the facts of Aboriginal proletarianization within a political economic framework is an addition to the critique of capital. The research of the paper is anchored within: the numbered treaty framework and its application, the disciplinary methods of residential schooling systems, assimilation into proletarian ethics, and contemporary statistics about Aboriginal cohorts within the Canadian labour market. The historical research provides evidence about Aboriginal socio-economic dispossession and the contemporary data provides evidence regarding present-day conclusions of the initial industrial-proletarianization processes. Keywords: numbered treaties, residential schools, Aboriginal labour, Aboriginal history, political economy, industrial capitalism, proletarian, Karl Marx.
Open Access
“About Average” A Pragmatic Inquiry into School Principals’ Meanings for a Statistical Concept in Instructional Leadership
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2014-04) Hunter, Darryl Milburn; Dolmage, William R.; Martin, Ronald; Steeves, Larry; Arbuthnott, Katherine; Paquette, Jerald
This mixed methods, sequential, exploratory study addresses the problem, “How significant are statistical representations of ‘average student achievement’ for school administrators as instructional leaders?” Both phases of the study were designed within Charles Sanders Peirce’s pragmatic theory of interpretation. In the first, phenomenological phase, 10 Saskatchewan school principals were each interviewed three times and invited to read aloud three different student achievement reports. Principals generally held a “centre-of-balance” conception for the average, which related to perspectives deriving from their organizational position. Abductive reasoning, a proclivity to act upon “below average” student achievement, leadership through asking leading questions, an inquiry cast of mind, and other pragmatic principles were clearly apparent. No evidence was found that school administrators were constrained by normative statistics into a uniform outlook, nor into purely instrumental behaviour. In a succeeding, overlapping phase based in the psychophysics of perception, Saskatchewan school leaders (principals and vice-principals) (n=210) were randomly assigned to one of four groups and asked to read an achievement report depicting student performance as a distribution of scores on a criterion scale. School leaders’ dispositions to be rational-analytical or intuitive-experiential were measured pre-and post-reading. A MANCOVA revealed small but significant changes in school leaders’ dispositions depending on the way the report was framed. Small but significant interactions between valence and audience on a reader’s rationality were observed. Negatively-framed test scores effected greater changes than positively-framed test scores in diminishing school leaders’ beliefs in their rationality. Principals’ and vice-principals’ dispositions did not differ. I conclude that reading reports which depict student achievements within a normative distribution has little statistical significance in changing leadership practice. However, school principals’ interpretations demonstrate the substantial practical significance of statistics when leading change. School administrators consider average student achievement not with the inferential patterns assumed within contemporary notions of heuristic irrationality, but rather as a reasoned form of inquisitive thinking and behaviour that has been formalized and comprehensively described in North American philosophy for over 100 years.
Open Access
Accessing Intimacy: The Experience of Younger Long-Term Care Residents
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2019-05) Sawatsky, Meghann Leslie; Johner, Randy; Kikulwe, Daniel; Genoe, Rebecca
The sex and intimacy needs of persons with disabilities are increasingly highlighted in research, particularly during the last two decades. There is also research to examine the experience of staff within long term care related to the sex and intimacy needs or behaviours of long-term care residents. However, there is limited research examining the experience of sex and intimacy from the viewpoint of residents, particularly younger residents of long-term care. This qualitative research study uses a phenomenological approach to explore the experiences of persons with disabilities, under the age of 70, living in a long-term care facility, accessing a sexual and intimate life. Four participants were recruited using a purposive, criterion sample. Through the data analysis, a central theme of It’s About Belonging emerged along with four subordinate themes, which include; Being Different From Others, New Relationships and Connections, Being Left, and Staff Facilitated. The discussion includes suggestions for increased education related to sexuality and intimacy for long-term care staff, the need for increased social work support, and long-term care alternatives. Improvements to the current long-term care system, such as smaller community homes, increased investment in community care are some ways in which the isolations experienced after moving to long term care could be alleviated.
Open Access
Accroitre la collaboration entre l'ecole et la communaute: comment le curriculm peut-il servir de pont entre les familles et l'ecole?
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2020-07) Mouhmoud, Ahmad; Phipps, Dr. Heather; Boutouchent, Dr. Fadila; Yoh, Dr. Abdoulaye
Résumé Cette étude qualitative aborde le thème de la collaboration entre les familles et l’école et ce, en lien avec le curriculum scolaire. Des chercheurs comme Larivée (2011), Sheldon (2009), Deslandes (2001), Đurišić et Bunijevac (2017) ont tour à tour apporté des résultats de recherche qui démontrent que la collaboration profite aux écoles, aux élèves et aux familles. Les objectifs de cette étude portent sur la collaboration en général et sur le curriculum comme moyen de collaboration en particulier. Il s’agit donc d’identifier des voies et moyens qui faciliteraient la collaboration entre la famille et l’école et de voir comment le curriculum scolaire pourrait jouer un rôle pour soutenir cette collaboration. Une étude qualitative a été menée auprès de dix familles d’une école d’immersion française en Saskatchewan pour recueillir leurs opinions et perceptions par rapport à la collaboration et au curriculum. L’approche qualitative a été choisie, car selon Wahnich (2006), elle permet de comprendre l’opinion des gens et ce qu’ils en pensent. L’analyse des données a permis de ressortir que les familles ayant accepté de participer à l’étude présente dans ce rapport sont toujours prêtes à s’engager en matière de collaboration si les acteurs de l’éducation les invitent et les associent aux prises de décisions. La reconnaissance des parents comme fonds de connaissances (Moll, Amanti, Neff, et Gonzalez, 2001) et comme partenaires vitaux de l’éducation ainsi qu’une communication ouverte entre acteurs encouragent cette collaboration. Les parents interviewés ont une préférence en matière du contenu de la communication. Ce contenu doit porter sur les affaires académiques et, plus précisément, sur ce que les enfants apprennent et comment ils travaillent dans la classe. Quelques suggestions à l’endroit du ministère de l’Éducation et des divisions scolaires consistent à soutenir les parents en leur offrant des outils et des opportunités afin qu’ils puissent jouer pleinement leur rôle de partenaires. Mots clés : collaboration, curriculum, communication, famille/école.
Open Access
Achieving net-zero CO2 emissions from indirect co-combustion of biomass and natural gas with carbon capture using a novel amine blend
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2022-09) Avor, Esther Praise; Idem, Raphael; Jia, Na; Supap, Teeradet; Narku-Tetteh, Jessica; Torabi, Farshid
Due to the aggravating effect of climate change as a result of unprecedented levels of greenhouse gases, particularly CO2, in the atmosphere, the need to minimize CO2 emissions into the atmosphere has become very crucial. The energy sector remains the largest source of CO2 emissions, therefore, a technology which allows for achieving netzero CO2 emissions in this sector is imperative. This research work evaluated the possibility of achieving net-zero emissions (on the minimum) through the application of co-combustion of natural gas and biomass for electricity generation. Based on the study, it is was identified that indirect co-combustion of natural gas with biomass (in the form of producer gas) with carbon capture technology is the way to go towards achieving net-zero CO2 emissions. To effectively describe the process as being a net-zero CO2 emissions approach, Life Cycle Assessment data was applied to the various processes involved in the indirect co-combustion of biomass and natural gas coupled with carbon capture technology. In the first phase of this work, 5M MEA, which is the benchmark solvent for CO2 capture was used as the worst-case scenario to determine the ratio of producer gas-to natural gas (on energy basis) sufficient for achieving net-zero CO2 emissions. Using the SaskPower forecasted electricity generation capacity for 2025/2026 as a case study and applying LCA data to 5M MEA as the solvent for CO2 capture, it was determined that on energy basis, 14.5% of producer gas (balance natural gas) is sufficient for achieving netzero CO2 emissions while satisfying the set electricity generation target. The next phase of the work was to develop an amine blend with an improved CO2 removal efficiency compared to the bench-scale 5M MEA. Four different blends were screened to assess their respective performance against 5M MEA. These included 2:2 AMP: 1-(2HE) PRLD, 2:2 AMP: DEA-1,2-PD, 3:1 1-(2HE) PRLD: AMP and 3:1 1-(2HE) PRLD: DEA-1,2-PD bi-blends. Among these solvents, 2:2 AMP: 1-(2HE) PRLD was the optimum solvent as it demonstrated a high CO2 absorption-desorption parameter compared to the other blends. The absorption parameter for 2:2 AMP:1-(2HE) PRLD was 4.5% higher than that for 5M MEA and the desorption parameter 1,667% higher than 5M MEA. In the last phase, the increased CO2 removal efficiency of the solvent was applied to LCA data to determine the ratio of electricity generation from natural gas and producer gas towards achieving net-zero CO2 emissions when the optimum solvent developed is used in place of 5M MEA. It was determined that at a desorption temperature of 110℃, nearly all the CO2 in the rich amine for the optimum was removed. The CO2 removal efficiency of this solvent is about 31% higher than that for 5M MEA, implying this solvent allows for the removal of higher amount of CO2 in the flue gas stream. From the life cycle massessment, using 2:2 AMP: 1-(2HE) PRLD as the absorbent for CO2 capture in place of 5M MEA, it was determined that the producer gas requirements on energy basis, for cocombusting indirectly with natural gas towards achieving net-zero CO2 emissions is just about 8%. The findings from this work demonstrates that co-combusting biomass with natural gas (which is a lesser emitter of CO2 compared to other fossil fuels) allows for satisfying the energy demands while achieving net-zero CO2 emissions when CO2 capture is applied. The major limitation that has faced the application of bioenergy with carbon capture technology has been concerns over its competition with farmlands for food production. The results obtained from this work has showed that lower amount of biomass would be needed for energy generation via co-combustion with natural gas towards achieve net-zero emissions when a solvent with an improved CO2 removal ability is used as the absorbent in the CO2 capture process.
Open Access
Acimowin Anaskanak - Story Scrolls: A Methodology of First Nations Art Practices as a Healing Tool
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2017-08) Benjoe, David Lyle; Pete, Shauneen; Garneau, David; Robertson, Carmen; Sasakamoose, JoLee; Stonechild, Blair
This study utilizes visual art as a tool to encourage survivors of Indian Residential Schools to share their experiences as a means toward connecting with community and fostering healing. This work is informed by personal and familial experiences and is inspired by First Nations Plains peoples who understood the power of visual art and story as a medicine for trauma. Story Scrolls use historically inspired visual artwork and oral methodologies to create contemporary Indigenous art. Due to the traumatization that occurred to First Nations children in Indian residential schools, many have not shared their personal stories. Story Scrolls combine visual art creation, Indigenous art history and activity based learning as a therapeutic way for those who attended and those dealing with intergenerational trauma from the Indian Residential School system. This study presents an Indigenous-inspired methodology that focuses on contemporary First Nations people facilitating their own story sharing sessions painted on scrolls of canvas; it is called Acimowin-Anaskanak, Story Scrolls.
Open Access
Acoustic and mechanical property analysis of value-added composite materials
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2022-06) Chavda, Jayveer Pratapsinh; Stilling, Denise; Mehrandezh, Menrand; Khondoker, Mohammad; Ng, Kelvin
Globalization and modernization has led to plastic waste constituting more than 12% of the waste being generated. Plastic waste is anticipated to be 12000 million metric tonnes by 2050. With South Asian countries banning plastic, developed countries are required to explore alternatives, like recycling, reusing and reducing. Single use plastic consumerism has motivated this study to seek a sustainable re-usage of these plastics. This study is seeks to resolve the world’s second most dangerous environmental risk, which according to World Health Organization is, noise pollution. Noise has numerous negative impacts on humans and the environment. The research innovates material from plastic waste streams to combat noise pollution. Specifically, the study investigated varying the amount of each constituent in five unique sets of composites. These composites use linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) from single-use grain bags as the matrix material. The composition sets include: Set 1 which varies the amounts of flax fiber and ground tire (GTR) in LLDPE; Set 2 varies the flax fiber and LLDPE; Set 3 varies the flax fiber and GTR in LLDPE; Set 4 varies the sand and GTR in LLDPE; and Set 5 varies the sand and GTR in a LLDPE and flax fiber matrix. The samples were manufactured using thermocompression molding at 204°C and 1.4 MPa. The physical and material properties were evaluated; these included density, acoustic absorptivity (ASTM E1050), vibrational damping (ASTM E756), tensile properties (ASTM D638), compressive properties (ASTM C579), and water absorptivity (ASTM D570-98). While comparing the tensile strength (UTS) with previous studies, around 85% of the tensile strength can be retained without requiring 10 Wt% virgin LLDPE and other processed biomaterial in the composite. Set 2 gave the best tensile results among the composites studied. These composites had a higher weight percentage of matrix material in the composite. Similar trend can be seen for the compressive strength. Set 2 results with the composite containing 70 Wt% matrix material had a compressive strength that was 50% higher than the composite with 30 Wt% matrix material. Comparing 70 Wt% sand with 30 Wt% LLDPE composition with a previous study, the compressive strength of 38.550 MPa (at 18923.18 N) was ~4.5 times greater than the previously reported result of 8.30 MPa (at 4208 N). Set 1 had the highest vibration damping coefficient (0.112). The lower the weight percentages of polymer and the higher percentage of GTR and fiber appears to increase vibrational damping. Set 4 had the highest sound absorption coefficient of 0.41 at 2000Hz for a composite containing 40 Wt% sand, 30 Wt% GTR and 30 Wt% LLDPE. Again, GTR appears to improve sound absorptivity. Density decreases with increasing flax fiber content and material with a high percentage of sand have higher density; a Set 4 sample with 70 Wt% sand and 30 Wt% LLDPE had the maximum density of 1.47 g/cm3.The water absorption analysis indicated increasing the fiber content results in increasing water absorptivity with a maximum absorption observed in Set 2 had a composition of 70 Wt% fiber and 30 Wt% LLDPE. Water uptake for Set 4 Set 4 was significantly lower than the other sets as it lacked natural fiber. This research converted waste stream into composites, creating value added sustainable material to reduce pollution and create circular economies. Each composite has unique properties. The material in Set 4 is particularly well suited for controlling noise pollution. This material can be made into sculptures, wall surfaces or other building materials with the ability to absorb up to 40% of the noise from the surroundings.
Open Access
An Action Research Study: EAL and Content Teachers Collaborating to Support All Students at a Secondary School
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2015-04) Keil, Trudy Lynn; Sterzuk, Andrea; Wessel, Warren; Salm, Twyla; Madigan Peercy, Megan
As the number of English as an Additional Language (EAL) students increases in Saskatchewan schools, there is a need for language and content teachers to work collaboratively. This study describes the implementation of an action research project involving the researcher as an EAL teacher collaborating with three content teachers and another EAL teacher serving as a “critical friend” (Costa and Kallick, 1993). Teachers used the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2008) for structuring specialized instruction. Data included pre- and post-interviews, lesson plans and reflective journals. Grounded theory informed the theoretical framework and the data analysis. In order to reflect upon the progress of collaborative efforts, the Five Levels of Collaboration developed by Davison (2006) were used. Findings show that teachers developed professionally and were able to better support EAL students. One of the primary recommendations includes the necessity of administration to timetable common preparation times or teaching times. Establishing such supportive structures allows for collaborative partnerships to exist which provide teachers with greater opportunities to develop professionally for the purpose of better supporting EAL students. Keywords: collaboration, content, EAL, SIOP
Open Access
Actionable Three-Way Decisions
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2018-09) Gao, Cong; Yao, Yiyu; Fallat, Shaun; Hamilton, Howard; Hepting, Daryl; Yang, Xue-Dong; Ciucci, Davide
In this thesis, we analyze both the trisecting and acting aspects of three-way decisions. In an evaluation based model of three-way decisions, there are two steps: trisecting and acting. The trisecting step constructs three regions based on an evaluation func- tion and a pair of thresholds. The acting step adopts proper strategies to deal with objects in these regions. For the trisecting step, this thesis examines statistical interpretations for the con- struction of three regions. The interpretations rely on an understanding that the middle region consists of normal or typical instances in a population, while two side regions consist of, abnormal or atypical instances. By using statistical information such as median, mean, percentiles, and standard deviation, two interpretations are discussed. One is based on non-numeric values and the other is based on numeric values. For non-numeric values, median and percentiles are used to construct three pair-wise disjoint regions. For numeric values, mean and standard deviation are used. The interpretations provide a solid statistical basis of three-way decisions for appli- cations. This thesis analyzes a chi-square statistic as a measure for searching for the optimal pair of thresholds for trisecting. An optimization based method for determining the pair of thresholds is to minimize or maximize an objective function that quanti es the quality, cost, or bene t of a trisection. We use the chi-square statistic to interpret and establish an objective function in the context of classi cation. The maximization of the chi-square statistic searches for a strong correlation between the trisection and the classi cation. For the acting step, this thesis introduces actionable strategies to three-way de- cision. We present a general framework of actionable three-way decisions with four change-based actionable models according to action bene t and action cost. Two of the four models provide the bounds of the cost and bene t and the other two models quantify the maximum bene t under limited cost and the minimum cost for a desired bene t, respectively. We design and analyze algorithms for these models. To reduce action cost and increase bene t, we introduce the R4 reduction frame- work for actionable three-way decision. The framework consists of reductions of attributes, attribute-value pairs, classi cation rules, and actions for creating more bene t and reducing cost. The rst three types of reductions are rede ned for the context of three-way decisions and the action reduction is proposed. Attribute reduc- tion removes some attributes from all classi cation rules to reduce the action cost. Attribute-value pair reduction shortens the left hand side of a rule to reduce the ac- tion cost without sacri cing any classi cation power or action bene t. Rule reduction and action reduction remove redundant classi cation rules and actions, respectively, to reduce computational cost. The Addition strategy for reduction is adapted and its correctness is proven. Based on this strategy, an algorithm for attribute and attribute-value pair reductions is designed. Finally, we report experimental results to support the proposed four actionable three-way decision models and the R4 reduction framework.
Open Access
Active eavesdroppers detection system in multi-hop wireless sensor networks
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2022-08) Abedini, Masih; Al-Anbagi, Irfan; Laforge, Paul; Shahriar, Nashid
Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are vulnerable to eavesdropping attacks that endanger their privacy, confidentiality, and authenticity. As the broadcast nature of the wireless channel makes it susceptible to eavesdropping by adversaries, the detection of eavesdroppers in wireless networks can lessen the chances of more damaging attacks. Historically, researchers have attempted to reduce the risk of covert eavesdropping through the use of cryptographic protocols, information-theoretic solutions, and transmission range control. These methods are not suitable for WSNs with resource constraints. It is noteworthy that active eavesdroppers are legitimate nodes that are compromised by adversaries to eavesdrop on traffic while performing their normal responsibilities in ad-hoc networks. Detecting such malicious nodes slows the ongoing destructive attacks. In this thesis, we present a novel Active Eavesdroppers Detection (AED) system for homogeneous multi-hop WSNs. The AED system consists of two major modules: a Monitoring module and a Detection Engine module. The Monitoring module plays a vital role in the AED system to provide accurate measurements for the Detection Engine module. The Detection Engine module is provided with a lightweight detection engine module that employs the Z-test method and runs on edge devices. Regarding measurements, we first use intra-node delay measurements as the input feature of the AED system. To measure intra-node delays of nodes, the Monitoring module employs an out-of-band monitoring system using static nodes, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), or both of them. According to simulation results in the Cooja and MATLAB environments, the AED system can detect active eavesdroppers who relay packets to their neighbors. However, it fails to detect active eavesdroppers who do not forward packets for any reason, like placement at the network’s border. To solve this problem, we propose to use Round Trip Time (RTT) as a measurement for the AED system. The monitoring module requests nodes for responses, and the AED’s detection engine can detect active eavesdroppers in WSNs based on the response delay. We focus on three potential monitoring systems for this measurement: static monitoring nodes, UAV-based monitoring, and neighborhood monitoring. To find the optimal places for static monitoring nodes, we utilize a Genetic Algorithm(GA), and to find the path of flight for UAVs for measuring RTT, we use Hamiltonian path planning. The simulation results indicate that the RTT-based AED system can detect active eavesdroppers regardless of their locations, with a high detection rate (≥ 90%) and a low false-positive rate (≤ 5%) and outstanding performance (AUC ≈ 0.97). In addition, we analyze and discuss the network overhead, advantages, and disadvantages of the in-band neighborhood monitoring system.
Open Access
Active Nonlinear Vibration Control of Engineering Structures of Multiple Dimensions
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2015-03) Sun, Lin; Dai, Liming; Henni, Amr; Mobed, Nader; Suh, C. Steve
An active nonlinear mechanical vibration control strategy is developed in the research of the author’s PhD program for the nonlinear vibration control of engineering structures of multiple dimensions. The proposed control strategy has been applied in several wildly applied typical engineering structures, including Euler-Bernoulli beams and axially moving structures. Nonlinear vibrations wildly exist in engineering structures, such as bridge, aircrafts, micro-electro-mechanical devices, and elevator cables. Comparing to linear vibrations, nonlinear vibrations may lead structure failures in short time, and chaotic vibrations among the nonlinear vibrations features unpredictability. Considering the damage and unpredictability of nonlinear vibrations, nonlinear vibrations is ought to be controlled. However, most of the existing active nonlinear vibration control strategies can only be applied to the nonlinear dynamic system of single dimension, while multi- dimensional dynamic systems show the advantages over those of single dimension in dynamic analysis. Therefore, an active nonlinear control strategy has been proposed based on the existing control strategy the Fuzzy Sliding Mode Control (FSMC) strategy, and has been applied in the vibration control of the following engineering structures: Euler-Bernoulli beams subject to external excitation; axially moving Euler-Bernoulli beam without external excitation; retracting Euler-Bernoulli beam without external excitation; axially translating cable; extending nonlinear elastic cable. First of all, the nonlinear vibration and control of an Euler-Bernoulli beam subjected to a periodic external excitation is given as an example to demonstrate how the active nonlinear control strategy is developed and applied for a multi-dimensional nonlinear dynamic system. Then, considering the two typical engineering structures modeled with Euler-Bernoulli beams, the control strategy is applied in the nonlinear vibration control of a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) beam and a fluttering beam. After that, corresponding to the attentions paid to the axially translating materials, the control strategy is applied in the nonlinear vibration control of four typical axially moving structures. Applications of the proposed control strategy evidently show effectiveness and efficiency of the active control strategy in controlling the nonlinear vibrations of typical engineering structures.
Open Access
Acute Psychological Stress and Food Intake in Humans: A Scoping Review
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2021-06) Clause-Walford, Drew; Totosy de Zepetnek, Julia; Gordon, Jennifer; Candow, Darren; Fiocco, Alexandra
In response to stress, stress-sensitive systems, including the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) axis and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, are activated to enable the individual to engage in the fight-or-flight response resulting in catecholamine (e.g., epinephrine and norepinephrine) and cortisol release. Stress-induced cortisol secretion has been shown to elicit a decrease, increase, or no change in the homeostatic mechanisms of food intake (e.g., appetite, appetite hormones, food intake). However, homeostatic control can be overridden by hedonic (or pleasure-inducing) mechanisms. Stress can increase cravings of unhealthy palatable food causing alterations in food preference (e.g., sweet foods), enhancing the motivation for their acquisition (i.e., food reward). Mapping the evidence and identifying gaps of acute psychological stress on food intake regulation serves as the purpose of this scoping review. Methods: Four databases (PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, PsycInfo) and grey literature were searched using predetermined keywords. Participant characteristics, types of stressor used, food intake mechanism assessed, and the primary findings were extracted. Results: Of 9953 abstracts, 37 articles were included for data extraction. Stress increased food cravings and liking for palatable foods and heightened the food reward response, while some studies expressed no change. Studies favoured the measurement of homeostatic mechanisms (primarily food intake), suggesting the need for non-homeostatic measurements, particularly food reward. Conclusions: Overlap between homeostatic and non-homeostatic mechanisms (e.g., subject’s inability to dissociate between homeostatic hunger and hedonic hunger), types of psychological stressors used, study design (e.g. time course of assessing outcome measures post-stressor), and the influence of moderating variables (e.g., cortisol reactivity, emotional eating, body mass, chronic stress, dietary restraint) aid in the explanation of incongruous results pertaining to acute psychological stress and food intake. In addition to establishing standardized protocols for assessing the effects of acute psychological stress on food intake regulation, three areas of focus for future research should be placed on: (1) increasing appetite hormone assessment (e.g., GLP-1, leptin, ghrelin), (2) developing appropriate definitions/theories for non-homeostatic mechanism assessment (e.g., distinguishing food reward from food craving), and (3) expanding the research population to explore how sex, age, and body mass status may influence food intake regulation in response to acute stress.