Due to digitalization, computer systems have become integral to every aspect of oursociety. Not all the software and systems behind the wave of digitalization are securelydeveloped, tested, or properly configured and are, therefore, vulnerable to attacks. Thebest way to protect ourselves is through increased awareness about these threats, wherelaboratory exercises are an excellent way to teach about the practical aspects of thesethings. To better understand what makes an excellent cyber security exercise, this thesisaims to develop a CTF-based laboratory exercise for the course Ethical Hacking atKarlstad University and analyze requirements and how different factors influence thedevelopment and user experience. To do this, we set up an environment for hosting,designed and implemented the exercises, and created questionnaires to gather partici-pant data. As a result, we have created a list of 3 requirements and 4 critical factorstogether with an analysis of how they influence the development and user experience ofthe exercise. The most important results were that a correlation between difficulty andhow much the participants liked the lab was found, questionnaire options should not betoo broad since that makes the analysis of them less accurate, and distributing flags inweb environments is more complex than we first assessed.

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One of the oldest biometrics that has been used to uniquely identify a person is their fingerprint. Recent developments in research on fingerprint collection have made it possible to collect fingerprint data from a stand-off digital image. Each of the techniques developed so far have relied on either a very controlled capture environment to ensure only a single fingertip is collected or manual cropping of the image down to the fingertip. The main body of the research focuses on extracting the fingerprint itself. If fingerprint collection via digital image is ever to be fielded in the real world on such devices as smart phones or tablets it will be necessary for the software to automatically detect a single or multiple fingertips in an image and isolate them for extracting the fingerprint. We introduce an automatic fingertip detection algorithm that couples image processing techniques with a machine learning capability to successfully identify varying numbers of fingertips in digital images. Our algorithm proves that while it is difficult to remove all constraints from the capture environment it is achievable with the method we have developed and we can achieve a recall of 69.77% at a precision of 78.95%. This gives us the important capability to detect varying numbers of fingertips in an image and provide a crucial piece in what could be a complete automated fingerprint recognition system.

<p> This thesis represents a detailed assessment of the McMaster KN Accelerator site for the performance of a nuclear resonance absorption and fluorescence phenomenon in the 28Si nucleus. The main focus of this work is the 27Al(p, γ)^28 Si reaction, although other nuclear reactions are explored, such as: 27Al(p, p'γ)^27Al and 27Al(p, αγ)^24Mg. The gamma yield experiments from all these reactions suggest a repeatable and steady results, as well as very good agreement with the present literature. This is seen in chapter 2. Chapter 3 represents concrete nuclear resonance experiments with a direct ground state transition of the 12.33 MeV gamma energy from the 27Al(p, γ)^28Si reaction. These experiments are reproducible and repeatable with either HPGe or NaI(T1) (NaI elsewhere in text) detectors. Also, they are in close agreement with the literature.</p> <p> However, the main part of this work is described in chapter 4, where the first excited level of Si at 1.78 MeV is studied thoroughly. This is a pilot work that has never been attempted before. A thorough empirical approach is undertaken and described in section 4.1. This approach describes rationale for attempting nuclear resonance experiments with the first excited state of Si. The calculations suggest very close agreement between 12.33 MeV and 1.78 MeV experiments. Based on that, 7 different experimental sets, with several subsets ( within some of the sets) are performed. Very interesting results are obtained. However, so far, it cannot be concluded whether NRA/NRF experiments can be performed using the first excited state of Si. Most likely, hight current proton accelerators should be used and the experiments with 1.78 MeV lines should be repeated. These accelerators are described in chapter 5 and have the proton current output close to 1000 times higher than the McMaster KN accelerator. At the end, the dosimetry measurements suggest a negligible radiation dose from KN accelerator, as well as from these powerful accelerators.</p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Carbon dioxide levels have been steadily increasing over the past decades; as of 2019 (411 ppm), CO2 levels are at their highest in over 40 years (330 ppm in 1977); consequently, regulations in certain areas require the reduction of CO2 emissions to combat this trend. For effective carbon capture, we require a sorbent that has high adsorption capacity, stability, and recyclability; in addition, an efficient and economical way to release the captured gas is needed as well. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) possess a high surface area for adsorption, but releasing the stored gases requires additional energy input that limits the overall efficiency of carbon capture. Ag/UiO-66 provides a thermally stable complex with a high surface for adsorption of CO2 while the silver nanoparticles utilize light-induced local heating to act as a photoswitch for dynamic release of CO2; visible light in the 400 nm spectrum is used to liberate the captured CO2.

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This Master's thesis aims to examine Canada's historical and contemporary attempts to establish a sustainable hydrogen market in Canada. Specifically, my research sought to answer whether hydrogen is poised to take off within the current hype cycle or will be stifled, such as in previous attempts. My research aimed to explore this question by examining and comparing historical and contemporary literature relevant to hydrogen development in Canada. My research utilized an ESPELT analysis and involved interviewing multiple experts from across the country to reveal any nuances that underline the barriers and opportunities for determining the viability of Canada's domestic hydrogen market within the contemporary context.