published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

The purpose of this study was to evaluate active stable systems, and their improvement of the horses on animal welfare and the horses’, natural behavior. The evaluation was made through interviews with the managers of two active stables in Piteå, Sweden and practical studies of the horses’ behavior at those two active stables and also one traditional stable. The results showed that the horse’s circadian rhythm differed between the various groups. The horses that were kept in the active stable systems rested and foraged spread over day and night while horses kept in the traditional stable mainly rested at night and ate during the day. The horses get better outlet for their natural behavior in the active stable system because the need of movement and socializing were met around the clock. Keeping horses in the active stable system, however, is associated with a risk of injury because of the competitive situations that occur around the feeding stations, and trauma injuries have occurred in both active stables in this study.

In order to obtain sustainable engineering systems, this research investigates surface and interface properties of metals and active nanostructured coatings. The goal is to develop new approaches in order to improve the corrosion resistance and obtain knowledge in reconstruction of worn and/or corroded surfaces. The research will focus on high carbon steels as the substrate. These materials are used in most of industries and vehicles like aircrafts and automobiles. For anti-corrosion and self-healing applications, the layer-by-layered (LBL) coatings consisting photo-catalytic materials, the corrosion inhibitor, and the polyelectrolyte will be studied. Potential dynamic tests will be carried out in order to characterize the corrosion potential and current. For wear study, we will develop a metallic composite that has several functions, such as corrosion and wear protection, refresh or reverse worn or corroded surface. Characterization techniques used include optical microscope, surface interferometer, tribometer and the hardness tester. The ultimate goal of this research is to understand several types of problems on metal surface, such as corrosion and wear, and explore the possible ways to reduce those by using active nano-structured composite coating on metal surface.

During the 2010-11 school year, KFL&A Public Health partnered with Lancaster Drive Public School (LDPS) to develop and implement a Walking School Bus Program (WSBP). This study was designed as a pre-test post-test study to explore parental concerns and attitudes towards their children’s use of active transportation and the WSBP, perceptions of the social and built environment, and how these may be associated with parental willingness to allow their children to participate in the WSBP. However, a low response rate did not allow comparisons of pre- and post-test results. Therefore, this thesis uses the pre-test data as a pilot study to evaluate the methods, tools, and feasibility of a future, multi-school pre-and post-test study. As part of the pilot study, a questionnaire was developed and administered to 298 households. Parental willingness was assessed using one item rated on a 10-point scale. Concerns and attitudes were assessed from similar scales developed for this study. Social environment perceptions were measured using a neighbourhood collective efficacy scale and a name generator/interpreter social network instrument. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the association of parental willingness with the aforementioned variables. Fifty parents participated, which may have contributed to low power to detect associations. However, even with low power, attitudes of parents whose children had already used active transportation to school were found to be significantly associated with willingness when contrasting high and low levels (OR: 1.61, 95%CI: 1.02-2.54). This association did not appear in parents of children who used inactive transportation. Significant correlations were seen between parental willingness and compositional aspects of parental social network ties, i.e., having ties to individuals of diverse ages (τ=0.271) and having ties to individuals with children of the same age as their own (τ=0.267). Qualitative analyses of concerns revealed sub-themes related to the traffic, the need to cross a street, and the need for a suitable place to walk and bicycle, as well as concerns about the WSBP. KFL&A Public Health, LDPS, and Kingston’s City Traffic Engineers can use these results to address barriers to the WSBP and to advocate for improvements in the community infrastructure. / Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2011-07-20 17:17:15.828

Korupcija yra labai sena ir aptinkama įvairiose visuomeninio gyvenimo srityse. Tai ypač latentiškas ir sukeliantis daug problemų jį kvalifikuojant nusikaltimas. Pagrindinės problemos susijusios su subjektu, kyšiu ir jo dydžiu, korupcinių veikų atskyrimu nuo kitų nusikaltimų. Itin aktuali problema – kyšio ir dovanos santykis. Šis nusikaltimas padaromas tiek privačiame, tiek viešajame sektoriuje. Korupcinio pobūdžio nusikalstamos veikos sukelia didelę žalą valstybės, jos institucijų, gyventojų interesams. Štai kodėl visuomenė privalo suprasti, kad korupcija nėra “nusikaltimas be aukų”. Šiuo metu korupcija laikoma pasauline problema. Kadangi esame Europos Sąjungos nariai ir mums privaloma jos aqius communautaire, darbe nagrinėjami tiek nacionaliniai baudžiamieji įstatymai, tiek tarptautiniai teisės aktai, liečiantys korupciją. Prieinama išvados, jog nėra įtvirtintos bendros korupcijos sampratos, taip pat skirtingai traktuojama pareigūno sąvoka valstybėse narėse. Praktikoje, bandant patraukti baudžiamojon atsakomybėn už kyšininkavimą, tai gali sukelti problemų. Todėl siūloma įtvirtinti bendrą visiems korupcijos apibrėžimą Europos Sąjungos teisės aktuose. Istorija parodė, kad griežtos bausmės neduoda trokštamų rezultatų, tad rekomenduojama šviesti visuomenę korupcijos prevencijos klausimais. Būtų naudinga, jei Lietuvos Aukščiausiasis Teismas pateiktų korupcinio pobūdžio bylų baudžiamąjį teisinį vertinimą. / -. / La corruption est ancienne crime, qu’ on la trouve dans toutes les domaines de la vie publique. Mais la corruption est crime très latente et donne beaucoup de problèmes quand, on veut la qualifier. Les principaux des eux sont les problèmes du subjet, de la grandeur du pot-de-vin, de la delimitation des corruptions et d’ autres crimes. Très ancienne problème est la rélation entre le cadeau et le pot-de-vin. On peut faire ce crime dans la vie privée et dans la vie publique. La corruption cause beaucoup de dommages aux interêts de pays, des habitant, des institutions, c’ est pourquoi la societe doit comprendre, que la corruption n’ est pas „la crime sans victimes“. Maintenant cette crime est le problème de tout le monde. On analyse les textes juridiques nationaux ir internationaux, qui déterminent la resposabilité pénale pour la concussion dans ce travail. Nous devons mettre en pratique sa aqius communautaire, parce que nous sommes les membres d’ Union Européen. On tire la conséquence, qu’il n’y a pas de notion générale de la corruption; qu’on comprend qu’est que c’est le fonctionnaire aux droit national différemment. Quand on met en pratique la resposabilité pénale pour la concussion, les problèmes peuvent se poser. Nous proposons affermir la notion générale de la corruption aux acts juriques européens. L’ histoire montre, que les peines sévères ne donnent pas des resultats sensibles. On dit, qu’ il faut instructer la societe, prendre des mésures de la prevention, avoir... [to full text]

In this thesis, we provide computationally efficient algorithms with provable statistical guarantees, for the problem of active learning, by using ideas from sequential analysis. We provide a generic algorithmic framework for active learning in the pool setting, and instantiate this framework by using ideas from learning with experts, stochastic optimization, and multi-armed bandits. For the problem of learning convex combination of a given set of hypothesis, we provide a stochastic mirror descent based active learning algorithm in the stream setting.

Introduction: Physical activity (PA) in Canadian adolescents is low, and active travel to school is an important source of PA. Neighbourhood walkability is linked to youth PA, and may also be related to school travel behaviour. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to explore the association between adolescents’ school travel-PA, school travel mode, and walkability in urban and suburban neighbourhoods. Methods: Adolescents (n=234; grade 8-10) were sampled from schools in a high walkability urban (n=52) and a low walkability suburban neighbourhood (n=182). PA was measured by accelerometry (ActiGraph; ≥4d 600 min·d-1), and converted from activity counts to minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). Travel-PA was derived from minutes of MVPA accrued during the hour before and after school. Travel mode was self-reported (i.e., walk, bike, transit, school bus, car). Analyses were stratified by sex and travel mode (Stata v.10). Results: Valid travel data were provided by 224 participants (49.6% girls). Prevalence of travel modes differed significantly between urban and suburban boys (χ2=25.4, p<0.001) and girls (χ2=21.0, p<0.001). Valid PA and travel data were available for an analytical sample (n=91, 58.2% girls). Differences in collapsed modes (active vs. passive) were not significant between cohorts for boys (χ2=1.5, p=0.22) or girls (χ2=0.3, p=0.61). Minutes of travel-PA were significantly higher in urban than suburban boys for both active (29.4±9.2 vs. 11.0±9.2, p<0.001) and passive travel (22.6±2.7 vs. 8.8±7.4, p<0.001). There were no significant differences in girls. Conclusion: These results suggest that neighbourhood walkability may be associated with school travel-PA in boys, regardless of travel mode. More research is needed to understand this association in girls. The research also showed travel modes were different between neighbourhood cohorts, but when modes were collapsed into larger categories (passive and active) they were not. Future research should analyse school travel-PA by detailed travel modes whenever possible. / Graduate / 0573 / afrazer@uvic.ca

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1950.

Les travaux de recherche entrent dans le cadre de la reconfiguration de lois de commande des systèmes dynamiques présentant divers modes de fonctionnement afin d’assurer les performances désirées. Deux approches d’accommodation ont été proposées pour la commande de ces systèmes dynamiques : une approche passive qui présente un régulateur à paramètres fixes ne garantissant pas les mêmes performances pour différents modes de fonctionnement et une approche active dans laquelle les paramètres du système de commande peuvent être mis à jour selon le mode de fonctionnement détecté. C’est cette deuxième approche basée sur une représentation multi-modèles du système qui a été retenue dans nos travaux.Les erreurs de modélisation correspondant aux variations de conditions de fonctionnement, sont dans ce cas détectées par un algorithme de détection et de localisation de variations de modes de fonctionnement. Il s’en suit une reconfiguration d’une loi de commande par platitude en utilisant le principe de commutation. Cette approche garantit la régulation et la poursuite d’une trajectoire de référence. Pour sa mise en œuvre, un banc de régulateurs, conçu par platitude, a été élaboré pour les modèles discrets plats obtenus autour des divers points de fonctionnement.La détection des modes de fonctionnement est effectuée par une génération de résidus en utilisant un ensemble d’observateurs de type Luenberger dont les gains sont calculés en utilisant l’outil LMI.L'étude de la stabilité ainsi que l'introduction de dispositifs d'anti-emballement liés à la commutation entre les régulateurs, ont été considérés dans l'approche proposée / The work presented in this memory concerns the control reconfiguration of dynamical systems with variation of operating modes in order to ensure the desired performances. For the control of dynamic systems, two approaches of accommodation have been proposed. The passive approach presents a controller with fixed parameters that doesn’t ensure the same performance for different operating modes and an active approach in which the controller settings can be updated according to the variation of the detected operating mode. Our work has therefore focused on this second approach based on multi-models system representation. The modelling errors corresponding to the variations of operating conditions are detected in this case by detection and localization algorithm, consequently, a reconfiguration strategy based on flatness-based switching control is proposed. This approach guarantees the control and the tracking of a reference trajectory. In fact, we have synthesised a discrete flatness-based multi-controllers associated for each operating model obtained from different operating points. Detection of operating modes is done by a residual generation by using Luenberger observers which gains are calculated using the LMI tool. Study of the stability as well as the use of anti-windup devices related to switching between controllers; have been considered in the proposed approach

Plusieurs études récentes ont montré que le réchauffement climatique des régions nordiques, deux fois plus important dans les hautes latitudes nord qu’ailleurs dans le monde, augmentait l’épaisseur de la couche active de surface en zones de pergélisol (couche superficielle du sol qui dégèle durant la période estivale). Cette modification de surface pourrait avoir un impact environnemental très important sur la libération du carbone du sol, l’hydrologie, les écosystèmes, ainsi que sur le pergélisol. Cette évolution commence déjà à avoir des répercutions socio-économiques importantes sur les infrastructures des communautés du Nord. Le but du projet est d’exploiter une nouvelle base de données satellites micro-onde, que nous venons de développer, pour l’analyse des températures de surface et de l’évolution du pergélisol (permafrost) au Canada-Alaska sur les 30 dernières années. Un des objectifs spécifiques du projet est de mettre au point une méthode de caractérisation des changements de la couche active de surface en zones de pergélisol par l’assimilation des observations spatiales dans un modèle de flux de chaleur dans le sol. L’évolution de l’étendue des zones de pergélisol dérivée sera analysée en fonction de la couverture du sol et de la dynamique du couvert nival, deux paramètres aussi dérivés par satellite. Possibilité de validation des modèles par mesures au sol avec nos radiomètres micro-ondes. Ce projet combine ainsi développement théorique, modélisation et traitement d’images numériques sur différents domaines scientifiques (physique de la mesure en télédétection, géophysique de l’environnement, écosystèmes, science des sols). / Recent studies showed that global warming in arctic areas, as twice as important in northern high latitudes than in the rest of the world, growed the thickness of the surface active layer in permafrost areas (superficial layer of the soil that thaws during summer period). This surface modification could have a major environmental impact on soil carbon release, hydrology, ecosystems, and permafrost. It already starts to have socio-economical impacts on north community infrastructures. The project's goal is to use a new microwave satellite database that has just been developed for the analysis of surface temperatures and changes in permafrost in Canada, Alaska over the past 30 years. One of the specific goals of the project is to develop a method to characterize changes in the surface active layer in permafrost areas by the assimilation of space observations in a heat flow model in the soil. The evolution of the extension of permafrost areas derived will be analyzed according to the coverage of soil and the dynamics of snow cover, two parameters also derived by satellite. Possibility of model validation by ground measurements with a microwaves radiometers. This project combines theoretical development, modeling and image processing on different scientific fields (physics of remote sensing measurement, Geophysics of the Environment, ecosystems, soil science).