Abstract Not Provided. / Thesis / Bachelor of Arts (BA)

In order to adequately design for and promote safe and regular use of the bicycle as a form of active transportation, researchers and policy-makers alike would benefit from the input of practiced bicyclists. These lay experts possess unique experiential knowledge of local routes, gaps in the network and the degree of comfort afforded by different types of infrastructure. Furthermore, these individuals are adept at commenting on subjectively valuable aspects of bicycling, which may assist in informing promotion and marketing of this activity. This research draws on the knowledge of lay experts who regularly bicycle in Hamilton, Ontario. The objectives of this research were to identify and understand the challenges associated with bicycling in Hamilton, and to explore the subjective identities of Hamilton’s cyclists. A thematic analysis of 10 semi-structured interviews was conducted and the following themes were identified and explored: an array of physical, structural and social deterrents to bicycling exist in Hamilton; and the identities of Hamilton’s cyclists are complex, locally rooted and multidimensional in nature. Using a critical lens, with the help of the Social Ecological Model of Health and Identity Theory, this study draws the following conclusions: cyclists are well-equipped to critically evaluate the urban spaces through which they travel; cyclists may play an important role in encouraging non-users to take up bicycling; and cyclists and auto drivers may benefit from collaborating over mutually beneficial goals. Furthermore, while many individuals who ride bicycles do identify themselves as “cyclists” this terminology can be contentious and the identity is heavily rooted in cyclists’ local context. Although this identity is primarily experienced individually, a sense of community does exist; and the identity often spans beyond the simple action of riding a bicycle. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA) / In order to adequately design for and promote safe and regular use of the bicycle as a form of active transportation, researchers and policy-makers alike would benefit from the input of practiced bicyclists. These lay experts possess unique experiential knowledge of local routes, gaps in the network and the degree of comfort afforded by different types of infrastructure. Furthermore, these individuals are adept at commenting on subjectively valuable aspects of bicycling, which may assist in informing promotion and marketing of this activity. This research draws on the knowledge of lay experts who regularly bicycle in Hamilton, Ontario. The objectives of this research were to identify and understand the challenges associated with bicycling in Hamilton, and to explore the subjective identities of Hamilton’s cyclists. An analysis of 10 semi-structured interviews was conducted and the following themes were identified and explored: an array of physical, structural and social deterrents to bicycling exist in Hamilton; and the identities of Hamilton’s cyclists are complex, locally rooted and multidimensional in nature. This research emphasizes the contributions bicyclists have to offer social science literature and highlights the need for continual input and engagement with everyday bicycle users. This ongoing communication is important to adequately support and encourage regular and new bicycle users in practicing this healthy and sustainable means of transportation.

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<p> Metal contamination from anthropogenic activities is of great concern due to the associated detrimental effects on ecosystem health. An increase in metal concentrations in the dissolved phase creates greater ecosystem impacts. Thus, the relative extent of metal distribution between sediment and dissolved compartments, and an understanding of the factors that control this partitioning is key to assessing metal impacts. In this thesis, metal concentrations were determined for a suite of 12 metals (Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, Sn, Ag, As, Ni, Zn, Cd, Se and Fe) associated with three compartments, dissolved, surficial bed sediment and suspended particulate matter (SPM) in Hamilton Harbour, Ontario. Due to highly dynamic interactions of anthropogenic impacts that may work together to affect metal distributions as well as processes that occur over small or rapid scales, a high-resolution temporal and spatial scale was used to evaluate these metal distributions over a seasonal timeframe. </p> <p> Concentrations of metals amongst sediment fractions indicated that sediment metal uptake was largely controlled by the concentration of the sediment associated amorphous and crystalline oxyhydroxide fractions accounting for up to 90% of total sediment bound metal, even though the oxyhydroxides only accounted for a maximum of 23% of the total sediment mass for both surficial bed sediment and SPM compartments. The formation and dissolution of amorphous oxyhydroxides is commonly a microbially mediated process. Thus, these results underscore the important role of oxyhydroxides and the microbial processes that contribute to their formation and dissolution m controlling metal dynamics, and likely metal impacts in Hamilton Harbour. </p> <p> Metal partitioning was found to be both spatially and temporally variable for all compartments, temporally ranging 0.5 to 4 orders of magnitude for a given element; indicating highly dynamic metal exchanges between sediment and solution compartments and fluctuating distributions over the time and spatial scales examined. </p> <p> The suite of variables that are considered to control metal distribution between dissolved and sediment compartments, and thus impact metal toxicity (i.e., temperature, pH, specific conductivity, oxidation-reduction potential, dissolved organic carbon concentration, SPM concentration (for SPM associated metals only), fraction concentrations i.e. g carbonate /g solid, g amorphous oxyhydroxide I g solid, etc., and dissolved metal concentrations) did not constrain the variability in observed metal distribution behaviour, indicating that other factors in this system, such as hydrodynamic disturbances associated with shipping traffic and channelized water currents, as well as specific point source metal discharges, may play a larger role in determining metal partitioning in Hamilton Harbour, compared to less anthropogenically, impacted systems. Furthermore, no one master variable defming metal partitioning between the dissolved and sediment compartments was found, rather relationships controlling metal distribution behavior were site, compartment, sediment fraction and element specific highlighting the challenges for the development of a Harbour-wide management plan for priority metal contaminants. The results presented in this thesis, show that it is necessary to consider metal, site and compartment specific conditions as well as fully addressing temporal variability in metal behaviour. In addition, the results of this thesis point to the need to address hydrodynamic disturbance and point source influences on metal behaviour in Hamilton Harbour and likely extend to other multi-impacted metal contaminated systems. </p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

The purpose of this research is to provide an extensive evaluation of neural network models for the prediction and the simulation of some key air pollutants in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Hamilton experiences one of Canada's highest air pollution exposures because of the dual problem associated with continuing industrial emission and gradual increase of traffic related emissions along with the transboundary air pollutions from heavily industrialized neighboring north-eastern and mid-western US cities. These factors combined with meteorology, cause large degradation of Hamilton's air quality. Hence an appropriate and robust method is of most importance in order to get an early notification of the future air quality situation. Data driven methods such as neural networks (NNs) are becoming very popular due to their inherent capability to capture the complex non-linear relationships between pollutants, climatic and other non-climatic variables such as traffic variables, emission factors, etc. This study investigates dynamic neural networks, namely time lagged feed-forward neural network (TLFN), Bayesian neural network (BNN) and recurrent neural network (RNN) for short term forecasting. The results are being compared with the benchmark static multilayer perceptron (MLP) models. The analysis shows that TLFN model with its time delay memory and RNN with its adaptive memory has outperformed the static MLP models in ground level ozone (O_3) forecasting for up to 12 hours ahead. Furthermore the model developed using the annual database is able to map the variations in the seasonal concentrations. On the other hand, MLP model was quite competitive for nitrogen dioxide (NO_2) prediction when compared to the dynamic NN based models. The study further assesses the ability of the neural network models to generate pollutant concentrations at sites where sampling has not been done. Using these neural network models, data values were generated for total suspended particulate (TSP) and inhalable particulates (PM_10) concentrations. The obtained results show promising potential. Although there were under-predictions and over-predictions on some occasions, the neural network models, in general were able to generate the missing information and to obtain air quality situation in the study area. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

<p>This thesis adopts a socio-ecological perspective on health and examines everyday life for the community-based chronically mentally disabled (CMD) in Hamilton, Ontario. As with most larger North American cities, this population is residentially concentrated in inner city census tracts. This shared central location implies common experience of aspects of the urban environment.</p> <p>An analytical framework is developed, based on socio-ecological principles. Coping and satisfaction are identified as two dimensions of community experience that may augment conventional measures of post-hospital outcome. On the framework, seven subsets of client and community variables are identified: personal characteristics, psychiatric profile, psychiatric services, housing, social support, lifestyle and beliefs and attitudes. Survey data collected in two rounds of interviews from an initial sample of 66 CMD clients from three aftercare programs are used to undertake both quantitative and qualitative analysis. In the former, composite measures of coping and satisfaction are constructed and the relationship between these indices and client and community variables are examined using bivariate and multivariate techniques. Qualitative analysis is based on narrative accounts offered by clients in the course of interviews. An interpretation of these texts and analysis of daily activity patterns is undertaken at both the level of particular individuals and the sample as a whole. This analysis of the experience of time, space and community life for the sample complements the evidence from quantitative inquiry.</p> <p>Findings from the quantitative analysis indicate that clients coping well in the community were more involved in gregarious activities, had enough to do, had more significant others and were more involved in mental health services. Those more satisfied were older, had more significant others, did not live in a lodging home, were more residentially stable, had enough to do and were not recipients of an income supplement. Results of the qualitative analysis of narrative accounts and time budget data indicate that poverty and unemployment compound the effects of illness and lead to a monotonous experience of relatively unconstrained time within a highly constrained activity space.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This thesis explores the influence of Alexander Hamilton upon the administration of John Adams. It begins with the background of the conflict between Adams and Hamilton, continues through Adam's presidency and ends with the "death of the Federalist party."

A sondagem de simples reconhecimento do solo com medida do índice de resistência à penetração dinâmica do amostrador (NSPT), universalmente conhecida como ensaio SPT, é um dos ensaios de campo mais difundidos no Brasil. A popularidade deste ensaio deve-se a sua praticidade, baixo custo, à experiência já adquirida e a fácil utilização dos seus resultados. Entretanto, este ensaio tem sido amplamente criticado devido às variações de equipamentos e procedimentos, que causa dispersões significativas nos resultados. Usualmente, o índice NSPT é utilizado na estimativa da capacidade de carga e recalque de fundações, a partir de correlações empíricas ou semi-empíricas, o que também recebe críticas, visto que essas correlações são baseadas em observações práticas e sem fundamento científico. O índice NSPT é função da quantidade de energia entregue ao amostrador, durante o golpe no ensaio SPT. Assim, o conhecimento da eficiência permite normalizar os valores de NSPT para um valor de referência padrão. O valor padrão adotado internacionalmente, correspondente a uma eficiência de 60%. Desta forma, a análise racional dos resultados de ensaios SPT, concentra-se na estimativa das quantidades de energia envolvidas no ensaio. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho trata da interpretação racional de ensaios SPT realizados com o monitoramento das quantidades de energia envolvidas no ensaio. As energias foram obtidas indiretamente, através de sinais de força e aceleração durante a propagação da onda de tensão pela composição de haste. Para tanto, foram utilizados segmentos de hastes instrumentadas com células de carga e acelerômetros; e um sistema de aquisição de dados indicado para o monitoramento de eventos dinâmicos. Os ensaios SPT foram realizados com instrumentação dinâmica em duas seções ao longo da composição de hastes (topo e base, simultaneamente). Assim, a partir desse arranjo, foram determinadas as quantidades de energia responsáveis pela cravação do amostrador e as perdas ocorridas. A partir dos sinais de força no topo do amostrador, foram determinadas as resistências dinâmicas mobilizadas no sistema solo-amostrador devido à cravação. Estes resultados experimentais foram comparados com resultados teóricos de resistência dinâmica e estática, obtidos com base no Princípio de Hamilton. De posse dos resultados de eficiência, comprimento das amostras recuperadas e do atrito adesão entre a parede externa do amostrador e o solo, foi feito o equilíbrio das reações mobilizadas no amostrador, segundo a proposta de Aoki (2013), sendo obtidas as resistências de ponta e atrito (interno e externo) no sistema solo-amostrador. / The Standard Penetration Test (SPT) with measurement of the index of resistance to dynamic penetration of the sampler (NSPT) is one of the most widespread in situ tests in Brazil. The popularity of this test is due to its practicality, low cost, acquired experience by practitioners and simple applicability of its results. However, this test has been widely criticized because of variation in equipment and procedures, which causes significant dispersion in the results. The NSPT index is usually used to estimate the bearing capacity and settlement of foundations, using empirical or semi-empirical correlations. This fact also receives criticism, as these correlations are based on practical observations without any scientific basis. The NSPT index depends on the amount of energy delivered to the sampler, during the blow in the SPT test. Thus, knowing the equipment efficiency allows normalizing the NSPT values to a standard reference value. The international reference value corresponds to an efficiency of 60%. In this way, the rational analysis of the results of SPT tests essentially depends on the estimation of the quantities of energy involved in the test. This research presents the rational interpretation of the SPT test results based on monitoring the amounts of energy involved in the test. The energies were indirectly obtained through force and acceleration signals during the stress wave propagation along the string of rods. For this, rod subassemblies instrumented with load cells and accelerometers were used. A suitable data acquisition system for monitoring dynamic events was also used. The SPT tests were performed with instrumented subassemblies placed at two positions along the string of rods (top and bottom simultaneously). Thus, from this arrangement, the amounts of energy accountable for the sampler penetration and the energy losses occurred were determined. Likewise, the dynamic resistances mobilized in the soil-sampler system during the penetration were determined from the force and acceleration signals at the top of the sampler. These experimental results were compared with those theoretical results, based on the Principle of Hamilton. With the efficiency results, the length of recovered samples and the external skin friction in the soil-sampler system, the balance of the reactions mobilized in the sampler was verified, as proposed by Aoki (2013). Thus, the tip and skin friction (internal and external) resistances in the soil-sampler system were obtained.