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A Novel Multi-objective Risk-informed Rehabilitation Framework for Sewerage SystemsCai, Xiatong 12 August 2020 (has links)
Stormwater sewer infrastructure is at risk due to ageing, structural deterioration, population growth, and climate change. Since the consequences of the sewer system failure can adversely impact the community safety, environment and economy, a resilient infrastructure system is of essential importance. However, limited reinvestment budget and insufficient asset management practices impact the rehabilitation of urban sewerage systems. Therefore, an effective and efficient rehabilitation plan is needed to help proper investment decisions. An effective rehabilitation plan will maximize hydraulic performance while minimizing the overall failure risk within a limited budget. The current study aims to address this issue through designing a risk-informed methodology in three steps. First, the hydraulic risk index (obtained using the SWMM model) was combined with the ageing pipe index. The framework uses multi-objective optimization technique to generate solutions under specific sewerage conditions. We named this new framework as Hydraulics and Risk Combined Model (HRCM). Several scenarios including high hydraulic risk, high ageing risk, hydraulic risk and ageing risk (combined problems), and limited budget problems, are used to test the performance of the proposed methodology. The results show that the proposed model could provide a satisfactory solution. Then, in order to increase the calculation speed and improve the accuracy, sensitivity and cost-effectiveness analyses were also conducted for the proposed methodology with different algorithms. The results show that different algorithms offer various benefits. A new calculation method was offered by combining the advantages of the previous methods. Finally, a new optimization method named Phenotype Searching Method, which was enlightened by sexual selection processes, was offered. This method can enhance the selection processes to specific phenotypes (pipes) so that it can increase the convergence speed and increase the performance of the HRCM model.
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Reimagining Social Work from an Islamic WorldviewHussain, Tajseem January 2021 (has links)
With Islamophobia on the rise in Canada, it may reasonably be expected that social work,
a seemingly care-oriented profession, would have effective support readily available for
the Muslim community. However, rather than the Muslim community experiencing social
services as a place where such support can be accessed, their interactions with these
services demonstrate the ways that Islamophobia seeps into social work settings amidst
discriminatory assumptions about Muslims and a lack of religiously informed care. In
response, informed by an Islamic worldview and drawing upon decolonial thought and
community-based participatory research principles, this study aims to centre Islamic ways
of knowing, being, and doing in considering how mainstream social services and social
work practice can most effectively support the Muslim community. Emerging from
interviews with five Muslim community leaders and scholars were four key themes: the
role of Islam in the lives and well-being of Muslims; anti-Muslim sentiment and the
devaluing of Islamic identity in mainstream social work education and practice; the need
for Islamically informed care; and reimagining social work from an Islamic worldview.
The findings reveal significant challenges for the Muslim community in accessing and
receiving effective support from mainstream social services, while also underscoring
important considerations for enhanced social work practice with Muslims. Implications and
recommendations for the social work profession, social work education, and the Muslim
community are discussed, alongside suggestions for future research and action, with an
emphasis on the importance of contributions from Islam and Muslims to elicit meaningful
change. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)
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