Conventional stereoscopic displays present a pair of stereoscopic images on a single and fixed image plane. In consequence, these displays lack the capability of correctly rendering focus cues (i.e. accommodation and retinal blur) and may induce the discrepancy between accommodation and convergence. A number of visual artifacts associated with incorrect focus cues in stereoscopic displays have been reported, limiting the applicability of these displays for demanding applications and daily usage. Depth-fused multi-focal-plane display was proposed to create a fixed-viewpoint volumetric display capable of rendering correct or nearly-correct focus cues in a stereoscopic display through a small number of discretely placed focal planes. It effectively addresses the negative effects of conventional stereoscopic displays on depth perception accuracy and visual fatigue. In this dissertation, the fundamental design methods and considerations of depth-fused displays were refined and extended based on previous works and a high-resolution optical see-through multi-focal-plane head-mounted display enabled by state-of-the-art freeform optics was developed. The prototype system is capable of rendering nearly-correct focus cues for a large volume of 3D space extending into a depth range from 0 to 3 diopters at flicker-free speed. By incorporating freeform optics, the prototype not only achieves high quality imagery across a large 3D volume for the virtual display path but it also maintains better than 0.5 arcminutes visual resolution of the see-through view. The optical design, implementation and experimental validation of the display are presented and discussed in detail.

Police and Canadian citizens often clash during protests sometimes resulting in violent outcomes. Due to the nature of those altercations, there are few other events that require oversight more than the way police clash with protesters and there is a history of such oversight resulting in a number of Federal Parliamentary documents, Parliamentary Committee reports Task Force reports, reports arising from Public Interest Hearings of the Commission for Complaints Against the RCMP, and testimony at various hearings and inquiries which have produced particular argumentative discourses. Argumentative discourses that have a great effect on the construction of a civilian oversight agency of the RCMP is the focus of this thesis. This thesis examines how it is that different discourses, as represented by argumentative themes in these reports, intersect with one another in the process of creating a system of accountability for the RCMP. Through the lens of complaints that arise from protest and police clashes one may conclude that the current system of accountability does not adhere to a practice of protecting the most fundamental rights as prescribed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; nor would the currently proposed legislation contained within Bill C-38 alter the system in a substantial way to allow for such protections. The power dynamic between the Commissioner of the Force and the Commission for Complaints Against the RCMP favours the police force in the current and proposed system. In order for the current political landscape to become a climate favourable toward producing a system of RCMP accountability that truly protects the rights and freedoms prescribed in the Charter, a significant shift must occur in different organizations, agencies, and individuals who influence the creation of legislation and policy in this nation. This shift must be characterized by an increase in strengthening the commitment of the RCMP to protect the rights and freedoms as prescribed by the Charter rather than its current focus and interest in trying to stem the erosion of public trust and confidence in the Force. / Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2011-07-05 21:46:10.126

Every five (5) years a small-embroidered star is carefully stitched onto the left sleeve of a Red Serge, proudly indicating an accumulation of service in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (R.C.M.P.). Breaking the wash of scarlet with a flash of gold, that first star means so much to an officer. No longer a rookie with a junior ranking, it signifies a passage, a movement, a real commitment to devote oneself to a career in the Force. Perhaps this point may seem relatively minor but it is not the weight of the information presented that draws people in. It is more the creation of a perspective into a paramilitary organization known for its secrecy that makes such a fact appealing. I am almost certain, and perhaps even a bit hopeful that the next time you are at a public event where a typical ‘Mountie’ is present, your eyes will fall upon the red sleeves, looking for a star and upon finding one or two or none, by quietly pleased by the little secret you know. In my previous career as a Police Officer in the R.C.M.P., I often delighted in the sharing of the finer points that played a part in defining what it was to be an officer, especially with people I had known in my ‘civilian’ life or with those I had befriended while in the Force and now in my civilian capacity. When faced with the opportunity to enlighten people on aspects of the R.C.M.P., or the world of policing for that matter, I have always felt compelled to share my experiences and perspectives. With an education in Landscape Architecture, I now also enjoy sharing my experiences in the analysis of space and design when presented with that same opportunity. My research was already under way for a thesis/practicum on R.C.M.P. Detachment Design Guidelines in March 2005 when I first learned of the deaths of four R.C.M.P. officers in Northern Alberta. During the execution of a search warrant they had been ambushed and killed by the suspect who lay in wait for them. After participating in the massive memorial service that followed in Edmonton, AB., it soon became obvious to me that the focus of my research would change dramatically. Armed with the new skills I had gained from a Masters program in Landscape Architecture, I was faced with the educational opportunity to not only combine my two passions of policing and design, but also to honor the four R.C.M.P. officers in my own way.

Every five (5) years a small-embroidered star is carefully stitched onto the left sleeve of a Red Serge, proudly indicating an accumulation of service in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (R.C.M.P.). Breaking the wash of scarlet with a flash of gold, that first star means so much to an officer. No longer a rookie with a junior ranking, it signifies a passage, a movement, a real commitment to devote oneself to a career in the Force. Perhaps this point may seem relatively minor but it is not the weight of the information presented that draws people in. It is more the creation of a perspective into a paramilitary organization known for its secrecy that makes such a fact appealing. I am almost certain, and perhaps even a bit hopeful that the next time you are at a public event where a typical ‘Mountie’ is present, your eyes will fall upon the red sleeves, looking for a star and upon finding one or two or none, by quietly pleased by the little secret you know. In my previous career as a Police Officer in the R.C.M.P., I often delighted in the sharing of the finer points that played a part in defining what it was to be an officer, especially with people I had known in my ‘civilian’ life or with those I had befriended while in the Force and now in my civilian capacity. When faced with the opportunity to enlighten people on aspects of the R.C.M.P., or the world of policing for that matter, I have always felt compelled to share my experiences and perspectives. With an education in Landscape Architecture, I now also enjoy sharing my experiences in the analysis of space and design when presented with that same opportunity. My research was already under way for a thesis/practicum on R.C.M.P. Detachment Design Guidelines in March 2005 when I first learned of the deaths of four R.C.M.P. officers in Northern Alberta. During the execution of a search warrant they had been ambushed and killed by the suspect who lay in wait for them. After participating in the massive memorial service that followed in Edmonton, AB., it soon became obvious to me that the focus of my research would change dramatically. Armed with the new skills I had gained from a Masters program in Landscape Architecture, I was faced with the educational opportunity to not only combine my two passions of policing and design, but also to honor the four R.C.M.P. officers in my own way.

Thesis (M.A.) --Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1997. / Bibliography: leaves [245]-257.

Zugl.: München, Techn. Univ., Diss., 2008

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Saskatchewan, 1997. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. Includes bibliographical references.

M.Tech. / This research study was conducted as an unblinded controlled pilot study. The aim of this research was to investigate the effects of Chiropractic adjustive therapy on lower back pain in South African Police Service (SAPS) operational mounted policemen in Gauteng. The participants for this research where obtained from the Johannesburg, East Rand, Vaal Rand and Pretoria SAPS Mounted units. Only male participants were recruited and placed into one group where they received Chiropractic adjustive therapy to the restricted Lumbar and Sacroiliac joints. Thirty participants were treated 6 times over a 3-week period, which translated to 2 treatments per week. A two day follow-up visit (visit 7) was conducted to obtain only subjective and objective data, no treatment was administered. An important part of this study was that the duties of the participants continued as usual and were not stopped during this trial. Subjective data was collected using the Oswestry Pain and Disability Questionnaire. Objective data was collected using lumbar range of motion (with a Digital Inclinometer) in flexion, extension, lateral flexion and rotation. All data was collected during the 1st, 4th and 7th visits. Additional data was collected by enquiring about the saddle type and stirrup length that the participants used. The data collected was analysed using Maunchly and Greenhouse Tests for parametric tests and the Friedman and Wilcoxon Signed Rank Tests for the non-parametric tests. The results of this study concluded that Chiropractic adjustive therapy was effective in relieving or completely eliminating the lower back pain of the participants as well as increasing there lumbar spine range of motion.

VR is a relatively new technology that has been shown to have potential to increase productivity andfacilitate better decision making, both within the architecture role and in the broader building industry. However, there are many difficulties that stand in the way of this new technology. In this study, the researcher uses semi-structured interviews to interview six working architects from threecities in Sweden. This is an attempt to investigate what architects think are the technical difficultiesthat stand in the way of VR use within the architect role. Both software and hardware limitations are investigated. I additionally investigate what architects think are potential solutions to those problems, and how architects think VR can be used in the future in a way that would be useful and facilitate better communication. This study found that, according to the architects interviewed, the technical limitations are mainly the lack of portability, isolation from the outside world, the need for powerful hardware, motion sickness, movement restrictions and the setup process being generally inconvenient. The future use of VR that would be useful according to the architects interviewed are the ability to have virtual meetings, VR being used in conjunction with AR, the ability to design and sketch in VR and using VR as a communication tool to convey design ideas to the public.

Emerging "Structure-from-Motion" (SfM) photogrammetry techniques encourage faster, cheaper, and more accessible field methods for accurately reconstructing 3D topography. The SfM method consists of collecting sets of overlapping images of the ground surface with a point and shoot camera, and reconstructing surface topography from the images with developed software programs. This research develops and implements a SfM image acquisition method and post-processing workflow as a supplemental technique to the traditional total-station method to aid in monitoring sandbar change in Marble and Grand Canyons along the Colorado River in Arizona. Due to permitting in Grand Canyon National Park, a 4.9 m pole-mounted camera platform was used in this research to mimic the ground perspective of an aerial platform. This research presents an improved understanding of how the low-angle, pole-mounted camera platform affects image acquisition and ultimately 3D reconstructions of the surface topography. Models of ground surfaces always contain some degree of elevation error, or uncertainty. As such, elevation error models are needed to distinguish whether observed changes to topographic features (in this case sandbars) are real or simply due to elevation error. There are many ways to quantify multiple sources of elevation uncertainty, but in this study the sources of elevation uncertainty were considered to vary across the surface and were characterized accordingly. Especially in river environments with complex surface topography (e.g. steep cut banks), and roughness (e.g. vegetation), quantifying the spatially variable elevation uncertainty of the surface representation is critical for interpreting actual changes in surface topography over repeat surveys. This research: used the sandbar images collected in Marble and Grand Canyons with the pole-mounted camera platform to generate SfM, topographic models; calculated spatially variable surface uncertainty derived from slope and roughness using multiple statistical analyses; built an error model that was calibrated based upon the statistical analyses of the spatially variable surface uncertainty; Key findings of this research are: Densely vegetated topography results in high amounts of elevation uncertainty, and without additional information of the surface underlying the vegetation, the SfM tool is less operational in these areas; Bare, exposed topography with low to high slopes that are not covered in black shadows result in lower surface uncertainty, and are areas where SfM is an operational tool for studies of surface change. Complementing existing topographic sampling methods with more efficient and cost- effective SfM approaches will contribute to the understanding of changing responses of the topographic features. In addition, the development and implementation of SfM and corresponding amounts of elevation uncertainty for monitoring geomorphic change will provide a methodological foundation for extending the approach to other geomorphic systems world- wide.