DalSpace Institutional Repository
DalSpace is a digital service that collects, preserves, and distributes digital material produced by the Dalhousie community.
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Communities in DSpace
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Recent Submissions
HYDROGEN PERMEATION AND EMBRITTLEMENT IN PIPELINE STEELS AND NICKEL-BASED ALLOYS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY IN SIMULATED ALKALINE ENVIRONMENTS
(2025-07-18) Sey, Emmanuel; Not Applicable; Master of Applied Science; Department of Mechanical Engineering; Not Applicable; n/a; Yes; George Jarjoura; Hamid Afshari; Zoheir Farhat
The growing global demand for natural gas as a primary energy source, particularly in industrial sectors such as power generation, petrochemical processing, and manufacturing, has driven the need to explore cleaner, more sustainable alternatives. Though it plays a vital role in meeting energy needs due to its high energy content and reliability, its combustion results in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, especially carbon dioxide (CO₂), which contributes significantly to climate change. One promising approach is blending natural gas with hydrogen, as hydrogen burns cleanly without releasing harmful emissions. However, this introduces a new materials challenge: the potential for hydrogen embrittlement (HE) in metallic pipelines used to transport natural gas.
This study evaluates the mechanical performance of pipeline steels and Nickel based alloys under tensile and fatigue loading conditions, both before and after electrochemical hydrogen charging in a simulated alkaline environment.
The results showed material-specific responses to hydrogen ingress, with distinct degradation patterns observed through fracture surface analysis.
The Vertical Street: Transforming Tower and Slab Urban Housing
(2025-07-17) Kirkland, Erika; Not Applicable; Master of Architecture; School of Architecture; Not Applicable; n/a; Not Applicable; Diogo Burnay; Joyce Hwang; Niall Savage
Current tower and slab urban housing often isolates residents from the public realm, creating a disconnect and diminishing community engagement. Conventional high-rise housing often lacks the interconnected public spaces and pedestrian-friendly qualities that define successful urban environments. This thesis aims to introduce the concept of a transformed tower and slab model by integrating the social vibrancy of traditional streets into the high-rise typology. A bridge between private and public spaces emerges by exploring how multi-path circulation, layered programming, and shared social spaces can transform sterile corridors and isolated towers into dynamic, interactive environments. The Vertical Street envisions a seamless blend of housing and ‘street’ interaction zones, activating shared spaces that support diverse programming and moments of spontaneous social engagement with the ultimate aim of demonstrating an alternative to conventional tower typologies, promoting inclusivity, community, and social interaction in high-density urban housing.
SQL Protection Using Generative Modeling for Anomaly Detection
(2025-07-17) Afrin, Sadia; Not Applicable; Master of Computer Science; Faculty of Computer Science; Not Applicable; n/a; Not Applicable; Vlado Keselj; Saurabh Dey; Nur Zincir-Heywood; Marwa A. Elsayed
SQL injection (SQLi) exploits vulnerabilities in an application’s input validation logic to manipulate backend SQL queries, allowing attackers to bypass authentication, extract sensitive data, or corrupt databases. Despite decades of research and the emergence of modern web frameworks with built-in safeguards, SQLI remains on the OWASP Top 10 list, demonstrating its persistent relevance and evolving sophistication. While more research has been conducted on detecting traditional SQLi attacks, relatively less attention has been given to identifying adversarial variants designed to evade standard defenses. Traditional detection approaches, such as signature-based filtering and rule-based systems, fall short against novel or advanced adversarial SQLi attacks because they rely on predefined patterns that cannot generalize to unseen payloads. This thesis proposes an alternative approach by leveraging generative modeling for SQLi detection. The results suggest that generative models paired with Word2Vec embeddings show impressive performance.
HUMANIZED MOUSE MODEL TO STUDY CYSTIC FIBROSIS-RELATED DIABETES
(2025-07-17) Neira Agonh, Daniel; Not Applicable; Master of Science; Department of Physiology & Biophysics; Received; Christopher Sinal; Not Applicable; Ferhan Siddiqi; Alejandro Lomniczi; Valerie Chappe; Younes Anini
Up to 50% of people with cystic fibrosis (CF) develop CF-related diabetes (CFRD), accelerating lung function decline and mortality, particularly among women. Our study validates the B6-Tg(CFTR508del)Cwr (hCF) mouse, expressing the human ΔF508del CFTR gene, to study CFRD. Glucose handling was assessed by oral (OGTT) and intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests (IPGTT); insulin and glucagon levels were evaluated via ELISAs; and islet structure was analyzed by immunofluorescence. Following IPGTT, hCF mice showed glucose intolerance with higher glucose area under the curve than WT mice; OGTT showed progressive glucose intolerance. hCF mice exhibited low fasting insulin, impaired insulin secretion, and reduced islet insulin signal intensity. Glucagon levels were generally similar across experimental groups; however, pancreatic glucagon levels were elevated in hCF males. hCF pancreata contained fewer and smaller islets than WT pancreata. These results demonstrate features of CFRD within the hCF mouse model: glucose intolerance, insulin insufficiency, and impaired islet architecture.
EMANCIPATE ME HARDER! LESSONS FROM THE BDSM COMMUNITY ON SAFETY, CONSENT, THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL, AND RADICAL SUBVERSIVE RESISTANCE
(2025-07-11) Rae, Madeline; Not Applicable; Master of Social Work; School of Social Work; Received; Dr. Elaine Brooks-Craig; Not Applicable; Dr. Neil McArthur; Dr. Raluca Bejan; Dr. Catherine Bryan
BDSM has developed as a recognized sexual sub-culture and has been the subject of considerable attention, notably by medical and psychiatric fields. Often pathologized, and even criminalized, the BDSM community’s self-definition differs greatly from those offered by early patriarchal psychoanalysts and contemporary mainstream institutions. A growing body of scholarship indicates that BDSM has therapeutic potential. The present study interviewed 6 professional practitioners of BDSM from across Canada. These professionals have practiced for over 10 years and have a well-established understanding of in-group best practices as well as the ongoing impacts of pathologization and discrimination. Over 15 hours of semi-structured interviews yielded findings that support that the S/M community remains misunderstood, misrepresented (in courts of law, mental health settings, and in media), that best practices and codes of conduct are taken extremely seriously, and that subversion largely contributes to BDSM’s cathartic, healing, and therapeutic potential.
The Wild Wild West: George Catlin's, Paul Kane's and Frederic Remington's Experiences of the West
(2023-04-07) Kelly, Emma