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Recent Submissions

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    Age and Sex Differences in Eastern Whip-poor-will Ecology (Antrostomus vociferus)
    (University of Waterloo, 2026-09-24) Weeks, Lauren
    Intraspecific variation is increasingly recognized as a key driver of ecological processes, and characterizing variation among demographic groups is critical for understanding species biology and the contributions of individuals to shaping ecosystem-level patterns. Age and sex differences in species biology are prevalent, but female and juvenile groups are underrepresented compared to adult males in ecological studies. Intraspecific variation is especially important to consider in species of conservation concern where the drivers of population decline, or the effectiveness of management interventions, may differ among demographic groups. The Eastern Whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus; hereafter, ‘whip-poor-will’) is a crepuscular aerial insectivore that has experienced acute population declines in Canada. Hypothesized factors driving such declines include habitat loss and insect prey population declines. Whip poor wills are exceptionally well camouflaged and elusive, making them a particularly challenging species to study and contributing to their historical underrepresentation in ecological research. Our objective was to characterize whip-poor-will diet and migration ecology across understudied age and sex classes. We studied a breeding population of whip-poor-wills at a restored habitat in Norfolk County, Ontario. We used radio transmitters paired with the Motus Wildlife Tracking System to explore whip-poor-will migration routes, timing, rate, and barrier navigation in autumn and spring migration. Most birds followed a similar southwesterly route from the breeding grounds to Mexico and Central America, circumnavigating the Gulf of Mexico. We found consistent evidence of differences between adult and juvenile migration but few sex differences. Juvenile birds departed for autumn migration earlier, took more nights than females, and moved at a slower rate than males to reach the Gulf of Mexico coast, ultimately arriving to the coast at the same time as adults. We also found adults were more likely than juveniles to cross an immediate ecological barrier following autumn departure. We suggest age-related differences in autumn migration are in part due to increased migratory efficiency by experienced adults. Though low in sample size, spring migration results trended towards the expected pattern of male-first arrival to the breeding grounds. We provide previously undocumented demographic variation in migrating whip-poor-wills and emphasize high connectivity at the Texas-Mexico Gulf of Mexico coast, highlighting it as a location for habitat protection. On the breeding grounds, we sampled insect assemblages and whip-poor-will diet through fecal DNA metabarcoding. Our objectives were to determine the extent of whip-poor-will prey selection and differences in diet diversity across age and sex groups. We found whip-poor-will diets primarily consisted of moths (Lepidoptera), then beetles (Coleoptera) and flies (Diptera). We found evidence of size selection of moth prey representing an intermediate size range compared to the insects available on the landscape, consistent with optimal foraging theory. Diet diversity also varied between juveniles and adult females from species to family level. We suggest a lack of scarab beetle presence in juvenile diet may be driving group-level differences. We also highlight the importance of insectivore diet studies to better support growing populations in the face of global insect declines. Together, our results provide insights into the biology of vulnerable and understudied demographic groups of an elusive nightjar. We make suggestions for future research and management practices and connect our findings to broader ecological patterns across migratory aerial insectivores.
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    Towards modularization and composition in distributed event based systems
    (University of Waterloo, 2009-02-18) Blanco, Rolando; Alencar, Paulo
    A distributed and interface-based publish/subscribe system is proposed in this report. Components in the proposed system react with each other via events only, and these reactions are described in the component interfaces using a variation of Harel statecharts. By encapsulating component behaviour within the interfaces, the goal of the system is to allow the study of modularization and composition mechanisms in distributed event based applications. The presentation of the proposed system is complemented by a metamodel that describes the structural, control, and runtime aspects of distributed event systems.
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    Incremental call graph construction for the eclipse IDE
    (University of Waterloo, 2009-02-18) Ismail, Usman
    A call graph is a powerful tool for program analysis and can be used to: help plan testing strategies, reduce program size and help programmers understand and debug large programs. We can use either dynamic or static call graph generation techniques. Dynamic call graphs tend to underestimate the number of target methods for a call site where as static call graphs tend to overestimate this number. A theoretically ideal call graph is the union of the dynamic call graphs over all possible executions of the program. Dynamic call graphs are not safe and generating static call graphs is computationally expensive. We propose an incremental call graph generation approach which will compute graphs for fragments of the program as they are being developed. It will then recursively combine fragments until a graph for the whole program is generated. The graph will be as precise as corresponding traditional algorithms and will present, upon completion, a safe call graph.
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    From Displacement to Relation: A District of Disposal in Toronto’s Junction Neighbourhood
    (University of Waterloo, 2026-09-24) Li, Leanne
    North American waste systems are designed to operate invisibly, with little public presence, as the networks and infrastructures that manage waste have traditionally remained outside the scope of architectural designers. In Toronto, waste follows this pattern, creating limited public visibility and engagement, as materials are sorted and directed to transfer stations, landfills or exports. This fragmentation obscures public understanding of how waste is treated, handled and processed, while North American cities continue the cycle of consumption and displacement. While circular economy frameworks seek to position waste as a resource through the recovery of materials within production cycles, waste remains largely invisible, spatially and socially distant from the public. The thesis examines how architecture can spatially integrate disposal, recovery and material transformation into visible, public and participatory processes within the urban fabric, creating new forms of civic activity built on material recovery, skill development and production knowledge. It proposes a larger urban vision of a district centred on disposal and its recovery, where skilled workers, artisans, entrepreneurs, salvagers and members of the public participate in an alternative economy to consumption grounded in waste material recovery, production, learning and exchanges. West Toronto Junction, a major industrial production hub in the late nineteenth century, has gradually shifted from a landscape of production into one defined by consumption. Large corporations and retailers are concentrated within a shopping-oriented district, while disposal of post-consumed goods remains hidden from public view. Recovering waste and making disposal visible in urban civic life can inspire new publics to be created. Disposal becomes more than a management act, and instead a civic process capable of bringing together residents, recyclers, entrepreneurs, artisan makers and skilled labourers. Through participation, spatializing circular systems becomes an opportunity to learn about recovery, participate in labour or skill development and have access to facilities such as workshops, incubators, and shopfronts in light industrial operations.
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    Collaborative preference elicitation
    (University of Waterloo, 2009-02-18) Ismail, Usman
    The inherent inaccuracies in user modelling and the use of non-deterministic algorithms means that Preference Elicitation systems are often unsatisfactory for users. We address this issue using a technique called collaborative elicitation. Leveraging the fact that humans rarely have unique preferences, we minimize explicit elicitation from users while attempting to improve user satisfaction. We categorize users into groups using collaborative techniques based on Von Ahn's "Games with a purpose." We then allow groups of users to collectively select default preferences for their peers.