VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Lexical Characteristics on Sentence Production in Younger and Older Adults
Keywords: sentence production
lexical retrieval
soa
picture-word interference task
reaction time
psycholinguistics
aging

In the study of language production in aging, an important question relates to the relationship between lexical retrieval and syntactic production. Studies have reported changes in syntactic production across the lifespan, but their underlying cause remains unclear. In younger adults, it has been suggested that lexical factors, such as an item‟s semantic or phonological representation influence syntactic production; however, the full nature of this influence remains unclear. Studies investigating the type of sentence produced have found semantic facilitation and phonological interference (e.g., Bock, 1986, 1987), but studies investigating response time (e.g., Meyer, 1996) have found the opposite effects. This investigation sought to examine the influence of lexical level information on sentence production in younger and older adults. This was accomplished by concurrently examining reaction time and sentence type effects. In Experiment 1, 61 adults (mean age: 21.8 years) were presented with pictures and distractor words (unrelated, or semantically or phonologically related). Three stimulus onset asynchronies (SOA) were used (-1000ms, -150ms and 150ms). Participants were required to describe each picture. Using an analysis of variance, response time was compared across the different conditions and using generalized estimating equations, the type of sentence produced and the position of the primed word were compared. In Experiment 2, phonological distractors were excluded, and one SOA (-150ms) was used. Testing involved 83 younger adults (mean age: 22.9 years) and 56 older adults (mean age: 74.7 years). In Experiment 1, semantic distractors resulted in related nouns being produced more often in the subject position. This effect was observed in the analysis of the position of the target noun, but not in the analysis of the type of sentence produced. There were no effects of phonological distractors. In Experiment 2, semantic distractors influenced the type of sentence produced for both age groups. The groups differed only in error production. No reaction time effects were observed in either experiment. This investigation successfully demonstrated an influence of lexical level information on the syntactic productions of younger and older adults. The two groups were similar in their productions, suggesting that aspects of syntactic production are preserved in older adults.
The Auxilia in Roman Britain and the Two Germanies from Augustus to Caracalla: Family, Religion and ‘Romanization’
Keywords: Roman History
Roman Army
Romanization
Roman Family
Roman Religion
Military Diplomas

This thesis examines the cultural and social relationships cultivated by ethnically diverse auxiliary soldiers in the western Roman empire. These soldiers were enrolled in the Roman auxilia, military units that drew primarily on the non-Roman subjects of the empire for their recruits in numbers that equaled the legionaries. I argue that auxiliary soldiers could and did maintain large families, and demonstrate, from epigraphic data collected and presented in my dissertation, how foreign ethnic and religious identities were variously integrated into Roman military culture by both individual auxiliaries and the Roman state. The history of the auxilia in Germany from the time of Augustus and in Britain from the time of Claudius is discussed, with extensive reference to epigraphic material provided in appendices to this work. Analysis of military diplomas from across the Roman empire demonstrates a significant phenomenon of auxiliary family creation that helps to contextualize the diploma data from Germania and Britannia. Research on further epigraphic evidence from Germania and Britannia demonstrates a marked diversity in religious dedications by auxiliary soldiers and further evidence for auxiliary families. From a discussion of the history of the concept of ‘Romanization’ and other theoretical models that can be applied to the study of the auxilia, the continued usefulness of the evolving concept of ‘Romanization’ to our understanding of auxiliary cultural integration is assessed. Auxiliary service is shown to have provided many non-Roman ethnic groups avenues of cultural and legal inclusion that each soldier, surely in his own way, could exploit.
Asssessment of Tissue Viability in Acute Thermal Injuries Using Near Infrared Point Spectroscopy
Keywords: Near Infrared Spectroscopy
Burn Depth

Introduction: Currently, there are no objective techniques to assess burn depth. An early assessment of burn depth would enable accurate management decisions, which would improve patient outcomes. Near infrared (NIR) technology has shown promise as a non-invasive monitor of oxygenation and perfusion, and its potential to assess the depth of burn injuries has been investigated clinically over the past five years. The purpose of the thesis was to determine the capacity of NIR technology to differentiate acute thermal injuries. Methods: Burn sites (n=5) and control sites (n=5) were created on the dorsum of sixteen animals with brass rods held at constant pressure and heated to 100°C and 37.5°C respectively. NIR data was collected from the burns and control sites pre-burn, immediately post-burn, and 1, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 96 hours after the burn injury. Biopsies of the burn and control sites were acquired at each time point and used to confirm the depth of injury. NIR data was processed for the content of water, oxy-, deoxy- and methemoglobin. Results: Oxyhemoglobin and total hemoglobin decreased as burn depth increased. The proportion of oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin to total hemoglobin showed that the ratio of oxy- to deoxyhemoglobin decreased as burn injury increased. Methemoglobin levels as a ratio of total hemoglobin also showed that as the severity of injury increased the proportion of methemoglobin also increased. Finally, superficial partial thickness injuries (3 s and 12 s) showed early peak levels of water, which rapidly declined towards baseline. The deep partial thickness injuries (20 s and 30 s) do not experience peak levels and retain water over the course of the experiment. The full thickness injuries water levels remain close or below baseline levels throughout the experiment. Conclusion: NIR spectroscopy could distinguish burn depth using water, oxy-, met- and total hemoglobin as separate entities. The presence of methemoglobin in the burn wounds is a novel finding that has not been described previously in burn literature.
Exploring De-alloying in Fe-Ni-Cr Alloys and its Relationship to Stress Corrosion Cracking in Nuclear High Temperature Water Environments
Keywords: Stress corrosion cracking

Most stress corrosion cracking (SCC) mechanisms initiate from localised corrosion (pitting, intergranular attack, de-alloying), which provides local stress concentration. Alloys are generally more susceptible to SCC than pure metals because selective dissolution or oxidation is possible. De-alloying involves the selective dissolution of the less noble (LN) component from an alloy. The more noble (MN) component enriches on the surface forming a brittle, metallic, nanoporous layer. In noble metal alloys and brass, SCC shows correlation with the threshold LN content below which de-alloying stops (the parting limit). In Fe-Ni-Cr engineering alloys de-alloying may be responsible for Cl-SCC, although this has not been proven explicitly. Initial indications show that de-alloying causes SCC in hot, caustic environments. In some cases, Ni enrichment and porosity are associated with cracks in stainless steel after long-term service in nuclear high temperature water environments, but it is unclear if this plays a causal role in cracking. Here the de-alloying mechanism (primarily the effect of Ni (MN) content) and its relationship to SCC in Fe-Ni-Cr materials (Fe10Ni, 310SS and Alloy 800) is examined using a hot caustic environment, and compared to classical de-alloying systems. De-alloyed layers formed on all materials, although Alloy 800 required a higher temperature. Increasing Ni content improved de-alloying resistance according to classical theory. Unlike classical systems, de-alloying occurred with concurrent MN dissolution and, at open circuit potential (OCP), the layers retained significant Fe and Cr (LN) instead of being ‘almost pure’ MN. Layers formed with applied anodic potential were friable and highly LN depleted. This behaviour was successfully modelled in Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. Recently, it has been shown that SCC in noble element alloys depends on the mechanical integrity (quality) of the de-alloyed layer; a finding that was reflected here. At 140 °C at OCP the layer on 310SS was too thin to promote SCC and Alloy 800 did not de-alloy significantly. Layers formed with anodic potential did not result in SCC. In 50% NaOH at 280 °C, severely stressed 310SS cracked where thick de-alloyed layers formed. However, the thin layer formed on Alloy 800 was associated with SCC, even with low residual stress.
Exploring the Impact of Ongoing Colonial Violence on Aboriginal Students in the Postsecondary Classroom
Keywords: Aboriginal education
Colonial Violence
Aboriginal pedagogy
Indigenous education
Racism and education
Racism and Aboriginal students

Framed within an Anishnaabe method and an anti-colonial discursive framework, this thesis explores how Aboriginal students confront narratives of colonial violence in the postsecondary classroom while at the same time living and experiencing colonial violence on a daily basis. In order to garner an understanding of what pedagogies might be useful in postsecondary classrooms that cover such curricula, I explored these questions by interviewing 8 Aboriginal students and 5 Aboriginal professors who were taking or teaching courses on Aboriginal peoples and colonial history. I also engaged two Aboriginal Elders in conversations on pedagogy because they are recognized as carriers of Aboriginal traditional knowledge. Drawing on the literature I theorize colonization as violent, ongoing and traumatic. Specifically, I trace how education for Aboriginal peoples has always been and continues to be part of the colonial regime—one that is marked by violence, abuse and a regime that has had devastating consequences for Aboriginal peoples. This thesis confirms that despite some changes to the educational system Aboriginal students and professors interviewed in this research still confront significant challenges when they enter sites such as the postsecondary classroom. The most profound finding in this thesis was the extent of racism that Aboriginal students confront and negotiate in postsecondary classrooms. These negotiations are especially profound and painful in mixed classrooms where the narrative of ongoing colonial violence is discussed. Aboriginal students also employ a number of strategies to resist ongoing colonialism and racism. The narrative of racism is not new but it does reaffirm that colonialism continues to have devastating effects on Aboriginal peoples. It also reaffirms the pervasiveness of violence in our society despite the fact that many would rather ignore or downplay the level of violence that exists. There is no doubt that the Aboriginal students interviewed in this research describe a significant psychological toll in an environment of ongoing colonialism and is especially difficult when revisiting historical and ongoing accounts of violence of their own colonial history. The thesis offers some suggestions for mitigating this impact in the classroom.
Get a Room: Private Space and Private People in Old French and Middle English Love Stories
Keywords: Old French
Middle English
privacy
poetry

This study explores the way in which one circumstance of daily life in the twelfth to fourteenth centuries—the relative scarcity of private space—influenced the literature of courtly love. It presents the argument that because access to spatial privacy was difficult, although desirable, stories of illicit love affairs carried on under these precarious circumstances had a special appeal. In these narratives we can observe a tendency for emotional privacy to be invested in trusted confidants and servants, and for spies and meddling figures to pose a special danger. Both of these character types are frequently shown to have privileged access to private space as well as to private knowledge. The framework for this study is provided by a discussion of the material background to developing ideas of privacy, which argues for a greater resemblance between medieval and modern concepts in this area than has previously been acknowledged. The remainder of the study is concerned with literary examples. Medieval French adaptations of the Ars Amatoria show subtle changes in emphasis which can be attributed to the different status of privacy in the medieval world as compared to Augustan Rome. The Lais of Marie de France, in particular Guigemar, Yonec, Milun, Eliduc and Lanval, are discussed in relation to the concept of the female household, a specific category of private space within the medieval castle. Three of the romances of Chrétien de Troyes—Cligès, Lancelot and Yvain—present significant variations on the theme of love mediated by third parties and flourishing in private space. Five different versions of the Tristan and Isolt story are discussed, showing their consistent preoccupation with the roles played by helping and hindering figures. The study concludes with a consideration of three works by Chaucer. Troilus and Criseyde gives prominent place to the most fully developed example of a character who mediates between lovers, Criseyde’s notorious uncle Pandarus, while The Miller’s Tale and The Merchant’s Tale both centre on lovers’ quests for privacy, but do so to mock rather than to celebrate the conventions of courtly love.
Government Relations in the Post-secondary Education Sector in Ontario
Keywords: Government relations
lobbying
post-secondary education in Ontario
college-government relations
university-government relations
interest groups in higher education
policy communities in higher education

There has been little research on the government relations function within the post-secondary education sector in Ontario. This study explores this topic by reviewing the literature and collecting data from key informants in the college, university and government sector, and those who can speak about the sector associations. The study describes how the leaders of colleges and universities in Ontario perceive and conduct government relations, both as individual institutions and as a sector, and analyzes trends and potential implications. The study utilizes a pluralist model of interest group behaviour and applied the hollow-core theory to the policy community and the findings provide compelling evidence that this theory is a useful theoretical framework for understanding the nature of this policy community. This study also provides valuable insight into the hollow-core theory of pluralism. The leadership of individual colleges and universities shares a similar understanding of government relations and engage a similar approach. Individual colleges and universities work independently to lobby for capital funding and work together through their respective associations to lobby for system-wide funding and reforms. Although the presidents of individual institutions continue to lead the government relations function, the trend in the post-secondary education sector in Ontario is to invest additional resources and time in these activities. This study is the first of its kind in Ontario and makes an important contribution to our understanding of the way leaders in the post-secondary education sector in Ontario perceive and conduct government relations. Implications of the findings are considered and recommendations are made for further research.
Interactive Visualizations of Natural Language
Keywords: visualization
linguistics
natural language processing
information visualization
machine translation

While linguistic skill is a hallmark of humanity, the increasing volume of linguistic data each of us faces is causing individual and societal problems — ‘information overload’ is a commonly discussed condition. Tasks such as finding the most appropriate information online, understanding the contents of a personal email repository, and translating documents from another language are now commonplace. These tasks need not cause stress and feelings of overload: the human intellectual capacity is not the problem. Rather, the computational interfaces to linguistic data are problematic — there exists a Linguistic Visualization Divide in the current state-of-the-art. Through five design studies, this dissertation combines sophisticated natural language processing algorithms with information visualization techniques grounded in evidence of human visuospatial capabilities. The first design study, Uncertainty Lattices, augments real-time computermediated communication, such as cross-language instant messaging chat and automatic speech recognition. By providing explicit indications of algorithmic confidence, the visualization enables informed decisions about the quality of computational outputs. Two design studies explore the space of content analysis. DocuBurst is an interactive visualization of document content, which spatially organizes words using an expert-created ontology. Broadening from single documents to document collections, Parallel Tag Clouds combine keyword extraction and coordinated visualizations to provide comparative overviews across subsets of a faceted text corpus. Finally, two studies address visualization for natural language processing research. The Bubble Sets visualization draws secondary set relations around arbitrary collections of items, such as a linguistic parse tree. From this design study we propose a theory of spatial rights to consider when assigning visual encodings to data. Expanding considerations of spatial rights, we present a formalism to organize the variety of approaches to coordinated and linked visualization, and introduce VisLink, a new method to relate and explore multiple 2d visualizations in 3d space. Intervisualization connections allow for cross-visualization queries and support high level comparison between visualizations. From the design studies we distill challenges common to visualizing language data, including maintaining legibility, supporting detailed reading, addressing data scale challenges, and managing problems arising from semantic ambiguity.
Evolution of Local Adaptation During Plant Invasion: Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria – Lythraceae) in Eastern North America
Keywords: Lythrum salicaria
quantitative genetics
evolution
range limits
genetic constraints
invasive species

Biological invasions provide opportunities to study evolutionary processes occurring during contemporary time scales. Here, I combine a literature review of common garden studies of invasive plant species, with field and glasshouse experiments on populations of the outcrossing, perennial, wetland invader Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife - Lythraceae), to investigate the evolutionary genetics of local adaptation in reproductive and life-history traits. A review of 32 common garden studies of 28 introduced species identified previously unrecognized latitudinal clines in phenotypic traits in both native and introduced populations. To obtain direct evidence for clinal variation and local adaptation, I investigated populations of L. salicaria sampled along a latitudinal gradient of growing season length in eastern North America. Controlled pollinations of plants from 12 populations provided no evidence for the breakdown of self-incompatibility to self-compatibility towards the northern range limit. However, a quantitative genetic experiment involving 20 populations revealed latitudinal clines in population mean, variance and skew for days to flower and vegetative size. Broad-sense estimates of genetic variance were significant for most traits; however, strong inter-correlations among traits suggested that fitness trade-offs have constrained population divergence. The observed clines supported a model of selection for early flowering in northern populations constrained by a trade-off between age and size at flowering. A comparison of variance-covariance matrices of family and population means (G and D, respectively) of life-history traits demonstrated that populations have evolved in response to selection under genetic constraints, rather than through neutral processes. A reciprocal transplant experiment involving six populations and three common gardens spanning the latitudinal range provided direct evidence for local adaptation in flowering phenology. Populations maintained the same rank-order for time to flowering and vegetative size at each site, and southern populations had the highest fecundity at the southern site but the lowest at the northern site. Finally, a phenotypic selection analysis in each common garden involving 61 F2 families of crosses between a northern × southern populations confirmed that selection favours earlier flowering in northern populations. These results demonstrate that natural selection on reproductive phenology has accompanied the invasive spread of L. salicaria in eastern N. America.
Minoritized Parents, Special Education, and Inclusion
Keywords: special education
inclusion
minoritization

While there is a large body of literature on the subject of inclusion from a student’s perspective in terms of program delivery, little has been written about how minoritized parents are included in special education processes. This critical study examines how minoritized parents – those who are at times disadvantaged because of how they are differentiated within society – are included in and/or excluded from special education in the varying circumstances associated with this process. To delve into the parameters and implementation of special education identification, placement, and program delivery, I spoke with four minoritized parents and one minoritized youth engagement worker. Additionally, I examined codified policies and regulations, in order to consider how individuals interpret and shape the enactment of this policy within school cultures. In recording and coding the stories of minoritized parents, I have found that Ontario’s system of identification, placement, and program delivery presently leads minoritized parents to experience varying degrees of inclusion and/or exclusion. These degrees may be influenced by a number of circumstances, including how knowledge, language, positioning, and philosophy are presented. As outlined in this paper, Ontario’s Ministry of Education, along with school boards across the province, may pursue a number of different change avenues, and these paths will inevitably lead to different outcomes. While some paths may lead to conflict resolution and enriched inclusion, others may intensify situations of exclusion. Any sort of policy change that sets out to transform special education identification, placement, and program delivery along an Inclusion/Exclusion, Transparency/Opaqueness continuum would ultimately have to address a variety of complications. While the two general forces of larger social context and policy complications are addressed in the concluding chapter of the paper, the specific manner in which they materialize cannot be predicted with complete accuracy. Rather than articulating a detailed set of instructions to redesign policy, I hope to generate critical reflection and discussion on the matter of transforming Ontario’s special education model. If special education inclusion is to be enriched in Ontario, change is imperative.