VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Machine Learning for Aerial Image Labeling
Keywords: machine learning
remote sensing
neural networks

Information extracted from aerial photographs has found applications in a wide range of areas including urban planning, crop and forest management, disaster relief, and climate modeling. At present, much of the extraction is still performed by human experts, making the process slow, costly, and error prone. The goal of this thesis is to develop methods for automatically extracting the locations of objects such as roads, buildings, and trees directly from aerial images. We investigate the use of machine learning methods trained on aligned aerial images and possibly outdated maps for labeling the pixels of an aerial image with semantic labels. We show how deep neural networks implemented on modern GPUs can be used to efficiently learn highly discriminative image features. We then introduce new loss functions for training neural networks that are partially robust to incomplete and poorly registered target maps. Finally, we propose two ways of improving the predictions of our system by introducing structure into the outputs of the neural networks. We evaluate our system on the largest and most-challenging road and building detection datasets considered in the literature and show that it works reliably under a wide variety of conditions. Furthermore, we are releasing the first large-scale road and building detection datasets to the public in order to facilitate future comparisons with other methods.
Toward a Holistic Pedagogy of Art Integration
Keywords: arts-integrated curriculum
holistic education

As a conceptual study, this thesis aims to establish a holistic pedagogy of art integration that would address nurturing the whole child as the goal of education. Over the last few decades, art integration has become an important academic issue in curriculum studies, particularly at the early and primary levels of childhood education. Many have entertained various modes of art integration to promote their personal or institutional philosophies and goals of schooling. As a result, we see some popular arts-integrated programs which can be characterized as ‘interdisciplinary,’ ‘cognitive,’ ‘social,’ or ‘cultural.’ Those programs and approaches suggest, in one way or another, that there are good reasons why we need to be more active in including the arts into curriculum. Our schools would be better off with a well-thought-out arts-integrated curriculum. In this movement, however, there is a critical problem: many have come to believe that the arts are useful in so far as they are good for brain development and academic improvement. This mechanistic or cause-effect view of the relevance of the arts to education has gained solid support and is becoming the major focus when teachers and schools try to integrate the arts into their curricula. Facing this situation, this study proposes a holistic pedagogy of art integration through 1) refining the holistic curriculum with the help of process thought, 2) conceptualizing natural spirituality and its relevance to the whole child, 3) establishing the holistic ways of doing the arts in curriculum, 4) building holistic models of art integration, and 5) discussing some working programs and designing one that best exemplifies the holistic models. The holistic pedagogy of art integration to be established in this study is, then, intended to be one that would remedy some critical issues like reductionism and dualism engrained in the conventional view of art integration that currently dominates our school culture. The holistic ways of the arts developed in this thesis are suggested as one of the more promising ways of transforming our schools into learning and caring communities where our children will have a better chance to thrive as ‘whole persons.’
Low-cost Data Analytics for Shared Storage and Network Infrastructures
Keywords: computer science
software
data analytics
data centers

Data analytics used to depend on specialized, high-end software and hardware platforms. Recent years, however, have brought forth the data-flow programming model, i.e., MapReduce, and with it a flurry of sturdy, scalable open-source software solutions for analyzing data. In essence, the commoditization of software frameworks for data analytics is well underway. Yet, up to this point, data analytics frameworks are still regarded as standalone, em dedicated components; deploying these frameworks requires companies to purchase hardware to meet storage and network resource demands, and system administrators to handle management of data across multiple storage systems. This dissertation explores the low-cost integration of frameworks for data analytics within existing, shared infrastructures. The thesis centers on smart software being the key enabler for holistic commoditization of data analytics. We focus on two instances of smart software that aid in realizing the low-cost integration objective. For an efficient storage integration, we build MixApart, a scalable data analytics framework that removes the dependency on dedicated storage for analytics; with MixApart, a single, consolidated storage back-end manages data and services all types of workloads, thereby lowering hardware costs and simplifying data management. We evaluate MixApart at scale with micro-benchmarks and production workload traces, and show that MixApart provides faster or comparable performance to an analytics framework with dedicated storage. For an effective sharing of the networking infrastructure, we implement OX, a virtual machine management framework that allows latency-sensitive web applications to share the data center network with data analytics through intelligent VM placement; OX further protects all applications from hardware failures. The two solutions allow the reuse of existing storage and networking infrastructures when deploying analytics frameworks, and substantiate our thesis that smart software upgrades can enable the end-to-end commoditization of analytics.
Pedagogy of Mythos
Keywords: education
philosophy
democracy
myth
neoliberalism
meritocracy

This work is a philosophical examination of the relevance and function of socio-political myths in education. Central to this work is exploring the antinomy between myth and reason. Drawing on the work of philosopher Hans Blumenberg, I defend his view that one should go beyond the myth and reason antinomy and understand myth as an important and unique mode of symbolic orientation that, along with reason and science, is an essential part of humanity’s symbolic interaction with the world. From this view, I explore how socio-political myths are philosophically and practically relevant to the analysis of society in general and education specifically. Of particular importance, I argue that a philosophical understanding of ‘socio-political myth’ should be integrated as part of the critical democratic conception of education. By integrating a substantive philosophical understanding of socio-political myths into the critical democratic framework, a number of important pedagogical implications are revealed. Specifically, this work reveals how two particularly powerful socio-political myths that are currently embedded in the Canadian education system, the meritocratic and neoliberal myths, ultimately erode and undermine values, beliefs and educational practices that are consistent with democracy. In addition, I contend that socio-political myth should be understood as an important and necessary narrative corollary to critical democratic praxis. As such, I conceptualize and defend what I denote as democratic myth as an essential narrative to the development of critical participatory democracy both in and through education. Finally, I conclude this work by examining how democratic myth may be practically developed by teachers and students.
Public, Private, and Informal Home Care in Canada: What are the Determinants of Utilization and the Interrelationship among Different Types of Services?
Keywords: aging
home care
public
private
informal care
determinants
panel methods
Canada

In Canada and internationally, increases in Home Care (HC) services for the elderly have been a policy priority in recent decades. HC services include Home Health Care (HHC) and Homemaking/Personal Support (HM). The primary objectives of this study were to explore the interrelationship among publicly funded, privately funded, and informal HC services in terms of potential for substitution, and between publicly funded HHC and HM services; and the determinants of the receipt of each type of HC services. Stabile, Laporte, and Coyte’s family home care decision model (2006) was extended, to develop an understanding of the demand for HHC and HM services separately and to include different household arrangements. The consequential hypotheses were tested in two empirical studies. Individual panel data for those aged 65 and over were derived from 8 biannual waves of the Canadian National Population Health Survey (1994-95 to 2008-09). A Panel Two-Stage Residual Inclusion method was used to estimate the likelihood of the receipt of HC services, adjusting for socio-demographic, health status, disability, dependence on help with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), and regional characteristics. The results showed that receipt of publicly funded HM is complementary with receipt of publicly funded HHC services after adjusting for functional and health status. Receipt of publicly funded and privately funded HM services did not show an effect on each other. Receipt of publicly funded HM did not affect the receipt of informal HM services. The availability of informal care from a partner or other adult sharing the household reduced the likelihood of publicly funded HM receipt. Age, dependence on help with ADLs, health status and income are determinants of the propensity to receive publicly funded HHC and HM services as well as privately funded and informal HM. Findings in this study suggest that changes in the availability of publicly funded HC services may not greatly affect the provision of informal care in Canada. The complementary effect between publicly funded HHC and HM services and the income effect in the receipt of publicly and privately funded HC services may raise concerns about equitable access to HC services in Canadian jurisdictions.
Small Molecule Activation and Transformation using Aluminum-based Frustrated Lewis Pairs
Keywords: Frustrated Lewis pairs
Aluminum
small molecule activation
CO2
N2O
H2
main group
phosphine

While hundreds of papers have been published on frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) – the combination of bulky Lewis acids and bases which cannot form adducts – few of these use aluminum-based Lewis acids. The research outlined in this thesis expands the small molecule activation chemistry of FLPs to include Al.Combinations of bulky phosphines and AlX3 (X = halide or C6F5) with CO2 leads to the rapid activation to form the complexes R3P(CO2)(AlX3)2 (R = otol, Mes). Subsequent treatment with ammonia borane (AB) results in the rapid reduction of the CO2 fragment to methanol after water quench. Subsequent reactivity studies have established that AB adducts of AlX3, which react with CO2, are key intermediates in this chemistry. Further studies with Mes3P(CO2)(AlX3)2 revealed that these can reduce exogenous CO2 to CO, along with the generation of Mes3P(C(OAlX2)2O)(AlX3) and [Mes3PX][AlX4]. Detailed experimental and theoretical mechanistic investigations outline a possible mechanism involving direct CO2 insertion into free AlX3, followed by nucleophilic attack by PMes3 resulting in the expulsion of CO. Reactions with olefins were also investigated. While addition products of the type R3P(CH2CH2)AlX3 could be obtained with ethylene, C–H bond activation occurred with bulkier olefins. The resulting allyl species underwent subsequent C–C bond forming reactions with other olefins or CO2. Hydrogen was also activated using PR3/AlX3 FLPs to form species of the general formula, [R3PH][(H)(AlX3)2] (X = I, C6F5). These were found to reduce unactivated olefins, generating the redistributed products [R3PH][AlX4] and RAlX2 (R = alkyl). Attempts to circumvent this redistribution and favour alkyl protonation, thus generating a catalytic hydrogenation catalyst, are also discussed. Finally, the activation of N2O was also examined. While addition products could be formed, unexpected aromatic or benzylic C–H bond activation chemistry occurred in the presence of excess Al. A radical reaction pathway is proposed
A Mechanistic Examination of Redox Cycling Activity in Carbonaceous Particulate Matter
Keywords: redox cycling
dithiothreitol
aerosol
particulate matter
diesel particles
secondary organic aerosol
health
atmospheric oxidation

Mechanistic aspects of carbonaceous aerosol toxicity were examined with respect to the ability of particles to catalyse reactive oxygen species-generating redox cycling reactions. To investigate the role of secondary organic material, we examined two systems. In the first, two-stroke engine exhaust particles were found to increase their ability to catalyse redox cycling in the presence of a reducing agent, dithiothreitol (DTT), when the exhaust was exposed to ozone. This occurred through deposition of redox-active secondary organic aerosol (SOA) onto the particle that was ten times more redox active per microgram than the primary engine particle. In the second system, naphthalene SOA formed highly redox active particles. Activity was strongly correlated to the amount of the 1,4- and 1,2-naphthoquinone measured in the particle phase. However, these species and the newly quantified naphthalene oxidation product 5-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone accounted for only 30% of the observed DTT decay from the particles. Gas-particle partitioning coefficients suggest 1,4- and 1,2-naphthoquinone are not strong contributors to ambient particle redox activity at 25°C. However, a large number of redox active species are unidentified. Some of these may be highly oxidised products of sufficiently low vapour pressure to be atmospherically relevant. DTT activity of diesel particles was found to be high per unit mass. The activity was found to be associated with the insoluble fraction as filtration of the particles nearly eliminated DTT decay. Neither methanol nor dichloromethane extracts of diesel particles exhibited redox activity, indicating that the redox active species are associated with the black carbon portion of the particles. Examination of particle concentration techniques found that use of water condensation to grow and concentrate particles introduced a large organic artefact to the particles. Experiments with concentrated inorganic particles suggest that the source of this artefact is from irreversible uptake of water-soluble volatile organic compounds. Overall, carbonaceous redox active species can be thought of as a continuum from small, water-soluble species to redox active functionalities on elemental carbon backbones. In addition to clearly defined, quantifiable species, future research may need to consider examining broader chemical classes or redox-active chemical functionalities to overcome the inherent complexity of these constituents.
Antibody-mediated Positron Emission Tomography Imaging of Brain Amyloid-beta Pathology
Keywords: Antibody
Imaging

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and is classified as a progressive neurodegenerative disease that impairs memory and cognition. Definitive diagnosis requires access to brain tissue and clinicians rely primarily on behavioural observation. Few specific, reliable, and well-characterized quantitative tools are in development. The accumulation of misfolded amyloid-beta protein in the brain is one of the hallmark pathological features of Alzheimer’s disease. Molecular imaging strategies have focused on measuring the amount of cerebral amyloid-beta. Antibody-mediated molecular imaging of amyloid-beta offers a promising strategy to measure specific types of amyloid-beta pathology in the central nervous system. This work characterizes the attempted translation of 4 anti-amyloid-beta antibodies from histological tools to live animal positron emission tomography imaging contrast agents. Several mass transfer properties of the classical anti-amyloid-beta antibody 6E10 were measured as a function of age in the TgCRND8 mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. 6E10 was used to extensively label amyloid-beta plaques after direct injection into the cortex of TgCRND8 mice. 6E10 was subsequently covalently modified with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) in order to increase the blood concentration and promote higher brain uptake of the compound. PEG-modification of 6E10 enabled differentiation of TgCRND8 mice from wild type control mice using live animal imaging. Three additional antibodies were screened in a similar fashion; two of these antibodies targeted parenchymal amyloid-beta plaques and one targeted vascular amyloid-beta deposits. One of the antibodies that targeted parenchymal amyloid-beta plaques and the antibody that targeted vascular amyloid-beta were used to differentiate between TgCRND8 and wild type control mice using live animal imaging. This work demonstrates the successful use of 3 anti-amyloid-beta antibodies to detect amyloid-beta pathology using non-invasive imaging techniques and presents a credible framework for translating promising antibodies into contrast agents.
"To read, write and cast accounts": Foucault, Governmentality, and Education in Upper Canada/Canada West
Keywords: Foucault
governmentality
public schooling
biopolitics
genealogy
liberalism
neoliberalism
racism
political economy
1837 Rebellion
Upper Canada
Canada West
Lord Durham
Ryerson
Irish Readers
Monitorial School
literacy
Locke
Ontario public schools
subjectification
liberal government
philosophy of education
history of education
Ontario
power and education
hegemony
autonomy
freedom

Contributing to the work of philosophers of education who have been examining issues of economy and emancipation, this dissertation employs a set of critical lenses drawn from Foucault’s investigation of governmentality to trace correspondences between economic liberalism and public schooling in Upper Canada/Canada West, the historical antecedent of present day Ontario. The analysis adheres to Foucault’s advice that philosophical critique involves a question asked of the present but answered in history. Thus through a Foucauldian genealogy it is argued that a series of transformations in the deployment of governmental power occurred in Upper Canada/Canada West that entailed the entry of an economic rationality into deliberations over the creation of a school system. To support this argument evidence is presented that demonstrates how race, biopolitics, and the burgeoning science of political economy combined in the first half of the nineteenth century to form the conditions of possibility for governmental control of schooling. In particular, it is illustrated how these conditions favoured a pedagogy based in Locke’s epistemology, and were legitimized by the providential status accorded political economy. This pedagogy, which was promoted as mild and so conducive to student engagement, and the authority of political economy are revealed as integral to the methods of instruction and curriculum of the province’s common schools, and indicative of the legacy of economic liberalism that persists, albeit transformed, in Ontario education to this day. The result of this critical analysis is a redescription or, in Foucault’s terminology, a “countermemory” of Ontario educational history that challenges the presumed naturalism of the ideals characteristic of economic liberalism, such as autonomy, accountability, entrepreneurialism, and consumer choice. The dissertation contends that these ideals are active in local educational regimes long legitimized by economy, and dangerously aimed at fostering political consent by manipulating subjects into locations of restricted agency. Providing insight into the historical role played by liberal governmentality and economy in the local context contributes to the study of Foucault and the philosophy of education, and also suggests a change in approach to questions regarding the corporatization or marketization of education.
Social Contexts in Postsecondary Pathophysiology Textbooks: How Type 2 Diabetes is Understood
Keywords: type 2 Diabetes
textbooks
education
Foucault
neoliberalism
pathophysiology textbooks
neoliberal
critical discourse analysis
social determinants of health
individualism
content analysis
public health

Abstract Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a disease that has trebled in incidence over the last 25 years, affecting both adults and increasingly children. The rapid increase of the disease mirrors the gradients of social position and income distribution, and parallels the accelerated environmental changes witnessed with the rise of neoliberal capitalism. This research situates neoliberal capitalism as a collection of political and economic policies that form an ideology suited to protect discrete elite interests. The current ideology has permeated all social aspects of society, including education and healthcare. Therefore, it is argued that the practice of healthcare and the education of healthcare students are shaped by the sociopolitical environment in which they exist. Ten best-selling postsecondary textbooks in pathology, pathophysiology, and disease processes were selected for content analysis to determine if the interpretation of type 2 diabetes in pathophysiology textbooks reflects neoliberal thinking. The data were interpreted within the tradition of critical discourse analysis and theoretically enriched using Foucault’s descriptions of governmentality, biopolitics, and discursive formations. The results indicate that notions consistent with neoliberal capitalism permeate pathology textbooks in the understandings of type 2 diabetes. Consistent with how neoliberal thought embodies and explicates social conditions, type 2 diabetes is described in a way that stresses iii self-responsibility and culpability for falling ill. The texts also impart the importance of biomedical industry interventions for the treatment of the sick and the surveillance of the healthy. Finally, in a way that substantiates the degradation of the environment and retrenchment of social welfare policies, the textbooks fail to make any reference to the ecological factors that contribute to type 2 diabetes, including urbanisation and the propagation of food deserts, environmental toxins, income inequality, the steepening of the social gradient, and the deleterious effects of globalisation on human nutrition.