VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Frank Nunan and the Guelph Bookbindery: A Documentary Investigation
Keywords: book history
print culture
nineteenth century
print trades
bookbinding
Guelph
Canada
Frank Nunan

The History of the Book in Canada / Histoire du livre et de l’imprimé au Canada and other national book history projects have been a catalyst for research into the local production of print and have highlighted the need for more study of the print trades in smaller centres. In Ontario during the nineteenth century independent weekly newspapers were printed in most villages, while larger towns boasted more than one print shop and often one or more booksellers and stationers. Bookbinders were active members of the book trades selling books and stationery, ruling paper, binding local pamphlets, periodicals, and books, and manufacturing blankbooks for a variety of purposes. Since much local printing was ephemeral in nature, the only evidence of its existence is found in the record books kept by printers and binders. Partial business records and other surviving artifacts of the Guelph Bookbindery, which operated from 1855 to 1978, are both a rich source of evidence of the day-to-day operations of the bookbindery and a key to the intersection of print trades in Guelph, Ontario, and the surrounding counties. This study uses local imprints, blankbooks, authors’ papers, newspapers, directories, maps, assessment records, photographs, museum artifacts, and oral history accounts to reconstruct a history of the bookbindery and its place in the print culture of nineteenth-century Guelph. It documents the transformation of a business selling books, stationery, and wallpaper into a commercial bindery, which along with local printers produced large numbers of pamphlets, ubiquitous then but increasingly rare today. It is a view into the microcosm of a dynamic community where print was a vital medium for communication reflecting the cultural, commercial, and entrepreneurial discourse in nineteenth-century Canadian society that reached far beyond its borders.
Constant-RMR Implementations of CAS and Other Synchronization Primitives Using Read and Write Operations
Keywords: distributed computing
theory
shared memory
algorithms
compare and swap
synchronization

We consider asynchronous multiprocessors where processes communicate only by reading or writing shared memory. We show how to implement consensus, all comparison primitives (such as CAS and TAS), and load-linked/store-conditional using only a constant number of remote memory references (RMRs), in both the cache-coherent and the distributed-shared-memory models of such multiprocessors. Our implementations are blocking, rather than wait-free: they ensure progress provided all processes that invoke the implemented primitive are live. Our results imply that any algorithm using read and write operations, comparison primitives and load-linked/store-conditional, can be simulated by an algorithm that uses read and write operations only, with at most a constant-factor increase in RMR complexity.
Surface and Crustal Response to Lithospheric Removal Processes: Insights From Numerical and Analogue Modeling
Keywords: Lithosphere
Delamination

Geological, geophysical, and geochemical evidence indicates that a significant portion of the continental mantle lithosphere may be absent in a number of regions near plate boundaries or plate interiors. Delamination and viscous Rayleigh-Taylor instability (“dripping”) are widely cited to account for the missing lithosphere, however these removal processes are poorly constrained. This thesis examines the dynamics of delaminating and dripping mantle lithosphere, in particular focusing on the response of the crust to underlying lithospheric removal. Using forward computational models, I explore whether certain (surface) geological observables may be diagnostic of either removal mechanism. Surface topography associated with delamination has a broad zone of uplift above the lithospheric gap and a mobile zone of subsidence at the delamination hinge, whereas with dripping lithosphere, the topographic expression is symmetric and fixed above the mantle lithosphere downwelling. The pattern of crustal deformation is also distinctly asymmetric with delamination compared to dripping lithosphere. Expanding on these results, I investigate whether present day geological geophysical observables in Eastern Anatolia are consistent with delamination of the mantle lithosphere. Experimental results demonstrate that well-developed plateau uplift, syn-convergent extension, and crustal thinning in the central part of the Anatolian plateau are consistent with a topographic profile at longitude 42ºE and a geologically interpreted zone of syn-convergent extension in eastern Anatolia. With three-dimensional physical scaled analogue modeling experiments, I consider the process of oceanic plate subduction evolving into continental delamination. Model results show that slower plate convergence with retreating ocean lithosphere subduction can develop into delamination,whereas for the experiments with higher plate convergence, the crust above the consumed mantle lithosphere becomes accreted on the retro-plate similar to flake tectonics. The results suggest that delamination is a process analogous to subduction retreat; however, delamination involves decoupling of the retreating mantle lithosphere slab from the buoyant continental crust.
Transition Metal Complexes and Main Group Frustrated Lewis Pairs for Stoichiometric and Catalytic P-P and H-H Bond Activation
Keywords: frustrated Lewis pairs
small molecule activation

Stoichiometric and catalytic small molecule activation reactions are vital for the synthesis of new materials. The activation of phosphorus-hydrogen or phosphorus-phosphorus bonds allows for the facile synthesis of new phosphorus-containing molecules for a wide variety of applications.1 An investigation of the P-H dehydrocoupling reaction was undertaken utilizing two rhodium(I) based catalysts. Over the course of this investigation it was found that the Rh(I) systems were also active catalysts for the reverse reaction: phosphorus-phosphorus bond hydrogenation (and hydrosilylation). This reaction was exploited for the synthesis of novel phosphines from P-P bound species. Molecules with P-P bonds were reacted in a stoichiometric fashion with the catalyst precursor, producing a variety of novel species with interesting bonding features which shed some light on the reaction mechanism. Following the discovery in 2006 that a linked phosphine-borane system could reversibly activate hydrogen2 a tremendous effort has been put forth to understand and expand this unprecedented reactivity.3,4 This new archetype for metal-free small molecule activation, containing a bulky Lewis acid and Lewis base which are unable to bond directly due to steric repulsion, has been termed a “frustrated Lewis pair” (FLP).3,4 The FLP concept is expanded to include bulky P-P bound species, pyridines and P-O bound Lewis bases as partners for B(C6F5)3. In some cases small molecule activation produced ion pairs or zwitterions related to those found for reactions with tertiary phosphines,3,4 but in others novel reaction pathways were discovered including phosphorus-phosphorus bond cleavage, catalytic hydrogenations and the formation of novel intramolecular FLPs. An unexpected situation was observed for the pair of 2,6-lutidine with B(C6F5)3, where adduct formation was observed along with free Lewis acid and base, but H2 activation by the FLP proceeded smoothly. Covalently bound phosphinoboranes of the general formula R2PB(C6F5)2 are synthesized. While systems with small R groups dimerized, monomers existed for cases with bulkier R groups. These monomers were found to exhibit extraordinarily short phosphorus-boron bonds yet were still capable of H2 activation analogous to bimolecular phosphine-borane systems. These systems also showed unique reactivity with Lewis acids and Lewis bases. This work further demonstrates the broad and general utility of the FLP concept in the synthesis of new materials and in catalytic transformations.
Predicting the Use of Aggressive Behaviour among Canadian Amateur Hockey Players: A Psychosocial Examination
Keywords: aggression
violence
hockey
predictive
framework

In the wake of 21 year old Don Sanderson’s death (January 1st, 2009), the direct result of head injuries sustained during an on-ice hockey fight, the social and political appetite for eliminating violence in amateur hockey appears to be at an all time high. Unfortunately, due to a variety of methodological and conceptual limitations previous research is currently unable to provide a unified and valid explanation for sport-specific aggression (Kirker, Tenenbaum, & Mattson, 2000). One of the primary impediments facing our understanding of sport-specific aggression is the descriptive and fragmented nature of the current body of literature. Over the years a number of independent lines of research have been undertaken, through which several psychological and social factors have been identified as potential determinants. However, in many cases these constructs have yet to be tested against athletes’ actual aggressive behaviour in sport and thus their predictive contribution to our understanding is still unknown. Consequently, the purpose of the current investigation was to assess the predictive influence of several commonly cited psychosocial constructs on amateur hockey players actual within-competition use of aggressive behaviour over a competitive season. A trait aggressive personality disposition emerged as the strongest and most stable predictor of athletes’ aggressive behaviour, accounting for 10 – 40% of the statistical variance depending upon the age and competitive level of the athletes under investigation. Differences in the overt expression of the this trait aggressive disposition between age cohorts (bantam / midget) and competitive levels (house league / rep) suggests that environmental and contextual factors also play a significant role in facilitating or repressing athletes’ aggressive behaviour. As such, the results of the current study support an interactive explanation for hockey-related aggression, whereby situational (e.g., team norms, perceived reinforcement) and personal factors (e.g., trait aggressive disposition, ego orientation) interact to either increase or decrease an athlete’s likelihood for committing aggressive penalty infractions over a competitive season. The current results are plotted and discussed within the parameters of Anderson and Bushman’s (2002) General Aggression Model (GAM), which is a frequently cited interactionist framework used in the broader study of human aggression.
Essays in Strategy
Keywords: categorization
social networks
negative affect
cognition

My research examines how different organizational phenomena function under psychological and cognitive constraints. My first study examines how audiences evaluate an established or taken-for-granted category in negative moods. Categories facilitate exchange by serving as mental models or schemas that substitute for an organization’s attributes to help audiences make sense of what they see. Established categories are further postulated to be legitimized and taken for granted by audiences. Both organizations and audiences are thought to place a high value on category membership, preferring the schema-based category to the individual attributes underlying the category. Considering the preferences of a broad audience segment about an established category, I examine the boundary conditions that can cause the schemas of a legitimized category to fail. I propose that negative mood or affect will blur the category boundary causing it to no longer be preferred to the individual attributes. I further hypothesize that negative affect will induce a reversal of preferences, and offer a unified theory as to why negative affect can cause audiences to prefer the attributes underlying the category over the category itself in their evaluations. Results from data on a representative sample of individuals support these hypotheses. In my second study, I examine how social capital accrues to individuals who were part of a group from which a member achieved prominence only after the dismantlement of the group. I employ a difference-in-differences estimation strategy to identify endogenous social effects in the context of the Hollywood film industry and find significant positive results for egos who worked with ex-post Oscar winning alters within four to six years prior to the alters’ Oscar win. Social capital effects break down, however, for length of prior years in either the too recent or too distant past. I attribute these findings to individuals’ incorrect recall of past events.
"Sounding Nature, Sounding Place": Alternative Performance Spaces, Participatory Experience, and Ritual Performance in R. Murray Schafer’s Patria Cycle
Keywords: Canadian Music
Opera
Ritual
Ethnography
Participatory Performance
Performance Space
Soundscape
R. Murray Schafer
Community
Canadian Identity

R. Murray Schafer (b. 1933, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada) is a seminal voice in Canadian music, due not only to the often controversial, but widespread international reception of his extensive spectrum of works, but also, due to his distinct approach to composition. Schafer’s Patria cycle (1966- ) employs unorthodox performance locales and contexts, a confluence of art forms and sensory experiences, and demands active audience participation, defining Patria as one of the most ambitious stage works. In this dissertation I explore two essential frameworks that are seminal in the discussion of Patria; firstly Schafer’s compositional processes, broadly defined, that come into play in Patria, and secondly, the performative and theatrical aspects in Patria. Through four ethnographic case studies, I suggest that the use of alternative performance spaces, participatory performance, and ritual performance foster an artistic and social environment that has the potential, if participants choose to fully engage in the experience, to alter participants’ perception of the importance of the environment, community, spirituality, and artistic and sensorial experience in contemporary society. In Chapter 1 I provide a discussion of Schafer’s concepts of soundscape and the theatre of confluence and how they are applied in Patria, and outline my research methodology, including my fieldwork experiences from working onsite during Patria productions from 2003 through 2007. In Chapter 2 I examine and contextualize four aspects of performance that reoccur throughout Patria and are specifically detailed in my four case studies: alternative performance space, participatory experience, and ritual performance. My four case studies, Chapter 3 The Princes of the Stars, Chapter 4 Asterion, Chapter 5 The Enchanted Forest, and Chapter 6 And Wolf Shall Inherit the Moon, argue that my participatory approach to Patria comprehensively illustrates how site, work, environment, and community interact, forming a distinctive performance experience.
The Effect of Molecular Targeted Agents used in Combination with Chemotherapy to Inhibit the Repopulation of Tumour Cells and Xenografts
Keywords: Solid tumours
Repopulation

Chemotherapy is often administered once every three weeks to allow repopulation of essential normal tissues such as the bone marrow. Repopulation of surviving tumour cells can also occur between courses of chemotherapy and can decrease the efficacy of anticancer treatment. This thesis aims to characterize repopulation, to study the effect of targeted cytostatic agents to inhibit repopulation, and to determine the optimal scheduling of chemotherapy and molecular targeted treatment. The distribution of proliferating and apoptotic cells in human squamous cell carcinoma (A431) xenografts was studied following chemotherapy using fluorescence immunohistochemistry. There was an initial decrease in cell proliferation and in the total functional blood vessels, and an increase in apoptosis observed following treatment with paclitaxel chemotherapy. A rebound in cell proliferation occurred approximately 12 days following treatment, which corresponded with a rebound in vascular perfusion. The effect of gefitinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor, to inhibit repopulation between courses of chemotherapy was determined using EGFR-overexpressing A431 cells and xenografts. Furthermore, concurrent and sequential schedules of combined chemotherapy and molecular targeted treatment were compared. Gefitinib inhibited the repopulation of A431 cells in culture when administered sequentially between chemotherapy; sequential treatment was more efficacious than concurrent treatment probably because concomitant scheduling rendered quiescent cells less responsive to chemotherapy. However, in vivo studies using chemotherapy in combination with gefitinib or temsirolimus, a mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor, showed that concurrent scheduling of combined treatment was more effective at delaying regrowth of xenografts than sequential treatment; this was likely due to dominant effects on the tumour microenvironment. The work completed in this thesis has shown that repopulation occurs in A431 xenografts following paclitaxel treatment, and these changes are associated with changes in the tumour vasculature. Repopulation of A431 cells was inhibited by gefitinib administered sequentially with paclitaxel. However, studies in mice showed better inhibitory effects when chemotherapy was given concomitantly with cytostatic agents such as gefitinib or temsirolimus. Our in vivo data highlight the importance of characterizing changes in the tumour microenvironment when determining optimal scheduling of chemotherapy and molecular targeted treatment.
Essays in Political Economy and the Economics of Organisations
Keywords: Microeconomic Theory
Political Economy

This thesis groups three papers in applied microeconomic theory that focus on political economy and the economics of organisations. The first chapter studies the equilibrium outcomes of a dynamic game of electoral competition between two policy-motivated parties. I model incumbent policy persistence: parties commit to implement a policy for their full tenure in office, and hence in any election only the opposition party is free to choose a new platform. The model gives rise to novel equilibrium policy dynamics: governments alternate in power; parties compromise, that is, starting from differentiated ideological positions, they gradually move towards proposing platforms which resemble one another; however, they never capitulate, that is, party labels matter and parties maintain distinct policy goals. The second chapter studies a directed search model of competition between sellers that control the quality of buyers' private information about goods. As better informed buyers extract more informational rents from trade, sellers may try to attract buyers by offering better information. First, I establish how the characteristics of exogenously fixed sale mechanisms determine equilibrium information provision. Information provision is higher under competition than under monopoly, yet partial information is provided for many sale mechanisms. Second, when sellers commit to both information provision and mechanisms, I identify simple conditions under which every equilibrium has full information. In these equilibria, sellers capture the efficiency gains of information provision and compete only over non-distortionary rents offered to buyers. Retaining the option to develop a currently inactive project often requires maintaining specialised stocks of knowledge. However, standard models of experimentation treat the choice of one project over another as entailing only an implicit opportunity cost. In the third chapter, I characterise the optimal experimentation policy in a model in which undeveloped projects have explicit maintenance costs and can be irreversibly discarded. Projects which in the absence of maintenance costs would be developed only after more promising projects fail are sometimes developed first and then discarded early. Maintenance costs alter optimal project development by providing incentives to bring the option value of less promising projects forward.
Investigating the Interaction of Semiconductor Quantum Dots with in vivo and Cellular Environments to Determine Disposition and Risk
Keywords: quantum dots
pharmacokinetics
nanoparticle
toxicity

Nanomaterial toxicity is a major concern and could potentially hamper the progress of biomedical nanotechnology development. Dispelling these concerns requires that the consequences of nanomaterial exposure are evaluated, and the findings will determine whether developmental hurdles can be overcome. This thesis evaluates the both in vivo and in vitro impact of quantum dots (QD , zinc sulphide capped cadmium selenide semiconductor nanocrystals) a fluorescent nanoparticle label with potential as an optical in vivo imaging agent. This work reviews nanoparticle characterization techniques and their importance to biological responses, and surveys QD interactions both in vivo and in vitro. We collected pharmacokinetic and toxicity data by a) quantitatively surveying the in vivo absorption, distribution , metabolism and excretion of QDs, and b) measuring the impacts of QDs on relevant organs (in vivo) and cells (in vitro). Neither of these areas had been explored when this thesis was started. In vivo, intravenous QD dosing in Sprague-Dawley rats showed uptake into reticuloendothelial cells with surface coating dependent kinetics, slow degradation, no excretion detected in feces or urine, and no indications of toxicity. The liver took up the majority of dose after 90 minutes and small amounts of QDs appeared in the spleen, kidney, and bone marrow. After 30 days, the cadmium concentration in the kidneys increased to 3µg/g without a proportional amount of zinc, indicating QD breakdown. In vitro we noted phagocytic capacity comparable to in vivo results, QD breakdown, and a retention of normal macrophage function thereby demonstrating that primary rat liver macrophages (Kupffer cells) are an appropriate in vitro system with which to investigate the cellular responses to quantum dots. Such an in vitro model will facilitate faster evaluation of individual nanotechnologies intended for in vivo use. This dissertation addresses a lack of in vivo background information needed to understand the consequences of QD exposure; though QD fail to demonstrate pharmacokinetics desirable for in vivo imaging agents, they are not toxic. Importantly, we provide in vitro data that will lead to the development of accurate and efficient in vitro primary screening methods that will be central to the further development of biomedical nanotechnologies.