VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Precautionary measures: race and the politics of "sex education" in black women's lives
Keywords: Women, Black, Canada
Sex instruction
Mothers and daughters
Racism, C6anada

Black mothers are largely thought to communicate information about sex and sexuality in cryptic and proverbial ways. This includes stern warnings to their daughters about personal ruin and compromised morality should they come into sexual contact with a man. Cautious messages such as, 'don't let a boy touch you' is the extent of sex education for many daughters. Explanations regarding our mothers' reluctance to present straightforward information about sex and sexuality include strict religious upbringing; embarrassment; lack of knowledge; or the belief that the school will teach us what we need to know. While these are valid explanations, I propose that cryptic messages are also connected to our mothers desire to socialize daughters into educated and independent women. Our mothers' mantra is: "keep your legs closed and your head in the books. Once you have a career the man and the children will follow!" This qualitative study with fourteen African Canadian mothers and daughters aims to determine how discourses about 'sex education' are produced and how they ought to be understood. It pursues these goals by examining the dynamics and complexities of the mother-daughter relationship using grounded theory and a Black feminist analysis. The data collected revealed that while mothers do talk to their daughters about sex, these conversations are largely shaped by the desire that their daughters should have more choices for a better quality life. This is particularly so for mothers who know the sting of gendered racism in the labour market. The research proposes a more complex look at Black mothers' role in socializing their daughters for success under oppressive social and economic conditions.
A Navier-Stokes equation solver using agglomerated multigrid featuring directional coarsening and line-implicit smoothing
Keywords: Navier-Stokes equations, Numerical solutions
Multigrid methods (Numerical analysis)
Turbulence, Mathematical models

An explicit agglomeration multigrid method is presented for the Navier-Stokes equations with the Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model and applied to turbulent aerodynamic flows. The use of agglomeration provides an automated method for producing a sequence of coarse grids for use with multigrid. The solver employs a finite-volume formulation with a multistage relaxation scheme to produce steady-state solutions. Artificial dissipation is provided through a blend of an undivided Laplacian and biharmonic operator. Block-Jacobi preconditioning with matrix dissipation has been implemented. This solver is capable of using structured and unstructured grids, including mixed-element grids, with the primary focus being the use of unstructured grids. Competitive convergence rates approaching the theoretical limit of 0.75 for a second-order method are demonstrated for inviscid flow problems. Validation of inviscid and viscous results relative to two reference solvers and experimental results are presented. The main focus of this research is the improvement of convergence rates for turbulent flow problems. The performance of explicit multigrid methods applied to turbulent flow problems has typically been shown to be far slower than that for inviscid flow problems. Two techniques to improve the performance of explicit agglomeration multigrid for turbulent flow problems are presented. Directional-coarsening alters the agglomeration algorithm to directly alleviate numerical stiffness arising from grids containing high-aspect-ratio cells. Line-implicit smoothing alters the block-Jacobi preconditioner to introduce implicit terms along non-crossing lines constructed in the grid. Both methods are investigated separately and in combination to determine the best set of parameters and the limits of these methods. Substantial reductions in the cost of obtaining a solution are demonstrated for laminar and turbulent flow problems, with solutions converged over 10 orders of residual reduction being obtained in 25–33% of the time required for the base multigrid solver using isotropic coarsening.
Oral and written language abilities of grade 2 children: a longitudinal study
Keywords: Children, Language
Language disorders in children, Longitudinal studies

The purpose of this thesis was to characterize the oral and written language abilities of grade two children whose speech and language skills were assessed during their preschool years. The study compared these abilities through the administration of standardized assessment tools, including articulation, syntactic, semantic, metalinguistic, reading and spelling tests. Specific research goals included building a profile of each child based on the longitudinal data in order to chart particular developments across time, as well as to uncover possible oral language precursors to written language difficulties. Through the above research, it was found that the children assessed exhibited oral and/or written language difficulties during grade 2 and that their speech/language profiles changed significantly over time. The most significant oral language factors associated with grade 2 written language scores were found to be metalinguistic (including phonological awareness) and semantic language scores. Educational significance of the above findings is discussed.
The ART of representation: memory reduction and noise tolerance in a neural network vision system
Keywords: Control theory
Manipulators (Mechanism), Design and construction
Computer vision
Remote control, Equipment and supplies
Fuzzy systems

The Feature Cerebellar Model Arithmetic Computer (FCMAC) is a multiple-input-single-output neural network that can provide three-degree-of-freedom (3-DOF) pose estimation for a robotic vision system. The FCMAC provides sufficient accuracy to enable a manipulator to grasp an object from an arbitrary pose within its workspace. The network learns an appearance-based representation of an object by storing coarsely quantized feature patterns. As all unique patterns are encoded, the network size grows uncontrollably. A new architecture is introduced herein, which combines the FCMAC with an Adaptive Resonance Theory (ART) network. The ART module categorizes patterns observed during training into a set of prototypes that are used to build the FCMAC. As a result, the network no longer grows without bound, but constrains itself to a user-specified size. Pose estimates remain accurate since the ART layer tends to discard the least relevant information first. The smaller network performs recall faster, and in some cases is better for generalization, resulting in a reduction of error at recall time. The ART-Under-Constraint (ART-C) algorithm is extended to include initial filling with randomly selected patterns (referred to as ART-F). In experiments using a real-world data set, the new network performed equally well using less than one tenth the number of coarse patterns as a regular FCMAC. The FCMAC is also extended to include real-valued input activations. As a result, the network can be tuned to reject a variety of types of noise in the image feature detection. A quantitative analysis of noise tolerance was performed using four synthetic noise algorithms, and a qualitative investigation was made using noisy real-world image data. In validation experiments, the FCMAC system outperformed Radial Basis Function (RBF) networks for the 3-DOF problem, and had accuracy comparable to that of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and superior to that of Shape Context Matching (SCM), both of which estimate orientation only.
Investigating the structure and aggregation of dissolved organic matter using NMR spectroscopy
Keywords: Chemistry, Analytic
Environmental sciences

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) represents one of the largest and least understood pools of organic carbon on Earth. Despite its importance in many environmental processes, fundamental aspects, such as the structure and associations of DOM, still remain ambiguous. This thesis provides findings on aspects of DOM research that are necessary for a greater understanding of DOM reactivity and interactions in the environment, including structural components and self-associations (i.e. aggregation). A new passive isolation technique is described, which combines a selectively-permeable membrane and an ion-exchange resin to filter and concentrate DOM. The passive sampler removes the need for active sampling (i.e. pumping of large volumes of water) and isolates material similar to traditional methods. A newly-developed NMR water suppression technique permits the analysis of DOM at natural abundance, and validates that isolation techniques yield similar material to DOM from the environment. This new water suppression technique also permits characterization of DOM without concentration or pretreatment, allowing the analysis of limited or precious samples (e.g. pore water, ice cores).
An exploratory study of professional managers' informal and formal learning in the job or career change process
Keywords: Executives, Training of
Employees, Training of
Non-formal education
Learning

This paper is an exploratory study of how professional managers use employment-related informal and formal learning to change jobs or careers. Quantitative data, from national surveys, were combined with qualitative data, derived from interviewing ten professional managers, to discover what role employment-related informal and formal learning played in their job or career change process. The majority of the professional managers in this study had learning, both informal and formal, as a high priority in designing their move to and becoming established in a new place of work. This study illustrates the importance that these professional managers place on both employment-related informal and formal learning in the job or career change process.
Between fire and ice: Studies in Jewish and Christian centrism in the 19th century
Keywords: Religion, History
Jews, Study and teaching

This thesis is concerned with the emergence and development of what I am calling "centrist religion" in Judaism and Christianity from the middle of the nineteenth century to the beginning of the First World War. My thesis will argue that what will become Conservative Judaism, on the one hand, and Victorian Anglicanism, on the other, self-consciously placed themselves in the middle position of their respective traditions. Although the direct points of contact between the two were few, they were accessing common concepts.
The hidden curriculum of web portals: shaping participation in online networks
Keywords: Web portals
Consumers, Research
Consumer behavior
Consumer profiling
Online information services
Computer literacy
Telecommunication in education

The World Wide Web (WWW) is an important site of and for learning, but it is necessary to deconstruct the kinds of learning the Web encourages. Web portals are a common entry point to the online world. Portals have gained in popularity in recent years, as their general utility as sites of reference has led to their commercial and educational use. As the term portal implies, these sites are intended to serve as launching points from which users may enter the World Wide Web. Web portal users log on with a username and password, then customize or personalize the datastructure that will be presented to them. As key sites of informal learning about and with technology, portals may influence how habits of technology use are encouraged--and conditioned--as people learn to use portals in their everyday lives. This thesis examines several types of web portals, and theorizes the informal learning commensurate with a public pedagogy of popular culture. ...
God is dead, go study abroad: Adopting an intentional Nietzschean pedagogy of Study Abroad
Keywords: Foreign study, Philosophy
Critical pedagogy
Discrimination in education

Study Abroad programs are often thought of as a panacea for the demands of globalization. However, what are the ethical and epistemological outcomes of these programs? Do they create a distorted view of the world whereby the traveller sees merely reflections of herself? Are programs reinforcing stereotypes when the student mistakes her limited experiences for the multitude of experiences and diversity offered by the hosts? Are we perpetuating forms of oppression when we take knowledge from our hosts without reciprocating?This thesis explores pedagogic practices involving study abroad programs, turning to Friedrich Nietzsche for the foundations of an intentional pedagogy of study abroad. From this foundation, I ask what it would look like to inquire successfully from locations foreign to us. Congruous to Nietzsche's philosophy, a nuanced reading of Maria Lugones' concept of 'world-travelling' provides strategies that allow the student traveller to respond positively to the challenges of study abroad.
An historical study of Athenian verse epitaphs from the sixth through the fourth centuries BC
Keywords: Epitaphs, Greece
Inscriptions, Greek, Greece

This dissertation explores the social and historical significance of Attic verse epitaphs from their appearance in the second quarter of the sixth century to the late fourth century. By examining verse epitaphs in context (both archeological and literary), the thesis assesses the way in which various strata of society commemorated the dead; it thereby permits acquaintance with a wider range of people than found in literary sources. The material under investigation consists primarily of verse epitaphs edited by P.A. Hansen in Carmina Epigraphica Graeca, with the addition of a few recent discoveries. Since this dissertation considers the archeological context of inscriptions, including the appearance of the inscription, type and location of the monument, etc., it also makes extensive use of archeological data. ...
The reproductive decision making process of lesbian women: a qualitative study
Keywords: Lesbian mothers
Lesbians, Family relationships
Lesbian mothers, Psychological aspects
Fertility, Human

Previous research has examined the reproductive decision making process only within specific contexts related to the experiences of heterosexual women. The current qualitative study explores the experiences of 13 lesbian women. In the field of reproductive decision making, a focus on lesbian women is not common. The study involved semi-structured interviews. The responses were analyzed with the constant comparison method. It was found that participants considered three types of issues: general motherhood issues, issues related specifically to lesbian motherhood, and issues that had particular meaning for lesbian individuals. The actual mechanics involved with lesbian motherhood was also a consideration. Four motherhood viewpoints comprised of assumptions and desires became evident: do not want to have children at all; do not want to have children and believe that it is not possible; want children, but believe that it is not possible; and want children and believe that it is possible.
The impact of motivation of sexual offenders' progress in treatment
Keywords: Sex offenders, Rehabilitation
Sex offenders, Canada
Sex offenders, Treatment
Psychosexual disorders, Treatment
Sex crimes

Motivation is often presented as a major contributor to treatment outcome; however, empirical study demonstrating its specific influence on treatment is uncommon, even more rare is the examination of it among offender populations. The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of offender motivation on progress in community-based, sex offender programming in order to validate it as a significant responsivity variable in correctional treatment. One hundred and three adult male offenders undergoing treatment in the community completed the Attitudes Toward Correctional Treatment Scale (Baxter, Marion & Goguen, 1995), University of Rhode Island Change Assessment Scale (McConnaughy, DiClemente, Prochaska & Velicer, 1989), Relapse Prevention Knowledge Questionnaire (Beckett, Fisher, Mann & Thornton, 1996), Goal Attainment Scale (Hogue, 1993), and the Sex Offence Information Questionnaire (Hogue, 1993) on two occasions. The definition of motivation was based on client engagement factors and framed within the transtheoretical model of change. The results supported that stage of change generally functioned as predicted in the theoretical model and was related to variance in attitudes toward correctional treatment. Motivation also influenced the offenders' self-evaluation; the concordance with treatment providers' appraisals was greater with higher motivation. Level of motivation was associated with suspensions but not with revocations and technical violations. In sum, motivation was substantiated as a significant client variable that influenced treatment. It is therefore recommended that motivation, as a facet of the therapeutic alliance, be considered a responsivity variable and that future research focus on the clarification of its role in the treatment process with the objective of enhancing the efficacy of correctional interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)
Issues of corporate governance in Russia
Keywords: Corporate governance

In this paper, the issues of corporate governance in Russia are addressed. The study aims to shed light on corporate governance problems in Russia and analyze their roots. The paper confirms the fact that objective external criteria such as fast insider privatization in Russia, corruption, weak judicial system and ineffective court system as well as undeveloped external instruments of corporate governance have a detrimental effect on corporate governance quality in Russia. As a consequence, it leads to the wide-spread violation of shareholder rights. The recommendations provided in this work will definitely give positive results upon their implementation. So it is necessary for Russia to continue the process of developing the external instruments of corporate governance as well as improving the overall economic and legal situation. This would enhance efficiency of single companies as well as the national economy as a whole, thereby enhancing the economic growth and attracting foreign investment.
Teaching styles and faculty attitudes towards computer technology in teaching and learning at a college in Ontario
Keywords: Universities and colleges, Ontario
Teachers
Teaching, Ontario
Education, Higher, Study and teaching
Education, Higher, Ontario
Education, Higher, Effects of technological innovations on
Education, Higher, Ontario
Education, Higher, Data processing

This study examined faculty teaching styles and attitudes towards the cognitive effects of computers in instruction. A survey instrument (demographic questions, a teaching style inventory (TSI), three computer attitude scales, a behavioral control, and an instructional computer use scale) was administered to full-time post-secondary faculty. The response rate was 40% with 158 useable surveys received. The demographic data analysis showed that the sample was highly representative of the population. Significant evidence (problematic reliability values and clustering results for the teaching styles) suggested that the TSI was of questionable value for this population. Faculty had significantly higher mean scores on every teaching style than the norming population. Faculty had positive attitudes towards the cognitive effects of computers in instruction but were more positive about the cognitive effects of computer technology on themselves and their students than the learning environment. Faculty felt confident about using computers and were using computers in instruction in significant numbers; however advanced users of computers in teaching were still the exception with faculty practicing ‘just enough’ learning of instructional computer use. Significant relationships were discovered among the various scales and the demographics. Women were more learner-centered but less likely to believe that instructional computer use affected them positively, and were less confident than men. Technical program faculty were more teacher-centered and confident while arts, music and theater faculty were more learner-centered. Faculty with significant computer experience but fewer years of teaching experience were more confident and faculty with significant computer experience in technical programs were more advanced users of computers in instruction. Support for the conceptual framework (the Theory of Planned Behavior) was not found as expected in the relationships between teaching style and computer attitudes. However relationships, supporting the framework, were found between instructional computer use and the computer attitude and behavior control scales. It is theorized that traditional teaching style inventories are lacking and a new conceptualization of teaching behaviors related to the use of computers in instruction is needed. In a predictive model, the learning environment and the behavioral control scales accounted for 36% of the variation in the use of computers in instruction.
Reading the science centre: an interdisciplinary feminist analysis of museum communication
Keywords: Science museums, Environmental aspects
Museum exhibits, Moral and ethical aspects
Science museums, Ontario
Women, Legal status, laws, etc
Feminist criticism
Sex discrimination against women
Museum exhibits, Social aspects

Science centres are concerned with developing the public understanding of science, and are institutions through which scientific claims about sex and gender are generated and communicated. This interdisciplinary dissertation looks at the process of communicating gender representations in the Ontario Science Centre permanent exhibition A Question of Truth (AQT), in an effort to better understand museums as settings for informal (and potentially transformative) adult learning. AQT is an unusual exhibition that raises questions about scientific objectivity and social discrimination in Western science. The development process used to create AQT was likewise innovative. Exhibit development is rarely documented and published, so my treatment of the five-year development of AQT is also a contribution to the museology literature. This study draws on prior museum learning research, communication theory, feminist standpoint epistemology, and transformative learning theory, and develops a cultural model of museum communication that considers both museum and visitor meaning-making. Data collection techniques included: (1) interpretive content analysis of the exhibition, (2) document analysis on exhibit development files and visitor comment sheets, (3) “intercept” interviews with 18 visitors (and more extensive visitor observations), and (4) long-interviews with five exhibit development team and one advisory panel members. Document analysis and interview findings demonstrate exhibit developers included consideration of gender discrimination as a minor theme throughout the exhibit development process. My reading of the installed exhibition found attention was paid to offer sex-balanced images and voices in the displays. The treatment of sex-based discrimination, however, was largely overlooked in favour of a focus on scientific racism. While most visitors did recognize the main point, describing the exhibition in terms of its social discrimination theme, most failed to connect the concepts of discrimination and scientific bias, and very few recognized any gender content. A few visitors provided evidence of potential transformative learning. However, the staff involved in developing the exhibition experienced the most significant learning; it required painful reflection on institutional practices and personal identities, and resulted in transformative learning for many of the staff involved. I conclude with some suggestions for future exhibit development strategies, applying my reflexive model of museum and visitor meaning-making.