VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Dividing Lines: Early Photogravure, Reproduction, and the History of Photography
Keywords: Charles Amand-Durand
Édouard Baldus
Historiography
Nineteenth-Century France
Photography
Photogravure

The refinement of photomechanical techniques, which would ally photography to publishing and solve the problem of image fading, was a chief concern of the French photographic establishment from the 1850s through the 1870s. Photomechanical prints from this period exist in collections worldwide and are noted in seminal publications devoted to the history of photography, but they are rarely subjected to serious analysis. This owes in part to the persistent assumption that their only use is reproductive, in the replicative sense; to their hybrid nature as ink-based prints with photographic roots; to a teleological understanding of early photomechanical processes as tentative steps along the path to the halftone; and to their holding institutions—frequently, libraries rather than art museums, which are not obvious points of departure for visual scholarship, do not catalogue archival holdings at the item level, and infrequently employ adequate vocabularies for the description of visual materials. Over time, photomechanical prints from the dynamic period of their initial florescence have become invisible as compared to photographs from the same period. Amongst photomechanical processes, photogravure was the closest to traditional fine-art printmaking in its materials, applications, and techniques. It also had the greatest impact on the development of fine-art photography at the end of the century, as Peter Henry Emerson’s and the Pictorialists’ process of choice for the dissemination, and oftentimes elaboration, of their work. This dissertation is the first to focus on photogravure prints made prior to Emerson’s. It traces the incomparably productive and sustained photogravure career of Édouard Baldus (1813–1889) in order to comprehend the field as a whole. Baldus’s photogravures point toward three categories of production: facsimiles of line engravings; creative translations of silver-based photographs; and original images elaborated only, in their final form, as photogravures. Through analyses of all-but unknown prints and practices in each category, this study challenges assumptions about what photogravure produced and the relevance of its products to nineteenth-century audiences. It furthermore argues that the study of these seemingly marginal photographic objects can illuminate key issues in photography scholarship, such as reproduction, image manipulation, and field formation.
Self-management Support Needs and Longitudinal Trajectories of Symptom Burden on Survival in Advanced Breast Cancer: A Population-based Study
Keywords: advanced disease
health services research
longitudinal methods
metastatic breast cancer
observational study
self-management

Background: Advanced (metastatic) breast cancer patients are understudied, and with their survival increasing in recent years, understanding their symptom burden and self-management support needs across the disease trajectory becomes important. Objectives/Methods: Based on Andersen’s Behavioral Model of Health Services Utilization, this dissertation had three main objectives: 1) to characterize the self-management behaviours and self-management support needs of advanced stage cancer patients for managing chronic symptom burden using a scoping literature review methodology; in a population-based sample of metastatic breast cancer patients: 2) to examine the longitudinal trajectories of symptom burden (based on Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) symptom scores) and the influence of covariates on trajectory patterns using group-based trajectory modelling, and 3) to examine the predictive effect of longitudinally-collected symptom scores on patient time to death and the influence of patient characteristics, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, home care and palliative care on overall patient survival using joint modelling analysis. Results: A total of 55 articles within the scoping review identified a wide variety of self-management behaviours utilized by patients with advanced cancer and a wide range of self-management support needs to manage the physical effects and cope with the emotional consequences of an advanced, chronic disease. For the second objective, six distinct group trajectories for symptom burden were identified within the population-based cohort. Patients with higher baseline symptom burden were likely to follow a high, uncontrolled symptom burden trajectory over time with the trajectory patterns predicted by chemotherapy, radiotherapy, home care and palliative care in different ways. Lastly, chronic, ongoing low symptom burden was identified in patients for the third objective, with results from the joint modelling showing that symptom burden predicts patient survival. Conclusions: Metastatic breast cancer patients have heterogeneous symptom burden trajectories over time and utilize a range of self-management behaviours with diverse self-management support needs. Controlling patient symptom burden becomes important due to increased risk of death. Treatment and supportive care, such as self-management support should be tailored to meet patient needs and be based on the core skills of self-management support accordingly.
The Birth of the Animal: The Politics of Interspecies Culture in China, 1900-1959
Keywords: humanism
interspecies affects
modern Chinese literature and culture
the animal
the human-animal relationship

In the first sixty years of the twentieth century, China witnessed the emergence of contested expressions of nonhuman animals and cultural politics of human-animal relations. This dissertation is a historical investigation into the emergence of modern Chinese conceptions of the animal and their effects on modern Chinese culture. Many of these concepts and practices challenged the dominant modern divide between the human and the (nonhuman) animal. They also paved the way for critical cultural practices that envisioned social, ethical, and affective bonds between humans and animals, and created alternative imaginations of the human. In order to prove this contention, this dissertation examines a series of animal-related concepts and practices via literary texts, translations, popular science essays, cartoons, and social campaign documents at five moments stretching from the early twentieth century to the first decade of socialist China. The dissertation organizes the sources chronologically. Each chapter considers a distinct set of conceptions of the animal and the human in the related historical moment. I examine two contested approaches to human-animal relations in the first decade of the twentieth century in my first chapter. One is represented by anarchist Li Shizeng李石曾 (1881-1973), who envisioned a world of a multi-species coexistence without hierarchies. The other approach is associated with Lu Xun 魯迅 (1881-1936) and Zhou Zuoren 周作人 (1885-1967), both of whom incorporated a construction of brutalized animality in their early writings. The emergence of Chinese popular science essays was a result of the epistemic politics between European animal science and the technique of taxidermy and Chinese philological and folk conceptions and practices of species. I prove this intermingling via Jia Zuzhang’s 賈祖璋(1901-1988) bird writings from 1920s and 1930s in my second chapter. I also argue that the writings of Lü Bicheng 呂碧城 (1883-1943) re-imagined animals as half-humans—unfixed subjects––who actively receive the pains and bodily affects from others in my third. My case studies of Feng Zikai 豐子愷 (1898-1975) and Hongyi 弘一 (1880-1942) grounds my fourth chapter. Through their exploration of the new artistic form of manhua 漫畫 (cartoons), they rendered visible and sensible invisible violence towards nonhuman sentient beings. Feng and Hongyi’s works re-inscribed the interspecies experiences of pleasure, play, and exile upon memories of war. Finally, I focus on the contested conceptions of the animal in the Eliminating Four Pests Campaign in the 1950s because this campaign (and in resistance to it) emblematize the politics of interspecies affects in twentieth-century China.
Development of Flexible Pressure and Strain Sensors for Electronic Skin Applications
Keywords: Constriction Resistance Model
Flexible Pressure Sensors
Interlocked Flexible Sensors
Large Strain Flexible Strain Sensors
Shape Memory Properties
Stretchable Electrospun Fibers

Human intervention can be replaced through development of devices with a broad range of sensory capabilities for various applications from human-robot-interaction to wearable electronics. Similar to the five human senses, sensors interface with their surroundings to stimulate a suitable response or action. The sense of touch which arises in human skin is among the most challenging senses to emulate due to its ultra-high sensitivity. Development of flexible pressure and strain sensing devices with human-like sensory capabilities has thus been the focus of many studies. Some novel challenging issues brought forth in this area are fabrication of flexible pressure sensors with tunable parameters and high sensitivity, development of a comprehensive analytical model capturing their pressure sensing performance, and fabrication of large strain flexible strain sensors with high stretchability and sensitivity and low hysteresis. Therefore, this work attempts to address some of these issues and provide a platform for further optimization and enhancement of flexible pressure and strain sensors. The research focuses on two main sections: i) Flexible pressure sensors, and ii) Large strain flexible strain sensors. For pressure sensing purposes, the change in the contact resistance is utilized as the main sensing mechanism within two structures as a conductive hydrogel and an interlocked microstructured elastomer. The former is constituted from hollow microspheres whereas the latter contains protruding micropyramids. A semi-analytical model is also developed to capture the change in the contact resistance in response to a mechanically applied stress. For strain sensing purposes, flexible and highly stretchable nano/micro fibers are fabricated using an electrospinning technique. The developed fibers possess shape memory properties which contribute to an enhanced recovery of the sensor after undergoing large deformations. Furthermore, using a thermoplastic elastomer, strain sensors with stretchability up to 1000%, high sensitivity and low hysteresis are fabricated using a modified electrospinning technique.
Co-administration of Complementary Therapies for Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction in Type 2 Diabetes
Keywords: Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular Disease Risk
Clinical Trial
Diabetes
Fibre
Ginseng

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the main cause of mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Selected dietary and herbal supplements with complementary mechanisms of action have been indicated in management of diabetes along with standard therapy. The objective of this thesis was to determine if a 24-weeks co-administration of 4 diet and herbal supplements will improve CVD risk factors beyond conventional therapy in T2D. The project consisted of a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial with two parallel groups involving 104 individuals with T2D (HbA1c: 70.05%) which were randomly assigned to test (10g viscous fiber, 60g Salba-Chia, 1.5g American and 0.75g Korean red ginseng extracts daily), or energy and fibre matched control (53g oat bran, 25g inulin, 25g maltodextrose and 2.25g wheat bran daily) for 24 weeks. Fasting blood was drawn at weeks 0, 12 and 24. Primary and secondary endpoints was change in HbA1c, blood pressure and serum lipids over 24 weeks. The study was conducted at two centres: St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Canada and Vuk Vrhovac University Clinic in Zagreb, Croatia. Results were computed using an intent-to-treat analysis with multiple imputations. Eighty-seven participants completed the trial (test n=44; control n=43). The test intervention significantly reduced HbA1c (0.270.13% (p=0.03) and 24-hour systolic blood pressure by 3.81.2 mmgHg (p
The Dominant Role of Surface States in Electron Transport and Chemical Sensing in InAs Nanowires
Keywords: field-effect-transistor
InAs
nanowire
sensor
surface state
transport

Semiconductor nanowires have shown great promise for applications in electronic, optoelectronic, and chemical sensing devices. Electronic transport in nanowires is confined in two lateral dimensions which obscures the distinction between surface and bulk. Consequently, the properties of nanowire surfaces are intimately tied to the operation and performance of nanowire-based devices. This is most evident in InAs nanowires where the high electron mobility, low effective mass, and native surface accumulation layer augments the unavoidable connection between transport and surface properties. Because of their small size, conventional surface science and capacitance-based measurements for the characterization of nanowire surfaces and surface states are either extremely difficult or not possible. We develop novel conductance-based methods to characterize surface states in InAs nanowire field-effect transistors revealing the spectral distribution of donor-like surface states in the InAs NW bandgap. The effects of chemical surface passivations on the InAs NW transport properties and surface states are characterized. The best results are obtained from 1-octadecanethiol which was found to decrease the density of donor-like surface states in the bandgap and increase the field-effect mobility by ∼ 100%. Capture and emission processes from surface states exhibited thermally activated character and caused hysteresis and relaxation in the nanowire conductance. Slow surface trap densities as high as 4×10^13 cm^−2 are observed when measurement time intervals are expanded. A time-dependent transport model based on non-equilibrium carrier populations and thermally activated capture and emission is constructed that shows excellent agreement with experiment. We demonstrate that the spectral distribution and dynamic characteristics of surface states dictate the transport properties of InAs nanowires. The mechanism of chemical sensing by InAs nanowires is elucidated towards ethanol and NO2. Physisorption and chemisorption mechanisms are identified, and the time-dependent transport model is adapted to describe and predict the sensor response. A new regime of highly sensitive chemical sensing unique to nanowires is identified based on the single molecule sensor response where ethanol concentrations as low as 10 ppb are detected at room temperature by physisorption. Sensing by physisorption is shown to be preferable to chemisorption due to the fast time scale and reversibility of the sensor response.
Exploring Social Inclusion from the Perspectives of Children in an Inclusive Recreation Program
Keywords: children
disability
integration
qualitative methods
recreation
rehabilitation

Children with disabilities continue to have fewer opportunities to experience social inclusion compared to children without disabilities. Having children with and without disabilities participate in integrated recreation programs is one strategy assumed to promote inclusion during childhood. However, what social inclusion means and how it is facilitated in recreation settings is not fully known. Furthermore, it is unclear whether such recreation programs have an influence on any aspect of inclusion outside of the program. Drawing on the perspectives of children with and without disabilities who participated in the same inclusive recreation program, this study aimed to explore: (a) how social inclusion is perceived and experienced; (b) how social inclusion is fostered and promoted, and; (c) whether the program influenced their thoughts or perspectives outside the program. This study adopted a generic qualitative methodology. Seventeen children with and without disabilities who were registered for the same inclusive program were recruited. Each child participated in two semi-structured interviews; one during the program and one four to six weeks after the program. Additionally, three, two-hour observations were conducted while each participant was involved in the program’s activities. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze interview and observation data. This study revealed children’s unique perspectives and experiences of social inclusion in an inclusive recreation setting. From the perspectives of children, social inclusion has three main dimensions; contextual, intrapersonal and interpersonal. Each dimension contained two key aspects of social inclusion that were important to children. This study showed how these aspects of social inclusion can be promoted using specific inclusive strategies, identified by children with and without disabilities, to enable integrated recreation program to be more inclusive. Finally, this study showed that participation in inclusive recreation has an impact on children without disabilities’ attitudes toward people with disabilities generally, which may facilitate a reduction in societal stigma over time. This study helps clinicians, scientists, program developers and policy makers to consider how meaningful inclusion experiences can be facilitated by policy reform, research and service delivery.
Identities and Catalytic Functionalities of Reactive Hydrogen Species during Hydrogen Addition and Oxygen Removal Reactions of Carboxylic Acids, Carbonyls, and Phenols at Transition Metal-solvent Interfaces
Keywords: Heterogeneous catalysis
Hydrogenation
Isotopic labeling
Kinetic measurements
Solvent effect
Transition metal

At transition metal and protic solvent interfaces, H-adatoms (H*) derived from H2 (10-60 bar) dissociative adsorption, and protons (H+) derived from either H* ionization or solvent self-ionization are catalytically reactive H species. These H species participate in or assist with hydrodeoxygenation of phenolics and carbonyls to produce alkanes and alkanols; yet their specific identities and catalytic functions remain unclear. This thesis interrogates the origin, chemical identities, and electronic charge of reactive H species and connects these properties to their catalytic roles within the complex reaction network. These roles depend on the solvent and reactant identity and lead to rate equations that depend on the number of catalytically active sites during the hydrodeoxygenation of C3-C6 carbonyls, acetic acid, and phenols on Ru, Pt, and Pd clusters in protic solvents. Across all three catalytic systems of carbonyl hydrogenation, acetic acid hydrodeoxygenation, and phenolic hydrodeoxygenation, H+ and H* both play their respective roles as intermediates in the overall catalytic system. It is proposed that H+, derived from H* ionization, adds onto the carbonyl oxygen followed by H* addition onto the carbonyl carbon, thus leading to C=O hydrogenation. Proton transfer steps cause the rate constants to increase as the proton affinity of the carbonyl group increases or as the solvent dielectric permittivity increases. Acetic acid undergoes rate limiting C-O bond rupture on a vacant Ru site to form a surface acyl group. The acyl undergoes H* and H+ addition to form a valuable ethanol product. The selectivity of ethanol is found to increase with H* and H+ concentrations that are in turn determined by the square root of the H2 pressure and acetic acid concentration, respectively. Quasi-equilibrated H* addition to the aromatic ring of guaiacol leads to the formation of partially saturated enol intermediates. H+ from the solvent catalyzes the tautomerization of the partially saturated enol, leading to the formation of its keto tautomer that either undergoes C-OCH3 bond cleavage or another H* addition to form hydrodeoxygenation or hydrogenation products.
Mathematics, Structuralism, and the Promise of Realism: A study of the ontological and epistemological implications of mathematical representation in the physical sciences
Keywords: Mathematical Representation
Philosophy of Physics
Scientific Realism
Structuralism

Realists often suggest that scientific knowledge is grounded in the mathematical representation of nature (e.g. Stein, 1989; Worrall, 1989; Ladyman, 1998; Cao, 2003; Ladyman and Ross, 2009; and French, 2014). However, it is important to clarify what it is about mathematics that allows it to accurately represent the physical world. This is one of the principal challenges at the foundation of the philosophy of science. It not only concerns the nature of scientific knowledge, but also the methodology of physical inquiry and the nature of physical reality. In this dissertation, I present a study of the methodological, epistemological, and ontological constraints implicit in the application of mathematics in the physical sciences. In the introduction, I provide an account of the problem of mathematical representation and a brief summary of the history of structuralism in the philosophy of science. In the second chapter, I offer a critique of the structural realist's account of the mathematical content of scientific theory in order to highlight the holistic nature of mathematical representation in the physical sciences. In the third chapter, I present an account of the constraints implicit in the use of mathematics in physical theory. In the fourth chapter, I outline the presuppositions of the `mapping' account of mathematical representation and provide a critique of the supposed conformity that must exist between mathematics and nature in order to support the structuralist conception of mathematical representation. In the fifth chapter, I address a number of challenges that concern the grounding of natural law in the mathematical concepts of symmetry and invariance and the viability of a scientific realism based in this mathematical conception of natural law. Throughout, I critically re-examine the nature of modern mathematical physics and the viability of the recent turn toward structuralism in the philosophy of science. I conclude with a discussion of possible avenues for further research that might help address some of these concerns. Through a discussion of the problems inherent in the application of mathematics in the physical sciences, this dissertation brings renewed attention to the constitutive role that mathematics plays in modern physical theory, and provides a novel perspective on how issues of scientific representation should be conceived in the philosophy of science.