VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Analytical Solutions of Heat Transfer for Moving Bed Heat Exchangers

Effectively heating and cooling granular solids is a requirement of numerous industrial processes. Moving bed heat exchangers (MBHEs) are a technology of choice employed in the transfer of heat to granular materials. This thesis focuses on the development of analytical solutions for co- and counter-current parallel-plate and vertical pipe MBHEs. In the analyses, all of the solutions are explored at important limits, as well as graphically, and are found to be in agreement with the physical expectations of the different problems. In the first section, an analytical solution is obtained for a parallel-plate MBHE operating co-currently. A solution for the non-homogeneous steady-state convection-conduction problem is obtained by means of Laplace transforms, and inverses are identified using the expansion theorem. Since counter-current configurations yield increased thermal gradients and reduced capital investments, the analysis is extended to the parallel-plate counter-flow orientation. An analytical solution is again obtained by means of Laplace transforms; however, unlike the co-current system, the solution is revealed to be a function of the capacity ratio. Vertical pipe MBHE geometries are employed in various mining and metals applications. As such, the third part of this thesis presents analytical solutions in cylindrical coordinates for MBHEs operating both co- and counter-currently. The expressions obtained follow the Cartesian parallel-plate solutions, with the important replacement of trigonometric functions with Bessel functions. Finally, an important assumption of most MBHE models, including those here, is that negligible heat conduction occurs in the direction of particulate motion. In the final section of this thesis, an analytical solution for a parallel-plate MBHE model including axial heat conduction is developed. To make the analysis tractable, the external fluid is assumed to maintain constant temperature, describing phase change applications. The solution is verified by contrasting it with a numerical solution, and found to be in agreement. Using the analytical expression, it becomes possible to quantitatively validate the assumption through the generation of error maps detailing the error associated with neglecting axial heat conduction. These maps will help design engineers identify conditions under which axial heat conduction is a relevant transport mechanism that must be accounted for.

Keywords: Analytical solutions
Moving bed heat exchangers
Parallel plate
Vertical pipe
Advisor: Bussmann, Markus
Warnica, William D
Three Essays on Strategic Human Resource Management

This thesis examines three key aspects of strategic human resource management (HRM). Chapter 1 uses an eight-year longitudinal survey to investigate how patterns of change in high-performance work systems (HPWS) relate to innovation and financial performance of organizations. Results suggest that long-run consistency with continuous incremental change in training and recruitment systems is positively related to organizations’ innovation and financial performance. Conversely, short-run consistency with episodic change in compensation and employee involvement systems is positively associated with both measures of performance. Drawing on institutional theory and the contingency perspective of HRM, Chapter 2 uses hierarchical linear model to study how multilevel environmental and organizational factors – international competitive pressure, capital intensity, firm size, unionization and ownership – influence firms’ use of short-term labor contracts, contract duration, training, and employee involvement programs. Using a survey of 313 manufacturing plants in China, this paper finds that approximately 5 to 7 percent of the total variance in the four HRM programs are explained by industry-level factor and provides empirical support for mimetic isomorphism. Chapter 3 focuses on HR differentiation which refers to the practice of managing individuals or groups of employees differently based on the value they deliver to an organization using individual-based, workforce-based or job-based approaches. This paper suggests that HR differentiation is a source of firm's competitive advantage. Findings supports that the hypothesized causal chain linking HR differentiation, strategic performance of HR system, firm strategic performance and financial performance.

Keywords: employment relations
firm performance
HR flexibility
HR system
human resource management
strategic HRM
Advisor: Verma, Anil
Strategies to Improve Acquistion of Technical Skill in Surgical Residents: From Screening Technical Ability at the Time of Selection to Incorporating Performance Adjuncts during Training

Introduction: Evidence suggests that not all trainees reach technical competence. Therefore the purposes of the included studies were to improve resident selection by investigating screening tools (visual spatial tests (VSTs) and technical tasks (TTs)) that may predict technical ability of incoming trainees, and to determine whether metal practice is beneficial as a performance enhancement strategy during training. Methods: Screening with VSTs as a predictor of laparoscopic ability was evaluated using the PicSOr, cube comparison (CC) and card rotation (CR) tests and correlated to technical performance on the camera navigation (LCN) and laparoscopic circle cut (LCC) tasks. To screen trainees using TTs, a Delphi of Canadian general surgery (GS) program directors (PD), was performed to gain consensus on the simulated TTs best suited for incoming trainees. K-mean clustering learning curve (LC) analysis was used to determine acquisition of TTs. Next, mental practice was evaluated in a randomized control trial to assess its impact on advanced laparoscopic technical performance. Results: Thirty-seven residents were screened using VSTs. Residents who scored higher on the CC test had more accurate LCN path length (rs(PL) =-0.36, p=0.03) and angle path (rs(AP) =-0.426, p=0.01) scores. Eleven of 14 GS PDs participated in the Delphi, and consensus was reached that both basic laparoscopic and open skills would be appropriate for the assessment of TTs. LC analysis of 65 students revealed that 7-15% of trainees did not reach proficiency in laparoscopic skills. These students demonstrated poor innate ability, and remained disadvantaged with inconsistent performance throughout their LC. During training, mental practice significantly improved technical performance (p =0â 003). Conclusion: LC analysis of simulated technical skills proved more dependable than VSTs to screen for technical ability in novice trainees, while mental practice is an affective adjunct to technical skills performance and would be a beneficial addition to skills training for senior residents.

Keywords: Learning curves
Mental practice
Selection
Surgical training
Technical skill
Advisor: Grantcharov, Teodor P
Enhanced Layout Optimization and Wind Aerodynamic Models for Wind Farm Design

The proposed project is motivated by the need to develop wake models and optimization algorithms that can accurately capture the wake losses in an array of wind turbines and optimize the turbine placements. In the past 4 years, we have developed capabilities to improve the layout design of wind farms located on complex terrains, as contributions from four major tasks. The outcome of the first task was the creation of a wake interaction model capable of describing the effects of overlapping wakes that can be used in combination with existing mathematical optimization tools for wind farm layout design. Such a model was derived and evaluated against existing wake interaction methods. This wake interaction model enables a mechanistic approach to account for multiple overlapping wakes while remaining compatible with established mathematical optimization methods. In the second task, this wake interaction model was used in conjunction with full-scale CFD simulations to design wind farm layouts. We developed an optimization algorithm that intelligently integrates a mathematical optimization approach to design wind farm layout on complex terrains with full-scale CFD simulations. The two subsequent tasks were focused on developing a wake model capable of producing comparable accuracy as full-scale CFD simulations but at a significantly lower computational cost. The third task focused on studying the effects of turbine blade geometry and atmospheric turbulence on turbine wake development. The findings of this step contributed to the fourth task of developing a new wake model capable of simulating wakes on complex terrains. This model has been validated against full-scale CFD simulations of a turbine placed on the terrain of the Gros-Morne Wind Farm in Quebec. The proposed model allows for fast simulation of wakes, making it ideal for designing wind farm layouts on complex terrains.

Keywords: Optimization
Wake modelling
Wind energy
Wind farm
Advisor: Amon, Cristina H
Functional Analysis of Epithelium-specific ETS Transcription Factor-1 in Inflammation

E26 transformation-specific (Ets) transcription factors are key regulators of hematopoiesis, tissue differentiation, and development, characterized by the presence of evolutionarily conserved DNA-binding domain (DBD) which recognizes a core 5’-GGAA/T-3’ sequence in promoter and enhancer regions of target genes. Epithelium-specific Ets transcription factor-1 (ESE-1), or E74-like factor 3 (Elf3) in mice, is a member of the Ets protein family which is known to be constitutively expressed in epithelial tissues. However, ESE-1 is highly and rapidly induced in non-epithelial cells such as endothelial cells, macrophages, and fibroblasts by pro-inflammatory cytokines, despite its lack of expression under resting conditions in these cell types. ESE-1 is also prominently expressed in various human inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis and vasculitis, and is known to regulate important genes involved in inflammation such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Therefore, previous studies have focused on identifying the role of ESE-1 in inflammation using various cell lines and transfection tools as well as an ESE-1 knockout mouse model, which led to discovery of its many target genes and transcriptional regulation by nuclear factor kappa B (NF-B), the central regulator of inflammation. To further enhance our understanding of ESE-1 in human inflammatory diseases, we hereby investigated the ESE-1 expression and function in human primary cells derived from patients suffering from sepsis or rheumatoid arthritis. We discovered that ESE-1 is constitutively expressed human neutrophils and overexpressed in those from septic patients, and that human and mouse neutrophils display distinct expression pattern of ESE-1/Elf3. Additionally, in contrast to earlier studies, we found that ESE-1 acts as a negative regulator of COX-2 in human rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts (RASFs). These findings, using new experimental approaches that take advantage of the increased availability of better analysis tools, provide new insights into the involvement of ESE-1 in human inflammatory diseases which were previously unrecognized.

Keywords: ESE-1
ETS transcription factor
Inflammation
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Sepsis
Advisor: Hu, Jim
The Impact of External Quality Assurance Policies and Processes on Curriculum Development in Ontario Postsecondary Education

Situated in both the global context of quality movement in postsecondary education in the past few decades and the local context of quality assurance for Ontario postsecondary education in 2013-2014, this study aimed to address this research question: How did the external quality assurance policies and processes that emerged from 2000 to 2014 impact curriculum development in Ontario postsecondary education? The purpose was to examine the relationship between two important topics in contemporary postsecondary educationâ external quality assurance, or EQA, and curriculum development. As the fundamental question for EQA research is whether EQA leads to quality improvement, a deeper question for the study was: Did the accountability schemes in the EQA mechanisms for Ontario postsecondary education lead to quality improvement in terms of curriculum development? If so, how did it happen? The conceptual framework for the study was informed by four perspectives: external influences on curriculum development; process causality and the realist approach to impact analysis; conceptual models of EQA impact; and the importance of the context and the connectivity between the global and the local. In light of the paradigm of critical realism, the project drew upon case study and policy analysis as its strategies of inquiry. The study was conducted on two levels. On the macro- or system-level, document analysis and individual interviews informed the intentions and processes of the existing EQA frameworks for Ontario public universities and colleges. On the micro-level, case studies of seven carefully selected outcomes-based education initiatives shed light on the EQA processes and policy implementation. The analysis focussed on the processes in which the EQA mechanisms had affected curriculum development in Ontario. While conducted in one single province, the study was also concerned with an issue of global concernâ the relationship between accountability and improvement in quality assurance for postsecondary education. The study found that the accountability schemes in EQA mechanisms in Ontario led to some areas of improvement in curriculum development within postsecondary institutions; however, there existed implementation gaps. The analysis revealed a complex reality in the EQA impact processes. The dissertation makes a conceptual, methodological and empirical contribution to EQA studies.

Advisor: Jones, Glen A.
Elongation Factor P-Dependent Translation and Metabolic Phenotypes of Salmonella

The facultative intracellular pathogen Salmonella has acquired adaptations contributing to virulence, including pathogenicity islands and regulatory alterations. Elongation factor P (EF-P) is a universally conserved translation factor, and deletion of efp in Salmonella results in pleiotropic phenotypes, including hyperactive metabolism, reduced stress resistance, and avirulence. Crystal structures demonstrated that EF-P adopts the shape of a tRNA and binds to the ribosome to stimulate peptide bond synthesis. Preliminary analyses suggested that EF-P is not a general translation factor but rather influences a specific subset of proteins. In this thesis I investigate the mechanism underlying EF-Pâ s impact on translation and how its deletion leads to the observed phenotypes. I present the Salmonella EF-P-dependent proteome, and particular proteins offer explanations for efp mutant phenotypes. Meanwhile, other groups discovered that EF-P rescues ribosomes stalled at polyproline motifs. I expand upon their work and show that polyproline motifs are not strictly necessary or solely sufficient to render a protein dependent on EF-P. I demonstrate that residues upstream of the polyproline motif significantly influence stall strength. Furthermore, translation initiation rate greatly impacts EF-P-dependence. I present a model wherein elongation stalls only reduce protein synthesis if they are more rate-limiting than translation initiation. While examining efp mutants, I discovered a novel phenotype of wild-type Salmonella. When dicarboxylates are the sole carbon source, Salmonella represses its growth using the general stress response sigma factor RpoS, the RpoS-stabilizer IraP, and repression of the dicarboxylate transporter DctA. Moreover, E. coli does not exhibit this phenotype and the E. coli dctA promoter is sufficient to induce Salmonella growth. This divergence suggests a potential role in virulence, and I examine the accumulation of succinate and itaconate in activated macrophage. I demonstrate that the dicarboxylate phenotype does not influence intracellular survival, and I propose novel hypotheses of why Salmonella has evolved this trait.

Keywords: Elongation factor
itaconate
ribosome
Salmonella
succinate
Translation
Advisor: Navarre, William W
Problematizing Transition to Adulthood for Young Disabled People

The purpose of this critical qualitative study was to understand how transition to adulthood for young people with developmental disabilities (DD) is constituted as a ‘problem’ in policies and practices across sectors in Ontario and the implications for these young people and their parents. This transition to adulthood has been identified as a policy problem in three provincial government sectors in Ontario, Canada—rehabilitation, education, and developmental services. The problem is predominantly framed as a service transition issue, particularly when young people ‘age out’ of pediatric health services by age 19 and public education by age 21, and seek adult-oriented programs and services. Transition policies have been developed in each sector, shaped by both explicit and implicit understandings of key concepts, such as disability and adulthood. These understandings function to constitute transition as a particular kind of problem, and play a key role in what is considered and proposed to address it, but also what is not considered or potentially neglected or even ignored. What is and is not considered has implications for the health and daily lives of young disabled people and their families. Guided by a problem-questioning approach to policy analysis proposed by Carol Bacchi, I used a multimethod design, including analysis of three policy documents and in-depth interviews with 13 parents, to examine how transition to adulthood is constituted as a problem. My analysis revealed that normative assumptions about ways of being, becoming, and acting as an adult shaped an implied problem of disabled children and their inadequate progression to socially valued adult roles and activities. Policies shaped by these assumptions had both positive (e.g., feelings of self-worth for achieving or approximating socially valued roles and activities) and unintended negative effects (e.g., social exclusion, stress or anxiety when adult roles were not achieved) on young disabled people and their parents. These findings highlight opportunities for rethinking the policy problem in ways that can mitigate unintended harmful consequences on young people with DD and their families and for improving their health and daily life circumstances through healthy public policy and cross-sector coordination.

Keywords: critical qualitative inquiry
disability
multimethods approach
parental perspectives
policy analysis
transition to adulthood
Advisor: Renwick, Rebecca
Lexical Knowledge and Bilingual Reading: Within- and Cross-language Associations of Paradigmatic and Syntagmatic Knowledge in English and Mandarin

The cross-language relationship of lexical knowledge between typologically dissimilar languages has not received much attention in previous studies. The relationship between lexical depth and reading comprehension in English and Mandarin was thus investigated in two studies. In Study 1, 139 Mandarin-English speaking children (n= 87, aged 8-9 years; n= 52, aged 10-11 years) completed parallel measures of two aspects of lexical depth, paradigmatic and syntagmatic knowledge in both English and Mandarin, along with measures of lexical breadth and non-verbal reasoning. Regression analyses showed a cross-language relationship for paradigmatic but not syntagmatic knowledge for both the younger and older children. In Study 2, the same children were measured for working memory, word reading, morphological awareness and reading comprehension in both languages in addition to the measures used in Study 1. Paradigmatic knowledge was found to be a significant predictor of reading comprehension in both languages but syntagmatic knowledge was a unique predictor only for comprehension in Mandarin for both age cohorts. A cross-language relationship was only observed in the older children between Mandarin paradigmatic knowledge and English reading comprehension. Study 1 results provide evidence of a link between the mental lexicons of both languages in Mandarin-English speaking children at the paradigmatic level. Study 2 findings point to the importance of lexical depth in reading comprehension in both English and Mandarin. The cross-language paradigmatic knowledge-reading comprehension link was found in bilingual children learning contrasting languages but was limited to older children. These findings have implications for instructional practice to facilitate lexical development in bilingual children.

Keywords: Bilinguals
English and Mandarin
Lexical knowledge
Advisor: Chen, Xi Becky
Fiber-optic Communication using Discrete Spectral Modulation

This thesis presents signal-processing and encoding methods for fiber-optic communication using the discrete spectrum of the nonlinear Fourier transform (NFT) of signals. Under the action of the NFT, the channel model for an optical fiber, a noisy, nonlinear and dispersive medium, is transformed into parallel scalar channels. Consequently, the NFT spectra (comprised of the continuous and discrete spectrum) have recently been suggested as more suitable signal degrees-of-freedom for information transmission in optical fiber. This thesis explores the potential of modulating the discrete spectrum alone. We propose a multi-eigenvalue communication scheme in which information encoded using only the locations of the discrete eigenvalues. Two encoding methods, multi-eigenvalue position encoding and a lower-complexity trellis encoding, are presented and shown to generate multisoliton signal sets with spectral efficiencies greater than 2.5 bit/s/Hz. These multisoliton signals do not do not undergo any pulse broadening, but we find that they are significantly limited by bandwidth expansion if the link length is not much smaller than a characteristic parameter dispersion length parameter. This limitation implies that encoding information in the eigenvalues alone is only meaningful when dispersion is very small and dominated by nonlinearity, e.g., close to the zero-dispersion wavelength at 1300 nm. We experimentally demonstrate, for the first time, the successful modulation and error-free detection of three-eigenvalue nonlinear frequency division multiplexed (NFDM) signals over an 1800 km link with Raman amplification and digital coherent receivers. The three eigenvalues are modulated by independent on-off keying signals, thus forming 3-bit NFDM symbols for nonlinear fiber transmissions. A novel bi-directional algorithm for computing the discrete spectral amplitudes is proposed, which addresses the significant problem of rounding errors inherent in previously-known techniques. We use the proposed method to obtain (for the first time) accurate spectral-domain noise statistics for 2-soliton signals using numerical simulation.

Advisor: Kschischang, Frank R