VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Real-time wind turbine emulator suitable for power quality and dynamic control studies

A real-time Wind Turbine Emulator (WTE) was developed and constructed that is capable of reproducing the dynamic torque of an actual wind turbine. This emulator models the torque oscillations caused by wind shear, tower shadow, inertia, shaft dynamics and the obvious pulsations caused by variable wind speed. A comprehensive, yet pragmatic model of aerodynamic torque, including the effects of tower shadow and wind shear, was analytically formulated for use in the WTE. The model proves the existence of wind shear induced, blade dependent oscillations and demonstrates that in practice, their presence is masked by the much larger tower shadow induced oscillations. Tower shadow and wind shear cause generator torque oscillations, at multiples of 3 three times the rotor frequency. These and stochastic oscillations, caused by the varying wind speed, are attenuated by addition of the large turbine inertia and to an even greater extent by the flexible shaft dynamics.
People with environmental sensitivities: Life, identity, and services

This study examines the realities and the experiences with regard to health and social services of people with environmental sensitivities (ES), also known as multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS). It also examines how health and social service providers understand this condition as well as their experiences with people with ES/MCS. The study aims to generate an understanding of, as well as a theory about the experiences and realities of people with ES/MCS alongside the understandings and experiences of service providers, analyzing the convergences and disjunctures. Within a qualitative grounded theory design and an eco-feminist perspective, individual interviews were completed with 16 people with ES/MCS (service users) and 16 service providers. Service users were interviewed about their health and social service experiences as well as their health and social service needs. They were also asked how they coped with having ES/MCS and how the condition affected their role in society. Service providers were asked about their understanding of the condition and their experiences in offering services to this population. It was found that service users with ES/MCS face multiple losses in their lives: social isolation, loss of identity, loss of housing, financial losses, and loss of family and friends. Service providers with the closest contact to people with ES/MCS mentioned these losses, but not all service providers described these losses at length. While some service users expressed a loss of identity, others described personal transformations. There was a range of positive and negative experiences in terms of health and social services as well as a range of understandings of the condition from the service providers' perspective. These experiences and understandings were framed within a grounded theory model that provided an explanation within three powerful paradigms that dominate our society: individualism, neo-liberalism and the biomedical model. The grounded theory model also helped explain the interconnections between the realities and the experiences of people with ES/MCS as well as the service providers' understandings of the condition. The implications of these findings and the grounded theory model are also discussed in terms of improving the education of health and social service providers as well as the public.
Examining the experiences of children and families with Toronto's Ronald McDonald House School

This qualitative case study examines the experiences of seriously ill children and their families with Toronto's Ronald McDonald House School since its accreditation in October 2004. Results are based on interviews and questionnaires with seriously ill children, their siblings and parents. This study reveals parents and children view schooling as important during treatment, and were relieved to have access to a school program during a very difficult time. Narratives of their experiences indicate the strengths and weaknesses of the school program at TRMH, and how regular participation in TRMH School affected children academically, socially and emotionally. The parent experience is also explored as results revealed how children's participation in school impacted parents. By asking participants to compare their experiences at TRMH School with other schooling options available for seriously ill children, this study also provides insight into homebound tutoring and hospital school services.
Beauty and ugliness in early modern Iberian literature

Beauty and ugliness can be interpreted as intrinsic aspects of characterization. In the literature of early modern Spain and Portugal, beauty is a central element, especially in female characters, since it defines and determines their identity. Generally speaking, beauty promotes visibility, which in turn captivates the beloved, who praises his lady's beauty through the lyric conventions of courtly verse. Ugliness, in contrast, is reserved for marginal characters. In witches, prostitutes, and other low female characters, bodily ugliness reflects inner disorder and immorality. This dissertation examines these two apparently opposed concepts by defining each one and considering the interaction between them. It offers readings of representative works in several genres that share a concern with beauty: emblems, prose romances, lyric poetry, theater, and courtesy manuals. The authors studied include Gil Vicente, Garcilaso de la Vega, Camoes, Lope de Vega, Cervantes, and Maria de Zayas. The analysis spans the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, a significant period in Iberian history. The rise and decline of empires in both Portugal and Spain, and the shift from the medieval order to a more modern and individualistic society, shape the articulation of literary conventions and demand new modes of conduct. Particular attention is given to the specific treatment of beauty in each of the two national literatures. This study begins with traditional views that connect beauty with virtue and ugliness with vice. It then considers the contradictions inherent in this opposition, in order to suggest that the concepts are not binary opposites, but products of the intersection of literary and social discourses focused on the construction of gender. The works examined not only show the importance of these concepts in early modern Iberia, but in many cases also criticize early modern social practices that stress physical appearance.
Transnational Canadas: Cultural production and the construction of literary communities in English Canada

My dissertation, "Transnational Canadas: Cultural Production and the Construction of Literary Communities in English Canada," contributes to ongoing debates within the fields of Canadian literature and globalization studies by examining the shifts in political thought underlying literary writing produced in Canada since the centennial. How has literature changed since the period of cultural nationalism that produced writers such as Margaret Atwood and Dennis Lee? What agendas underlie their works and those of younger generations of writers in Canada? In addressing these questions, I argue that the rise of a globalizing mindset has increasingly pushed writers to look towards transnational cultural flows for answers about how to write ethically minded literatures. I examine the theoretical field of transnationalism in depth, looking at its genesis in the uneasy confluence of Marxist, poststructural, Indigenous, and postcolonial studies. I focus on the later writings of Jacques Derrida, those of Fredric Jameson, and Gayatri Spivak in order to generate my understanding of the confluence of poststructural, Marxist, and postcolonial thought, and focus on Indigenous scholars Taiaiake Alfred and Craig Womack in order to situate these earlier discourses within a North American context. These theorists all inflect my readings of transnational studies, especially the of writings of Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri. I use these theoretical lenses in order to examine writers in Canada from Leonard Cohen to Dionne Brand. Through reading such texts as Jeannette Armstrong's Slash and Joy Kogawa's Obasan, I delineate the shifts in Canadian literature from cultural nationalism through the debates of the culture wars and identity politics up to the present day. I pursue this inquiry as a means of demonstrating that the changes in writing in Canada are not merely related to overt political reasoning. Rather, I argue that these changes are also epistemological, related to shifting concepts of subjectivity in Western, postcolonial, and Indigenous thought, in which the self becomes increasingly open, questioning the oppositional modes of conducting politics that the consolidation of a Canadian identity around the centennial seems to invite.
Transformative teaching: promoting transformation through literature, the arts, and Jungian psychology

This narrative inquiry studies the professional knowledge and reflective practices of four teachers who promote transformative learning. The investigation focuses on the role of interacting narratives in the construction and reconstruction of their professional knowledge, on the aesthetic and psychological dimensions of their personal practical knowledge, and on their knowledge of the nature and practice of transformative learning. Each of these educators, Ann, Austin, Lily, and myself, has a long standing personal and/or professional practice in the arts and analytical psychology. In this inquiry, I use the concept of interacting narratives (Beattie, 1995a; Beattie, Dobson, Thornton, & Hegge, 2007) in order to study the mariner in which the participants' chosen and life narratives intertwine in the construction and reconstruction of their professional knowledge. I then name and describe ten characteristics of the aesthetic and psychological dimensions of the participants' professional knowledge. Transformative learning is an inherently holistic process that leads to the development of perspectives that are comprehensive, integrated, and differentiated. I describe four phases of transformative learning: creation, analysis, integration, and action. These phases are used by the participants in both traditional and progressive teaching methodologies. For the participants, the content of transformative learning focuses on symbolic source material and on the meta-analysis of symbolic experience through the study of analytical psychology, as well as through the study of the ritual process, and/or the creative process. I describe these teachers' reflective practices and describe three levels of archetypal teacher reflectivity including experiential archetypal reflectivity.
From presumption to confession: A study of Augustine's intellectual development

Despite its iconic status in Western culture, Augustine's conversion in the Milanese garden in 386 (described in Confessions 8.12.29) remains a thoroughly perplexing event. The main difficulty is that it is not clear just how Augustine distinguished between Neoplatonism and Christianity at the time. The gravity of this difficulty can be measured by the fact that Alfaric could argue (in 1918) that Augustine was converted to Neoplatonism rather than to Christianity in 386, and that he only later became a Christian. This shocking claim elicited a fierce response, most notably from Courcelle, who argued (in 1950) that Neoplatonism and Christianity would not have been mutually exclusive options for Augustine in 386. Henceforth it became (and remains) something of a cliche that the problem posed by Alfaric is wrongheaded: Augustine, we are assured, was converted to Neoplatonism and to Christianity in 386. In my view, this is a false assurance. I believe that the problem posed by Alfaric is a real one. My aim in this dissertation is to revitalize this problem by presenting a significant new interpretation of Confessions 7.9.13-7.21.27. In these paragraphs, Augustine recounts his movement from Platonic 'presumption' to Christian 'confession.' This movement constitutes Augustine's 'intellectual conversion' to Christianity, culminating in his recognition of the Incarnate Christ, the Word made flesh. It is widely assumed that the developments described in these paragraphs occurred within the space of a few months in the summer of 386. However, I argue that the period of time in question is actually about ten years (386- ca. 395). If I am correct about this, a thorough reconsideration of the significance of Augustine's conversion is in order. Augustine may have been a sincere convert in 386, but how exactly did he understand Christianity at this time? If he did not recognize the Incarnation in 386, and if the Incarnation is what distinguishes Christianity from Neoplatonism according to the narrator of the Confessions, then to what, exactly, was Augustine converted in 386? How is the new convert to be distinguished from the pagan Neoplatonists, who also failed to recognize the Incarnation?
Optimum resource allocation in multipath ad hoc networks

We devise a mechanism for reliable packet transmission in Wireless Ad Hoc Networks. The implementation is based on Path Diversification , which uses multipath diversity in the network and erasure codes to provide guaranteed reliability. We show that when no information is available about the status of the network, distributing the load over all the available paths can increase network reliability significantly over single path transmissions. We show how to collect information about the status of network paths and energy consumption in the network. When the information about the network is available, we identify and solve four QoS optimization problems specific to path diversification in ad hoc networks. We show how to allocate network resources for maximized reliability, maximized efficiency, minimized energy use, and maximized network lifetime. For the first two, we give exact polynomial time algorithms, we approximate the second two as linear programs.
Targeted killing under international sui generis framework

One of the major challenges of international law today is whether a state that has been subject to an attack by a terrorist group may lawfully target that specific suspected group with an intention to kill its members whenever opportunity presents. Much has been written about such targeted killings both in favour and against such a policy employed by certain states. Present research offers a new approach in assessing the legality of employing targeted killings policy to combat terrorism. New legal framework outlined in present research takes into account the specific aspects of terrorist acts and consequent responses of states. Proposed normative framework combines two regimes, law enforcement regime and armed conflict regime to provide maximum possible safeguard for human rights and flexibility for necessary military action for state governments in the fight against terrorism.
The examination of the relationship of body mass index and body weight perception to physical activity in a national sample of female adolescents

This thesis evaluated the relationships between body mass index (BMI), body weight perception and physical activity in Canadian female adolescents. Data were derived from a national study of barriers to physical activity among youth in 2002. A total of 893 females aged 13–18 completed the survey. Multiple linear regression, Pearson correlations and Student t-tests were used to evaluate the relationships. Based on self-reported height and weight using Centre for Disease Control growth charts, 11.5% were overweight (8.8%) or obese (2.7%). Daily vigorous physical activity was associated with significantly lower BMI and females with self overweight perception reported fewer days of vigorous activity. BMI and body weight perception were not significant predictors of reported physical activity in the multiple regression models. Therefore, significant relationships exist between BMI, body weight perception and physical activity and must be addressed in policies dealing with the promotion of physical activity in female youth.
Enrichment, characterization and isolation of 1,2-dichloroethane-degrading microbial cultures under various conditions

Biodegradation of 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA), had been observed to occur under various conditions in microcosms constructed from sediment and groundwater obtained from contaminated sites. The primary goal of this research was to develop and characterize enrichment cultures capable of sustained 1,2-DCA degradation under aerobic, fermentative and nitrate reducing conditions. Aerobic oxidation of 1,2-DCA was measured at rates ranging from 78μM/d to 148μM/d. 1,2-DCA degradation under fermentative conditions was demonstrated to occur with various electron donors with varying rates of degradation. The focus of this research however was on 1,2-DCA degradation under nitrate reducing conditions. Degradation rates were determined to range from 224μM/d to 478μM/d. The metabolic pathway under these conditions was also investigated. The potential intermediate compounds studied were monochloroacetic acid (MCA) and chloroethanol. Finally, organisms were isolated from both aerobic and nitrate reducing enrichment cultures. Overall, this study showed that biodegradation has a strong impact on the fate and lifetime of 1,2-DCA in the environment.
Biodegradation of fluorinated telomer compounds as a source of perfluorinated acid formation in the environment

The widespread detection of PFCAs in environmental matrices, along with their observed persistence and potential toxicity, has prompted investigation into their sources. The goal of this research was to determine whether biodegradation of various telomer compounds leads to formation of PFCAs and to assess the overall contribution of this class of compounds to the global contamination of PFCAs. The biodegradation of the 8:2 FTOH (CF3(CF2) 7CH2CH2OH) was investigated under aerobic conditions in a mixed microbial system. 8:2 FTOH was rapidly degraded forming perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) as the terminal metabolite. Other metabolites detected were the 8:2 telomer aldehyde (8:2 FTAL) along with the saturated and unsaturated telomer acids (8:2 FTCA and 8:2 FTUCA). It was proposed that a beta-oxidation type of mechanism maybe involved in the degradation. Investigations into sources of FTOHs to the environment were also pursued. Residual unbound FTOHs in varying chain lengths (C6-C14) were measured in significant amounts from several commercially available and industrially applied fluorinated polymeric and surfactant materials. It was suggested that application of these materials is likely to release these compounds to the environment, which can degrade ultimately leading to PFCA production. Additional sources of FTOH release to the environment were demonstrated from the biodegradation of ester type fluorinated telomer monomers. The telomer alcohol produced from the aerobic degradation of these monomers was observed to further degrade forming previously determined FTOH metabolites including PFOA. A model fluorotelomer acrylate polymer was synthesized and subjected to biodegradation experiments to determine whether they are also potential sources of PFCAs to the environment. The lack of FTOH and PFOA formation from these experiments suggest that these macromolecules are more stable than FTOHs and ester telomer monomers. This research confirms the formation of PFCAs from the biodegradation of telomer alcohols and monomers and suggests that these compounds make an important contribution to the environmental contamination of PFCAs. Future experiments were proposed to better investigate the biodegradation potential of telomer polymers.
Strength and ductility of steel members based on post-yield stability and collapse behaviour

The inelastic stability problem has numerous applications in structural design of buildings, bridges and industrial structures. Plastically designed members have been in use for a long time but a new emphasis is being placed today on the extent of ductility that they have to possess, in the form of rotational and deformation capacity especially in seismic design applications. With the emergence of the new, high strength steels, and with the advanced methods of steel fabrication that are producing sections with different tolerances, imperfections, and residual stresses, design standards have to be reassessed and adapted to reflect these changes. This research study presents an analytical finite element investigation into the behaviour of wide flange members loaded beyond their yield capacity as columns and beams and examines local and lateral buckling behaviours and their effects on strength and deformation capacity. The study involves an area of research for which the classical theory is very complex. This analytical study is based on a nonlinear large-strain/displacement finite element model that was developed in this research using ANSYS. Emphasis is placed on examining the rotational capacity and local buckling behaviour of wide flange flexural members that exceed current Class 2 (compact sections) requirements. The validity of the model is tested by comparing the results of the analyses with existing experimental data and the results from a program of tests conducted on short columns and carried out under controlled conditions and careful measurements by the author. The ability of the model to reproduce the full range of experimentally observed behaviour of columns, beams and beam-columns is clearly demonstrated. The parameters that affect the local buckling behaviour of compact and plastic sections are assessed and qualified. Comparisons of analytical results with existing code requirements are presented with recommendations for changes in design codes and standards.
Involvement of the anterior cingulate cortex in remote conditioned taste aversion memory recall

We studied time-dependent reorganization of neuronal circuitry underlying permanent memory storage by examining the involvement of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in remote memory recall of conditioned taste aversion (CTA) in mice. Results showed that a 0.30M lithium chloride (LiCl) injection produced a stronger CTA memory and reduced locomotor activity more rapidly in mice than a 0.15M LiCl injection. We then showed that reversible inactivation of the ACC by lidocaine, a sodium charnel blocker, temporarily blocked remote (30 day old) but rot recent (1 day old) CTA memory in mice trained with 0.15M or 0.30M LiCl. Furthermore, intra-ACC infusion of CNQX (5mM), an AMPA receptor antagonist, reduced Fos expression within the ACC, but infusion of CNQX (5mM or 15mM) had no effect on remote CTA memory recall. Thus, ACC's involvement in remote CTA memory recall may be mediated by non-AMPA-dependent transmission.