VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
A non-linear dimensionality reduction method for improving nearest neighbour classification

Learning in high dimensional spaces is computationally expensive because of the curse of dimensionality. Consequently, there is a critical need for methods that can produce good low dimensional representations of the raw data that preserve the significant structure in the data and suppress noise. This can be achieved by an autoencoder network consisting of a recognition network that converts high-dimensional data into low-dimensional codes and a generative network that reconstructs the high dimensional data from its low dimensional codes. Experiments with images of digits and images of faces show that the performance of an autoencoder network can sometimes be improved by using a non-parametric dimensionality reduction method, Stochastic Neighbour Embedding, to regularize the low-dimensional codes in a way that discourages very similar data vectors from having very different codes.
Synchronous communication in collaborative online learning: Learners' perspectives

In this qualitative study the logs of synchronous CMC interactions of five small groups were examined. These were taken from two different online courses that primarily employed asynchronous CMC for communication and collaborative knowledge building. Both courses were designed within a constructivist learning framework for the continuing education of professional educators. In addition to the CMC logs, perceptions of their experience from each of the twenty-one participants were explored in two individual semi-structured interviews. All participants felt that the addition of synchronous communication tools was superior to asynchronous CMC used alone to support group collaboration. They affirmed the findings of previous research that asynchronous CMC enables thoughtful reflections and research without the barriers of time and place; but participants perceived that the immediacy of synchronous CMC provided a learning environment more like “face-to-face.” Analysis of the synchronous logs revealed the frequent use of terms usually reserved for face-to-face meetings and interactions that parallel traditional group collaboration. Participants also developed a stronger sense of the personalities of members of their group than in asynchronous CMC groups, and felt committed to and supported by them. These indicators of social presence are in addition to those previously reported in the literature. Peer coaching and tutoring were observed more frequently and seemed more effective than in asynchronous CMC. The scaffolding required for knowledge building came from knowledgeable peers and teacher-facilitators. Several participants observed that using synchronous communication to negotiate, clarify and build consensus enabled a more constructivist learning environment. They consistently behaved in ways that showed enhanced social presence, increased collaboration and social interaction for knowledge construction. The findings of this study suggest that social support for learning may be a major contribution of synchronous CMC to online learning. The evidence suggests that the addition of synchronous CMC has the potential to allow collaboration to be more complete and authentic than using asynchronous CMC alone. The higher level of social presence and negotiation supported by synchronous CMC may enable participants to get immediate feedback and responses that will result in true interdependence and promote effective online learning communities for co-construction of knowledge.

Keywords: Distance education
Telecommunication
Computer conferencing
Group work in education
Group facilitation
Paul Ricoeur's conceptions of ideology and its correlation with utopia

0This research aims to shed light on the problem of ideology and its correlation with utopia as established in the work of Paul Ricoeur. According to Ricoeur, ideology is not only distortive of social reality; it is as well related to society's power and integration, which in fact changes our way of understanding the entire world. Ricoeur emphasizes the functions of ideology: first, the reality dissimulation; second, the legitimacy of authority and third, the social integration. Ricoeur also claims that utopia can offer an adequate critique of ideology. Both contribute to the way in which a group identifies itself, with ideology providing common values and images, and utopia challenging those common values with new, imaginative alternatives for interpreting society. I relate this analysis to Ricoeur's earlier works to show how using utopias to criticize ideologies is helpful. The critical use of utopia helps to reveal underlying tensions in society and the ways that ideology conceals those tensions.

Keywords: Ethics
Ideology
Utopias
The claim to universality of modernity and its relation with occidental rationality: a study of Jurgen Habermas's philosophy of modernity

Jurgen Habermas's reconstruction of Critical Theory has been subjected to extensive scrutiny in recent years. However, three of this philosophy's fundamental presuppositions have remained unexamined: the concept of "Occidental rationalism"; the notion of an unfinished project of modernity; and the claim to universality of modernity. This dissertation examines the philosophy of Habermas with reference to these three principles. Habermas's extended project---to recover a normative foundation for the tradition of Critical Theory---can be, figuratively at least, divided into two stages. I consider the first stage of Habermas's task to have concluded with the publication of Knowledge and Human Interests in 1968. The second stage of Habermas's reconstructive plan began with the publication of the Theory of Communicative Action in 1981. I argue that Habermas's reconstructive project fails to overcome the arguments of Horkheimer and Adorno's thesis on the antagonistic nature of enlightenment, and therefore his reconstruction of Critical Theory remains problematic. On the substantive level, I aim to examine the question, "Does the term 'Modernity' refer to a specific culture, or can it be employed more broadly?" I will challenge Habermas's unfinished project of modernity by introducing the concept of a "plurality of modernities." Referring to Habermas's implicitly Eurocentric claim of the universality of modernity, based in an "Occidental understanding of the world," I will argue that universalization cannot be achieved on the basis of a specific world-interpretation. Arguing against the feasibility of completing "the project of modernity" once and for all, I suggest that there are not only numerous paths to modernity, but that diverse historical conditions and sociocultural environments give rise to varied forms of modernity in different parts of the world. I argue that an emancipatory theory, which is what Habermas's is believed to be, ought to address itself to an understanding of the transformation of culture rather than simply the logic of communication, and, consequently, it should address cultural as well as cross-cultural conflicts in various societies, including non-western ones.

Keywords: Rationalism
Critical theory
Philosophy
Social sciences
Hygrothermal design methodology for exterior wood-frame walls in Canadian low-rise residential construction

This thesis presents a design methodology for the satisfactory long-term hygrothermal performance of exterior wood-frame walls in low-rise residential construction as constructed in the cold climate of Canada. Two wall types are considered: a 38mm x 140mm brick-clad wood stud wall insulated internally with fibreglass and externally with extruded polystyrene, and a 38mm x 140mm EIFS-clad wood stud wall insulated internally with fibreglass and externally with expanded polystyrene. The hygrothermal performance of walls exposed to simulated climates in Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto, Saskatoon and Vancouver is examined. The methodology uses an advanced hygrothermal model hygIRC 1-D (NRC) to simulate the performance of the wall and analyze the results. Quasi-limit state design principles are applied. The maximum amounts of extra added external insulation necessary for satisfactory long-term hygrothermal performance are determined for both wall types in all five cities. The thesis makes recommendations for the National Building Code of Canada.
The politics of Canada's nuclear policy

Scholars have portrayed John G. Diefenbaker as an indecisive leader who procrastinated over whether to accept nuclear weapons for Canada. However, it is an inadequate characterisation because it explains little about his behaviour. This dissertation seeks to explain why Diefenbaker was reluctant, but willing, to accept nuclear warheads. It argues that electoral considerations, not national security, governed his formulation of nuclear policy from 1957 to 1963. Concerns about electoral expediency meant that two things governed his formulation of policy: the state of public support and the position of parliamentary opposition. This was a period of transition for protest groups in Canada as organisations moved from protest to more extensive efforts to influence government policy, something anti-nuclear organisations exemplified. This dissertation traces the origins and activities of Canada's three most prominent anti-nuclear organisations: the Canadian Committee for the Control of Radiation Hazards, the Combined Universities Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and the Voice of Women. How these organisations tried to convince Diefenbaker that they represented the views of the majority and why they failed are major elements of this thesis. Diefenbaker also worried about parliamentary opposition. Lester B. Pearson was particularly important in this regard. The Liberal leader's Nobel peace prize gave him added credibility when it came to matters of peace, and the prize and Pearson's repeated reference to it on the campaign trails only added to Diefenbaker's fears that the issue would be used by the Liberals for political gain. Despite these very real considerations, Diefenbaker was solely to blame for the political difficulties he faced on this issue. Had he moved forward decisively, he would have preceded the rise of the anti-nuclear movement. If he had accepted nuclear weapons in the early days of his majority mandate there would have been little opportunity for political opponents to criticise the government for indecision or inaction. Ultimately, Diefenbaker's fixation on electoral support turned out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Effects of wind on horizontal zooplankton spatial patterns in Lake Opeongo, Ontario, Canada

Zooplankton, chlorophyll a and temperature horizontal distributions were measured at a fixed-depth (2.5 m) epilimnetic transect in Lake Opeongo, Ontario, Canada. Large-scale (>1 km) and coarse-scale (10 m–1 km) spatial patterns were investigated and related to wind. Zooplankton and warm water tended to accumulate downwind and an empirically-derived water-motion model could account for a significant proportion of their variation. Chlorophyll a did not have a large-scale spatial pattern related to wind. Coarse-scale spatial patterns were measured using autocorrelation and spectral analysis. Most of the variability in all three variables was found within larger coarse-scale spatial patterns as shown by spectral density estimates. An index of wind-induced momentum within the epilimnion was not significantly correlated to coarse-scale spatial patterns of zooplankton. I discuss how biological processes can supersede physical processes in the formation of coarse-scale spatial patterns.
Comparison of older adults' and occupational therapists' awareness of functional abilities at discharge from rehabilitation with actual performance in the home

A prospective cohort pilot study was conducted to compare older adult patients' and occupational therapists' awareness of functional abilities at discharge from rehabilitation with patient performance in the home. Thirty-four patients living alone were recruited from an inpatient rehabilitation unit. Patients' and occupational therapists' perceptions of patients' abilities at discharge were recorded for basic and instrumental activities of daily living (ADL) and for mobility using the Functional Autonomy Measuring System (SMAF). One week following discharge, patients' performance on ADLs and mobility was measured in the home using the SMAF. Awareness was calculated as the difference between perceptions and performance. Results indicated patients' and therapists' awareness varied by functional activity. Generally, patients had slightly greater awareness for basic ADLs and mobility and occupational therapists had greater awareness for instrumental ADLs. A sub-analysis of those with and without cognitive impairment showed that those with cognitive impairment had less awareness of their abilities.
Recumbent stepper: Aerobic testing and training protocol development

Stepping machines such as the NuStepRTMTRS4000 have evolved into a popular exercise modality among healthy and patient populations, however, research is needed for effective exercise prescription. The objective of this work was to determine the parameters of NuStep exercise and evaluate its efficacy as an aerobic testing and training modality. Maximal and sub-maximal exercise on the NuStep was compared to the cycle ergometer in healthy and sub-acute stroke samples. The NuStep proved to be a comparable aerobic testing and training modality. However, a significantly higher power output ( sim;50%) was required on the NuStep for an equivalent cardiovascular response. Furthermore, the NuStep revealed a non-linear relationship between workload and power output 4-10% higher than proposed by the manufacturer and influenced by cadence and seat position. Graded maximal testing protocols required the elimination of work levels 2-4 for healthy participants and work level 2 for sub-acute stroke participants and excluded arm use.
The politics of truth: a case study of knowledge construction by the social planning council of metropolitan toronto, 1957-1988

This dissertation is a case study of knowledge construction by the Social Planning Council of Metropolitan Toronto (SPCMT) from its incorporation in 1957 to 1988 when the author became affiliated with the organization. An interactive and heuristic inquiry of texts and key informants has been conducted within a critical theoretical framework. The study assumes a three part model of society: civil society, the state and the economy. Civil society is defined as a crucial area of activity in which individual and collective actors contest the determination of needs and the allocation of resources. The Council is positioned as an association of civil society with a mandate of knowledge construction. Drawing on the work of Jürgen Habermas and Michel Foucault, the research traces the power relations in the process of knowledge construction and connects the interests of those who create the knowledge with the method and outcomes. A classification of three kinds of knowledge construction is utilized to analyze the major research works of the Councit positivist, interpretive and critical. The study locates these approaches as sequentially dominant for a period of approximately ten years each commencing in 1957. The forces of influence that contributed to the different eras of knowledge construction are traced. The study describes how the economy and the state have shaped the norms and resources of civil society and how a practice of resistance has developed. The tensions and contradictions among the three spheres are explored. Strategies that support the pursuit of an emancipatory approach to knowledge construction are identified. The research will be of particular interest to academics and activists who study and work with voluntary associations and organizations committed to social and economic justice.
Significance of the ligand-binding affinity of the Sho1 SH3 domain for in vivo function

Quantitative understanding of how the strength of a protein-protein interaction is related to its biological function is a prerequisite for modeling biological systems. The interaction between Sho1 and Pbs2 is required for signaling through the HOG pathway via Ste11 in yeast. This system has been used to quantitatively assess how the binding affinity of two interacting proteins affects signal transduction. Here, it was shown that the binding affinity of Sho1 for Pbs2 is linearly correlated with the ability of mutant Sho1 SH3 domains to activate the HOG pathway. Furthermore, decreased binding affinity was also correlated with an increase in cross talk to the pheromone response pathway upon hyperosmotic stress. It was also found that Sho1 utilizes a second binding surface on its SH3 domain to activate the cross talk response.
"Red Riding Hood and the wolf in bed": modernism's fairy tales

Though fairy tales appear consistently in modernist literature, there have been few explorations of their significance. Fairy tales are not just stories from the folk but part of the fabric of modernity; part of academic discourses, children's literature, and commodity culture. In works from the 1920s and 1930s, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and Djuna Barnes use fairy tales as a system of reference that bridges high and low art, and that involves readers in the act of interpretation. Allusions to Continental fairy tales inform characters' approximations of cultural norms based on class and gender, and signal the possibilities and limitations of negotiating the demands of consumer societies. The transmission and reception of fairy tales from the court of the Sun King to the London of T. S. Eliot indicate the layers of readings and retellings that accrue to the texts. The result is that fairy tales are not stable points of reference, but instead indicate interpretative possibilities, as signaled by the image of the Wolf-as-Grandmother from Nightwood. This history allows for resistant readings of previous encodings of the stories, as well as narrative experimentation. In Ulysses, Joyce reacts against the Celtic Revival's depictions of the folk and their lore, using Wilde's cracked looking-glass and versions of “Cinderella” to signify the gap between ideals and their enactments in the contexts of nationalism and consumerism. Woolf responds to gender norms of Victorian variants, especially those of her aunt, Lady Ritchie. While Woolf adapts stories from Perrault, she resists the inherited ideologies, capitalizing instead upon the disruptive aspects of pantomime versions of the tales. Barnes indicates the power structures that enable and restrict the stories' uses, refiguring her Grandmother's authority through several different fairy tale allusions. She associates the palimpsestic tales with cross-dressed bodies, suggesting that the texts' excessive meanings make writerly and readerly control of narrative provisional at best. The approach to intertextuality signaled by Joyce, Woolf, and Barnes acknowledges and requires the active participation—the resistance as well as the compliance—of the reader, who negotiates the fairy tale and the modernist text as he or she would negotiate modernity itself.
Regulation and function of human hypoxia-inducible factor-3alpha splice isoforms

Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) are the heterodimeric transcription factors that mediate the adaptation of a cell, tissue and organism to reduced oxygen availability (hypoxia). HIFs transcriptionally activate genes involved in erythropoiesis, angiogenesis, vascular tone and permeability, glucose metabolism and uptake, cellular motility and invasion, growth, survival, proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. HIFs are composed of an oxygen-labile a subunit and alpha constitutively stable beta subunit (ARNT). There are three HIF-alpha genes in mammals: HIF-1alpha, HIF-2alpha and HIF-3alpha. HIF-1alpha and HIF-2alpha have high primary sequence identity, although the target gene specificity of HIF-1 and HIF-2 is tissue-specific and non-identical. HIF-3alpha is quite different than HIF-1alpha and HIF-2alpha, particularly at its carboxy-terminus, and its target gene specificity is unknown. HIF-alpha dimerizes with ARNT and binds to hypoxia-responsive elements (HRE) in the enhancer/promoter regions of target genes to activate transcription. The von Hippel-Lindau tumour suppressor protein (pVHL) is the substrate recognition component of an E3 ubiquitin-ligase complex that targets HIF-lalpha and HIF-2alpha for degradation via the 26S proteasome in the presence of oxygen. VHL disease patients have an inherited mutation in VHL and frequently develop renal cell carcinomas (RCC). RCC-causing mutations of VHL render pVHL unable to recognize HIF-1alpha and HIF-2alpha, leading to accumulation of HIF-alpha and inappropriate transcription of targets that promote growth, spreading and survival of a solid tumour. Work contained within this thesis demonstrates that HIF-3alpha is also targeted for oxygen-dependent degradation via the pVHL E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, and that it is inappropriately stabilized in RCC with loss of functional VHL. As well, a splice isoform of HIF-3alpha, HIF-3alpha4, has been identified that has domain structure similarity to a dominant-negative splice variant of mouse HIF3alpha, IPAS. IPAS functions as a dominant-negative regulator of HIF-1 by binding to HIF-1alpha and forming abortive transcription complexes that are incapable of interacting with HRE. In contrast to IPAS, HIF-3alpha4 binds to HIF-1alpha, HIF-2alpha and ARNT, and inhibits DNA-binding and transactivation activity of HIF-1 and HIF-2. Inhibition of HIF-2-mediated transcription by adenoviral delivery of HIF-3alpha4 into human RCC xenografts in mice inhibits growth of the tumours, which exhibit decreased vascularity relative to those injected with control virus.
Psychosocial adjustment to traumatic loss of the hand: Understanding the experience of psychosocial adjustment following upper extremity amputation due to work injury

There exists a lack of understanding of the process of psychosocial adjustment following upper extremity amputation due to work injury. Qualitative methods were used to explore this process and gain greater understanding of the experience of such injury. Data from interviews with 11 participants were gathered and analyzed using the grounded theory method. The Value of the Hand, and the Value of Working and Doing, emerged as central phenomena in the adjustment process. These two central categories create a Value Screen through which the participants' experiences and responses are interpreted, and along with the supporting themes of Instability of the Core Identity, and Efforts to Stabilize the Self, form the basis of a preliminary theory of the process of adjustment in this population. The theory and accompanying model are discussed in the context of other theories including Chaos and Complexity theory. Implications for future research and clinical practice are addressed.
Process of change: educators transforming language education in post-independence Jamaica, prospects and conflicts

This qualitative case study examines a wind of change moving across the language and language education policy landscape in a post-independence anglophone Caribbean country. Comparing the actions of socio-political actors in Jamaica and St. Lucia over the last forty years, this inquiry observes how shifting ideology is disturbing the legacy of Eurocentric language and language education policies. Creole languages are being repositioned in policy and Caribbean societies are now being perceived as bilingual or emerging multilingual communities, changing the nature of language education. This case study critiques this change process, its prospects and conflicts, by reviewing polices and observing the actions and responses to policies of a selected group of educators in the education system in Jamaica. It seeks to identify markers of change toward instructing a more skilled educator cognizant of the value of ones home language, the role of each language in the classroom, and knowledge of key components of literacy.