VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The Solar Dynamic Buffer Zone (SDBZ) curtain wall: Validation and design of a solar air collector curtain wall

Given the increases in both the environmental and economic costs of energy, there is a need to design and building more sustainable and low-energy building systems now. Curtain wall assemblies show great promise---the spandrel panels within them can be natural solar collectors. By using a Solar Dynamic Buffer Zone (SDBZ) in the spandrel cavity, solar energy can be efficiently gathered using the movement of air. There is a need for a numerical model capable of predicting performance of an SDBZ Curtain Wall system. This research designed, constructed and quantified a prototype SDBZ curtain wall system through by experimental testing in a laboratory environment. The laboratory experiments focussed on three main variables: air flow through the system, incoming radiation and collector surface type. Results from the experimental testing were used to validate a one-dimensional numerical model of the prototype. Results from this research show a SDBZ curtain wall system as an effective means of reducing building heating energy consumption through the preheating of incoming exterior ventilation air during the heating season in cold climates. The numerical model showed good correlation with experimental results at higher operating flows and at lower flows when using an apparent velocity at the heat transfer boundary layer. A seasonal simulation for Toronto, ON predicted energy savings of 205 kWh/m2 with an average seasonal efficiency of 28%. This is considered in the upper range when compared to other solar air collectors. Given the lack of published literature for similar systems, this research acts to introduce a simple, innovative approach to collect solar energy that would otherwise be lost to the exterior using already existing components within a curtain wall. Specifically, the research has provided: results from experiments and simulation, a first generation numerical model, aspects of design and construction of the SDBZ curtain wall and specific directions for further research. This research shows a SDBZ curtain wall has the potential to act as a significant solar collector. By coupling a simple method with an existing cladding system, the SDBZ curtain wall can reduce a building's heating load by at least 5--10%.
Predictors of functional transitions and disability-free life expectancy for persons with stroke and coronary heart disease

Stroke and Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) result in reduced physical functioning and health status and associated burden to the individual and society. The main objectives of this thesis are to examine the frequency of transitions between health states in older adults, with and without stroke and CHD, predictors of these transitions and how they can be used as input to a calculation of disability free life expectancy. Data from the Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE) which consists of three large epidemiological cohort studies of samples of persons over 64 years of age living in East Boston, Iowa and New Haven were used for this study. Markov process models were used to generate health expectancy estimates. Using a longitudinal method, models accounting for time, found that women and men at age 74 years with stroke will spend 1.0 years and 1.35 years disability-free respectively while women and men with CHD will spend 1.19 years and 1.26 years respectively disability-free over the next five years. Women with and without disease experience more disability compared to men in these groups. Variables including demographic risk factors, modifiable health behaviours, symptomatology for disease, selected health characteristics and comorbidity were assessed as predictors of the probability of transitions. Final models across all five transitions considered reduced models with six important variables, age, sex, cognition, depression, BMI, smoking, alcohol consumption. Advanced age was associated with poorer functioning. Women with stroke who are eighty years of age or older, are depressed with impaired cognition, together with a BMI ge;30 kg/m2 were at most risk for moving to a worsened physical state and less likely than persons without these risk factors to move to an improved state. The cross sectional analysis, models without time, produce life expectancy estimates that are very close to estimates from the longitudinal data. If the gold standard of these methods is the Markov chain method including time, then the cross sectional estimates can be used as a close approximation.
Collaborative consonance: hearing our voices while listening to the choir : a collaborative narrative inquiry into the role of music in the lives of seven preservice teachers

This qualitative study represents a collaborative narrative inquiry into the role of music in the lives of seven preservice teachers as, together, they experience the paradigm shift of moving from those who are taught to those who teach. Ultimately, it sings of finding voice, of having agency and of coming to the understanding that it is through storying our lives for and with others that we finally acknowledge and hear our authentic narrative voices. Rooted within Dewey's concept of experience as education and building upon the literature detailing narrative approaches to investigate teacher thinking and teacher education (Beattie, 1995a, 1995b, 2000, 2001; Carter, 1993, Carter & Doyle, 1993; Clandinin & Connelly, 2000; Cole & Knowles, 2000, 2001), participant stories of musical experience are the narrative phenomena which intertwine as the initial melodies of this inquiry. Stories are told and retold as participants collaboratively explore the knowledge inherent in their lived experiences through narrative methods of audiotaped interviews, interview transcriptions, audiotaped focus groups, focus group transcriptions, journals, conversations, emails and classroom observation. As each individual co-constructs new knowledge through the consonance of interacting narratives, three distinct stages of this shared journey emerge from the participants' stories: reflecting and reconnecting, reframing through relating to others and re-imagining and rehearsing co-created knowledge. These themes frame the Duets which story the collaborative meaning-making experienced by the researcher and participants. It is through the storying of this journey that we reach a pivotal understanding of how collaborative narrative inquiry can empower preservice teachers to work from an authentic place of self-knowledge. Telling, sharing, hearing and listening to their own stories told in their own voices enables these beginning teachers to understand what they know and to make changes for the better in their lives and the lives of those they teach (Beattie, 1995a; 1995b; Palmer, 1998). In addition to serving as a means of determining the potential implications for a more holistic approach to preservice teacher education, this inquiry will enable preservice music educators to identify and explore the experiences, contexts, and communities necessary for engaging preservice teachers in meaningful and joyful music making.
Riemann's dream

We connect the three main pillars of mathematics—Algebra, Geometry and Analysis—in the theory of covering surfaces. In particular, the concept of a projection from a covering surface to the complex plane and to the Riemann sphere is examined. We study both local and global characteristics of covering surfaces. Further, we give an overview of how one can relate Topology and Algebra with the help of the theory of branched covering surfaces and field extensions. Riemann's Existence Theorem is stated. An overview of problems related to the theory of covering surfaces is given.
Tumor microsatellite instability, mismatch repair deficiency and response to chemotherapya molecular reanalysis of randomized adjuvant chemotherapy trials in colon cancer

Colorectal cancer has been shown to arise through two distinct genetic pathways known as microsatellite instability (MSI) and chromosomal instability (CIN). Patients with tumors demonstrating high-frequency microsatellite instability (MSI-H) have been shown to have distinct clinical and pathologic features and a stage-independent improved survival when compared to those with microsatellite stable (MSS) tumors. However, the utility of MSI status as a prognostic marker for response to chemotherapy has yet to be established. Therefore, the current study utilizes controlled, randomized trials of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) treatment in Dukes' stage B2 and C patients to retrospectively examine the relationship between MSI status and response to chemotherapy. MSI-H was associated with a significant increase in survival in Dukes' B and C colon cancer patients when compared to MSS patients in the absence but not in the presence of chemotherapy. Additionally, Dukes' B patients with MSI-H tumors receiving 5-FU therapy were found to have significantly decreased survival when compared to those not receiving chemotherapy. Lastly, immunostaining for hMLH1 and hMSH2 mismatch repair proteins is a highly specific and sensitive method for identifying MSI-H colon cancer. These results indicate that stratification of patients according to microsatellite status is critical in providing a more rational, tailored approach to the use of adjuvant therapy in colorectal cancer. Furthermore, 5-FU therapy should be discontinued in Dukes' B patients with MSI-H colon cancers.
Functional neuroanatomy of sustained attention and exogenous alerting following naturalistic recovery from moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury

Sustained attention (SA) refers to the endogenous ("top-down") control of attentional resources to implement goal-directed behaviour over time. SA relies on a right-lateralized frontal-thalamic-parietal brain network, with dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) as the primary substrate for supervisory control. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes frontal damage and SA deficits. Neuroplastic mechanisms and/or the existence of alternate (degenerate) systems offer possible routes for recovery of endogenous control, with the additional possibility of attentional re-engagment though exogenous ("bottom-up") stimulation (e.g. via alerting tones). This fMRI study revealed recovered sustained attention in five patients who sustained significant TBI at least one year ago. Rather than right DLPFC, patients activated right ventrolateral and medial PFC including anterior cingulate. Thalamic and parietal SA network components were preserved. In contrast to control subjects, alerting cues did not reduce "top-down" activations in TBI patients. These findings suggest that sustained attention in patients recovered from TBI is mediated by alternate prefrontal regions.
A critical ethics of reading: Freirean literacy, literacy, and democracy

The purpose of this dissertation is to challenge the current direction of Ontario's educational directives, and to offer a participatory social democratic approach as an alternative. I will be specifically looking at an approach to teaching English literacy at the secondary level that focuses on ethics, and that leads to a meaningful democracy, one that involves the opportunity for people to manage their own collective and individual affairs (Chomsky 136). The inspiration for the alternative approach is largely inspired by the spirit and thinking of Paulo Freire. His insight has lead me to understand that literacy is not merely being able to read and write words, nor is it merely syllabification1, nor is it merely the learning of mechanical skills, but literacy is being able to read the word and the world. It is the ability to engage in praxis—reflection and action. Teaching English at the secondary level, therefore, needs to include ethics and the ability to read the word and the world, to be able to understand a reading of the status quo and to be able to challenge it, and thereby transform society. Ultimately, the goal in teaching literacy is the amelioration of society, in part, by striving toward the elimination of discrimination against those who are being oppressed, either due to class, race, sexual orientation, sex, globalization and so on. By a reading of the word and the world teachers need to direct students by engaging them in dialogue and reflection in a comfortable environment where both teachers and students feel free to speak, participate, and learn. The hope in offering this alternative approach is not to offer a “recipe” for teaching English at the secondary level, but to share the gift, understanding, and spirit that Freire's thinking has given to me, with others. I argue that the school system has a vital role to play in this process of empowering our citizens and preparing them to participate in the democratic process. 1Literacy is not just about decoding the written word, but it is intertwined with knowledge of the world.

Keywords: Literacy
Literary ethics
Literature and morals
Reader-response criticism
English teachers
English language, Study and teaching (Secondary)
High-speed clock and data recovery circuits in CMOS technology

The evolution of the optical fiber to high speed, low cost data transmission media led to the Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) standard in North America and to the Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) in Europe. With the exponential growth of the Internet nodes and, hence, the need for a media with low cost and high band-width, the use of optical fibers is increasing rapidly. The optical transmitter converts electrical pulses to optical pulses. Ultra-pure glass fiber is the medium used to guide light pulses. The optical receiver converts optical pulses to electrical ones. In order to sample the continuous time received signal and convert it to a discrete time sequence, the receiver needs an in-phase clock at the symbol rate. A clock and data recovery (CDR) circuit extracts the necessary phase information from the data. The CDR circuit is complex, and the design of such systems for high data rates is challenging. In this dissertation, a CDR circuit for multi-giga-bits serial data communication was designed and fabricated in a 0.18μm CMOS technology. Jitter peaking phenomena of the existing CDR systems have a destructive effect on digital repeater chains. Design and implementation of a CDR architecture that theoretically produces no jitter peaking were the ultimate goals of the research. Such a CDR system was designed and fabricated. The proposed CDR system was proven analytically and by measurement to produce no jitter peaking. Among the test circuits implemented was a 3–11GHz voltage controlled oscillator (VCO). The proposed VCO consists of two two-stage ring oscillators that are coupled to each other. It has been proven analytically that the coupled two-stage ring oscillator is faster than other types of ring oscillators. A linear and a three-state digital phase detector as well as a frequency detector, suitable for high speed CDRs, have been proposed and implemented. Simulations and measurements show that the three-state phase detector has improved performance for high speed applications.
Trust, leadership, and organizational renewal

This research examined the process of employee trust building, as influenced by the behavior and practices of leaders, during a period of organizational renewal. Specifically, the research answered the following questions: (a) what behaviors did leaders report undertaking to build trust? (b) did High and Low Trust leaders differ in the practices they undertook to build trust, based on Ghoshal and Bartlett's (1997) model? and (c) are the variables equity, competence, and involvement, identified by Ghoshal and Bartlett, a sufficient account of High Trust leaders' trust building? A case study approach was used in the context of a large Canadian financial institution's technology division. Initially, secondary analysis was applied to employee survey data in order to identify High and Low Trust leader groups. The primary research consisted of qualitative interviews conducted with both the High Trust and Low Trust groups. The findings indicated that the High Trust leaders reported engaging in more trust-building practices than did the Low Trust group. The research elaborated specific components of involvement, competence, and equity related practices. Involvement practices comprised of informing, identifying issues, problem solving, decision making, and future planning. Competence building involved leaders setting clear accountabilities, assessing, providing feedback, assigning, mentoring, coaching, developing, and training staff. Equity was evidenced through consistency, fair assessment in downsizing, career support, and fair compensation practices. Further, the research proposed additions to the Ghoshal and Bartlett (1997) model. Organizational context building through collaboration and communication, as well as relationship building through integrity, caring, and consistency, were identified as High Trust leader practices supporting trust. Practice implications suggest leadership development in the specific practices supporting high levels of trust. As well, this research recommends attention to leaders' trust-building practices to build and sustain trust during organizational change and renewal.

Keywords: Trust
Leadership
Organization
Social groups
Organizational behavior
From discursive essay to expressive writing: stories of a student and a teacher

This thesis examines my academic journey through narrative as a student and a teacher in the writing classroom at a major university in Poland and at the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education of the University of Toronto in Canada. I employ an auto-ethnographic approach and arts-based inquiry to discuss and explore my own experiences of learning to write and of learning to teach others to write. I also recount how I rediscovered writing and found my own voice after taking an Expressive Writing course at OISE/UT. I show how personal narrative has taught me to trust my words and reclaim my writing and my teacher-self. My intention for this thesis is to raise awareness that through expressive writing pedagogy and through personal narrative, students develop their voice and confidence.

Keywords: Rhetoric
Creative writing
Rhetoric, Study and teaching
Creative writing, Study and teaching
Predictors of self-reported confidence ratings for recall of early-life summer sun exposure in a population based case-control study of melanoma

This study assessed recall bias in estimating outdoor duration of early-life summer activities through examining the relationship between case-control status and self-reported confidence ratings. Other predictors of confidence ratings were also explored. In a case-control study of melanoma in young adults, cases (n = 141) and controls (n = 143) were asked to estimate the amount of time outdoors for summer activities when they were 6--18 years of age and to indicate how confident they were in each of their estimates. The generalized estimating equations extension of logistic regression was used to examine confidence ratings for activities conducted from ages 6 to 11 and 12 to 18 years (stratum 1 and 2, respectively). There was no statistically significant association between case-control status and self-reported confidence ratings in either stratum, suggesting that recall bias may have been minimized. Types of activity and cumulative time outdoors were predictors of confidence.
Empirical models of decision making in industrial organization and public choice

This thesis consists of three empirical essays. The first two essays address microeconomic questions related to the election and pharmaceutical markets in the context of a discrete choice individual behaviour framework. The third essay applies recent techniques in likelihood asymptotics to the seemingly unrelated regression problem. The first essay formulates a model of voter party choice and provides a unique application of an estimation technique to address important economic issues related to the empirical voting literature. The individual voter's utility maximization problem is specified in a discrete choice framework using a random coefficients model; the underlying preference parameters are estimated from the aggregate party vote share function estimates. The empirical results demonstrate the importance of political campaign spending during the campaign period; spending not only redistributes voters across parties but it also impacts on the size of the abstaining group of the electorate. Additionally, candidates that held incumbency status and professional occupations were found to be preferred by voters and were thus rewarded at the polls. The second essay provides a large sample characterization of an anti-ulcer drug market using individual level data. The essay addresses the issue of market power for producers in a price regulated oligopolistic pharmaceutical industry where the market is composed of a number of molecules where several copies of the same molecule exist, each being sold by a pioneer and its licensed competitors. Market demand functions derived from underlying discrete-choice models of consumer behavior are estimated. Two specifications are considered: a mixture of the multinomial and conditional logit as well as a two-level nested logit. The results indicate the existence of little segmentation between the pioneer and its licensed cluster with a correspondingly low level of pioneer market power. Further, the results indicate no substantial substitutability between drugs belonging to different molecules. The third essay uses recent likelihood analysis theory to examine inference in the seemingly unrelated regression context. The likelihood analysis theory used involves implicit but appropriate conditioning and marginalization for intrinsic measures of departure. Highly accurate p-values are obtained for scalar interest parameters, particularly for the difference between two regression coefficients of primary interest. The results indicate that these methods provide substantial improvement on the first-order likelihood ratio procedures. The central coverage for confidence intervals is improved and the accuracy is retained for very small samples. A simulation and various examples are presented that document this.