VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Acculturation in Beliefs and Emotions

The present research examined the acculturation process with respect to beliefs, attributions, and emotional reactions to academic success and failure of Iranian and Iranian-Canadian mothers and children. In the first study 41 Iranian and 29 Iranian-Canadian mothers, and in the second study 41 Iranian and 29 Iranian-Canadian junior-high school students were interviewed with respect to their beliefs and attributions about school success and failure. Chi-square analyses indicated the significant effect of culture on the beliefs and attributions of mothers and students. The definitions of school success and failure of Iranian mothers and their children were product-based, but the definition of immigrant mothers and their children were process-based. Moreover, mothers' attributions were not limited to the four factors established in theories of attribution (e.g. Weiner, 1986) (i.e., ability, effort, task difficulty, and luck). While Iranian mothers attributed their children's success and failure primarily to "effort", "family" appears to be the most frequent attribution of both success and failure for Iranian immigrant mothers. Furthermore, the findings suggest that immigrant students are not a homogenous group in terms of their attributions. Unlike Iranian students who attribute their academic outcomes to effort consistently, immigrant students may attribute their academic outcomes to interest, effort, or ability. With respect to acculturation strategies, the findings indicate that changes in immigrant parents cannot be explained by any of the four acculturation strategies suggested by Berry (1998). Rather, they point to a fifth strategy which results from interaction between the old and the new acquired sets of beliefs. Unlike their mothers, the dominant strategy adopted by immigrant students seems to be assimilation, one of the four suggested by Berry. The third study focused on mothers' emotional reactions to their children's achievement outcomes. Although there are similarities between the two groups, cultural differences in terms of intensity and the type of emotions associated with their attributions were observed in mothers' emotional reactions. Specifically, Iranian mothers experience enjoyment, pride, sadness, and shame more intensely, and sympathy less intensely than Iranian-Canadian mothers. The links between the findings of the three studies are discussed in terms of the interface of attribution and acculturation models.
Investigating research as a learning process

This thesis investigates the research process by deconstructing a research project in which I participated as a member of the research team. This project, which I adopt as a case study, was a quantitative investigation intended to ascertain whether or not integrating the classroom and science museum settings provides cognitive and affective benefits to students' learning science. My observations of this project led me to reflect upon the ways research practices (the entire series of events from problem setting to the publication of papers) are investigated and conceptualized. My work demonstrates that within the field of educational research, there is a scarcity of studies in which researchers carry out examinations of their own research practices. Furthermore, my work suggests that there is a common set of beliefs underlying the discourse surrounding research practice which supports a pre-ordinate approach to the development of goals and procedures. My objective is to explore aspects of the research process frequently neglected when research is viewed simply as a series of procedures and techniques. I adopt the view that, in addition, research may also be an emergent social and educational process punctuated by many pedagogical moments, shaped by indeterminacy, and influenced by the backgrounds and experiences of individual researchers. Using aspects of both action science and action research, I investigate the minutiae of the day-to-day activity of working through the specific stages involved in actualizing the research project. I also undertake an investigation of my thesis process, which focuses on my problem setting, layers of knowledge development, and writing process. Finally, I suggest a more inclusive view of research practice that would combine aspects of the pre-ordinate approach with components of the research process examined in this thesis. I delineate elements that could be incorporated into curricula for students of educational research and professional researchers. I contend that this type of curricula of research could narrow what I perceive may be a gap between the theory underlying much of research practice and the actual practice itself.
Disrupting law's categories, transgenderism, feminism and identity

This thesis considers the question of how law understands identity and the question of how law 'should' understand identity. Specifically it considers the effects when legal narratives categorise. To explore these law's process of categorisation--transgenderism. I examine how the law categorises transsexuals and transgendered people in the areas of family law, administrative law and anti-discrimination law. Integral to this exploration is a comparative-analysis-of-how feminist narratives view and construct transgenderism. I argue that some feminist narratives mirror law's rigid and simplistic approach to the complexity of social identity. This thesis rejects such accounts and advocates that a more salient account of gender identity can be reached through a consideration of the work of poststructuralist feminist thinkers such as Judith Butler. Through understanding gender identity in less rigid terms it becomes possible to shift and transform present oppressive gender norms.
The use of an automated cueing device to assist people with dementia during handwashing

A person who has dementia often has difficulty using the washroom independently, and requires constant assistance and supervision. This results in a loss of independence and privacy, and in his/her caregiver becoming stressed. These problems may be avoided by using an automated device that prompts and monitors the person as he/she completes a washroom task. A prototype of such a device was developed. A preliminary study was conducted, which determined whether a generic device could be used, or if the device needed to be personalized for each individual user. This study concluded that a device that incorporates descriptive generic cues would be as effective as one that incorporates personalized cues. An efficacy study was conducted with the developed device. This study found that the device was effective in assisting a subject with dementia to wash his hands more independently. An increase in his success rate was observed, and the "workload" of his caregiver was reduced.
Sociopolitical analysis of French immersion developments in Canada

This thesis is a pioneer investigation into the historical development of sociopolitical factors conditioning French immersion developments in Canada. The conceptual framework and methodology were especially designed for the creation and interpretation of the literature database of the study. Research conclusions presented in the four analysis sections of the study point out that power dynamics manifested between members of both official language groups in Canada had a crucial impact on the evolution of the immersion phenomenon. The sociopolitical transformations taking place in Quebec during the Quiet Revolution triggered interest in the immersion concept as it provided anglophone parents the opportunity to give their children access to bilingual resources. The response of the Federal Government to the nationalist movement in Quebec in the seventies also favoured the expansion of French immersion programs through the creation of funding programs to enforce its policy of bilingualism in government and educational sectors. The limitations of immersion however became more visible in the mid to late eighties as research showed in greater scope evidence of immersion social class bias, the plateau of immersion proficiency in French, and secondary immersion attrition trends. The analysis of the literature database suggested that conditions for minority francophones began to improve at this time as francophone lobby groups took legal actions to obtain services equal to those enjoyed by the English majority and later, began working toward the establishment of autonomous structures. Recent trends also revealed that federal authorities modified their politicaI response to Quebec nationalism in the nineties by shifting their funding priority from official second-language programs toward official language minority education.
Storage and pumping system optimization using genetic algorithms

Water distributions systems generally do not operate at or their optimal points. The operational procedures of these systems should be reworked to make them more economically efficient. The ability to optimize (i.e., for economic efficiency) the operation of water distribution systems is hindered by the dimensionally (i.e., many different subsystems to optimize simultaneously) inherent in these systems. This is especially true for small time steps, pumping systems utilizing multiple pumps and distribution networks with multiple storage tanks. A branch of computer science called Genetic Algorithms has been shown to be very effective for optimizing complex systems. Genetic Algorithms are utilized in Two computer programs developed in this thesis. These programs were tested against simple water distribution systems and produced optimal solutions in a very short period of time. The architecture (i.e., program structure) for future computer programs that are based on the platform created in this thesis is also presented. These proposed versions should be useful in the optimization of large water distribution systems, something which has never been possible before.
The expression of P/Q-type calcium channels in the tottering leaner (tg§la) mouse

The tottering leaner ('tgla') mouse has been used as a model for human absence epilepsy, ataxia, and migraine. This thesis examined the expression of P/Q-type calcium channels in wild type (wt) and 'tgla' mouse cortices using [125 I]-[omega]-conotoxin MVIIC binding assays and western immunoblots. The function of wt and each mutant calcium channel ('tgla' long and 'tgla' short) was further analyzed independently in cell lines by immunoblotting, electrophysiology, and imaging. Experiments revealed decreases in P/Q-type calcium channel binding and Ã 1A subunit expression in 'tgla' cortices as compared with wt. While wt, 'tgla' long, and 'tgla' short Ã1A subunits were expressed at approximately equal levels in HEK tsA201 cells, there was a substantial decline in calcium channel currents from both the 'tg la' long and 'tgla' short-transfected cells. 'tgla' short channels expressed in COS-7 cells displayed perinuclear distributions. Taken together, the above data suggest a decrease in 'tgla' Ã1A protein in the 'tgla' mouse cortex.
Aesthetic Ways of Knowing, a Personal Narrative

This thesis examines the sense modalities and how the human being lives in these modalities in order to learn about the world. It further considers how the life of soul incorporates: thinking, feeling, and willing or doing, in order to create or establish the knowing of the world that leads to meaning making and understanding. It examines sensory literacy in a broad context and its role in aesthetic ways of knowing, including examples from the role of play in human development to aesthetic ways of knowing as developed in the arts. The author examines how literacy in the sensory modalities leads to the development of the various language forms or syntaxes in the arts, and concludes with a personal narrative account, which serves as an example of how aesthetic ways of knowing were cultivated and developed through personal experiences in the arts of sculpture, eurythmy, drawing and music.
Development of chlorine dioxide-related by-product models for drinking water treatment

Statistically-designed factorial experiments were conducted using 'synthetic' waters to examine the effects of various physical/chemical parameters on chlorine dioxide-related disinfection by-product formation. 2-level factorial experiments were then performed on 7 surface waters and a groundwater collected in Ontario to develop statistically-based model equations capable of predicting chlorine dioxide consumption, chlorite and chlorate formation when dosing with chlorine dioxide. These equations were developed in terms of pH, temperature, chlorine dioxide concentration, reaction time and water organic content. Interaction effects involving the aforementioned parameters were also included in the model equations, improving the accuracy of the predictive equations in fitting measured levels as evaluated through internal and external validations. Chlorine-dioxide dose and water organic content were found to be key parameters in developing the predictive equations. Improved correlations between chlorine dioxide consumption, chlorite and chlorate formation with changes in UV$\sb{254}$ were found to exist on a site-and parameter-specific basis.
Learner control and user-interface interactions in CMC courses

This was a qualitative study that explored the concept of learner control in computer-mediated communications (CMC) settings, as well as the importance of the user-interface for learner control. The purpose of this study was to see how the user-interface, and the way teachers have fashioned the user-interface, interacts with the teacher's interventions, the course content, and the student's learning process to further or hold back a perceived sense of learner control in CMC courses. Garrison and Baynton's distance learning (DL) framework was the theoretical basis for this exploration, and structured the discussion around three aspects for achieving learner control--the learner, support and freedom. Interaction within the framework is between the content, the teacher and students, but a fourth mode of interaction--user-interface interactions--was proposed as an addition to the DL framework. Six teachers were interviewed, and their students were invited to complete a learner control questionnaire. Instructional materials were also analyzed to support the teachers' perceptions. The teachers in this study all described themselves as facilitators of learning, and always had a rationale for giving or not giving learners a control option. Learner control was a central theme for both teachers and students, and the user-interface was found a factor in the students' capacity to take control of their own learning. The addition of user-interface interactions to the DL framework is recommended based on my findings. Students responding to the learner control questionnaire had less confidence in the freedom aspect of the DL triad than the other two aspects. This finding is consistent with another researcher's results. A theoretical proposition based on the results of this investigation is that teachers who see themselves as facilitators of student learning demonstrate their conviction to that philosophy by being able to account for their learner control decisions. Helping learners take control of their own learning was seen as a goal, and there was a trend toward increasing learner control over time. However, the teachers described the need for balance in giving learners control options, and their reasons were aligned with the freedom, support and learner aspects of the DL framework.
Wireless integrated services IP LAN in 5GHz U-NII band

In this work, we present a High-Speed Medium Access Control (MAC) Protocol with Distributed Weighted Fair Queueing for Wireless Local Area Networks. It provides Integrated Services for Internet Protocol (IP) with Quality of Service (QoS) support. We use the QoS framework proposed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Time Division Duplexing (TDD) is used for medium access and Self-Clocked Fair Queueing is used for scheduling. The sensitivity of the performance of the system to various system parameters such as the number of remote stations, the range of the system and the modem turn-around time are studied. Moreover, Reed-Solomon coding is used in conjunction with Automatic Request (ARQ) to combat channel impairments. The packet headers are designed to produce high efficiency. The theoretical throughput bound and the optimum capsule size of the system are derived. Simulation results and discussions are presented.
The use of Modern Standard Arabic word formation processes by English-speaking and French-speaking adult L2 learners and native speakers

This study investigates the use of word formation processes in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) by adult L2 learners of mainly English-speaking background. Forty-four L2 learners, and 40 native speakers of Arabic took part in this study, and performed three tasks (a production task and two comprehension tasks). L2 learners also performed a vocabulary knowledge test. On the production task, significant differences were revealed between L2 learners' and native speakers' innovations, with the L2 learners producing fewer innovations and leaving more blanks than native speakers. The learners' innovations comprised varied compound constructions, inappropriate derived patterns denoting other notions, as well as formally impossible patterns. These innovations indicate that even though the learners were making productive use of the derivational system, they still lacked knowledge of patterns, the structural relationships between forms and meanings in MSA, as well as the lexical constraints in this language. Significant differences were also found between L2 learners' and native speakers' use of MSA word formation processes, with L2 learners exhibiting a higher preference for compounding while native speakers preferred derivational processes, mainly Vinf.+gem. and affixation. L2 learners also opted for Vinf., and Vinf.+gem. to a lesser extent. However, affixation was hardly ever chosen by L2 learners. Similar orders of preference were found in both comprehension tasks. Certain acquisitional principles (Clark, 1980a) were proposed to account for the preferences of the L2 learners: the principle of semantic transparency takes first priority; second in importance were the principles of productivity and conventionality. An L1 effect could also be discerned in some of the choices of word formation processes. Learners at higher relative levels of vocabulary knowledge made significantly more use of word formation processes than lower level learners to coin new meanings, suggesting that lexical knowledge in the target language influenced L2 learners' use of word formation processes. However, the behaviour patterns exhibited by the higher level L2 learners in choosing word formation processes did not resemble those of native speakers. The findings of this study provide detailed information on the L2 learners' use of MSA word formation processes, and insights relevant to the teaching of MSA.
Localization of hydrogen peroxide in the interaction between Cladosporium fulvum and tomato

The presence and localization of hydrogen peroxide (H 2O2) in compatible and incompatible interactions of ' Cladosporium fulvum' and tomato were studied by light microscopy using the histochemical stain diaminobenzidine (DAB). To obtain synchronous development of the fungus, inoculation was by injection of conidia suspended in buffer or various inhibitors (catalase, superoxide dismutase, or diphenylene iodonium), into the intercellular area of the spongy mesophyll. Conidia, and/or the initial germ tubes, caused a localized host reaction characterized by H2O 2 production, protein cross-linking, callose deposition, and accumulation of phenolics in both interactions. Further growth of an avirulent race was restricted by similar host responses whereas hyphae of a virulent race grew as in a normal compatible interaction. Inhibitor treatments generally increased fungal length and decreased the percentage of host defense responses. These results support previous suggestions of a major role for H2O 2, perhaps primarily as a signal molecule, in the gene-for-gene interaction of 'C. fulvum' and tomato.
Anatomically-based models for physical and geometric reconstruction of humans and other animals

The relationship between the design elements of form and function is fundamental in producing new insights and understanding of the objects we encounter every day. Of particular interest is the study of human and animal anatomy, and how the elegance of shape and form we take for granted must simultaneously serve a practical role to locomote the body and perform other essential tasks for survival. We demonstrate how an integrated mathematical model, the B-spline solid, can be used to successfully capture geometric aspects of musculotendons as well as their physical characteristics. The B-spline solid is flexible enough to specify large insertion and origin attachment areas for musculotendons to the skeleton. Furthermore, it is scalable to facilitate detailed three-dimensional fibre reconstruction of internal muscle architecture. From these geometric reconstructions, we can embed different physical models to simulate phenomena such as volume preservation, active muscle contraction, and contact collisions. A software framework is developed to allow these musculotendon models to co-exist with other anatomic tissues, such as bones, ligaments, fat, and skin. The construction of these musculotendon models and the existence of a software environment for their utilization in different scenarios promises to enable detailed studies of the interdependencies in the body design of humans and other animals.