VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Numerical and Analytical Characterization of Transport Properties for Single Phase Flows in Granular Porous Media

The study of fluid flow in porous media is important in many fields from oil recovery and carbon sequestration to fuel cells. An important area still under investigation is the relationship between the porous microstructure and the permeability of a material since accurate permeability estimations are required for predictive continuum models of flow and mass transport through porous media. Tortuosity is another important parameter used in continuous permeability relationships to relate permeability to porosity and other microstructural properties of porous media such as pore connectivity. The focus of this research is to provide foundational tools to characterize porous media flow transport properties such as permeability and tortuosity. To achieve this goal, this thesis is divided into two parts: First, a numerical-based approach (lattice-Boltzmann model) was developed in-house to simulate fluid flow in porous media. This numerical tool was used to determine the permeability of two structured simulated porous domains. The lattice-Boltzmann model was also used in a stochastic model to investigate the impact of the geometric properties of the grains (such as grain aspect ratio) on the tortuosity-porosity relationships in porous media. In the second part, an analytical approach was proposed and used to investigate the tortuosity-porosity relationships in fractal geometries. From the permeability study, it was found that the predictability of the Kozeny-Carman equation (a commonly-used permeability relationship) can be improved with a modified KC parameter that is an algebraic function of porosity. From the numerical stochastic tortuosity study, it was found that tortuosity exhibits an inverse relationship with the porosity that can be expressed in logarithmic form. Furthermore, the adjusting parameters (a and b) were calculated in the tortuosity-porosity correlation of τ=a-b.ln⁡(ϕ). It was found that tortuosity increases with increasing grain aspect ratio. From the analytical tortuosity study, it was found that the analytical tortuosity-porosity relationships in the studied fractal geometries are linear and the tortuosity has an upper bound at the limiting porosity (ϕ=0 for the Sierpinski carpet). These tools and observations provide the capability for predicting continuous permeability and tortuosity correlations that can be used in large-scale continuum modelling of fluid flow in porous media.

Advisor: Bazylak, Aimy
An Investigation of Approaches to Performance Measurement: Applications to Long-term Care in Ontario

With a growing proportion of older adults in the Canadian population, the sustainability of publicly-funded long-term care (LTC) continues to be a concern. While emphasis has been placed on more efficient care delivery – that is, to increase output with a fixed amount of resources – it is unclear if, and how greater efficiency can be realized in a market where the quantities of inputs and output are carefully regulated by government policies. Furthermore, despite the wealth of information on the association between organizational structure, efficiency, and quality of care from research conducted in the U.S., these relationships have not been extensively studied in Canada. This type of analysis is of particular relevance for Ontario, which has the highest proportion of for-profit, chain-owned nursing homes (also known as ‘LTC homes’) in the country. To explore these questions, econometric methods were applied to evaluative the productivity and technical efficiency of LTC homes in Ontario. The dataset was derived from Statistics Canada’s Residential Care Facilities Survey (RCFS) and consisted of observations from 627 LTC homes collected over 15 years (1996/1997 to 2010/2011). Dynamic panel data models – including random effects, fixed effects, maximum likelihood and quantile regression – were estimated to determine the production function of service providers in this sector. Descriptive results revealed that staffing levels were the highest among municipal LTC homes, followed by not-for-profit and for-profit operators. On average, independent facilities provided more hours of direct care than chain-affiliated LTC homes. Within these facilities, health care aides provided more hours of care than any other category of care personnel; in fact, their contribution to residents’ care increased over time. Results from the dynamic panel data models found chain affiliation, urban location, and the scale of operation to be positive and significant predictors of technical efficiency – controlling for heterogeneity in the residents’ care needs, other organizational attributes (e.g., profit status) and the operating environment (e.g., market concentration). Technical efficiency is one of many aspects of performance. The empirical work presented in this thesis offers examples of methods that can be used to analyze and inform LTC policies in Ontario in the future.

Keywords: Efficiency
Long-term care
Nursing homes
Panel data
Quantile regression
Stochastic frontier analysis
Advisor: Laporte, Audrey
Transfer Literacy: Assessing Informational Symmetries and Asymmetries

This research examines the extent to which the Ontario college-to-university transfer information system is performing efficiently and identifies symmetries and asymmetries in stakeholders’ understanding of this process. Recognized symmetries were identified in areas where shared (or uniform) knowledge exists. Asymmetries were identified in areas where some stakeholder(s) would directly benefit from additional information from the other(s) that is not being fully disseminated, resulting in non-uniform knowledge. As a lens to analyze and interpret results, the study utilizes concepts from contract theory, a branch of economic research which investigates how stakeholders interact and form contractual arrangements often in the presence of asymmetric information, and behavioural economics (Martimort, 2008). A qualitative methodology was employed, which included a review of over 70 documents representative of credit transfer deliberations in the province from 1999-2012, as well as focus groups with institutional administrators involved in the advisement of students and/or the assessment of transfer credit. Overall, 13 Ontario postsecondary institutions (six colleges and seven universities) participated in this research. In order to assess the efficiency of the transfer information system and identify (a)symmetries among stakeholders, the following steps were taken: 1) documentation of information needs and responsibilities, 2) analysis of the degree of completeness in terms of the effectiveness and sustainability of existing and relevant information and 3) identification of internal and external factors that impact on performance (United Nations-Economic and Social Development Department, 2008). The results of this research revealed that informational symmetries and asymmetries exist between 1) Government of Ontario/agencies and institutional administrators and 2) institutional administrators and students in the Ontario transfer information system. Overarching asymmetries stem from variations in administrative policies/procedures among institutions. Areas of information confusion between key stakeholders include: credit transfer terminology; varying meanings of ‘credit/credit value’; grade point average (GPA) calculations for admissions and credit transfer eligibility; generic, unallocated, unassigned, non-specific or unspecified credit applications and functions; reach backs; degree and program requirements; and the timing and importance of program major and minor declarations.

Keywords: Behavioural Economics
Contract Theory
Credit Transfer
Higher Education
Student Mobility
Advisor: Lang, Daniel
Our Conservatories? Music Education, Social Identities and Cultural Politics in Germany and Austria, 1840-1933

This dissertation is a history of conservatories of music in Germany and Austria from the founding of the first German conservatory in 1843 to 1933. This period allows an investigation of continuities and changes in the cultural work performed by conservatories as political relationships shifted. As music was central to German cultural identity, conservatories were sites in which competing visions of Germany were contested. Chapter 1 analyses the founding and expansion of German conservatories, focusing on local and regional identities. Music education was a way to deepen music’s local grounding while contributing to the culture of the larger fatherland. Chapter 2 explores national visions for German music education both in the absence of a nation-state and as part of the process of moulding national identity after unification. Chapter 3 concerns North American exchanges with German and Austrian conservatories. This sheds light on the discourse of “Americanisation” in Germany and Austria as well as on the place of central-European music in American cultural history. This chapter explores the Austro-German music-educational establishment’s attempts to grapple with American culture as well as Germans’ understanding of American modernity, which they found enticing, liberating and threatening. Through analysis of the debate about jazz in German music education, this chapter explores how Germans imagined American culture and the influence of African Americans and Jews on it. Chapter 4 analyses the role of German music education in defining terms of Jewish claims to German cultural belonging. This chapter considers the role of Bildung and music education in the construction of a distinctly German-Jewish identity; it also analyses the consequences of exclusionary racial antisemitism for conservatories. Chapter 5 analyses the position of conservatories in battles between progressives and conservatives. Conservatories could be bulwarks against change, but they could also serve to legitimate new developments. Recent years have seen the development of a body of scholarship devoted to the history of individual music-educational institutions. This dissertation enriches, challenges and extends that work. It does so by treating conservatories throughout German-speaking Europe as a cultural concept, and by anchoring music education in larger scholarly conversations in German and central-European history.

Advisor: Retallack, James
A Study of Influence, Structure, and Performance in Messiaen's Préludes (1928-1929)

The Préludes (1928-1929) of Olivier Messiaen are central works of his early career which have surprisingly received much less attention and recognition than his other piano compositions. They serve as a guide towards understanding Messiaen's early compositional style, and detailed musical analysis of them can provide performers with an arsenal to perform the Préludes with authenticity as well as individual flare. The introductory chapter provides some background information on Messiaen's early style and his treatise Technique de mon langage musical to give the reader a general orientation on which to draw during the detailed analytical chapters. Chapter 2 discusses Messiaen's analyses of a few of Debussy's respective Préludes, and this provides insight on how Messiaen analyzed music, and how he perceived and organized all of the various elements. Chapter 3 outlines common performance practices of Messiaen's music. Most of the material is drawn from interviews with Yvonne Loriod, Peter Hill, and a few other pupils who worked extensively with Messiaen. Chapters 4, 5, and 6 contain a thorough analysis of Préludes 2, 6, and 8. These discussions include a detailed formal analysis, as well as an exploration of prominent aspects unique to each Prélude (regarding thematic treatment, formal structure and modal use). After each analysis, there is an examination of performance practice drawing upon recordings by various artists and evaluating choices in such matters as dynamics, tempi, phrasing, and voicing. All of this information offers performers a guideline upon which they can draw inspiration, and a basis for making interpretative decisions grounded in analysis. The last chapter summarizes the topics discussed in the previous chapters, and it then provides a brief analysis of a short piece by Messiaen titled Prélude composed in 1964. Although this analysis is not extensive, it reveals some similarities to processes observed in his earlier set of Préludes, and yet again provides a framework whereby performers can base their own interpretations when approaching Messiaen's music.

Keywords: Debussy
Messiaen
Piano Music
Préludes
Advisor: McClelland, Ryan
Parker, James
Refined System Design Principles for Contemporary Data Cellular Communication Systems

Cellular communication systems have transformed from systems deployed by a single mobile network operator while utilizing a single Radio Access Technology (RAT) to multi–RAT, multi–operator systems. However, the inadequate application of the fundamental design principles of classical cellular communication systems when deploying contemporary cellular communication systems leads to large system deployment costs, high system complexity, limited system scalability and suboptimal utilization of system resources. Refined system design principles for contemporary cellular communication systems are developed and presented in this thesis to circumvent the inefficiencies introduced by currently employed system design principles, with emphasis on practical system configurations and deployment scenarios. The proposed enhanced system design principles substantially improve the performance of contemporary data cellular communication systems by exploiting system multiuser diversity and maximizing the utilization of radiofrequency resources. After establishing the foundation for contemporary cellular communication systems, attention is shifted towards multi–operator systems, in which multiple mobile network operators share network infrastructure elements to reduce system deployment costs. The feasibility of spectrum pooling in multi–operator systems is thoroughly studied to determine the gains and limitations of joint resource allocation under spectrum pooling, with spectrum pooling verified to maximize the overall performance of multi–operator systems. Multi–RAT systems, in which multiple RATs are co–deployed to accommodate varying user equipment capabilities, are then considered, with emphasis on enhancing inefficient system structuring and operation, user access and spectrum management. Similar to multi–operator systems, joint resource allocation with autonomous spectrum assignment at system access points is verified to maximize the performance of multi–RAT systems. Finally, this thesis addresses irregular system deployment scenarios subject to limited multiuser diversity. Specifically, small cell access point performance is enhanced using a system–aided dynamic spectrum access framework designed to enable full spectrum utilization at all system cells.

Advisor: Sousa, Elvino S
Understanding How Ontario's Full-Day Early Learning Kindergarten Works for Families: Building A Program Theory Based On Parents' Voices

Ontario’s Full-Day Early Learning Kindergarten (FDELK) represents a bold policy shift in North America, with its conceptualization and delivery of a universal, integrated early learning program. Informed by service integration goals, the FDELK combines early education and care into a seamless early learning program for 4- and 5-year olds. The current study explored parents’ perspectives and program participation experiences to develop a theory of change for FDELK. Relative to our understanding of program effects, causal mechanisms that help explain how and why programs work are not well understood. By asking parents to attribute observed outcomes to program participation experiences, the goal was to identify key pathways through which program participation influenced outcomes not only for children, but also for parents and families. Building on the research experience of local service integration initiatives, this study used an innovative method to build a theory of change for FDELK. Qualitative methods were used to explore parents’ perspectives about their: (1) use of the FDELK program and salient features that were most helpful to them (inputs), (2) benefits and challenges associated with participating in FDELK (outcomes), and (3) program participation experiences that were perceived to contribute to identified outcomes (processes). Using transcribed parent interview data collected from 21 FDELK families, texts pertaining to these three topics were thematically coded in NVivo. Using research and theory as a starting point and a guide throughout the analytic process, patterns of causal linkages between input>process>outcome themes were examined. Following analysis, a three-pathway FDELK theory of change model captured how program participation experiences contributed to a range of child-, parent-, and family-level outcomes. The findings point to the strengths and weaknesses of the design and implementation of FDELK during year 1. More broadly, the study contributes to our understanding of how and why integrated early childhood programs work for families, and furthers our understanding of how parents navigate early childhood services to meet the needs of their family. It also offers a novel methodology for generating theories of change and capturing parent engagement processes. Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.

Keywords: Full-day Kindergarten
Parents' Voices
Theory of Change
Advisor: Corter, Carl
Examining Factors Associated with Child Care Utilization Patterns in a Canadian Urban Setting and Understanding the Association Between Child Care Ratios and Child Outcomes

This dissertation is comprised of three separate manuscripts, each focusing on a unique aspect of child care. Together, they examine both family and child characteristics that are associated with parental decisions regarding child care and provide a better understanding of the impact of child care on children. The first two studies use a longitudinal sibling study consisting of 716 children within 358 families to investigate between- and within-family variables that are associated with child care use, stability, and type. A specific focus is on ‘going beyond’ typical demographic variables by including two aspects of the psychosocial family environment (i.e., maternal depression and marital conflict). Associations between stability of care and type of setting and children’s language and social-emotional behaviour are also explored. The third paper focuses exclusively on studying the effects of child-staff ratios on child development by conducting a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of published research. This dissertation provides badly needed utilization data for Canada. It also highlights important differences in child care utilization patterns between the current Canadian sample and U.S. data and therefore calls into question the appropriateness of generalizing U.S. findings to the Canadian context. Inferential results indicate that child care use, stability, and type are associated with characteristics of the family and thus highlight inequalities that may exist between Canadian families in accessing child care. Controlling for these family characteristics, a higher frequency of marital conflict within the home was associated with greater odds of having attended child care. Finally, there was very little evidence of child care effects on children’s functioning across the three manuscripts. Discussion centers on the importance of identifying child care selection factors and the complexity of identifying child care effects given methodological and conceptual limitations inherent in the child care literature.

Keywords: child care
child-staff ratios
early childhood education and care
Advisor: Perlman, Michal
A Study of Protoplanetary Disk Dynamics using Accelerated Hydrodynamics Simulations on Graphics Processing Units

This thesis focuses on the dynamical interaction between the gaseous component of a protoplanetary disk and the solid bodies within. We identify and characterize new dynamical behaviors of solid bodies ranging from micron-size dust grains to Jupiter-size planets, using hydrodynamics simulations accelerated by graphics processing units (GPUs). Chapter 1 outlines the relevant physics and explains our research motivation. Chapter 2 gives a detail description of our GPU hydrodynamics code PEnGUIn. Our benchmark shows that, running on a GTX-Titan graphics card, PEnGUIn can update 25 million grid cells per second in a three-dimensional (3D) calculation. Chapter 3 combines PEnGUIn simulations and semi-analytic calculations to demonstrate the existence of a new disk instability, called the irradiation instability. We find that when the star exerts a sufficiently strong radiation pressure, the interplay between dust grains, gas, and radiation is unstable to linear perturbations, and, in extreme cases, can result in ``clumping'', local surface density enhancements beyond 10 times the initial value. In Chapter 4 we consider disk gaps opened by giant planets. We determine how the average surface density inside the gap, Sigma_gap, depends on planet-to-star mass ratio q, Shakura-Sunyaev viscosity parameter alpha, and disk height-to-radius aspect ratio h/r. We derive an analytical scaling that predicts Sigma_gap~q^-2 alpha^1 (h/r)^5, and show that it compares well to results determined numerically with both PEnGUIn and ZEUS90, a modified version of the publicly available code ZEUS. In the end, we turn our attention to Earth-size planets which exchange mass and angular momentum with the disk without significantly modifying the local disk structure. Most work done on this topic has been under the assumption of an infinitely thin 2D disk, and so a precise description in 3D has been lacking. 3D simulations with PEnGUIn described in Chapter 5 reveal that vertical motion plays an important role in the 3D flow field around an embedded planet, and has a direct impact on both planet accretion and migration. In particular, the size of the planet's atmosphere is much smaller than anticipated, and the corotation torque on the planet deviates significantly from 2D predictions.

Keywords: astrophysics
dynamics
hydrodynamics
numerical simulation
planet
protoplanetary disk
Advisor: Artymowicz, Pawel