VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Safety evaluation for signalized intersections on Ontario provincial roads

This study presents two levels of models to evaluate the safety of signalized intersections that are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario. Level 1 models are capable of estimating the expected collision frequencies for total property damage only (PDO) and separate accidents of three-legged and four-legged intersections; separate estimates can be obtained for three prominent impact types: angle, rear-end, and turning movement. The models are diseggregated by environment class: rural, semi-urban, and urban, and by time period: daily, weekday AM peak, and weekday PM peak. In level 2, models by accident patterns are provided exclusively for the four-legged intersections, for the daily period. Specific accident patterns are defined by the movements of involved vehicles prior to collision. Modeling methodology and techniques developed in this study are of general interest. Moreover, the models can be used to identify hazardous intersections, and to evaluate the safety effect of treatments made to intersections.
Changes in host plasma membrane ion fluxes during the Gomphrena globosa-papaya mosaic virus interaction

Papaya mosaic virus (PMV) is a single-stranded RNA virus that belongs to the potexvirus family, which produces a localised infection on Gomphrena globosa. In G. globosa, necrotic lesions surrounded by a chlorotic ring develop on the inoculated leaf, however, the rest of the plant remains healthy. The lesions in this interaction are thought to be the result of a non-host hypersensitive response (HR) resulting in resistance to the virus by limiting its spread to the rest of the plant. In this study the patch-clamp technique was used to elucidate the early events that occur during this non-host HR to PMV. Preliminary results using whole cell recordings demonstrated that addition of virus to the cell caused a decrease in the average inward currents (i.e. Ca$\sp{2+}$ moving into the cell or gluconate moving out of the cell) and an increase in the outward currents (i.e. Cl$\sp-$ moving into the cell and/or K$\sp+$ moving out of the cell). The increase in the average outward currents observed when PMV was present inside the patched cell was dependent on the PMV concentration used and was saturated at 2.5 $\mu$g/ml of PMV. In this study, it was shown that tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) infection of G. globosa also produced local lesions similar to those caused by PMV. Moreover, TMV addition to G. globosa protoplasts produced similar changes in the average ion currents as PMV/G. globosa interaction. This is the first time that changes in ion fluxes were characterised during a plant-virus interaction. The observed changes in average ion currents may represent an early event in the signal transduction pathway leading to the development of non-host resistance in the PMV-G. globosa interaction.
Energy expenditure and protein catabolism in ventilated trauma patients, the effect of head injury and neuromuscular blockade

Energy expenditure (EE) and nitrogen excretion (NE) were compared in trauma patients with and without severe head injury. Indirect calorimetry was used to measure energy expenditure (MEE) in 18 head injured (HI), (GCS $\leq$ 8), and 14 multiple trauma patients (TR), (ISS of 17-59), while ventilated, on and off pancuronium within the first 13 days of injury. Urinary nitrogen losses from urea and creatinine were measured daily. Average EE (off pancuronium) was 28.7 $\pm$ 4.6 vs. 24.5 $\pm$ 4.5 kcal/kg/day in HI vs TR patients (NS). With pancuronium, EE in the HI group was 22.8 $\pm$ 3.7 kcal/kg/day (p = 0.006). Comparison of average NE and nitrogen balance respectively, between HI and TR groups were not significant, 200 $\pm$ 53 vs. 208 $\pm$ 60 mg/kg/day (t = 0.23), and $-$91 $\pm$ 6 vs. $-$137 $\pm$ 6 mg/kg/day (p = 0.061). We conclude that there were no significant differences in EE or NE between HI and TR patients. Pancuronium use significantly lowers EE to basal levels in HI patients.
Mathematics and science achievement in adolescence, the effects of life course goals and self-concept

This study investigated the individual and combined effects of life course goals (academic and social) and self-concept (academic, social, and mathematics) on mathematics and science achievement in high school (cross-sectional sample from grades 9-12). These effects were examined as a function of grade, sex and educational class condition (males; females from coeducational classes; females from a single sex intervention program). This subject pool (n = 522) was drawn from a larger longitudinal study. Responses to self-report questionnaires were combined with Ontario School Record data. Mathematics self-concept, academic self-concept, and academic goals declined throughout the high school years. Mathematics self-concept was lowest among females without the special educational experience. Females reported higher levels of importance of mathematics and science to desired careers. Mathematics self-concept, academic self-concept, and time on mathematics were consistently significant predictors of mathematics and science achievement for the full sample and among the various subgroups, but these patterns differed somewhat by sex and educational experience, suggesting that the impact of goals and self-concept may alternate as a function of educational context.
Immunological characterization of a putative serine protease expressed in anthers of Lilium longiflorum

An antiserum was generated which specifically recognizes the product of LIM9, an anther-specific gene from Lilium longiflorum. Immunoblotting and immunocytochemistry experiments indicate that the LIM9 protein appears during the late zygotene stage of microsporogenesis and accumulates until tetrad dissolution. Although it occurs within the microsporocytes and microspores, it is expressed predominantly within the cells of the surrounding tapetum. The mature protein is secreted into the locule where it coats the microspore tetrads. Immunoblotting experiments suggest that the LIM9 gene encodes an 84kDa preproprotein which is posttranslationally modified to yield an 82kDa glycoprotein possessing complex glycans. Sequence homologies suggest that the mature LIM9 glycoprotein is a member of the subtilisin-like family of serine proteases. Preliminary electrophoretic functional assays provide empirical evidence supporting the LIM9 protein's identity as a protease.
Experimental investigation of shock wave and boundary layer interaction near convex corners in hypersonic flow

The hypersonic impulse gun tunnel at the UTIAS was used to experimentally investigate the interaction between an oblique shock wave and boundary layer near convex corners in hypersonic flow. Experiments were conducted in two phases. The first phase involved tunnel test operating conditions that presumably developed turbulent boundary layer on the model surface in Mach 7.2 flow. Schlieren photographs indicated that it was not possible to conclude that the boundary layer developed was, in fact, turbulent. The second phase of the program included preliminary investigation of shock-laminar boundary layer interaction near rounded convex conners. As a first step, experiments were repeated to validate previously documented results achieved at the current facility. Surface static pressure measurements and Schlieren photographs were taken to investigate interaction near a 5 degrees convex corner. Results obtained in this phase supported the repeatable characteristics of the facility.
The legal accreditation program, the experiences of foreign-trained lawyers in Toronto

This study examines the experiences of foreign-trained lawyers in the legal accreditation program in Toronto. Using qualitative research methods this study documents the experiences of the nine accreditation candidates and determines the factors that affected their integration into the Canadian culture of law. All participants in this study had obtained their law degree in a foreign jurisdiction and they were in the midst of completing the retraining required by the National Committee on Accreditation to become accredited in Ontario. The participants in this study included recent immigrants to Canada as well as Canadian citizens. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore the participants' experiences in the accreditation program and to understand their interpretations of their experiences. The participants' descriptions of the process of accreditation are put forth, as are their perceptions of their integration into the legal community. The data in this study reveals that the participants' experience of integration was affected by many factors connected to the administration and implementation of the accreditation program including: the evaluation of credentials; lack of co-ordination between the administrative bodies; high costs associated with retraining; lack of a support system; and pervasive lack of information. These factors heightened already onerous retraining conditions and undermined the candidates' integration into the legal profession.
Mammalian lignan production from flaxseed, studies in vitro and in humans

The in vitro mammalian lignan production from processed foods containing flaxseed was quantified and found to be dependent on the percent flaxseed incorporated into the product. Additional grains and flaxseed variety also influenced the overall lignan production. In human subjects, a dose dependent response to raw flaxseed was observed in urinary lignan excretion. The processing of flaxseed as muffin or bread did not effect the quantity of lignan excretion. Plasma lignan levels peaked at 9 hours post flaxseed ingestion and were maintained up to 24 hours after intake. Plasma and urinary lignan levels increased significantly after eight days of flaxseed consumption versus the first day of intake and plasma lignan levels stabilized on the eighth day of intake. Urinary lignan levels, after one week of supplementation, showed a positive correlation with plasma lignan levels and with the in vitro lignan production. The results should provide guidance in the estimation of lignan intake and in designing studies on the physiological effects of lignans.
A dentist and a gentleman, the significance of gender to the establishment of the dental profession

This study examines the role played by gender relations and ideology in the establishment of the male-dominated profession of dentistry in Ontario. Gender ideology and relations characteristic of Ontario society in the period during which Ontario dentistry was establishing its professional status (1868-1918) became embedded in dental practice and the dentist's role. Gender provided a useful tool for professionalising dentists. It provided a script from which they could define their own role and relations, and a means for legitimating that role to the public. While dentists drew on a number of legitimating ideologies and contemporary beliefs in structuring and legitimating their profession, the language of gender permeates their efforts to establish their professional status. The notion of gender utilized by Ontario dentists was very class and race specific. Dentists as middle-class, Anglo-Saxon men had a very particular notion about what defined a man, and by extension what made a good dentist. Gender identity was fused with class and race identities into an inseparable whole. Thus, in discussing the impact of gender on the establishment of the dental profession, this study argues that gender cannot be seen entirely separately from other characteristics and relations such as class and race. Data for this study were primarily drawn from professional documents and journals published in Ontario between 1868--the year in which Ontario dentists began organizing--and 1918. These documents and journals provided a wealth of information on the processes of profession formation during Ontario dentistry's first fifty years and on the role of gender in these processes. Dentistry has been a male-dominated occupation since before it organized as a profession and it remains a male-dominated profession today. It is my contention that the way in which dentistry was structured by and for middle-class men has ensured that dentistry remained male-dominated for decades after its initial organization. While women were never formally excluded from dentistry, the way in which the profession was structured provided inherent barriers and difficulties for women attempting to pursue dental practice.
Deconstructing diaspora dreams

Deconstructing Diaspora Dreams provides an initial attempt to critically examine through a variety of feminist frameworks the use of oral histories from female Holocaust survivors in the emerging field of Women and the Holocaust. This thesis begins with the recognition that social constructions and regulatory discourses constitute and enable our subjectivities in ways that produce and reproduce systemic inequalities. Reflecting on recent feminist debates, this thesis probes the tensions between, on the one hand, the importance of feminist calls for women to come to voice and Holocaust Studies' calls for survivors to bear witness, and on the other hand, the limitations to forms of knowledge that rely on the transparency of language, as argued by the poststructuralists. Finally using postcolonial theories this work explores the dangers to ignoring the material realities enabling the articulation of personal narratives.
Improved procedure for setting up, running, and interpreting 2D-NMR spectrum used for structural elucidation

The heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC) experiment has several advantages over the more widely used heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence (HMQC) experiment. The ability of the HSQC sequence to eliminate $\rm \sp1H$-$\rm\sp1H$ homonuclear coupling in the $\rm f\sb1$ domain is the most important one. Three HSQC based sequences were examined in detail. The comparison between HSQC and HMQC sequences shows that HSQC has better resolution and sensitivity in both $\rm f\sb1$ and $\rm f\sb2$ domains. The two-dimensional HSQC-TOCSY sequence added important bond connectivity information to the heteronuclear shift correlation spectrum. A coupled HSQC sequence presented a new way of obtaining clear proton multiplet structures, as well as displaying an interesting virtual coupling effect. Together these three HSQC based sequences were used to aid the full assignment of a plant steroid, clionasterol. A computer program written in Varian's magnetic instrumental control and analysis language II (MAGICAL II), called ZUNITY, constitutes the later part of this thesis. The ZUNITY program is a user-friendly program which allows one to run series of routine NMR experiments on the Varian UNITY spectrometers.
The effects of hypoxia and hypercapnia on hamster activity rhythms

Golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) were exposed to 3 h of constant hypoxia (O$\sb2$ concentration = 5%), episodic hypoxia (O$\sb2$ concentration 17-5%), or constant hypercapnia (CO$\sb2$ concentration = 15%) at CT6, CT11 and/or CT15 to determine if a phase shift in circadian activity rhythms is induced by a respiratory stimulus. Hamsters were kept in a 14:10 LD cycle before the pulse and at the onset of a respiratory stimulus were released into constant darkness (DD). A separate experiment measuring metabolism oxygen consumption and inspiratory ventilation using open flow respirometry and whole-body plethysmography, respectively, demonstrated that all chemical stimuli were powerful respiratory stimuli. Constant hypoxia caused 0.2 h, 0.3 h, 0.4 h phase delays in hamster activity rhythms at CT6, CT11 and CT15, respectively, when the first day post pulse was used to calculate phase shifts. However, when the constant hypoxia experiment was repeated at CT6 and a post-pulse regression line was used to calculate the phase shift no phase change was induced. Constant hypoxia given on 3 consecutive days at CT6 caused a 0.68 h phase delay using both calculation methods. Episodic hypoxia caused a 0.16 h phase delay at CT15. Hypercapnia did not alter activity rhythms. Apparent phase delays obtained using the first day post pulse for phase shift calculation were strongly correlated with reductions in activity levels on the day of the pulse. These results suggest that the phase delays in activity rhythm induced by the different kinds of hypoxia are mediated by acute decreases in activity levels. It is concluded that respiratory stimuli have little or no direct influence on activity rhythms in activity in hamsters. Episodic hypoxia did not induce long term facilitation (LTF) or phase advances as hypothesized. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
Synthetic studies of aminoketenes and isocyanatoketenes and nucleophilic reactions of 2,3-bis(trimethylsilyl)-1,3-diene-1,4-dione

The synthesis of N,N-dimethylamino-tert-butyl ketene was pursued via E1cB type reaction, as it is a potentially stable and persistent aminoketene. The bases used included DBU, potassium hydride and triethylamine while the leaving group used was pentafluorophenoxide. Failure of the synthesis of this aminoketene and the stable phthalimido-tert-butylketene using these and other similar conditions indicates that they may not be suitable in the generation of aminoketenes. The synthesis of the unknown cumulene substituted ketene, tert-butylisocyanatoketene, was attempted by reacting tert-leucine with triphosgene to give an isocyanato acid chloride as a ketene precursor. The acid chloride could not be made this way, but rather tert-leucine-N-carboxyanhydride was synthesized very efficiently. The synthesis of medium sized lactones using the n-BuLi catalyzed reaction between 2,3-bis(trimethylsilyl)buta-1,3-diene-1,4-dione (bisketene) and diols was attempted. Dimeric tetralactones were obtained in low yields as the only isolable products. The uncatalyzed reaction between the same bisketene and a variety of amines was attempted. Conversion to the corresponding succinamides using primary amines was fast and high yielding with little or no competition from desilylation reactions. It was also discovered that succinimides could be generated in this fashion.
Pseudo-Dionysius, a philosophical study of certain hellenic sources

A synthesis of Christian and Hellenic religio-philosophical sources, the Corpus Dionysiacum (c.500) reflects both Greek Patristic thought and Hellenic (Neo) Platonism. Indeed, its unidentified author, otherwise known as Pseudo-Dionysius, is not only familiar with both these traditions, but has appropriated much from each, and adeptly produced a genuinely Christian vision. The focus of this study lies with Pseudo-Dionysius' appropriation of certain notions in Hellenic (Neo)Platonism to express his Christian vision of the rational being's relationship to God and its return to divine likeness and union. It is generally agreed that Pseudo-Dionysius is significantly indebted to the Neoplatonism of the Athenian school of the fifth and early sixth centuries, and particularly reliant upon the thought of Proclus. Late Athenian Neoplatonism, however, clearly derives from Plato's thought and Plotinus' (c.204-270) brand of Platonism (now termed Neoplatonism), which, through the mediation of Plotinus' student Porphyry (c.232-c.305+), and in combination with the thought of the Syrian philosopher Iamblichus (c.245-c.326), contributed substantially to the final form of Platonism elaborated and systematized by Proclus (412-485) in Athens. It is this late Hellenic Neoplatonism being taught at Athens--with its doctrines of triads and mean terms, system of divine Henads, theories of participation, views of the remaining, procession and return of the cosmos, and strong emphasis on the importance of theurgy for the salvation of the soul--upon which Pseudo-Dionysius so heavily relies. Thus, this study evaluates Pseudo-Dionysius' appropriation from the thought of Plato, Plotinus, Porphyry, Iamblichus and Proclus of various terms and concepts of eros, the soul, analogy and theurgy--all excellent examples of his Christian customization of Hellenic (Neo)Platonic thought--to help explicate the rational being's attainment of divine likeness and union. It is argued that (a) Pseudo-Dionysius was intimately familiar with these notions, (b) and that he not only successfully incorporated these notions, but retained a good deal of their Hellenic spirit within his Christian vision of the rational being's return to God, (c) that he was able to do so by way of certain basic, though clearly important, correctives, and finally, (d) that he adeptly produced a rich synthesis which surpasses the sum of its "borrowed" parts.
A numerical model of MHD separation of inclusions from molten aluminum

An electromagnetic device is proposed for the separation of inclusions from Aluminum. The device utilizes a magnetic structure that generates a current within the flow regime. The Electromagnetic force field exerts a pressure upon the inclusions which propels them towards a wall where they accumulate and are prevented from re-entering the stream. The thesis presents two mathematical models which are used to reveal the fundamental mechanisms of inclusion removal from a liquid metal stream. The first of these is a simplified model which assumes a total independence between magnetic and flow fields. The second is a finite element model for fluid flow which is used to confirm the overall features of the simplified approach. The main results of the thesis show that electromagnetic effects can be used for the removal of inclusions from a liquid metal stream. However, the magnitudes of excitation currents are high, and the geometry of the device fundamentally affects the efficiency of filtration.
Design of a CMOS current conveyor-based field-programmable analog array

To date, all published CMOS field-programmable analog array (FPAA) designs have operated under 1MHz bandwidths. This thesis develops circuit methods allowing the development of a CMOS FPAA operating at greater than 1MHz frequencies. For this purpose the second-generation current conveyor (CCII) is used. IC test results of a 0.8$\mu$m CMOS chip containing four configurable analog blocks based on the CCII, as well as an interconnection network based on transmission gates, are presented. The test results show that bandwidths exceed 10MHz. The four CABs and interconnect occupy a core area of $\rm1551.8 \times 741.2\mu m\sp2$. The thesis also proposes an FPAA design based on current conveyors and similar to a commercial bipolar FPAA, but operating at higher bandwidths; as well, a novel voltage comparator based on the CCII is proposed.
The processing and in vitro degradation properties of gravity sintered calcium polyphosphate powders

In the current study, calcium polyphosphate (CPP) has been produced in porous disk form ($\sim$4mm diameter x $\sim$2mm thick) through the gravity sintering of particles of two different size ranges (106-150$\mu$m and 150-250$\mu$m) to function as a biodegradable scaffold for bone ingrowth. These disk samples were characterized in the "as-made" state and after incubation of up to 30 days in two different buffered solutions (pH 7.4 and pH 4.0). Degradation of the disk samples was characterized physically, through diametral compression analysis, and chemically, for the release of calcium and phosphate degradation products. Powders were sintered at temperatures near the melting temperature and it was observed that variations in sintering temperature as minor as ${\pm}2\sp\circ$C could have deleterious effects on densification. The behaviour of disk samples in the initial short-term degradation studies suggested a two-step degradation process whereby intergranular amorphous regions degrade initially, releasing degradation products at a high rate, followed by the slowly degrading crystal grains. The loss of intergranular adhesion due to this degradation promoted intergranular crack propagation resulting in an observed rapid decrease in strength. Evidence of precipitation in was observed in the degradation study.