VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Women's foreign policy advocacy in 1930s Britain

This study of women's participation in the public realm focuses on women's activism in foreign affairs in a period in British history in which such issues increasingly dominated public life. From the generally optimistic outlook of the early 1930s to the divisive and anxious debates later in the decade, discussion of foreign policy in Britain at this time constituted a rich and varied dialogue which attracted concerned citizens of all political persuasions. This study examines the extent to which politically engaged women chose to involve themselves in what was clearly a heavily male-dominated realm and how such participation can be characterized. In spite of the fact that international relations scholarship concerning British foreign policy in the 1930s is extensive and has acknowledged the insight to be gained from looking beyond a small circle of high-ranking policy makers, recognition of women's activism has remained very limited. Considerably greater interest has been shown within the field of women's history, but typically in relation to a select group of individuals or organizations. Looking at a wide range of relevant activity in non-party women's organizations and mixed-membership organizations, in the world of journalism and independent published commentary, and in the explicitly political arenas of parties and parliament, this study offers a more complete sense of the full scope of options pursued by interested women in penetrating the male world of foreign policy debate. It also suggests that this was an area of women's activism which saw feminists and non-feminists co-operating closely on some occasions, while in other situations women with like-minded views on the position and rights of women in society were sharply divided in their foreign policy opinions. Women's foreign policy advocacy in Britain in the 1930s is revealed as a complex world in which explicitly gendered and non-gendered rationales and arguments were present in many varied forms and were not exclusively associated with any particular foreign policy position--whether pacifist, internationalist, or militarist.
Leadership development within the culture of a school board

The purpose of this study is to contribute to knowledge about leadership development programs by examining how a particular program affected the learning of school administrators as they prepared to implement school councils. Chapter One makes a case for effective leadership development programs that situate learning within the complexity of the system's culture. School councils generate tensions around required new relationships among educational players and position leaders into a more publicly political forum. As budget constraints reduce resources, accountability requires the evaluation of leadership programs to assess and improve their effectiveness in contributing to individual learning, collective benefits to the system and student learning. Chapter Two is a literature review which informs the conceptual framework of the study. The framework acknowledges the holistic interrelationships of leadership development with concepts such as culture, transformational leadership, and the collective effects of shared learning. Chapter Three explains the case study design of the research to capture the diversity of perspectives within the complex dynamics of administrator interactions. The research incorporated two populations. Nineteen volunteers contributed to interviews which were tape recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a recursive, inductive process. Twenty eight participants contributed questionnaire data to compliment the interview data and provide triangulation. Chapter Four provides the context and background of the leadership program based on data from board documents and artifacts. Chapter Five presents a summary of the Interview data analysis and Chapter Six presents the results of the questionnaire data. Chapter Seven addresses each of the research questions, suggests guidelines for planning leadership development programs and draws conclusion. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
Reconstructing Anglo-Saxon England in antiquarian writing, 1660-1735

This dissertation considers the systematic rescue and evaluation of Saxon antiquities during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries by English antiquaries. With chapters on the pastime of manuscript fragment collecting, the recovery of the Old English language and lexicon, and coin-collecting, this thesis explores how antiquaries--deeply influenced by scientific empiricism--endeavored to reconstruct the fragmented past from its material and documentary remains. Although antiquaries have been the subject of numerous studies, both as a group and individually, few scholars have approached the topic of antiquarianism through the objects they studied. Antiquities, however, are what distinguished the antiquary from the historian; they are the vehicles by which these scholars demonstrated their affection for and dedication to things as opposed to words. Thus, looking both at the collections of historical artifacts compiled by individual antiquaries and their often massive works of synthetic scholarship, this thesis argues that antiquaries not only revolutionized notions of historical evidence, but engineered news ways of reading the silent evidence of artifacts or things in their engagement with antiquities. The final chapter, by contrast, examines the mythical legacy of King Alfred's reign to show how the scholarly attention to evidence and proof characterizing this period was occasionally subordinated to political agendas. Looking, in particular, at an eighteenth-century court case which depended on establishing a detail in the life of this Saxon king, it demonstrates that--faced with current controversy and personal politics--even antiquaries sometimes succumbed to the allure of historical fictions. While contributing to discussions of the links between antiquarianism and experimental science, the rise of Old English scholarship, and the culture of collecting at this period, this thesis also situates the scholarly recovery of the Saxon tongue and culture within its religious and political contexts.
MR validation of soft tissue deformation as modeled by nonlinear finite element analysis

Finite element analysis (FEA) can potentially be used to predict soft tissue motion for the purpose of elasticity reconstruction and data fusion applications. For a simple phantom that simulated a soft tissue, FEA accurately predicted motion for surface deformations on the order of 11%. A computer controlled Magnetic Resonance (MR) compatible compression apparatus provided precise, time varying compression to a phantom. The motion of the phantom was measured with MR by acquiring velocity images throughout the cycle of compression. The phantom geometry was modeled with a finite element mesh and the mechanical properties of the phantom material were measured and incorporated in the finite element model. A static deformation was applied to the finite element model of the phantom and the internal motion was calculated. The motion as calculated by the finite element analysis was compared to the motion measured with MR and there was good agreement.
Applications of compound fiber Bragg grating structures in lightwave communications

Photonic networks have been identified as one solution that can satisfy the growing demand for bandwidth due to increased Internet traffic and the information superhighway. New enabling photonic technologies will be required in order to successfully implement, operate, and manage these all-photonic networks. In this thesis, we develop fiber Bragg grating technology for realizing photonic components that can perform a wide variety of optical signal processing functions for aggressive network management and performance requirements. First, we show how to tailor the spectral response of chirped moiré fiber Bragg gratings so that they can be used as transmission passband filters. We have fabricated filters having near ideal filter response which will be useful for providing wavelength selectivity in wavelength-division-multiplexed and wavelength routing networks. Second, we demonstrate the first hybrid wavelength-encodingt/time-spreading optical code-division multiple-access system using chirped moiré fiber Bragg gratings for encoding/decoding. Limitations imposed by the electronic bottleneck due to optical-to-electrical and electrical-to-optical conversions are overcome since all encoding/decoding operations are performed all-optically. Third, we realize a simple and cost-effective means using serial fiber Bragg grating arrays for performing power equalization among different wavelength channels in an erbium-doped fiber amplifier module. Such a module will be critical for compensating the deleterious effects of gain nonuniformity and transients in wavelength-division-multiplexed or wavelength routing networks. Finally, we demonstrate two different actively mode-locked erbium-doped fiber lasers that simultaneously emit two wavelengths with stable room-temperature operation. Wavelength spacings of 1.8 nm and 0.7 nm have been achieved--the closest reported to date. These lasers will find applications in high-performance transmission systems seeking to exploit combined wavelength-division-multiplexing/time-division-multiplexing access and as a diagnostic tool for photonic device testing/characterization.
The multimedia urban model, assessing the fate and transport of semivolatile organic compounds in urban areas

A multimedia model has been developed to account for the movement of semi-volatile organic compounds in an urban environment. The model consists of six compartments: air, surface water, sediment, soil, vegetation, and an organic film that coats impervious surfaces. The model, parameterized for downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, indicates that soils are the greatest sink for most chemicals but that the film achieves the highest concentrations. The film reflects chemicals back into the atmosphere and/or transfer them to surface waters via a washoff mechanism, resulting in increased contaminant mobility. This may account for the elevated concentrations of SOCs in urban media, as well as the magnitude of the urban "plume". Results contrast those observed for forested areas where air-borne pollutants are transferred to soils via the vegetative canopy and are immobilized. The model has been shown to be most sensitive to the parameterization of air, film, and vegetation and related transport processes.
The relationship between spinal deformity and physical disability in children with spina bifida and scoliosis

There have been few studies that addressed the assumption that spinal deformity is an important determinant of physical disability. Thus, the objectives of this thesis were to (i) determine the relationship between spinal deformity and overall physical disability and (ii) identify mediators of this relationship. A cross-sectional study was performed on eighty children with spina bifida and scoliosis. Multivariate analysis was employed to adjust for confounding factors and test the hypothesized relationships There were no significant adjusted relationships between spinal deformity and overall physical disability. However, sitting imbalance acted as a mediator between malalignment of the trunk, spine- specific disability and overall physical disability. The lack of relationship between spinal deformity and overall physical disability questions the efficacy of interventions aimed at correcting spinal deformity in order to improve overall physical disability. At best, correcting truncal malalignment would improve sitting balance but any further improvements in disability would be uncertain.
Impact of communication layer performance on shared virtual memory protocols for clusters of SMPs

Clusters of symmetric multiprocessors have become important computational as a programming methodology for high-performance computing. Much research has focussed on improving the performance of software-distributed shared memory systems (SDSMs); future advances in network performance promise even greater gains. This research examines the potential impacts of next-generation communication layers and wider node architectures on SDSMs, and presents factors to consider in future protocol design. A modern shared virtual memory protocol (GeNIMA) was ported, along with a supporting communication layer (VMMC), onto an SGI Origin 2000. Emulation on this platform revealed that: GeNIMA benefits from the faster interconnect network, reducing data wait time significantly; the use of wide (8- and 16-processor) nodes significantly impacts on intra-node synchronization and data placement; and, the most important remaining protocol overheads are the cost of memory protection operations and intra-node imbalance generated by data placement.
Dose-response evaluation of the interaction between sertraline and alprazolam in vivo

Based on in vitro data showing inhibition of alprazolam metabolism by sertraline via CYP3A4, the potential for similar in vivo inhibition was assessed in humans. Ten healthy volunteers participated in two test sessions (placebo/alprazolam 1mg p.o.) prior to initiating sertraline treatment. Blood samples were obtained over a 32 hour period and pharmacodynamic measures (sedation, psychomotor performance, memory function) were performed over an 8 hour period. Following two weeks of daily sertraline self-administration (50, 100, 150mg/day), test sessions were repeated. Alprazolam concentrations (n = 6,4,6 at 50, 100, 150 mg/day sertraline, respectively) showed no significant changes based on C$\sb{\rm max}$, T$\sb{\rm max}$, t$\sb{1/2(\beta)}$, and AUC$\sb{0-\infty}$, with the exception of a reduced C$\sb{\rm max}$ in the 50mg group. Similarly, dynamic data showed no significant variations based on peak effect, T$\sb{\rm max}$, AUC$\sb{0-3}$ and AUC$\sb{0-8}$, with the exception of increased peak impairment in one measure of psychomotor performance. These findings suggest that sertraline (50-150 mg/day) does not alter single-dose kinetics or dynamics of alprazolam.
Globalization, business interests, and the development of continental free trade agreements

The thesis is a comparative study on the role played by "big business" peak interest associations in the development of continental trading regimes in North America and Western Europe (specifically the FTA, NAFTA and the Single European Act (SEA)). The paper explains the role and level of influence of business groups by examining changes that have been occurring in the international political economy over time which have increased the influencing power of business and weakened the ability of states and civil society groups (and labour) to act in certain policy areas. The increased "influencing power" of business caused by globalization and reflected in the agency and structural power of capital, allowed business groups in Canada, the United Kingdom, and at the European level, to play an active and important role in the agenda-setting, negotiation and implementation phases of these agreements.
An industrial robotic system for moving object interception using ideal proportional navigation guidance

The problem area under study in this thesis is the development and implementation of a robot-motion planning technique to bring the end-effector of an industrial manipulator to a (pre-grasp) rendezvous location with a randomly-moving target in minimum time. The robot-motion planning technique utilized herein is a hybrid interception scheme. The end-effector is initially controlled via a navigation-based method and subsequently, in the second phase, via a conventional tracking method that takes over control to ensure a smooth grasp. The proposed method is based on the navigation-based interception scheme originally developed by Mehrandezh et al. in [3]. In this thesis, however, these motion-planning algorithms were modified to suit the industrial manipulator available in the Computer Integrated Manufacturing Laboratory. The computer-simulation and experimental results demonstrated the capability of the proposed IPNG-based interception scheme to intercept slow- and fast-maneuvering targets faster than a pure tracking method would do.
Development of a hand tremor quantification device for the measurement of pathological tremor

Hand tremor is the most common and visible symptom of a variety of neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease. Consequently, the severity of tremor is often used as an aid in diagnosis and a gauge to assess the efficacy of treatment. A hand tremor quantification device, the miniBIRD&trade;/'Tremor Quantifier' system, was designed with the electromagnetic tracker, miniBIRD&trade; from Ascension Technology, and customized software. The miniBIRD&trade;'s sensor is affixed to the finger and data are acquired through a host computer. The system is set to measure the three main types of tremor associated with Parkinson's disease: resting, postural, and intention. Frequency, amplitude, and area of displacement of tremor (an indication of power) are determined for each set of data. The system was tested to a positional accuracy of (0.031 ± 0.132) cm averaged over a specified range. The frequency measurements were tested against those an accelerometer and found to be comparable.
Effects of pup-directed behaviors on PKCgamma-immunoreactivity in brain of female adult and juvenile rats

A great deal is understood about the physiological and neuroanatomical mechanisms underlying postpartum maternal behavior in the female rat. In contrast, less is known about cellular signaling events that mediate this species-promoting behavior. This study was designed to understand the relationship between PKC and rat maternal behavior. This thesis consists of two chapters, both of which are written as two separate papers. The first chapter of this thesis was designed to determine if PKC is involved in various neural structures and systems during both the initial expression of maternal behavior and during the retention of a maternal memory in the adult famale rat. Since juvenile female rats also display components of maternal behavior, the second chapter was designed to determine the role of PKC in various neural regions during the expression of maternal-like behaviors by juvenile animals, and to compare results found in the adult to those found in the juvenile. The two chapters are followed by a general discussion that addresses issues relevant to both chapters. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
From reflex to rhythm, sleep, dreaming, and the discovery of rapid eye movement, 1870-1960

Rapid movement (REM) is a phenomenon of sleep easily visible to the naked eye of a careful observer. Yet it was not discovered until 1953. Why did it take so long for this phenomenon to come under scientific scrutiny? From 1870 to 1960, disciplinary, institutional and instrumental factors transformed the cognitive basis of sleep research. Once a passive and reflexive response to fatigue, sleep emerged as a self-regulating biological rhythm. As an objective sign of dreaming, REM encapsulated this concept of "activated" sleep. Modern sleep research emerged from a number of nineteenth-century clinical and physiological problems, including insomnia, hypnotism and fatigue. Around 1900, Sigmund Freud, Henri Bergson, and Edouard Claparède introduced a biological perspective, describing sleep and dreaming as functions, not effects. Henri Piéron used the method of "enforced wakefulness" to develop a concept of sleep as both fatigue and rhythm. During the 1920s, Nathaniel Kleitman adopted a similar method in his research at the University of Chicago, where REM was later discovered. Medical and technological developments during the 1920s and 1930s had a great impact on the study of sleep. Epidemics of encephalitis lethargica, or "sleeping sickness," turned sleep into a highly visible object of neurophysiological research. Constantin von Economo linked its symptoms to a damaged "sleep centre" in the brain, reinforcing the idea that sleep was an active function. Vacuum-tube amplification created the electroencephalogram, which inscribed sleep as brain activity. This period also witnessed the creation of departments of "neuropsychiatry" across the U.S. Such interdisciplinary and holistic approaches to biomedical research bound together psychological and physiological concepts with clinical practice and instrumental performances. The discovery of "sleep stages" at the Tuxedo Park laboratories of Alfred Lee Loomis in 1937--a crucial event in the story of REM--was made possible only through such interdisciplinary, technologically-driven efforts. Cognitive goals of American neurophysiologists and neuropsychologists were realigned from the 1930s into the immediate postwar period. Freudian psychoanalysis turned dreaming into a central problem for sleep researchers, who hoped to unify body and mind through an analysis of the rhythms of REM.
The development of nursing cases for ethics research, a methodologic enquiry

Cases are frequently used in education to teach concepts or skills and to evaluate the extent of learning. However, the methodology for developing these cases is not clearly identified in the literature. This study was part of a larger research project that required a case-based instrument in order to develop and test a theory about how nurses make ethical decisions. The study describes the creation of four ethical cases, or scenarios, that could be used to elicit judgement responses from nurses. Guidelines were developed, and, based on these guidelines and content analysis of experiences reported by fifty-five Canadian nurses, environmentally valid cases for nursing ethics research were written. The results of this study contribute to methodologic knowledge about case development, case study research, education case development, and instrument development.
Dietary fibre, dietary fat, and menarche

Menarche is an important event in the gradual process of pubertal development in girls. Early menarche has been recognized for many years to be a risk factor for breast cancer. It is plausible that menarche and breast cancer may have common antecedents. Findings from a few epidemiologic studies on the relation between diet and menarche are not entirely consistent. However, there is some evidence indicating that diets high in fibre are associated with later age at menarche. Results from animal and in vitro studies have demonstrated that intake of dietary fibre can influence the body pool of estrogen through its effects on the enterohepatic circulation of estrogen. The resulting change in plasma level and bioavailability of estrogen may in turn affect the development of puberty and the timing of menarche. To investigate the effects of dietary fibre and its components on menarche, a cohort of 637 girls in Ontario was identified from the Canadian Study of Diet, Lifestyle, and Health. Information on their dietary intake, physical activity, and date of menarche were collected annually by self-administered questionnaires for three years. Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the association between dietary fibre and menarche, adjusting for age at entry to the study and potential confounders. Results from the model using the baseline exposure measurements showed that a higher intake of energy-adjusted dietary fibre was associated with a lower risk of menarche (HR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.31 to 0.94 for highest versus lowest quartile, p for trend = 0.027). At the fibre component level, a higher intake of energy-adjusted cellulose was associated with a Lower risk of menarche (HR = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.26–0.76, p for trend = 0.009). The association was stronger (HR = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.11 to 0.55 for highest versus lowest quartile, p for trend = 0.018) when the exposure data were restricted to the statistically relevant exposure period (zero tag time) identified from the Lagged Exposure Models. Findings from this study support the hypothesis that dietary intake early in life can influence menarche which may in turn impact on breast cancer risk later in life.