VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
In-line monitoring of polymer processing: A multidisciplinary approach

An in-line monitoring system is composed of a process/monitor interface, instrumentation and software. By drawing upon areas ranging from processing through spectroscopy and optics to multivariate data analysis, this thesis focuses upon the interface and software components of the system. Experimental data obtained by the in-line monitoring of polypropylene/polyethylene blends during extrusion were used as a basis for this work. The principal objectives of the thesis were: (i) to design and assess process-monitor interfaces which permit probe replacement during processing; (ii) to develop methods for comparing the quality of interpretation approaches used with spectral data acquired in-line, and (iii) to explore the properties of factor-based multivariate calibration models. Regarding the first objective, three designs of process-monitor interfaces were introduced which allow different commercially available fiber optic probes to be inserted. at different times without process interruption. These interfaces provide a means for measuring a variety of properties (only polymer blend composition was measured in this study). A statistical methodology based on the analysis of variance was implemented to show that melt blending, dry blending and temperature effects did not adversely affect the accuracy and precision of the data. Regarding the second objective, data preprocessing by second derivatives (d2), multiplicative scatter correction (MSC), and a combination of MSC and d2 was applied. The latter was the best preprocessing method for removing both additive and multiplicative effects from the in-line spectra. A unifying "continuum regression" approach was used to successfully obtain the most robust and parsimonious calibration model for predicting the blend composition from the preprocessed in-line spectra. The third objective encompassed three separate topics. First, nonlinearity tracking plots were developed for factor-based multivariate calibration models. The effect of data preprocessing on the nonlinear regions was demonstrated. The nonlinearity tracking plots revealed where, and to what extent, each factor contributed to regenerate the original spectrum. Second, a calibration transfer model based on direct on was used to transfer the calibration model from a laboratory instrument to a process instrument. This was accomplished by placing emphasis on the least number of factors (model parsimony) and the smallest number of "transfer samples". Finally, mid-infrared spectra were regenerated from in-line near-infrared spectra. The attributes and limitations of such a transformation were elucidated.
Normal elements with finite spectrum in C*-algebras of real rank zero

We give a short and elementary proof of Huaxin Lin's theorem that almost commuting pairs of self-adjoint matrices are near commuting pairs of self-adjoint matrices in a uniform way. The theorem is a consequence of a result that normal elements of a certain C*-algebra can be approximated by ones with finite spectrum. Our methods yield a complete characterization of C*-algebras with the latter property, generalizing earlier results of Lin. Also, we generalize Lin's theorem to a class of C*-algebras that includes not only matrix algebras, but all simple purely infinite C*-algebras and all of stable rank one. Using similar methods, we give a fairly elementary proof of the Brown-Douglas-Fillmore theorem on essentially normal operators. This dissertation is based on the author's joint work with Mikael Rørdam.
The nature and extent of student involvement in educational policy-making in Canadian school systems

The study examines the nature and extent of student involvement in educational policy-making in Canadian education systems in order to find out how much of a role students have in helping to shape the education systems that serve them. Participants for this study consist of ministers of education (or their designates), directors of education or school district superintendents at the school district level, high school principals and high school students from across Canada. All participants contributed to the data collection for this study by completing a written questionnaire. The study shows that education systems across Canada do involve students in policy-making at the department, school district and school levels, but only in an advisory capacity. The study shows that although there is a favorable reaction by stakeholders across Canada to student involvement in educational policy-making, student involvement is restricted to providing policy-makers with information. Students do not have a formal role to play in policy-making at the department, school district, and school levels in any of the jurisdictions participating in this study across Canada.
The implications of lake history for conservation biology

The historical formation of aquatic ecosystems and the regional environmental processes acting at the watershed level are important components in the conservation of aquatic ecosystems which are often neglected. This thesis integrates the fields of community and landscape ecology, conservation biology, multivariate statistics and geographical information processing in an attempt to examine the ecology of fish communities within 550 inland lakes in the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence basin of Ontario with respect to their local and regional environment and historical lake formation. These lakes have been grouped into six geographic regions: Wellington, Bruce Peninsula, LaCloche, Sudbury, Wawa, and Algoma. Two new constructs have been created which describe lakes based on their historical formation: "relict" and "solus". A relict lake is defined as a lake that was once part of a large waterbody presumably sharing a common species pool that has since receded to form a number of smaller lakes. A solus lake is defined as a lake formed in isolation which was never a part of a larger water system or species pool. Differences in fish community structure, environment, and species-environment relationships were examined between proximally paired relict and solus lake regions using a suite of multivariate statistics. The results of this study conclude that relict and solus lakes have significantly different local and regional environments, fish community structure, and species-environment relationships. Striking similarities were also found between relict and solus lakes and landbridge and oceanic islands, respectively, regarding historical formation, extinction and colonization potential, and community structure. The results strongly suggest that solus lakes and their surrounding watersheds represent ecologically distinct aquatic systems within Ontario containing unique environments and fish species assemblages. Recommendations are made for the inclusion of solus lake regions as provincial "Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest". Therefore the recognition of lakes as historical constructs which I term relict and solus provides insight into conservation planning for fish biodiversity.
The politics of truth, a case study of knowledge construction by the Social Planning Council of Metropolitan Toronto, 1957-1988

This dissertation is a case study of knowledge construction by the Social Planning Council of Metropolitan Toronto (SPCMT) from its incorporation in 1957 to 1988 when the author became affiliated with the organization. An interactive and heuristic inquiry of texts and key informants has been conducted within a critical theoretical framework. The study assumes a three part model of society: civil society, the state and the economy. Civil society is defined as a crucial area of activity in which individual and collective actors contest the determination of needs and the allocation of resources. The Council is positioned as an association of civil society with a mandate of knowledge construction. Drawing on the work of Jûrgen Habermas and Michel Foucault, the research traces the power relations in the process of knowledge construction and connects the interests of those who create the knowledge with the method and outcomes. A classification of three kinds of knowledge construction is utilized to analyze the major research works of the Councit positivist, interpretive and critical. The study locates these approaches as sequentially dominant for a period of approximately ten years each commencing in 1957. The forces of influence that contributed to the different eras of knowledge construction are traced. The study describes how the economy and the state have shaped the norms and resources of civil society and how a practice of resistance has developed. The tensions and contradictions among the three spheres are explored. Strategies that support the pursuit of an emancipatory approach to knowledge construction are identified. The research will be of particular interest to academics and activists who study and work with voluntary associations and organizations committed to social and economic justice.
A whole-forest management approach integrating forest structure, timber harvest and wildlife dynamics

A whole-forest management plan must consider timber as well as nontimber benefits of the forest. Difficulties in quantifying nontimber benefits have led to ignoring nontimber benefits in the formulation of forest management plans. Joint determination of two forest products (timber and wildlife) on a sustainable basis while maintaining certain characteristics of the forest desired by society is a useful approach. A vector of forest variability, consisting of forest stand diversity index and compactness index, has been defined. Forest stand diversity depends on the unevenness of the forest. The unevenness of a forest is characterized as a continuum from an even-aged forest with only one patch to a perfectly uneven-aged forest with infinite number of patches. A method elaborated to quantify the point at which a forest may fall on this continuum leads to construction of a forest stand diversity index. A measure of the shape and fragmentation of a forest through compactness index has also been analyzed. Forest stand diversity and compactness both affect the potential of a forest to support wildlife. Analytical relationship between compactness index and the closeness of the wildlife population to its potential helps perform trade-off analysis. Quantification of forest structure through forest maturity index (which is a measure of timber yielding capacity) and forest stand diversity index is shown to be a useful tool for decisions in forestry. Interactions among timber harvest, prey and predator have been analyzed using a simulation model technique. The basic promise of the model is that a timber harvest that alters the forest structure will also affect wildlife habitat. A combination of modified logistic equations and difference equations has been used to simulate deterministic and stochastic moose ('Alces alces') populations. Forest management scenarios depicting a timber harvest that achieves a certain wildlife population density, and a desired forest maturity have been generated. More scenarios can be developed easily. Thus, long run moose population density for different long-term timber harvests has been obtained. This is the timber-moose product transformation curve and can be used for management decisions. The forest manager can thus select the best scenario that fits her/his selection criteria.
The influence of norms on eating behavior: An impression management approach

Three studies explored social influences on eating. Prior to reporting these studies, the existing literature was reviewed. This literature appears inconsistent, with each group of studies (social facilitation studies, impression management studies, and modeling studies) suggesting that the presence of others has different effects on intake. We attempted to reconcile these inconsistencies and proposed that all three literatures could be best understood in terms of people's attempts to detect and use norms to govern behavior. The three studies presented here were aimed at adding some cohesion to the existing literature and at demonstrating the value of the normative interpretation of eating. In Study One, participants ate alone, in the presence of a non-eating observer, or in the presence of a co-acting companion. Participants ate significantly fewer cookies in the Observed condition than in the Alone condition. In the Co-action condition, participants tended to match the intake of their companions. In Study Two, participants ate either alone or while observed by the experimenter. Furthermore, subjects were led to believe that prior participants had either eaten a lot (Augmentation Norm condition) or a little (Inhibition Norm condition); subjects in a control condition (No Norm condition) were not informed about prior intake. Results showed that while participants adhered to the norms when they were alone, the presence of the observer suppressed this effect, with subjects eating minimally across norm conditions. In Study Three, three experimental groups were all exposed to an Augmentation Norm; one ate alone, one ate in front of a mirror (intended to increase self-awareness) and one was observed by the experimenter as they ate. A control group of participants ate alone and was not informed about prior intake. While participants adhered to the Augmentation norm when they were alone and in front of the mirror, they again ate minimally when they were observed. The results from all three studies were interpreted in the context of two norms--a norm of minimal eating and a matching norm that prescribes that people model the intake of their companions. The origins of these norms were discussed, as were the limitations of the studies and directions for future research.
Identification of functional domains and tertiary interactions in the Neurospora VS ribozyme

'Neurospora' VS RNA is a small catalytic RNA capable of mediating self-cleavage and ligation reactions. Like other naturally occurring small self-cleaving RNA do the products of VS cleavage bear 5' -hydroxyl and 2'-3' cyclic phosphate termini. However, VS RNA differs, from these other ribozymes in both sequence and secondary structure. The minimal contiguous sequence required for self-cleavage has been previously determined to consist of one nucleotide upstream and 153 nucleotides downstream of the canonical cleavage site. In addition to identifying secondary structure elements, structure probing of an RNA containing the minimal contiguous sequence also showed that many additional bases were protected by magnesium-dependent interactions, implying that several tertiary contacts remained to be identified. I have used site-directed mutagenesis to characterize the first long-range interaction identified in VS RNA. This interaction contains a 3 base-pair pseudoknot helix that is required for tertiary folding and self-cleavage activity of the VS ribozyme. I have further investigated the structural requirements for cis-cleavage of the VS ribozyme by designing deletions, substitutions, and circular permutations based on the secondary structure model. Four of the six helices predicted in the model have been shortened, resulting in self-cleaving RNAs of only 121-126 nucleotides. Remarkably, the shorter ribozymes exhibit a 30 to 40-fold faster 'cis'-cleavage rate. The increase in activity results from disrupting an inhibitory helix, whose 5' side contains bases upstream of the cleavage site and from constructing a circular permutation which tethers the helix containing the cleavage site to a shortened version of the rest of the ribozyme. RNAs that lack the inhibitory helix have a lower magnesium optimum than those RNAs with an intact helix, suggesting that the presence of the helix may interfere with folding, perhaps by stabilizing an inactive conformation. The non-essential regions identified by the deletions map to the periphery of a recently proposed structure model, revealing a central ribozyme core which contains the essential structural elements required for activity of the VS ribozyme.
The selection and use of multicultural children's literature

Multicultural Children's Literature is literature about groups of people who find or gather themselves into community through a common bond of self-identification such as race, religion, sexual orientation, ability or colour. This type of literature has been looked at as a tool to try to achieve many goals--to empower, educate, enlighten, influence, create empathy, encourage critical thinking and questioning, and to give vision to those who will see themselves and others. The materials we select and how we use these materials will have a great influence on the extent to which these goals are or are not achieved. This exploratory and descriptive study looks how people select and use multicultural children's literature. The question this study attempts to address is: 'What factors influence the selection and use of multicultural children's literature'? Three types of informants were used to gather the data for this study: (1) the providers of the literature, who determine what will be made available to the consumers; (2) the consumers of the literature, who select from what has been made available and (3) outside influences, which help consumers make choices. A variety of tools was used for the data collection--questionnaires, interviews, 4 case studies of elementary classes, field notes, participant/observer reflections and a survey of literature which reviews books, videos and magazines. The main issues which were studied are: (1) the importance of quality of literature an a selection factor; (2) the availability of quality literature for a variety of reading levels; (3) how connections to literature influence choices and (4) the importance of encouraging authentic use of the literature through teacher development. The study showed that there are different factors which affect selection and rejection of multicultural children's literature. Selection of the literature was affected by content, illustrations, and familiarity with the book or author, while the illustrations played a major role in the rejection of the literature. The study also showed that teachers mainly use multicultural literature as an addition to the existing curriculum, and at certain times of the year for cultural celebrations.
An examination of differences among staff mix alternatives and work designs and selected nursing, quality, and system outcomes

Examining the differences between staff mix models, work design, and outcomes for the registered nurse, the system, and for patient care quality is of great interest to nurses, health care administrators and policy makers. First, this study examined the types of staff mix utilized in hospitals in the greater Metropolitan Toronto area, and determined that two categorizations of staff mix exist. These are: (a) staff mix models that only employ regulated workers (RNs and RPNs) and (b) staff mix models that employ both regulated and unregulated workers (RNs and URWs). The concentration of registered nurses was found to be higher in staff mix models that utilize unregulated workers. Secondly, registered nurses employed on 30 randomly selected units from each of these two staff mix model groupings (i.e. 15 units from each group) were surveyed to determine their perceptions of: (a) the work design (care delivery model) in place on the unit, (b) nurse outcomes (role conflict, role ambiguity, and job satisfaction), and (c) quality outcomes (perceived effectiveness of care and perceived quality of care). As well, data related to the system outcome of patient length of stay were determined. Results of this study indicate that RNs experience high levels of role conflict, regardless of the type of staff mix model. However, no significant differences were found between the staff mix model, work design, and nursing, quality, and system outcomes.
The wellsprings of neo-classicism in music: The nineteenth-century suite and serenade

Musicologists, for the most part, seem unaware that an appreciable stream of neo-classicism flowed through the latter decades of the nineteenth century. Furthermore, we accord little recognition to the many minor composers who, by emulating older models, showed that much of the musical mainstream drew inspiration from eighteenth-century music. European culture saw the eighteenth century as music's Classical era-and Bach, Handel, Haydn, and Mozart were "ancient masters" whose works exemplified classicism. This dissertation describes how after 1850, following the Romantic era, composers revived and cultivated the long dormant suite and serenade genres as reflections of eighteenth-century classicism. Incorporating modern elements, these revitalized suites and serenades represent the wellsprings of neo-classicism in music. Initially, an exploration of a nineteenth-century context for neo-classical ideals leads to a workable definition: neo-classicism is a spirit captured in new compositions that apply modern methods and procedures to older models. A discussion of the terms suite and serenade shows that in the first half of the nineteenth century, a suite had become a collection of light salon pieces for piano, while a serenade implied either a single-movement, song-like character piece, or a light, multi-movement work for a chamber ensemble. By mid-century, however, works for piano, chamber ensemble, and orchestra inspired by, and modelled after, eighteenth-century suites and serenades began to emerge. The repertory of nineteenth-century suites and serenades is presented in three stages. The years 1850-70 saw modern suites and serenades produced by Brahms, Lachner, Massenet, Raff, and Saint-Saëns. According to many contemporary sources, such works were alternatives to sonatas, symphonies, and programmatic tone poems. From 1871-89, the new genres became established all over Europe with prominent examples provided by Tchaikovsky and Dvor—ák. Then in the years 1890-1914, several composers, notably Reger, produced such works maintaining a neo-classical thread through the time of ' fin-de-siècle' modernism. This dissertation, in describing the little known repertory of nineteenth-century suites and serenades, proves that the influence of eighteenth-century classicism had thrived in the Post-Romantic era. The point is that neo-classicism is not solely a phenomenon of the twentieth century, but was an important artistic current in nineteenth-century music.

Keywords: Neoclassicism (Music)
Suite (Music)
Music
History and criticism
Néoclassicisme (Musique)
Suite (Musique)
Musique
Histoire et critique