VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Method for measuring CP violation in top quark pair production at ATLAS

The Standard Model (SM) predicts that a large fraction of top quark pairs produced in 14 TeV center-of-mass pp collisions will have correlated helicities, and the number of tLt¯¯ L and tRt¯¯R pairs produced will be approximately equal. Unequal numbers of these pairs are an indication that CP symmetry is violated and there is new physics beyond the Standard Model. A method to measure CP violation in tt¯¯ pair production at the Large Hadron Collider is presented. In particular, the value of DeltaNLR = [sigma(t Lt¯¯L) - sigma(t Rt¯¯R)]/sigma(tt¯¯)TOT is found to be best measured in the lepton-plus-jets channel of tt¯¯ decay. In this channel, the top pair can be reconstructed and the angular distribution of the leptons with respect to the top quark momentum can be determined. The ATLAS experiment can measure Delta NLR with a statistical uncertainty on the order of 3.5% using only 50 fb-1 of integrated luminosity. The sources of a number of systematic uncertainties were also studied. A method to detect CP violation in the dimuon decay channel using the P T asymmetry of oppositely charged muons was also investigated.
Late medieval liturgical offices in acrostic form: a catalogue and study

The "rhymed office" consists of a series of versified antiphons and responsories sung at certain fixed hours of the day as part of the liturgical worship of the Christian church. A special variety of rhymed office is the office in acrostic form, in which the initials of the individual items when read in sequence form a secondary text. The forty-two known acrostic offices were composed throughout continental Europe from the eleventh to sixteenth centuries. The acrostics themselves usually name the feast, the author, or both. Complex acrostics are generally prayers or assertions of authorship. The acrostic can travel through all items of the work in the sequence of their performance, or join together only parts of the office (antiphons only, responsories only, Vespers service only, etc.). Both kinds of acrostic strive to lend unity to the discrete poetic items of the office: the first method compiles the diverse elements into one; the second orders the work into parts reflective of larger liturgical units. The two tendencies towards unification are also seen in the treatment of the metre and of the narrative material. The significance of the acrostic form is difficult to assess. The variety seen in the repertoire, and the virtual lack of interconnections between the various specimens, make it inappropriate to speak of a "tradition" of acrostic office composition. In the sources, the device is rarely evident to the eye. Moreover, the items have often been altered, rearranged and replaced, with the result that the acrostic is disrupted. No medieval account of the acrostic is known. The acrostic's focus on names (of author, saint, and feast) suggests that the hidden device is best understood as a prayer akin to the litany and the petition, whose essential movement is at once communal and inward. Style and subject matter of these offices are various. Metres may be regular accentual stanza forms, variations of these, or a freer assemblage of lines. Saints from the Bible, the early church, and the entire middle ages up until the fifteenth century were so celebrated. The manuscript and early printed liturgical books which transmit the acrostic offices are in some cases extremely numerous and widespread, whereas other offices are known from a single extant source.
Student assessment and evaluation in studio art

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the evaluation process of student studio art products, and to determine the influence of three different curriculum approaches in the evaluation of subsequent student work. Curricula were defined by their philosophical and theoretical approaches to art education; the three approaches included holistic, analytic and International Baccalaureate (IB) models for studio art studies. A multi-site case study format was used to explore the way teachers develop their conception of art education and evaluation practise, and the way students interpret and implement evaluation. Research was conducted at three sites using the grounded theory method for data collection and analysis. Participants at each site included an art teacher, and three senior level art students. Sites were visited ten times over a six-week period. Data pertaining to the teacher's process of evaluation, and the student's response to evaluation, was collected through personal interviews with participants, informal observation and discussion, and collection of documents and artifacts. The findings suggest that teachers rely on personal experience and early training to develop evaluation, and consciously integrate strategies, methods and criteria based on the expectations of their school and community. When teachers implemented provincial art curriculum, they adapted educational objectives and evaluation methods based on personal preference, and moderated these preferences in response to external pressures. When a teacher used externally developed and monitored curriculum, evaluation was implemented to adhere to the summative evaluation conducted by the external examiner Students integrated teacher evaluation into subsequent work when the following conditions were met: (1) when the values in the evaluation matched the student's goals, expectations and needs; (2) when the student could maintain their original beliefs about the nature of the art making process; and, (3) when the student was able to maintain a high level of personal satisfaction with their work in the process of creating the final product. Teachers and students developed individual systems for evaluating artwork. Students developed personalized criteria to evaluate work during the process of creation; teachers developed criteria based on educational objectives, and applied evaluation to the finished product.

Keywords: Art, Study and teaching
Art teachers
Educational tests and measurements
Students, Rating of
Fidelity of primate cell repair of a double-strand break in a (CTG)·(CAG) tract: effect of slipped DNA structures

At least 15 human diseases are caused by the instability of gene-specific (CTG)·(CAG) repeats. The mechanism of instability remains unknown, though model systems suggest a role for aberrant double-strand break (DSB) repair. Using a primate DSB repair system, I have investigated the fidelity of repair of a DSB within a (CTG)·(CAG) tract. DSBs were introduced into repeat-containing plasmids using a BsmI site, such that the repeat tract comprised one free end of the linear plasmid. Substrates with 17, 47 and 79 repeats, in linear duplex form or containing slipped-structures, were transfected into primate cells. The presence of repeats and slipped structures reduced repair efficiency. Repair products were characterized for alterations of the repeat tract and flanking sequence. DSB repair induced predominantly repeat deletions, and notably showed the preferential removal of the repetitive end of the DSB. This was enhanced when slipped structures were present within the repeat tract.
Palladium catalyzed carbon-carbon bond forming reactions

We have developed novel palladium catalyzed coupling reactions for the synthesis of functionalized aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds. Chapter 1 explores the development of a palladium catalyzed domino ortho-functionalization/cyanation reaction for the synthesis of polysubstituted benzonitriles. The scope of the reaction proved to be broad with a wide range of alkyl halides and aryl bromides taking part as ortho-functionalizing reagents. Chapter 2 describes the discovery and development of a palladium catalyzed domino ortho-arylation/carbonyl addition reaction for the synthesis of substituted fluorene derivatives. The reaction was found to proceed using esters, ketones, aldehydes and imines. During the course of the study it was found that α-arylation is also an efficient termination step. Chapter 3 involves the extension of the palladium catalyzed domino ortho-alkylation/Heck reaction to heteroaromatic halides. It was found that both 3-iodoindoles and 3-halopyridines could be functionalized efficiently under the developed reaction conditions. Chapter 4 explores the palladium catalyzed reaction of aromatic iodides with allylic functionalities to generate allylated aromatics. Extension of the reaction to the intermolecular coupling of these two entities using palladium on carbon was examined.

Keywords: Chemistry, Organic
Development of an accident risk prediction approach for dynamic route guidance

Dynamic route guidance systems (DRG) aid drivers in choosing the best routes based on real-time conditions in networks. Whether for the evaluation of DRG's impact on a whole-network traffic safety or for determination of the safest routes by DRG, suitable accident prediction models are required. However, such models are not available for links of all kinds of roads. The objective of this research is to develop an accident prediction approach for links on freeways and urban streets suitable for DRG. Firstly, datasets were established by collecting accident data from police reports, link geometric and traffic data from a simulation network. Then, based on a concept we call “link neighbors”, a model form was set up. The model performance was measured using the standard deviation of the model's outputs, and through model optimization, model parameters were determined.
Exploring teacher's perceptions of concept mapping as a teaching strategy in science: an action research approach

In order to promote science literacy in the classroom, students need opportunities in which they can personalize their understanding of the concepts they are learning. Current literature supports the use of concept maps in enabling students to make personal connections in their learning of science. Because they involve creating explicit connections between concepts, concept maps can assist students in developing metacognitive strategies and assist educators in identifying misconceptions in students' thinking. The literature also notes that concept maps can improve student achievement and recall. In an effort to explore concept mapping from the perspective of elementary educators, an action research group of 5 educators and myself was established and met regularly from September 1999 until June 2000. All of the educators taught in the Toronto area. These teachers were interested in exploring how concept mapping could be used as a learning tool in their science classrooms. In summary, this study explores the journey of five educators and myself as we engaged in collaborative action research. This study sets out to: (1) Explore how educators believe concept mapping can facilitate teaching and student learning in the science classroom. (2) Explore how educators implement concept mapping in their classrooms. (3) Identify challenges educators experience when they implement concept mapping. (4) Explore factors that impact on facilitating collaborative action research. (5) Provide insight into my growth as an action research facilitator. Much of the current literature focuses primarily on concept mapping at the secondary and university levels, with limited focus on the elementary panel. The research rarely considers teachers' thoughts and ideas about the concept mapping process. In order to effectively explore concept mapping from the perspective of elementary teachers, I felt that an action research approach would be appropriate. Action research enabled educators to debate issues about concept mapping and test out ideas in their classrooms. It also afforded the participants opportunities to explore their own thinking, reflect on their personal journeys as educators and play an active role in their professional development.

Keywords: Concepts, Study and teaching (Elementary)
Action research in education
Science, Study and teaching (Elementary)
Elementary school teachers, Attitudes
Science teachers, Attitudes
The effect of acute antipsychotic administration on dopamine synthesis in rodents and human subjects using 6-[18F]-L-m-tyrosine

Introduction. We studied the effect of acute antipsychotic administration on dopamine synthesis in rodents and healthy human subjects using 6-[18F]-L-m-tyrosine. Methods. In rats, we studied the effect of a single subcutaneous injection of haloperidol and risperidone on dopamine synthesis using 6-[18F]-L-m-tyrosine. In our human study, six healthy volunteers underwent two 6-[18F]-L-m-tyrosine PET scans, before and after 3 mg risperidone to measure the rate of accumulation of radioactivity in the striatum as an index of dopamine synthesis. Results. The Striatal/Cerebellar radioactivity count ratio and the ratio of dopamine metabolites to dopamine concentration was significantly higher in all rodent treatment groups compared to controls. In the PET study we found no significant change in the rate of uptake in the striatum. Conclusion. Our results suggest that 6-[18F]-L-m-tyrosine PET may not be a useful tool in the study of the effect of antipsychotics on dopamine synthesis in human subjects.
An investigation of the application of ultrasound as a rapid method to provide DNA fragments suitable for detection by DNA biosensors

Ultrasound exposure was examined as a method to cleave genomic DNA in a rapid manner. High frequency ultrasound of 20 kHz was applied to DNA solutions under a variety of experimental conditions. A Yates Pattern Analysis determined that ionic strength and the duration of sonication were the most significant factors impacting fragmentation patterns. A salt concentration of 1 M caused genomic DNA to resist fragmentation and fragment sizes were centred near 500 base pairs and larger. Decreasing the ionic strength to 0.l M NaCl or less resulted in the formation of fragment sizes close to 100 base pairs. Manipulation of these factors allowed for some control of fragmentation patterns. Hyperchromicity experiments, studies considering the influence of various gases, and simulations to determine the probability of destroying a target sequence were also done. Experiments suggested that ultrasound can be used as a rapid method to generate DNA fragments.
Learning about teaching: aesthetic practices and arts integration in teacher education

The case central to this study describes the work of a professor teaching in a faculty of education, who inquired into the integration of visual arts into a pre-service course on teaching as reflective practice. Three research methodologies are represented: the researcher's inquiry as participant observer, the professor's action research project, and the arts-based inquiries completed by teacher candidates. In supporting reflexive inquiry and artistically crafted research, each research perspective investigates emergent processes for producing knowledge about teaching and learning that arise from experiences of making and responding to artworks. This interpretive study inquires into the insights to be gained about teaching and learning through the ways of knowing and representing experience that inhere in the production and interpretation of artworks. Working from a conception of the arts as ways of knowing, the study examines how the formations of different arts disciplines provide structures for thinking about, producing and expressing knowledge about teaching and learning. It seeks to establish how aesthetic practices of working within these formations and structures are forms of research and reflective practice that generate pedagogical understandings, producing new knowledge significant to the development of a professional knowledge base for teachers. Examined are three examples of visual artmaking: individual panels produced by two teacher candidates and an installation produced by four teacher candidates. What emerged from each of the artworks was an excess of meaning that held the promise of rich, contextual understandings about the work of teaching and learning. Within these conditions for learning, knowledge emerged from aesthetic processes made possible by the qualities of disruption and displacement that characterise the aesthetic supplement. The dialectical nature of meaning-making mobilised through the signifying function of the supplement creates aesthetic conditions for learning that enable learners to move beyond the limits of their knowing to encounter the new. Examined are possibilities presented by the structures of the aesthetic supplement for articulating more fully relations between the intuitive apprehension of insight and everyday practice. Significant are ways in which teacher educators might elaborate relations among theory and practice through the aesthetic supplement in an emergent curriculum of teacher education.

Keywords: Art in education
Teaching
Learning
Teachers, Training of
Arts, Study and teaching
How good are independent/unrelated directors for a corporation?

The questions of the corporate governance have always been of high interest for academia and practitioners in the field of corporate law. This thesis investigates one of the most arguable points, i.e. how good independent/unrelated directors are for a corporation. Firstly, there is a need to sketch out the basic nature of the corporate governance problem, i.e., the separation of ownership and control results in a potential conflict of interests between those who control and the owners. Secondly, the role of the 'independent" director in addressing the agency problem: why do we think that the independent director will protect the shareholders? Thirdly, we are focusing on the empirical studies that have examined the issue. Finally, we investigate the requirements in various jurisdictions. A key to this now is the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the U.S., and securities legislation -- in Canada, in particular, Ontario Securities Act.
The molecular basis of Hsp70-sulfogalactolipid binding: structure/function of protein and glycolipid components

Heat shock/stress proteins of the 70 kD (hsp70) family have been implicated in mediating bacterial/host and sperm/egg interactions via a novel binding-specificity to the sulfated galactolipids (SGL), 3′sulfogalactosylceramide (SGC) and 3′sulfogalactosylglycerolipid(SGG). To investigate the molecular mechanism(s) of sulfated glycolipid recognition by hsp70 we have used a series of sulfated galactolipid derivatives and the recombinant testis-specific hsp70.2 gene product, rP70, as our model system. Thin layer chromatography (tlc) and receptor ELISAs demonstrated rP70 to bind specifically 3′ and 4′ sulfated galactolipids and not any other sulfated or sialic acid containing lipid. Binding to 3 ′SGL was dependent upon a ceramide-based backbone, whereas binding to 4′SGL was observed with either a ceramide or alkyhydrocarbon backbone. Binding of rP70 was not observed to the sulfated sugars heparin or 3′ sulfogalactose, suggesting that the lipid moiety and the sulfate position around the galactose ring of SGL contribute to this specific recognition event. Soluble analogues of SGC consisting of an acyl chain substitution with adamantane and a neoglycoconjugate of SGC and bovine serum albumin have both been demonstrated to function as receptors for rP70, while adamantyl-SGC inhibits rP70/SGL binding in the μM range. Proteolytic cleavage and truncation analysis demonstrated that the SGL binding site is localized within amino acids 300–387 of the highly conserved N-terminal ATPase domain of rP70. Site directed mutagenesis showed arginine 342 and phenylalanine 198 to be critical for SGL binding. Interestingly, these amino acids are conserved among all members of the hsp70 family and the ability to bind SGC/SGG is maintained among recombinant hsp70s from the bacterial pathogens, Chlamydia trachomatis , mycoplasma, Helicobacter pylori and Haemophilus influenzae. DnaK, the most widely studied intracellular chaperone also possesses SGC/SGG binding specificity. The recombinant sea urchin receptor for sperm, a member of the hsp110 family possessing 45% homology with P70, also binds SGC and SGG, extending the role of hsp70-mediated SGL recognition originally proposed in sperm/egg binding. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms of SGL recognition by hsp70 provides the basis for the rational design of specific protein, glycolipid and neogylcoconjugate compounds that may be effective in inhibiting the hsp70 adhesin function.
Analysis of wideband analog despreading CDMA receiver based on 5-port downconversion device

The fundamental part of every SS receiver is the signal despreader, or the pseudo-noise (PN) code correlator. It is used for signal demodulation, channel estimation, PN code acquisition and tracking, as well as in Rake receivers. We have examined how each of these elements of the receiver are affected by the analog despreading. We have shown that the non matched filter PN code correlation, which is easier to implement, results in a relatively small loss. In the analysis of the PN code tracking we have proposed a new analog noncoherent solution that has low complexity. We have also proposed and analyzed several structures of the temporal (1D) Rake and space-time (2D) Rake receivers. High data rates, low power consumption and low complexity will be the most important parameters in the design of the next generation mobile terminals. In this thesis we are introducing a new paradigm in the design of a direct sequence (DS) spread spectrum (SS) receiver by combining analog and digital signal processing. The main difference with respect to the conventional all-digital SS receiver design approach is that the proposed mixed analog/digital processing results in a symbol rate sampling rather than the high rate sub-chip sampling. The analog signal despreading is a key part of the proposed receiver solution. The potential advantages of analog despreading are reduced power consumption and low receiver complexity. Also, the proposed receiver solution allows very high chip rates (very high signal bandwidth). The solution is based on a five port device, a passive RF square law type of device. It is used to perform two important tasks at the same time, namely, the direct conversion and the analog despreading.