VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The Creators of Information in Eighteenth-century Britain

In twenty-first-century accounts of how knowledge was transmitted at second hand in the early modern period and the eighteenth century, the idea of information has played a crucial role. “Information” refers to the content that was compiled and stored on paper and shared in reference books and periodical sheets. My thesis argues that eighteenth-century Britons understood printed information through the lens of cultural discourses that privileged engagements with books that we would now call “literary.” By re-thinking the transmission of information as a textual object in eighteenth-century Britain, I argue, we can better understand the complex ways in which information was credited, acquired, and shared. I show how the author-function played a role in the public sharing of information in Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language (1755). Johnson’s rhetoric of personal sacrifice in the “Preface” and Plan of an English Dictionary (1747), I argue, should be contrasted with the methods of Johnson’s rival, Nathan Bailey. Bailey’s Universal Etymological English Dictionary (1721-1802) offers an example of the failure of compiled information to gain cultural authority without authorial control. I argue that Jonathan Swift’s satires on textual criticism, cryptanalysis, and scientific languages can be seen as critiques of mechanical reading “devices” that extracted information from texts. A direct challenge to informational uses of language was offered at the end of the eighteenth century in the work of Johnson’s friend, Hester Lynch Piozzi. Piozzi’s English-language reference work, British Synonymy (1794), showed how direct engagement with the “redundant” material of language provided a knowledge of texts that was difficult to communicate but necessary to observe. I suggest that the mediation of public information in eighteenth-century Britain was balanced in important ways by literary discourses that argued for the importance of the specific ways in which knowledge was credited, acquired, and shared through language.

Keywords: Authorship
Book History
Dictionaries
Eighteenth-Century British
Information
Reading
Advisor: Lynch, Deidre S
Using Esterase and Laccase Enzymes to Derivatize Bioactive Plant Phenolics for Altered Chemistry

Plant phenolics have notable antioxidant activity and there is potential to improve their action by chemical modification. Two enzyme classes carry out reactions that can act on the hydroxyl moiety of phenolics. Esterase enzymes can be used in non-aqueous solvents to esterify a long chain acyl group onto the phenolic compound. Laccase enzymes can be used to form phenoxy radicals that can then couple to form larger molecular weight oligomers. Both enzymatic modifications may produce a new antioxidant with altered chemistry. One archaeal esterase (AF1753) from Archaeoglobus fulgidus and one bacterial esterase (PP3645) from Pseudomonas putida were assayed for activity in organic solvents. Both enzymes catalyzed hydrolysis of phenyl acetate and vinyl acetate in 98:2 (v/v) (t-amyl alcohol):buffer; with continued activity up to 96 h of reaction. However, the enzymes were not able to catalyze transesterification of 4’-hydroxyacetophenone with vinyl acetate in 9:1 (v/v) cyclohexane:(t-amyl alcohol), which was not explained by enzyme inactivation during lyophilization. Still, alanine scanning mutagenesis revealed that R37A substitution improved activity of AF1753 on long-chain p-nitrophenyl (pNP) esters. A multicopper oxidase (SCO6712) from Streptomyces coelicolor displayed activity on a variety of phenolics including caffeic acid, ferulic acid, resveratrol, quercetin, morin, kaempferol and myricetin. Among the products formed by action on flavonols were dimers of quercetin, morin, and myricetin. Quercetin and myricetin dimers showed longer retention time on reversed phase chromatography. All three dimers could be detected by 5 min of reaction but depleted by 3 h and 24 h. The TRAP and FRAP antioxidant activity of the whole reaction mixture of modified quercetin, morin, and myricetin decreased, as starting phenolic was depleted over 24 h. Accordingly, mass spectrometry was used to shed light on the molecular structure of the dimers produced from quercetin and myricetin. In both cases, mass spectrometric analyses ruled out dimer formation through the A ring of each monomer. For myricetin, the most likely linkage structure was determined to be between either two B rings or a B ring with a C ring. These predicted linkage positions are in agreement to those observed for quercetin dimers previously extracted from natural plant sources.

Keywords: antioxidant
esterase
flavonoids
laccase
phytochemicals
transesterification
Advisor: Master, Emma R
The Neural and Behavioral Profile of Older Adults at Risk for Developing Mild Cognitive Impairment

Improving the ability to detect Alzheimer’s disease (AD) at the earliest stages is essential to effectively treat afflicted individuals. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is thought to be an intermediary state between healthy aging and AD. The goal of the present dissertation was to examine older adults who are at heightened risk of developing AD – both patients with diagnosed MCI and a preclinical group of older adults at-risk for developing MCI. Our preclinical participants were undiagnosed and supposedly healthy members of the community, but were defined to be at-risk for MCI based on performance from a brief, standardized neuropsychological test. We administered a full neuropsychological battery after our screening and found that the preclinical group performed in the lowest quartile on measures that are conventionally impaired in MCI (Chapter 2). To establish a neural profile of this population, we investigated an ERP component associated with visual short-term memory (VSTM) capacity, the CDA (Chapter 2). We found that older adults at-risk for MCI had reduced VSTM and reduced differentiation of the CDA (Chapter 2). Additionally, we found that the P300, a well-characterized ERP component shown to be useful in determining conversion from MCI to AD, showed reduced amplitude in our at-risk group (Chapter 2). Electrophysiological signatures may be especially sensitive markers of the very earliest stages of AD. To further characterize the preclinical group, we administered an object discrimination task to older adults at-risk for developing MCI and diagnosed MCI patients (Chapter 3). We based the task design on previous research showing that the medial temporal lobe (MTL), a region damaged early in MCI, is necessary to resolve visual interference in this object discrimination task. Critically, we manipulated the level of visual interference across conditions, and found that both memory-impaired groups, but not controls, benefited from reduced interference on the perceptual task. Indeed, by reducing the requirement to bind features of an object together, performance in the memory-impaired group rose to the level of healthy controls. In Chapter 4, we sought to extend these findings by investigating the role of interference in a task assessing VSTM. We reduced interference by presenting a retroactive spatial cue (retrocue, providing a cue for binding object to location), which again elevated performance in patients with MCI and MTL amnesia to the level of their age-matched controls. The results of these experiments suggest that one of the most critical determinants of behavior is interference in the environment, and that increased vulnerability to interference may be one of the first symptoms of pathological aging.

Keywords: Aging
Dementia
Memory
Advisor: Barense, Morgan D
Study of Natural Fiber Breakage during Composite Processing

Biofiber-thermoplastic composites have gained considerable importance in the last century. To provide mechanical reinforcement to the polymer, fibers must be larger than a critical aspect ratio (length-to-width ratio). However, biofibers undergo breakage in length or width during processing, affecting their final aspect ratio in the composites. In this study, influence on biofiber breakage by factors related to processing conditions, fiber morphology and the flow type was investigated through: a) experiments using an internal mixer, a twin-screw extruder (TSE) or a capillary rheometer; and b) a Monte Carlo computer simulation. Composites of thermomechanical fibers of aspen or wheat straw mixed with polypropylene were studied. Internal mixer experiments analyzed wheat straw and two batches of aspen fibers, named AL and AS. AL fibers had longer average length. Processing variables included the temperature, rotors speed and fiber concentration. TSE experiments studied AL and AS fiber composites under various screws speeds, temperatures and feeding rates of the polymer and fibers. Capillary rheometers experiments determined AL fiber breakage in shear and elongational flows for composites processed at different concentrations, temperatures, and strain rates. Finally, the internal mixer experimental results where compared to Monte Carlo simulation predictions. The simulation focused on fiber length breakage due to fiber–polymer interactions. Internal mixer results showed that final fiber average length depended almost solely on processing conditions while final fiber average width depended on both processing conditions and initial fiber morphology. In the TSE, processing conditions as well as initial fiber length influenced final average length. TSE results showed that the fiber concentration regime seems to influence the effect of processing variables on fiber breakage. Capillary rheometer experiments demonstrated that biofiber breakage happens in both elongational and shear flows. In some cases, percentage of biofiber breakage in elongational flow is higher. In general, simulation predictions of final average lengths were in good agreement with experiments, indicating the importance of fiber–polymer interactions on fiber breakage. The largest discrepancies were obtained at higher fiber concentration composites; these differences might be resolved, in future simulations, by including the effect of fiber–fiber interactions.

Keywords: Biofiber-polymer composites
Composites
Discontinuous reinforcement
Natural fibers
Thermoplastic resin
Wood
Advisor: Yan, Ning
Device Transparent RSS-based Indoor Localization

Signal strength variation across diverse devices is a major problem with RSS-based indoor localization. This thesis aims to solve this problem by considering two factors: the instability of collected RSS samples and linear shift of RSS patterns collected by different devices. We propose different techniques to handle the uncertainty of samples. Furthermore, we propose four different algorithms that make the localization system device-transparent. All solutions rely on the linear relationship across diverse devices. The first algorithm is the independent linear transformation algorithm. It starts by finding a set of candidate nearest neighbour fingerprints for an online point through correlation coefficient. Then, a series of linear transformations is applied to find nearest neighbours with high accuracy. The algorithm is justified through an analytical study of probability of error. The second algorithm is the cooperative linear transformation algorithm. This algorithm considers the case where multiple online points are available. The algorithm uses independent linear transformation algorithm to find the set of nearest neighbour fingerprints for each online point independently. Next, the online points and their detected nearest neighbours are used cooperatively to enhance the transformation model. The probability of error is also analyzed. The third algorithm utilizes label propagation algorithm for localization. Label propagation is a graph-based semi-supervised algorithm that requires the collection of some labeled points by the localization device. We propose to use label propagation in an un-supervised way. The algorithm transforms all fingerprints to the signal space of the localization device. All available online points are used cooperatively to find the transformation parameters. Next, it finds the weights of all edges connecting RSS points through Euclidean distances. Finally, label propagation is applied for localization. Those three algorithms utilize ordinary least squares as the linear regressor. The fourth algorithm is the robust linear transformation algorithm that utilizes robust linear regression for localization. Robust regression minimizes the effect of outliers by giving less weights to potential outliers. KNN is used as the localization engine. All proposed systems are automatic and do not require any training period. Experimental results indicate the proposed systems are reliable with very high positional accuracy.

Keywords: Cooperation
Device Diversity
Indoor Localization
Linear Transformation
RSS-based Localization
Advisor: Valaee, Shahrokh
A Study of Burst-mode Ultrafast-Pulse Laser Ablation on Soft Tissues and Tissue Proxies

This thesis research presents an experimental study of both the physics mechanisms and biological effects of burst-mode ultrafast-pulse laser ablation. A 3D living-cell-culture tissue-proxy based on agar hydrogel was developed, and this tissue-proxy was used to quantify the cellular necrosis range, to identify the types of cellular death, and to measure the volume of material removal post burst-mode laser ablation. The potential hazards of cellular DNA damage were also evaluated. A time-resolving energy-partition diagnostics system was designed and built for characterizing the dynamic scattering and absorption of pulses during burst-mode ablation. Such characterizations were carried out on soda-lime glass, aluminum, porcine tissues, distilled water, and agar gels using this diagnostic system. Each type of target materials displayed distinct features in their absorption patterns. An array of characteristics of the absorption and their relation to the ablation dynamics were analyzed, and valuable insight about the burst-mode ablation process was gained. The characterization of the dynamic absorptions allowed the evaluation of the roles of different physics mechanisms in the resulting cellular damage and material removal.

Advisor: Marjoribanks, Robin S
Lilge, Lothar
The Experiences of Postsecondary Students with Learning Disabilities in Summer Transition Programs: A Multi-case Study of Six Programs in Ontario

Students with Learning Disabilities (LD) are the largest and fastest growing sub group of students with disabilities in postsecondary education. Despite their increasing enrollment, students with learning disabilities remain an under-represented group, and are categorized at risk due to the low graduation rates compared to their peers, specifically at the university level. The first year is a critical year for all students entering postsecondary education as it is this year where students are most likely to drop-out. For students with learning disabilities, the first year is particularly important as they must adjust to a new academic environment and accommodations from what they are accustomed to in high school. Understanding what supports and influences improve these experiences for students with learning disabilities at the onset of their postsecondary education is a crucial step in augmenting their persistence and graduation prospects. Using a multi-case study design, I examine the experiences of students with learning disabilities in six summer transition programs in public universities in Ontario, Canada and how these programs prepared students in making the transition from high school to university. The summer transition programs under investigation resulted from the recommendations made by Ontario’s Learning Opportunity Task Force to the Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities to fund transition programs to increase the retention and graduation of students with learning disabilities. Findings from this study show that students with learning disabilities who participate in transition programs gain academic tools and strategies that help them transition into their first year of university (and beyond) such as time-management, note taking, and seeking disability related support services and accommodations; learn about the importance of self-advocacy and communicating with faculty, staff, and peers regarding their disability; and learn how to navigate the university and the services available to help them succeed. In addition, participants noted that attending the transition program helped them find new confidence in themselves and find a sense of community amongst other participants in the program.

Keywords: First Year Experience
Learning Disabilities
Ontario
Transition Programs
Advisor: Seifert, Tricia
Unified Framework for Matrix-Variate Linear Discriminant Analysis

The linear discriminant analysis (LDA) is a feature extractor used in classification of high-dimensional data in a wide range of applications. In the classification of matrix-variate data, LDA can be used on the vectorized representation of the data in the commonly called one-dimensional LDA (1DLDA) approach. However, 1DLDA leads to overwhelming computational complexity and ignores the inherent structure of the data in many applications. A more recent two-dimensional LDA (2DLDA) approach avoids the initial vectorization step, and leads to a computationally efficient matrix-variate feature extractor formulation. Yet, the theoretical foundations and Bayes optimality of the existing 2DLDA formulations are mostly unclear. This work provides a theoretical framework to develop and analyze the 2DLDA methods, and unify the 2DLDA and 1DLDA formulations. This thesis utilizes the general framework of separable transformations underlying common 2D image compression techniques, and provides a similar framework for separable 2D feature extraction. First, the necessary and sufficient conditions for separability of the 1DLDA operator into the row-wise and column-wise operators of 2DLDA are found. It is shown that an additional condition is required to provide the computational advantages of a completely matrix- variate training procedure similar to the existing 2DLDA methods. Based on the resulting data model, a separable matrix-variate LDA formulation is developed which provides both the Bayes optimality of 1DLDA and the computational and structural advantages of 2DLDA methods. Furthermore, it is shown that the block-wise feature selection approach used by the majority of 2DLDA methods generally results in unnecessary restrictions and loss of discriminatory information. In contrast, the feature selection in the proposed framework is based on sorting of the features based on a discriminance score. Finally, a simple criterion is provided to decide the required number of extracted features in most practical problems. Experimental results using face image databases indicate that assuming basic preprocessing steps, the proposed 2DLDA feature extractor provides the best classification performance if there are only moderate pose and expression variations in the face images. Although this thesis mainly focuses on the design of 2DLDA methods for matrix-variate face images, the derived framework is mainly extensible to the design of multi-linear LDA methods for higher-order tensor-variate data in different applications.

Keywords: 2DLDA
face recognition
feature extraction
Kronecker separability
linear discriminant analysis
matrix-variate data
Advisor: Plataniotis, Konstantinos N
Inhibition of Gamma Oscillations as a Neurophysiological Endophenotype of Schizophrenia

Abstract Background The pathophysiology of schizophrenia (SCZ) has not been fully elucidated. Studies have demonstrated that SCZ patients have impairments in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Two findings have been shown in the DLPFC: deficits in GABAergic inhibitiory neurotransmission and abnormal inhibition of cortical oscillations. Thus, we aimed to assess frontal inhibition as a potential endophenotype of SCZ. Objectives The first objective was to quantitatively assess transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) motor cortex measures of inhibition and excitation in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), major depressive disorder (MDD) and SCZ, as a meta-analysis. The second objective was to evaluate the inhibition of overall and gamma oscillations in the DLPFC and motor cortex using TMS and EEG in SCZ and OCD. The final objective was to evaluate the inhibition of overall and gamma oscillations in SCZ patients, OCD patients, and their unaffected first-degree relatives with TMS and EEG. Hypotheses First, we hypothesized that motor cortex inhibitory deficits would be a ubiquitous finding across OCD, MDD and SCZ patients. Second, we hypothesized that patients with SCZ would show deficits in overall and gamma inhibition in the DLPFC compared to healthy subjects and patients with OCD. Lastly, it was hypothesized that frontal inhibition in first-degree relatives of SCZ would be intermediate of healthy subjects and their related probands. Results The first study showed that motor inhibitory deficits were a ubiquitous finding across OCD, MDD, and SCZ. The second paper found that SCZ patients demonstrated inhibitory deficits in the DLPFC (overall and gamma inhibition), not observed in OCD patients. This was found to be independent of illness severity and medication. The final study demonstrated deficits in frontal inhibition in SCZ patients, which were significantly less than their unaffected first-degree relatives. No differences were found between first-degree relatives of SCZ and healthy controls. First-degree relatives were intermediate of their related probands and healthy controls. We did not show inhibition deficits in OCD patients and their first-degree relatives. Conclusions Frontal inhibition (measured via TMS and EEG) may be an essential neurophysiological process that is impaired in SCZ. Multi-site trials are needed to investigate inhibition as a potential endophenotype for SCZ.

Keywords: Cortical Inhibition
Electroencephalography
Endophenotype
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Schizophrenia
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Advisor: Daskalakis, Zafiris J