VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Three essays on information and markets

This thesis is comprised of three essays which deal with issues of information and markets. The first essay shows that in the context of a simple market model, the core is sensitive to the informational requirements imposed on blocking coalitions. Several core concepts are introduced, each derived by imposing different informational requirements on blocking coalitions. In the context of games satisfying strict small group effectiveness, one of these core concepts is proven to be equivalent to the traditional core concept. Some asymptotic equivalence results for large games are also derived. The second essay uses a 3-period 2-type-of-agent model to illustrate some important issues in asset pricing theory. We derive endogenous price uncertainty as a consequence of heterogeneous beliefs about Knightian uncertainty about fundamentals. This supports an idea in Epstein and Wang (1994) that uncertainty may lead to excess volatility in asset prices. We also show that uncertainty in an economy in general has a negative impact on trade volume. However, when we introduce a market for options (price contingent contracts) as a way for agents to insure against this uncertainty, trade volume will increase. As a by-product, this result shows a clear case where the introduced options are not redundant, even when the market before the introduction of options was complete. The third essay deals with issues associated with deseasonalization in the context of high frequency data analysis in financial markets. It presents statistical properties of different frequency data and strong evidence of intraday seasonality in the high frequency data. It compares four different deseasonalization methods in terms of descriptive statistics, autocorrelation functions, and model specific in-sample fit using different frequencies of data. In line with analysis on model specific in-sample fit, the essay also investigates the relation between the foreign exchange rate dynamics and the explicit news arrivals in foreign exchange market places as measured by news headlines from the Reuters 'AAMM' screen using an augmented ' GARCH'('1,1') model.
The ice crystal-graupel collision charging mechanism of thunderstorm electrification

The ice crystal-graupel collision charging mechanism, which is considered important in thunderstorm electrification, was studied using a newly developed Triple Interaction Facility. The facility is the first to allow independent control of the solid, liquid and vapor phases of a simulated cloud. The charge transferred to a riming target by collisions with ice crystals was measured over a wide range of cloud conditions. It was found that the charge transfer was a function of the temperature and the effective liquid water content of the cloud. It was also found that the charge transfer to the target was extremely sensitive to the relative humidity at which the ice crystals were grown. Higher relative humidity always promoted stronger negative charging, while lower humidity led to weaker negative or stronger positive charging. The sensitivity of the charge transfer to relative humidity was greatest at temperatures between -13°C and -18°C, with the strongest negative charging observed near -15°C. Within this temperature range the average charge transferred to the target could be varied from +5 fC per ice crystal collision to -25 fC per collision by varying the humidity from ice to water saturation, respectively. In experiments performed at humidities near water saturation and at temperatures near -15°C, charge transfers greater than -60 fC per collision were observed within the first 30 seconds after ice crystals are initiated. It was also found that at high relative humidity the maximum negative charge transferred to the target occurred at a velocity of 5 in s-1 and was much weaker at 3, 4 and 6 m s-1. A parameterization of the results is presented for use in numerical thunderstorm models. Analysis of the data indicates that a competition between negative charge transfer between the 'liquid-like' layers of the colliding ice particles and positive charge transfer due to different dislocation densities can provide a consistent physical model of the effect of relative humidity. It is shown that differences in the relative humidity can explain quantitatively the discrepancies between the observations of previous investigators. A new conceptual model of thunderstorm electrification is also presented.
Adaptive Mesh Refinement for Finite Element Flow Modeling in Complex Geometries

Adaptive mesh refinement is a powerful tool for obtaining the highest solution accuracy for a given computational effort. Over the past decade, many adaptive techniques have been developed and applied to a variety of fluid flow problems. Results obtained for compressible flows, and to an extent, 2D incompressible flows have been impressive, however, similar progress has not been noted for 3D incompressible flows, particularly in complicated geometries. The objective of this thesis was to develop and test an adaptive solution methodology for 3D incompressible flow simulations in domains of arbitrary complexity. To characterize the finite element solution error, the Zienkiewicz-Zhu patch recovery error estimator (LPR) was adopted. An enhanced version of the LPR error estimator was formulated and implemented using 10-noded tetrahedral elements. The enhanced estimator (LPRC) resulted in significantly improved gradient recovery (and consequently, improved error estimates) at virtually no additional computational cost. For mesh refinement, an elemental subdivision procedure was implemented. To enable refinement in complex geometries, a procedure for preserving the boundary integrity of a refined mesh was developed. This methodology can be used for geometric data from any solid modeling (CAD) system provided the data can be exported in the IGES format. A benchmark study of the AMR procedure, in which steady flow over a three-dimensional backward-facing step was simulated, showed that the cumulative computational effort required in the adaptive analysis was lower than that required in a non-adaptive analysis of the same problem. In the second phase of this work, the AMR procedure was applied to modeling flow through two arterial geometries. Specifically, flows in an idealized end-to-side anastomosis and in a human right coronary artery were examined. Both studies assessed whether an AMR analysis could achieve more accurate solutions than conventional analyses that utilize high-resolution meshes whose gradation is based on 'a priori' knowledge of the flow field. It was noted that mesh-independent velocity fields were not very difficult to obtain even in the absence of an adaptive methodology. However, wall shear stress fields were much more difficult to absolutely resolve non-adaptively. Given that shear stresses occurring on arterial walls are widely believed to be a key factor governing the development of arterial disease, it is very important to accurately resolve wall shear stress fields if confidence can be placed in the results of numerical simulations of arterial flow phenomena. These results indicate that wall shear stress is an extremely sensitive measure of spatial resolution, and that the systematic solution-adaptive methodology developed in this thesis is very effective in producing accurately resolved wall shear stress fields.
A global comparison for general linear groups and their metaplectic coverings

We prove a term-by-term equality between the global invariant trace formula of GL('r') and the conjectural trace formula of its ' n'-fold metaplectic covering, <math> <f> <a><ac><rm>GL</rm></ac><ac>&d15;</ac></a><fen lp="par">r<rp post="par"></fen> </f> </math>, under the assumption that 'n' is relatively prime to the positive integers less than or equal to 'r'. Certain local results, such as the normalization of intertwining operators, the fundamental lemma and the metaplectic correspondence of Flicker and Kazhdan, are also established or generalized as prerequisites to the global comparison of the trace formulas.
The experience of the second generation of women students at Ontario universities, 1900-1930

This thesis examines the history and experience of women students at four Ontario universities, the University of Toronto, the University of Western Ontario, Queen's University, and McMaster University, between 1900 and 1930. By 1901, Canadian women's enrolment in Faculties of Arts and Science numbered 740; by 1930 this number had increased to 5633. During this period, a number of changes occurred which profoundly affected the character of education and academic life for women students. From the physical setting of the new women's buildings to the offering of courses designed for women, the opportunities for women students seemed to increase dramatically. The vast majority of women students sought out an arts education. In doing so, these women perpetuated the fear that this area of academe was becoming feminized. Reactions to the increased number of women in the Faculty of Arts varied, as did the women students' strategies to create a space for themselves within the traditionally male university. This thesis provides an analysis of the experience of women university students in the first part of the twentieth century. The focus moves beyond the early debates around the admission of women students to look at the activities and life of what might be called the second generation of women university students. It specifically looks at the backgrounds of the students, what they studied, the fight to establish residences and other women's buildings, residential life, women students' extracurricular and social activities, and the importance of religion in student life. Although women's place in institutions of higher learning was still far from completely secure, women were becoming much more comfortable. The changing social norms are clearly reflected in the extracurricular activities of the women. While many women students took seriously their studies and "plugged," others perpetuated the stereotype of the fun-seeking flapper and pushed at the boundaries of societal expectations. Using letters, diaries, student newspapers and other archival documents, this thesis provides insights into the experience of women students in the male-oriented university at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Keywords: Women
Education (Higher)
History
Women college students
History
Femmes
Enseignement supérieur
Histoire
Étudiantes
Histoire
Weaving between the fragments: Performing "normal" after incest memory's return

As an incest survivor I live in an on-going contradictory dialogue with many of the normative discourses that constitute the everyday beliefs and practices of "normal" life in North America. Within psychological and sociological theories about incest, my experience as a survivor is positioned as being "other", as outside of the realm of "normal". Neither the "reassurance" of the psychological literature that I can return to "normal" or social expectations that I conduct myself rationally and respectably reflect my everyday struggles or my desires. Through autobiographical journal entries and memory work, this work challenges normative discourses presenting a more complex and nuanced way of thinking about being a survivor than the therapeutic discourse allows. This is demonstrated across a number of social sites--parenting, family, living in the body, relationships. Through exploring the contradictions in my everyday experience, the impact of daily "insidious trauma" on my life as well as the role of normativity in maintaining social relations of power and privilege can be seen. This work will be of interest to those concerned with theories of normativity, incest, trauma, autobiographical memory work and therapeutic discourse.
Kenaf fibres for pulping and papermaking

Kenaf, a non-wood fibrous species used for papermaking has two morphologically different portions in its stem: the bast or long fibre fraction and the core or short fibre fraction. The objective of this research is to provide an explanation for the observed differences in properties of paper made from the two kenaf fractions, in both chemical and morphological terms. Micro-pulping experiments were carried out to study the delignification potential of bast, core, and whole kenaf fibres. The activation energies for the different fractions were calculated using the Arrhenius equation and were 68 kJ/mole, 91 kJ/mole, and 75 kJ/mole for bast, core, and whole fractions, respectively. M.K.Systems digester followed by PFI beating was used to obtain pulps with a range of residual lignin contents and freeness values for making handsheets. Multiple regression analysis was then used to analyse paper strength properties in terms of the morphological and chemical characteristics of the pulps. Separate models for bast and core were developed, as they have a wide variation in activation energies and delignification potential. Elasticity or the relative rate of change in each strength property, with respect to a change in morphological or chemical property was also calculated. This helped to elucidate the relative sensitivity of the independent variables affecting the models. The micro-pulping experiments led to the conclusion that the bast fibres in kenaf are relatively easy to delignify during pulping, followed by the whole and the core kenaf fractions. Also, for optimal utilisation of kenaf as a raw material for papermaking, the bast and core fractions should be processed separately and then blended, as per requirement. The regression analysis for the strength properties suggested that a major portion of the variation in the strength properties (as high as 96% for burst in core fibres) is explained by the models. The models presented in this research can serve as initial exploratory tools for further research in non-woods in general and kenaf in particular. It is concluded that in general, morphological factors are more important than chemical factors during the development of paper strength properties in kenaf fibres.
Nietzsche and the problem of democratic community

Communitarian critics of liberalism complain of its tendency to produce selfish, atomized individuals; liberals reply that communities can be mere vehicles of intolerance and oppression. Both sides of this debate glimpse, but fail to pursue to the end, a single problem: What is it that gives democratic politics its specifically human dignity? In short: What is noble? This problem, which I call the problem of democratic community, is posed most forcefully by Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche would be unimpressed by the debate between communitarians and liberals, for he understands liberal individualism itself as the mask and instrument for a deeper subordination of the individual to the community; his name for modern democracy in 'all' its forms, including liberal democracy, is "the herd." This thesis undertakes an honest examination of Nietzsche's truly radical critique of modern democracy. I begin by locating the problem of democratic community within the contemporary debate, then proceed with a general discussion of the Nietzschean critique. The primary target of that critique is modern utilitarianism. Exposing what he sees as fatal problems in the utilitarian argument itself, Nietzsche identifies a deeper basis in the morality of charity or neighbor-love, which originated in premodern Christianity, but has since been detached from the Christian faith. For Nietzsche, this secularized Christian morality is merely "herd animal morality." Having discussed this critique in a general way, I develop it through case studies of two notable advocates of democratic community. In the first place, I examine the utilitarian liberalism of John Stuart Mill. Not only is Mill a leading target of Nietzsche's critique, but he offers important clues to how democratic theorists might answer Nietzsche. Nevertheless, I find that Mill himself succumbs to the Nietzschean assault. Second, I examine the communitarianism of Alasdair MacIntyre. While MacIntyre accepts Nietzsche's critique of modernity (or a certain version of it) he rejects Nietzschean politics in favor of "the Aristotelian tradition." As I argue, however, a deeper understanding of Nietzsche's critique exposes grave difficulties in MacIntyre's Aristotelianism. Having shown that Mill and MacIntyre fail to solve the problem of democratic community, I suggest that the solution can perhaps be found in the liberal virtues of prudence and freedom of mind.
The Irish Conservative party, 1852-1868

The thesis is a study of the Irish party between 1852 and 1868. Until recently, the history of the Irish Conservative party had been a neglected topic among Irish historians. The focus of Irish historiography has been on Nationalist political organisations and movements and this has meant that both the Irish Conservative party and the Irish Liberal party have received insufficient attention. Indeed K. T. Hoppen's discussion of both parties in his 'Elections, Society and Politics in the Nineteenth Century' was the first to be based on extensive primary research, and remains the most useful account yet published. The thesis is primarily a study of the 'high politics' of the Irish Conservative party. While the first chapter describes the social composition of the party, the focus is, in general, on the elite of the Irish Conservative party and on their relationship with the party leadership at Westminster. The complex ways in which the Conservative party inter-acted with the principal forces opposed to it in Irish society, in particular, the Roman Catholic Church, are examined. The ambivalent relationship which existed between it and the Independent Irish party from 1852 onwards is also analysed. Through a series of detailed analyses of Conservative party attitudes and policies on the Land (Chapter Two), National Education (Chapters Three and Four) and Church questions (Chapters Five and Six), the thesis examines whether an 'indigenous' Irish Conservatism existed, different both in tone and content from its English counterpart. The thesis argues that the Irish Conservative party's identification with the Irish landlord class meant that it was unable to survive the decline of its influence in the latter half of the Nineteenth century. This decline should not, however, blind us to the strength and resilience of the Irish Conservative party in the years covered by this thesis. As the authentic mouthpiece of powerful section of Irish society, the Irish Conservative party played a central but neglected role in mid-Nineteenth Century Irish history. The aim of this thesis has been to restore that role, too long neglected, to its proper significance.
Sublethal impacts of risk of predation by the introduced red fox on the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) in New South Wales, Australia

Sublethal impacts of risk of fox predation on common brushtail possum habitat use, body condition, reproductive output and giving-up densities (GUDs) were investigated in eight sites within three areas of different fox abundances (control, partial removal, and total fox removal). Influence of woodland type was also investigated. In cypress woodlands, possums increased their ground travel, visited more feeders, and had lower GUDs where foxes were removed. In contrast, there was no effect of fox removal in eucalypt woodlands. Minor effects of microhabitat and season were detected during the GUD experiment, but there was no effect of moonphase or predator urine. There was no significant effect of fox removal on patterns of possum microhabitat use, body condition or reproductive output. Overall, the results suggest that the sublethal effects of predation by introduced foxes along with patch-scale effects must be considered in the conservation of native marsupials.
Cryptic metamorphosis in the evolution of anuran direct development

The direct developer 'Eleutherodactylus coqui' lacks a free-living tadpole, hatching as a frog. The role of the metamorphic trigger thyroid hormone (TH) in direct development is unknown. Expression patterns of the TH receptors, TRÃ and TRß, which are thought to mediate metamorphosis, were examined to investigate the possibility of their involvement in direct development. Both TR transcripts were present in full-grown oocytes. TR levels in whole embryos were measured using RT-PCR. TRÃ expression was fairly constant throughout embryogenesis. TRß mRNA was barely detectable in early embryogenesis, but levels increased substantially by thyroid gland maturation, and transcripts were most abundant during late pre-hatching and early post-hatching stages. These expression profiles are similar to those of 'Xenopus' TRs. As in metamorphosing frogs, precocious TRß upregulation was induced by TH treatment, indicating that the molecular signals implicated in the control of metamorphosis have been retained in direct development. The necessity of TH for completion of direct development is demonstrated. Embryos treated with methimazole, a TH inhibitor, were developmentally arrested in a manner reminiscent of metamorphic inhibition in other frogs. Morphological effects were pleiotropic: remodelling of the jaw, limbs, tail, cartilage, musculature and skin were all affected. These remodelling events were contemporaneous with the period of high TRß expression. Development was rescued by co-treatment with TH; therefore, endogenous TH is necessary for production of the adult morphology even in direct developers. Recapitulation of the opercular fold, a larval structure previously thought absent from direct developers, is noted. Observation of the development and degeneration of this structure indicates the developmental stage during which the tadpole was likely excised from the ancestral life-history. Despite radical alterations to early embryogenesis, direct developers still undergo a metamorphic period. A new model for direct development is proposed, hypothesizing that the embryonic and metamorphic phases of the ancestral ontogeny are juxtaposed.
Characterization of the in vitro protein binding interactions of the extreme C-terminal domains of ataxia telangiectasia mutated and the DNA-dependent protein kinase

The PI-3 related kinases are a conserved family of proteins that participate in cell cycle progression, meiotic and V(D)J recombination, and chromosomal maintenance and repair. Distinguishing structural features of this family include high molecular weight (>270 kD), a C-terminal kinase domain that is related to the PI-3 lipid kinases, and a highly conserved extreme C-terminal (Ext-C) domain. Mutations that affect residues within the Ext-C domains of both ATM and DNA-PK result in diseases with overlapping phenotypes including immunodeficiency, predisposition to lymphoid malignancies, and hypersensitivity to ionizing radiation. One protein that has been demonstrated to have functional relationships with both ATM and DNA-PK is the ssDNA binding protein, replication protein A (RPA). To determine whether the Ext-C domains of ATM and DNA-PK bind to RPA, bacterial GST fusion proteins containing each of the Ext-C domains were expressed, affinity purified, and incubated with recombinant (r) human RPA. rhRPA bound with apparent specificity to ATM and DNA-PK rExt-C proteins. Furthermore, murine RPA from cell lysates bound to ATM and DNA-PK rExt-C proteins. These results suggest that, 'in vitro', RPA binds to the Ext-C domains of ATM and DNA-PK. These data support a model in which PI-3 related kinases cooperate with RPA in the maintenance of genomic integrity.