VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
A study of molecular- and meso- tin sulfides

A brief overview of tin sulfides--from molecules to three dimensional frameworks--is presented. The section on molecular tin sulfides begins with the structure of the TMA4Sn4S 10 tetramer. The pH dependent interconversion of the SnS4 4- monomer to the Sn2S64- dimer and vice versa is explored using 119Sn aqueous phase NMR. Switching to meso tin sulfides, a set of new materials templated by long-chain amines are examined using powder x-ray diffraction. The thermotropic liquid crystal behaviour of the tetradecylammonium templated material is confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry. Structural parameters, most successfully tin-sulfur distances, are obtained for this material by studying the extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) imposed on its x-ray absorption spectrum near the K-edge of tin. Also included is a brief overview of the theory of EXAFS and data analysis using this data.
Foucault, modernity, and postmodernity

This paper examines modernist and postmodernist notions of knowledge by reviewing four authors (Michel Foucault, Jurgen Habermas, Richard Rorty, and Immanuel Kant) who put forward different views of these notions. Focusing on Foucault and Habermas, it proves difficult to make an unequivocal choice between these two authors' theories. In any event, the examination reveals that the field of higher education appears to be an area in which Habermas's and Foucault's theoretical and historical prospectives allow us to understand both possibilities and problems in the development of institutions.
The techneducator effect, colliding technology and education in the conceptualization of virtual learning environments

The techneducator stands at the nexus, Janus-like, between the realms of education and technology. These two worlds meet head-on through the collisions experienced and instigated by the author of this dissertation in the conceptualization and creation of polysynchronous virtual learning environments. The dissertation itself explores multiple strands of inquiry into the author's emergence as a techneducator over two decades of working in the worlds of technology and education. The intention of this inquiry is to develop a narrative picture of the struggle to relocalize developments in technology more firmly within the purview of the educator, as opposed to the present situation where developments in educational technology are primarily controlled by programmers, technicians, administrators and corporations. Commencing with the realization that the understanding of how technology and education should interrelated, in order to redress the imbalance that positions educators in the role of being primarily passive participants in the imposition of technology on education, the author embraced the emergent nature of inquiry and the focus of the dissertation shifted from a consideration of groups of educators learning in the virtual learning environment of MOOkti that he had created, towards a narrative inquiry of his own practice, particularly as a creator of learning environments. The resulting text, in which theory is embedded in metaphor through out the narrative, developed into the articulation of the 'techneducator effect'. This effect in turn became the foundation for the conceptualization of educational technology manifest in COLLIDE, the Collaborative Object-based Lifetime Learning Interaction Design Engine, described in Chapter Five. COLLIDE is presented as a narrative description of a software environment that embodies the key elements of the 'techneducator ' distilled from the narrative inquiry of the previous chapter. The dissertation concludes with a meta-inquiry into the construction of the entire dissertation project in order to contextualize the inquiry into the creation of learning settings within theories of critical narrative, as a way to bring closure and to allow for meditation on locations for future inquiry.
Implementing change in early literacy education through in-service professional development of teachers and school administrators

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine the ways that primary-level teachers implemented and sustained changes in their literacy teaching practice as a result of intensive in-service professional development based on Willows's (1994) model: 'The Balanced and Flexible Literacy Diet: Putting Research into Practice'. Thirty teachers and ten administrators from seven schools in which the professional development system was implemented three years earlier were interviewed at length to determine their perceptions of the key content, process, and context variables of in-service professional development that guides teachers in translating research into practice. Over 90% of the participants reported that the year-long professional development program had a strong impact on both the general literacy level of students and the way that literacy was being taught in their school. Through the use of qualitative research methods to analyse the data, eight themes emerged, the most salient of which suggest that teachers are most likely to implement lasting change in early literacy education if they feel they have strong administrative and peer support, and are provided with evidence of improvement in student learning. One of the outcomes of this research is a model that delineates the key elements involved in the process of in-service professional development leading to the implementation of lasting change in early literacy education, as well as the roles of the individuals who are involved in the process and their influence on one another. A recommendation is made to assign responsibility for supporting teachers in implementing and sustaining change as well as providing them with ongoing professional development to an early literacy specialist situated within the school.
Émilie Ouimet, race and reading national narratives

This thesis offers a critical reading of the narratives of Quebec nationalism. It focuses on a central public moment in which a young schoolgirl wearing the Islamic headscarf or hijab was prohibited from attending school. Reading this incident first as a moment of racism, the study then progresses to an exploration of how a racial hierarchy underpins Quebec's national narrative. Finally, in the last chapter, it explores how the narrative is also gendered and thus how the body of the Muslim woman (as symbolized by the wearing of hijab) must be read in order for a coherent story of nation to be told. The thesis demonstrates the multilayered hegemonies of national narratives--that is, how national narratives depend on a race and gender hierarchy. It is only through uncovering how such hierarchies are established that we can begin to contest them.
Rethinking private copying in the digital age, an analysis of the Canadian approach to music

Digital technology and the Internet in particular have fundamentally altered the dynamics of private copying. Private copying can no longer be thought of simply as the domestic non-commercial exercise of the reproduction right. Private copying is now an international problem implicating both the communication to the public and reproduction rights. This expansion of private copying has already undermined, and threatens to further undermine, the remuneration received by creators for users' enjoyment of their intellectual property. In the context of the Canadian approach to music, possible solutions to the digital private copying dilemma are explored. The author advocates a policy response that builds upon the existing statutory licence for private copying and extends the model to the communication right via a levy targeting ISPs in Canada. International implications of the proposed solution are considered, in respect of both Canada's international treaty obligations and ensuring remuneration for creators on a global level.
An investigation of albumin-like serum proteins in the American brook lamprey Lampetra appendix

Previous studies of 'Petromyzon marinus' have shown the expression of two different albumin-like serum proteins designated as AS and SDS-1 predominant at two different phases of the life cycle (Filosa et al., 1992, 1998). This present study has revealed the presence of a serum protein designated as Lampetra-AS (LAS) that is antigenically similar to AS that is also predominant in the larval phase of the life cycle and the absence of an adult predominant serum protein in the American Brook lamprey ' Lampetra appendix'. Like AS, LAS was shown to be the predominant serum protein in the larval phases and absent in the adult phase. A 200 bp region of the reported SDS-1 gene sequence (Gray and Doolittle, 1992) was amplified from the 'L. appendix' genome. However, Northern blotting results indicate that the SDS-1 gene, even if present in its entirety, is not expressed during the 'L. appendix' life cycle.
Efficient similarity queries over time series data using wavelets

We consider the use of wavelet transformations as a dimensionality reduction technique to permit efficient similarity search over high dimensional time series data. While numerous transformations have been proposed and studied, the only wavelet that has been shown to be effective for this application is the Haar wavelet. In this thesis, we prove that a large class of wavelet transformations (not only orthonormal wavelets but also bi-orthonormal wavelets) can be used to support similarity search. We present a detailed performance study of the effects of using different wavelets on the performance of similarity search for time series data. We include several wavelets that outperform both the Haar wavelet and the best known non-wavelet transformations for this application. We conducted a study including different types of time series data. We define the set of indexable classes of data and we show the performance of our proposed wavelet transformations.
In vitro characterization of normal articular cartilage and early osteoarthritic proteoglycan depletion using NMR relaxation techniques

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a multifactorial disease with a common end-stage of articular cartilage degradation resulting in pain and functional disability. Presently, there does not exist a non-invasive technique to evaluate articular cartilage abnormalities at the molecular level (i.e. Proteoglycan (PG) depletion). The present thesis explores the potential of NMR relaxation techniques for this clinical problem. In the first study, magnetization exchange/transfer (MT) effects between the matrix macromolecules and water in normal cartilage were examined. NMR relaxation results (T1[rho], T4, T2) suggested that a four-site exchange model best characterizes articular cartilage relaxation and inter-spin group coupling details. MT within the collagen-bulk water, proteoglycan-collagen and collagen fibrillar water (CFW)-collagen cartilage subsystems were quantified. Although collagen-bulk water was the largest of the cartilage coupling subsystems (~90% signal) magnetization exchange rates within the latter subsystems were appreciably larger. Exchange rates between PG-collagen and collagen-CFW were 120 s-1 and 4.4 s-1 respectively. In the second study, in-vitro PG depiction in the 20%-40% range (early OA) was investigated. T2, T1[rho], T1 non-selective and T1 selective were measured. Although no significant changes in T2 were recorded, the short T1[rho] (~8 ms) and T1 non-selective (~130 ms) values were significantly altered with PG degradation. A magnetization component with a 'fast' T1 ~ 7 ms was observed in the T1 selective relaxation experiment and was at least 10 times shorter than short T1 non-selective. Fast T1 was significantly altered upon PG depletion. It was hypothesized that the short T1[rho], short T1 non-selective and fast T1 selective were associated with the strong collagen-PG coupling system. Thus, T1[rho] and T1 (selective and non-selective) relaxation based MRI techniques, that focus on short relaxation times, may have the potential of detecting early OA PG depletion. The third study examined using contrast agents, Nitroxide (cationic) and GdDTPA (anionic), in enhancing the sensitivity of bulk water relaxation (i.e. long T1[rho], T1 and T2) to PG depletion. The most significant finding was that Nitroxide T1 values, short and long, were significantly altered at PG depletions >=30%. No significant changes with Gd-DTPA. Nitroxide may prove useful in the imaging of early OA pathology.
Memory interfacing for the OneChip reconfigurable processor

While previous custom compute machines claim to offer high performance, they all suffer from a slow interconnection architecture between the logic and memory. This thesis describes the architecture of a custom compute machine that overcomes the interconnection bottleneck by closely integrating a fixed logic processor, a reconfigurable logic array, and memory into a single chip, called OneChip. The OneChip system has a seamless programming model that enables the programmer to easily specify instructions without complex instruction decoding. To allow the processor and the reconfigurable array to execute concurrently, the programming model ensures that memory consistency is maintained. To evaluate the feasibility of the OneChip architecture, a 32-bit MIPS-like processor and several performance enhancement applications were mapped to the Transmogrifier-2 field programmable system. For two typical applications, the 2-dimensional discrete cosine transform and the 64-tap FIR filter, we were capable of achieving a performance speedup of over thirty times that of a stand-alone state-of-the-art processor.
Perfectionism in anorexia nervosa, a 6-24 month follow-up study

This study examined the relationship between perfectionism and outcome in anorexia nervosa. Participants completed the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) at admission to (n = 55), discharge from (n = 27), and at 6-24 month follow-up (n = 49) after inpatient treatment. At follow-up, participants also completed the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS). The results suggested that lower EDI perfectionism at pre-treatment was associated with a better response to treatment, which was associated with better outcome at follow-up. Both the good and poor outcome groups had significantly higher MPS total perfectionism scores than healthy controls at follow-up. The EDI appears to measure an aspect of perfectionism that is sensitive to illness status, while the MPS appears to be less dependent on clinical state, and may reflect a common personality trait that persists with remission. Attrition rates and the relatively small sample size may have biased the results of the study and limited the generalizability of the findings.
Aerodynamic Optimization Using the Flow Sensitivity Approach

The flow sensitivity approach for aerodynamic optimization using computational fluid dynamics is studied. The flow sensitivity equation is solved using matrix-free GMRES in conjunction with first-order Jacobian matrix preconditioning. The accuracy of the gradients calculated using the flow sensitivities is assessed by comparison with finite-difference gradients. Several design problems are studied, including inverse design, drag minimization, and lift enhancement. A wide range of constraints are applied to the design cases, such as specified lift, lower limit on pressure, and geometry constraints. The matrix-free sensitivity approach provides a robust and accurate method for gradient calculation in aerodynamic design optimization.
Otoacoustic emissions and bone conduction

In clinical and research applications, distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) are almost exclusively elicited using airborne acoustic stimuli. This work introduces and investigates bone conduction (BC) as an alternative pathway for their stimulation. The BC DPOAE offers the possibility of simplified acoustic probe design, improved discrimination of the emission in the ear canal, and the option of rapid bilateral screening protocols. Subsequently, DPOAEs are themselves employed as a tool in the study of the BC phenomenon. Vibration transducers used to stimulate DPOAEs are calibrated by correlating emissions obtained through air and bone modalities. This technique requires only passive cooperation of the participant and is specific to the individual. It is therefore of value for obtaining objective standards with special populations like children, and in research applications where calibration specific to the individual under study is of interest. With models of the auditory periphery, the DPOAE is further employed to obtain a transfer function description of the BC pathway. Both magnitude and phase information of the DPOAE and its stimuli, are used in conjunction with the model and measured applied force to obtain the non-parametric system description. The measured ear canal sound pressure during BC can be removed from the total response through vector subtraction to obtain the middle and inner ear contributions to the net BC signal. Knowledge of the BC transfer function of the individual is useful for auditory research, and the average normal function is of value in clinical diagnosis and design of assistive devices.
Evaluation of phenytoin and benzo(a)pyrene embryotoxicity using inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) knockout mice in embryo culture

Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated damage is implicated in the teratogenicity of phenytoin and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P). However, ROS can react with nitric oxide generated by nitric oxide synthases (NOSs), forming peroxynitrite which also causes macromolecular damage. To test whether embryonic iNOS contributes to embryotoxicity, iNOS knockout and congenic wild-type mouse embryos were cultured with either phenytoin, B[a]P or their vehicles. Wild-type embryos were highly susceptible to phenytoin and B[a]P embryopathies, whereas iNOS knockout embryos were protected (p < 0.05). These results suggest that iNOS is constitutive during organogenesis, and that the embryonic peroxynitrite pathway interacts with ROS in the mechanism of phenytoin and B[a]P teratogenicity.
Monitoring the abundance of lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, with index netting

The catch-per-unit-effort (CUE) from index netting is commonly used as an index of abundance. Catchability, a proportionality parameter, relates the index of abundance (CUE) to the actual abundance of the population. Catchability was measured for a spring littoral index netting method used by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources to estimate the density of lake trout populations province-wide. The catchability of this method was modeled as a function of population density and lake size. Across lakes, catchability was found to decrease with density and increase with lake surface area. In one lake the catchability of lake trout in bottom-set gillnets was observed to be two-times higher in the spring compared to summer due to seasonal shifts in lake trout foraging and spatial distribution. Consequently, among-lake variation in catchability may be more pronounced in the summer due to differences in trophic structure making the interpretation of CUE more difficult.
Gene-regulatory interactions and mechanisms of target gene selection of the Drosophila homeodomain protein Fushi tarazu

The Fushi tarazu protein (FTZ), a member of the homeodomain protein family, is involved in a number of developmental processes during 'Drosophila ' embryogenesis. These include subdivision of the embryo into metameric units and specification of these units with unique segmental identities. To execute these functions, FTZ acts as a transcription factor. Although FTZ has been the subject of intense study, the mechanisms of FTZ-dependent regulation are still, for the most part, unknown. One of the issues that I have addressed is which of the genetically identified FTZ downstream genes are directly and which are indirectly regulated by FTZ. In my studies, I have carried out a kinetic analysis of downstream gene responses to an ectopic pulse of FTZ expression (chapter 2). The results have demonstrated that the responses of putative target genes fall into easily distinguished temporal windows. I argue that these different windows reflect the responses of direct and indirect targets. Based on these studies, I propose that FTZ involvement in the formation of even-numbered parasegments is to establish a number of direct gene regulatory interactions. I also suggest that, in the ' Drosophila' embryo, FTZ acts not only as a transcriptional activator but also as a repressor. Another issue that I have addressed is how cofactors involved in FTZ-dependent regulation affect FTZ function. I have approached this by analysing the activity of a chimeric FTZ derivative that contains a potent and autonomous heterologous activation domain (chapter 3). The results of this study suggest that FTZ target gene selection is controlled at the level of DNA binding and that FTZ binds and regulates a small subset of 'Drosophila' genes. This implies that FTZ cofactors act primarily by recruiting FTZ to the regulated target gene promoters. However, some of FTZ cofactors may also control FTZ transcriptional activity as regulation of this activity has been found crucial for precise temporal and spatial expression of FTZ target genes.
Interpreters, docents and educators, ways of knowing, ways of teaching in a history museum, an art gallery, and a nature centre

Museums have increasingly recognized the need to encourage museum visitors to make their own decisions, to become their own interpreters of what the institution has to offer. Some contend that the aim of museum education is to enable museum visitors not only to learn better on their own but also to teach one another within a community of learners. Yet little is known about museum teaching as it is currently practised. Few have considered what it means to teach in the museum or the significance that teaching has for teachers themselves. This dissertation is about museum teachers (docents, interpreters, and gallery educators) and their ways of knowing and teaching. It is an interpretive inquiry that documents and analyzes the nature and experience of teaching within the museum setting from the perspective of the teacher. Eight teachers from three settings, a community history museum, an art gallery, and a nature centre, participated in the study. Qualitative research methods of participant-observation, conversational interview, and reflective practice were employed. The research suggests that face-to-face teaching in a museum setting requires knowledge of the discipline base of the institution as well as of the nature of museums. Although instructional strategies are important, equally significant are the skills of comprehension and reflection by which museum teachers transform and combine these dual subject matters through pedagogical reasoning. A key factor in this process of reasoning is the comprehension of purposes for learning and teaching. Museum teachers conceptualize learning in the museum as a pleasurable lifelong process and, in response, most often provide acts of teaching that support and strengthen the learner's own attempts to learn. However, they remain "on call" to teach at an intellectual level that aims to produce in the learner an awareness of the intent of the teaching and the reasons why the subject is taught. This understanding of the complexity of teaching is seen by museum teachers to emerge from a combination of prior knowledge and situated, on-site teaching experience rather than from the orientation and continuing professional education provided to them by the museum.