VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Peirce, Santayana, and the presuppositions of belief

This thesis is a critical and comparative analysis of the philosophies of Charles Sanders Peirce and George Santayana. The general focus is on their analyses of belief and knowledge. The first chapter explores Peirce's and Santayana's negative reactions against methodological scepticism. The second chapter presents their arguments against foundationalism. With the rejection of scepticism and foundationalism, the question remains of how knowledge is possible. In the third chapter it is argued that Santayana is correct that every belief, and by implication every claim to knowledge, begins with the presupposition of substance, and that this presupposition cannot be rationally justified but must be assumed in animal faith. It is argued that neither Peirce nor the other empiricists have good reasons to reject Santayana's claim. The fourth and final chapter examines Santayana's position that the type of substance actually presupposed in thought and practice is matter. Santayana's doctrine of matter is outlined, as is his accounts of truth and essence, and it is shown what defence Santayana can offer for his doctrine of matter. Santayana's position is then compared and evaluated within a Peircean perspective. The conclusion arrived at is that while both Peirce and Santayana recognise the existence of a mind-independent reality, the way they envision this reality is very different. While Santayana offers a compelling form of materialism, Peirce's pragmatism, combined with his doctrine of Secondness, leads him to idealism.
Literacy and metalinguistic awareness, a cross-cultural study

This dissertation examines the role of literacy in children's acquisition of metalinguistic awareness. It is argued that writing provides children with a set of linguistic categories that are used to reflect on spoken language. Two implications of this hypothesis are: (1) children's understanding of certain metalinguistic concepts will be mediated by their understanding of these concepts as units of text, and (2) children from cultures with qualitatively different scripts will demonstrate corresponding differences in their acquisition of metalinguistic awareness. These claims were investigated in two studies. In the first study, children's (aged 4 to 6 years) understanding of "word" as a piece of written text was found to predict their awareness of "word" as a unit of speech. In the second study, English-speaking Canadian and Mandarin-speaking Chinese children's understanding of the metalinguistic concepts of word (the most salient feature of English script) and character/syllable (the most salient feature of Chinese script) was investigated. It was hypothesized that children would first be aware of the linguistic concept which is most salient in their culture's writing system. Children (aged 4 to 6 years) from both countries were given a speech-based set of tasks that asked them to segment spoken language into (i) words and (ii) syllables/characters, and a text-based set of tasks that asked them to identify (i) words and (ii) syllables/characters in writing. All children received all four sets of tasks (i.e., text-word, text-syllable/character, speech-word, and speech-syllable/character). The results indicated that children were significantly more aware of the linguistic concept that is represented in their culture's writing system. Furthermore, in both countries, children's ability to segment speech was significantly correlated with their understanding of text. One cultural difference, however, was that while none of the English-speaking children demonstrated an awareness of word in speech without knowing words as units of text, some of the Mandarin-speaking children demonstrated an awareness of characters in speech without being able to identify characters in text. The results are discussed in terms of a proposed multi-factor model of metalinguistic awareness in which language acquisition, cognitive development (particularly cognitive control), and literacy uniquely contribute to children's abilities to think about language.
Transformational leadership and Hong Kong teachers' commitment to change

This study investigated the impact of principals' transformational leadership on teachers' commitment to change in primary schools in Hong Kong in 1998. The relationship between teachers' perceptions of principals' transformational leadership and teachers' commitment to change was explored and measured. Four research questions were developed for this study. Two questionnaires developed and tested by Leithwood were used. Questionnaire survey data from teachers were gathered in mid 1998 from 112 aided primary schools. The size of the samples used in the analysis of the study at the school level was 107. At the teacher level, the sizes of the samples for the "leadership questionnaire" and "change process questionnaire" were 1140 and 952 respectively. Using a combination of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, the construct validity of variables in the study were established and the instruments were empirically supported. Correlation, analysis of variance, t-test, linear regression analysis, standard regression analysis and sequential regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The research questions were answered. A framework of the conception of teachers' perceptions of principals' transformational leadership and teachers' commitment to change was formed. The findings in this study indicated that teachers' perceptions of principals' transformational leadership did give rise to teachers' commitment to change. Factors "goal" and "vision" had more effects on teachers' professional commitment than other transformational leadership dimensions. The effect of in-school conditions was much greater than that of transformational leadership. All three unalterable variables, organizational, principal and teacher characteristics, were found to have significant effects on teachers' perceptions of principals' transformational leadership. Six significant predictors, namely, leader academic qualification, leader gender, school size, school sponsoring body, teacher age and teacher post, were found. In addition, comparisons between findings of this study and Leithwood et al's studies were reported. Claims of some recent research relevant to the findings of this study were discussed. Implications for future research and practices in this area were given. It is hoped that this study could have significant contributions to the development of transformational leadership, teachers' commitment, leadership perceptions and the implementation of change.
Quantization of a classical model with symmetry

A theory of quantization is given, for a model with symmetry, as the inverse of dequantization. Dequantization is defined as the process of extracting the classical mechanics of a model from its quantal counterpart. It is shown that classical dynamics is embedded in quantum dynamics as a constrained subsystem. Thus, classical mechanics is obtained from quantum mechanics without taking limits of large-dimensional representations or letting '&hstrok; ' [right arrow] 0. The embedding shows that, under appropriate conditions, a quantal density can be identified with a classical state. The results are consistent with the conjecture that an algebraic model is quantized by constructing a unitary irrep of its spectrum generating algebra. Quantization of operators not in this algebra is determined by compatibility with dequantization; this method resolves the Dirac problem in a way that avoids the ambiguities of canonical quantization. Geometric quantization is used to express the vector coherent state inducing construction as a theory of quantization. The result provides physically useful quantum models for systems with an algebraic structure and intrinsic degrees of freedom. The results are illustrated by application to the 'SU'(3) model of a rotor. An algebraic model of a rigid rotor is presented, and the techniques of vector coherent state quantization are applied to give a quantization, including intrinsic degrees of freedom, that is compatible with the geometric structure of the corresponding classical model. An explicit dequantization of the asymmetric top, leading to Euler's equations, illustrates the consistency of this quantization.
New protocols for asymmetric communication channels

The problem of sending an 'n'-bit binary string drawn from a probability distribution 'D' across an asymmetric communication link is studied. The string is sent from a client to a server, where the bandwidth from the client to the server is less than the bandwidth from the server to the client. Adler and Maggs demonstrated protocols in which the expected number of bits sent by the client is 'O'(' H'('D')), where 'H'('D') is the binary entropy of the distribution and a lower bound for this problem. In this thesis, a new protocol is presented in which the client sends ' H'('D') + 2 bits. This and a protocol due to Adler and Maggs are generalized so as to reduce the number of rounds of communication at the expense of computation and bits sent by the server. Finally, an improved version of Adler and Maggs' constant-round protocol is presented.
A viscoelastic analysis of particle-particle deformation in pharmaceutical powder compaction

Controlling the parameters which dictate compact behavior is an ambition inherent in the development of pharmaceutical solids. The quantification of the time-dependent behavior of these materials is an essential component for the understanding of the compaction process. To this end, the basic unit of densification: the particle-particle deformation was examined. The study focused on the compaction properties of a viscoelastic copolymer, poly(methyl methacrylate comethacrylic acid) (PMMA/coMAA), which shares similarities with the commercial Eudragit®. The copolymer was characterized by a variety of means including molecular weight, microhardness, and stress relaxation testing to determine parameters such as the energy barrier to flow. In focusing on a macroscopic element of the powder compact, the classical Hertzian contact description was extended to provide an account of the particle-particle contact force, pressure, and area growth, of a linearly viscoelastic material. The powder aggregate was modeled as a collection of these particles in contact. The time-dependent response of the material to applied loads was thereby explicitly incorporated.
A measurement of b-quark fragmentation fractions in p¢p collisions at [centre of mass energy]=1.8 TeV

Fragmentation is the process by which quarks and gluons organize themselves into hadrons. The fragmentation properties of the bottom quark cannot be predicted from fundamental principles and hence must be determined empirically. We investigate one such property, namely the flavour dependence of the fragmentation process for bottom quarks produced in 1.8-TeV proton-antiproton collisions. This flavour dependence is investigated by determining the 'B'-hadron production ratios. We use a sample of <math> <f> <a><ac>p</ac><ac>&d1;</ac></a>p</f> </math> data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 110 pb-1 and reconstruct the following semileptonic 'B'-hadron decays into electrons and charmed hadrons: <math> <f> B<sup>+</sup>[right arrow]e<sup>+</sup><g>n</g><inf>e</inf><a><ac>D</ac><ac>&d1;</ac></a><sup> 0</sup>X,<hsp sp="0.265">B<sup>0</sup>[right arrow]e<sup>+</sup><g>n</g><inf> e</inf>D<sup>*-</sup>X</f> </math>, <math> <f> B<sup>0</sup>[right arrow]e<sup>+</sup><g>n</g><inf>e</inf>D<sup>-</sup> X,<hsp sp="0.265">B<stk><lyr>0</lyr><lyr>s</lyr></stk>[right arrow]e<sup> +</sup><g>n</g><inf>e</inf>D<stk><lyr>-</lyr><lyr>s</lyr></stk> X</f> </math> and <math> <f> <a><ac><g>L</g></ac><ac>&d1;</ac></a><stk><lyr>0</lyr><lyr>b</lyr></stk> [right arrow]e<sup>+</sup><g>n</g><inf>e</inf><g>L</g><stk><lyr>-</lyr> <lyr>c</lyr></stk>X</f> </math>. With these data, we measure the ratios of fragmentation fractions <display-math> <fd> <fl>f<inf>d</inf>/f<inf>u</inf><vmk id="vm1">=&parl0;88± 21&parr0;%,</fl> <fl>f<inf>s</inf>/&parl0;f<inf>u</inf>+f<inf>d</inf>&parr0;<vmkr rid="vm1">= &parl0;21.5±7.1&parr0;%<hsp sp="0.265"><rm>and</rm> </fl> <fl>f<inf>baryon</inf>/&parl0;f<inf>u</inf>+f<inf>d</inf>&parr0; <vmkr rid="vm1">=&parl0;12.0±4.2&parr0;%.</fl> </fd> </display-math> Assuming that these four hadrons saturate production of weakly-decaying ' B' hadrons, that is, that <math> <f> f<inf>u</inf>+f<inf>d</inf>+f<inf>s</inf>+f<inf>baryon</inf>&equiv; 1</f> </math>, we determine <display-math> <fd> <fl>f<inf>u</inf><vmk id="vm1">=&parl0;39.8±5.4&parr0; %,</fl> <fl>f<inf>d</inf><vmkr rid="vm1">=&parl0;35.2±4.8&parr0; %,</fl> <fl>f<inf>s</inf><vmkr rid="vm1">=&parl0;16.1±4.5&parr0; %<hsp sp="0.265"><rm>and</rm></fl> <fl><it>f<inf>baryon</inf></it><vmkr rid="vm1">=&parl0;9.0± 2.9&parr0;%.</fl> </fd> </display-math> These results represent the first measurement of all four 'b'-quark fragmentation fractions in a single experiment. These fractions are in agreement both with previous phenomenological interpretations and with other experimental measurements.
A geochemical modeling study of the effects of urea-degrading bacteria on groundwater contaminated with acid mine drainage

Aqueous geochemical computer modeling was carried out for an aquifer contaminated with acid mine drainage at the South Bay mine site to test the feasibility of a proposed bioremediation treatment plan. The treatment consists of adding urea to the aquifer to stimulate growth of indigenous urea-degrading bacteria that produce carbonate and ammonium. These products have the potential for neutralizing the groundwater and precipitating iron oxides, which may remove heavy metals from solution through sorption processes. With aqueous geochemical data for piezometers situated along a hydraulic gradient from the tailings area to the aquifer's discharge zone, a model of the aquifer's geochemistry was constructed with the program MINEQL +. Once the model was calibrated to ensure that calculated pH values matched measured field pH values, titrations with the urea-degradation products were undertaken to simulate introduction of the urea-degradation products into the groundwater over time. The amount of carbonate and ammonium required to raise the pH in the piezometers to 8.0-8.1 ranged from 3.5 * 10 -5 M - 0.24 M and 7.0 * 10-5 M - 0.48 M, respectively. As is evident with observed pH increases and oxide supersaturation as a result of the titrations, the metabolic products of microbial urea degradation have been proven to have considerable potential for treating contaminated groundwater at South Bay.
The chanson de geste and memory

This thesis re-examines the role of repetition and memory in the ' chansons de geste' in the light of scholarship on the aesthetic effect of repetition and developments in understanding human memory function. Approaching repetition from the perspective of the audience, I argue that memory is intrinsic to the aesthetic of the 'chanson de geste'. The thesis consists of two parts. The first part, in two chapters, demonstrates division and repetition in the 'chansons de geste'. I argue that the audience is sensitive to the delineation of units through recognition of formulae and verbal and thematic repetition, and that through memory it collaborates in the poems by collating these units. The effects which emerge from audience recognition of the divisions and repetitions, and collation of the units these define, range from the simple construction of a narrative line to the perception of psychological nuance in the case of certain disjunctive echoes. The second part, in three chapters, extends the analysis both methodologically and chronologically. The third chapter looks at parallels between division, collation, visualisation and aurilisation in the 'chansons de geste ' and the mnemonic theories of Antiquity and the Middle Ages which both indicate similarities and articulate differences. These suggest a development of mnemonic theory in the direction of aesthetic technique on the part of the 'chansons de geste'. The fourth chapter addresses the issue of the identity of the remembering subject through a close reading of the prologue to 'Renaut de Montauban' which presupposes a remembering audience, and it asks how the remembering subject remembers from the viewpoint of cognitive science. The fifth chapter presents the epic echo as an extra-epic phenomenon by looking at effects of repetition in modern film and in Proust's 'A la recherche du temps perdu'. By approaching the 'chansons de geste' from the perspective of the audience's memory, this thesis offers a new way of looking at the relationship between memory and the style of the poems which respects and explains the latter's aesthetic implications.
Thermal, living anionic and transition metal catalyzed ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of silicon-bridged [1]ferrocenophanes and synthetic routes to novel strained [1]ferrocenophanes

The new [1]ferrocenophane Fe([eta]-C5H4)2 SiH2 thermally polymerizes to afford the insoluble, crystalline poly(ferrocenylsilane) [Fe([eta]-C5H4)2SiH 2]n. Soluble poly(ferrocenyl-silane) random copolymers were prepared by thermal ROP of mixtures of Fe([eta]-C5H4) 2SiH2 and Fe([eta]-C5H4)2SiMe 2. Similarly, photosensitive poly(ferrocenylsilane-silane) random copolymers were prepared by thermal ROP of mixtures of Fe([eta]-C5H4 )2SiMe2 and 1,2,3,4-tetramethyl-1,2,3,4-tetraphenylcyclotetrasilane. Interactions between the skeletal iron atoms in poly(ferrocenylsilanes) result in interesting redox behavior. Mixtures of oligo(ferrocenylsilanes) were synthesized and separated into series of the multinuclear compounds that were studied to increase the understanding of the electrochemistry and conformational properties of the high polymer. The structure of a linear pentamer was found to be a valuable model for the high polymer. Electrochemical studies indicate that "odd" and "even" oligo(ferrocenylsilanes) show different redox behavior, both series approaching that of the high polymer. Spectroelectrochemical experiments show an intervalence electron transfer absorption for partially oxidized oligo(ferrocenylsilanes) The structure of a mixed-valent trimer dication revealed the presence of terminal ferrocenium centers and a central ferrocene group. ROP of the silicon-bridged [1]ferrocenophane Fe([eta]-C5H 4)2SiMe2 can be induced by anionic initiators. This leads to a living polymerization which allows control of the molecular weights of monodisperse poly(ferrocenylsilanes) and the synthesis of well-defined multiblock copolymers. Transition metal catalyzed ROP of Fe([eta]-C5H4) 2SiMe2 in solution at room temperature was found to be a convenient and mild route to obtain high molecular weight poly(ferrocenylsilanes). The first sulfur-, selenium- and tin-bridged [1]ferrocenophanes have been synthesized and the ring-tilts of the sulfur-bridged species (31°) are the largest for any iron group [n]metallocenophane. Thermal ROP of Fe([eta]-C 5H3Me)2S yields the first soluble poly(ferrocenylsulfide). The [1]stannaferrocenophane Fe([eta]-C5H4)2Sn' t'-Bu2 has the smallest ring-tilt of any known main group bridged [1]ferrocenophane (14.1°) but still readily polymerizes to give a high molecular weight poly(ferrocenylstannane), even in solution at room temperature, without the addition of initiator.
Metrics evaluating bioavailability and bioequivalence, principles, and applications in the steady state

'Bioavailability' is defined by the rate and extent to which a drug substance reaches the systemic circulation. Two pharmaceutical products are considered to be 'bioequivalent' when their bioavailabilities from the same molar dose are so similar that they are unlikely to produce clinically relevant differences in therapeutic and/or adverse effects. The 'purposes of the present study' were to develop principles for evaluating quantitative properties of metrics for the determination of bioavailability and bioequivalence, to assess these properties for the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) in single- and multiple-dose studies, and to develop and evaluate properties of secondary, steady-state metrics for assessing' the equivalence of absorption rates, clearances and volumes of distribution. Favourable properties of metrics were defined both qualitatively and quantitatively. A good metric should be specific, show high kinetic sensitivity with respect to the underlying kinetic quantity, be linear to it, and exhibit low statistical responsiveness to variations in both observations and parameters which are not of primary interest. The properties of metrics were illustrated on the example of Cmax by both algebraic calculations and computer simulations. It was found that the steady-state Cmax has a much lower kinetic sensitivity to the absorption rate constant (ka) than the single-dose C max, especially at high accumulation and slow absorption. The variation of Cmax is smaller at steady state than after a single dosing when the dominant source of variation is ka, Overall, Cmax should not be applied for assessing bioavailability and bioequivalence in the steady state. Properties of various secondary metrics were evaluated for assessing the 'equivalence of absorption rates in the steady state' by simulations. At fast absorption and low accumulation, the intercept metric has the most favourable combined kinetic and statistical features. At the unfavourable condition of slow absorption and high accumulation, AAUC is preferred. At intermediate conditions, AUCF, Swing and especially PTF are moderately favourable. Properties of the secondary metrics were assessed also for the evaluation of the 'equivalence of clearances and volumes of distribution in the steady state'. At high accumulation and slow absorption, Cmax , is the most favourable metric for assessing the equivalence of clearances, but least favoured for the equivalence of volumes of distribution.
Software-controlled multithreading using informing memory operations

Memory latency is becoming an increasingly important performance bottleneck, especially in multiprocessors. One technique for tolerating memory latency is 'multithreading', whereby we switch between threads upon expensive cache misses. In contrast with previous work on multithreading, we explore a new approach that is 'software-controlled' rather than hardware-controlled. Our experimental results demonstrate that software-controlled multithreading can result in significant performance gains on a shared-memory multiprocessor, with the majority of applications speeding up by 10% or more, and one application speeding up by 16%. By selectively applying a ' register partitioning' optimization to reduce thread-switching overhead, the overall speedups increase to as much as 25%. Given the much simpler hardware support required by our scheme, and the fact that its software overheads are expected to become less and less expensive over time relative to memory latencies, software-controlled multithreading is attractive alternative to traditional hardware-based schemes.