VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Durability of fibre-reinforced polymers (FRP) used in concrete structures

The research on the structural performance of Fibre Reinforced Polymers (FRP) has shown the these materials haw great potential for application in concrete structures. Not enough test data, however, are available to predict the long-term performance of the and improved structures. Degradation problems can wise when polymers are exposed to heat, light, weathering, high-energy radiation, chemicals, and microorganisms. The objective of this research is to study the durability of FRP used in concrete structures by exposing the material to simulated environmental conditions in the laboratory. The conditions that were studied in this research project are freeze-thaw and ultraviolet radiation. Four types of specimen were studied for the freeze-thaw. The specimens are: (1) Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP) coupons, (2) FRP to FRP single lap bonded panels, (3) FRP wrapped cylinders, and (4) FRP to concrete bonded prisms. Only the first two types of the were studied for the ultraviolet radiation. The results showed that the above exposures have minimal effect on the mechanical performance of Carbon- and Glass-FRP.
Moral legislation and the conservative constitutional tradition

This thesis argues that there is a conservative communitarian constitutional tradition that regards rights and liberties as historical inheritances, accepts historic state purposes presupposing a strong and paternalistic state, and rejects a generalized autonomy as constituting a fundamental value. This tradition is amended by the enactment of the 'Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms' but not repudiated by it. Moral legislation must still address the challenges to its reasons canonically described in the work of Joel Feinberg. Feinberg's description of the Harm Principle and his rebuttals of the defences for moral legislation are insufficient to establish that moral legislation cannot have demonstrably justifiable reasons. An examination of the Supreme Court of Canada's reasoning in the 'Butler' and ' Prostitution Reference' cases demonstrate how the neglect of the conservative constitutional tradition results in a liberal discourse in which the important issues about moral legislation may be obscured or ignored.
Assessing and predicting treatment responses to cholinesterase inhibitor pharmacotherapy in Alzheimer's disease

Cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) are the only pharmacotherapy marketed for Alzheimer's disease (AD). This work evaluated the potential utility of a peripheral cholinergic probe, which previously detected age-related differences in central cholinergic function, in AD (Study 1) and assessed the efficacy and safety of oral (ChEIs) in AD (Study 2). Elderly controls (n = 4) showed a 33.5 ± 6.0% decrease in pupil size from a pilocarpine challenge test (PIL-CT) compared to 28.6 ± 7.3% for AD patients (n = 6). In AD patients (n = 5) a 4.8 ± 1.6-point increase in ADAS-cog score after 12 weeks of donepezil treatment was accompanied by a 13.3 ± 7.3% decrease in PIL-CT. End of treatment outcomes and pre-treatment PIL-CT responses didn't correlate. Changes in ADAS-cog scores and PIL-CT did correlate in certain subjects. A meta-analysis of oral ChEIs in AD revealed a therapeutic effect of 12%. ChEIs had a greater incidence of adverse events (7%), dropouts (10%), and dropouts due to adverse events (11%) over placebo.
Solid freeform fabrication of calcium polyphosphate, material characterization and assessment of processing parameters

Solid Freeform Fabrication involves the creation of a solid 3-D object of desired shape by successively adding raw material in particles or layers. It has been recently investigated in the biomedical field, with applications ranging from the design of medical implants to the building of medical equipment. Calcium polyphosphate (CPP) is a biodegradable, linear condensed phosphate that has found potential use as a synthetic bone substitute. This study showed that it is feasible to use a stereohthography(SLA)-based technology to fabricate porous ceramic parts of CPP for use in hard and soft tissue engineering applications. Sintered amorphous and crystalline CPP samples were subjected to an 10-day ' in vitro' degradation study to investigate dissolution properties. Three-point bend testing was used to assess mechanical properties of the samples at each degradation timepoint. Crystalline CPP was found to exhibit superior mechanical properties over amorphous CPP in terms of bending stress and toughness.
Institutional capacity to constrain suboptimal welfare outcomes from trade-restricting environmental, health and safety regulation under NAFTA

There has been a dramatic shift in the focus of trade policy concerns from the barriers that lie at the border to the barriers which exist within the border. NAFTA has been largely successful in reducing both the levels of tariffs within North America and the scale of other border measures such as quotas. This has revealed a new and more subtle category of measures which restrict trade--the numerous commonplace regulations which governments enact to protect the health and safety of their citizens and the environment in which they live. This effort to protect citizens from the hazards of everyday life has become a virtual minefield for trade policy makers, as such differences can often be manipulated or exploited to protect domestic industry from international competition. This thesis evaluates the capacity of the NAFTA rules and institutions to correct the suboptimal welfare outcomes that result from trade-restricting environmental regulation. It does so firstly by reviewing twenty-five North American trade disputes and irritants in order identify the nature of and extent to which trade-restricting environmental, health and safety regulation results in sub-optimal global and domestic welfare outcomes. Second, it evaluates whether NAFTA's institutional structure has been effective in alleviating or correcting the sub-optimal domestic and global welfare outcomes arising from such disputes. This is done with a view to identifying specific deficiencies in the institutional regime and prescribing more effective institutional arrangements to deal with these problems. The central argument of this thesis is that NAFTA has not been effective in alleviating sub-optimal welfare outcomes and that there are, in fact, serious shortcomings in the current institutional structure of NAFTA. This thesis explores the institutional changes that are required in order to facilitate optimal outcomes. Given that there is little NAFTA jurisprudence, it reviews the jurisprudence of the World Trade Organization. It finds that the substantive rules and jurisprudence which separate 'bona fide' regulation from protectionist regulation have been relatively effective. Yet in order to give effect to the trade and investment liberalization commitments found in NAFTA, this thesis argues for an expanded right of access for private parties in the dispute settlement provisions. This thesis also argues for a more concerted effort on the part of the NAFTA governments to pursue, where possible, harmonization and mutual recognition strategies as a means to avoid disputes.
Conformal coating of islets of Langerhans in HEMA-MMA

Islets of Langerhans were conformally coated in 90:10 HEMA-MMA co-polymer dissolved in 85:15 Isovue370/DMSO using a 3-layer discontinuous density gradient. Islets were exposed to the low toxicity Isovue370/DMSO co-solvent for greater than 5 minutes during coating. Ultrastructural examination of islets following coating revealed that no damage was incurred from solvent exposure. However, the 10-15[mu]m thick 90:10 HEMA-MMA coatings were not sufficiently strong to withstand islet expansion (presumably due to rehydration) in culture. The HEMA-MMA membranes separated from the islets by days 2-3 in culture. The 3-layer gradient was adapted from a 5-layer gradient for coating mammalian cells and a 3-layer gradient for coating polystyrene beads first described by May.87;88 The conformal coatings were produced by centrifuging the islets through a liquid-liquid interface in a discontinuous density gradient. May's 5-layer gradient used 75:25 HEMA-MMA dissolved in PEG200, with the polymer being precipitated in an aqueous layer to form the permselective membrane. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
Modelling chlorine dioxide's inactivation of microbial indicators and disinfection by-product formation

The application of chlorine dioxide to drinking water treatment was studied at bench- and pilot-scale during this research. The impact of water quality parameters including bromide level, pH, chlorine dioxide dose and purity, and secondary disinfectant type on the formation of disinfection by-product (DBP) was examined by performing 2-level factorial experiments DBPs measured during the experiments included chlorite, chlorate, trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, bromate and adsorbable organic halides. Results showed that both pH and chlorine dioxide dose had the greatest impact on chlorite and chlorate. In addition, site-specific mathematical models which incorporated disinfectant chemistry characteristics, inactivation kinetics and contactor hydraulics to accurately estimate the inactivation of stressed and non-stressed microbial indicators (MS 2 phages and 'Bacillus subtilis' spores) for ' Giardia lamblia' and 'Cryptosporidium parvum' were developed. Results revealed that filtration/physical stress damaged the microbial cell membrane thereby rendering the microorganisms more susceptible to chlorine dioxide inactivation.
Algebraic structure in loop space homology

Let 'X' be a finite, 'n'-dimensional, ' r'-connected CW complex. Suppose 'p' >= ' n'/'r' is an odd prime. We show that each term in the loop space homology Bockstein spectral sequence modulo 'p' is the universal enveloping algebra of a differential graded Lie algebra. In particular, as shown in [18], there exists a natural isomorphism of Hopf algebras 'H'* ([Omega]'X'; F'p') &cong; 'U' ' EX', where 'EX' is a naturally defined graded Lie algebra. Let 'LX' be the ' p'-local Anick differential graded Lie algebra model for ' X' [3], which plays the role of the Quillen model [23] in rational homotopy theory. We prove that there is an isomorphism of graded Lie algebras ' H'('LX' &otimes; F' p') &cong; 'EX' * 'K ', where 'K' is an abelian ('rp' + ' p' - 3)-connected ideal. Using Anick's mod 'p' Hurewicz theorem [5], we then have 'Em' &cong; [pi]' m' ([Omega]'X'; F'p ') for 'm' <= min('r' + 2' p' - 3, 'rp' - 1), where [pi]' m'(-; F'p') is the 'm'th homotopy group with coefficients in F'p' [22].
Exploratory review of motorization, its impact on global warming and policy recommendations for developing countries

Existing literature related to global warming and motorization around the world is reviewed. Global warming is found to be a factual phenomenon, which could make human life in earth non-sustainable. Emissions originated by motor vehicles are a major contributor to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. A quite comprehensive database of vehicle registration by year and country is used. This information and the WB database on indicators of national development are used to review first order relationships between motorization and these indicators of development. Correlation and linear regression analysis where performed in a country by country basis. A selection of countries was made to review their transportation policy practices and to consider these policies for potential application to developing countries. The concept of optimal level of vehicle ownership is presented. A final recommendation for a framework for transportation policy for developing countries is presented.
Sources of the nation, a comparative analysis of the origins of national sentiment in Alsace and Quebec

This work attempts to understand why some culturally distinct groups develop their own nationalist movement while other similarly distinct groups content themselves with identifying with their larger nation-state. I compare the genesis of the national sentiments of two distinct collectivities selected because of their divergent national trajectories: while Quebec experienced its own national movement in the early nineteenth century, Alsace, despite its marked Germanity, developed a French national sentiment roughly in the same period. Chapter 1 shows the contributions and limits of the existing literature on nationalism. Chapter 2 elaborates a cultural-historical neoinstitutionalist model of nationalism based on two premises: (1) the individuals' existential dependence on their institutional environment; and (2) the affirmation of subjectivity as the essence of modernity. The emergence of the national sentiment is generated by the unprecedented diffusion among the masses of principles of personal autonomy, equality, and popular sovereignty. This diffusion gives rise both to a demand for popular control of the state and, as a result of the formation of public discursive spheres, to a process of societal self-awareness. Nationalism characterises this self-aware society's aspiration to sovereignty, while the national sentiment depicts 'homo nationalis'' existential dependence on a given society's public spirit. The eventual presence or absence of nationalism is determined by the institutional order in place at the time of the masses' transition to modernity. Chapter 3 describes the absence of nationalism in prerevolutionary Alsace and Quebec. Chapter 4 interprets the emergence of the (political) nation in both contexts as a result of revolutions. Chapter 5 explores the process of societal self-awareness taking place in early nineteenth century Alsace and Quebec. While, as a result of their institutional segregation, French Canadians became gradually aware of their distinct societal existence, Alsatians, because of their violent inclusion in the French revolutionary order, slowly realised their membership in the French discursive sphere. This resulted in the construction and adoption by both Alsatians and French Canadians of (contingent) national symbols and narratives conforming to their respective aspirations to sovereignty: while Alsatians imagined themselves as French nationals, French Canadians literally invented French Canada.
Cluster-based architecture, timing-driven packing and timing-driven placement for FPGAs

As process geometries shrink into the deep-submicron region, interconnect resistance and capacitance account for an increasingly significant portion of the delay of circuits implemented in Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). One way to improve FPGA speed is to employ logic-cluster-based architectures which have high-speed local connections among groups of logic elements. In this work we show what size logic- cluster results in the best area-speed trade-off. To obtain the best choices for a cluster-based architecture, we use computer aided design (CAD) tools to experimentally evaluate architectures with different sized logic clusters. As part of this CAD flow, we develop a timing-driven algorithm that packs logic elements into these clusters. In addition, we develop a timing-driven placement algorithm that results in significant improvements in FPGA speed over existing non-timing-driven algorithms.
Laminated beam theory based on homogenization

A laminated beam theory similar to Timoshenko beam theory is proposed. It uses elasticity solutions of a beam to calibrate the beam's stiffness. By separating the kinematic response of the beam model from the stress/strain prediction of the actual beam, it can take into account the interlayer interaction of stresses using only three displacement variables. The proposed theory is applied for different test cases and compared with results given by Euler-Bernoulli and Timoshenko beam theory. It is capable of predicting the shear stress and strain distributions exactly for the interior problem of a cantilever beam made with a symmetric cross-ply laminate, subjected to constant shear and constant lateral pressure loads. Timoshenko beam theory is unable to predict such distributions correctly. This theory is particularly suitable for analyzing shear-deformed beams with drastic variation in the shear stiffness through the thickness.
Changing the system, a narrative perspective on education

In this thesis, I follow a journey into narrative inquiry. I explore my experiences as a teacher in two different settings, the private ESL industry and the public school system. 'Part I' combines my experience and those of ESL students. We share our stories within the ESL industry, a business concerned primarily with the accumulation of wealth. 'Part II' examines my dilemmas teaching high school students within a tracking system that perpetuates the hierarchical structure of power and the social division of labour. 'Part III' encompasses my narrative and those of public school teachers, to show how the educational system reproduces the patterns of discrimination against women. I demonstrate that the concept of education, as providing equal opportunities to everyone, is still an unfulfilled goal. Finally, I hope that the findings and conclusions of my analysis will serve to improve the educational experiences of both students and teachers at all levels.
An analysis of Don DeLillo's powerful imaginings, the atmosphere of the individual implicated in the postmodern condition

Don DeLillo distills common premises about the postmodern era--about the way public and private experience tend to be "always ready" constituted or framed by language, by the intrusions of mass media, by the subterranean ideologies of a decentered network of apocalypse and a painful awareness of the devastation of the natural world. DeLillo, accepting the self's implication in postmodern "white noise" the residue of a "familiar" human awareness of death. More than merely working out the writer's strategy of self, this thesis, by examining three of his novels, will make judgements about the success or failure of the strategies as convincing constructs in the context of the novels.
Molecular analysis of the role of the FEM proteins in Caenorhabditis elegans sex determination

Male development in the nematode 'Caenorhabditis elegans' requires the activity of the three 'fem' genes, 'fem-1, fem-2,' and 'fem-3.' The products of these genes form part of a novel signal transduction pathway that controls 'C. elegans ' sex determination, but the mechanism by which the FEMs act remains unclear. I report the use of a 'fem-1' reporter construct to show that 'fem-1' is widely expressed throughout development in both sexes, indicating that 'fem-1' is regulated post-transcriptionally. I further characterize the sequences required for 'fem-1' expression, and characterize a dominant feminization of the germline caused by ' fem-1' transgenes. To identify regions of FEM-1 that are important for its activity, I cloned and characterized 'fem-1' homologues from two related nematode species. Overall, FEM-1 is more conserved than the other 'Caenorhabditis ' sex determining genes. Within FEM-1, the ANK repeats and a kinesin light chain-like repeat are the most conserved regions. Despite the sequence conservation, 'C. briggsae fem-1' is unable to functionally replace 'C. elegans fem-1.' A small region of ' fem-1' coding sequence, between the ANK and TPR encoding regions, appears to be responsible for the functional divergence. I also present data that suggests that in 'C. briggsae, fem-1' may not be required for germline sex determination, possibly revealing the rapid evolution of germline sex determination mechanisms. To elucidate how the FEMs function in the transduction of the sex determination signal, I examined the subcellular localization of each of the FEM proteins. I show that FEM-2 is cytosolic in both sexes, and can interact 'in vivo' with FEM-3, which also appears to function in the cytoplasm. In contrast, FEM-1 appears to localize to discrete compartments within the cell. This localization is at least partially dependent on the kinesin light chain-like repeat of FEM-1. I discuss the implications of the localization data and consider possible models for the mechanism of FEM activity.
Intradermal injection of autologus dermal fibroblasts improves wound healing in irradiated skin

The combination of radiotherapy and surgical resection is effective in the management of several solid tumours. Despite its well-recognized benefits, the use of radiotherapy prior to surgery is associated with a high incidence of significant surgical wound healing complications. Radiation-induced damage to dermal fibroblasts has been proposed as an important cause. In this study, we investigate the effect of intradermal injection of autologous dermal fibroblasts in a rat model of combined preoperative irradiation and surgical wounding. Our results demonstrate that injection of normal, unirradiated fibroblasts significantly improves healing of the irradiated surgical wound. These cells are likely better able to respond to the proliferative, migratory and synthetic demands of the wound healing environment, as injection of irradiated cells has an equivalent effect on healing as injection of medium alone. Implantation of autologous fibroblasts may be a viable clinical option used to reduce the incidence of wound healing complications in surgical oncology patients undergoing preoperative radiotherapy.
The limits on a state's right to exclude and expel non-citizens under customary international and human rights treaty law

The thesis is entitled “Limits on the State's Right to Exclude and Expel non-citizens under Customary International and Human Rights Law”. Its premise is that customary international and human fights treaty law have developed during the course of the last 50 years to a point where they now impose important limitations on state sovereignty with respect to the admission and exclusion of non-citizens. I argue that under customary international law the prohibition against refoulement or the forcible return of a refugee to a country to where he/she faces persecution is a principle of customary international law, as is the provision against the return of any person to a country where he/she faces a risk of torture. I also examine the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights and the Convention Against Torture. Pursuant to these international human rights treaty laws, several principles which bind all signatories have emerged. These are: (1) Removal of any person back to a country where there is a risk of torture. (2) The prohibition also extends to the deportation of a person to a country where he or she is at risk of other forms of cruel and inhuman treatment. (3) By the same token, the deportation of a parent whose children are citizens of the country from which he/she is being deported is prohibited until the best interests of the children are taken into account. The best interests of the children must be given considerable weight. (4) Long term permanent residents who have grown up in the country in which they are residents have a fight to remain in that country and cannot be deported notwithstanding the interests of the state in removing them. I conclude by arguing that the most effective way of enforcing these rights is through the national courts. In Canada it is possible to use international human rights treaties as a tool for interpreting the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.