VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Approximate truthful mechanisms for the knapsack problem, and negative results using a stack model for local ratio algorithms

This thesis examines two topics in approximation algorithms. Mechanism design considers algorithmic problems in which agents behave based on selfish needs, rather than the will of the mechanism. For the knapsack problem, a number of approximate mechanisms are described that guarantees truthful agent behavior, including an FPTAS recently constructed by Alberto Marchetti-Spaccamela. Results relating truthfulness to the priority algorithm framework of Borodin, Nielsen and Rackoff are shown. A formal algorithmic model, called the stack algorithm, is defined, that captures the behavior of the local ratio method. The bandwidth problem is defined, and limitations are shown on the approximation power of the stack algorithm in a number of variations, including 2 machine scheduling. For covering problems, approximation lower bounds are shown for the Steiner tree and set cover problems.
Image pattern recognition using phase-based local features and their flexible spatial configuration

We propose a new image pattern recognition system that is applicable to several computer vision tasks, such as long range motion matching and object recognition. The main strength of our system is its ability to handle substantial image deformations without significantly sacrificing the expressiveness of the model representation. This system is divided into three steps, namely: (a) feature extraction, (b) similarity search, and (c) hypothesis verification. The phase-based local feature proposed for step (a) is shown to be distinctive and robust to 2-D rigid deformations and severe brightness changes. The step (b) pairs similar model and test image features, producing the correspondence set, which is usually densely populated with outliers. Hence, the rejection of outliers from this set is necessary to reduce the number of hypotheses to be verified in step (c). We propose two methods to reject outliers that are robust to rigid and non-rigid deformations. Quantitative evaluations for both the local feature extractor and the outlier rejection methods are also provided. Comparison results produced by these evaluations show that our feature is more robust and distinctive than state-of-the-art features proposed in the literature, and our methods to reject outliers are more robust to 3-D rigid and non-rigid deformations than the Hough transform, which is a common method used to reject outliers. Finally, our last contribution is a probabilistic verification for step (c) that uses local and semi-local similarities between test and model images. The effectiveness of our system is tested in several recognition problems.
Human pyruvate carboxylase deficiency: correlation of genotypes with the clinical and biochemical phenotypes

Human pyruvate carboxylase (PC) deficiency is an autosomal recessive disorder that ranges in severity from a benign (Type C) to a simple (Type A) to a severe (Type B) phenotype. Type A is most common among children of the Algonkian speaking Indians, namely, the Ojibwa, Cree, and the Micmac. These children present at birth with lactic acidosis and survive into their teen years, with neurological defects. Type B is the most severe presentation in which there is a neonatal onset of lactic acidosis and death within the first few months of life. Type C is the late onset group, displaying only episodic lactic acidosis and no evidence of neurological defects. The Type A and C groups display evidence of protein corresponding to PC upon immunoblotting and mRNA on Northern blotting. Those with Type B PC deficiency, however, show neither PC protein nor mRNA. To correlate genotype with the variable phenotype spectrum, the gene structure for PC was determined and then screened for mutations. The coding region of the PC gene contains 20 exons from the ATG start codon and spans over 99 kb of genomic DNA on chromosome 11. Mutation screening in the PC gene of individuals with Type A PC deficiency, revealed an 1828G > A (A610T) founder mutation in the Ojibwa-free population and a 2229G > T (M743I) mutation in two brothers of Micmac origin. Both a bacterial and a retroviral expression system of recombinant human PC for the analysis of the 1828G > A mutant was developed. It was shown that this mutation is disease causing in the Ojibwa population due to its reduced catalytic activity, reduced steady-state levels of expression, and inefficient import into the mitochondria. Two male siblings with Type B PC deficiency were found to be compound heterozygotes for a IVS15+2-5delTAGG and 2491-2492deIGT. The IVS15+2-5delTAGG results in the retention of intron 15 during pre mRNA splicing. Both deletions are predicted to generate a premature termination codon such that the encoded mRNA could be subject to nonsense mediated decay. In a patient with Type C, two mutations were revealed: a 1488C > T (R496W) in the PC coding region and an A > G substitution located in the putative promoter region of the liver specific PC variant. These two mutations may be mild enough to affect only the liver, but not the brain, of this patient, thus resulting in the benign phenotype displayed by this patient.
A study of social-emotional climate within secondary school music classroom settings

In the context of today's diverse society, issues of social justice and social climate have strong influence on educational policy and practice. In this societal and educational context, social and emotional climate in the school and classroom has moved to centre stage. Cameron and Carlisle (2004) view social climate as a formative phenomenon that includes macro foci and the micro focus. They argue social-emotional climate allows for individual perspective to develop within the context of macro and micro interactions between members of a group and the perceptions members hold of those interactions. The social-emotional climate of three southern Ontario secondary school music programs offering alternative learning experiences to large ensemble performance was studied using multiple research methodologies: semi-structured dyadic interviews with school principals and music teachers, formal and informal student focus group interviews, and phenomenological description. I examined the formative and experiential dimensions of the school music programs studied. The data indicated while the school principal plays a pivotal formative role within the school, it is the teacher who has direct and ongoing contact with students. The teacher's pedagogical choices are simultaneously influenced by and act as a formative force upon the perceptions of the school, the music program, and the relationship between the principal and music teacher. The music teacher is a significant formative influence upon students' experience. The qualitative student data indicated students match their behaviour to the formative structure of each music program. The data indicated the formative structure of the three music programs is designed with students' needs and connections to learning in mind. The quantitative student data indicated a trio of significant correlations between: the importance of what students learn in class and the relevance to their lives outside of school, the importance of what students learn in class and how creative students feel when engaged in music class, and how creative students feel when engaged in music class and the relevance to their lives outside of school. In conclusion, the study's findings indicate the pedagogical and behavioural choices teachers make within formative structures significantly influence and affect students' experience of music in secondary school.
An exploration of gesture-based interaction

This thesis presents two related research projects exploring gesture-based interaction. The VisionWand system explores a passive wand tracked in 3D using computer vision techniques as a new input mechanism for interacting with large displays. A variety of gesture-based interaction techniques is designed to exploit the affordances of the wand, resulting in an effective alternative interface for large display interaction. Inspired by the observations made in the VisionWand and similar gesture-based interaction systems that different users have different habits in making gestures and performing tasks, we developed the adaptive gesture interface as a framework that exploits machine learning techniques to capture and utilize the users' habits on line. This framework improved the system's performance of gesture recognition, and alleviated the user's need for practice. We present a rigorous user experiment to demonstrate this improvement.
From course content to teaching practice: Understanding teachers' moral awareness through an intervention project in a Mexican public elementary school

The moral nature of education has become a relevant issue in Mexico as well as in other countries in the world. Several attempts have been undertaken in Mexico to promote teachers' professional development in their role as moral agents. The purpose of this ethnographic study is to develop a better understanding of teachers' moral awareness through an intervention project conducted in a school located in a Mexican city. The sample included thirteen public elementary school teachers and the school principal. The findings show that teacher-participants reflected different levels of moral awareness in the way they interpreted and integrated moral concepts in their everyday practice. It was also observed that the motivation and success these teachers had in implementing changes varied in relation to their level of moral awareness. This study highlights important elements to take into consideration when making decisions to implement changes in teaching practice from a moral perspective.

Keywords: Moral education (Elementary), Mexico
Teaching, Moral and ethical aspects
Teaching, Mexico
Teacher-student relationships, Mexico
Classroom management, Mexico
Elementary school teachers, Attitudes
Elementary school teachers, Mexico
Educational change, Mexico
The use of fatty acid ethyl esters in neonatal hair as biomarkers for in utero alcohol exposure

The objective of this experimental study was to assess the utility of using fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE) in neonatal hair to objectively identify prenatal ethanol exposure. Measurable levels of FAEE were found in hair taken from prehistoric hair samples, suggesting that FAEE are highly stable within the hair matrix. We have confirmed for the first time that chronic exposure to alcohol leads to significantly increased levels of FAEE in both maternal and neonatal hair in guinea pigs (P le; 0.05). Independent of active alcohol consumption, low levels of total FAEE were detected in 46% of our baseline cohort (n = 61), with a mean cumulative FAEE level of 0.315 +/- 0.651 pmol/mg in neonatal hair. Results of this study suggest that FAEE in neonatal hair may be useful biomarkers in identifying in utero alcohol exposure and may facilitate the early diagnosis and treatment of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
Womens' access to nevirapine to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV: a case study of policy development in South Africa

South Africa (SA) houses the greatest number of HIV+ people in the world. Studies suggest that the second leading mode of transmission, via mother-to-child (MTCT), could be reduced by 50% through a prevention program using a two-dose Nevirapine regimen. The SA Government initially stalled full rollout of such a program, opting for an 18-site pilot program instead. In response, an advocacy group, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) successfully challenged and overturned the government's policy in court. Purpose. To understand both the policy process that initially rejected and then brought about a nation-wide Nevirapine-centered MTCT prevention program, and the related perspectives of the TAC and other stakeholders, including physicians. Methods. Mixed methods including qualitative interviews with 21 policy stakeholders. Results. Multiple factors influenced policy development including divisions within government, leadership styles, government-civil society relationships, policy-related barriers, and activist pressure. This case was also characterized by subversion of formal policy by physicians.
Impact of particles on ultraviolet disinfection of bacteria in water

When UV light is applied to disinfect drinking water, particles in the water can conceivably protect embedded microorganisms from disinfection. Earlier studies have investigated how turbidity and particles affect light scattering, and particle-associated protection of cultured microorganisms. Little attention has been devoted to the ability of natural particles in water supplies to protect indigenous microorganisms. This thesis focuses on humic-coating of bacteria, the optical properties of particles and particle-related protection of indigenous microorganisms. A bench-scale proof-of-concept study found that both commercial (AHA) and aquatic humic acid (Suwannee River natural organic matter) appears to coat the surface of cultured bacteria hindering the effectiveness of UV disinfection. Both AHA and Suwannee River NOM were found to offer statistically significant (alpha = 0.05) protection of both E. coli and B. subtilis at concentrations of 50 and 120 mg/L. The concentrations of humic matter used in the study (10 to 120 mg/L) exceed those commonly found in surface waters. The bulk LV254 absorbance by particulate material in 10 surface waters was found to be the same order of magnitude as particles from the secondary effluent of a municipal wastewater treatment facility. This implies that since wastewater particles can offer protection to embedded microorganisms from UV light, it is possible for surface water particles to offer similar protection, at least in terms of the optical properties of the particle material. Particle-related protection of indigenous coliforms in untreated surface water from 3 sources (turbidity from 0.8 to 5.4 NTU) was observed with protection attributed to particles> 11 microm. However, despite this protection, at least 2.5-log inactivation of indigenous coliform bacteria was observed in all waters considered. In another untreated surface water (up to 1.3 NTU), no strong evidence of protection of indigenous coliforms or aerobic spores was found. A final objective of this study was to use 14 months of hourly UVT data to evaluate the USEPA's Ultraviolet Disinfection Guidance Manual recommendations for UVT data collection and analysis for design of UV systems. In terms of sampling frequency, both hourly and daily (but not weekly) UVT data collection provided reliable data for UV reactor design.
A space-control theory of paramedic scene-management

The purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to investigate an important, and to date un-researched aspect of paramedic practice specifically, the management of emergency scenes. This aspect of paramedic practice involves relying heavily on social relations between individuals and groups. Symbolic interactionism, with its sensitivity to the social aspects of behavior, was chosen as the study's theoretical perspective. Consistent with this perspective, and in order to draw on strengths in the areas of exploring and identifying basic social processes, a Grounded Theory Methodology (GTM) was also employed. Data were obtained from paramedics who work in a variety of settings including those who practice in rural, sub-urban, and urban settings. To further provide for input from a variety of perspectives, these paramedics were chosen from three specified groups including novice, experienced, and expert paramedics. Data were obtained during private, in-depth and semi-structured interviews lasting from one to two hours. The study resulted in the generation of a Space-Control Theory of Paramedic Scene-Management. This theory claims that in order to deliver effective patient care, paramedics must establish social control over their work areas. In order to do so, paramedics must be skilled at interpersonal relations and employ sophisticated social processes. These include antecedent (and sustaining) processes to establish a safety zone, as well as specific processes including (a) reducing uncertainty through social relations, (b) controlling the trajectory of the scene, (c) temporality at the scene, and (d) collateral monitoring. Additionally, expert paramedics were found to have developed the specialized ability to know when and where to act at a scene and this is conceptualized as a new term, the "pre-hospital kairotope". This study provides insight into a "silent" yet important aspect of paramedic practice. As such it offers a contribution to Higher Education by informing the design of learning outcomes for both pre and in-service professional education. Utilizing the theory in this manner to re-frame paramedic education would increase the continuity between educational programming and the field of practice, as well as promote effective transfer of learning from the classroom to the field.

Keywords: Allied health personnel, Ontario
Emergency medical personnel, Ontario
Emergency management, Social aspects
Emergency management, Ontario
Symbolic interactionism
'HIV is no picnic': Social constructions of the queer HIV-positive body in HIV prevention pedagogies of fear

This thesis examines the HIV-positive queer male body as a surface for the production of meaning and discursive inscription of AIDS-related ideologies. The bodies I examine appear in a fear-based HIV prevention campaign entitled 'HIV is no picnic.' Campaign images depict four suffering bodies to highlight the consequences of unprotected sex. My analysis is situated at the juncture of queerness, disability, HIV/AIDS, and prevention pedagogy which collaborate to construct the HIV-positive body as a cultural artifact. These corporeal representations are analyzed for how HIV-related suffering (re)produces the social world by structuring the cultural intelligibility of a pandemic and the subjectivities configured within its discourse. By using a Foucauldian and phenomenological lens, I explore how 'HIV is no picnic' enlists spectators into a mediated interpretive labor of embodiment through the deployment of historically-based ruling relations of power/knowledge which organize the visual scene of recognition to make bodies appear in circumscribed ways.

Keywords: AIDS (Disease), Prevention
AIDS (Disease), Prevention
AIDS (Disease) in mass media
HIV infections, Prevention
HIV infections, Prevention
Advertising, Social aspects
Gays in advertising, Social aspects
Mindstorms Robolab: developing science concepts during a problem-based learning club

The study examined how each club taught science and technology in an environment that supported problem-based learning. The case study method was used for three robot clubs. This study found a wide range of science concepts were used by students that made LEGO(TM) robots with Mindstorms Robolab RTM. The concepts included stability, motion, forces, gears, motion, switches and mechanical efficiency. Activity theory explained the observable outcomes of problem-based learning. The following outcomes for problem-based learning were observed: usable science and technology concepts, successful problem solving, self-directed learning and collaboration. The observable outcomes of Science and Technology principles for problem-based learning were described by substantive and group processing behaviour. The data analysis was based on a grounded theory approach.

Keywords: Problem solving in adolescence
Robotics, Study and teaching
Student activities
Technology, Study and teaching
Problem solving in children
Science, Study and teaching
"I put myself in the feet of the characters and I understand it more": a look at the influence of drama strategies on the reading comprehension of grade five students

The purpose of this study is to observe and analyze what happens to children's reading comprehension when drama strategies are implemented in a grade five language program. Twenty-seven grade five students participated in this study during one school year. Results showed that the use of drama strategies as part of a language program was beneficial to all students. Drama strategies gave ESL students and students with learning disabilities a better understanding of what they were reading and enabled them to access text that may otherwise be too difficult. Drama strategies put all students in the same 'ability' group, increased confidence levels, built a sense of community, and brought excitement back to reading. The use of drama allowed opportunities for dialogue among students and enabled them to have experiences that connected them to the texts in meaningful ways. Drama has a positive influence on the reading comprehension of grade five students.
Symbolic context-sensitive pointer analysis

Pointer analysis is a critical problem in optimizing compiler, parallelizing compiler, software engineering and most recently, hardware synthesis. While recent efforts have suggested the symbolic method, which uses Bryant's Binary Decision Diagram as an alternative to capture the point-to relation, no speed advantage has been demonstrated for context-insensitive analysis, and results for context-sensitive analysis are only preliminary. We refine the concept of symbolic transfer function proposed earlier and establish a common framework for both context-insensitive and context-sensitive pointer analysis. With this framework, the transfer function of a procedure can abstract away the impact of its callers and callees, and represent its point-to information completely, compactly and canonically. In addition, we propose a symbolic representation of the invocation graph, which can otherwise be exponentially large. In contrast to the classical frameworks where context-sensitive point-to information of a procedure has to be obtained by the application of its transfer function exponentially many times, our method can obtain point-to information of all contexts in a single application. Our experimental evaluation on a wide range of C benchmarks indicates that our context-sensitive pointer analysis can be made almost as fast as its context-insensitive counterpart.
Role of polysialic acid in the outgrowth of embryonic septal neurons

Polysialic acid (PSA) on the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) can modulate cell adhesion, neurite outgrowth and synaptic connectivity. Neurons express PSA at early stages of development and during adulthood in regions displaying neural plasticity. Regenerating axons, such as those from the septohippocampal pathway, re-express PSA. The present study aims to elucidate the role of PSA in septal neurite outgrowth and adhesion using an in vitro model. The enzymatic removal of PSA from embryonic septal neurons grown on lamihin resulted in a significant increase in neurite outgrowth. In contrast, PSA removal from septal neurons plated on poly-D-lysine had no affect on neurite elongation. The initial adhesion of septal neurons on laminin or poly-D-lysine was unaffected by the presence of PSA. These results indicate that PSA influences septa] neurite outgrowth differently depending on the environment. This effect is independent from the initial neuronal adhesion to the substrates.