VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Performance enhancements of DS-CDMA system for fixed wireless access

In this thesis, performance enhancement of Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) system, employing hybrid Spatial Division Multiple Access (SDMA) and orthogonal CDMA with dynamic code allocation, for both forward link and quasi-synchronous reverse link is investigated. The static characteristic of FWA's radio channel eases the implementation of adaptive or highly directive antenna at the base station and directional antenna at the subscriber site. We analytically derive the capacity equations for various antenna configurations combined with either orthogonal or non-orthogonal CDMA system. Using highly directive adaptive antenna in conjunction with orthogonal CDMA shows the most promising performance. In such environment, dynamic sectorization is introduced and code allocation schemes are proposed to assign codes for users in different areas. Simulation results demonstrate that the best code allocation scheme proposed provides 60% increase in the number of users with code assigned, over conventional fixed allocation. And with required SINR = 6 dB, the outage probability is improved by 40%, when two antennas, having same directivity while one adopts the code allocation scheme and the other one does not, are compared. The concept of overlapping sectors is introduced and the corresponding code allocation schemes are presented. Simulation results show that this new concept increases the number of users with code assigned, without suffering from the high complexity associated with the dynamic sectors when using adaptive antennas. In particular, a 36-sectors system provides 45% improvement over conventional 6-sectors system.
Opera productions of Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, the American years, 1958--1987

Jean-Pierre Ponnelle (1932-1988) has been internationally acclaimed as one of the leading opera directors/designers of this century. He was a multi-faceted artist who fused a high degree of musical knowledge with a boundless theatrical imagination. The force of his conceptual designs for ballets and spoken plays eventually led him to adopt the role of director for operas on stage and film. As a director he worked with the leading conductors and singer-actors of his day in almost every major opera house in the world. The range of his successes covered an enormous range of operas representing every period, genre and style from Monteverdi and Rossini to Wagner and Strauss. Ponnelle was instrumental in reinstating the seria operas of Mozart into the active repertoire and was a formidable champion for new works such as Reimann's 'Lear ' and 'Troades.' The scope of this study encompasses operas that Ponnelle staged in the United States, but also includes many references to his productions in Europe and to his opera films. Since the works examined do not represent the totality of the director's accomplishments, this study does not purport to be exhaustive. However, in choosing the productions the writer considered those that were most representative of his style and which had the greatest critical and popular impact. The principal argument of this dissertation is that Ponnelle's productions were noteworthy for the intrinsic role which music played in their conception and realization. The first chapter acquaints the reader with the multi-faceted artist and his repertoire. The second introduces the main points of his musical methodology and includes a discussion of his ideas against his practice. The remaining chapters analyze representative stage productions and films, with an emphasis on how he utilized music in both design and staging.
Structure-function relationships in human ß-hexosaminidase

Human ß-hexosaminidase (Hex) isozymes are dimeric enzymes composed of Ã and/or ß subunits, i.e. Hex A (Ãß), Hex B (ßß) and Hex S (ÃÃ). Only Hex A has a unique in vivo function, 'i.e'., hydrolysis of ganglioside GM2. Thus, mutations in the either Ã or ß subunit of Hex A can result in ganglioside storage and two major forms of GM2 gangliosidosis, ' i.e'. Tay-Sachs or Sandhoff diseases, respectively. The goal of this thesis is to study structure-function relationship in human Hex. The first project was to characterize a novel missense mutation (ßPro504Ser) associated with the chronic form of Sandhoff disease using both the patients' and transfected cells. Biochemical studies of mutant Hex A demonstrated that this substitution directly affects the ability of Hex A to hydrolyze its natural substrate and also intracellular transport, producing chronic Sandhoff disease. The second project was to examine the validity of the molecular modeling of human Hex based on the X-ray structure of bacterial chitobiase. To achieve this, I first developed a new method for the generation of a C-terminal His6-tagged form of pro-Hex B in transfected cells. Re-examination of ßArg21 I Lys using this highly purified form of mutant Hex B indicated that the substitution resulted in an enzyme with a more than 10-fold increase in its apparent Km and over a 1000-fold decrease in its Vmax. Thus ßArg211 plays a critical role in substrate binding and in orientating the substrate in the active site. Next I used the same approach to analyze the candidate conserved active acidic residues in human Hex B. The ßGlu355GIn substitution reduced Vmax >8000-fold with a slight lowering of the Km, consistent with Glu355 being the catalytic acid group in human Hex. The ßAsp354Asn mutant also had an almost normal 0Km but a 6000-fold Vmax decrease, also conforming with Asp354 functioning as a "base" to aid in the proposed substrate-assisted catalysis. ßAsp241, along with ßAsp240 and ßAsp290, is involved in substrate binding; whereas ßAspl96 is important in the initial folding or dimer formation of the ß-subunits rather than any involvement in its active site. Taken together, I concluded that the chitobiase model is correct in light of the active site residues in human Hex characterized thus far. The studies of these active site residues suggest that human Hex and probably all the Family 20 enzymes have similar structures and a conserved substrate-assisted catalysis mechanism.
Beyond intergovernmentalism, the Europeanization of European Union environmental policy making

The question of how to characterize the governance of the European Union lies at the center of debate among EU scholars. This debate revolves around three main approaches to European integration and governance described in Chapter One of the thesis. The first is liberal intergovernmentalism, a state-centric approach to integration whose assumptions are also applied to questions of governance. The second is an offshoot of the neo-functionalist school called "transactional" theory, which posits that integration and resultant supranational governance are driven by transnational societal and organizational activity. The final approach, is actually two taken together: historical institutionalism (HI), an institutionalist approach to European integration, and multi-level governance theory. The main purpose of this thesis is to provide a framework of analysis, here a particular policy network approach, in order to test the "fit" of each approach or theory against available evidence within one policy area, that of environmental policy, in the European Union. Using this framework, I show how historical institutionalism and multi-level governance together better explain both the "Europeanization" of environmental policy--the shift in both policy making arena and actor relationships to the European level--and the general governance of the policy area. The driving research question of this dissertation is whether changes in decision rules are necessary to produce changes in governance in a given policy arena. When the policy network approach is used to examine the available evidence one finds that lack of decision-rule change does not preclude either Europeanization or multi-level governance of a policy area. Neither the intergovernmental nor the transactional approaches alone can grasp this nuance. Finally, through the use of a process-tracing, case-study approach to two different cases of environmental policy-making, my own research corroborates the HI and MLG assertion that governance varies not only between policy areas, but also within even a single policy area. The approach used in this thesis can be further applied to other policy areas, and other cases of policy making in order to help scholars answer the fundamental questions about governance in the European Union.
Factors that affect the instructional interactions of teachers with exceptional, at-risk and typically achieving students in integrated classrooms

The purpose of this study was to examine teacher and school factors that contribute to the instructional interactions between teachers and students in integrated classrooms. A path model of teacher attitudes, resources and school support in elementary schools as causal factors in teachers' interactions with exceptional, at-risk and typically-achieving students was tested. The path model was a revision of Stanovich's (1994) model. Forty-six teachers, 170 of their students, 18 special education resource teachers, 14 principals and 25 educational assistants in a suburban school system in southern Ontario participated in the study. Classroom teachers and students were observed using an instrument developed to capture the quality of teachers' conversational interactions with individual students. Teachers completed measures of attitudes towards mainstreaming, beliefs about service delivery to exceptional and at-risk students, beliefs about teacher responsibilities in educating exceptional students, teacher efficacy and the perceived collaboration between teachers and other personnel. Special education resource teachers completed an attitudes and a collaboration measure. Also, a measure of beliefs was obtained from the principals and a measure of collaboration was completed by the educational assistants. The findings of the set of hierarchical regression analyses suggested that teachers who report collaborating closely with a special education resource teacher, and believe that they possess the requisite skiffs to positively influence students' learning, have positive attitudes towards integrating students. Such teachers who also work in supportive school contexts are more likely to conduct instructional interactions which rate higher on the scale of instructional quality than those teachers in less supportive schools, who hold less positive attitudes about integration, rate themselves as having lower self-efficacy as teachers and who work less with special education resource teachers. There were two surprising results. First, general education teachers reporting more direct collaboration with special education resource teachers in terms of instructional planning activities were observed to have fewer interactions with their students where they extended student thinking beyond checking for off task behaviours than teachers reporting less direct collaboration. Second, attitudes about integration that colleagues held in a school did not contribute significantly to the interactions teachers had with their students.
Defects in the Ca²§+ release channel of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum that are associated with malignant hyperthermia and central core disease

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) and central core disease (CCD) are autosomal dominant disorders of skeletal muscle in which a potentially fatal hypermetabolic crisis can be triggered by commonly used anesthetic agents. To date, seventeen mutations in the human RYR1 gene encoding the Ca2+ release channel of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (the ryanodine receptor or RyR1) have been associated with MH and/or CCD. The hypotheses tested in this thesis was that MH and CCD mutations increase the sensitivity of mutant Ca2+ release channels to caffeine and halothane; that MH and CCD mutations increase the permeability (leakiness) of the mutant channels; and that CCD mutant channels are more leaky than MH channels. Sixteen mutations corresponding to human MH or CCD mutations were made in three distinct regions in a full length rabbit RYR1 cDNA. Ca 2+ release, monitored by Fura-2, in HEK-293 cells expressing MH or CCD mutant ryanodine receptors was more sensitive to low concentrations of caffeine and halothane than Ca2+ release in cells expressing wild-type receptors. Linear regression analysis showed a strong correlation (r = 0.95, p < 0.001) between caffeine sensitivity of different RYR1 mutants measured by the cellular Ca2+ photometry assay and by the clinical ' in vitro' caffeine halothane contracture test (IVCT). Resting Ca 2+ concentrations were higher and maximal peak amplitudes of caffeine-induced Ca2+ release were lower in HEK-293 cells expressing homotetrameric CCD mutant RyR1 than in cells expressing homotetrameric MH mutant RyR1, supporting the hypothesis that CCD mutant channels are more leaky. A CCD mutation in the transmembrane/lumenal domain of RyR1, 14897T, was so permeable that its altered function could only be demonstrated in heterotetrameric form. The content of endogenous sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase isoform 2b (SERCA2b), measured by ELISA, 45Ca 2+ uptake and confocal microscopy, was increased in HEK-293 cells expressing wild type or mutant RyR1, supporting the view that ER Ca 2+ storage capacity is increased as a compensatory response to an enhanced Ca2+ leak. These results support the hypothesis that MH/CCD mutant channels are more sensitive to triggering anesthetics than wild type channel, and that CCD mutant channels have higher Ca2+ permeability than MH mutant channels.
Counting on each other, a social audit model to assess the impact of nonprofit organizations

The purpose of this study is to shed light on the social-economic impacts of nonprofit organizations on their communities. The literature on nonprofit organizations in Canada and the United States shows little agreement on either the impact of nonprofits or their value, and offers few frameworks within which to examine these issues. The study presents a theoretical and practical social audit model for assessing a nonprofit organization's participation in the social economy of its community. This social audit model, which can also be applied to public and private sector organizations, puts forward methods for measuring an organization's results and attributing a comparative economic value to them. The social audit model is tested on a community-based employment training agency serving persons with disabilities and other severe barriers to employment. The findings demonstrate that the agency's social return-on-investment is 1.8 times greater than the resources it utilized. This study examines nonprofit organizations as part of a social economy that also includes cooperatives and mutual benefit organizations, emphasizing their social and economic functions. Exploring the classical separation of market and social value, this study adapts a labour theory of value to suggest how nonprofits create social products and add to social capital.
The ontology of sex, a postfoundational realist reply to constructivist and poststructuralist feminism

This dissertation combines themes in twentieth century philosophy with feminist theory and politics. Its primary focus is the recent "deconstruction" of the sex categories, as exemplified in the writings of Judith Butler, on the one hand, and Suzanne Kessler and Wendy McKenna, on the other. This deconstruction is reflected in the philosophical argument that beliefs about the naturalness of biological sex are the effect of cultural preconceptions and norms rather than true knowledge of the world, and the political argument that feminism must now focus its efforts on challenging the principle that biological sex is a material fact. In other words, it has been alleged that since all knowledge of the world is mediated by language and culture, biological sex is impossible to distinguish from the impact of social gender. The dissertation first connects this feminist theory to the nominalist and relativist tradition in philosophy, and contends that this tradition is further linked to the age old philosophical quest for absolute foundations. Demonstrating that such foundations cannot be secured, nominalism and relativism--and the feminism they underpin--conclude that objectivity is impossible. The dissertation argues that there are alternative responses to foundationalism, however. Philosophies contending that objective, albeit less than logically certain, knowledge is attainable are advocated. Theodor Adorno's materialism, contemporary realism, biology, and phenomenology are used to develop a notion of tentative, approximate truth. Using the framework provided by these philosophies, the dissertation then argues the following in response to poststructuralist and constructivist feminism: (1) There are natural sex categories with permeable, but nonetheless real, boundaries between them; (2) The perceivable form of the sexed body both presupposes and grounds--in a non-teleological, non-deterministic, fashion--some of the communication between and behaviours connecting sexed beings; and, (3) Language referring to sex has the potential to tell us something true about our world, not just something conditioned by our culture. The overarching thesis linking these arguments is that it is philosophically correct and politically advisable to maintain a distinction, albeit attenuated, between sex and gender.
Heat treatment and toughness behavior of tool steels (D2 and H13) for cutting blades

The effects of austenitizing and tempering temperatures on the microstructure, as-quenched and tempered hardness capability, and Charpy V-notch impact resistance of D2 and H13 tool steels were investigated. Decarborization behavior of D2 and H13 tool steels was observed by heat treating the samples in vacuum and normal furnaces. Heat treatment in an open atmosphere furnace gave up to .018&inches; (.45mm) thick layer of decarborization and also results in the loss of precious alloying elements, which should be in controlled amounts for D2 and H13 tool steels. The main results can be summarized as: (1) An increase in austenitizing temperature resulted in coarsening of the grain structure, increased dissolution of carbides, increased as-quenched and tempered hardness capability, and decreased impact toughness; (2) Tempering three times in comparison with two times after hardening in a controlled atmosphere furnace gives an increase in Charpy impact toughness of up to 25%; (3) D2 and H13 steels hardened at 1038°C followed by three temperings show relatively higher Charpy impact values versus those treated with one or two temperings. The failure mechanism of the impact tested D2 and H13 steels after heat treatment at 1025°C, 1038°C, and 1065°C followed by the tempering up to three times at temperatures 205°C, 538°C, 593°C, and 620°C was studied through using Scanning Electron Microscopy. The resultant microstructure of D2 and H13 steels after the three tempering process gives better plasticity than after two temperings.
Molecular and genetic analysis of DNA regulatory sequences controlling mouse Engrailed-2 embryonic brain expression

The vertebrate 'Engrailed' ('En') genes, homologues of the 'Drosophila' segment polarity gene ' engrailed' ('en'), encode a class of highly conserved homeodomain-containing transcription factors. Two murine 'En' genes, 'En-1' and 'En-2', have been identified and characterized. The 'En' genes display spatially and temporally restricted expression in the developing midbrain and cerebellum that is essential for development of these brain regions. This thesis has been conducted to elucidate the molecular and genetic mechanisms controlling 'En-2' embryonic brain expression. Minimal 'En-2' DNA regulatory regions were identified by analyzing 'lacZ' reporter genes in transgenic mice. A 1.0 kb enhancer fragment, which contains multiple positive and negative regulatory elements, was shown to be sufficient to direct 'En-2'-like ' lacZ' expression from embryonic day (E) 8.5 to 11.5. Cross species sequence comparison and transgenic analyses revealed that the 'En-2 ' mid-hindbrain regulatory sequences have been conserved in mice and humans. The vertebrate 'Pax' genes, homologues of the ' Drosophila' paired box-containing gene 'paired' (' prd'), encode a family of transcription factors. Nine murine ' Pax' genes have been identified. 'Pax'-'2'/' 5'/'8' show overlapping expression with 'En ' in the developing midbrain and hindbrain. Two DNA-binding sites specific for Pax-2/5/8 proteins were identified in the 1.0 kb 'En-2 ' enhancer fragment. Mutation of the two Pax-binding sites in the 1.0 kb-'En-2' enhancer-'lacZ' reporter constructs abolished 'En-2'-like mid-hindbrain expression in transgenic mice. A targeted deletion of the two Pax-binding sites in the 'En-2 ' locus was generated using homologous recombination in mouse embryonic stem cells. Embryos homozygous for this mutation were found to have a significant reduction in 'En-2' expression in the mid-hindbrain region at E8.5 but not later stages, showing that the two Pax-binding sites are required for proper initiation of the endogenous 'En-2' brain expression. Results from these studies provide direct molecular and genetic evidence that the 'Pax' genes are upstream regulators of 'En-2' in a genetic cascade controlling early development of the midbrain and cerebellum.
Systematic kinetics of reactions of metal carbonyl clusters Ru¦3(CO)¦1¦1etpb, Ru¦3(CO)¦1¦1PMe¦3, and Os¦6(CO)¦1¦8

The kinetics of substitution reactions of the low-nuclearity carbonyl Clusters (LNCCS), Ru3(CO)11etpb and Ru3(CO) 11PMe3, and the high-nuclearity carbonyl cluster (HNCC) Os 6(CO)18, with a variety of P-donor nucleophiles L ' with different [sigma]-basicity and size have been studied for the first time. The kinetic data were analyzed by the quantitative separation of electronic and steric effects. Not only are the clusters characterizable in this way but also the actual mechanistic paths followed can be probed. The data obtained for the reactions of Os6(CO)18 with L' lead to five types of isokinetic relationships (three are unique), all indicating an IKT about 88°C. The statistical analysis of data on validity of IKR also gave exactly the same result, the IKT of around 88°C with a high degree of probability, showing very precise IKR. Unique IKRs, a common point of intersection in the LFER plots at various temperatures, were established for the first time. They also show an excellent temperature dependence of electronic profiles, and they are therefore breakthroughs in providing the first two examples of the theoretical interconnection between an IKR and LFER. A unique definition of IKR, {[&part; ln k/T (T, [xi])]/&part;(T)}[xi] iso = {[&part; ln k/T (T, pKa')]/&part;(T)}pKa 'iso = 0, was established for the first time. The parameter [xi] is not a simple numbering and it does have physical meaning. The [xi] identifies the individual members of the series--the nucleophiles with different [sigma]-basicity and size in this work. When the size of L ' is kept constant or [theta] < [theta]th, [xi] = pKa'. The unique LFER isoparameters [xi]iso--isokinetic pKa ' and isokinetic [theta]'--for a series of reactions at various temperatures were established from both experimental results and theory for the first time. They are natural outcomes of linear relationships between SR & ß and SR & ã, respectively, at various temperatures for the reaction series. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)