VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Prior learning assessment: an investigation of nonsponsored learning for college credits

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) allows students to obtain credits toward their formal education for nonsponsored learning (i.e., material they have learned through non-traditional settings such as work experience or the home). Within the PLA framework, community colleges have implemented the portfolio development process as a way to assess prior learning--students organize and present nonsponsored learning in a document that satisfies the requirements of a college course. This exploratory case study examines how learners at Ontario Community Colleges (Canada) make meaning of their prior learning. In this study, data from interviews, a sample of portfolios, and classroom observations were initially analyzed according to five conceptual interpretations: (1) perception of learning; (2) learning style; (3) metacognitive abilities; (4) cognitive development; and (5) learners' needs. The study sample consisted of four students who were taking a community college portfolio development course, two students who had taken the portfolio development course and had successfully challenged a number of college credits, and three students who were eligible for the PLA process but did not take this option. The findings indicated that all of the students made meaning from their prior learning and applied it to their college studies.

Keywords: College credits, Outside work
College credits, Ontario
Experiential learning, Evaluation
Non-formal education, Evaluation
Portfolios in education
Self-perception
The performance and durability of concrete with ternary blends of silica fume and blast-furnace slag

In a harsh service environment such as Canada's, concrete must be resistant to many physical and chemical deterioration processes. Supplementary cementing materials (SCM's) are commonly employed to increase the durability performance of concrete. However, incorporating a single SCM to improve a concrete's rheology or a specific durability property has associated limitations with its use. Using a single SCM to address one durability concern may result in failure due to another. For example, the replacement level of a single SCM needed to prevent ASR expansion may create other problems or concerns. The incorporation of 50% slag or greater than 20% fly ash needed to ensure adequate protection against ASR may lead to poor resistance to deicer salt scaling. Another example of material incompatibility is the incorporation of silica fume at levels greater than 10% by mass of cement. Such replacement levels are necessary to prevent ASR expansion, but typically lead to problems with the workability of the fresh concrete as well as difficulties adequately dispersing the silica fume. The primary objectives of this study were as follows: (1) To establish effective combinations of Portland cement, silica fume, and blastfurnace slag to mitigate deleterious ASR expansion with Canadian reactive aggregates; (2) To assess the durability performance of ternary blends considering deterioration mechanisms experienced in Canada; (3) To characterize the mechanisms by which silica fume and blastfurnace slag affect ASR in concrete; (4) To provide advice on the use of ternary blends with Canadian reactive aggregates to produce durable and stable concretes. The effectiveness of ternary blends in controlling deleterious expansion due to alkali-silica reaction with Canadian aggregates was assessed, and advice was provided to allow the appropriate selection of ternary blends containing silica fume and blastfurnace slag. The understanding of the effect of ternary blends on pore solution alkalinity, the primary mechanism by which SCM's control ASR expansion, was also furthered. As well, the efficacy by which calcium hydroxide is removed by ternary mixtures (pozzolanically and by dilution) was investigated. Based on expansion testing and mechanisitic studies, predictive empirical and statistical models were developed. Information on the durability performance of ternary blended concrete was provided in both a laboratory setting as well as in an outdoor field exposure setting. Thus providing an opportunity to evaluated and correlated laboratory experience to outdoor field exposure. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
Hair analysis for the evaluation of maternal tobacco exposure and nicotine metabolism during pregnancy

This study uses hair analysis of nicotine and cotinine to investigate maternal tobacco exposure and nicotine metabolism. Maternal hair samples and a detailed prenatal smoking survey were obtained from pregnant women in Montreal and Boston. Hair samples were sectioned to correspond with the three trimesters of pregnancy based on a hair growth rate of 1cm/month and nicotine and cotinine concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay. Our results indicate that hair nicotine and cotinine provide a useful measure of maternal tobacco exposure, as nicotine and cotinine concentrations were reflective of exposure and cigarette consumption. Our segmental hair analysis results also indicate increased nicotine metabolism during late pregnancy. Hair cotinine concentration provides a useful estimate of potential risks associated with maternal cigarette smoking. Cotinine levels greater that or equal to 0.15 ng/mg of hair were associated with a significant reduction in gestational age and infant birth weight.
The medieval archdeacon in canon law, with a case study of the Diocese of Lincoln

This thesis is a study of the archdeacon in medieval Western Europe. The archdeacon was the bishop's chief administrative official who acted as his representative in the oversight of clergy and churches throughout the diocese. They first appear in the fourth century, are given greater jurisdiction in the eighth and ninth, and become the juridical face of the church in the twelfth. After an introductory survey of the early history of the archdeacon, the thesis is divided into two parts according to theory and practice. Part I is a study of the treatment of archdeacons in sources of canon (church) law from the fourth through the thirteenth centuries. The sources are treated chronologically and geographically, as responses to religious conditions in particular times and places. Chapter 1 draws on early church councils of Spain and Gaul, the sprawling legal collections of the Carolingian era, and the reformed collections and forgeries of the tenth and eleventh centuries; Chapter 2 is a close analysis of archdeacons in the most important canonical collection, Gratian's Decretum of ca. 1140, and of archdeacons in works commenting on the Decretum in the later twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. In Part II, I provide a case study of the archdeacons in the diocese of Lincoln, England, and of their lives, careers, and duties, in light of the legal changes discussed in Part I.I show how the diocese's eight archdeacons changed between the 11th and 13th centuries, as much in reaction to changes in universal canon law as to local changes in the life and government of central England. After a review of the early history of archdeacons in England in the Anglo-Saxon era and the start of the Anglo-Norman period, up through the reign of Henry I, I look specifically at the archdeacons of Lincoln and the development and treatment of the diocese's eight archdeaconries. It is only through juxtaposition of universal studies of archdeacons in legal sources with localized studies of archdeacons in particular cities and dioceses that we will further our understanding of this important church official. The number of archdeacons in a diocese, the duties expected of them and the understanding of their legal authority all varied dramatically according to time and location.
Analysis and design of DC to AC power converters at 13.56 MHz

Coherent analysis techniques and design procedures for DC to AC converters ranging from 250 to 500 Watts working at 13.56MHz based on off-the-shelf power VDMOS transistors are presented in this work. This is accomplished by making contributions in three main areas: modeling of Standard Power and RF VDMOS transistor types at High Frequency (HF), identification of HF converter configurations and modeling of HF transformers. For VDMOS modeling, the Large-Signal Impedance model in conjunction with a suitable parameter extraction process is proposed as a simple but sufficient strategy to characterize the transistor optimum operating conditions inside the HF converter. For converter configuration identification, reactance cancellation and resistance adaptation techniques are used to systematically synthesize a single transistor converter with a minimum component count and well defined component values. Finally for HF transformer modeling, a model based on a Multi-conductor Transmission Line representation which parameters are identified by preserving the differential properties of the transmission line cable forming the windings is demonstrated as a viable approach to analyze and design combined single transistor converters to obtain higher output power. Detailed experimental results are presented for 250W converters based on either the ARF446 or the IRFP450A with overall efficiencies of about 83% as well as a 500W push-pull converter based on two ARF446 with an overall efficiency of 78%.
The validation of the Preschool Puppet Interview (PPI): Assessing children's behavior and internal states

The primary objective of this investigation was to establish the Internal Consistency of the Preschool Puppet Interview (PPI): a developmentally-sensitive tool, created to measure young children's perceptions regarding their internal states and behavior. Thirty-one children, 3- to 6-years-of-age, were interviewed on two occasions. The PPI demonstrated good Internal Consistency across the four scales. Test-retest reliability of children's reports was evaluated; children as young as 3-years of age provided stable reports. Additionally, the agreement among the child-parent and child-teacher dyads was examined; ratings among the dyads were not found to correlate with one another indicating that children's reports differed from those of parents and teachers. However, greater agreement among dyads was observed for children older than 4.7-years-of-age. The implications of relying on adults' reports to evaluate the validity of young children's ratings regarding their internal states and behavior, and to assess, classify and treat childhood psychopathology, are discussed.

Keywords: Puppets, Therapeutic use
Child psychopathology, Diagnosis
Behavioral assessment of children
Emotions in children
Nietzsche's philosopher of the future: eternal return as a bodily experience

This study examines the role of embodiment in Nietzsche's vision of future philosophy, in relation to will to power and eternal return in the Zarathustran and post-Zarathustran works. The precondition for the coming of the 'future philosopher' who will inaugurate 'great politics' rests on the bodily experience of the eternal return. Modernity is characterized by the existential crisis of nihilism that alienates man from life and the corporeal origin of his existence. The logic of nihilism and its subjugation of the body lead human existence to negate rather than affirm life. The solution to the problem of how to create new values free from the effects of nihilism begins with the philosopher's retranslation back into nature. Retranslation is intended to reconnect man with his nature corporeally understood. Conceived as the philosopher's sublime experience of eternal return, retranslation consists of the philosopher's experience of bodily metamorphosis that, if successfully endured, results in the affirmation of life. Future philosophy originates in the bodily constitution of life and aims to found new forms of political existence based on this. The political problem is that the bodily experience of eternal return can only be endured by a rare type with the ability to withstand the destabilizing and potentially self-destructive encounter with the bodily impulses; as such, the creation of new forms of existence further depends on the philosopher's employment of a Dionysian form of religion that can translate the experience of eternal return into a political language persuasive enough to reconnect all types with the bodily essence of life. The transformative experience of eternal return is the precondition for the philosopher's political task of legislating a new form of existence for all human types. Retranslation is the prerequisite for future philosophy; eternal return and will to power corporeally understood, are the cornerstones of Nietzsche's vision of 'great politics'. I examine the interpretations of Karl Lowith, Leo Strauss and Walter Kaufmann because they provide rich interpretations of eternal return but insufficiently stress embodiment; I therefore turn to the readings of Georges Bataille, Pierre Klossowski, and Robert Gooding-Williams who emphasize eternal return as a bodily experience.
Conceptualizing and composing poetry: developmental trends in adolescence

This research examined the development of how students conceptualized genre-related differences between poetry and expository prose, as well as how students applied these differences to writing tasks in each of the two genres. In Study 1, explicit understanding of poetic genre was tested in students in grades six, nine, and twelve, using an open-ended response format; these were coded and scored using content analysis. Students also composed samples in both genres, which were coded for presence or absence of symbolism. In Study 2, based on the results of Study 1, a questionnaire task was added, which assessed understanding of the genres in terms of artistic liberties, aesthetic properties, emotion, making a point, and generating interpretation. Analyses showed that students in grade six conceptualize poetry in terms of structural differences and sonorous properties, however, as they increase in grade, they increasingly recognize the importance of literary features, such as symbolism.

Keywords: Poetry, Study and teaching
Poetics, Study and teaching
School verse
Authorship
School children, Attitudes
High school students, Attitudes
Identifying protein complexes and phosphorylation sites by tandem mass spectrometry

Mass spectrometry has emerged as a powerful tool in the analysis of polypeptides. Improvements in ionization techniques (electrospray and matrix assisted laser desoprtion ionization) have allowed tandem mass spectrometry experiments of proteins at biologically relevant levels. Tandem mass spectrometry allows for amino acid sequencing of peptides. This ability has expanded the use of MS as a bioanalytical too, beyond mass measurement into numerous areas including cataloguing of proteomes, identification of unknown proteins, and the investigation of post-translational modifications including glycosylation, ubiquitination, and phosphorylation. The goal of this dissertation is to use mass spectrometry based methods to help answer three different specific biological questions. The first study uses nano-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry-based phosphopeptide mapping to address the phosphorylation state of the cytoplasmic domain of EphA4. These experiments demonstrated that EphA4 is phosphorylated at Y596 and Y602, the juxtamembrane tyrosines, and at Y779 in the activation loop. Mutation of these analogous residues in EphB2 inhibits kinase activity. This study establishes an essential role for the phosphorylation of the juxtamembrane tyrosines of EphB2 in axon guidance, and demonstrates the utility of mass spectrometry in identifying phosphorylation sites.
On the development of an improved lift-constrained aerodynamic optimization algorithm

An improved algorithm is presented for performing lift-constrained aerodynamic optimization. The angle of attack is set in the flow solution stage, ensuring the desired lift coefficient is achieved. Changes to the flow solver are carried through to the adjoint calculation of the gradient. For this project, the drag coefficient is the objective function, but the algorithm could easily be extended to other lift-constrained optimization problems. Work on normalizing objective functions for multi-point optimization ensures that the weight given to each design point is independent of the initial objective function value, and that the thickness constraints have the same meaning for all design points. Several design cases are examined. One case is of particular interest, a multipoint optimization with eighteen design points, which is compared to optimized airfoils for each individual design point, to examine the benefits of morphing airfoils for a realistic design case.

Keywords: Aerofoils
Lift (Aerodynamics)
Drag (Aerodynamics)
Mathematical optimization
Reaching beyond the past/focusing on the future: an empirical examination of two different approaches to access-based disputes

Historically child custody evaluations have followed the traditional adversarial approach that attempts to determine who is the “better parent” under the legal umbrella of the “best interests test”. There is a paucity of empirical research regarding outcomes related to the effectiveness of these evaluations, and there are no studies that compare outcomes between a time-limited solution focused approach and an investigative type of approach in child custody and/or access disputes. Ninety-five biological mothers, fathers, and 95 of their children who were involved in an access-based dispute were randomly assigned to either a traditional or a focused evaluation intervention. Parents completed questionnaires, pre and post-evaluation, on the following outcome measures: satisfaction with either intervention, settlement rates, level of communication and cooperation regarding childcare responsibilities, children's level of behavioural adjustment, and the level of parental conflict. Teachers also completed a child behaviour questionnaire at pre and post intervention. Social workers trained in both interventions also completed a fidelity checklist designed to act as a manipulation check for the two different interventions. Findings at post-evaluation revealed that teachers reported more Internalizing Behaviour Problems in the traditional evaluation intervention than in the focused evaluation intervention. Parents in the focused intervention were more likely to settle their dispute than those in the traditional evaluation intervention. In addition, mothers in the focused intervention had higher mean satisfaction scores than those in the traditional intervention. There were no significant differences found in mothers' and fathers' level of communication, child behaviour problems, and parental level of conflict by type of evaluation intervention. A significant difference was found in social worker's behaviours. When social workers were engaged in a traditional evaluation they used more traditional type interventions. When social workers were engaged in a focused evaluation they used more solution-oriented interventions. Significant practice, research and policy implications have emerged as a result of this study. Helping families develop skills for exchanging child related information and less conflictual patterns of communication is an important practice consideration. Future research should involve developing interdisciplinary partnerships and incorporate multiple methods in addressing the needs of children and families in high conflict divorce. Finally, offering an intervention that is focused on child-parent relationships post separation is an important consideration for future policy directions.
Do depressive symptoms affect adherence to study medication by postmenopausal women in an osteoporosis prevention trial?

Objective. To determine if depressive symptoms were associated with nonadherence to study drug and to construct a prediction model in an osteoporosis preventive trial (ECKO). Method. We used data collected from 301 of 441 participants in the ECKO trial. Adherence was measured by pill counts. The Mental Health Inventory (MHI) score (Increasing scores indicated poorer mental health) measured depressive symptoms. Conclusion. Increasing depressive symptoms were associated with nonadherence. Results. At one year 25.8% were nonadherent. While controlling for 9 covariates, the odds of nonadherence increased by 1.111 for every one-point increase in the MHI score (p = 0.0 100). In the prediction model, MHI score (OR = 1.105; p = 0.0121), being married (OR = 0.523; p = 0.0241), use of over the counter medications (OR = 0.352; p = 0.0064), and the late return of study bottles (OR = 2.206; p = 0.0485) were significantly associated with nonadherence.
PageTailor: Reusable end-user customization for the mobile Web

Most pages on the Web are designed for the desktop environment and render poorly on the small screens available on handheld devices. Existing techniques to support small screens require that either providers handcraft device-specific versions or automatically adapt Web pages ignoring the interests of the user. We introduce Reusable End-User Customization, a technique for adapting Web pages for the limited screens of handheld devices. We present PageTailor, an adaptive Web browser that implements this technique, and lets users adapt the layout of Web pages. We show that users can utilize PageTailor to adapt sophisticated Web sites, such as Amazon, BBC and MSN, for browsing on a PDA. We also show that user customizations remain effective for up to a year, even as the content of pages is updated, and that customizations can be reused across similar pages, limiting the customization effort required to browse an entire site.
Spatial distribution of mountain pine beetle in the Morice Timber Supply Area in western British Columbia between 1995--2002

Mountain pine beetle (MPB, Dendroctonus ponderosae) outbreaks are spreading at an unprecedented rate in British Columbia. To better understand which factors prevail in the spatial distribution of MPB, infestation data in the Morice Timber Supply Area (Western British Columbia) from 1995 to 2002 were analyzed using classification and regression trees (CART) modeling. The MPB occurrence in a given year was associated with between 2.5 and 5.5 beetle infested cells in a previous year (in 9 cells analysis window), elevation between 700 and 1000 m, stands where pine is a dominating or secondary species, stand age between 120 and 200 years, relatively warm falls, springs and winters, and high average annual precipitation. Despite many uncertainties stemming mainly from the quality of the data, the CART method proved to be useful in analyzing and explaining the hierarchical relationships between dependent and independent variables used this research.
Isolation of cellulose nanofibres from renewable feed stocks and root crops

In the present work, a novel technique was developed to extract cellulose nanofibres from long fibres using a combination of chemical and mechanical treatments. Their structure was investigated by atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Selective chemical treatments increased cellulose content to 94% from 73%. The calculated aspect ratio (length/diameter) of the nanofibres was approximately 75. Estimated crystallinity of the cellulose nanofibres was more than 55%. Reinforced composites films comprised of 90% polyvinyl alcohol and 10% nanofibres were also prepared. Nanofibres reinforced films demonstrated at least 4--5-fold increase in Young's modulus, as compared to the pure PVA film. Natural cellulose fibres are gaining acceptance as glass fibres replacements in composite manufacturing. Currently only long fibres from plants such as hemp, flax, sisal, jute etc. are used. However within the cell walls of all plant cells, there is a second level of fibre structure on a very small scale. These are bundles of cellulose nanofibres with a diameter range between 5 to 50 nm and lengths of thousands of nanometres. Theoretically these nanofibres can have stiffness up to 130 GPa and strength up to 7 GPa.