VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Radio continuum studies of the evolved starburst in M82

Young, massive stars profoundly affect the interstellar medium (ISM) in galaxies. Many of these effects are traceable in the radio continuum. The dwarf galaxy M82 is undergoing a burst of star formation so intense that its emission properties across the spectrum are dominated by the effects of new stars. A 5-band radio continuum study of the nucleus of M82 is presented. A method is discussed whereby the data are imaged with the best possible noise characteristics. A total of 73 compact sources are catalogued. Their radio emission has been modeled using the combined effects of non-thermal and thermal emission and thermal absorption. Full spectral models are fit to 26 sources, identifying them as either supernova remnants (SNR's) or compact HII regions. The wispy, diffuse interstellar radio emission has been imaged at about <math> <f> 1<sup>''</sup><inf>.</inf>0</f> </math> resolution (17.6 pc) over five frequencies, and spectrally decomposed into images of thermal-only and non-thermal-only emission. The thermal emission is clearly organized into three regions: a central ring around the stellar nucleus, and two ionized lanes extending eastward and westward along the major axis. These regions are further organized into clumps. Each clump is comparable in size and energy output to the largest, locally known extragalactic H II regions. The derived supernova rates are used in conjunction with other observations to constrain starburst models. The models cannot reproduce the properties of M82 using a solar neighbourhood stellar initial mass function (IMF). IMF's that are biased against the formation of low mass stars are required. The integrated radio emission of the galaxy predicts a higher supernova rate than that predicted using either the "ring source" or the continuity equation method. Since the integrated radio emission records an historical rate from sources that have already been dispersed into the ISM, the implication is that the supernova rate is decreasing over time and therefore the starburst in M82 in coming to an end. This prediction is in agreement with other evidence from a consideration of star formation rates and the amount of available molecular material. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
Seeking strengths in young people with physical disabilities, learning from the self-perceptions of children and young adults

It is often assumed that life with a physical disability is dominated by difficulties, disappointments and lost opportunities. As a result there is a popular assumption that young people with physical disabilities will not have a positive sense of self. In this cross-sectional study I explore the self-perceptions of young people who were born with physical disabilities (spina bifida) and who acquired disabilities (spinal cord injury), and factors that may contribute to their sense of self-worth. Eighty-five young people with spina bifida or spinal cord injury, between the ages of 8 and 23 years, took part in this study. All participants completed age-appropriate standardized questionnaires measuring self-perception (including self-worth), the perceived importance of each self-perception domain to self-worth, and perceptions of social support. Seven key variables were identified for analysis: diagnosis (representing the two different timings of onset of disability), gender, age, mode of mobility (representing severity of disability), perceived support of parents, perceived support of close friends, and family income. Findings reveal that the majority of young people had a positive sense of self and that on average their scores for global self-worth did not differ substantially from those of their non-disabled peers. There were significant correlations between perceptions of self-worth and onset of disability (born with-spina bifida, acquired-spinal cord injury), age, perceived social support of close friends, perceived social support from parents, and family income. In bivariate analysis neither gender nor severity of disability were significantly associated with global self-worth, however, the power to detect a true difference was low for these variables. Regression analysis revealed that Perceived social support from parents was a stronger predictor of self-worth than gender, age or diagnosis (onset of disability). Implications of this study are discussed in terms of social work practice and the potential for social workers to intervene with both young people with disabilities and their parents. Social work interventions with parents focus on the potential positive associations between parental support and global self-worth and the importance for parents to challenge traditional notions of life with a disability. Interventions with young people with disabilities focus on early interventions to support emerging sense of self and developing a stronger support network among friends. Finally an advocacy role for social workers in enhancing attitudes toward disability is addressed. implications for future research endeavours are also outlined.
Animat vision, active vision in artificial animals

We propose and demonstrate a new paradigm for active vision research which draws upon recent advances in the fields of artificial life and computer graphics. A software alternative to the prevailing hardware vision mindset, ' animat vision' prescribes artificial animals, or animats, situated in physics-based virtual worlds as autonomous virtual robots with active perception systems. To be operative in its world, an animat must autonomously control its eyes and actuated body. Computer vision algorithms continuously analyze the retinal image streams acquired by the animat's eyes, enabling it to locomote purposefully through its world. We describe an initial animat vision implementation within lifelike artificial fishes inhabiting a physics-based, virtual marine world. Emulating the appearance, motion, and behavior of real fishes in their natural habitats, these animats are capable of spatially nonuniform retinal imaging, foveation, retinal image stabilization, color object recognition, color stereo obstacle avoidance, and perceptually-guided navigation. These capabilities allow them to foveate and pursue moving targets of interest, such as other artificial fishes, while exercising the sensorimotor control necessary to avoid collisions and predators. We demonstrate that the animat vision paradigm extends to virtual environments inhabited by virtual humans. Animat vision offers a fertile approach to the development, implementation, and evaluation of computational theories that profess sensorimotor competence for animal or robotic situated agents.
Exploring client perspectives of therapy, women survivors in feminist therapy

This research explored the perspectives and impact of therapy, particularly feminist therapy for women survivors of sexual abuse. The findings, which investigate the psychotherapeutic process from the standpoint of the client, are the result of primarily qualitative data collected from intensive interviews with 11 women, and questionnaire responses from 92 women. All 103 women in the research sample had been sexually abused as a child or adolescent and had experienced therapy at some point subsequent to their abuse. Ninety-nine women (96.2% of the research sample) provided information regarding their experiences of feminist therapy. Eighty-nine women (86.4%) provided information regarding experiences with traditional or non-feminist therapy. For the most part, traditional therapists denied the womens' histories of sexual abuse, failed to ask about sexual abuse or failed to incorporate such information into assessments when it was provided. Traditional therapists also tended to pathologize the effects of the sexual abuse. In contrast, most women found that in feminist therapy their histories of sexual abuse were asked about, acknowledged, discussed, and contextualized. Counter to backlash claims that feminist therapists "implant" memories of sexual abuse, 87 women (84.5%) had memories of sexual abuse prior to any experience of feminist therapy. This thesis presents a framework of feminist therapy developed from the women's standpoints. Prominent components of this framework include: Introduction/Negotiation (discussion of the therapy process, goals, expectations, etc.), Therapeutic Alliance factors, Therapist Self-Disclosure, Disclosure and Exploration of information, Client Control and Direction (of therapy), and the Social and Political Context. Results of this research, which support the importance of recognizing, validating and exploring women's histories of sexual abuse and the effects of such abuse, are discussed in terms of the implications for the recovery process. Results are also considered in relation to the literature on feminist therapy and on recovered memories, as well as the implications of this data to the process of feminist therapy theory-building.
Dimensions of parenting as predictors of social competence in 5- and 6-year-olds

The attainment of social competence can be seen as one of the most important developmental tasks of childhood. This study investigated the relationship that exists between various aspects of parenting and subsequent childhood outcomes, specifically children's demonstrated levels of social competence. The subject pool ('N' = 45) was drawn from a larger longitudinal study. All children were seen with a self-selected peer and together completed a free-play session and a peer-teaching task. Children's social competence was measured behaviorally throughout the two structurally different tasks, as well as through parent report on the CBCL (Achenbach, 1991). Dimensions of parenting were derived through the use of the National Longitudinal Study of Children and Youth (NLSCY). Results provided moderate support for a relationship between parenting and children's social competence, however also indicated that parent report and behaviorally observed measures of children's social competence were not correlated. One unexpected result was the similar gender pattern that continually emerged throughout this study which suggested that girls were more socially competent than boys. Whether children's social competence is displayed consistently across structurally different tasks or is more likely to be domain specific remained unclear in throughout this research, and consequently requires further investigation.
A comparative phylogenetic analysis of herbivory as a key innovation in modern terrestrial amniotes

An historical sketch of adaptive radiation was rendered in the interest of resolving ambiguity as to its meaning: the term was originally coined to describe a process of accelerated cladogenesis in response to ecological opportunity. A comparative phylogenetic protocol was described which provides a powerful and rigorous approach for testing key innovation hypotheses. This method was then used to test the hypothesis that herbivory is a key innovation of modern terrestrial amniotes. An exhaustive search of the primary systematic literature provided sufficient phylogenetic information for an unprecedented sample of 18 pair wise comparisons between herbivorous and faunivorous sister taxa. Patterns of species diversity provided resounding corroboration for the key innovation hypothesis: 15 of the 18 herbivorous groups were more diverse than their respective faunivorous sister taxa (containing on average, 4.72 times more species). The origin of herbivory in terrestrial amniotes was investigated: the evidence supports the hypothesis that the endosymbiotic cellulolytic microbes of amniotes were acquired via horizontal transfer from phytophagous insects. The ecological mechanisms of herbivory in modern terrestrial amniotes were investigated by means of a case study of frugivory in phyllostomid bats. The origin of herbivory, with its associated attributes, is supported has accelerated cladogenesis in modern terrestrial amniotes.
Sir Robert Vansittart, the global balance of power and Nazi Germany, 1934-1937

Sir Robert Vansittart, the permanent under-secretary of state at the Foreign Office from January 1930 to December 1937, has attracted considerable scholarly attention. The interest in his views on international affairs is not surprising given the influence he exerted in the deliberations on British foreign and defence policy in the 1930s. And yet, the nature of those views has been largely misunderstood. Not only has Vansittart been accused of having an inflexible mind but he has also been called a Germanophobe. His opposition to Nazi Germany has been attributed to his abiding, if not irrational, hatred of Germany. This interpretation does not stand up under analysis. By illuminating the complexity of his approach to international affairs, including the global scope of his perspective, this study offers an alternative interpretation of his tenure as the civil service head of the Foreign Office. The focus here is on the years between 1934 and 1937, a period during which the British Empire was confronted with the emergence of the triple threat of Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan and (after 1936) Fascist Italy. What made these threats especially troublesome was their interconnection, as events in one region affected the situation in others. To meet this global crisis, Vansittart advocated a global strategy based on alliance diplomacy. In short, Britain had to work with other Great Powers to maintain the balance of power in those areas judged vital to British interests. Other policy-makers regarded alliance diplomacy as an outmoded practice that made war more rather than less likely, a view shared by Neville Chamberlain, the chancellor of the Exchequer and, after May 1937, prime minister. This study highlights the differences between Vansittart's strategy and the one favoured by an ascendent Chamberlain. Consequently, it suggests that the strategy pursued by Chamberlain after 1937 was not the only option open to Britain.
Reorganization of sensorimotor functions pre and post hemispherectomy in children with refractory epilepsy

The studies presented in this manuscript explore the processes of developmental cortical plasticity in children pre and post hemispherectomy. Evaluations at the structural, physiological, clinical and disability levels are conducted for the children involved. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to visualize novel or unmasked cortical areas in the remaining hemisphere, suggesting inter-hemispheric transfer of sensorimotor functions. We have shown that associated cortical sensorimotor areas may be sufficient to express residual gross and fine motor functions. Individual variations in the recruitment of these cortical areas may suggest regionalization of brain plasticity. Progressive shifting or unmasking of cortical activations in the preoperative children may be related to the development of the disease and will influence the timing of surgery. The Gross Motor Function Measure and the Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test were used to provide quantitative data in detailed domains of gross motor and fine motor functions. We have shown that children with congenital disease are more impaired postoperatively than children with acquired disease. We suggest that a normal preoperative period of development may be essential to the recovery of gross and fine motor functions after hemispherectomy. The Activity Scale for Kids and the Pediatric Evaluation-of Disability inventory were used to provide quantitative data in detailed domains of independence. We have shown comparable levels of disability between the children pre and post hemispherectomy pointing at the impact of an active seizure disorder The determination of significant predictors of clinical and disability outcomes--such as age at surgery and interval between seizure onset and surgery--has helped us identify a potentially optimum timing of surgery. We have shown that a child who is 5 years of age and older or who has waited at least 2 years between seizure onset and surgery will potentially perform better in gross motor skiffs and be less physically disabled. We also strongly cautioned the application of these findings to clinical practice as exceptions to the statistically significant results are noticed. The combination of neuroimaging, gross motor function, fine motor function and disability measures have and will contribute to further our understanding of child's development and brain plasticity.
The NUMAchine multiprocessor, design and analysis

This dissertation considers the design and analysis of NUMAchine: a distributed, shared-memory multiprocessor. The architecture and design process leading to a working 48-processor prototype are described in detail. Analysis of the system is based on a cycle-accurate, execution-driven simulator developed as part of the thesis. An exploration of the design space is also undertaken to provide some intuition as to possible future enhancements to the architecture. Shared-memory multiprocessors and parallel processing are becoming increasingly common not only in the scientific domain, but also as a replacement for mainframes in the field of large-scale enterprise computing. The shared-memory programming paradigm provides an intuitive view of memory as a globally shared resource among all processors. This is more familiar to programmers of uniprocessors; than the alternative, message-passing. The distribution of memory across the system leads to Non-Uniform Memory Access times (NUMA), since processors have fast access to local memory and slower access to remote memories across the system network. The architecture contains features which attempt to hide or reduce the effects of this non-uniformity. NUMAchine provides cache coherence in hardware, making it an instance of the general class of multiprocessor architectures called CC-NUMA (for cache-coherent NUMA). The system network in NUMAchine consists of a hierarchy of rings. We show how certain properties of rings allow for an efficient cache coherence scheme with reduced overheads in comparison to other CC-NUMA architectures. We use the simulator, which we developed as part of this project, to explore the NUMAchine design space in an attempt to discover how changes in various aspects of the architecture affect overall performance.
Dominating tradition, Soka Gakkai and the creation of history

Since the foundation of the So¢ka Gakkai, its history and tradition have been rewritten by its second and third presidents, Toda Josei and Ikeda Daisaku. This historical revision has also included the rewriting of the history of Nichiren Sho¢shu¢, the Buddhist group from which the So¢ka Gakkai originated. In doing so, they have defined a world-view for millions of So¢ka Gakkai adherents. This study addresses the reasons why these leaders defined and redefined their tradition, and the effect constant redefinition of key concepts and beliefs within the So¢ka Gakkai has had on the organization and its membership. This will illustrate the So¢ka Gakkai tradition as one of justification of new religious activity as sanctioned by tradition, and rationalization of the personal power of the postwar presidents in relation to the lineage from which it claims to be derived.
Kant's concept of reflective judgment

In the 'Critique of Pure Reason' and the ' Critique of Practical Reason' Kant develops models of knowledge and morality in which we know and exist in a world of sensible appearances while also belonging to a world of transcendent morality. This creates a gulf for us between the world as it is and the world as it ought to be. In the ' Critique of Judgment' Kant develops an account of reflective judgment as taste, whereby the experience of beauty bridges the gap between these two worlds. Evaluating the success of Kant's account requires us first to understand the conditions taste as reflective judgment must meet in order to mediate between knowledge and morality and secondly to ask whether it does meet these conditions. The thesis begins by examining sections of the 'Critique of Pure Reason' and the 'Critique of Practical Reason' in order to unearth a Kantian model of the requirements of a successful mediator. The discussion then focuses on whether taste as reflective judgment and its concept of purposiveness without purpose meet these requirements. A major challenge to this is the relationship between reason and taste as reflective judgment; the goal of the discussion is to show that this relationship is not an obstacle to its mediation of knowledge and morality but, instead, that it helps to preserve the autonomy that makes the experience of beauty a bridge between the world as it is and the world as it ought to be.
Degradation of Ã-hexachlorocyclohexane and organochlorine contaminant fate in High Arctic lakes

Polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) are a class of persistent organic pollutants (POPS) used prior to and in similar applications to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). PCNs have a planar structure like non-/mono-'ortho ' PCBs and chlorinated dioxins (PCDDs) resulting in similar biomagnification properties and modes of toxicity. PCNs are proposed additions to the list of restricted and banned substances under the UNECE-Long-Range Transboundary Atmospheric Pollutants (LRTAP)-POPs Protocol. Research conducted as part of this thesis has improved our knowledge of the environmental occurrence and behaviour of PCNs and non-/mono-' ortho' PCBs from an atmospheric perspective in the Great Lakes and Arctic regions of North America. Analytical methods were improved by using a cyclodextrin-based GC column to resolve coeluting penta- and hexaCNs which have varying degrees of toxicity and which bioaccumulate. Elevated PCN levels were observed in air of urban areas relative to over the Great Lakes and in the Arctic. Current combustion sources contributed up to 55% of the PCNs in air in north Toronto while evaporative emissions were the predominant source in the downtown. Over-lake PCN concentrations were highest for L. Ontario compared to L. Huron, L. Superior, and the upper St. Lawrence River and estimates of air-water gas exchange showed triCNs volatilize from L. Ontario while tetraCNs are near equilibrium. PCNs in air collected at arctic monitoring stations at Alert, NU, Tagish, YK, and Dunai, Russia, varied seasonally with higher levels in winter coinciding with transport of air masses from Eurasia and were correlated with anthropogenic sulfate concentrations. At Resolute, NU, PCN and non-/mono-'ortho' PCB concentrations were temperature-dependent, suggesting regional or local sources influence levels. PCNs contributed as much or more dioxin toxic equivalents than non-/mono-'ortho' PCBs in urban and arctic air. PCNs were higher in beluga whale than ringed seal blubber collected near Baffin Island. The occurrence of PCNs in arctic marine mammals demonstrates their persistence and ability to accumulate through the food web. These results strengthen the argument for the addition of PCNs to the UNECE POPS Protocol by providing monitoring data from remote regions and by illustrating the contributions due current sources in addition to past-use evaporative sources.