cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Les effectifs étudiants en Afrique au XXIe siècle : évolution passée et exercice de prospective
Creators: name: Meyer, Jean-Baptiste
name: Pilon, Marc
name: Ravalihasy, Andrainolo
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020

description: L’enseignement supérieur africain reste peu développé comparé aux autres régions du monde. Les taux d’inscription étudiante demeurent moins élevés, dans un contexte où la jeunesse du continent s’accroît considérablement et rapidement. Les objectifs du développement durable (ODD) des Nation unies ainsi que l’agenda 2063 de l’Union Africaine (UA) préconisent sans équivoque une tendance à rattraper les niveaux mondiaux en la matière. Ce document de travail entend fournir des repères quantitatifs quant à ces développements escomptés. Il relève dans un premier temps les travaux analysant l’évolution quantitative de la population passant par l’enseignement supérieur, leurs méthodes, leurs conclusions et leurs anticipations. Puis l’analyse s’attache à décrire le contexte africain et le recueil de données le concernant. Enfin, des projections rigoureuses des effectifs étudiants sur les deux horizons (ODD et UA) sont établies.
description: https://www.ceped.org/wp
Exhibiting the Holocaust: Museum Tour Narratives as Presentations of Institutional Post-Holocaust American Identity
Creators: name: Albert, Zachary
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2012

description: Holocaust museums on American soil not only offer visitors a mediated version of history, but they offer a position of post-Holocaust American identity. This thesis attempts to explore the ways in which two of the largest Holocaust museums in America – the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. and the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York City – publish their message, and how these messages correspond to their understanding of their own museological and national identities.\r As mainstream cultural institutions, these museums publish their message – first and foremost – through their principal exhibition narratives. These narrative scripts are educational devices, and often represent initial encounters by contemporary American students with the events of the Holocaust. This investigation will attempt to understand how and to what end these narratives communicate intentionally constructed reflections of specific social, cultural, and political objectives.\r This study promotes a more nuanced and comprehensive assessment of institutional identity and the ways in which history is exhibited. By concentrating on these narratives, Exhibiting the Holocaust will provide support for the argument that institutional identity directly informs a highly constructed depiction and experience of the Holocaust.
Gender Differences in the Bidirectional Relationship Between Parenting Practices and Child Internalizing and Externalizing Problems
Creators: name: Cox, Jennifer
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2013
Subjects: Parenting Practices
Externalizing
Internalizing
Children
Child Development

description: This study examines the bidirectional relationship between parenting and child behaviors for 1,869 parent-child dyads in rural, Gansu, China using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Overall, a parent effect was found such that low levels of parental warmth and high levels of parental punishment predicted child maladjustment. While parent behaviors were stable over time, child internalizing and externalizing problems were not. A child effect was also found such that girls’ problems were met with less punishment while boys’ problems were met with less warmth. This survey study provided support for gender differences in the bidirectional or reciprocal relationship between parent and child behaviors over time.
Logic Gate Network Model for Evolution: Effects of Genome Size on Evolution in a Toy Model
Creators: name: Boroda, Zachary
name: Farheen, Nida
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2023
Subjects: Evolution
Computational Biology

description: Organisms have genomes of vastly different sizes. A human genome has 3.2 billion base pairs, whereas the organism with the longest genome, the herb plant Paris japonica, has a genome with 150 billion base pairs (Ron Milo and Phillips 2015). How and why an organism evolves to have a genome of a specific size has been an open question in biology for decades. This thesis proposes a new toy model, heavily inspired by and building upon the logic gate model expressed in Kashtan and Alon’s 2005 paper, for which we can address the relation between genome size and evolution precisely. We use our model to analyze how genome size affects the number of mutations and the time required for new functions to be evolved. We find that, within our model, at small genome sizes both the time and the number of mutations to evolve decreases as genome size increases. At larger genome sizes, however, we see that time to evolve is independent of genome size and that the number of mutations to evolve a new function scales linearly with genome size. Finally, we study the space of evolved networks that have the desired function and uncover very interesting results demonstrating a lack of correlation between the size of the genome and the evolved computing network size. By understanding the dynamics at play in our model, we hope to gain intuition into how evolution and genome size influence each other in the real world. 
Suppressive and inhibitory interactions in human vision and their functional role in the perception of number sets
Creators: name: Jastrzebski, Nicola Renata
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024

description: Number sense – the ability to discriminate between ‘fewer’ and ‘more’ objects beyond the range of counting is present from infancy (six months), and is the cornerstone of arithmetical and mathematical skills. Findings from this research revealed a relationship between number sense and neural mechanisms involved with sensory filtering (the removal of un-essential visual information). The conceptual synthesis between sensory filtering and number sense offers new insight toward developmental dyscalculia (mathematical learning disorder), where poor number sense – a symptom of developmental dyscalculia, is likely to be influenced by abnormal sensory filtering processes.
title: Hush
Creators: name: Wilkinson, Valerie
Publisher: name: Old Dominion University
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/04zjtrb98
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2013

description: Hush explores the rural Pennsylvania landscape in seven short stories that strive to slice the characters open and take a brief, brutal look inside. Teenagers lounge on rocks and rattlesnakes twist in cages. Rivers freeze and houses speak. A hunter loses his family and a basketball star loses his shot. And a young girl learns about sex amidst a minefield of guilt and abuse. Story to story, the characters harbor secrets and shame as they search for forgiveness, for redemption, and for some precious measure of grace.
Receiver-based packet loss concealment for pulse code modulation (PCM G.711) coders.
Creators: name: Elsabrouty, Maha.
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2002
Subjects: subject: Engineering, Electronics and Electrical.

description: Voice-over-IP (VoIP), the transmission of packetized voice over IP networks, is gaining much attention as a possible alternative to conventional Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN). However, impairments present on IP networks, namely jitter, delay and channel errors can lead to the loss of packets at the receiving end. This packet loss degrades the speech quality. Model-based coders, especially G.729-A and G.723.1 International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T) Standards, have been extensively used for speech coding over IP networks because of their inherent ability to recover from erasure. Their built-in packet loss concealment makes their quality drop slowly with increasing amount of packet loss. However, their memory makes the transition from the concealed state to the correct state require a few frames and they actually tend to corrupt a few good packets before recovery as a result of a phenomenon known as "State Error". On the other hand, Pulse Code Modulation (PCM), although having a higher score than G.729 and G.723 in the periods of normal operations, does not have the ability to conceal erasure and the quality of speech during loss periods drops dramatically. Yet it can recover from packet loss more rapidly than model-based coders since the first speech sample in the first good packet restores speech to its original quality. The goal of this work is to develop a Packet Loss Concealment (PLC) algorithm to provide the G.711 PCM coders with the required ability to conceal erasure and maintain a high score of user satisfaction. This algorithm uses a receiver-based prediction model to develop an estimate of the missing speech segments.
Applications of Filippov's Method to Modelling Avian Influenza
Creators: name: Chong, Nyuk Sian
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2017
Subjects: Filippov model
Avian Influenza
Threshold policy
Differential equations with discontinuous right-hand sides
Dynamical systems

description: Avian influenza is a contagious viral disease caused by influenza virus type A. Avian influenza can be disastrous (if it occurs), due to the short incubation period (about 1--4 days). Thus it is important to study this disease so that we are more prepared to manage it in the future. A classical system of differential equations (the half-saturated incidence model) and three Filippov models --- an avian-only model with culling of infected birds, an SIIR (Susceptible-Infected-Infected-Recovered) model with quarantine of infected humans and an avian-only model with culling both susceptible and infected birds --- that are governed by ordinary differential equations with discontinuous right-hand sides (i.e., differential inclusion) are proposed to study the transmission of avian influenza. The effect of half-saturated incidence is investigated, and the outcome of this model is compared with the bilinear incidence model. Both models remain endemic whenever their respective basic reproduction numbers are greater than one. The half-saturated incidence model generates more infected individuals than the bilinear incidence model. This may be because the bilinear incidence model is underestimating the number of infected individuals at the outbreak. For the Filippov models, the number of infected individuals is used as a reference in applying control strategies. If this number is greater than a threshold value, a control measure has to be employed immediately to avoid a more severe outbreak. Otherwise, no action is necessary. We perform dynamical system analysis for all models. The existence of sliding modes and the flow on the discontinuity surfaces are determined. In addition, numerical simulations are conducted to illustrate the dynamics of the models. Our results suggest that if appropriate tolerance thresholds are chosen such that all trajectories of the Filippov models are converging to an equilibrium point that lies in the region below the infected tolerance threshold or on the discontinuity surface, then no control strategy is necessary as we consider the outbreak is tolerable. Otherwise, we have to apply control strategies to contain the outbreak. Hence a well-defined threshold policy is crucial for us to combat avian influenza effectively.
Does aposematic coloration of prey facilitate acquisition of feeding avoidance by the American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)?
Creators: name: Roussel, Marie-France
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2003
Subjects: subject: Biology, Ecology.

description: Warning (aposematic) coloration generally involves highly conspicuous colors, which are usually displayed by different prey species in characteristic patterns. The key function of warning coloration is to advertise prey unpalatability to potential predators as well as to facilitate avoidance learning. Many studies have examined the effect of conspicuousness of prey compared to cryptic prey on avoidance learning by predators. However, no previous studies examined the effect of warning coloration of prey compared to conspicuous and cryptic coloration of prey on avoidance learning in wild-ranging birds. Therefore, this problem was the central theme of my experimental study in which I used the American crow as a predator and chicken eggs of the three coloration patterns with palatable or unpalatable contents as prey. I hypothesized that avoidance of unpalatable eggs would be acquired through learning rather than being genetically determined. Further, I predicted that crows would learn faster to avoid eggs with warning coloration than those with either conspicuous or cryptic coloration. Finally, I predicted that avoidance of originally unpalatable eggs should persist longer during the subsequent control trials (contents of all eggs made palatable) for eggs with warning coloration compared to eggs with conspicuous or cryptic coloration patterns. To test these predictions, I trained crows in several series of trials to avoid potential food by offering them an opportunity to learn to associate unpalatability of prey (eggs) with selected coloration patterns (conspicuous, cryptic, and warning coloration). My results indicated that the American crow did not exhibit an innate avoidance of eggs with warning coloration. I also found that crows did not learn faster to avoid unpalatable prey with warning coloration compared to prey with conspicuous or cryptic coloration. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
Kinematics of breaking rogue waves
Creators: name: Alberello, Alberto
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024

description: The offshore and shipping industry require accurate prediction of the shape of the largest waves and associated velocities to design and operate marine structures. Of particular interest are the so-called rogue waves, these waves are at least twice the height of the surrounding waves and often prone to breaking. The kinematic field associated with breaking rogue waves is responsible for the largest hydrodynamic loads on marine structures that, over the decades, have been responsible for many accidents recorded at sea.
This work demonstrates that the simple linear potential wave theory, used for decades by engineers, is not a reliable tool to predict wave induced velocities and consequently hydrodynamic forces during storm conditions when rogue waves are more likely to occur. Ultimately, the dissertation provides an enhanced description of the velocity field associated with breaking and non-breaking rogue waves to improve the current design practice.
Punching shear strength of edge column connections of rectangular flat plates
Creators: name: Zamani Zavieh, Shahram
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2003
Subjects: subject: Engineering, Civil.
subject: Engineering, Mechanical.

description: Edge column slab connections of continuous flat plate structures, under combined shear and moment transfer, can be susceptible to failure by punching shear. A 2 bay by 2 bay, rectangular flat plate, panel aspect ratio 2:1, was fabricated and loaded to failure under a simulated uniformly distributed load. The edge and corner columns were supported so that the reactions and reactive moments could be measured. The interior column, no moment transfer, punching shear strength was less than inferred from previous research. Based upon the strain gauge results neither the long or short direction flexural reinforcements yielded. The fact that the interior column was rectangular in section was a complication. Comparison of the measured reactions to those calculated by finite element analysis, FEM, and a modified direct design method, RDDM shows that both methods predict the reactions with acceptable accuracy. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
The Interiority and Communical Integration of Trauma in Toni Morrison's Beloved
Creators: name: Jeskova, Joanna
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2009
Subjects: Beloved : a novel
Morrison, Toni
Trauma

description: My thesis examines the ways in which the characters in Beloved exhibit behaviors and lifestyles that are indicative of the trauma which Toni Morrison purposefully exposes. I make use of Hortense Spillers’ writing about psychoanalysis and race, Saidiya Hartman’s focus on power and posturing in American society, Ernst Van Alphen’s studies of discourse as means for overcoming trauma, and Orlando Patterson’s analysis of the slave’s subjugation caused by the limitations of American discourse. Judith Lewis Herman’s book, Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence from Domestic to Political Terror, greatly informs my analysis of the characters as victims of personal and cultural psychological trauma and as survivors who are attempting to recover their personal and social histories. I argue that the character, Beloved, embodies cultural and historical resonances of Sethe’s trauma which not only invade the present and possess its survivors, but also take on a life of its own in the way that Beloved’s character does through the course of the book. Unlike other approaches, I argue that Paul D helps Sethe to summon, rather than to banish, Beloved by inviting Sethe into discourse about the past. Rather than describing the women gathering in front of 124 as an exorcism, I argue that their assembly integrates a previously incoherent trauma into the larger community. Their presence helps Sethe to break out of the isolation and stigma or her trauma, as well as the social negation imposed by slavery and perpetuated by her community’s denial. In addition to providing tools for tracing the affects of intellectual and social domination which occurred in slavery, the various symptoms of trauma and stages of recovery provide a valuable reference for understanding the initial limitations and ultimate profundity of Sethe’s individual character and cultural history.
Characterization of Siphoviridae Bacteriophage Induction of Lytic Cycle of Prophage in Serratia marcescens
Creators: name: Canuto, Selena
Publisher: name: Purdue University Graduate School
Year: 2025
Subjects: classificationCode: 310703
subject: Microbial ecology
classificationCode: 310706
subject: Virology
classificationCode: 310704
subject: Microbial genetics
classificationCode: 310701
subject: Bacteriology

description: Isolation and characterization of a Salmonella Siphoviriade-like bacteriophage (PNW_Siphoviridae) was shown to lyse wild-type Serratia marcescens in a temperature and strain-dependent manner. Glycosylated residues of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on WT S. marcescens were hypothesized to be the primary receptor for the phage through isolation of phage resistant mutants, suggesting a mechanism for strain and temperature specificity through LPS variability. To test this, we aimed to adapt PNW_Siphoviridae to infect S. marcescens strain Db11, a non-permissive strain, through a series of broth culture propagations. Lytic plaques were observed and the isolated phage was shown to be a generalist phage, infecting several strains of S. marcescens via plaque assay in the sixth passage (P6). Genomic sequencing and bioinformatic analysis surprisingly revealed that P6 is not an evolved form of PNW_Siphoviridae but rather Salmon_118970_sal3 (PNW_sal3), a prophage from S. marcescens. In this study, we aimed to characterize PNW_sal3 and determine pathways that triggered the expression of the prophage following infection of PNW_Siphoviridae. Bioinformatic and genomic analysis of Salmon_118970_sal3 revealed that this temperate phage can be found in several strains of S. marcescens, with differences in genome composition and infection kinetics that demonstrate the diversity of phages and complexities of host-phage interactions. Due to the sensitivity of WT to PNW_Siphoviridae, we hypothesized that PNW_Siphoviridae infection induced the SOS response in WT S. marcescens, leading the lysogenic prophage to become lytic. Although transcriptomic analysis during infection did not detect upregulation of key SOS genes, we report a general host response of WT S. marcescens to phage infection. Few reports have identified virulent phage as a regulator of prophage induction, and therefore this work could help aid our understanding of phage population dynamics and phage diversity in a ubiquitous bacterium such as S. marcescens.
Development and evaluation of RAMP II - a practitioner’s tool for assessing musculoskeletal disorder risk factors in industrial manual handling
Creators: name: Lind, Carl Mikael
name: Forsman, Mikael
name: Rose, Linda Maria
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: Biotechnology
subject: 59999 Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: FOS: Earth and related environmental sciences
subject: Ecology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Sociology
subject: FOS: Sociology
subject: 69999 Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Science Policy
subject: 111714 Mental Health
subject: FOS: Health sciences

description: RAMP II is an observation-based tool developed for assessing a wide range of musculoskeletal disorder risk factors related to industrial manual handling. RAMP II, which is part of the RAMP tool, is based on research studies and expert judgments. The assessment relies mainly on direct or video observations of the work being assessed, but additionally on measured push/pull forces and weights of handled objects, and on perceived workload and discomfort. Over 80 practitioners participated in the development of the tool. According to the evaluations, 73% of the assessment items evaluated had acceptable reliability, and the majority of the potential end-users reported that RAMP II is usable for assessing risks and as a decision base. It is concluded that this study provides support that RAMP II is usable for risk assessment of musculoskeletal disorder risk factors in industrial manual handling. Practitioner summary:  RAMP II is an observation-based assessment tool for screening and assessing major musculoskeletal exposures in industrial manual handling jobs. Over 80 practitioners participated in the development of the tool. This study provides support that RAMP II is usable for risk assessment of musculoskeletal disorder risk factors in industrial manual handling. Abbreviations: CTS: carpal tunnel syndrome; HARM: the Hand Arm Risk Assessment method; IMP: intramuscular pressure; κw: linearly weighted kappa; LBD: lower back disorders; LBP: lower back pain; MAWL: maximum acceptable weight of lift; MHO: manual handling operations; MSD: musculoskeletal disorder; MNSD: neck-shoulder disorder; NSP: neck-shoulder pain; OCRA: the Occupational Repetitive Action methods; OHS: occupational health and safety; PABAK: prevalence and bias adjusted kappa; p0: proportion of agreement; RAMP: Risk Assessment and Management tool for manual handling Proactively; ROM: range of motion; RPL: risk and priority level; RSI: the Revised Strain Index; RULA: the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment; SWEA: Swedish Work Environment Authority; UEMSDs: upper-extremity work-related musculoskeletal disorders; WMSD: work-related musculoskeletal disorder; WRMSD: work-related musculoskeletal disorder; workday8h: eight hours workday
Assessing Deaf Awareness: Training and Attitudes of Recent Genetic Counseling Graduates
Creators: name: Nagakura, Honey
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2014
Subjects: Deaf Awareness
Cultural Competency
Genetic Counseling
Deaf
Hearing Loss
Graduate Training
Deaf Cultural Competency

description: Previous research has suggested when healthcare providers lack cultural competence, minority groups, including the Deaf community, may be adversely affected. Although most genetic counseling programs incorporate cultural competency training to educate students regarding the needs, concerns, and cultural values of specific minority groups, there is limited information on the extent of Deaf Awareness training. The purpose of this study was to assess the Deaf Awareness training of recent genetic counseling graduates and the impact of such training on both knowledge of deafness and Deaf culture and attitudes toward deaf people. We recruited genetic counselors who graduated within the past five years through the NSGC listserv for participation in an anonymous, online survey. Of the 135 respondents analyzed, twenty-six percent (n=35) reported no Deaf Awareness training and 51% (n=69) reported limited training (1-2 hours) conducted primarily by a program instructor, using tools such as readings and discussions. Almost one-third (31%) of respondents felt that their Deaf Awareness training was insufficient. When assessing knowledge of deafness and Deaf culture, respondents lacked knowledge regarding the effects of cochlear implants on residual hearing, communication between deaf children and hearing parents, and working with sign language interpreters. Overall, there did not appear to be significant differences between respondents who had Deaf Awareness training and those who did not, with respect to knowledge of deafness and Deaf culture or attitudes toward deaf people. These findings suggest that genetic counseling students may not be receiving adequate training regarding Deaf Awareness during their graduate education. Future efforts should focus on designing more effective Deaf Awareness training for genetic counseling students, and investigating whether improved Deaf Awareness results in better genetic counseling experiences for Deaf individuals.
Far Away from Home: The Chinese Migrant Community in Chile
Creators: name: He, Xuantong
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2022
Subjects: Chile
China
Globalization
Immigration
Migration
Trade

description: Following China’s economic reform since the 1980s, today China has become the “world’s factory” deeply integrated into the global economy. Yet behind its commercial ties that connected different parts of the world, individual Chinese commercial migrants and their diasporas across Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia have been an important yet understudied complement to the role of the transnational corporation in international trade. At the same time, this type of migrant contrasts with the traditional types of migrations in the context of globalization for they are business-motivated and do not seek permanent residency. Based on abundant primary sources from interviews and field studies conducted by the author in Chile between Feb to July 2021, this study captures the presence of the Chinese transient commercial migrant community in Chile and pioneers in this underexplored field. This primarily descriptive research intends to establish the first comprehensive understanding of the history, ways of living, migrant organizations, and their relations with the host society of the contemporary Chinese commercial migrants in Chile. This thesis also considers historical Chinese immigration to Chile as an attempt to supplement existing knowledge about their presence in Chile. My project also aims to provide valuable references and a foundation for future studies on this unnoticed type of migration as well as Chinese migrants in Latin America as a case study.
Kitsap County 4-H Newsletter, August 2022
Creators: name: Washington State University Kitsap County Extension
Publisher: name: Washington State University
Year: 2022

description: In this issue:
description: Important Dates
description: In the Spotlight
description: 4-H in Kitsap County
description: 4-H Fundraisers
description: State & National 4-H Opportunities
description: Scholarship Opportunities
description: Volunteer News
description: 4-H Office Contact Information
Sentiment Analysis in Chinese
Creators: name: Pan, Lin
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2012
Subjects: Chinese
linguistic structures
features
sentiment analysis
natural language processing
Machine Learning

description: Sentiment analysis has been a rapidly growing research area since the advent of Web 2.0 when social networking, blogging, tweeting, web applications, and online shopping, etc., began to gain ever more popularity. The large amount of data from product reviews, blogging posts, tweets and customer feedbacks, etc., makes it necessary to automatically identify and classify sentiments from theses sources. This can potentially benefit not only businesses and organizations who need market intelligence but also individuals who are interested in purchasing/comparing products online. Sentiment analysis is performed on various levels from feature to document level. Supervised, semi-supervised, unsupervised and topic modeling techniques are used towards solving the problems. In this thesis, I explore linguistic features and structures unique to Chinese in a machine-learning context and experiment with document-level sentiment analysis using three Chinese corpora. Results from different feature sets and classifiers are reported in terms of accuracy, which shows the effectiveness of the current approach as compared to traditional machine-learning methods.
Implementing a Multipath Transmission Control Protocol (MPTCP) stack for FreeBSD with pluggable congestion and scheduling control
Creators: name: Williams, Nigel
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024

description: Internet-connected hosts commonly feature multiple network interfaces. Legacy data-transmission protocols are unable to take advantage of these when transmitting data. The Transmission Control Protocol Extensions for Multipath Operation with Multiple Addresses (MPTCP) specification retrofits such multipath capabilities, yet scope remains for exploring how data transmission across available paths ought to be coordinated through MPTCPs primary transmission mechanisms. This thesis outlines and evaluates a prototype MPTCP implementation for the FreeBSD operating system. The implementation augments FreeBSD with functionality that simplifies research on novel MPTCP transmission algorithms. The code is released publicly as a contribution to the FreeBSD community.
A novel method for the determination of single crystal elastic constants using powder X-ray diffraction.
Creators: name: Hou, Weimin.
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2002
Subjects: subject: Physics, Condensed Matter.

description: The elastic properties of a material have long been a subject of interest in materials science and physics. Especially, a complete determination of the single crystal compliance and stiffness tensor is of great importance, as the single crystal elastic tensor provides a complete description of the elastic properties of a material. There are numerous materials that are only available in polycrystalline form. Many of these polycrystalline materials are of great interest, such as the polycrystalline materials synthesized under high pressure conditions, for which the elastic properties under high pressure conditions are particularly important. However, traditional methods to measure the elastic constants apply only to single crystals. Recently, Singh and co-workers have developed a method, using energy dispersive X-ray diffraction to measure the single crystal elastic constants of a material at elevated pressures, which, for the first time, enabled the single crystal elastic tensors of numerous polycrystalline samples to be determined. Inspired by the energy dispersive X-ray diffraction method, we have undertaken to develop a novel method, using angle dispersive X-ray diffraction techniques combined with a two-dimensional X-ray recording area detector, to measure the single crystal elastic constants of powder samples. We have obtained important results that will enable the single crystal elastic constants of concerned material to be determined from Debye rings recorded on the X-ray recording image plate. In comparison to the energy dispersive X-ray diffraction method, the angle dispersive X-ray diffraction method offers advantages, as we will demonstrate.
Schur Polynomials: New Proof of Pieri's Rule
Creators: name: Yu, Lin
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2023
Subjects: Schur Polynomial
Pieri's Rule
Symmetric Functions

description: This study centers on Schur polynomials, which are a linear basis of the ring of symmetric polynomials and have significant applications in representation theory. Our focus is on decreasing operators, which are well-defined for Schur polynomials and determine their product. We also present practical techniques for computing Littlewood-Richardson coefficients. By adopting this new perspective on Schur polynomials, we offer a novel proof of Pieri's rule that does not rely on geometry or forms for Schur functions. Our hope is that this new proof will shed light on subtraction free methods for calculating the product of two arbitrary Schur polynomials, as well as the product of a broader class of polynomials.
Variant Interpretation Education in Genetic Counseling Programs: An Assessment of Current Practices
Creators: name: Neary, John
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2017
Subjects: variant interpretation
variant interpretation education
genetic counseling program curricula

description: Clinicians and patients may use genetic testing results to guide clinical management decisions; as a result, it is crucial that all parties have a clear understanding of the implications of a particular variant. Though variant interpretation guidelines exist, interpretations of the same variant may differ between laboratories, complicating the meaning of a particular result. Genetic counselors are often the first professionals to deliver this complex information to patients and other providers; however, no standardized variant interpretation education currently exists across genetic counseling programs. We surveyed 204 genetic counselors who graduated between 2014-2016 and 19 genetic counseling program faculty. These respondents represent 37 of 41 ACGC-accredited genetic counseling programs. The majority (94.7%) of programs represented include variant interpretation education and 68% of graduates agreed or strongly agreed that they received appropriate variant interpretation training. Classroom instruction, clinical internships and case evaluations were ranked as the most effective educational strategies by recent graduates. Graduates (N = 179) reported feeling significantly more confident in four variant interpretation scenarios after a few years of professional experience than at graduation. Of graduates (N = 175), 66.1% agreed or strongly agreed that variant interpretation skills should be considered part of the ACGC competency that requires genetic counselors to be able to “critically assess genetic/genomic, medical and social science literature and information.” In summary, genetic counseling programs have adopted variant interpretation education into their curricula, although these practices have yet to be standardized. Significant differences in variant interpretation attitudes exist between genetic counselors of laboratory, cancer and prenatal specialties. These findings delineate attitudes regarding variant interpretation education within genetic counseling programs which could be used to develop variant interpretation educational modules.
NFTY and USY and Their Effects on Jewish Identity Formation
Creators: name: Sherer, Juliana
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2024
Subjects: Jewish
NFTY
USY
youth

description: This study examines the effects of two non-Orthodox, synagogue-affiliated Jewish youth groups in North America, the North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY) and United Synagogue Youth (USY). Research shows that youth programming as an avenue for peer connection and adult mentorship, especially for minority youth, is important in identity development. However, the specific effects of NFTY and USY on Jewish identity development has not been thoroughly investigated. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic these two groups restructured, and it is a prudent time to explore how the groups have played a role in American Jewish life over the past several decades since their respective founding. The present study was conducted through quantitative methods (a survey) and qualitative methods (interviews), as well as a review of relevant literature. The study found that the most important factors associated with increased Jewish practice in adulthood are positive relationships with adult staff and mentors, positive relationships with peers, and positive memories of Jewish practices from one’s time in youth group. When moving forward with their restructuring, these are the factors NFTY and USY should prioritize.
Spectrum of Chromosomal Repair Mutations Associated with Mitotic Gene Conversions
Creators: name: Cui, Qiying
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2023
Subjects: Cell damage
Double-stranded break
Gene conversion
DNA Repair

description: The genome of a cell is continuously subject to damage. By-products from cell metabolism, irradiation, chemical agents, and ultraviolet light are all environmental factors that cause lesions that can block replication progression. Although cells have adapted checkpoint mechanisms and repair pathways, repair failure can lead to deletions, translocations, and fusions in the DNA. These genomic rearrangements are commonly found in cancer cells. Double-strand breaks (DSBs) are problematic and the most lethal type of damage if not properly repaired. Recent studies by the Haber lab have shown that repair of broken chromosomes is accompanied by a 1000-fold increase in the rate of mutations compared to the events that spontaneously arise during DNA replication. We are now interested in understanding and comparing how the rate and spectrum of mutations change under different DNA damage conditions, which may subsequently provide some insights about DNA repair mechanisms and cancer formation. In this study, it is shown that mitotic gene conversion is more prone to base-pair deletion, which is accompanied by up to 10-fold increase in single-nucleotide deletion. Most mutations are especially prominent to occur at homonuleotide runs. In addition, this paper will discuss double-stranded break repair mechanisms, as well as studies specifically on gene conversion mutagenesis.
The Psychosocial Implications of a Hereditary Colorectal Cancer Syndrome Diagnosis in Emerging Adulthood
Creators: name: Fayer, Shawn
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2016
Subjects: Genetic testing
emerging adulthood
Lynch syndrome
AFAP

description: Lynch syndrome (LS), attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis (AFAP), and MUTYH-associated polyposis (MAP), are hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes with increased susceptibility for multiple cancers in adulthood. Genetic testing for these adult-onset colorectal cancer syndromes may be offered to the emerging adulthood demographic (ages 18-25), before the time of increased cancer risk and surveillance protocol initiation. Emerging adulthood is defined as a time of identity exploration through career planning, relationship forming, and family planning. To determine if genetic testing for a colorectal cancer syndrome during emerging adulthood is more detrimental to psychosocial functioning than testing later in life, we surveyed 241 participants through and online survey tool who had genetic testing for LS, AFAP, or MAP at different ages grouped as under 18, 18-25, 26-40, 41-60, and over 60. All respondents were recruited through the Hereditary Colon Cancer Foundation. Psychosocial functioning was assessed through quantitative and qualitative analysis of open-ended questions, which were focused into themes of 1) anxiety related to cancer risk, 2) family planning, 3) exploration, 4) career planning, and 5) forming and maintaining relationships. In the LS cohort, those who underwent genetic testing during emerging adulthood reported significantly less anxiety directly after receiving genetic testing results and today, compared to those who had testing later in life. For AFAP, however, those who had genetic testing during emerging adulthood reported significantly greater anxiety today those who had testing between ages 41-60, but no other group. Themes that emerged from qualitative analysis related to increased anxiety were living at increased cancer risk, risk to family members, and uncertainty. Factors that decreased anxiety were preventative screening/surveillance, knowledge, and acceptance. The emerging adulthood group was also significantly less likely to have had children or to have had cancer, but more likely to consider alternative reproductive options. There were no other detectable differences in levels of psychosocial functioning between groups. Taken together, this evidence is suggestive that genetic testing during emerging adulthood for adult onset colorectal cancer syndromes is not more detrimental to psychosocial functioning than testing later in life.
Kinetic study of the stabilization and reduction of the aqueous mercuric ion by sulfite: Implications for atmospheric deposition.
Creators: name: Van Loon, Lisa L.
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2001
Subjects: subject: Chemistry, Inorganic.

description: In aqueous solution, Hg2+ forms both 1:1 and 1:2 complexes with the sulfite anion. Hg(SO3)22- is redox-stable, but when one SO32- ligand dissociates, the redox-unstable HgSO3 is generated. With Hg 2+(aq) in excess, HgSO3 was observed for the first time. This complex undergoes a highly temperature sensitive intramolecular redox reaction which is kinetically first-order. The activation parameters are consistent with a unimolecular bond cleavage. In the presence of excess sulfite, Hg(SO3)2 2- is formed. Under these conditions, the rate of reduction of Hg2+(aq) to Hg0 depends inversely on the concentration of uncoordinated sulfite, yet remains unaffected by the sulfite liberated through dissociation. Using the kinetics of decomposition of Hg(SO3)22-, we have re-evaluated the sequential binding constants for sulfite to the mercuric ion and find a value for K1 that is four orders of magnitude greater than K 2, which differs from previous estimates in which they were similar in magnitude. The new values greatly alter speciation predictions for atmospheric Hg in global models. Rather than the major mercury species in clouds being stable Hg(SO3)22, we predict that HgSO 3 should predominate in both unpolluted and polluted (by SO2) air. At 25°C and pH 3, HgSO3 decomposes to Hg0 in 5 minutes. If this is in fact the major reduction route for mercury, as has been proposed, very little mercury should be present in rainwater. We find evidence for the existence of a highly soluble Hg0·SO 2 complex. According to our results, the presence of sulfite causes the solubility of Hg(0) to increase by at least three orders of magnitude due to its formation of an SO2 adduct. This has serious implications for atmospheric deposition, since it may be that the major mercury species in precipitation is the elemental form.
Teepees in Hexadecimal: Queering and Indigenizing Playable Media
Creators: name: Clapper, Jordan Michael
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2025
Subjects: Identity
Narrative theory
Computer & Video Games
English Language or Literature
Indigenous Peoples
LGBTQ Studies
Play

description: This project explores theories of play as they pertain to video games, Indigeneity, and queerness. Recent research into Indigenous video games tends to focus on the developer side, but an indigenized theory of play is necessary to account for movements through colonized artforms and spaces. Introducing identity back into play can help both illuminate how one plays themselves onto a game and how to critique and resist gaming normativities by altering or disengaging gameplay. This project considers games from several genres, geographies, cultures, and colonial engagements, as well as sovereign games developed from Indigenous perspectives to read back onto colonization.
Commented translation of an excerpt from Hunayn Ibn Ishaq's epistle to his patron 'Ali ibn Yahya on the translations of Galen.
Creators: name: El Khamloussy, Ahmed.
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 1995
Subjects: subject: Language, Ancient.

description: This thesis consists of a commented translation of an excerpt from a ninth century C.E. letter by the celebrated Arabic translator Hunayn Ibn Ishaq. The epistle is addressed to one of his patrons, 'Ali ibn Yahya, and gives an account of the works of the Greek physician Galen as well as their translations. The thesis is divided into three parts. Part One provides a historical background to the translation, and is subdivided into two sections: (1) Hunayn Ibn Ishaq (his life, his achievements); (2) Hunayn's fellow translators and patrons mentioned in the epistle. Part Two comprises the Arabic text (Source Text), about 5,000 words, and its English translation (Target Text). Part Three consists of a theoretical discussion of the problems of translating this letter. In the first section of that part, we explain the purpose and style of our translation. We also analyze some of the main differences between Arabic and English textuality (e.g. cohesion), and discuss translation difficulties of different types, namely interpretive (e.g. polysemy) and terminological (e.g. synonymy). In Section Two, we expound Hunayn's own method of research and views on translation. Finally, we summarize the main conclusions that we draw from the epistle, and from its translation. For the convenience of the reader, a glossary of proper names is provided at the beginning of the thesis. We include as appendices three samples from various translations of the letter. Given the different nature of the three parts of this thesis, the bibliographical references are arranged under three headings, each corresponding to a part. An index of names and subjects appears at the very end.
The structure of statutory sentencing provisions and the development of penal law in Canada in the middle of the nineteenth century: The case of Nova Scotia and Lower Canada (1851-1860).
Creators: name: McIntyre, Faith Maureen.
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 1994
Subjects: subject: History, Canadian.

description: The purpose of this research is to analyze statutory law that existed pre-1892 and consequently to present the backdrop of what existed before the actual Criminal Code. The research will concentrate specifically on the provinces of Lower Canada and of Nova Scotia for the time period of approximately 1850-1860 and will focus on the Revised Statutes of Nova Scotia of 1851 and the Consolidated Statutes of Lower Canada of 1860. The actual objective is twofold and will allow, firstly, for the presentation of the historical context and the development of penal law for these two provinces in order to demonstrate the emergence of the particular Statutes and, secondly, for the analysis of the actual sentencing provisions that are present in the two statutory documents. The present work is shedding light on a rather untouched domain of history of law and of sentencing provisions. The study reveals very interesting trends and patterns that have led to the development of these two statutory documents for each of the provinces concerned. One is able to see the importance of certain groups of elite in view of the existence of certain sanctioned behaviours as well as the whole process of legislative manoeuvres. As well, the contents of the Revised Statutes of Nova Scotia of 1851 and the Consolidated Statutes of Lower Canada of 1860 in terms of sentencing provisions, more specifically in reference to the offences against the person, demonstrate riveting sanctions and fascinating comparisons. In all, this research represents an important and relatively new view into the whole background of pre-1892 Criminal Code era in relation to statutory laws and sentencing provisions. The study provides for a window into the past that will serve to shed light on the laws of the present. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)