title: A Randomized Controlled Field Trial of the Efficacy of a Simplified Maternal Immunization Schedule in Reducing Neonatal Tetanus Deaths in Rural Sierra Leone

contributor: Design, Measurement and Evaluation: Health Care Research Methods

subject:
Health Services Research
Health Services Research

abstract:
The purpose of this thesis is to describe a research strategy for evaluating the efficacy of a reduced dose maternal tetanus immunization schedule in reducing neonatal tetanus deaths in Sierra Leone.

Neonatal tetanus has been demonstrated to be a major cause in infant death in areas where sanitary midwifery is unavailable. A review of the literature reveals evidence for reduction in neonatal tetanus deaths by maternal immunization using a conventional three dose adsorbed tetanus toxoid.

In Sierra Leone, as in many developing countries, the resources are unavailable to maintain a three-dose schedule in the relatively inaccessible interior of the country. A two-dose schedule of a concentrated adsorbed toxoid has been recommended as an alternative by the World Health Organization. Research on simplified immunization schedules has been reviewed; the results are inconclusive.

A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled design has been selected to address the research questions. Various aspects of this design are discussed with respect to methodologic and ethical issues.

Procedures for carrying out the trial and for the assessment of neonatal tetanus death in a remote chiefdom in Sierra Leone are proposed. A procedure for the analysis of outcome data is presented.

abstract: Master of Science (MS)


title: Thermodynamics of polymerization, dielectric properties, and a new orientational glass

contributor:
Johari, G.P.
Materials Science and Engineering

subject:
Materials Science and Engineering
Materials Science and Engineering

abstract: Five aspects of disordered solids and polymers have been studied, as follows. (1) The temperature and pressure modulation effects on structural relaxation have been formulated and simulated. The calculated heat capacity for the modulated conditions shows extra features over that for unmodulated conditions, which may cause misinterpretation of a disordered solid's characteristics. (2) A new mean field approximation in the lattice-hole model is developed for monodispersed polymer chains. Calculations of the configurational entropy, Sconf for polydispersed chains, has led to two predictions, (i) a maximum in the plot of configurational heat capacity against the extent of polymerization, and (ii) S conf remaining positive at 0 K. Both predictions have been verified by others. The lattice occupancy density contribution to S conf has been related to a liquid's viscosity and divergence of the viscosity-pressure plots explained. (3) From calorimetry and x-ray diffraction studies, a new phase of CuCN, which remains metastable on cooling to 77 K, has been discovered. It shows features characteristic of glasses. Sconf of this phase has been, calculated by using a flexible chain model. (4) A calorimetric method for determining the transition from mass-controlled to diffusion-controlled reaction kinetics during polymerization has been developed, and verified by experiments. In this transition range, the plot of the reaction rate against the reciprocal temperature at fixed value of the extent of polymerization deviates from the Arrhenius behavior. (5) Dielectric studies of linear chain polymerization of a melt in real time, and the polymers ultimately formed have shown that their properties depend upon the thermal history. This is attributed to different molecular level structures, e.g., chains and loops formed under different polymerization conditions. Altogether these theoretical and experimental studies have a broader consequence for our current understanding of the nature of disordered solids and of their formation from liquids, both molecular and polymeric.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Adhyāsa and Nāma-rūpa in the Advaita Vedānta of Śaṅkara

contributor:
Arapura, J. G.
Religion

subject: Religion

abstract:
The eighth century A.D. Indian thinker, Śaṅkara, was the greatest exponent of the Advaita Vedānta school (the non-dualistic school of vedānta). Śaṅkara's philosophical speculations are to be found in his commentaries on the prasthānas (the three scriptural sources of the vedānta darśana, namely the Brahmasūtras, the upanisads and the Bhagavad-Gītā). Śankara is not a systematic thinker and his thought proceeds only by means of the reasoned exegesis of scripture. Śaṅkara advocates, by means of this exegesis, an uncompromised non-dualism. Reality is Brahman, the one without a second, that which is, sat (being). This presents Śaṅkara with the problem of attempting to account for the plurality of the ship of Brahman experienced world, that is, the relationship of Brahman to the world.

The aim of this study is to clearly describe this relationship of this unity (Brahman) to the world of diversity. Śaṅkara utilizes two concepts, those of adhyāsa and nāmarūpa, as explanatory terms of this relationship. In this thesis these two concepts will be analysed in order to attempt to explain the relationship of Brahman of the world. Adhyāsa (superimposition) presupposes nāmarūpa (name and form), which is dependent upon vāc (speech). The operation of both these principles as explanations of this relationship are dependent upon Śaṅkara's understanding of the nature and funtion of vāc.

The question of the relationship of Brahman to the world of diversity is co-extensive with Śaṅkara's philosophical enterprise and metaphysical quest.

Both traditional and contemporary scholarship have largely neglected Śaṅkara's concern with vāc (speech, language), failing to appreciate, what I consider to be, the vital importance of vāc in his Advaita.

In terms of methodology, I have attempted to place the whole study within the context of Śaṅkara's own methodological distinctions, rather than apply Śaṅkara's categories to problems outside of his concerns or apply external methodological categories to Śaṅkara's thought.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Music and the brain: A neuroplastic account

contributor:
Roberts, Larry E.
Medical Physics

subject: medical physics

abstract: The phenomenon of cortical plasticity is important for understanding brain functions and treating neural diseases. Recent studies have suggested that neural plasticity contributes to cortical reorganization after accidental amputation of a limb and to recovery of function in stroke victims. Cortical plasticity has also been implicated in musical skills and an enhanced sense of hearing in blind humans. The experiments of this thesis utilize Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and Electroencephalography (EEG) to investigate remodeling of the human auditory cortex by musical training. Characteristics of the transient late auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) and magnetic fields (AEFs) are contrasted between musicians and nonmusicians. The principal goal of the thesis is to establish whether musicians and non-musicians respond differently to stimuli of musical timbre, and to begin to understand how these differences occur. The effect of stimuli properties on AEPs and AEFs and the distinct qualities of the two functional imaging methods are also investigated. Three experiments are reported each showing that P2 responses evoked by musical tones and by pure tones matched in fundamental frequency to the musical tones are larger in musicians than in nonmusicians. Enhancement of the P2 appeared in electrical as well as in magnetic recordings. Evidence for enhancement of P1, N1, and N1c auditory evoked potentials in musicians was also observed, but not under all conditions that were studied. P2, N1, and N1c responses appeared to be influenced by spectral properties of the acoustic stimuli in different ways. The mechanisms underlying these findings are discussed.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Archean Volcanism and Geochemistry, Washeibamaga-Thundercloud Lakes Area, Wabigoon Subprovince - Superior Province, Northwest Ontario

contributor:
McNutt, R.H.
Geology

subject: Geology Geology

abstract:
The Washeibamaga - Thundercloud Lakes area in the Wabigoon Greenstone Belt, southeast of Dryden, Ontario, was studied and mapped. Petrographic examination of the various rock types was carried out and geochemical whole rock and trace element data was obtained using X.R.F. methods.

The area can be subdivided into three units: 1) The lower volcanic sequence of metabasalts (lower greenschist facies) is preserved as a steeply-dipping, north-facing homoclinal volcanic pile six kilometres thick. The basalts show trace element (Y, Nb, Zr, Ni, Ba, Rb, Sr), geochemical similarities to modern ocean-floor tholeiitic basalts.

2) The Thundercloud Quartz-Porphyry intrudes the lower sequence and is believed to represent a vent-plug filling a late-stage felsic volcano. Accompanying explosive volcanism produced a three-kilometre thick sequence of coarse pyroclastic and epiclastic rocks and tuffs, hereafter called the middle sequence. Associated dacitic and auto-brecciated rhyolitic flows have calc-alkaline affinities and are chemically distant from both volcanic sequences. They appear not be a differentiated product but to have originated as a separate magma.

3) The upper volcanic sequence of metabasalts is composed of tightly folded, massive to pillowed flows. The contact with the underlying epiclastic and pyroclastic rocks is at an angle of thirty degrees, implying either profound angular unconformity or fault contact. The upper sequence is chemically distinct from the lower sequence. Trace element abundances (K, Rb, Sr, Ba), suggest similarities with modern island-are tholeiites or back-arc-basin basalts.

The data will be used to compare the thesis area with other Archean settings and with modern analogues. In doing this a tectonic interpretation of the Washeibamaga - Thundercloud Lakes area will be presented.

abstract: Master of Science (MS)


title: Cancer care employees' perceptions of research: A qualitative study

contributor:
Shannon, H.
Health Research Methodology

subject: Health Research Methodology

abstract: This thesis is based on 32 semi-structured phenomenological interviews conducted at a large Canadian ambulatory cancer centre serving 2.3 million people in Ontario. The primary objective of this program of study was to explore cancer care employees' perceptions of a Quality of Work-Life (QWL) Project where they were the subjects of research and their perceptions of clinical research where patients were the subjects of research. Three secondary objectives were to explore: (a) perceptions of the participatory approach to research from the perspective of employees on the steering committee of the QWL Project; (b) perceptions of the QWL Survey from the perspective of employees who completed the survey; and (c) perceptions of clinical trials from the perspective of nurses and radiation therapists who treated trial patients Findings had important implications for the conduct of workplace and clinical research in a cancer care environment. Some of the main findings included: (a) It may be difficult to conduct participatory research in a work environment given that power and a hierarchy of relationships interfere with employees being considered equal; (b) Many QWL issues presented by employees were not captured in the QWL Survey. QWL researchers need to ensure that QWL measures are pertinent to a particular worksite and encompass all meaningful QWL issues of a given work environment; (c) Ethical concerns associated with clinical trials suggested that the clinical trials department should review trial procedures; (d) Workload concerns associated with clinical trials implied that employees should be credited for their present involvement in trials; and (e) Clinical research was perceived to be more important than the QWL Project, party due to the perception that patient interests outweighed those of employees. In general, employees' perceptions of clinical and workplace research suggested that identification with the cancer centre as a clinical research organization contributed significantly to employees' QWL.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Sexual Politics in Quebec: The Structure and Dynamic of Class, National, and Sexual Oppression

contributor:
Derow, E.O.
Howard, R.
Sociology

subject: Sociology Sociology

abstract: This study focuses on a substantive sociological problem, namely, how to account for the particular forms and rhythms in which sexual politics have been played out during the course of capitalist development in Quebec. The social position of women is seen as oppressed and determined by the intersection of three structures of domination--of nation, class, and sex--which characterize the Quebec social formation as a whole. Ideologies of women, changes in these ideologies, and women's political self-organization in the feminist movement are analyzed as expressing the contradictions inherent in the intersection of these three structure of domination and as emerging in the context of global political dynamics. Three historical moments--the Conquest and its aftermath, the process of capitalist industrialization, and the Quiet Revolution and its aftermath--at which the status of women was called into question as a social issue and at which a modification in the sexual division of labour took place have been selected for study. The position of women in the family, in production, in the juridico-legal structures of the state, and in the ideologies which reflect and distort, define and justify that position will be examined. A central problem will be how to interpret the political practice of francophone women in the public domain.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: CRIMINALS: Slaves of the Twentieth Century

contributor:
Stephenson, Marylee
Sociology

subject: Sociology Sociology

abstract: In developing this thesis I became quite discouraged because of the fact that the similarities between the "total institution" and the "closed system" seemed to be generated largely by the functional/operational aspects of these systems. For the longest time I related these similarities to the power of administrators over the lives of their captors, and the apparent lack of personal self control granted to inmates/residents. Having been personally involved with both of these systems for quite sometime, I began to realize that both systems were very contradictory to "normal" human nature, and thus, in some sense damaging many of the positive images generated by life within "free society." I asked myself, if prisons are supposed to "correct" individuals, and Community-Based Residential Centres (C.R.C. 's) are supposed to be more humane and of greater assistance to "rehabilitate" criminal tendencies, why then, has there been little, if any change, in the alarming recidivism of inmates? Rehabilitation presupposes that damage has been endured by an individual, whether it be of a physical or emotional nature. After having undergone personal damage of some form, the individual must be socialized into accepting this new status, and trained to respond positively to the expectations and norms alloted to this status. It became unclear to me during this study just what was being "corrected" within the prison realm, that required that the inmates be more humanly "rehabilitated" by C.R.C.'s. It soon became clearer that the problem was strongly rooted within the realm of the compulsive "socialization" process in both systems. Socialization per se, in the "normal" sense, was designed to teach people in a particular society the norms, values, roles, etc. of that society. If the society is free the process itself will be based upon the freedom of that Society. Using the theory of "closed" and "total" systems, I have explored the socialization of inmates incorporating Stanley M. Elkins theory of the closed system, of slavery in America, coupled with the extreme "closedness" of P.O.W. 's in concentration camps experienced by Bruno Bettelhim. These of course, are extreme examples of "closed" and "total" systems but, I believe, quite appropriate accounts, which help to illustrate my point adequately. In the more immediate context, by looking at such writers as Erving Goffman, Gresham M. Sykes, and other recent writers of penal reform in North America, the reality of the socialization process to which inmates are exposed tends not the differentiate radically from the accounts recorded by Elkins and Bettelheim. These, in fact are "abnormal" forms of the socialization process. Whether this abnormal process is explicit and unquestionable as those experienced in slavery and concentration camps, or implicit as in prisons or community-based resource centres, the effect, though varying in degree, is the same - negative socialization. Thus, if positive images are transmitted in the "normal" socialization process, it can be expected that negative images and low self-esteem will be fostered because of explosure to this abnormal process. In the case of prisoners who possibly come into these systems as the result of low self-esteem, etc. the total/closed system serves to reinforce and/or create a further or complete disintegration of the personality of the prisoners. Henceforth, a prisoner who is incarcerated with an already low self-esteem becomes even less equipped, once released, to cope within a "free" society. My data will show why socialization within a closed/total system produces negative images which are not conducive to survival in, or acceptance by the "outside" society.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Chromatin remodeling and myogenesis

contributor:
Rudnicki, Michael A.
Medical Sciences

subject:
Medical Sciences
Medical Sciences

abstract: The lineage identity of a particular cell within a multi-cellular organism is defined by the repertoire of mRNA it expresses. Changes to the transcript repertoire can affect cell identity and stage of differentiation. Chromatin as the biologically relevant target of transcription factors has a direct impact on cell identity and differentiation, with changes to its structure central to lineage choice, cellular identity and differentiation. The requirement of chromatin remodeling in these developmental processes is evident throughout myogenesis, with changes to the cell's chromatin structure occurring during both the specification of myoblasts and the differentiation of specified myoblasts to myotubes. This thesis examines three distinct aspects of chromatin remodeling in relation to myogenesis. Firstly, the role of Snf2h in MyoD-mediated repression of target genes during myoblast proliferation was investigated. Snf2h was identified as a MyoD-interacting protein in a repressed transactivator yeast two-hybrid screen. Overexpression of either an active or inactive form of human SNF2H in myoblasts accelerated the differentiation process without affecting either growth rate or cell cycle kinetics. Furthermore, the chromatin structure surrounding the myogenin E boxes was more open in myoblasts expressing inactive human SNF2H compared to control myoblasts suggesting functional Snf2h complexes are required to repress differentiation specific genes during growth and subsequently maintain the myoblast proliferative state. From these and published results, a model describing the role of Snf2h in myogenesis is suggested. This model proposes that Snf2h activity facilitates the repression of MyoD target genes by histone deacetylases. In addition, genome-wide changes to histone H4 acetylation and histone H3-K9 dimethylation during myoblast differentiation were assessed. The patterns of genome-wide histone modifications in proliferating myoblasts were distinct from the patterns observed in myotubes, suggesting distinct mechanisms are targeting histone-modifying activity in myoblasts and myotubes. Furthermore, in our study, hyperacetylation of histone H4 and hypomethylation of histone H3 did not correlate strongly with transcriptional status. Our results support the hypothesis of the Histone Code Model, which theorizes that a combination of distinct histone modifications and not individual histone modifications defines the transcriptional competence of a particular gene. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Strategies for the Evaluating of Computed Tomography in Diagnostics and Therapeutics

contributor:
Sackett, David L.
Health Care Research Methods

abstract:
The introduction of a new radiologic imaging technology requires an assessment of its proper place in the diagnosis and treatment of specified conditions. In terms of its use in diagnosis, computed tomography must be evaluated with reference to the existing diagnostic process to determine whether its contribution is likely to have any beneficial impact on the patient. In terms of its use in therapy, the special ability of computed tomography to make an image of soft tissue points to its potential use in the initial staging of malignant neoplastic disease.

The objective of this thesis is to propose a methodology of evaluation of Computed Body Tomography that may be carried out in association with normal clinical practice, and to illustrate this with a diagnostic example and a therapeutic example. In both instances there are two steps to the evaluation. First, a comparison of the accuracy of the information of computed tomography against the conventional diagnostic tests. Second, the strategy for evaluating the benefit of the introduction of computed tomography in the diagnostic and therapeutic examples.

abstract: Master of Science (MS)


title: Agent based buddy finding methodology for knowledge sharing

contributor:
Montazemi, Ali R.
Management Science/Systems

subject: Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods

abstract: The Internet provides opportunity for knowledge sharing among people with similar interests (i.e., buddies). Common methods available for people to identify buddies for knowledge sharing include emails, mailing lists, chat rooms, electronic bulletin boards, and newsgroups. However, these manual buddy finding methods are time consuming and inefficient. In this thesis, we propose an agent-based buddy finding methodology based on a combination of case-based reasoning methodology and fuzzy logic technique. We performed two experiments to assess the effectiveness of our proposed methodology. The first experiment was comprised of a stock market portfolio knowledge sharing environment in which a conventional cluster analysis was used as a benchmark to assess the technical goodness of the proposed methodology in identifying the clusters of buddies. Statistical analysis showed that there was no significant ranking difference between conventional cluster analysis and the proposed buddy-finding methodology in identifying buddies. Cluster analysis requires centralized database to form buddies (clusters) with similar properties. The unique advantage of our proposed agent-based buddy finding methodology is that it can identify similar buddies in distributed as well as centralized database environments. A second experiment, in the context of sharing musical-knowledge among human subjects, was used to find out whether selection of the buddies by the proposed methodology is as good as those done by human subjects. The findings from this latter empirical test showed that the buddies found by agents are as good as the buddies found manually by humans.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Nonlinear Observer for the Orbital States of an Earth Satellite

contributor:
Sinha, N.K.
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering

abstract: The objective of satellite orbit determination is to find accurate values of a set of orbital elements which describes the orbit of the satellite, using observations of the satellite. The extended Kalman filter has been widely used for the estimation of the orbital states. The purpose of this work is to find an alternative approach that would reduce the amount of on-line computation required. A nonlinear observer is proposed for this application. Its stability problem is studied through the second method of Liapunov. The performance of the "nonlinear observer is then evaluated with simulated orbits. AIthough many secondary effects on the dynamics of the satellite have been omitted, the simulation is indicative of results that can be obtained in real situations.

abstract: Master of Engineering (ME)


title: The transition from internal oxidation to external oxidation is silver-zinc alloys

contributor:
Smeltzer, W.W.
Purdy, G.R.
Metallurgy and Materials Science

subject:
Materials Science and Engineering
Metallurgy
Materials Science and Engineering

abstract:
The investigation concentrates on the morphology of the oxidation products produced in Ag-1.8, 7.5, 10.9, 12.9 and 18.7 wt % Zn alloys at 550°C under an oxygen pressure of 1 atm. Particular attention is given to the structure of the internal ZnO produced and the morphological development of the internal precipitation zone in the alloys containing Ag-1.8, 7.5 and 10.9 wt % Zn. Penetration depth of the internal ZnO was measured using a light microscope, and was observed to obey the parabolic law. A model based on volume diffusion control of oxygen has been proposed for the velocity of the internal ZnO precipitates.

The Ag-12.9 wt % Zn alloy was observed to form an internal ZnO scale in combination with an external ZnO scale. An exclusive protective external scale of ZnO is formed on the Ag-18.7 wt % Zn alloy. The growth of the scale was found to obey parabolic kinetics. The morphological development of the external ZnO on the above alloys has also been studied.

The theoretical basis for the transition from internal to external scale formation has been given according to the Wagner(²⁶) criteria for binary alloys.

It was necessary to extend the Wagner binary treatment for the transition into a ternary thermodynamic and diffusion analysis. A portion of the Ag-Zn-O ternary isotherm has been proposed, thus making possible the placement of representative diffusion paths.

abstract: Master of Engineering (ME)


title: A disease-specific health status measurement for children with hydrocephalus

contributor:
Boyle, Michael H.
Health Research Methodology

subject: Health Research Methodology

abstract: Hydrocephalus is a common condition of childhood. Attempts to measure the health status of children with hydrocephalus have traditionally relied on surgical outcomes, non-specific generic health outcomes, or very specific neuropsychological measures. This work describes the development of a new disease-specific health status outcome measure for children with hydrocephalus--called the Hydrocephalus Outcome Questionnaire (HOQ). This work begins with a discussion of several methodological issues relevant to health status measurement, highlighting certain points of controversy. This is followed by a review of the methodology and the results of various stages of development of this new health status measure. This includes the stages of concept development, item generation, item reduction, reliability testing, and validity testing. The final section describes the use of some different approaches to providing interpretability to the new outcome measure. This work was approved by the Research Ethics Board at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. The result of this work was the 60-item Hydrocephalus Outcome Questionnaire. It demonstrated very good psychometric properties and was well received by the parents of children with hydrocephalus, who are the primary respondents. It is hoped that this will serve a useful role as a much-needed outcome measure for pediatric hydrocephalus.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Electron paramagnetic resonance biophysical radiation dosimetry with tooth enamel

contributor:
Boreham, Douglas
Rink, William J.
Medical Physics

subject: medical physics

abstract: This thesis deals with advancements made in the field of Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) for biophysical dosimetry with tooth enamel for accident, emergency and retrospective radiation dose reconstruction. A methodology has been developed to measure retrospective radiation exposures in human tooth enamel. This entails novel sample preparation procedures with minimum mechanical treatment to reduce the preparation induced uncertainties, establish optimum measurement conditions inside the EPR cavity, post process the measured spectrum with functional simulation of dosimetric and other interfering signals, and reconstruct dose. By using this technique, retrospective gamma radiation exposures as low as 80 ± 30 mGy have been successfully deciphered. The notion of dose modifier was introduced in EPR biodosimetry for low dose measurements. It has been demonstrated that by using the modified zero added dose (MZAD) technique for low radiation exposures, doses in the 100 mGy range can be easily reconstructed in teeth which were previously thought useless for EPR dosimetry. Also the use of a dose modifier makes robust dose reconstruction possible for higher radiation exposures. The EPR dosimetry technique was also developed for tooth samples extracted from rodents, which represent small tooth sizing. EPR doses in the molars, extracted from mice irradiated with whole body exposures, were reassessed and shown to be correct within the experimental uncertainty. The sensitivity of human tooth enamel for neutron irradiation, obtained from the 3 MV McMaster K. N. Van de Graaff accelerator, was also studied. For the first time this work has shown that the neutron sensitivity of the tooth enamel is approximately 1/10th of the equivalent gamma sensitivity. Parametric studies for neutron dose rate and neutron energy within the available range of the accelerator, showed no impact on the sensitivity of the tooth enamel. Therefore, tooth enamel can be used as a dosimeter for both neutrons as well as gamma radiation. We will continue experiments to develop this endpoint as a sensitive accident or emergency tool for our response capabilities.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Sulphate Resistance of Slag Cements

contributor:
Emery, John J.
Civil Engineering

subject:
Civil Engineering
Civil Engineering

abstract: The vulnerability of concrete to sulphate attack has been recognized and studied for at least two centuries. The basic needs that prompted that study were: (a) there are no available Canadian Standards on the sulphate resistance of slag cements; and (b) slag cements in general are not well known in Canada. There were three main phases in the study: Phase One - involved 76.2 by 152.4 mm (3 by 6 inch) concrete cylinders made from actual field mixes and subjected to various sulphate solutions representative of field conditions; Phase Two - involved an accelerated test program employing 25.4 and 25.4 by 285.75 mm (1 by 1 by 11½ inch) mortar prisms and 50.8 mm (2 inch) mortar cubes stored in more concentrated sulphate solutions; and Phase Three - followed along the same lines as Phase Two, but encompassed a wider range of samples, solutions and tests. The slag cement studied in detail was cementitious hydraulic slag meeting CSA A363. Experimental results show that: the sulphate attack is generally intensified with higher sulphate concentrations but the degree of attack is not proportional to concentration; Na₂SO₄ and K₂SO₄ solutions produced more rapid deterioration than MgSO₄ solutions; sulphate attack increases in rate and magnitude as the C₃A content of the portland cement increases and as the alumina (Al₂O₃) content of the slag cement (i.e. pelletized blastfurnace slag) increases; the higher the slag cement content of the blended cement, the greater its resistance; and a 50 per cent slag cement (cementitious hydraulic slag)/50 per cent Type 10 portland cement blend appears to be equivalent in sulphate resistance to a Type 50 portland cement. No abnormal, or significant, amount of ettringite was found in any of the specimens examined, which tends to substantiate one hypothesis that ettringite formation has little to do with sulphate expansion. The 76.2 by 152.4 mm concrete cylinder program did not yield any significant results. The accelerated mortar test procedure was found to be the most reliable test for evaluating a cements' sulphate resistance performance in a relatively short time, and it is recommended that this test be adopted as a standard.

abstract: Master of Engineering (ME)


title: Physician ranking of activities of instrumental activities of daily living domains

contributor:
Herring, D. Ann
Anthropology

subject: Anthropology Anthropology

abstract: Independent aged in the community: The importance of individual instrumental activities of daily living skills . Although there is no agreement on the causes of heterogeneity of function among the aged, there is agreement among scholars that there is much variation in the way humans age (Heikkinen et al.,1983; Crews, 1990; Rowe and Kahn, 1987; Manton et al., 1987, Vaupel, 1997). Demographers, gerontologists, anthropologists and epidemiologists generally agree that if aging is defined as the time-related changes in a biological organism over its life span, then these universal processes are reflected in the function and the survival of this organism. Although scholars from these four disciplines study the function of the aged, their theoretical orientations and the methods (measures of independence) they use to wdract and interpret these data may be as varied as the heterogeneity of the aging process itself. Measuring independence using the instrumental activities of daily living skills . The Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) are a set of skills used by health care professionals and researchers to determine whether an Individual is able to function independently in a community. These skills include the ability to feed oneself, maintain one's hygiene, dress oneself, toilet oneself, perform indoor mobility tasks such as transfer from bed to chair and bed to commode, use a telephone, handle one's finances, do one's laundry, perform outside mobility tasks, perform one's shopping, medicate oneself, perform housekeeping, and use some form of transportation (Kane and Kane, 1981, 2000; Appendix, III). The independence of an older individual is most often based on the judgement of physicians, as representatives of the biomedical system. Although other health care professionals assess independence in the aged, in most health care systems, it is the physicians who are the gatekeepers who prescribe assistive services if independence is compromised. Researchers most often assess independence at an international level. Many populations have growing numbers of aged individuals. The literature in all four disciplines that study aging deals with concerns over the assessment and care of these individuals. Anthropologists are interested in the dynamics of ethnic groups or distinct populations. The objective of this study is to determine whether physicians grouped by geographical area rank the importance of the IADL skills differently. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Effect on Background Illumination on Horizontal Cell Receptive-Field Size in The Retina of the Goldfish (Carassius Auratus)

contributor:
Ball, Alexander K.
Medical Sciences

subject:
Medical Sciences
Medical Sciences

abstract:
The mechanisms underlying light-adaptation in goldfish retinal horizontal cells were investigated. The receptive-field size of horizontal cells was reduced by background illumination, but by a mechanism not mediated by dopamine, the only known modulator of horizontal cell receptive-field size. Light-induced changes in receptive-field size were shown to vary depending on which of two adaptation states the retina was in prior to background illumination. Presentation of background illumination to a dark-adapted retina resulted in a light-sensitized retina in which horizontal cell receptive-field size and responsiveness was increased. Application of background illumination to light-sensitized retinas lead to light-adapted retinas, in which horizontal cell receptive-field size was decreased.

Two new putative adrenergic neurons were identified immunohistochemically in the goldfish retina. These cells, in particular a new type of interplexiform cell that could provide direct synaptic input to horizontal cells, raised the possibility that the light-dependent reduction in horizontal cell receptive-field size might be due to the release of an adrenergic transmitter. However, studies showed that the effects of adrenergic transmitters on horizontal cells were more consistent with an action at dopamine receptors than at adrenoreceptors. Because it was previously shown that the light-dependent reduction in horizontal cell receptive-field size did not depend on the action of dopamine, it was concluded that the adrenergic neurons are unlikely to be involved in this change.

Studies on the effects of nitric oxide suggest that this free radical gas may be involved in the background illumination-induced reduction of horizontal cell receptive-field size. This was demonstrated by showing that horizontal cells are immunoreactive for nitric oxide synthase and that two inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase reduced the effects of background illumination on horizontal cell receptive-field size.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Metaphysics and Human Development, A Study Of Aurobindo's Theory of Human Development

contributor:
Simpson, Evan
Philosophy

subject: Philosophy Philosophy

abstract: This dissertation is a study of Aurobindo's theory of human development and its metaphysical foundations. I argue that in accordance with his affirmation of the priority of metaphysics, Aurobindo builds his theory of human development on the basis of his system of metaphysics, and that, therefore, an understanding of his metaphysics is indispensable. I claim that the core of his metaphysics is constituted of seven theories: 1) the theory of Brahman, 2) the theory of Supermind, 3) the theory of Involution, 4) the theory of Supraphysical Worlds and Beings, 5) the theory of Evolution, 6) the theory of Rebirth, and 7) the theory of Human Nature. I then deal with some issues pertaining to these theories. In Part II, I offer a reconstruction of Aurobindo's theory of the stages of human development and his developmental model. I clarify his descriptions of the higher stages of development and provide illustrations of the types of states consciousness corresponding to them. I also extract his hitherto unrecognised developmental model from his numerous observations on the course of development and compare it with the standard model derived from the work of Piaget and Kohlberg. I argue that Aurobnido's model is a better model and refer to some recent criticisms of the Piaget-Kohlberg model. I conclude that although Aurobindo has linked his theory of human development to his metaphysics such that if we accept his metaphysics we are bound to accept the major claims of his theory of human development, the two can be delinked, and that his theory of human development can be evaluated independently of his metaphysics by reference to historical and cross-cultural data on spiritual development.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Molecules in Magnetic Fields

contributor:
Bader, Richard F. W.
Chemistry

subject: Chemistry Chemistry

abstract: This thesis is primarily an investigation of those properties of closed-shell molecules which result from interaction with an external magnetic field. Throughout, emphasis is placed on the observable, magnetically induced current density distributions. The insistence that measurable magnetic response properties such as the NMR shielding tensors and diamagnetic susceptibility tensors be interpreted, physically, in terms of the corresponding induced current distribution has led to new, and more accurate, methods of predicting these properties. These methods are described in Chapter 1. The fundamental features of the induced vector current fields are investigated in Chapter 2 through a formal topological analysis of divergenceless three-dimensional vector field with magnetic symmetry together with actual analyses of several induced molecular current distributions. In chapter 3 the experimentally measurable molecular magnetic susceptibility and nuclear magnetic shielding tensors are analyzed in terms of the corresponding tensors for atoms in molecules to address the physical basis for the empirical models which have been developed to explain experimental results. An atomic magnetic response tensor is entirely determined by the charge and induced current density distributions within the atom and on its surface. The physical significance of the atoms of theory is reiterated through the agreement of the theoretical group magnetic susceptibilities in the hydrocarbons with the empirically defined group increments of Pascal. In chapter 4, advances in methods of calculating properties of atoms in molecules are described.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Inelastic Response of Reinforced Concrete Frames to Seismic Ground Motions Having Different Characteristics

contributor: Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics

subject:
Civil Engineering
Construction Engineering and Management
Engineering
Geotechnical Engineering
Structural Engineering
Civil Engineering

abstract:
Observations of structural damage following recent major earthquakes have indicated that ground motion characteristics have a significant effect on the damage of building structures. An analytical study is undertaken to investigate the effect of ground motion characteristics on the inelastic response of multistorey reinforced concrete frame structures and to evaluate the seismic performance of reinforced concrete frame structures designed in conformance with current Canadian seismic provisions. In addition, the possibility of using simplified analysis procedures to estimate inelastic response is studied for regular building frames subjected to different types of earthquake ground motions.

An earthquake data set consisting of 45 horizontal components of strong motion records is selected and subdivided into three groups representative of seismic ground motions having low, intermediate, and high peak acceleration-to-velocity (A/V) ratios. This data set is analyzed to investigate the significance of the A/V ratio as a parameter to indicate the dynamic characteristics of earthquake ground motions resulting from different seismic environments. Four regular moment resisting reinforced concrete building frames having different fundamental periods are designed for combined gravity and seismic effects determined in accordance with the 1985 edition of the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC 1985). The structural members are proportioned and detailed to satisfy the requirements of the 1984 edition of the Canadian Concrete Code (CAN3-A23.3-H84). These four frames are used as structural models having very short, short, moderate, and long fundamental periods.

To gain insight into the inelastic behaviour of the designed frames, the inelastic static responses of the frames to monotonically increased lateral loading are examined first. Following this inelastic static analysis, the inelastic dynamic responses of the frames to the three A/V groups of earthquake accelerograms are analyzed statistically. In addition, the elastic dynamic responses of the frames to the three A/V groups of earthquake records are obtained to provide a reference for the evaluation of the inelastic dynamic responses. In the course of the dynamic analyses, overall energy indices are defined for multistorey building frames and their numerical computation is implemented in a computer program.

A simplified analysis procedure is proposed to estimate both overall and localized inelastic deformations for regular building frames. This simplified analysis procedure is evaluated based on a comparison of the inelastic deformational demands estimated from the procedure with the statistical results obtained from the inelastic dynamic analysis of the frames.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Hydrolysis of Maize Endosperm

contributor:
Oaks, Ann B.
Biology

subject: Biology Biology

abstract:
The hydrolyses of endosperm storage reserves in maize caryopses was investigated. The following points were examined in detail: 1) The enzymes responsible for hydrolysis of the reserve starch and proteins during early germination; 2) The regulation of enzyme formation and starch hydrolysis in the endosperm by gibberellic acid and 3) Isolation of protein bodies and associated protease activity.

The principle protease extracted from maize endosperm after germination had an acid pH optimum, and a high temperature optimum with the substrate haemoglobin. Alpha-amylase was also present in this tissue. Electrophoretic gels were used in identifying the development of two distinct amylases during early seedling growth. The acid protease and the amylases are absent from quiescent caryopses. These enzymes appear 2-3 days after imbibition of intact caryopses, and increase in activity throughout the course of protein and starch breakdown.

In contrast to other reported results (76) neither the embryo nor exogenous factors were necessary for initiation or continuation of amylase formation in de-embryonated endosperms. Changes in enzyme activity in excised endosperms following similar trends were compared to intact caryopses germinated at the same temperature. Neither enzyme production nor starch hydrolysis was stimulated by treating de-embryonated maize endosperms with gibberellic acid. The response to gibberellic acid of de-embryonated endosperms of barley was tested as a control. De-embryonated endosperms of this cereal had low α-amylase activities when incubated in buffer. Inclusion of gibberellic acid in the incubation medium stimulated enzyme production eight-fold.

Protein bodies were isolated from germinating maize endosperm using sucrose density gradients and were identified by electron microscopy. Acid protease activity was not associated with this fraction, and in fact over 90% of the original activity was recovered in the soluble fraction.

A second protease extracted from developing maize endosperm had a broad neutral-basic pH optimum, and a temperature optimum of 55 C. It actively degraded both α-N-benzoyl DL-arginine p-nitroanilide (BAPNA) and haemoglobin. This protease was present in all stages of developing endosperm tested with activity peaks at 25 and 57 days post fertilization. This protease was also present in quiescent and early germinating caryopses. After imbibition, activity decreased rapidly and disappeared in approximately four days. Preliminary results indicate no association of this protease with the protein body fraction

abstract: Master of Science (MS)


title: Demodulation/ Decoding of a DC Free Construction of the Gosset Lattice

contributor:
Buda, R. de
Taylor, D.P.
Carter, C.R.
Yip, P.
Electrical and Computer Engineering

abstract:
Over the past decade, lattices have been increasingly recognized as an important source of codes for the Gaussian channel. The 8-dimensional Gosset lattice has figured prominently in these new developments because it offers an asymptotic coding gain of 3 dB over conventional pulse amplitude modulation and can be soft decision demodulated/decoded with a reasonable amount of speed. In the present work, we revive a little used definition of the Gosset lattice and show that codes derived from this construction exhibit a null at dc in their baseband spectrum. Such codes are useful as line codes for baseband signalling on channels that do not support a dc spectral component or for bandpass transmission where spectral shaping is required to combat intersymbol interference.

Previous applications of lattice codes have been aimed primarily at voiceband data communications. This thesis was motivated by the need to develop a decoder that would make applications in the multi-megabit range of data transmission possible. To achieve this goal, a two-stage approach to demodulation was developed. The first stage makes a fast estimate of the transmitted vector and has the ability to declare an erasure when it knows its estimate is unreliable. This initial erasure declaring stage controls the throughput of the demodulator. Because it is far simpler than a maximum likelihood demodulator, greater speed is achieved. The second stage is provided to correct the occasional occurrence of an erasure and maintain the error performance of the lattice. To complete the decoder structure, we outline a method of lexicographic ordering the signal set that leads to a compact set of decoder look-up tables used to obtain a binary message sequence from each demodulated vector. Finally, we evaluate the effects of quantization on the probabilities of erasure and error and give results from a Monte-Carlo simulation undertaken to verify the demodulators performance.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Swelling and Creep Damage Accumulation in Hot-Pressed Alumina

contributor:
Wilkinson, D.S.
Materials Science and Engineering

abstract:
This thesis consists of two parts. The first describes work on swelling - the second, on creep damage accumulation.

The first part develops a model for pressure-driven diffusional dedensification (or swelling) in a polycrystal containing isolated pores. The model is sufficiently general to be directly applicable also to pressure sintering. It is tested against experimental data for hot-pressed alumina (HPA) which swells during high-temperature, pressureless anneals in air.

The model includes two independent, coupled, pore growth rate components: (1) diffusional (de)densification, driven by gas pressures in closed pores, and (2) coalescence of pores attached to grain boundaries, driven by grain growth against pore drag. Internal pore pressures may be due to inert trapped gas or to gas generated by chemical reactions.

In a poly crystal with inert trapped gas, the trapped gas drives early swelling, but is self-dissipating. Pore coalescence, by progressively releasing capillarity constraint, becomes the dominant cause of swelling at longer times.

The model predicts what magnitudes of chemically-generated pore pressure will increase swelling rates beyond those arising from inert trapped gas alone. And, for research on creep damage accumulation, it predicts what precreep anneals are required to dissipate an initial trapped-gas pore pressure, and the range of distinct, predamaged porous microstructures available.

The second part of the thesis presents experimental data from flexural and uniaxial tensile creep tests. The data demonstrated that HPA's cavitation damage tolerance and failure strains are high enough that creep fracture tests should be done in uniaxial tension rather than in bending. A high temperature tensile test system, with optical extensometry, was designed, built and tested. The uniaxial tensile data suggest design improvements for testing ductile ceramics.

The combined mechanical and microstructural data indicate that, at 1250 C, failures at high stress are controlled by slow crack growth from microstructural heterogeneities. An abrupt transistion at about 200 MPa seperates rapid failures from failures at strains on the order of 0.1. At about 50 MPa, a more gradual transition occurs, to fracture at higher strains, controlled by strain-driven damage. The internal microstructural data show internal creep damage at levels at which cavity coalescence generates macrocracks in HPA.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: In vivo behaviour of some Antithrombin-III-protease and α₁-antitrypsin-protease complexes

contributor:
Regoeczi, E.
Medical Sciences

subject:
Medical Sciences
Medical Sciences

abstract:
Proteases participate in various aspects of different biological processes to serve purposes as diverse as nutrition and biological controls, all of which are effected by the cleavage of peptide bonds. Nevertheless, proteolysis is an irreversible process because there is no known biological repair mechanism for a broken peptide bond. To ensure that proteases act only beneficially, proteolytic activities are regulated by different control mechanisms, one of which is composed of the natural protease inhibitors. The inhibitors neutralize the proteases by complex formation. The interactions between inhibitors and proteases in vitro have been well documented whereas information on the in vivo behaviours of protease-inhibitor complexes is limited at present. α₂M-protease complexes have been shown to disappear from the circulation extremely rapidly while the clearance of α₁AT-protease complexes is comparatively slow. Thus, it seems, probable that different elimination pathways may exist for different types of protease-inhibitor complexes. The purpose of this study is to examine the in vivo behaviours of some AT Ill-protease complexes, with an attempt to elucidate a probable elimination pathway for such complexes.

Complexes of rabbit, human and rat AT III with rabbit plasmin and of rabbit AT III with rabbit or bovine thrombin were formed from radioactively-labelled proteins and separated from the uncomplexed reactants by preparative electrophoresis. In certain cases, unlabelled proteins were complexed and the complexes were labelled after they had formed. The in vivo behaviour of the complexes was studied in rabbits by the measurement of plasma radioactivity. The integrity of the complexes after injection into the rabbits was monitored by gel filtration of selected plasma samples on Sephadex G-200. Affinity chromatographic columns, such as Sepharose-AT III, -trypsin, -heparin and -lysine were used for the isolation and study of the various components. The stability of AT III-protease complexes under different in vitro conditions was examined by gel filtration and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. As a comparison, the complex of rabbit α₁AT with rabbit plasmin was also studied. α₁AT-plasmin complex was separated from uncomplexed materials by affinity chromatography on a Sepharose-lysine column.

The AT III-protease complexes tested were eliminated considerably more slowly than α₂M-protease complexes. The speed of elimination of AT III-protease complexes resembled that of α₁AT-protease complexes. All five combinations of AT III-protease complexes dissociated soon after injection into rabbits, though to variable extents. However, rabbit AT III-plasmin complexes were stable for at least 6 h at 37°C in vitro. Post-complex AT III and post-complex plasmin appeared to have been altered as compared to the corresponding native proteins. Thus post-complex AT III lost more than 80% of its affinity for Sepharoseheparin and this form of the inhibitor no longer bound to Sepharosetrypsin (80% of the control AT III bound to conjugated trypsin). However, post-complex AT III was eliminated only marginally faster than the native AT III and it retained its reactivity with antibodies raised against normal AT III. Post-complex plasmin did not bind to Sepharose-AT III or -Trasylol but about 86% of its ability to bind to Sepharose-Iysie was preserved. Whether the above observations for AT III-protease complexes in rabbits hold true in other species, remains to be established.

abstract: Master of Science (MS)


title: Spectrometry and Dosimetry for Accelerator Based In-Vivo Measurements

contributor:
Prestwich, William V.
McNeill, Fiona E.
Medical Physics

subject: medical physics

abstract: The neutron irradiation facility developed at the McMaster University 3 MV Van de Graaff accelerator will be employed to assess in vivo elemental content of aluminum and manganese in human hands. These measurements will be carried out to monitor the long-term exposure of these potentially toxic trace elements through hand bone levels. This thesis addresses two important issues regarding in-vivo neutron activation (IVNAA) of the hand; the first relates to the optimization of operating conditions at the McMaster University 3 MV KN Van de Graaff accelerator to produce neutrons via the ⁷Li(p, n)⁷Be reaction for in-vivo neutron activation analysis and the second relates to the evaluation of the total dose equivalent delivered to the patient hand undergoing irradiation using a 1/2" diameter tissue equivalent proportional counter (TEPC). The operating conditions at the 3 MV KN Van de Graaff accelerator have been optimized by employing a long counter designed for this study to monitor the neutron fluence and a NaI(TI) detector to measure the ⁷Be activity produced as a result of (p, n) interactions with ⁷Li. It was observed that inefficient target cooling and the presence of oxide layers on the target surface resulted in lower measured yields than those calculated. The computational method described in this work to estimate the average radiation dose equivalent delivered to a patient's hand during irradiation employs the neutron and gamma doses measured using a 1/2" diameter TEPC and the quality factor of the neutron beam calculated by using the Monte Carlo radiation transport code, MCNP4B. Based on the the estimated doses delivered to a patient's hand, the proposed irradiation procedure for the IVNAA measurement of manganese in human hands (Med Phys 29(11) (2002) 2718) with normal (1ppm) and elevated manganese content can be carried out with a reasonably low dose of 31 mSv to the hand which is less than the recommended maximum permissible dose equivalent limit (50 mSv) for such diagnostic procedures. 63% of the total dose equivalent is delivered by the non-useful fast neutron group (>10 keV); the filtration of this neutron group from the beam will further reduce the dose equivalent to the patient's hand.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: A Sociological Interpretation of Millenarian Quakerism--1648-1662

contributor:
Mol, Hans
Religious Studies

subject: Religion Religion

abstract:
This thesis explains the earliest years of Quakerism through perspectives and theories provided by contemporary sociological research on millenarian sectarianism. Chapters One and Two are devoted to critical reviews of the social scientific literature on millenarian sectarianism, particularly relative deprivation theories and community-building theories. In Chapter Three, aspects of these theories are applied to Quaker history, and in Chapter Four a modified version of Bryan R. Wilson's "dominant responses to the world" categories are used heuristically to explore the internal dynamics within the early Quaker movement.

The methodology employed by the study, that of testing millenarian sectarian theory against early Quaker history, allows several important theoretical facts to emerge. Among the most important is the clarification of distinctions between a religious movement and a social movement. Furthermore, the complexities of Quaker history highlight the heuristic viability of using a sixfold classification when analyzing group leadership variables.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Late Quaternary History of the Hermitage Bay Area, Newfoundland

contributor:
McCann, S.B.
Geography

subject: Geography Geography

abstract:
Geomorphologic, sedimentologic and stratigraphic investigations have served to provide an interpretation of the late Quaternary history and environments in the Hermitage Bay area, Newfoundland. The area has been affected by at least two major glacial events, the most recent being much less extensive than the earlier one. The earlier event completely inundated the field area, contributing to the molding of large bedrock hills into southwards oriented stoss and lee forms, and eroding broad U-shaped valleys. It is represented by tills at Pass Island Tickle, Seal Cove, and near Salmonier Cove Pond, and a lower till in a two till section at Trout Hole Falls Community Park. Foraminifera recovered from an "old" till in a coastal section at Seal Cove have been assigned a tentative age of - 70,000 years.

The most recent glacial event, considered Late Wisconsin in age, was not all encompassing. Differences in till cover, weathering zonations and ice marginal features indicate that a small ice cap centred north and east of the head of Hermitage Bay was separated by the Garrison Hills from a main island icecap to the north. The southern limit of the large island icecap can be traced eastwards to north of the Burin Peninsula where it had been recognized by Tucker (1979). This limit is proposed to represent the maximum extent of the Late Wisconsin glaciation rather than the recessional position of a more extensive advance as suggested by Jenness (1960). Isopleths of Late Wisconsin postglacial emergence show that maximum uplift (30-32 m) occurred in the Hermitage-Sandyville area.

During deglaciation a tongue of ice feeding down the Little River valley created a large ice-dammed lake in northern Bay d'Espoir which was subsequently infilled by glaciofluvial/lacustrine sediment. Deposits at Conne River suggest that the style of sedimentation was a series of low slope, prograding deltas advancing over glaciolacustrine bottom sediments.

abstract: Master of Science (MS)


title: Hormonal and Physiological Responses to Exercise in Females in Relation to the Menstrual Cycle

contributor: Medical Sciences (Blood and Cardiovascular)

subject:
Medical Sciences
Medical Sciences

abstract:
In the work described in this theses, hormonal and physiological responses to exercise were investigated in women in relation to the menstrual cycle. Alterations in estradiol, progesterone, luteinizing or follicle stimulating hormones with exercise may interfere with the delicate hormonal balance which is necessary for regular ovulatory menstrual cycles. At rest, estradiol and progesterone have effects on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, on pulmonary and cardiovascular function and on the plasma concentrations of a number of other hormones, all of which may also be important during exercise. As wide fluctuations in resting levels of the ovarian steroids occur during a normal menstrual cycle, they may influence exercise performance or the physiological adaptations to exercise at different times in the cycle.

To investigate these issues, nine subjects were studied during cycle ergometer exercise at three exercise intensities on two occasions in the menstrual cycle. Tests were conducted when resting levels of estradiol and progesterone were low, in the early follicular phase, and when the concentrations of both hormones were elevated, in the mid-luteal phase. Separation into the two phases was confirmed by hormone analysis.

For the first time, it has been shown that in women, exercise is associated with an increase in the plasma levels of estradiol, progesterone, luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone. The response of the ovarian hormones is more marked in the luteal phase while the gonadotropins are affected only in the follicular phase. The magnitude of the increase in all four hormones is related to the intensity of exercise. These alterations in ovarian and gonadotropic hormone levels with exercise may possibly help to explain the occurrence of menstrual, irregularities in women engaged in strenuous physical activity.

In the luteal phase, at a time when resting levels of estradiol and progesterone are higher, exhaustive exercise was maintained for longer than in the follicular phase. The difference was associated with a lower blood lactate concentration in the luteal phase, in the absence of differences in heart rate, oxygen uptake or cardiac output. This suggests that the effect of the menstrual cycle on the capacity to exercise is exerted at a local level in exercising muscle rather than through changes in oxygen delivery. A final study in this thesis showed an increased epinephrine response to exercise in the follicular phase. Further studies are required to investigate the part played by epinephrine in modulating the biochemical responses to exercise.

Exercise results in increases in the plasma levels of estradiol, progesterone, luteinizing and follicle stimulating hormones that are dependent on both the intensity of exercise and the phase of the menstrual cycle. In addition, there is an improvement in performance of high intensity exercise in the luteal phase, in association with lower levels of plasma lactate. The mechanisms which underlie these findings remain to be elucidated.

With the exception of the catecholamine assays, the work reported in this thesis was performed by the author. This includes the remaining hormone assays, lactate analysis, exercise tests and calculation of the data and most of the statistical analysis.

Portions of this work have been published and/or presented previously:

Jurkowski, J.E., N.L.Jones, W.C.Walker, E.V.Younglai and J.R.Sutton Ovarian hormonal responses to exercise. J.Appl.Physiol:Respirat,Environ. Exercise Physiol. 44:109-114.1978.

Jurkowski, J.E.,N.L.Jones, J.R.Sutton, C.J.Toews Exercise performance and blood lactate levels in relation to the menstrual cycle. Med Sci Sports 9:70,1977. (abstract)

Jurkowski, J.E.,J.R.Sutton.and P.M.Keane Effect of the menstrual cycle on the plasma catecholamine response to exercise in normal females. Canadian J.Appl.Sport Sci. 3:194,1978. (abstract)

abstract: Master of Science (MS)


title: The Changing Nature of Farm Women's Work Roles Under The Industrialization of Agricultural Production

contributor:
Stephenson, Marylee
Sociology

subject: Sociology Sociology

abstract: This study is an exploration of the relation of farm women to agricultural production. Data were collected on the work of sixty farm women from Bruce County, Ontario, with the aim of determining whether Canadian farm women are losing their role in agricultural production within family farm enterprises. Older and younger women from large and small beef and dairy farms were included in the sample. Data were collected on both housework and farm work. Three central findings emerged concerning the performance of housework. First, the nature of housework more closely approximates its urban equivalent as household technology is adopted. Second, there is evidence of a decline in the performance of domestic production activities over time, with that decline most pronounced for the younger women. Third, the division of household labour by sex has remained relatively constant over time. Women continue to assume the primary responsibility for housework with younger husbands and husbands of employed women assuming an only slighly greater portion of the overall work load. Women's role in farm work has declined over the last two to four decades. The younger women are now involved in farm work to a lesser extent than older women now, and their participation level is even smaller in relation to that of women twenty or more years ago. Women from small farms continue to perform farm work tasks in greater proportions than women from the larger, more industrialized farms. Like their urban counterparts earlier in this century, farm women are found to be working increasingly further away from the center of economic production. It is concluded that farm women's role in production declines with the advancement of industrialization. Finally, certain implications concerning the potential for devaluation and non-recognition of the economic contribution made by farm women are raised.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: The Mechanism of B.O.F. Fume Formation

contributor:
Kay, D.A.R.
Cosma, D.
Metallurgy and Materials Science

abstract:
An industrial B.O.F., located at the #1 Melt Shop of Dominion Foundries and Steel Ltd., was used to develop and evaluate a method of measuring the rate of fume emissions during steelmaking.

The fume rate was observed to decrease with increasing time into the blow. Approximately 60% of the total fume iron losses are emitted during the first one-third of the blowing time. The fume rate is influenced by such process variables as: metal carbon content, slag volume, metal temperature and lance practice.

The mechanism of fume formation was assessed using the size, shape and chemical analyses of the fume material. The major mechanism is that of the explosive oxidation of metal droplets in the oxygen impact zone. Evidence of vaporization was also observed, but this represented less than 10% (by weight) of the total fume iron losses during the blowing period.

abstract: Master of Engineering (ME)


title: Treatments of Low Back Pain: A Randomized Control Trial in Family Practice

contributor: Design, Measurement and Evaluation; Clinical Epidemiology and Health Care Research

subject:
Life Sciences
Medicine and Health Sciences
Life Sciences

abstract:
Many people suffer from some form of low back pain during their lifetime. A well designed morbidity study of general practice in England; using data collected from over 100 general practices, showed the incidence to be 1.6% per year and the prevalence to be 17.5% (62). Severe back pain may necessitate job changes or even job loss.

Forty-two million dollars were spent on industrial back injuries during 1974 in Ontario (86).

Review of the literature is hampered by the fact that only in a minority of cases can a diagnosis be made with any degree of certainty based on knowledge of pathophysiological mechanisms. Perhaps even less relisble is the chance that the doctor may know some therapy which will actually be superior to the spontaneous recovery rate. The spontaneous recovery rate is estimated at 70% after three weeks of symptoms (76). Because of the lack of progress in the area of diagnosis and treatment many studies lack methodological rigor.

This thesis attempts to examine and summarize some of the physiological, anatomical and mechanical factors that may be implicated in the etiology of low back pain and serve as a basis for rational therapy. It also reviews the encouraging advances in basic research which have taken place in the last decade.

In an effort to determine whether proven clinical outcomes occur, with certain standard treatment regimes, a randomized clinical trial is proposed to test the effectiveness of four different programs in a two by two factorial design. All participants will receive analgesics and/or anti-inflammatory agents at the discretion of their family physician. One group will receive no further treatment. The remaining three groups will have bed rest alone, bed rest with physiotherapy, or physiotherapy alone.

Baseline measurements will be obtained by objective methods of assessing spinal flexion, pain, and activities of daily living.

Prior to the commencement of the trial the study population will be divided into two prognostic groups by the method center based on the decision of the family physician to give the patient either major anti-inflammatory medication or minor analgesics.

It is expected that about 260 subjects suffering from low back pain will be identified by five groups of family physicians within a period of six months. For the patients receiving physiotherapy the same physiotherapist will visit each of the five groups two half-days a week in order to supervise the treatment. Compliance with medication will be assessed by pill counts.

Assessment of bed rest compliance will be measured by self-reporting, reports from a friend and a home visit.

One month after treatments begin, another family physician who is blind as to which group the patient is in will perform some of the outcome measures. Outcome results will consist of relief of pain, return to work, return to normal activities, and relapse rate up to three months.

abstract: Master of Science (MS)


title: Sociology or a Marxist Social Science: An Analysis of the Work of Karl Korsch

contributor:
Levitt, Cyril
Sociology

subject: Sociology Sociology

abstract: My thesis outlines the thought of Karl Korsch by examining the relation of Marxist theory to the historical movement which includes the development of the proletariat on a worldwide scale. This is a unified subjective and objective movement of the socialization of labor. The analysis demonstrates that the original Marxist theory is no longer applicable for todays' society, since it is an historical product itself. Marxism did not stand outside of the movement of history thus it underwent transformations and consequently became a bourgeois philosophy, a false consciousness, no longer the expression of the process of the socialization of labor. Theory was seen as having an independent existence apart from the social relations in the realm of pure thought. Korsch criticized the theorists who took this stance. He claimed that the theorists of the Second International, Lenin and Luxemburg, all drew a sharp line between consciousness and being. Consciousness was understood by them as an independent, static essence which was contrasted to being, as a reflection of an external object. Korsch maintained that together they form a moment in one unified social historical process. Korsch provided us with an original analysis of the counterrevolution. Yet he did not go far enough with it. He focused primarily on the political sphere instead of explaining this period as a time of the expansion of social labor within the relations of capital and wage labor. This gave rise to new political forms. Groups in control tried to change the distribution process but could not alter the process of production. Korsch demonstrated that Marxist theory still provided the framework which could be further developed into a social science. The framework includes; the primacy of the base, the analysis of value, a critical and non-dogmatic approach to Marxist theory, and the principle of historical specificity. This framework provides us with a way to understand the process of the socialization of labor. Korsch presented us with a new definition of revolution as the process of the socialization of labor and the means of production. The revolutionary potential lies with the forces of production, the real labor power of individuals who are bound within the relations of capital and wage-labor. Korsch criticized Marx for his emphasis on the bourgeois form of revolution which relied primarily on the political sphere of the superstructure.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Microstructural Influences on Formability and Fracture of Aluminum Alloy 2036

contributor:
Embury, J.D.
Duncan, J.L.
Metallurgy and Materials Science

abstract: The mechanical deformation behaviour of the age-hardenable aluminum alloy 2036 was used to study the effects of differences in the microstructure due to (a) variations in commercial processing for one ageing condition (T4), and (b) variations in the ageing condition for one processing route. The effects of loading along different proportional straining paths have been considered with the aim of establishing correlations between the mechanical properties and formability, and for the case of (a) above, some rationalisation of selected press performance in terms of particular microstructural constituents has also been attempted. Changes in the fracture behaviour due to both (a) and (b) above are discussed. These changes emphasise the need to consider the role of fracture events in forming operations and their dependence on microstructure.


title: The Society of Self: An analysis of contemporary popular inspirational self-help literature in a socio-historical perspective

contributor:
Knight, Graham
Sociology

subject: Sociology Sociology

abstract: The thesis analyzes current, popular "inspirational" self-help literature as it is situated in a socio-historical context. The findings suggest a contemporary value orientation toward "selfism," a view that individuals should strive, towards total independence of others. A commitment to self, an individual morality, a concern with present day living, self-sufficiency and self-love are some of the values expressed in the current literature. Compared with previous inspirational literature, this suggests an almost radical shift in values and ideology. The trends of the previous literature are reviewed in a socio-historical perspective. It is argued that inspirational literature is a product of the middle class and that the values articulated are symptomatic of broader changes occurring in the culture and social structure. The current value shift reflects a crisis in middle class ideology. This class is currently perceiving a loss of its traditional sense of order and place in the world and is searching for a new ideology that will still contain the central elements of individualism and free will that have been the fundamental ethos of the American consciousness.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Canadian Banks and U.S. Financial Groups

contributor:
Smith, Dusky Lee
Sociology

subject: Sociology Sociology

abstract: This thesis examines the financial-industrial networks in Canada and the United States, with the purpose of identifying the major tendencies and patterns in the relationships between Canadian banks and the conglomerates of U.S. financial and industrial corporations. Previous research by U.S. interest group theorists indicates that the dominant structures in the American economy are huge super-corporate communities of interest centered around the largest commercial banks in the U.S. The largest banks influence the decision-making process in the industrial sector because a) industrial corporations rely on banks for their financing and, b) vast amounts of industrial stock are held in the trust departments of these banks. These two factors guarantee the largest commercial banks membership on the boards of directors of the industrial corporations with which they have these relationships. Prior studies indicate that the majority of individuals holding multiple directorships are indeed bankers. The most powerful banks, and hence the most powerful financial interest groups, are located in the New York area. Research for this thesis suggests that these New York interest groups play a major role in the Canadian economy. More than two-thirds of the U.S. multinationals interlocked with the five largest Canadian banks are also interlocked with the six largest New York banks. Two factors lend support to the claim that U.S. interest groups retain their shapes in Canada: 1) the patterns of interlocking of the subsidiaries of U.S. corporations are similar to those patterns of interlocking for the U.S. parent corporations and, 2) each of the three powerful New York interest groups tends to focus the bulk of its operations on a specific Canadian bank, as indicated by the frequency of interlocks between corporations associated with these groups and identifiable Canadian banks. Furthermore, it appears that with respect to the U.S. multinationals, Canadian bank directors tend not to be selected randomly from the entire population of qualified individuals, but rather from the interest group most closely associated with each Canadian bank.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: A Mini-Micro Computer Interface

contributor:
Sarna, S.K.
Electrical Engineering

subject:
Electrical and Electronics
Electrical and Electronics

abstract:
An interface between a NOVA 830 and IMSAI 8080 microcomputer is presented. The design and implementation of this interface will enable the asynchrous interchange of information between the mini and minicomputer mentioned.

The design presented in this thesis will enable the bidirectional transfer of data blocks via DMA. Besides the capability to generate DMA cycles on both computer buses, a portion of the NOVA 830 memory can be shared. Under this shared memory arrangement, the IMSAI 8080 microcomputer can access the shared NOVA 830 memory as though it is directly connected to its system bus.

Along with the circuit design of the interface, the software requirements involved to ultilize the interface are also discussed.

abstract: Master of Engineering (ME)


title: Visual Forms of the Kuan-wu-liang-shou-fo, Ching in Far Eastern Art as Aids to Release

contributor:
Jan, Y-h.
MacQueen, G.
Religious Studies

subject: Religion Religion

abstract: This study examines in detail thirty of the extant paintings illustrating the Kuan-wu-liang-shou-fo Ching ("The Sūtra of Visualizing the Buddha of Immeasurable Length of Life"). As a result of the detailed analysis of these paintings dating from the early T'ang Dynasty to the late Sung Dynasty, three categories of paintings emerge: 1) those which appear to stress meditation, 2) those which stress meditation but also have faith references, 3) those which stress faith primarily and place little emphasis on meditation. This study is the first of its kind in English concerning the Chinese cave paintings and banners of Tun-huang. It is also the first to examine such a large sample of the extant work illustrating the sūtra, be they the Chinese originals or the Japanese renditions, as to religious significance. Since only one version of this text is extant, purely textual criticism yields but limited findings. An examination of the paintings, other rich sources of information about the text, supplements the limited findings of textual criticism. The result of this examination is a far more comprehensive understanding of the Kuan-wu-liang-shou-fo Ching's teachings, especially in regard to the means to release, teachings gleaned both from the text and its visual forms. The paintings, at various times stress meditation, faith or a combination of both, as the means to release. This artistic evidence strongly suggests shifts in emphasis in the means to release expounded within the Pure Land Buddhist tradition during the time period this study spans.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Identified skeletal reference collections and the study of human variation

contributor:
Saunders, S.R.
Physical Anthropology

subject: Anthropology Anthropology

abstract: A comprehensive model that builds on cemetery studies theory and new biocultural synthesis theory is presented for investigating human variation using reference collections. This model is used to investigate several hypotheses related to the use of skeletal reference collections and the race concept in skeletal biology. Are racial categories or equivalent terms useful for investigating human variation? Have biases in reference collections resulted in a misinterpretation of human variation? Is it possible to identify and control for some of the biases in reference collections and develop identification methods that are still useful in the 21st century? Documentary, historical and skeletal data were collected from two different reference collections: the Terry and Coimbra Collections. Some data from the Forensic Anthropology Data Bank (FDB) were also used in conjunction with these two collections in analyses related to patterns of sexual dimorphism, sex determination methods, and assessment of secular changes using skeletal data. A critical review of the methodology for the study of secular change in femur length illustrates that there are methodological costs of ignoring bias in reference collections. In a combined sample from several collections, what appear to be significant secular changes occur at the points of transition between data sources. Dividing samples into racial sub-samples does not control for so-called population differences and only further confounds the analysis of secular changes using reference collections. An alternative methodology was followed for the development of a series of metric sex determination methods with allocation accuracies of 90-98.5%. Logistic regression was used to develop a series of models that use a new alternative measurement of the pubis along with traditional measurements of the hipbone and femur. Demographic and historical data were used to select a reference sample that included a wide range of human variation. Testing suggests that these metric models are widely applicable. Various skeletal, demographic, and historical analyses indicated that racial categories or equivalent terms are not useful for investigating human variation using reference collections, and that some of the biases in reference collections have resulted in a mis-interpretation of human variation in past research. It is possible to identify and control for some of the biases in reference collections and develop identification methods that are still useful in the 21st century.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Effects of Precipitation, Recovery and Recrystallization on the Microstructural Evolution of Microalloyed Austenite

contributor:
Purdy, G.R.
Weatherly, G.C.
Engineering

subject: Engineering Engineering

abstract: The deformation of metals and alloys increases the energy of the system through the storage of dislocations. This stored-energy is the driving force for the processes of recovery and recrystallization. In microalloyed steels, the dislocations provide the necessary nucleation sites for the precipitation of fine dispersions of carbonitrides. Thus, the deformation of microalloyed austenite is followed by three simultaneous processes, namely, recovery, recyrstallization and precipitation. The processes are closely coupled and the progress of each is strongly influence by the evolution of the other processes. In this contribution, existing models of recovery, recrystallization and precipitation have been coupled to produce a physically-based model of the evolution of microalloyed austenite following deformation. The model's predictions are in excellent quantitative agreement with the existing experimental observations in the literature. A series of fully-austenitic model alloys was developed to examine the underlying assumptions of the above model. The model alloys are based on the Ni-Fe-Nb-C system and were designed to match the stacking-fault-energy of low carbon steels. In this way, it was possible to observe the evolution of microstructure directly in an alloy that closely resembled C-Mn steels. Precipitation in the model alloys was studied extensively, using the techniques of small angle neutron scattering and electron microscopy. In addition, mechanical testing was used to study the variation of the yield stress in deformed and annealed samples. The predictions of the model are shown to be in good agreement with the experimental observations. Both point to a strong interaction between precipitation and recovery in microalloyed steels. This interaction dominates the microstructural evolution of these steels at low-rolling-temperatures.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Subsystem Quantum Mechanics and Its Applications to Crystalline Systems

contributor:
Bader, Richard F. W.
Chemistry

subject: Chemistry Chemistry

abstract: This thesis reports results of the author's investigations along the theme that both dynamic and static properties of molecules and solids can be expressed in terms of their parts from theoretical and applied aspects. Specifically, the following four main results are obtained: (1) A topological analysis of the charge density in crystals has been developed. This is an extension of the theory of molecular structure to crystalline systems. Relationships between the bulk properties of a crystal and its topological properties of molecules and crystals have been made. (2) The theory of atoms in molecules has been extended to a crystal and yields a variational definition of Wigner-Seitz cell. This definition maximizes the relation of the cell to the physical form exhibited by the charge density and the derived structure factors that account, in a natural way, for the observed intensities of scattered electrons and X-rays. It has been demonstrated that the theory of atoms in molecules and crystals can provide a way to model the behaviors of solids. This is done through the use of the fact that atomic properties are often transferable from one system to another. (3) The subsystem variational principle has been reformulated in terms of quantum field theoretical language and the subsystem Feynman path integrals of electrons have been obtained using the coherent representation. This part contributes to the foundation of the theory of atoms in molecules and crystals. (4) Both dynamic and static quantum mechanical subspace techniques have been extensively investigated. A new variational method has been derived for embedding one system in another using the R-matrix formalism within the density functional approach. A formal subspace perturbation scheme has been proposed. These methods aim to obtain the charge distribution of a subsystem starting from known reference systems.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Santiago De Carreira: Stories of Labour in a Community of Galician Worker-Peasants

contributor:
Counts, David R.
Anthropology

subject: Anthropology Anthropology

abstract:
In this thesis, I examine worker-peasant social and cultural patterns in Santiago de Carreira, a rural parish located in the region of Galicia in northwestern Spain Based on historical and ethnographic research conducted from September 1990 to August 1991, this study provides an analysis of multioccupationality in the context of a mixed economy in this community over the course of the twentieth century. Following Douglas Holmes (1983, 1989), among others, I argue that worker-peasantries are not necessarily transitional and often represent a viable alternative to either commercial farming or full proletarianization.

Member of household in the parish of Carreira remain committed to subsistence agricultural production, despite the fact that many of them have participated in various forms of wage labour locally and in migrant destinations. Four broad worker-peasant strategies are discussed in the thesis: the reproduction of stem-family household pattern; the elaboration of a worker-peasant work ethic; the valorization of non-wage labour; and the maintenance of inter-household exchange relationships. These strategies mediate the effects of capitalist penetration. In the face of few opportunities for secure wage employment, the Carreirense, like other European worker-peasants, have kept their land in production. The three-generation stem-family household system, when combined with multiple forms of livelihood, allows for the flexible movement of household members of both genders in and out of the wage market.

I also focus extensively on the symbols, metaphors, and meanings that the Carreirense attach to work activities and exchange relationships. This local-level perspective is communicated with the verbatim accounts of work, like stories of labour, and social memories of significant events in the past. In this thesis, I emphasize that these Spanish villagers continuously craft their own lives in the face of difficult structural circumstances and strong pressures towards economic globalization and cultural homogenization.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: An Econometric Analysis of the Short-Run Variability in Canadian Output and Prices

contributor:
Denton, F.T.
Magee, L.
Butterfield, D.W.
Economics / Economic Policy

subject: Economics Economics

abstract:
Providing reasonable explanation for the business cycle has been the research agenda for many economists since the early 20th century. Most attempts to explain the sources of macroeconomic fluctuations attribute the variability in output and prices to only a few sources, sometimes to only one. While a significant amount of theoretical research has been undertaken on the business cycle, relatively little empirical work has been conducted that attempts to measure the qualitative importance of various sources of macroeconomic variability.

Macroeconometric models are typically detailed enough to allow a decomposition of output variability into a variety of constituent shocks. In these models, all macroeconomic fluctuation can be traced ultimately to equation residuals or exogenous variables. Ray Fair (1988) has undertaken stochastic simulations using his macroeconometric model of the U.S. economy to estimate the quantitative importance of various sources of variability in U.S. output and prices.

We have adopted Fair's methodology for application in a Canadian framework, using a quarterly Canadian macroeconometric model constructed specifically for the purpose. Fair's original technique and two variants of it are used. Bootstrapping, a distribution-free method, is used in addition to Fair's method, which assumes normally distributed shocks. In order to take into account shocks associated with exogenous variables, we have followed Fair and added autoregressive equations to the model. Using all these procedures, we have estimated the contribution of all the equation shocks in the model to the variances of three major endogenous variables, real GDP, the rate of change in the GDP price deflator and the rate of unemployment.

The results shows that, in the case of the variance of real GDP, export and import equation shocks dominate and account for more than 55 percent of the variation over all quarters in eight-quarter simulations. Consumer expenditures on services, business fixed investment in machinery and equipment, consumer expenditures on nondurables, total imports, and consumer expenditures on semi-durables are among the other major contributors. The contributions of all the major contributors vary over the simulation period. While the contribution of consumer expenditures on durables, for example, increases from about -2 percent to about 10 percent, the contribution of consumer expenditures on services decreases from between 7 and 10 percent (depending on the method used) to about 3 or 4 percent. Since out simulations are limited to only eight periods, it is impossible to determine whether or not these contributions would stabilize over a longer simulation period.

The variances of the rate of change in the GDP deflator (PDOT) and the rate of unemployment (UNR) are similar to each other in that there are only a few major sources contributing to their variances and, unlike real GDP, the major contributors are the same across simulation periods, regardless of the method. Their own shocks account for 100 percent of their variation in the first quarter of the simulation period, but a lesser proportion thereafter. The other main contributors are: domestic and U.S. rates of interest, the exchange rate, and the total private sector component of real GDP (in the case of PDOT) and total consumption, total investment and total exports and imports (in the case of UNR) While some contributions increase significantly over the simulation period, others decrease. Thus a source that is dominant in the short run may be unimportant in the longer run and vice versa.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Measures of Social Functioning Applicable to Children

contributor:
Chambers, Larry W. (Larry William)
Clinical Epidemiology

subject:
Life Sciences
Life Sciences

abstract:
This thesis describes the development and preliminary assessment of social function measures applicable to noninstitutionalized children ranging from 2-14 years of age. The measures are to be used in a cohort comparison study to evaluate neonatal intensive care for under 1500 gram birth weight infants. A lack of earlier attempts to develop measures that focus specifically on the social health of children provided the motivation for creating the scales reported in this paper.

The three major divisions of the thesis include a discussion of measurement criteria applicable to new child health scales; a content analysis and evaluation of available measures of social functioning; and the analysis of results from a pilot study designed to assess a battery of instruments created for the neonatal intensive care project.

Emerging from this work are three social function scales. One of the scales assesses the quality of social relationships and applies to children from 2-14 years. Pilot study results suggest, however, that this scale may overlap excessively with measures of emotional function. The remaining social function scales are applicable to children from 4-14 years: they measure quantitative dimensions of social health which include friendships, interpersonal contacts and social activities.

abstract: Master of Science (MS)


title: Agreement Analysis: A Decision Chart and Its Evaluation

contributor:
Goldsmith, C.H.
Clinical Epidemiology

subject:
Life Sciences
Life Sciences

abstract: Existing statistical measures of agreement are reviewed and organized into a series of flow charts to facilitate their selection for analysis. A subset of "useful" measures is selected on the basis of their measuring meaningful agreement, hating interpretable referent values, being subject to hypothesis testing, being hand calculable and continuous (categorical) measures having categorical (continuous) analogues. "Useful" measures for continuous data sets are all intraclass correlation coefficients, applicable to different ANOVA models depending on the assumptions involved. "Useful" measures for categories data include various chance corrected (kappa) types, sensitivity-specificity and predictive value measures. The "useful" measures are displayed in a single condensed flow chart. A strategy to evaluate the use of this flow chart is also developed.

abstract: Master of Science (MS)