title: An Explanation of Intraurban Consumer Behaviour

contributor:
Webber, M.J.
Geography

subject:
Intraurban consumer behaviour
shoppping location choices
grocery
outlets
Geography
Human Geography
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Geography

abstract: Intraurban consumer behaviour is explained in this thesis by a conventional scientific method - a hypothesis about why we shop where we shop is empirically tested by observation and model calibration. Dynamic theory of the individual relative choice and a description of the spatial context of the perceived retail structure of Hamilton, Ontario, form the groundbase for hypothesizing a set of areal generalizations for single-stop, single-purpose shopping trips. The generalizations are 'general' statements about why people shop where they shop; specifically, grocery trips should be to an outlet located in the nearest shopping centre to place of residence, while non-grocery trips should be either to an outlet located in a nearby shopping centre when shopping for low-value goods, or to an outlet located anywhere in the city when shopping for high-value goods. The reason why these destinations should be chosen is so as to either maintain acquired utility levels over time when grocery, or low-value non-grocery, shopping or maximize acquired utility at one finite time period when high value non-grocery shopping. The areal generalisations are then tested by constructing trip flow maps and calibrating a multinomial logit model, using an observed aggregate shopping trip data set for Hamilton, Ontario. Both the floe maps of single-stop, single-purpose shopping trips and the estimated logit model coefficients and elasticity statistics, verify the areal generalisations. Thus the observed shopping trip flows for Hamilton, Ontario can be explained by the hypothesized areal generalisations; however, the mode of explanation can be spatially transferred to any city as the temporal relative choice theory of individual behaviour is universal. All that is required is a description of the spatial context in which the choice theory continues to operate. The thesis has thus shown how a conventional scientific method can explain rational behaviour, where to be "rational" is to be human, not deterministic.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Sectoral Interdependence and Egypt's Investment Strategy

subject:
Egypt
Five-Year Plan
economic development
industrializaton
Economics
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Economics

abstract:
Egypt's first Five-Year Plan 1960/61 - 1964/65 charted a program for economic development based on industrialization via import substitution and self-sufficiency. The Plan was not designed on the basis of a comprehensive model and therefore could not take account of many interdependencies, nor was it possible to determine if the Plan was consistent with resource supplies. Unfortunately such aspects were considered only in a piecemeal fashion. Moreover, the selection of investment projects was based on the assumption that labour is abundantly available. The Plan envisaged an overall growth in value added of 40 percent during the 5-year period and an equilibrium in the balance of trade by the terminal year. Although the growth target was nearly achieved, the trade deficit increased instead of disappearing.

This study represents an endeavour to remedy the shortcomings of the Egyptian planning practice as represented by the country's first Five-Year Plan in two ways. First, a comprehensive linear programming model was developed to assist in the choice of industries where capacity can be expanded to the optimum advantage. Second, alternate assumptions were introduced with regard to labour based on the observable fact that although unskilled labour is abundantly available, only skilled labour is required for an overall effort of economic development. Thus, a set of labour constraints by industry was incorporated into the model. This implies a given and well-defined pattern of skill requirements by industry. Simulations based on the linear programming model indicated that the neglect of labour leads to a bias in project selection in favour of investments with a relatively high foreign-exchange content. Some of these simulations also resulted in a pattern of expansion stressing agriculture, food processing and fertilizers in contrast with the Plan's emphasis on metals, machinery and chemicals.

The study also analyzes the interdependencies in the Egyptian structure of production. One of the conclusions of the analysis in this context is that agriculture occupies a very central place in the economy, and in fact constitutes a bottleneck industry. The finding that agriculture is very important contrasts sharply with the secondary place it occupies in the country's priorities, judged from its first Five-Year Plan. Two consistency tests were performed, one to check the compatibility of the individual sectoral output targets and the other to check the consistency of the overall-growth and the balance-of-trade targets. The individual industry output targets turned out to be inconsistent, which seems to suggest that indirect relationships between the different industries were not carefully considered.The overall-growth target and the balance-of-trade target appeared inconsistent, which seems to suggest either that the planners neglected indirect import requirements or that they overestimated the economy's capacity to replace pbout one-third of the target year imports

Two other aspects of the Egyptian structure of production were also examined utilizing input-output data for 1954 and 1963/64. One is to determine if that structure exhibits any recursivity. This was done by triangularizing the input-output coefficient matrix, and revealed that indeed there is a discernible hierarchy in the system of production. The other aspect examined was the degree of dependence, in production, on the rest of the world. The analysis here entailed deriving numerical values for the direct, indirect and total (direct plus indirect) import coefficients. The numerical results indicate clearly that the industries heavily stressed in Egypt's first Five-Year Plan (metals, machinery and chemicals) are heavily dependent on imports for their current production requirements. If, to this, imported investment requirements for capacity expansion are added, we can then determine one of the important reasons why the balance of trade equilibrium was not achieved.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Symbolic Decentralized Supervisory Control

contributor:
Leduc, R. J.
Ricker, Laurie
Mohrenschildt, M. V.
Computing and Software

subject:
Discrete Event Systems
Decentralized Supervisory Control
State-based co-observability
SB co-observability
Algorithms
Computational complexity
Binary Decision Diagrams
Controls and Control Theory
Controls and Control Theory

abstract:
A decentralized discrete-event system (DES) consists of supervisors that are physically distributed. Co-observability is one of the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a decentralized supervisors that correctly solve the control problem. In this thesis we present a state-based definition of co-observability and introduce algorithms for its verification. Existing algorithms for the verification of co-observability do not scale well, especially when the system is composed of many components. We show that the implementation of our state-based definition leads to more efficient algorithms.

We present a set of algorithms that use an existing structure for the verification of state-based co-observability (SB Co-observability). A computational complexity analysis of the algorithms show that the state-based implementation of algorithms result in quadratic complexity. Further improvements come from using a more compact way of representing finite-state machines namely Binary Decision Diagrams (BDD).

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Feasibility of the Development and Implementation of an Organ Donor Registry in Mumbai, India

contributor:
Randall, Glen
Dobbins, Maureen
Mulvale, Gillian
Global Health

subject:
organ donation
India
health policy
Health Policy
Health Policy

abstract:
Background: Organ donation in India is a complex issue due to the country’s large population, diverse religious beliefs and myths surrounding organ donation, varying literacy rates, nation-wide focus on disease control, and the commercialization of organs. India has only made marginal steps to address the significant obstacles in order to ensure adequate supplies of organs are available to meet the demand.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze the feasibility of implementing an organ donor registry in Mumbai, India. This is achieved by reviewing current organ donation policies and processes in Mumbai, exploring perceptions of key informants about Indian government health priorities, and identifying possible reasons why the Indian government has not made efforts to increase the deceased donor rate.

Methods: This qualitative policy analysis employs semi-structured interviews with physicians, transplant coordinators, and representatives of organ donation advocacy groups in Mumbai to explore key informants’ perceptions about the feasibility of developing and implementing an organ donor registry. The 3-I framework (ideas, interests, and institutions) is used to analyze the results and frame the discussion and their implications.

Results: Key informants cite various barriers to the implementation of an organ donor registry in Mumbai, including public misconceptions about organ donation, competing health priorities on the government agenda, and limited hospital infrastructure.

Conclusion: In the absence of a focusing event or a policy entrepreneur who is able to push the issue of organ donation onto the health policy agenda, both central and state governments may have little incentive to aggressively pursue the implementation of a donor registry in more than a superficial way. Moreover, even if the issue reached the government’s policy agenda, current barriers may be too overwhelming to overcome. This suggests that implementing an organ donor registry in Mumbai as a means of enhancing organ availability is not feasible in the current environment. Instead, efforts to enhance the transplant system should focus on alternate strategies, such as public education, until the policy environment becomes more amenable to change.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: EVALUATING THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF EVIDENCE-BASED KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION INTERVENTIONS TARGETING OSTEOPOROSIS AND FRACTURE PREVENTION IN ONTARIO LONG-TERM CARE HOMES

contributor: Clinical Health Sciences (Health Research Methodology)

subject:
Knowledge Translation
Osteoporosis
Fractures
Prescribing
Long-term Care homes
Vitamin D
Knowledge Translation
Knowledge Translation

abstract:
Background: Despite strong evidence, strategies for improving bone health are underutilized. Knowledge translation (KT) interventions aim to improve uptake of evidence-based practices, however the feasibility and effectiveness of such strategies require further evaluation within Long-term Care (LTC). In this thesis, we examined the impacts of a province-wide osteoporosis strategy and a more intensive multifaceted KT strategy including expert-led educational meetings, audit/feed-back, and action planning for quality improvement. Both studies targeted interdisciplinary LTC teams (physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dietician, and other staff).

Methods: In the first thesis study, we examined the impact of the Ontario Osteoporosis Strategy for LTC by investigating changes in facility-level prescribing rates (vitamin D, calcium, osteoporosis medications) before and after its implementation (2007 versus 2012). The second study was a pilot cluster randomized trial evaluating the feasibility and effectiveness of a 12-month, multifaceted, interdisciplinary KT intervention [Vitamin D and Osteoporosis Study (ViDOS)]. Prescribing outcomes included: vitamin D ≥800 IU (primary), calcium ≥500 mg/day, and osteoporosis medications (high-risk residents only). Feasibility outcomes included recruitment, retention, data collection, intervention fidelity, and process changes. We analyzed resident level data using the generalized estimating equations (GEE) technique, adjusting for clustering.

Results:

In both studies, significant improvements were observed for vitamin D and calcium prescribing. In the first study, prescribing increased by 38% and 4%, respectively, between 2007 and 2012. In the ViDOS trial, the 12-month intervention resulted in an absolute improvement of 15% and 7%, respectively (intention to treat cohort). There was no significant effect for prescribing of osteoporosis medications in either study. In the ViDOS study, recruitment and retention rates were 22% and 63%, respectively; good intervention fidelity was achieved and intervention homes reported several process changes.

Conclusion:

This thesis study demonstrated that KT interventions targeting evidence-based osteoporosis and fracture prevention strategies were feasibly and effectively applied with interdisciplinary LTC teams.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Normal Prenatal and Postnatal Development of the Hooded Rat and the Effects of Prenatal Treatment with Growth Hormone

contributor:
Smith, G. K.
Psychology

subject: Psychology Psychology

abstract:
The prenatal and postnatal development of the rat has been investigated under normal conditions and following treatment of the mother with growth hormone during pregnancy.

Whereas most structural measure of normal body and brain development changed in a continuous fashion through the fetal and neonatal stages, the net change in brain DNA (cellularity) was biphasic; the first phase occurring in the fetal stage and the second over the second and third postnatal weeks. Daily treatment of the pregnant rat with growth hormone has no detectable effect on litter-size, placenta weight, or body and brain measures of the fetus in late gestation. However, the treatment did produce two definite effects: (i)prolongation of the gestation period; (ii) an increase in body-weight of the gravid rat which was maintained, in part, throughout lactation. Autopsy on postnatal day 40 showed that a definite growth response had occurred.

Naturally occurring differences in maternal body-weight were subsequently studied. Body-weight of the mother was not related to gestation period, litter-size, or birth-weight of the offspring, but was found to be inversely correlated with nest-time. Heavy mothers spent less time with their litters, and imparted a slight developmental precocity to them, compared with light mothers. In the open-field in adulthood, activity level was correlated positively, and defecation level negatively, with the amount of time the mother had spent with the litter in the first two weeks of life. A temperature-dependent model for maternal nursing behaviour was proposed.

Prenatal treatment with growth hormone resulted in changes in maternal behaviour in the direction predicted on the basis of body-weight. Offspring from growth hormone mothers showed no developmental precocity when age was dated from conception. Previously reported differences in adult brain structure and behaviour of growth hormone offspring were attributed to a postnatal influence of the growth hormone-treated mother.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: PRINTING AND CHARACTERIZATION OF INKS FOR PAPER-BASED BIOSENSORS

contributor:
Pelton, Robert H.
Brennan, John D.
Carlos Filipe, Fred Capretta
Chemical Engineering

subject:
Paper-based Biosensor
Antibody Stability
Sol-gel Bio-inks
Enzyme Entrapment
Coating Morphplogy
Other Chemical Engineering
Other Chemical Engineering

abstract:
This thesis describes solutions to many of the challenges in the development of paper-based biosensors. Coupling techniques in analytical biochemistry with knowledge of paper science and technology, advances are described in the areas of: the influence of paper surface chemistry on bioactivity; optimizing bioactive ink formulation; the printing of paper supported microfluidic channels; and, the characterization of complex sensors based on printed sol-gel material layers.

The stability of paper-immobilized antibodies under various conditions was first studied using both untreated filter paper and PAE-treated paper. Antibody stability decreased with increasing temperature and relative humidity. Paper treated with PAE had no significant influence on antibody stability under the experimental conditions. The experimental result was also encapsulated in an empirical equation to predict the impact of printing and coating operations on antibody activity.

The influence of paper sizing agent (AKD) on the adsorption and inactivation of antibody was also investigated. The preliminary study showed that the small amount of AKD improved the antibody adsorption on paper and also did not interfere antibody activity. Therefore, packaging papers containing sizing agents can be used as a substrate for antibody immobilization.

Two strategies to fabricate hydrophobic barriers were developed, based on sol-gel derived MSQ material. The first method is based on ink-jet printing a highly basic solution onto MSQ-impregnated filter paper to re-exposing the cellulose and producing a hydrophilic patterned region. The second method is direct ink-jet printing of MSQ onto paper to outline the hydrophobic walls bordering the hydrophilic channels. The resistance of the barriers to surfactants and organic solvents was tested. The functionality of MSQ-based devices was further demonstrated by using a colorimetric assay for E. coli detection.

Multiple-stage inkjet printing of sol-gel based bioink onto porous filter paper for enzyme immobilization was characterized by various methods. Confocal microscope and SEM/TEM images confirmed the formation of sol-gel and enzyme composite material on the paper fibers without cracking. The protease assay proved that the entrapment of enzyme molecules improved with the increasing amount of the sol-gel derived material printed on paper. The top layer of sol-gel ink was found to play a major role in protection against enzyme proteolysis, while the bottom layer of sol-gel ink was found to be necessary to prevent the potential inhibition of enzyme by the cationic polymer.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: AN IN VITRO MODEL TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF ANTICOAGULANTS ON CLOT FORMATION IN THE PRESENCE OF LOW PLATELET COUNTS

contributor: Medical Sciences (Blood and Cardiovascular)

subject:
Clotting
Thrombosis
Thrombocytopenia
Thromboelastography
Platelets
Anticoagulants
Medicine and Health Sciences
Medicine and Health Sciences

abstract: The management of thrombosis in the presence of thrombocytopenia is challenging because the inherent risk of bleeding associated with anticoagulant use may increase due to low platelet counts. Guidelines regarding anticoagulant use in this situation are based mainly on expert opinions and anecdotal data. We developed an in-vitro model to study the effect of anticoagulants on plasma clot formation in the presence of low platelet counts. We used thromboelastography (TEG) to measure global viscoelastic properties of clot formation and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to observe and quantify changes in the fibrin clot structure. Experiments were conducted in plasma with varying platelet concentrations from <10 >– 150 × 109/L. Clotting was activated with tissue factor (TF) and calcium, in the presence of factor XIIa inhibitor, corn trypsin inhibitor. One of the following anticoagulants at therapeutic concentration was added to the mixture: unfractionated heparin (UFH), dalteparin, fondaparinux, rivaroxaban or dabigatran. We found clotting had different sensitivity to TF concentration depending on the anticoagulant present. Effects on TEG parameters varied at a fixed TF concentration with each anticoagulant. UFH had the greatest influence, delaying clotting significantly at low platelet counts. The factor-specific anticoagulants had the least impact on TEG parameters. SEM revealed that UFH had the greatest impact on clot structure. UFH caused significant increase in porosity and fibrin widths and had significantly less fibers when platelets decreased. In conclusion, this study may provide fundamental data to understand clot formation in the presence of anticoagulants at low platelet counts. At low platelets the anticoagulants can jeopardize clot formation, especially UFH. The mechanism of each anticoagulant may contribute to the variation in response to TF initiated clotting. AT-dependent anticoagulants compromised plasma clotting more than the newer factor specific anticoagulants, possibly related to the multiple, non-specific inhibition of coagulation factors.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Valence Bond Calculations for Quantum Spin Chains: From Impurity Entanglement and Incommensurate Behaviour to Quantum Monte Carlo

contributor: Sung-Sik Lee, Catherine Kallin, Kevin Beach

subject:
quantum magnetism
spin chain
valence bond
quantum Monte Carlo
worm algorithm
Lifshitz point
Condensed Matter Physics
Condensed Matter Physics

abstract:
In this thesis I present three publications about the use of
valence bonds to gain information about quantum spin systems.
Valence bonds are an essential ingredient of low energy states present
in many compounds.

The first part of this thesis is dedicated to
two studies of the antiferromagnetic J1-J2 chain with
S=1/2. We show how automated variational calculations based on
valence bond states can be performed close to the Majumdar-Ghosh point
(MG-point). At this point, the groundstate is a product state of
dimers (valence bonds between nearest neighbours). In the dimerized
region surrounding the MG-point, we find such variational computations
to be reliable.

The first publication is about
the entanglement properties of an impurity attached to the chain. We show
how to use the variational method to calculate the negativity, an
entanglement measure between the impurity and a distant part of the
chain. We find that increasing the impurity coupling and a
minute explicit dimerization, suppress the long-ranged entanglement
present in the system for small impurity coupling at the MG-point.

The second publication is about a
transition from commensurate to incommensurate behaviour and how its
characteristics depend on the parity of the length of the chain. The
variational technique is used in a parameter regime inaccessible to
DMRG. We find that in odd chains, unlike in even chains, a very
intricate and interesting pattern of level crossings can be observed.

The publication of the second part is about novel worm algorithms for
a popular quantum Monte Carlo method called valence bond quantum Monte
Carlo (VBQMC). The algorithms are based on the notion of a worm
moving through a decision tree. VBQMC is entirely formulated in
terms of valence bonds. In this thesis, I explain how the approach
of VBQMC can be translated to the Sz-basis. The algorithms explained
in the publication can be applied to this Sz-method.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Sensor Management for Large-Scale MultisensorMultitarget Tracking

contributor:
Kirubarajan, T.
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject: electrical eng.

subject: sensor management

subject: large-scale

subject: Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject: Engineering

subject: Other Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject: Signal Processing

subject: Systems and Communications

subject: Electrical and Computer Engineering

abstract:
In this thesis we consider the problem of managing an array of sensors in order to track multiple targets in the presence of clutter in centralized, distributed and decentralized architectures. As a result of recent technological advances, a large number of sensors can be deployed and used for multitarget tracking purposes. Even though a large number of sensors are available, due to frequency, power and other physical limitations, only a few of them can be used at anyone time. The problem is then to select sensor subsets that should be used by fusion centers at each measurement time step in order to optimize the tracking performance subject to their operational constraints.

In general, sensor management is performed based on the predicted tracking performance at the future time steps. In this thesis, the Posterior Cntmer-Rao lower bound (PCRLB), which provides a measure of the optimal achievable accuracy of target state estimation, is used as the performance measure. We derive the multitarget PCRLB and show the existence of a multitarget information reduction matrix (IRM), which can be calculated off-line in most cases. First, the sensor subset selection problem for centralized architecture is considered for two different scenarios: (i) fixed and known llumber of targets; (ii) varying number of targets. Then, in the distributed architecture, in addition to assigning sensor subsets to local fusion centers (LFCs), the transmission frequencies and powers of active sensors need to be assigned. In this thesis, we assume that the transmission power of the sensors will be software controllable within certain lower and upper limits. Finally, we consider the decentralized architecture in which there is no central fusion center (CFC), each fusion center (FC) communicates only with the neighboring FCs, and communications are restricted. In this case, each FC has to decide which sensors should to be used by itself at each measurement time step by considering which sensors may be used by neighboring FCs.

We give the optimal formulations for all of the above problems. Finding the optimal solutions to the above problems in real time is very hard in large scale scenarios. We present algorithms to find suboptimal solutions in real time. Simulation results illustrate the performance of the algorithms, both in terms of their real-time capability for large scale problems and the resulting estimation accuracy.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: The Incidence and Economic Effects of the Financing of Unemployment Insurance

contributor:
Burbidge, J.B.
Dr. A.1. Robb, Dr. W.H. Scarth
Economics

subject:
economic effects
financing unemployment insurance
Economics
Economics

abstract:
This thesis deals with the incidence and economic effects of payroll taxes earmarked for unemployment insurance. A major objective is to provide an appropriate theoretical framework for a discussion of this issue. In cases where D.I. coverage is reasonably comprehensive, S6 that the D.I. tax can be regarded as a broad based tax, it is argued that the proper engine of analysis is basically the standard macroeconomic general equilibrium model. The macroeconomic effects of taxation, whether they originate from the demand or supply side, are regarded as an integral part of incidence analysis.

The standard macro framework requires modification in one direction, which is a ~ore detailed development of the aggregate labour supply function. This reflects the view that the most important macroeconomic effects of unemployment insurance are likely to emerge from the supply side, via work incentives.

A number of variants of a small macroeconomic model are developed, each incorporating an explicit modelling of a hypothetical D.I. system. Qualitative incidence results are obtained using the traditional method of comparative statics, while a quantitative dimension is added in static and dynamic simulation exercises with plausible parameter values drawn from the relevant econometric literature. Different versions of the model employ various alternative hypotheses about the way in which the labour market operates and/or different specifications of the aggregate labour supply function.

The incidence results depend largely on the effect of payroll tax increases on labour supply. In the so-called neoclassical version of the model, for example, payroll tax increases reduce both participation and average weeks worked by participants, but tax and benefit rates are connected via the D.I. budget constraint, and benefit rate changes also effect labour supply. An increase in the benefit rate will tend to reduce average weeks worked by participants but to increase participation itself. Therefore a balanced budget increase in payroll tax rates has a potentially ambiguous effect on labour supply. If the net impact on lahour supply is negative we obtain the 'standard' incidence results. A balanced budget increase in payroll tax rates reduces output and emplo)~ent, increases the general price level, and reduces both capital and labour income. (Similar results also occur in other versions of the model in which the labour market does not clear due to (e.g.) real or money wage rigidity.) On the other hand, if the net impact on labour supply is positive we obtain 'perverse' results, increases in output and employment, reductions in the price level and so on.

The comparative static analysis and simulation exercises enable us to identify the key parameters in the aggregate labour supply function, and their critical values. For plausible parameter values, chosen on the basis of the available empirical evidence, it would appear that perverse results are not likely. However, there is clearly a need for more empirical investigation in this area.

These results conflict with the traditional view that labour bears the full burden of payroll taxation, but we conclude that this view depends heavily on the assumed inelasticity of the aggregate labour supply function. The latter assumption is demonstrated to be inconsistent with the bulk of the empirical evidence on labour supply.

Finally, some attention is also paid to the aggregate demand effects of unemployment insurance, in particular the case where the savings propensity out of U.I. benefits is less than that out of private factor incomes.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Technological Innovation: What Do the Schumpeterian Hypotheses Imply?

contributor: D.W. Butterfield (Chairman), G.J. Anderson, L.J. Magee

subject:
techological inovation
schumpeterian hypothesis
Economics
Economics

abstract:
A large section of the industrial organization literature is devoted to the interpretation and empirical testing of the hypotheses advanced by Joseph Schumpeter concerning market structure and innovation. One set of hypotheses deals with the monopoly power of firms and its association with innovation, while the other set focuses on the relationship between firm size and innovation. Empirically these two sets of hypotheses may not be independent of each other, although extant empirical studies have concentrated on one in isolation of the other. In this dissertation we build a general framework where these two sets of hypotheses can be considered together in order that we can properly identify either effect -- that is, the effects of monopoly power and of firm size on innovation.

A major objective of our study is to combine two recent developments in the literature. First, it has been empirically demonstrated that proxies for appropriability and technological opportunity, when included in the regression, significantly diminish the explanatory power of concentration (a measure of monopoly power) on innovation and lnnovation-related activities, such as Research and Development (R&D) expenditures. In this dissertation, we construct sever,d proxies for appropriability and technological opportunity, using new data on innovative activities of firms in Canada collected by the Economic Council of Canada.

Second, it has been recently argued that, except in the short run, both market structure and innovative activities ought to be treated as endogeneous, as opposed to the existing practice of assuming that the market structure is given. Our theoretical framework allows both innovative activity and firm size (a measure of market structure) to be determined by appropriability, technological opportunity and various non-innovative factors such as demand conditions, foreign versus domestic ownership of firms, etc.

It is commonly observed that firms sometimes choose not to hire any R&D personnel, namely, scientists and engineers, and instead entrust the responsibilities of R&D either with a consulting firm or even with its own operating personnel. These decisions result in observations with 'zero' values for R&D personnel in the sample. In this dissertation, we provide an economic underpinning for such decisions by firms and recognize this 'limited-dependent variable' problem in our estimation through use of the Tobit estimation method.

Finally, as a by-product of our theoretical framework we examine some of the common empirical measures which have been used to test the Schumpeterian hypotheses. One of our major findings in this regard is that many of the existing empirical tests of the hypothesis that there is a positive externality from firm size to innovative activities of firms are misspecified in the sense that they are neither necessary nor sufficient for the existence of the above externality.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Inelastic Analysis of Brick Masonry: MesolMacro-scale Approach

contributor:
Pietruszczak, S.
Engineering

subject:
Inelastic Analysis of Brick Masonary
Engineering
Engineering

abstract:
This thesis is focused on modeling of progressive failure in brick masonry structures. Two distinct strategies are examined, namely meso-modeling and macromodeling approach.

In the first part, an advanced constitutive model capable of addressing both pre and post-localization behavior is developed and implemented in a commercial finite element package. A mesoscopic modeling approach is then adopted, in which the structural behavior is examined at the level of constituents, i.e. brick and mortar. The performance of the model is verified by simulating a series of experimental tests reported in the literature. Those include the tests conducted by van der Pluijm (1993), Atkinson et al. (1989), and Page (1983).

Later, an alternative approach is developed, based on theory of homogenization, in which a lower bound assessment is employed to predict the directional strength characteristics of the brick masonry. The performance of the model is verified using numerical homogenization which involves a finite element analysis of a periodic unit cell. For both these approaches, the failure envelopes for brick masonry at different orientations of the bed joints are obtained.

Finally, a methodology is proposed for a systematic identification of material parameters of a macroscopic failure criterion describing the anisotropic strength characteristics of the brick masonry. This criterion is formulated in the framework of Critical Plane Approach (CPA) and its performance is verified against the experimental data of Page (1981 and 1983).

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: A new energy minimization method for atomistic simulations

contributor:
Dr. D.R. Metzger,  Dr. M. Niewczas
Mechanical Engineering

subject:
Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Engineering

abstract:
A novel energy minimization framework, based on the Dynamic Relaxation technique, is developed to numerically determine the equilibrium of atomic positions in a crystalline lattice containing internal defects and subjected to the external traction.

The internal force and stiffness of individual atoms are obtained as derivatives of the potential energy function. The external traction is axially applied on boundary atoms by means of a newly developed periodic symmetry technique, which allows the deformation of the model to be carried out and ensures the stability of the model during the simulation. The damping ratio adjusts the amount of artificial damping introduced into the numerical integration to dissipate the kinetic energy, so that the simulation is more efficient and accurate for various configurations.

The relaxation of the model containing a single edge or screw dislocation without the external loading is in line with the experimental observation and theoretical predictions. The external traction does not prevent the dislocation from dissociation, but changes the separation width between partial dislocations after the relaxation.

The interactions between two dislocations gliding on the same slip plane are in agreement with the theory. The increase of the height of two dislocations with the opposite Burgers vectors gliding on parallel slip planes leads to the formation of faulted dipoles or perfect stable dipoles. Two opposite screw dislocations on inclined slip planes can annihilate by the mechanism of re-combination and re-dissociation, and the compression along the slip direction increases the critical height of the annihilation.

The present approach has created the capability to provide insight into the atomistic mechanisms and processes of the formation of particular structures in crystalline materials.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Damping and Fluidelastic Instability in Two-Phase Cross-Flow Heat Exchanger Tube Arrays

subject:
Fluidelastic instability
two phase cross flow
heat exchanger
Engineering
Philosophy
Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Engineering

abstract: An experimental study was conducted to investigate damping and fluidelastic instability in tube arrays subjected to two-phase cross-flow. The purpose of this research was to improve our understanding of these phenomena and how they are affected by void fraction and flow regime. The model tube bundle had 10 cantilevered tubes in a parallel-triangular configuration, with a pitch ratio of l.49. The two-phase flow loop used in this research utilized Refrigerant 11 as the working fluid, which better models steam-water than air-water mixtures in terms of vapour-liquid mass ratio as well as permitting phase changes due to pressure fluctuations. The void fraction was measured using a gamma densitometer, introducing an improvement over the Homogeneous Equilibrium Model (HEM) in terms of void fraction, density and velocity predictions. Three different damping measurement methodologies were implemented and compared in order to obtain a more reliable damping estimate. The methods were the traditionally used half-power bandwidth, the logarithmic decrement and an exponential fitting to the tube decay response. The decay trace was obtained by "plucking" the monitored tube from outside the test section using a novel technique, in which a pair of electromagnets changed their polarity at the natural frequency of the tube to produce resonance. The experiments showed that the half-power bandwidth produces higher damping values than the other two methods. The primary difference between the methods is cam,ed by tube frequency shifting, triggered by fluctuations in the added mass and coupling between the tubes, which depend on void fraction and flow regime. The exponential fitting proved to be the more consistent and reliable approach to estimating damping. In order to examine the relationship between the damping ratio and mass flux, the former was plotted as a function of void fraction and pitch mass flux in an iso-contour plot. The results showed that damping is not independent of mass flux, and its dependency is a function of void fraction. A dimen~; ional analysis was carried out to investigate the relationship between damping and two-phase flow related parameters. As a result, the inclusion of surface tension in the form of the Capillary number appears to be useful when combined with the twophase component of the damping ratio (interfacial damping). A strong dependence of damping on flow regime was observed when plotting the interfacial damping versus the void fraction, introducing an improvement over the previous result obtained by normalizing the two-phase damping, which does not exhibit this behaviour. The interfacial velocity model was selected to represent the fluidelastic data in two-phase experiments, due to the inclusion of the tube array geometry and density ratio effects, which does not exist for the pitch velocity approach. An essential component in reliably establishing the velocity threshold for fluidelastic instability, is a measure of the energy dissipation available in the system to balance the energy input from the flow. The present analysis argues that the damping in-flmv is not an appropriate measure and demonstrates that the use of quiescent fluid damping provides a better measure of the energy dissipation, which produces a much more logical trend in the stability behaviour. This value of damping, combined with the RAD density and the interfacial velocity, collapses the available data well and provides the expected trend of two-phase flow stability data over the void fraction range from liquid to gas flows. The resulting stability maps represent a significant improvement over existing maps for predicting fluiclelastic instability of tube bundles in two-phase flows. This result a1so tends to confirm the hypothesis that the basic mechanism of fluidelastic instability is the same for single and two-phase flows.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Paleohydrology and Streamflow Simulation of three Karst Basins in Southeastern West Virginia, U.S.A.

contributor:
Ford, D.C.
Geology

subject: Geology Geology

abstract:
This study was undertaken to gain a better understanding of karst hydrology. To do this, the present day hydrology and the paleohydrology were determined in three karst basins. The basins chosen were the Swago, Locust and Spring Creek basins in Pocahontas and Greenbrier Counties, West Virginia. A number of conventional field techniques were used successfully in this study, including the following: current meter and dye dilution gauging; dye and lycopodium stream tracing; geological and cave mapping; the setting up of stage recorders; geochemistry; and limestone erosion measurements. The climate of the region was investigated to obtain realistic precipitation, temperature and potential evaporation data over the study basins.

It was found that the mean precipitation over two of the basins was 30% higher than recorded data in the valleys. The karst development of the basins was found to take place in four major stages. These were: A) initial surficial flow, B) strike controlled drainage, C) major piracies from one sub-basin to another, and D) shortening of the flow routes. The major controls on the karst development were found to be: A) the Taggard shale, B) the strike direction, which controlled early basin development, and C) the hydraulic gradient from the sink to rising, which controlled later basin development.

To better assess the quantitative hydrology, and to assist in determining the type of unexplorable flow paths, a watershed model was developed. This modelled the streamflow from known climatic inputs using a number of measured or optimized parameters. The simulation model handled snowmelt, interception, infiltration, interflow, baseflow, overland flow, channel routing, and evaporation from the interception, soil water, ground water, snowpack and channel water. The modelled basin could be split up into 20 segments, each with different hydrological characteristics, but a maximum of 3 segments was used in this study.

A total of 29 parameters was used in the model although only 10 (other than those directly measurable) were found to be sensitive in the three basins. The simulated streamflow did not match the real flows very well due to errors in the data input and due to simplifications in the model. It was found, however, that as the proportion of the limestone in a segment increased the overland flow decreased, the interflow increased, the baseflow and interflow recessions were faster, the soil storages were smaller and the infiltration rate was higher, than in segments with a larger proportion of exposed clastics. The flow characteristics of the inaccessible conduits were inferred from the channel routing parameters and it was postulated that the majority of the underground flow in the karst basins was taking place under vadose conditions.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Mixed Bodies, Separate Races: The Trope of the "(Tragic) Mulatto" in Twentieth-Century African Literature

contributor:
Goellnicht, Donald C.
English

subject:
mixed bodies
seperate races
mulatto
20th century african lit.
African Languages and Societies
English Language and Literature
African Languages and Societies

abstract: This dissertation proposes that the American literary trope of the "tragic mulatto" has both roots and resonances in sub-Saharan Africa. The concept of the mulatto, a person of mixed black and white heritage, as a tragic, ambiguous Other evolved primarily from nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century American fiction. I argue, however, that the mulatto occupies a similarly vexed discursive space in the historiography of sub-Saharan Africa and contemporary African literature. After contextualizing the American trope through such postbellum novels as James Weldon Johnson's The Autobiography of an ExColored Man (1912) and Nella Larsen's Quicksand (1928), I track the emergence of specific racially mixed populations in sub-Saharan Africa as a result of trade, migration, and colonialism. My historical survey of such mixed race communities as the AfroPortuguese lanr;ados of Senegambia and the Coloured people of South Africa brings to light the remarkable currency of (tragic) mulatto stereotypes across time and space. Having established the circulation of mulatto stereotypes in (pre-)colonial sub-Saharan Africa, I consider how two contemporary mixed race South African writers engage with such stereotypes in their work. This study argues that twentieth-century Coloured writers Bessie Head and Arthur Nortje realize the trope of tragic mixedness in their respective lives and writing. Head and Nortje reflect the rigid apartheid ideology of their native South Africa and assign universality to the "plight" of being mixed race in a segregationist society. But both writers also use their (gendered) identities as "tragically mixed" to challenge the policed racial categories of apartheid, subverting fixity through paradoxical performances of Self. I conclude my study in the post-civil rights and post apartheid arena of the twenty-first century, using my own experiences as an African "mulatta" and the current field of mixed race studies to illustrate how paradox itself is indispensable to progressive readings and imaginings of mixed race identity.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: The Language of the Self: A Hermeneutical Study of the Role of Language and Narration in Self-Understanding and Personal Identity.

contributor:
Madison, G.B.
Philosophy

subject:
language
self
hermeneutical
personal
identity
Arts and Humanities
Philosophy
Philosophy of Mind
Arts and Humanities

abstract:
What I shall consider in this thesis is the degree to which language structure and usage must be considered if we wish to grasp the nature of that being we term the 'self' - the subject that I am, and that others presumably are. Stated in its strongest terms, the view I wish to explore is not simply that the medium of our understanding of the self is language, but the further and more control controversial claim that this self is constituted in and through language usage~ and More particularly through self-narration.

The thesis is intended as an elucidation and integration of various 20th century reactions to the modernist, and essentially Cartesian, conceptions of the self, self-understanding, and personal identity. At this level of analysis the thesis will be fairly eclectic, ranging through phenomenology, literary theory, deconstruction, semiotics and psychoanalysis. The goal and systematic aim of this survey, however, is to develop on the basis of these investigations what I take to be a properly hermeneutic view of the self and self identity.

The contribution to knowledge afforded by the present enterprise lies in its synthesizing of the disparate trends in contemporary thought into a plausible and provocative account of the human subject in relation to language.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: The Structure and Orientation of Comunidades Eclesiais Base (CEBs) in the Archdiocese of Sao Paulo

contributor:
Blumstock, Robert E.
Sociology

subject:
CEB
Sao Paulo
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Sociology
Social and Behavioral Sciences

abstract:
In recent years, the Roman Catholic Church in Brazil has attracted a good deal of attention within social scientific and religious circles. Traditionally seen as being synonymous with wealth and privilege, it is now viewed as one of the most politically progressive Churches in Latin America, owing to the position it has adopted in favour of the poor and oppressed. Of particular interest to students of the Church are the comunidades eclesiais de base (basic ecclesial communities) commonly known as CEBs. These predominantly lower-class, often politically oriented lay groups are coming to be seen as the most visible expression of the Brazilian Church's new-found commitment to the masses. To ID()ny, the? CEBs are a renovating force which will have an irreversible impact on both Roman Catholicism and Brazilian society generally.

Within the literature, there currently exist two contrasting interpretations of the CEB phenomenon. The first approach, which is rooted in an action-oriented religious current known as Liberation Theology, borrows heavily on Marxian terminology and interprets the groups as a spontaneous expression of the emergent class consciousness of the poor. The second approach, drawing upon the work of Weber and other organizational theorists, stresses the fundamental diversity of the CEBs, and the role which the Church as an institution plays in shaping their basic characteristics and aims.

To date, few empirical studies of the Brazilian CEBs have emerged which point conclusively to the validity of one or the other of these approaches. The present study helps remedy this deficiency. Specifically, we seek to test the two theories currently in vogue through an in-depth investigation of a select sample of groups situated in the Archdiocese of Sao Paulo.

Briefly stated, the principal finding of the dissertation is that the CEBs are best understood within the context of the institutional perspective. In essence, as opposed to the Liberationist the data demonstrate that the groups are an extremely heterogeneous collectivity, and that their organizational structure and orientation are dependent not upon social location, but the quality of their ties to the Church hierarchy.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Exploiting Limited Customer Choice and Server Flexibility

contributor:
Down, Douglas G.
Software Engineering

subject:
Server flexability
software eng.
Computer Engineering
Engineering
Computer Engineering

abstract: Flexible queuing systems arise III a variety of applications, such as service operations, computer/communication systems and manufacturing. In such a system, customer types vary in the flexibility of choosing servers; servers vary in the flexibility of which types of customers to serve. This thesis studies several resource allocation policies which address the concerns of limited customer choice and server flexibility. First, to accommodate different levels of flexibility, we propose the MinDrift affinity routing (MARa) policy and three variants: MARO-2/k, MARO-flex and MARa-tree. These policies are designed to maximize the system capacity by using the first moments of the interarrival times and the service times, at the same time they require only a small amount of state information in minimizing the delay in the system. Using diffusion limits for systems with Poisson arrival processes, we prove that MARa, MARO-flex and MARO-tree have the same heavy traffic optimality properties and the optimality is achieved independent of the flexibility levels. By providing their applications in distributed computing systems, we show that the MARa related policies (which require significantly less state information) outperform the MinDrift(Q) policy (which requires global state information), in heterogeneous server systems with either high or medium loads. Second, when no state information is available, we propose both the random routing policy which asymptotically minimizes the delay in the system by using the second moments of the service times, and the pooling strategy which further reduces the delay by combining appropriate parallel single-server queues into a number of multi-server queues. Overall, this thesis intends to provide insights on designing effective policies for allocating servers' times to serve multiple types of customers.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Preparation and Characterization of Biologically Doped Sol-Gel Derived Nanocomposite Films Suitable for Biosensor Development

contributor:
Brennan, John D.
Chemistry

subject: Biologically doped sol-gel derived nanocomposite films

subject: Chemistry

subject: Chemistry

abstract:
The entrapment of biomolecules within TEOS-based sol-gel derived organic/inorganic nanocomposite materials has proven to be a viable platform for the development of biosensors and solid-phase biocatalysts. In this thesis, a series of organically modified silica materials were prepared by a two-step aqueous processing method that was suitable for biomolecule entrapment, and were formed as submicron thick films by dipcasting. Dispersed additives, such as polymers (Class I materials) and covalently bound additives, such as organically modified silanes (Class II materials), were used to modify the internal environment compared to the undoped matrices and to correlate the properties of entrapped enzymes.

The morphology of organically modified silica materials could be modified through the use of either separate or co-hydrolysis of the silane precursors, with the later method generating optically transparent materials. Fluorescence microscopy revealed chemical heterogeneity in materials that appeared to be homogeneous by brightfield or SEM.

Fluorescence emission studies of a solvatochromic dye entrapped within the film confirmed that the internal chemical environment of the films was strongly affected by doping with polymers and organosilanes. The films showed a rapid initial change in chemical properties owing to solvent evaporation, followed by a much slower evolution over several months owing to continued condensation reactions within the film.

A reagentless biosensor was designed based on co-entrapment of an enzyme and a fluorescently labeled polymer. The enzymes urease and lipase were selected for this study as both catalyze reactions that alter the local pH. By co-entrapping pH sensitive fluorophores (SNARF-I and fluorescein) bound to a high molecular weight polymer, it was possible to detect the analytes urea and glyceryl tributyrate using changes in the fluorescence intensity (fluorescein) or emission ratio (SNARF-l). By tuning the polarity of the matrix it was possible to optimize the sensitivity of the sensing film for both the polar and non-polar analyte.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: New Hardware and Software Design for Electrical Impedance Tomography

contributor:
R.Moran, Gerald
Medical Physics

subject:
electrial impedance tomographer
Life Sciences
Medicine and Health Sciences
Life Sciences

abstract:
Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is an imaging technique that reconstructs the internal electrical properties of an object from boundary voltage measurements. In this technique a series of electrodes is attached to the surface of an object and alternating current is passed via these electrodes and the resulting voltages are measured. Reconstruction of internal conductivity images requires the solution of an illconditioned nonlinear inverse problem from the noisy boundary voltage measurements. Such unreliable boundary measurements make the solutions unstable. To obtain stable and meaningful solutions regularization is used. This thesis deals with the EIT problem from the perspective of both image reconstruction and hardware design. This thesis consists of two main parts. The first part covers the development of 3D image reconstruction algorithms for single and multi-frequency EIT. The second part relates to the design of novel multi-frequency hardware and performance testing of the hardware using the designed phantom.

Three different approaches for image reconstruction of EIT are presented:

1) The dogleg algorithm is introduced as an alternative method to Levenberg-Marquardt for solving the EIT inverse problem. It was found that the dogleg technique requires less computation time to converge to the same result as the Levenberg-Marquardt.

2) We propose a novel approach to build a subspace for regularization using a spectral and spatial multifrequency analysis approach. The approach is based on the construction of a subspace for the expected conductivity distributions using principal component analysis (peA). The advantage of this technique is that priori information for regularization matrix is determined from the statistical nature of the multifrequency data.

3) We present a quadratic constrained least square approach to the EIT problem. The proposed approach is based on the trust region subproblem (TRS), which uses L-curve maximum curvature criteria to fmd a regularization parameter. Our results show that the TRS algorithm has the advantage that it does not require any knowledge of the norm of the noise for its process.

4) The second part of thesis discuses the designing, implementation, and testing a novel 48-channel multifrequency EIT system. The system specifications proved to be comparable with the existing EIT systems with capability of 3-D measurement over selectable frequencies. The proposed algorithms are [mally tested under experimental situation using designed EIT hardware. The conductivity and permittivity images for different targets were reconstructed using four different approaches: dog-leg, principal component analysis (PCA), Gauss-Newton, and difference imaging. In the case of the multi-frequency analysis, the PCA-based approach provided a substantial improvement over the Gauss-Newton technique in terms of systematic error reduction. Our EIT system recovered a conductivity value of 0.08 Sm-l for the 0.07 Sm-l piece of cucumber (14% error).

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Employment Maximization in a Labour Surplus Economy: An Application to Bangladesh

contributor:
Butterfield, D.W.
Economics

subject:
economics
employment max.
labour surplus
bangladesh
Economics
Growth and Development
Labor Economics
Economics

abstract:
The so called "Labour Surplus" economies represent a subset of the less developed countries of the world that have failed to overcome the Malthusian barrier of a population explosion. The economic and demographic history of this group of countries seems to indicate that in the peculiar circumstances of these countries, the traditional "GNP maximization" approach to development cannot spontaneously generate a socially acceptable rate of growth of employment. The concern, in this thesis ,. toward the allocative consequences of an "employment maximizing" development strategy arose from the massive backlog of unemployed human resources in one such labour-surplus economy, namely Bangladesh. The static and dynamic consequences £0+ resource allocation of an employment maximizing development policy are studied within the framework of a dynamic, multisectoral, linear programming planning model.

Since an employment-oriented development strategy is likely to lower the overall growth of the economy, implying a possible conflict between employment and other social goals, a major part of the effort in this thesis is devoted to the study of the optimal patterns of allocation under alternative social goals and under alternative forms of~ecification of these goals. The conflict between the employment and the consumption objectives are explicitly brought out by using the model to generate possible trade-off paths between . these two long-run development goals. The model is also used to study the production and distributional consequences of alternative assumptions regarding labour market distortions that are reflected in wide wage-differentials between the agricultural and the non-agricultural sectors of the economy.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Poefica Theologica: Donne and Hopkins in the PatristicHumanistic Tradition of Theology

contributor:
Silcox, Mary
English

subject:
Poetica Theologica
theology
English Language and Literature
English Language and Literature

abstract: In this study, I have argued that John Donne's Devotions Upon Eillergent Occasions ( 1624) and Gerard Manley Hopkins' The Wreck of the Deutschland ( 1918) are not simply forms of devotional literature or spiritual autobiography, but constitute works of theology in their own right. From a contemporary perspective, such a claim may seem to entail a gratuitous revisioning of the theological tradition, but I mean it as a hermeneutic retrieval. It is often assumed in scholarly circles that logic and the dialogical arts have always been the natural allies of theology. As a result, the Devotions and The Wreck are typically viewed as supplemental to theological study; they are "soft" literary works that serve to exemplify the "hard" truths of scholastic divinity and sectarian dogma. My claim is that the Devotions and The Wreck are theological in the classic sense precisely because they are literary and devotional, spiritual and autobiographical. Donne and Hopkins are poet theologians writing in a patristic-humanistic strain of the theological tradition. Instead of giving priority to the logical-dialectical orientation of systematic theologians and modern philosophers-whether in affirmation of or resistance to sllch an orientation-they follow the example of church fathers like Origen and Augustine and Christian humanists like Erasmus and Valla by treating matters of divinity in a distinctly literary, existential, and dramatistic manner. To be more specific, they seek to tell the truth at the lively intersection of exegesis and poesis, engaging an inventive hermeneutic set within the bounds of authority and tradition so as to participate responsively in divine re-creation.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Physics, Modeling and Design of Nonlinear Electroabsorption Modulators

contributor:
Huang, Wei-Ping
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
Modeling and Physics
Nonlinear electroabsobtion modulators
Computer Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Computer Engineering

abstract:
Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) is the key technology of the current generation fiber-optics network. To build agile and intelligent next generation optical networks, optical wavelength conversion and signal regeneration are crucial new functions under intense research and development. These new functions call for innovative, low cost and high performance optoelectronic devices. One of such enabling devices is quantum-well electroabsorption modulators (EAM) that are appealing in terms of structural simplicity and low noise and are potentially advantageous on high-speed operation and low power consumption. The goal of this thesis is to systematically study EAM for optical signal functions in optical networks from various perspectives, including fundamental device physics, comprehensive models, innovative design, and experimental prototyping.

After the first chapter of introduction, Chapter 2 and 3 are devoted to device models. In Chapter 2, a self-consistent and physics-based model has been developed for two key nonlinear optical mechanisms in quantum-well EAM: exciton saturation and electric field screening. Presented in Chapter 3 is a simplified but efficient model for EAM with a feature of handling strong electric field.

Next, the fundamental physics relevant to nonlinear EAM are studied in Chapter 4 and 5. Exciton state mixing effects on intersubband transitions in quantum well have been investigated in Chapter 4 and a drastic different picture from that of the previous studies has been revealed. Studies have also been done in Chapter 5 on valence band mixing effects in exciton capture and escape in quantum well structures. And it is found that much faster capture and escape processes can be resulted from the band mixing effects.

Then, the two key design issues of nonlinear EAM have been addressed. In Chapter 6, different saturation dynamics of electrons and holes in quantum wells have been thoroughly analyzed and utilized to achieve the best compromise between high-speed and low power consumption of EAM in optical wavelength conversion and signal regeneration. In Chapter 7, the polarization issue of transverse electric (TE) mode and transverse magnetic (TM) mode is addressed from two different perspectives: design for the most effective optical saturation by using TM mode absorption and design for TE and TM polarization insensitive operation.

Finally, Chapter 8 presents the results of experimental proto typing on the design concept to enhance exciton absorption saturation using light-hole excitation through TM optical mode.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Toda Solitons: Properties and Applications III Data Transmission

contributor:
Max, Dro Kon
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
toda solitons
application data transmission
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering

abstract: Solitons are solutions to a special class of nonlinear partial differential equations representing certain nonlinear systems. Solitons possess some very interesting transmission properties through nonlinear systems. In this thesis, we examine the properties of Toda solitons and Toda circuits. The time-frequency characteristics, time-bandwidth product, and energy of the single and composite solitons are studied. The response of the Toda circuit to both deterministic and stochastic inputs are analysed and examined via Volterra series and Runge-Kutta method. The application of the Toda solitons as a message carrier in a data communication system is then proposed. Both single user transmission and a multiplexing scheme exemplified by a two-user transmission scenario are considered. The bandwidth efficiency of the soliton communication system is studied and compared with other systems. The detection performance of the soliton communication system is studied and compared with traditional signalling schemes. Theoretical analysis and numerical results demonstrate that soliton system offers high bandwidth efficiency and high robustness against channel noise for amplitude detection due to the special properties of the soliton and the Toda circuit. The response of mismatched Toda circuit to input soliton is studied and the detection performance of soliton system with mismatched Toda circuit is also examined. It is shown that the slightly mismatched Toda circuit may not affect the detection performance of soliton system, while the mismatched Toda circuit with large mismatch coefficient may deteriorate the system performance seriously.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Discrimination of Brief Empty Time Intervals

contributor:
Kristofferson, A.B.
Psychology

subject: Psychology Psychology

abstract: This research deals with the coding of brief empty time intervals bounded by very brief auditory markers. From the results of two experiments it is concluded that the discrimination between two brief durations within the range .05 to .3 seconds is not based on the energy content of the stimulus pattern defining the durations. At the same time, this evidence supports the view that a central process codes time information, independently of the sensory events bounding the internal interval. This basic approach is involved in three mathematical models for duration discrimination which differ in their assumptions about the nature of this central process and in their predictions concerning the change in the discriminability of a pair of intervals T and T+ΔT as the base duration T increases. The data from four experiments are analyzed in detail with respect to each of these models. None is completely adequate in describing the functional relation between discriminability and base duration, but only one (Creelman's model) can be definitely rejected.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Topics on Generalized Convolution and Fourier Transforms: Theory and Applications in Digital Signal Processing and System Theory

contributor:
Kitai, R.
Electrical Engineering

subject:
Electrical and Electronics
Electrical and Electronics

abstract:
This thesis investigates some aspects of the theory of convolution and Fourier transforms on q-adic and multiplicative abelian groups, as well as their applications for solving various signal processing and system problems.

A brief introduction to the importance and basic theory of convolution and Fourier transforms on locally compact abelian groups is given, followed by four major section:

1. Subsequent to a comprehensive introduction of generalized Walsh functions, Walsh-Fourier analysis and harmonic differentiation on q-adic groups, a presentation is made of the theory of q-adic translation invariant linear systems from the point of view of both input-output and state-space description. This is followed by an analysis of the structure of Walsh transforms, so that is becomes possible to point to (and critically review) those engineering problems for which Walsh functions are suited to bring an optimal solution, as well as those problems for which they may bring suboptimal but efficient solutions.

2. Signal processing in spaces of finite field-valued functions on finite abelian groups is investigated, emphasis being placed on the study of those linear operators whose eigenfunctions are the group characters. A harmonic differential calculus in finite fields is introduced.

3. A study of the concept of frequency is undertaken with the objective of generalizing it to function spaces other than that of complex-valued functions on the real line. A generalized concept of frequency is proposed. An analysis of the relationship between the concepts of sequency and frequency proves unfounded the claims that the former is a generalization of the latter.

4. The problem of analyzing signals formed of linear combinations of components having the same shape and location but different amplitude and widths parameters is investigated with the objective of providing a technique for its numerical solution. It is shown that this problem can be modelled as a convolution transform on a multiplicative abelian group. A brief introduction to the theory of Fourier transforms on multiplicative groups is presented, followed by the description of an efficient algorithm for performing the analysis. The problems pertaining to the practical implementation of this algorithm are discussed both in general terms and with reference to the analysis of multi-component exponential decays.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Skeletal Muscle Metabolic and Performance Adaptations to High-intensity Sprint Interval Training.

contributor: Dr. Stuart M. Phillips, Dr. George J.F. Heigenhauser

subject:
Skeletal Muscle
Performance adaptions
high-intensity interval training
Kinesiology
Sports Sciences
Kinesiology

abstract: This thesis examined the effect of high-intensity "sprint" interval training (SIT) on aerobic-based exercise performance and metabolic adaptations in human skeletal muscle. It has long been recognized that several weeks of interval-based training increased skeletal muscle oxidative capacity; however, little was known regarding the minimum "dose" of SIT necessary to elicit this adaptive response or the time-course and magnitude of adaptation in other markers of skeletal muscle metabolic control. Our general hypothesis was that low-volume SIT would induce rapid improvements in a wide array of metabolic variables that were comparable to traditional high-volume endurance training (ET). Healthy young men and women were recruited to perform four to six 30- second "all out" Wingate Tests, three times per week with one to two days of recovery, for up to six weeks. The weekly dose of SIT corresponded to ~10 minutes of maximal cycling exercise (-225-300 kJ) over a total training time commitment of 60-90 minutes, including recovery. The SIT response was compared against control subjects who performed no training or an ET group who performed up to one hour per day of moderate-intensity cycling exercise, five days per week for six weeks (-2250 kJ per week). Our major findings were that one to two weeks of SIT increased performance during aerobic-based exercise (time-to-fatigue tests and time-trials of varying duration) and the maximal activity or total protein content of mitochondrial enzymes and transport proteins associated with carbohydrate metabolism (e.g., citrate synthase, cytochrome oxidase, glucose transporter 4). Six weeks of SIT or ET induced similar increases in markers of skeletal muscle carbohydrate (pyruvate dehydrogenase E1a protein content) and lipid oxidation (3-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase maximal activity) and peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptorgamma coactivator-1a protein content, and similar reductions in phosphocreatine and glycogen utilization during matched-work exercise. These data suggest that SIT is a time-efficient strategy to increase skeletal muscle oxidative capacity and to induce specific metabolic adaptations during exercise that are comparable to ET.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Equilibrium and Phase Stability of Nanoparticles

contributor:
Botton, Gianluigi
Materials Science and Engineering

subject:
Nanoparticles
Phase Stability and equilibrium
Biology and Biomimetic Materials
Engineering
Materials Science and Engineering
Other Materials Science and Engineering
Structural Materials
Biology and Biomimetic Materials

abstract:
We explore the effect of size on the phase stability of nanosystems by comparing calculated trends with the annealing behavior of nanoparticles (NPs) initially in a core-shell configuration. The NPs are characterized using a variety of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques.

We first theoretically consider the equilibrium within a Au-Pt NP of a given size. When considering the contribution of surface and interface energies, we note the appearance of a restricted composition range of the phase diagram over which the liquid and solid phases cannot coexist in a core-shell configuration. A critical radius of ",42 nm is identified below which the NP is single-phased for any composition. It is demonstrated that both branches of the miscibility gap of the Au-Pt phase diagram shift towards the Au-rich composition with increasing curvature. The magnitude of the shift is found to be strongly correlated with the coupling of nonlinear terms entering the Gibbs energy. The main contribution to the shift arises from the composition-dependent surface energy, calculated by considering the selective adsorption of Au to the surface, evaluated using the available thermodynamic properties of the Au-Pt system.

An array of TEM-related analytical methods were developed or adapted for the characterization of individual NPs. In particular, chemical maps with quantitative information from a NP with a spatial resolution of '" 1.2 nm could be achieved, with their corresponding error analysis. We introduce an algorithm to retrieve the radial elemental composition from the projected chemical map of a NP if a spherical symmetry can be assumed and test it with NPs of known structures. We also present a technique to determine the composition of a NP having one of the elements depleting during analysis, and test it experimentally with 5-20 nm Au-Ag NPs. Typically, for every Ag characteristic X-ray detected, one Ag atom is lost to knock-on damage. We discuss the detection limit of the method as a function of NP size and composition.

We follow the structural evolution of a ",20 nm Au(core) Pt(shell) NP during annealing at various temperatures between 300 and 800 °e. At low temperatures, interdiffusion occurs between the core and the shell, while at temperatures abovt: ",600 °e, the configuration evolves towards one composed of Au- and Pt-rich spherical caps, separated by a relatively fiat interface. We could measure a 5-10% shift in the composition of each phase with respect to the bulk phase diagram that we assigned to capillarity effect. The shift agrees qualitatively with the calculated trends. The ratio of the surface to the interface energy is measured directly from a TEM micrograph of a segregated NP and is in close agreement with the calculated ones.

This work contributes to the understanding of the phase stability of binary NPs. The prospect of extending these studies to NPs of other bimetallic systems while probing their properties seems promising, especially in view of their catalytic, magnetic and optical potential.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: On the Improvement of the Achievable bit rate in Multicarrier Communication Systems Using Signal Processing Techniques

contributor:
Davidson, Timothy N.
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
Bit Rate
Multicarrier communication
Signal Processing
Computational Engineering
Computer Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Signal Processing
Computational Engineering

abstract:
With the growing demand for high data rate communication services, multi-carrier communication schemes have started to become the method of choice in many applications. In this thesis, multi-carrier communication systems are studied and various methods for improving their achievable bit rate arc proposed.

Filtered multitone (FMT) is a multi-carrier communication scheme which is implemented using a modulated filter bank structure. In this thesis, an efficient design method for the prototype filter of the FMT system is proposed. This design method allows improvement of the achievable hit rate by efficient evaluation of the inherent trade-off between the sub channel spectral containment provided by the prototype filter and the intersymbol interference (lSI) that the filter generates. Numerical results further demonstrat.e the effectiveness of the proposed design method. The insight gained from this design is also used to determine the optimal number of subchannels in FMT systems. Moreover, since the presence of lSI in FMT subchannels outputs renders the conventional water-filling power loading algorithm suboptimal, we propose an efficient power loading algorithm for Fl\IT that enables higher achievable bit rates.

Discrete multitone (DMT) is a popular multi-carrier communication scheme, mainly due to its rather low complexity. However. DMT suffers from poor subchannel spectral characteristics. In this thesis, a family of bi-windowed DMT transceivers is proposed that provide both improved sub channel 8pectral containment at the transmitter and improved spectral selectivity at the receiver, without requiring the cyclic prefix to be longer than the order of the channel impulse respon8e. The window8 arc designed in a channel independent manner and are con8trained to produce sub channel outputs that arc free from lSI. Furthermore, the design allows the interisubchannel interference (leI) to be controlled in such a way that it can be mitigated using a relatively simple minimum mean square error (MMSE) successive interference cancellation scheme. Numerical results demonstrate the significant gain in the achievable bit rate obtained Ly the proposed scheme.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: A Service Oriented Architecture for Performance Support Systems

contributor:
S., W. F.
Computing and Software

subject:
Oriented Architecture
Performance Support Systems
Computational Engineering
Computer and Systems Architecture
Computer Engineering
Computational Engineering

abstract:
This thesis documents research encompassing the design of dynamic electronic performance support systems. Essentially, an Electronic Performance Support System (EPSS) is complex distributed software that provides on-the-job support in order to facilitate task performance within some particular target application domain. In view of the rapid pace of change in current business and industrial environments, the conventional practice of issuing a new release of Electronic Performance Support System (EPSS) every few years to incorporate changes, is no longer practical. An EPSS is required to adapt to the changes as soon as possible and without the need for major code modification. This is accomplished by creating a design in which task specific knowledge is not hard coded in the software but is extracted on the fly. The design also enables a loose coupling among different modules of the system so that functionalities may be added, removed, modified or extended with minimum disruption. In this thesis we show how to combine service-oriented architecture with the concepts of software agents to achieve a software architecture that provides the required agility. Traditionally Unified Modeling Language (UML), which lacks formal semantics, has been the tool of choice for design and analysis of such systems and that means formal analysis techniques cannot be used for verification of UML models, whereas Software Engineering practices require analysis and verification at an early stage in the software development process. In this thesis we present an algorithm to transform UML state chart models to Object Coloured Petri (OCP) nets that have a strong mathematical foundation and can be implemented by standard tools such as Design/CPN for simulation and dynamic analysis in order to verify behavioural properties of the model. We show how to apply this technique to verify some of the desirable behavioural properties of the proposed EPSS architecture. To demonstrate the feasibility of our approach we have successfully implemented a prototype of an EPSS based on the proposed design.

The main contributions of this research are: 1. Proposed an anthropomorphic architecture for a dynamic PSS. 2. Combined the concepts of services oriented architecture and software agents to achieve dynamic updating of task specific knowledge and minimal coupling between different modules of complex software to allow painless evolution. 3. Brought formal methods to the design phase in the development of agent based software systems by proposing an algorithm to transform UML state diagrams to OCP nets for dynamic analysis. 4. Modelled the dynamic creation and deletion of objects/agents using OCP net concepts and Design/CPN. 5. Proposed an architecture that can be used for creating families of agile PSS.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Computationally Efficient Blind-Adaptive Algorithms for Multi-Antennal Systems

contributor:
Kirubarajan, T.
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
Blind adaptive algorithms
multi-antenna systems
Computational Engineering
Computer Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Computational Engineering

abstract:
Multi-input multi-output (MIMO) systems are expected to playa crucial role in future wireless communications and a significant increase of interest in all aspects of MIMO system design has been seen in the past decade. The primary interest of this thesis is in the receiver part of the MIMO system. In this area, continuous interest has been shown in developing blind-adaptive decoding algorithms. While blind decoding algorithms improve data throughput by enabling the system de:signer to replace training symbols with data, they also tend to perform robustly against any environment disturbances, compared to their training-based counterparts. On the other hand, considering the fact that the wireless end user environment is becoming increasingly mobile, adaptive algorithms have the ability to improve the performance of a system regardless of whether it is a blind system or a training-based one. The primary difficulty faced by blind and adaptive algorithms is that they generally are computationally intense. In this thesis, we develop semi-blind and blind decoding algorithms that are adaptive in nature as well as computationally efficient for multi-antenna systems.

First, we consider the problem of channel tracking for MIMO communication systems where the MIMO channel is time-varying. We consider a class of MIMO systems where orthogonal space-time block codes (OSTBCs) are used as the underlying space-time coding schemes. For a general MIMO system with any number of transmitting and receiving antenna combinations, a two-step MIMO channel tracking algorithm is proposed. As the first step, Kalman filtering is used to obtain an initial channel estimate for the current block based on the channel estimates obtained for previous blocks. Then, in the second step, the so-obtained initial channel estimate is refined using a decision-directed iterative method. We show that, due to specific properties of orthogonal space-time block codes, both the Kalman filter and the decision-directed algorithm can be significantly simplified. Then, we extend the above receiver for MIMO-OFDM systems and propose a computationally efficient semi-blind receiver for MIMO systems in frequency-selective channels. Further, for the proposed receivers, we have derived theoretical performance analysis in terms of probability of error. Assuming the knowledge of the transmitted symbols for the first block, we have derived the instantaneous signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) for consecutive transmission blocks in the absence of training, by exploiting Kalman filtering to track the channel in a decision-directed mode. Later, we extend the the theoretical performance limit comparisons for time-domain vs. frequency-domain channel tracking for MIMO-OFDM systems. Further, we study the advantage of adaptive channel tracking algorithms in comptype pilot aided channel estimation schemes in practical MIMO-OFDM systems.

After that, an efficient sequential Monte-Carlo (SMC) algorithm is developed for blind detection in MIMO systems where OSTBCs are used as the underlying space-time coding scheme. The proposed algorithm employs Rao-Blackwellization strategy to marginalize out the (unwanted) channel coefficients and uses optimal importance function to generate samples to propagate the posterior distribution. The algorithm is blind in the sense that, unlike the earlier ones, the transmission of training symbols is not required by this scheme. The marginalization involves the computation of (hundreds of) Kalman filters running in parallel resulting in intense computer requirement. We show that, the marginalization step can be significantly simplified for the speci1ied problem under no additional assumptions - resulting in huge computational savings. Further, we extend this result to frequency selective channels and propose a novel and efficient SMC receiver for MIMO-OFDM systems.

Finally, a novel adaptive algorithm is presented for directional MIMO systems. Specifically, the problem of direction of arrivall (DOA) tracking of an unknown time-varying number of mobile sources is considered. The challenging part of the problem is the unknown, time-varying number of sources that demand a combination of source enumeration techniques and sequential state estimation methods to track the time-varying number of DOAs. In this thesis, we transform the problem into a novel state-space model, and, by employing probability hypothesis density (PHD) filtering technique, propose a simple algorithm that is able to track the number of sources as well as the corresponding directions of arrivals. In addition to the fact that the proposed algorithm is simple and easier to implement, simulation results show that, the PHD implementation yields superior performance over competing schemes in tracking rapidly varying number of targets.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Taxation and Behaviour Under Uncertainty

contributor:
Ahmad, S.
Economics

subject:
Taxation
Under uncertain behaviour
Economics
Economics

abstract:
This dissertation examines the economic effects of alternative taxation policies on household consumption and investment decisions under uncertainty. A consideration of the alternative approaches to a theory of decision-making under uncertainty (Part 1) reveals that maximisation of expected utility is consistent with rational behaviour in a world of uncertainty. Howeve~, an alternative criterion of minimising the probability that the risky outcome will fall below some critical level (the "safety-:first" principle) may also appear as rational. Consequently, we consider both types of behavioural models.

In a single-period framework (Part 2), the particular decision process we consider is that of an individual allocating his initial wealth between riskless assets with a secure rate of return and risky assets with a random rate of return. We then investigate the effects of taxation on risk-taking (both social and private).

We observe that a chance-constrained portfolio choice model can be interpreted as a reasonable description of the investor's concern for safety, and that the qualitative results regarding portfolio separation (implying that optimal risky asset ratios are independent of initial wealth) and the effects of taxation (suggesting that a proportional or a lump-sum tax with full loss offsets encourages a movement towards the riskier assets) are the same both for a normal distribution of asset returns and the alternative assumption of a lognormal securities market.

Part 2 also investigates the effects of a simple progressive tax schedule (a linear tax with a marginal tax rate which applies both above and below an exemption level) on risk~taking. Assuming only that the investor is a risk-avertor and that the risky asset is superior (or alternatively, assuming only decreasing absolute risk-aversion), we show that linearly progressive taxation of investment income (with full loss offsets) encourages the demand for the risky asset, and that exempting risky capital gains (losses) from taxation discourages (total) risktaking. We further show that a linearly progressive tax on investment income leads to greater risk-taking than a flat rate proportional tax where both of these taxes lead to equal losses of expected utility for the investor, or alternatively, where they yield the same expected revenue.

Part 3 considers models of portfolio choice and consumption allocation in an intertemporal context. Apart from taxation of non-asset income and the case where the rate of return on riskless investment is zero, the kind of a priori restrictions we have placed on single-period preferences are no longer sufficient to determine the effects of taxation. However, given the relative nagnitudes of the income elasticities of consumption and of the risky asset demand, assumptions on the riskaversion measures allow us to determine these results. This analyssis, therefore, also indicates the kind of empirical knoftledge that is required in order to meaningfully discuss the implications of alternative taxation policies.

We further pursue the framework of intertemporal consumption portfolio allocation to analyze the long debated issue of the differential incidence of a consumption (expenditure) tax rather than an (investment) income tax. We find that under some reasonably interpretable conditions, the differential incidence of a consumption tax is to encourage risktaking and discourage saving more effectively than an investment income tax. This result is in conflict with the general consensus in the literature that an income tax discourages saving as compared to a consumption tax. We, therefore, conclude in this context that with the introduction of uncertainty, the implications of fiscal policy are modified in an important way.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Assessment and Activity-based Management of Spasticity After Spinal Cord Injury

contributor:
Hicks, Audrey L.
Kinesiology

subject:
Kinesiology
Activity-based management
Spinal injury
Kinesiology
Kinesiology

abstract: Sixty-five to 78% of sample populations of individuals with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) have symptoms of spasticity, but current assessment tools and management strategies are inadequate. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis was to: 1) conduct a review of the definition, pathophysiology, and management of symptoms of spasticity in individuals with SCI, 2) develop and assess a new self-report scale designed to measure the impact of spasticity on daily life in people with SCI and 3) examine the effects of body-weight supported treadmill training (BWSTT) and tilt-table standing (TTS) on spasticity outcomes. 1) Spasticity was found to be a relevant concern for the SCI population and possibly responsive to activity-based intervention. A need was identified, however, for an assessment tool that allows individuals with SCI to report the impact of their spasticity. 2) In total, 89 individuals with chronic SCI participated in three phases of scale design: development, pilot testing, and evaluation of test-retest reliability and construct validity. The Spinal Cord Injury Spasticity Evaluation Tool (SCI-SET) was developed as a 7 -day recall self-report questionnaire that takes into account both the problematic and useful effects of spasticity. The internal consistency (a) and intraclass correlation coefficient of the SCI-SET were 0.90 and 0.91, respectively. Construct validity was supported by correlations (r=-0.48 to 0.68; p

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Twentieth Century Indian Interpretations of the Bhagavadgītā: A Selective Study of Patterns

contributor:
Arapura, J. G.
Religion

subject:
Bhagavadgītā
religious text
Hinduism
Twentieth century
interpretations
Arts and Humanities
Other Religion
Religion
Arts and Humanities

abstract:
The Bhagavadgītā, the most popular religious text of Hinduism, has become the social and political gospel of India in the Twentieth Century. What is attempted in this study is an examination of the Hindu religious consciousness as reflected in the various recent interpretations of this religious text. In this, we have examined the writings of Twentieth Century national and religious leaders of India and their reinterpretations of the age-old Hindu concepts of dharma, karma and mukti. The main line pursued is to discern the attempt by the moderns to integrate dharma and mukti and to render the message of the Gītā relevant to the problems of contemporary India. We examine this attempt by these national leaders against the background of recent ideologies such as nationalism, socialism and secularism that have made deep inroads into the sub-continent. The "counter-ideologies" (à la Harry M. Johnson) that sprang up from the new interpretations of the Gītā by national leaders such as B.G. Tilak, M.K. Gandhi, Sri Aurobindo and others are examined in depth. The modern commentators also attempt to relate the teachings of the Gītā to the needs of a modern secular society, and in particular to the problems of religious pluralism which confront modern India. These commentators however, did not limit the relevance of this text to India, but have been eager to point out its relevance for a wider humanity.

This study aims to be both descriptive and critical. I have sought to describe what modern Indian thinkers selected as essential to the tradition and have also sought to understand their determination to come to terms with not only spiritual but also national and social issues. It is clear that they understood that reconstruction work in India could not be envisaged without giving it a basis in religious tradition which in their mind was most succinctly represented by the Bhagavadgītā. The writer after critical study, has come to the conclusion that these commmentaries taken together have successfully pointed out the significance of the Bhagavadgītā as a text that can accommodate varieties, and as a text which, without losing the clarity and rigour of its central spiritual perception, can provide legitimation, for the social and political forces that underlie a secular state.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Geophysical and geological integration and interpretation of the northeast Thelon Basin, Nunavut

contributor:
Morris, Bill
Jefferson, Charlie
Keating, Pierre
Earth Sciences

subject:
geophysics
magnetics
gravity
modelling
Thelon Basin
uranium
Geophysics and Seismology
Geophysics and Seismology

abstract:
The northeast Thelon Basin, Nunavut, is a rapidly developing albeit poorly studied, frontier exploration domain for unconformity-associated uranium deposits. Critical criteria for unconformity –associated uranium deposit models are knowledge of the basement geology, fault history and depth to unconformity surface. This thesis sets forth to derive working geological and geophysical models for the northeast Thelon Basin through the implementation of integrated geophysical techniques.

A physical rock property database is compiled defining average density and susceptibility values for key map units for integration into subsequent modelling iterations. Forward and inverse potential field modelling using these petrophysical with geological controls define the structure and geometry of the Shultz Lake intrusive complex and northeast Amer Belt, both of which are present below the Thelon sedimentary cover. Implementation of a new source edge detection technique estimates fault development and location within the basin. This provides a quantitative analysis of fault timing, identifying potentially reactivated faults which have an increased likelihood to serve as conduits to transport uranium-rich fluids and focus deposition. Corroborating the geophysical signatures on the aeromagnetic map with petrophysical properties and outcrop observations, a predictive geological map is developed for area beneath the sedimentary cover sequences. Inversion and interpretation of several discrete aeromagnetic anomalies provides local source depth estimates. Knowledge of fault locations is employed to delineate fault block boundaries. Interpreted geological model profiles include abrupt changes in sediment thickness with faults while abiding with the integrated source depth estimates. Integrating the results from a number of profiles provides a pseudo-3D rendition of the unconformity surface and its relationship to known faults. The geological-geophysical models which are presented herein incorporate all currently available data while providing a framework for the inclusion of future information as the knowledge gap for this remote region diminishes.

abstract: Doctor of Science  (PhD)