Walk leading past Law Building to Main Building" [Boulder, Law Bldg., University Hall, with plank walks

On verso: Randall; 220 Woodward Avenue; Detroit, Mich.

Men in horse-drawn buggies & carts (incl. one for State Street Bakery!) on State Street in front of the Law Building & University Hall, 1873

On verso: Randall; 220 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Mich.

Three-component force measurements on a large scramjet in a shock tunnel

A stress-wave force balance for measurement of thrust, lift, and pitching moment on a large scramjet model (40 kg in mass, 1.165 in in length) in a reflected shock tunnel has been designed, calibrated, and tested. Transient finite element analysis was used to model the performance of the balance. This modeling indicates that good decoupling of signals and low sensitivity of the balance to the distribution of. the load can be achieved with a three-bar balance. The balance was constructed and calibrated by applying a series of point loads to the model. A good comparison between finite element analysis and experimental results was obtained with finite element analysis aiding in the interpretation of some experimental results. Force measurements were made in a shock tunnel both with and without fuel injection, and measurements were compared with predictions using simple models of the scramjet and combustion. Results indicate that the balance is capable of resolving lift, thrust, and pitching moments with and without combustion. However vibrations associated with tunnel operation interfered with the signals indicating the importance of vibration isolation for accurate measurements.

Canada as a Potential Vacation Destination for Florida Residents

Canada expends a large amount of money on tourism and advertising in the U.S., but growth has not kept up. The author surveys Floridians as to their attitudes toward Canada as a tourism destination.

Fall prevention among older adults: a quantitative and qualitative study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a fall prevention program on older adults as well as to explore the perceptions of older adults have on fall risk and the fall prevention program. This research was completed in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada with participants above the age of 65. The 10-week fall prevention program focused on balance, strength, and flexibility and was followed by focus groups with the control and intervention groups. Pre and post-test measures (postural sway, TUG test, foam and dome test, ABC Scale, ESE Scale, FES Scale, SAFFE) were completed to determine if the fall prevention program decreased fall risk. The results of the quantitative portion of the study did not produce significant results however the qualitative portion was very informative. Five themes emerged from the focus group data: risk factor awareness, confidence, connectedness, quality of life, and program promotion. This research highlights the importance of fall prevention programs for older adults, not only to keep them healthy, but also for the personal and social benefits they facilitate.

THE DESIGN AND SYNTHESIS OF SILOXANE PRECURSORS FOR CHIRAL PERIODIC MESOPOROUS ORGANOSILICA MATERIALS

The development of cost-effective and reliable methods for the synthesis and separation of asymmetric compounds is paramount in helping to meet society’s ever-growing demand for chiral small molecules. Of these methods, chiral heterogeneous supports are particularly appealing as they allow for the reuse of the chiral source. One such support, based on the synergy between chiral organic units and structurally stable inorganic silicon scaffolds are periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs). In the work described herein, I examine some of the factors governing the transmission of chirality between chiral dopants and prochiral bulk phases in chiral PMO materials. In particular, the exploration of 1,1’-binaphthalene-bridged chiral dopants with a focus on the point of attachment into the materials. Moreover, the effects of ordering in the materials are examined and reveal that chirality transfer is more facile in materials with molecular-scale order then those containing amorphous walls. Secondly, the issues surrounding the synthesis and purification of aryl-triethoxysilanes as siloxane precursors are addressed. Both the introduction of a two-carbon linker and the direct attachment of allyl and mixed allyldiethoxysilane species are explored. This work demonstrates that allyldiethoxysilanes are ideal, in that they are stable enough to permit facile synthesis, while still being able to hydrolyze completely to produce well-ordered materials. Lastly, the production of new bulk phases for chiral PMO materials is examined by introducing new prochiral nitrogen-containing siloxane precursors. Biphenyldiamine and bipyridine-bridged siloxane precursors are readily synthesized on reasonable scales. Their use as the bulk siloxane precursor in the production of PMO materials however, is precluded by insufficient gelation and additional siloxane precursors are necessary for the production of ordered materials. In addition to the research detailed above that forms the body of this thesis, two short works are appended. The first details the production of polythiophene assemblies mediated through coordination nanospaces, while the second explores the production of N-heterocyclic carbene functionalized gold nanoparticles through ligand exchange.

Characterization of New Carbosilane Liquid Crystalline Monomers and Dimers

‘De Vries-like’ smectic liquid crystals exhibit low layer contraction of approximately 1% on transitions from the SmA to the SmC phase. These materials have received considerable attention as potential solutions for problems affecting liquid crystal displays using surface-stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystals (SSFLC). In SSFLCs, layer contraction of 710% is normally observed during the SmA to SmC phase transition. A study by the Lemieux group has shown that liquid crystals with nanosegregating carbosilane segments exhibit enhanced ‘de Vries-like’ properties through the formation of smectic layers and by lengthening the nanosegregating carbosilane end-groups from monocarbosilane to tricarbosilane. This observed enhancement is assumed to be due to an increase in the cross-section of the free volume in the hydrocarbon sub-layer. To test this hypothesis, it is assumed that dimers with a tricarbosilane linking group have smaller cross-sections on time average. In his thesis, this hypothesis is tested through the characterization of new liquid crystalline monomers (QL39-n) and dimers (QL40-n) with 2-phenylpyrimidine cores and tricarbosilane end-groups and spacers, respectively. The thesis describes the synthesis of two homologous series of liquid crystals and their characterization using a variety of techniques, including polarized optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. The results show that the monomers QL39-n form a tilted SmC phase only, whereas the dimers QL40-n form an orthogonal SmA phase. These results are discussed in the context of our hypothesis.

Lost in Translation? Russian Media Portrayals and Laypersons’ Interpretations of Angelina Jolie’s Breast Cancer Discourse

In May 2013, Angelina Jolie revealed that because she had a family history of breast and ovarian cancer and carried a rare BRCA gene mutation, she had undergone a preventive double mastectomy. Media coverage has been extensive around the world, including in Russia, not an English-language country, where all global news is inevitably filtered by translation. After examining the reactions of Russian mass media and members of the public to Jolie’s disclosure, I consider what transformations have occurred with Jolie’s message in the process of cross-cultural transfer. I explore the mass media portrayal of Jolie’s announcement, laypersons’ immediate and prolonged reactions, and the reflections of patients involved directly in the field of hereditary breast cancer. To my knowledge, this multifaceted and bilingual project is the first conceptualization of Jolie’s story as it has been translated in a different sociocultural environment. I start with examination of offline and online publications that appeared in Russia within two months after Jolie’s announcement. In this part of my analysis, I conceptualize the representation of Jolie’s case in Russian mass media and grasp what sociocultural waves were generated by this case among general lay audiences. Another part of my study contains the results of qualitative in-depth interviews. Eight women with a family history of hereditary breast cancer were recruited to participate in the research. The findings represent Jolie’s case through the eyes of Russian women with the same gene mutation as Jolie. Consolidating my findings, I argue that Jolie’s announcement was misinterpreted and misrepresented by Russian mass media, as well as misunderstood by a considerable part of the media audience. Jolie’s perspective on hereditary breast cancer mostly remained unheard among members of the Russian public. I make suggestions about the reasons for such a phenomenon, and demonstrate how Jolie’s case is implicated in politics, economics, and the culture of contemporary Russia.

Essays on Firm Heterogeneity with Empirical Applications in Economic History and Agricultural Economics

This thesis uses models of firm-heterogeneity to complete empirical analyses in economic history and agricultural economics. In Chapter 2, a theoretical model of firm heterogeneity is used to derive a statistic that summarizes the welfare gains from the introduction of a new technology. The empirical application considers the use of mechanical steam power in the Canadian manufacturing sector during the late nineteenth century. I exploit exogenous variation in geography to estimate several parameters of the model. My results indicate that the use of steam power resulted in a 15.1 percent increase in firm-level productivity and a 3.0-5.2 percent increase in aggregate welfare. Chapter 3 considers various policy alternatives to price ceiling legislation in the market for production quotas in the dairy farming sector in Quebec. I develop a dynamic model of the demand for quotas with farmers that are heterogeneous in their marginal cost of milk production. The econometric analysis uses farm-level data and estimates a parameter of the theoretical model that is required for the counterfactual experiments. The results indicate that the price of quotas could be reduced to the ceiling price through a 4.16 percent expansion of the aggregate supply of quotas, or through moderate trade liberalization of Canadian dairy products. In Chapter 4, I study the relationship between farm-level productivity and participation in the Commercial Export Milk (CEM) program. I use a difference-in-difference research design with inverse propensity weights to test for causality between participation in the CEM program and total factor productivity (TFP). I find a positive correlation between participation in the CEM program and TFP, however I find no statistically significant evidence that the CEM program affected TFP.

Perspectives of Teachers Regarding the Integration of Mathematics and Science at the Secondary School Level

The integration of mathematics and science in secondary schools in the 21st century continues to be an important topic of practice and research. The purpose of my research study, which builds on studies by Frykholm and Glasson (2005) and Berlin and White (2010), is to explore the potential constraints and benefits of integrating mathematics and science in Ontario secondary schools based on the perspectives of in-service and pre-service teachers with various math and/or science backgrounds. A qualitative and quantitative research design with an exploratory approach was used. The qualitative data was collected from a sample of 12 in-service teachers with various math and/or science backgrounds recruited from two school boards in Eastern Ontario. The quantitative and some qualitative data was collected from a sample of 81 pre-service teachers from the Queen’s University Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) program. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the in-service teachers while a survey and a focus group was conducted with the pre-service teachers. Once the data was collected, the qualitative data were abductively analyzed. For the quantitative data, descriptive and inferential statistics (one-way ANOVAs and Pearson Chi Square analyses) were calculated to examine perspectives of teachers regardless of teaching background and to compare groups of teachers based on teaching background. The findings of this study suggest that in-service and pre-service teachers have a positive attitude towards the integration of math and science and view it as valuable to student learning and success. The pre-service teachers viewed the integration as easy and did not express concerns to this integration. On the other hand, the in-service teachers highlighted concerns and challenges such as resources, scheduling, and time constraints. My results illustrate when teachers perceive it is valuable to integrate math and science and which aspects of the classroom benefit best from the integration. Furthermore, the results highlight barriers and possible solutions to better the integration of math and science. In addition to the benefits and constraints of integration, my results illustrate why some teachers may opt out of integrating math and science and the different strategies teachers have incorporated to integrate math and science in their classroom.

Background Measurement Techniques and Sensitivity Studies for the SNO+ Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay Search

The control of radioactive backgrounds will be key in the search for neutrinoless double beta decay at the SNO+ experiment. Several aspects of the SNO+ back- grounds have been studied. The SNO+ tellurium purification process may require ultra low background ethanol as a reagent. A low background assay technique for ethanol was developed and used to identify a source of ethanol with measured 238U and 232Th concentrations below 2.8 10^-13 g/g and 10^-14 g/g respectively. It was also determined that at least 99:997% of the ethanol can be removed from the purified tellurium using forced air ow in order to reduce 14C contamination. In addition, a quality-control technique using an oxygen sensor was studied to monitor 222Rn contamination due to air leaking into the SNO+ scintillator during transport. The expected sensitivity of the technique is 0.1mBq/L or better depending on the oxygen sensor used. Finally, the dependence of SNO+ neutrinoless double beta decay sensitivity on internal background levels was studied using Monte Carlo simulation. The half-life limit to neutrinoless double beta decay of 130Te after 3 years of operation was found to be 4.8 1025 years under default conditions.