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William Fisher diary, 1859-1861
Get PDFWilliam Fisher (1788-1878) was a farmer, state legislator and cotton mill manager who lived in Massachusetts and Connecticut. He had various business holdings, including a sawmill on the Satilla River in Georgia.A diary belonging to William Fisher of Massachusetts and Connecticut just prior to the Civil War (1859-1861). Much of the diary describes Fisher’s business activities and travels. Some entries refer to runaway slaves, a sermon given by abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher, life in the south, and a visit to Niagara Falls
Correspondence of Isaac D. Barnard, 1813-1836, n.d.
Get PDFIsaac D. Barnard (1791-1834) was an American soldier, politician, and Senator from West Chester, Pennsylvania. He was admitted to the bar at West Chester in 1816 but his legal studies were interrupted by the outbreak of the War of 1812. Barnard served under Col. Winder during the War and was present at the Battle of Fort George, the fight at La Cole’s Mill, with Izard’s army at Plattsburg, and the Battle of Lyon’s Creek [Cook’s Mills]. He resumed his legal studies after the war and established a practice in West Chester. Soon after Barnard was appointed sheriff’s counsel and deputy attorney general for Chester County, a position he held for the next four years. In 1820 he was elected to the Senate of Pennsylvania for the district composed of the counties of Chester and Delaware, and in 1826 was appointed Secretary of the Commonwealth. Shortly after this the Legislature of Pennsylvania elected him to the Senate of the United States. He remained in this position until 1831, when his declining health forced him to resign.The collection consists mostly of correspondence written by or to Isaac D. Barnard. There are 57 letters, 10 manuscript receipts and promissory notes, and two printed circulars. Barnard was an American lawyer, solider, politician and Senator from West Chester, Pennsylvania. The letters provide information on his service during the War of 1812, legal career, his terms in the State Senate of Pennsylvania, and as a United States Senator. His service during the War of 1812 included Fort George, Plattsburg, and Lyon’s Creek [Cook’s Mills]. There are two letters in the collection dated during the War of 1812
Hunger, academic performance, and the moderating role of social support in Canadian youth
Get PDF1.7 million young Canadians experience hunger on a regular basis. Youth who experience
hunger are more likely to underperform in school which in turn can lead to negative outcomes
and trajectories that impact their long-term health, wellbeing, and ability to succeed in adult life.
Public health interventions require an evidence base to address this phenomenon. This thesis will
therefore provide observational epidemiological data to describe whether social supports, as a
potential point of intervention, act as modifiers of relationships between hunger and the relative
ability of adolescents to perform well in school. This study consists of two components: firstly, a
contemporary descriptive analysis of the distribution of hunger within Canadian youth, and
second, an evaluation of the relationship between hunger and academic performance among
Canadian youth, and the potential moderating role of social support along this pathway. All
analyses were conducted using the 2018 cycle of the Canadian Health Behaviour in School-aged
Children (HBSC) study. Results from this study will be important theoretically and also provide
foundational evidence in support of integrated efforts to support youth in academic and
community settings
LSTM-oriented Handover Decision-making with SVR-based Mobility Prediction in 5G Vehicular Networks
Get PDFThe advancement of 5G technology is initiating a transformation era for Vehicular Networks (VN), enabling seamless communication among vehicles and other entities. Connected vehicles hold significant potential for improving traffic safety, and enhancing in-vehicle entertainment. With the increasing of vehicular applications, the necessity for reliable, high-bandwidth, and low-latency connections has become increasingly paramount.
Ensuring consistent connections in dynamic vehicular settings remains an ongoing challenge, especially given the necessity for smooth Handovers (HO) between transmission points as vehicles move rapidly. Frequent handovers, due to the limitations of communication range, can impact user experiences, especially in safety-critical situations. One potential solution involves transitioning to network virtualization to address the challenges posed by ultra-dense networks and the limited communication range in 5G.
To tackle these challenges, we present an approach based on mobility prediction for selecting virtual cells using Support Vector Regression (SVR) and making Handover (HO) decisions using Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM). Our method, named M-LSVR, focuses on forming user-centric virtual cells based on network attributes and real-time data. The dynamic adjustment of virtual cell size using predictive mobility ensures stability and reduces unnecessary handovers. Integrating mobility prediction with HO decision-making aims to establish a more stable connection, enhancing the quality of virtual cells in high-mobility vehicular environments. This approach aims to optimize the user experience by minimizing unnecessary tower switches and creating efficient, high-quality virtual cells in the 5G vehicular network
Experiencing the Reggio Emilia Pedagogical Approach: A Narrative Self-Study
Get PDFThis research aimed to critically reflect on my exposure to the principles of the REA and deepen my understanding and exploration of the role of the child, educator, and learning environment. In this qualitative study, I relied on the narrative self-study method to describe my interpretation of the REA from ECE to research assistant, which was organized into three broad themes: the child, educator, and learning environment. This study was guided by the following research questions: What is my interpretation of Reggio Emilia approach for the role of the child, educator, and learning environment based on my experience, from ECE to research assistant in early childhood education? How might this critical engagement with the REA impact my professional capacity in ECE? I found that the REA encompasses not only the principle of observation and documentation in its simplest form, but also crucial principles of the role of the child, educator, and learning environment. I learned that educators must integrate these principles to provide children with rich and independent learning experiences that honor their rights, interests, and individuality. Through this exploration, I gained insight into the value of these principles and their significance in creating joyful and enriching learning experiences for each child
Insect-specific viruses: infection rates and routes of transmission in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes
Get PDFInsect-specific viruses (ISVs) are viruses that are described to only infect and replicate in insect cells. Viruses such as cell fusing agent virus (CFAV), Phasi Charoen-like virus (PCLV) and Negev virus (NEGV) are ISVs that are often found in wild mosquitoes and have been shown to suppress the replication and transmission of arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses), like dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses. In particular, it has been shown that wild-type and modified negeviruses can suppress, in vitro, the replication of chikungunya virus and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus. ISVs have been indicated as a potential biological tool for pathogen control because of this ability to inhibit the replication of arboviruses. To be able to use ISVs to decrease the spread of arboviruses, their routes of transmission and infection rates among insects need to be understood. In this thesis, experiments were used to determine if mosquitoes could be infected with ISVs during their larval aquatic life stage and during their adult life stage. The larval stage of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, a major vector of arboviruses, was exposed to cell cultures co-infected with CFAV, PCLV and NEGV, as well as to cell cultures infected with NEGV alone. Our results indicate that NEGV can be horizontally transmitted to the mosquitoes during their aquatic stage of development during coinfections with other ISVs and when alone. Next adult mosquitoes were exposed to NEGV through sugar meals that were spiked with NEGV. This method also resulted in successful infection, which was followed by the confirmation of vertical transmission, from the infected parents to their offspring, as well. These experiments revealed desirable characteristics for ISVs that can be used as biological control agents and makes NEGV a potential candidate to combat mosquito- borne pathogens
Optimization of post-activation potentiation in girls and women
Get PDFBackground
Maximal conditioning contractions (CCs) can lead to the enhancement of evoked-twitch characteristics in human skeletal muscle. This phenomenon is termed post-activation potentiation (PAP). In the knee extensors, PAP is greater in men compared with boys. In adults, the optimal CC duration for PAP is ~ 10 s. We examined child–adult differences in PAP among females and aimed to determine the optimal CC duration in girls and women.
Methods
Eleven girls (9.3 ± 1.4 years) and 13 women (23.4 ± 2.7 years) participated in this study. Maximal isometric evoked twitches were recorded in the knee extensors before and after 4 maximal CCs of different durations (5, 10, 20, and 30 s), in a random order. PAP was calculated as the percent-change in peak torque (Tpeak) and peak rate of torque development (RTDpeak) after each CC.
Results
There was a group-by-duration interaction (p < 0.001), reflecting greater Tpeak PAP in women compared with girls following 5 and 10 s CCs, and lower RTDpeak PAP in women following the 30 s CC. The 5 and 10 s CCs lead to the greatest Tpeak and RTDpeak PAP amongst the women while there were no differences between CC durations in girls.
Conclusion
After both a 5 and 10 s CC, women have greater PAP compared with girls. The optimal CC duration for the knee extensors in women appears to be ~ 5-10 s, while CC durations between 5 and 30 s do not appear to affect levels of PAP in girls.Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
(B. Falk). A. McKiel and S. Woods were supported by Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarships in Science and Technolog
Simulation for Cricket: A Machine Learning Approach
Get PDFCricket is the second most popular sport in the world with a significant presence in Commonwealth countries. Despite its popularity, cricket is underrepresented in the literature, especially in the domain of simulation. Simulation in cricket is challenging because of its complexity, dynamic nature, and data scarcity. In this research, we develop a simulation mechanism for cricket using machine learning techniques. The construction of the simulator is based on the availability of a detailed dataset from Cricket Australia. We employ machine learning to predict the outcome of a "delivery", the core element of gameplay, which can further be utilized for scorecard generation and match simulations. Our simulator’s potential is demonstrated by employing it to determine the optimal batting position of a given batter in a team in Twenty20 cricket. Additionally, we develop an interactive web platform to enable the end users to directly interact with the simulator
Arterial Baroreflex Regulation of Sympathetic Discharge During Maximal Voluntary End-Inspiratory Apnea
Get PDFThe sympathetic nervous system (SNS) increases sympathetic outflow during physiological stress to maintain blood pressure (BP) homeostasis. The arterial baroreflex represents a critical mechanism regulating sympathetic outflow during rest and physiological stress. Volitional apnea, seen in breath-hold diving, serves as a physiological stressor and a model to increase sympathetic outflow in human neurophysiological research. The study employed a maximal voluntary end-inspiratory apnea to observe simultaneous increases in muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and BP. The use of apnea aimed to provide insights into how the maximal voluntary end-inspiratory apneas influence sympathetic action potential (AP) discharge and recruitment patterns in humans, contributing to a better understanding of the mechanisms that regulate MSNA. This study tested two hypotheses. The first hypothesis was that during a maximal voluntary end-inspiratory apnea, the strength (i.e., gain) of arterial baroreflex control of sympathetic AP discharge is preserved at baseline (BSL) levels but reset to higher levels of sympathetic outflow and greater BPs. The second hypothesis was that the relationship between sympathetic discharge and parameters of arterial stiffness will be maintained at BSL levels during maximum voluntary end-inspiratory apnea. A total of six young, healthy, non-smoking, normotensive individuals (3 females; average 22±3, 18-27 years) were included in the current analyses. Each participant completed a 2-minute BSL period and an end-inspiratory apnea of maximal voluntary duration. Consistent with the study’s hypothesis, during apnea, arterial baroreflex control of sympathetic APs was reset upwards to greater firing probabilities and rightwards to higher levels of BP. The gain of baroreflex control of sympathetic AP discharge was preserved at BSL levels. The peripheral component of the arterial baroreflex, as assessed by pulse transit times (PTT), was unchanged with apnea. These findings suggest that during apnea, arterial baroreflex control over sympathetic postganglionic neuronal discharge is reset to greater firing probabilities and higher BPs, but the strength of control is retained at BSL levels. Additionally, the relationship between sympathetic discharge and parameters of arterial stiffness are maintained at BSL levels. These findings advance our understanding of the central and peripheral baroreflex mechanisms governing sympathetic postganglionic discharge towards the human cardiovascular system during apneic stress
Bolivia and Canada, The Politics of Recognition and Differing Approaches to Indigenous Self-Determination
Get PDFThis project asks; to what extent has the Bolivian approach to Indigenous self-government demonstrated an effective policy framework that could be applicable in the Canadian context? This is accomplished through an application of a comprehensive theoretical framework to the analysis of the Canadian and Bolivian approaches to Indigenous self-determination. Several important themes are analyzed including the two Constitutions, political discourse, the historicization of colonialism, the importance of land, and the significance of the Leftist movement. This analysis leads to the realization that Bolivia has proven that the plurinational state is a feasible solution to the colonial homogenous conception of sovereignty. The lessons learned from the Bolivian states approach to Indigenous self-determination can inform decolonial options for the Canadian state