34 research outputs found
Learning When to Quit: An Empirical Model Of Experimentation in Standards Development
No full textUsing data from the Internet Engineering Task Force, a voluntary organization that develops protocols for managing Internet infrastructure, we estimate a dynamic discrete choice model
of the decision to continue or abandon a line of research. The
model’s key parameters measure the speed at which authors learn
whether their project will become a technology standard. We use
the model to simulate two innovation policies: an R&D subsidy
and a publication-prize. While subsidies have a larger impact on
research output, the optimal policy depends on the level of R&D
spillovers
The Measurement of Integrated Human Service Network (The Children's Treatment Network of Simcoe York)
No full textTitle: The Measurement of Integrated Human Service Network (The Children's Treatment Network of Simcoe York), Author: Chenglin Ye, Location: ThodeCommunity-based human services have traditionally been provided by autonomous
service agencies. They have their own funding source and independent process.
Integration has been advocated as a key strategy to integrate different agencies together
to provide multiple services for a targeted community. The Children's Treatment Network
(CTN) of Simcoe York is a network of agencies and organizations providing services to
children with multiple needs and their families in Simcoe County and York Region. This
study was designed to evaluate the different levels of integrated service approaches for
children on outcomes. The study consisted of two parts: phase I and phase II
measurement. Our project covered phase I measurement with the following objectives. Clinically,
we aimed to evaluate agencies' integration in the network, promote discussion, and
determine any interrelationship between a network's integration and its functioning. The
statistical objectives were to quantify the network integration for agency, to represent the
overall integration, to quantify the association between network's integration and
functioning and to assess the sensitivity of results. We measured agencies' integration through measuring its agreement in
collaboration with other agencies in the network. The higher agreement in collaboration
indicates a better services integration. We defined four different agreement measures
from different perspectives. The agreement based on group's perception was defined to
be the primary measure. We used mean difference, percentage and the Kappa statistic
to measure the agreement for each agency. Correlation and regression analyses were
applied in investigating the association between network's integration and its functioning. The sensitivity of the results was analyzed by examining the re-sampling bias of
bootstrapping regression models. Agreement measures were consistent for each agency. In Simcoe, agencies had
an average agreement 0.874 (S.D. 0.213) in mean difference, 46.63 (S.D. 12.91) in
percentage and 0.258 (S.D. 0.143) in Kappa. Agencies of York had average agreements
of 0.662 (S.D. 0.204), 49.36 (S.D. 13.06) and 0.282 (S.D. 0.121), respectively. Agency
10 and 33 in Simcoe and Agency 14 in York were found to have the highest agreement.
Agency 3 and 21 in Simcoe and Agency 8 and 9 in York, on the other hand, were found
to have the lowest agreement. Different graphical displays illustrated that the overall
agreement in collaboration was low and the agencies in York generally had a higher
agreement. Correlation analysis showed that synergy and agencies' perception of pros
and cons were significantly correlated with the primary percentage agreement. In
regression analysis, we did not find any significant functioning component. However,
synergy was found to be much more associated with agreement than the other
components. The estimates were 11.48% (-1.03%, 24.00%) and 11.21% (-2.48%,
24.90%) in un-weighted and weighted models respectively. Bootstrapping regression
analysis showed that the results were robust to a change of sample. We concluded that the level of integration of CTN was low because the agencies
generally had poor agreement in collaboration. Synergy was the most important
component associated with the network's integration. Other functioning components
detected were also associated with the integrating process but were less clinically
important. We discussed the statistical approaches used in other contexts and some of
their strength and weaknesses. We also considered some key limitations of the study.
This study was a baseline measurement of CTN of Simcoe York for further analysis. The
results provided a basis for future enhancement of integration of the network. Our
experiences also provided ideas for improving design and analysis in integrated network
measurement.ThesisMaster of Science (MS
The pre-Late Wisconsin stratigraphy of southern Simcoe County, Ontario: Implications for ice sheet build-up, decay, and Great Lakes drainage evolution
No full textRecent three-dimensional mapping investigations in southern Simcoe County, Ontario allow refinement of the existing regional stratigraphic framework. Analysis of 25 continuously-cored boreholes has revealed a complex but consistent sediment succession that provides a record of the last two glacial cycles (Marine Isotope Stages 1-6). Five stratigraphic units (SU 1-5) comprise the pre-Late Wisconsin record. The stratigraphy is floored by a presumed Illinoian glacial complex consisting of a lower, coarse-grained till (SU 1), locally overlain by stratified glaciolacustrine and glaciofluvial sediments (SU2), but more commonly capped by a stone-poor, fine-grained till (SU 3) of the Georgian Bay lobe. A widespread subaerial unconformity developed on the upper surface of SU3 contains organic-bearing, non-glacial deposits (SU 4) ranging between 54 800 Âą 3000 (considered beyond the limits of radiocarbon dating) and 37 450 Âą 590 14C yr BP. SU 4 is abruptly overlain by a thick succession of rhythmically laminated lacustrine muds graded upwards into glaciolacustrine silts and clays interrupted by regionally continuous sand bodies (SU 5). The succession is capped (and locally truncated) by Late Wisconsin Newmarket Till. The sedimentary record of southern Simcoe County is correlated with other well-studied reference sections in southern Ontario and contains information that informs reconstructions of former ice extents in the lower Great Lakes region following the Illinoian glaciation. Several sediment units host aquifers, but limited thickness and spatial extent, as well as issues with naturally-occurring dissolved gases and solids, restrict their use for groundwater supply.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author
Pulling together: A Guide for Indigenization of Post-Secondary Institutions
No full textThe "Leaders and Administrators Guide" is part of an open professional learning series developed for staff across post-secondary institutions in British Columbia. Guides in the series include: Foundations; Leaders and Administrators; Curriculum Developers; Teachers and Instructors; Front-line Staff, Student Services, and Advisors; and Researchers. These guides are the result of the Indigenization Project, a collaboration between BCcampus and the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training. The project was supported by a steering committee of Indigenous education leaders from BC universities, colleges, and institutes, the First Nations Education Steering Committee, the Indigenous Adult and Higher Learning Association, and Métis Nation BC.Also referred to as "Pulling Together: A Guide for Leaders and Administrators
Reservoir stratigraphy and architecture of glacial tunnel valleys reservoirs: Examples from Ordovician of North Africa and Pleistocene of North America
No full textUpper Ordovician glaciogenic rocks from Block-NC186, in the Murzuq Basin, SW Libya, represent important hydrocarbon reservoirs. The producing reservoirs are found in glacial incisions filled by the Melaz Shuqran and Mamuniyat formations. These formations present complex reservoir architecture and high sediment heterogeneity. Understanding the morphology and internal reservoir architecture in these incisions is important in order to improve prediction in such complex reservoir systems. This study describes the Upper Ordovician formations from Block-NC186 (Libya) using an integrated approach based on seismic, isopach maps, well logs, core and chemostratigraphic data. The results are compared and contrasted with the infill of a Pleistocene glacial incision from Lake Simcoe (Ontario, Canada) inferred from high-resolution seismic data. Results show differences in the infilling history of the two systems. Sedimentological records from the Upper Ordovician show different phases of ice-sheet advance, retreat and glacio-isostatic rebound infilling a complex network of mainly fault-controlled incisions, of very variable widths and depths, cut under the pre-glacial Middle Ordovician Hawaz Formation. In the other hand, the Pleistocene infill from the Lake Simcoe shows a similar incised valley, filled during small fluctuations of the ice front in a single episode of ice-sheet retreat within low energy lacustrine environment. The comparison of these two systems highlights the variability of the glaciogenic infill and the need to incorporate influencing parameters such as regional tectonic trend, bedrock types, glaciations amplitudes and geographical environments into the geological models aimed to reconstruct and predict reservoir distribution within these glacial sedimentary systems.Applied GeologyCivil Engineering and Geoscience
Multiple signs of ecosystem change in the zooplankton community of a large temperate lake
No full textLarge lakes, such as Lake Simcoe, Ontario, Canada, are undergoing significant change due to local and global stressors. Uni- and multivariate analyses of Lake Simcoe’s zooplankton community from 1986 to 2012 indicated multiple events of ecosystem change that were synchronous across three lake stations. In the mid-1990s, shifts in zooplankton species abundance and richness, and total cladoceran body size were strongly correlated with the invasion of the zooplanktivore, Bythotrephes cederstroemii. In the early 2000s, additional shifts in zooplankton abundance, as well as copepod body size, coincided with increased water clarity (linked to filter feeding by the invader Dreissena polymorpha) and hypolimnetic water temperature. Further community changes occurred in the 2000s when Bythotrephes declined and many vulnerable cladoceran species recovered. However, the Lake Simcoe community did not fully return to its pre-invasion state as the cold-water herbivores, Daphnia longiremis and Daphnia pulicaria, remained absent. The Lake Simcoe zooplankton community illustrates ongoing ecosystem change that propagated throughout the lake food web, and may be reflected in other lakes experiencing global stressors of climate change and species invasions.The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the pdf file of the accepted manuscript may differ slightly from what is displayed on the item page. The information in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript reflects the original submission by the author
Status, Quality, and Attention: What's in a (Missing) Name?
No full textHow much are we influenced by an author's identity when evaluating his or her work? This paper exploits a natural experiment to measure the impact of status signals in the context of open standards development. For a period of time, e-mails announcing new submissions to the Internet Engineering Task Force would replace individual author names with "et al." if submission volumes were unusually high. We measure the impact of status signals by comparing the effect of obscuring high- versus low-status author names. Our results show that name-based signals can explain up to three-quarters of the difference in publication rates between high- and low-status authors. The signaling effect disappears for a set of prescreened proposals that receive more scrutiny than a typical submission, suggesting that status signals are more important when attention is scarce (or search costs high). We also show that submissions from high-status authors receive more attention on electronic discussion boards, which may help high-status authors to develop their ideas and bring them forward to publication. This paper was accepted by Jesper Sørensen, organizations.status, technology, sociology of science
Late Wisconsin Ice Lobe Dynamics: Assessment Through G.I.S. Supported Three Dimensional Mapping and Surface Physiography
No full textTitle: Late Wisconsin Ice Lobe Dynamics: Assessment Through G.I.S. Supported Three Dimensional Mapping and Surface Physiography, Author: Michael C. Sampson, Location: Thodethe study are is approximately 4,500 km^2 including [arts of Hastings, Prince-Edward and Northumberland countries. The area was glaciated during the Late Wisconsin (20-11,800 y.b.p) by the Simcoe Lobe and the Lake Ontario Lobe of the Laurentide ice sheet. Ice activity created subsurface characteristics and surface physiography that can, therefore, be used to suggest patterns of ice flow during the Late Wisconsin. A computer generated recreation of the bedrock topography within the area revealed two bedrock channels and other characteristics that aid in determination of ice flow patterns. Computer generated drift thickness maps exposed several packages of sediment that were also important in the creation of an ice flow model. Surface features such as drumlins, moraines and eskers provided the final link in suggesting that ice flow was actually contained by bedrock topography. Evidence suggests, both subsurface and surface, that the Lake Ontario Lobe moved in a southwest direction following bedrock channels. for this reason it is believed that the profile of the ice in this region was thin. At one time the Simcoe Lobes and the Lake Ontario Lobe approached one-another and created the Oak Ridges Moraine. The profile of the Oak Ridges Moraine at this point extended much further than suggested by Chapman and Putnam (1984). There was then a surge of one of the Simcoe Lobes towards the south which ultimately, after ice recession, created the physiography of today.ThesisBachelor of Arts (BA
ALMA and Herschel observations of the prototype dusty and polluted white dwarf G29-38
No full textJF gratefully acknowledges the support of the STFC via an Ernest Rutherford Fellowship. AB acknowledges the support of the ANR-2010 BLAN-0505-01 (EXOZODI). MCW and OP are grateful for the support of the European Union through ERC grant number 279973.ALMA Cycle 0 and Herschel PACS observations are reported for the prototype, nearest, and brightest example of a dusty and polluted white dwarf, G29-38. These long-wavelength programmes attempted to detect an outlying, parent population of bodies at 1–100 au, from which originates the disrupted planetesimal debris that is observed within 0.01 au and which exhibits LIR/L* = 0.039. No associated emission sources were detected in any of the data down to LIR/L* ∼ 10−4, generally ruling out cold dust masses greater than 1024–1025 g for reasonable grain sizes and properties in orbital regions corresponding to evolved versions of both asteroid and Kuiper belt analogues. Overall, these null detections are consistent with models of long-term collisional evolution in planetesimal discs, and the source regions for the disrupted parent bodies at stars like G29-38 may only be salient in exceptional circumstances, such as a recent instability. A larger sample of polluted white dwarfs, targeted with the full ALMA array, has the potential to unambiguously identify the parent source(s) of their planetary debris.Peer reviewe
