Novel functionalized triphenylphosphine oxide containing monomeric materials were prepared and subsequently incorporated into high performance aromatic polyimides, polyamides, copolysiloxane-poly(aryl-imide) randomly segmented copolymers, and epoxy network systems. These uniquely designed monomers were prepared via both Friedel-Crafts and Grignard techniques. In particular, two arylene ether diamines, bis[4-(maminophenoxy)phenyl]phenylphosphine oxide (m-BAPPO) and bis[4-(paminophenoxy)pheny] |phenylphosphine oxide (p-BAPPO) were prepared via the nucleophilic aromatic substitution of aminophenoxides onto the activated dihalide bis(4- fluorophenyl)phenylphosphine oxide (BFPPO) in polar aprotic solvents. It was also shown that the reaction of phenylphosphonothioic dichloride with biphenyl or diphenyl ether in the presence of aluminum chloride is a viable method for preparing regiospecific triphenylphosphine oxide derivatives. These derivatives were oxidized, nitrated and reduced to afford isomeric triphenylphosphine oxide containing diamines. Moreover, a sequential addition procedure with thiophosphoryl chloride, fluorobenzene, and benzene with aluminum chloride was investigated for the preparation of the highly desired, activated dihalide BFPPO. The polymers prepared from the novel triphenylphosphine oxide diamines showed many unique features. All linear polymers displayed high glass transition temperatures (T_g) and substantial improvements in solubility. TGA analyses showed excellent thermooxidative stability for all prepared polymers and gave substantial amounts of char at temperatures where other engineering polymers were completely volatized. This char was shown to induce a self extinguishing behavior in the polymers, thus imparting flame retardancy into the polymeric systems. / Ph. D.

Doctor en filosofía, mención estética y teoría del arte / No autorizada por el autor para ser publicada a texto completo / Este estudio aborda el desplazamiento de las palabras llevado a cabo por el poeta Juan Luis Martínez como un fenómeno de precariedad del lenguaje, propiciando así la figura paroxística de un poeta apocalíptico que, en línea con la puesta en cuestión de los recursos expresivos, exhibe una clausura y ampliación del concepto de poesía. El objetivo fundamental de la investigación consiste en revisar esta figura de poeta —reconocida habitualmente como quien detenta mayor capacidad y destreza con la lengua— que desplaza las palabras del centro del ejercicio poético, agregando otros recursos que ponen en conflicto la estabilidad de los géneros. No obstante, esta extensión hacia imágenes visuales y objetos no implica una confianza mayor en dichos recursos, sino un cuestionamiento en conjunto de la potencia representativa del arte. En esta perspectiva, Juan Luis Martínez es un poeta que indaga umbrales y clausuras, que dan cuenta de una violencia tanto de los signos como de la época, recusada por medio de procedimientos de escritura que buscan subvertir y minar el lenguaje, estableciendo principios visuales de desestabilización del sentido, liberados al mismo tiempo a través del humor.

There is no abstract available for this thesis.

The AASHTO 1993 Guide for Design of Pavement Structures is the most widely used pavement design method in both Canada and the United States, and is currently used by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) for both flexible and rigid pavement design. Despite its widespread use, the AASHTO 1993 pavement design method has significant limitations stemming primarily from the limited range of conditions observed at the AASHTO Road Test from which its empirical relationships were derived. The Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) was developed to address the perceived limitations of the AASHTO 1993 Guide. Although the MEPDG provides a rational pavement design procedure with a solid foundation in engineering mechanics, a considerable amount of work is required to adapt and validate the MEPDG to Ontario conditions. The purpose of this research was to conduct a comparative analysis of Ontario structural pavement designs using the AASHTO 1993 Guide for Design of Pavement Structures and the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide. Historical flexible, rigid, and asphalt overlay pavement designs completed using the AASHTO 1993 pavement design method for the MTO were evaluated using a two-stage procedure. First, the nationally-calibrated MEPDG pavement distress models were used to predict the performance of the pavements designed using the AASHTO 1993 method. The purpose of this stage of the analysis was to determine whether the two methods predicted pavement performance in a consistent manner across a range of design conditions typical of Ontario. Finally, the AASHTO 1993 and MEPDG methods were compared based on the thickness of the asphalt concrete or Portland cement concrete layers required to satisfy their respective design criteria. The results of the comparative analysis demonstrate that the AASHTO 1993 method generally over-predicted pavement performance relative to the MEPDG for new flexible pavements and asphalt overlays of flexible pavements. The MEPDG predicted that most of the new flexible pavements and asphalt overlays of flexible pavements designed using the AASHTO 1993 method would fail primarily due to permanent deformation and / or roughness. The asphalt layer thicknesses obtained using the MEPDG exceeded the asphalt layer thicknesses obtained using the AASHTO 1993 method, and a poor correlation was observed between the asphalt layer thicknesses obtained using the two methods. Many of the new flexible pavements and asphalt overlays of existing flexible pavements could not be re-designed to meet the MEPDG performance criteria by increasing the asphalt layer thickness. The results of the comparative analysis showed that the AASHTO 1993 method generally under-predicted rigid pavement performance relative to the MEPDG, although the results varied widely between alternative rigid pavement designs. The AASHTO 1993 rigid pavement designs that the MEPDG predicted would not meet the rigid pavement performance criteria generally failed due to pavement roughness. A very poor correlation was observed between the Portland cement concrete layer thicknesses obtained using the MEPDG and AASHTO 1993 design methods. The MEPDG predicted thinner Portland cement concrete layer thicknesses than the AASHTO 1993 design method for most of the rigid pavement designs.

Camargo Guarnieri is perhaps the most significant Brazilian composer after Heitor Villa-Lobos. His work Momentos is the culmination of Guarnieri’s efforts as a composer for the piano. It reveals the composer’s compositional essence through an intimate and expressive character, and a distillation of form and style. The scope of this dissertation provides musicians who are interested in performing Momentos with a theoretical analysis and commentary of the expressive quality of the individual pieces. Momentos displays a highly chromatic and contrapuntal language that incorporates elements of Brazilian nationalism—i.e., stylistic aspects derived from modinha, toada, and lundu— and nineteenth-century compositional techniques such as harmonic ambiguity and linear chromaticism. A performance of this work, in the form of a recording, is included. / School of Music

This thesis undertakes a study of the contradictions embedded in Golding's fiction. It is difficult, as I attempt to show, to treat Golding under the rubric of revolutionary, conservative, liberal humanist, optimistic or pessimistic writer separately. Golding's fiction shows a mind which is at once creative and enmeshed in the mysteries of the universe. However, I attempt in this study to shed light on the many contradictions which I think are present in his work. For this purpose, I concentrate on eight novels as the objects of my analysis. Lord of the Flies, Golding's first novel, displays a contradiction which is at the heart of Golding's vision. WhiIe Golding tries hard to show the hardness of man’s heart, he risks falling into pointlessness if the project were to end only on this note. Golding is caught up in the dilemma of at once believing in Original Sin and wanting to see an alternative future for humankind. If man is "originally" incapable of harmonious living, how is he ever to achieve this harmony? In Pincher Hartin, Golding delves deeper into a religious dogmatism which believes in individual greed. This greed, however, threatens ultimately to undo the "system" within which it exists. But if Golding tries hard to eliminate this individual greed, how then can he emphasise that man is originally sinful? With the removal of this greed and many other sins with it, man is likely to become "pure", something which Golding does not believe in. In Free Fall, Golding explores the idea of art for art's sake. One of the problems of this idea is that it leaves the political implications of any situation completely intact. The Spire enacts a different kind of contradiction. Jocelin, in one sense a saintly figure who can "see" more intuitively than the others, is driven into despair at his own creation. He ultimately loses faith in his own "powerful" vision. In The Paper Men, Golding embarks on a new way of treating his own themes. In its technique, this novel is closer than any of the others to postmodernist literature in its permutations, displacements, and indecisiveness. As for the trilogy, here Golding reaches a position where he can confidently be described as a liberal humanist. The trilogy paradoxically shows Golding at his best. The contradictions of the protagonist Edmund Talbot "reflect" those of a social class that has within it the features of both the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie. At the end, Golding does not "solve" these contradictions and he leaves us with a proposition that could see the end of all literary criticism and analysis. It is in the conclusion to this study that I address this problem.

This study is about the vicissitudes of democratisation in the context of neo-patrimonialism. It examines the aborted transition to democracy in Nigeria (1985--1993) by critically adopting the arguments proffered in the 'new institutionalism' literature. The key insight of the 'new institutionalism' approaches is that they neither privilege structures nor human agency. Instead they seek to explicate how pre-existing institutions and rules shape the choices of political actors. To this end, the 'new institutionalism' approaches lend themselves to a more comprehensive understanding of the processes of regime change. / The annulment of 1993, and the country's continuous failure to establish a viable democratic regime, can be attributed to the underlying political process in Nigeria, which puts an emphasis on capturing power for personal and sectional gains. Given this situation, political competition becomes a struggle of the survival of the fittest between those with power and those without. Thus, this study contends that the constitutive rules of a polity, while not determining the outcome of regime transitions, shapes actors' behavior towards specific goals and interests. The breakdown of the Babangida-initiated transition programme is an interesting example of this dynamic. The challenge to regime transitions therefore is understanding how inherited rules and institutions structure the political actors' choices. To meet this challenge an integrative approach is required for the study of regime transitions.

Why have numerous peace agreements not led to peace? Peacemaking evolves within a specific social, political and economic context involving different actors, numerous issues, and domestic and international constraints. However, political leaders ultimately prioritize the interests of the nation, politicize issues, and initialize policies. The study proposes, first, that the belief system and perceptions of political leaders play an important role in the making of peace by directly influencing the political environment during the implementation phase of peace agreements. Second, the main obstacle to peace may lie within the leaders' failure to transform the political environment into one more conducive to peace. A theoretical model attempts to bridge the gap between leaders, implementation phases, and outcome, or impact on the political environment. The process of transformation results from three factors: trust, increased direct communication, and a positive alteration of the image of the opponent. This provides the necessary foundation for both leaders and populations to begin the difficult and shaky process of belief alterations and perception corrections. The cases of the Camp David Agreements leading to the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty of 1979, and the Oslo Accords of 1993 provide the basis for "probing" into the relevancy of these propositions.

O presente trabalho consiste em examinar a presença dos elementos característicos do choro tradicional nos âmbitos melódico, harmônico, rítmico e formal no Choo Torturado de Camargo Guarnieri buscando investigar os afastamentos composicionais em relação ao paradigma da definição de choro vigente em sua época. Estes afastamentos estão fundamentados basicamente no conceito de Pantonalidade estabelecido por Rudolph Reti em Tonality, Atonality, Pantonality – A sudy of some trends inTwentieth Century Music (1958).

The objective of this dissertation is to give a practical overview of the phenomenon of dance in Czech feature film 1898-1993. The theoretical, artistic and cinematic principles that should be taken into consideration when attempting to value a dance performance in a feature film. Second part is divided into six chapters concerning specific function of dance scenes in different film genres. Appendix gives a complete list of choreographers and their artistic film cooperations.