Relatively few research efforts have focused on splice length requirements for reinforced masonry, despite the significant impact of these requirements on the safety, economy, and constructability of masonry walls. The Canadian masonry provisions for splice lengths in CSA S304.1-04 are taken directly from the Canadian concrete design standard, CSA A23.3-04, and thus do not necessarily reflect factors unique to masonry construction. Provisions in American masonry standard TMS 402-13/ACI 530-13/ASCE 5-13 are based on test results of double pullout specimens, but may be overly conservative due to shortcomings of the specimen type chosen. The purpose of this study is to examine the splice lengths needed for flexural masonry elements reinforced with bar sizes typically used in Canadian masonry construction. In this study, 27 wall splice specimens and 12 double pullout specimens were constructed. The wall splice specimens were tested horizontally in four point loading, while the double pullout specimens were tested in direct tension. Results from the double pullout specimen testing suggest that the techniques used at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) are reasonably similar to those of the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA), and are thus adequate to assess current provisions in the American and Canadian standards. A predictive equation for the tensile resistance of spliced reinforcement was developed from the results of the wall splice specimen testing. This predictive equation was then adjusted to incorporate an adequate margin of safety for calculating splice length requirements for design purposes, using a five percent quantile approach. The adjusted predictive equation was then extrapolated to determine the splice lengths corresponding to the nominal yield strength of the reinforcement. These splice lengths were compared to current code provisions. It was found that the current CSA S304.1-04 Class B provisions, used almost exclusively in construction, are conservative for No. 15, 20, and 25 bars. In contrast, the TMS 402-13 provisions were overly conservative for all three bar sizes. Changes to the bar size factors of the current provisions for both codes were recommended to bring better consistency to the requirements of the two codes, and thus ensure the safety, economy, and constructability of masonry walls.

This project involved a series of linoleum, woodcut, and intaglio prints whose subject matter was derived from my imagination. The inspiration for this work is the ocean and the myriad life forms found there. I perused books on the ocean and created characters from these images. These prints also have a psychological edge and emotional aspect reflecting the state of mind I was in when 1 created them. Putting these ideas together in the intaglio prints as well as using different techniques was the challenge in making this work. My goal was also to explore linoleum and woodcut prints where I used multiple blocks and/or rolled more than one color on a block to achieve a multitude of hues for one image. I found this complex way of making images exciting and feel that the works created have been successfully resolved. / Department of Art

Polyferrocenylsilane (PFS) diblock copolymers self-assemble in selective solvents to form one-dimensional micelles for a broad range of polymer compositions and experimental conditions, driven by the crystallization of the PFS block that forms the micelle core. The most striking feature of these micelles is that they remain active for further growth. They can be extended in length when additional polymer, dissolved in a good solvent, is added to a solution of the pre-existing micelles. This thesis describes several studies investigating the factors that affect the growth and fragmentation of PFS diblock copolymer micelles in solution, with a particular emphasis on polyisoprene-PFS (PI-PFS) diblock copolymers. The goal of my research was trying to provide deeper understanding of this crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA) process. In an attempt to understand the growth kinetics of the PI-PFS cylindrical micelles, I added tiny amount of short micelle seeds into supersaturated solution of the same polymer, and followed the micelle growth by light scattering. The data analysis showed that the increase of micelle length could be described by an expression with two exponential decay terms. In another attempt to examine the factors that may affect the growth behavior of the PI-PFS micelles, I found that PI-PFS long micelles underwent fragmentation when they were subjected to external stimuli, e.g. addition of polar solvent, or heating. During the course of studying the effect of heating on the micelles, I developed a new approach to generate cylindrical micelles with controllable and uniform length, a one-dimensional analogue of self-seeding of crystalline polymers. I carried out a systematic study to investigate the self-seeding behavior of PFS block copolymers.

Polyferrocenylsilane (PFS) diblock copolymers self-assemble in selective solvents to form one-dimensional micelles for a broad range of polymer compositions and experimental conditions, driven by the crystallization of the PFS block that forms the micelle core. The most striking feature of these micelles is that they remain active for further growth. They can be extended in length when additional polymer, dissolved in a good solvent, is added to a solution of the pre-existing micelles. This thesis describes several studies investigating the factors that affect the growth and fragmentation of PFS diblock copolymer micelles in solution, with a particular emphasis on polyisoprene-PFS (PI-PFS) diblock copolymers. The goal of my research was trying to provide deeper understanding of this crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA) process. In an attempt to understand the growth kinetics of the PI-PFS cylindrical micelles, I added tiny amount of short micelle seeds into supersaturated solution of the same polymer, and followed the micelle growth by light scattering. The data analysis showed that the increase of micelle length could be described by an expression with two exponential decay terms. In another attempt to examine the factors that may affect the growth behavior of the PI-PFS micelles, I found that PI-PFS long micelles underwent fragmentation when they were subjected to external stimuli, e.g. addition of polar solvent, or heating. During the course of studying the effect of heating on the micelles, I developed a new approach to generate cylindrical micelles with controllable and uniform length, a one-dimensional analogue of self-seeding of crystalline polymers. I carried out a systematic study to investigate the self-seeding behavior of PFS block copolymers.

The Kaczmarz method is an iterative algorithm that solves overdetermined systems of linear equalities. This paper studies a system of linear equalities and inequalities. We use the block version of the Kaczmarz method applied towards the equalities with the simple randomized Kaczmarz scheme for the inequalities. This primarily involves combining Needell and Tropp's work on the block Kaczmarz method with the application of a randomized Kaczmarz approach towards a system of equalities and inequalities performed by Leventhal and Lewis. We give an expected linear rate of convergence for this kind of system and find that using the block Kaczmarz scheme for the equalities can improve the rate compared to the simple Kaczmarz method.

This paper deals with evaluating 3D-bootstrap for the mining company New Boliden in an attempt to revise their current method of calculating average gold riches in different areas. The purpose is to find one-sided 3D-bootstrap confidence bound of the average gold riches. There lacks well-defined theory behind using 3D-bootstrap, in this paper the variogram is used as an estimate of dependencies between the observations, and the block length is chosen to be higher than this estimate. In aid of this, a simulated data material is conducted to check the validity of 3D-bootstrap in a controlled area where the theoretical value is known. The results are inconclusive, and further studies are needed.

A new multi-step self-assembly route to polymer-semiconducting nanoparticle photonic structures is described. The multi-step self-assembly strategy targets complex hierarchical structures in which organization of cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles on progressively longer length scales is introduced via a series of three self-assembly steps. each involving building blocks of increasing structural complexity. Each self assembly step can be described as follows: 1) SA1: self-assembly of PS-b-PAA to form block ionomer reverse micelles, followed by synthesis of a single CdS semiconducting nanoparticle in each core, forming the hybrid building blocks PS-CdS: 2) SA2: self-assembly of blends of PS-CdS and PS-b-PAA stabilizing chains in DMF/water mixtures by addition of water to form spherical nanoparticle assemblies, termed large compound micelles (LCMs); 3) SA3: self-assembly of LCMs into ordered close packed arrays by slow water evaporation. The kinetic freezing of building blocks at each stage offers the potential for unique control of nanoparticle self-assembly step since each step is "locked in", allowing structural features determined by the subsequent step to be independently tuned through a new set of experimental variables. Chapter 2 and 3 of this thesis investigate aspects of size and polydispersity control of spherical nanoparticle assemblies in the SA2 self-assembly step. Chapter 4 demonstrates that LCMs can be further assembled (SA3 step) to form three-dimensional hierarchical arrays.

My Ph.D. thesis is presented in two parts. In the first part, I describe the preparation of organic-inorganic hybrid micelles formed from poly(styrene-b-4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) block copolymers and CdSe quantum dots (QDs). Several distinct morphologies were observed including, spheres, finite-sized wormlike networks and clusters of hollow vesicles. A series of experiments were carried out to explore whether these hybrid colloids were thermodynamically stable or formed under kinetic control. Upon addition of 2-propanol (2-PrOH) to a chloroform solution containing a mixture of PS404-b-P4VP76 plus CdSe QDs (2-PrOH is a good solvent for P4VP block and a precipitant for PS block and QDs), uniform spherical micelles formed almost instantly, with a PS core and a thin P4VP corona to which the QDs were attached. Vigorous stirring of this solution for two days led to the formation of three-dimensional wormlike networks consisted of Y-junctions and cylindrical struts, terminated by bulbous spherical end-caps. Even more profound structural changes occurred when the solution was subjected to prolonged magnetic stirring (e.g. 1 month). ii In contrast, manipulating the chemical composition of the initial block copolymer could trigger a spontaneous structural transition from sphere to network of wormlike micelles over 2 h without the need of stirring. The second part of the thesis begins by describing a modular approach for preparing polyferrocenyldimethylsilane (PFS) block copolymers via a Cu-catalyzed alkyne/azide coupling reaction to covalently combine two homopolymers synthesized separately. This strategy opens the door to a broad library of novel functional PFS block copolymers, for example, poly(ferrocenyldimethylsilane-b-N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PFS-b-PNIPAM). In an attempt to expand our understanding of PFS block copolymer self-assembly in polar solvents, I investigated the self-assembly of a new polymer (PFS26-b-PNIPAM105) in alcohol solvents. When the block polymer was dissolved in methanol, ethanol and 2-propanol, it formed long fiber-like micelles with uniform width. I also showed that micelles of this polymer underwent seeded growth in methanol, leading to cylindrical micelles that were nearly mono- dispersed in length.

My Ph.D. thesis is presented in two parts. In the first part, I describe the preparation of organic-inorganic hybrid micelles formed from poly(styrene-b-4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) block copolymers and CdSe quantum dots (QDs). Several distinct morphologies were observed including, spheres, finite-sized wormlike networks and clusters of hollow vesicles. A series of experiments were carried out to explore whether these hybrid colloids were thermodynamically stable or formed under kinetic control. Upon addition of 2-propanol (2-PrOH) to a chloroform solution containing a mixture of PS404-b-P4VP76 plus CdSe QDs (2-PrOH is a good solvent for P4VP block and a precipitant for PS block and QDs), uniform spherical micelles formed almost instantly, with a PS core and a thin P4VP corona to which the QDs were attached. Vigorous stirring of this solution for two days led to the formation of three-dimensional wormlike networks consisted of Y-junctions and cylindrical struts, terminated by bulbous spherical end-caps. Even more profound structural changes occurred when the solution was subjected to prolonged magnetic stirring (e.g. 1 month). ii In contrast, manipulating the chemical composition of the initial block copolymer could trigger a spontaneous structural transition from sphere to network of wormlike micelles over 2 h without the need of stirring. The second part of the thesis begins by describing a modular approach for preparing polyferrocenyldimethylsilane (PFS) block copolymers via a Cu-catalyzed alkyne/azide coupling reaction to covalently combine two homopolymers synthesized separately. This strategy opens the door to a broad library of novel functional PFS block copolymers, for example, poly(ferrocenyldimethylsilane-b-N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PFS-b-PNIPAM). In an attempt to expand our understanding of PFS block copolymer self-assembly in polar solvents, I investigated the self-assembly of a new polymer (PFS26-b-PNIPAM105) in alcohol solvents. When the block polymer was dissolved in methanol, ethanol and 2-propanol, it formed long fiber-like micelles with uniform width. I also showed that micelles of this polymer underwent seeded growth in methanol, leading to cylindrical micelles that were nearly mono- dispersed in length.

The coverage of a test suite is often used as a proxy for its effectiveness. However, previous studies that investigated the influence of code coverage on test suite effectiveness have failed to reach a consensus about the nature and strength of the relationship between these test suite characteristics. Moreover, many of the studies were done with small or synthetic programs, making it unclear that their results generalize to larger programs. In addition, some of the studies did not account for the confounding influence of test suite size. We have extended these studies by evaluating the relationship between test suite size, block coverage, and effectiveness for large Java programs. Our test subjects were four Java programs from different application domains: Apache POI, HSQLDB, JFreeChart, and Joda Time. All four are actively developed open source programs; they range from 80,000 to 284,000 source lines of code. For each test subject, we generated between 5,000 and 7,000 test suites by randomly selecting test methods from the program's entire test suite. The suites ranged in size from 3 to 3,000 methods. We used the coverage tool Emma to measure the block coverage of each suite and the mutation testing tool Javalanche to evaluate the effectiveness of each suite. We found that there is a low correlation between block coverage and effectiveness when the number of tests in the suite is controlled for. This suggests that block coverage, while useful for identifying under-tested parts of a program, should not be used as a quality target because it is not a good indicator of test suite effectiveness.