Sensor array calibration is a major problem in engineering, to which a biological approach may provide alternative solutions. For animals, perception is relative. The aim of this thesis is to show that the relativity of perception in the animal kingdom could also be applied to robotics with promising results. This thesis explores through various behaviours and environments the properties of homeostatic mechanisms in sensory cells. It shows not only that the phenomenon can solve partial failure of sensors but also that it can be used by robots to adapt to their (changing) environment. Moreover the system shows emergent properties as well as adaptation to the robot body or its behaviour. The homeostatic mechanisms in biological neurons maintain fi ring activity between predefi ned ranges. Our model is designed to correct out of range neuron activity over a relatively long period of time (seconds or minutes). The system is implemented in a robot’s sensory neurons and is the only form of adaptability used in the central network. The robot was fi rst tested extensively with a mechanism implemented for obstacle avoidance and wall following behaviours. The robot was not only able to deal with sensor manufacture defects, but to adapt to changing environments (e.g. adapting to a narrow environment when it was originally in an open world). Emergence of non-implemented behaviours has also been observed. For example, during wall following behaviour, the robot seemed, at some point, bored. It changed the direction it was following the wall. Or we also noticed during obstacle avoidance an emerging exploratory behaviour. The model has also been tested on more complex behaviours such as skototaxis, an escape response, and phonotaxis. Again, especially with skototaxis, emergent behaviours appeared such as unpredictability on where and when the robot will be hiding. It appears that the adaptation is not only driven by the environment but by the behaviour of the robot too. It is by the complex feedback between these two things that non-implemented behaviours emerge. We showed that homeostasis can be used to improve sensory signal processing in robotics and we also found evidence that the phenomenon can be a necessary step towards better behavioural adaptation to the environment.

ABSTRACT Five of the top 16 counties in the United States with the fastest growth in the Latino population from 2000 to 2007 are in Georgia (Pew Hispanic Research Center, 2015). The Georgia metropolitan area where the study occurred has more Latinos than Austin, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, or Tucson (Pew Hispanic Research Center, 2015). Particularly following the New Latino Diaspora (Hamann, Wortham, & Murillo, 2002; Murillo, 2002; and Villenas, 2002) schools in the Southeastern United States have more and more Spanish-speaking students (Pew Hispanic Research Center, 2015). However, most classroom teachers have not received specialized training or professional development relating to these students (Ballantyne, Sanderman, & Levy, 2008; Barrera & Jiménez, 2000; Carrasquillo & Rodríguez, 2002; Dove & Honigsfeld, 2010; Echevarria, Short, & Powers, 2006; Kim, 2010; Walker, Shafer, & Iiams, 2004). My study’s purpose was to explore the interactions between an English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher (myself) and classroom teachers in my school relating to newcomer emergent bilingual students. The main research question guiding this study was: What happens when an ESOL teacher and classroom teachers intentionally gather to focus on newcomer emergent bilingual students? Teachers attended 12 weekly gatherings which were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed. This study exemplifies practitioner research and thematic analysis of the data. Sociocultural theory (Vygotsky, 1978, 1986) and critical pedagogy (Freire, 1970) frame this study and were used as interpretive lenses for data analysis. Five major themes emerged: newcomers, resources, connections with classroom experiences, perceptions, and professional development. Findings related to teachers’ sense of self-efficacy relating to newcomers, their awareness of linguistic and cultural issues, and the importance of the social-emotional climate. A kit for classroom teachers of newcomers was prepared. Recommendations include support for classroom teachers who receive newcomer students—resources for the first days with a newcomer and ongoing interaction with other teachers for discussing strategies and reflecting on classroom experiences. Additional research is needed to increase awareness of the transition for classroom teachers and students when a newcomer arrives.

Community colleges constitute a special type of higher education organization: their complex mission, dynamics, personnel structures, and values require a distinct set of understandings and skills to lead and manage them well. Most of the research on leadership in community colleges focuses on leaders in positions of power (presidents, provosts, etc.) and not on grassroots or bottom-up leadership. Bottom-up leaders are individuals who perpetuate change without having the backing of a formal position of authority to do so. Recent leadership research validates the importance of having change agents at all levels of an organization in order to further the mission of the institution. This dissertation consists of three primary parts: (1) a technical report written by a three-person research team representing a synthesis of the collaborative research findings on the various leadership pathways that exist in the community college and the factors that influence individuals to engage in leadership efforts; (2) an individual research study on the perspectives of grassroots leaders who have engaged in informal change initiatives at a community college; and (3) an extension of the individual research study that discusses institutional attributes, properties, and/or conditions that foster and encourage grassroots organization. Individual, in-depth interviews were conducted in order to identify strategies grassroots leaders used to influence top-down leadership and the major obstacles they faced. The conversational nature of these interviews allowed for two-way interactions that lent themselves to a greater understanding of the subjects’ experiences, thoughts, and motives. This study provides a greater focus on understanding the motivations, tactics, obstacles, and sources of resiliency that grassroots leaders use to affect change. The findings indicate that a variety of personal and professional influences affect a grassroots leader’s decision to engage in leadership efforts, that grassroots leaders tailor their tactics and strategies to fit the situation, and that resiliency is essential to the success of their engagement. Finally, this study makes several recommendations administrators can use to promote grassroots leadership on their campuses.

Emergent macrophytes are an integral part of prairie marshes and involved in many of the services that make these ecosystems valuable. Water depth and hydroperiod are two environmental variables that can influence the growth and nutrient content of emergent macrophytes. This study looked at the growth and nutrient content response of hybrid cattail (Typha x glauca) to water depth and hydroperiod in two prairie marshes in southern Manitoba, Canada. Above- and belowground samples of hybrid cattails were collected along a water depth gradient at Oak Hammock Marsh, Canada, and analyzed for biomass, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, total Kjeldahl nitrogen content, shoot height, and density. A second dataset was obtained from the Marsh Ecology Research Program (MERP) experiment, and used to determine the biomass and nutrient content response of the hybrid cattail following one or two years of drawdown. / October 2015

This interdisciplinary practice-based thesis interrogates the term ‘operatic’ with particular reference to movement. It thereby aims to extract operatic movement from the practice of opera singers and investigate ways to transfer ‘operaticness’ into the bodies of non-singing performers. The research uses Butoh as a model for a non-foundational movement practice (termed herein ‘Body Opera’) and embodiment techniques derived from Butoh, to achieve this transfer of kinaesthetic information. The research was undertaken in part through interviews with opera singers and close observation of opera singers in rehearsal and performance. This process also included the making of sketches of singers in movement, which are included in the thesis and which are regarded as kinaesthetic responses to what was observed. Combining the sketches with embodiment techniques that unlock the movement they contain, the gap between the spectatorial position and the performance maker position is bridged and movement-based practice is created and presented as a component of the thesis, in dialogue with the written component. Furthermore, the spectatorial and researcher positionality are recognised as that of an ‘opera queen’ and this position participates in facilitating the transfer of operaticness from singers to non-singing performers. Operatic movement is identified as that which occurs as a result of the physical restrictions of singing operatically and through the negotiation of those restrictions with the need to convey plot and character, giving rise to non-naturalistic or artificial way of moving. This emphasis on artificiality is theorised as an operatic sensibility akin to queerness. The thesis examines opera through the lens of postmodernism and in particular through a queer theoretical framework. The research analogously applies Butler’s poststructuralist theories concerning performative gender construction to opera and in doing so suggests a reading of opera as potentially queer, gender fluid, subversive and non-normative. This position challenges notions of opera as elitist and pro-establishment. The thesis posits that the operatic is an emergent property that occurs at the intersection of creative practices in opera and which is embodied by singers in performance. The thesis also posits that kinaesthetic empathy provides an explanation for how the operatic is communicated between singers and further suggests that the opera queen is similarly subject to a form of kinaesthetic empathy when listening to opera. The thesis makes a contribution to knowledge through revealing ways in which spectatorial and performance maker positions may be bridged, as well as through suggesting practical ways in which non-singing performers might approach the task of moving operatically. The research therefore contributes to movement practice, but also to opera studies by interrogating the subject of opera from a kinaesthetic perspective that centralises the body and experience of singers in order to understand the art form.

The concept of emergent behavior is difficult to define, but can be considered as higher-level activity created by the individual actions of a population of simple agents. A potential means to model such behavior has been previously developed using Alfred North Whitehead's concept of Actual Entities. In computational form, actual entities are agents which evolve over time in response to interactions with their environment via the process of prehension. This occurs within the context of a Colony of Prehending Entities, a framework for implementation of AE concepts. This thesis explores the practical application of this framework in analysis of medical images, with specific focus on Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans. Specialized Slice COPEs are developed for analysis of individual image slices from these scans, focusing on the detection and segmentation of structures of interest (such as bone matter, ventricular tissue, and tumors). These structures exist in 3D and can be extracted across multiple consecutive scan slices. Therefore, a specialized Scan COPE is also proposed which aims to render the structure's volume via interpolation between previously analyzed slice images. The software developed for the specified application also provides visualization of a COPE's evolution toward its goal. This has additional value in general study of the COPE framework and the emergent behavior it generates.

Intern interior designer leadership skills, expected by practitioners in Canada, were explored in this thesis to identify implications for interior designer education. Employment of a 16 question quantitative, online survey, examined National Council of Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) certified practitioners beliefs about intern leadership skills. A majority of the 116 participants agreed a leader skill set, that includes authentic and design leadership skills, is valuable for interns to have in practice. Six authentic leadership skills: self-improvement, self-monitoring, goal-commitment, openness, positivity, and composure alongside four design leadership skills: adaptability, professional, building-relationships and collaborative rank as the top ten skills. Respondent practitioners also hold post-secondary interior design educators, interior designers, and interns most accountable for leadership education. Recommendations for interior designer education include increasing authentic leadership development opportunities and practitioner involvement. Further, unification of leadership perceptions and consistent leadership language, along the full interior designer education path, is encouraged for programmatic success. / October 2016

Os percevejos barriga-verde (Dichelops spp.) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) são considerados pragas emergentes em diferentes plantas cultivadas no Brasil. Dichelops furcatus (Fabricius) e Dichelops melacanthus (Dallas) são morfologicamente semelhantes, e os caracteres morfológicos são extremamente variáveis entre as espécies, trazendo em questão a delimitação e padrão de distribuição geográfico das mesmas. Baseado em ampla amostragem ao longo da distribuição de Dichelops spp., os objetivos gerais deste estudo foram: 1) estudar a diversidade morfológica de D. furcatus e D. melacanthus utilizando morfometria linear e geométrica; 2) definir ferramentas para a identificação das espécies reconhecidas a partir de dados morfológicos quantitativos; 3) a partir de ferramentas moleculares, testar a delimitação das espécies, estudar a diversidade e estruturação genética, e o padrão de distribuição geográfico das populações de D. furcatus e D. melacanthus no Brasil. Para isso, foram fotografadas as principais estruturas diagnósticas da morfologia geral (cabeça, pronoto e escutelo) dos indivíduos das populações estudadas e os dados de morfometria linear e geométrica analisados estatisticamente. DNA de indivíduos das duas espécies de diferentes populações do Brasil foi extraído, e dois genes mitocondriais (COI e 16s) foram amplificados por PCR e sequenciados. Resultados de morfometria geométrica mostraram grande sobreposição na forma entre as espécies, tornando esse método ineficiente na delimitação de D. furcatus e D. melacanthus. A morfometria linear foi eficiente em delimitar D. furcatus e D. melacanthus. Os resultados de diversidade e estruturação mostraram alta diversidade genética e alta estruturação genética entre as populações de ambas as espécies, suportando a existência de duas linhagens de D. furcatus e duas linhagens de D. melacanthus. / The green-belly stink bugs Dichelops spp. (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) are considered emergent pests in different cultivated plants in Brazil. Dichelops furcatus (Fabricius) and Dichelops melacanthus (Dallas) are morphologically similar, and the morphological characteristics are variable within the species, sometimes overlapping between them, bringing into question the species delimitation. Based on wide sampling throughout the whole distribution of Dichelops spp., the goals of this study were: 1) to study the morphological diversity of D. furcatus e D. melacanthus using both traditional and geometric morphometrics, and 2) define tools for the species identification recognized from quantitative morphological data; 3) to study the genetic diversity, population structuring, and the geographical distribution pattern of D. furcatus and D. melacanthus populations in Brazil using molecular data. For that, digital photographs of the main morphological structures (head, pronotum and scutellum) were taken and statistical analysis of traditional and geometric morphometrics were made. DNA from individuals of both species from different populations of Brazil was extracted, and two mitochondrial genes (COI and 16s) were amplified by PCR and sequenced. Results from geometric morphometrics show that shape of pronotum, head and scutellum were strongly overlapping between species, making this method inefficient in separating D. furcatus from D. melacanthus. However, traditional morphometrics was efficient in separating the species. Results showed high genetic diversity and high genetic structuring between populations of both species, supporting the existance of two lineages for D. furcatus and two lineages for D. melacanthus.

Abstract Methods are proposed to take account of the effect of emergent vegetation (which covers only part of the channel bed) on conveyance and depth-averaged velocity in open channels. For emergent vegetation strips parallel to the flow direction, discharge can be predicted separately for each vegetated or non-vegetated zone. The equations of Kaiser (1985) and Nuding (1991, 1994) can predict the influence of the vegetation on conveyance within the non-vegetated zone via the composite roughness formula of Pavlovski (1931). In order to predict the lateral distribution of depth-averaged velocity within the non-vegetated zone, the equations of Nuding (1991, 1994) have been modified to take account of the relation between non-vegetated zone width, apparent shear stress on the vegetation interface and the maximum velocity which will occur. For more complex geometries, two-dimensional numerical hydraulic models using existing software and existing relations for the prediction of eddy viscosity are recommended.

Compostos farmacêuticos são detectados em diversas matrizes ambientais. Estes compostos, quando não eliminados por técnicas avançadas de tratamento, contribuem para impactos ambientais negativos. Especificamente, efluentes hospitalares apresentam altas concentrações destes compostos principalmente pela excreção por pacientes. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho visa contribuir com a pesquisa científica em relação a efluentes hospitalares no Brasil, propondo alternativas de tratamento com ozônio para a remoção de fármacos. Para atingir o objetivo proposto, foi realizado um diagnóstico em um hospital visando identificar o consumo das principais classes farmacêuticas. A partir deste estudo, desenvolveu-se um planejamento de experimentos para avaliar os parâmetros mais adequados do processo de ozonização para a remoção de cafeína (CAF), amoxicilina (AMX) e ampicilina (AMP) em soluções aquosas. Foram avaliados experimentalmente os processos O3, O3/UV, O3/Fe2+, O3/UV/Fe2+. Investigou-se a influência da concentração inicial de fármaco, do pH, da potência de luz UV aplicada e da concentração inicial de Fe2+ utilizado como catalisador homogêneo. A variável de resposta foi a eficiência de mineralização. Os parâmetros obtidos pelo planejamento experimental foram aplicados para o Atenolol (ATE) e para soluções aquosas contendo a mistura de todos os compostos analisados (CAF, AMX, AMP e ATE). Um estudo cinético para determinação das constantes de reação foi realizado para a cafeína e atenolol. Para avaliar o tratamento com efluente hospitalar, uma caracterização (detecção de compostos farmacêuticos e parâmetros físico-químicos e toxicológicos) foi realizada antes e após o processo que apresentou a melhor eficiência de mineralização. Com o objetivo de extrapolar os estudos realizados e avaliar outros poluentes emergentes, além dos compostos farmacêuticos, realizaram-se experimentos com 90 compostos como drogas de abuso, hormônios e produtos de higiene pessoal que também podem estar presentes em efluentes hospitalares, avaliando a influência do pH e da dosagem de ozônio aplicada. Como principais resultados, os antibióticos e cardiovasculares foram as classes farmacêuticas mais consumidas no hospital. Pelo planejamento de experimentos, observou-se que todos os compostos avaliados foram rapidamente degradados (100% em menos de 15min) e as melhores eficiências de mineralização atingiram 70,8%, 60,4% e 63,6% para CAF, AMX e AMP, respectivamente. O sistema O3/UV/Fe2+ obteve a melhor eficiência de mineralização para o ATE (67,9%) e para a mistura dos compostos (69,5%). O estudo cinético possibilitou o cálculo das constantes cinéticas: kO3 =697,46 M-1 s-1 e kOH = 6,41x109 M-1 s-1 para a cafeína; e kO3 =146,56 M-1 s-1 e kOH = 15,29x109 M-1 s-1 para o atenolol. A eficiência de mineralização para os experimentos com efluente hospitalar atingiu 54,7% para o sistema O3/UV, sendo eficiente para a completa eliminação de diversos compostos farmacêuticos e remoção da toxicidade. Em relação à remoção dos 90 poluentes emergentes, observou-se que 53,3% dos compostos foram completamente degradados utilizando uma razão mMO3/mMC=0,3 em pH neutro. Os resultados encontrados indicam que o presente trabalho contribui para o avanço da pesquisa sobre efluentes hospitalares, pois apresenta uma alternativa de tratamento eficiente para a completa remoção de diversos compostos farmacêuticos, minimizando o impacto negativo destes no meio ambiente. / Pharmaceutical compounds (PhCs) are detected in various environmental matrices. These compounds, whether not eliminated by advanced treatment techniques, contribute to bacterial resistance and negative environmental impacts on water resource. Specifically, hospital wastewaster exhibit high concentrations of these compounds mainly by the excretion by patients. In this context, this paper aims to contribute to scientific research regarding hospital wastewater in Brazil, proposing treatment alternatives by ozone to remove PhCs. To achieve this purpose, it conducted a diagnosis in a hospital to identify the consumption of major pharmaceutical classes. With this result, it developed an experimental design to evaluate the most appropriate parameters of the ozonation process for the removal of caffeine (CAF), amoxicillin (AMX) and ampicillin (AMP) in aqueous solutions. This study evaluated the following processes experimentally: O3, O3/UV, O3/Fe2+ O3/UV/Fe2+. The influence of ozone dose, initial PhCs concentration, pH, power UV light applied and Fe2+ initial concentration used as homogeneous catalyst were investigated. Mineralization efficiency was the response variable. Parameters obtained by the experimental design were applied for Atenolol (ATE) and aqueous solutions containing the mixture of all compounds analyzed (CAF, AMX, AMP and ATE). A kinetic study for the determination of reaction constants was carried out for caffeine and atenolol. To evaluate the hospital wastewater treatment, a characterization (detection of pharmaceutical compounds and physico-chemical and toxicological parameters) was performed before and after the process that showed the best mineralization efficiency. In order to extrapolate the studies and evaluate other emergent pollutants, in addition to pharmaceutical compounds, were conducted experiments with 90 compounds such as illicit drugs, hormones and personal care products, which also may be present in hospital wastewater, evaluating the influence of pH and ozone dosage. Main results showed that antibiotics and cardiovascular were the most consumed pharmaceutical classes in the hospital. For the design of experiments, it was observed that all the evaluated compounds were rapidly degraded (100% in less than 15 minutes) and the best mineralization efficiency reached 70.8%, 60.4% and 63.6% for CAF and AMX AMP, respectively. The system O3/UV/Fe2+ obtained the best mineralization efficiency for ATE (67.9%) and mixture of compounds (69.5%). The kinetic study allowed the determination of the kinetic constants: kO3 = 697.46 M-1 s-1 and kOH = 6.41x109 M-1 s-1 for caffeine; and kO3 = 146.56 M-1 s-1 and kOH = 15.29x109 M-1 s-1 for atenolol. Mineralization efficiency for hospital wastewater experiments reached 54.7% by the system O3/UV, being efficient for complete elimination of various PhCs and removal of toxicity. Regarding the removal of 90 emergent pollutants, it was observed that 53.3% of the compounds were completely degraded using a ratio mMO3/MMC = 0.3 at neutral pH. The results indicated that this work contributes to the advance of research on hospital wastewater, because it presents an effective alternative treatment for complete removal of various pharmaceutical compounds, minimizing the negative impact on the environment.