Conservators treat and repair a huge array of damaged and degrading materials on a regular basis. As such, there are many techniques and protocols in place to deal with these problems successfully, be that via preventative or interventive methods. However, there is need for new and innovative techniques that offer long term stabilisation to materials and objects that are prevalent within museum collections. As an alternative to some of these conservation techniques, hydration with supercritical carbon dioxide was investigated here. Both modern and historic, hardwood and softwood samples were successfully hydrated using this technique. The addition of a co-solvent (methanol) to the supercritical fluid solvent stream was used as a method to increase the solubility of water in carbon dioxide, and therefore improve levels of hydration. To evaluate the extent of any damage being caused during the supercritical fluid treatment, microstructural and macrostructural analytical techniques were carried out. The supercritical hydration technique allowed historic wood to be hydrated and stabilised. Strength properties were seen to be maintained or improved after the supercritical treatment, providing conservators with a viable method of hydration. A feasibility study looking at the cleaning and characterisation of historic leather samples was investigated using spectroscopic methods. The sensitivity of Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform spectroscopy on historic leather was explored. Additionally, changes in elemental composition on the surface of the leather were monitored using Scanning Electron Microscopy Energy Dispersive spectroscopy. Cleaning historic leather via a supercritical carbon dioxide solvent stream showed the greatest potential for future work. However, the characterisation of unattributed historic leather is a vast and complex task that would require the expertise of a leather conservator, if the investigation were to be continued.

This dissertation explores the primary sites of collecting and display commissioned by Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (r. 1564-87). These sites ─ Francesco's studiolo in the Palazzo Vecchio and the nearby Uffizi Gallery ─ established precedents for the physical layout of newly emerging museums in early modern Europe, as scholars have suggested. But, as this dissertation asserts, Francesco's communication of authority through these sites significantly contributed to the changing expectations in the 16th century of a ruler's proper engagement with culture. Displaying objects connoting knowledge, taste, and wealth, these sites demonstrated Francesco's privileged access to such objects and his mastery over the scientific processes involved in their creation. Emphasizing the prince's knowledge, this approach contrasted with earlier rulers' reliance on images of direct military power and laid the groundwork for the merging of personal and private space that would come to characterize the full expression of absolutism across Europe. Chapter One examines the multi-faceted assertions of authority in Francesco's portraits, a strategy reflecting his embrace of images and spaces to communicate personal and political identity. Chapter Two addresses his private studiolo, which represented Francesco's participation in scientific, contemplative, and collecting activities among ruling elites. Chapter Three examines the subtle but profound shift in the meaning of the collection when, in 1583, Francesco created the Galleria degli Uffizi, a significant contribution in the history of European museums. Established independent of the prince's residence, the new museum represented Francesco's most powerful expression of cultural politics, as dignitaries visited the impressively decorated gallery and experienced first-hand its political assertions. The dissertation concludes by examining the impact of Francesco's museological precedents on other Italian rulers. Sites in Florence and Mantua demonstrate the continued attractiveness of Francesco's cultural expressions of authority to 17th-century rulers, as new expectations of a ruler's engagement with the arts emerge. Princely galleries become an increasingly common demonstration of authority, with many examples emulating the Uffizi's design. The conclusion affirms Francesco's legacy in binding the demonstration of artistic and scientific knowledge to political authority in the early Seicento.

The planting of native species is a common strategy for the conservation of biodiversity; it not only allows for the restoration of degraded habitat both within conservation reserves and the matrix lands between reserves, it supplements the populations of the floral species which are planted. These supplemental populations may play an important role in providing demographic security for rare species. However, the conservation of rare species depends on more than simply maintaining adequate numbers of the species: the diversity within the species must also be conserved. Although maintaining genetic diversity is increasingly a concern for formal species recovery efforts, there has been very little research done about the diversity within plantings by non-state actors. This research was undertaken to address this knowledge gap by studying the provenances of planted rare species and the activities of those who collect and grow these plants. This research was undertaken in the Carolinian zone of southern Ontario, a region with a large number of rare plant species and a large human population. Part of this study utilized semi-structured interviews with commercial seed collectors, commercial native plant growers, and non-commercial, hobbyist growers. A variety of factors limited the diversity with the seeds collected by commercial collectors. Due to difficulty in accessing information about the natural occurrences of rare species, collectors typically collected from the same, limited number of source plants. Trespassing on private property or protected lands was common to access these seed sources, although their preference for easily accessible, reliably fecund source plants on flat, mowed sites also meant that horticultural specimens were also desired. Many of these biases were passed on to commercial growers when the seed was sold by the commercial collectors. Commercial growers shared many collection practices with commercial collectors, creating similar restrictions on the diversity within their collections. However, further limitations in diversity were also created by the growers’ establishment of small populations of seed plants and by the trading of seeds and plants between growers. One boutique grower was a dominant source of seeds and plants in these trades. The limitations in the diversity within these rare species were passed onto those who purchased and planted them. This study also focused on enthusiastic native plant hobbyists and found that they not only purchased plants but collected and grew their own plants. They also traded with other hobbyists. Much of the information about where to collect seed or plants, as well as much of the seed or plants traded between hobbyists, originated with a key individual. Thus, this champion hobbyist plays a significant role in the character of planted examples of rare plant species and the genetics of the champion’s plants are heavily represented with other planted occurrences. The practices of commercial seed collectors, growers and native plant hobbyists create biases which limit the diversity within plantings of rare species. Although these plantings provide demographic security for these species, they do not represent the diversity within their remnant “wild” populations. Thus, important questions must be raised about the conservation value of these plantings. Since many of the practices of seed collectors and growers are also used when growing more common species, the diversity within plantings of these species should also be suspect. Although the lack of diversity within common species may not threaten the regional survival of the species in the short term, it may impact the ultimate success of restoration projects.

Once the founding site of the city of Toronto and its second largest watercourse, the Garrison Creek and its original landscape of dense forest and deep ravines have disappeared beneath an aggressive process of development and growth. Yet, despite attempts to subdue the creek, it continues to reveal itself through a collection of buildings, sites and structures, here collectively referred to as artefacts, that mark its path. This thesis presents the lost stories of the Garrison Creek as an investigation into the circumstances surrounding its burial and the city’s futile attempts to control its wilderness. Recounted as an historical narrative through the pairing of archival photographs and stories, this thesis exhibits a catalogue of the politics, betrayal, confusion, characters, voices, lessons and synchronicities that have emerged through the burial of the creek. The structure of this thesis is intended to draw out a definition that describes the tenuous, conflicted and complex relationship between a major North American city undergoing rapid change and the wilderness from which it emerged.

M.Tech. Business Administration. Business School.

The issue of substation integration is recognized as a very important one ever since the process of technological development brought a multitude of new computer-based devices and functions into substation operation. During the relatively short time period after the first microprocessors were invented, a myriad of computer-based devices found their application in power engineering. Those devices had a variety of input and output data formats, which hampered exchange of data among different devices. Recent initiatives for standardization of substation data formats and communication protocols have progressed to facilitate production of devices with standardized data formats and data exchange capabilities. Central substation computers now have an opportunity to collect and process data from such computer-based devices. An advanced data collecting and processing solution is developed and implemented as Integrated Substation Software in an effort to enhance substation integration. This report describes a solution that comprises data generation using a substation model, data collecting from modeled apparatus and instruments and finally application of data processing and consistency checking algorithms for creating outputs. The process of data collecting and processing is automated and repeated in equidistant time intervals. Results of processing and related reports are concisely displayed on the user interface screen and exported through data files. The Substation Integration Software was tested through the set of scenarios where each scenario is used to test one of the processing and consistency checking algorithms. The results show that measurements are improved and applicable for usage by other substation and system-wide applications.

The planting of native species is a common strategy for the conservation of biodiversity; it not only allows for the restoration of degraded habitat both within conservation reserves and the matrix lands between reserves, it supplements the populations of the floral species which are planted. These supplemental populations may play an important role in providing demographic security for rare species. However, the conservation of rare species depends on more than simply maintaining adequate numbers of the species: the diversity within the species must also be conserved. Although maintaining genetic diversity is increasingly a concern for formal species recovery efforts, there has been very little research done about the diversity within plantings by non-state actors. This research was undertaken to address this knowledge gap by studying the provenances of planted rare species and the activities of those who collect and grow these plants. This research was undertaken in the Carolinian zone of southern Ontario, a region with a large number of rare plant species and a large human population. Part of this study utilized semi-structured interviews with commercial seed collectors, commercial native plant growers, and non-commercial, hobbyist growers. A variety of factors limited the diversity with the seeds collected by commercial collectors. Due to difficulty in accessing information about the natural occurrences of rare species, collectors typically collected from the same, limited number of source plants. Trespassing on private property or protected lands was common to access these seed sources, although their preference for easily accessible, reliably fecund source plants on flat, mowed sites also meant that horticultural specimens were also desired. Many of these biases were passed on to commercial growers when the seed was sold by the commercial collectors. Commercial growers shared many collection practices with commercial collectors, creating similar restrictions on the diversity within their collections. However, further limitations in diversity were also created by the growers’ establishment of small populations of seed plants and by the trading of seeds and plants between growers. One boutique grower was a dominant source of seeds and plants in these trades. The limitations in the diversity within these rare species were passed onto those who purchased and planted them. This study also focused on enthusiastic native plant hobbyists and found that they not only purchased plants but collected and grew their own plants. They also traded with other hobbyists. Much of the information about where to collect seed or plants, as well as much of the seed or plants traded between hobbyists, originated with a key individual. Thus, this champion hobbyist plays a significant role in the character of planted examples of rare plant species and the genetics of the champion’s plants are heavily represented with other planted occurrences. The practices of commercial seed collectors, growers and native plant hobbyists create biases which limit the diversity within plantings of rare species. Although these plantings provide demographic security for these species, they do not represent the diversity within their remnant “wild” populations. Thus, important questions must be raised about the conservation value of these plantings. Since many of the practices of seed collectors and growers are also used when growing more common species, the diversity within plantings of these species should also be suspect. Although the lack of diversity within common species may not threaten the regional survival of the species in the short term, it may impact the ultimate success of restoration projects.

Once the founding site of the city of Toronto and its second largest watercourse, the Garrison Creek and its original landscape of dense forest and deep ravines have disappeared beneath an aggressive process of development and growth. Yet, despite attempts to subdue the creek, it continues to reveal itself through a collection of buildings, sites and structures, here collectively referred to as artefacts, that mark its path. This thesis presents the lost stories of the Garrison Creek as an investigation into the circumstances surrounding its burial and the city’s futile attempts to control its wilderness. Recounted as an historical narrative through the pairing of archival photographs and stories, this thesis exhibits a catalogue of the politics, betrayal, confusion, characters, voices, lessons and synchronicities that have emerged through the burial of the creek. The structure of this thesis is intended to draw out a definition that describes the tenuous, conflicted and complex relationship between a major North American city undergoing rapid change and the wilderness from which it emerged.

Thesis (M.F.A.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 2008. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 39-40).

Thesis (doctoral)--Göteborgs universitet. / Extra t.p. with thesis statement inserted. Summary in English. Includes bibliographical references (p. 329-343) and index.