No description available.

The purpose of this study is to present an account of the early career of Daniel Finch from 1679 to 1693. The investigation begins with an account of Finch's rise to prominence in parliament and at the Admiralty. It subsequently traces his role and involvement in the revolution settlement, and, after the accession of William III, Finch's responsibility as Secretary of State dealing principally with ecclesiastical affairs and naval affairs until his dismissal in 1693.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2004. / Advisor: Dr. Frank Johnson, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 16, 2004). Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Michigan State University. Dept. of Psychology, 2006. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Nov. 20, 2008) Includes bibliographical references (p. 175-190). Also issued in print.

The object of this study was to determine the normal thermoregulatory patterns of zebra finches (Poephilia guttat) in as near a normal physiological and behavioral state as possible. Surface body temperature and level of activity were the two primary channels of information. Radiobioelemetry allowed the reduction of external disturbance during long periods of continuous recording.

Over the past twenty years there has been an exponential increase in the investigation of maternal effects. Understanding the adaptive function of maternal allocation strategies is integral to interpreting the evolutionary outcomes of sexual selection. Thus, model animal systems that facilitate experimental manipulation and controlled investigation of the physiological and behavioural mechanisms underlying maternal effects are important to evolutionary biologists. The zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) has been used as a model to investigate avian life-history, signalling behaviour, neurophysiology, mate choice, and more recently, maternal effects. However, a potentially influential and rarely addressed problem with this species is the process of domestication. Within this thesis we aimed to both test current predominant maternal allocation hypotheses, but for the first time in both domesticated and wild zebra finches. Chapter 2 develops on earlier work using domesticated zebra finches that has demonstrated differential allocation of maternally derived yolk androgens and antioxidants in eggs dependent on paternal attractiveness. This chapter specifically tests the ratio of these two yolk resources within individual eggs and shows that the balance of androgens to antioxidants varies by offspring sex and paternal attractiveness. Specifically, we found that mothers allocated a smaller androgen to antioxidant ratio to daughters when paired to green ringed (unattractive) males compared to red ringed (attractive) males. This pattern was reversed for sons, where mothers allocated a larger ratio of androgen to antioxidant when paired to red ringed (attractive) compared to green ringed (unattractive) males. We also show that brood sex ratio depended on both female condition and male attractiveness. It is concluded that investigating female allocation of individual resources within egg yolks may lead to incorrect assumptions on offspring fitness consequences, and that individual female state is an important consideration when predicting a resource allocation strategy. Throughout this thesis colour bands are used as a method to manipulate male attractiveness. In chapter 3 the influence of these bands was further tested to elucidate whether they affect male behaviour or quality. Wild birds were used for this chapter as preferences for bands based on colour have only once been demonstrated in wild birds and it was felt this should also be replicated. We confirmed a female preference for males based on colour bands worn in mate choice trials, with red bands preferred over green. Interestingly, we also found that colour of bands worn by males for an extended period in the single sex aviary influenced both their song rate and condition. Males that had worn red bands sang more in mate choice trials than both green banded or un-banded males. In addition red banded males were found to be in significantly better physical condition. These data suggest that earlier experiments in which it has been assumed that colour bands do not manipulate any form of intrinsic male quality should be re-evaluated. The final two data chapters, 4 and 5, return to investigating maternal allocation in response to male attractiveness, but for the first time in wild birds. Chapter 4 presents an experiment that was conducted on a wild, nest box breeding population of birds. Maternal resources allocation was investigated in both an experimental manipulation of male attractiveness, and also by correlating resource allocation with paternal phenotypic traits. A limited sample size meant few conclusions could be drawn from the experimental study, but significant positive correlations were found between both egg size and yolk testosterone (T) concentration and male phenotypic traits. This suggested that wild zebra finches may follow a positive investment strategy but requires further investigation. In chapter 5 experiments were repeated on wild birds that had been brought into captivity, to allow both an improved sample size and further control of influential environmental features. Again, female allocation strategies are tested using colour bands to manipulate male attractiveness, to allow direct comparisons with work on domesticated zebra finches. We found that females laid significantly heavier eggs for attractive compared to unattractive males, supporting the positive investment hypothesis. In addition we found an interaction between offspring size and paternal attractiveness treatment, with daughters of red banded (attractive) males being smaller than sons. This experiment is the first to demonstrate the influence of colour bands on maternal allocation in wild zebra finches and also provides further support for the positive investment hypothesis in this species. The final chapter discusses how overall patterns of female allocation were shown to be similar among wild and domesticated populations. It is concluded that demonstrated variations between populations and/or contexts reported in these studies cannot be explained by inherent differences between wild and domesticated individuals. Thus, the zebra finch remains a robust and reliable model for testing the evolution of avian maternal allocation strategies.

I am interested in discovering the role of field potential oscillations in producing synchrony within the song system of the male zebra finch brain. An important function attributed to neural synchrony is sensorimotor integration. In the production of birdsong, sensorimotor integration is crucial, as auditory feedback is necessary for the maintenance of the song. A cortical-thalamic-cortical feedback loop is thought to play a role in the integration of auditory and motor information for the purpose of producing song. Synchronous activity has been observed between at least two nuclei in this feedback loop, MMAN and HVC. Since low frequency field potential oscillations have been shown to play a role in the synchronization of nuclei within the brain of other model animals, I hypothesized that this may be the case in the zebra finch song system. In order to investigate whether oscillatory activity is a mechanism behind the synchronous activity observed between HVC and MMAN, I performed dual extracellular recordings of neural activity within the zebra finch song system. Results suggest that oscillations are likely not involved in the synchrony observed in these nuclei. Future study may reveal that the structure of the feedback loop is necessary, and possibly even sufficient, for the synchronous activity in the zebra finch song system.

This thesis examines the suburban verge’s latent potential as an alternative public space. It is located between the boundaries of private properties and public streets, where territorial boundaries and ownership are unclear. The site for this thesis is the southeast quadrant of the intersection at Jane Street and Finch Avenue West in the former city of North York, now part of Toronto. The intersection reveals a fertile field of public activity that engenders new forms of social engagement and invites a reconsideration of public space in the urban periphery. A product of Modern planning, the suburban verge is a buffer between vehicles and pedestrians. Home to hydro poles, streetlights, small-scale furnishings and the ubiquitous cast-in-place concrete sidewalk, the suburban verge is a definitive element of the suburban landscape that accounts for a substantial amount of neglected public land. The suburban verge’s ambiguity attracts a variety of unsanctioned and informal activities. At Jane and Finch, socio-economic issues, a diverse population and escalating pressure to increase density further intensify this unscripted behaviour. This thesis calls attention to the unrealized potential of the suburban verge. It does not set out to create new public space; rather, it draws upon existing social patterns in order to enrich the suburban public realm. Subtle inflections in the existing terrain, deliberately modest in form and operation, expand the social and ecological capacity of the suburban verge and demonstrate the need to consider the potential of everyday practices as a vehicle for generating dynamic public space.

In rapidly growing North American cities, large-scale urban developments struggle to create a distinctive sense of community. Responding to increasing trends of isolation, decentralization, cultural and artistic expressions, capitalizing on local knowledge and people, have emerged as driving forces in the creation of authentic community development. Working within the existing model of large-scale development, interrogating process and program in relation to community building, this thesis asserts that architecture and urban design must calibrate themselves in response to the emerging trends by taking a multidisciplinary and comprehensive approach to design. This thesis asks the following questions: What is architecture’s contribution to a creative community? How can our existing instant communities continue to evolve in response to changing needs? Where can we find public space in our contemporary communities? Can public art be used as a tool for community building? The case study site, surrounding the Jane-Finch intersection, was rapidly developed from 1960 to 1970. The imposing Palisades apartment complex, standing on the north-east corner of the intersection, has become an icon in the neighbourhood. Three distinctly modern buildings rise out of a grassy lawn to be seen throughout the larger neighbourhood. The development represents both challenges and opportunities; 4,400 people know it as home while others associate it with media reports of poverty, crime and an aging legacy of modern architecture (San Romanoway Revitalization Association 2009). Issues of identity, public space, scale and implementation are examined through case studies of highly designed architectural precedents and informal grassroots organizations to inform the design proposal. Through the re-conception of the ambiguous ground plane at the base of the Palisades apartment complex as an educational and cultural campus for the emerging arts community, this thesis demonstrates the potential role of architecture in supporting creative community building and an expanded understanding of the contradictory role of an architect as mediator, dreamer and realist.