<p> The estrogen receptor (ER) plays an integral role in the proliferation of hormone dependent breast cancer. Recently a number of organometallic compounds and closocarboranes, which demonstrate affinity for the estrogen receptor, were prepared as novel types of anti-estrogens. This thesis describes the synthesis and characterization of a new class ofinorganic anti-estrogens derived from Re-metallocarboranes. </p> <p> Chapter 2 describes the first series of targets which include three monoarylated Re-metallocarboranes. Two different synthetic routes were used to complex the [Re(C0)3t core to carborane ligands, one of which involves microwave irradiation of a one pot mixture that produces the desired complexes in almost complete conversion ratios. One compound, 2.10, contains a single phenol substituents, which is predicted to show ER binding affinity based on previous reports ofthe closo-carborane analogue. </p> <p> Chapter 3 describes the synthesis and characterization of diarylated Remetallocarboranes. Two of the compounds, 3.7 and 3.8, are expected to show high binding affinity for the ER because they are inorganic analogues of the well known antiestrogen Tamoxifen. </p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

This paper investigates the feasibility of the construction of a sustainable mixed-use development from a 1950's commercial plaza. The specific commercial plaza under investigation was University Plaza in Dundas, Ontario. Incorporating sustainable building techniques, such as higher density housing, clean energy generating technologies, energy efficiency, and water conservation, a more sustainable design for the plaza was accomplished. To become more pedestrian friendly, pedestrian areas were incorporated into the design, as well as a rapid transit terminal. Using rough construction estimates, it was determined that redevelopment would cost $67.9 million± 20% with a simple payback period of 7.8 years. Using the time value of money, a discounted payback period between 9.6 and 16.0 years was determined. As a result, the re-development project was deemed economically feasible to a reasonable degree. / Thesis / Master of Engineering (MEngr)

In this project we used structural equation method to analyze the data collected during the period of re-engineering in hospitals in Ontario 1995 to 1997. We want to understand how organizational change affect the well being of the staff of large teaching hospital. Two main models were considered in this project: cross-sectional models and longitudinal models for the data collected in 1995 and 1997. We tested six models for each year's data in cross-sectional model, effect-indicator, cause-indicator and mixed-indicator were used in both standard and non-standard models. We explored standard model with effect-indicators in our longitudinal case. The study was carried by SAS software program. We demonstrated an important association of job stressors with psychological outcomes of hospital staff directly and indirectly via interference. Decision-making capacity was associated with psychological outcomes in the opposite direction. Similar results were concluded from longitudinal model. The limitation was discussed. / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)

Yes / Exploring innovative cellular architectures to achieve enhanced system capacity and good coverage has become a critical issue towards realizing the next generation of wireless communications. In this context, this paper proposes a novel concept of Universal Intelligent Small Cell (UniSCell) for enabling the densification of the next generation of cellular networks. The main motivating factors behind the proposed small cell concept are the need of public infrastructure reengineering and the recent advances in several enabling technologies such as spectrum awareness, adaptive beamforming, source localization, new multiplexing schemes, etc. In this paper, first, we highlight the main concepts of the proposed small cell platform. Subsequently, we present two deployment scenarios taking into account of both technical and business aspects. Then, we describe the key future technologies for enabling the proposed UniScell Concept and present an use case example with the help of numerical results. Finally, we conclude this paper by providing some interesting future recommendations.

Yes / Waxy crude oils are pumped hot but upon power cut, pumping stops, the oil cools leading below the wax appearance temperature to precipitation of the wax and the formation of a gel throughout the pipe. In such a situation, what is the minimum pressure required to restart flow, not to merely deform the gel or break it? This paper provides a solution to this problem using microscopic observations under controlled cooling conditions and rheological data conducted in constant stress mode under controlled temperature and cooling conditions and restart experiments in laboratory pipelines replicating the rheometric conditions and deviations from them to inform large diameter operation in the field. Three important findings derive from the experimental data collected: (i) A fragmentation stress , rather than the static stress that precedes it, is found to be the more accurate predictor of flow re-start pressures; (ii) Waxy crude oils gels exhibit true yield stress and yielding process but also show flow on application of the slightest stress below yielding; (iii) This flow, in the elastic region, is jagged rather than continuous suggesting a consolidation process of the crystals and their agglomerates forming the gel. In the broader context of the existence of a yield stress, the data presented here show that there is such a thing as a yield stress and the concepts of a yield stress and that everything flows are not mutually exclusive.

There is a critical gap in translating scientific discoveries to public health benefit. For example, despite a multitude of efficacious physical activity interventions, only one in four adults in the United States meets the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. To bridge the research-practice gap, Dissemination and Implementation (DandI) Science has emerged as the study of how evidence-based interventions, programs, and policies are integrated in typical settings. Recent research illustrates barriers to conducting DandI Science and the need for methods that open the black box of implementation. Therefore, the overarching goal of this dissertation was to explore novel approaches for advancing DandI Science. This exploration is presented in three manuscripts and one report. The first manuscript presents a pragmatic, observational study applying the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) Framework to evaluate a perinatal health fair. Results include that the health fair reached 42 attendees and that 23 educators and seven organizations hosted booths and educational sessions. Mom Expo required 292 implementation hours with 71% of those hours devoted to building relationships. We generated 30 actionable strategies for implementing a health fair. The health fair developed into a non-profit organization, and the participatory approach used can be replicated in other communities to establish connections between local women, educators, and researchers. The second manuscript reports a one-year autoethnography (i.e., first-person narrative) of a perinatal health integrated research practice partnership (IRPP). Findings include three themes: (1) permeable work boundaries, (2) blind spots toward philosophical underpinnings of paradigms, and (3) maladaptive behaviors seemingly reinforced by the research culture. We concluded that autoethnography is an effective novel method to leverage researcher situatedness and capture implementation contexts, processes, and outcomes. The third manuscript presents the longitudinal pilot test of FUEL (focus, unplug, exercise, love), a one-on-one coaching program to promote human flourishing among DandI researchers. Results include that the coach spent 12.96+2.82 hours per participant (N= 16) implementing individually-tailored sessions, and that participants reported multiple, sustained benefits related to productivity, happiness, and health. We concluded that the program is a feasible, well-received approach with preliminary positive effects. Future work is needed to investigate physiological or performance outcomes and, ultimately, impact on DandI. The final report is a literature review and critical analysis of phenomenology within behavioral and community health research. Conclusions include that (1) physical activity is rooted in a scientific paradigm that prioritizes quantifiable mechanism over personal meaning, and (2) phenomenology, as a complement to basic science, is a compelling method, paradigm, and practice to improve research translation. Based on this research, I conclude that three pathways for advancing DandI Science are methods that capture first-person meaning, paradigms that incorporate phenomenological human experience as an essential dimension of health research, and practices that fuel researchers' capacity for generating transformative work. In all three pathways, the heart of elevating DandI Science is to embrace process, person, and presence. / Doctor of Philosophy / Scientific evidence does not automatically translate to real-world behavior change. For example, despite considerable research about the health benefits of physical activity, only one in four American adults meets the national physical activity recommendations. To bridge the research-practice gap, Dissemination and Implementation (DandI) Science has emerged as the study of how scientific findings are integrated in typical settings such as schools and communities. Recent research illustrates multiple barriers to DandI Science and a need for methods that capture hard-to-measure, chaotic implementation processes and outcomes. Therefore, the overarching goal of this dissertation was to explore novel approaches to DandI Science and bridging the research-practice gap. This exploration is presented in three manuscripts and one report. The first manuscript describes a perinatal health fair intended to connect local parents to community resources. The second manuscript is a 12-month autoethnography (i.e., first-person narrative) about the culture of DandI Science, including the role, impact, and practices of researchers themselves. The third manuscript presents the development and preliminary testing of FUEL (focus, unplug, exercise, love), a one-on-one coaching program for DandI researchers. The final report includes the history of randomized controlled trials as the gold standard for physical activity research, as well as critical analysis of using phenomenology to reduce the research-practice gap. Findings from the first manuscript suggest that (1) authentic relationship building was the key to launching a perinatal health fair that developed into a non-profit organization and (2) the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) Framework is a user-friendly DandI tool for implementing and evaluating a health fair. Findings from the second manuscript include descriptions of (1) blind spots within the DandI Science culture, (2) potential of autoethnography as a novel DandI method, and (3) strategies to optimize DandI researchers' capacity to thrive amid challenges. Findings from the third manuscript suggest that the FUEL coaching program is a promising and feasible approach to support researchers in leading "a more productive, healthier, and happier life," as one participant wrote. Future research on the program is needed to evaluate causation and whether organizations would adopt it. Conclusions in the final report include that (1) the applicability of physical activity research to daily life may be limited by deeply held scientific ideologies and (2) phenomenology, as the study of human meaning, may facilitate the translation of research to real-world behavior change. Based on the research presented in this dissertation, three pathways for advancing DandI Science are methods for how we conduct research studies, paradigms for how we collectively approach health science, and practices for how we manage our energy and awareness. In all three pathways, the heart of elevating DandI Science is to embrace process, person, and presence.

The current airline practice is to assign aircraft capacity to scheduled flights well in advance of departure. At such an early stage in this process, the high uncertainty of demand poses a major impediment for airlines to best match the airplane capacities with the final demand. However, the accuracy of the demand forecast improves markedly over time, and revisions to the initial fleet assignment become naturally pertinent when the observed demand considerably differs from the assigned aircraft capacity. The Demand Driven Re-fleeting (DDR) approach proposed in this thesis offers a dynamic re-assignment of aircraft capacity to the flight network, as and when improved demand forecasts become available, so as to maximize the total revenue. Because of the need to preserve the initial crew schedule, this re-assignment approach is limited within a single family of aircraft and to the flights assigned to this particular family. This restriction significantly reduces the problem size. As a result, it becomes computationally tractable to include path level demand information into the DDR model, although the problem size can then get very large because of the numerous combinations of composing paths from legs. As an extension, models considering path-class level differences, day-of-week demand variations, and re-capture effects are also presented. The DDR model for a single family with path level demand considerations is formulated as a mixed-integer programming problem. The model's polyhedral structure is studied to explore ways for tightening its representation and for deriving certain classes of valid inequalities. Various approaches for implementing such reformulation techniques are investigated and tested. The best of these procedures for solving large-scale challenging instances of the problem turns out to be an integrated approach that uses certain selected model augmentations and valid inequalities generated via a suitable separation routine and a partial convex hull construction process. Using this strategy in concert with properly selected CPLEX options reduces the CPU time by an average factor of 7.48 over an initial model for a test-bed of problems each having 200 flights in total. Prompted by this integrated heuristic approach, a procedure for finding solutions within a prescribed limit of optimality is suggested. To demonstrate the effectiveness of these developed methodologies, we also solved two large-scale practical-sized networks that respectively involve 800 and 1060 flights, and 18196 and 33105 paths in total, with 300 and 396 flights belonging to the designated family. These problems were typically solved within 6 hours on a SUN Ultra 1 Workstation having 260 MB RAM and a clock-speed of 167 MHz, with one exception that required 14 hours of CPU time. This level of computational effort is acceptable considering that such models are solved at a planning stage in the decision process. / Master of Science

Children and adolescents consume sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) excessively, which is associated with childhood obesity, dental caries, and increased risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Interventions spanning the socio-ecological model (i.e., intrapersonal, interpersonal, environmental, policy) have been shown to reduce SSB consumption under controlled conditions. However, not much is known about their potential to work under "real-world" conditions. This information can ensure that effective programs reach populations that could most benefit, such as children and adolescents in Central Appalachia, who consume three to four times more SSBs than their American peers. Central Appalachia is a rural, geographically isolated region where attempts to reduce SSBs are challenged by limited resources, skepticism toward health programs/providers, and pervasive cultural norms around SSBs. This dissertation describes three studies (2014-2016) that address these challenges by testing multi-level interventions that prioritize cultural acceptability and feasibility. The first study was a systematic review of child and adolescent SSB studies using the RE-AIM (reach, efficacy/effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintenance) framework to evaluate whether studies reported elements necessary for replicability, such as resources needed for delivery or factors that might prevent participation. The review revealed that available evidence does not provide this information, and recommended that future studies prioritize evaluating and reporting these elements. The second and third studies describe methods to test implementation of Kids SIPsmartER, a theory-based program targeting various socio-ecological levels, in an Appalachian Virginia county. The second study engaged a group on local middle school youth (n=9) in adapting the program, which targeted universal theoretical constructs, to ensure that it was culturally acceptable and demonstrated potential to generate community-wide changes. The third study used a randomized controlled design to determine whether Kids SIPsmartER was feasible as a school-based program. This study tested the program's potential reduce SSBs, as well as whether it was accepted, in demand, and able to be practically implemented within schools, the most common gathering place for rural adolescents. Taken together, these studies provide the foundation for larger, more controlled studies that prioritize both efficacy and replicability, in order to reduce the disproportionate burden of SSBs and associated diseases across Central Appalachia. / Ph. D.

How can architecture serve as a catalyst to strengthen a transitioning neighborhood without displacing or replacing the local community? Cities bear the weight of continual change. Across the United States, urban communities wrestle the boundary between the desires of gentrification and concerns for maintaining cultural identity. These ethos are expressed in both the social and physical fabric of the neighborhood. What buildings do we save? What goes away? Can something new introduce value yet inherently belong to the neighborhood? While these questions hold relevance in any city, each city holds a unique DNA. Why does Washington DC feel different than Chicago, New York, or Philadelphia? How does the architecture manifest this genetic code? I began to seek an architectural program where I could explore these questions. As a trained jazz drummer, I desired to create a place that could become a laboratory for jazz music and performance, while simultaneously serving the artist, student, patron and neighborhood. The streets of DC have a rhythm, a genetic code. How can this code be studied and interpreted through the lens of jazz music? Architecture is rhythmic. Users become improvisational dialogue within the form of architecture. My thesis developed these questions and concepts to create a physical home for the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. (currently headquartered in Washington DC). The chosen site is located in the city's transitioning Greater U Street neighborhood. / Master of Architecture

Yes / Obtaining closed porosity, i.e. densities >7.4 g.cm-3, is a major target in PM development. To increase density, strength and surface hardness of low-carbon PM steels: cold and warm compaction, sintering and slow cooling through the ferrite transformation region, followed by cold repressing and surface hardening were investigated. The slow cooling resulted in soft, ferritic, microstructure amenable to cold resizing. Repressing at 700-900 MPa densified the samples to ~7.6 g.cm-3. Mechanical properties, after repressing and surface hardening, are characterised by appreciable plasticity following macroscopic yielding at stresses of 400-1200 MPa. Reference is made to possible further increases in strength by incorporation of small additions of clean, fine Mn containing master alloy into the powder mix. Results were verified industrially on hollow cylinders made from Fe-0.5Mo or Fe-1.5Cr-0.2Mo base powders.