VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
AN AGE-PERIOD-COHORT ANALYSIS OF HEALTH STATUS AND HEALTHCARE USE IN CANADA: ARE BABY BOOMERS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER GENERATIONS?
Keywords: age-period-cohort
birth cohort
multimorbidity
primary care
specialist care

BACKGROUND: There are concerns for the provision of healthcare services in Canada given the large numbers of ageing baby boomers. However, little is known about how they differ in their health profile and patterns of healthcare use compared to other generations. This thesis describes three studies, based on a longitudinal survey of the population, examining the trajectories of multimorbidity and healthcare use (i.e. conventional care and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)) across five birth cohorts. METHODS: Using data from the Longitudinal National Population Health Survey (1994-2011), the thesis studies examined 10186 participants belonging to one of the five birth cohorts: pre World War II (born: 1925-1934), World War II (born: 1935-1944), older (born: 1945-1954) and younger (born: 1955-1964) baby boomers, and Generation X (Gen Xers, born: 1965-1974). Hierarchical age-period-cohort analysis was used to examine the contributions of age (life-course), period, and cohort effects in changes in multimorbidity, use of conventional care (i.e. primary care and specialist services users), and CAM use. RESULTS: Each succeeding recent cohort had higher odds of reporting multimorbidity than their predecessors. Furthermore, Gen Xers and younger boomers, particularly those with multimorbidity, were less likely to use primary care than earlier cohorts. The increasing levels of multimorbidity explained the higher specialist use observed in recent cohorts. Likewise, at corresponding ages, more recent cohorts reported greater chiropractic and CAM use than their predecessors. The use of conventional care was positively related to greater CAM use, but did not contribute to changes over time or to cohort differences in CAM use. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need for policies addressing important generational differences in healthcare preferences and the balance between primary and specialty care to ensure integration and coordination of healthcare delivery. The findings also highlight the importance of planning interventions and policies to deal with more recent birth cohorts entering into older age with worse health than previous generations.
Changes to Soil and Sedimentary Organic Matter Composition with Permafrost Active Layer Detachments in a Canadian High Arctic Watershed
Keywords: Arctic
biomarkers
organic matter
permafrost
sediment
soil

The vast reservoir of organic matter (OM) locked up in Arctic permafrost may become vulnerable to degradation with increased thawing. In recent years, higher than average Arctic temperatures have increased the frequency of abrupt permafrost thawing events. On sloped terrain, deeper seasonal thawing of permafrost soils can initiate landslide-like events called active layer detachments (ALDs) which can release large amounts of previously unavailable carbon into the surrounding environment. Once exposed, more easily degraded permafrost-derived OM may be transported and mineralized through hydrological networks, altering biogeochemical cycles both locally and globally. It is therefore important to investigate the environmental fate of permafrost-derived OM following release by ALDs. Several complementary methods were used to investigate soil and sedimentary OM composition from an ALD-impacted High Arctic watershed, including: biomarker analyses via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (solvent extractable compounds, base hydrolysable products, CuO oxidation products, phospholipid fatty acids), solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and radiocarbon analysis using accelerator mass spectrometry. Samples collected from the watershed represented three distinct environments: soils, fluvial sediments, and lacustrine sediments. Soil OM composition of depth profiles from upslope and downslope regions of the disturbance were compared. Lower amounts of labile OM upslope, suggesting increased erosion, contrasted with higher amounts downslope indicative of the accumulation of OM. Additionally, labile OM observed in subterranean soil downslope indicates storage of more easily degraded material in deep permafrost. Fluvial sedimentary OM composition downstream of the disturbance was investigated to characterize potential shifts in OM composition resulting from ALD inputs. In addition, downstream translocation of ALD inputs over time was determined when comparing samples from 2011, 2013, and 2014. OM composition in areas along the river receiving ALD inputs also shifted from permafrost-derived biomarkers toward more contemporary aquatic-derived inputs over time. OM composition from recent lacustrine sediments contained older, more persistent compounds suggesting that the labile OM released by ALDs likely undergoes degradation before reaching the lake. Overall, this thesis reveals the ongoing shifts in the OM composition of ALD-impacted Arctic landscapes and contributes to the growing body of evidence suggesting enhanced losses of labile permafrost-derived carbon with future warming and climate change.
Delle Poesie (1620) di Ridolfo Campeggi. Edizione critica
Keywords: Baroque Culture
Baroque Literature
Italian Literature
Italian Poetry
Literary Criticism
Poetry

This study seeks to present a philologically accurate edition of Ridolfo Campeggi’s collection of lyric poetry published in 1620, and to contextualize his work within a broader perspective in terms of the history of literature. The collection comprises a total of 392 poems: 278 sonnets, 77 madrigals, 9 poems in octaves, 11 poems in sesta rima (six-line stanzas) and 11 canzonette. The investigation conducted on Campeggi’s poems has led to discover that the variety of metrical structures and subjects that make up his collection are perfectly in line with the trends of the century, as confirmed by comparing Torquato Tasso, Cesare Rinaldi, Tommaso Stigliani and Giovan Battista Marino’s numerous works. The present study highlights Ridolfo Campeggi’s unique personal and poetic network within Bologna and the Italian cultural environment as well, an impressive network for an author who was in contact with the major intellectual and political figures of his time. Throughout the first four chapters, this study takes into account critical works about Campeggi, from the eighteenth century until these days. The first chapter provides a thorough account of the milieu of Accademia dei Gelati in Bologna, a revealing example of an intellectual academy of the 17th century, its origins, its members and its customs. The second chapter takes into account Campeggi’s whole production, from the pastoral Filarmindo, published in 1605, to the posthumous prose of the Relazione de gli Heretici Iconomiasti, highlighting relations with other famous Baroque poets. The third chapter recounts Campeggi’s life (a nobleman without heirs, ultimately committed to poetry at the highest level) and the vast lyrical collection from 1620, with a thorough classification of metrics and subjects, organized according to historical and rhetorical frameworks. The last part of the study provides the critical edition of Campeggi’s Poesie, highlighting main rhetorical features, a comparison with the first edition of 1608, and references to lyrical works by major poets of the time. The study finally presents three appendices, including the list of Gelati members (according to the catalogue of 1672) and the text of two melodramas, never published before in a modern edition, Andromeda and Il Reno Sacrificante, key pieces of plays set to music, crucial to understand the development of musical theatre into opera. Ultimately, this work aims at highlighting the singular figure of Campeggi and his ability in learning from the most modern authors of his time. It is clear that the special feature of Campeggi’s lyrical style is amenable to his talent as an enthusiastic reader and inventive poet, fluctuating between the principles of ‘the wonder’ [la meraviglia] – imitating Marino’s rhetorical style – and the new diktats coming from the papal court under the influence of Maffeo Barberini, reprimanding the excessive Marinist trend, fostering a classical-inspired poetry style.
Regulation of Calcium Mediated NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation in Kawasaki Disease
Keywords: Calcium
inflammasome
innate immunity
ITPKC
Kawasaki disease
NLRP3

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a multisystem vasculitis that predominantly targets the coronary arteries in children. Environmental triggers together with genetic factors contribute to susceptibility and severity of KD. The theme of this thesis is the role of Ca2+ signaling modulators in the pathogenesis of KD separated into two studies. Firstly, genome wide association studies have identified ITPKC, an enzyme in Ca2+ signaling pathway to be associated with KD. We show that the KD-associated genetic polymorphism in ITPKC (rs28493229) has important functional consequences, governing ITPKC expression levels and thereby intracellular Ca2+ levels, which in turn regulates NLRP3 expression and production of IL-1β and IL-18. Analysis of transcript abundance, protein levels, and cellular response profiles from matched, serial biospecimens from a cohort of genotyped KD subjects point to the critical role of ITPKC in mediating NLRP3 expression and IL-1 and IL-18 cytokine secretion. Treatment failure in those with the ‘high-risk’ ITPKC-genotype was associated with the highest basal and stimulated intracellular Ca2+ levels and with increased cellular production of IL-1β and IL-18 and higher circulating levels of both cytokines. Mechanistic studies using Itpkc-deficient mice in the Lactobacillus casei cell wall extract (LCWE) induced coronary arteritis mouse model of KD support the genomic, cellular and clinical findings in affected children. Secondly, mercury is a known Ca2+ signaling modulator and an environmental pollutant. Using mercury as a novel danger signal we studied the effect of inflammasome activation in LCWE mouse model. In vitro, HgCl2 treatment to LCWE primed bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDMs) enhances the expression of NLRP3 with increased secretion of IL-1β and IL-18 cytokines. In vivo, administration of HgCl2 to LCWE injected mice exacerbates KD resulting in increased incidence and severity of coronary arteritis, plus secretion of IL-1 and IL-18 during disease evolution. Furthermore, Ca2+ mobilization is critical for HgCl2 mediated and enhanced activation of IL-1 and IL-18 secretion, emphasizing the importance of Ca2+ signaling in the pathogenesis in KD. These studies add to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underpinning the immunopathology of KD and identifies potential biomarkers of disease and novel targets for therapy.
Le théâtre de Marcel Dubé: une transformation dramaturgique
Keywords: Marcel DubĂŠ
Quebec Theater

Le théâtre de Marcel Dubé : une transformation dramaturgique by Roberto Augusto Machado A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of French University of Toronto © Copyright by Roberto Augusto Machado 2017 Le théâtre de Marcel Dubé : une transformation dramaturgique Roberto Augusto Machado Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of French University of Toronto 2017 Résumé Cette thèse porte sur une analyse socio-sémiotique de six pièces de Marcel Dubé : Zone, Florence, Un simple soldat, Bilan, Un matin comme les autres et Le réformiste ou l’honneur des hommes. Le dramaturge les a écrites entre 1953 et 1977, une période marquante dans l’histoire du Québec puisqu’elle précède, accompagne et suit la Révolution tranquille, laquelle a été caractérisée par de nombreuses métamorphoses sociales, politiques et culturelles qui ont transformé radicalement le Québec. En effet, dans l’espace de quelques années, le Québec est passé d’une société traditionnelle, conservatrice et fermée sur elle-même à une société moderne, libérale et avant-gardiste. Nous postulons que le théâtre dubéen reflète les mutations sociopolitiques et culturelles de son temps dans sa dramaturgie et sa thématique. À partir d’un survol du genre théâtral au Québec vers le milieu du XXe siècle et de la veine réaliste que le dramaturge a employée, nous accentuerons l’unicité et la variété de son œuvre. En outre, en nous servant de la méthode sociocritique, qui est essentiellement la lecture du social, de l’historique, de l’idéologique et du culturel dans tout texte littéraire et, en particulier, de certaines notions telles l’intertextualité, l’idéologie et le sociolecte, et de quelques outils sémiotiques, comme le modèle actantiel, les axes du désir, du pouvoir, de la motivation et de la manipulation, nous proposons une analyse détaillée des enjeux sociopolitiques et culturels mis en relief dans notre corpus. Étant donné qu’un texte ne naît jamais seul, nous voulons déterminer ce que les pièces choisies révèlent de la société passée et présente. Généralement, le répertoire dubéen peut être divisé en deux grandes parties. L’auteur vise d’abord les prolétaires pendant la décennie de 1950 pour, dans les années 1960 et 1970, s’intéresser aux bourgeois. Ses personnages représentent deux couches sociales distinctes et tous sont en quête d’un « mieux vivre », car ils sont malheureux. Ils sont donc des êtres en crise profonde. Bien que les héros de Dubé cherchent l’authenticité, l’amour et le bonheur, ils ne les trouvent presque jamais. Nous voulons mettre en valeur les maints conflits qui les isolent et qui les empêchent d’être heureux.
Alcohol Effects on Human Neurophysiology
Keywords: alcohol
alcohol use disorders
brain stimulation
dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
neurophysiology
neuroplasticity

Background: Alcohol exerts its behavioural and neurophysiological effects by acting on multiple neurotransmitter systems in the brain, including the excitatory glutamatergic and inhibitory GABAergic neurotransmitter systems. Alcohol’s actions on these neurotransmitter systems may, in turn, have important implications for alcohol’s effect on neuroplasticity. Objectives: First, to evaluate the effect of alcohol intoxication on paired associative stimulation (PAS)-induced neuroplasticity in the motor cortex up to a day following PAS. Second, to evaluate the effect of alcohol intoxication on PAS-induced neuroplasticity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Third, to evaluate the effect of alcohol intoxication on N100 amplitude to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) stimulation of the DLPFC, as an index of GABAB receptor mediated neurotransmission. Hypotheses: First, it was hypothesized that alcohol intoxication would impair PAS-induced neuroplasticity in the motor cortex and that this impairment would also be evident the day following PAS. Second, it was hypothesized that alcohol intoxication would impair PAS-induced neuroplasticity and the potentiation of theta-gamma coupling in the DLPFC. Third, it was hypothesized that alcohol intoxication would produce a decrease in the N100 amplitude to TMS stimulation of the DLPFC. Results: The first study found that alcohol intoxication impaired PAS-induced neuroplasticity in the motor cortex. Potentiation levels were no longer different between the alcohol and placebo conditions the day following PAS administration. The second study found that alcohol intoxication impairs PAS-induced neuroplasticity in the DLPFC. The third study found that alcohol intoxication produces a decrease in N100 amplitude to TMS stimulation of the DLPFC. Conclusions: Alcohol intoxication impairs neuroplasticity in the motor cortex and DLPFC. The disruption of neuroplasticity by alcohol, may be explained, in part, by alcohol’s impairment of GABAB receptor mediated neurotransmission. These findings may provide a potential mechanism for alcohol’s motor and cognitive impairments.
"Like Produces Like": Popular Conceptions of Heredity in Canada, 1860-1900
Keywords: Agricultural Periodicals
Canada
19th Century
Cultural History of Heredity
Domestic Medical Manuals
Heredity
Woman's Christian Temperance Union

This dissertation examines popular conceptions of heredity in Canada between 1860-1900. I focus on three bodies of literature in which ideas about heredity were explored, discussed, and negotiated: farmersâ and breedersâ periodicals, written by and for farmers and animal breeders; medical advice manuals aimed at wives and mothers; and the publications of the prominent reform organization, the Womanâ s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). Specifically, I ask: how did these three groups understand the nature of heredity, how did this affect the ways they interacted with the world, and where did these ideas about heredity come from? In each case, I examine the particular notions of heredity they embraced, their sources, and how such notions were forged and operationalized to make sense of and order both the natural and the social worlds. I show how popular notions of heredity interacted with the interests and aspirations of the people who engaged with them. By examining the contours and sources of popular ideas about heredity, my research also helps untangle and make clear aspects of the complex circulation of scientific knowledge in late 19th century Canadian society. This dissertation demonstrate the role of these three distinct bodies of literature in the circulation of knowledge about heredity, and in the active discussion and negotiation about its broader social meanings. These media, which were themselves interconnected and mutually influential, exposed their readers to a range of sources and ways of knowing about heredity. They encouraged Canadians to think about the nature of heredity and its relevance to the health of their bodies and minds, their families, and the body politic.
Infant care, nutritional development and lactation in chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda
Keywords: Chimpanzee
Infant care
Lactation
Primate
Stable isotopes
Weaning

Understanding the factors affecting the time from complete dependence on maternal milk to nutritional independence (i.e. infant nutritional development), and obtaining accurate data on the timing of infant feeding transitions are needed to ultimately understand species-specific life history components. I quantitatively documented infant nutritional development, assessed the patterning of maternal investment through lactation over the course of infancy, and investigated the effects of alloparenting on the speed with which infants were weaned, in approximately 50 infant chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) and their mothers of one wild community at Ngogo, Uganda. Measuring nutritional development in wild primates is difficult through observations alone because confirming dietary intake of infants is challenging. I therefore used behavioural data in combination with novel physiological measures of fecal stable isotopes (Î´13C:Î´15N, %N) to assess age-specific infant nursing and foraging, determine the relative contributions of maternal milk and other foods in infant diets, and assess the timing and process of weaning. First, I showed that fecal stable isotopes can be successfully used to track infant nutritional development, and found that the weaning process begins and ends by around 1 and 4 years of age, respectively, but that offspring could continue to comfort nurse for years afterwards. Second, I found that chimpanzees showed a multi-year and plateauing lactation pattern. Like humans, chimpanzee mothers provided a steady supply of milk while infants increasingly supplemented their growing energy needs with solid foods until the contribution of milk relative to other food in the diet was sufficiently low that milk no longer constituted a dietary need for offspring. Third, infants who were held and carried more by alloparents showed accelerated weaning rates, and their mothers experienced a reduced lactation effort, suggesting that alloparenting in chimpanzees may have a positive effect on female reproductive rates. This dissertation contributes to models of chimpanzee infant care, nutritional development, and patterning of lactation required to understand the evolution of life history patterns in hominins, including relatively earlier weaning and increased female reproductive rates.
Activist Short-Selling
Keywords: Analysts
Market Reaction
Overvaluation
Reputation
Short-Selling
Uncertainty

Activist short-selling – short-sellers publicly talking down securities to benefit their short positions – attracts attentions from a broad range of market participants, but is largely ignored by the prior literature. Combining information from Seeking Alpha and Activist Shorts Research, I collect more than 6,000 activist short-selling cases against listed companies from 2006 to 2015 and conduct two large-sample studies on this controversial phenomenon. Chapter 1 examines the determinants and consequences of activist short-selling, highlighting the critical roles of ex-ante available firm characteristics. I find that (1) activist short-selling leads to much larger market reactions than comparable level of short-selling without public talking-down, (2) activist short-sellers are more likely to target firms with severe overvaluation and uncertainty features, (3) targets’ overvaluation (uncertainty) features are increasingly (decreasingly) important in predicting returns from the short term to the long term, (4) their overvaluation features predict short-selling allegations that focus on valuation issues such as “bubble,” while their uncertainty features predict allegations that sound severe such as “fraud,” and (5) uncertainty features also predict targets’ likelihood of responding to allegations. Chapter 2 focuses on the consequences of activist short-selling on a specific group of market players: sell-side analysts who cover target firms. Since the sell-side business model discourages analysts from publishing negative opinions, the demand for negative information is met by other sources, such as activist short-sellers who frequently accuse analysts’ talking-up as the main driver of overvaluation. I find that analysts react to activist short-selling by revising their target-price forecasts. The variation in the timeliness and direction of the reactions can be explained by the ability and incentives of analysts as well as the initial impact of activist short-selling. More importantly, analysts’ reputation can be severely damaged by activist short-sellers, particularly when analysts talk-up too much previously, when short-sellers seem to be right, and when analysts take too long to respond. However, the direction of analysts’ reactions (i.e., revising up or down) seems unrelated to the reputation loss. Finally, analysts are more likely to move to smaller brokerage houses if their covered firms are targeted by activist short-sellers.