VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The determinants and impacts of employer resistance to union certification in Canada

Employer resistance to union certification was found to be widespread in Canada, with over 94 percent of employers actively opposing union certification applications. Employer responses to unionization were varied but fully 88 percent engaged in actions to frustrate union access to employees, 68 percent used direct communications with employees to oppose certification, 29 percent tightened work rules or monitored employees, and 12 percent admitted to other unfair labour practices during the organizing drive. Analysis demonstrated that, depending on its form, employer opposition to union certification can impact upon both initial certification outcomes and on the probability the parties will establish and sustain a collective bargaining relationship. These results are based on 420 responses to a new national survey of employers for whom a union certification application was resolved by the appropriate labour relations board between 1991 and 1993, inclusive. An analysis of the determinants of employer resistance indicated that, where suppressing employee voice is viable and dissenting employees can be easily replaced, employers tend to actively oppose unionization. However, where prospects for remaining union-free in the long run are low, as is the case in highly unionized industries or for units contained within highly unionized firms, employers are more likely to view resistance as futile or prohibitively expensive. An assessment of the impacts of employer resistance showed that its effects extend well beyond the original certification contest. Union certification campaigns that encounter employer resistance, most especially in the form of "trained" managers, are less likely to meet with success. Even if the union does manage to become certified in spite of employer opposition, if the employer was charged with an unfair labour practice during the organizing drive, the union's chances of obtaining a first collective agreement are lower. Furthermore, other types of resistance are associated with greater difficulty in negotiating the agreement. Finally, certain types of employer resistance during the organizing drive erode employee support for the union and increase the probability of early decertification.
Prostaglandin transport and catabolism in the choroid plexus during perinatal and postnatal development in sheep

In sheep, the marked decrease in prostaglandin (PG)E2 levels in ventricular cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) after birth is believed to promote continuous breathing. Factors responsible flor this decrease are unknown. In adults, prostaglandins are cleared from CSF to plasma by carrier-mediated, probenecid-sensitive transport across the choroid plexus. Circulating prostaglandins are cleared from plasma. by a similar carrier in lungs and kidneys. Carrier-mediated transport is rate-limiting for catabolism via 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH) at these sites. It is not known whether carrier-mediated transport and/or 15-PGDH-mediated catabolism operate in the choroid plexus during perinatal development, or if an increase in their activities contributes to the postnatal decrease in CSF PGE2. To address these questions, we examined in vitro 3H-PGE2 and 3H-PGF2Ã uptake and catabolism by the sheep choroid plexus using liquid scintillation spectrometry and thin-layer radiochromatography. 15-PGDH was localized by immunofluorescence and immunogold histochemistry. In the term fetus, PGE 2 and PGF2Ã were accumulated against a concentration-gradient in a saturable, probenecid-sensitive, time- and temperature-dependent manner. Uptake was similar in fetuses (preterm and term) and lambs (~5 and 15 d) and tended to be higher in adults. In the fetus, both prostaglandins were extensively catabolized by 15-PGDH. PGE2 catabolism did not change during the perinatal period, while PGF2, catabolism decreased soon after birth. Catabolism was probenecid-insensitive and, thus, functioned independently of uptake. In adults, catabolism was marginal and, accordingly, 15-PGDH was undetectable. In fetuses, 15-PGDH was localized near the CSF-facing membrane of epithelial cells. In lambs, 15-PGDH was localized, instead, in stromal fibroblasts. PGE2 catabolism did not change in association with the postnatal relocalization of 15-PGDH, whereas PGF2Ã catabolism decreased. This study confirms that, in the perinatal sheep as in the adult, prostaglandins can be cleared from CSF via carrier-mediated transport across the choroid plexus. Contrary to the adult, in the fetus, prostaglandins are completely catabolized in the choroid plexus. The postnatal fall in CSF PGE 2 cannot be attributed to increased clearance via either transport or catabolism in the choroid plexus. However, the concomitant activity of the prostaglandin carrier and 15-PGDH may help to maintain PGE2 low in neonates and, by extension, to sustain continuous breathing.
The effects of sleep and tumour necrosis factor-Ã on the lymphatic system

The scientific literature suggests that the sleeping-waking brain interacts with the immune system. In animal studies, cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-1 promote sleep and induce an acute phase proinflammatory response. In humans, levels of these cytokines in the peripheral vascular compartment are increased with nocturnal sleep vs wakefulness. Furthermore, in humans there are diurnal sleep/wake related changes in lymphocyte distribution in the peripheral vascular system. Since much of the cellular immune functions are found in the lymphatic compartment, we investigated how sleep/wakefulness relates to lymphocyte distribution and whether cytokines, e.g. TNF-α, would not only promote sleep but could also impact immune function by its drainage into the extracranial lymphatics. In the first study, we determined the influence of physiological sleep and wakefulness on lymphocyte distribution in the vascular and lymphatic compartments. Using a sheep experimental system, we identified electrophysiological sleep/wake brain states and simultaneously collected lymph and blood samples. During sleep, lymphocyte cell output and lymph flow rates decreased compared to wakefulness. There were no differences in lymphocyte distribution patterns in the blood or in the lymph between sleep and wake states. The objective of the second study was to determine whether TNF-α, a somnogenic cytokine in rats and rabbits, would induce sleep in the sheep and be transported from the CSF into the extracranial lymphatics. TNF-α induced a significant increase in slow wave sleep in the sheep at post injection hour 4 and 5. Radiolabeled TNF-α (125I-TNF-α) injected into the lateral ventricle was detected in cervical lymph within 30 minutes of administration and peaked within 2 to 3 hours. 125I-TNF-α counts were elevated in the nodes of the head and neck region. In the third study we investigated the effect of TNF-α on the efflux of protein tracer (albumin) from the CSF into the blood in rats. TNF-α injected into the lateral ventricle of the rat significantly increased tracer recovery in the venous blood. These results suggest that elevations in TNF-α in the brain increase the transfer of CSF protein into the blood. These studies show an alternative pathway by which cytokines in the CNS can influence immune function. In addition to neural and endocrine signals and the secretion of immunomodulatory cytokines into peripheral blood, this research shows that peripheral immune function may be mediated in part by cytokines draining directly into the cervical lymphatics
Aspects of the language of Basile's Lo cunto de li cunti

This thesis investigates two aspects--one phonetic and graphic, the other morphophonemic--of the language of Basile's 'Lo cunto ', a literary work that has received surprisingly little linguistic attention. The thesis contains six chapters and three computer-generated appendices (alphabetical index; reverse-order index; index locorum.). The first two chapters introduce the reader to the author and the text, to the LIZ ('Letteratura italiana Zanichelli on CD-Rom', version 2, 1995) data base and the computer-generated tools, and to the principal Neapolitan texts consulted for the diachronic study of the language of ' Lo cunto'. Although scholars have acknowledged the use of 'shi' by l7th-century Neapolitan writers, noting that it derives from Latin FL, no one to date has investigated the possibility that the use of 'shi' alongside 'sci' is to be attributed to a phonetic motivation. The evidence from 'Lo cunto' indicates that the use of ' shi' is phonetically motivated; confirmation is found in Tuttle's (1975) theoretical observations on the evolution of PL, BL and FL in Italo-Romance and in data gathered from Old and modern Neapolitan, and from Old Sicilian. A grapho-phonological rule for the phoneme /s—/ in Basile's language is proposed. After a general introduction to metaphony in Old Neapolitan texts, and to its morphologisation in Neapolitan, the interaction of analogy and metaphony in 'Lo cunto' is considered. The study is informed by theoretical considerations put forth by Fanciullo (1994), and examines morphophonemic analogy in proparoxytones, paroxytones involving masculine~feminine pans, feminine forms exhibiting metaphonic plurals, focussing principally on the latter. Through a study of the language of 'Lo cunto' two analogical phases in the evolution of feminine forms are captured: an earlier phase in which internal pressure to distinguish number through tonic vowel alternations, produced non-etymological metaphonic plurals in first class nouns; a later phase in which, on account of pressure to exploit tonic vowel feminine alternations to distinguish gender, rather than number, feminine metaphonic plurals underwent systematic weakening. The "un-metaphonising" of feminine plurals is attributed to morphophonemic analogy. An inventory of the metaphonic data from 'Lo cunto' and a discussion of the diphthong ' ue' concludes the study.
The practical summa Ad instructionem iuniorum of Simon of Hinton, O.P, text and context.

The focus of this thesis is in edition of the thirteenth-century work, incipit 'Ad instructionem iuniorum' of the English Dominican Simon of Hinton, with full critical apparatus. Four characteristic manuscripts from the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries (Cambridge, Trinity College MS. 48 f.42r-78r, Bodleian Library, laud misc. 397, f. 106-151, British Library Royal MS.9.A.XIV f.113-139, and Cambridge, University Library MS. 1151 (Ff.1.8) f. 7-53) have been identified and are the basis for this edition. The work includes treatises on the Articles of Faith, Petititons in the Lord's Prayer, Commandments, Sacraments, Virtues, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Beatitudes, and Vices. Accompanying the edition is an introduction placing the work into its historical context. The text was written for Dominicans, probably those who were applying for their license to preach, and saved as a review text, the first of its kind in the Dominican Order. The evolution of this particular gem of texts within the Dominican Order is discussed. Also discussed am Simon of Hinton's life and other works, the contents of the work, the use of sources in the work and the manuscript tradition, which includes a listing of all known manuscript copies.
Factors associated with work integration for mental health consumers

Research on work integration for mental health consumers has typically examined the relationship of clinical and individual variables to employment, and few conclusions have been reached. This study shifts the focus of inquiry to include individually-based variables as well as environmental variables. A mixed method design drawing on quantitative and qualitative approaches was used to examine factors associated with work integration for mental health consumers. Thirty-six consumers (N = 36) were recruited into one of two groups: (1) consumers who were employed in integrated settings (n = 17) and (2) consumers who had left their jobs within a six-month period prior to the study (n = 19). Quantitative data were collected on four variables: empowerment, social support, organizational culture/climate and person-environment fit. Instruments used were the Empowerment Questionnaire, the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL), the Workplace Climate Questionnaire (WCQ) and the Organizational Culture Profile (OCP). Data analysis revealed significant group differences along the dimensions of organizational climate and person-environment fit. Significant differences in effect sizes of perceived characteristics of the workplace were also determined. Logistic regression analyses revealed that organizational climate and person-environment fit were significant predictors of employment status. Qualitative data were collected through semistructured interviews with participants in both groups. Content analysis revealed the following themes: the impact of the organization on job satisfaction and tenure, the importance of supervisory and coworker relationships and attitudes, and the meaningfulness of work.
The impact of information technology on decision-making in the workplace

The impact of new information technology on decision-making by front-line workers was studied. A semi-structured interview process was undertaken with 44 sales employees who had their jobs redesigned to incorporate computer technology in a Canadian customs brokerage company. The technology provided job enrichment and created opportunities for improving the quality of worklife by expanding peoples' skills and supporting them to be more efficient, more organized, better able to manage time and more productive. The technical features of the information technology did not provide sufficient support to decentralize decision-making from management to front-line workers, this continued to be based on managerial choices about the organization of the work. It is concluded that information technology offers the potential to provide more job autonomy and responsibility for decision-making for individuals in their job but cannot determine the social, psychological or organizational changes of its introduction. This depends on how management chooses to incorporate the technology into the organizational structure.
Maternal attachment and response to infant affect

A recent body of evidence indicates that more often than not, parental attachment representations predict infant patterns of attachment. What is less clear is how patterns of attachment are passed from one generation to the next--an issue which attachment researchers have been calling the "transmission gap." Among the hypothesized mechanisms bridging attachment across generations is adult response to infant affect. The present dissertation focuses on this mechanism. To prepare for evaluating adult response to infant affect, a new measurement tool--the Toronto Infant Emotion Stimuli (TIES)--was developed and tested in the context of a two-phase pilot study. Then, in the context of the prenatal portion of a longitudinal study, the relation between maternal attachment classification and response to infant affect (using the TIES) was examined. Findings from the first study indicated that the types of affect in the TIES demonstrated good content validity, and that participants' responses to the TIES were affected minimally by other factors, such as participants' scores on an attachment screen, their previous experience with children, and the attractiveness of the infants presented in the TIES. The second study revealed a subtle but consistent relation between maternal attachment status and the ways in which mothers interpreted infant affective signals, and indicated that this association was strongest when infant signals were ambiguous, and when the context of the signal was apparent to the mother. Based on the findings from these studies, it is concluded that (a) the TIES is a productive tool for measuring adults' responses to infant affect, and (b) maternal response to infant affect may be one mechanism in the series of links between adult and infant attachment. The findings are discussed with respect to their implications for future use of the TIES, and for infant development within the longitudinal model.
An examination of the limnology and freshwater diatom autoecology of Bathurst Island, Northwest Territories, Canadian High Arctic

Limnological analysis of 38 lakes and ponds on Bathurst Island, N.W.T., Canada revealed that the sites were alkaline (pH = 8.0-8.6), and that the major ion concentrations were relatively high, reflecting the calcareous nature of local geology. Total nitrogen ranged from 247[mu]g/L-1065.2[mu]g/L. Total (unfiltered) phosphorus ranged from 3.2[mu]g/L-64.0[mu]g/L. PON:POP and TN:TPU analysis found 63% of the sites to most likely be N-limited. Linear regression analysis of chlorophyll a vs. TN revealed a significant correlation for N-limited sites, indicating that nitrogen may be limiting algal growth in most sites. Principle Components Analysis identified dominant limnological gradients. 148 diatom taxa were identified from surface-sediment of 29 lakes and ponds. Dominant species were small, pennate and benthic. 'Fragilaria ' and 'Pinnularia' species dominated colder, larger sites; warmer, more nutrient-rich sites supported larger diatom assemblages. Canonical Correspondence and Weighted-Averaging analyses identified the potential to build diatom-based transfer functions for paleoreconstructions on Bathurst Island.
Desire and renunciation, the letters of Dorothy Osborne

Dorothy Osborne's lively and accomplished letters to her husband William Temple (1652-54) have long been treasured for their literary qualities, and for their defense of companionate marriage. They are an important source for the history of the family, and of women's lives in the early modern period. My dissertation focuses on factors which discourage Osborne from seeking union with Temple: her oscillation between desire and renunciation. Although the prolonged Osborne-Temple courtship ended in marriage, Osborne betrays anxiety about love unions in general. My first chapter describes the Victorian-Edwardian portrayal of Osborne as a renunciatory heroine. My second chapter evaluates the letters as a literary document--a narrative formed out of separate components. After these opening chapters, I consider factors which discouraged Osborne from pursuing marital union with Temple. One powerful obstacle is triangular structures which complicate the Osborne-Temple romance. I also consider the powerful effect of constant surveillance on the Osborne-Temple courtship and, in the chapter immediately following, Osborne's articulation of her dream to be alone with Temple on an isolated island. This fantasy is a response to the extreme surveillance she experienced, as well as a vivid engagement with utopian thought of the time. Critics have argued that Osborne's reading of voluminous French romances, by authors such as Madeleine de Scudéry, helped Osborne in her courtship with Temple. I argue that these romances were, in fact, a force to discourage Osborne from romantic attachment; most of the characters she fixes on were thwarted in love. My next chapter considers melancholy as a disease both the lovers share; illness functions both as a force to bind the couple together in an ethic of mutual care, and one which threatens their bond. My final chapter is a brief evaluation of the forces of desire and renunciation in Osborne's letters, focusing on her decision to marry Temple despite her misgivings.
DEA-based analysis of software project efficiency

In today's economy and society, performance analyses in the banking industry attract more and more attention. However, the traditional Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodology requires a consistent infrastructure and operating environment which one may deem as the "culture" in bank branch evaluation studies. Nevertheless, in reality there is a need to compare the units under different environmental conditions. Some units may have an advantageous environment which the others cannot adopt. This reality challenges the traditional methods of applying DEA theory to real-world cases. This research evaluates productivity efficiency across several different banks' branches in the Mississauga area using DEA. It overcomes the above limitation by a mathematically handicapped DEA model developed here. This technology allows for the cultural differences these close competitors have from each other. Finding a handicapping function which can fairly assess the large Canadian banks' differences was one of the contributions of this work. The handicapping approach ensures that the bank's ability to produce financial products at the customer level is the same for all the banks. Furthermore, peer and target analyses are carried out to identify the outliers. In addition, the handicapped approach can be applied to any situation where normal DEA analysis can be used., Modern computers have become increasingly indispensable in all sorts of industries. However, the increasing software cost and delivery delay encourage Information System Department to attempt to install objective measurement programs for their software projects. The traditional methods used for this purpose have a number of problems and limitations and therefore, there is a continuing need to explore new methods to measure the efficiency of the software project production process. The multi-dimensionality of software development makes Data Envelopment Analysis an attractive solution. The objective of this work is to validate the hypothesis that DEA is a superior technique for measuring software project efficiency in an actual production environment relative to commonly used techniques. Two DEA models are developed for this purpose. The results compared favorably to the results of several popular ratio analyses. The key factors that affect performance are investigated using DEA results. In addition, the projects are segmented to three categories and carry out more analysis.
Popular memory and reconstructions of Palestinian identity, Al-Baq'a Refugee Camp, Jordan

The thesis examines the role of popular memory in forging the Palestinian 'nation' and how the radical shift in Palestinian nationalist politics, symbolized by the signing of the Oslo Accords in September 13, 1993 is re-shaping memory and Palestinian identity. The fieldwork was conducted between 1995-1997 in al-Baq'a refugee camp in Jordan and was based on participant observation and fifty life histories of three generations of refugees, both men and women. Refugees who were expelled from their villages during the 1948 war have been engaged in a struggle over the politics and places of memory, primarily against the Zionist usurpation of their land. Holding on to the memory of village land and life in Palestine became a form of struggle 'against forgetting' and passed on to younger generations, whereby land and villages of origin represented central elements in forging the Palestinian collective identity in the diaspora. However, the Palestine National Authority (PNA) has changed its official national discourse from liberation to the building of state-institutions, thereby fragmenting the 'unified nation.' Yet, life histories show that refugees continue to conceive of the Return as to the geographical villages, but are re-imagining the ways and paradigms through which their 'Dream of Return' will be achieved.