VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Processing integral-skin polyolefin foams in single-charge rotational foam molding

This thesis focuses on establishing the scientific and engineering foundations for gaining a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms and critical parameters governing the processing of integral-skin low-density polyolefin foams in rotational foam molding. The presented research is particularly intended to broaden the knowledge in the field of manufacturing adjacent, but clearly distinct, layers of non-cellular and cellular structures, consisting of identical or compatible plastic grades, using a single-charge processing concept. Although this technology is beneficial for the efficacy of the molding process and the structural homogeneity of the moldings, its optimization raised a fairly large number of fundamental issues that had to be resolved through further research. In this context, an attempt has been made to establish rigorous, experimentally validated, theoretical models that describe the phenomena identified as the fundamental challenges of this technology. The major contributions of this thesis include: (i) optimization of the single-charge rotational foam molding process for the manufacture of both PE/PE and PE/PP integral-skin cellular composites, (ii) development of a two-step oven temperature profile that prevents the foamable resins invading the solid skin layer and ensures that skin formation always completes prior to the activation of the foamable resin, (iii) fundamental study of the adherence behavior of powders and foamable pellets to a high-temperature rotating mold wall, (iv) fundamental study of the lifespan of CBA-blown bubbles in non-pressurized non-isothermal polymer melts using hot-stage optical microscopy and digital imaging, (v) development of a detailed theoretical model involving diffusion, surface tension, and viscosity to simulate the observed foaming mechanism, and (vi) fundamental study of the rotofoamablility of polyolefin resins using both dry blending and melt compounding based methods and characterization of rheological and thermal properties.
The effect of animal presence on perceptions of psychotherapists and disclosure in therapy

This study examined the impact of animal presence on perceptions of therapists and willingness to self-disclose in therapy. Participants (N = 85) viewed a video clip of a psychotherapist alone or in the presence of a dog and then completed questionnaires assessing their perceptions of the therapist, willingness to disclose and attitude toward animals. Results indicated that participants rated the psychotherapists more favourable on several interpersonal characteristics and were more willing to disclose when the animal was present. Refuting past critiques, the presence of an animal had a beneficial impact on perceptions and willingness to disclose regardless of an individual's overall attitude toward animals. These results demonstrate that the presence of a dog, and perhaps other animals, can enhance the way psychotherapists are perceived and may also have a role in strengthening the therapeutic alliance.

Keywords: Pets, Therapeutic use
Psychotherapy patients, Attitudes
Aberrant gene expression in acute myeloid leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a rapidly progressing cancer characterized by an accumulation of myeloblasts in the bone marrow and peripheral blood. AMLs are a heterogeneous group of diseases, with individual cases displaying variability in presentation, treatment response and clinical outcome. These differences can most likely be accounted for by the underlying genetic heterogeneity in leukemic cells. Though there are a number of novel therapies with the potential for improving outcome, results from ongoing trials are modest at best. While chromosomal abnormalities and genetic mutations have been identified that may be used for prognosis and as possible targets for therapy, little is known about the genetic changes involved in the progression of disease in the majority of normal karyotype patients. Furthermore, since AML most likely represents a multi-hit disease, the nature of many of the secondary hits are also unknown. It is evident that the entire list of genetic lesions in AML is far from complete. Identifying aberrantly expressed genes that contribute to the transformed nature of the hematopoietic cell will broaden our understanding of the development and progression of the disease as well as identify novel potential targets for therapy. Representational difference analysis (RDA) is a cDNA subtractive hybridization screen that I used to identify aberrantly expressed genes in AML, from which over thirty potential candidates were identified. I have chosen seven of these genes for further examination by analyzing their expression in AML cell lines and primary patient samples. The role of aberrant angiotensin expression in AML, one of the genes identified through the screen, was also investigated using a known inhibitor of its pathway in AML cells. LMO1, another gene identified from the screen, was assayed as a marker of minimal residual disease (MRD) in AML along with a panel of other MRD markers in a group of patient samples obtained at diagnosis, remission and relapse. The knowledge gained from these research studies provides the basis for further investigation involving the molecular detection of residual disease and the development of targeted therapies in AML.
Effects of noise on target detection, target identification and marksmanship under simulated combat conditions

Purpose. This study examined the effects of noise on target detection, identification and marksmanship under simulated combat conditions. A secondary objective was to determine the effect of monetary incentive on performance. Methods. There were 20 soldiers (mean +/- SD of 24.2 +/- 3.9 y, 182 +/- 5 cm, and 84.2 +/- 13.7 kg) that participated in an individual and one reward based trial. All trials consisted of six 20 min counterbalanced control and noise (87 dB SPL battlefield noise) conditions, which alternated throughout the trial. During each 20 min period, subjects walked on a treadmill while engaged on the shooting task. Results. Only engagement time of foe targets was effected by time on task. Conclusions. It was concluded that subjects performed at maximal effort and emphasized accuracy over engagement time, although were not affected by noise, time on task or incentive during target detection, identification and marksmanship.
The hydrolysis of 5-HETE lactone by paraoxonase 1 and its stability in serum

The enzyme kinetics of human and mouse paraoxonase-1 (PON1) were studied using the substrate 5-HETE lactone (5-HETEL). The importance of the polymorphism at position 192(Q/R) of human PON1 as a determinant of Km and V max was tested. It was found that recombinant PON1 192R had a significantly higher Km and Kcat compared to the 192Q polymorph (p=0.019 and p=0.0005 respectively). Human serum PON1 showed a polymorphism dependent difference in Kcat, with RR and QR sera being greater compared to QQ sera (p=0.028 and p=0.014 respectively). No difference was observed in the Km. No lactonase activity was found in the HDL fraction of PON1 knockout mice. However, a slow-acting lactonase activity was found in mouse serum from wildtype and PON1 knockout mice. This activity, absent in human serum, was inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride and was in the lipoprotein-free fraction of serum. These characteristics are consistent with mouse serum carboxylesterase.
Time-interleaved [Delta][Sigma]-DAC for broadband wireless applications

The analysis and design of a time-interleaved delta-sigma digital-to-analog converter (TIM ΔΣ-DAC) is presented. The digital front-end of the TIM ΔΣ-DAC comprises a 95th-order time-interleaved-by-8 FIR interpolation filter and a 3rd-order time-interleaved-by-8 ΔΣ modulator. The time-interleaved architecture uses parallelism to support a low OSR of 8, which results in a large effective bandwidth for broadband applications. The 4-bit output of the ΔΣ modulator is converted into analog using 16 current-steering cells with continuous current calibration. The chip was fabricated in 90nm CMOS. It was designed to operate at 4GS/s with a bandwidth of 250MHz. The analog back-end was tested with modulated data from a simulation of the digital front-end. It was measured at 2.66GS/s and achieved a bandwidth of 166MHz, an SNR of 46dB and an SFDR of 56dB. At 2GS/s, the prototype consumed 102mW from a 1V supply.
Survival signaling and redox regulation in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Cancer-associated molecular abnormalities are known to affect the activity of cellular signaling networks. The potential to target activated survival signaling pathways and antioxidant-redox regulation to improve treatment response in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is addressed in this thesis. An activated signaling profile distinguished cancer cells from morphologically normal duct cells in the adjacent normal pancreas as well as non-cancer pancreas surgical resections. A capacity of the PKB/Akt survival pathway to modulate gemcitabine sensitivity was examined using in vitro and in vivo experimental models. Inhibition of PI3K, the principle activator of PKB, or the suppression of total PKB enhanced gemcitabine cytotoxicity. However, a subset of cell lines displayed an inversion of gemcitabine sensitivity in vivo as compared to in vitro, suggesting that additional factors such as antioxidant-redox potential and tumor microenvironment influenced treatment response in vivo. An oxidative stress mediated apoptosis was examined as an alternative therapy using sulforaphane (SFN). The compound was tested on two cell lines that demonstrated resistance to gemcitabine as well as in combination with PI3K inhibition. A lower redox potential in PANC-1 cells was associated with a higher SFN-induced cytotoxicity and tumor growth inhibition. In this thesis, pancreatic cancer was sub-classified based on bio-functional characteristics including transcript and protein levels as well as chemotherapy response. These results give insight into the pathogenesis as well as potential treatment strategies for pancreatic cancer.
Stress induced modulation of mitochondrial protein import in differentiated PC12 cells: The role of Tom20

Although mitochondria contain their own DNA, 99% of mitochondrial proteins are nuclear-encoded and imported into mitochondria. Consequently even relatively minor defects in the import process can be expected to affect multiple mitochondrial functions. Mitochondrial protein import was not altered after a 5hr GD insult, but significantly decreased by 22 +/- 4% and 32% +/- 5% at 24 and 48hrs post-GD respectively. Mitochondrial membrane potential was not affected by the GD insult, but ROS generation was increased significantly at 24 and 48hrs post-GD. Western blots showed that by 24hrs post-GD, levels of Tom 20, an essential translocase of the import machinery, were significantly decreased. Transfection with Tom 20 significantly increased the import of mtGFP to mitochondria by 29 +/- 3% by 24hrs and 38 + 4% by 48hrs as assessed by flow cytometry (n=3). Over-expression of Tom20 prior to GD prevented the GD mediated decline in mtGFP/Tom20 expression and import.
Holocene lake ontogeny and recent environmental change in West Greenland

Postglacial sediments along a transect of lakes in central West Greenland (67N) were analyzed using paleolimnological techniques in order to assess: (a) modern diatom-environment relationships; (b) recent ecological changes that have occurred since the Industrial Age (post-1850 A.D.); and (c) underlying natural patterns of lake development during the Holocene (last 10,000 years). Lakewater pH is the environmental variable that best explains variance in diatom assemblages from a suite of 47 lakes (8.6% variance). In turn, lakewater pH in West Greenland is tightly coupled to climate, where negative effective moisture and high Aeolian influx elevate pH levels in lakes in the continental interior relative to the more maritime environment at the coast. A two-component weighted averaging partial least squares (WA-PLS) pH inference model (RMSEP = 0.32) was developed and applied to downcore diatom assemblages from two lakes. Analyses of recent changes in diatom assemblages from 23 lakes show that changes: (a) are not uniform across the region; (b) are amplified in the continental interior; and (c) mostly predate evidence for both anthropogenic pollution and arctic climate warming (circa 1850 A.D). Furthermore, diatom assemblage compositional turnover (beta-diversity) demonstrates that West Greenland has changed the least in the last 150 years of any arctic region for which comparable data exist. Patterns of Holocene lake ontogeny in West Greenland were determined by analyzing diatoms, carbon content, and spectrally-inferred chlorophyll-a from the postglacial sediments of three lakes of different ages along a transect from the coast to the inland ice sheet. The lakes document similar time-transgressive patterns of diatom floristic development from Fragilaria s.l. to Cyclotella to Aulacoseira, which suggests that ontogeny is controlled to some extent by aclimatic edaphic factors. However, individual lakes retain features that are attributable to climate. For example, at the coast, lake development is affected by maritime climate and declining Holocene temperatures. Further inland, development reflects regional moisture balance, aeolian influx, and shifting glacier margins. This study contributes important new data concerning the recent changes and long-term development of lakes in West Greenland, and highlights the importance of regional climatic variability in shaping individual lake responses to climate change.
The science of deception: The human sciences, the law, and commercial culture in America, 1860s--1920s

This dissertation investigates the cultural meanings ascribed to the mental processes of deceiving and being deceived in America from the end of the Civil War to the outset of the Great Depression. I pay particular attention to the interplay between the sciences, the law, and commercial culture and how their changing relationships were constitutive of new 'historical ontologies' of deception. For much of the nineteenth-century, the showman P.T. Barnum had publicly displayed fraudulent objects, arguing that they honed the individual's commercial sensibilities and hence served the public good. I use the 1869 anthropological hoax known as the Cardiff Giant to investigate the unmaking of Barnum's world of humbugs. Next, I take seriously the commentary of historical observers who claimed that the confidence man was both a commercial swindler and pioneer of 'mass psychology.' During this same period, psychologists like Hugo Munsterberg and Joseph Jastrow developed public identities for themselves as experts in human deception. Furthermore, I investigate the failed attempt by experimental psychologists to introduce laboratory measurements into legal cases to determine whether or not consumers were likely to be deceived by acts of trademark infringement. I end with the melding of psychological techniques and Progressive Era policing, exploring the concept of a 'pathological liar' and its counterpart the supposedly normal individual whose lies could be detected through physiological measurements. A reoccurring theme is how psychological investigations into the deceptive people and things constituted an array of the bio-political strategies for regulating the marketplace.
Middleware for selective information dissemination in mobile networks

We have developed a middleware system for selective information dissemination, that facilitates development of applications that deal with finding, filtering and transferring of data between mobile clients in the emerging networks. The middleware system is especially adept at operating in dynamic networks with frequently changing network topology between some or all of the clients. Increasingly, applications need to deal with data on mobile devices. From the enterprise to the web, new networking technologies, such as Sensor/Actuator and Ad Hoc/Hot Spot networks, are interconnecting portable devices that have capabilities to store or generate large volumes of semi-structured data. The middleware system deals with the mobility transparently, but still allows the application to influence the operation of the middleware in a uniform way regardless of the underlying network technology. It aims for scalability in the number of concurrent queries through efficient distributed filtering and indexing. Its declaratively specified architecture is adaptable to various environments. We have created and evaluated three instances of the middleware system, for each of Hot Spot, Ad Hoc and Sensor/Actuator networks. Each instance has specific optimizations that help it adapt to application needs in the presence of frequent reconfigurations, performing better than the existing non-adaptive solutions.
Christian existence and failure

My thesis asks what it means to live a Christian existence. I argue that the Christian life is well considered as a constant activity, in perpetual distance from the freezing definitions of contextual understanding. Furthermore, my work argues that the life of the Christian is intimately tied to a relationship with anxiety and guilt that are due to an inevitable failure to abide in this activity that is a life before the divine. The Christian life is thus one in which the parousia and the need for constant confession are symbiotic. The work begins with two discussions of Meister Eckhart's radical theology. The first considers his understanding of God as the sole source of existence and the second his profound offering that the prime Christian virtue is detachment. I then strengthen this foundational reading with Kierkegaard's reflections on freedom, guilt, anxiety, confession, ignorant love and, perhaps above all, his notion of indirect communication as essential to the proper freedom of one blessed by an existence in relation to the offensiveness of Christ. Through these many components eventually offer a Kierkegaardian view of the Christian life as a life of joyous yet suffering failure. My work culminates in a discussion of Heidegger discussion of the parousia in Paul's letters to the Thessalonians. I believe that all of these central threads of Heidegger's work (on hearing the silent call of conscience as a central voice in one's approach and concern for their own being; what it means to be full of merits and yet to poetically dwell; and what it is to think as a meditative being) are deeply informed and well-read through his early account of Christian facticity and the continual waiting/birth of Christ. And this project, too, for Heidegger is deeply informed by the relationship that all authentic human beings have to their own sense of inauthenticity, that the truth of us is also present in the ways we are false.
Creating a knowledge-building writing environment using computer-mediated communication technology: EFL students taking control of their learning

This dissertation reports on efforts of a teacher-researcher to transform a second-year university EFL class (N = 19), over a two-semester period, from a traditional pedagogy model to a knowledge-building community model. Three "design experiment" (Bereiter, 2002a; Brown, 1994) iterations were carried out to assess how the epistemology, curriculum, technology, new forms of interactivity, knowledge-building environment, and educational innovations shaped the transition. Five kinds of data were collected at the end of the iterations: (1) quantity of participation; (2) quality of discussion; (3) quality of writing sample; (4) questionnaire; and (5) formal/informal interviews. The results suggest the quantity of students' participation increased and their essay-writing quality improved. Furthermore, results demonstrate that the students moved from a knowledge telling to a knowledge building approach in their essays, as revealed by a significant increase in the rating scores on students' knowledge attribute from the essays at stage 1 (M = .95; SD = .62) to stage 3 (M = 3.62; SD = .56), p

Keywords: English language, Written English
Persuasion (Rhetoric), Study and teaching
The economic geography of risk: three papers on organization, development and agglomeration

In this dissertation I examine the role and impact of risk in three areas of Economic Geography-firm organization, development and growth, and agglomeration. I develop the concept of risk as a fundamental part of the foundation of Economic Geography and risk management strategies as explanations for the geographic distribution of economic activity. This dissertation uses the firm as a lens through which to view the role of risk in Economic Geography and looks at the decision processes leading to inter-firm linkages, regional growth in employment, and the agglomeration of firms. This dissertation looks at how decisions based on risk, as opposed to cost, change our understanding of geographic processes. The dissertation includes three papers---each dealing with a specific area in Economic Geography in which risk is relevant. In the first paper I reinterpret portfolio theory in order to explain the spatial implications of control structures and organizational decisions within and between firms. In the second paper I examine the relationship between employment risk and long term growth in employment across census metropolitan cities (CMAs) in Canada. In the third paper I construct a "newsvendor" model of spatial agglomeration that incorporates the risk management strategies of risk averse firms. This dissertation provides a theoretical foundation and methodological approach for Economic Geography that is based on risk management. It emphasizes the behaviour of firms in understanding the spatial distribution of economic activity. It shows that risk operates at multiple spatial scales and that risk management strategies are intrinsically spatial processes. It shows that observed spatial patterns are better explained by behaviour based on risk management than behaviour based on cost minimization or total profit maximization.
The relationship between pet ownership, adult attachment, and well-being

This study examined the relationship between pet ownership, adult attachment, and well-being. Participants (N=292) completed an online survey, which assessed their levels of depression, state and trait anxiety, attachment avoidance, and attachment anxiety, as well as their pet ownership status. Results indicated that there were no significant relationships between pet ownership and levels of depression, trait anxiety, or state anxiety. Further, adult attachment was not found to moderate the relationship between adult attachment and the measures of well-being used. Studies examining the effects of pet ownership have found both positive as well as negative or neutral results. This study suggests that no relationship exists between pet ownership and well-being in the general population.