VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Psychoanalytic training, retrospective assessment by practitioners in the field

This thesis asks the question: do psychoanalysts who have practiced for ten years or more reassess their training experience as a result of encountering professional challenges and vicissitudes? To answer this question, six practitioners in practice ten years or more were interviewed concerning their education. The formal requirements and educational challenges of psychoanalytic education are described. Complexities of the training experience are illustrated by examples from memoirs written by analysts looking back at their education and careers. Literature on psychoanalytic education is also reviewed. What emerges is the infinite variability and psychological complexity of the task of becoming a psychoanalyst, and the nature of likely obstacles to total educational success. The research reveals that analyst's do reassess their education but retain their original basic impression. Excerpts from the interviews to support this are given with a discussion of their implications.
Spirits of Palestine, Palestinian village women and stories of the jinn

"Spirits of Palestine: Palestinian Village Women and Stories of the Jinn" examines the lives of women in a neighborhood of Artas, a village in the Palestinian West Bank. The first half of the thesis focusses on how women understand and live according to specific gendered moral precepts, including fertility and cleanliness, and practice their social relations; the second half examines stories of the jinn, spirits, which circulate in Artas. An underlying theme throughout the thesis is the ways in which Artasis experience and articulate their conflicted position as Palestinians who are at once opposed to the Israeli occupation and yet earn a living by building houses for Jewish settlers on occupied land. The experiences of geographical proximity to Israel build on a further theme of the thesis--the concept of social geography. Social geography is an implicit principle structuring women's social relations in practice. This concept recognises the importance of physical proximity and women's individual preferences for the development of reciprocal relationships and friendships which are most important to the workings of women's daily lives. Villagers' proximity to Israel and Jewish settlers thus creates the grounds for a range of imagined and real social possibilities; on the other hand, distance from relatives who live in Jordan reveals the limitations of genealogical ties which lack geographical proximity and daily upkeep practices. Stories of the jinn comment on aspects of daily life which are otherwise left unspoken in daily discourse. Women, but also some men, experience possession by jinn, and the stories of their possession (rather than active possession involving trance, etc.) that circulate through the village call attention to the moral complications of sectarian conflict and identity. Women's stories of the jinn may comment on the "dark" side of close relations, redirect blame for infertility away from themselves onto the jinn, or explain why a marriageable women has remained unmarried. Further, women's stories of the jinn may comment on the ways in which village social mores and oppressive Israeli measures may collude to affect women's lives in adverse ways. Men's stories of the jinn may also comment on the unspeakable; a serialized story of a young man's love affair with a female jinn comments on the ways in which young men may experience village social mores as well as Israeli occupation as oppressive.
Processing of polyethylene and polypropylene foams in rotational molding

The goal of this research is to develop a scientific and engineering basis needed for production of thermoplastic foams in rotomolding using a chemical blowing agent (CBA). Both polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) were used for the foaming process, but a special emphasis was given to PP, due to its many advantages. Two types of methods were utilized in the research, namely the dry blending method and the melt compounding method. Decomposition behaviors of different CBAs were analyzed with a Thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA) and a Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC). The zero-shear viscosities of polymers that determine the sintering behavior of plastic powder particles were studied with a rotational rheometer. The mechanisms that govern the cell nucleation, sintering, and cell distribution for both the dry blending and the melt compounding methods were clarified. The critical processing parameters that govern the mixing, foaming and skin formation were outlined. Based on these investigations, conclusions were drawn on the selection of polymer material, application of CBA, and the determination of processing conditions.
Familial aggregation of diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular conditions in a case-control study of colorectal neoplasia

Past studies have suggested an association between insulin resistance and colorectal cancer (CRC). The aim of this thesis was to examine whether these associations have familial determinants. Familial aggregation of diseases potentially associated with insulin resistance (diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, breast and prostate cancer) was assessed in a case-control study of colorectal neoplasia via self-administered questionnaire. The generalized estimating equations method, which accounted for possible confounding by family size, was used to estimate regression coefficients and standard errors. Case probands had either adenomatous polyps (AP) (n = 172), current CRC (n = 25), or previously diagnosed CRC (n = 132), while control probands (n = 282) had a negative colonoscopy and no history of CRC, AP or hyperplastic polyps. Only prostate cancer [odds ratio (95%Cl): 2.4 (1.1-5.2)](' p' < 0.05) was associated with proband case-control status in models adjusted for age, sex and year of birth of relatives and age and sex of probands. Significant effect modification was evident in the data, however, especially for diabetes. In models stratified by proband age at diagnosis (<55 vs. >=55 years of age), reason for referral due to symptoms (abdominal pain, rectal bleeding or altered bowel habit) and generation (parents vs. siblings and children), diabetes was significantly inversely associated with case-control status among parents of younger probands with no symptoms [0.3 (0.1-0.9)](' p' < 0.05), and strongly positively associated among siblings and children of older probands with symptoms [7.4 (2.3-23.7)]('p ' = 0.0007). Stratified analyses showed significant positive associations between familial prostate cancer, diabetes, hypertension, stroke and angina and proband case-control status only among older probands with symptoms. Similar associations were seen in AP and CRC separately. Referral, recall and information biases (assessed using Monte Carlo simulation) did not account for the findings. The results support an insulin resistance hypothesis in a subgroup of patients with AP or CRC. Further study is warranted to confirm these results and determine the roles of environmental and genetic factors in accounting for these familial associations.
Cellular correlates of heterophyllous leaf shape change in the freshwater buttercup Ranunculus flabellaris Raf

'Ranunculus flabellaris' exhibits strikingly different leaf morphotypes in submerged and aerial habitats. Aerial leaves have broad lobes with shallow sinuses and epidermal cells are convolute at maturity. Submerged leaves have narrow lobes with deep sinuses and their epidermal cells are elongate and rectangular at maturity. This study used qualitative and quantitative techniques to examine morphological development of aerial and aquatic leaves and abaxial epidermal cells in order to determine correlations between cell (shape, size and number) and leaf (size and shape) variables. Variation in leaf and cell features was greater under field conditions than controlled lab conditions, and this variation was correlated with physical environmental conditions in each location. During development under lab conditions, patterns of leaf expansion differed in aerial and aquatic leaves both qualitatively and quantitatively (the latter based on selected numerical shape indices). Differences between aerial and aquatic leaf shape acquisition are highly correlated with differential cell expansion at late stages of development (days 12-32), but not with cell division as cell number is not significantly different in aerial and aquatic leaf forms.
Childhood leukaemia and exposure to electric and magnetic fields

A population-based case control study was conducted in southern Ontario to assess the relationship between paediatric leukaemia and a number of environmental factors, of which exposure to electric and magnetic fields (EMF) was of primary interest. Children diagnosed with leukaemia during the period 1985-1993 who were less than 15 of age at the time of diagnosis were ascertained from the records of the Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto). Controls were randomly selected from a data base created using teledirect marketing lists applicable to the defined study catchment area and were individually matched to the cases on year of birth and sex. A total of 201 cases and 406 controls were identified. Information relating to demographic and potential risk factors for leukaemia was collected through detailed personal interviews. For current and previous residences occupied by the child within the catchment area during the defined period of inquiry, point-in-time measurements of magnetic fields both inside and outside the home were made. Residences were categorized according to three different wire code classifications. If the residence in which the child was living at the time of interview was relevant to the period of inquiry, the child wore a personal monitor for approximately 48 hours. The findings reported in this thesis are based on the subset of 338 children (108 cases and 230 controls) with EMF measurements derived from personal monitoring. The child's residence accounted for almost 80% of the total average exposure for most children. There was evidence of an association between exposure to magnetic fields measured by monitoring the child's usual activities at home and increased risk of developing leukaemia. The risk was more pronounced for children who were diagnosed at less than six years of age and those children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. After adjustment for potential confounders, residential magnetic field exposures of 0.18[mu]T or more were associated with an odds ratio of 4.79 (95% confidence interval 1.66-13.88). When magnetic field exposures in the home were corrected for power consumption, the resulting odds ratios for all exposure levels above the referent (exposures of 0.04[mu]T or greater) were significantly elevated. Point-in-time measurements of magnetic fields within the child's residence (child's bedroom and two other rooms frequently occupied by the child) were associated with elevated but non-significant odds ratios. No relationship was observed with electric fields as measured by personal monitoring nor with wire configuration.
Proprietary museums in Antebellum Cincinnati: "something to please you and something to learn"

Judged by contemporary standards of museum practice and dismissed as "chance assemblages of objects" or as vulgar exploitations of the American public's eagerness for exotic novelties, the proprietary museums of antebellum America have received little attention in the historical literature. Few efforts have been made to examine the development of proprietary museums within their particular socio-historical contexts. The current study re-examines the history of the Western Museum of Cincinnati, established in 1818. The Western Museum is considered as the product of a number of influences: the construct of a "museum" as interpreted in the most populous Eastern seaboard cities, the popular culture and religious values of the urban frontier and of antebellum America, as well as the vicissitudes of the local economy of Cincinnati. The Museum's exhibits were also influenced heavily by the interests, talents and expertise of its founders, proprietors, paid staff and their associates. Biographical information is provided about Daniel Drake, Joseph Dorfeuille, John James Audubon, Frances Trollope, and Hiram Powers. The study relies upon paid advertisements, travellers' recollections, biographical accounts and the extensive correspondence of Hiram Powers, the Museum's resident artist, to trace the development of the Museum from a specialized scientific cabinet associated with the Cincinnati College to its establishment as a commercial, populist museum. The impact of competing local institutions such as Letton's Museum as well as more ephemeral entertainments is considered upon the Western Museum's exhibits and entertainments. Although earlier historical accounts have attributed the development of the Western Museum's most enduring exhibit, the animated wax-work depiction of Dante's Inferno to the imagination of Frances Trollope, this study challenges this assumption and indicates that the influence of the ex-patriate British museum proprietor William Bullock must be considered. Although the Western Museum survived as a commercial venture until 1867, this study concentrates on the first twenty years of its existence. The gradual move toward the development of a publicly-funded museum in Cincinnati is discussed. The study calls for more contextualized research into these early proprietary museums in which the currently-contested museological issues of "scholarship versus entertainment" and "commerce versus education" are rooted.
Derivation of biophysical variables from fine resolution imagery for co-processing with socio-economic data in an urban area

The integration of the social and physical sciences is a prevalent issue, especially in urban studies. Recent advances in remote sensing and G.I.S. provide the technological background to derive spatially and temporally detailed information about the biophysical environment (such as land use and land cover). There is great potential in using such detailed and up-to-date information in modelling phenomena related to 'quality of life'. This study demonstrates the feasibility of deriving land cover characteristics from remotely sensed data and explores their relationships with some socio-economic characteristics. Vegetation amount and pattern measures are derived from both satellite images and aerial photography (at various resolutions between 1m and 100m). Relationships between these biophysical variables and socio-economic variables are then investigated using various qualitative and quantitative tools. Finally, prediction of some of the socio-economic characteristics are explored applying statistical model selection criteria.
Epigenetic regulation of enos gene expression

An intriguing aspect of human eNOS gene expression is its relative restriction to the vascular endothelium. Functional expression studies have demonstrated that the cooperative interaction of Ets family members, Sp1 and Sp3 variants, MAZ, and YY1 are important in the transcriptional activation of the eNOS promoter. eNOS promoter/luciferase reporter constructs lack cell-specificity in transient transfection assays in non-endothelial cells known not to express native eNOS mRNA. These results suggested that there exist cell-specific mechanisms that repress native eNOS gene expression in non-expressing cells. We propose that DNA methylation may play a role in this cell-specific expression of eNOS. To address the functional consequences of methylation on transcription, transient transfection of in vitro methylated promoter/reporter constructs were performed in bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC) and Drosophila Schneider Line 2 (SL2) cells. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
Sequential resistance and aerobic training in older males, effects on muscular strength and aerobic power

Nine subjects (68.6 ± 1.23 years, mean ± SD) participated in an 18-week training program designed to promote muscular strength and aerobic power. The initial nine weeks consisted of resistance training, followed by nine weeks of cycle ergometry (70% HR reserve). Following resistance training, knee extensor and leg press 1-RM increased significantly (p < .05). Isokinetic peak torque and average power improved significantly (p < .05) across all velocities except 2.09 rad·s-1. Peak aerobic power increased by 7% (p < .05) after resistance training, and a further 6% (p < .05) following aerobic training. Knee extensor and leg press 1-RM, peak torque and average power at 4.19 rad·s -1, and average power at 1.05 rad·s-1 were maintained following aerobic training. The results indicate that resistance training by older men can improve both aerobic power and muscular strength. While some decrement was observed, much of the strength gained through resistance training was maintained with subsequent aerobic training.
Significance of genetic-based factors for prostate cancer progression

'Objectives'. To establish whether polymorphisms of the androgen receptor, SRD5A2 and CYP3A4 enzyme genes are important prognostic factors for prostate cancer progression. Study design. Nested, matched, case-control design. 'Study subjects'. 269 patients who agreed to provide a DNA sample from a cohort of 404 eligible patients who underwent radical prostatectomy between 1987 to 1994. Primary outcome measure. Biochemical (PSA) disease recurrence. 'Methods'. Odds ratios for recurrence by the high and low risk polymorphic alleles of the androgen receptor, SRD5A2 and CYP3A4 enzyme genes were calculated, matching for grade, stage, and year of surgery, using conditional logistic regression (1:2 matching). 'Results'. From 51 cases, the odds ratio for recurrence for patients with the 'L' allele of the SRD5A2 enzyme gene was 0.43 (p = 0.02), compared to patients with the 'V' allele. For patients with low grade and stage, the odds ratio for recurrence for patients with the <=18 CAG allele of the androgen receptor gene was 19.2 (p = 0.01), compared to patients with the >=18 CAG allele. 'Conclusions'. Genetic-based factors primarily involved in androgen metabolism may be important prognostic factors for prostate cancer progression. These findings, if confirmed, have important implications for prostate cancer management.
Modeling of nonlinear systems using linear time-varying ARMAX models

An approach that models a nonlinear system based on input/output measurements is developed. The approach uses stochastic Time-varying AutoRegressive Moving Average models that incorporate eXogeneous measurable inputs (TARMAX). The TARMAX model parameters are explicit functions of time and are expressed as a linear combination of a set of pre-selected time functions. The estimation approach of the TARMAX model parameters is strictly linear and does not require initial-guess parameter values, avoids local minima problems associated with nonlinear approaches and is suitable for microcomputer implementation. An estimation algorithm is developed and its performance is verified through numerical simulation examples. Finally, an approach to determine the right orders for the time-varying polynomials of an unknown TARMAX model is also proposed and verified. A methodology based on this approach is developed.
Effects of perceptual context on event-related brain potentials during auditory spatial attention

Performance on a selective attention task was measured in different conditions promoting the grouping of auditory locations. Short and long noise bursts were randomly presented at three azimuth locations. Participants were required to attend to one location and respond to infrequent, longer duration sounds occurring there. The spatial separation between task-relevant and task-irrelevant stimuli was varied between blocks of trials. In the Evenly-Spaced (ES) block, middle and far distractors were 60° and 120° respectively from the attended location. In the distractor clustering blocks, either the "farthest" distractor was moved 30° closer to the middle distractor, or vice versa. In the attended clustering blocks, the attended location was moved 30° closer to the middle tone, or vice versa. Relative to ES, event-related potential indexes of attention were larger when the distractors were spatially clustered together. Results are interpreted in terms of an object-based hypothesis of auditory attention.
Implosion of steel fibre reinforced concrete cylinders under hydrostatic pressure

This thesis describes an experimental tea program and subsequent analysis devoted to the study of steel fibre reinforced concrete cylinders which implode under hydrostatic water pressure. The cylinders model components of gravity base structures beneath oil and gas platforms in the North Sea. Five cylinders were tested in the Hydraulic Test Facility at the University of Toronto. They had an outer diameter of 610mm, and a thickness of 19mm. The Length-to-outer-diameter ratio varied from 1.0 to 2.5. The total volume of fibre reinforcement was either 1% or 6% of the concrete volume. The cylinders are analyzed using a method developed by Haynes and Nordby, using Olsen's Method which is a popular design method, and finally using RASP ®, a reinforced concrete shell finite element program developed at the University of Toronto. The results of the analyses are compared to experimental results.
Viscosity solutions of nonlinear degenerate parabolic equations and several applications

For the Cauchy problem of a class of fully nonlinear degenerate parabolic equations, this paper studies the existence, uniqueness and regularity of viscosity solutions; these results apply to Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB for short) equation, Leland equation and equations of p-Laplacian type, which find a lot of applications in fluid mechanics, stochastic control theory and optimal portfolio selection and transaction cost problems in finance. Further studies are done on the properties of viscosity solutions of the above models: (1) Bernstein estimates (especially 'C' 1,Ã estimates) and convexity of viscosity solutions of the HJB equation; (2) monotonicity in time and in Leland constant of the viscosity solutions to the Leland equation and the relationship between Leland solutions and Black-Scholes solutions; (3) the existence and Lipschitz continuity of the free boundaries of viscosity solutions for fully nonlinear equations ' ut' + 'F'('Du', ' D'2'u') = 0, with p-Laplacian equation as model. Our study extends the application of viscosity solution theory and aids in the qualitative analysis and numerical computation of the above models. To construct continuous viscosity solutions, we make use of Perron Method and various estimates by virtue of viscosity solution theory; we generalize Bernstein estimates and Kruzhkov's regularization theorem in time from smooth solutions to viscosity solutions; our method applies to initial boundary value problem, though the estimates of uniformly continuous moduli near the boundary need to be obtained and suitable viscosity sub- and super-solutions need to be constructed; to study the Leland equation, we transform it into standard form by Euler transformation and linear translation, then study the property of the viscosity solutions by virtue of comparison principle; to study the properties of the free boundary of equations of p-Laplacian type, we employ comparison principle, reflection principle, moving plane method and the construction of sub and super solutions.