VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
On hypnosis, simulation, and faith, the problem of post-hypnotic suggestion in France, 1884-1896

The first half of this dissertation demonstrates how the concept of dissociation originated as a solution to the problem of post-hypnotic suggestion. The second half continues with investigations into hypnosis and simulation and concludes with an analogy between hypnosis and religion. In 1884, the philosopher Paul Janet introduced the problem of post-hypnotic suggestion. Give a hypnotic subject the post-hypnotic command to return in 13 days. Awake, the subject remembers nothing yet he nonetheless fulfills the command to return. The problem then is this: how does the subject count 13 days without knowing it? The philosopher and psychologist, Pierre Janet (Paul's nephew) proposed the concept of dissociation as a solution in 1886 which is discussed in the second chapter. Pierre Janet argued that a second consciousness kept track of time outside the awareness of the subject's main consciousness. Chapter 3 presents an alternative solution to the problem: the physician Hyppolite Bernheim and the philosopher Joseph Delboeuf argued in 1886 that subjects occasionally drifted into a hypnotic state in which they were reminded of the suggestion. Chapter 4 describes Janet's attempts to argue against this explanation. The fifth chapter demonstrates a logical flaw in the concept of dissociation and introduces the idea that hypnosis may well be a form of pretending. The theme of pretending is carried on in chapters 6 and 7 in relation to the impossibility of empirically confirming or refuting simulation in hypnosis. The final two chapters build on Delboeuf's work using an analogy between hypnosis and religion. Drawing upon Pascal, it is argued that, like hypnosis, religious belief may well contain an element of pretending in the way one's faith is produced and maintained. Chapter 8 relates hypnosis to what Pascal labeled "discourse concerning the machine" ('Infini'-'rien'): the notion that custom and habit, by a machine-like process, shape human thought and belief. Chapter 9 discusses Pascal's analysis of the differences between superstition and religion and applies it to our understanding of hypnosis.
The role of cholecystokinin[A]-receptors in protein hydrolysate-induced suppressio of food intake in rats

To test the hypothesis that CCK$\rm\sb{A}$-receptors are involved in protein hydrolysate-induced food intake (FI) suppression in the rat, two studies were conducted. Study I compared the effect of protein and their hydrolysates on FI. Study II evaluated the role of CCK$\rm\sb{A}$-receptors in protein- and protein hydrolysate-induced suppression of FI. Treatments were administered and FI was measured over 14 h. Treatments included albumin, whey, soy, and their hydrolysates. All treatments suppressed FI. In the short-term (0-2 h) whey protein was the most satiating treatment and albumin and soy were the least satiating treatments. Albumin was the only treatment that consistently caused a decrease in FI over the entire 14 h feeding period. CCK$\rm\sb{A}$-receptors involvement in the feeding response was found for only soy hydrolysate and albumin. Thus, in conclusion both the response in FI and the role of CCK$\rm\sb{A}$-receptors in mediating the response is dependent upon protein type and form.
A kinetic study of the requirements of RNA editing

Editing of pre-mRNA by adenosine deamination, carried out by double-stranded RNA adenosine deaminases, has bow shown to be of importance in generating functional diversity of the encoded polypeptide. RED1, a candidate for editing of the glutamate receptor subunit GluR-B, was studied by measuring rate constants and dissociation constants using a panel of substrates based on the R/G site of GluR-B pre-mRNA. An optimal substrate with a length of 75 bases was determined. The importance of various features in the structure of the R/G site substrate was also investigated by comparison of kinetic parameters. This study suggests that there are features of the substrate that are important for efficient and specific editing of the R/G site by RED1.
Evaluation of stiffness constants of wood fibre polypropylene composite by ultrasonic velocity measurement

An injection molded polypropylene matrix composite having 30% wood fibre by mass was found to be weakly orthotropic. Comparison with a similarly processed pure polypropylene sample showed that the wood fibre was responsible for the observed anisotropy. The wood fibre acted as a reinforcing filler with an improvement of approximately 23% in stiffness in the direction of maximum fibre orientation. In the through-thickness direction an increase of only 2% was observed. Ultrasonic wave dispersion was observed in the range of frequencies used to evaluate the material. Along the axis of minimal fibre orientation the velocity increased with frequency to a maximum at approximately 10 MHz. This dispersion trend was not evident along the axis of maximum fibre orientation, where the velocity appeared to be relatively independent of frequency. Comparison of this result with that for pure polypropylene suggests that the fibre was responsible for inhibiting the viscoelastic behaviour of the plastic.
Exploration of OX-2 function in tolerance induction and graft acceptance using an anti-mouse OX-2 monoclonal antibody

Our laboratory has hypothesized that OX-2 is functionally important in tolerance induction/immunoregulation, and plays a key role in the increased graft survival seen in our transplant model. One specific aim of the current project was to raise and characterize monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific to murine OX-2. A second goal of the current work was to characterize the functional importance of expression of OX-2 on graft survival using these anti-mouse OX-2 mAbs. The experiments described in this thesis have highlighted an important role played by the OX-2 molecule in tolerance induction following pv immunization. The anti-murine OX-2 mAbs described will be an asset in future studies to explore the mechanism of, and role of OX-2 expression in, tolerance induced in PV immunized mice. Understanding the mechanisms by which unresponsiveness is maintained is essential for future clinical application of the approaches described. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
Congenital disability, medical negligence and wrongful life actions, the limits of liability in Anglo-American tort law

This Thesis addresses the difficult legal and conceptual issues raised by the 'wrongful life' cause of action in Anglo-American tort law. 'Wrongful life' actions are brought on behalf of congenitally disabled children alleging medical negligence by a defendant physician for failing to avail the child's parents of the opportunity to avoid the child's conception and/or birth. Because the child in such a case never had the chance to be born 'healthy' or 'whole', her complaint tends to be characterised by the Courts as a claim for negligently allowing her to be 'born', a claim for 'wrongful entry into life' or 'wrongful life'. This Thesis argues that the 'wrongful life' label is emotive and distorts the true nature of the underlying claim, which is arguably akin to a regular medical malpractice action for prenatal injury. A 'person affecting' conception of harm, which partly underlies and explains the judicial reluctance to allow 'wrongful life' actions, is considered in an effort to better understand the true limits of liability in Anglo-American tort law.
Characterization of the D3 dopamine receptor and a splice variant, D3nf, in SF9 cells

The best characterized of the many human D3DR mRNA splice variants encodes a truncated, non-functional protein called D3nf. The D3DR and D3nf were epitope-tagged and expressed in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) insect cells by recombinant baculovirus infection. The D3DR displayed a pharmacology consistent with reports in other cell lines. When co-expressed with D3nf, the density of D3DR expression was significantly lowered compared to when D3DR was expressed alone. Immunoblot analysis of membranes from Sf9 cells expressing the D3DR or D3nf alone revealed species consistent in size with protein monomers and oligomers. Photoaffinity labeling of these membranes with ($\sp{125}$I) azidonemonapride identified the same species for the D3DR as identified by immunoblotting. No labelling of D3nf was observed, consistent with its inability to bind ligands. When the D3DR and D3nf were co-expressed, the same species were observed as when the proteins were expressed alone. Immunofluorescent studies showed that D3DR and D3nf were well expressed on the surface of Sf9 cells. These data suggest that the D3DR and D3nf form oligomers and that D3nf may decrease the capacity of D3DR at the cell surface to bind ligand.
In vitro characterization of the catalytic activity of cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6)*10

CYP2D6 is involved in the metabolism of several classes of drugs. CYP2D6*10 is a variant form of the enzyme, whose Pro34Ser and Ser486Thr substitutions result in decreased enzyme activity, and is present in approximately 50% of Asians. CYP2D6*10 was catalytically characterized 'in vitro ' in a baculovirus expression system, in comparison to CYP2D6*1 (wild-type). Using dextromethorphan (DEX), 'p'-methoxyamphetamine, 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine and (±)3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), the ratios of intrinsic clearance (Vmax/Km) of *1 to *10 were 50, 34, 22 and 123, respectively. Amitriptyline and (+) and (-) methamphetamine (MAMP) are both 'p'-hydroxylated and N-demethylated (NDM). The *1/*10 intrinsic clearance ratios were 42, 30 and 67 for the 'p'-hydroxylation; and 60, 120 and 157 for the NDM, respectively, illustrating chemical pathway and enantiomeric selectivity for MAMP. Using DEX as the substrate, the ratios of Ki(*10)/Ki(*1) for inhibitors were: budipine (1.3), sparteine (1.6), debrisoquine (8.1), fluoxetine (16.2), norfluoxetine (30.4), paroxetine (13.8), MDMA (20.5) and MMDA-2 (7.1). These data suggest that *10/*10 individuals may require different drug doses; and show altered susceptibility to toxicity and interaction risk, as compared to CYP2D6*1/*1 individuals.
An investigation of actin transcript and protein levels during steroid hormone-induced branching in Achlya ambisexualis

In the Oomycete 'Achlya ambisexualis', sexual morphogenesis is regulated by steroid hormones that are synthesized and secreted by the male and female strains of the organism. The steroid hormone antheridiol induces the formation of numerous branches on vegetative hyphae of male strains, which eventually differentiate into the male gametangia. It was of interest to determine if the massive antheridial branching that occurs in hormone-treated ' A. ambisexualis' involved changes in actin protein, in actin transcripts, or in the expression of additional or different actin genes. Southern analyses determined there was only a single actin gene in the 'A. ambisexualis ' genome. Northern and Western analyses showed that no increases in actin transcript or protein levels occurred during branching. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the 5' flanking region of the actin gene revealed a number of elements that might be involved in regulating the expression of the gene, including a typical oomycete-specific transcription initiation region and other elements consistent with the high constitutive levels of actin transcripts present in vegetative and hormone-treated cells.
Connectionism and wavelets in the modeling and analysis of neural system dynamics

This thesis explores the analysis and modeling of sensori-motor systems in particular and neural systems in general. 'Chapter 1: Neural Networks and Motor Control' reviews the state of connectionist theory and demonstrates the importance of dynamics and biological relevance through a detailed case study. To this end, Chapters 2 and 3 document the development of novel approaches in the acquisition, analysis and modeling of dynamical non-linear neural processes. Chapter 2 augments current techniques in spectral analysis and introduces a calibrated version of the wavelet transform. The improved spectral and temporal resolutions of the algorithm, as compared with traditional Fourier-based joint time-frequency methods, is demonstrated through testing on synthetic data. The thesis then proceeds to describe four applications of the technique including: (i) Identification of EOG saccades; (ii) A first report of high-frequency transients in Kindling; (iii) Wavelet analysis of mu rhythms in EEG; (iv) The first application of wavelet analysis for the purpose of characterizing the dynamics of a recurrent neural network model. The final chapter draws technical and theoretical conclusions from the above applications. The thesis includes the source code for the data acquisition, wavelet analysis and modeling programs.
Closure under stuttering in temporal formulas

Linear time temporal logic (LTL) has received a lot of attention as a language for program specification and verification. Unfortunately, not all properties expressed in LTL are 'closed under stuttering,' a property important from both the practical and philosophical perspectives. In this thesis we develop a formal theory of closure under stuttering within the larger framework of Unified Algebra, give theorems that enable syntactic reasoning about closure under stuttering, introduce the notion of ' edges' in LTL formulas, and present several real-world applications of the theory developed thus far.
Characterization of molecular events in the pathogenesis and development of breast cancer

Breast cancer may arise from a progressive accumulation of genetic alterations. The complete spectrum of these and the stages at which they occur is not known. Epidemiological evidence links mammary epithelial hyperplasias and carcinoma ' in-situ' (so called "early lesions") with invasive breast cancer. However, whether these lesions represent direct precursors or are merely markers of increased risk is unclear. This thesis is based on the hypothesis that the characterization of the mutational status of genes, such as p53, and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) status of chromosomal regions, in normal tissue, pre-malignant lesions, pre-invasive and invasive breast cancer will yield novel insights into the molecular etiology of breast tumorigenesis. A LOH study of the chromosomal region 11q23 in axillary lymph node-negative (ANN) breast cancers found that loss at this location was associated with a higher rate of estrogen receptor (ER) positivity. The onset of LOH in "early lesions" surrounding invasive breast cancer was found to be variable between loci, between cases and within cases. Study of a group of synchronous primary breast cancers revealed a markedly lower rate of LOH when compared to a group of solitary ANN tumours. Study of the tumour suppressor gene p53 showed that when a mutation was present in an invasive breast cancer the same mutation could also be found in all surrounding areas of DCIS but not in any areas of epithelial hyperplasia or normal breast tissue. The spectrum of mutations that could be recognized by a widely used anti-p53 antibody (DO7 clone, Novocastra) was characterized. This knowledge was used to screen a panel of new DCIS cases by immunohistochemistry prior to mutational analysis, aiding detection of p53 mutations in DCIS not associated with invasive disease. Patterns of LOH in early lesions and synchronous primary tumours is suggestive of an overlapping field effect leading to an heirarchical distribution of genetic alterations with p53 mutation occurring prior to the onset of invasion. Further characterization of these fields could provide improved patient assessment and management. Knowledge of the early genetic steps in breast cancer tumourigenesis may result in new approaches to diagnosis and disease prevention.
Naked liberty and the world of desire, elements of anarchism in the work of D.H. Lawrence

This dissertation argues that the link between D. H. Lawrence and philosophical anarchism is deep and substantial and that reading Lawrence within the context of this tradition will significantly enhance our understanding of his work. Several critics have made a connection between Lawrence and anarchism but all have stopped far short of exploring it, discouraged, perhaps, by the number of occasions on which Lawrence makes pronouncements of a distinctly anti-libertarian type. The present study takes into account the anti-libertarian side of Lawrence's politics and argues that even if the whole of Lawrence's political thought does not fall within the purview of anarchism, the heart of it does. Lawrence's faith in the essential decency of human nature, his uncompromising support of individual freedom and his intolerance of domination all reflect the essential features of anarchism: this study looks at where these attitudes find explicit articulation in Lawrence's essays, and shows how they are illustrated in his fiction, particularly his novels. Accordingly, Chapter One looks at some of the conceptual parallels between Lawrence and the radical individualist Max Stirner; it considers how Lawrence, like Stirner conceives of spontaneous individuality as an essentially social force. Chapter Two considers how Lawrence portrays violent and anti-social acts in his fiction, taking as its point of departure Godwin's notion that the 'laws which are made to restrain our vices' only serve to 'irritate and multiply them.' Chapter Three looks at how Lawrence illustrates the anarchistic principle that the freedom of any member of a society is dependent upon the freedom of all members. Chapter Four looks at how Lawrence denies the legitimacy of the State through the subject of marriage. Chapter Five considers the place that Lawrence's anarchistic ideas have within the general scope of his political thought. And finally, Chapter Six argues that the novel 'Kangaroo' contains an unconditional rejection of political authority, a rejection that follows distinctly anarchistic lines. The method in all these chapters is analytical rather than speculative: the focus is not on how Lawrence may have been influenced by anarchists, but on what ideas he shares with them.
Cardiorespiratory effects of ambient particulates, controlled human exposures to concentrated ambient PM¦2.5 (CAP) alone and with added ozone

Epidemiological studies suggest that there may be adverse human health effects associated with exposure to ambient fine particles (PM2.5). In preliminary studies, we examined the health effects of concentrated ambient PM2.5 (CAP) in downtown Toronto using the Harvard ambient particle concentrator. In the initial study, four young, healthy volunteers were each exposed to filtered air (FA), and CAP levels ranging from 23 to 124 [mu]g/m 3 for two hours. In the second study, four young, asthmatic individuals were exposed to FA, up to 130 [mu]g/m3 CAP and/or 80 ppb ozone. Response measures included inflammatory cells, blood coagulation factors and cardiac effects. Using the parameters examined in these pilot studies, we were not able to demonstrate that the exposure to up to 130 [mu]g/m 3 CAP alone or with 80 ppb ozone has acute health effects in young healthy or asthmatic individuals. The statistical significance of this was not assessed due to the small number of subjects in these pilot safety studies. Additional research with more subjects will be required to further examine the cardiorespiratory effects of PM2.5.
The enterprise risk theory, redefining vicarious liability for intentional torts

This thesis examines the impact two recent Supreme Court of Canada decisions will have on vicarious liability and related doctrines. In the two cases, the court adopted the theory of "enterprise risk" to justify expanding the traditional scope of vicarious liability for intentional torts. The thesis argues that liability based on enterprise risk rests on an independent ground, one which is premised on a proprietary theory of responsibility. From the plaintiff's perspective, the employer and employee merge into one entity which bears the liability although as between themselves, they retain rights of contribution and indemnity in some circumstances. The scope of the liability is no longer determined exclusively by the existence of an employment relationship between the parties but is broader, as it is circumscribed by the risks which are typical of the enterprise. As such, the thesis argues, the liability should extend to acts of non-employees.
Unraveling a strand in an intricately woven Songket piece, the Additional Science curriculum in the Malaysian integrated secondary school curriculum

The rationale and mechanism for the design and development of the ' Additional Science' curriculum in the Malaysian secondary school curriculum are examined. The contextual examination of the indigenous science curriculum syllabus through a socio-historical analysis clarifies the current status in the upper secondary school curriculum. A comparative analysis is provided for the multidisciplinary 'Additional Science' curriculum episode with the implementation of similar primary school curriculum. Factors influencing the planning and development stage and the implementation stage are interpreted. The extent that systemic barriers and external controls imposed on the science curriculum development experience in a centralised educational system is interpreted as well. Rethinking planned curriculum change is imperative to ensure repetitions of unproductive course of actions is minimised and avoided. Such efforts would require greater co-ordination and co-operation from all levels in a country's educational system.
Self-affirmation and the ultimate ground of knowledge in Lonergan's Insight, an interpretation

The purpose of my dissertation is twofold. First of all, I seek to clarify Lonergan's argument for grounding the act of self-affirmation. This clarification in turn enables me to achieve the second purpose of my dissertation, namely, to strengthen the case for the soundness of the epistemic grounding, transformation, and unification of knowledge that Lonergan proposes in 'Insight'. To most readers of Lonergan it is obvious that he finds the ultimate epistemic ground of knowledge in the act of a subject's self-affirmation as a knower. This act has all the properties of a self-validating increment of knowledge, which leads many readers of Lonergan to believe that it should be used as the principle of a universal system of knowledge of a deductive type (something akin to Aristotelian and Cartesian ways of presenting theories). This interpretation would lead to difficulties, since a deductive justification would be required for every step of the process of grounding, transforming, and unifying knowledge within a single coherent system. In my dissertation, I propose an interpretation that takes the act of self-affirmation as just one of several possible examples upon which the method of critically grounding individual judgments can be based. This method can be used to ground different judgments, including all the judgments that constitute steps in the process of transforming and unifying knowledge. Hence, my interpretation of the act of self-affirmation as just one of several possible examples of a grounded judgment transforms Lonergan's philosophy from what some suppose to be a deductive system into a set of interrelated and undeniable solutions of epistemological problems, a set of solutions that may be used in turn to correct and harmonize metaphysics, the rest of philosophy, science, and common sense knowledge. On this interpretation, the problem of the deductive justification of different elements of Lonergan's epistemology becomes irrelevant. This strengthens the case for the soundness of Lonergan's attempt to unify knowledge within a single coherent pattern.