VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Differential geometry of relative gerbes

This thesis introduces the notion of "relative gerbes" for smooth maps of manifolds, and discusses their differential geometry. The equivalence classes of relative gerbes are classified by the relative integral cohomology in degree three. Furthermore, by using the concept of relative gerbes, the pre-quantization of Lie group-valued moment maps is developed, and its equivalence with the pre-quantization of infinite-dimensional Hamiltonian loop group spaces is established.
Adverse obstetrical and perinatal outcomes among foreign-born women living in Canada

Numerous non-Canadian studies have shown that immigrant women experience higher rates of adverse maternal and perinatal events relative to the general non-immigrant population. A retrospective cohort study was undertaken to estimate the risk of adverse obstetrical and perinatal outcomes among foreign-born women residing in Toronto, using a validated obstetrical database within a downtown hospital. Main study outcomes were preterm delivery between 32 and 36 completed weeks' gestation, low infant birth weight and delivery by Cesarean section. Compared to Canadian-born women, those who were foreign-born had an associated adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 0.85 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.64-1.14) for preterm delivery, 1.92 (95% CI 1.29-2.85) for low birth weight, and 1.16 (95% CI 1.01-1.34) for Cesarean delivery. This study found that foreign-born women had a non-significant lower risk of preterm birth, but a higher risk of low birth weight infants and Cesarean section, compared to Canadian-born women.
Lexically-driven incremental discourse assembly

This thesis is an inquiry into the nature of lexically-driven, incremental, time-linear, formal discourse assembly. The thesis examines the representational mechanics as well as the algorithmic description of the processes and states necessary to effect discourse assembly from the level of words to concatenated discourse units. The formalism proposed in this thesis provides a means to explore the multi-threaded and interwoven nature of discourse in a formal fashion for unrestricted natural language texts. The thesis proposes a theoretical amalgam, based on theories of lexicalist linguistics and computational discourse analysis. It is an investigation in the possibility of creating a modeling mechanism that will simulate the reading and monitoring of a text, word by word, from left to right, keeping an archive of all the possible linguistic and algorithmic developments encountered along the way. The application of the proposed formalism results in a compositional representation of the semantic, functional, phrase-structure and rhetorical relations that obtain at various levels between different units of discourse.
A study of the poligar system and the life and times of Veera Pandia Kattabomma Nayakan, the last poligar of Panjalamkurinchi

This is a story of Kattabomman, a late 18th century “little king,” or poligar, from the district of Tinnevelly in the Tamil heartland. To most Tamils, Kattabomman is a nationalist ancestral figure. He is considered to be the “father of Indian anticolonial struggle,” and as such, his name has come to symbolize Tamil valour and honour. This work extends our understanding of the Tamil Nadu poligars. While the bulk of the early research was concerned with the transformation of Tamil monarchical institutions after direct colonial rule, this work focuses upon the final decades of the pre-colonial state. The Kattabomman story that emerges out of this study is not the familiar accounts of an incipient war of liberation, nor a failed poligar rebellion, but rather a struggle and contest for royal honours, status, territorial expansion, and booty. Studies by Nicholas Dirks (1987), Joanne Waghorne (1994), and Pamela Price (1997) focus on Tamil Kallar and Maravar poligars. Here, the focus is upon the migrant Telugu poligars who composed the bulk of the poligarships in Tamil heartland. The historical account of Kattabomman, the dominant Telugu poligar, is complimented by its folkloric counterpart. In chapter one, I have outlined the migration of Telugu warrior castes, the advent of Muslim rule in Tamil country, and the subsequent socio-political consequences. The political conditions in Tamil countryside, especially the military competition between the poligar households in the last two crucial decades of the eighteenth century are discussed in chapter two. Chapter three examines the nine year reign of Veera Pandiya Kattabomma Nayakan (1760–1799), as the last poligar of Panjalamkurinchi, while chapter four describes the impact of poligar rule in 17th and 18th century Tamil popular literature. This chapter also includes the English version of the entire Kattabomman Kummi, the folk narration of the Kattabomman story, the subject of this thesis. My translation of Kattabomman Kummi as the “remembered history” compliments the earlier chapters of “lived history,” constructed by the company's 18th century administrators.
Enhanced watermark detection

Digital watermarking is a relatively overhead free solution to the problem of copyright infringement. In this thesis we investigate the choice of transform domain for embedding blind and non-blind watermarks in the face of eight different attacks. The chosen attacks are commonly used in watermark benchmarking programs. After extensive simulations involving seventeen different transforms, we find that our findings corroborate the results obtained by Ramkumar et al. [1] for compression attacks. In addition, we analyse the Voloshynovskiy scheme for its probability of false alarm in a novel way. We then use the transform domain chosen from above and introduce the use of the SAGE algorithm as a parameter estimator. This algorithm is used to lower the probability of false alarm for the Voloshynovskiy scheme by improving the accuracy of parameter estimation and therefore lowering the variance of the detector output.
A comparison of manual indexing and automatic indexing in the Humanities

There have been substantial studies comparing automatic indexing and manual indexing; however the results have been unclear as to whether automatic indexing systems can simulate what human indexers do. Some studies have claimed that an automatic indexing system is comparable to or even better than a manual indexing system, while others show that automatic indexing systems do not work as well as human indexers do. To address this contradiction further the present research focused on two primary questions. First, to what extent are sets of document content indicators generated by automatic indexing the same as those assigned by human indexers? Second, which of the two indexing methods captures the document content more accurately as assessed by independent judges?Results from the study suggest that automatic indexing terms are statistically significantly different (p

Keywords: Humanities, Abstracting and indexing
Automatic indexing
Alongshore suspended sediment transport: physical processes and an evaluation of Bailard's model

Time and frequency-domain analytical techniques were applied to time-series of near-bed current velocities and suspended sediment concentrations to identify the mechanisms constraining alongshore suspended sediment transport and the ability of physically-based models to predict such transport. Two experimental sites were examined, one lacustrine with low-to-moderate wave energy and the other mesotidal marine with moderate-to-high wave energy, both with barred shorefaces. Alongshore sediment transport was found not to be exclusively due to quasi-steady (mean) currents. The oscillatory component of the transport was dominated by low frequency waves (up to 90%) and accounted for up to 24% of the net sediment transport. The common assumption that alongshore sediment transport rates can be computed as a product of the mean current velocity and mean sediment concentration (e.g. Sternberg et al., 1984; Davidson et al., 1993) is incorrect.
Role of the breakage-fusion-bridge mechanism in osteosarcoma karyotype evolution

Osteosarcoma (OS) is characterized by grossly abnormal karyotypes, featuring both structural and numerical chromosomal abnormalities. To account for the karyotypic and genetic heterogeneity observed among and within OS tumors, a genomic instability model has gained acceptance. It postulates that a mutator phenotype underlies dysfunctional genomic fidelity systems, providing the biological basis for the tumor's capacity to adapt to aggressive treatment regimens. Genome profiling provides a readily accessible platform for the dissection of consistent genomic patterns that can provide clues about underlying molecular mechanisms of cancer development. Complementing genomic profiling of OS tumors and cell lines with chromosomal structural studies suggested that OS exhibits varying levels of structural instability, commonly affecting three regions of the genome. These imbalances ranged from segmental changes to microaberrations, with a pattern of copy number changes suggestive of BFB cycles. FISH analysis of chromosomal regions consistently involved in imbalances showed that tumors with the highest degree of genomic imbalance also exhibited the most extreme cell-to-cell copy number alterations, and significantly, had the poorest response to preoperative chemotherapy. The observed tendency for histologically similar OS tumors to exhibit varying levels of genomic imbalances and respond differentially to treatment highlights the genotypic and phenotypic variability in this disease. The association seen between the highly variable genotype with chemoresistance calls for a more comprehensive study of this genotype-phenotype correlation using a larger cohort that spans the full spectrum of clinical outcome. Interrogation of consistently unbalanced regions with clinical outcome and histopathological data can help stratify this disease into clinically distinct subgroups, and discover genes or functional classes of genes that may help identify a predictive gene set with clinical utility in prognostication and targeted therapy. The breakage-fusion-bridge (BFB) cycle is one possible mechanism that can produce the complex chromosomal rearrangements and amplifications that are characteristic of OS. The frequency of structural chromosomal abnormalities associated with BFB cycles were quantified in OS-derived cell lines. There was a strong association with elevated frequencies of multipolar mitotic figures and centrosomal abnormalities, suggesting a possible link in the mechanisms leading to the structural and numerical instabilities in OS.
A study of response of adsorbed layers of hydroxypropyl cellulose to variations in ambient humidity

Cellulose derivatives are versatile polymers with broad industrial applicability. Their performance is critically dependent on their interaction with water. In this work we seek an in-depth understanding of how variations in humidity affect surface properties of Hydroxypropyl Cellulose (HPC). Using the Surface Force Balance technique and Atomic Force Microscopy we studied the properties of adsorbed HPC layers as a function of ambient humidity. We found that HPC layers shrink following adsorption of moisture. Based on our observations; the hysteresis noted in the HPC layers compression-decompression cycles and the recovery of the layer's properties upon drying, we propose a two-step mechanism of water sorption by fibers of HPC. In step one, adsorption of moisture is dominated by capillary condensation in the voids and capillaries of the fiber-like HPC layer. In step two, water penetrates inside the fibers and forms a surface gel, whereas the inner cores of the fibers retain their rigidity.
Combining natural health products, chemotherapy, and cancer: The case of melatonin for neuroblastoma

Introduction. Melatonin, a compound sold over the counter as a natural health product, has a large body of preclinical and clinical research to support its use as an anticancer agent. Cancer patients, including the pediatric population, use these products, however little is known about their potential to interact with standard conventional therapy. Objectives. To test the anticancer activity of melatonin in neuroblastoma as well as melatonin's potential to interact with chemotherapy using both in vitro and in vivo models. Methodology. Two neuroblastoma cell lines, NUB7 and SKNSH, were exposed to varying concentrations of melatonin alone and in combination with either etoposide or doxorubicin and cytotoxicity was measured. In the in vivo experiments, NOD/SCID mice with neuroblastoma xenografts were treated with melatonin alone and as an adjuvant with doxorubicin. Results. No differential cytotoxicity was found for either cell line when exposed to various concentrations of melatonin alone or when melatonin was co-administered with either of the selected chemotherapy agents. The in vivo analysis revealed no differences in tumour weight or net animal weight gain from melatonin treatment alone or with doxorubicin. Discussion. These results suggest that melatonin does not have any anticancer activity against two neuroblastoma cell lines. However, there is no evidence that melatonin diminishes or enhances the anticancer activity of either drug tested, suggesting that it may be amenable for use as a supportive therapy. Further research is needed to verify its use as an adjuvant treatment for cancer patients in this area.
Master of fine arts: the construction of the artist in academe

Increasing numbers of universities offer graduate programs in studio art practice, culminating in a degree most often called Master of Fine Arts. This, arguably, represents a move towards professional status of the artist. The Master of Fine Arts degree has a relatively short history in North American universities. Programs vary widely from university to university in Canada, with a diversity of program expectations. The research site for this study, a Master of Fine Arts program in a large Canadian university, displays a mixture of academic, theoretical, and practical requirements. The research explores these questions: What role does graduate education play in the development of an artist? How do institutional practices influence the constitution of the artist? What is the place of art practice within an academic program? How do the art student's experiences, as a student, with her peers, through her own art practice, contribute to the formation of her identity as artist? This study uses interviews with students and faculty, field observations, institutional documents, written and artistic production of the students. From localized practices, narratives, and observations, there emerges a picture of institutional practices in a Master of Fine Arts program with implications for how those practices contribute to a particular formulation of the identity of the artist. This study found that the goal of the MFA program is to produce professional artists. The graduate student sees herself, and is seen by the faculty, as being inducted into a community where art work is produced and read within a discourse of critical art theory. Academic achievement is measured by both the production of art and the production of written texts that conform to institutional practices. The student's unique art practice develops within and is reframed by the aesthetic, theoretical and institutional practices of the graduate program, but retains the signature concerns of the artist. The identity of the artist is described, by both faculty and students, as an ongoing project of personal transformation and intellectual engagement through continuous artistic production.

Keywords: Arts, Study and teaching (Higher)
Artists
The molecular mechanisms of bronchiolitis obliterans

Bronchiolitis obliterans remains the most common cause of morbidity and mortality following lung transplantation. Using a murine heterotopic tracheal transplant model, we explored the molecular mechanisms, namely apoptosis, the renin-angiotensin system and matrix metalloproteinases involved in the pathogenesis of bronchiolitis obliterans. We examined therapeutic interventions, such as ACE inhibition, Angiotensin II receptor blockade, caspase inhibition and matrix metalloproteinase inhibition, in the prevention and treatment of bronchiolitis obliterans. The following conclusions were made: (1) Apoptosis of airway epithelial cells does occur in the setting of allograft airway transplantation. However the inhibition of apoptosis, through broad-spectrum caspase inhibition or Fas pathway blockade, only partially prevents airway obliteration. (2) ACE inhibition, but no angiotensin II receptor blockade, significantly reduces transplant-induced airway obliteration. (3) Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) are involved in the pathogenesis of allograft-induced airway obliterative lesions. Treatment with an MMP inhibitor significantly reduces airway obliteration and promotes airway re-epithelialization in allograft transplants.
Racial oppression and the link to mental illness in Blacks and the substance abuse factor

This study provides a critical textual examination of racial oppression and its link to mental illness in Blacks and the substance abuse factor. The research is based on three objectives: (a) identifying key aspects in the existence and the role of racial oppression historically and present day in people's lives; (b) examining how racial oppression works to elicit psychological distresses in Black people; and (c) understanding the unique role of substance use among segments of the Black population in dealing with the emotional distresses resulting from racial oppression. The roots of many contemporary manifestations of racial oppression can be located in the legacy of slavery, colonialism, apartheid, Jim Crowism, foreign dispossession of territories and resources, and the destruction of political, religious, and social systems based on ideologies of superiority and dominance. The consequences of this continue today with resulting psychological symptoms for some Blacks. Racial oppression takes on multiple forms in today's society to the detriment and chagrin of Black people. These forms include but are not limited to racism, prejudice, ethnocentrism, discrimination, racial profiling, and name calling, which all act to make Blacks develop issues of anxiety, fear, paranoia, depression, and other mental and physical disorders. It is also possible that an individual may react in a psychotic fashion to his or her environment of racial oppression over time. This study also proposes a Black-centred community approach to wellness that includes families, elders, and other community members coming together to offer support that takes into account Black history and the impact of racial oppression to assist in the healing journey of the mental health woes of Black people due to racial oppression. I have taken on this project to raise awareness that racial oppression can be a diagnosis in some mental disorders experienced by Black people. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
Integrated maternal serum screening and nuchal skin fold thickness measurements in the second trimester prenatal diagnosis of fetal down syndrome

Down's syndrome (DS), (Trisomy 21) is the most common form of genetically inherited mental retardation. It is common for health care professionals to offer at risk pregnant women invasive prenatal diagnosis to detect fetal Down's syndrome (FDS). The risks of amniocentesis and chorionic villous sampling preclude their universal application. There are no prospective studies that address whether or not a combined Maternal Serum Screen/Ultrasound screen would detect substantially more cases of FDS than MSS alone in women ≥35 years of age. The objectives of this thesis are to determine the interobserver reliability of midtrimester fetal nuchal skin-fold measurements (NF) in pregnant women at increased risk of carrying a fetus with an abnormal nuchal skin-fold and to design a study to compare the performance characteristics of a combined 16 week MSS and NF in comparison to MSS alone in screening women 35 years or older for fetal Down's syndrome.
Black scholars and their scholarship on race

I have been disappointed with the invisibility of Black scholars' work on race and anti-racism throughout my schooling years. As a Black male, I am committed to issues of race, anti-racism and equity studies in education. I view anti-racism as an attempt to rectify inequities and discriminatory practices and policies in the educational system. Most definitely, I view race as a marker of identification that exacts punitive damages from the bearer. In this work the discourse of race is examined through a textual analysis. The thesis places strong emphasis on the discrimination that is experienced as a result of race and through the process of “othering” raced individuals. Additionally, the pedagogical implications of not debating race in the academy and in broader-community institutions will be considered. One of the salient features of our time is that race has been consciously ignored in published works. In this study, one will see the passion brought forward in the Black scholarship that gives voice to the bodies that experience oppression and marginalization as a result of race. I have taken on this project in an attempt to bring this to the forefront.

Keywords: Authors, Black, Attitudes
Racism
When nurse-teachers become ill: a narrative inquiry into the personal illness experience of three nurse-teachers

In this inquiry I explore how a personal serious illness of three nurse-teachers impacts their teaching and nursing practice. My interest in illness stories emerges in response to my own experience of becoming a patient thirteen years ago. As a result of this circumstance I became curious to learn how other nurse-teachers may experience personal illness events. To help me think about my puzzle I chose Connelly and Clandinin's narrative inquiry, where narrative is both the method and the phenomenon of study. In this research my two co-participants and I talk about what it is like for a person, who is also a nurse-teacher, to walk on the other side of being. Throughout the five meetings, which took place over the course of eight months, we shared conversations, drawings and creative writing with the intent to gain a deeper insight into the significance of our own illness encounters. Based on the told stories I crafted two main storylines and juxtaposed my own, in the shape of three journal entries, along with those of my co-participants. I wrote a response letter to each illness narrative followed by my own reflection on these. Two important notions come to light as a result of my exploration. I find that the personal and the professional not only intersect within sick nurse-teachers, patientnurses, but continue to co-exist within them for the duration of the illness. Even though these nurse-teachers become ill they seem to never fully leave their caregiver role behind. They watch and monitor their care providers and thus become simultaneously both, the caregivers and the carereceivers. Another significant narrative thread that emerges speaks to the quality of nurse-patient relationships. It appears that some caregivers connect with their patients only at the logical level of the mind and the physical treatment of the disease with little attention given to the human response to the illness event. Hence, what I find lacking in the caregiver-carereceiver relationships is the human connectedness, the spiritual component of ourselves. In this fashion, my thesis serves to illuminate this insufficiently developed aspect of patient care.

Keywords: Nursing, Study and teaching
Diseases
Nurses
Sick