VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Il romanzo gotico di Francesco Mastriani

THE GOTHIC NOVEL OF FRANCESCO MASTRIANI ABSTRACT This research, which had set itself the task of analyzing the Gothic fiction of Mastriani, has led to the definition of important themes and images of the Gothic repertoire. The medical and scientific aspect of Mastriani’s work helps to define a realistic approach to images of terror excluding fantastic elements. Medical and scientific themes, such as physiognomy, moral anatomy, mesmerism, insanity, somnambulism, and neurosis, demonstrate how the horror is something tangible, an integral component of the human being in the physical and psychological dimension. Mastriani is the journalist, or better, the detective who is able to make sense of a chaotic, violent reality describing its very horrific elements to his reader. The depiction of the Neapolitan world of terror brought Mastriani’s reader into a constant manifestations of extreme violence and suffering, and it certifies the identity of Mastriani as a Gothic writer of terror and gloomy images. The modern city of Naples, industrial, gloomy and labyrinthine, is the locus of horror, violence and corruption.

Advisor: Guardiani, Francesco
"Managing the Muses" Musical Performance and Modernity in the Public Schools of Late-Nineteenth Century Toronto

This thesis examines public school music in the making of a modern middle class in late-Victorian Toronto. Its aim is to show how this subject both shaped and was shaped by the culture of modernity which increasingly pervaded large urban centres such as Toronto during the course of the nineteenth century. In so doing, this study also examines various aspects of the acoustic soundtrack during the period under study—particularly that which witnessed the advent of industrialization—to bring additional context and perspective to the discussion. Using an approach which goes beyond pedagogic and bureaucratic justification, the overall intent is to present the evolution of school music and its public performance within a much broader acoustic framework, that is, to weave it into the increasingly-urban soundtrack of Toronto, to gain some appreciation of how it would have been heard and understood at the time. In addition to its primary historical discourse, the study also draws meaning and context from a variety of other academic disciplines (musicology, sociology and education, to name but a few). Because of this, it necessarily moves from the general to the specific in terms of its overall focus, not only to provide background, but also to help make sense of the ways in which each of these areas informed and influenced the development of Toronto’s public school system and the inclusion of music in its classrooms. It then proceeds more or less chronologically through the nineteenth century, placing particular emphasis upon the careers of prominent educators such as Egerton Ryerson and James L. Hughes, to mark significant shifts in context and philosophy. Within each, a thematic approach has been employed to highlight relevant developments that likewise informed the way in which school music was conceived and comprehended. In this way, it is hoped that a fresh perspective will emerge on the history of public school music in Toronto, and prompt further research that employs aural history as a more prominent tool of historical research.

Keywords: school music
history
modernity
sensory history
Advisor: Levine, David
Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Diversification in Leaf-toed Geckos (Phyllodactylidae: Phyllodactylus) throughout the Mexican Dry Forest

Understanding the ecological and evolutionary processes responsible for shaping patterns of genetic variation in natural populations is a long-standing goal in molecular ecology. Although an extensive number of recent studies focus on patterns and processes throughout tropical rain forest ecosystems, substantially less effort has been placed on tropical dry forests (TDFs); a habitat known to harbour a large percentage of Earth’s diversity. In this thesis I use leaf-toed geckos of the genus Phyllodactylus to understand both the historical and contemporary processes influencing diversification throughout Mexico’s TDFs. In Chapter 2 I isolate and characterize microsatellite markers for the gecko P. tuberculosus. Chapter 3 uses these loci to conduct a landscape genetic analysis of the species near Alamos, Sonora. I find that the inclusion of landscape variables explains more genetic variance versus Euclidean distance alone. Chapter 4 examines the evolutionary history of the P. tuberculosus group throughout western Mexico. Results suggest that habitat and climate shifts during the Miocene and Pleistocene were important divers of diversification. Chapter 5 uses microsatellite and mtDNA markers to compare historical and contemporary demographic parameters in P. tuberculosus. I find evidence for low historical gene flow and high female philopatry, recent reductions in population sizes, and higher correlations between landscape and contemporary gene flow versus historical gene flow and mtDNA divergence. In Chapter 6 I examine the biogeographic and taxonomic consequences of the dynamic history of Baja California. My phylogenetic results provide evidence for a trans-peninsular seaway in the Isthmus of La Paz region and suggests that P. xanti nocticolus warrants species status. My results also suggest the possibility of a seaway near the Loreto area that needs to be evaluated further. By combining multiple molecular marker-types and analytical methods, this thesis adds to our understanding of diversification processes throughout the threatened Mexican TDF.

Keywords: landscape genetics
phylogenetics
Mexico
geckos
Advisor: Murphy, Robert W.
Naming and Identity in Henry James's "The Ambassadors"

In Henry James’s novel "The Ambassadors," James uses axiological language in tropes and in substantives, periphrastically replacing proper names. He also includes valuations in miscellaneous data contained in such differences as the one he makes in "The Ambassadors" between "Europe" (place) and "'Europe'" (concept). As well, James puts adjectival assessments of people and situations in the midst of these constructions and in the mouths of his characters, assessments which vary from those which contradict the value systems posited in the novel by various characters, through those which seem quizzical or ambiguous, to those whose meaning seems obvious under the circumstances. The argument of this critical work is that these attempts at naming tie in fundamentally with the ways in which James means for readers to interpret the identities of the characters and the events and are not merely ornamental. Even when James says that a character "didn’t know what to call" someone or something or when "identity" or a verbal equation for identity occurs in an odd context, James answers his own implied rhetorical question; he is not as problematic to read as is sometimes suggested. Our own valuations are encouraged to be close to the experience of Lambert Strether. Leading the reader through the maze of Strether’s experience, James gives many clear signals from the simplest elements of his complicated language even into the fabrication of his complex metaphors that he, though an explorer of the moral universe, is no relativistic iconoclast. In the examination of these issues, a choice has been made to draw eclectically upon various sources and techniques, from traditional "humanistic" modes of interpretation, rhetorical studies, structuralist and deconstructionist remarks, to existentialism, narratology, and identity studies. This choice is the result of an intention to access as many different "voices" as possible, in the attempt to be comprehensive about the voices of James and "The Ambassadors."

Keywords: Henry James
periphrasis
metaphorical studies
international relations
identity studies
alterity
stylistics
Advisor: Henderson, Greig
Special Education Instruction in the Jewish Ultra Orthodox and Hassidic Communities in Toronto

The purpose of the present study was to examine the state of special education programs in selected Jewish Ultra Orthodox (Haredi) community schools in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and the attitudes and perceptions about special education of the Melamdim (rabbis/teachers) teaching in those schools. A Special Education course, modeled on OISE’s additional qualification program available to in-service teachers in the public sector, was administrated to 28 Melamdim. Throughout the 12 weeks, course data was collected through observations and dialogues with course participants. The impact of the special education course on classroom practices by those who engaged in the course was also assessed. In addition, a collection of pre-course and post-course data from participants (Melamdim) on attitudes and perceptions in regards to special education through a self-administrated questionnaire, took place. Four additional questionnaires were administered, examining demographic characteristics, general attitudes and behaviors, and well-being. Finally, a pre-selected group of 8 Melalmdim was interviewed as representatives of their home school and the denomination of Judaism they belong to. The results showed significant changes in attitudes of Melamdim toward the inclusion of students with Learning Disabilities (LD in regular classrooms. In addition, the positive change in attitudes could be attributed to the special education course in which participants engaged. During in-class observations changes to the Melamdim’s own practice was recorded.

Keywords: Special Education
Ultra Orthodox Jewish
Hassidic
Attitude
Inclusion
Learning Disabilities
Behavioural Disorders
Advisor: Ferrari, Michel
Violence and Performance on the Latin American Stage

“Violence and Performance on the Latin American Stage” investigates Latin American theatre of the 1960s. It focuses on violence as an inherently formal element that intersects multiple contexts. My purpose is to develop a reading that challenges traditional interpretations of Latin American avant-garde theatre. I argue that this theatre does not apply European forms to Latin American realities, but rather juxtaposes local with foreign elements in multiple domains. It connects aesthetic, philosophic, social, and political contexts through the use of violent theatrical forms. The playwrights José Triana, Virgilio Piñera, Griselda Gambaro, and Jorge Díaz develop an aesthetics of violence that examines the ontological effects of crisis and revolution. Their characters confront questions of agency, subjectivity, historical perception, and consciousness that speak to their audiences’ experience in the sixties –I focus specifically on the Cuban revolution, Argentina’s growing socio-political violence, and Chile’s changing social demographics. I aim to show that the plays demand a simultaneous textual and contextual reading that dialogues with the multiple contexts and domains the plays intersect. My analysis focuses on the concepts of violence and performance in order to emphasize the plays’ modernizing role within their national theatrical scenes. I examine the challenges of theatrical writing and practice in times of conflict and social transformation, commenting on the disparaged reception of the plays’ innovative forms. I contend that this problem of reception accounts for the plays’ highly sophisticated structures of violence, which, in most cases, confused and distanced their audiences. This dissertation ultimately seeks to reveal the power of this theatre’s violent aesthetics to synthesize and critically engage with its cultural and socio- political surroundings.

Keywords: Latin American theatre
Violence in theatre
Advisor: Jagoe, Eva-Lynn
Finite Element Analyses of Failure Mechanisms and Structure-Property Relationships in Microtruss Materials

Microtruss materials are assemblies of struts or columns arranged periodically in space. The majority of past research efforts have focused on the key issue of microtruss architectural optimization. By contrast, this study focuses on the internal material structure at the level of the individual struts. Microstructural, geometrical, and material design techniques are used to improve their mechanical properties. The finite element method is used to verify and create predictive analytical models, explain the dependence of strut properties on geometry, material properties and failure mechanisms, and extend the strut design analysis into suggestions for the improvement of fabrication methods. Three strut design methods are considered. First, microstructural design is performed by considering the influence of strut geometry on the strain energy imparted during stretch bending. By using the perforation geometry to modify the location and magnitude of this strain energy, microtruss materials with lower density and higher strength can be fabricated. Second, structural sleeves of aluminum oxide and electrodeposited nanocrystalline nickel are used to reinforce architecturally optimized aluminum alloy microtruss assemblies, creating hybrid materials with high weight-specific strength. The mechanical properties are controlled by the interaction between material and mechanical failure; this interaction is studied through finite element analyses and a proposed analytical relationship to provide suggestions for further improvements. Finally, hollow cylindrical struts are fabricated from electrodeposited nanocrystalline nickel. The high strength to weight ratio achieved in these struts is due to the microstructural and cross-sectional efficiency of the material.

Keywords: Cellular Materials
Microtruss Lattices
Finite Element Analyis
Structural Materials
Nanostructured Materials
Composite Materials
Advisor: Hibbard, Glenn D.
Hydrogen Bonding Interactions of Ferrocene-peptides: From Molecule to Large Scale Assemblies

The main goal of this thesis was to explore the role of H-bonding interactions in ferrocene peptide conjugates at the molecular and supramolecular level. With the help of detailed spectroscopic and crystallographic studies, the intermolecular association of a range of conjugates was studied and described here. It was shown that C-terminal modifications directed the supramolecular assembly. In the case of Fc[CO-Gly-Val-OH]2, the C-terminal carboxylate group directed intermolecular interactions, causing formation of a supramolecular architecture that was characterized by large solvent-filled hydrophobic channels. In the absence of this directional group, as was the case in Fc[CO-Leu-Val-OMe]2 extended β-sheets were formed. Hierarchical self-assembly of disubstituted ferrocene peptide conjugates possessing Gly-Val-Phe and Gly-Val-Phe-Phe peptide substituents gave rise to nano- and micro-sized assemblies. Spontaneous self-assembly of Fc-peptides through intra-and intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions induced supramolecular building blocks, which further associated to fibers, large fibrous crystals, and twisted ropes. Next, intermolecular H-bonding interactions were studied using a surface-based approach. A fragment of the amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide was bound to a gold surface through a C-terminal Cys. Various aspects of the peptide film were examined using different electrochemical and surface analytical techniques. The interaction of Congo red and of Lys-Leu-Val-Phe-Phe with the immobilized Aβ fragment was studied using electrochemical methods, showing responses that indicated intermolecular interactions. This surface approach was used to probe the interaction of a series of ferrocene peptides (Fc-CO-Leu-Val-Phe-Phe-OX and Fc-CO-Lys(Boc)-Leu-Val-Phe-Phe-OX with X=H and Me) with the surface-bound Aβ fragment. Biomolecular interactions between Fc-peptides and the Aβ-modified surface were studied by electrochemical methods. The current response of the Fc redox process was modulated by the interaction with the Aβ-modified surface.

Keywords: Ferrocene
Hydrogen bonding
Bioorganometallic
Advisor: Kraatz, Heinz-Bernhard
Balance Assessment and Treatment in Individuals with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Preliminary evidence suggests that balance deficits constitute an important secondary impairment in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The main objective of this thesis was to describe balance impairment and fall risk in individuals with COPD and to examine interventions for improving balance and reducing fall risk in the context of pulmonary rehabilitation. The first study of this thesis showed that falls are common in patients with COPD and that fallers are characterized by impairments in standard clinical balance measures, such as the Berg Balance Scale and Timed Up and Go. In the second study, we found that the exercise component of conventional pulmonary rehabilitation has only modest effects on balance and fall risk in COPD, highlighting the need to examine the role of balance-specific training for these patients. The third study of this thesis identified the postural control subsystems most responsible for the observed balance deficits in COPD. Compared with age-matched controls, individuals with COPD demonstrated reductions in all balance control subsystems and slower reaction times in response to external perturbations. In this study, we also showed that deficits in balance in patients with COPD were associated with peripheral muscle weakness and reduced physical activity levels. These results informed the design of the final study of this thesis, a randomized controlled trial evaluating the addition of specific balance training to pulmonary rehabilitation for improving balance in patients with COPD. Preliminary results from this study suggest that the addition of thrice weekly balance exercises to a conventional pulmonary rehabilitation program is effective for optimizing gains in measures of functional balance and fall risk. The findings from the four studies included in this thesis support the need for incorporating balance assessment and treatment for at-risk patients with COPD, as part of their comprehensive management.

Keywords: Balance
COPD
Pulmonary rehabilitation
Postural control
Fall risk
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Advisor: Brooks, Dina
Goldstein, Roger
The Influence of Trust on Teachers' Inclination to Exercise Informal Leadership

This research focuses on the role that trust and its component facets - competence, benevolence, openness, reliability and honesty (Tschannen-Moran, 2004) - play in affecting teachers’ inclination to exercise informal leadership. Teachers in the elementary sections of three elite urban independent schools in Ontario nominated colleagues as informal teacher leaders in their schools and a total of nine teachers, who received multiple nominations, were selected for interview. The interviews unexpectedly revealed two distinct experience-based groupings of informal teacher leaders, with the members of the two groups exhibiting distinctive leadership behaviours. Trust was an important factor affecting all of the teacher leaders’ inclination to exercise informal leadership, but the two experience-based groups revealed different patterns of emphasis for the trust facets (for example, the less-experienced leaders highlighted benevolence above all other facets while the more-experienced teachers considered openness to be the most important). The findings have implications for the ways in which schools can promote the exercise of informal leadership.

Keywords: Leadership
Trust
Advisor: Anderson, Stephen
Motor Learning Abilities in Adults who Stutter: Predictors to Stuttering Treatment Outcome

This dissertation is comprised of three studies investigating the hypothesis that people who stutter (PWS) differ from people who do not stutter (PNS) in their motor skill learning abilities. The first study in this dissertation examined the ability to learn a novel sequential speech task following a 24-h retention period. Despite slower sequence durations compared to the PNS, PWS showed the ability to retain what they had learned for all measured variables on day one and following a 24-h consolidation period. The second study in this dissertation examined the ability to learn a sequential finger tapping task by observing the ability to produce the sequence under both tests of retention and interference. For tests of retention, PWS showed the ability to retain improvements in performance for all measured variables, albeit at slower speeds compared to PNS. For tests of interference, a significant interaction for reaction time and sequence duration revealed that PNS’ performance reached a relative plateau while PWS’ performance continued to show improvement. The third study in this dissertation investigated the extent to which individual differences in motor learning are associated with differences in stuttering treatment outcome. PWS participating in an intensive fluency treatment program were assessed for their working memory ability and their motor iii learning performance on a syllable reading and finger tapping task. Treatment success was measured at pre-treatment, post-treatment and six months follow-up using percent syllables stuttered, introspective clinical characteristics (OASES; Yaruss, 2010) and fluency effort. The relationship between motor learning and treatment outcome was examined using multiple regression analyses. Results did not support the hypothesis that the ability to learn a simple speech and nonspeech motor task is predictive of treatment outcome. Although treatment proved successful as evidenced by percent syllables stuttered and OASES scores, scores of fluency effort indicated that participants had not automated their newly learned fluency skills when speaking in everyday conversations. Together, these studies do not support the hypothesis of a motor learning deficit in PWS but rather support the assumption of limited motor abilities. Limited motor abilities are discussed as having implications to stuttering treatment outcome.

Keywords: stuttering
motor learning
stuttering treatment
Advisor: Nil, Luc F. De
A Search for Supersymmetry with New Kinematic Variables in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV with the ATLAS Detector at the Large Hadron Collider

A search for Supersymmetry is presented. The search is done with final states containing jets, missing transverse energy and no leptons, using 4.7 fb-1 of proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis is carried out using new kinematic variables in two distinct signal regions with and without b-jet tagging. No significant excess above the Standard Model background expectation is observed, and limits are set on the Supersymmetry models. The results are interpreted as limits on the minimal supergravity framework, as well as a simplified Supersymmetry model of Gluino pair-production

Keywords: Supersymmetry
LHC
Advisor: Teuscher, Richard John