VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Role of vascular endothelial growth factor A in the glomerulus: analysis of phenotypes with glomerular-specific alterations of VEGF-A expression in murine transgenic lines

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (VEGF-A) is a critical mediator of vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. It is required for the establishment and maintenance of endothelial fenestrae in-vitro. Knockouts of VEGF-A or its receptors in mice result in lethality at midgestation. These early lethal phenotypes preclude the analysis of the role of VEGF-A signaling in the kidney. In the thesis, the role of VEGF-A in the development and maintenance of the glomerular filtration barrier is presented based on data from the VEGF-A transgenic mouse lines generated during my doctoral studies. To fully understand the biologic role of VEGF-A in the glomerulus, the level of VEGF-A was manipulated in fully differentiated adult glomeruli. Cre-mediated VEGF-A deletion from glomeruli of adult mice led to renal-restricted thrombotic microangiopathy and subsequent glomerulosclerosis. The Cre-loxP conditional gene targeting system and a combination of hypomorphic and null VEGF-A alleles were used to alter the gene dose of VEGF-A produced by podocytes in transgenic mice. It was demonstrated in-vivo that each VEGF-A gene dose is associated with distinct clinical and pathological phenotypes in murine models. Podocyte-specific deletion of both VEGF-A alleles leads to congenital nephropathy and perinatal lethality. Mice with podocyte-specific haploinsufficiency for all VEGF-A isoforms develop glomerular endotheliosis, the renal lesion seen in preeclampsia. Further reduction of VEGF-A leads to mesangiolysis and end stage renal disease by 3 weeks of age. Podocyte-specific overexpression of the 164 isoform of VEGF-A results in collapsing glomerulopathy, the classic lesion seen in HIV-associated nephropathy. These results provide the first genetic evidence that endogenous VEGF-A production is required for maintenance of a differentiated vascular bed and more specifically for integrity of the glomerular filtration barrier. These findings may help to explain the observation that a subset of patients treated with VEGF-A inhibitors develop proteinuria. Dysregulation of VEGF-A expression has been identified in a wide variety of renal diseases. Conversely, infusion of VEGF-A into animals with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, diabetic glomerulopathy or a remnant kidney appears to be protective.
Grounding cognition in intersubjectivity and agency: an investigation into an intercultural collaborative learning activity

This study explores the insights that two Marxist-based social theories, sociocultural theory and cultural historical activity theory, provide for understanding how complex cognition emerged in a particular intercultural collaborative learning project as a function of intersubjectivity and individual and collective agency. Three female, adult learners in a graduate studies course in Canada collaborated to prepare a class presentation on a course reading, and then write a final joint paper, which analyzed the process of their learning from a sociocultural theory perspective. Despite often discordant and disruptive interactions, the group successfully completed all assigned tasks. Using data that include audio recordings of planning meetings, email exchanges, analyses by each participant of a single episode of agency, and participants' final joint paper, this investigation redescribes and explains the learning process as a complex activity system within the boundaries of particular reconceptualizations of intersubjectivity and agency.

Keywords: Cognition
Intersubjectivity
Agent (Philosophy)
Group work in education
Health, healing and recovery: Therapeutic landscapes and the everyday lives of breast cancer survivors

This qualitative research examines perspectives of the links among environment, health, and healing for women living with breast cancer in the Greater Toronto Area. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews are used to obtain information about ways in which breast cancer survivors access and create landscapes of healing within their day-to-day lives. Through this research, certain environments are considered to possess greater significance than others for contributing to physical, emotional and mental health and healing, especially when sick. Those landscapes with which women interact on a daily basis appear to be most important to recovery from illness. The research also demonstrates that while many women are successfully able to find landscapes that are conducive to recovery from breast cancer, others face multiple challenges related to social and economic barriers, and the impact of the illness itself. Further research exploring healing properties of landscapes for people with illness is needed to expand the understanding of connections between health and place.
Learning and processing nonfiction expository and narrative genre

Many studies (Stine & Wingfield, 1988 and others) have found that individuals reading narrative text, recalled and understood more than those reading expository text. The following studies were intended to replicate and extend these findings. It was hypothesized that (1) Narrative texts would elicit more interest, focus, perceived comprehension, emotions, and memories, than Expository texts and that (2) Expository texts would allow more distractions than Narrative texts. The procedure involved subjects reading the two text types and marking in the margin when they were experiencing a memory, an emotion or a distracting thought. Once the subjects finished reading the text, they were given questionnaires to complete. Study 1 used original versions (taken verbatim from source material) and altered versions in which the content was held the same but the Narrative was translated into Expository format, and vice versa. Readers were found to rate the Narrative texts as significantly more understandable, and easier to focus on. In addition, subjects also recalled and comprehended significantly more from Narrative than Expository passages. The Narrative texts were, however, judged to be easier. No significant differences were found between the number of memories, emotions or distractions in Narratives vs. Expository texts. Study 2 was similar to Study 1 except that different texts were used and subjects were required to read only one passage (either Narrative or Expository). In Study 2, the difficulty of the two texts was equalized and no significant differences were found between texts for the dependent variables: interest, focus, perceived or actual understanding, recall, number of memories, emotions or distractions. However, Narrative prose tended to elicit greater interest and more memories. From Larsen & Seilman's (1988) study, Narratives were expected to generate more Actor memories, Expositions were anticipated to produce more Reported memories and no difference between nonfiction genre was predicted for Observer memories. The results were that Narratives tended to produce more Actor memories, although the results were not significant, and produced significantly more Observer memories than Expository text. No significant differences were found for Reported memories. In summary, the common finding that Narratives are better learned than Exposition seem to be due to text readability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Keywords: Narration (Rhetoric)
Exposition (Rhetoric)
Discourse analysis, Narrative
Examining the neural markers of object segregation and recognition in the human brain using magnetoencephalography

Traditional models of object recognition posit that processing of figure segregation precedes the identification and recognition of an object. Recent evidence suggests that some recognition processes may occur prior to or simultaneously with segregation. The present research delineates the temporal sequence of processing stages involved in figure-segregation and object-recognition. Neural activity was recorded using magnetoencephalography (MEG) while participants observed moving displays containing scrambled or intact objects, as well as simple coherent motion. An event-related synthetic aperture magnetometry (erSAM) technique was used to identify brain regions of maximal activation in response to moving objects, and source activity for these regions was estimated for each condition. The results provide evidence that recognizable and scrambled objects are initially processed similarly by extra-striate and lateral occipital cortices, followed by feedback modulation from inferior temporal cortex. These findings contrast traditional models of object recognition, and suggest that object processing involves interactions between multiple regions.
Liam's stories: a narrative inquiry into some forms of narration in the preverbal child

This narrative inquiry explores how a preverbal child makes meaning. Through the use of gestures, sounds not recognizable as standard language, the combination of sounds and gestures, and sequenced actions a young child shares an experience, recounts an event, and tells a story in collaboration with an intimate adult who provides the words for the narration. By exploring these preverbal forms of narration, this thesis investigates the underlying narrative quality of experience, the narrative ways of knowing of a young child and the narrative processes of understanding of the child's parents. Bounded by the personal, social, temporal and spatial aspects of life, parent and child tell their interconnected life-stories. This inquiry examines the narratives of experience of a preverbal child, my son, Liam, from when he was five to 30 months. Using a diarist's naturalistic approach as opposed to any elicitation strategies or contrived situations, I recorded Liam's sounds and actions, my interpretations, and our collaborative efforts to make meaning of his preverbal storytelling. The concepts of experience, education, and narrative frame this study. I situate this thesis within the narrative inquiry research tradition established almost 20 years ago. Although a methodology which at first explored the experiences of teachers, it is now used to research the experience of people in all walks of life. I position this inquiry within the field of curriculum studies and include stories from my practice as a special education teacher to highlight curricular implications such as, how an educator can take advantage of the possibility that students, even nonspeaking ones, are recounting narratives of experience. My thesis finds that stories are fundamental to human nature. By describing a preverbal child's storied world, I invite you to ponder what it is like being a child, what it means to become educated, and what it entails to be a teacher.

Keywords: Nonverbal communication in infants
Nonverbal communication in children
Children, Language
Parent and child
Narration (Rhetoric)
The effects of counsellor trainee's family-of-origin on the process of becoming a counsellor

This study explored how a counsellor trainee's current relationship with her family-of-origin affected the trainee's process of development as a counsellor. Incorporating a qualitative design using grounded theory methodology, 8 participants from a graduate-level counselling psychology program were interviewed about their families' reactions to them studying counselling and the effect this had on her training. Analyses revealed a framework within which themes occurred along a continuum from Supportive to Non-Supportive. Effects on trainees corresponded to the quality and intensity of reactions. The impact was characterised as ameliorating or exacerbating the stresses of training. Family-of-origin reactions appeared to have little direct impact on these trainees' process. Rather the influence was felt through the trainee's evolving sense of her self and the changes that ensued in her relationships, which she integrated into her professional persona and practice. The implications for theories in counsellor development and training protocols are discussed.

Keywords: Counselors, Training of
Counseling
Achievement motivation
Psychotherapists, Training of
Psychotherapists, Family relationships
Performance
Counselors, Family relationships
Role of glycosphingolipids in Pseudomonas aeruginosa adhesion and internalization by airway epithelial cells

The major infecting agent in Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic disorder due to a mutation in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) gene, is the gram negative opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa). We tested to see if asialo GM1, a glycosphingolipid which has been implicated as a receptor for Pa, or any other glycosphingolipids, function as specific receptor(s) for, or facilitate the internalization of Pa. We did not detect any in vitro Pa-glycosphingolipid binding. Asialo GM 1 expression was increased in mutant CFTR expressing cells relative to their wild type counterparts. However, no significant difference in initial Pa attachment was detected between these cell lines. Glycosphingolipid depletion did not alter initial Pa attachment but it did reduce Pa uptake significantly and addition of exogenous asialo GM1 to cells enhanced Pa internalization. We conclude that glycosphingolipids are not required for initial Pa attachment, but they are essential for efficient internalization of this pathogen by eukaryotic cells.
A historical institutional analysis of voluntary sector/ government relations in Canada

Governments and the voluntary sector in Canada have had a long-standing and complex relationship which incorporates statutory, relational, and funding policies and practices. This thesis explores how key historical developments or critical junctures continue to have an impact on the nature of voluntary sector/government relations. Because these critical junctures form the basis of how the institutional relationship between the two sectors have involved, historical institutionalism has been selected as a research framework. Historical institutionalism assumes that institutions are shaped by history and that this history is important when trying to understanding both contemporary policy and institutional change. Three critical junctures in Canada continue to have an impact on voluntary sector/government relations: the 1930 amendment to the Income War Tax Act; regulatory changes to permissible political activities in 1987 and 2003; and the transition in the mid 1990s from citizenship-based programs to service-based contracts. Beyond the identification of these critical junctures and their contemporary impact, the influence of voluntary sector institutional regime type on these policy outcomes was also explored. The degree to which on-going voluntary sector representation is organized as a formal regime appears to influence the extent to which policy outcomes are favourable to the voluntary sector and are positively reinforced. The non-formal regime type which has characterized the voluntary sector in Canada has resulted in policies that undermine its financial sustainability, limit its capacity to advocate, and raise questions about its relevance to leading societal issues. This difference is highlighted in a comparative case involving a formal regime type in the United Kingdom. Led by a Government Relations Working Group and the National Council of Voluntary Organizations, the voluntary sector signed and worked to ensure the political and financial reinforcement of the Compact on relations between government and the voluntary and community sector. This research has brought the history of voluntary sector/government relations in Canada into focus in a way which provides a clearer and deeper understanding and presents new insights into the benefits of using historical institutionalism to frame this important on-going relationship.
Comprehensive evaluation of a three-component psychosocial protocol used to guide decision-making for child maltreatment concerns, developed for medical settings

Canadian hospitals lack assessment instruments for making decisions about child maltreatment. The purpose of the present study was to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of a psychosocial protocol that was developed for a hospital Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) team to assist in the assessment and reporting of suspected child maltreatment cases. The psychosocial protocol included a referral form, an injury assessment, and a parent-child relational interview. The central finding of this study was that several demographic variables, as well as the Psychosocial Injury Assessment (PIA) and the Empirically-Based Clinical Decision-Making Interview (ECDMI) constructs were related to case outcome (referral to CAS). In terms of decision sensitivity and specificity, using set clinical cut-offs on the PIA and ECDMI, most led to classifications that matched those of expert raters. Furthermore, a validity check of the ECDMI found that risk ratings could differentiate the high-risk SCAN sample from a low-risk community sample. Other findings of the study were that characteristics of cases reviewed for maltreatment in this hospital setting differed from what is typically found in the child maltreatment literature. Most notably, children tended to be under the age of two with married, well-educated parents. Overall, this study supports the beginnings of a reliable and valid psychosocial protocol to improve decision-making in hospital settings.
Organic sample preparation for femtosecond electron diffraction: Tetra-n-butylammonium triiodide and 1,2-di(2-dimethyl-5-phenylthiophen-3-yl) perfluorocyclopentene

Femtosecond electron diffraction is a technique developed over the last decade that can be used to study transient states of chemical species proceeding along a reaction pathway. The use of an ultrafast electron packet as a probing element imposes stringent requirements upon the sample being studied. Essentially, all samples must be nanometer thin films with a surface area comparable to the radius of the electron beam (>150 mum). Four different types of sample preparation methods are investigated for the potential to be used on one of two photoreactive organic systems-namely tetra-n-butylammonium triiodode (TBAT) and the diarylethene 1,2-Di(2-dimethyl-5-phenylthiophen-3-yl) perfluorocyclopentene (DMP). The techniques include microtoming, nano-etching with an atomic force microscope, nanosecond excimer laser ablation, and high pressure/slow crystallization from a melt. Using the high pressure/slow crystallization technique it was possible to grow 200 nm TBAT films containing highly oriented crystalline domains. The area of the films was sim;1 cm2.
Is poor glucose control associated with colour vision deficiencies, before retinopathy, in pre-teen children with type I diabetes?

Pubertal status rather than metabolic control appears to affect selectively the short-wavelength pathway of children with type I diabetes. Short-wavelength VEP latency was not associated significantly with HbA 1c (p = 0.3256). Pubertal status was associated significantly (p = 0.0060) with short-wavelength VEP latency. Fifty-three percent of the children with diabetes were pubertal and had significantly delayed short-wavelength VEP latencies when compared with pre-pubertal children with diabetes. The colour visual evoked potential (VEP) is a sensitive indicator for detecting early colour vision changes in type I diabetes. Our study examined the association between short-wavelength VEP latency and HbA1c in pre-teen children with type I diabetes. Fifty children with type I diabetes (6--12.9yrs) were tested. Colour VEPs activated selectively the short-wavelength (S), and long and medium wavelength (LM) chromatic pathways by measuring cortical responses to photometric isoluminant colour stimuli. Primary outcome measure was VEP latency. The relationship between short-wavelength VEP latency and HbA1c was determined using ANCOVA regression.
Examination of the scan psychosocial interview as a child abuse risk assessment instrument

The aim of this study was to assess the implementation, usability, reliability and validity of the Psychosocial Interview, a semi-structured interview-based risk assessment instrument that is currently being used by a hospital consulting service for child abuse and neglect. A retrospective review of cases seen by this service, from January 2002 until March 2003, was conducted to examine when the Psychosocial Interview was implemented. Records were reviewed for 11 children where a Psychosocial Interview was conducted and 62 children where it was not. There were insufficient data to examine the discriminant validity and decision specificity of the Psychosocial Interview, thus, this study served to illuminate the importance of process evaluation in risk assessment implementation. Future research directions and implications for risk assessment implementation are discussed.

Keywords: Risk assessment
Child abuse, Psychological aspects
Abused children
Changes in perceived needs regarding Italian language educational provision in Toronto

This thesis titled Changes in Perceived Needs Regarding Italian Language Educational Provision in Toronto presents a study of the ethnolinguistic vitality of the Italo-Canadian population in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as pertaining to the educational provision of Italian. Beginning with an overview of issues in second language education (SLE) and bilingualism in the Canadian context, the first part examines data collected from over 30 years of newspaper articles from the Corriere Canadese providing an ample view of changes from 1971, the advent of multiculturalism, to the present. This demonstrates the basis of strong institutional support and the strong political, economic, and cultural capitals of the Italo-Canadian community, indicative of its high ethnolinguistic vitality. The semistructured interviews of five community leaders from the areas of politics, academics, culture, mass media, and entrepreneurial business, in addition to five Italian language teachers, further demonstrate perceptions vis-a-vis changes in perceived needs regarding Italian language educational provision in Toronto. Thirty semiformal interviews conducted with one parent, one grandparent, and one child from ten Italo-Canadians families participating in Italian language educational provision, provide a cross-generational analysis. This data was applied to a framework investigating sociological, social psychological and psychological variables in relation to the Italo-Canadian community's ethnolinguistic vitality in order to predict conditions for additive bilingualism as a product of educational provision in addition to the other affective benefits of cultural awareness and maintenance. Under the conditions of strong institutional support and high vitality, the educational provision of Italian can succeed in promoting varying levels of additive bilingualism in so far as the perceived need is high with the individual to the extent that some of the other socio psychological variables are also present. In so far as the perceived need for the educational provision of Italian is high and the vitality of the community remains high, the affective benefits of cultural awareness and cultural maintenance gained through educational provision will still positively affect the individual and the overall ethnolinguistic vitality of the Italo-Canadian community, which does not necessarily require Italian language proficiency for group membership and all of the affective benefits that it entails