VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Trace elements and bone quality in renal osteodystrophy

Renal osteodystrophy (ROD) is a skeletal disorder that affects patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Studies have demonstrated that trace elements can influence skeletal metabolism; therefore, we hypothesised that trace elements, namely fluoride, magnesium and aluminum, retained by ESRD-patients due to their renal deficiencies may alter bone quality in ROD. Results of the present study revealed that trace elements do influence bone in ROD. Fluoride interfered with bone mineralization to increase osteoid, which was most evident in osteomalacia and mixed bone disorder. Magnesium appeared to influence bone turnover in aplastic bone disorder through suppression of parathyroid hormone (PTH), leading to a change in bone mineralization and microhardness. Furthermore, aluminum may exacerbate the effects of fluoride and magnesium in ROD. Lastly, magnesium and aluminum were associated with symptoms of ROD (bone pain and proximal myopathy); therefore, it is of clinical interest to further investigate the roles of trace elements in ROD.
Lead us through temptation: Thomas Cook, pastoral governance and the consumption of tourism

This dissertation examines the case of Thomas Cook, the famous Victorian travel agent. Organised tourism was, as envisioned and implemented by Cook, to be an effective form of pastoral governance that would instill a responsible yet desiring form of consumer subjectivity. Unfortunately, the conceptualisation of consumption has been polarised from on one hand, consumption as a form of manipulation and exploitation or on the other hand, consumption as the ultimate in freedom and self-realisation. The theoretical foundation of this dissertation is based on Michel Foucault's notion of governance that elides and collapses this polarised division between manipulation and domination and liberty and freedom. But Foucault and other theorists of governance seriously neglect the complex process of convincing, inducing and luring people into consuming, travelling and ideally developing a subjectivity that was responsible yet open to the seductions of the commodity. This work seeks to rectify this deficiency by examining the case of Thomas Cook and how he employed various tools of seduction and inducement to get consumers to consume his tours. In order for Cook to convince potential clients that they could now travel but also would want to, he had to develop a system that made travel easier, safer and more affordable. Only once Cook had tamed and refined travel, could the more grander powers of travel occur like education, women's responsible consumption, increased sociality and a closer sense of nation and international fellowship. Effectively, Cook had to tame the more distracting elements of travel while at the same time harness and cultivate the more subjectivating qualities of travel: getting away from home and friends; escaping peer pressure and drudgery of everyday life; exploring different cultures, environments and peoples; and finally working on one's own self and subjectivity. The case of Cook as analysed in this dissertation provides a more thorough and nuanced understanding of the relationship between travel, consumption and governance.
The human neuronal nitric oxide synthase gene: RNA biology guiding expressional regulation

Protein synthesis is the ultimate goal of gene expression and a key control point for regulation. In particular, it enables the cell to rapidly manipulate protein production without new mRNA synthesis, processing or export. The human neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) gene is an excellent model to study the regulated translation of a mRNA to protein. Numerous and distinct nNOS mRNAs are generated from a single gene locus as a result of alternate promoter usage and alternate splicing patterns. A comprehensive analysis of the structure of neuronal NOS (nNOS) mRNA species revealed NOS1 to be one of the most structurally diverse human genes described to date in terms of promoter usage. Unique exon 1 variants are utilized for transcript initiation in diverse tissues and this dependence on unique genomic regions to control transcription initiation in a cell-specific fashion burdens the transcripts with complex 5'-mRNA leader sequences. These highly structured nNOS mRNA 5'-untranslated regions (5'-UTRs) were demonstrated to have profound effects on translation in both in vitro assays and cells and to contain cis-RNA elements that modulate translational efficiency in response to changes in cellular phenotype. In addition to promoter diversity, the human nNOS gene contains an alternately spliced (AS) exon present within the 5' -UTR. Alternative splicing events that do not affect the open reading frame are distinctly uncommon in mammals; therefore we assessed its functional relevance. Transient and stable transfection methods revealed that this alternatively spliced exon acts as a potent translational repressor. Hence a unique splicing event within a 5'-UTR is demonstrated to introduce a translational control element. Importantly, this represented a newer model for the translational control in mammalian cells. Mutational analysis identified a putative stem-loop structure within this exon that acts as the functional cis-element. Subsequent RNA-EMSA analyses revealed that a specific cytoplasmic RNA-binding complex interacts with this motif. An affinity purification scheme was developed and the cytoskeletal proteins actin and alpha-actinin were identified as components of the ribonucleoprotein complex associated with this exon. This intriguing finding indicates that this exon acts as a subcellular localization signal for select nNOS mRNAs.
Whitening the inner city: the containment of Toronto's degenerate spaces and the production of respectable subjects

The production and regulation of subjects is a spatial process. Subjects and spaces are produced in a dialectical relationship that is implicated in the constitution of racial hierarchies. Boundary demarcation is central to the spatialized production of respectable subjectivity and provides justification for the containment of racialized and sexualized bodies and spaces. This process requires and sustains a story of the city as an endangered place rescued by respectable white people. Through an examination of three moments of creating the middle class and the white city, this thesis argues that spatial management produces respectable and degenerate subjects and spaces. First, I read accounts of industry and domestic life forged in downtown Toronto in the early 1900s in order to establish how this story of origins requires regulation that constitutes and fortifies an apparently impermeable boundary. I argue that this boundary functions to divide people according to a hierarchy of social difference. The second moment is a 1977 campaign to "clean up" Toronto's Yonge Street and make it commercially and morally reputable; in the process of the "clean up," homosexual bodies were marked as degenerate, and white politicians were positioned as the saviors of respectability. The final moment examined is the late-twentieth-century marketing of converted industrial spaces in Toronto by recourse to narratives of a wasteland rescued by liberal middle class white people. These three examples represent moments in which racial and sexual hierarchies were enlisted and sustained, through discourses that bound together subjects and spaces. Such moments reaffirm a Canadian national story of whiteness as superior by virtue of its benevolence and civility, and of white people as entitled citizens. I suggest that national narratives of goodness, progress and liberalism function by displacing and erasing marginalized people from the official story of the city's making, thus further disenfranchising them.

Keywords: Social problems, Ontario
A great destruction of cattle: The impact and extent of epizootic disease in early fourteenth-century northwestern Europe

The current neglect of infectious livestock disease's impact on pre-industrial human economies is not warranted. Extensive stock mortalities, epizootics, have long afflicted Europe. Using chronicles, annals, manorial accounts, popular literature, letters, government ordinances and price indices, this thesis illustrates the temporal and geographical extent, and examines the agrarian and thus economic fallout of the first quantifiable cattle epizootic in Western history. The phenomenon affected eastern and northwestern Europe between 1318 and 1322. It was the first of its scale in at least four hundred years. The geographical and social variances of the epizootic's impact in Britain and Ireland are detailed here. Considerable time is spent on early fourteenth-century cattle demography, husbandry, and the outbreak's evident epizootiology in order to safely speculate a loss of 60 to 70 percent of Britain and Ireland's cattle. The epizootic extended the Great Famine in Britain and severely disrupted the agrarian production and standards of living of many long after its diminution.
The ecology of pollination and nectar robbing in Linaria vulgaris in the Colorado Rocky Mountains

Cheaters affect most mutualisms, but their effects remain misunderstood. This thesis investigates aspects of plant-nectar robber interactions in Linaria vulgaris. Nectar robbing reduced pollinator visitation and nectar standing crop. This suggests that robbers negatively affect fitness; however, researchers have found no such effect. Aspects of floral development, inflorescence architecture, and robber behaviour may mitigate the costs of nectar larceny. I suggest that L. vulgaris has a number of characteristics that make nectar robbing negligible. These include vertical patterns of flower maturation, separated nectaries and nectar storage, and closed corollas. Robbed plants attracted more ants than unrobbed plants. Ant access reduced herbivory and increased fitness. Robbing had no effect, but had weak interactions with ant access. Researchers interested in nectar robbers should consider when and why the outcomes of multi-species relationships vary. Such a viewpoint may infuse community ecology with new insights about species interactions and their roles in ecosystem function.
Endogenous ionic currents and their contribution to the electrical properties of microglia

Microglia are the resident immune cells of the brain. Recently, the role of ion channels and membrane potential (Vm) in non-excitable cells has come under increased scrutiny. Although many studies have investigated the properties of ion channels in microglia, few have addressed their contribution to Vm. None have considered the possibility that the high membrane resistance or the invasiveness of current-clamp V m measurements had detrimentally affected the values obtained. Here, several approaches are taken to determine and describe the electrical properties of microglia. Most importantly, this thesis considers how all ionic currents in microglia combine to determine Vm and the properties of V m. Extending previous studies on the expression, properties and regulation of ion currents in microglia, each of these currents observed in microglia is described using voltage-clamp or Ca2+ imaging studies. The molecular basis of each of the currents in microglia (such as IClswell, Kir2.1, Kvl. 3 and the possible contribution by other Kv1-family members, CRAC and the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger) were investigated. In some cases (such as TRPM7, and a novel Na+-dependent current), the currents have not been previously identified in microglia. In all cases, how the currents might contribute to, or be affected by, microglia V m was assessed. After using a novel approach to non-invasively estimate that the mean membrane resistance of microglia is sim;9 GO, non-invasive measurements of Vm, were made. In addition, and for the first time in microglia, the contribution of particular ion channels to Vm was directly measured using calibrated voltage-sensitive dyes. For the predominant currents, I used mathematical methods to create a model of microglia Vm. This model recapitulated several observed features of microglia Vm, such as the ability to oscillate and discriminate input frequency. The mathematical model was also used to make and test predictions about how other microglia currents and channel modifications might affect Vm, in microglia. In investigating the effect of Vm, on microglia Ca2+ entry, two Ca2+ entry pathways with opposite voltage dependence were characterized. That is, CRAC channel-mediated Ca2+ entry depends on hyperpolarized potentials; whereas, Ca 2+ entry via reverse-mode operation of the Na+/Ca 2+ exchanger is favoured by depolarized Vm.
Reconciling the collective agreement with human rights obligations: an analysis of arbitral decisions on seniority rights and the duty to accommodate disabled employees

0Recent statutory and judicial developments have given labour arbitrators increased jurisdiction to interpret and apply human rights law in the unionized workplace. How are labour arbitrators exercising this jurisdiction given the potentially fundamental difference in the values underlying the labour relations and human rights regimes? In this paper I describe how the two regimes conflict in the context where a disabled employee needs an accommodation which results in a violation of a seniority provision under a collective agreement. I review the recent arbitral jurisprudence in this area and I examine how arbitrators have resolved the conflict between seniority rights and the duty to accommodate. I conclude that the majority of arbitrators are taking a principled approach in resolving this conflict and, for the most part, they are overriding seniority provisions to permit accommodations where it is equitable to do so.

Keywords: People with disabilities, Legal status, laws, etc
People with disabilities, Canada
Seniority, Employee, Law and legislation
Seniority, Employee, Canada
Human rights, Canada
Arbitration, Industrial, Law and legislation
Arbitration, Industrial, Canada
Disruption of glucocorticoid-glucocorticoid receptor signalling arrests structural maturation in the lungs of newborn mice

Glucocorticoid (GC) signalling through the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) has important effects in maturation of the mammalian lung. Details of the mechanisms and downstream mediators of GC-GR signalling in lung maturation are not completely understood; however, they are thought to involve growth factors, including transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β). I investigated the effects of GR truncation (hypomorphic GR; GRhypo) and consequent disruption of classical GC-GR signalling on lung structure and TGF-β expression in newborn mice. Respiratory distress and death occurred in 48% of GRhypo/hypo newborns (non-survivors; NS) in association with maturational arrest of distal lung units. Survivor (S) GRhypo/hypo and wild type mice had, progressively, relatively thinner mesenchyme, more advanced secondary crest formation and more alveolar capillary maturity. TGF-β mRNA and protein expression did not correlate with NS or S lung phenotype. The S phenotype thus appears to be due to the expression of genes that are neither responsive to the classical action of GR nor involve TGF-β signalling. Identification of factors that are differentially expressed in NS vs. S mice will help clarify the mechanism(s) by which lung maturation may be regulated independent of classical GC-GR signalling.
The social and political aspects of the pastoral mode in musico-dramatic works, London, 1695-1728 (England)

Any workable definition of pastoral must be grounded in the fact that the mode speaks of the lives and actions of shepherds. Inherent in this, however, is the understanding that pastoral is not really about shepherds at all, but is instead a commentary on "civilized" society. The present study begins from this perspective, and explores how the pastoral mode is used in musico-dramatic works performed in London between 1695 and 1728, and examines its various meanings in relation both to the authors who engage the mode and to society in general. In addition it investigates how composers approached the musical setting of these texts. It reveals that the London-based playwrights and librettists who engage the pastoral mode do so in part to comment on a number of social and political issues, ranging from the fashions of particular segments of the population, to the monarchy, to morality and to courtship and marriage. The libretto reforms begun in Italy in the early 1700s had a significant impact on how pastoral was perceived and employed in London later in the century. As librettists began stripping their tragedies of the lowest class of protagonist, the pastoral characters shifted in purpose as well, becoming much more rustic alongside their social betters. The musical styles employed by composers to depict the shepherds and shepherdesses followed suit, and the conventions traditionally associated with music for the lowest class started appearing more regularly in conjunction with pastoral characters, reflecting the latter's new and more formalized lower-class status. Through an analysis of the musical settings of pastoral texts, this thesis concludes that there are few, if any, specifically musical pastoral conventions in use at this time. In the years covered by this study, composers who set pastoral-related texts borrowed freely from musical styles traditionally associated with both aristocratic and rustic protagonists. As a result these settings position the pastoral characters as belonging to neither the upper or lower class, but existing in a nexus that lies somewhere outside the class system.
A multimodal neurophysiologic approach to predicting pediatric traumatic brain injury outcome

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and acquired disability in the pediatric population. No accurate method of predicting TBI outcome exists. Electroencephalogram (EEG) and evoked potentials (EPs) are possible predictors. The study's hypotheses are that combining EEG and EPs scores will predict TBI outcome and that EEG synchrony will provide new information on brain function. Fourteen children with head injury, admitted to the critical care unit were recruited along with ten age and gender matched controls. Patients had two sets of visual and somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) and EEG performed three days apart. The Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category score (PCPC) measured outcome at twelve months post TBI. EEG was the strongest individual predictor of outcome. Combining EEG and SEP scores improved their sensitivity. EEG synchrony correlated with TBI lesions found on CT scans. EEG temporal variability increased as patients recovered and emerged from coma (p
Refinement relations on partial specifications

We discuss the problem of refining partial specifications of software systems at different levels of abstraction. In general, refinement is the process of deriving an implementation from a specification and verifying the correctness of the derivation. Recently, partial specifications have been advocated for describing software systems mainly because they do not impose a commitment to all decisions made at initial stages of software development life-cycle. Using finite-state transition systems with partial transitions and propositions as our modeling formalism, we define a refinement relation that is insensitive to finite stuttering. We refer to our proposed refinement relation as stuttering refinement relation. We then present a logical characterization of this refinement relation and describe an algorithm for computing it.
Ultrafast laser matter interaction: Bulk guided wave optics in crystals

The state of the art in integrated optics comprises planar waveguides---both channels and slabs---are made on the surface of a chip, and are henceforth inherently limited to two dimensions. Multiphoton photosensitivity induced by focused ultrashort laser pulses deep into the bulk of transparent materials was proposed in 1996 as an effective tool to make guided wave optics in these media, therefore promising true 3-D guided wave optic capability. In the past decade, various glasses---amorphous media---were used in these investigations, but little attention was paid to crystalline media. In fact, prior to this thesis, quartz was the only crystalline medium whose bulk interactions with ultrafast laser pulses were studied. This dissertation presents in-depth studies of two optically important crystals, namely, lithium niobate, a strong quadratic nonlinear optic and elecrooptic medium, and silicon, the base platform of microelectronic circuits, with strong cubic nonlinearity and 10,000 higher Raman gain than silica. We present a three-step picture for the process of bulk ultrafast laser matter interaction, that will be affected by parameters of a 7-D space. This interpretation led us to recognizing the importance of three parameters, namely wavelength, polarization and pulse width, that were mostly overlooked prior to this research. We employed three classes of ultrafast lasers, namely, near IR low repetition rate, near IR high repetition rate, and mid IR low repetition rate to form guided wave optics in lithium niobate and crystalline silicon. The experiments on silicon were the first of its kind, while our lithium niobate research demonstrated bulk lithium niobate waveguides exhibiting losses as low as 0.6 dB/cm and formed at a rate of 46 mm/s, a 500-fold improvement of fabrication speed over concurrent studies elsewhere. The evidence of cumulative heat effects in high repetition rate laser study of crystals is presented for the first time. In addition, using optical microscopy, electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy, we provide evidences that have led to the discovery of two new phenomena in the bulk ultrafast laser matter interaction, namely formation of nanocrystals as well as self organized periodic structures in crystals.
Design and microfabrication of wireless cardiovascular pressure sensors

This work investigates the feasibility of constructing a MEMS passive wireless pressure sensor for deployment within the left atrium of a human heart to provide continuous, noninvasive left atrial pressure monitoring. In this proof-of-principle research, three telemetric pressure sensors were designed, fabricated, and compared. The design consists of two spiral coils on two separate substrates separated by a thin layer of elastic material. The two coils, stacked on top of each other and separated by a gap, are at equal potential forming an inductive transducer. When external pressure is applied, the spacing is reduced, and the mutual inductance between the two coils is increased. The results prove the feasibility and confirm that further research on optimizing the telemetric pressure sensors could lead to fully functional devices for the target application of left atrial pressure monitoring.
Devolution of government, implicit constitutionalism and the judicial committee of the privy council

The UK Government of Prime Minister Blair has initiated a program of decentralization of legislative and executive power known as ‘devolution’. A Scottish Parliament and Executive are established by the Scotland Act, 1998. But the Act does not directly address the question of relations between the UK and Scottish administrations. The thesis examines two distinct aspects of this issue. Firstly, a legal principle of devolution is developed, the normative content of which can guide the conduct of constitutional actors in intergovernmental relations. The means by which this principle can be given legal effect through traditional doctrines of administrative law is examined. Secondly, the thesis considers the provision made for the resolution of constitutional disputes in the last resort. The adoption of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council as ultimate constitutional arbiter is criticized as a failure to appreciate the significance of past constitutional reforms in the Empire-Commonwealth.

Keywords: State governments, Great Britain
Decentralization in government, Great Britain
Constitutional law, Great Britain