VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Memories of The giver, an intertextual study

The purpose of this study is to examine the quality of intertextual learning that took place with adolescent students in one school when several different texts were introduced. In this study an intertextual approach to learning is related to literacy in the curriculum. Definitions of text and intertextuality are presented and an argument is made that the latter is an important concept in locating literacy in the larger field of curriculum studies. Reading and writing across the curriculum are examined using the concept of "cognitive pluralism" (Eisner, 1992). Genre theory is discussed as it affects intertextual learning. This discussion leads the researcher to make a case for a multiple literacy curriculum that would develop a literate person, one who can mediate his or her world through multiple sign systems--not only verbal and written language forms. The data demonstrates that an intertextual approach or a multimodal one is grounded in cognitive pluralism, and current theories of reading and writing across the curriculum. Analysis of data showed that play, jouissance', and the essence of fun was crucial in learning. Intertextual learning provides the opportunity for both plaisir and jouissance as defined by Barthes, (1975). This study involved a planned comparison of the intertextual connections made by twelve grade eight students in a reading, writing, speaking, listening and viewing situations. Personal inventories, journal written responses, field observations, the videotaped discussions and open-ended interviews with the participants were used to discover the views, responses and reactions of twelve grade eight students and their teacher regarding intertextual learning.
Shp2 tyrosine phosphatase is required for multiple morphogenetic events during murine development

Shp2 is a broadly expressed, cytoplasmic tyrosine phosphatase which possesses two amino-terminal SH2 domains. To investigate the biological functions of Shp2, a targeted mutation was introduced into the murine gene. I demonstrated that Shp2 is required for embryonic development, as mice homozygous for the mutant allele die 'in utero' at mid-gestation. The ' Shp2' mutant embryos fail to gastrulate properly, as evidenced by defects in the node, notochord and posterior elongation. Fibroblast Growth Factors (FGFs) have been implicated in controlling numerous developmental decisions, including those made during gastrulation. To determine if Shp2 is required downstream of FGFs, Shp2 deficient fibroblast cell lines were isolated from embryos at E9.0 of development and were subject to MAP kinase assays. Here, I demonstrated that Shp2 is required for full and sustained activation of MAP kinase following stimulation of these cells with FGFs, raising the possibility that the phenotype of the 'Shp2' mutant embryos results from a defect in FGF receptor signalling. In order to define the primary defect that resulted in the failure of these embryos to complete gastrulation normally, an embryo chimera analysis for this enzyme was performed. In chimeric embryos, 'Shp2' mutant cells accumulate in the posterior epiblast of the egg cylinder, with a concomitant decreased contribution of 'Shp2' mutant cells to the mesoderm lineage. I was able to demonstrate, using Shp2 deficient fibroblast cells, that Shp2 is required for both cell adhesion and migration, indicating that the primary defect in 'Shp2' mutant embryos may be the decreased ability of Shp2 deficient cells to undergo morphogenic events during gastrulation. Finally, I was able to extend the embryo chimera analysis to investigate functions for Shp2 later in development. This study has revealed requirements for Shp2 during the development of the heart, branchial arches and the limb. Focusing on limb development, I demonstrated that Shp2 was specifically required in the group of mesenchyme cells directly underneath the distal ectoderm of the limb bud, the Progress Zone (PZ). Shp2 was dispensable for these mesenchyme cells to respond to mitogenic signals during outgrowth of the limb bud, but was absolutely required for the mesenchyme cells to deliver signal(s) to the overlying ectoderm to maintain the apical ectodermal ridge (AER). (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
Cellular mechanisms of resistance to mammary tumorigenesis in the Copenhagen rat

Studies have identified several genes that play a role in susceptibility to human breast cancer. In contrast, little is known about genes conferring resistance to breast cancer. Resistance is difficult to study in humans, but the Copenhagen (Cop) rat is resistant to mammary tumor induction, and provides an excellent model to study this phenomenon. This thesis focuses on mechanisms that may be responsible for resistance of Cop rats to mammary tumorigenesis. Since there was evidence that T-cell immunity may be involved in resistance, I bred Cop rats with athymic, nude rats that are T-cell deficient, then interbred the F1 offspring to produce F2 animals, some of which were athymic with partial Cop background. If T-cell immunity is involved in resistance, then athymic F2 rats would be more susceptible to mammary tumorigenesis than their euthymic littermates. No tumors developed in any of the F2 rats, indicating resistance to mammary tumorigenesis is not T-cell related and that the parental nude strain is also resistant. Next, I examined the cellular structures of mammary glands of Cop and susceptible rats at various times following carcinogen treatment. Preneoplastic lesions known as intraductal proliferations (IDPs) that harbor 'Ha-ras ' mutation were evident in both strains at early time points, but unlike susceptible rats, the IDPs in Cop rats failed to progress into more advanced lesions and instead disappeared. I examined several potential mechanisms that may be responsible for the disappearance of IDPs in Cop rats. Surprisingly, I found that the proliferative index was higher in Cop IDPs than in those of susceptible Wistar-Furth rats at a time when the IDPs in Cop rats were disappearing. There was, however, a concomitant increase in the apoptotic index in the Cop lesions. Finally, I showed that high levels of cyclin D 1 expression may be important in progression from IDPs to more advanced lesions, since this gene was highly expressed in all tumors but only in some IDPs. Furthermore, elevated expression of this gene may be of importance in resistance, since Cop IDPs had lower levels of cyclin D1 than IDPs of susceptible rats.
Analysis of the impact of the alternate funding plan at the Hospital for Sick Children Department of Paediatrics

The purpose of this study was to review the impact of an alternate physician funding plan (AFP) in the Department of Paediatrics of The Hospital for Sick Children on the incentives and resulting behaviours of the physician members of the Department. The AFP was implemented in 1990, enabling analysis of the impact to fiscal year 1994/95. It was hypothesized that the establishment of the AFP would be associated with a decrease in clinical utilization, a change in the types of clinical services provided with more counselling and consultations and less diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and an increase in the teaching and research activities of the Department members. It was also hypothesized that the participating paediatricians would express greater satisfaction with the AFP than with the previously existing fee-for-service arrangements. The study was completed with two research components; the first comprised quantitative analysis of physician clinical, teaching and research utilization at The Hospital for Sick Children (HSC). The research design consisted of an interrupted time series analysis. The study period was fiscal 1989/90 to 1994/95. To control for the effects of history the variables were measured during the study time periods for all paediatricians in the province of Ontario, as a non-equivalent, no treatment control. The second component of the study consisted of a satisfaction survey of all of the pediatricians involved in the AFP. The clinical utilization of the paediatrician members of the Department of Paediatrics of the Hospital for Sick Children was not shown to be statistically significantly different from the clinical utilization of Ontario paediatricians during the study time frame. While there was a change in the type of services rendered by the HSC paediatricians during this period, the direction of the change was in the opposite direction from that hypothesized. The HSC paediatricians reported an increase in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures with concomitant decreases in assessment, hospital care and counselling procedures. There was evidence of increased teaching and research activity among the HSC paediatricians during the study time frame. Finally, while the satisfaction survey presented generally positive responses from the participating physicians regarding medical practice at the Hospital for Sick Children, the survey respondents did not generally report that the AFP had a positive impact on their ability to complete their work at the Hospital for Sick Children. The analysis suggests that the AFP, as implemented in the Department of Paediatrics at The Hospital for Sick Children, did not directly change the financial incentives within the structure of physician practice and eliminated some of the feedback mechanisms necessary for ongoing monitoring and improvement of physician utilization. It is therefore not surprising to find that this alternate funding plan did not have a large impact on the behaviours and performance of the participating academic paediatricians.
Narrative inquiry in a multicultural landscape, multicultural teaching and learning

In this school-based narrative inquiry, which took place over three years, I focused on a multicultural school, a teacher in the school, and the teacher's understanding of her multicultural class. The purpose was to develop a narrative understanding of multicultural education by examining the teacher's experiences in the context of the school and community. This builds on Connelly and Clandinin's work on teacher knowledge as it develops in professional contexts (in press), and focuses on multiculturalism. I began the inquiry with immigrant teachers who were certified outside Canada and who were negotiating entry into the Ontario education system. I explored their experiences in the context of a university program that focused on the development of their skills. I continued the inquiry with an immigrant teacher working in an urban school for fifteen years. I examined this classroom from three perspectives: 'Place', the community landscape and school context; 'temporality', the history of the school and current programs; and 'interaction', my relationship with the school and the teacher, and the teacher's relationship with the school and students. Through long-term participant observation in the school and classroom, intensive on-going dialogue with my participant, and writing field texts and research texts I found that the literature and language of multiculturalism create ways of thinking about classrooms such as mine, which, I discovered, miss the complexity. In writing the inquiry I developed various aesthetic devices in an attempt to make apparent my location as researcher, the impact of my experiences on the inquiry, and how my relationship with the school and teacher shaped my experiences in the school, inspired how I wrote about the inquiry, and impacted my views of multiculturalism. I came to see a narrative approach as offering a new perspective on multiculturalism; one I term narrative multiculturalism. Narrative multiculturalism begins with experience as it is shaped by the contexts in which people live and work, and by broader societal and global forces. This approach views multiculturalism as a fluid process, continually evolving, changing, transforming. Narrative multiculturalism looks at the potential of multiculturalism to enrich disciplines and lives in increasingly globalizing societies.
Myocardial bioenergetics in children undergoing cardiac surgery, the effect of cyanosis, age and gender

'Objective'. Animal studies indicated detrimental effects of chronic hypoxia on myocardial metabolism and function. We studied whether cyanosis, young age or female gender adversely affects myocardial bioenergetics, ventricular function and clinical outcome in children. 'Methods'. 48 children undergoing repair of tetralogy of Fallot were divided according to their preoperative saturation: group I; >90% (n = 14), group II; 80-89% (n = 16) and group III; 65-79% (n = 18). Myocardial energy levels, including adenosine triphosphate (ATP) was measured. Ejection fraction (EF) was measured by echocardiography. 'Results'. Group III had lower preoperative EF (P < 0.01) and lower pre-ischemic ATP (P < 0.01). At 15 minute ischemia group III had lower ATP (P < 0.01) and with reperfusion both cyanotic groups lost further ATP compared to partial recovery in the acyanotic group (P < 0.01). Children in group III had a more complicated postoperative course. Young children (<6 months) lost more ATP during ischemia compared to older children and had worse clinical outcome. Females had lower baseline ATP but similar clinical outcome compared to males. 'Conclusions'. Cyanosis adversely affects metabolism, function and clinical outcome of children undergoing cardiac surgery. Young age and female gender, as well, adversely affects the above parameters, however to a lesser degree.
L'énonciation scripturale, l'exemple de Roland Barthes

La thèse décrit des stratégies de persuasion effectuées par l'énonciation scripturale. Celle-ci dénote le "faire" du langage écrit, faire qui comprend notamment la construction stratégique des éléments de la situation discursive (la scénographie): le temps, l'espace, la personne, et la transtextualité. Les correspondances de ces derniers éléments aux catégories établies par la rhétorique ancienne et par la rhétorique moderne sont discutées. L'exposé théorique se poursuit et se complète dans les analyses textuelles. Les passages analysés viennent tous de l'oeuvre de Roland Barthes. Ce choix vient de l'intention d'offrir une meilleure appréciation des procédés traditionnels de la persuasion dans la pratique scripturale de Barthes, procédes qui ont été quelque peu négliges en faveur de l'attention prêtée aux aspects innovateurs de cette pratique.
A measurement of the dijet mass differential cross section in proton-antiproton collisions at 1.8 TeV

We have used 86 pb-1 of data collected with the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) to measure the cross section for production of two or more jets as a function of dijet invariant mass. The data are corrected for detector response and calorimeter resolution effects. Our results are compared with predictions from next-to-leading order Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) and a measurement performed by the DØ experiment. We see a trend, similar to the excess observed in the inclusive jet cross section at high transverse energy, but find our data to be in agreement with the QCD predictions. The CDF and DØ data are in good agreement.
Study of Bauschinger effect in various spring steels

It is recognized that the effective life of automotive suspension springs could be ended by yielding rather than fracture. The industry describes this problem as load loss or sag. Recent trends to design and manufacture light-weight automobiles result in higher working stress in springs requiring a further improved sag resistance of spring steels. The present study is conducted to characterize the sag behavior of the SAE 5160H, 9259V, and Duraspring steels by using Bauschinger effect test. Results of this systematic study showed that 9259V demonstrated a stronger Bauschinger effect compared to 5160H and Duraspring steels. Consequently, 9259V should have a better sag resistance over all. The effects of hardness level on Bauschinger effect were also established. The magnitude of Bauschinger effect reached a peak value when 9259V was hardened to HRc 50 and tested with 1% of pre-plastic strain. However, for 5160H and Duraspring steels, only a continuous reduction in Bauschinger effect with increasing in hardness has been observed. Silicon was realized to be the major alloy element influencing Bauschinger effect. The greater the silicon content in the steel, the larger the Bauschinger effect, and therefore, the better the sag resistance of the spring. In addition to silicon, carbon content also plays a role to affect Bauschinger effect. The results from present study can provide the basis for both the design of new spring steels and the modification of the existing spring steels.
Anna Maria Ortese, a testimony of time

This dissertation is an analysis of Anna Maria Ortese's themes and stylistic evolution. The purpose of this thematic study is to give a structure to Ortese's works and to provide unifying categories that reflect three distinct phases in her literary career. This chronological method also allows one to appreciate the progression in her works and the socio-historic value in them. The first chapter provides the environment in which Ortese's literary career began. The tragic death of Ortese's brother was what led to her need to release her pain through literature. This is also a period between the two world wars ruled by Benito Mussolini and the Fascist movement. The time period may have contributed to the author's themes of escape and wishful adventure. Her way of depicting autobiographical situations through a magical perspective led to Massimo Bontempelli's interest in her writings since it reminded him of his own magic realism. The second chapter discusses another phase in Ortese's writings which arose after the second world war. During this time, her works took on a rebellious, berating tone and her themes dealt with the poor socio-economic conditions of Naples. This was the Neorealist period when many cinematographers as well as writers such as Ortese were inspired to talk about the horrific imprints left behind by the war. During Ortese's last literary phase, her style changed to more of a fantastic one, while remaining true to her mission of exposing society's ills. Chapter three analyzes the purpose of Ortese's use of the fantastic and how she used it to accomplish her mission. It is hoped that this dissertation will offer a new point of view on Ortese's works and a renewed sense of appreciation for an author who has been misunderstood.
Systematics and biology of Grania (Annelida: clitellata: Enchytraeidae) of the Bermuda Islands

The diversity and distribution of the marine enchytraeid genus 'Grania' present within intertidal and subtidal coastal habitats of the Atlantic island of Bermuda are investigated. Two new species, ' Grania laxarta' and 'Grania hylae', are recorded and ' Grania bermudensis' and 'Grania americana' are redescribed from Bermuda, Florida and the Caribbean. These recent descriptions incorporate the new taxonomic character information of bipartite sac male apparatus and the anterior cerebral statocyst. This statocyst is the first description within clitellate annelids. These new informative characteristics were combined with a compilation of familiar characters for the genus to produce a dichotomous key for eight species of 'Grania' and two species of the genus ' Randidrilus' from the western Atlantic and Caribbean. 'Grania ' species from these areas were also used in a phylogenetic study to determine possible evolutionary relationships among the Bermudian species. An evolutionary hypothesis of dispersal by currents, the Gulf Stream in particular, was suggested for the species of 'Grania' that occupy Bermuda, due to its volcanic, oceanic island history. The combination of good taxonomic information with characteristically small ranged species enable 'Grania ' to be a model taxon for zoogeographic studies of benthic marine invertebrates.
Isolation and characterization of low-density lipoprotein lipid glycation products

One of the pathological consequences of diabetes due to hyperglycemia is the nonenzymatic glycation of free amino groups by glucose. Not only proteins and nucleic acids participate in this reaction but aminophospholipids also under go glycation. This thesis describes the isolation and characterization of the products of the reaction between glucose and amino phospholipids 'in vitro' and 'in vivo' sources and their possible pathogenic effects. The major glycation products described here are the products of phosphatidylethanolamine (PtdEtn) and phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) with glucose which were identified by liquid chromatography with online electrospray mass spectrometry (LC/MS). The major product of the reaction was the glucosylated aminophospholipid which on the normal phase HPLC was resolved from the non glucosylated phospholipid. The glucosylated PtdEtn (Glc PtdEtn) and PtdSer (Glc PtdSer) were also identified in Red Blood Cells (RBC) incubated with various glucose concentrations. The pattern of glycation of the RBC aminophospholipids showed that the glycation reaction did not have any preference for specific molecular species or aminophospholipid class. Glycated PtdEtn was also identified in both plasma and RBC of control and diabetic individuals. There was a 10-fold increase in the amount of glycated PtdEtn in diabetic subjects when compared to the controls. Glycated PtdEtn was identified 'in vitro' preparations of LDL in presence of various glucose concentrations. LDL PtdEtn glucosylation was concentration dependent and both diacyl and plasmalogenic species were glucosylated. The glycated PtdEtn when present in liposomal preparation showed an increased susceptibility to oxidation. Glc-PtdEtn also resulted in an increased oxidative susceptibility of other phospholipids, such as phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho), when present in the liposomal mixture. This susceptibility was also observed for LDL specifically enriched in Glc-PtdEtn in presence of copper ions. As a result of Glc PtdEtn both LDL PtdCho hydroperoxides and PtdCho core aldehydes had 4 fold increase compared to control LDL during copper oxidation. Finally, it was established that Glc-PtdEtn present in LDL can result in increased LDL uptake by macrophages resulting in cholesteryl ester and triacylglycerol deposition in THP-1 macrophages. The results indicate that glucosylation of PtdEtn in LDL accounts for the entire effect of LDL glycation on macrophage uptake, and therefore the increased atherogenic potential of LDL in hyperglycemia.