VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Bioinformatic approaches to the study of insect neuropeptides with particular emphasis on the allatostatins

Neuropeptides called allatostatins (ASTs) were first identified in the cockroach Diploptera punctata on the basis of their ability to inhibit the biosynthesis of the juvenile hormone. We predicted putative antigenic sequential epitopes on the surface of the Drosophila allatostatin receptor DAR-2 by analyzing the primary amino acid sequence. A peptide derived from one epitope was then used to immunize rabbits, producing antisera which blocked radiolabelled AST binding to cell membranes. Identifying regulatory elements within non-coding genomic regions has been called one of the most important goals of the post-genomic era. Comparing sequence information across species can identify DNA regions whose sequence conservation reflects conserved function. The YXFGLa-AST preprohormone gene Ast in D. melanogaster codes for four AST peptides. Genome assemblies for D. simulans, D. ananassae, D. yakuba, D. pseudoobscura, D. mojavensis and D. grimshawi were screened against Ast in order to identify orthologous genes. The ASTs are nearly identical across species with the exception of AST-1, in which the leading residue may be either methionine or valine. By applying phylogenetic footprinting techniques to the Ast orthologues, we identified potential transcription factor binding site motifs, representing four families of transcription factors that might be involved in regulating Ast expression. The distribution of putative DAR-2 receptors in the central nervous system of larval Drosophila was characterized with the antisera. Immunoreactivity in the brain appears to be associated with glial septa surrounding neuropil compartments, whereas immunoreactive cell bodies in the ventral ganglion appear to occupy the cortex surrounding the central neuropil. Five cell bodies in the region of the ring gland corresponding to the corpora cardiaca are intensely immunolabelled by both DAR-2 and AST antisera.'Mining' the data generated by microarray experiments conducted to study the metamorphic transition of the Drosophila midgut reveals small changes in the expression of genes coding for known neuropeptides and neuropeptide receptors. Diuretic hormone, YXFGLa-ASTs, myoinhibiting peptide, ecdysis-triggering hormone, drosokinin, and the burs subunit of bursicon, as well as the receptors DAR-2, NPFR1, ALCR-2, Lkr and DH-R, all show evidence of regulation during midgut metamorphosis.
Biography as history: Dr. Jonathan Woolverton and Protestant conscience in nineteenth-century Ontario

This thesis explores the life of Dr. Jonathan Woolverton (1811-1883), an Upper Canadian Physician, Temperance Society President, Local School Superintendent, Grammar School Chair, Justice of the Peace, son, husband and father. Although Dr. Woolverton did not achieve the kind of fame or fortune that usually attracts biographers, he was a citizen of stature in his local community at a time of political, educational and medical instability and change. He had a strong interest in the science of medicine, a keen enthusiasm for educational reform, and a deep commitment to his family, community, profession, country, and his God. He shared publicly his reflections on life's triumphs, failures and struggles, and his views on religion, education, science and the family within his diary, Temperance and Education speech journal, and letters to the Department of Education. Taken together, these records not only provide a detailed example of the concerns of an Upper Canadian citizen and professional man; they also offer rich and unusual insights into the inner life of a man profoundly influenced by his faith. This dissertation uses the concept of Protestant Conscience and the biographical genre to explore one man's perceptions of the active role faith played in helping him to both understand and to respond to the personal and professional exigencies of life with a sense of hope, support and direction. This concept of Protestant Conscience can be understood as the implementation of those shared and Scripturally informed Protestant principles, beliefs and practices that will, according to believers, work actively to mobilize the improvement of individuals and society. The use of the biographical genre has provided the unique opportunity to explore the ways in which Woolverton's particular religious faith worked at the level of every day experience to profoundly effect the ways in which he understood his own life, and his relation to the world. This work is important because it helps to shed some light on faith outside of the nineteenth-century "Church." This thesis serves to address the historical significance of Protestant Conscience through the careful study of Dr. Woolverton's reflections on the interconnection between the secular and spiritual.
A balancing act: the effects of participation in a school musical on its performers

Despite the findings of researchers whose mainstream publications support the inclusion of the arts in life-long learning (Colwell and Richardson, 2002; Eisner, 1992; Gardner, 1993; Pitman, 1998; Rauscher, 1997; Taylor, 2000; Weinberger, 1999), the role of the arts in schools remains uncertain. In order to secure a permanent place for the arts in education and funding for its specialist teachers, much arts-based research has focused on examining the link between learning in the arts and the achievement of academic excellence and social development. Although this link is supported by recent studies (Upitis and Smithrim, 2002) this research has not been sufficient to secure the place of the curricular arts in Ontario's schools. It therefore may be time to examine the role of the arts in schools from a co-curricular perspective and to consider the value of personal student accounts in defining the benefits of arts participation. This participatory case study involved 24 volunteer cast members from a school production of the musical The Music Man. The study site was located at an independent boys' day school in an urban centre in Ontario. The study group was comprised of male cast members from the boys' school and female cast members from an independent girls' school. Data drawn from rehearsal logs and two volunteer student focus groups provided rich and detailed descriptions of the effects of this co-educational, co-curricular experience on the performers' lives. The findings from this study indicate that the students believe the school musical to be a positive and valuable arts occurrence. Their accounts support the belief that the school musical can provide its performers with a holistic and reflective artistic experience. The study recommends that schools make every attempt to retain curricular drama and music courses and that co-curricular musical theatre experiences are valuable learning occurrences for the participants.

Keywords: Music in education
Drama in education
Art in education
Control of the M/G1 and G1/S phase transitions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades convey signals in eukaryotic cells through the sequential phosphorylation and activation of three protein kinases. In yeast, mating and filamentous growth share multiple components of a single MAPK cascade. These kinases are the MAPKKK Ste 11, the MAPKK Ste7 and two MAPKs, Fus3 and Kss1. The transcription factor Ste 12 is the target of both developmental pathways. The first part of this thesis addressed the mechanisms that ensure signal fidelity between the two signal outputs. This work challenges the model that the MAPK Fus3 ensures specificity in the mating response by physically occluding the MAPK Kss1 from the active Ste5 complex. I demonstrated that deletion of either individual MAPK had little affect on the genome-wide transcriptional response to pheromone. Further, catalytically inactive versions of Fus3 largely failed to attenuate the transcriptional response to pheromone in fus3Delta cells, and the exposure to mating pheromone stimulated the kinase activity of both MAPKs. I thus propose that both Fus3 and Kss1 are bona fide components of the mating program. To define the role of distal MAPK components in invasive growth and the presence of an associated transcriptional program, I performed genome-wide transcriptional analysis on combinatorial deletion strains of FUS3, KSS1, RST1 and RST2. This analysis revealed that Rst1 and Fus3 are the dominant inhibitors of invasive growth. By comparing transcriptional profiles of invasive versus non-invasive strains, I demonstrated that there is no concrete transcriptional program associated with invasive growth. Thus, invasive growth can be viewed as a component of the pheromone response. The second part of this thesis focuses on the Mitotic Exit Network (MEN), a signaling cascade that is activated at the end of mitosis to shut down cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) activity. To identify novel MEN regulators, I used a high-throughput genetic approach to identify synthetic lethal interactions with nine men mutants. In total, 84 genes were identified that I named MEN Interactors (MNIs). The confirmed genetic interactions have provided connections to pathways with previously uncharacterized roles in mitotic exit. Furthermore, this study reveals that the PKC/MAPK pathway may not function in a linear manner with respect to MEN.
Experimental study of the flow downstream of a 3 x 3 square matrix of swirling droplet laden air jets

Due to the small fuel and air channels of the nozzle used, seeding the airflow with solid particles to perform PIV experiments was not an option. Instead liquid was injected in the air stream and a MATLAB routine was developed to identify the size of the seeding drops and filter out those that were larger than 3 x 3 pixels. The key to reducing combustion emissions such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) is fast and thorough mixing of fuel and air. The aim of multi-point lean direct injection (LDI) technique is to improve mixing and atomization by injecting fuel in small amounts through multiple injection ports. Multiple small injectors are used instead of a main injector introducing fuel and air streams in the combustion chamber. Various combustion studies reported in the literature showed that multi-point lean direct injection (LDI) nozzles had lower emissions compared to other ordinary nozzles. Besides these overall combustion performance studies there are no detailed investigations of the nozzle flow and the role of mixing and atomization in achieving the low emission performance. The objectives of this study were: (1) Characterize turbulence and spray fields; and (2) Investigate the effect of lateral jet interaction on spray quality and mixing. This work is an experimental investigation of the flow downstream of a multi-point LDI nozzle. The nozzle is a 3 x 3 square matrix of 9 small swirling air jets with fuel inject at the center of each jet. The design swirl number was 0.8 and the Reynolds number of the flow was 40 000. The experiments were conducted under non-burning conditions at atmospheric conditions. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) and Phase Doppler particle anemometry (PDPA) were used to map the velocity and spray properties. The investigation covered the region within the first 18 jet diameters downstream of the nozzle exit plane. The results showed that: (1) Lateral jet interaction slows the spreading rate of the jets and improves turbulence, thus mixing. The improved turbulence is due mostly to the opposing direction of the tangential component; (2) Increased spray number density and droplets relative velocity in the matrix favors coalescence; (3) Although smaller injectors achieve better atomization than ordinary nozzles, jet-jet interaction occurring when matrices of small jets are used offsets this gain in atomization quality; and (4) Results suggest that the emission reduction is due to improved mixing.
What is the right approach of obviousness in patent litigation under Canada's pharmaceutical linkage relationships: To test or not to test?

This thesis comprises an analysis of whether scientific research in the lead-up period to an invention by pharmaceutical companies should vitiate a finding of obviousness in patent litigation under Canada's linkage regulations ("Regulations"). Confusion over the test for obviousness was deemed to relate to a lack of understanding by courts of the inventive capacity of persons skilled in the art of pharmaceutical sciences. A purposive social sciences construction of the normative practices of such persons supports an approach to obviousness that would allow testing without vitiating a finding of obviousness. A suggestion toward a fair, unequivocal and predictable test is made which has its locus in Canadian law, federal policy underlying the Regulations and Supreme Court jurisprudence in leading patent cases. The proposed test is consistent with appellate court jurisprudence and commentary in other jurisdictions and provides a patent policy which facilitates rather than impedes innovation in the pharmaceutical sector.

Keywords: Patent suits, Canada
Pharmacy, Law and legislation
Pharmacy, Canada
Patent laws and legislation, Canada
Intellectual property, Canada
Cell and tissue polarity regulation by signal transduction pathways

Dynamic changes of cell and tissue polarity occur during embryogenesis and adult homeostasis, as well as during carcinoma progression and other pathophysiological processes. In recent years, it has been discovered that polarity is regulated by the assembly of evolutionarily conserved protein complexes. However, the mechanisms by which such complexes assemble in response to extracellular cues, and the subsequent cellular machinery harnessed to affect polarity remain poorly understood. Here, I present the elucidation of two distinct mechanisms by which the Transforming Growth Factor β (TGFβ) and Wnt signal transduction networks, respectively, control the assembly of the Par6-Smurf protein complex to regulate polarity. TGFβ promotes the invasion and metastasis of advanced carcinomas in a process analogous to Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), whereby epithelial cells lose their apico-basal polarity and acquire fibroblastoid characteristics. Here, I show that upon TGFβ pathway activation, the polarity regulator Par6 is phosphorylated on its penultimate aminoacid residue by the TGFβ Type II receptor, in vivo and in vitro. This leads to the presence of a distinct phospho-isoform of Par6 at tight junctions that uniquely binds the Smurf1 E3 ubiquitin ligase in order to locally ubiquitinate and degrade targets. This process is required for TGFβ-dependent EMT. A different kind of polarity, called planar cell polarity or tissue polarity, is regulated by the Wnt signalling network. Here, I show that Par6 binds constitutively to the key Wnt mediator, Dishevelled (Dvl). Upon Wnt activation and Dvl phosphorylation, Smurf is recruited and binds specifically to phospho-Dvl, thereby forming a tri-protein complex with Par6 and Dvl. Smurf ubiquitinates and degrades the PCP regulator Prickle, and is essential for the embryologic manifestations of tissue polarity in vertebrates, including convergent extension cell movements during gastrulation, as well as the correct planar cell polarity of the cochlear hair cells.
Speech motor control in aphasia

The speech motor control system is an important and fundamental component in human verbal communication. The current research aimed to further our understanding of speech motor abilities in individuals with aphasia, and to explore the influence of linguistic complexity on speech motor functions. This thesis describes three experiments, which have utilized physiological measurements to study linguistic processing and speech movements. A total of eight individuals with aphasia and fifteen normal speakers participated in three experiments. Electromagnetic midsagittal articulograph was used to record movements from different articulators (upper lip, lower lip, jaw and tongue) for experiments 1 and 2 (Chapters 2, 3, and 4), and a separate acoustic study was performed to measure reaction time and word duration in experiment 3 (Chapter 5). The selected stimuli provided access to different aspects of linguistic and motor processes and consisted of speech versus nonspeech tasks, nonword sequences with a different number of syllables, and simple monosyllabic words which differed in word and bigram frequency. This research provides new insights into speech motor control in aphasia and a significant step towards a more complete understanding of the verbal expression difficulties in aphasia. The findings indicate that it is important to incorporate both linguistic and speech motor processes in future models of speech/language production. Kinematic analysis of speech versus nonspeech tasks showed that individuals with aphasia demonstrated significantly smaller amplitudes, longer durations and higher variability of individual movements. Unlike normal speakers, the aphasic subjects demonstrated difficulty to implement kinematic changes at the fast rate condition. Kinematic analysis also showed that an increase in linguistic complexity had a direct effect on lip kinematics, and movement duration and variability were significantly different between individuals with aphasia and normal speakers in linguistically more complex conditions (i.e., for longer non-word sequences). Aphasic individuals also demonstrated lower stability in movement coordination for bilabial closure. Reaction time analysis showed that although individuals with aphasia were slower in general, they were qualitatively similar to normal speaker in retrieving words. However, for word duration it was shown that aphasic speakers took longer to produce words with tense vowels compared to words with lax vowels.
The effects of an early life transient thyroid hormone deficiency on the subsequent colour vision capabilities of children

Animal research has shown that within the visual system, thyroid hormone (TH) is necessary for the differentiation of cone photoreceptor subtypes. In humans, cones are responsible for colour vision and since it is possible that TH plays a similar role in human cone differentiation as it does in animals, it is therefore possible that children who experienced a lack of TH during development have colour vision deficits. In order to ascertain the role of TH in the development of human colour vision, the colour vision of children who experienced a TH deficiency during pregnancy or early life was assessed. Results indicated that children who experienced a third trimester or early life TH deficiency had deficits relative to controls on measures of the blue-yellow visual pathway. This deficit was related to some indices of TH levels during development and also to performance on behavioural tasks where colour was a salient feature.
Corporate governance issues in Canadian-German Dual Listed Companies

Despite the global presence of Dual Listed Companies (DLCs) legal literature has not yet awarded much attention to this special company structure set out to combine the businesses of two corporations located in different countries. As with all cross-border mergers, the DLC structures are complex subject matter due to the fact that they involve more than one jurisdiction and different governance systems. This thesis addresses various corporate governance issues that arise when a Canadian and a German company merge under a DLC structure. In particular, it demonstrates the challenges that the DLC structure provides to shareholders and boards of directors in both jurisdictions, namely the mere difficulty of ascertaining how the DLC provisions in the DLC agreements operate alongside the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA) and the German Stock Corporation Act, respectively. It argues that notwithstanding existing legal obstacles a homogeneous DLC-model of a Canadian and German publicly traded company can be implemented.

Keywords: Corporate governance, Germany
Corporate governance, Canada
International business enterprises, Germany
International business enterprises, Canada
Hollywood "heroes": a critical approach to viewing teachers in film

Many varied images of teachers have been portrayed in Hollywood films. Since I am a teacher, Hollywood portrayals of teachers intrigue me. This thesis will examine the way in which teachers are represented in two Hollywood films, John N. Smith's Dangerous Minds (1995) and John G. Avildsen's Lean On Me (1989). I explore the ways in which these films construct the teacher as hero through recent literature on teacher self-image, as well as work in cultural studies. I suggest that these Hollywood representations are problematic, particularly from the perspective of teachers-as-audience members. I argue that it is imperative that we do not accept these images at face value. Instead I propose that we develop critical strategies to view Hollywood films such as these in order to combat any stereotypes encoded in the images. In doing so, it is my hope that viewers are able to create their own meanings.

Keywords: Teachers in motion pictures
Teaching
Transduction of neural stem cells with oncogenes: a novel model for the study of brain tumorigenesis

The cell of origin of brain tumours is unknown and determinants of brain tumour phenotype are poorly understood. Evidence suggests a neural stem cell is the target for transformation leading to a brain tumour. In this thesis, we established a model system to test whether neural stem cells may be transformed and driven down a particular differentiation pathway. Neural stem cells, cultured as neurospheres, were retrovirally infected in vitro with a brain tumour derived oncogene, EGFRvIII; an oncogenic form of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) found in human malignant astrocytomas. The effect of EGFRvIII on neural stem cell self renewal, proliferation, differentiation and migration was studied. Results suggest that EGFRvII increases self renewal and proliferation of cells, and may alter neural stem cell differentiation and migration. The results establish an experimental model which explores early stages of brain tumorigenesis through expression and analysis of oncogenes in neural stem cells.