VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Designing an efficient securities market for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), perspectives for reform

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a vital role in the Canadian economy. While the growth and success of these enterprises do not depend solely on financial support, access to financing is critical for their expansion. In this respect, public equity financing performs a crucial function among the various sources of capital in the funding of growing SMEs. Accordingly, it is essential that smaller enterprises for which going public is justified are able to access the public equity market. The issue of the accessibility of public equity financing implicates directly securities legislation, which regulates capital markets. Thus, the purpose of this dissertation is to examine the role of securities regulation in enhancing capital formation by entrepreneurial firms. The dissertation focuses more particularly on the initial public offering (IPO) market because of the vital function that it performs in allocating capital to enterprises. The dissertation analyses the institutional setting in which securities are issued and priced for factors that contribute to an efficient market. Drawing on a review of the empirical research literature on the pricing efficiency of the initial public offering market, it underlines the market imperfections that may hinder SMEs' access to the equity market and that regulation should seek to correct. Ile dissertation also studies the regulatory framework governing the IPO market and shows that it is not adapted to the particularities of SMEs and imposes thereby unnecessary barriers to the financing of SMEs. Taking as a starting point the work of the Ontario Securities Commission Task Force on Small Business Financing, the dissertation then examines specific proposals to facilitate securities offerings by SMEs. While the dissertation concerns primarily the IPO market, it addresses some aspects of the development of an active and liquid secondary market for small and medium-sized enterprises. In performing the revision of the regulatory framework this dissertation emphasises the need for the implementation of a cost-effective regulatory regime governing the securities market.
Canadian resource co-management boards and their relationship to indigenous knowledge, two case studies

Northern Canada has seen the emergence of various forms of resource co-management agreements over the last decades. Co-management arrangements either result from land claims agreements between Canada and First Nations/Inuit, or crises (real or perceived) regarding a particular resource. Co-management boards consisting of Indigenous and government representatives, often claim to base their natural resource management decision-making on both biological resource science and the represented Indigenous peoples' traditional environmental knowledge. Traditional environmental knowledge research has become a rapidly growing field of academic inquiry. The abilities of co-management bodies (who formulate or advise on natural resource policies) to rely on the represented Indigenous communities environmental knowledge has not received much attention. This research compares the capabilities of the crisis-based Beverly and Qamanirjuaq Caribou Management Board (BQCMB) and the land-claims-based, Gwich'in Renewable Resource Board (GRRB) to rely on the knowledges and concerns of represented Dene and Gwich'in communities in their operations. The structural, cultural, and legislative framework of the solely advisory BQCMB differs greatly from that of the policy making GRRB. This thesis analyzes how such differences affect the Boards' relationships to the environmental knowledge of the communities. Fieldwork conducted over the 1996-8 period in communities represented at the Boards and at BQCMB and GRRB meetings thus aimed to understand the communities' experiences with the Boards. The BQCMB's relatively weak status as solely advisory to governments, coupled with its community representative structure, hinder its ability to achieve meaningful community participation, and subsequently its ability to rely on Dene environmental knowledge. The GRRB, on the other hand, has the power to make policies and establish rules and regulations for the region it covers. This, coupled with its culturally appropriate community representation and meeting structure, permits inclusion of Gwich'in environmental knowledge. Ultimately, however, the ability to operate according to Dene and Gwich'in environmental knowledge and views of appropriate interaction with the land, is circumscribed by the wider Euro-Canadian bureaucratic structures within which both boards have to operate. Only knowledge that does not challenge the Euro-Canadian construction of reality is being used.
The attenuation of progesterone effects on the uterus at the time of labour

Progesterone (P4) is essential for the maintenance of pregnancy in part due to its inhibition of uterine contractility. In most species this inhibitory action is terminated by decreased P4 production. In humans however, there is no evidence of any such decrease, suggesting that P4 dominance over the myometrium must be overcome by a mechanism other than a decrease in maternal circulating levels of P4. The actions of P4 on the myometrium may be mediated in part through one of its 5Ã-reduced metabolites allopregnanolone (AP) which acts by agonistically binding to ã-aminobutyric acid receptors. As well, the signaling pathway through which P4 acts includes its nuclear receptor A and B isoforms. The action of these receptors may be affected by heat-shock proteins (HSP) and steroid receptor coactivators. We therefore investigated whether labour was associated with: a decrease in the amount of AP; a change in the relative amounts of the A and B receptor isoforms; changes in HSP or steroid receptor coactivator expression. Samples from women who were not in labour at the time of delivery were compared to samples obtained from women who were in labour. AP levels were not found to significantly differ between serum samples obtained from women not in labour and women in labour at the time of delivery. No significant change in P4 receptor isoforms was found in human myometrium at labour. HSP90Ã, and HSP90ß, but not HSP70 increased in the human myometrium with term labour. SRC1 and TIF2, but not ARA70 increased in the human myometrium from preterm not in labour to term in labour samples. Therefore, functional withdrawal of P4 in the human can not be explained by altering P4 receptor levels, or by a decrease in its 5Ã-reduced metabolite AP, but may be due in part to increases in HSPs and steroid receptor coactivators within the myometrium. These changes might modify the transcriptional activity of the P4R and/or estrogen receptor systems thereby modifying myometrial expression of various proteins associated with contractions, without there being a change in steroid hormone levels or a change in steroid receptor levels.
Factors that modify penicillamine-induced lupus in Brown Norway rats, a model of idiosyncratic drug reactions

Idiosyncratic drug reactions appear to be immune-mediated. Immune responses are driven by helper T cells (Th); Th1 responses promote cell-mediated immunity whereas Th2 responses drive antibody-mediated reactions. Th1 cytokines inhibit Th2 responses and Th2 cytokines inhibit Th1 responses; therefore, it may be possible to prevent idiosyncratic drug reactions by changing the Th1/Th2 cytokine balance. We tested this hypothesis in an animal model in which penicillamine causes a lupus-like syndrome in Brown Norway rats. This syndrome has the hallmarks of a Th2-mediated response, and we tried to inhibit it with a polymer of inosine and cytosine (poly I:C), a Th1 cytokine-inducer. However, we found that a single dose of poly I:C, given at the onset of penicillamine treatment, significantly increased both the incidence (100% vs. 60%) and accelerated the onset (30 ± 4 vs. 39 ± 5 days) of penicillamine-induced lupus when compared with controls. To rule out other effects of poly I:C that might overshadow the induction of Th1 cytokines, we directly tested the effects of the prototypic Th1 cytokine, interferon-ã. Although not as dramatic, interferon-ã-pretreatment also appeared to make the syndrome worse. Conversely, when we used misoprostol, a prostaglandin-E analog that inhibits Th1 cytokines, it completely protected the animals. Just one dose of misoprostol prior to initiation of penicillamine treatment was sufficient to provide this protection. Evidence suggests that nitric oxide (NO) promotes a Th1 response and would be expected to inhibit a Th2 response. The syndrome was also completely inhibited by aminoguanidine, an inhibitor of iNOS. Again, these results were the opposite of that expected from the Th1/Th2 paradigm. In short, we have demonstrated that penicillamine-induced lupus in BN rats has the capacity to be influenced by the external factors. Poly-I:C, misoprostol and aminoguanidine were shown to effectively manipulate the incidence and severity of the syndrome in BN rats. However, our results suggest that the manipulatory effects of these agents on the development of the syndrome do not seem to correlate with the capacity of these agents to influence the Th1/Th2 cytokine balance in BN rats. Finally, our data implicate involvement of NO in the development of penicillamine-induced lupus in this animal model.
Effects of salinity on the physical characteristics of activated sludge flocs

The effect of increased wastewater salinity on the physical characteristics of activated sludge flocs was studied by exposing samples of activated sludge to increased NaCl concentrations (salinity test), and to varying Ca$\sp{2+}$:Na$\sp+$ ratios (calcium test). The time response of the flocs to the increased NaCl was also measured. Two salinity tests were run and, for both tests, it was determined that as the NaCl concentration was increased, the mean floc size increased, with the flocs also becoming more elongated with decreasing shape factor. The increase in floc size is considered to be due to a combination of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. Both the porosity and the boundary fractal dimension were found to provide different values in the two salinity tests. The flocs were found to exhibit two distinct Sierpinski fractal dimensions, thus indicating the presence of two pore size populations. Increased salinity had little effect on the smaller pore size population but a significant effect on the larger pore size population. The time response test indicated that the flocs achieved the new characteristics in about 15 minutes. The calcium test revealed that a minimum mean floc size was achieved at a Ca$\sp{2+}$:Na$\sp+$ ratio of 1.0 and the flocs' shape was not correlated with size. The porosity decreased with increasing ratios until an equilibrium value was achieved. The floc surface profile was found to become more rugged with an increased mean floc size and smoother with a decreased mean floc size. Finally, examination of all size distributions revealed that the data were best fitted by a log normal distribution.
Neuronal activity in the subthalamic nucleus and globus pallidus of patients with Parkinson's disease

Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) display bradykinesia, rigidity, and tremor and these symptoms are associated with the loss of dopaminergic input to the striatum of the basal ganglia. The current model of the basal ganglia function predicts that the clinical features of PD are related to elevated firing rates of neurons in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and globus pallidus internus (GPi). However, it is possible that the discharge pattern of neurons in these nuclei also contributes to parkinsonism. The aim of this project was to characterize the pattern of activity and the population behavior of neurons in the STN and GPi and to elucidate the significance of this activity in PD. This thesis describes work carried out in awake patients with PD during stereotaxic brain surgery. Microelectrode recordings of single neurons or pairs of neurons and macroelectrode recordings of local field potentials were performed in the STN, GPi, and globus pallidus externus (GPe), In addition to a reduction in the firing rates of GPi and STN neurons, the dopaminergic medication apomorphine increased neuronal bursting activity, reduced the incidence of cells with tremor-related oscillations, and reduced the receptive fields of neurons to passive movement in these nuclei. Microinjections of inactivating agents in the STN reversed parkinsonian symptoms, especially limb tremor following inactivation of regions with tremor-related cells. In tremulous patients, many STN cells and some GPi cells were observed to synchronously oscillate at the frequency of limb tremor (3-8 Hz) and/or at higher frequencies (15-30 Hz). Both voluntary movement and dopaminergic medication were found to reduce the 15-30 Hz synchronized oscillations in the STN. Interestingly, none of the neuron pairs examined from the STN or GPi showed cross-correlations indicative of synchronization due to direct synaptic connections or direct common input, suggesting that the synchronization of neuronal activity in the basal ganglia is limited to oscillatory activity. These results indicate that neuronal discharge patterns and the population behavior are related to clinical symptoms of PD and may play an important role in the normal and pathological functioning of the basal ganglia.
Embodied transformations, the life-world of home haemodialysis

With a growth in home-care, and increased funding for dialysis, there is a need for the field of Social Work to understand the life world of the people who experience home haemodialysis technology. Given that little research has focussed on the lived-experiences of this population (Nagle, 1995), an exploratory qualitative study was employed (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). The study investigated the embodied life-world experiences of this population using phenomenological methods (Kvale, 1996; van Manen, 1997). A purposive sample of four was selected, with each participant experiencing various lengths of home haemodialysis technology. The data was collected and analyzed in terms of the four phenomenological categories of lived-time, lived-body, lived-spatiality, and lived-relations with others and self (van Manen, 1997). The findings revealed the embodied transformations of the participant's life-world. Implications for social work policy, practice, and research were discussed.
Imagining exurbia: Narratives of land use in the residential countryside

This thesis examines the relationship between exurban residential land use, narratives exurban residents use to describe their land use, and attitudes and motivations implicated in their land uses. The study is predicated on an interest in the ways in which manifestations of the ideals of exurban living shape the aesthetic of the residential countryside and the functions of ecological systems desirable for their amenity value, such as agricultural and pastoral lands and forests. The study is situated in the residential countryside of Toronto, in exurban places which appear to be rural, but which have assumed functions more urban than rural, mostly through increased residence by urbanites. Stories and attitudes about the relationship of exurbanites with their land have been examined along with interpretation of patterns in the landscape. Interpretive, psychological, and ecological frameworks are used to generate a mosaic view of the relationships between exurbanites and their land.
The use of play observation measures to identify kindergarten children at risk for future learning disabilities

The aim of this study was to determine whether a link existed between kindergarten children's play behaviours and future at-risk status for learning disabilities. Using two play observation measures, the free play behaviours of 50 kindergarten children from eight schools were observed for 50 minutes in kindergarten classrooms. The sample consisted of 23 boys and 27 girls from middle class districts, who ranged in age from 56 to 70 months. Parents filled out a family profile and play questionnaire, and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised was administered to each child. The kindergarten teachers of these children and later, their grade one teachers completed surveys and nominated at-risk children from their classrooms. Additional data were collected from the children's kindergarten and grade one report cards. A 20-point at-risk index was devised, which included several assessment and outcome factors. Children were judged to be at-risk on the basis of a cutoff score on the at-risk index, excluding otter dimensions of difference (e.g., a standard score of 84 and above on the PPVT-R, and no serious academic intervention, emotional difficulties, cultural differences, and medical conditions). Using these criteria, 10 of the 50 kindergarten children were deemed to be at risk for future learning disabilities. The findings revealed that the at-risk children spent more time engaged in unoccupied behaviour, onlooker behaviour, solitary play, and solitary constructive play, but spent less time engaged in cooperative constructive play. The at-risk children demonstrated difficulties communicating orally with their peers and engaged in repetitive play. The at-risk children did not demonstrate deficits in their symbolic play, nor in their ability to enter play groups, but had difficulty remaining in them. The at-risk children engaged in more negative play behaviour combinations and fewer positive play behaviour combinations. Controlling for age and gender, those children who wandered, moved frequently to centres, and displayed inappropriate peer interactions received higher scores on the at-risk index. As early identification and remediation of young children with learning disabilities can enhance a child's opportunity for academic success, this list of possible at-risk indictors may assist teachers in recognizing earlier children's learning problems.
The bonds and boundaries of nationhood, political-cultural roots of Czech and Slovak definitions of the nation and their implications for post-communist governance

The first ten years of the post-communist period suggest that the use of the ethnic and civic definitions of the nation as foundational elements in the state-building process has profoundly affected both patterns of governance and ethno-national relations in the new political communities. To contribute to a fuller understanding of the roots and ramifications of the ethnic And civic models, this dissertation undertakes a comparative study of the political cultural sources of Czech and Slovak understandings of nationhood and their impact on democracy and minority inclusion. This study examines the evolution of these understandings across periods of great social, political, and economic change, from the mid-nineteenth century period of "National Awakening" through the first decade of post-communist statehood. It traces the continuities and discontinuities in, and interaction between, Czech and Slovak definitions of the boundaries of nationhood and of the proper relationship between the nation, state, and the individual. This historical study suggests that long-standing political cultural perspectives have had a pronounced influence on post-communist definitions of nationhood. These definitions, in turn, have had critical implications for governance in the new states of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Slovak case indicates that the ethnic model tends to undermine minority rights, political stability, and, ultimately, individual rights and democracy. The Czech case shows that while the civic model of nationhood is substantially more conducive to minority inclusion and democracy, it does not, in itself, guarantee the realization of civic equality. Together, these case studies provide empirical evidence on which to further evaluate two key claims employed to justify the use of these two models, but currently under scholarly reconsideration: namely, that civic nationhood ensures the ethnic neutrality of the state and that the "right" to ethno-national self-determination is in some way inherently democratic. More broadly, this study suggests that the content and appeal of post-communist nationalism stem less from situational factors tied to the recent political and economic upheavals than from more deeply embedded national orientations.
Shear stress-induced morphological adaptations of endothelial cells, reorganization of cell adhesion complexes and the actin cytoskeleton

Endothelial cells exhibit profound morphological responses to shear stress derived from blood flow. Adaptations in cell shape and orientation necessitate reorganization of cell-substrate adhesions, cell-cell adhesions and the cytoskeleton; however, reorganization of these structures, in response to chronic exposure to shear stress, has not been explicitly examined. Therefore, the objective of this thesis was to understand the mechanisms underlying endothelial cell shape change in response to chronic exposure to shear stress. In particular, studies focused on the adaptive responses of cell adhesion complexes and associated cytoskeleton. Cultured porcine aortic endothelial cells were exposed to laminar shear stress (15 dynes/cm2) for 8, 16, 24, 48 or 96 hours, using a parallel-plate flow chamber. Shear-induced effects on lateral adherens junctions, basal focal adhesions and the actin cytoskeleton were assessed via indirect immunofluorescence, confocal microscopy and biochemical techniques. Results demonstrated that shear-induced endothelial cell shape was associated with changes in the morphology, distribution and protein composition of endothelial adherens junctions and focal adhesions. Initial stages of cell shape change were characterized by partial disassembly of linear adherens junctions and formation of punctate 'arrowhead' focal adhesions. As shape change proceeded and cells and stress fibers aligned with flow, adherens junctions reorganized into punctate adherens plaques that localized to the ends of stress fibers inserting into the lateral plasma membrane. Further, focal adhesion complexes reorganized into fine, linear structures associated with the ends of basally inserting stress fibers. Finally, actin assembly occurred preferentially at both ends of stress fibers in a polarized manner. Prolonged exposure to shear stress (96 hours) caused punctate adherens plaques to reassemble back into linear adherens junctions. Additionally, focal adhesions were heterogeneous with respect to morphology, distribution and protein composition. This heterogeneity revealed focal adhesion organization, and its association with motility, that were specific to shear stressed endothelium. Finally, actin assembly remained polarized, but occurred preferentially at one end of stress fibers. In summary, shear-induced cell shape change is associated with dramatic reorganization of endothelial adherens junctions, focal adhesions and the cytoskeleton. Adaptation to shear stress is associated with redistribution of these complexes that characterize achievement of a new steady-state.