VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The role of sex hormones on atypical absence seizures

Treatment of Long Evans hooded rats during development with the cholesterol synthesis inhibitor AY9944 (AY) produces atypical absence seizures with slow spike-and-wave discharges (SSWDs). The purpose of this study was to determine the role of both male and female sex hormones on atypical absence seizures in the AY model. Initially, a time course study was performed that examined the effects of the female estrous cycle on the chronic SSWDs, γ-aminobutyric B receptor (GABA BR) binding, and GABA BR protein expression. It was found that there was a significant increase in both the duration of SSWD and GABA BR binding in the AY model during the proestrus stage of the estrous cycle, the stage during which the levels of progesterone are at their highest. No changes in GABA BR1a or R2 protein levels were observed across the cycle. Subsequently, a pharmacological study using progesterone, allopregnanolone (progesterone metabolite), 17 β-estradiol and testosterone was performed to determine their effects on AY-induced seizures. It was found that the administration of both progesterone and allopregnanolone exacerbated seizures in the AY model, whereas 17 β-estradiol and testosterone attenuated the SSWD duration. Interestingly, protein analysis revealed that GABA BR2 levels in the cortex and hippocampus decreased in a time dependent manner after testosterone was administered in AY-treated animals. Finally, we examined the effects of hormone receptor blockers and inhibitors of metabolism. Mifepristone (intracellular progesterone receptor antagonist), tamoxifen (intracellular estrogen receptor antagonist), flutamide (intracellular testosterone receptor antagonist) and finasteride (a metabolite inhibitor of both progesterone and testosterone) were used. Our results showed that neither mifepristone, tamoxifen nor flutamide blocked the effects of progesterone, 17 β-estradiol or testosterone, respectively, on SSWD duration in the AY model, suggesting that these three sex hormones are working in a manner independent of their intracellular receptors. Our experiments with finasteride indicated that both progesterone and testosterone are working via their metabolites in the AY model. These data suggest an important role for steroid hormones in the regulation and maintenance of AY-induced atypical absence seizures. In addition, further studies on the GABAergic mechanism of action of testosterone may be very useful for the development of new anti-absence medications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Keywords: Neurosciences
Pharmacology
Women or workers? The construction of labour feminism in London and Chicago, 1880s--1920s

This study addresses the role, status, and identities of wage earning women within the trade union movement through the prism of 'labour feminism.' It considers the extent to which the idea that women should have the same opportunities as men, an idea which we now call feminism, informed working women's activism. How did women on the shop floor, on the picket lines, and in the union hall negotiate between a feminist position and trade union practice? I argue that trade union-based feminism, which I call 'labour feminism, ' informed many women's activism on both sides of the Atlantic in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Labour feminism was not a coherent ideology, but was, at various moments, a practice and an agenda. Paying dues, attending meetings, or standing on the picket lines, rank and file women attempted to balance their trade union and gender identities. These women challenged contemporary gender roles as they articulated an active role for women in the labour movement. Those who became union leaders, whom we may call labour feminists, further developed this labour feminist position into an agenda, which the women's labour movement pursued. In both its informal state as a site of tension and negotiation and in its more formal state as a programme, labour feminism united the identities of 'woman' and 'worker' as it articulated the gender specific experiences, grievances, and demands of wage earning women within and via the labour movement. In practice, the labour feminist position was fluid and negotiable as women activists debated their role in the labour movement among themselves and with male unionists. Grounded in the experiences of garment workers, this study discusses this process of negotiation. It illustrates the tensions between rank and file labour feminists, those women who held official positions and formulated a labour feminist agenda, and male unionists as these women workers tried to put labour feminism into practice. It demonstrates that, despite the differences between the size, history, ethnic composition, and industrial base of Chicago and London, the commonalities in working women's experiences contributed to the construction of a transatlantic labour feminism.
Hydrodynamics, suspended sediment transport and morphodynamics associated with a nearshore bar, Burley Beach, Ontario, Canada

Instrument stations were deployed along a cross-shore transect at Burley Beach, southern Lake Huron to identify and quantify the components of suspended sediment transport (SST) that contributed to nearshore morphological changes over three consecutive storms. The transport by low frequency (infragravity) waves was the primary mechanism for onshore SST during the peak of all three storms. These low frequencies represented: (i) a standing edge wave, the presence of which was associated with large onshore sediment fluxes and the development of a new bar in the nearshore during the peak of the second storm event and; (ii) group-bound long waves, which directed sediment offshore during storm build-up and storm decay. The incident waves made an important contribution to onshore sediment flux. A well-established undertow was present during the last storm, which coupled with a standing edge wave seemed to be responsible for the erosion of the trough and the re-development of the innermost bar.
Autobiographical memory after electroconvulsive therapy

The effects of electroconvulsive therapy on recent versus remote memory, as well as on the episodic versus semantic components of memory, is unclear. Autobiographical and public event memory was assessed in three patients one week prior and one week following electroconvulsive therapy for depression. Each patient responded differently to the treatment. The only unilateral patient responded in producing a greater number of semantic details following treatment. For the two bilateral patients, one had severely deteriorated memory recollection across all time periods, whereas the other patient produced a temporal gradient, demonstrating poor recall for recent, but not for remote memories.
First year students' early perceptions and expectations of university

This thesis is a qualitative study exploring first year students' perceptions and expectations of their first year experience. Through a series of focus groups the researcher determined that first year students identified eleven themes as areas of concern and areas that contribute to the student perception of a successful year. These eleven themes fell within two broad categories of student defined success: academic performance and value, and independence and the development of the self. Successes in both of these areas lead to a successful year while a failure to meet one area had negative effects on the student and the perception of self.
Regulation of NMDAR function by tyrosine phosphorylation: the role of extracellular zinc and identification of the tyrosine phosphatase step as an endogenous regulator of NMDAR activity

The NMDA subtype of glutamate receptor is a principal mediator of excitatory synaptic transmission within the CNS. Proper NMDA receptor (NMDAR) function is crucial for normal CNS processes, while dysfunction of NMDARs can lead to a host of nervous system disorders. NMDAR function is dynamically tuned to the state of the neuron by intracellular biochemical processes, including tyrosine phosphorylation/dephosphorylation. The tyrosine kinase Src physically associates with the NMDAR complex and enhances NMDAR activity. The work outlined herein addresses two aspects of NMDAR modulation by tyrosine phosphorylation: (1) the nature of the mechanism by which Src modulates NMDARs, and (2) the identity of the phosphotyrosine phosphatase (PTP) that counteracts Src regulation of NMDARs. With recombinant receptors comprised of NR1-1a/NR2A orNR1-1a/2B subunits Src reduces voltage-independent Zn2+ inhibition. Thereby the function of recombinant NMDA receptors is potentiated by Src only when the Zn2+ levels cause tonic inhibition. In the first study of this thesis we investigated whether Src-induced potentiation of NMDARs in neurons proceeds via relief of Zn2+ inhibition. Whereas chelating extracellular Zn2+ blocked Src-induced potentiation of NR1-1a/2A receptors, Zn2+ chelation did not affect potentiation of NMDAR currents by Src applied into hippocampal neurons. Moreover, Src did not alter the Zn 2+ concentration-inhibition relationship for NMDAR currents. In dorsal horn neurons, chelating extracellular Zn2+ failed to prevent regulation of NMDA single-channel activity by endogenous Src and did not affect Src-mediated regulation of synaptic NMDARs. Thus Src potentiation of NMDAR currents is not mediated by reducing Zn2+ inhibition in hippocampal and dorsal horn neurons. In the second study presented in this thesis we show that striatal enriched tyrosine phosphatase (STEP) is a component of the NMDAR complex. Functionally, exogenous STEP depressed NMDAR single-channel activity. STEP also depressed NMDAR-mediated synaptic currents whereas inhibiting endogenous STEP enhanced these currents. In hippocampal slices administering STEP into CA1 neurons did not affect basal glutamatergic transmission but prevented LTP induction. Conversely, inhibiting STEP enhanced transmission and occluded LTP induction through an NMDAR-, Src-, and Ca2+-dependent mechanism. Thus, STEP opposes Src to regulate NMDAR activity thereby acting as a tonic brake on synaptic transmission.
Policy in praxis: A case study of implementing Making Services Work for People

The substantive focus of this qualitative case study was to explore, understand and describe the implementation process of a system-level change in Ministry-funded children's and developmental services in one Ontario community in response to the Making Services Work for People (MSWFP) policy. The primary questions were: What was the stated intent of the policy and the local implementation plan? What were the expectations regarding the implementation of two system features (single point of access and common tool for intake) articulated in MSWFP and the local implementation plan? How did the implementation process unfold in the case community? What crucial dynamics and elements influenced the process in general and specifically the process of implementing the two system features of interest? Data were gathered from 21 individual semi-structured interviews and from documents containing information about the policy and the implementation process. An analytic framework incorporating constructs and models presented in past implementation research, elements of systems theory, principles of social ecology, and a general theory of organized action was used to draw out, refine and relate themes and constitutive patterns from the data. The analytic and interpretive narrative describes implementation of MSWFP in the case community as a dynamic and complex process that unfolded over a number of years and involved many different agents, resources, decisions and activities. Salient themes permeating the process of implementation (expanding the boundaries of implementation, the instrument of implementation, and the human element) and other themes revealed through the application of the study's conceptual framework are highlighted in the discussion. This research contributes an intrinsic case study of one community's efforts to implement MSWFP and an instrumental case study of policy-driven systems reform and integrated access models, it expands the inventory of critical factors in implementation, and it demonstrates the utility of a layered and multi-disciplinary conceptual framework for understanding policy implementation. Though emphasizing the integration of the policy stages and the need to consider the policy process as a whole, this research demonstrates the importance of considering implementation as a distinct and significant phase of the cycle and a valuable area for scholarship.
Issues in quantum mechanics: Chaotic Hamiltonian ratchets and commutation relations

The first considers asymmetry-driven Hamiltonian ratchet effects in context of quantum chaos. It is shown, in the Liouville framework, that a biased net effective force can emerge in initially symmetric systems subject to a force of zero mean. This arises via an asymmetric system distortion in both classical and quantum mechanics. However, differences in time-periodicity and chaos between the two mechanics lead to differences in the evolution of the effective force in time. The second part obtains the canonical commutation relation of quantum mechanics assuming, in addition to the standard assumptions of the quantum Hilbert space, only that position and momentum are functionally independent. This exposes the fundamental interpretation of the commutation relation as an expression of independence, and thereby establishes its analogy with the classical Poisson bracket. Operator techniques used in these arguments are discussed at length.
Factual matters: visual evidence in documentary fiction

This study examines the use of visual evidence in documentary fiction and considers its relation to issues of rhetorical argumentation, epistemological value, and belief. Taking into account both the factual and fictional components of this genre, particular attention is given to the interface between visual documents that appeal to the “real” and documentary fiction's subversive narrative techniques that force into admittance the constructed and fictional nature of such documents. It is argued that the interplay between the “real” and the artificial is what incites readers of documentary fiction to belief. In the documentary fictions chosen for this study, visual evidence both reflects and functions alongside the narrative's fundamental concern for accuracy and truth as well as its overt declarations of fictionality. Because documentary fiction admits the incongruity between what is and what is documented, readers are encouraged repeatedly to shift referential criteria from the external correspondence with the factual world to the internal coherence of the fictional text. Indeed, the paradoxical unity of factual event and fictional reconstruction encourages readers to engage in interpretative manoeuvres that reflect most directly the union of historical reality and imaginative speculation that informs the truthfulness of all documentation and shapes its power to impart meaning. The evidential images incorporated in documentary fictions are epistemologically sound precisely because they simultaneously stand as visual testimony of a precise historical moment and entice readers towards the creation of a fantastic historical past. Visual evidence is introduced into the narrative fabric of many documentary fictions in order to establish more forcefully the collusion between objective reality and fictional reconstruction that informs truth.
Measuring information technology cost efficiency among academic health sciences centres: a benchmarking study

Health care managers are increasingly being questioned about, and must defend their information technology (TI) spending decisions. In 2001, in collaboration with the Chief Information Officers from the Toronto Academic Health Sciences Centres, this cost benchmarking study was initiated. Benchmarking is a useful management tool to compare relative cost position and identify possible action steps. The primary indicator selected for this benchmarking study, the IT spend ratio, is defined as an organization's total IT spending relative to its total operating costs. This study has resulted in a repeatable benchmarking for comparing IT spending levels among health sciences centres but has also highlighted key challenges. The major contribution of this study is a foundation upon which investigations of other aspects of IT performance measurement within health care organizations can be conducted.
Multiculturalism, recognition and dialogue

In this thesis, I analyze a spectrum of liberal positions on multicultural diversity. My principal aim is to examine these from the perspective of non-Western non-liberal cultural communities. I ask how well these positions are able to accommodate some of the key concerns and interests of certain non-Western communities with regard to cultural recognition. In addition, I examine whether and to what degree these approaches are open to an intercultural dialogue, given their main theoretical premises. My central conclusion is that liberals must conceive of cultural membership as an integral and independent good for a liberal society if they are to be as receptive as possible to some of the critical concerns of many non-Western communities. I argue that this approach is the most open to cultural recognition and dialogue.
Endoglin is an accessory protein of multiple signalling receptor complexes of the TGF-[beta] superfamily: implications on the development of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia type 1 (HHT1)

Endoglin (CD105) is the gene mutated in the autosomal dominant vascular disorder HHT1 and codes for a major integral membrane glycoprotein expressed on all vasculature. In endothelial cells, activated monocytes, and leukemic cells, endoglin associates with TGF-β1, -β3, and the heteromeric TGF-β signalling receptor complex, consisting of type I and II ser/thr kinases. This thesis investigates the biochemical function of endoglin by determining the molecular mechanism underlying HHT1, and by studying the nature of endoglin interaction with TGF-β receptors. Endoglin expression in members of confirmed HHT1 families was analyzed, and compared to normal. Both endothelial cells and activated monocytes were found to express about half levels of fully processed cell surface endoglin which represents expression from the normal allele. A search for mutant proteins reveals that proteins if detectable, are transiently expressed intracellularly, and not at the cell surface where endoglin functions. This thesis demonstrates haploinsufficiency is the predominant mechanism underlying the HHT1 phenotype, thus a critical level of endoglin is required in vasculature, and possibly other cells where it is expressed. Endoglin modulates some TGF-β1 responses in certain cell types. However, I show HHT1 HUVEC do not exhibit altered proliferative responses to TGF-β1. ALK1, the target gene for HHT2, codes for an orphan type I receptor that functions in BMP signalling pathways. Endoglin and ALK1 are likely involved in a common pathway suggesting endoglin could interact with other members of the TGF-β superfamily. I tested this hypothesis and show endoglin interacts with TGF-β1, -β3, activin-A, BMP-2 and BMP-7, but cannot bind ligands without coexpression of the respective ligand binding kinase receptors. Endoglin specifically interacts with multiple heteromeric signalling complexes for these ligands, but does not disrupt their formation. My results suggest that endoglin does not act as a true receptor, and I define endoglin here as an accessory protein for the TGF-β superfamily that could modulate the signalling capacity of the receptor complex. Endoglin function in endothelial, hematopoietic and other cell types, is thus highly dependent on the repertoire of TGF-β family receptors the cells express.
The role of motivational design in health education: an examination of computer-based education on women, smoking and health

A sample of 40 adult women who currently smoke or quit within the last six months volunteered to participate in an evaluation of two programs on women, smoking and health: (a) Breath of Fresh Air---a program designed specifically for women and developed with Keller's principles of motivational design as its theoretical underpinning; (b) Canadian Cancer Society web site---a web-site on smoking and health designed for a generic audience. This study examined the effects of motivational design on affective and cognitive outcomes of computer-based education on smoking and health among women. A program developed using the principles of Keller's approach to motivational design was compared with a generic web site on smoking created by the Canadian Cancer society. In addition, it used Prochaska's Stages of Change model to examine the effects of frames of reference with respect to smoking cessation. This study provided clear evidence that instructional design and frames of reference can both affect outcomes to computer-based health education. Other factors like education, computer experience, and age tended to have only modest effects on a limited set of outcomes. The implication of this work is that efforts to improve population health through computer based education must take into account the characteristics of the target audience in the design of those materials and that strategies to enhance motivation are essential ingredients to the success of those interventions. The participants in the Breath of Fresh Air were substantially more positive in their response to the software on all measures of motivational outcomes compared with the users of the Cancer Society web site. Moreover, these participants were also more likely to indicate that they were more motivated to quit smoking after using the software than their counterparts in the control group. However, motivation to quit smoking was also clearly affected by the participant's stage of change, such that pre-contemplators were less likely to say that they were more motivated to quit independent of which study group they were in.

Keywords: Women, Tobacco use
Health education of women
Motivation in education
Women, Health and hygiene
Therapists' experiences of power in feminist therapy: an exploratory study

There is an abundance of theoretical work on feminist therapy, however, there are very few studies of feminist therapists' practical experiences. The current study aims to explore feminist therapists' experience and practice around power in the counselling relationship. Participants were 8 women who self-define as feminist therapists, and who have at least 5 years of practice as a feminist therapist. Participants engaged in open-ended semi structured interviews, which were analyzed using pattern coding. The themes that emerged during analysis include; the therapist's description of theoretical principles that guide their practice, feminist therapy in practice, divergences in practice, and sources of struggle for therapists. Results indicate that there are gaps between the theory and the practice of feminist therapy, particularly around divergences in practice and the elements of practice which involved participants struggling with issues of power.

Keywords: Psychotherapists, Attitudes
Feminist therapy