VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Essays in international trade and financial economics

This thesis includes three essays related to international economics and financial economics. The first essay presents a model of trade in the presence of multinationals, asymmetric trade barriers, and international differences in production costs. The first part of the essay presents the model's implications for bilateral trade. The estimation reveals more reasonable parameters for elasticity of substitution and trade costs than that suggested by previous research. The simulation indicates that tariff liberalization will shift trade from rich countries to poor countries and from preferential trading areas to inter-continental trading partners. The second part of the essay derives the multinational production and export equations implied by the model and estimates these equations simultaneously by recognizing the cross-equation restrictions on parameters and error terms. It suggests that the elimination of tariffs would substantially increase U.S. exports, but would not affect U.S. production abroad. The second essay models general equilibrium product price effects using the CES monopolistic competition model in international trade. We then estimate the model and, mimicking computable general equilibrium (CGE) models, use the model to estimate the compensating variation associated with trade liberalization. We find gains from trade liberalization that are much larger than those usually reported. In addition, extensive specification testing is conducted to evaluate the performances of this model and its alternatives. The results point to the types of model specifications needed before the model can usefully be applied to policy questions. The third essay studies the properties of Canadian interest rates relative to those of U.S. In sharp contrast to the U.S. evidence, the conditional variances of Canadian macroeconomics variables are found to be insignificant predictors of term premia in the Canadian T-bill term structure. However, the conditional variances of U.S. macroeconomic variables are found to be important determinants of Canadian premia.
Exploring experiences of connection for women clients in feminist therapy

This research was an exploration into the subtleties and complexities associated with establishing and maintaining therapeutic connection in feminist therapy, from a client's perspective. Seven women clients were interviewed, and through qualitative analyses of their experiences, three main themes emerged--'On My Side', 'Therapist Expertise', and 'Mutuality'. These themes identified different dimensions of the therapeutic alliance and their impact on connection. 'On My Side' described the means by which a client felt seen and valued by her therapist, which was contextualized, and dependent upon, a therapist's belief system and her social locations (e.g., gender). 'Therapist Expertise' encompassed all the ways in which a therapist facilitated the work with the client. Fundamentally, however, expertise was embodied in the therapist's presence, not the role or position she held. 'Mutuality' described how client and therapist engaged in, and negotiated the shared therapeutic space that is traditionally laden with immutable power imbalances. Generally, clients felt that if the relationship was mutually respectful, the 'breaks' in the therapeutic connection were considered part of a "continuum". These participants also discussed the associations between connection and of a sense of "integration" (as a form of well being). While the themes presented represent some new conceptualizations, this study also explored some of the processes that resulted in their emergence. This attention to therapeutic process, and its links to connection, contributes to the newly developing body of valuable research that has focused on the client's perspective of feminist therapy. These findings are discussed with reference to that literature. Further, the implications of this research for both therapeutic practice and feminist therapy theory are explored.
The use of remote sensing and geographic information systems for soil erosion hazard mapping in Chiapas, Mexico

Land degradation due to soil erosion is a serious problem in the central highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, and one that is of interest to environment-conflict researchers. It is one of many environmental scarcities which may have contributed to violent insurgency in the area in 1994. A soil erosion model, SEMMED, which incorporates satellite images and geographic information systems (GIS) is used to model erosion hazard at a regional scale. Satellite images are used to derive vegetative inputs to the model for the 900 km2 study area. Soils, precipitation and other model inputs are entered into the GIS. Erosion predictions are made by calculating soil loss due to splash detachment and transport capacity and the lesser of the two values taken as the limiting factor in the erosion process. Data inputs and model limitations are discussed. Finally, the utility of remote sensing and geographic information systems to environment-conflict research is reviewed.
Isolation and characterization of very early osteoprogenitor cells

The purpose of this work was to use a previously established technique, poly(A)-PCR, on freshly plated primary cells to aid in the characterization of very early osteoprogenitor cells. In the rat calvarial (RC) cell model of osteoblast differentiation, RC cells proliferate and differentiate ' in vitro' over a time span of 21-25 days, culminating in the formation of mineralized bone nodules. Very early (day 4 to 6 after plating) in the culture period, individual colonies arising from single cells were identified microscopically, and a cellular sample (1-3 cells) was micromanipulated from each colony. This cellular sample was used to produce a poly(A) cDNA library, while the remaining cells in the colonies were left undisturbed and allowed to differentiate. After bone-forming colonies had been retrospectively identified, their respective cDNA libraries were used for Southern blotting for the presence of messages for bone matrix proteins and other putative osteoprogenitor markers. Osteoprogenitors were compared with fibroblastic cells from similarly identified colonies that did not differentiate to bone nodules. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
Japanese-German relations and the impact of the war in Europe on Japan's strategy of southern advance, 1935-1941

For the Japanese, the outbreak of war in Europe seemed to be a "godsend." It wasn't, however, the windfall which they had expected it to be. If Japan had properly seized the moment, they could have turned the events in Europe to their advantage; but they didn't, and what was thought to be a "godsend" turned out to be more of an "evil demon." Unfortunate as it was for Japan, the Japanese people had become intoxicated with the German victories, turning their heads to gaze towards the south--it was all quite pitiful; the divine wind turned out to be an ill wind.1 So goes Satô Kenryô's appraisal of Japan's fortunes in the Pacific War. This summary is germane to the present thesis insofar as it alludes to the fact that Japan's fortunes were strongly tied to events in Europe. During the two-year period immediately preceding the outbreak of war in the Pacific islands and Southeast Asia (On 1 September 1939, Germany invaded Poland, and Great Britain and France declared war upon Germany two days later), the ' Blitzkrieg' attacks of the 'Wehrmacht' had resulted in overwhelmingly successful German military campaigns throughout much of Europe. In the Pacific, however, apart from their interminable conflict with China, Japan was not yet engaged in open warfare; even the "China Incident" remained an undeclared war. Japan preferred at this stage to make inroads and establish her footholds by other means: diplomacy, intimidation, cajolery; anything short of open hostilities. Herein we may discern the essence of Japanese strategy and the main subject of this thesis. I shall make the argument that Japanese strategy was intimately linked to events in Europe--being essentially predicated upon German successes; that is, Japan took advantage of Germany's successful military campaigns in Europe to advance her own agenda in the Far East. By allying themselves with Germany through the Anti-Comintern, and later, Tripartite Pact, the Japanese hoped to deflect the attention of America and the European democracies away from their activities in the Far East as they executed their southern advance. 1Satô Kenryô, 'Daitôa sensô kaikoroku' (Tokyo: Tokuma shoten, 1966), p. 91. Satô Kenryô was appointed chief of the Military Affairs Section of the Military Affairs Bureau in February 1941. He also served as the Vice-Chief of Staff of the South China Army.
Epithelial Na+ channel expression in the normal and abnormal human fetal lung

Active liquid secretion and absorption is critical to normal lung development and successful respiration at birth. The Epithelial Na$\sp{+}$ Channel (ENaC) is the rate limiting step in Na$\sp{+}$ absorption. Impaired ENaC activity in the perinatal period results in respiratory distress characterized by wet lung. We hypothesize that perinatal conditions associated with respiratory distress have deficient expression of ENaC. I have examined the normal ontogeny and cellular distribution of the $\alpha$hENaC subunit mRNA in normal archival human fetal lung using a non-isotopic in situ hybridization technique. Archival cases of pulmonary immaturity were then compared to the normal lung data. My results are surprising. In normal lung, $\alpha$hENaC expression is detected at the embryonic stage of lung development localized to the fetal lung bud epithelium. By late gestation, expression is found in the epithelium of all airways, serous cells of submucosal glands, and in the distal lung unit in an alveolar type II pattern. Expression of $\alpha$hENaC mRNA is preserved in newborn lung diseases associated with respiratory distress. There are several possible explanations for these findings. The early expression of ENaC suggests that $\alpha$hENaC mRNA may be constitutively expressed. ENaC mRNA may be accumulated throughout gestation in preparation for when rapid translation and channel activation is required. The localization of ENaC mRNA is consistent with an important role for ENaC in the epithelium of all regions of the lung. The presence of ENaC mRNA in newborn lung diseases associated with deficient fluid absorption suggests ENaC function may be regulated by post transcriptional mechanisms. Alternatively, the developmental expression of one of the other two ENaC subunits may be impaired in certain newborn lung diseases. Finally, alternate Na$\sp{+}$ Channels may be important to the absorption of fluid in humans during late gestation.
Implications for the design of email management software

Email management is very time-consuming. Also, hierarchies of files and folders become harder to use as they grow in size. This thesis explores an alternative approach to email organization in which time is the main organizational principle and no filing is required. The user interface was designed to support and utilize the human ability to reconstruct dates. Also, from literature on human memory we developed a set of implications for the design of user interfaces for email management. As in the earlier prototype of the Timestore email management software, the user interface consists of a grid with time along the horizontal axis and a list of senders along the vertical axis. However, the timeline now incorporates temporal schemata used in information retrieval. The user tests show that four out of five users would use Timestore on a regular basis to handle their email.
Science, internationalization, and policy networks, regulating genetically-engineered food crops in Canada and the United States, 1973-1998

The early history of the commercialization of genetically-engineered food crops in Canada and the United States is a cautionary tale that underlines the importance of adequate policy capacity. As of the late 1990s, precedent-setting regulatory responses had established far more systematic evaluations of environmental and food safety risks of new plant varieties but were failing to secure consumer acceptance at home and abroad. This case study compares the two countries' responses, as global pioneers in the use of these crops, to the three issues of environmental release, food safety, and food labelling. The comparison reveals that despite expected pressures for Canadian policy choices to converge with American models, Canadian regulators have been given greater discretion and capacity to respond to the issues of environmental release and food safety. Domestic variables explain much of the substance of policy choices in both countries including these differences. Variation in the scope of regulation across issues and countries correlates with differing domestic policy networks. Further, the role of science as an idea and resource within domestic policy networks varies consistently with the degree of discretion and thus capacity given to regulators across issues. The effects of internationalization are largely in shaping preferences and contributing to resources exploited within domestic policy networks. This result suggests that it is difficult to gauge fully the impact of internationalization on domestic policy making without exploring its interaction with domestic institutions. Guided by historical institutionalism, the case study includes an assessment of the inertia of policy legacies and the constraints on policy making imposed by policy boundaries. Policy legacies provide starting points for policy making, including levels of state capacity and autonomy. Policy boundaries (created by key moments of the intersection of ideas, interests, and institutions) shift advantage within policy networks. Lessons from the case study include the conclusion that policy capacity may rest substantially on three interrelated factors: first, 'state capacity and autonomy'; second, 'scientific legitimacy' (the way in which science is used during policy making); and third, ' democratic legitimacy' (conducting policy making in a manner that will be widely perceived as legitimate in a democratic sense).

Keywords: Genetically modified foods
Government policy
Genetically modified foods
Government policy
Aliments transgéniques
Politique gouvernementale
Aliments transgéniques
Programmes gouvernementaux
Nonperturbative formation of fermion 2-point and 4-point functions

A better understanding of nonperturbative dynamics may help to clarify nature beyond the electroweak scale. To this end we analyzed the nonperturbative formation of 2-point and 4-point functions. We considered both gauge exchange dynamics and instanton dynamics for this purpose. The nonperturbative formation of 2-point functions through gauge exchange dynamics is fairly well understood. Our contribution in this instance is to show through a next-to-leading order analysis that the most attractive channel hypothesis, which relies on leading order analyses, may be misleading. After the necessary effective action and gap equations were derived, we have shown that 4-point functions cannot be generated nonperturbatively through gauge exchange dynamics in the limit of a large number of colors. This surprising result follows from the fact that the diagram with one gauge exchange dressing a 4-point function is not present in the gap equation because the vacuum diagram from which it would be generated is not 4-particle irreducible. For the purpose of our intended instanton analyses we derived a diagrammatic language for instanton dynamics. The necessary effective actions for 2-point and 4-point functions were derived on the basis of this diagrammatic language. When restricted to the one-instanton amplitudes, the 2-point effective action could be shown to lead to the Carlitz and Creamer gap equation. Near a continuous phase transition it turns out however that it is not the one-instanton amplitudes, but the ins tanton-anti-instanton amplitudes with two n-point functions that give the leading contribution. We used these instanton-anti-instanton amplitudes in stability analyses to determine the critical couplings for which the vacuum at the origin becomes unstable. A parameter is introduced to handle the theoretical uncertainty in the contributions of the fermion loops. We computed the critical couplings for the nonperturbative formation of 2-point functions via instanton dynamics and found that unless the contributions of fermion loops are fairly large instanton dynamics play an insignificant role compared to gauge exchange dynamics in the nonperturbative formation of 2-point functions. The critical couplings for the nonperturbative formation of 4-point functions via instanton dynamics were computed and found to be smaller than those for 2-point functions, provided that the contributions of the fermion loops are not too small. We found a mechanism that may lower the critical couplings for 4-point functions with respect to those for 2-point functions in a model for the dynamical origin of quark and lepton masses.
Sexuation et préfaces aux oeuvres de femmes dans le XIXe siècle français

The present thesis draws upon theories of discourse analysis. Discursive and cognitive strategies at work in allograph prefaces (i.e., not written by the author him/herself) are revealed through the analysis of a corpus comprising 214 prefaces written in 19th century France, 168 of which preface women's works published between the 17th and the 19 th centuries. Thus the emergence of a fairly unknown genre is now accounted for, and the ambiguity that characterizes the discourse on women in the prefaces highlights their literary value. Furthermore, new leads that allow for a better understanding of the processes that exclude women writers from the canon are uncovered. Precisely, the corpus reveals how both the institution of gender and the literary institution have contributed to the lack of recognition of women's agency in the creative process. An analysis of the 'dictum ' shows that the strategies deployed in the prefaces divert them from their primary role, that of ensuring a favourable reception for the text they are introducing. Instead the prefacist assumes that a woman's work is, at least in part, unintelligible; or he/woman's work is, at least in part, unintelligible; or he/she neglects to give a narrative account of her life or at least of her career as a writer (this would help the reader attain a better understanding of the work and of its place in the writer's career); or he/she classifies the work in a sub-genre which will be overlooked when significant works are included in an anthology. Further analysis of the stylistic processes, such as passivation or negation, reinforce the previous findings. As where critical discourse is essentially independent, allograph prefaces aim at an enhanced reception of the text. The strategic canvas shows however that, when dealing with women's works, prefacists advocate a reception of the text without its author. Since, as time passes, the literary institution will only retain authors, orphaned texts will eventually lose their legitimacy. An aesthetics of variation which would allow for an understanding of women's writings which is not solely filtered through the norms set by the restrictive circle of the institution, is outlined in the final part of this thesis.
Head-mounted perimetry

A portable, low-cost perimeter that uses a head-mounted display (HMD) was developed. The restricted field-of-view and limited dynamic contrast range of the HMD were improved by using dynamic fixation and variable stimulus sizes, respectively. The head-mounted perimeter (HMP) was tested with 13 subjects with normal visual fields and 9 patients with visual field defects. Visual field indices were computed and compared to the results of a standard clinical perimeter. For patients with visual field defects, the visual fields computed by the HMP showed significant increases in the mean sensitivities and reductions in the corrected loss variances (i.e. lower resolution). This lower resolution is due to the use of variable stimulus sizes by the HMP. Nevertheless, the HMP data is useful for clinical diagnosis and the portable perimeter can be used in a variety of new locations and for different patient postures (e.g. a patient lying in bed).
Recovery in tort for workplace sexual harassment, problems and prospects

The thesis takes as its starting point the question of whether workplace sexual harassment, apart from being recognized as a form of gender-based discrimination under Canadian human rights legislation, might also amount to a tort. The idea that sexual harassment might amount to a tort is neither new nor implausible, and yet to date, with one exception, no such tort has gained judicial recognition. The thesis does not seek to offer a comprehensive argument in favour of a new tort of sexual harassment, but rather to examine the obstacles that have been seen by courts and commentators as preventing such a development. Part II takes on the prevailing view of the judiciary that the existence of an independent enforcement mechanism under human rights legislation leaves courts without jurisdiction over matters of sexual harassment. Part III outlines the difficulties that current tort doctrine poses for plaintiffs who seek to pigeonhole their claims of sexual harassment into existing causes of action. These difficulties have led some commentators to conclude either that only with a new tort of sexual harassment will victims find adequate relief or that tort law is wholly inadequate to the task of redressing sexual harassment. Rather than abandon existing tort law as a potential approach to cases of sexual harassment, however, I go on, in Part IV, to "diagnose" the seeming inadequacy of existing doctrine. I argue that existing doctrine, along with prevailing social perceptions of sexual conduct 'invite '--but do not 'compel'--judicial failure to recognize sexual harassment as tortious behaviour. I conclude that the abandonment of existing tort doctrine urged by feminist commentators, either in favour of a new tort or some other legal regime, has been too hastily urged.