VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Maternal space, a hermeneutic phenomenological reading of shifts in the experience of holding and being held in mind in mothers and infants in the first nine months

The experiences of four mothers and their infants were tracked developmentally across four transition points in the first nine months to uncover shifts in the phenomenological experience of holding and being held in mind over this period of rapid growth and change. A phenomenological interview was conducted and a 20-minute observation of each participant dyad videotaped at each meeting, which were later transcribed and analyzed using a hermeneutic phenomenological method. Core themes and dimensions of experience specific to each transition were uncovered, along with a developmental conceptualization of the phenomenon of holding and being held in mind that linked infantile experience to maternal experience on the internal plane. Points of convergence in the developmental progression of mother and infant across the four transitions were found in three key areas: the internal experience of 'maternal space', defined as the mother's and infant's conjoined experience of internal or psychic space, including its emotional shape and its dynamic nature; 'self-body boundaries', which includes the sense of self definition and the felt nature of the boundary between self and other; and the experience of 'structure', which pertains here to the grounding link with externality in the face of change. Maternal holding is portrayed as a cyclical process, involving intermittent re-looping through developmental transitions alongside one's infant, each with its own conflictual core. The maternal experience of holding an infant in mind was seen to ignite a potent re-encounter with existential beginnings, inviting an opportunity for psychological growth, with maternal re-visiting re-evoking primitive tensions specific to each transition as an outcome of being continuously and intimately engaged with an infant's state of mind. In delineating the evocative impact of the infant's mental and emotional state on the maternal caregiver, the findings bridge an identified gap in the developmental literature on mutual influence in the earliest holding relationship. Developmental portraits of each relationship, based on selected excerpts from the women's narratives and the taped observations, are presented both to contextualize the phenomenological analysis and give voice to the experience as 'lived.' The social implications of the study and its relevance and contribution to current developmental theory and clinical practice are discussed.
The effect of CFCs on PCE biodegradation

Biodegradation of PCE has been well studied. In studies where PCE was combined with other chlorinated solvents, the biologically mediated degradation of PCE and its sequentially produced byproducts was inhibited. The objectives of this study were to examine the effect of selected CFCs on the degradation of PCE and the sequential degradation of PCE byproducts including TCE, cDCE, VC. The degradation of ethanol, acetate and propionate and the biodegradability of the CFCs were also examined. Two CFCs were initially selected for testing in combination with the chlorinated ethenes. These were 1,2,2-trichlorotrifluoroethane (CFC113) and 1,2-dichlorotetrafluoroethane (CFC114). A third CFC, 1,2-dichlorotrifluoroethane (HCFC123a), was produced as a breakdown product of CFC113 and was tested for its effect on the rate of PCE degradation. All CFCs tested were found to inhibit PCE degradation and products of PCE degradation, with CFC113 being the most inhibitory. Degradation of CFC113 was also observed. Further research could examine methods to enhance CFC113 degradation in order to reduce inhibition of other chlorinated compounds.
Alterations in GABA[subscript]A receptors in mGluR4§-[superscript]/§- mice

Disruption of the mGluR4 gene results in resistance to GABAAR antagonist-induced absence seizures. In this thesis, mGluR4-/- mice displayed 43.5% less [35S]TBPS binding, a GABAAR antagonist. Immunoblotting revealed extra bands in mGluR4-/- mice--possible abnormal GABAAR subunits. The mGluR4 gene was mapped to human chromosome 6p21.3 by FISH, to determine if it was near and potentially altered expression of GABAAR subunits. No GABAAR subunits are near mGluR4. The gene falls within a juvenile myoclonic epilepsy susceptibility locus. Protein interactions between mGluR4 and GABAAR were investigated by immunoprecipitation from rat brain. GABAAR Ã1, Ã6, and ß2 subunits were not detected in mGluR4 immunoprecipitate. ß2, but not mGluR4, was detected in Ã1 and Ã6 immunopreciptates from rat brain.
Advocates, Adversaries, Anomalies, the Politics of Feminist Space in Gender and Development

This research project examines the ways that politically-minded feminists create and sustain spaces for transformative feminist practice within Canadian development contexts despite institutional, ideological and economic constraints. This research project is significant because it contributes to a much-needed reassessment of feminist engagement with Gender and Development (GAD). Ultimately, this research seeks to determine whether and in what ways GAD can become a political force for progressive social change. Through a two-pronged research approach of (1) semi-structured interviews with Canadian gender practitioners; and (2) organizational document analysis, this research demonstrates that politically-minded feminists are present within mainstream Canadian development organizations and are attempting to push the boundaries of mainstream Gender and Development (GAD) processes to embrace feminist projects, values, and commitments. The research suggests that building allies through connections with women's movements is crucial for feminists to make mainstream development more amenable to transformative feminist goals, values and principles.
Re-thinking white privilege work as critical anti-racism practice

This thesis is a critical re-evaluation of white privilege work as a transformational anti-racism practice. In approaching this task, I address certain key questions: what are the meanings of 'whiteness' within critical anti-racism discourses; how are racialised meaning practices constructed historically in relation to colonialism and imperialism; and how might I carry my 'whiteness' with me in my anti-racism practice while challenging the way that it is constructed? Tracing the process of 'becoming white' through white privilege discourses, I draw on Michel Foucault's writings on disciplinary power, knowledge and the subject to investigate how particular racialised subject positions are constructed in relation to class, gender and sexuality, and how individuals might take up (or refuse) such positions. The scholarship of Antonio Gramsci provides insight into how, through mechanisms such as 'common sense' ideology and relations of force, certain racialised narratives become hegemonic in the social landscape, and how the relations of racism might be constructed at particular historical junctures. While both Gramsci and Foucault are concerned to show that subject formation is a historically particular rather than a universally defined construct, Foucault's method of genealogical analysis varies drastically from Gramsci's ideological and historically materialist approach. Attending to the tension between discourse and ideology, I ask what Foucault's and Gramsci's particular perspectives foreclose towards thinking about the making of racialised meaning practices in white privilege work. Bridging a discursive and materialist understanding of 'whiteness' within critical anti-racism practices, I consider the pedagogical approaches available for white anti-racist feminists to ethically engage anti-racism theory, practice and education.
Regulation of metabolism by energy status in chlamydomonas pulsatilla

The unicellular alga Chlamydomonas pulsatilla expresses a protein kinase activity capable of phosphorylating the SAMS peptide. Kinetic studies showed that the K$\sb{\rm m}$ of this SNF1 - related kinase for the SAMS peptide was approximately 35 $\mu$M and the V$\sb{\rm max}$ was 0.32 nmol ATP/mg protein/min. The apparent value of K$\sb{\rm m}$ for the ATP substrate, measured at different concentrations of ATP was 227 $\mu$M, with V$\sb{\rm max}$ = 2.7 nmol ATP/mg protein/min. The rate of phosphorylation was sensitive to the presence of salts (NaCl and (NH$\sb4)\sb2$SO$\sb4$), and was inhibited by high concentrations of AMP and to a lesser extent by ADP. Isocitrate lyase was present at low levels in photoautrophically grown C. pulsatilla cells. Acetate as the sole carbon and energy source in the growth medium induced the expression of genes in C. pulsatilla cells; the genes encoding enzymes of glyoxylate and gluconeogenesis pathways, and acetate transport capacity. Acetate supported heterotrophic growth and enhanced the growth rate of light-grown cells.
Cultural values, beliefs, and attitudes of immigrant Chinese women towards physical activity and exercise, a qualitative inquiry

This qualitative study has explored cultural values, beliefs, and attitudes of immigrant Chinese women (aged 50-70 years) towards physical activity and exercise. Symbolic interactionism within a cultural model provided a theoretical framework in which to understand the findings of this study. Meanings of physical activity and exercise were subsumed under the broader rubric of health, which may be viewed through a Chinese cultural lens related to values of family and longevity. These women see health as increasingly important as they age. At this life stage, they are receptive to messages about health, particularly in regards to diet and exercise, which they have identified to be elements that they can control and take responsibility for. Exploring underlying cultural meanings may help to direct appropriate interventions and strategies by health care professionals to promote and enhance health and well-being in diverse, multicultural populations in Canada.
Mother-adolescent conflict, is there a role for adolescents' mood states?

This study investigated whether adolescents' mood states prior to engaging in a disagreement with their mothers influenced their perceptions of parenting efficacy. Sixty-one early adolescents ('M' age = 12.82 years), from predominantly middle-class Caucasian families, were interviewed about two recent disagreements: the first was one that was preceded by a "neutral" mood state, the second was one preceded by an "aroused" mood state. Within the "aroused" mood states, adolescents were randomly assigned to report on arguments that were preceded either by a "bad" mood or a "good" mood. Parenting efficacy was measured by: (a) how the adolescents were feeling at the end of the argument; (b) the adolescents' evaluations of how well their mothers understood them, how fair they perceived their mothers' behavior to be, and how satisfied they were with the outcome of the disagreement; and (c) how long it took before the adolescents felt like things returned to "normal" between them and their mothers. In addition to adolescents' mood states, mothers' general parenting style (measured using the Index of Mother's Style Questionnaire, Lamborn, Mounts, Steinberg, & Dornbusch, 1991), and mothers' ability to sensitively tailor their actions to the adolescents' state during the conflict (measured by coding adolescents' reports of maternal behavior) were also considered as factors influencing parenting efficacy. Adolescents' mood states prior to engaging in the argument did not relate to any of the measures of parenting efficacy. Yet, adolescents' mood states were found to influence the adolescents' behavior and feelings of power. Adolescents in more negative mood states tended to behave in a more resistant manner and to feel as if they had more power during the disagreement. Mothers' parenting style was found to have sparse and inconsistent relationships with parenting efficacy. Adolescents who reported the best conflict outcomes had mothers who were able to tailor their actions to the adolescents' mood state. These results are in line with Grusec, Goodnow, and Kuczynski's (2000) claim that it is a parent's understanding of the particular child and situation, rather than the use of a specific parenting style, that is the mark of effective parenting.
The roles of motoneurons and their muscle targets in synaptogenesis during regeneration of a foreign transplant

In the crayfish Procambarus clarkii a mixed phasic and tonic nerve from the third root of the sixth abdominal ganglion was allotransplanted onto a denervated, tonic superficial flexor muscle (SFM) of the third abdominal segment. The fastidiousness of the muscle in accepting innervation along with the roles played by the neuron and its muscle target in mandating the regenerating synaptic phenotypes could be assessed by providing such a transplanted nerve with a substantial number of motoneurons and varying synaptic properties. The success of regeneration in forming viable synapses was substantiated through electrophysiology. The excitatory postsynaptic potentials evoked by the stimulation of regenerated neurons included both properties characteristic of the tonic native innervation as well as ones that were novel and more reminiscent of phasic innervation. Thin serial section electron microscopy established the phenotypes of the regenerated synapses in terms of synaptic area, the number of dense bars per synapse and the dense bar length. Some of the regenerated synapses resembled those found in native tonic innervation, while others were clearly novel and more reminiscent of phasic innervation. The presence of these different synaptic phenotypes is indicative of a motoneuronal autonomous programme responsible for dictating structural and functional properties. The muscle shows no favouritism in its acceptance of foreign motoneurons and while it appears to exert minimal influence on the resulting phenotype of the regenerated synapses, it does seem to restrict innervation to lower than normal, never accepting more than three motoneurons.
The musical aesthetics of the poetry of Tennyson and Browning

This dissertation demonstrates that both Robert Browning and Alfred Tennyson were musical poets. Taking its cue from Helen Vendler's definition of aesthetic criticism which, in part, attempts to place a literary work among works of the fine arts, this study is an exercise in aesthetic criticism that attempts to read the poetry with sensitivity to what can be called its musical qualities. The first chapter contextualizes this study by briefly discussing the states of music and musical aesthetics in Victorian England and the musical background of the two poets. Browning and Tennyson are interesting choices for the study of musical qualities in poetry because the one was inordinately knowledgeable, for a poet, about music and the other was relatively ignorant. The second chapter is an attempt to define a system of melopoetics: properties of poetry, such as rhythm, tension, and cadence, that have a direct correlation to an equivalent musical property. The three final chapters are attempts at melopoetic criticism, and study a number of poems by each poet. Chapter 3 studies poems in relation to vocal music, mainly song, but also explores the relationship between the dramatic monologue form and the opera aria. Chapter 4 reads two cycles of poems, 'The Window' and "James Lee's Wife," as song cycles, the first in the German Romantic tradition and the second as an attempt to establish a new, English tradition. A comparison of the melopoetic effects in The Window to Arthur Sullivan's musical setting of the poem reveals Tennyson's self-conscious attempts at musical effects in his poetry. Chapter 5 studies the more difficult relationship between poetry and instrumental music, showing how some poems can be read alongside specific musical forms--"The Two Voices" and the symphonic slow movement, "Audley Court" and the concert overture, "A Toccata of Galuppi's" and the toccata, and "Master Hugues of Saxe-Gotha" and the fugue--which the poems at times emulate.
Childhood, schooling, family, and community, reflections of mothers

In this thesis the reader will meet nine mothers working everyday to provide for their school-age children's physical, emotional, social and recreational needs. These are stories of mothers who work with schools expecting their children to receive the education they will need to develop into active participating adults. As young students in Toronto, they themselves left school without completing high school. These are mothers who find fulfillment caring for their children. They are also engaged in a continuous search for meaning in their lives as adult learners and workers. The women are Canadians of diverse ethnic, racial and linguistic home backgrounds. The study includes women of White English speaking homes, of White Portuguese speaking homes, of Black and East Indian English speaking homes. The women are Torontonians. It is also the story of the search for participants who met the above criteria. These women's life histories in the past and in the present are, as was expected, a rich source of knowledge which is in part shared through this text. Much was left untold and much was left out of the writing. Despite these limitations, in choosing to actively engage with this thesis the reader will learn much from our interpretations of these life experiences through the different processes: the research, the dialogues, the analysis, the writing and now the reading. One critical objective of this work was to help those involved in delivering educational and social services learn from the experiences of these women, how we can work together to provide educational programs for a local urban population that is very diverse. The focus is on learning from within and outside the K-12 system, from childhood and continuing into and through adulthood. This thesis also tells of a search for a theory that would enable me to interpret and write the collective and individual stories that emerged from the women's words in transcript. The journey culminated in the language theories (speaking, reading, and writing) of Mikhail Bakhtin and Paulo Freire, two internationally renowned writers for whom dialogue holds a central place in human communication. The research had as its point of departure dialogues with mothers from a place. To further inform/broaden that view, dialogues with writers and colleagues from this place and time, from other places and times (Freire, Bakhtin, Dewey, Gramsci, Foucault) were brought in.
Estimation of surface orientation from a single image

It is known that perspective projection plays an important role in the human visual system. It enables an observer to obtain relevant information about the 3D structure of the world even when stereographic and focusing information are unavailable or of little use given the scale of the structures in the image. This thesis explores the determination of surface orientation from a single view using the perspective information provided by the orientation of line segments present in the image. The issues addressed are the extraction of relevant features, the extraction of the perspective information that encodes the orientation of planar surfaces, and the grouping of features into areas which have a consistent orientation. Experimental results in real world images are presented and possible extensions to this work are discussed.
Accountability for the Humanitarian Fiasco in Contemporary Armed Conflicts, a Case Study of the Democratic Republic of Congo

The just ended decade unleashed probably the most harrowing and baffling phenomena in human history. Notwithstanding concerted, consistent and relentless efforts by the international community to avoid a repetition of scenes reminiscent of the Holocaust, the Rwanda genocide caught us flat footed. Events in East Timor, Cambodia and the Former Yugoslavia have been similarly dreadful. However, international law scholars--to date--maintain that the law of armed conflicts has not only come of age but that it is also fully and adequately developed just as it is universally widely accepted. This thesis sets out to prove such scholars wrong and to demonstrate that the present state of the law is remarkably deficient for reasonable expectations in the promotion and protection of human integrity in the context of armed conflicts.
FSF closed-loop identification issues and optimal input signal design for identification experiments

In this thesis, closed-loop system identification issues and optimal input signal design using the Frequency Sampling Filter (FSF) model are studied. It is found that the FSF model when combined with a least squares estimator produces inconsistent FSF parameter estimates under closed-loop conditions. The reason for this is presented and a data shifting technique is suggested for the purpose of eliminating this problem. As well, it is found that the assumption of more timei delay reduces bias error callsed by prefilter mismatch for FIR and FSF models under closed-loop conditions. The optimal input signal energy distributionl with rctspect to minimizing a measure of thF quality of the FSF-generated step response model. is computed. This optimal energy distribution is indepeIldeIlt of the process parameters being identified. Finally, a new input signal design strategy is dpveloped for thc purpose of realizing binary, input signals having the optimal energy distriblltion via a practical, on-line methodology.
Nietzsche and nihilism

The failure of Hegel's attempt at a 'grand' synthesis of Platonic and Christian thought has forced upon continental philosophy a radical rethinking and re-evaluation of both metaphysics and theology--what Heidegger has called the onto-theological tradition. Nietzsche's re-evaluation of that tradition results in the thesis of philosophic nihilism--that philosophy itself, since Parmenides' thesis of the identity of thought and 'Being', is complicitous in nurturing the modern sense of meaninglessness which Nietzsche calls European nihilism. If nihilism is viewed as being at the very centre of Nietzsche's thought, then very different conclusions may be drawn, than by those interpreters who take his `doctrines' of the ubermensch, the eternal recurrence, and the will to power, too literally as 'solutions' to the 'problem' of nihilism. The recognition of nihilism as the culmination of a long historical process which begins, philosophically, with 'morality' as the unexplored substratum of all claims to truth, forbids further solutions in the form of 'overcoming' or 'progress'--the modernist strategy by which the past is hollowed out, denigrated, in the interest of a newer truth. Instead Nietzsche responds to European nihilism with an exploration of the possibilities of history--foremost of which is the notion of eternal recurrence. Here the eternal recurrence is taken figuratively, a poetic device which points to a new definition of philosophy which "so far as it is science and not legislation,... means only the broadest extension of the concept of history."
Mediation and settlement in administrative adjudication, a theoretical and applied examination

Adjudication is a distinctive form of social ordering, and adjudication by administrative tribunals can in turn be distinguished from court-based adjudication. Criticisms of both types of adjudication are linked to a surge of interest in alternative forms of dispute resolution, in particular, informal processes such as mediation. These informal processes are not themselves without drawbacks. The institutionalization of mediation at administrative tribunals advances certain values. Mediation is premised on the primacy of private ordering as a means of deciding disputes. The mass mediation of disputes about statutory rights may undercut the important function of tribunals in developing the normative values underlying a legislative scheme. Particular mediation processes may also have an impact on the content or characterization of the issues under consideration by a tribunal. The incorporation of mediation processes into administrative adjudication may affect the particular goals of a legislative scheme, and administrative law values in general.