VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The voices of students: the perspectives of early childhood education students in an infant inclusive multi-age childcare placement

This study was designed to investigate what occurs in student teaching during a distinctive field placement experience—in an infant inclusive multi-age childcare—setting from the perspectives of the early childhood education (henceforth, ECE) students themselves. It revealed specific details of what ten ECE student teachers experienced during their placement experiences, rather than presenting data collected prior to and after placement experiences. It portrayed the placement experience as it appeared to the ECE students rather than from the judgements of outsiders. This study provided insight into the uniqueness of the “participants”, the complexity of the “process” and the significance of the “contexts” of placement experiences (Guyton & McIntyre, 1990, p. 524). Most importantly, it brought into focus how the tensions between “voice” and silence affected every aspect of the students learning. Helping students to profess what they held to be beneficial and effective on behalf of the children was deemed to be one of the most important tasks for teacher educators. The most critical task students faced during this placement was discovering themselves in the present moment, and creating the selves they would bring to the work they would do to affect the lives of children and families. Finally it was discovered that each student had his or her own inner reasons for deciding to provide education and care for young children, and these reasons were the central meaning they gave to their lives affected every aspect of their learning during the placement experience.

Keywords: Nongraded schools
Early childhood education
Combination of grades
Early childhood teachers, Training of
The distribution of proctolin-like immunoreactivity and physiological effects of proctolin within the locust, Locusta migratoria

The control of adipokinetic hormone I (AKH I) and juvenile hormone (JH) release by proctolin was investigated. Proctolin caused dose-dependent increases in AKH I release from the locust CC, with threshold at 10-8 M and maximal response at approximately 10-7 M proctolin. Confirmation of AKH release was obtained by bioassay for adipokinetic activity. Proctolin significantly increased the release of JH from the locust CA. Proctolin did not alter the release of JH from the cockroach CA. The PLI coupled with physiology suggests proctolin as a releasing factor for locust AKH I and JH but not for JH from the CA of cockroach. Proctolin-like immunoreactivity (PLI) was extensively distributed within the central and stomatogastric nervous systems and gut of Locusta migratoria. PLI was also found in the lateral neurosecretory cells, the nervi corporis caradiaci II, corpus cardiacum (CC), and corpus allatum (CA). In contrast, in the cockroach, Diploptera punctata, PLI was associated with the CC, but was absent within the CA.
Evolutionary genetics of dikaryosis and diploidy in the basidiomycete Schizophyllum commune

To examine differences in the phenotypic plasticity of different ploidy states, the evolved dikaryons, neohaplonts, evolved haploids, and dikaryons created by mating evolved haploids were grown in various environments. The evolved dikaryons and neohaplonts had a higher degree of phenotypic variation than the evolved haploids, while the dikaryons constructed from the evolved haploids had little phenotypic variation. The evolved haploid lines had a higher fitness in the selective environment than the others tested, indicating adaptation. Using Dik-, a mutation that induces diploidy, I compared the immediate phenotypic response of dikaryons and their corresponding, isogenic diploids to 50 different experimental treatments. Three different responses were found: (a) the dikaryons grew significantly faster than the diploids in 13 treatments, (b) there was no significant difference between the dikaryons and diploids in 26 treatments, and (c) the diploids grew significantly faster than the dikaryons in 11 treatments. Further quantitative genetic analysis indicated that there are differences between ploidy states in additive and non-additive components of genetic variation for mycelial growth. The dikaryon represents a novel alternative to diploidy in that both gametic genomes are present, but are maintained in separate nuclei in each cell. The objective of my thesis research was to evaluate the evolutionary implications of dikaryosis, relative to those of haploidy and diploidy. Laboratory populations of dikaryons and haploid monokaryons were allowed to evolve for 24 months or sim;17,500 generations. Dikaryotic mycelia responded to selection with increases in growth rate, while haploid monokaryotic mycelia did not. To determine if the haploid components of the dikaryon adapt reciprocally to one another's presence over time, I recovered the intact haploid components of dikaryotic mycelia at different time points and mated them with nuclei of different evolutionary histories. I found evidence for co-adaptation between nuclei in one dikaryotic line, a dominant deleterious mutation in a nucleus was followed by a compensatory mutation in the other nucleus. Using a 24-locus genotyping system based on single nucleotide polymorphisms, I observed genetic exchange and recombination between the nuclei of several different dikaryons.
MEMS-based power disconnect for 42V automotive power systems

This thesis presents the design of a MEMS-based power disconnect system for use with the proposed 42V automotive power system. High voltage power systems are prone to arcing during system disconnections. The high arcing energy may pose electric shock hazards to human and cause severe damage to the systems. The purpose of this power disconnect system is to eliminate arcing occurrence. The system consists of a packaging cover, a MEMS sensor, a readout circuit, and a relay. In the presence of physical contact from a service technician, the cover transforms the macroscopic input force into a fine motion onto the MEMS sensor. In response to the motion, the readout circuit will trigger a signal to the relay, which will then electronically turn off the power supply prior to the physical interruption of the electrical contacts. Without power supplied to the connector, arcing will be eliminated.
Mapping canine learning and memory systems: functions of the rhinal and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices in object and visuospatial learning and memo

The first experiment describes a novel task developed to assess egocentric spatial learning in which dogs had to respond to one of two stimuli based on their spatial location relative to the animals' own body position. The initial task was acquired readily and was insensitive to age. However, when the stimulus-reward contingencies were reversed, old dogs showed difficulty in switching their responses. The egocentric task's development is described because the perseverative-type reversal learning deficits found in old dogs suggested that the task was effective in measuring frontal lobe function, and so it became a potentially useful paradigm for testing the effects of dlPFC lesions in Experiment 3. The present investigation used the lesion technique to examine the functional organization of the dog's brain in tests of object and spatial learning and memory. The initial motivation for studying canine functional neuroanatomy was part of a larger endeavour to develop the dog as a model of human aging and cognition. The experiments described in this dissertation represent the first attempt to characterize the role of the canine rhinal cortex (RC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) in visually-based tasks that assess object and spatial learning and memory. In Experiments 2 and 3, simultaneous training on conceptually and procedurally analogous object and spatial tasks allowed us to directly compare the effects of RC and dlPFC removal on object versus spatial memory. In Experiment 2, removal of the canine RC selectively disrupted performance on tasks in which object information had to be processed and remembered, but left visuospatial performance completely unaffected. In Experiment 3, removal of the canine dlPFC produced impairments in visuospatial executive functions. A selective and transient impairment in retention of the rules required to perform a spatial delayed non-matching task was found, while mnemonic performance on the task remained intact. Perseverative responding on an egocentric spatial reversal task was increased following damage to the dlPFC, suggesting that this region in the dog is also involved in inhibitory control capacity, a decline in which may underlie the age-related deficits found in Experiment 1.
A machine learning algorithm for identifying groups of post-translational modifications

Post-translational modification (PTM) is a process by which proteins undergo chemical modifications. Many of these modifications are known to play pivotal roles in the regulation of protein function and are linked to diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, diabetes and cancer. Currently, the leading genome-wide approach for discovering PTMs uses the combination of mass spectrometry and an unrestrictive blind PTM search algorithm. However, this approach is subject to noisy mass measurement and uncertainty in the modification site, which can translate to false PTM predictions. As a result, identifying bona fide PTMs becomes nontrivial. We devised a machine learning algorithm called the "PTM clustering algorithm," which models the hidden relationships between the modification mass, the modification site and the modified amino acid. As a result, it accounts for the noises in the dataset and clusters the data points into PTM groups. This algorithm is the first known technique that systematically and objectively addresses these problems. We used the PTM clustering algorithm to denoise a set of 20,000 yeast modified peptides and identified both known and novel PTMs.
Characterization of the putative Arabidopsis exocyst complex and its role in pollen-pistil interactions in the Brassicaceae

In eukaryotes, communication between compartments of the endomembrane system is achieved via the process of vesicle trafficking. Targeting of vesicles to their appropriate compartments requires specific multimeric docking complexes to be present at different locations within the cell. During polarized secretion and growth, the exocyst complex is responsible for docking of exocytotic vesicles at the plasma membrane. In yeast and animals, the exocyst is an eight subunit complex where each component is generally encoded by a single copy gene. In plants, however, duplication of numerous exocyst components and an expansion of Exo70 into a multi-member gene family has occurred. To ascertain if the exocyst function has been conserved in plants, a number of exocyst genes from Arabidopsis were transiently expressed in tobacco BY-2 cells to identify their subcellular localization patterns. Co-expression analyses revealed that two Arabidopsis Exo70s, AtExo70E2 and AtExo70G1, were able to recruit other Arabidopsis exocyst components to the TGN, a site of exocytotic vesicle formation. To further study the role of Exo70 proteins in plants, the function of AtExo70Al in Arabidopsis and its orthologue BnExo70 in Brassica was examined during pollen-pistil interactions. In Brassica, self-incompatibility is controlled by the S haplotype, which encodes a ligand, SCR, and receptor kinase, SRK. During self-incompatible pollinations in Brassica, SCR, originating from the pollen coat, interacts with SRK in the papillae and elicits a downstream response through the recruitment of ARC1, an E3 ubiquitin ligase. ARC 1 is thought to then target downstream components necessary for compatible pollinations to the proteasome for degradation. BnExo70 was identified as an interactor of ARC1 in a yeast-two hybrid screen. AtExo70A 1 was shown to be required for pollen adhesion and hydration during early stages of compatible pollinations in Arabidopsis. Given that AtExo70A1 and BnExo70 are likely to serve similar functions in the respective species, targeted degradation of BnExo70 by ARC 1 likely facilitates a self-incompatible response by preventing compatible pollinations.
Real-time online fuzzy logic controller for laser interstitial thermal therapy

Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is a minimally invasive technique used to destroy localized solid tumours. LITT remains an experimental procedure due to the inability to control thermal damage in the presence of dynamic tissue changes. This prompted the investigation of a monitoring and control feedback system. A fuzzy logic controller (FLC) was developed to address tissue temperature control during LITT. The FLC receives two point temperatures as inputs, and produces a laser power level as output. It was designed to maintain tissue temperatures at target levels until a predefined thermal damage (calculated using the Arrhenius integral) was reached. The FLC was tested for its robustness in dealing with different tissue models, the presence of a simulated large vessel, an external heating source and increased maximum allowable power level. The FLC reached the system performance requirements and demonstrated the ability to control LITT treatments across all experiments.
Conformal interstitial ultrasound thermal therapy

MRI-guided interstitial thermal therapy is a minimally-invasive treatment for localized tumours. Heating applicators are inserted within or adjacent to a tumour and energy is delivered to elevate the temperature across the entire volume above the threshold for thermal coagulation (∼60°C). MR imaging is used to guide device placement, monitor energy delivery and assess thermal damage. A common characteristic of existing interstitial heating technology is limited control over spatial power deposition, resulting in the inability to generate asymmetric thermal damage patterns. The ability to generate thermal damage patterns that conform to the actual tumour volume could make the treatment of tumours close to critical structures possible, and spare the maximum amount of normal tissue in sensitive organs. The goal of this thesis was to investigate the potential to generate conformal heating patterns from an interstitial heating applicator. Ultrasound technology was selected because of the capability to control spatial power deposition simply with multiple parameters. Linear arrays and multi-layer transducers were evaluated for their heating characteristics through numerical calculations. Linear arrays produced thermal lesions with uniform radial temperature distributions for small target volumes (∼1 cc). Transducers with high impedance ceramic layers were capable of ultrasound transmission at multiple discrete frequencies. This design enabled control over the depth of heating due to the frequency dependence of ultrasound absorption. The performance of prototype heating applicators was evaluated in ex-vivo heating experiments. The ability to direct heating to defined angular sectors in tissue through device rotation was demonstrated, and the MR compatibility of the heating applicators was verified through measurement of the temperature distributions with MR thermometry. The combination of multi-frequency planar transducers and device rotation was demonstrated to make the generation of arbitrary thermal damage patterns possible. It was also predicted that the extent of thermal damage was less sensitive to the effects of blood perfusion as compared to conventional interstitial heating technology. It is concluded that interstitial ultrasound heating applicators can be used in conjunction with MRI-guidance to perform conformal thermal therapy.
Multicomponent diffusion in the system K2O-Na2O-FeO-MgO-TiO2-P2O5-Al2O3-SiO2

Previous studies have successfully determined the multicomponent diffusion matrix [D] for melts analogous to real silicate magmas containing up to five components. This study presents the diffusion coefficients for a more complicated and geologically relevant nine-component basaltic melt at 1400°C and 1GPa. In general, the diffusion experiments exhibited the appearance of simple binary profiles with minimal diffusive coupling, as only eleven of the total fifty-six off-diagonal eigenvector components contained non-zero values. FeO and CaO, and to a lesser degree Na2O and K2O appeared to diffuse more readily against their concentration gradients, while the direction of uphill diffusion for FeO and CaO were always the same, yet opposite in direction to Na2O and K2O. The measured eigenvalues ranged from 7.10 x 10-11 m2.sec-1 corresponding to Al2O3 up to 4.91 x 10-10 m2.sec-1 corresponding to Na2O.
Soot surface growth obliteration and fragmentation modelling in a laminar ethylene diffusion flame

Sophisticated aerosol dynamics models were combined with fluid dynamics, chemical kinetics, and radiation heat transfer models to predict soot formation in a laminar ethylene diffusion flame. Sectional methods were used to replicate the nucleation, surface growth and oxidation, and coagulation processes. In particular, the focus of this work is on using a recent model from aerosol literature for surface growth. Typically, sectional models that take into account the fractal structure of soot assumes point contact between spherical primary particles, and surface growth increases the diameter of these particles. However, in reality, surface growth gradually merges primary particles. This effect, known as obliteration, was implemented into the sectional model. Another important phenomenon, the fragmentation of clusters, is caused by hydrodynamic shearing and is facilitated by oxidative surface loss. A new model for oxidation-based fragmentation has been developed and is presented in the paper.
The effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin on growth factor expression in the developing mouse ureter: Implications in aryl hydrocarbon receptor-mediated hydronephrosis

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that can bind many diverse ligands including the environmental contaminant 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). The AHR plays a key role in xenobiotic metabolism and toxicity and is also important for growth and development. In recent years, AHR studies, including my own, have paid much attention to elucidating the receptor's mechanistic role in development. The AHR is significant for development as inactivating mutations of the AHR result in developmental defects. Furthermore, TCDD, acting through the AHR, is teratogenic. The research presented in this thesis focuses on the mechanisms by which TCDD produces the kidney defect observed in developing mice known as hydronephrosis. In TCDD-induced hydronephrosis, it has been postulated that dysregulation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling results in hyperplasia of luminal epithelial cells thereby occluding the ureter and preventing urine flow. My goal was to determine the effect of TCDD on growth factor expression and EGFR signaling in the developing mouse ureter and the cellular processes contributing to the hyperplasia. I have shown that TCDD induces the transcriptional expression of certain EGFR ligands, amphiregulin and epiregulin, in the fetal ureter. The induction of amphiregulin mRNA was shown to rely on the presence of the AHR in a cell culture model. TCDD also increased EGFR and ERK protein levels as well as EGFR activation in the fetal ureter, but did not significantly affect downstream EGFR signaling. TCDD induced hyperplasia of the ureteric epithelium, but neither epithelial cell proliferation nor cell death was grossly affected by TCDD exposure. Importantly, hydronephrosis in its early stages was not accompanied by occlusion of the ureter, indicating that hydronephrosis does not arise as a result of an occluded ureter. The data presented not only contribute to our knowledge of the etiology of TCDD-induced hydronephrosis in the developing mouse kidney, but also demonstrate that the AHR directly modulates the transcriptional expression of ligands for the EGFR. AHR-mediated regulation of EGFR signaling may play a fundamental role during normal development, and dysregulation of EGFR growth factor expression by TCDD may contribute to teratogenesis.
A multistage, parallel-path power amplifier in silicon germanide bipolar technology for mm-wave wireless applications

Wireless transmitters at mm-wave frequencies usually require costly III-V GaAs power amplifiers that must be packaged separately from mainstream silicon CMOS and BiCMOS circuits. This thesis studies the prospect of an integrable 3-stage power amplifier in a 100GHzfMAX 0.2microm SiGe HBT technology to facilitate cost-effective implementations of single-chip transceivers for 21--26GHz wireless applications. The amplifier utilizes an all common-base differential topology to maximize the power gain and extend the VCC supply to BVCEO of the transistors (1.8V). New on-chip components, such as interconnects with floating differential shields, self-shielding transformers and 4-way power combining/dividing baluns provide inter-stage coupling and single-ended interfaces at the input and output. On-chip ground isolation, low-inductance base interconnects and base ballast resistors are employed to ensure electrical and thermal stability. The current ratings of the on-chip passive components are designed to withstand the expected DC currents up to 110°C. The 2.45x2.45mm2 MMIC was mounted as a flip-chip and tested without a heatsink. It delivers 23dBm, 19.75% PAE at 22GHz, and 2ldBm, 13% PAE at 24GHz. The power gain is 19dB at a small-signal level and over 15dB at the maximum output power.
Modulating NSAID cytotoxicity by inhibiting or inducing glucuronidation: a QSTR study

QSTR analysis showed that NSAID cytotoxicity increased as their logP increased. The cytotoxicity of some NSAIDs was also determined by their pKa. NSAID hydrophobicity also determined the ease of glucuronidation. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of inhibiting nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) glucuronidation on NSAID-induced cytotoxicity and develop a quantitative structure-toxicity relationship (QSTR) model using non-specific physicochemical parameters, hydrophobicity (loge) and ionization constant (pKa), for NSAIDs cytotoxicity. For most NSAIDs P450 metabolism is an activation pathway, resulting in the production of toxic metabolites. The NSAID susceptibility of control isolated hepatocytes was compared with uridine diphosphoglucuronosyl transferase (UGT) induced hepatocytes (using phenobarbital or 3-methylcholanthrene) and UGT inactivated hepatocytes. Even though, the formation of reactive acyl glucuronide intermediates is thought by other investigators to contribute to the toxicity of NSAIDs, UGT induced hepatocytes were more resistant to most NSAIDs and UGT inhibited hepatocytes were more susceptible.
Vanadium treatment prevents bone loss and maintains bone quality in a combined osteoporosis and diabetes rat model

Vanadium-based drugs alleviate hyperglycemia in type 1 diabetes by enhancing the effects of insulin. Vanadium accumulates in bone as vanadate, replacing phosphate in the apatite lattice of bone mineral. Type 1 diabetes affects bone, causing an osteoporosis like syndrome. Some diabetic, post-menopausal women with osteoporosis may be treated with vanadium. It is necessary to examine how vanadium treatment affects such skeleton. Six-month old Wistar rats were ovariectomized to induce bone loss similar to post-menopausal osteoporosis. Streptozotocin was used to induce type 1 diabetes. Bis(ethylmaltolato) oxovanadium(IV) (BEOV), a vanadium-based anti-diabetic drug, was administered in drinking water for 12 weeks. Diabetes reduced bone mineral density (BMD), mechanical properties, crystal length, and trabecular architecture in osteoporotic bone. These were partially or completely corrected by BEOV treatment to controlled glucose. These results suggested that BEOV treatment helps to recover bone quality in type 1 diabetes primarily by improving the diabetic state.