VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Algiers - Vilnius - Algiers, a study in minor literature

The works of Algerian author Assia Djebar and Litvak writer Icchokas Meras lie at the centre of this study. In it I consider the texts of Djebar and Meras as texts of minor literature, using Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari's 'Kafka: Toward a Minor Literature' as my starting point. Both Djebar and Meras write in the language of the other, and I argue that it is their simultaneous being inside and outside of language (and community) that defines them as writers of minor literature. These writers deform and disrupt language, making it stutter and infusing it with new meaning. While stuttering language is one result of the ever-present tension between deterritorialization and reterritorialization that is at the heart of minor literature, I have tried to show that this process happens not only in language (as in Djebar), but in the narratives that communities tell about themselves (as in Meras) as well. The collectivity of minor literature--the fact that minor literature is always written by many hands--has led me to a reading of its texts as rhizomes and as assemblages. This rhizomorphous reading is a reading across texts and genres. It is a reading process that allows for multiform texts, as rhizomes are always multiple and continually becoming. In addition to the adoption of language, another common thread ties the texts of this study together: the memory of war, violence, and loss. It is the simultaneous struggle to honour the memory of disappeared loved ones, and to free oneself from the past in order to let old wounds heal that links not only Djebar and Meras, but which opens their texts out to a much larger assemblage, or collection of rhizomes. It is this contradictory impulse--to hang on while letting go (to reterritorialize while deterritorializing)--that is at the centre of minor literature.
Design of a propulsion system with double-layer power capacitors and soft-switched converters for a hybrid automobile

The increasing pollution levels, especially in cities, have made the development of more environmental friendly vehicles an urgent need. Although millions of dollars have been spent on electric vehicle research, no electric vehicle capable of competing with normal vehicles based only on internal combustion engines has been developed. The problem is associated with the difficulty to store the amount of energy needed and supply it at high power levels. Hybrid electric vehicles represent a very attractive option to reduce pollution while maintaining good performance. The double-layer power capacitors are an attractive option in hybrid vehicles due to their high power density and long lifetime. However, these devices are new, and the assembling of large energy storage units has to be studied before using them in vehicle systems. Voltage sharing is especially critical since many devices have to be connected in series to reach the technically required voltages. To improve the global efficiency for the vehicle, the electric propulsion system has to be designed to minimise weight and size. The use of higher switching frequencies brings important reductions in weight mainly for the magnetic components. However, due to the switching losses, the switching frequency cannot be increased unless soft-switching technologies are used. When using an energy storage device with low energy density in a hybrid vehicle, the energy management strategy is of great importance to reduce the energy storage capability required to achieve the desired performance. The energy manager takes the actions needed to operate the energy storage unit and the engine according to the specifications and maximises the energy utilisation under different driving conditions. This thesis deals with the design of a propulsion system for a series hybrid vehicle. It includes the study of an energy storage unit using double-layer capacitors and a lightweight soft-switched converter system, two innovative components in series hybrid vehicles. Furthermore, the thesis formulates an easy-to-follow design strategy for vehicles using similar configurations and directed to minimise the fuel consumption. The thesis also includes the formulation of an energy management strategy optimised for the vehicle characteristics and the implementation of an experimental prototype for the proposed system.
Optimal closed-loop experiments for accurate step response model identification

This thesis presents a new approach to the design of optimal closed-loop identification experiments. The proposed approach utilizes periodic excitation in a two-phase experiment to generate accurate step response estimates of the process. The two-phase approach only requires an 'a priori' estimate of the process settling time, a significant improvement over designs presented in the literature which require knowledge of the process dynamics. With a carefully designed test signal, preliminary information required for optimal identification of the process step response is collected in the first phase of the experiment. It is shown that periodic excitation coupled with the Frequency Sampling Filter (FSF) model structure allows for a highly efficient set of computations that can be performed on-line. The second phase of the experiment is used to ensure that the data collected from the complete experiment satisfies the optimality condition.
Establishment and maintenance of parasegmental compartments

Embryos of higher metazoans are divided into repeating compartments early in development. In 'Drosophila', the earliest boundaries are formed by the parasegments, which are coincident with the early expression patterns of two pair-rule genes, 'fushi-tarazu' ('ftz ') and 'even-skipped' ('eve'). Expression of 'ftz' defines the even-numbered parasegments, whereas as ' eve' defines the odd-numbered parasegments. I used genetic methods to selectively raise or lower the expression levels of 'ftz' and/or 'eve', and the effect on the positioning of parasegment boundaries was determined. I found that the relative levels of 'ftz ' and 'eve', but not their absolute levels, determined where the borders were positioned. Altered parasegment boundary position produced alternating parasegments of enlarged and reduced sizes. I found that these boundary positions display only a modest ability to revert back to normal widths. Later in development, parasegments enlarged by 30% or more remained enlarged while parasegments that were narrowed by the same amount were lost. Loss of the reduced parasegments occurred predominantly by delamination from the epithelial layer followed by cell death.
Thiol reactive chemical probes for studying protein ion channel structure and the application of chemical probes to the study of U2AF, an essential RNA splicing factor

In Part I and II, thiol reagents were designed to react with cysteine residues within ion channel proteins. In Part I, a novel thiol reagent, 2-(methylthiosulfonate)ethyl-' N'-('N,N'-dimethylaminoethyl)carbamate (MTSAC),was characterized when linked to the simple ion channel, gramicidin. MTSAC-treated channels showed a pattern of steps in the current recordings on the timescale of the carbamate bond isomerization; the size of the steps was sensitive to the location of the thiol-reactive site in relation to the channel entrance. MTSAC may be useful for establishing proximity to the pore in studies of ion channel protein structure. In Part II, the synthesis of a group of lidocaine analogs was accomplished. A thiol-reactive lidocaine analog could be used to probe the region surrounding the local anesthetic binding site in cysteine mutants of sodium channels. A group of lidocaine analogs was synthesized, with 2, 3, and 4 carbons between the amino nitrogen of lidocaine and the thiol-reactive group. In Part III, chemical probes were employed to study the RNA and protein interactions of U2AF, an essential RNA splicing factor. The synthesis of two novel thioester reagents was accomplished, benzophenone-3MPA and biotin-3MPA. EDTA-3MPA, a thioester nuclease reagent previously used to study DNA-protein interactions, was also synthesized and used in this study. The thioester reagents allowed the attachment of reporter groups to a series of U2AF mutants with cysteine at the terminus. U2AF is a heterodimer composed of a large subunit U2AF65 and a small subunit U2AF35. U2AF 65 is essential for RNA splicing, containing an RS domain that is necessary for its activity and may be involved in regulation of activity. A series of N-terminal cysteine mutants of U2AF65, full-length U2AF65 and N-terminal truncations of U2AF65 ([Delta]1-14, [Delta]1-24, [Delta]1-64 and [Delta]1-94) were engineered, cloned and purified. Biotin-3MPA was used to specifically label proteins with N-terminal cysteine mutations. It was used to detect the presence of an N-terminal cysteine, and the successful reaction of that cysteine to other thioester reagents. EDTA-3MPA was used to derivatize the full-length and ([Delta]1-64) U2AF 65 mutants. Addition of Fe2+ to these proteins generated a site-specific nuclease reagent to footprint the location of the U2AF 65 RS domain with respect to the pre-mRNA. (EDTA)-U2AF65 created a footprint pattern on an RNA substrate, indicating the RS domain was in close proximity to the branchpoint adenosine.Benzophenone-3MPA was reacted with full-length and ([Delta]1-64) U2AF65 mutants. (Benzophenone)-U2AF65 and (benzophenone)-([Delta]1-64)U2AF 65 were tested for crosslinking ability to the small subunit U2AF35. ([Delta]1-64)U2AF65 appeared to crosslink to U2AF35 at a low level.
The development of commitment to the common good, the case of adults learning about global issues

Society is at a crucial transition point: We can do irreparable damage to our planet or build a sustainable, just, and peaceful world. If we are to create a positive planetary future, far-reaching individual and societal change will be required. Many look to education as the key to such transformation. This qualitative study examines the experience of twenty-three adult Nova Scotians who devoted considerable time to learning about global issues. In-depth interviews were used to probe the influences which led the individuals to this learning, the processes in which they engaged, and the impacts of the learning on their lives. Most participants traced the roots of their global interest to their childhood. The roles of family, religion, cross-cultural experiences, and influential individuals were particularly significant. The participants had open, searching, inquiring minds and relied heavily on learning resources which provided considerable depth of information and analysis: especially books, periodicals, radio, workshops, conferences, and specialized residential programs. All participants were involved in organizations and activities which reflected a concern for global issues. It became clear that the individuals viewed their learning about global issues as part of a broader concern for the common good, and an essential aspect of their identity. Based on participants' experiences becoming interested in and concerned about global issues, an exploratory model is constructed which attempts to describe the development of commitment to the common good. The model views learning as the process through which knowledge is conveyed from the public "Outer Self," to the private "Inner Self." The Inner Self is where commitment to the common good resides. Seven elements are identified as crucial: values, empathy, understanding, sense of self and community, passion, vision, and commitment. These give rise to three clusters within the Inner Self: the Actual Self, Moral Self, and Desired Self. In highly committed individuals, the three overlap almost completely; in those less committed, there is much less overlap. The study concludes by exploring implications for adult educators and others concerned with the development of commitment to the common good.
"...With frenzied thoughts beset...": Depictions of female madness on the nineteenth-century English stage.

Nineteenth-century drama has long been viewed as insignificant in its contribution to the intellectual culture of the period. It has been assumed that until the advent of Wilde and Shaw the theatre had nothing to offer the literary scholar beyond a memory of colourful spectacle and theatrical anecdotes. The Victorian drama has been seen as a simple form of escapist entertainment. However, the plays performed in the nineteenth-century theatre reflected contemporary mores and ideals. An examination of a selection of these plays will look at the effect they had in mirroring and solidifying such ideals, especially in the way that women were portrayed. The heroines and villainesses of the nineteenth-century theatre encapsulated the wider societal view of the feminine psyche at a time when psychology began to emerge as a separate discipline. In a comparison of contemporary biological and psychological texts with certain of these popular theatrical female characters, it becomes evident that the theatre was significant in its contribution to the broader culture. While being described by biologists as the weaker sex, women were portrayed as helpless heroines on stage. As women gained more autonomy in society their fictitious stage representations became more threatening and dangerous; this same contention was also put forward by social scientists and biologists. With the advent of the New Woman in the 1880s, the theatre attempted to come to terms with the changing role of women in society and concluded, frequently, that they were a dangerous hybrid which threatened the race. At the same time psychologists continued to warn of the danger of such fractured psyches. An examination of popular nineteenth-century plays will show that the mad woman was not simply a conventional figure of Victorian melodrama, but also a puzzling, and occasionally frightening, reality for society at large.
Concrete filled glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) shells under concentric compression

An experimental investigation was conducted to study the behaviour of concrete filled Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) shells under concentric compression. The main objective of this study was to assess the suitability of prefabricated GFRP shells as a stay-in-place formwork and confining material. A total of seventeen columns of dimensions 355.6 x 1524 mm (14 x 60 in.) were tested. The variables tested were number of GFRP layers, orientation of fibres, and the amount of longitudinal and lateral steel. Concrete with a compressive strength of 30 MPa was used. Results showed a significant increase in strength, ductility, and energy absorption capacity of columns due to confinement provided by GFRP shells. Fibres in the longitudinal direction improved the load carrying capacity of the columns. It was concluded that GFRP shells have the potential to replace lateral steel for confinement purposes.
The responsibility of the States under international human rights law to address the trafficking in Nepalese girls into prostitution

Trafficking in girls into prostitution is a global problem and has been destroying the lives of thousands of innocent victims resulting in physical and mental violence and various kinds of diseases. It violates the human rights of the victims, many of which are non-derogable under any circumstances. Nepalese victims trafficked into prostitution are a group of such victims who have been trafficked in brothels in India in large number every year because of the grim socio-legal discrimination at home. The apathy, neglect and discrimination practices by the States (Nepal and India), including the judiciary, on this problem have further increased suffering of the victims. This thesis argues that as parties to the various international human rights laws, it is the responsibility of Nepal and India to fulfill their commitments by making their national laws effective in order to prevent trafficking and protect human rights of the victims without any discrimination.
Adolphe, Armance, Dominique, les configurations passionnelles du silence

Le silence n'est pas directement observable et pourtant il ne correspond pas au vide du point de vue de la perception, il est palpable, il est lisible, on le sent, on l'entend, il est pourvu de dimensions auditives, visuelles et psychologiques. Cette étude a comme objectif d'examiner les manifestations du silence dans trois romans psychologiques du XIXe siècle, notamment 'Adolphe' de Constant, 'Armance' de Stendhal et 'Dominique' de Fromentin. On suit les traces d'une fréquence lexicale où une approche lexicale-sémantique se combine à une analyse thématique. On s'attache surtout aux silences visibles, formellement inscrits dans le texte. Au cours de cette étude on considère le silence physique de l'espace environnant, le silence psychologique des émotions et motivations, et le silence interactif qui surgit lors du dialogue en tant que moyen d'expression dans la perspective de la communication. En étudiant la façon dont le silence est vécu comme un mode de la relation amoureuse, nous faisons appel à la phénoménologie afin de situer le corps dans la relation intersubjective fondée sur la perception, de sorte que celui-ci s'impose dans notre étude comme un moyen non-verbal de communiquer. Dans une perspective contiguë, étant un mode d'expression silencieux, le comportement non-verbal des personnages s'inscrit aussi dans notre entreprise. Le propos spécifique que nous élucidons est que le silence définit, détermine et modifie l'expérience amoureuse dans ces récits.
The molecular and biochemical characterization of the MLRQ subunit of NADH, ubiquinone oxidoreductase in the human mitochondrial respiratory chain

Isolated deficiency of NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (Complex I), the first enzyme of the mitochondrial respiratory chain is the most common cause of human mitochondriocytopathies. In order to characterize the nuclear genes contributing to this disease, the cDNA and genomic sequences encoding the MLRQ subunit of complex I were determined. The 'NDUFA4' gene encoding MLRQ was localized to chromosome 7 p21-22 and a pseudogene was found on chromosome 1 p21. Tissue specific expression of MLRQ at both mRNA and protein levels was examined. Overexpression of this subunit in a patient exhibiting complex I deficiency is also discussed. Extraction, immunoprecipitation and cross-linking studies revealed that while the N-terminus of MLRQ has a great affinity for phospholipids of the inner mitochondrial membrane, it likely also associates with the MWFE subunit through other intermediary subunit(s), forming part of the bulky stalk region that bridges the two arms of complex I.
From tribal space to cyberspace, regime change in international telecommunications regulation

The recently signed WTO Agreement on Basic Telecommunications has largely moved telecommunications out of a world of monopoly regulation led by the ITU and into a world of competition led by the WTO. What has occurred, then, is a migration of political authority from the monopoly-dominated ITU to the liberalization-oriented WTO: a classic example of "regime change". This thesis seeks to analyze the legal and social effects of the regime change in international telecommunications regulation. Using regime theory, this thesis charts the underlying structural causes of the regime change and, using Canada as a case study, analyzes the practical affect the regime change will have on domestic regulation.
A comparison of the effects and benefits of rectilinear ties versus continuous rectilinear transverse reinforcement

A new type of transverse reinforcement that, unlike conventional rectangular ties, was a continuous product analogous to spirals in circular columns was tested. Spirals in circular columns offer more confinement than their hoop tie counterparts. Research was undertaken to see if continuous rectilinear reinforcement offered similar confinement gains versus conventional reinforcement. Six columns were tested under concentric loading. The specimens did not exhibit the expected ductility since they failed due to buckling of the longitudinal reinforcement. The specimens with continuous reinforcement and a twelve bar pattern exhibited greater ductility than their conventionally tied counterparts. Modeling of the specimen performance using conventional models was inaccurate due to the buckling failure. A new model was developed to account for the continuity of the transverse reinforcement. Sixteen specimens were designed that should exhibit better ductility without failing due to bar buckling, based on a design chart developed by Pantazopoulou (1998) to avoid bar buckling, for further research.
Multivariable control of web processes

Web-handling machinery abound in industries that process long, thin material such as film, paper, textiles and even thin metals. All the processing is done as the material is rewound into a roll. Closed loop control is required to regulate the line (web) speed, and the tension of the web in the various processing stations. These specifications are met using actuators that essentially "pull" on the web to create the desired tension. Until recently, industry has relied exclusively on the classical PID controller that is tuned online by an operator. This thesis takes a novel approach--it studies the applicability of recent advances in optimal frequency domain control techniques, namely <math> <f> <sc>H<inf>[infinity]</inf></sc></f> </math> control, to web processing. Various models of the winding process are developed and used to design <math> <f> <sc>H<inf>[infinity]</inf></sc></f> </math> controllers. These are experimentally verified on an industrial machine at the University of Toronto.
Modelling the structure of the tumour vasculature and its effect on Doppler ultrasound signals

Doppler ultrasound with contrast agents can be used to 'detect ' the microcirculation. In this thesis, we ask the question whether they can help 'characterize' it. Unlike normal vessels, vascular network in malignant angiogenesis is disorganised and chaotic. Two fractal models are developed--mimicking the morphology of organised (kidney-like) and disorganized (tumour-like) vascular trees. The fractal box-dimension of kidney DB = 1.67 ± 0.01 and tumour DB = 1.80 ± 0.01 vascular models fall within range reported in literature, D B = 1.61 ± 0.06 and DB = 1.84 ± 0.04, respectively. The expected responses of two Doppler ultrasound measures are evaluated. The ' angle method' may detect presence of preferential directionality in the vascular structure. The 'destruction-reperfusion' curves of the kidney and the tumour models have the same flow-rate and vascular volume but different curves. The difference in these curves is related to probability distribution of transit times. These findings may have implications for characterization of neovascular tissue in cancer.
Evaluating the pharmacokinetics of valproate in the elderly, dose-related changes and their influence on effects

Valproate exhibits concentration-dependent protein binding and clearance that has not been assessed in the elderly at higher doses. Side effect severity has also not been evaluated across dosages. Ninety steady state free/total valproate concentrations were collected in an observational manner from 41 mood disorder patients (14-85 years). The elderly had higher free fractions (10.3% vs. 9.7%) at lower valproate concentrations (<=350[mu]mol/L) with a similar trend at higher concentrations, compared to the young. A single blind within subject study in 6 healthy elderly volunteers (65-76 years), assessed steady state total/free valproate concentrations at 3 doses: 500, 1000 and 1500mg/day. As concentrations increased, the free fraction (10 to 17.4%) and total clearance (4.8 to 6.7ml/hr/kg) increased significantly. Unbound clearance decreased (49 to 39ml/hr/kg) with increasing concentrations. CNS and nausea severity correlated with total and free valproate levels. This study demonstrates valproate dose-related pharmacokinetic changes, and side effect severity in the elderly.