VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Coronary artery bypass surgery in Ontario, effects of sex, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity and language

Objective. Coronary artery bypass surgery (CABS) is used to prolong life and/or relieve symptoms of coronary artery disease. The objectives were to determine whether rates of CABS vary according to age, sex, socioeconomic status (SES) and ethnicity/language in Ontario. Methods. Cross-sectional analysis was conducted of a dataset linking a clinical registry to hospital discharge abstracts. SES and ethnicity/language information were ecologically inferred from the 1991 Census. Rates were assessed with Poisson regression analysis and clinical factors with chi-square tests for linear trend. Results. In 1991-95 inclusive, the highest CABS rates were among elderly men who lived in the highest SES areas, and those who lived in areas with the highest proportions of Caucasians and English/French-speakers. Among CABS patients, more lower SES people, the elderly and women had severe angina; more Caucasians and English/French-speakers underwent CABS without likely survival benefit. Conclusion. These inequalities are consistent with potential inequity in CABS utilization.
Preparation of pyramidal textured GaP p-n junctions and their applications to alpha radio-voltaic cells, ARVCs

A new GaP pyramidal textured p-n junction (PTJ) was developed for improving the conversion efficiency of alpha radio voltaic cells (ARVCs). The pyramidal textured surfaces were prepared using photolithographic masking followed by wet chemical etching on n-type GaP (111) B surfaces. Surface morphology evolution as a function of etching time was investigated on patterned GaP substrates. Liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) growth of p-type GaP layers was carried out on the pyramidal textured substrates to form the PTJ. The LPE layer evolution for different growth time was also investigated to study LPE growth behavior on textured substrates. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) studies on PTJ structure devices showed that sharp PTJ interfaces with flat surfaces were realized. Electron beam induced current (EBIC) analysis proved that collection current follows the PTJ interface with an obvious increase in collection area compared to that of flat junctions. I-V studies revealed that very low leakage currents were achieved for p-n junctions formed with Mg doped p-type epilayers on both pyramidal and flat GaP substrates. Alpha radiation tests confirmed a significant ($\sim$100%) increase of the conversion efficiency for the ARVCs with PTJ structures compared to those with flat junctions.
The perspectives of patients with a diagnosis of personality disorder regarding the nurse-patient relationship

This thesis is a study of the perspectives of hospitalized patients who have the diagnosis of personality disorder (PD) regarding the nurse-patient relationship. It compares the perspectives of patients with a diagnosis of PD with the perspectives of patients with other psychiatric diagnoses (PSY). Nurses have described the relationship with patients diagnosed with PD as difficult and unpredictable. However, there has been no documented evidence of the patients' view of the relationship. In this non-experimental comparative study, the relative constancy of the perspectives was collected through multiple measures during an inpatient hospitalization. It was hypothesized that patients with the diagnosis of PD would demonstrate variability in their perspectives regarding the nurse-patient relationship over time as compared to patients with other diagnoses. Consistent with object relations theories, the patients diagnosed with PD demonstrated greater variability over time in perspectives regarding the nurse-patient relationship than patients with other diagnoses.
Sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase, SRCA, gene expression in myocardial biopsies in dilated cardiomyopathy and suspected myocarditis, molecular/physiologic correlation

In cardiac muscle, calcium uptake by the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca$\sp{2+}$-ATPase (SRCA) is primarily responsible for cardiac relaxation. SRCA mRNA has been shown to be decreased in heart failure. To define the contribution of gene expression to hemodynamic status in living patients, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based quantitative technique to assess SRCA mRNA was developed. Right ventricular endomyocardial biopsies were obtained from 11 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and 11 patients with suspected myocarditis and total RNA isolated. Internal control RNA was transcribed in vitro from a synthetic DNA containing the SRCA sequences and coamplified with target RNA in the reaction. The mRNA levels of SRCA were correlated with simultaneous hemodynamics. Steady state mRNA levels of SRCA of the biopsies range from 9.6 $\times$ 10$\sp6$ to 1.511 $\times$ 10$\sp8$ molecules/10 ng total RNA and did not correlate with left heart hemodynamics (LVEDP, Tau, dP/dt and capillary wedge pressure). In contrast, SRCA mRNA positively correlate with right heart pressures including pulmonary artery pressure and right ventricular systolic pressure.
The effect of personal and group goal setting on an individual's behavior in small and large groups in a social dilemma

The effect of personal and group goals on an individual's behavior in three-person and seven-person groups in a social dilemma was investigated. High school students (N = 274), were paid $2.30 to $4.94 for 70 minutes of decision making. The results showed that students put their self-interest ahead of that of the group. The setting of a specific group goal had no direct effect on cooperative behavior or group performance. However, self-set personal goals that were compatible with the group goal led to higher group performance than the setting of personal goals that were incompatible with the group goal. Individual and group performance suffered when individuals were not committed to a specific group goal and tenaciously held out for high individual performance. Toward the end of the simulation, cooperation with other group members increased. Members in seven-person groups (N = 28), however, were less cooperative than participants in three-person groups (N = 26). In addition, they had lower self-efficacy in making money, lower outcome expectancies that cooperation with other group members would lead to the attainment of the group goal, and lower collective-efficacy that they would make money than did the members of three-person groups.
Substrate enhancement utilizing ribose pretreatment in normal and pathologic states

These studies investigated the effects of advanced intravenous (IV) and intramuscular (IM) pretreatment with D-ribose on energy stores in myocardium, skeletal muscle (SKM), and liver (LG), and myocardial tolerance to global ischemia. Ribose significantly (p $\le$ 0.05) elevated myocardial glycogen when administered IV but not IM, but did not alter SKM or LG. Myocardial tolerance to global ischemia (TIC) was significantly improved by both routes, associated with a reduced net consumption of myocardial energy stores during early ischemia. When administered in the presence of the inhalation anesthetic halothane, TIC was shortened (p $\le$ 0.05) by ribose pretreatment, associated with an increased net consumption of myocardial energy stores. No differences in SKM were observed, while IV ribose appeared to prevent a significant depression in LG. In the presence of hypertension/myocardial hypertrophy, IV ribose pretreatment significantly (p $\le$ 0.05) improved in vivo left ventricular performance, but did not alter energy stores or TIC.
A linguistic framework for controlled hierarchical DES

A language-based framework is developed for expressing the behavior of complex discrete-event systems (DES). Alphabet symbols at different levels of the linguistic hierarchy represent events observed at different levels of abstraction. Correspondingly, the DES is modeled "top-down" as a hierarchy of subsystems, and its trajectories are represented by a structured language. Within this context, a question regarding the behavior of a system can be addressed recursively, resulting in a natural decomposition of the problem into subproblems. In particular, recursive definitions are provided for language containment and controllability, and an effective recursive procedure is presented for computing a supremal controllable sublanguage.
Nikolai Gogol and the medieval orthodox Slavic world-view

This thesis examines Nikolai Gogol's creative and publicistic writings in the context of the medieval Orthodox Slavic literary and cultural tradition. Though Gogol wrote his entire corpus during the Romantic period and clearly shared a great deal with the Romantics in both Russia and the West, his thought and writings reveal his strong affinity for the heritage of Kievan Rus' and Muscovite Russia. The particular aspects of the pre-Petrine tradition most prevalent in Gogol's work include the following: the notion of the writer's role as divinely inspired, the monastic vocation, eschatological thought, aesthetic values, the influence of the demonic, and the ethical matrix of the culture. While it was once believed that Gogol had undergone a religious crisis, a close examination of his correspondence and creative output shows that his religious and moral views remained relatively constant throughout his life. Indeed, what he says in his early works reappears, only more overtly, in his final book, 'Selected Passages From Correspondence With Friends'. As Gogol adapted and assimilated various aspects of the medieval tradition throughout his writings, 'Selected Passages' may be viewed as the ultimate and most explicit testimony to his medieval world-view.
Vulnerability and resilience in children with chronic illness, an exploration of the role of the family

The relationship between family characteristics and child behaviour was examined in 41 children and adolescents with chronic health problems. To explore behaviour as a function of disease status, four groups of children were studied: (i) children with hemophilia plus HIV, (ii) children with hemophilia plus hepatitis C, (iii) children with hemophilia but no other illness, and (iv) children without hemophilia or any other illness who had siblings in groups (i), (ii) or (iii). Mothers were interviewed and their responses categorized according to modified expressed emotion constructs. Mothers of sick children showed higher levels of protective and self-sacrificing behaviours than mothers of healthy children but, overall, groups did not differ in behaviour or in global levels of family functioning. Findings suggested a relationship between specific parent and child characteristics. For both sick and well children, maternal criticism was associated with externalizing behaviour problems and low maternal warmth was associated with internalizing problems. The results suggest that chronic illness does not necessarily increase risk for behavioural disorder. Family variables were found to be more strongly associated with behavioural dysfunction in children than disease status.
Adaptive Solution of Viscous Aerodynamic Flows Using Unstructured Grids

Unstructured grids are used in numerical models applied to aerodynamic design for their ability to conform easily to complex geometries. Their lack of rigid connectivity allows the grid generation process to be highly automated, reducing the expertise needed. The unstructured grid is ideally suited for local refinement based on the flow field solution, providing an opportunity for faster, less memory intensive operation for a specific level of accuracy. The purpose of this research is to develop such an algorithm using solution-adaptive unstructured triangular grids to solve the compressible Navier-Stokes equations on two-dimensional airfoil profiles. The basic solver utilizes a finite-volume methodology with Runge-Kutta time marching to produce steady-state solutions. An improved artificial dissipation method is developed that provides reduced grid sensitivity and improved accuracy for high-aspect-ratio grids. The solution-adaptive gridding method identifies under-resolved regions of the solution through an adaptation parameter based on normalized grid edge differences of the flow field variables. New grid nodes are added in regions where the magnitude of the adaptation parameter is greatest, yielding a local grid refinement. The high-aspect-ratio nature of the grid in viscous regions of the flow is preserved after adaptation through the development of a solution-dependent retriangulation routine. Several test cases on laminar and turbulent flows are presented that demonstrate the performance of the algorithm. It is shown that the adaptation configuration that achieves the greatest improvement in resolution uses an adaptation parameter consisting of a combination of Mach number and density edge differences, with 55% of the adapted nodes added in the first pass and 45% in the second to yield a four-fold increase in the number of grid nodes. The test cases also demonstrate that the adaptation routine is capable of providing at least a 40% reduction in lift and pressure drag coefficient errors over all flow regimes compared to solutions obtained on unadapted grids with an equivalent number of nodes. The effectiveness of the algorithm as a design tool is realized in a final comparison of an adapted solution to experimentally determined results on a complex three-element airfoil configuration.
The historical photograph, artifact-testament-text

This study considers two historical photographs taken by the photographer, Arthur Scott Goss, in February 1912, as part of a reform program directed by Dr Charles Hastings who was Medical Officer of Health for the City of Toronto from 1910 until 1929. The pictures are from a larger survey and were selected as representative of several, specific historical processes. The photographs feature two groups of Macedonian-Bulgarian men collectively known as "Sojourners." These men had immigrated to Canada and to Toronto, in particular, for work opportunities in the early 1900's. The photographs were intended to document their overcrowded living conditions in the East End of the City. The photographs also serve later historical processes related to the emergence of the Macedonian-Canadian community in Toronto as well as the History of Photography in Canada. The study considers the photographs as material evidence in a program of social reform and as historical artifacts subject to the practices of history.
Condition factor and statolith aging in assessment of metamorphosis in sea lampreys, Petromyzon marinus, in the Great Lakes

A field study was conducted to test the utility of a condition factor for predicting metamorphosis in sea lampreys, using temperature as a blocking factor. The data indicate the utility of the selection criteria, however, the data also show that we need to alter the present length and mass criteria in order to reflect creek and/or watershed growth variation. The statolith aging technique was validated for immediately premetamorphic and metamorphosing sea lampreys using an oxytetracycline marker. The data show that the age of premetamorphic and metamorphosing sea lampreys is equal to the number of annuli counted on their statoliths. Immediately premetamorphic and metamorphosing sea lamprey larvae were aged using statoliths. It was found that metamorphosing animals are one year older than nonmetamorphosing animals of the same length, and that a specific premetamorphic (arrested growth) phase does exist in these populations of sea lampreys. Larvae in warm water do not metamorphose at a younger age than larvae in creeks with cooler temperatures.
Implications for partners of persons who initiate a significant, intentional, lifestyle change

The purpose of this study was to examine the implications of significant, intentional, lifestyle change for the partners of persons initiating the change. This study focused exclusively on partners of persons who intentionally chose to reside full-time aboard a boat (liveaboard lifestyle) as an alternative to a land-based lifestyle. Interviews were conducted with 41 individuals, each of whom was experiencing one of six specific phases of implementing their lifestyle change. Participants were interviewed and tracked over a two year period from January 1995 to January 1997. All participants completed pre-interview questionnaires; an interview schedule was then administered in person, over the telephone, or in some instances, in writing. Subsequent to the major interview, participants provided follow-up data in written format. Factors which contributed to the non-initiating partners' derived benefits from the change included: an altered sense of independence; equal partnership in the change; and the quality of their relationship with their partners. Non-initiating partners who experienced the evolution of the proposed change from their partner's plan to 'our' plan, reported greater benefits and more derived happiness from the change than those who believed the proposed change remained solely their partners. Prior sailing experience and initial reactions to the proposed change were not determinants of benefits derived. The primary motivations to make the lifestyle change were the lure of travel and adventure, and the opportunity for self-growth and personal achievement. Several were motivated by a compelling need to have their partners 'live their dream'. The vast majority of study participants reported that the very act of supporting their partners dream enriched and enhanced their own lives in ways they had not previously imagined. The findings related to the non-initiating partners motivation to support his or her partner's proposed change may provide insight for those contemplating a similar lifestyle change. The factors that precipitated the convergence of a change that was externally imposed, to one that became chosen, planned for, and eventually achieved, has implications for couples contemplating making a similar significant lifestyle change as well as for those professionals who are engaged to assist potential change-makers.
Insight imagery: Towards personal wellness through spontaneous art-making and empathic co-reflection

This thesis challenges the accepted notion of art-making as goal-oriented and commodified. By contrast, spontaneous image-making, coupled with reflection on the art product, is presented as a process-oriented activity and viable means to self-discovery, personal growth and health. The author examines two case studies within the context of 'Insight Imagery', an approach to art-making that involves direct expression and image-contemplation in the company of an empathic other. Through them, the reader is witness to a personal transformation experienced by the participants ' and' the facilitator. As well, ideas in arts education, psychology, holistic learning, art therapy and wellness, as related to the topic, come under review. Spontaneous art-making as a wellness vehicle within the general population is strongly urged. Unless we begin to see image-making as a normal, everyday, necessary personal expression, a language akin to verbalization, we are limiting our life experience. The unfortunate consequences of ignoring our inner life include emotional and spiritual fragmentation, and a disconnection and lack of purpose in an increasingly alienated world. 'Insight Imagery' becomes a fundamental path to emotional, psychological and spiritual 'fitness' for the future. A creative means to self-knowledge and interpersonal connection combining mind, body and spirit, this holistic endeavour belongs in a variety of contexts including the school curriculum, as part of pre-service development for teachers, and in work settings. 'Insight Imagery''s alternative method of art-making validates spontaneity and play, activities undervalued in today's task-oriented society. Playful, expressive image-making followed by conscious reflection on one's unconscious process broadens experience, enhances esteem, exposes inner symbology, deepens understanding and self-acceptance, and expands creativity. 'Insight Imagery' does not seek to challenge traditional art training but to exist alongside it, as an educative tool that taps the internal workings of the individual and brings him or her untold meaning.
Molecular basis for the phenotype of forskolin-resistant Y1 adrenal cells

A family of forskolin-resistant mutants was isolated from the Y1 mouse adrenocortical tumor cell line on the basis of their resistance to the growth-inhibiting effects of forskolin. In these mutants, the adenylyl cyclase was partially resistant to forskolin and completely resistant to ACTH. The mutant phenotype was accompanied by decreased levels of GsÃ and GiÃ subunits in plasma membrane and decreased Gßã activity. These observations led to the hypothesis that a decreased Gßã activity resulted in decreased levels of membrane-associated GsÃ, which in turn, caused ACTH and forskolin-resistance. The present study was undertaken to further characterize the forskolin-resistant mutant phenotype. The ACTH resistance in the mutants is accompanied by markedly decreased levels of ACTH receptor transcript, suggesting that the loss of the ACTH-responsive adenylyl cyclase activity resulted from impaired expression of ACTH receptor gene in these cells. Transfection of mutant cells with genes encoding the ß2-adrenergic receptor or ACTH receptor restored hormone-responsive adenylyl cyclase activity and the transformants showed normal receptor-G protein coupling. In addition, the levels of GsÃ and GiÃ were increased in mutant transformants and approached the levels seen in parental Y1 cells. These results suggested that the decreased levels of GÃ resulted from impaired expression of the ACTH receptor and that a functional G protein-coupled receptor seems to be required to maintain the normal levels of G protein Ã subunit in the plasma membrane. Transfection of mutant cells, with genes encoding an epitope-tagged GsÃ also restored the GsÃ levels associated with the plasma membrane. Both the receptor and GsÃ transformants, however, retained forskolin-resistant adenylyl cyclase activity and were not rescued with respect to expression of endogenous ACTH-R transcripts, suggesting that the phenotypic change in forskolin-resistance mutants cells is not a direct result of low levels of membrane-associated GsÃ. To investigate the contribution of decreased Gßã activity to the mutant phenotype, forskolin-resistant mutants were transfected with expression vectors encoding G protein ß1 or ß2, and ã2 subunits. The transformants, expressed ACTH receptor transcripts and functional ACTH receptors as evidenced by the recovery of ACTH-stimulated cAMP accumulation and cell rounding. These results demonstrated a role for Gßã in the regulation of ACTH receptor gene expression. The results also indicated that a defect in Gß or Gã may be responsible for the ACTH receptor deficiency in forskolin-resistant mutants, and that the impaired expression of ACTH receptor, in turn, results in decreased levels of GsÃ and GiÃ. The impaired Gßã function may also accounts for forskolin-resistant adenylyl cyclase and cell growth in these mutants.
Insulin resistance and colon cancer promotion in rats on diets differing in fat, energy, and starch

McKeown-Eyssen and Giovannucci proposed that hyperinsulinemia associated with insulin resistance (IR) promotes colorectal cancer (CRC). In this thesis, first, it was hypothesized that, if IR led to CRC, IR should appear prior to evidence of CRC promotion. It was shown that a high saturated fat diet given to F344 rats increased IR prior to evidence of CRC promotion. Second, it was hypothesized that, if IR led to CRC, the degree of promotion/inhibition of CRC by different diets should be correlated with the degree of promotion/inhibition of IR. Effects of dietary energy, fat, n-3 fatty acids and starch were tested on IR and CRC promotion. The degree of CRC promotion was correlated with the degree of IR (r = 0.65, p $<$ 0.001). In addition, energy intake and body weight were highly correlated with IR and CRC promotion. It was concluded that increased circulating energy (glucose, triglycerides) may lead to both IR and CRC.