VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Peer victimization and adjustment: an examination of mediating processes

The relations amongst peer victimization, perceived social support, psychological adjustment (i.e., internalizing adjustment), and academic achievement (perceived scholastic achievement & GPA) in 393 seventh- and eighth-grade students were examined with particular interest in the mediating effects of internalizing adjustment and social support. Results from the first analysis indicated that victims reported significantly reduced GPA and diminished perceptions of scholastic achievement relative to the comparison group. Next, two conceptual models were tested. The first model attempted to replicate Juvonen, Nishina, and Graham's (2000) mediator model linking peer victimization, psychological adjustment and school functioning. The second model tested the potential mediating role of social support in the anticipated relation between peer victimization and internalizing adjustment. Using Baron & Kenny's (1986) test for mediation, no support was found for the first model, however, social support was found to be a partial mediator. Findings are discussed in terms of the short- and long-term effects of peer victimization.

Keywords: Bullying in schools, Psychological aspects
Victims, Psychology
Academic achievement, Psychological aspects
Social networks
Stigma sensitivity and stereotype threat in older adults

Although research has shown that older adults are negatively affected by aging stereotypes, no method is currently available to identify which older adults may be especially susceptible to these effects. The current research takes the first step toward identifying older adults most susceptible to the effects of stereotype threat and investigates the consequence of stereotype threat on the well-being of older adults. We hypothesized that stereotype threat effects would be moderated by stigma consciousness, age group identification, and perceived stereotype threat such that stereotype threat effects would be most potent for those highly identified with the older adult age group, high in stigma consciousness, or high in both state and trait perceived stereotype threat. We also expected to see a decrease in positive affect for those in the threat condition, with no change in positive affect for those in the no threat condition. The results of our study showed that stereotype threat disrupted performance on the free recall task, but no moderation of this effect was found. However, stereotype threat effects on cued and recognition recall tasks were moderated by stigma consciousness, and state and trait perceived stereotype threat. Results and implications for negative and positive affect and other variables of interest are discussed.
Developing eco-consciousness: a critical exploration of the Ontario grade 12 "Environment and resource management" course

This study examines a Grade 12 course: The Environment and Resource Management; the sole environmental studies course offered in Ontario at the secondary level. It involves analysis of the formal Ontario curriculum and critical ethnographic research in one urban, multicultural secondary grade 12 class in the Toronto area. The paper is presented through a theoretical framework of eco-pedagogy and eco-literacy and explores how teachers and students reflect and re-construct mainstream environmental discourses and representations of nature as they negotiate through the curriculum, particularly with respect to the development of an eco-consciousness. This analysis is based upon the competencies outlined by the Centre for Eco-literacy (2006); which states that to create a citizenry able to design and maintain sustainable societies one must cultivate competencies of the head, heart, hand and spirit. This thesis concludes with a series of recommendations for creation of an environment conducive to the development of eco-consciousness.

Keywords: Environmental education, Ontario
Environmental protection, Study and teaching (Secondary)
Environmental protection, Ontario
High school students, Attitudes
High school students, Ontario
Patterns and consequences of individual variation in the nest-site preferences of two species of sea turtle

Maternal behaviours, such as nest-site choice, can be major determinants of offspring phenotype and fitness. In egg-laying species, incubation environment can influence offspring body size, performance, survival and sex. This thesis focuses on variation among females in maternal nest-site choice and the consequences that this variation can have for offspring survival and performance. I investigated nest-site selection in leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) sea turtles at three levels: (i) in two species of sea turtle nesting in different environments, (ii) within populations of the same species and (iii) within individual females both within and across nesting seasons. In both species, evidence was found for individual-level nest-site preferences. This was an unexpected result for leatherbacks, as it had long been assumed that females placed their nests randomly due to the unpredictability of their environment. Results were more striking in hawksbills, with individuals exhibiting remarkably high repeatability for nest-site microhabitat characteristics, both within and across nesting seasons. Some females preferred nesting in the forest, some in the forest edge and others still in open areas. With a few exceptions, hatching success and sea-finding ability were similar in all beach microhabitats. This raises the question of what, if not differential offspring survival, is maintaining these preferences. Frequency-dependent selection, wherein females gain a fitness advantage by producing the rare sex, is one possibility. This idea gains some support from the finding that beach temperatures varied dramatically by microhabitat: nests laid in the forest were exposed to male-producing temperatures while those in less vegetated areas were warmer and more female producing. A related aspect of this work has been to consider the conservation implications of nest-site choice. Using seasonal beach temperatures and the distribution of hawksbill nests, I estimated a balanced primary sex ratio, a situation that is likely to change if the current rates of island deforestation in the Caribbean continue. It also appears that Guadeloupe hosts one of the largest hawksbill populations in this region, indicating that data from this nesting beach are critical for developing a more robust demographic picture of Caribbean hawksbills.
Stereospecific synthesis of chiral 1,2-diaryl-1,2-diaminoethanes by controlling diaza-Cope rearrangement reactions with resonance-assisted hydrogen bonds

Resonance-assisted hydrogen bonds (RAHBs) are a class of unusually short, strong hydrogen bonds as revealed by the seminal work of Gilli et al. Over the years, it has been a challenge to demonstrate large effects with hydrogen bonds in kinetics and thermodyamics of chemical reactions. This thesis reports the influence of RAHBs on kinetics and thermodynamics of diaza-Cope rearrangement reactions and their applicability in stereospecific synthesis of d, l-1,2-diaryl-1,2-diaminoethanes. Chapter 1 is a general overview on the applications of vicinal diamines in asymmetric catalysis and medicinal chemistry and some literature reported methodologies of their synthesis. In Chapter 2 the role of RAHBs in the highly selective formation of N, N'-disalicylidene- meso-1,2-bis(2-methoxyphenyl)ethylenediamine (88) over N, N'-bis(2-methoxyphenyl)-meso-1,2-bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)ethylenediamine (87) via diaza-Cope rearrangement is demonstrated. The presence of RAHBs in compound 88 was confirmed by 1H NMR (deltaO-H = 13.39 ppm) and X-ray crystallography (N···HO distance of about 2.61 A). Furthermore, DFT computation at the B3LYP/6-31++G(d, p) level showed the RAHBs in compound 88 are about twice as strong as normal hydrogen bonds in compound 87. The effect of RAHBs on the rate of diaza-Cope rearrangements was investigated (reactions 3--5 on p 63). The formation of RAHBs stabilized product increased the rate by about 40 times compare to the product without hydrogen bonds. In Chapter 3 the knowledge gained from understanding the effect of RAHBs on the diaza-Cope rearrangement is applied to stereospecific synthesis of symmetrical d, l-1,2-diaryl-1,2-diaminoethanes 146, 147, 152, 153 and unsymmetrical d, l-1,2-diaryl-1,2diaminoethanes 151 and 154 from d, l-1,2-bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)ethylenediamine. Chapter 4 describes the explorations for novel methods to prepare d, l-1,2-bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)-ethylenediamine.
Queer bricolage: a visual study of metaphors in HIV/AIDS pharmaceutical drug advertising

This Master's thesis is a visual study of metaphors in HIV pharmaceutical advertising. The study analyzes military metaphors and the metaphor of cushioning 'difference' in the journal AIDS from 1997 to early 2004. I examine the metaphoric representations of HIV and AIDS in the HIV pharmaceutical drug advertising in AIDS to engage with the ways in which the epidemic both reflects and amplifies existing social fears of the 'other', who is marked by gendered, racialized, sexual, classed and disabled 'differences'. The theoretical framework of this thesis draws on feminist and post-colonial literature in cultural studies on and relating to HIV/AIDS, as well as queer theory and studies in visual culture. I used a method of visual discourse analysis called 'queer bricolage'. This study contributes to literature about the cultural studies of HIV/AIDS and visual methodologies, in particular of visual discourse analysis.
Microenvironmental effects on tumour progression and metastasis

Relative to the normal tissue, tumour microenvironment is frequently characterized by acidic extracellular pH, hypoxia, nutrient deprivation and elevated interstitial fluid pressure. Clinical data has shown these parameters to be predictive of poor patient survival in many tumour types. The underlying mechanisms continue to be investigated and the purpose of the studies presented in this thesis was to extend the predominantly ex vivo experimental studies into in vivo models. The work described in Chapter 2 examined the effects of in vivo acidification of murine fibrosarcoma and melanoma cell lines on their metastatic potential. It was determined that the degree and duration of extracellular acidification achieved did not increase the metastatic efficiency of these two cell lines. The effects of in vivo induced hypoxia on primary and metastatic tumour progression in relation to genomic instability were examined in two different spontaneous, lung-metastasizing transgenic murine breast cancer models and are described in Chapters 3 and 4. The results demonstrated a model-specific induction of mutagenic DNA lesions and tumour-associated macrophage accumulation without significant impact on tumour progression parameters. These results suggest a possibility for non-metastasis promoting tumour acidifying regime that could be employed in improving the efficacy of acidophilic anti-cancer therapeutics. They also suggest tumourigenesis-mediating oncogene dependency in hypoxia-induced DNA damage and potential lesion specificity in tumour progression and metastasis.
Neonatal exposure to environmental or dietary estrogens programs bone metabolism in CD-1 mice

This study investigated whether short-term neonatal exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES) or soy isoflavones can affect bone mineral density (BMD), bone microarchitecture and bone strength at young adulthood (4 months of age) and after cessation of sex steroid production (8 months of age). Male and female CD-1 mice were randomized to subcutaneous injections of daidzein (DAI), genistein (GEN), DAI+GEN, DES or corn oil from postnatal day (PND) 1 to 5 and were followed to 4 or 8 months of age. Females treated with soy isoflavones or DES had enhanced bone mineral density (BMD), improved bone microarchitecture and greater resistance to vertebral compression fractures at 4 and 8 months of age. Effects in males were modest. In conclusion, DES and soy isoflavones enhance bone mineral and bone quality at young adulthood and after cessation of sex steroid production in female but not male mice.
Impact of inflamation-mediated changes in expression and activity of PGP and CYP3A on drug disposition

The aims of this work were to investigate the effects of acute inflammation on the intestinal expression of P-glycoprotein (PGP), a xenobiotic transporter, and cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A), a metabolic enzyme, and the resultant alterations in the functional activity of these proteins. Changes in gene expression during inflammation were detected with RT-PCR. Ussing chamber-mounted intestinal tissues were used to study the transport and metabolism of compounds in the intestine. PGP-mediated efflux of digoxin was reduced in endotoxemia, mirroring the suppression in mdr1a mRNA expression. CYP3A-mediated metabolism of 7-benzyloxyquinoline was also suppressed in endotoxemia, confirming changes measured in CYP3A mRNA expression. We conclude that the intestine is an active participant in the acute phase response, and alterations in PGP and CYP3A expression and/or activity during inflammation may alter the oral bioavailability of drugs. These findings highlight a potential source of inter-individual variability in inflammatory disease, which may result in drug-disease interactions.
Applying the universal declaration of human rights as a business code of conduct

A plethora of initiatives have been created to regulate the human rights impact of corporations. Focusing on the United Kingdom, this thesis is concerned with how the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) can be utilized as a human rights code of conduct by the business community. This paper will explore the reasons for applying the UDHR to businesses and will discuss how the UDHR has been incorporated into human rights initiatives at the international, regional and domestic level. This will be followed by an analysis of the codes of conduct in three multi-national corporations. The case studies will explore what mechanisms are in place to implement and ensure compliance to the UDHR and other human rights commitments by these corporate actors. The paper will conclude with suggestions for making the UDHR a more effective means of standard setting in the corporate world.
Possibilities for new beginnings: oppression, social agency, and education

This thesis investigates the philosophical justification for teachers as social agents given especially conditions of oppression and despair. This investigation takes place through discussing Paulo Freire's work on oppression and liberatory education, and Maxine Greene's work on imagination and social agency. When applied to the context of the thesis, Limitations of both works are pointed out and a common ground of both is suggested. An alternative of some of Freire's and Greene's work moved by Lugones' position, "in between either or" is offered, and a rationale is given on its significance in resisting hierarchies of domination and subjugation asserted through denying one's multiplicity. Implications of such positions and perceptions on the educational realm and on teachers' work as social agents are discussed. Suggestions for work at the university, school, and community levels are made. Limitations and suggestions for further work on topics elicited by the thesis work are presented.

Keywords: Educational sociology
Social justice
Liberty
Hardware acceleration of Monte-Carlo structural financial instrument pricing using a Gaussian Copula model

In recent years the financial world has seen an increasing demand for faster risk simulations, driven by increasing contract complexity and client portfolio growth. Traditionally many financial models employ Monte-Carlo simulation, which can take excessively long to compute in software. Hence, commonly a hardware accelerator is sought out. This thesis focuses on accelerating structured financial instruments, namely Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs) pricing, which have previously not been targeted for hardware acceleration despite their prominence in the financial market. This thesis presents a hardware implementation for the One-Factor and the Multi-Factor Gaussian Copula models. It also explores the precision requirements and the resulting resource utilization for each such numerical representation. The results show that the hardware implementation mapped onto a Xilinx XC5VSX50T chip is over 64 and 71 times faster than corresponding software running on a 3.4 GHz Intel Xeon processor, for the One-Factor and the Multi-Factor models, respectively.
Intimidation tactics in the schoolyard

This thesis focuses on the topic of schoolyard bullying as it concerns the victim, the bully, and the bystander. Once some of the reasoning and signs of bullying were considered, the research examined some of the causes and effects of bullying with consideration given to how the school system and the community can assist in the prevention and healing processes involved with schoolyard bullying. The thesis also includes statistics, theories, literature reviews, available resources and real-life stories that illustrate the effects of bullying from all three perspectives. Some of the major findings are: (1) bullying affects everyone—bullies, victims, and bystanders; (2) bullying is done with the intent to hurt another person who is weaker; (3) bullies abuse power physically, pyshologically, or sexually; (4) common signs that a child is becoming a bully include lack of interest in school, cruelty to pets or other animals, depression or mood swings, obsessions with things such as violent games and television shows; (5) teachers and administrators need to set consistent limits on bullying through positive staff-student relationships; (6) schools need to ensure a safe environment for everyone through zero tolerance. Additional findings show the effects of bullying on the bully, victim, and bystander while offering resources to help limit the increase in schoolyard bullying. This thesis focuses on the topic of schoolyard bullying as it concerns the victim, the bully, and the bystander. Once some of the reasoning and signs of bullying were considered, the research examined some of the causes and effects of bullying with consideration given to how the school system and the community can assist in the prevention and healing processes involved with schoolyard bullying. The thesis also includes statistics, theories, literature reviews, available resources and real-life stories that illustrate the effects of bullying from all three perspectives. Some of the major findings are: (1) bullying affects everyone—bullies, victims, and bystanders; (2) bullying is done with the intent to hurt another person who is weaker; (3) bullies abuse power physically, pyshologically, or sexually; (4) common signs that a child is becoming a bully include lack of interest in school, cruelty to pets or other animals, depression or mood swings, obsessions with things such as violent games and television shows; (5) teachers and administrators need to set consistent limits on bullying through positive staff-student relationships; (6) schools need to ensure a safe environment for everyone through zero tolerance. Additional findings show the effects of bullying on the bully, victim, and bystander while offering resources to help limit the increase in schoolyard bullying.

Keywords: Bullying in schools
Changing community life at a Late Neolithic farmstead: Built environments and the use of space at Tabaqat al-Buma in Wadi Ziqlab, northern Jordan

This study investigates how early agricultural communities were maintained and changed through time in the Late Neolithic period in the southern Levant (mid-7th to late-6th millennium cal BC). The study approaches this issue by examining diachronic changes in domestic social relations and lithic production activities at the site of Tabaqat al-Buma, northern Jordan. This small farmstead (ca. 500 m2) was successively occupied by self-sufficient agro-pastoral communities consisting of two or three residential groups. Focusing on the site's three building phases, I examine changes in the built environment and the spatial organization of daily domestic activities. I first reexamine the validity of building phases by analyzing stratigraphy and radiocarbon dates. I then analyze how architecturally defined spaces are connected with one another by employing space syntax, a set of quantitative analytical methods (Hillier and Hanson 1984). The examination of the use of space is based on several lines of evidence, including architectural remains and several kinds of artefacts and ecofacts, which I interpret in terms of past human activities by taking into account various formation processes of archaeological remains. Finally, I combine the results of these analyses to clarify the patterns of social interactions among site-inhabitants in their daily practices of domestic activities. The results of this study indicate that households at Tabaqat al-Buma increasingly segregated their domestic spaces and restricted the sharing of production and consumption activities. Furthermore, this privatization process was probably concurrent with the technological development for the intensive production of harvesting tools, i.e., sickle elements, and the increasing variability of households in their production activities and private items. I discuss how these changes at the level of the settlement may have been related to regional socioeconomic conditions in the Late Neolithic communities that probably consisted of dispersed farmsteads. I particularly argue that the intensification of production may have been related to households' involvement in regional exchange networks that were important in the maintenance of social ties in dispersed communities. Finally, this study has implications for diachronic changes in Late Neolithic societies and their relevance to the rise of social complexity in the Chalcolithic period.
Micellization of styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene triblock copolymer (SEBS) in methyl isobutyl ketone studied by eluent GPC and light scattering

In 1995, Villacampa et al. reported the CMT transition for polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene/butylene)-b-polystyrene copolymer (SEBS) in methyl isobutyl ketone, a good solvent for the PS block. These authors have characterized the SEBS micelles at room temperature using size exclusion chromatography and light scattering methods. In my research, I have extended these studies to higher temperature using dynamic and static light scattering methods, and eluent gel permeation chromatography. Block copolymers form micelles in a solvent that is a good solvent for one of the blocks and a precipitant for the other. These micelles consist of a relatively compact core surrounded by a swollen corona formed by the soluble block. Normally copolymer micelles follow the closed association model, characterized by a well-defined association number. Micellization of block copolymers is characterized by a critical micelle temperature (CMT), defined as the temperature at which the presence of micelles is just detected at constant concentration.