VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Perceptions of physical therapy graduates' readiness for professional activities, by the graduates, their supervisors, and their faculty

This study set out to identify strengths and weaknesses of new graduates from Physical Therapy Programs, and to identify differences in the response patterns of respondent groups. A mail survey was conducted of: two cohorts of graduates from four Physical Therapy Programs; their direct supervisors, and physical therapy faculty members at the four universities. Quantitative data were combined into scales, subjected to a Principal Components Analysis and then to an Analysis of Variance. Short answer question data were grouped according to topics; then counts and percentages of the number of times topics were raised were calculated. Three comparisons were made: (1) By respondent group (faculty members, graduates and supervisors); (2) By year of graduation; and (3) By university. While the three respondent groups all differ in their rating of the graduates' strengths, the ranking of top strengths is similar among all the groups. Areas identified as strengths were: Interpersonal and Communication Skills and Rapport, Enthusiasm, Problem-solving Skills, Evidence-based Practice, Knowledge Base, Musculoskeletal Clinical Specialty, and Lifelong Learning. Most weaknesses were listed by few respondents and there was little, agreement among the groups. Two areas stood out as being weaker than optimum in all graduates: Manual Therapy and Business Skills. Graduates consistently rate themselves lower than either faculty members or clinical supervisors do and appear to be "up to speed" after 6-12 months of work. The 1994 graduates listed more weaknesses than the 1992 graduates; however, the differences were generally not significant. Supervisors distinguished between the two cohorts only on the Ethics Scale, where they gave more recent graduates a higher rating. Some differences were noted among groups of graduates from the four different universities: each university had at least one area of greater strength relative to the other programs. The main recommendations are to increase: (1) clinical practice hours; (2) coverage of Manual Therapy Skills; and (3) coverage of Business Skills. Follow-up evaluations are recommended, to see if graduate performance and confidence have changed in the desired direction and to add to the literature on the effect of curriculum changes on long term student outcomes.
Novel architectures and synthesis methods for high capacity field programmable devices

Field Programmable Devices (FPDs) are rapidly gaining popularity for implementing digital circuits due to their attractive features such as reprogrammability and fast time to market. This thesis proposes two new architectures, called the Hybrid Field Programmable Architecture (HFPA) and the Computational Field Programmable Architecture (CFPA). The HFPA represents a combination of two existing technologies: Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) based on LUTs, and Complex Programmable Logic Devices based on PLA-like blocks. The methodology used for development of this new architecture is based on analysis of a large set of benchmark circuits, in which we determine what types of logic resources best match the needs of the circuits. The HFPA is evaluated by technology mapping a set of circuits into the new architecture and estimating the total chip area needed and the depth for each circuit, compared to the area and depth that would be required if only LUTs were available. Using the technology mapping algorithms, we partially collapse circuits to reduce either area or depth, and pack the circuits into a minimum number of LUTs and PLA-like blocks. We present results for a number of mapping trade-offs to evaluate the benefits of the HFPA. Our experimental results indicate that LUT-based FPGAs need 11% more chip area and 65% higher depth than the HFPA. Another mapping trade-off, which minimizes the area of the circuits, shows that the area and depth benefits of the proposed architecture over traditional FPGAs are 25% and 21%, respectively. This thesis also considers a more aggressive step to improve the area-efficiency of FPDs by focusing on a special class of applications. In this dissertation, the CFPA is introduced that is targeted at compute-intensive applications. These applications are important because of their use in the expanding markets in data processing. We explain the logic resources in the CFPA and a synthesis method with which we have mapped a number of circuits to the new architecture. According to our results, the computational architecture is more area-efficient than general-purpose FPGAs by a factor of 2.8 times for the benchmark circuits that are considered.
The role of severe life stress, social support, and attachment in the onset of chronic fatigue syndrome

At present there is no known cure for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Also, neither medical nor psychological models have been able to discover the cause of CFS. The present study investigates four psychosocial variables (life stress, social support, adult attachment, and parental bonding) that are hypothesized to predispose individuals to this illness. Twenty-two participants (5 men and 17 women) diagnosed with CFS were recruited from support and education groups in the Metropolitan Toronto area. They were compared to 24 healthy control participants (6 men and 18 women) recruited from the Graduate Department of Education at the University of Toronto. Each participant completed the Short Life Events and Difficulties Interview, a social support interview, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ), the Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ), the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS), and the Parental Bonding Inventory (BDI), Significant differences were found between groups on the BDI, RAAS, and PBI questionnaires. In addition, interview data revealed that in the year prior to the onset of their illness, CFS participants experienced significantly more stress and less support than healthy control participants. A hierarchical logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate which of the variables in the present study were most predictive of CFS. Severe life stress was the only predictor variable that significantly distinguished between the two groups (Wald (1) = 4.84, p = .028), with the social support variable approaching significance in the equation (Wald (1) = 3.28, p = .070). Overall, the resulting regression equation correctly classified 78.3% of the participants in the present study. A multifactorial model of CFS based on the findings of this study is presented.
Development of an improved analytical technique for lead determination, and its application to studies in lead content in seafloor hydrothermal chimneys from Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California; PACMANUS, Eastern Manus Basin; and the southern East Pacific Rise

Analysis by solution methods of Pb in seafloor sulfides has been unreliable due to incomplete dissolution, frustrating attempts to understand the geochemistry of Pb in seafloor hydrothermal systems. Bulk Pb recoveries were improved by fully digesting samples prior to analysis by ICP-AES. Following decomposition by HNO3-HF-HClO4, insoluble (Pb,Ba)SO4 residues were digested in microwave-heated Na2CO3(aq). Lead recoveries averaged 88% from an in-house standard and 91%-98% from CANMET ore standards. Recovery was influenced by variations in [HNO3] and Na2CO 3(aq) temperature. Chimneys from three vent sites--PACMANUS, Guaymas Basin, and Pito Deep--were analysed for Pb, resulting in concentrations of 0.005-1.3 wt.% (PACMANUS) and 0.009-0.4 wt.% (Guaymas Basin). Sulfides from Pito Deep yielded a mean result of 0.06 wt.% (n = 2). Pb in felsic volcanics from the Pacific Antarctic Rise was in the range <0.006-1.2 ppm. Pb correlates with Na, Cd, As, Sb, Ag, and Zn in PACMANUS chimneys (95% confidence). Correlation with these elements in Guaymas Basin samples was not significant.
Inside coloured cabs: Understanding work and health from the perspective of visible minority taxicab drivers

Work, race, health and health behaviours are interrelated in complex ways. However, little is known about how these interactions relate to specific occupations or racial/ethnic groups. Ethnographic interviews with 10 visible minority taxicab drivers in Toronto are used to explore the relationship between race, the social and organizational characteristics of work and their impact on drivers' health and health behaviours. It is shown that race and class intersect to influence the entry of these drivers into the taxi business and locates them at the nadir of the social hierarchy of the industry. The social relations of employment, the organizational culture of work and job conditions influence drivers' perceptions of risks and consequently their health behaviours. Drivers understand health as a resource and therefore engage in informal strategies that result in health protection. These strategies reveal a different conceptualization of health behaviour than typically found in the literature and suggest new directions for further research into other occupational settings sharing similar work characteristics.
Alexander of Aphrodisias on soul as form (de anima 1-26 Br.)

In his treatise 'de anima' Alexander outlined a theory of soul which does not have an exact analogue in the writings of Aristotle. Particularly unusual is his treatment of the four elements of traditional cosmology (fire, air, water, earth) as substances composed of form and matter and the notion that formal principle in all the natural substances is somehow dependent on the forms of the ingredient elements. P. Moraux claimed in his doctoral thesis in the early forties that this theory contradicts Aristotle's metaphysics of form-substance. The opinions of scholars about this theory have been divided ever since: those who regard Alexander as a materialist have cited it as an evidence of his materialism, those who treat him as an Aristotelian have tended to explain its unusual tenor by the goals of anti-Platonist polemic. No attempt has been made to study the main argument of the theory in full and for its own sake, although such a study seems to be indicated by the controversial status of the theory. The present thesis fills this lacuna, offering an analytical exposition of the theory, with a study of the sources. It is shown that the unusual doctrinal points are parts of his system in which he tries to reconcile the internal tensions of Aristotle's ontology. In the first chapter I review the state of the question. In the second chapter I deal with the problem of Aristotelian sources for Alexander's theory of form. In the third chapter I present the 'de anima' theory of soul as form, showing that the concepts that lack 'Aristotelian' history are parts of Alexander's systematic exegesis in the course of which he uses conceptual tools of later schools (especially Stoic). The fourth chapter is devoted to the question, whether Alexander was committed to the Aristotelian notion of form-substance. I answer in the affirmative, showing that the notion of 'enmattered form' presupposes specific criteria of substantiality. In the fifth chapter I analyse Alexander's presentation of the attributes of the soul and his critique of the 'harmony' theory in relation to the problem of 'compatibility' of the two concepts of form (complex form of an elemental mixture and individual form of a living being). I argue that Alexander amounts for compatibility with the help of a version of 'emergentist thesis'. The 'Appendices' contain translations of eight school treatises from the Greek ('mantissa' 1-8) ('App '. I), four treatises from the Arabic ('App'. II) and a study of the use of the terms <math> <f> <hsp sp="-0.167"><g>u</g><a><ac><hsp sp="-0.167"><hsp sp="-0.167"> </ac><ac>&d12;</ac></a><hsp sp="0.167"><g>p</g><g>a</g><g>r</g> <g>x</g><g>i</g><g>v</g></f> </math> and <math> <f> <hsp sp="-0.167"><hsp sp="-0.167"><hsp sp="-0.167"><hsp sp="0.212"> <hsp sp="0.212"><a><ac><g>u</g></ac><ac>&d12;</ac></a><g>p</g> <a><ac>o</ac><ac>&d12;</ac></a><g>s</g><g>t</g><g>a</g><g>s</g> <g>i</g><g>v</g></f> </math> in the extant works of Alexander ('App'. III).
Genetic variants and gene expression in schizophrenia

The objective of my Ph.D. research was to identify genetic variations which could underlie or contribute to schizophrenia. To achieve this goal, I have undertaken two approaches. Since an abnormality of the dopaminergic system has been proposed as being central to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, my initial approach was to screen for variations in genes encoding known dopamine receptors in schizophrenics, and to clone novel dopamine receptor(s). This approach led to the identification of a dopamine D4 receptor variant, termed D4Valine194Glycine, in African descendants. One individual that was homozygous for this mutation was also identified. Further studies showed that the ability of this naturally occurring mutant receptor to bind dopamine was severely reduced. Genetic association studies revealed, however, that the D4Valine194Glycine variant was not related to susceptibility to schizophrenia. In addition, the association of a dopamine D2 receptor polymorphism (D2-141C 'Del') with schizophrenia was examined in our patient samples; this study likewise demonstrated no significant correlation. An attempt to isolate new dopamine receptor(s) resulted only in the identification of a novel G protein coupled receptor pseudogene. Since previous studies have suggested the contribution of altered gene expression to psychiatric diseases, I hypothesized that alterations in the expression of certain genes in the schizophrenic brain could lead to its diseased state. My second approach, therefore, was to compare the gene expression pattern of schizophrenic brains with that of controls using postmortem striata and mRNA differential display. Using this approach, a novel transcript (clone 19) was identified. The transcript corresponding to clone 19 was subsequently found to be significantly underrepresented in schizophrenic brains. Its deficit may be causative to the disease or it may be disease-induced.
Silver spoons in their mouths, the legacy of the Russian Silver Age in the works of Nabokov, Pasternak, and Viktor Erofeev

This dissertation examines the phenomenon of literary influence and the transmission of literary tradition with particular application to the cultural heritage of the Russian Silver Age and its refractions in later writings. The Silver Age (1890-1917) has distinct historical and political boundaries (the waning years of the Romanov dynasty) as well as cultural confines. Hence, attitudes to the Silver Age--both in the Soviet Union (post-communist Russia) and abroad--became highly politicized and laden with ethical and moral overtones. It is demonstrated that the perceptions of the Silver Age and its legacy have been neither uniform nor constant. This period went through various stages of being rejected, then re-evaluated and upgraded to the status of the Silver Age in Russian literature and culture; subsequently it received belated, though wide, recognition for its tremendous contribution to the evolution of Russian culture. At present it is undergoing further revision and re-evaluation. The larger part of this dissertation is devoted to a discussion of various strategies that Nabokov, Pasternak and Erofeev employed while assimilating the legacy of the Silver Age into their writings. These include "heuristic imitation" and transposition (Nabokov), "translation" (Pasternak), and overt parody (Erofeev). It is suggested that each of the chosen approaches was dictated not only by the inclinations of each particular writer and aspects of their personal lives, but also by varying attitudes to the Silver Age that were current at the specific spaces and times when Nabokov, Pasternak and Erofeev embarked on writing their novels. It is shown that the inclusion of the legacy of the Silver Age into succeeding cultural phases has been a gradual and complicated process. However, despite a lasting and widespread assumption that the Bolshevik revolution and subsequent political and cultural developments brutally interrupted the "normal" course of literary evolution and thus consigned the Silver Age heritage to oblivion, the present study suggests otherwise. In fact, the abysmal rift between pre- and post-revolutionary cultures appears to have been beneficial in that it gave rise to an entire cultural apparatus (or even institution) that has been seriously engaged in the re-production of the Silver Age's legacy for a contemporary audience, thus securing its vitality during later periods. This study offers new insights into the phenomenon of literary influence and throws new light on the ways in which cultural memory operates in modern Russian/Soviet society.
Interleukin-1Ã differentially regulates osteoprogenitor proliferation and differentiation

Interleukin 1 (IL-1) is a multifunctional proinflammatory cytokine that has been postulated to have a regulatory effect on bone cell function. The objective of this thesis was to investigate whether osteoprogenitor cell differentiation and bone nodule formation in rat bone marrow stromal cell cultures were affected by IL-1Ã. Continuous treatment with exogenously added rhIL-1Ã elicited different effects (stimulatory biphasic or inhibitory effects) on bone nodule formation in different cell isolates. These diverse effects were found to correlate with the endogenous level of IL-1 mRNA, measured by semi-quantitative RT-PCR, in different isolates.Dexamethasone significantly reduced IL-1Ã, IL-1ß and IL-1RI mRNA expression and increased IL-1RII mRNA expression, suggesting that its ability to markedly stimulate bone nodule formation in this model may result, at least in part, from its ability to modulate IL-1 activity. Exogenously-added IL-1Ã was also found to have differentiation-stage specific effects in the same culture model. Bone nodule formation was stimulated when high doses of IL-1Ã were present early, during the proliferation/early exponential growth phase of the cultures, while nodule formation was inhibited by the same dose added either continuously or during maturation/early nodule formation phase. Fractionation of the stromal population by flow cytometric sorting suggested that IL-1 has a stimulatory effect on less differentiated osteogenic precursor cells and has an inhibitory effect on more differentiated osteoblastic cells. To confirm which osteoblast lineage cells may produce IL-1 and express the transducing receptor IL-1RI, the expression of mRNA for IL-1Ã, IL-1ß and IL-1RI was analyzed by in situ hybridization and IL-1ß protein production by immunohistochemistry in frozen coronal sections of 21-day fetal rat calvaria. While IL-1RI mRNA was detected in essentially all osteoblasts, IL-1Ã mRNA and IL-1ß mRNA and protein were heterogeneously expressed in different osteoblast subpopulations, but with more cells expressing IL-1ß. The data suggest that IL-1 elicits both positive and negative effects on bone formation and that not only the amount but also the duration of its availability to osteoblast lineage cells during defined periods of their differentiation affect the biological consequences of exposure to this cytokine. The data also suggest that IL-1 may be an autocrine/paracrine regulator of osteoblast activity and bone remodeling with distinct developmental and maturation-related roles.
Tectonically controlled landscape evolution and its relation to the lithology, hydrology and hydrogeology of weathered crystalline rock in Uganda

Deeply weathered landscapes unaffected by Pleistocene glaciation or aeolian erosion are common to low latitude regions of Africa, Asia, South America and Australia. These terrains evolve through deep weathering and stripping, which are effected by the movement of meteoric water. Current models of landscape evolution involving eustatically and climatically controlled cycles of deep weathering and stripping, are untested by field evidence and fail to explain the development of key landforms within deeply weathered landscapes. Furthermore, a lack of detailed field study in these terrains limits knowledge of the geomorphic processes implied by evolutionary models. In this thesis, a tectonic model is proposed in Uganda on the basis of geotectonic, climatic, sedimentological and chronological evidence. Cycles of stripping are controlled by episodes of tectonic uplift while cycles of deep weathering occur during periods of prolonged tectonic quiescence. The tectonic model readily explains the development of weathered landforms and is well supported by field study. Lithological, hydrological and hydrogeological studies were conducted in two basins that feature contrasting evolutionary paths and different contemporary geomorphic processes. Deep weathering of the landsurface in central Uganda since mid-Mocene is indicated by the stratigraphy, texture and mineralogy of the weathered mantle. Continued deep weathering is suggested by monsoonally derived recharge events that greatly exceed runoff. Transmission of the recharge flux occurs primarily via a regional aquifer in the weathered mantle but also by a less conductive aquifer in the underlying fractured bedrock. Stripping of the landsurface in southwestern Uganda since the mid-Pleistocene is reflected by truncated weathered profiles. Contemporary stripping is shown to occur by monsoonally generated runoff events that annually exceed groundwater recharge. Minimal recharge is transmitted by a poorly transmissive aquifer in the bedrock and by a highly localised aquifer in the weathered mantle. Integration of observed geomorphic processes (deep weathering and stripping) within a model of long-term landscape evolution enables, for the first time, a coherent understanding of the interplay among landscape evolution, and the lithology, hydrology and hydrogeology of deeply weathered landscapes.
Electrolytic demulsification of a dilute oil-in-water emulsion

In this work a novel method of demulsifying industrial emulsions is studied. Various industrial processes and wastewaters were reviewed. The synthetic wastewater sample chosen for analysis was TKOOL 145, a widely used "soluble oil". A variation of the provincially legislated Hexane Extractables Test was used to measure the amount of "oil" in the industrial samples. The effectiveness of the separation tests were compared by measuring the amount of the separated oil phase and its purity. The variables of concern were time of electrolysis, voltage, current, agitation, electrolyte concentration, type of electrolyte and conductivity. The effectiveness of electrolytic demulsification was studied against proven methods of flotation and electrolyte addition. A minimum of fifty percent of electrolytic demulsification is due to flotation in NaCl. Flotation is largely dependent on the total surface area (the size of the bubbles used). Additional separation was observed from the effect of the electrode surface. Electrolytic demulsification was not effective using KAl(SO4) 2 as an electrolyte. Electrolytic demulsification has shown promising results for separation of dilute oil-in-water emulsions.