VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
A preliminary investigation towards initiating cooperative learning with mainstreamed deaf/hard-of-hearing students

This study by an experienced practitioner describes initiation procedures in cooperative learning with deaf/hard-of-hearing students mainstreamed in regular elementary and secondary classes in two School Boards of Education in Ontario. The purpose of the study was to investigate the potential of initiating a cooperative learning approach toward being helpful to deaf/hard-of-hearing students in the mainstream, in easing communication by encouraging interaction with peers sharing common academic goals and training teachers in using small group work as an option to whole-class teaching. Fundamentally, qualitative measures were used in this investigation. Students activities, verbal interactions and interviews were documented. Numerical measures were also used as evaluative criteria to determine if a cooperative learning approach had been initiated and if successful to evaluate the effects of a cooperative learning approach on the deaf students primarily. Three frameworks were developed to enumerate the results of the initiation procedures: (1) The Principles; (2) The Stages and Skills; and (3) The Behavioural Effects of Cooperative Learning. The study indicated that the initiation and behavioural effects of cooperative learning was more successful with the elementary students than with the secondary students. The study also revealed that key issues for the success of the initiation of cooperative learning depended on teacher collaboration, teacher and student intervention in communication and social skills and the involvement of the research as participant-observer in the classrooms. Partnering teachers in a new learning approach necessitated new teaching strategies and was dependent on attitudes and influences of teachers towards change.
Ethanol fermentation in a membrane bioreactor

The key objective of this study was to devise a continuous Zeeweed TM membrane-based fermentation system for ethanol production. A synthetic glucose based medium was fermented by baker's yeast to produce ethanol. The cells were recycled and the medium was continuously withdrawn by filtration through an ultrafiltration (UF) or microfiltration (MF) membrane. Two configurations were used: an external hollow fiber cartridge using polysulfone membranes and an internal "ZeeweedTM" cartridge based on a microporous; hydrophilic membrane. Using UF membrane module, permeate flux decreased drastically during each run (with a loss of 97.1% of the original water flux) after only three hours of operation. When the ZeeweedTM MF membrane was tested, a steady increase in ethanol productivity was obtained. Compared to the system with the external ultrafiltration module, a much lower decrease in permeate flux (loss of 76.5% of the original water flux), was observed after 96 hours of filtration.
Across Differences, an Alternative Approach to Promoting the Understanding of Different World Views

This thesis attempts to develop a framework for promoting understanding across diverse world views based on cultural and social differences. I claim the process for the understanding of different world views is a challenge which demands a major shift of our own and our students' way of perceiving others; from the perspective constructed on the sharp dichotomy of 'Us versus Them' to the more inclusive perspective of ' Us with Them'. I suggest that the recognition of the pluralistic nature of self and culture is the key for the moderation of the dichotomy. I argue that culture and self can never be understood as being in a fixed and unified state because they are socially and historically constructed. I show how, with attention to critical literacy, emotions, and dialogue, the plurality of self and culture can be recognized and an understanding of other world views can be achieved.
Formerly approved and applauded, the continuity of Edwards's Treatise concerning religious affections with seventeenth-century Puritan analyses of the true piety, spiritual sensation and heart-religion

It is a widespread scholarly commonplace that the theology of Jonathan Edwards represents, in many respects, a decisive departure from puritan tradition. A large number of important scholarly claims for Edwards's originality, or at least his discontinuity with the puritan past, relate particularly to his theological reflections on the nature of religious experience, generally as presented in his works occasioned by the Great Awakening, and especially in 'A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections'. The purpose of this thesis is to argue that, so far from being discontinuous with mainstream traditions of pietistic puritanism, Edwards's 'Religious Affections' is, in fact, a conservative extension of traditional puritan "heart religion" into the context of the Great Awakening. In the following section, I shall describe separately the various features of 'Religious Affections' which, according to much of the scholarly literature, represent Edwards's departure from puritan tradition. As complex as this catalogue appears at first glance, the innovations themselves generally fall into one of two categories: (1) those relating to Edwards's understanding of religious psychology, and (2) those relating to his method of distinguishing true from false piety. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
Constructing anatomically accurate face models using computed tomography and Cyberware data

Facial animation and cranio-facial surgery simulation both stand to benefit from the development of anatomically accurate computer models of the human face. State-of-the-art biomechanical models of the face have shown promise in animation, but they are inadequate for the purposes of cranio-facial surgery simulation. The goal of this thesis is to develop an improved facial model, using Cyberware data which captures the external structure and appearance of the face and head, as well as computed tomography (CT) data which captures the internal structure of facial soft and hard tissues. To this end, we develop algorithms to (1) register the CT and Cyberware datasets, (2) extract from the CT data a skull subsurface which serves as a foundation of the soft-tissue model, and (3) compute thickness of facial soft-tissues over the face.
Genetic polymorphisms of the renin-angiotensin and lipoprotein systems in the progression of chronic allograft nephropathy

'Purpose'. To examine the role of vascular disease-related gene variants of the renin-angiotensin (RAS) and lipoprotein (LPS) systems in long-term decline in renal allograft function. 'Methods'. This was a cohort study of 210 non-diabetic cyclosporine-based single kidney allograft recipients <36 years of age at the time of transplantation performed between 1983 and 1993, who were recruited in 1993-94, and were followed through August 31, 1999. All subjects had graft survival of at least one year. Recipient DNA was obtained from peripheral blood and analyzed by PCR amplification for angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion (ACE I/D), angiotensinogen (AGT) T174M, AGT M235T, apolipoprotein (APO) B EcoRI, APO E Hhal, and LDL Receptor HincII gene variants. Subjects were grouped by variant of each polymorphism. Slopes of the reciprocal creatinine versus time beyond 6 months transplantation were compared using multiple regression analysis. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were compared using the log rank test. A Cox proportional hazards model was used in the multivariate analysis of survival. 'Results'. Mean follow-up time was 101 ± 42 months. The TT variant of AGT M235T was independently associated with a faster rate (p = 0.0001) of decline in renal function compared to the other variants. No other RAS or LPS polymorphism predicted decline. While no polymorphism influenced renal allograft survival at 5 or 10 years, there was a highly significant correlation between slope and survival for the entire group. 'Conclusion'. The rate of long-term decline in renal allograft function is predicted by AGT M235T variants but not by other RAS or LPS polymorphisms.
Learning hyperparameters for neural network models using Hamiltonian dynamics

We consider a feedforward neural network model with hyperparameters controlling groups of weights. Given some training data, the posterior distribution of the weights and the hyperparameters can be obtained by alternately updating the weights with hybrid Monte Carlo and sampling from the hyperparameters using Gibbs sampling. However, this method becomes slow for networks with large hidden layers. We address this problem by incorporating the hyperparameters into the hybrid Monte Carlo update. However, the region of state space under the posterior with large hyperparameters is huge and has low probability density, while the region with small hyperparameters is very small and very high density. As hybrid Monte Carlo inherently does not move well between such regions, we reparameterize the weights to make the two regions more compatible, only to be hampered by the resulting inability to compute good stepsizes. No definite improvement results from our efforts, but we diagnose the reasons for that, and suggest future directions of research.
The empire of human nature, Machiavelli's appeal to the ancient republic and Montesquieu's critique of it

This dissertation explores how Machiavelli and Montesquieu's contrary conceptions of human nature lead to radically divergent political prescriptions. Montesquieu intends to liberate the modern world from the legacy of antiquity, particularly Roman antiquity, because ancient republics violated human nature and thus were inexorably caught in a cycle of empire, corruption, and decline. Montesquieu takes aim at Machiavelli, who argues that the ancient Roman republic best accommodated human nature. For Machiavelli, there is a bestial element within human nature--characterized by the desire to dominate others, and selfishness--that cannot be exorcized, but that must be disciplined if political order is to exist. The Roman republic represents the perfect disciplining, harnessing, and expression of this bestial element. The Romans, by pursuing empire without and establishing free institutions within, created a republic of unparalleled power and enviable longevity while at the same time turning otherwise selfish humans into citizens. Although Rome eventually fell, its fall exposes the limits of political order. To elevate human nature, as political order does, is both a difficult and a temporary feat. Thus, Rome's decline does not discredit its incredible success. Montesquieu acknowledges tension between natural human passions and political order. However, he believes that Machiavelli made cardinal errors both in identifying these natural passions, and in believing that the Roman republic accommodated them. Republics do not forge unity through the modification and expression of the primordial desire to dominate. Rather, republican institutions themselves create this desire, which humans do not naturally have. Montesquieu contends that republics must squelch individuality, which is at the core of human nature, and prevent the satisfaction of all natural passions in order to produce the unity of purpose necessary to their existence. The quintessence of virtue, the "spring" of republican government, is the suppression of these passions. The sacrifice of one's dearest interests, one's individuality itself, can be vindicated only through empire. But empire leads to the republic's self-destruction, as the fruits of empire swiftly erode the conditions necessary for virtue to flourish. To imitate Rome would be to violate human nature once again, subjecting humans to a form of government that is both violent and unstable. A new politics, based upon both the individual's natural passions and commerce, the "spirit" of modernity, is Montesquieu's alternative to the ancient republic.
Asian minorities in Canada, focusing on Chinese and Japanese people

Canada consists of immigrants from all over the world--and it creates diverse cultures in one society. Among them, Asian immigrants from China and Japan have especially experienced many difficulties in the early period. However, they overcame those obstacles and are now spend their lives in the new land. How Chinese and Japanese minorities created their lives from the early period to present interests me because I am also a member of a minority, as a Korean resident in Japan. Also, I would like to examine how the policy of multiculturalism has contributed to the lives of those minorities in Canada. This thesis looks at the period of the early immigrants from China and Japan before World War II, and how they have created a new life in a new land far from their home countries. I also look briefly at the history of multiculturalism and how multiculturalism functions in Canada.
Decentralized PI control of web handling machines

We present design techniques applicable to general web handling machines controlled by a decentralized system of PI controllers. The design technique, being model based, requires a model of the web handling machine. Dynamic models for general web handling machines axe derived, along with identification methods yielding the important physical variables, then simplified to yield a set of simpler models. These models correspond to subsystems of the complete web machine and are single input single output systems, hence single variable control theory is applicable. In particular, we employ a design technique based on the optimization of the load disturbance response constrained by the closed loop system's maximum sensitivity and complementary sensitivity. The design procedure is illustrated on a three roller experimental web handling machine.
Global repression of non-heat shock gene transcription by activation of heat shock factor in Drosophila

Cells respond to stress by activation of the heat shock (hs) response, regulated by the hs transcription factor, HSF. In 'Drosophila' hs results in HSF binding at over 200 loci on polytene chromosomes, concomitant with transcriptional repression at non-hs gene sites. We suggest that HSF binding causes the preferential recruitment of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) to the hs genes, resulting in the repressed transcription of non-hs genes. To exclude the possibility that non-hs gene repression was due to effects of heat, the proline amino acid analogue azetidine-2-carboxylic acid (AzC) was used to induce the 'Drosophila' hs response. At normal temperatures AzC elicits HSF binding and hs gene transcription in a manner similar to heat but on a longer time scale. AzC also results in repression of non-hs gene transcription, indicating that it is the activation of HSF DNA-binding which leads to Pol II recruitment and subsequent global transcriptional repression.
Major histocompatibility complex class I as a ligand for natural killer cell recognition

Natural killer cell (NK)-mediated cytotoxicity involves two families of receptors: activating receptors that trigger lysis of the target cells being recognized and inhibitory receptors specific primarily for Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I (MHC-I) on the target cell surface that can override the activating signal. Cells expressing reduced surface MHC-I have been shown to be targets for NK-mediated cytotoxicity. MHC-I molecules on the cell surface can be classified into molecules made stable by the binding of high affinity peptide (p H-MHC-I) or unstable molecules potentially capable of being stabilized by binding high affinity peptide (peptide receptive, PR-MHC-I). It has been previously shown that the Ly49A inhibitory receptor recognizes pH-D d. Our data suggest the existence of other NK inhibitory receptor(s) recognizing PR-Kb, -Db, -Dd, or -Kd. During the search for such receptor(s), we found that the inhibitory receptor Ly49CB6 recognizes PR-Kb but does not recognize Kb once they have bound high affinity peptide. Furthermore, we have measured the stability of surface pH-K b and PR-Kb molecules in the presence of BFA. p H-Kb has a t1/2 of ~45 ± 3h and surface PR-Kb has a t1/2 of approximately 30 ± 4 min at 37°C. These observations suggest a possible explanation as to why some virus infected cells become targets for syngeneic NK cells even without a major reduction in total surface MHC-I expression. Our recent study on cells infected with adenovirus types 5 (Ad5) or 12 (Ad12) shows that Ad5 infected cells lose surface PR-Kb expression and become sensitive to NK-lysis within 9h post-infection while Ad12 infected cells have normal PR-Kb expression and remain resistant to NK-lysis until 42h post-infection. Furthermore, the total Kb expression remains unaltered on cells infected by either Ad5 or Ad12. These observations agree with our hypothesis and further suggest that recognition of PR-MHC I may be one of the mechanisms employed by NK cells to detect viral infection.
The function and expression of the human organic cation transporters, hOCT1 and hOTC2, in mammary gland

The majority of women do require medication postpartum. Therefore, there is a potential risk of toxicity to infants who are breastfed by mothers receiving medication. Cationic drugs constitute significant group of compounds that are excreted into milk. However, the exact mechanism of transport is unknown. This study determined that only the basolateral potential-dependent human organic cation transporter (hOCT1) is expressed at the mRNA level in a human mammary epithelial cell line MCF12a, human mammary myoepithelial cell line HMEC, human breast tissue and cells isolated from human milk. MCF12a cells exhibited tetraethylammonium (TEA) uptake (Km = 3.4 ± 1.1 mM, Vmax = 18.5 ± 3.4 nmol/mg prot/0.5h) which was inhibitable by hOCT inhibitors including cimetidine and cyanine 863. The results show that the uptake of TEA into MCF12a differs markedly from the kinetics of TEA uptake by hOCT1. Therefore the existence of other unknown uptake proteins in mammary gland is possible.
GLP-1 and the regulation of carbohydrate intake in the rat

The hypothesis that Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 (GLP-1) is a regulator of carbohydrate intake in rats was investigated. The effect of the GLP-1 antagonist, Exendin 9-39, on food intake suppression after carbohydrate, protein or fat preloads and on selection from high protein and high carbohydrate diets was measured. The effect of GLP-1 agonist, Exendin 4, on diet selection was also investigated. Exendin 9-39 significantly enhanced food intake suppression occurring after glucose, but not after corn oil or albumin preloads. When rats selected from high protein and high carbohydrate diets, administration of Exendin 9-39 resulted in a selective decrease in intake of the high carbohydrate diet. In contrast, Exendin 4 caused a selective decrease in intake of the high protein diet. It is concluded that GLP-1 plays a role in macronutrient selection but the results do not support the hypothesis that GLP-1 is involved in carbohydrate intake regulation in the rat.
The function of the Qcr7 protein of the ubiquinol:cytochrome c oxidoreductase in mitochondria of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The respiratory complex ubiquinol:cytochrome 'c' oxidoreductase (or 'bc', complex or complex III) in mitochondria consists of 10 subunits in 'Saccharomyces cerevisiae'. It is involved in electron transfer from ubiquinol to cytochrome 'c' as well as proton translocation across the inner membrane of mitochondria for establishing electrochemical gradient. Previous studies have shown that the N-terminus of the Qcr7 protein of the yeast 'bc'1 complex may be involved in the assembly of the 'bc'1 complex and the Qcr7 subunit may be involved in proton pumping. The first part of the project focused on the role of the N-terminus in the assembly of the 'bc'1 complex via: (i) deleting the N-terminal residues between 8 and 15 of the Qcr7 protein (ii) introducing mutations at the N-terminus of 'QCR7' gene in [Delta]7 context compared to the full-length context (iii) introducing changes in structure and amphiphilicity of the N-terminal helical structure (such as R10D D13K) (iv) mutating the N-terminal region (such as G12V, D13G in [Delta]7 construct). The second part of the study focused on a possible functional role of the conserved residues (Asp-46, Asp-47) of the Qcr7 protein in the active complex. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
The consensus power of shared-memory distributed systems

In many asynchronous distributed systems, processes communicate by accessing objects in a shared memory. The ability of systems to solve problems in a fault-tolerant manner depends on the types of objects provided. Here, the wait-free model of fault-tolerance is used: non-faulty processes must run correctly even if other processes experience halting failures. The consensus problem, where processes begin with private inputs and must agree on one of them, has played a central role in analysing the power of distributed systems. This thesis studies the ability of different types of objects to solve consensus. An object type has consensus number 'n' if it can be used (with <math> <f> <ty>read/write<hsp sp="0.167"><hsp sp="0.167"></ty><ty>regist ers</ty></f> </math> to solve consensus among 'n' processes but not among ' n'+1 processes. Conditions are given that are necessary and sufficient for an object type to have consensus number 'n'. This characterization applies to two large classes of objects: readable objects and read-modify-write (RMW) objects. An object is readable if processes can read its state without changing the state. For a RMW object, all operations update the state and then return the previous state of the object. When the type is of bounded size, the characterization may be used to decide the question "Does the type 'T' have consensus number 'n'?", which is undecidable for arbitrary types. The characterization is also used to show that different readable and RMW types with consensus number ' n' cannot be used in combination to solve consensus for 'n '+1 processes. Ordinarily, processes may access only one object in shared memory at a time. This thesis also studies how much the consensus number of a type increases in the multi-object and transactional models, where processes can perform operations on up to 'm' of the objects in a single atomic action. These models are much more convenient for programmers to use, since they guarantee that certain blocks of operations will be executed without interruptions from other processes. This thesis establishes bounds on the consensus numbers of multi-objects and transactional objects as a function of 'm' and the consensus numbers of the corresponding single-access types.