VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Learning portfolios: a phenomenological study of student portfolio development at a community college

Portfolios have been used in higher education for multiple purposes, including assessment, demonstrating professional learning, career development, showcasing accomplishments, enhancing learning and developing reflective professional practitioners in pre- and in-service teacher education programs. This study focused on a unique, college-wide implementation of learning portfolios at a two year vocational community college. A phenomenological approach was used to collect data from seven students who were interviewed using both an open ended and semi-structured approach. The full time student population was surveyed, to determine to what degree the broader student population shared the perspectives of the seven students who were interviewed. Seven themes relating to learning portfolios emerged from the data. Portfolios were used as a: (1) tool to facilitate learning; (2) record of learning, repository for documentation/evidence; (3) learning strategyâ€”a means to identify skills gaps and build knowledge based upon feedback; (4) motivational and self-esteem building tool; (5) organizing tool; (6) career preparation (job search and interview) tool; and (7) context for reflection, and a tool to promote a holistic perspective of their experience and themselves. Students from the skilled trades were more likely to be critical of the learning portfolio although it helped them to organize their documentation, and use the portfolio for showcase purposes. A hybrid theoretical model was developed to suggest how portfolios combined with information technology might be implemented in the vocational context, if the focus is on learning. Areas identified for further study include, the need to research further portfolio processes that support systematic reflection and that link learning processes to portfolio development in the vocational setting; the degree to which employers value a portfolio in their hiring decision-making; the impact of evolving information technology and its possible applications in vocational education; and the significance of age, gender and ethnicity/race in relation to portfolio development processes and the product of these processes.
Towards new 2-indolylphosphines: Functionalization at N1 and C7 of indole

2-indolylphosphines are 'tunable' ligands in which the electronic character and steric profile of the phosphine may be subtly modified after phosphorus-substituent bond formation has been achieved. This is accomplished by taking advantage of the reactivity offered by the indole's nitrogen center, positioned beta to phosphorus. This tunability extends to a capacity of the NH moiety to bind anion guests through H-bonding, as demonstrated by tris(3-methylindolyl)phosphine. While efforts to date have focused on 3-methylindole as a phosphine substituent, the well-developed synthetic routes to and synthetic modifications of indole provide the opportunity to create indolylphosphines of greater complexity with potentially interesting and useful properties in catalysis/anion binding. New indolylphosphines are introduced and the developments in their synthesis, based upon the reactivity of indole derivatives at (i) the C7 position, (ii) the N1 position and (iii) the C3 position, will be discussed.
A computational investigation of zinc selenide and cadmium selenide nanocrystallite surface effects using a tight-binding technique

This work is a theoretical investigation of surface effects on the electronic and optical properties of quantum dots. Computations are done using the atomistic Empirical Tight-Binding method based on a nearest-neighbour approximation. Surface effects are "turned off" or "turned on" by respectively passivating surface dangling bonds or allowing them to hang freely. Considered are passivated and unpassivated ZnS and CdS; mixed ZnCdS alloy; and core/shell ZnS/CdS and CdS/ZnS semiconductor nanocrystallites, all at various sizes ranging between sim;13--46 A in diameter. The computational results show that passivated crystallites yield clean bandgaps that increase in size as crystallite size decreases, causing a monotonic blue shift in the position of the corresponding absorption onset. When the surface is left unpassivated, surface states populate energies in and around the fundamental bandgap. Their locations, however, are not size dependant and consequently the corresponding optical spectra are also devoid of monotonic size dependencies.
Small world distributed indexing of MPEG-7 described images

The proposed indexing model employs the sociological theory of ' Small Worlds', and mirrors the directed nature of connections seen in the World Wide Web. In applying this model to multimedia, images transcend their static nature as database entries, and become active participants in a self-organizing, distributed, peer-to-peer network. The self-organization of these small world nodes (images) is established according to the distances between their MPEG-7 description data, and results in all images maintaining 'links' to a fixed number of highly similar peers. Furthermore, in order to promote distributivity, each participating node is required to store feature description(s) of both itself and of its peers. For scalability, a network growth algorithm is proposed to facilitate the introduction of new small world nodes into the system. This growth algorithm exploits the fact that existing network nodes locally store peer description data, thus allowing new nodes to obtain referrals to images which successively exhibit descriptions that are increasingly similar to their own. The overwhelming influx of digital information to which the world is subjected has resulted in vast, and ever-growing repositories of multimedia data. Furthermore, the practicality of using centralized techniques for tracking and indexing such huge volumes of data is becoming resource intensive. Moreover, centralized schemes suffer from the fact that they demonstrate complete system loss upon experiencing component failures. To address these problems, this thesis discussed the application of social acquaintance networking theory for creating an open architecture for the distributed indexing of multimedia data, and specifically, images. A similar referral strategy is also employed for performing image retrievals by enabling a Small World retrieval agent to converge upon data that matches user-specified search criteria. This retrieval agent, however, serves a much greater purpose as it is used to illustrate the proposed indexing technique's resiliency to component failures. Experiments demonstrate that as the number of failures introduced into the Small World index increases, the viability of performing image retrievals is maintained, but with a correspondingly degraded performance. This graceful degradation is useful in mission-critical situations where a loss of service is unacceptable, and slightly less-than-optimal operation can be tolerated until component failures can be corrected.
Scalable clustering of categorical data and applications

We also consider a different application of LIMBO, that of clustering software artifacts. The majority of previous algorithms for this problem utilize structural information in order to decompose large software systems. Other approaches using non-structural information, such as file names or ownership information, have also demonstrated merit. We present an approach that combines structural and non-structural information in an integrated fashion. We apply LIMBO to two large software systems, and the results indicate that this approach produces valid and useful clusterings. Clustering is widely used to explore and understand large collections of data. In this thesis, we introduce LIMBO, a scalable hierarchical categorical clustering algorithm based on the Information Bottleneck (IB) framework for quantifying the relevant information preserved when clustering. As a hierarchical algorithm, LIMBO can produce clusterings of different sizes in a single execution. We also define a distance measure for categorical tuples and values of a specific attribute. Within this framework, we define a heuristic for discovering candidate values for the number of meaningful clusters. Next, we consider the problem of database design, which has been characterized as a process of arriving at a design that minimizes redundancy. Redundancy is measured with respect to a prescribed model for the data (a set of constraints). We consider the problem of doing database redesign when the prescribed model is unknown or incomplete. Specifically, we consider the problem of finding structural clues in a data instance, which may contain errors, missing values, and duplicate records. We propose a set of tools based on LIMBO for finding structural summaries that are useful in characterizing the information content of the data. We study the use of these summaries in ranking functional dependencies based on their data redundancy. Finally, we present a set of weighting schemes that specify objective assignments of importance to the values of a data set. We use well established weighting schemes from information retrieval, web search and data clustering to assess the importance of whole attributes and individual values.
Smoking while on transdermal nicotine replacement therapy: Effects on smoking behaviour and craving in a highly co-morbid treatment-seeking population

Methods. Open-labelled 10-week trial with 9 weeks of NRT treatment. Daily diaries and 6 study visits explored changes in cigarettes use and ECO. Background. Research using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) as a smoking reduction aid in smokers with a high prevalence of current psychiatric disease, previous substance use disorders and current illicit drug use is lacking. Conclusions. Smokers reduced tobacco use using NRT. Craving, subjective effects of satisfaction, motivation to use cigarettes and dependence may mediate response. Further exploration of NRT as a harm reduction strategy is warranted. Results. Cigarette use and ECO level was significantly lower during treatment (p
Third party discovery in international commercial arbitration

In this paper, the author argues that the competing policy objectives of international commercial arbitration; namely, fairness and efficiency, should be entrenched within the laws and rules governing international commercial arbitration, thus requiring arbitrators and the courts that police arbitral procedure to be mindful that efficiency is as equally an important objective as fairness in international commercial arbitration, and ought not to be overlooked. International commercial arbitration combines elements of the civil and common-law traditions and is meant to be an alternative form of dispute resolution. A proper balancing of the policy objectives will result in (i) a body of jurisprudence that acknowledges the civil-law/common-law compromise and properly weighs the competing policy objectives of international commercial arbitration; and (ii) the development of a common theory and vision of international commercial arbitration that will encourage international commercial arbitration to continue the journey toward its informal, global roots.

Keywords: International commercial arbitration
Dispute resolution (Law)
Nucleotide interaction regulates the chloride channel, ClC-4

ClC-4 is a member of the ClC family of chloride channels and is localized to the apical brush border membrane of intestinal enterocytes and to endosomes. Currently little is known about its regulation. A nucleotide requirement has been documented although the underlying mechanism has not been identified. We tested the hypothesis that ClC-4 could be phosphorylated by PKA or PKC. As well, we tested the hypothesis that ClC-4 directly binds nucleotides. Using purified peptides incorporating the intracellular N- and C-terminal regions, as well as lysates from ClC-4 transfected cell lines we showed that both peptides could be phosphorylated in a PKA-dependent manner, though the full-length protein could not. However, precipitation of ClC-4 with ATP Sepharose beads revealed that ClC-4 could bind to ATP in a magnesium-dependent manner and that this binding could be competitively inhibited. Future studies will determine the impact of this interaction on ClC-4 function in the plasma membrane and in endosomes.
Democracy in moments of fear: examining law, criminality, terror and other anxieties

This study examines how in situations of national emergency, security measures increase while civil liberties decrease. The state of crisis during this moment in Canada is articulated through an analysis of Canada's Anti Terrorist Act and various government strategies employed to legitimize this law. The purpose of law during times of national crisis is questioned due to the potential of criminalizing innocent people during this crisis. Various fears induced through the state of emergency are examined in relation to the possibility of governmental manipulation of fears in order to justify increased security measures. The function of fear experienced daily by people in a state of crisis becomes an essential aspect to understand the moment in which we are living. This study investigates the type of citizen that is produced during times of national fear and the potential difficulty for the fearful human to participate critically in a democratic liberal life.

Keywords: Fear, Social aspects
Fear, Canada
Fear, Political aspects
Fear, Canada
Democracy, Canada
National security, Canada
Terrorism, Prevention
Terrorism, Canada
Public opinion, Canada
Terrorism, Public opinion
Fields of wry: serious laughter humour, and nation in nineteenth- and twentieth-century English-Canadian and American fiction

By focussing on the laughter evoked by prose fiction rather than by dramatic comedies, this study augments the recent work done by scholars of black humour and women's humour, who claim that not all humour texts produce an agreeable or communal laughing response. The idea of serious laughter brings together two aspects of the term â€œhumourâ€ : a consideration of the etymological roots of the word â€œhumour,â€ which has been historically associated with laughter that expresses both joy and sorrow, and an examination of how sex/gender systems traditionally have been treated by theorists of humour and laughter. Serious laughter is intended to provide an inclusive concept of the laughing body, by stressing the â€œnon-comicâ€ possibilities of laughter and by looking closely at how individuals read and respond to texts, especially those works which may not be conventionally considered â€œfunny.â€ The nationality of a humorist offers critics a way to categorize styles of humour. Serious laughter, however, can complicate this approach. The United States and Canada, with their shared border, provide a test case for a comparative reading of humour and nation that acknowledges the circulation of humour within and beyond the borders of individual countries. Exploring the relationship of nation to narration and analysing some of the differences and similarities between the American and Canadian humour traditions, through close readings of four texts (by Thomas Chandler Haliburton, Mark Twain, Toni Morrison, and Thomas King), brings another perspective to nation-based examinations of humour. Using serious laughter to read these works reveals the need for a more overtly comparative approach to humour studies that encompasses issues of nationality but also acknowledges how the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation may alter the study of humour and nation by eliciting different kinds of serious laughter.
Teacher leadership in schools: a study into the antecedents and nature of teacher leadership in schools

The 1990s in Newfoundland and Labrador were particularly turbulent for education. In the midst of a provincial Royal Commission calling for reform in education and a provincial government struggling to manage its finances in the face of a staggering public debt, a province-wide school improvement process initiative was instituted in 1995 with financial help from the federal government. Two responses occurred. For some, the process became a critically important way to cope with reductions in resources while maintaining programmes, while for others the process made them able to cope and develop novel and exciting programmes. This thesis is about the above factors in relation to six rural schools in one school district. The study examines the nature of teacher leadership and then looks at the antecedents and influences on teacher leadership in these schools. This study is unique in that it looks at teacher leadership as it occurs largely outside the traditional teacher leadership roles such as department heads. These schools had few such roles, thus the perspective of teachers as leaders, teachers as followers and principals reflect a genuine style of collegially based and peer recognised forms of teacher leadership. As part of a comprehensive qualitative study of six schools noted for teacher leadership, 28 respondents were interviewed. Teacher leadership often involved the mutual influence between teacher leaders and principals. These influences are discussed from the perspectives of each of the school's gender, seniority, and respondent status as teacher leader, teacher nominator, and administrator. Furthermore, these schools were developed into three models based on unique features found that were more typical of some of these schools as compared with others. While much is to be learned from this study, still more can be learned through further research. The relationship of gender to such roles could be more fully explored. In addition, what are the consequences for teacher leaders who move to other schools? Will they re-establish themselves as leaders? Questions around the role of those replacing teacher leaders that have left would also be worthy of further study. These are just a few questions that my study raises that warrant further exploration.

Keywords: Educational leadership, Newfoundland and Labrador
Educational change, Newfoundland and Labrador
A history of women religious in the early Irish Church: the hagiographical evidence

This study explores the lives of religious women of the early Celtic Church in Ireland through the eyes of the hagiographers. Few Lives of Irish women saints remain, thus much use has been made of the numerous references to women found in the Lives of men. Other genres of Irish texts have also been consulted. While the Irish hagiographical genre cannot, except rarely, be regarded as an accurate historical record of individuals, it does, at the very least, reflect a view of the world familiar either to the writer or to their sources. It is thus through an analysis of the attitudes and assumptions of these early writers that some idea of the daily lives of holy women emerges. Although much time has been spent during this exploration upon a reconstruction of daily routine through a collation of the data available as an alluvial depository source, considerable time has also been spent examining the use of metaphor in the above genre. This has been particularly helpful in the attempt made here to shed some new light upon the spiritual life of religious women. This latter methodological approach has also been of particular benefit in determining the limits of the power and status enjoyed by these women within Irish society. In the final analysis, it is evident from the picture which emerges that these women played an important and often very active role in the life of the Church.

Keywords: Monastic and religious life of women, History
Monastic and religious life of women, Ireland
Women, Religious life
Women, Ireland
Celtic Church
Endoglin is dispensable for blood vessel morphogenesis but is required for endocardial cushion formation in the developing mouse embryo

Endoglin (Eng) is an ancillary receptor for the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) superfamily expressed primarily on endothelial cells that can bind the ligands TGF-beta1, TGF-beta3, activin, bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)2, BMP7, BMP9 and BMP10. Loss of endoglin expression leads to lethality in mice at embryonic day 9.5 (E9.5) and is associated with defects in angiogenesis, smooth muscle cell (SMC) recruitment/differentiation, and heart development. In vitro embryoid body (EB) and SMC differentiation assays, as well as in vivo chimeric studies show that angiogenic and SMC differentiation defects are not the primary deficiencies leading to lethality in these mice. Analysis of chimeric embryos and in vitro atrioventricular canal (AVC) explant assays point to a blockage in endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in the hearts of endoglin null embryos, suggesting that endoglin is first required in cardiac morphogenesis in the developing embryo.
Unthinking constitutional law: towards a legal pluralist theory constitutionalism

The challenges of neo-liberal economic globalisation and legal pluralism provide the present context for the study of constitutional law. Part I details the shifting location of political authority, under the rubric of the â€˜Washington consensus,â€™ from the nation-state to the global economy in general, and to multinational corporations in particular. The rise of global corporate power threatens democracy in two ways: first, procedurally, by reducing the scope for influencing political decisions, and second, substantively, by exacerbating material inequality. Contemporary constitutional normative debate proposes that rights constitutionalism be remade in two ways to respond to hegemonic globalisation: first by extending the reach of rights to private bodies, and second, by expanding the scope of rights to impose positive constitutional duties in the private sphere. Part II locates this issue of rights constitutionalism's counterhegemonic potential in the context of the paradigmatic debate of modern law between liberal legalism and legal pluralism. The latter challenges the central epistemological assumptions of orthodox constitutional scholarship that law is exclusively state law (by positing the existence of non-state legal orders) and that this tends towards coherence and effectiveness. Internal legal pluralism states that disordering influences within adjudication make incoherence the normal condition of constitutional doctrine, while external legal pluralism holds that interaction between various normative orders limits state law's capacity to act directly as an instrument of social engineering. Part III builds on the argument that rights constitutionalism does not work in the manner generally accepted, and considers how we should approach the former's relationship with democracy. Constitutional law's importance does not lie primarily in the outcome of normative argument, but in symbolic terms as a legitimating discourse. The key question is whether prevailing constitutional politics of definition, which set the bounds of doctrinal argument, disturb or reinforce broader hegemonic discourses. Comparative jurisprudence shows that conceiving of constitutions as higher law, negative limits on state action has favoured hegemonic interests and constrained the development of counterhegemonic constitutional arguments. It is therefore necessary to unthink dominant assumptions of constitutional law to promote a counterhegemonic politics of definition which problematises, rather than protects, private power in constitutional terms.