VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Faith, death and suffering, ethics and the law of suicide intervention

This work addresses the legal and ethical justification for paternalistic intervention, by physicians and other health care professionals, in patients' life-ending decisions. Decisionally competent persons have, in general, the right to make their own treatment decisions. This principle arises from the doctrine of informed consent, which gives expression to the liberal democratic ideal of protection of personal autonomy, or self-determination. However, a conflict may arise between an apparent obligation to respect such decision, and an opposing obligation, which may seem no less compelling, to save the patient's life, thereby averting what may be a tragic and irretrievable mistake. Most suicide attempts raise a conflict of this kind, and some refusals of life-sustaining treatment are also troubling in this way. How might such violations of autonomy be justified? For a variety of reasons, those seeking to end their own life are particularly prone to misjudgment about the likelihood of recovering an adequately satisfying life. Under conditions of suffering and dependence, it is not respect but abandonment to leave patients to their own self-determination. It is proposed then that, under certain circumstances, paternalistic intervention is justified to save life, even in the face of a patient's competent refusal of such treatment, on the basis that the person might be making a grievous and irreversible mistake. This thesis sketches the considerations relevant to paternalistic interference in life-ending choices of this kind and proposes a framework for applying such considerations to particular end of life decisions. These principles may also be applied to provide a legal basis for intervention founded upon the common law defence of necessity. Necessity offers an appropriate and legally well grounded basis for protecting medical practitioners from civil or criminal liability for rescuing a dying person or denying a competent person the choice of death, if appropriate conditions are satisfied.
The nature of negative language

In his 'Notebooks 1914-1916' Ludwig Wittgenstein refers to "the mystery of negation: This is not how things are, and yet we can say 'how' things are 'not'." In my thesis I explore this mystery--its historical roots, the fundamental difficulties it raises, how modern philosophers have treated these difficulties, and how such treatments might be modified to resolve the mystery more effectively. Working within the context of a referential theory of meaning and a correspondence theory of truth I examine the views of a range of the most important relevant thinkers in an attempt to determine just what sort of relation between language and the world best accounts for meaningful negative language, that is, meaningful true negative statements and meaningful false statements, with minimum ontological implications. Specifically, my thesis divides into three parts. In Part One I explore the ancient Greek historical roots of the issue via critical examination of Parmenides's foundational statement of the problem in his poem "On Nature" and of Plato's extended response through a series of dialogues culminating in 'Parmenides' and 'Sophist'. Ontologically speaking Plato's treatment of this matter can be read in two ways, and in Part Two I consider both of these readings through surprisingly close (and considerably more developed) analogues found in the late 19th and early 20th-century works of F. H. Bradley and Bertrand Russell. Finally, in Part Three I spell out, critique, and eventually modify the inspired modal approach to this problem proposed by Wittgenstein in his 'Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus'. When a view of negation as rooted in the relation between the possible and the actual is conjoined with a suitable combinatorial theory of possibility which (quite reasonably) sees what can be as limited to rearrangements of what is, then the end result is an account of negative language dependent upon a world no more populous than that which underlies an account of true positive language. As such, properly understood, negative language need not have ontological implications.
The lived experience of mothers who provide care to their child with end-stage renal disease

This is an exploratory study examining the lived experience of mothers who provide care to their children with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Thirty-two mothers participated in long interviews, and eight mothers were observed in their natural settings for a prolonged period. Findings illuminated maternal caregiving of children with ESRD as a minimally recognized and under-valued form of demanding and skilled feminine labour. Difficult experiences and emotions associated with their caregiving were an integral part of these mothers' daily lives. Participating mothers also portrayed uniquely constructed meanings about caregiving which were termed, 'caregiving representations'. These appeared to be related to previous maternal life experiences and future expectations for mothers, lives. An understanding of how the mothers experienced their lives as caregivers--emerged as an iterative process of maternal caregiving activities, experiences, emotions and caregiving representations.
Efficient information retrieval from the World Wide Web

With the explosion of information that is currently available through the World Wide Web (the Web), searching for and retrieving anything has become an increasingly daunting task. For this reason, many different search engines such as AltaVisa, Excite, HotBot, InfoSeek, Lycos, Yahoo, etc. have been built to help Internet users. These search engines employ a program called Web Robot which searches and retrieves any new or updated documents from many Web sites, then passes the retrieved documents to the index server. The Web Robot is also used for other purposes such as statistical analysis and mirroring Web sites. The wide popularity of using the Web Robot resulted in increased usage of the limited Internet resources, especially the net-work bandwidth. Because of this, the results that are delivered by the Web Robot are far from satisfactory. In this thesis, we first discuss in detail the pros and cons of using the Web Robot. Then we introduce the Distributed Information Gatherer DIG, a system that provides an efficient and effective method of continually gathering information from the Web, as a way to improve the efficiency in utilizing the limited Internet resources. Using the DIG specifications, we present the results of an experiment to analyze the utilization that could be achieved through the deployment of the DIG over the Internet. Finally, we generalize the ideas behind the system and discuss the deployment issues of this system.
University system coordination and planning in Ontario, 1945 to 1996

In the post-war period 1945 to 1996, numerous commissions, reports and task forces made recommendations with respect to arrangements and approaches that could facilitate interaction between universities and government and promote efficiencies and economies to be derived from a system-level approach to enrolment growth and academic program development. This thesis identifies the various recommendations related to enhanced structures for system-level coordination and planning of Ontario universities from the perspective of what they reveal about the balance between university autonomy and government intervention. Specific initiatives to introduce greater planning and coordination in the development and funding of academic degree programs in Ontario are examined with a view to explaining their success, failure or transformation. Findings suggest that the Ontario government generally preferred increased collective autonomy of the institutions to an increase in its own involvement in direct regulation of the university sector. A variety of initiatives were undertaken by the university collectivity in an attempt to ensure rational development of the sector but, proving too contentious, were largely abandoned. The university collectivity has not been able to sustain broad support for collective decision-making processes that served to place limitations on the academic or research potential of some or all of its member institutions. Yet, institutions appeared willingly to have conceded some autonomy to government in order to access additional public support or avoid decisions that would create inter-institutional conflict. Government largely failed to provide ongoing leadership in the coordination and planning of university development. It has acted more like a referee between universities jockeying for status and greater access to public funds. Therefore, the roles that universities, individually and collectively, are expected to play in response to public policy objectives are largely determined by the individual institutions acting independently and competitively in response to financial incentives and disincentives built into government's exercise of its spending powers. This limits government's ability to ensure that the provincial support directed to universities is spent in the most effective, efficient and responsive manner. Responsibility for the degree to which the public interest is served rests predominantly with individual university decision-makers.
The development and prognosis of non-Q wave myocardial infarction in the thrombolytic era

Up to 50% of all patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) sustain a non-Q wave infarction characterized by electrocardiographic changes restricted to the ST segment or T waves. Published information describing the natural history of non-Q as compared to Q wave MI patients is derived almost exclusively from studies in an era prior to the widespread use of thrombolytic therapy. Based on a retrospective analysis of 5 randomized, controlled studies performed in the thrombolytic era, administration of thrombolytic therapy to patients with acute MI presenting with ST segment elevation results in a significantly greater subsequent development of non-Q as compared to Q wave MI. Further, patients who receive thrombolysis and develop a non-Q have a better prognosis than those who develop a Q wave MI following thrombolysis. Finally, patients who receive thrombolysis and develop a non-Q wave MI have a better prognosis than those who develop a non-Q following standard medical therapy.
Host location and oviposition in Strobilomyia spp., Diptera, anthomyiidae, infesting spruce cones

The temporal and behavioural aspects of oviposition site selection by ' S. neanthracina', which exploits seed cones of 'Picea glauca ', were investigated in field populations and caged flies. In the field, emergence of 'S. neanthracina' was synchronized with seed cone bud break. During the pre-oviposition period, flies were not seen on host trees, and thus probably dispersed, mated elsewhere, and then would have needed to search for hosts. Oviposition occurred over a 3-week period in June, generally after 10:00 h, and followed a sequence including a presumed host-marking behaviour. Median longevity of caged females and males was 24 and 17 d, respectively. To determine whether olfactory cues provided by 'P. glauca', ' P. mariana' and 'P. abies', the respective hosts of ' S. neanthracina', 'S. appalachensis' and 'S. anthracina', could be involved in host location of these flies, I identified the volatiles emitted by seed cones and foliage of each species by gas chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry, and evaluated the behavioural and physiological responses of flies to these stimuli. Volatiles emitted by ' P. mariana' seed cones attached to the tree ('in situ'), and thus likely reflecting more natural conditions, differed in the relative abundance and release rates of monoterpene constituents from those of severed cones ('ex situ'). 'In situ' emissions from seed cones and foliage of 'P. mariana', 'P. glauca' and 'P. abies' indicated that the relative amounts and enantiomeric composition of some monoterpenes were species-specific. Most chiral monoterpenes occurred predominantly as (-)-enantiomers. Emissions from seed cones and current-year foliage were generally similar but both differed quantitatively from those of older foliage. In a wind tunnel bioassay, host foliage volatiles, but not those of a non-host, elicited upwind movement of 'S. neanthracina'. A GC-based method was developed to correct for differences in volatility among olfactory stimuli, which can bias electroantennogram (EAG) responses. The significance of this correction was verified by recording EAGs from a conophagous pyralid to equimolar and volatility-corrected solutions. EAGs from ' Strobilomyia' differed among species for some host and non-host monoterpenes and enantiomers but appeared independent of the reproductive status. The results, incorporated into a model describing the host location process, suggest ' Strobilomyia' spp. can distinguish host from non-host volatiles and use olfactory stimuli for host location, but visual host cues are likely also involved.
The role of immigrant-serving organizations in the Canadian welfare state, a case study

Drawing upon an interdisciplinary body of literature this thesis investigates the role of immigrant serving organizations in the Canadian welfare state. Comparative literature on the voluntary sector, international perspectives on settlement services for immigrants, and state/minority relations in Canada are reviewed to illuminate salient research questions. A case study was undertaken guided by the following research questions: what is it that the organizations do, including both their service and nonservice functions; what is the impact of the organization on clients and other stakeholder groups; what is the agency's relationship with government, its primary funder; and lastly, what are the implications of the study for analyses of the welfare state? The key findings reveal that, in their service dimension, the organizations proffer a type of safety net of cultural, kinship, and linguistic resources for immigrants; increase immigrants' access to mainstream services; and through collective action, articulate needs and thereby extend the provisions of the welfare state to immigrants. In political terms the symbolic allocation of societal resources minority communities is realized. An examination of the agency's relationship with government representatives indicates that, within the constraints imposed by government funding, variables such as ideological affinity and bureaucratic professionalism contribute to positive relations. In so far as the welfare state is concerned, the mobilization by ethnoracial communities to extend welfare provisions highlights the role of social movements as agents of change in social policy.
Peter Barnes and the nature of authority

Peter Barnes, among the most theatrically-minded playwrights of the non-musical stage in England today, makes use of virtually every element of theatre: spectacle, music, dance, heightened speech, etc. He is daring, ambitious, and not always successful. While he obviously does not share the staging sensibilities of Renaissance playwrights, Barnes does share their perspectives on authority. He writes predominantly about the outward self and the private self, the significance of representation and the power of public display, corruption and innocence, order and chaos. I explore such questions as what attraction these themes hold for Barnes, what connections exist (economically, socially, and politically) between Renaissance and post-industrialized England, and how Barnes and his Renaissance mentors use their work as cultural barometers and/or forecasters. But Barnes is still a modern playwright, and the discussion is not limited to his connection to the Jacobeans. I have identified five subthemes into which his plays fall. The first chapter, dealing with 'The Ruling Class' and 'The Bewitched ', is concerned with the continuity and preservation of the status quo through inherited power, even though it is decayed, corrupt, and anachronistic. The next chapter features two simple, unambitious priests, Father Flote in ' Red Noses' and Father Morrone in 'Sunsets and Glories', who reluctantly accept positions of authority; paradoxically, empowerment comes from rejecting power. In Chapter 3, featuring 'Leonardo's Last Supper' and 'Clap Hands Here Comes Charlie', we find that authority is not necessarily held by the strong, wealthy, or educated, and we see how some members of the underclass react to sudden empowerment. The construction of a personal identity, which would seem to be the one act over which we have inviolable control, is threatened when characters meet their likenesses in the four one-act plays discussed in Chapter 4: ' Noonday Demons, The Real Long John Silver, Nobody Here But Us Chickens', and 'The Three Visions'. Chapter 5 compares two kinds of tyranny, autocratic and bureaucratic, in 'Laughter!'. And in the concluding pages we glimpse at another, surprisingly uncynical, side of Peter Barnes as exhibited in one of his more recent plays, 'Heaven's Blessings'.
Induction and modulation of monocyte/macrophage tissue factor/fibrin deposition and TNF secretion in the microenvironment of inflammation: The role of tyrosine phosphorylation

Inflammatory mediators transduced at the cell boundary signal alterations in cell activation which may not be detrimental to the cell itself but may be injurious to the organism, suggesting preferential definition of the pathologic state in terms of signal transduction pathways. Understanding of these signaling processes and their attenuation could act to abrogate pathologic processes. This thesis follows the course of the monocyte/macrophage into the inflammatory microenvironment and involvement of the tyrosine kinase signaling cascade in cellular activation expressed as procoagulant activity and TNF secretion. Experiments demonstrate that monocyte trans-endothelial migration results in monocyte activation. The novel mechanism of this process was determined to be through integrin receptor molecules resulting in monocyte activation via induction of tyrosine phosphorylation. Following migration, these cells, now macrophages, are exposed to further inflammatory stimuli. Mast cells are known to inhabit areas surrounding the post-capillary venule, the site of monocyte diapedesis where the macrophage co-resides. Herein we report a novel role for these cells in macrophage activation. These processes are mediated via induction of tyrosine kinases. Murine Hepatitis Virus and endotoxin, were tested as potential viral and bacterial stimuli that might result in increased expression of cellular procoagulants via induction of tyrosine phosphorylation. Stimulation with these factors resulted in increased accumulation of tyrosine phosphoproteins identifying the signaling pathways in response to these stimuli. New therapeutic strategies to modify these processes were investigated. Tyrosine kinase inhibition, anti-oxidant treatments and anti-body mediated neutralization all proved effective in inhibiting induction of procoagulant activity and tissue factor in vitro and in vivo.
True 2D wavelength division multiplexing, binary superimposed gratings and their applications

The binary superimposed grating (BSG), consisting of equal-size segments of two possible values of refractive index and capable of effecting multiwavelength reflection, offers ease of fabrication and great versatility in guided-wave WDM applications. Here, the concept, theory, and design of BSGs is developed along with analysis confirming their robustness under resolution errors in fabrication, leading to a detailed account of the fabrication and testing of the first BSG structure. Raman-Nath scattering characteristics of BSGs correspond well with modelled predictions. Unfortunately, attempts to measure guided-wave diffraction were thwarted by difficulties in achieving sufficient etch-depth, which seriously diminished grating coupling efficiency. Fortunately, these difficulties can be avoided in future designs, whose scope and complexity extend far beyond the proof-of-concept implementations of the first design cycle.
One-to-one teleapprenticeship as a means for nurses teaching and learning Parse's theory of human becoming

This research was an inquiry into the nature of one-to-one teleapprenticeship, defined for this study as a one-to-one learning relationship, conducted entirely by email, in which a mentor-teacher guides a learner in the construction of knowledge about a domain. The primary purpose of this study was to explore teleapprenticeship from a teaching and learning perspective. A secondary purpose was to ascertain if teleapprenticeship was useful to support clinically-based professional nurses' learning of the practice methodology of a nursing theory, Parse's theory of human becoming. Six teachers and 11 learners who resided in North America volunteered to participate. Each dyad was comprised of a nurse in a clinical setting learning to practice nursing guided by Parse's theory and a mentor-teacher who was a more expert practitioner of this theory. The learners were asked to write dialogue journals with their mentors about theoretical and practice issues. Data sources were the electronic transcripts of all dyads' teleapprenticeship dialogue and concluding narratives written by participants from the five dyads that engaged in the study of the theory for at least 12 weeks. Data were analyzed using two narrative approaches: for the first research question, ' What is the contexture of a teleapprenticeship'?, the paradigmatic type of analysis, which Polkinghorne terms, "'analysis of narratives '," was used to find commonalties in the stories; the second approach, termed "'narrative analysis'," was used to address the second research question: 'What is the experience of studying Parse's theory online with a mentor'? The second approach portrayed the uniqueness of each individual case. The teleapprenticeships were manifest as processes of mutual engagement within the situation-specific context of the learner's professional practice. The process was learner-centered in both content and approach to learning. Compared with components of the cognitive apprenticeship model, the teleapprenticeships were a good fit, but the essence of these teleapprenticeships was not captured in the model. These teleapprenticeships may be described as "a situation where learning could happen"; five terms bring forth the essence of the teleapprenticeships: 'situation, self-directed learning, teaching as' "'being with'," ' resources', and 'collateral others and events'.
Ventilator use for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, an ethical analysis of physicians' beliefs and practices

Long term ventilation (LTV) has been shown to extend the lives of individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD); however, initiating LTV is still considered controversial. This study examined Canadian practice from the perspective of bioethics. The purposes of the study were: (1) to describe current Canadian practice, (2) to defend a claim that all patients with DMD should be informed of the option of LTV and (3) to make recommendations designed to enhance the decision making process. The research included a physician survey, face-to-face interviews, and normative ethical analysis. LTV decisions are discussed within the context of the patient-physician relationship and a conceptual exploration of "quality of life" and "futility". It is concluded that LTV information should be disclosed to all patients/families with DMD. A shared decision making model is proposed that emphasizes ongoing dialogue over time, addresses power inequities within the family-physician relationship and incorporates a family-centred approach to decision making.