VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Association of missense polymorphisms in the Adenomatous polyposis coli gene and colorectal cancer

Background. 20% of Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients have a family history of the disease. It has been proposed that missense polymorphisms in the Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) may contribute to CRC risk. Results. In 39 multiple-polyp CRC patients we identified 3 novel and 2 previously described APC variants. A novel truncating mutation (Y94X) was observed in a single CRC patient with multiple adenomatous polyps. The S 130G (0.3% vs 0.1%, p = 0.625); E1317Q (1.8% vs 1.9%, p = 0.823); and G2502S (4.6% vs 4.9%, p = 0.625) polymorphisms were observed in similar frequencies among CRC cases and controls. The D1822V carriers (homozygous or heterozygous) were less common in CRC cases than in controls (37.6% vs 42.6%, p = 0.029). Methods. To identify missense polymorphisms in the APC gene, we sequenced the entire open-reading frame of APC in 39 CRC patients with>5 synchronous adenomatous polyps. We then determined the frequency of these polymorphisms in 971 CRC patients and 954 healthy population controls.
A system for three-dimensional breast digital histopathology imaging

Lumpectomy is the preferred treatment for early-stage, localized breast cancer. A major surgical challenge is to achieve an adequate excision. A marker for surgical adequacy is a satisfactory margin of normal tissue. Two limitations of conventional methods for pathological assessment are that the specimen is coarsely sampled and its three-dimensional context is not preserved. This thesis describes the development and evaluation of a novel approach to breast histopathology. The two major components are the development of histological techniques for creating whole-mount sections of the entire 3-D specimen, and the high-resolution digital capture of micrographs for 2-D and 3-D display. To process the tissue, the specimen is suspended in an agar support to minimize distortion and facilitate cutting 5 mm-thick slices. The slices are then subject to extended formaldehyde fixation. The slices are paraffin-processed using a non-routine schedule and extended paraffin infiltration. Whole-mount (up to 120x170 mm) serial breast sections are produced with features of equal or superior quality to what can be achieved using conventional methods. The method is compatible with some immunohistochemical stains but requires further optimization for others. Inspection of this enormous amount of glass-slide data is facilitated by a modified scanning light microscope, and interactive 2-D and 3-D display. The design of the system reduces or eliminates the appearance of 'tiling' and 'seam' artefacts inherent in scanning. Characterization of resolution, contrast/noise and coverage properties through measurements of modulation transfer function, depth-of-field, and signal difference-to-noise ratio (SDNR) demonstrate that the imaging system is largely adequate for the imaging task (lateral resolution=5 mum, SDNR=5 between relevant features, tiling artefact below the detectability threshold of the eye, and seam artefact
Experiential learning as an enabler to improving conflict management in a work team

This qualitative study explores how an experiential learning program can affect the ability of a work team to effectively manage conflict. The researcher followed the team over a nine-month period to develop an understanding of what it is like to surface conflict, and what can help enable effective conflict management. The team was a semi self-directed work group in a large manufacturing company. The team was observed before, during, and after two experiential training sessions. These sessions were highly participative and focused on improving the team's conflict management ability. In addition, each member was interviewed twice during the study period. The experiential program enhanced the team's ability to deal with conflict effectively, and also enabled the team's development. By moving through the experiential learning cycle to develop consciousness and then competence, team members built both a better understanding of conflict and an improved ability to manage it effectively.

Keywords: Experiential learning
Conflict management
Interpersonal relations
Conflict (Psychology)
Teams in the workplace
The medicalization of sexual assault: a combined quantitative and qualitative study

Sexual assault is a growing public health problem, both in terms of its negative impact on women's health and the mounting evidence of an often inadequate health care response. There has been a lack of consensus and critical debate about the best health care strategies, a paucity of data about the short and long-term health impacts of sexual assault, and little research that documents the concerns of women who have been sexually assaulted. Drawing on the sociological theoretical framework of feminist social constructionism, this dissertation aimed to examine more closely and clarify the health care implications of sexual assault, especially from the perspectives of women victims/survivors. Three main findings are offered. First, using administrative data derived from the universal Canadian health care program and qualitative data from interviews with 20 women in inner city Toronto who had been sexually assaulted and had sought health care, the health consequences of sexual assault were found to be serious, persistent, and ranging across physical, mental, and social domains. Second, the qualitative analysis revealed that health care following sexual assault can be both helpful and hurtful. These women sought and sometimes received validation that affirmed the significance of their trauma experiences, alleviated fears, provided support, and helped them to cope. Many women also perceived their health care as revictimizing them, due to the invasiveness of physical examinations, the judgmental attitudes of some health providers, and their uncertainty about the role and contingencies of forensic evidence. Third, a comparison of the dominant "expert" models of sexual assault care emerging from North American professional associations and the scientific literature ("medicalization-from-above") with patient perspectives of health care experiences following sexual assault ("medicalization-from-below") suggests that current models guide a less than effective medical response to sexual assault because they inadequately acknowledge the diverse spectrum of expectations and strategies of women, and fail to address the broader social-political context of women's vulnerability and needs. Future studies might examine providers' perceptions and behaviour, and include qualitative research with sexually assaulted women who do not seek formal health care.
Police response to anti-terrorism policy

Following 9/11, Canadian and American governments took steps to protect themselves from future acts of terrorism. The introduction of anti-terrorism legislation in the form of the Patriot Act in the US and the Anti-Terrorism Act in Canada strengthens connections among federal, state and municipal police enforcement. The new legislation increases police powers, whereby police departments are now subject to implementing terrorism strategies in addition to their regular duties. This study questions how Canadian and American police departments employ new terrorism laws and policies. Utilizing a qualitative approach, twelve departments located in states in the mid west, west and southwest and the province of Ontario took part in interviews for this study. Eight American and 4 Canadian police chiefs and managers provide insight into police response to new anti-terrorism laws and policy. The study is framed around a conceptual analysis examining policy instruments employed by government in the form of mandates and inducements. Capacity building includes the actions of government investing in the implementation of policy. Implementation of anti-terrorism and counter-terrorism policy by both Canadian and American federal governments promotes interagency connectedness in the promotion of proactive and reactive response measures. Intelligence gathering and preparation for disaster response is influenced by availability of personnel, funding and education. The importance placed on counter- and anti-terrorism policy by police is influenced by the size of the department, national differences, geographical position and funding. How police interact with their communities influences government laws and policies for implementation of counter- and anti-terrorism responses at the department level. Relationships between police and community shape how laws and policy are put into practice at the street level.
Pain in children with spina bifida: the associations with locus of control, depression, and quality of life

The primary aim of this study was to investigate the frequency, intensity, location, and duration of pain in children with spina bifida and to examine the congruence between child report and parent proxy report of pain. The secondary aim was to investigate the associations amongst pain, locus of control, depression, and quality of life in children with spina bifida. Participants were sixty-eight children between the ages of 8 and 19 years and their parents attending the Spina Bifida Clinic at the Bloorview MacMillan Children's Centre. Children completed self-report measures of pain intensity and location, locus of control, depression, and quality of life. Children were also interviewed about their pain experiences (i.e., frequency and duration) and their coping strategies. Parents completed proxy reports of pain intensity and location and quality of life, and a self-report measure of depression. The results indicated that children in this study reported frequent and intense pain at multiple locations. Specifically, 56% of the children reported experiencing pain once a week or more often. More frequent pain was associated with more intense levels of current and worst pain. Overall, parents were reliable at reporting only their children's severe pain; however, parents of young children (8-12 years) significantly underestimated pain intensity. Parent proxy reports and child reports of quality of life were significantly different, with parents reporting considerably poorer quality of life than their children. In a regression analysis of children's reports of quality of life, a combination of factors, such as child depressive symptomatology, parent proxy reports of quality of life, and frequency of pain accounted for fifty-two percent of the variance. In conclusion, children with spina bifida, especially young children, are at risk for under-recognized and under-treated pain, which may significantly impact their long-term psychological adjustment and quality of life. Future efforts are needed to educate parents and health care professionals about the nature and prevalence of pain, and to develop pain prevention and management programs for children with spina bifida. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Keywords: Pain in children
Spina bifida
Children with disabilities, Psychology
Locus of control
Child psychology
Depression in children
Adolescent psychology
More sustainable masonry facades: Assessing the potential to preheat ventilation air using a solar dynamic buffer zone

During sunny conditions, surface temperatures on masonry facades can rise to over 40 degrees above ambient temperatures. Conventional wall designs exclude this solar heat through the use of thermal insulation. However, air that is drawn from the outdoors, between the facade and sheathing, can be used to recover heat from the masonry facade. The system, which utilizes a Dynamic Buffer Zone (DBZ), acts as a solar air collector. This system can provide an effective way to preheat ventilation air at little to no extra cost while not compromising the architectural features of the masonry wall system. An analytical model was developed to predict the amount of heat recovery. The analytical model was verified by comparing results with a commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics software package and by conducting laboratory experiments. Results indicate that the DBZ as a solar air collector can achieve effective solar efficiencies as high as 33%.
"Segur luchando". The struggle continues: salvadoran political participation in Toronto. A participatory action research project (Ontario)

This study applies principles of participatory action research to explore the relationship between prior activism and current political participation for Salvadorans in Toronto. Community leaders participated in the design and facilitation of a collective research process that highlighted the dynamic relationship between identity and participation, identified barriers to local political participation, and established community action priorities. The study finds significant involvement in home country politics but low levels of political participation in Canada. Participation is shown to flow from a sense of belonging. Most study participants root their identity in El Salvador rather than Canada, focusing their political participation on solidarity with El Salvador. The settlement sector was seen to prioritize incorporation into the labor market, while offering little support for political incorporation. Recommendations are offered for improving the capacity of settlement agencies to promote active citizenship. Further practice implications include the relevance of participatory action research as a community organizing strategy.
The effects of perceived workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation on the mentoring relationships of gay and lesbian protégés

The effect of perceived workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation (hereafter perceived workplace discrimination) on mentoring relationships of gay and lesbian proteges was examined in a sample of 479 employed gay men and lesbians in Canada and the United States. I predicted that the likelihood of a gay or lesbian employee having an informal mentor would be inversely related to the level of perceived workplace discrimination, that gay or lesbian employees in mentoring relationships with gay or lesbian mentors would report receiving more psychosocial support than gay or lesbian employees in mentoring relationships with heterosexual mentors, and that there would be an interaction between the sexual orientation of the mentor and the level of perceived workplace discrimination on the amount of psychosocial support reported by gay and lesbian proteges. Perceived workplace discrimination was proposed to weaken the psychosocial support in mentoring relationships that are heterogeneous with respect to sexual orientation (gay or lesbian proteges with heterosexual mentors) and to strengthen the psychosocial support in mentoring relationships that are homogeneous with respect to sexual orientation (gay or lesbian proteges with gay or lesbian mentors). Post hoc analysis revealed an interaction between nationality and perceived workplace discrimination on the amount of psychosocial support received by the gay and lesbian proteges with proteges in the United States reporting less psychosocial support when perceived workplace discrimination was higher and proteges in Canada reporting more psychosocial support when perceived workplace discrimination was higher. As predicted, perceived workplace discrimination was found to be a barrier for gay men and lesbians to obtaining an informal mentor. Contrary to predictions, the amount of psychosocial support did not vary based on the sexual orientation of the mentor. Contrary to predictions, there was no interaction between the sexual orientation of the mentor and perceived workplace discrimination on the amount of psychosocial support reported by gay and lesbian proteges.

Keywords: Personnel management
Dissertations, Academic, Canada
The role of GABA-mediated neurotransmission within the nucleus of the solitary tract in ventilatory acclimatisation to hypoxia in rats

Exposure to chronic hypoxia (CH) leads to ventilatory acclimatisation to hypoxia (VAH) which manifests as an increase in both resting ventilation and the sensitivity of the respiratory system to acute hypoxia. This study investigated whether changes in GABA-mediated neurotransmission in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) contributes to VAH. Control and CH rats (9 days of hypobaric hypoxia; 0.5 atm) were subjected to acute hypoxic breathing trials (poikilocapnic and isocapnic) using whole body plethysmography, before and after bilateral microinjections of the GABA-receptor antagonists bicuculline (GABAA antagonist) and CGP-35348 (GABAB antagonist) into the caudal NTS. Bicuculline only affected breathing in CH rats, significantly reducing resting ventilation and breathing frequency during the acute hypoxic ventilatory response. Bicuculline plus CGP-35348 produced similar effects to bicuculline alone. The results indicate that changes in GABAA but not GABAB receptor-mediated neurotransmission within the NTS are involved in central changes to respiratory control that accompany VAH.
Consolidation of motor memory in the vestibulo-ocular reflex

The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) stabilizes gaze during head movements. Even in this simple motor system, this study demonstrated that memory consolidation was possible. The gain of the VOR was modified using an optical method. The lability of memory was tested by rotation for one hour in darkness. Recently-formed memory was disrupted by rotation in darkness. However, memory that had formed over 3 days was not significantly affected by rotation in darkness. When an one-hour delay was imposed between the learning period and disruption, the change in VOR gain was not reversed by rotation in darkness. This result suggested that consolidation of motor memory occurred. To investigate whether the cerebellum was the site of storage of memory in the VOR, a glutamate antagonist was injected into the flocculus bilaterally after three days of learning. CNQX injections partially disrupted memory. These results suggested the cerebellum might not be essential for consolidated memory.
Weather and climate numerical algorithms: an efficient, parallel solution scheme for the shallow water equations

The rapid growth in the complexity of climate and weather simulation problems, combined with a paradigm shift from uniprocessor to parallel computing platforms, make the design of new numerical algorithms for climate and weather simulation essential. In this thesis, a numerical algorithm is developed that maps the global meteorological simulation problem onto massively parallel computer platforms efficiently and accurately through an understanding of the inter-relationships among the physics, the algorithm and the computing platform. The standard and well-accepted two dimensional nonlinear shallow water equation system is used as a model test problem. As part of the sequential algorithm, a conservative semi-implicit, Weak Lagrange-Galerkin (WLG) Finite Element (FE) scheme along with a novel quasi-uniform unstructured spherical triangular grid is designed and implemented. After a systematic evaluation of the true parallel complexity of meteorological simulation problems, an efficient, portable, scalable, parallel algorithm is developed. Sequential and parallel results from several benchmark problems of increasing complexity are presented and compared with published results. The present algorithm handles the pole problem, advection, Rossby waves and inertia-gravity waves accurately and efficiently. It achieves good parallel efficiencies on a range of parallel platforms. For these reasons, the present algorithm is a viable alternative to the currently popular spectral schemes.
Wang Wei: road to emptiness the buddha poet's Chan belief and Vimalakīrti

Wang Wei, the Buddha Poet, was acclaimed for his Chan attainment. His poetry was usually associated with emptiness, which is also a central teaching of Chan Buddhism. At the same time, Wang also named himself after Vimalakīrti, a layman of ancient India who taught emptiness. This paper attempts to discuss the definition of emptiness portrayed in Wang's poetry in relation to Chan philosophy as well as Vimalakīrti's teaching. In addition, in order to understand Wang's spiritual journey towards emptiness, the influences of Confucianism and Taoism on the poet would also be discussed. These two philosophies would help map out Wang's spiritual journey to emptiness and illustrate Wang's shift of thoughts throughout the poet's life. The paper would be of two major parts—the discussion and poetry annotation. The poem translation would examine in detail Wang's poetry style and messages.
P27(Kip1) is deregulated in tamoxifen resistant breast cancers through activation of receptor tyrosine kinases and cSrc kinases

Here I show that the dual ErbB1/ErbB2 inhibitor, lapatinib (GW572016), can restore tamoxifen sensitivity in the ER positive cell lines: MCF-7 pr, T-47D and ZR-75. Restoration of tamoxifen response is associated with reduction of cyclin D1, increase of p27 and p27 associated with cyclin E-Cdk2 that is greater when the two drugs, lapatimb and tamoxifen, are used in combination, than with either alone. Lapatinib in combination with tamoxifen also effectively inhibited tamoxifen resistant MCF-7 xenografts. Similarly inhibition of cSrc with the cSrc/Abl specific inhibitor AZD0530 also restored tamoxifen sensitivity in a cSrc overexpressing, tamoxifen resistant cell line. I present evidence that cSrc phosphorylates p27 at tyrosine 74 and tyrosine 88 in vitro and in vivo. cSrc phosphorylated p27 shows reduced cyclin E-Cdk2 inhibition. cSrc transfection reduced cyclin E-Cdk2 bound p27. cSrc activated breast cancer lines show increased p27-cSrc complexes and cSrc siRNA and cSrc inhibitors increase cellular p27. cSrc activation upon mitogen stimulation coincides with increased cSrc-p27 co-precipitation in early G1 and precedes the loss of cyclin E-Cdk2 from p27. These data provide a strong rationale for further investigation of the therapeutic potential of cSrc and ErbB1/ErbB2 inhibitors combined with antiestrogens in the treatment of ER positive breast cancers. The estrogen receptor-blocking drug, tamoxifen is used for breast cancer to block the mitogenic effect of estrogen on breast cancer cells. Tamoxifen treatment activates the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor, p27kip1 to mediate G1 arrest. However, initially responsive tumors invariably acquire resistance to treatment. This is often associated with increased expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor family members, ErbB1 and ErbB2. cSrc is activated by receptor tyrosine kinases and by cross talk with liganded estrogen receptor. Work of this thesis has shown that ErbB1, ErbB2 or cSrc overexpression can abrogate tamoxifen sensitivity in breast cancer lines through both reduction of p27 levels and inhibition of its function.
Synthesis and characterization of rotational molded polymeric foams for optimal acoustic absorption

Open-cell materials have improved acoustic performance over closed-cell materials. One promising way to optimize the acoustic performance of an open-cell material is to control its inner cellular-structural properties through the manipulation of processing parameters. This thesis work presents a novel method to process open-cell acoustic foams. A combined process of rotational foam molding and particulate leaching was used to process polymeric foams with desirable open-cell morphologies for acoustic absorption. Polypropylene (PP) and its nanocomposites were examined in this study. PP/MMT nanocomposites were synthesized with melt intercalation. An exothermic chemical blowing agent and salt particles were used to foam the polymer. Samples were characterized and tested for their cellular morphologies, acoustic and mechanical properties. Among the processing parameters examined, salt particle size is the major factor affecting the foams' acoustic properties. Correlations and conclusions from this study will be relevant to the development of new acoustic components with optimized acoustical efficiency.