VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Developmental plasticity in the auditory cortex of the cat

The consequences of an abnormal pattern of sensory input during development on the organization of the auditory cortex and the thalamocortical pathway were examined. Two different experimental paradigms were used to change the peripheral pattern of neural input to the system: (1) auditory deprivation: partial cochlear lesions were induced by treating newborn kittens with the ototoxic aminoglycoside drug amikacin and (2) auditory augmentation: newborn kittens were reared in an altered acoustic environment, consisting predominantly of a continuous 8 kHz FM tone. Standard microelectrode recording techniques were used to examine the functional organization of primary auditory cortex and revealed an altered cortical frequency map as a consequence of these experimental manipulations. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine the cochlea, and auditory brainstem responses (ABR audiogram) were used to measure frequency-specific threshold changes in ascending neural activity. Retrograde tracers were introduced in AI, and were used to examine the organization of the thalamocortical projection. As a result of neonatal partial cochlear lesions the cochleotopic organization of primary auditory cortex was altered, with the deprived high frequency region of AI devoted instead to the representation of low frequencies. Furthermore, the deafferented region of the cortical map displayed an abnormally large cortical area (expansion) with neurons having common characteristic frequencies. The range of characteristic frequencies within this monotonic cortical region corresponded to both the high frequency border of the hearing loss and the edge of the cochlear lesion. However, retrograde tracer injections into different regions in AI produced a normal pattern of labelling in the medial geniculate body of the thalamus. These results suggest that the cochleotopic organization of the thalamocortical projection is not disrupted in deafened cats, despite the extensive physiological reorganization of the cortical frequency map observed in these animals. As a consequence of rearing newborn kittens in an altered acoustic environment, the cochleotapic representation in AI also develops abnormally. Exposure to a continuous 8 kHz FM signal during a period from birth to three months of age produced a significant expansion of the 6-12 kHz frequency region of the cortical map in mature cats. These studies have shown that manipulating the pattern of cochlear activity during the neonatal period induces changes in the functional organization of the cochleotopic map in primary auditory cortex of the cat. In conclusion, the cochleotopic map within auditory cortex is altered in a manner which reflects the pattern of sensory input from the periphery during development.
First Nations control of First Nations education, an issue of power and knowledge

This study is a two-part inquiry into the First Nations control of First Nations Education movement which began in the 1970's. The study is unique in that it utilizes postcolonial, feminist, critical pedagogical, and anti-racist perspectives in the development of theoretical and methodological models. The use of alternative critical and oppositional perspectives facilitates the study of the historical context which, it is argued, is integral to understanding the contemporary situation of the First Nations. Although a comprehensive study of socio-cultural changes which have occurred since European contact is not possible, the thesis argues that the recognition of these changes is also integral in the development of contemporary Native epistemologies and pedagogies. This approach reveals the diversity that characterizes First Nations communities, but it is argued that it is possible to focus on the problems which they share through their relationship with the dominant government. Part One comprises an exploration of colonialism in general, and the study of residential and integrated schooling in particular. Native education of this period is conceptualized under the title of Historical Colonial Indigenous Education, a period when the First Nations did not have any control over their own education but were forced to attend forms of schooling which were alien to their own cultures. The development of theory which explores colonialism is crucial for understanding the way colonialism impacted on the indigenous people of Canada. In the pursuit of land and resources, the destruction of indigenous cultures and languages was a necessary component for the success of colonialism. Schools, such as residential schools, became crucial sites for genocidal practices and policies. The chapter on residential schools reveals, one, the destructiveness of this type of schooling, and two, the way residential school experiences continue to impact on the lives of Native people today. The second part comprises two chapters which focus on the period when the First Nations won the right to have significant control over their own education. This period is conceptualized as the Postcolonial Period. One chapter provides an overview of the First Nations control of First Nations education movement. The problems inherent in this endeavour were identified through an extensive review of existing literature on Native education, and by observation of the practices of Native communities in general and one Native community in particular. The last chapter provides a synthesis of the different strategies, visions, and constraints which are integral to the issue of Native education. A major constraint is that Native educational practices and curricula have to be developed within a Western European educational framework. This section includes a discussion of the way curricula based on Native values and philosophical systems can be developed and implemented.
Reasons of the heart, moral objectivity and moral education

Moral debate and moral education within pluralistic democratic societies would be more productive if we shared a common understanding of moral objectivity--that is, of the nature and development of sound moral judgment. Achieving such a shared understanding of moral objectivity today would require critical dialogue among the advocates of competing religious, philosophical, political, and cultural traditions to effect some convergence of their incommensurable moral points of view. Accordingly, my primary objective is to identify processes through which, standards or evidence against which, and conditions under which the relative merits of incommensurable moral traditions could be appreciated and assessed. I structure the thesis as follows. In chapter two, I review the arguments of framework relativists who conclude from their rejection of foundational justification that incommensurable conceptual schemes cannot be rationally evaluated. In chapter three, I summarize MacIntyre's account of a process of dialectical enquiry through which incommensurable schemes of belief can be evaluated in a non-circular and non-foundational way. In chapter four, to address questions outstanding in MacIntyre's account, I reframe dialectical enquiry as a search for wide reflective equilibrium. Together, chapters three and four constitute a general response to framework relativist arguments against the possibility of cross-framework evaluation. In chapter five, I reconstruct MacIntyre's understanding of dialectical debate between rival moral perspectives and his arguments for the rational superiority of his own tradition, the ethics of virtue. In chapter six, I begin by uncovering tensions within MacIntyre's metaethical position related to its lack of an adequate characterization of intrinsic moral value. I then draw from the conceptual resources of Mahayana Buddhism to argue that intrinsic moral value is apprehended in immediate cognitive-affective responses--"reasons of the heart"--that arise prior to the differentiation of self and other. I end the chapter by indicating how a Mahayana metaethics resolves the tensions internal to MacIntyre's position. In chapter seven, I explore how nondualistic apprehensions of intrinsic value can figure in critical dialogue among incommensurable moral perspectives, outline three general conditions of productive critical dialogue, and then discuss forms of moral education through which those conditions could be promoted in pluralistic democracies.
The politics of judicial independence and the administration of criminal justice in Soviet Russia, 1982-1992

This thesis investigates the origins and consequences of attempts to reform the judiciary and improve the administration of justice in the USSR between 1982 and 1992. It analyzes the roots of judicial dependence and the sources of bias in criminal justice; it traces the development of proposals to reform the courts; and it assesses the impact on the dependence of the judiciary and the character of justice of legislation intended to insulate courts from political interference and facilitate the emergence of a rule of law state. The study argues that judicial dependence in the Soviet Union was multifaceted and more complex than previously appreciated. Judges were subordinated to and supervised by several agencies (the CPSU, Ministry of Justice, regional soviets, and superior courts), of which the latter's influence was greatest. The professional autonomy of Soviet judges was constrained more by the hierarchy within the judiciary than by outside interference. Miscarriages of justice, a predisposition toward certain outcomes at trial, and other forms of bias in the administration of criminal justice had roots in the structure of criminal procedure and were exacerbated by the attitudes of judges. Reform initiatives emerged first from within the judicial bureaucracies; they were embraced by central Party officials later, in diluted form, in order to overcome a political crisis in the courts. Reforms yielded considerable improvements in the quality of justice, but aggravated the various dependencies of judges. The thesis also examines the conceptualization of judicial independence and the study of judicial behavior in political science. My definition of judicial independence distinguishes its structural and behavioral dimensions, and thereby facilitates scrutiny of a popular but untested proposition about courts: that judicial independence is indispensable to the impartial administration of justice. The thesis maintains that there are different kinds of judicial independence, the most necessary or desirable forms of which will vary according to a country's institutional structure and legal tradition. I argue that the particular procedural rules and behavioral requirements of impartiality also depend on these factors. The relationship between judicial independence and the impartial administration of justice, accordingly, is not fixed.
Geophysical constraints on mantle dynamics

This thesis contains a study of four geophysical fields intimately related to the general convective circulation within Earth's mantle. Detailed investigations of the geoid, the free-air gravity anomaly, and for the first time, of the radial component of heat advection and the pattern of surface heat flux anomalies, are presented within the framework of an anelastically compressible internal loading theory. Recent global tomographic models of shear-wave velocity heterogeneity are employed to define the three-dimensional field of mantle buoyancy sources which drive the flow. Theoretical predictions of the longest wavelength components of these geodynamical fields are compared to observations in order to constrain mantle properties such as viscosity, as well as to interpret large scale features of the convective circulation. The nonhydrostatic geoid is found to provide useful constraints on the depth-dependence of mantle viscosity. The class of viscosity profiles that is inferred on this basis is shown to also allow a description of postglacial rebound data and the average heat flow at Earth's surface. A detailed investigation of the depth profile of heat advection is presented and the usefulness of this profile to probe for thermal boundary layers is discussed. A method to compute the pattern of surface heat flux anomalies within the internal loading formalism is proposed. It is shown that optimal descriptions of the long-wavelength components of this field are obtained within the framework of a layered-mantle theory. This is contrasted with the gravity field which is shown to be best reconciled within the context of the whole-mantle circulation theory. A synthesis of these results suggests that it is not currently possible to deduce whether the radial style of the mantle general circulation is whole-mantle or layered at the depth of 670 km seismic discontinuity. The free-air gravity field is employed to constrain the nature of the deep, subcontinental mantle. On this basis, it is demonstrated that the hypothesis that seismically fast, subcontinental features may be the reflection of chemically distinct and anomalously light material is rejected in favor of the alternative hypothesis in which the subcontinental mantle is composed of anomalous dense, downwelling material.
From information retrieval to hypertext and back again, the role of interaction in the information exploration interface

This work explores the design space of user interfaces for large-scale full-text database retrieval systems. Research suggests that elements of hypertext interfaces may be merged with traditional information retrieval (IR) algorithms to produce flexible hybrid interfaces for user-directed information exploration. This work examines the effectiveness of multiple-view newspaper-like interfaces, and describes a prototype that uses newspaper-style layouts to organize information retrieval results. Finally, it explores some possible visualization techniques designed to aid browsing performance. The first of two experiments in this thesis examines the effectiveness of the simultaneous display of several documents retrieved by a given query. Experimental results suggest that viewed recall increases with increasing numbers of articles displayed on the screen simultaneously. Subjects' decision-making strategies appear to be independent of user interface factors. The second experiment tests differences in behavior between query-based and link-based browsing. Differences in performance are found between groups of users employing different strategies, but not between interface conditions. These results suggest that dynamic query-mediated hypertext interfaces are viable alternatives to more explicit queries, and that subjects' intrinsic strategies have significant impact on their interaction with the system and on their performance. This work proposes an implementation of dynamic links in the WWW medium. It concludes with a discussion about the nature of hypertext interfaces and about the role of the user interface in information exploration tasks, and suggests some avenues for future research in this area.
Principals' responses to moral and ethical dilemmas in Catholic school settings

The vagaries of the postmodern world present a moral dilemma for school administrators, acting in the face of increasing moral confusion and ambiguity. Frequently, a plethora of confusing and conflicting values preclude the determination of any clear choice, action or decision. Daily, school administrators confront moral and ethical dilemmas which demand a response. How do school principals actually respond to moral and ethical dilemmas that they confront within their professional role? No less than other administrators, Catholic school principals are faced with taking action in a context characterized by moral and ethical ambiguity. Changes within the Church and society in recent decades have served to destabilize the once definitive Catholic values, beliefs and teachings. For school principals charged with the responsibility of developing and maintaining a distinctive Catholic culture, moral contradiction, conflict and uncertainty have become common place. Ironically, the Church and society have rising expectations of the moral authenticity of school leaders despite the widespread cultural, social and economic diversity which challenges and complicates the leadership task. The purpose of this study was to determine how principals in Catholic schools actually respond to moral and ethical dilemmas within their professional role. Through the use of hypothetical case scenarios and a consideration of actual situations, this study investigated how five Australian Catholic school principals respond to moral and ethical dilemmas. Principals were found to use a variety of responses including avoidance, suspending morality, creative insubordination, and their own personal morality. Although moral and ethical dilemmas occurred at the transrational level of values, principals chose from varying implicit and explicit values held at rational and transrational levels. Ultimately, the question of whose values prevail in the resolution of values conflict was linked to the degree of discretionary power held by the principal in particular situations. Contrary to the findings of some earlier studies, evidence collected suggested that school principals consistently operate from a clear moral framework which includes but is not restricted to the application of rational personal and professional values.
The capacity to judge, public opinion and deliberative democracy in Upper Canada, 1791-1854

This thesis analyzes the emergence of 'public opinion' as a new form of authority in Upper Canada from the colony's inception in 1791 until 1854. The original understanding of the colony's constitution assumed that the vast majority of Upper Canadians were not sufficiently capable of judging the common good to govern alone. By the 1820's and 1830's, an increasing range of commentators argued that authoritative decisions about the common good could and should be generated by critical discussion among private persons outside the control of traditional institutions or elites. These decisions were 'public opinion.' Debates about the nature and power of public opinion were not only matters of political rhetoric, but drew strength from people's experience of concrete social, economic and cultural changes. In particular, the quantity and distribution of printed texts, the nature and number of sites for reading and discussing those texts, and institutions that fostered certain skills and norms of behaviour lent credence to the concept of public opinion. Finally, the thesis argues that constitutional debate in the 1840's and 1850's revolved around how to integrate 'public opinion' into the province's social and constitutional self-understanding. After several alternatives were canvassed, deliberative democracy in Upper Canada, whereby the province's public was deemed capable of judging the collective good, took the form of parliamentary government.

Keywords: Representative government and representation
History
Gouvernement représentatif
Histoire
The possible role of leukocyte-generated reactive intermediates in the drug-induced agranulocytosis

Ticlopidine and clozapine are associated with relatively high incidences of agranulocytosis. 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) is an agent widely used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. It has been demonstrated that many drugs associated with drug-induced agranulocytosis or drug-induced lupus are oxidized by activated neutrophils to reactive intermediates, by the combination of myeloperoxidase (MPO), hydrogen peroxide and chloride ion, or simply by hypochlorous acid (HOCl). We set out to test the hypothesis that ticlopidine, clozapine and 5-ASA fit this pattern and are oxidized to reactive intermediates by activated neutrophils and HOCl. The mass spectra of the reactive intermediates of ticlopidine, clozapine and 5-ASA were obtained by using a flow system coupled with a Sciex API III mass spectrometer. We have shown that as much as 8% ticlopidine was metabolized by activated human neutrophils to a dehydro-ticlopidine. A neutrophil-derived reactive intermediate of ticlopidine was trapped with glutathione (GSH) and the same ticlopidine-GSH conjugate was found in both the MPO and HOCl systems. The reactive intermediate was putatively a thiophene-S-chloride. Clozapine was oxidized by HOCl to a reactive intermediate that was hypothesized to be a formal nitrenium ion in which the positive charge is highly delocalized. Clozapine was also oxidized by activated neutrophils and the GSH conjugates were formed. When therapeutic concentrations of radiolabeled clozapine were used, up to 7% of the drug became irreversibly bound to the neutrophils. These two reactive intermediates may be responsible for drug-induced agranulocytosis. We studied the oxidation of 5-ASA by HOCl and characterized the reaction pathway involving iminoquinone and quinone as reactive intermediates. The major stable product formed was identified as gentisic acid. The iminoquinone and quinone intermediates were trapped by GSH and the products analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS). Covalent binding of the reactive intermediates to the alpha chain of human hemoglobin was also observed. The iminoquinone is proposed to be the major intermediate and it may be responsible for the antiinflammatory effects of the drug as well as the adverse drug reactions which are associated with the use of 5-ASA.
Water distribution network modelling: From steady state to waterhammer

It is both difficult and costly for water utilities to update and maintain accurate data bases for steady state, extended time period, and waterhammer simulation models. Clearly, one comprehensive model, capable of both steady and unsteady, long-term simulation, is desirable. Compared to three individual simulation models, a comprehensive model reduces memory and run time requirements, requires only one data set, and encourages more reliable record keeping. The major objectives of this thesis are (1) to create a single algorithm for quasi-steady state, rigid water column, and waterhammer analyses of water distribution networks, (2) to develop boundary conditions that interface with each of the quasi-steady state, rigid water column, and waterhammer solution procedures, (3) to identify an accurate, efficient, and general framework for solving linked boundary conditions of relevance to any or all of the key flow regimes, and (4) to demonstrate the correctness of the 'multi-flow' regime model. Although further work is necessary to refine this model for commercial use, it is considered that these objectives have been achieved. The comprehensive model contains several new features: an automatic pipe classification system for selecting, at the beginning of a simulation, one of waterhammer, rigid water column, or quasi-steady state analysis; a direct valve closure algorithm that avoids iteration to preserve nodal continuity required by graph-theoretically based models; an explicit pump power failure solution procedure that allows efficient numerical calculation of complex and variable speed pumping arrangements; and a coupling of rigid water column and waterhammer network solvers permits more efficient modelling of complex boundary devices in waterhammer analysis. Several numerical experiments demonstrate the comprehensive model and show good agreement with known network solutions. In particular, slow valve closure and pump speed change examples demonstrate the suitability and reliability of the rigid water column analysis component for slow transient events. A pump power failure example shows the waterhammer analysis component to be accurate for rapid transient events. The last numerical experiment shows that the comprehensive model can accurately and efficiently capture the long-term transient response of a water distribution network by selectively using quasi-steady state, rigid water column, and waterhammer analyses.