VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Racial harassment in the workplace, a discursive exploration

Racial harassment, a significant obstacle facing racial/ethnic minorities in the Canadian workplace, continues to be ignored as a social problem worthy of serious attention. Within the Ontario Human Rights Commission, Officers and Boards of Inquiry regularly dismiss complaints. In workplace training programs, the problem remains largely buried under race, colour and power evasive discourses. In this thesis, I explore the discourses and discursive practices within these sites that normalize and justify racial harassment, and allow people to secure innocent status for themselves. I argue that because the judiciary and workplace training programs play a significant role in shaping popular understandings of racial harassment, they must employ new discourses that name racial harassment as serious violation. They must also establish victim's perspectives as the basis for assessing harm. I propose that as a powerful tool for social change, anti-racism education offers the most potential as a practical strategy to effect this change.
The analysis of polyphenolic constituents in wine and their relationship to antioxidant activity

I have developed a GC-MS method to simultaneously measure the concentrations of 15 biologically active phenolic components of wine: vanillic acid, gentisic acid, m- and p-coumaric acid, gallic acid, ferulic acid, caffeic acid, 'cis' and 'trans'-resveratrol, epicatechin, catechin, morin, quercetin, cis and trans-polydatin. Wine (0.5 mL) was diluted 1:1 with water to reduce alcohol content and extracted on a pre-conditioned C-8 solid-phase extraction cartridge. The phenolic compounds were eluted with ethyl acetate, evaporated to dryness and derivatized with bis-[trimethylsilyl]-trifluoroacetamide:pyridine. The (trimethyl silyl) TMS derivative of each phenolic compound was analyzed on a GC-MSD coupled to a DB-5HT capillary column using one target and two qualifying ions for each compound in a total run-time of 26 min. The method was utilized to measure these 15 constituents in Ontario wines for the purpose of identifying significant characteristic differences between various wine cultivars and to examine the pattern of the individual phenolics in wines from each cultivar. The concentrations of eighteen phenolic constituents in red wine were analyzed by a number of multiple regression techniques models for their contribution to total antioxidant status (TAS). (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the insurgence of television as a performance text

For several years I have been trying find a way to study television that would allow me to say what I wanted to say about it. This thesis is the result of a desire to explore the potential of television texts. To this end, I have turned to theories of performance, which have not yet focused on the mass media. This thesis retains an interest in traditional aspects of television theory--images and dialogue--but reframes the interrogation in terms of the performances through which all aspects of the medium are produced. To demonstrate how a performance framework would work in a study of television, I focus on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', a contemporary television show. It chronicles Buffy's ambivalent position between childhood and adulthood, between masculinity and femininity, and between her role as superhero and her desire to be a 'normal girl.' I chose this program because it appeared to be playing with assumptions about gender and the skewing of these assumptions was often carried out, not through representation, but through performance. My interest in television and performance attempts to acknowledge that the medium may be both insurgent and hegemonic in the spontaneous and mediated performances of the text. That is, hegemonic and insurgent performances may occur within the same televisual space. At the same time that I see gendered performances being insurgently reworked in this show, other axes of difference are not so insurgently performed. Thus the hegemonic inscription of race, sexuality and class are interrogated. In this thesis I use a wide range of theory to show that performance is an expansive framework through which to study television texts. By focusing on themes which organize this show, I demonstrate that performance is central to the construction of these categories and to their implication in moments of insurgence and hegemony. Each publication in the field of television has the possibility to take this work in new directions. Opening the study of television to performance may not bring either of these areas to the center of the academy, but it may create a space for serious and potentially radical critique.
Assessing the validity of North York dental diagnostic codes

We set out to assess the consistency of diagnostic codes in the North York Public Health Department (NYPHD) database with dental charts, report prevalence of the conditions, assess providers compliance with writing the diagnosis, and assess the predictive power of the diagnostic codes. The NYPHD database and a sample of 220 dental charts were compared to assess consistency of the diagnostic codes. Procedure and diagnostic codes were compared to assess providers! compliance with writing the diagnosis. Bivariate odds ratios and logistic regression analyses were used to assess the strength of the diagnoses in predicting procedures. Ninety-one percent of the diagnoses from the selected charts matched those in the database. Carlos in dentin was the most common diagnoses. Clinicians recorded diagnostic codes for almost 90% of the cases. Logistic regression showed highly significant association between diagnoses and relevant procedures as indicated by program guidelines. The results of the study indicate that the database was consistent with the charts, and the diagnoses predicted the care as indicated by the program guidelines.
Meal patterns of seniors with cognitive impairment

Although unplanned weight loss in the AD population has been widely documented, effective intervention strategies to increase dietary intake based upon scientific evidence have not been developed. The present study investigated meal patterns in institutionalized residents of mild to moderate cognitive impairment (CI) units who were able to maintain independence around food ingestion. The mean total energy consumed was 1275 kcal, with breakfast, lunch and dinner contributing equivalently to total intake. Within-individual variability in energy consumed at breakfast was the lowest. Positive associations between BMI and energy intake at lunch and dinner, negative association at snack, and no associations at breakfast and 24-hour intake were shown. Those who were most progressed in disease status tended to be most dependent upon delivery at breakfast, but least at dinner. These results suggest that the morning may be the best time to actively focus interventions that increase intake in those with low BMIs.
Expressing affection to preschool children in group care, an exploratory study of early childhood teachers' personal life experiences, beliefs, and professional practices

Using the combined theoretical frameworks of Bowlby's attachment theory, internal models of self, and intergenerational transmission, Epstein's personal theory of reality, and Schutz's principle of basic dimensions, this quantitative-qualitative study examined affection in the personal and professional lives of 7 early childhood teachers. Teachers' affection behaviours with children were observed and detailed data about both the teachers' personal and professional views about affection and their childhood experiences with affection were gathered. Analyses of the teachers' affection behaviours and their personal and professional narrative accounts regarding affection indicated that there were close connections among teachers' personal childhood histories, their personal lives, and their professional practices with respect to affection. Many similarities were found in the teachers' personal characteristics and professional practices. They described themselves personally as loveworthy, affectionate, competent, and giving. Each teacher displayed a positive self-concept/self-esteem and identified positive childhood experiences with an internalized loving "parent" figure. In childhood the teachers had successfully resolved early developmental issues of inclusion, control, and affection. Professionally, they regarded themselves as competent and successful teachers who assigned high priority to nurturing and affection in their relationships with children. Emotional burnout and teaching-as-mothering implications are discussed, as are recommendations for inclusion of affection in teacher training and teacher supervision. The Affection Measurement System by Sandra Twardosz and a teacher personal-professional narrative questionnaire by the present author are employed in the present study and recommended for future use.
The right to know, women, ethnicity, violence and learning about the law

This study has examined the use of education and learning strategies in the delivery of legal services for Spanish speaking immigrant women who have experienced domestic abuse. The study reviews literature on immigrant women, domestic abuse, and poverty law, specifically focusing on the dynamics of power and control in the lawyer/client relationship. The study used feminist participatory research working in partnership with the Women's Program of the Centre for Spanish Speaking Peoples in Toronto, Canada. The specific goals of the study were: (1) to identify the legal education and information needs of Spanish-speaking immigrant women who have experienced domestic violence; and (2) to determine how best to address these needs with consideration for particular factors which could impede learning: the social location of the women, pedagogy, the role of the legal profession, and the impact of trauma on learning. The results show that most of the women learned very little through their legal situations, but that they believe legal information and legal education, that incorporates their experiences, are essential. The women clearly articulated their learning needs. The results of the research are now being used in the second phase of the project to develop and implement a program to address the women's needs.
My life as a boy-girl and other stories, a feminist exploration of identity and outdoor pedagogy

This thesis is rooted in the personal, subjective experiences of five women who work as outdoor instructors at Outward Bound. Through our stories, I explore some meanings of femininity and gender in what personal experience and research has shown to be a space of frequent struggle, freedom and contradiction for women. Using a feminist post-structuralist lens, I trace out the threads of how identity is constituted and how identity interacts with the wilderness classroom. This has required some important, yet still limited detective work around how gender interacts with race, sexuality and class, and how our complex identities then collide with the outdoors. I also begin to explore the limits and possibilities of strategies for resisting gender norms and also strategies for challenging some of the inequities that exist in outdoor education.
Attachment and depression, communication and perception of emotion through song

Communication and perception of emotion were assessed in order to determine whether the expression or perception of emotional involvement through vocal cues differs according to adult attachment representation and/or the presence of depressive symptoms. Forty-six mothers were recorded singing the same song in their infants' presence and absence. Fifty undergraduate students rated the degree of emotional involvement for each song. Mother and rater attachment style and depression status were assessed to determine the independent and combined effects of attachment and depression on the communication and perception of vocal emotional cues. Overall, mothers were rated to be more emotionally involved when singing in their infants' presence than in their absence. Ratings of emotional involvement, however, were not found to differ significantly based on either the mother's or the rater's attachment representation and/or the presence of depressive symptoms. Directions for future research investigating emotional involvement within the mother-infant relationship are discussed.
Host selection, oviposition behaviour, and inter- and intra-specific competition in the white-spotted pine sawyer beetle, Monochamus scutellatus (Say) (Coleoptera: cerambycidae)

This study examined host selection, competition, and oviposition behaviour in the white-spotted pine sawyer beetle, 'Monochamus scutellatus' (Say). Adult beetles were attracted to mating and oviposition sites by host volatiles, turpentine and Ã-pinene. Ethanol, a by-product of plant decomposition, was determined to have no effect on host selection. Other members of the phloem-feeding guild had little or no effect on 'M. scutellatus' oviposition and larval success. Niche partitioning, through spatial or temporal segregation, allowed co-existence by guild members 'Pissodes nemorensis' Germ. and 'Ips pini' (Say). The sequence of behaviour in ' M. scutellatus' oviposition was generally stereotypic and uniform. The presence of eggs from another female deterred oviposition, while the presence of larvae or her own eggs had a less deterrent effect. Site selection, dominance in the guild, and avoidance of other progeny are all adaptive for ' M. scutellatus' in securing resources for developing offspring, and reducing competition for these resources.
Fluorescence studies of polymer association in water and droplet coalescence in polymer blend melts

The first part of this thesis is a study of aqueous solutions of two associative polymers by pyrene fluorescent probe experiments. The polymers we studied are based on a linear monodisperse poly(ethylene oxide) of Mn = 35,000, with C16H33 and C18H37 end groups. The hydrophobic end groups of this polymer associate forming micelle-like structures, which serve as solubilization sites for the pyrene molecules. Fluorescence decay profiles of pyrene were fitted to the Poisson quenching model to obtain the fitting parameter n, the mean number of quenchers per micelle. From the values of n we calculated the end-group aggregation number NR over a range of polymer concentrations, from 0.1 to 17 wt.%. We found that the aggregation number increases with the polymer concentration. The second part of the thesis examines various aspects of latex blend films. The main component (90 wt.%) in the blend is a soft polymer PEHMA [poly(2-ethylhexyl methacrylate)]. The minor component (10 wt.%) is a harder polymer PBMA [poly(butyl methacrylate)], dispersed as 120 nm spheres in the PEHMA matrix. The PBMA particles were labeled with 1 mol.% of covalently bound fluorescent dyes, either phenanthrene or anthracene. We studied shear-induced coalescence in these blends, both 'in line', using a home-built Rheo-Fluo device consisting of a parallel plate rheometer and a fiber-optic assisted fluorescence detection system, and 'off line', using laser scanning confocal fluorescence microscopy. We evaluated the mean size and the width of the particle size distribution of the dispersed phase at various shear rates and found that the size first increases (after 1 hour of shearing) and then decreases (after 10 hours). Comparison with the results obtained under quiescent conditions indicated that shear is highly efficient in promoting coalescence. We also studied the effects of the film preparation conditions on the morphology of the newly formed films and found that in the presence of the surfactant SDS (2 wt.%) the PBMA particles flocculate forming network-like structures. When the surfactant is removed from the dispersion by ion exchange, the blend morphology is uniform. Finally, we evaluated the interface thickness 8 between PBMA and PEHMA using the nonradiative energy transfer method.
Change in the knowledge and practices of literacy, professional development for primary teachers

This study assessed the effects of a professional development program focused on specific concepts of literacy and delivered through an approach designed to encourage the implementation of these concepts in the classroom. The focus of the study was on possible changes in teachers' knowledge, beliefs, and practices as a result of their participation in the professional development sessions. The study involved post-treatment interviews about the self-reported knowledge, beliefs, and practices of 9 experimental teachers and 9 grade matched controls. Findings suggest experimental teachers learned the literacy terms/concepts from the sessions. This new knowledge also appeared to impact directly on their practices; experimental teachers differed from the controls in their self-reports of teaching styles, the material their students used in the classroom, and in whether or not their students were kept informed of their progress. Potential ramifications of these outcomes in terms of possible impact on at-risk students are discussed.
Unified corner treatment in the boundary element method applied to electrochemical systems

A unified framework for the treatment of the non-uniqueness and singular behaviour of fluxes in the vicinity of corners has been derived for the indirect boundary element method (IBEM). The single and double layer loading densities are shown to obey a fractional exponent power-law variation at geometric discontinuities. Proper choice of values for the fractional exponents causes cancellation of the unbounded terms in the singular IBEM integral equations. This results in bounded fluxes that act in a unique direction. Since cancellation of the singular terms is guaranteed, these computationally difficult integrals need not be calculated. Hence, the hypersingular integrals, once thought to be an impediment to the application of the IBEM, are now shown to vanish trivially, and actually contribute to the stability of the flux equation. The corner methodology is robust, and handles easily an arbitrary number of surfaces, intersecting in any dimensional space. The general analysis formulates the layer densities at vertices as a superposition of the layer densities over the intersecting surfaces. In this way, the layer density at a 3D corner is simply the sum of its 2D edge layer densities. For the simplest case, in 2D, the new formula predicts the same functionality as the well-known 2D result. Excellent agreement is obtained between the flux computed using the new technique and the analytical flux for complex 2D and 3D examples, with linear and higher order boundary conditions. Practical applications of this work are numerous since geometries containing corners can be cited from virtually every area of applied science and engineering. In the present dissertation, application to electrochemical systems is discussed. Specifically, the simulation of the current and voltage distributions along a cathodically protected infinite pipeline reveals physical, numerical and artificial corners. This example is further complicated by the preponderance of near-singular integrals, which are easily computed using the continuation approach. In particular, continuation equations have been constructed for the convergent, Cauchy and hypersingular integral equations that arise naturally in the IBEM. The final form of these continuation equations can be used directly as an efficient means of quadrature without detailed knowledge of their derivation.
Atmospherically derived organic films on impervious surfaces, detection and characterization

The hypothesis that organic films exist on impervious surfaces was investigated by collecting samples from windows in two cities and along an urban-rural gradient. Toronto samples showed 100 mg/m2 of material; n-alkane, PAH, PCB and PCA concentrations of 7500, 6100, 95 and 200 ng/m2, respectively; and aged SOC patterns relative to urban air. Film-air partition coefficients were comparable to KOA, suggesting partitioning of atmospheric compounds. Rural mass, thickness, and SOC concentrations were 2-35% of urban values, indicating that organic films are enhanced in urban and present in rural environments. Toronto SOC patterns were replicated with concentrations up to 3-fold greater in Baltimore films, suggesting these films are widespread. The effects of rain were investigated using simulated rainfall experiments. Approximately 75% of the total PAH and total PCB were non-preferentially removed, suggesting that the film contains surfactants, and film runoff may cause shock loading of SOCs to receiving waters.
Protein-protein interactions between the breast cancer susceptibility gene product BRCA2 and replication protein A

Mutations in the BRCA2 gene predispose women to familial, early onset breast cancer. BRCA2 has been implicated in DNA double-strand break repair through its interaction with hRad51, which is known to be involved in this DNA repair pathway. Consistent with this proposed role in repair, cells deficient in BRCA2 are highly sensitive to ã-irradiation. Another protein involved in double-strand break repair is Replication Protein A (RPA), whose role is to remove secondary structure from ssDNA, and in collaboration with hRad52 and hRad51, to initiate the strand exchange reaction of homologous recombination. RPA has previously been shown in our laboratory to interact directly with the acidic activation domains of the transactivators VP16, GAL4, and p53 and the "activation" domain of the repair proteins hXPG and Rad2. Since BRCA2 also has an acidic domain at its N-terminus which, when fused to a DNA binding domain such as LexA, is capable of activating transcription ' in vivo', I examined whether the acidic transcriptional activation domain of BRCA2 binds hRPA. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
Hop heads and hypes, drug use, regulation and resistance in Canada, 1920-1961

This dissertation is a social and cultural history of drug users and their regulators, including narcotic officials, doctors, police officers and social workers. It draws on and contributes to gender and working class history, medical and legal history and the history of the welfare state. Three main questions underlay the project: (1) What happened to drug users when certain types of drug use became a criminal activity? (2) How did the state, and other social actors, implement control over consumption? (3) How did drug users themselves respond to regulation by others and how did they regulate themselves? Since my goal is to demonstrate the effects of criminalization on the lives of users, I have focused on drugs which were controlled under the Opium and Narcotic Drug Act, including opium, morphine, heroin, cocaine and cannabis. Unlike much work of the work on moral regulation, which focuses on only one moral agent, I examine multiple sites and types of regulation. I have paid careful attention to the impact of regulation on the lives of targeted individuals, to the motivations and techniques of the regulators and to the interactions among drug users, regulators and the state. The history of drug use gets to the heart of how bodies and subjectivities are constructed by individuals, by others, and by the state. By examining one of the most intensively regulated groups in society, we can better understand the operation of state and other types of power in the mid-20th century. Drug users were an extremely stigmatized group and their treatment raises serious questions about inequality, how and why it is reified and perpetuated and how it can be corrected. Finally, as a group extensively targeted by the criminal justice system, the treatment of drug users forces us to ask important questions about the operation of the criminal justice system and normative notions of justice, equality and fairness.