VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Antidepressant use by the breastfeeding mother: Clinical and economic consequences

There is a paucity of data on the consequences of antidepressant use in breastfeeding women, compared to leaving the depression untreated, making it difficult to weigh the risk and benefits of both options to mother and child. Maternal self-report and report of infant health care utilization were compared to administrative records. No differences existed in agreement between data sources between reports by depressed mothers, and COMP mothers. Finally, maternal recall of infant feeding method over time was accurate for breastfeeding and formula feeding status, but less so for age when solids were introduced. Although depressed groups incurred greater costs and had poorer outcomes compared to the COMP, AD(+) women were achieving better outcomes compared to AD( - ) without incurring greater costs. Although remote risks of exposure to the nursed infant cannot be dismissed, given the clinical and economic benefits found in the study, postpartum women with depression should not be discouraged from pharmacotherapy, even while breastfeeding. Mother-infant pairs were interviewed over the first year postpartum. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Short Form 36 (SF-36), and Functional Status II-Revised (FS-II(R)) were used to assess maternal depression, and maternal and infant well-being, respectively. Thus, the health and healthcare costs of depressed, breastfeeding women treated with antidepressants (AD(+)), and their infants were compared to those forgoing pharmacotherapy (AD( - )), and to healthy women (COMP) for the first year postpartum. The validity of maternal report of healthcare utilization, and the reliability of report of infant feeding methods were also examined. Fifty-five, 34, and 60 AD(+), AD( - ), and COMP women, respectively, completed the study. EPDS scores differed between the groups; (AD(+): 6.5, AD( - ): 10.5, COMP: 3.7, p
Hierarchical interface-based supervisory control

In this thesis we present a hierarchical method that decomposes a system into a high level subsystem which communicates with n ≥ 1 parallel low level subsystems through separate interfaces, which restrict the interaction of the subsystems. We first define the setting for the serial case (n = 1), and then generalise it for n ≥ 1. We present a definition for an interface, and define a set of interface consistency properties that can be used to verify if a discrete-event system (DES) is nonblocking and controllable. Each clause of the definition can be verified using a single subsystem; thus the complete system model never needs to be constructed, offering significant savings in computational effort. Additionally, the development of clean interfaces facilitates re-use of the component subsystems. We next provide a set of algorithms for evaluating these properties, and show that the algorithm's time complexity for evaluating a system is O(m2), where m = n + 1 is the total number of subsystems. Finally, we present the application of the method to a model of the Atelier Inter-établissement de Productique (AIP), a large (7 × 10 21 possible states), highly automated, manufacturing system.
Teachers' reported understanding and implementation of a new grade 8 mathematics curriculum

This dissertation is a two-stage qualitative examination of the interpretation and implementation of mathematical reform in Grade 8 classrooms in four regions of Ontario. It is also an examination and amplification of M. Simon's (1995b; 1997) theoretical model of reform-based mathematical instruction. Eighteen teachers were selected from a wider group who had voluntarily participated in the Impact Math workshops that had been designed by the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education to support mathematical reform in Grades 7 and 8. The teachers selected were those most likely to be using the Impact Math curriculum units and the new Ontario curriculum as intended, that is, in a reform-based instructional manner. The theoretical underpinnings and classroom interpretation of reform-based instruction vary widely in the research literature. In this study Simon's theoretical model was linked to codes of expected classroom practice drawn from the literature on reform instruction. This model and attendant codes were used to analyze the first stage data. The analysis revealed that the teachers could be loosely grouped into three patterns of mathematical reform interpretation and implementation: surface reform, mixed practice and substantive reform. In all three patterns, teachers espoused the basic tenets of reform but implemented it to varying degrees, from superficial to substantive. The coded model was used to develop a detailed description of each of these three patterns. Three teachers were chosen from the mixed practice pattern for a second stage of in-depth case study. The analysis of the second stage data (extended in-class observation and interviews) reaffirmed the finding that although all of the teachers espoused mathematical reform instructional methods—their interpretation varied in distinctive ways. The model worked well to identify the factors (e.g. teachers' own mathematical knowledge, teachers' concept of worthwhile mathematical discussion or, lack of time) that were particularly important in influencing the teachers' interpretation and implementation of reform practice. The interplay of these identified factors and teachers' instruction have implications for mathematical reform beyond this study. Modifications were made to the Simon model to make it a more effective research tool in further studies of reform instruction. Recommendations for further research are discussed.

Keywords: Mathematics, Study and teaching (Middle school)
Middle schools, Curricula
Mathematics teachers, In-service training
In situ properties and liquefaction potential of cemented paste backfill

Mercury intrusion porosimetry as well as semi-qualitative image analysis techniques such as scanning electron microscopy, microCT and visual analysis software were used to develop an understanding of the structure developed in field CPB in both the macro and micro scale. Standard oedometer consolidation testing with a modified loading rate was used to investigate the interrelationship of loading rate, which simulates rate of paste accumulation in a stope and the hydration of binder of the paste. The results show that the structure that develops is sensitive to both the binder content of the CPB and the rate of paste accumulation. Cemented paste backfill (CPB) has gained increasing popularity in the last 5 to 10 years and is used routinely in several mines. However, most of the CPB designs are based on laboratory prepared CPB material properties and there is growing awareness that the field CPB may be different from the laboratory prepared material. A field based investigation quantified the extent to which the field material differs from laboratory material. Not only is the field material more heterogeneous than expected, but on average it has a higher void ratio and a lower degree of saturation. These differences impact the performance of the field material. Numerical analysis using FLAC 3D was undertaken to show the influence of the field condition on the stability of the CPB. This research provides practical recommendations for industrial application and provides a framework for further investigation of CPB. Several research projects arising from this initial work are already underway through the Lassonde Institute at the University of Toronto, and several more are at the proposal stage. Static and dynamic liquefaction testing of early age CPB showed that liquefaction due to self-weight alone is unlikely but that blasting too close to the CPB can mobilize the material. Practical recommendations such as limiting blasting in proximity to early age CPB and cordoning off vulnerable areas during the critical initial 24 hr period that the paste is vulnerable to dynamic liquefaction. The cyclic liquefaction results are believed to be the first reported for cemented paste backfill.
The complete soldier: Military books and military culture in Early Stuart England, 1603--1645

This study explores the proliferation of printed books on the military arts in Jacobean and Caroline England and the impact of these works on military culture in the years before the English Civil War. The work addresses the ways in which English gentlemen soldiers used printed texts to acquire knowledge about the finer points of warfare and identifies strong cross-currents between England and the so called "schoole of warre" in the Low Countries, where English soldiers volunteered for service throughout this period. Fresh from their experiences abroad, these volunteers were responsible for penning a number of analytical treatises on the art of war, as well as drill manuals that were meant to educate young volunteers and members of the county militias. The publication of these books and manuals by private citizens helped to push the Jacobean government into action, leading to the printing of an authorized drill manual for the trained bands in 1623. Books and drill manuals printed in the Early Stuart period played an important role in standardizing and codifying English military practice; a significant first step in the formation of a professional military caste in Britain. Although the English cannot be considered as innovators in the area of military affairs, printed works did provide royalist and parliamentary soldiers with an important didactic tool for training recruits in the first years of the Civil War. The first chapter of this thesis examines the historiography of Early Stuart military culture and concludes that historians' claims about the backwardness of English martial practice have been overestimated. Chapter Two looks at analytical treatises on infantry warfare and assesses the contributions of veteran soldiers in shaping the discourse on the art of war in pre-Civil War England. The third chapter describes the evolution of the first printed drill manuals in English, examining the role of soldiers, printers and the government in producing manuals used to train soldiers before, and during, the Civil War. The final two chapters detail the books and manuals related to cavalry practice and siege warfare; two areas of the art of warfare that developed more slowly in Britain than on the continent.
Optimal pricing for selfish users and prefetching in heterogeneous wireless networks

Prefetching has been shown to be an effective technique for reducing resource cost and delay in heterogeneous wireless networks. However, in modern wireless local area networks, there is little centralized management, with no control of upper-level functions such as prefetching, and so users are free to behave selfishly. This work focuses on how pricing can be used to control the suboptimality that results from prefetching and selfish users in heterogeneous wireless networks, and how the perceived cost for the user can be optimized. We derive an analytic model to characterize the optimal network and Nash Equilibrium prefetching strategies. We present a pricing scheme that optimizes the best achievable perceived cost when the network is in a Nash Equilibrium. Finally, we study the effects of network load, the value of time, and user mobility on the optimal pricing scheme.
Solvable integrals of stochastic processes and q-deformed processes

Generating functions for integrals of stochastic processes have been known in analytically closed form for just a handful of processes: namely, the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck, the Cox-Ingerssol-Ross (CIR) process and the exponential of Brownian motion. In virtue of their analytical tractability, these processes are extensively used in modelling applications. In the first part of the thesis, broad extensions of these process classes are constructed. The known models are shown to fit into a classification scheme for diffusion processes for which generating functions for integrals of the process and transition probability densities can be evaluated as integrals of hypergeometric functions against the spectral measure for certain self-adjoint operators. This scheme also extends to a class of finite-state Markov processes related to hypergeometric polynomials in the discrete series of the Askey classification tree. We also extend to quantum mechanics the technique of stochastic subordination, by means of which one can express any semi-martingale as a time-changed Brownian motion. Stochastic subordination preserves the Markov property of the process, whereas quantum subordination preserves quantum probability in the dynamics. As applications, we consider two versions of the q-deformed harmonic oscillator in both ordinary and imaginary time and show how the related q-deformed algebras can be understood as different patterns of time quantization rules. The second part of the thesis concerns the analogy between q -deformation and stochastic subordination. It is shown that the Poisson kernel of stochastic processes on chains of arbitrary length can be expressed in terms of the q-Racah polynomials, the most general q-deformed orthogonal polynomials in the discrete series of the Askey scheme. We give a new interpretation of this kernel as the transition probability density for a subordinated Markov process with only nearest neighbor hops. As an application, we give an elementary proof and extend a positivity result for a class of Poisson kernels which Gasper and Rahman established with direct methods.
Fatty acid synthase and cancer: Expression and interaction with conjugated linoleic acid

Fatty acid synthase (FAS) is overexpressed in many cancers including breast, colon, and prostate. However, it is unclear whether FAS is overexpressed in precursor lesions and whether FAS inhibition by dietary compounds may be useful for prevention and/or therapy. The objectives of this study were to determine if FAS is overexpressed in aberrant crypt foci (ACF) of the colon and to investigate whether conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) inhibits FAS expression and activity in breast, colon, and prostate cancer cells. In rats, FAS was overexpressed in large but not small ACF, suggesting that FAS overexpression occurs at the preneoplastic stage of colon cancer development. In the second study, both 10,12, and 9,11 CLA inhibited cancer cell proliferation. The 10,12 CLA was able to reduce FAS expression but only at high concentrations, suggesting that the anti-proliferative effect of this isomer is most likely not by this mechanism.
Inhibition of caspase-3-mediated cell death via peroxynitrite formation following traumatic brain injury

Psychological and neurological deficits experienced by TBI victims are caused by neurodegeneration which can be classified under two headings: primary or secondary. Although primary injury is considered unsalvageable, secondary injury includes neurons slowly degenerating from a complex combination of pathological events following the initial impact and is potentially treatable by pharmacology. Currently, however, no pharmacological interventions for attenuating secondary injury are available. Studies have demonstrated many cell death pathways activated following TBI, including oxidative and proteolytic mechanisms. Oxidants can decrease proteolysis in vitro, thus it was postulated that oxidants might inhibit proteolytic death following TBI. We examined a cortical culture model of secondary injury for possible interactions between death pathways mediated by caspase-3 and peroxynitrite representing archetypical proteolytic and oxidative mechanisms respectively. Peroxynitrite formation was readily evident after injury but, while cytoplasmic cytochrome c release indicated initiation of Type II apoptosis, no caspase-3 cleavage or activity was observed. We further demonstrated that peroxynitrite interacted directly with caspase-3. To isolate the effect of peroxynitrite on caspases, we next developed recombinant cell-free caspase systems. Treatment with pure peroxynitrite or peroxynitrite donors decreased caspase-mediated proteolysis. Furthermore, this inhibition could be alleviated using a sulphydryl reducing agent, suggesting cysteinyl oxidation as a mechanism of inhibition. To study the effects of the simultaneous activation of cell death pathways, we induced artificial caspase-3 activation and peroxynitrite formation in cortical cultures. Application of staurosporine alone induced caspase-3 activation and cell death, but subsequent application of the peroxynitrite donor SIN-1 prevented caspase-3-mediated effects. Ultimately, no neuroprotection was observed. To test relevance in vivo, we assayed a whole animal model of TBI for similar hallmarks. We determined that peroxynitrite was associated with neuronal death and an oxidative inhibition of caspase-3 activity, but not caspase-9 activity. These findings support the notion that oxidative inhibition of caspase-3 occurs following TBI. Overall, we observed an inhibition of caspase-3 by peroxynitrite in multiple models of TBI of increasing complexity. This interaction may not only explain the failure of caspase inhibitors and anti-oxidant treatments in the treatment of TBI, but might also suggest novel neuroprotective pharmacological approaches.
Formation of low molecular weight organic compounds from UV disinfection of chlorinated water containing humic substances

The effect of ultraviolet light (UV) disinfection of drinking water in the presence of residual chlorine on the formation of low molecular weight organic compounds was investigated. No evidence was found suggesting that the combined treatment of chlorine followed by UV at a reduction equivalent dose of 37 mJ/cm2 would increase the formation of low molecular weight organic compounds, or produce more biodegradable water when compared to UV treatment alone. However, a minor increase in the formation of trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids was observed in the combined treatment of chlorine followed by UV when compared to chlorine alone based on experiments using commercially available humic substances (HSs). The impact of using these substances in place of aquatic HSs and the effect of photo-bleached were also investigated. Commercially available HSs were found to be more reactive than aquatic HSs and that photo-bleaching was an effective means of reducing this reactivity.
Moving back and forth between Hong Kong and Toronto: a narrative inquiry into a family's cultural and educational experiences

This thesis documents the experiences of my family as we moved in between different cultural and educational landscapes of Hong Kong and Toronto. The purpose is to explore the notions of learning and education in different contexts. I began my residency year in Toronto with my wife, and two children aged 7 and 10 in August 1999. During our stay in Toronto, the children attended a local public elementary school; we struggled with the everyday challenges for a new arrival family in a foreign country. As we were learning to settle our lives in the new school and community, we experienced excitements and frustrations, puzzles and tensions. Our experiences of linguistic, educational, and cultural strangeness were documented in the field notes, reflective journals, email correspondences, observations and interview records which constituted the field texts for the inquiry, collected mainly from mid 1999 to early 2002, with our personal life histories as a wider backdrop extending this period. After living and studying for a full year in Toronto, we moved back to Hong Kong in August 2000. Instead of returning to a familiar place, we experienced more strangeness and unexpected tensions and difficulties in readjusting to the lives in our former school and workplaces. Our difficulties in re-entering the school revealed in sharp contrast the different values and orientations in learning and education in the two places. Our puzzles in living in different landscapes provoked us to rethink our deep-rooted values and practices in our everyday life, especially on the different roles and relationships of family, school, and society in the upbringing of our children. The inquiry is methodologically guided by Connelly and Clandinin's (2000) narrative inquiry and theoretically grounded on Dewey's (1938) theory of experience. I tried to make meaning of our lived experiences by contextualizing them in the different educational and cultural orientations of the two places. Reflections on our personal experiences are situated in temporal, social, and spatial dimensions. While my family experience is idiosyncratic and located in particular times and places, I argued that significant insights into broader issues—learning, life, and education—can be gained through looking attentively into one instance of such experiences.
Resource allocation for HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa

This thesis aims to suggest effective strategies for improving the allocation of resources towards HIV/AIDS interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. It is composed of three main chapters. The first examines a model for optimizing the allocation of resources to HIV/AIDS programs when there are two levels of decision-making. The second chapter is a case study exploring actual decision-making processes for HIV/AIDS resource allocation in sub-Saharan Africa. In the last chapter, I create a decision support tool for HIV/AIDS resource allocation. A brief summary of each chapter follows. Funds spent on HIV prevention commonly traverse several levels of distribution. For example, funds may be allocated to regions, and regional authorities may then allocate their funds to sub-regions or targeted risk groups. Decision-makers at each level often use heuristics that may result in suboptimal allocation of resources. I examine the impact of equity based heuristic allocation of HIV prevention funds versus optimal allocation of HIV prevention funds when there are two levels of decision-making. Results demonstrate that if optimization can only be applied to one level of the decision-making process, there are more significant gains when applied at the lower level rather than the upper level. Formal procedures for allocating funds towards HIV/AIDS interventions in sub-Saharan Africa are seldom used. Therefore, I conducted a case study to determine the actual decision-making process for HIV/AIDS resource allocation in the municipality of kwaDukuza, South Africa. Results indicate that many social, ethical, political and other non-quantifiable factors influence the resource allocation process for HIV/AIDS. These factors reveal important differences between actual practice and rational economic approaches for resource allocation. The non-quantifiable factors that influence resource allocation decisions are difficult to model using a rational economic approach, yet their consideration is critical to an improved allocation process. Thus I designed S4HARA, a decision-support system for HIV/AIDS resource allocation that takes into consideration both principles of efficient resource allocation and the role of non-quantifiable influences on this decision-making process. S4HARA is a four-step spreadsheet based model. The model is applied to the context of a publicly funded primary health care clinic in South Africa.