VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
SH3 binding domains in the dopamine D4 receptor

The dopamine D4 receptor is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that belongs to the dopamine D2-like receptor family. Functionally, the D2-like receptors are characterized by their ability to inhibit adenylyl cyclase. The dopamine D4 receptor, as well as other catecholaminergic receptors, contain several putative SH3 binding domains. Most of these sites in the D4 receptor are located in a polymorphic repeat sequence and flanking sequences in the third intracellular loop. Here we demonstrate that this region of the D4 receptor can interact with a large variety of SH3 domains of different origin. The strongest interactions were seen with the SH2-SH3 adapter proteins Grb2 and Nck. The repeat sequence itself is not essential in this interaction. The data presented indicate that the different SH3 domains in the adapter proteins interact in a cooperative fashion with two distinct sites immediately up- and downstream from the repeat sequence. Removal of all the putative SH3 binding domains in the third intracellular loop of the dopamine D4 receptor resulted in a receptor that could still bind spiperone and dopamine. Dopamine could not modulate the coupling of these mutant receptors to adenylyl cyclase and MAPK, although dopamine-modulated receptor-G protein interaction appeared normal. The receptor deletion mutants show strong constitutive internalization which may account for the deficiency in functional activation of second messengers. The dopamine D4 receptor interaction with the Nck adapter protein was confirmed using the yeast two-hybrid system. The data indicate that the D4 receptor contains SH3 binding sites and that these sites fall within a region involved in the control of receptor internalization.
Parental acceptance of behavioural treatments for children with autism

The relationship between acceptability of behavioural interventions for children with autism and parents' knowledge of behavioral principles, parents' education level, parents' locus of control, and the severity of children's symptoms was examined in the present investigation. Thirty-seven parents of children with autism participated by completing a series of questionnaires. Overall, behavioural interventions were rated as an acceptable treatment for children with autism. No significant relationships were found between acceptability and knowledge, acceptability and locus of control, acceptability and education level, and education and symptom, seventy. These variables accounted for a nonsignificant amount of the variance in acceptability of behavioural interventions. Results should be interpreted cautiously for several reasons, especially the small sample and low consent rate.
Empirical essays on agency costs in law and economics

My thesis, entitled 'Empirical Essays on Agency Costs in Law and Economics', comprises eight chapters that investigate problem of moral hazard and adverse selection ("agency costs") in various contractual relationships. In addition to testing for agency costs, the essays also provide evidence on the impact that legal regulation has had on agency costs. Three contexts are considered herein: venom capital finance, contracts for legal services, and jurisdiction shopping. The first chapter introduces the issues and contexts considered. The second, third, fourth and fifth chapters focus on venom capital finance. The second and third chapters provide a review of the literature and a setting for the evidence introduced in the fourth chapter. The fourth chapter focuses on venom capital financial contracts. In particular, the focus is on the role of forms of venom capital finance in mitigating bilateral agency costs between the entrepreneurial firm and venom capitalists, as well as among syndicated venom capitalists. The fifth chapter considers the role of exit strategies in mitigating agency relationships between the entrepreneurial firm and its new owners. While chapters two through five consider venom capital, the sixth, seventh and eighth chapters consider agency relationships in different contexts. The sixth chapter examines the role of alternative legal fee arrangements and other characteristics of a lawyer's practice in an empirical analysis of settlement conflicts. The seventh and eighth chapters consider agency costs in the context of jurisdiction shopping. The seventh chapter provides evidence that jurisdictions in Canada do not engage in corporate law reform in order to compete for incorporation revenues (i.e., the competitive model of corporate law production has not operated in Canada). It is not surprising, therefore, that share prices sometimes fall around the event of reincorporation, as demonstrated in the eighth chapter. As Canadian corporate law reform has not been generated from the competitive model (in contrast to the U.S.), there is greater potential for corporate managers to act against the interests of shareholders by reincorporating in another jurisdiction.
Obstetrical nurses' intentions toward collaborating with midwives

Little is known about the collaborative relationships between obstetrical nurses and midwives in Ontario. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 1985; 1988; 1991) was used to explore obstetrical nurses' intentions toward collaborating with midwives. Data were collected by mailed questionnaires in three Labour and Delivery Units which provided low-risk care. Responding nurses (N = 45; response rate = 45%) were typically 30-39 years old (35.5%), diploma educated (62.2%), and had 6-10 years of obstetrical nursing experience (28.8%). Intention scores were Mostly Positive (M = 61.5; s.d. = 30.3). Behavioural attitude and perceived behavioural control, were related to intention scores (r = .67, p < .001; r = .65, p < .001). However subjective norm scores were unrelated to intention (r = .42, ns). Behavioural attitude scores accounted for a significant amount of the variance in intention scores (F (1,25) 23.91, p < .001); however, subjective norm scores did not contribute (p = .22, ns). Perceived behavioural control scores were not included in regression analysis due to high correlation with behavioural attitude scores. The results indicate that these nurses had positive intentions to collaborate with midwives. These intentions are largely mediated by behavioural attitude. This, in turn, implies that intention to behave collaboratively could be supported by: (1) demonstrating the positive outcomes of collaboration; (2) fostering the change process; and (3) increasing interprofessional interaction. Implications for theory and further research are also described.
A critical exploration of cross-dressing and drag in gender performance and camp in contemporary North American drama and film

My thesis focuses on drag as a major component of camp in relation to gender performance. My position on drag for the purposes of this thesis is that drag's function within camp is about challenging and disrupting normative notions of gender and sexuality. I examine how cross-dressing located in sexual difference and imbricated by models of expressivity has complicated the perceived potential for drag and camp to challenge normative notions of gender and sexuality. ' Chapter one' shows how performance metaphors for gender located in the act of cross-dressing reinscribe traditional notions of personhood. ' Chapter two' shows that drag moves off the binaries of man and woman, and sexual difference located in cross-dressing, by using the norms associated with sexual difference and mandatory heterosexuality to resist the norms. This moves cross-dressing into the realm of drag and gender play. I use two Hollywood films to illustrate that while cross-dressing is incorporated into drag and gender play, crossdressing alone does not signal drag. Likewise camp uses parody, but parody alone is not camp. 'Chapter three' explores notions of "identity" and the need to open up certain theoretical discourses, specifically feminist and lesbian theoretical discourses, which are still bound to conventional notions about camp, to critical revision. hi this chapter The Greater Toronto Drag King Society's performances illustrate camp's potential to articulate genders and sexualities beyond the traditional binaries. 'Chapter four' moves into the possibilities for the proliferation of identities in drag and camp. Drag is theorized as "cross-species-dressing" in examples where animals, people and machines are entangled in complex hybrid relationships which explode notions of the organic dimensions of body as self. The cyborg is a fascinating but until now unexplored application in which to consider "couplings" which undo normative notions of gender and sexuality in drag and camp.
High speed silicon controlled rectifier static transfer switch

This thesis presents new fault/disturbance detection and thyristor-gating schemes for a Silicon Controlled Rectifier (SCR) Static Transfer Switch (STS) to achieve fast load-switching between two sources of ac power. STSs have been used in Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems. They have also attracted interests in medium-voltage applications for fast load-switching between two distribution feeders. However, the performance evaluation of the STSs from a detection/transfer time point of view has not been reported in the literature. In this thesis, a detailed analysis of both voltage-detection and transfer-and-gating logics is given under various operating conditions. The voltage-detection method results in a short detection time and is not susceptible to capacitor-switching voltage transients. The designed transfer-and-gating strategy can operate at different operating conditions while optimizing the transfer time. A detailed description of the power circuit and the control circuit of the STS is given. For the voltage-detection, analytical expressions are derived to estimate its response time to different faults/disturbances in the system. The principles of operation of the transfer-and-gating circuit are described, and it is shown that the gating logic can meet the thyristor-gating requirements. The performance of the STS is evaluated for RL loads and regenerative loads under some simplifying assumptions. A systematic design procedure is proposed for the design of the thyristor modules and the control circuit of the STS. An experimental set-up is also prepared to verify the performance of the designed detection and gating methods and the theoretical results derived in the thesis.
People and protected areas, impact and resistance among the Pgak'nyau (Karen) in Thailand

The society and identity of Pgak'nyau (Karen) people in Thailand is integrally tied to their practice of agriculture in forest environments. This thesis examines the resource management system practised by the Pgak'nyau and how government conservation policies have affected traditional ways of life. Changes in a strictly regulated national park are compared to those in a village located in a national forest reserve, where more flexibility is allowed in the use of natural resources. The traditional way of life for the Pgak'nyau people began to undergo major change in the 1960s when the Thai government passed new forest and wildlife legislation, which expanded protected areas into Pgak'nyau lands. The creation of strictly regulated national parks severely affected traditional ways of life and created undue hardship in Pgak'nyau communities. A ban on swidden agriculture in national parks reduced the already marginal size of family farmland and park authorities have blocked most development assistance to villages located within park territory. The effect has been to relegate Pgak'nyau villages in national parks to a lower standard of living in comparison to villages located outside park boundaries. In contrast, Pgak'nyau villages located in national forest reserves have had a better quality of life because of greater flexibility permitted in local use and control of natural resources. Moreover, the government has provided development programmes to these Pgak'nyau villages that have helped people cope with legislative change. People have stopped practising swidden agriculture, but continue to cultivate wet rice for subsistence and have adopted the cultivation of cash crops which were introduced with government assistance. Government conservation efforts have effected change in Pgak'nyau villages, though these changes may have been unintended. Villages located in forest reserves have shown no less concern in conservation efforts. Traditions based on community management of forest resources have been maintained so that environmentally sustainable agriculture is practised even without the regulatory restrictions of national parks. Many villages have responded to park pressures by forming conservation networks to lobby various levels of government. These new organisations work to develop common conservation practices among highland villages, while giving Pgak'nyau villagers a hitherto unheard political voice.
Social class and fear of crime, a descriptive analysis and test of social vulnerability as an explanation of class differences in crime fear

This study describes the social class distribution of fear of crime and examines various mechanisms by which class position may affect crime fear. The analyses recognize that a variety of conceptualizations and measures are possible for both social class and fear of crime and that the strength and nature of the class-fear relationship may depend on measurement choices. The results based upon meta-analysis of effect sizes from 58 studies and analyses of new data from a large community survey, reveal a modest negative association between social class and crime fear, showing correlations between -0.10 and -0.16. Descriptive analyses further demonstrate the class-fear relationship to be highly robust, rather than conditional, across alternative measures of both class position and fear of crime. Several previously unreported nonlinear relationships emerged from these analyses, as well as important variations in the class-fear relationship across gender and age groups. Multiple regression analyses indicate clear differences in the predictive power of class indicators with education being the strongest and most consistent predictor of fear of crime. Drawing on analytic themes in the fear literature and the sociological study of emotional distress, I develop and test an "extended social vulnerability model" of fear of crime. This model postulates that class differences in exposure and responsiveness to environmental stress and perceived risk are key components in accounting for the class-fear relationship. It is shown that stress exposure, psychosocial resources, and perceived risk are adequate to explain class effects among males aged 35 to 55, but not among females. Tests of several models revealed a significant "buffering effect" such that a high sense of personal control reduced the impact of living in a high crime area. It was also found that psychosocial resources play the strongest role relative to stress exposure in accounting for class differences in crime fear.
Antidepressant medication use and breast cancer risk

Previous research suggests antidepressant medication use may be associated with breast cancer risk. This hypothesis was investigated using a population-based case-control study. Cases were identified using the Ontario Cancer Registry and controls were randomly sampled from the Ontario Ministry of Finance assessment rolls. Data were collected using a self administered questionnaire, and multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs). Adjusted OR estimates ranged from 0.7-0.8 and were not statistically significant for 'ever' use of any antidepressants, tricyclics, and selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors. Use of tricyclic antidepressants for greater than 2 years duration was associated with an elevated risk of breast cancer (OR = 2.1, 95% CI: 0.9, 5.0). Of the six most commonly antidepressant medications, only 'ever' use of paroxetine was associated with an increase in breast cancer risk (OR = 7.2, 95% CI: 0.9, 58.3). Results from this study do not support the hypothesis that 'ever' use of antidepressant medications is associated with breast cancer risk However, use of tricyclic medications; for greater than two years was associated with a 2-fold elevation in breast cancer risk, and 'ever' use of paroxetine was associated with a substantial increase in breast cancer risk.
Une rhétorique du dépouillement, Baudelaire, Constant, Nerval, Apollinaire

Le point de départ pour une réflexion sur dies textes aussi divers qu'un roman, un récit, un calligramme et un projet, poursuivi nous form de notes, est le titre même, choisi sinon emprunté par Baudelaire: 'mon coeur mis à nu'. Qu'est-ce qui caractérise les moyens trouvée par la forme littéraire afin de mettre à nu le fond de l'expérience, ' du mien', - de 'Mon coeur'? Mais si la formule du titre baudelairien met en avant le trait personnel, l'inachèvement, qui rente le trait marquant de l'oeuvre, ne témoigne-t-il pas plutôt en sens inverse, - en faveur de l'éclatement, de la mine en pièces, de l'ouverture infinie du 'mien'? Au-delà d'une réflexion orientée sur un nombre de textes, l'objectif principal de la thèse porte sur la question du signe. Le sujet s'exprime à travers des signes et c'est encore au signe, mis en oeuvre, que revient la tâche de qualifier, de nommer, d'interpréter l'objet du discours. Sur le plan méthodologique, la présente étude n'inspire de la théorie sémiotique de Charles S. Peirce. Les travaux de Michael Riffaterre ont démontré l'intérêt, en matière de lecture, du concept poircien de l'interprétant. Dans l'aperçu théorique que nous proposons, ce concept est rapproché aussi de l'idée bakhtinienne du mot et de son efficacité dialogique ainsi que, sur un plan plus large, de la notion d'un langage indirect, dégagée par la réflexion philosophique de Maurice Merleau-Ponty. Le signe verbal est représenté dans le roman de Constant comme un moyen dynamique, susceptible d'une action néfaste. Qu'on est-il d'une rhétorique qui saurait dépouiller le signe de cet aspect néfaste, consciente du 'lieu' et de la nature de son propres moyens? Pomaulée de cette manière, la question du signe a une valeur esthétique et morale en même temps qu'elle est orientée vers un problème ontologique.
Invariant subspaces of composition operators

This thesis is devoted to the study of composition operators on the Hardy Hilbert space. First, we investigate the structure of the invariant subspaces of composition operators. The consequences of the lattice of one composition operator being contained in another will be discussed. Also, some results concerning the structure of an invariant subspace shared by two composition operators will be given. Moreover, we will study the lattice of compact composition operators and show that such operators do not have a continuous chain of invariant subspaces starting from 0 or <math> <f> <blkbd>C</blkbd></f> </math>. Next, we will discuss orbit reflexivity of composition operators. It will be shown that all composition operators and their adjoints are orbit reflexive. Orbit reflexivity of the direct sum of composition operators and their adjoints will also be studied. Finally, we turn our attention to orbit reflexivity of semi-groups of composition operators. Next, we study some properties of the Berezin symbol of composition operators. The boundary behavior and some bounds on the Berezin symbol will be discussed. Numerical ranges of composition operators will also be briefly investigated and some conditions under which 0 is in the numerical range of a composition operator win be given. Finally, we study some algebraic and operator theoretic properties of composition operators. Algebraic equivalence of composition operators will be studied. It will be shown that algebraically equivalent composition operators have similar analytic behavior. Moreover, consequences of some operator theoretic equality between two composition operators will be investigated.
Nutritional support during labour, a randomized clinical trial of patient-controlled oral intake during labour

'Objective'. The purpose of this trial was to determine if a policy of unrestricted access to foods and fluids during labor was effective in reducing the incidence of dystocia, and in low risk milliparous, women. 'Study design'. A randomized clinical trial was conducted at a teaching hospital in southeastern Ontario. Three hundred and thirty low risk nulliparous women were randomized between 30-40 weeks gestation to either an intervention or usual cam group. Women in the intervention group received, prenatally, an information booklet containing guidelines about food and fluid intake during labor and were encouraged to eat and drink, as they pleased, and as was comfortable for them throughout labor. The oral protocol was discontinued if women received epidural analgesia or complications developed such that they were at risk for a caesarean section birth. Women in the usual care group were restricted to ice chips and water during labor. 'Results'. Three hundred and twenty eight women were randomized to either the control group (n = 165) or intervention group (n = 163). Of these women 78% (257/328) returned completed postpartum questionnaires. Women in the intervention group reported a significantly different pattern of oral intake, during early labor in the hospital ([chi]2 = 40.7, p < 001). Most women regulated their intake in response to feelings of nausea or discomfort. The incidence of dystocia was 36% (n = 58) in the intervention group and 44% (n = 72) in the usual care group and was not significantly different (OR = .71, 95% CI .46, 1.1). There were no significant differences in the other secondary outcomes measured or in the incidence of adverse maternal or neonatal complications. 'Conclusion'. Patient controlled oral intake during labor did not decrease the incidence of dystocia, was not associated with any adverse maternal or neonatal outcome and was enjoyed by women in labor. In the absence of benefit or harm women should be informed about the results of this trial in order to make their own decisions with regards to oral intake during labour. Further research is warranted to determine if a more prescriptive pattern of oral fluid intake during established labor is beneficial.