VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Parental experience of child protection intervention

This study examined ways parents experience and make sense of child protection intervention. The purpose of this study was threefold. First, to develop a model representing the ways parents experience intervention with the potential to help workers in their efforts to protect children and work with families. Second, to provide an opportunity for parents to speak about what it is like being on the receiving end of intervention. Finally, to set the stage for a dialogue between parents and child protection services about constructive ways of working together. Using a constructivist paradigm and a grounded theory approach, in-depth qualitative interviews with eighteen parents took place. Parents' perception of the ways child protection serviced utilised power emerged as the primary factor shaping parents' understanding of intervention and their responses to it. Two ways of perceiving power emerged from data; parents perceived workers using power-over them or power with-them. Three ways of responding to intervention emerged in data; fighting workers through openly challenging and opposing them in court, “playing the game” by feigning co-operation, and working with them in what appeared to be genuine and collaborative relationships. Parental responses to intervention tended to hinge on the ways they perceived power being used by workers. Parents perceiving power to be used over them tended to fight or play the game, while parents experiencing power being used with them tended to work with intervention but also still spoke of “playing the game.” The study presents a model that represents the above parental perceptions and responses and traces them from the initiation of service through to parental views of service outcomes.
A quest for character: explaining the relationship between first nations teachings and "character education".

Wholistic indigenous character education strategies can and should be integrated into the common curriculum. First Nations' perspectives on character education offer useful insights into positive character development, in relevant, (w)holistic ways that would enhance character education programs within our public school systems. A literature review explores both indigenous and non-indigenous dominant culture practices and resources from historical, cultural and pedagogical perspectives. Western cultural and traditional indigenous worldviews are compared and contrasted. Points of cultural contact and impact are also identified. The perspectives and experiences of four Aboriginal Elders and an Ojibwe playwright regarding character education issues are included as well as an inventory of Traditional First Nations Teaching Strategies. First Nations practices and philosophies are categorized in relation to Dr. John P. Miller's transformational, holistic education framework wherein six key areas of connections and teaching strategies are explored: (a) Analytic-Intuitive Thinking, (b) Body-Mind Connection, (c) Subject Connections, (d) Community Connections, (e) Earth Connections and (f) Self Connections.

Keywords: Character, Study and teaching
Indians of North America, Education
Indians of North America, Canada
Moral education
Moral development
Social sciences, Study and teaching
Multicultural education
Pour une poétique de la vie intérieure au féminin dans la littérature caribéenne contemporaine

La lecture de nombreux romans caribéens révèle une préoccupation marquée d'avec l'intériorité, c'est-à-dire les pensées, les rêves et les idées d'une subjectivité fictive. Cela est évident en particulier dans les écrits de femmes. Raconter la subjectivité d'un peuple qui pendant deux siècles sous le régime esclavagiste n'avait pas d'existence juridique, est une activité subversive. Donc la portée littéraire du discours de l'univers intérieur est loin d'être négligeable dans le contexte caribéen. Le présent travail pose les premiers jalons d'une étude de la représentation de la vie intérieure des points de vue discursif et thématique. La première partie de l'étude est consacrée à des considérations d'ordre historique (de la région et de sa tradition littéraire), théorique et philosophique. Le corps de l'étude se compose d'analyses textuelles à partir desquelles nous isolons les principaux sites de négociation dans le discours de vie intérieure: spatio-temporalité, mémoire, imaginaire, créativité, onirisme, spiritualité et enjeu écriture-vie intérieure. L'étude élabore ainsi une poétique qui se dégage des textes mêmes. Le corpus primaire se compose d'une dizaine de romans par des écrivaines originaires des Caraïbes francophones et anglophones aussi bien que des États-Unis, traversant ainsi les frontières géographiques et linguistiques traditionnelles.
Care of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms in Ontario

The purpose of this population based retrospective cohort study was to determine the impact of patient, surgeon and hospital factors upon survival after repair of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). When risk factors following ruptured and elective AAA repair were compared, patient factors such as age and comorbidity were found to be less important following ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. Variables identified as risk factors were examined to see if they changed over the study period. Average surgeon volume and the proportion of surgeons with vascular surgery training increased over the study period, both of which favour lower mortality. However mortality was unchanged over the study period, perhaps partly due to the fact that average patient age increased over the study period. Men had superior survival to women following repair of a ruptured AAA, and were also more likely to receive a repair.
Testing the generalizability of ecological interface design to computer network monitoring

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the generalizability of Ecological Interface Design (EID) to a new work domain. Computer networks provide a source of complexity unique among domains studied from the perspective of EID: because of the ability of network operators to add and remove devices, and change configurations, the work domain itself is much more fluid than those previously studied. A prototype interface was created to test the validity of Rasmussen's Abstraction Hierarchy in determining information requirements that would assist users in monitoring a network to detect and diagnose faults. A pilot experiment was conducted to test the interface in an experimental setting; this was followed by a more complete experiment, the results of which—faster detection times, improved rate of detection under higher loads, and improved quality of diagnosis (with greater consistency under higher loads)—indicate that the EID framework is applicable to this new domain.
Bully/victim relationships and school violence: evaluating patterns of aggression

There were five major goals of this research project: (1) to estimate student victimization and bullying behaviour prevalence rates and gather general information about bully/victim activity in a medium sized Roman Catholic school board in rural Ontario, Canada; (2) to develop and initially validate an adolescent based scale for measuring vengeful cognitions; (3) to examine the relationships between vengeance and bully/victim involvement among students; (4) to expand the current knowledge base regarding youth aggression patterns in terms of bully/victim group membership; and (5) to develop a post hoc model of vengeance. In total, 1066 grade 7, 8, 9 and 10 students completed a questionnaire that measured aggression, anger, self-esteem, and vengeance in addition to surveying their recent experiences with peer-abuse. Study 1 estimated prevalence rates for victimization and bullying behaviour in a self-selected sample. In Study 2, a unidimensional twelve-item School Vengeance Cognition Scale (SVCS) with strong internal reliability was developed and validated. Confirmatory Factor Analysis attested to the one-factor structure of the SVCS. Correlations among variables indicated that vengeful-attitudes and cognitions were positively related to physical and verbal aggression, anger, hostility, anger experience, school cynicism, and destructive expression, and negatively correlated with self-esteem and positive coping. In Study 3, a hypothesized association between victimization and vengeance was not supported while bullying behaviour correlated positively with revenge. Aggression patterns across bully/victim groups were also examined. Finally, a three-factor model of vengeance that predicted 55% of the variance in vengeance scores was derived using multiple regression and confirmatory analyses. Findings are discussed in terms of school violence and counselling.
"Fitful excellences": the Great Canadian Theatre Company and English-speaking Ottawa theatre, 1975--1983

The primary aim of this study is a critical survey of the Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC) during the "founding" years of 1975 to 1983. Over the course of this period the GCTC went through its most fundamental changes, which were fuelled by an underlying conflict. At the root of this conflict were two contesting mandates. The central objective of the first mandate was to produce a particular kind of Canadian theatre and, to a lesser extent, promote Canadian culture in general. This mandate was divided into two ventures. The first was an ongoing resistance to the encroachment into Canada of American, and, to a lesser extent British, culture in favour of the nurturing of a "Canadian" culture. This second venture sought not only to produce Canadian drama, but Canadian drama that was considered to be "socially relevant". The central objective of the second mandate was to address issues that directly affected the people of Ottawa using the principles of "social justice". The appeal of the company in this phase was its close connection and its commitment to various activist communities in the city, as opposed to acting on the larger objectives of cultural nationalism. The main project of this mandate was to conceive and produce plays that addressed issues and events that were uppermost in the minds of people who shared similar politics as the members of the company. These issues and events were located both inside and outside the country, which constituted one of the major breaks with the founding mandate. This study will examine the GCTC's gradual shift from the first mandate to the second mandate during the period in question. This study also examines the brief existence of two other Ottawa-based companies, The Penguin Theatre (PTC) (1976--1983) and Theatre 2000 (T2000) (1978--1983). Through an examination of the work of these theatres I will argue that during the brief time all three were in existence (GCTC, PTC and T2000) from 1978 to 1983 they constituted an avant-garde movement that posed a serious challenge to the National Arts Centre and the amateur companies in English-speaking Ottawa.
The small conductance swelling-activated chloride channel in primary rat microglia: Biophysical characterization and its contribution to volume regulation and phagocytosis

Microglia are immuno-competent cells of the central nervous system (CNS) that function as macrophages during brain development and pathology. They secrete soluble factors that have neurotoxic and neuroprotective effects. They express ion channels crucial to their function including a swelling-activated chloride channel. Its key biophysical characteristics and some of its physiological functions were investigated. Akin to other swelling-activated conductances, a halide selectivity sequence of I-> Br-> Cl-> F and no time-dependent inactivation at potentials up to 100 mV, even under high extracellular Mg2+, were found. Contrary to the intermediate conductance Iclswell, a small single channel conductance (3 to 5 pS) was found using noise analysis. This suggests that microglial Iclswell is distinct from the Iclswell in other cell types. Drugs that inhibited Iclswell interfered with normosmotic volume regulation and regulatory volume decrease (RVD). Additionally, all Iclswell blockers tested inhibited microglial phagocytosis in a dose-dependent manner.
Role of insulin-like growth factor-1 in glucagon-like peptide-2-induced intestinal growth

Glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) induces intestinal growth and crypt cell proliferation through an indirect mechanism, potentially involving intestine-derived paracrine growth factors. I hypothesised that insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is a mediator of GLP-2-induced intestinal growth. Accordingly, GLP-2 treatment increased IGF-1 mRNA levels and secretion in primary intestinal cultures, and increased intestinal IGF-1 mRNA expression in mice in vivo. To determine if IGF-1, or the related growth factor IGF-2, are required for GLP-2-induced intestinal growth, wildtype and null (Igf1-/- and Igf2-P) mice were treated chronically with saline, long-acting GLP-2, long-acting IGF-1 or R-Spondin1. Wildtype mice responded to GLP-2 with increased intestinal weights, mucosal morphometry and crypt cell proliferative indices. GLP-2-induced small and large intestinal growth was markedly impaired in Igf1 -/- mice, and, importantly, the effects of GLP-2 on morphometry and small intestinal crypt cell proliferation were completely abrogated in these mice. In contrast, GLP-2 induced intestinal growth was only partially impaired in Igf2-P mice, and both Igf1-/- and Igf2-P mice exhibited normal-enhanced responses to IGF-1 and/or R-Spondin1. As beta-catenin and Akt are important regulators of crypt cell proliferation, I hypothesised that GLP-2 activates these pathways through an IGF-1-dependent pathway. Therefore, wildtype and Igf1-/- mice were treated acutely with GLP-2 or IGF-1 (positive control), with or without prior IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) inhibition, crypt cell signalling was assessed. GLP-2 activated beta-catenin signalling by enhancing its nuclear translocation in non-Paneth crypt cells, and increased mRNA levels of the beta-catenin target gene, c-myc, with similar results observed with IGF-1. This effect of GLP-2 was prevented by IGF-1R inhibition, and was abrogated in Igf1-/- mice. Additionally, GLP-2 activated Akt signalling in the intestinal crypt and villus epithelium and, although this response was reduced by IGF-1R inhibition, it was normal in Igfl-/- mice. In conclusion, my studies have established that GLP-2 enhances intestinal IGF-1 expression and secretion, and that IGF-1 is required for intestinal growth and crypt cell proliferation in response to chronic GLP-2 treatment in mice. Furthermore, these studies identify that GLP-2 modulates beta-catenin signalling in the intestinal crypt cell, which occurs through a mechanism requiring IGF-1 and the IGF-1R.
The Book of Thel: Oratorio for chorus, soloists and orchestra

The oratorio, 'The Book of Thel', is a setting for chorus, orchestra, and soloists of the complete text of William Blake's illustrated poem of the same title. In Blake's text, the shepherdess Thel, living in the world of Har (a world of Innocence, of the unborn), thinks herself useless and desires to 'fade away'. She speaks in turn to various allegorical figures - a Lilly, a Cloud, a Worm, and a Clod of Clay - who try to deny the very possibility of a useless or meaningless existence with the apparent aim of dissuading her from seemingly suicidal thoughts. The climax of the poem comes when she hears her own voice from beyond the grave, and flees from the graveyard back into Har. For the composer, Thel represents the unrealized creative idea. In order to fulfil its purpose, any idea must 'fall', must die in the apparently perfect world of the idea to take its place in the world of reality where it can - though in a 'fallen' and therefore imperfect form - then take on meaning, importance, and purpose. The tragedy of the poem is that, in refusing to leave her idealized world, Thel refuses to become real, to become useful - which is the one thing she claims to desire most. The ultimately static nature of the narrative - by the end of the text Thel has gone nowhere and learned little or nothing - is mimicked musically by treating the books as a large theme (Book I) with two variations (Books II and III) and finale (Book IV). That is, a similarity of internal structure between the first three books combines with frequent allusions throughout the work to the material of the first book in order to create a sense of unity, while drastic changes in character and orchestration articulate the large-scale form and maintain interest. Book IV, as finale, is contrapuntal in conception, ties together most of the primary ideas, and builds to the climax of the piece immediately before Thel's return to Har.
Characterizing tuberculosis among persons from countries with varying levels of TB-HIV endemicity who were diagnosed in Ontario during 1997--1998

This study is a retrospective chart review of diagnosed TB cases (1997--1998) reported to the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Health Care (MOHLTC), with data also originating from the RDIS and HIV diagnostic databases. Demographic, clinical, exposure and outcome characteristics were examined and multivariable modeling was performed to determine the association between a set of clinically discrete outcomes and the main explanatory variable, "endemic group."This study should provide support and direction in any future efforts aimed at the prevention or control of TB in Ontario. TB cases from endemic Groups 1 and 2 were more likely to have extrapulmonary TB compared to TB cases from Group 3 countries. Females were less likely to have pulmonary TB compared to males, and the greatest proportion of resistant cases originated from Western Europe. Cases 65 years and older and persons who also had MDR-TB were more likely to die.
Multiuser network-aware Web prefetching in heterogeneous wireless networks

This thesis introduces network-aware prefetching for mobile users in a heterogeneous wireless network. Network awareness is achieved by analyzing the location and movement of the user relative to the physical location of the nearby networks. Users optimize their overall utility cost by adapting their prefetching strategy based upon their likelihood of leaving the current network coverage area. A multiuser threshold algorithm is proposed using network-awareness, network costs and bit-rates. Under a standard non-priority system, multiple prefetching users cause a positive feedback, resulting in more aggressive prefetching, increasing WLAN traffic that potentially renders the system unstable. To increase the scalability and performance gains from WLANs, a priority queuing mechanism is proposed that applies lower priority to prefetch documents. This strategy keeps web response time low, essentially eliminating feedback and extending the scalability of the system, while allowing users to achieve considerable cost reduction for any number of users.
The influence of L2 English on the L1 Serbo-Croatian of Toronto-based bilinguals: the case of grammaticality judgments at the lexis/syntax interface

This thesis reports an exploratory study which investigated how the first-language grammaticality judgments of a group of Serbo-Croatian/English bilinguals (n = 16) living in Toronto differed from those of a group of Serbo-Croatian monolinguals living in Serbia (n = 10). Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the acceptances, rejections, and corrections on a grammaticality judgment instrument consisting of 20 bilingual and 20 monolingual Serbo-Croatian utterances revealed differences between the two groups. Overall, bilinguals rejected more items than monolinguals. Furthermore, they rejected more correct items and accepted more incorrect ones. Indications were found of differences at the levels of the lexicon, semantics, morphology, syntax, and pragmatics, some of which could be attributed to the influence of English. In order to ensure clearer insights into the restructuring of bilinguals' first-language grammars, future studies should include larger numbers of participants, additional data collection techniques, and participants who are bilingual in a range of languages.
Masking terror: Child literacy/literature and the dialectics of racialized violence

This study examines the masked and encoded racist discourses present within dominant knowledge production for children and youth. Focusing on stereotyping, racial omission, language and linguistics in literature, film, and visual art, the analysis examines the construction of bodies on raced, classed and gendered lines that determine not only the fictional relationships of racialized power within the texts themselves but are conditioned on the factual power relationships that exist in the social worlds from which the texts emerge and re-emerge. Significantly the study explores the nature in which white centric social relationships and notions of social existence within the texts serve as a mask to justify and diminish the different ways white supremacist violence and political terror has impacted against communities and peoples of color—a violence that is integral to the making and nurturing of whiteness as superior, subjective, and human in relation to an inferior non-white Other.

Keywords: Racism
Racism in literature
Violence in literature
Children's literature, Social aspects
Molecular characterization of the bovine torovirus: The complete sequence and cloning of the Breda-1 virus genome

Breda virus (BRV), genus Torovirus, family Coronaviridae, has been established as an etiological agent of diarrhea in cattle. In this study, BRV-1 RNA was amplified using long RT-PCR and the genome sequence determined by sequencing the amplicons. 20,920 nucleotides of novel sequence were obtained. Sequence analysis revealed the presence of a large viral polymerase gene composed of two overlapping ORFs, 1a and 1b. The 1a ORF contained two protease domains with homology to the arteriviruses, picornaviruses, and coronaviruses, and another domain found only in the Coronaviridae. The 1a/1b overlap region contained sequence elements involved in ribosomal frameshifting, and the putative replicase and helicase domains were identified in ORF 1b. 16 kb of the 3' end of the genome were cloned, and re-sequencing and analysis of this region suggests a quasi-species nature of this virus. This sequence, to our knowledge, represents the first account of a complete torovirus genome sequence.