VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Corpuscles of Stannius and stanniocalcin in the more ancient bony fishes, phylogenetic implications of morphological and molecular differences

The corpuscles of Stannius [CS], small perirenal endocrine glands implicated in calcium and phosphate regulation in bony fishes, show interspecific variation in number, anatomical distribution, and fine structure. Whereas the more ancient members of Neopterygii possess a large number of CS scattered throughout the kidney proper, the Euteleostei demonstrate a reduction in number and a more posterior and independent distribution of the glandular bodies with respect to the renal tissue. Stanniocalcin [STC], the only active principle characterized to date from the CS, appears to be more widely distributed among the vertebrates than was previously believed. Our examination into STC of the more ancient Actinopterygii suggests that this hormone has undergone considerable evolutionary pressure at the level of the molecule and in tissue distribution. Molecular approaches reveal differences in the protein core, the primary transcript size, and perhaps glycosylation of the STC molecule between species. Evidence at the molecular level suggests that STC mRNA may be subject to posttranslational processing and that tissue-specific expression of the STC gene is possible. This finding is interesting in light of the recent identification of STC in many mammalian tissues. Further, molecular approaches utilized to examine one member of the Osteoglossomorpha, one of the most ancient of teleosts, provide preliminary evidence that multiple forms of STC molecules may be present in representative species. Multiple sequence alignments of piscine STC revealed highly conserved structural elements found also in mammals. However, our results suggest that the variation in CS number, distribution, and fine structure, and differences in the STC molecule among Actinopterygii may be a consequence of their evolutionary history.
Prostate cancer screening in the midst of controversy, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, practices, intentions and personal preferences of Canadian men

The controversy surrounding prostate cancer screening has experts divided as to whether population-based screening should be undertaken. However, advocates and opponents agree that men should be fully informed of the risks and benefits so they can participate in deciding about personal involvement in screening. This study's purpose was to procure information that will facilitate development of educational materials and strategies regarding prostate cancer screening. The study combined quantitative and qualitative methods. A population-based telephone survey of 629 Canadian men aged 40 and over provided a representative picture of prostate cancer screening awareness, use, and intentions. One-on-one semi-structured qualitative interviews with 25 men allowed in-depth examination of issues raised by the survey analysis. While digital rectal examination (DRE) usage was high, only 15% of survey respondents ever had a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, and only 9% ever had a screening PSA. However, intentions to have a future PSA test were greater than use to date both among survey respondents who only had partial information about screening and among interview participants after they were fully informed. Most men had little knowledge and few attitudes and beliefs about prostate cancer screening. Qualitative participants differed regarding how much information they would want and when they would want it. They believed that information sources have to be credible, trustworthy, timely, feasible, and must instill hope. They suggested a man's physician should be the gatekeeper to information dissemination. Quantitative multivariate models revealed predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing variables associated with DRE and PSA awareness, use, and intentions. Some of these variables suggest population subgroups most in need of educational materials and others denote factors that need attention if men are to make informed decisions about screening. Qualitative analyses identified nine themes that distinguished between men who came to different decisions about personal involvement in PSA screening. These themes will help educators, physicians, and others understand how men might take the same information and interpret it differently. This thesis suggests that fully informing men requires a coordinated approach so all players men, physicians, and educators--can take responsibility and participate in a manner that meets their needs.
Poems by eminent ladies, a study of an eighteenth-century anthology

This is a study of 'Poems by Eminent Ladies', the first anthology devoted exclusively to English poetry by women, edited by George Colman and Bonnell Thornton, and published by Richard Baldwin in 1755. The eighteen poets in this collection range socially and chronologically from Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle (1624?-1674) to Mary Leapor, kitchen maid (1722-46). The intersection between bibliography, biography, and versification which occurs in all poetic anthologies is in this case complicated by a project that seeks to package female poets (some well known, others obscure) for the reading public. Chapter One gives an overview of the literary environment that shaped the anthology. Here, I discuss the influences behind this collection. I also explore changing tastes and the marketplace at mid-century, as well as the ways in which women writers fit into the evolving milieu. Chapter Two discusses the background of the two editors, as well as the history of printed verse anthologies. I also address issues of publication that impact on the collection in this chapter, in particular the innovative use of alphabetical order in a verse anthology that seems to participate in an encyclopedic movement at mid-century. Chapter Three provides the reader with a table of the contents of the anthology together with basic information such as the dates of the poets, and the sources of the poems. Chapters Four through Seven deal with the authors, arranged roughly chronologically in groups of four or more poets. In each of these chapters I address broader issues relating to that group. Whereas essential biographical and bibliographical facts about each poet are noted, the focus is a discussion of the poems that appear in 'PEL', and the impact of each woman's appearance in the anthology. Chapter Four deals with seventeenth-century writers in the collection, as essential models of female writing within the tradition that Colman and Thornton map out: Cavendish, Philips, Behn, Killigrew, and Chudleigh. Chapter Five speaks to writers at the turn of the century, and ways in which they dealt with appearing in print: Finch, Monck, Cockburn, Rowe. Chapter Six discusses the change in social status among female poets in the 1730s and 40s. In Chapter Seven, I explore the verses of poets who were still living at mid-century, when 'PEL' appeared: Montagu, Masters, Jones, Cowper (Madan), and Carter. In Chapter Eight I consider later editions of the collection, and some of the memoirs and anthologies that followed 'PEL' which testify to its influence. In my conclusion I address poetic resonance within ' PEL' itself. Whether or not the editors intended it, themes such as love, marriage, writing, illness and death appear in various guises throughout the anthology. Here a variety of voices echo and dispute one another, and participate in a specific literary moment at mid-century.
Leading neutron production in deep inelastic scattering at HERA

The properties of leading neutrons produced in deep inelastic scattering are studied. The neutrons are detected with the Forward Neutron Calorimeter (FNC). The calibration and performance of the FNC are presented. The angular dependence of leading neutrons has been parametrized in the form <math> <f> dN/dp<sup>2</sup><inf>T</inf>=<rf>exp</rf><fen lp="par">- b¤p<sup>2</sup><inf>T</inf><rp post="par"></fen></f> </math>, where <math> <f> p<sup>2</sup><inf>T</inf></f> </math> is the transverse momentum squared of the neutron. The values of ' b' are found to depend strongly on the energy of the neutron. The cross section for the kinematic region 'Q'2 > 10 GeV2 and [theta]'n' < 0.8 mrad is found to be (7.87 ± 0.15 ('stat'.) ± 0.79 ('syst'.))% of the inclusive deep inelastic scattering cross section. This fraction is found to be relatively independent of the kinematic variables 'x' and 'Q'2. Using the method of relative cross sections which reduces considerable systematic error, the structure function for leading neutron production <math> <f> F<sup>LN<fen lp="par">3<rp post="par"></fen></sup><inf>2</inf> <fen lp="par">x,Q<sup>2</sup>,x<inf>L</inf><rp post="par"></fen> </f> </math> is measured. By assuming a simple model of one pion exchange, the structure function of the pion <math> <f> F<sup><g>p</g></sup><inf>2</inf><fen lp="par">x,Q<sup>2</sup> <rp post="par"></fen></f> </math> is extracted. We study this quantity in a previously unexplored region, for the first time at spacelike energy scales.
Errorless remediation in the classroom, success-based intervention for children with antisocial behaviour

Many techniques that are commonly employed by teachers to manage students' behaviour in the classroom focus on the teacher's immediate reaction (e.g., removal from the classroom) to student problem behaviour. Research suggests that these strategies often are ineffective and may reinforce the unwanted behaviour. Errorless compliance training was developed to provide a more proactive alternative to reducing child problem behaviours and has been validated as an effective approach when employed in the home with parents and their children (Ducharme & Popynick, 1993). In the present study, we investigated the utility of the errorless approach in the classroom. An intervention agent (the Master's candidate graduate student), implemented the procedure in the classroom with two 5 year old girls, who were exhibiting severe levels of noncompliance. In addition, we investigated generalization of treatment effects to the classroom teacher. Observations indicated substantial increases in compliance to requests issued by the intervention agent at completion of treatment, as well as preliminary indications of generalized compliance to the classroom teacher. These findings suggest that errorless compliance training may provide a non-reactive and success-based alternative to traditional classroom management procedures.
Adenovirus-mediated p53 Gene Transfer to Human Breast Tumour Cells in Vitro

Functional inactivation of the p53 gene is associated with increased resistance to radiation and genotoxic drugs and poor prognosis in breast cancer. Reconstitution of the p53-dependent apoptotic pathway by gene transfer of a recombinant wild-type p53 minigene results in rapid apoptotic cell death in breast and other cancer cell types expressing null or mutant p53. This strategy has therefore become a major focus of efforts aimed at the development of gene therapy protocols for the treatment of breast and other cancers. This thesis examines the potential of adenoviral vectors for gene transfer to human breast cancer cells in terms of infection efficiencies, transgene expression, and recombinant wild-type p53-mediated apoptosis 'in vitro'. It was found that adenoviral vector is efficient for transferring human wild-type p53 gene to human breast tumour cells and that overexpression of wild-type p53 led to apoptotic cell death in cells transduced, regardless of their endogenous p53 status. However, cells expressing mutant p53 were more sensitive to this cell death induction than cells expressing wild-type p53.
Differential gene expression in presentation versus drug-resistant relapse AML, in search of drug resistance genes by the differential display approach

The ultimate goal of our study is to identify candidate genes contributing to cancer drug resistance. The approach has been to examine differential gene expression in a single patient with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) at two stages of the disease, presentation and drug-resistant relapse, because we believe that: (1) presentation and relapsed AML can be used to model drug-sensitive and drug-resistant tumours, respectively; and (2) drug resistance is mediated by the expression or repression of key molecular components. By employing differential display, we have been able to identify six partial cDNAs that demonstrate altered expression at relapse, confirmed to be true positives by dot-blot and Northern blot analyses. Sequence information revealed that three of the six partial cDNAs represent previously identified genes: RGS2, cystatin A, and CLN2. Future studies will hopefully clarify the functional significance of these candidate genes in drug resistance and/or disease progression.
The Storytelling Club, a narrative study of children and teachers as storytellers

This thesis is a narrative inquiry into the process of how students in The Storytelling Club became storytellers. The phenomenon of The Storytelling Club, where students and teachers worked together telling stories, listening to stories, and discussing and connecting to story, is the focus. The study was set within a suburban elementary school. Weekly participation in The Storytelling Club by both students (from grades three to six) and teachers was voluntary. To begin each year teacher/leaders told stories (primarily folk and fairy tales), providing a model of storytelling. The inquiry explores students' participation as they gradually became immersed in story language, story discussions, and storytelling themselves. This thesis is a journey of discovery. The very act of writing about The Storytelling Club concretized the experience for the researcher so that her intuitive responses in working with the students were made more explicit. This was emergent research in which the outgrowths of participating in The Storytelling Club emerged from within the data. The central question asked was what were the outcomes that emerged from participating in The Storytelling Club. As a narrative inquiry, both the spoken narratives of the students and teacher/leader participants as well as the written responses and journals of the researcher and another teacher/leader were used to explore the subject. Aspects of community were highlighted as students and teachers experienced the bond of shared stories. Together, teachers and students built a supportive, caring environment within which to work and learn. Themes that emerged from the study were: community, language play, personal connections, modelling of narrative connections, imagery, story sense, awareness of structure, heightened listening, collaborative meaning-making, self-confidence, ways of remembering, students taking on the role of storytelling and finding their voice, connecting to the audience, and finding an oasis. This research celebrates the work of students and teachers as they worked to discover together how story mattered to each of them.
Numerical investigation of jets in a reacting crossflow

The mixing of air jets into hot, fuel-rich mixture is an integral part of many staged combustion applications. This study concentrates on the exhaust system of an electric arc steelmelting furnace where high concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2) are present. A three dimensional numerical code featuring two combustion models has been used to predict those emissions for various jet to cross-stream mass flow ratios and a comparison with experimental CO was done. The results showed that both models were unable to predict CO and H2 emissions for the conditions investigated. Thorough examination of the non-premixed flamelet revealed that the turbulent tune scale was much faster than the chemical time scale, thus, collapsing one of the requirements of this model. With the eddy dissipation model, the CO and H2 concentrations were severely underpredicted and convergence problem occurred when dissimilar chemical kinetic rates for CO and H 2 were incorporated.
The education of immigrant women, prospects and challenges for Ghanaian immigrant women in Canada

This thesis is an investigation of the education of Ghanaian immigrant women who lived in Metropolitan Toronto from 1973 to 1993. Undertaken from a feminist perspective, the study probes the educational programs that were put in place for immigrant women and the women's response to the programs. The focus on education stems from the links that exist between education, work and status. There is widespread agreement among scholars that education is the single most important factor in gaining access to better economic, political and social positions, although some believe that it will not necessarily create equality between marginalized groups and mainstream society. Feminist scholars believe that while education may not create the equality that women desire, it can enhance women's status. It equips individuals and groups with the resources to access jobs that give social, economic, and political power. For immigrant women, education assumes greater significance in light of sexist immigration and social practices that limit the kinds of opportunities available to them. Since education opens the way to sectors that may be closed to immigrants, educating them would be a step toward giving them access to such sectors. By putting Ghanaian immigrant women at the centre of analysis, this thesis asserts that immigrant women's overall situation in Canada improved with education. Investigating immigrant education is a way of ascertaining society's efforts at empowering immigrant women by offering them access to resources. A conclusion drawn from the study is that the education that was fashioned for immigrant women was inadequate for their employment needs. Its definition was narrow, involving mainly English as a Second Language (ESL) that did not prepare women for labour market demands nor did it have the potential of enhancing their status. Another observation is that inadequate attention was paid to higher education as a viable option for immigrant women. Consequently, immigrant women's education did not have the potential to link women to jobs that could enhance their status. Ghanaian women who did not see ESL as the answer to their educational needs defined for themselves alternative educational avenues that held meaning for their lives and pursued these to their satisfaction and wellbeing.
Protection of copper coolers

In recent years, cooling of the refractory linings is often carried out using different copper cooling systems. The purpose of this cooling is to promote the formation of a frozen layer along the refractory wall. These coolers are required for high heat fluxes through furnace walls allowing for high intensity operations. However, copper has a high oxidation rate at the furnace's operating temperatures. The objective of this project was to investigate if nickel when plated on copper can improve the service life of the copper coolers. Thin layers of nickel were plated onto copper using "Wood Strike bath" to improve oxidation resistance at high temperatures. Pure copper and nickel-plated copper were oxidized at 600 to 1000°C in air for various lengths of time. It was found that the nickel-plated copper oxidizes at a rate of about 1/20 of that of pure copper. The heat fluxes obtained during immersion tests of nickel-plated copper and pure copper in smelter slag and matte were almost the same. The activation energy values for copper and nickel-plated copper were found to be 150 kJ/mol and 145 kJ/mol, respectively.
Synthetic studies of the formation of oxazoles and isoxazoles from N-acetoacetyl derivatives, scope and limitations ; and Aqueous rhodium-catalyzed Heck-type coupling reactions between boronic acids and olefins

The preparation of two types of heterocycles, oxazoles and isoxazoles, was achieved in good yields in a rapid and simple way by using 'N'-acetoacetyl derivatives of oxazolidinones. Steric and electronic effects caused by the nature of the substituents at C1, C2 and C3 were studied. It was shown that, in most cases, the controlled synthesis of oxazoles or isoxazoles from the same precursor was achieved by reacting it under specific reaction conditions. The best results were obtained with a chiral oxazolidinone moiety on C1 derived from (1'R',2'S')-(-)-norephedrine. The aqueous rhodium catalyzed Heck-type coupling reaction between olefins and boronic acids was studied. It was shown that the reaction works only when water is the only solvent and that the presence of an organic solvent in the reaction mixture inhibits the coupling. The coupling products between styrene and various boronic acids were formed in 50-95% yield. A novel mechanism was proposed to rationalize the observed reactivity. 2- and 4-Vinylpyridine, in presence of rhodium, showed a new reactivity giving access to 1,2-diaryl- and 1,1,2-triaryl-ethyl derivatives.
Inhibition as a marker for a familial subgroup of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

'Objective': To investigate whether deficient inhibitory control, as measured by the Stop-Signal Paradigm, delineates a more homogeneous subgroup of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). 'Method ': Subjects were 54 ADHD children defined as having poor or good inhibition based on performance on the SSP. Poor and Good inhibition groups were compared on family history for ADHD, and measures of neurobiological and psychosocial risk. 'Results': a significantly higher rate of family history for ADHD was found in the Poor (48.1%) versus the Good (18.5%) inhibition group. No differences were found between the groups on index measures of neurobiological or psychosocial risk. 'Conclusions': findings provide preliminary evidence that classification using inhibition delineates a familial subtype of ADHD. No evidence was found that psychosocial or neurobiological factors accounted for the ADHD in the good inhibition group, or that environmental risks and inhibition act conjointly to increase the risk for ADHD in the Poor inhibition group.
Matrix molecules play a role in mediating chondrocyte aggregation, attachment and spreading

The extracellular matrix synthesized by chondrocytes occupies the majority of the cartilage volume. Among the most abundant macromolecules in cartilage are hyaluronan, type II collagen, aggrecan and link protein, all of which play a role in maintaining the unique three-dimensional structure of cartilage. This study was designed to investigate the roles of these matrix molecules in mediating chondrocyte-matrix interaction. Chondrocytes, harvested from sterna of chicken embryos, were treated with enzymatic (hyaluronidase and collagenase), chemical (ß-D-xyloside) or antisense techniques to suppress the function of matrix molecules. Degradation of hyaluronan and collagen or reduction in the expression of aggrecan and link protein enhanced cell attachment. Furthermore, hyaluronidase treatment also reduced the binding of aggrecan, link protein and type II collagen to cell surfaces, and induced chondrocyte aggregation, which was mediated by ß1-integrin and type II collagen. In short, the effects of hyaluronan on cell-matrix interaction were dominant over the other matrix molecules. These observations might be applied to develop a therapeutic technique in cartilage repair.