VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Love and the will, Hegel on the spiritual basis of modern politics

The dissertation is an examination of the ontology underpinning Hegel's social and political thought, and his attempt to comprehend how this ontology is realized in modernity, through the modern principle of will. Hegel's thought generally is seen to fall within the Rousseauian and German Idealist aspiration to articulate a general will at the foundation of a uniquely modern political community that can harmonize individual freedom with social unity and a sense of belonging. Hegel's ontology of the general will is identified as being of a religious or spiritual nature, deriving from Holderlin's notion of an Identity that exists in Being, and manifest in human existence in the experience of love. The dissertation traces Hegel's legacy in terms of his encounter with the problem of the antagonism between the experience of love on the one hand, and the modern principle of reflective rationality and will that have come to dominate the secular world on the other, and his subsequent attempt to work out how these two principles could be reconciled. It is argued that, for Hegel, in spite of the will's self-alienation from love, its drive to assert itself in the world around it is ultimately rooted in the subconscious knowledge of love, and that this experience of love is re-encountered in achievements of moral action and forgiveness. It is further argued that this expression of love through the will is at the root of the objectification depicted in Hegel's Philosophy of Right, in the valid laws and institutions of the modern state. The failure of Hegel's state to find historical realization is explained from within Hegel's own terms, in the notion that the colonizing impulse of reflective rationality could eclipse the consciousness of the divine upon which objectification depends. In light of this, the need to cultivate a consciousness of the divine, or of love, is identified as the most pressing issue of our age. Overall, the study seeks to illuminate Hegel's invaluable contribution to our understanding of the existential tension between love and the will, and of the role that philosophy must play for moderns in vindicating the experience of love.
Characterization of the function of the Otx-2 gene in early mammalian development

How the anterior region of the vertebrate embryo is specified is still an unsolved question in early pattern formation. In this thesis, I have undertaken a study of the roles of a homeobox gene, 'Otx-2', in the early murine development, with particular reference to its role in anterior patterning. 'Otx-2', one of the two mammalian Otx genes, related to the 'Drosophila otd' gene, has been cloned and characterized. It encodes a protein containing a 60 amino acid homeodomain motif with only two amino acid differences from the sequence of 'Drosophila' Otd. 'Otx-2' is one of the earliest genes showing restricted anterior expression domains. During early embryogenesis, 'Otx-2' is first expressed in the entire epiblast which gives rise to the embryo proper, then is gradually restricted to the anterior region of the embryo and finally to the presumptive forebrain and midbrain. This expression profile suggests that 'Otx-2' may have multiple roles in the early development and anterior patterning of the embryo. These studies provide fundamental background information for further functional analysis. Functional analysis of 'Otx-2' was performed by a gene targeting approach. A loss-of-function mutation of 'Otx-2' leads to loss of forebrain, midbrain and anterior hindbrain, suggesting the critical role of 'Otx-2' in head formation. In addition, homozygous ' Otx-2' mutant embryos also show early gastrulation defects and defects in the prechordal mesoderm and notochord precursors. These defects are consistent with multiple roles for 'Otx-2' in gastrulation and the patterning of the rostral brain in mice. To further dissect the function of 'Otx-2' in anterior patterning, a double heterozygous mutant was made with 'HNF-3'ß, a member of the winged-helix transcription factor family. Generation of ' Otx-2'+/-; 'HNF'-3ß+/- double heterozygous mutants demonstrates a new lethal phenotype in mice. The phenotype is characterized by varying degrees of holoprosencephaly, cyclopia with proboscis-like structures, suggesting the genetic interaction of the two genes in anterior midline patterning. Co-expression of 'Otx-2' and 'HNF-3'ß in the anterior midline of the embryo further supported such interactions. Furthermore, the loss of 'Shh' expression, a secreted protein, in the anterior region of 'Otx-2'+/-;'HNF-3'ß+/- embryos indicates that both 'Otx-2' and ' HNF-3'ß are involved in regulating the 'Shh' signalling pathway in the anterior midline. This study also illustrates the way in which dosage-dependent effects of transcription factors can reveal novel genetic interactions and help define genetic pathways.
The female spectator as subject in contemporary British drama

This thesis examines female spectatorial positions implied in the texts of some contemporary British plays. Following materialist feminist notions of the processes whereby the female subject is constituted, this study explores the ways in which specific dramaturgical and theatrical forms contribute to such processes particularly through their capacity to replicate, foreground, or reconfigure ideological discourses and practices. The analyses of the texts identify the nature of the female positions that are inscribed in the texts and made available to the spectator. Chapter One provides a theoretical account of the concepts involved in the terms female, spectator, and subject. Chapter Two analyzes contemporary uses of realism in Jacqueline Rudet's 'Basin' and Christina Reid's 'The Belle of the Belfast City'. It observes the role that a predominance of realist patterns (as described by Catherine Belsey) and co-existing non-realist elements have in the determination of spectatorial positions. Chapter Three looks at feminist adaptations of Brechtian techniques in Caryl Churchill's 'Top Girls' and Sarah Daniels' ' Beside Herself' in their capacity to provide and encourage historically grounded re-readings and re-writings of women's conditions. Chapter Four explores the function of the different aesthetic and stylistic forms utilized in Tash Fairbank's 'Pulp' and Jackie Kay's 'Chiaroscuro ' to articulate what Teresa de Lauretis has called an eccentric subject position, a position attained through personal and political practices and excessive to hegemonic socio-cultural discourses. The Epilogue briefly comments on the areas of production and reception as sites in which meanings, such as those identified in the historical readings of the plays, can be unfixed, problematized, recovered, or negotiated. The construction of the female spectatorial positions observed in these texts is thus set within a wider context that can also significantly contribute to the creation and recreation of positions for women as heterogeneous social subjects.
Spatial and temporal distribution of domestic and civil architecture in Christian Nubia

The aim of this thesis was to document the development of the Christian Nubian house and its variations in form between different geographic and political regions, within the kingdoms of Nobatia, Makuria and Alwa. Chronologies describing the evolution of Nubian church architecture have been produced, but no such detailed work exists concerning domestic or civil architecture. To further this end, a gazetteer was compiled of all known archaeological sites in Nubia containing Christian period domestic architecture. It follows the five chapters of discussion. Chapters 1 to 3 trace the house plan from simple, one and two-room dwellings in the transitional X-Group - Early Christian period, through to the complicated multi-chamber, fortified buildings that are produced at the end of the Terminal Christian phase. Possible origins and some reasons for the modification of their design are suggested. It is proposed that the early two-room houses form the basic construction module used in later domestic structures. Walled settlements, enclosures, palaces, public buildings are also discussed. Chapter 4 addresses the assumptions and problems associated with the identification of Nubian monasteries and endeavours to identify the characteristic features associated with them. It is suggested that some Nubian monasteries may have been laura rather than coenobia. Evidence for the tentative identification of some sites as monasteries is examined. The final chapter explores the environmental, socio-political and cultural factors that affected house construction and design. An attempt is made to explain room usage via artefact distribution and ethnographic analogies. A model for land use in Lower and Upper Nubia is also proposed.
Current developments and future directions of general education in Ontario's Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology

This study examined general education reform in Ontario's colleges. It utilized a mixed methods sequential design. A questionnaire was developed to identify external and internal factors which could influence general education policies and programs. The questionnaire was used to obtain baseline data. Nineteen colleges responded to the questionnaire. Seventeen general education administrators and faculty in three colleges were interviewed. Most colleges agreed in principle with the developmental aims of general education. Provincial policy required colleges to implement one general education course per semester, breadth, and choice but most colleges have only partially complied with these guidelines. Medium sized and large colleges have tended to offer a smorgasbord of general studies electives rather than insisting on distribution requirements and one course per semester. Small colleges have tended to mandate courses and modify existing foundation courses to satisfy provincial policies. Provincial cutbacks in operational funding for college programs and the level of commitment of senior administrators were decisive factors. Funding cuts led to modifications in plans for implementing general education and intensified the level of competition between departments. To establish and maintain general education, strong leadership, a positive academic plan and organizational structure, and the cooperation of other departments was necessary. Less resistance to reform was encountered where Colleges viewed general education as a strategy to enhance the marketability, efficiency, and value of college education rather than as an additional burden on college resources. Delivering general education provided a formal opportunity for students to share a common experience and to discuss subjects relevant to their personal development, citizenship, and working lives. General educators related anecdotal evidence that some college students demonstrated increased adaptability, sophistication, and tolerance. Implementing general education provided opportunities for professional renewal and for flexible programming. General education is embedded in the culture of some colleges but is a marginal activity in others. Provincial policy initiatives were a necessary but not a sufficient condition for revitalizing general education in colleges. In the future, a greater range of courses and delivery modes may be developed to suit the differing interests, abilities, and aspirations of students.
Communitarian loyalties in a borderless world, globalization and political allegiances in Belgium, Canada and Italy

The persistence of ethnic and/or regional movements in advanced capitalist societies has defied the predictions of many integrationist theorists who have argued that modernization would eradicate sub-state loyalties. In much of the scholarly literature, ethno-regional movements were held to be parochial reactions against modernity. The post-war resurgence of communitarian parties in the face of globalization processes suggests that sub-state identities may be compatible with post-modernity. There is a growing body of literature which suggests that in a borderless world, citizens will use their increased individuation capacities to reassert ethnic, territorial and other sub-state identities in the face of centralization and cultural homogenization pressures. This shift in political allegiances to more immediate geographic areas and lower-order governments--the so-called "new" localism--is held to be the product of rational evaluations that the central state can no longer fulfil the instrumental and psychological needs of citizens. In order to determine whether contemporary ethno-regionalism is parochial or post-modern, a survey and personal interviews exploring the ideological and issue orientations, lifestyles and socio-demographic backgrounds of party members in the Bloc Québécois, Volksunie and Northern League were conducted. In all three cases, the parties demonstrated an ability to appeal to both "traditional" and "post-modern" elements within their respective communities. This finding, in addition to evidence which points to a high level of internal cohesion between party members, suggests that communitarian parties have the potential to persist in the face of transnational pressures. The study also shows that transnational trends, considered along with domestic-oriented, exogenous, endogenous and intervening variables, can help explain contemporary communitarianism.
The least squares spectrum, its inverse transform and autocorrelation function, theory and some applications in geodesy

To realize the full potential of increasingly more accurate measurements, scientists are now faced with the task of modelling ever smaller effects on their observations to improve their results. The problem, however, is that there is often little understanding of the cause and effect relation between these so-called systematic effects and the measurements. Spectra and autocorrelation functions can be used to help diagnose and improve the modelling of these systematic effects in measurements. However, standard techniques for computing spectra and autocorrelation functions require the data to be evenly spaced, which is often not satisfied in practice. The approach taken here is to develop a general technique for determining autocorrelation functions for data which are unevenly spaced. This is an indirect method whereby the systematic effects, represented by the residuals from an incomplete a priori deterministic model, are transformed into a power spectrum and then into an autocorrelation function. To accommodate unevenly spaced data, a general least squares transform and its inverse are developed. The inverse transform is used to obtain the autocorrelation function from the least squares spectrum originally developed by Vaníc—ek [1971]. This formulation can accommodate unequally spaced data, random observation errors, arbitrary frequency selection, arbitrarily weighted and correlated observations, as well as the presence of any a priori deterministic model. The conventional Fourier transform and spectrum are shown to be just special cases of this more general least squares formulation. It is also shown how the individual spectral components in the least squares spectrum and inverse transform can be estimated either independently of or simultaneously with each other. The advantages and limitations of the least squares transforms and spectra are illustrated through tests with simulated data. The technique of using autocorrelation functions to model systematic effects is also illustrated with two real applications; one based on the precise measurement of the extension of a baseline spanning the San Andreas fault in California, and another based on the measurement of ellipsoidal heights using a GPS receiver under the influence of the effects of Selective Availability. These tests show that the use of fully populated weight matrices generally results in an increase in the value of the standard deviations of the estimated model parameters, thereby providing more realistic estimates of the uncertainties. On the other hand, the effect of correlations among the observations on the least squares estimates of model parameters was found not to be very significant.
Avoiding luck, the problem of moral luck and its significance

I have two aims in the thesis. First, to explore the notion of luck and second, to apply the results of that exploration to the problem of moral luck. The problem of moral luck stems from a conflict between the intuition that luck should not affect a person's moral status and the fact that, in practice, luck does seem to affect a person's moral status. The problem was brought to wide attention by Bernard Williams and Thomas Nagel in 1976. Since then a number of philosophers have offered solutions to it. I argue that none of those solutions succeed. To see this, we must undertake an analysis of the notion of luck. From discussions of luck by Aristotle, Daniel Dennett and Nicholas Rescher, I develop an account of luck as a property of pairs of events and people. The degree to which a pair possesses that property varies with chance and value, and so upon perspective. I use the account to show the problem of moral luck to be insoluble for any system of morality that involves the evaluation of individuals. Cases of moral luck will arise on any such moral system. I close the thesis by arguing that the inescapability of moral luck leads us to some one of two possible conclusions about morality: either there is a sort of unfairness built into morality or we must reject a very natural form of moral evaluation, namely the assessment of a person's moral worth (i.e., the amount of moral credit or discredit that attaches to that person). Either conclusion is surprising, hence the problem of moral luck is of considerable importance.
A 1 V Low-power CMOS Process

To reduce the size of portable telephones and other portable data communicators, and to increase the talk and use time, it is essential to reduce the power consumption of the LSI circuits that are the main components of these devices. Because the power consumption of CMOS transistors is proportional to the square of the power supply voltage, the power consumption can be dramatically reduced by cutting the power supply voltage. This will only be true however, if the threshold voltage can be scaled down proportionately to the supply voltage without increasing the standby current which otherwise increases due to subthreshold leakage. This thesis deals with the optimization of the MOSFET device structure as a means of providing 1V low power circuits in a submicron CMOS VLSI technology. Using process and device simulations, a 300 mV threshold voltage, sub 90 mV/dec subthreshold swing 1 $\mu$m LVCMOS process was developed. Due to the fact that conventional process simulations are not fully calibrated to model exact process conditions encountered experimentally, process simulations were used only as a starting point from which experimental results were used to refine the five most critical fabrication steps. High frequency and quasi-static C-V tests on n$\sp+$ and p$\sp+$ poly gates fabricated with different gate oxide thicknesses were used to establish the fabrication conditions necessary to prevent dopant penetration or polydepletion effect in 140 A gate oxide. Deep, low concentration (2 $\times$ 10$\sp{16}$ cm$\sp{-3}$) n- and p-wells with flat profiles were implemented along with suitable threshold voltage adjust implants and shallow (0.2 $\mu$m) source/drain junctions to achieve complementary long-channel devices with 300 mV threshold voltages and $<$80 mV/dec subthreshold swings. A 12 mask 16 mm$\sp2$ test chip was constructed to fully characterize the process.
The decline of community and democracy and the ascendancy of the mass production-consumption society

This thesis explores the forces transforming the small town and its community and draws implications for the larger society. These forces are a consequence of an economic, social and political organization that is contrary to the 'small public' foundations of American democracy. The demise of town and community in America has been the result of an undemocratic process directed by a mass market economy. Growth of the mass market and consequently the dominance of economic concerns, have overshadowed concerns for well-being and the traditional values of American democracy.
Ay, bee, cee, one, two, three, using adaptations of simultaneous oral spelling with reading-disabled adults

A sample of six reading-disabled adults showed variations in responses to Alphabetic, Numeric and Logographic adaptations of a print-word learning technique called Simultaneous Oral Spelling (SOS). SOS conditions encourage students to associate a whole spoken word and a whole printed word (Logographic) plus a letter naming (Alphabetic) or a letter counting (Numeric) component analysis. Responses corresponded with patterns in students initial test results. Subjects who had relative strengths in mathematics, word attack and phoneme awareness achieved higher scores and were able to use all SOS variations to their advantage while those who had relative strengths in spelling, word identification and memory were more dependent on Alphabetic training and achieved lower word-learning scores. These results indicate that students' skill "ratios" may predict their print word-learning success. Findings also suggest that rapid, pre-attentive item enumeration ("subitizing") may be a factor in the reading development of students who have already acquired phonological skill.
Rhetorical strategies in Old English prose, a study of three dramatic monologues

This thesis examines three dramatic monologues found in Old English homiletic literature in order to understand their cultural, religious and literary impact on a contemporary audience. In chapter 1, I survey early medieval attitudes towards preaching as well as various efforts to promote preaching as a vehicle for religious instruction. I discuss the production of homiletic compositions in late Anglo-Saxon England, particularly focusing on the interrelation of works by named authors, such as Æfric and Wulfstan, and those by their anonymous contemporaries in terms of their differing rhetorical goals and approaches. In each of the succeeding chapters I seek to discover how contemporaries viewed these dramatic monologues by closely examining their manuscript context, Latin sources, other related materials which constitute the literary environment, the structure and composition of each homily, and, most importantly, the rhetorical and dramatic strategies of the monologues themselves. An examination of Middle English analogues provides a valuable point of comparison for the Old English. The first of these monologues, the Soul's Address to the Body, though it has often been seen as an expression of heterodox views concerning the body, is here seen to be a rhetorical device capitalizing on the relationship of intimacy between soul and body in order to portray, as dramatically as possible, moral choice. The second monologue, Christ's Address to the Sinner, takes place at Doomsday and is no less effective in its ability to sway an audience. It employs the rhetoric of legal indictment in the form of a catalogue of Christ's deeds on behalf of mankind, recalling other such lists used in liturgical and confessional contexts. The so-called "Sunday Letter," purporting to be a missive sent by Christ and urging strict observance of Sunday regulations, is seen to be a document appreciated mainly for its forceful rhetoric rather than for the specific prohibitions it enjoins. The use of the first-person address and the pronouncement of curse and blessing, like the Judaic restrictions it seeks to enforce, clearly derive from the prophetic writings of the Old Testament. These monologues are but three examples of a broader tradition of dramatic speeches used for the purpose of persuasion. I conclude by summarizing evidence that the Anglo-Saxons were especially attracted to this genre and used it effectively in their homilies to dramatize contemporary religious concerns.