VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
DanceAttitude, progressive processing towards an authenticated selfhood

The purpose of this research is to explore the philosophical and psychological aspects of achieving a more authenticated self in the day-to-day process of everyday living. The title of the proposed thesis is DanceAttitude: progressive processing towards an authenticated selfhood. Selfhood realization in order to be more authentic, requires the person to shift consciousness from goal orientation to process orientation. Therefore, everyday life situations are transformed into metaphorical dance-like compositions empowering the individual to become more authentic. This allows the individual to experience self in the present. It is this awareness in the "here and now" reality of the experience that leads to a greater awareness of the authenticated self. Authenticated selfhood which is central to this thesis means a gathering of conscious forces: a unifying of energy into a dynamic harmony between the observer and the observed. Individuals in the theatre of life become spontaneous dancers choreographing their own feelings and attitudes, transforming their lives into a living art form. Each experience would therefore, become a childlike journey providing a profundity of mental, spiritual and emotional validations. This enables all individuals to achieve authenticated selfhood through a humanistic process called a DanceAttitude. Teachers especially, already involved in their chosen vocations, are provided with the opportunity to enrich the lives of their students by becoming more aware of their own uniquely gifted talents. Abraham Maslow's humanistic perspective of "actualizing one's potential and one's full humanness" incorporates goals that add to the full intensity of life, allowing teachers and all individuals collectively to open self to the totality of everyday experiences. The formulation of a DanceAttitude through a broadening of an individual's perspective would also create greater harmony among individuals.
The distribution of the 50 kD centriolar antigen during centriolar assembly in chick ciliating epithelial cells and fragmentation of centrioles in rat pinealocytes

Non-immune rabbit sera label centrioles and related basal bodies by immunofluorescence in a wide variety of cell types. One of these sera that recognize a 50 kD centriolar protein was used to localize it by immunofluorescence during assembly of centrioles in ciliating cells of chick trachea and during breakdown of centrioles in rat pinealocytes. The first sign that centriole assembly has begun was seen at embryonic day 16 (E16) when staining of both centrioles in apical part of some cells increased indicating that centriolar precursors and/or procentrioles had accumulated around both diplosomal centrioles. Also at E16 a second pattern was seen in some cells in which these diplosomal centrioles are associated with a larger stained region extending in a basal direction corresponding to the region occupied by the newly formed procentrioles. At E17 a new staining pattern consisting of small granules distributed throughout the apical end of ciliating cells was seen, indicating that procentrioles or recently matured centrioles at this stage are migrating to apical cell surface. At E18 first fully ciliated cells with stained basal bodies are seen. These results indicate that the 50 kD centriolar protein is present in centrioles at all stages of assembly. In contrast to newborn rat pinealocytes in which the two centrioles stain as single granules, in pinealocytes from 11-day-old and adult rats a larger region composed of structures of various sizes and shapes is labelled. These correspond to singlets, doublets, and triplets of MTs embedded in electron dense material visualized in these cells by EM. The finding that these structures contain the 50 kD centriolar protein indicates that they are derived from centrioles. Similar structures containing the 50 kD centriolar protein appear at a comparable time in cultured pinealocytes. Since both in in situ and in vitro more material containing the 50 kD centriolar protein is present than can be accounted for by the fragmentation of the diplosomal centrioles the resulting fragments may be capable of generating more fragments. The above findings also suggest that the 50 kD centriolar protein is a component of the electron dense material in walls of centrioles between MT triplets since this material forms early and is present in procentrioles before MT assemble, is present in mature centrioles and basal bodies and around MTs in structures resembling fragments of centriolar wall.
Representation of heterogeneous topography and forest cover for long-term hydroecological modelling

The purpose of this dissertation is to gain an understanding of the information requirements for integrating process-based hydrological and ecological models, in the context of studying the role of forest disturbance and regeneration on hydrologic recovery. The approach uses a representation of objects and process-based models as knowledge-based components of a larger information management system. The object approach provides the information system with the capability of dealing with variable quality in the data used to parameterize integrated simulation models, as well as providing a more meaningful representation in which model results can be interpreted. A focus on the semantics of the interaction between forest ecosystem processes and hydrological processes shows that grouping various contributors to available soil water, which is the key property upon which this interaction is based, into semantic groups based on their control on available soil water, allows for reducing the sensitivity of the process-based models to variables known with low spatial support. The variables with the lowest spatial support are substituted for by placing greater emphasis on mechanistically derived spatial variables. Semantic analysis of the compatibility of aggregated hydrological models with heterogeneous spatial patterns of forest cover shows that incompatibility between process-based models can be represented during simulation. The result of this analysis is a method of observing model incompatibility at any point during simulation, suggesting that a method of selecting process-based models may follow from this research. The semantic analysis also presented a scale correction factor to account for temporal variations in the effective length scale over which variations in the water table occur. This correction factor allows for the use of relatively simple aggregate hydrological models to represent transient controls on variable recharge, which occur as a result of variable snowmelt rates and as a result of a patchy forest cover that results from long-term disturbance and recovery patterns. An integrated hydroecological model is developed and shown to produce reasonable hydrologic recovery and forest regeneration patterns in long-term simulations.
Activation of RNA Polymerase II Mediated Transcription

I have developed a sensitive and highly selective in vitro crosslinking strategy to characterize the protein-protein interactions mediated by a sequence-specific activator of transcription with components of the RNA polymerase II transcriptional machinery. The basis of this approach involved the selective modification of the chimeric transactivator LexA-E2F-1 with the photoreactive crosslinking reagent maleimide-4-benzophenone at a single cysteine residue located within its activation domain. Using this approach, I have demonstrated that LexA-E2F-1 can interact in a direct and binding-site-dependent manner with the TATA-binding protein TBP. I provided evidence that this interaction is biologically relevant by showing that mutations within the E2F-1 activation domain which impair activation by LexA-E2F-1 also reduce crosslinking of LexA-E2F-1 to TBP. I have refined my original crosslinking methodology in order to identify additional protein targets of LexA-E2F-1 in an in vitro transcription system derived from a yeast cell extract. Using this approach, I have shown that the activation domain of LexA-E2F-1 interacts in a promoter-dependent manner with a novel component of the yeast RNA polymerase II transcriptional machinery, XTC1. The XTC1 gene product also interacts directly with the activation domains of the herpes virion protein VP16 and the yeast activator GAL4, suggesting it is a common target of activators. Yeast strains deleted for the XTC1 gene exhibit growth defects and altered responses of the RNA polymerase II transcriptional machinery to activators in vivo consistent with XTC1 being a physiologically relevant target of activators in yeast. Finally, I have performed affinity chromatography experiments aimed at identifying human proteins which interact with the evolutionarily conserved carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of the largest polypeptide subunit of the RNA polymerase II. I have purified and identified two such CTD-binding proteins as the essential splicing factor PSF and the putative splicing factor p54$\rm\sp{nrb}.$ Since splicing of messenger RNA is intimately coupled to the process of transcriptional elongation in vivo, this observation suggests that the CTD may be directly involved in the processing of nascent RNA transcripts in addition to its role in regulating transcription by Pol II.
Politeness in modern Vietnamese, a sociolinguistic study of a Hanoi speech community

The purpose is to provide a description of native politeness conceptions of Hanoi speakers, and of politeness manifestations in their directives. The thesis seeks to gain insights into some issues of contention in the existing theories of politeness, namely, politeness functions, its realizations in languages, and the roles of socio-situational parameters in polite behaviour. The thesis adopts a synthetic framework, based on a critical acceptance of the two contrasting theories of politeness--the instrumental theory (Lakoff 1973, Brown & Levinson 1978, Leech 1983), and the normative theory (Matsumoto 1988, Gu 1990). The analysis draws on folk, interview, questionnaire, and natural conversation data. The analytical procedures of Speech Act Theory and Conversation Analysis, as well as statistical techniques are employed. The findings of the thesis highlight that Hanoi speakers consider politeness to be not only an individual communicative strategy, but also an observance of social norms of behaviour. These two functions manifest themselves differently in the two aspects of respectful and strategic politeness. The main politeness devices employed in directives are address terms, indirectness, and other pragmatically supportive moves. However, indirectness is not found to be the most important politeness device. It functions as a strategic politeness device rather than a respectful politeness one; and its use depends primarily on the degrees of imposition of utterances. Address terms, on the other hand, function primarily as a respectful politeness device rather than a strategic politeness one, and their use depends primarily on the speaker-hearer social relationships. The thesis suggests that respectful politeness operates with two main rules, namely respect rule and solidarity rule. Strategic politeness, on the other hand, operates with two main maxims, namely, the tact maxim for competitive directives, and the generosity maxim for convivial directives. These two aspects of politeness and their rules/maxims also have different correlations to the social and the personal sides of the face. Finally, the thesis argues that the social variations of politeness are not only the functions of the speakers' social identities and the parameters of the context, but also, and primarily, the consequences of the competition between contrasting behaviour models in native ideologies.
Love imagery in Benoit de Sainte-Maure's Roman de troie, John Gower's Confessio Amantis, and Geoffrey Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde

This thesis examines the imagery of love as it is depicted in three medieval versions of the story of Troy. The result is an attempt to determine to what extent Benoi t, Gower, and Chaucer use love motifs and language to distinguish between the gendered experiences of the passion and to what extent love, as it is expressed by the various characters of both sexes, is considered to be the motivational force behind the events at Troy. A distinctive feature of Benoi t's Roman de Troie is the attention it gives to the love stories that comprise it, not only the story of Paris and Helen, but also the stories of Jason and Medea, of Troilus, Briseida, and Diomedes, and of Achilles and Polyxena. A close analysis of the poem reveals a variety of recurring images and vocabulary relating to the experience and expression of erotic love. Benoi t clearly views the women in these stories not just as objects of the passions of their male lovers, but as subject to passions of their own. In his Confessio Amantis, John Gower restructures the story of Troy around other tales of love and kingship which exemplify the same sin. By presenting the history of Troy out of sequence, by eliminating some of the traditional imagery and language, and by developing his own unique set of images and vocabulary, he effectively disassociates the love Episodes from the war narrative. The love stories of Jason and Medea and of Paris and Helen become exempla of the sin of avarice, connected not so much by parallel in plot, but by similarities in the love experience of the main characters. Unlike the other two versions of the story of Troy, Geoffrey Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde focuses on a single, self-contained fragment of the story. In contrast to the language and imagery associated with the male characters of the poem, the patterns of vocabulary and images affiliated with Criseyde reveal her to be a figure motivated more by a concern for honour and the passion of fear, than by love.
Holism at work, exploring the experiences of individuals creating a new holistic story of work

Work in Western society is rooted in a mechanistic worldview characterized by values such as an imbalanced emphasis on unlimited economic growth and materialism, technological control over nature, and the accumulation of power over others. The literature states than many of our global problems exist because of our overreliance on this worldview. Furthermore, if we are to resolve our global problems we must redefine the role of work, so that it is more humane, spiritual, and ecological. In recent years, a new worldview has emerged within our society which is rooted in holism and is characterized by the values of wholeness and unity, interdependence and interconnectedness, inner resources, authenticity and trust, diversity and balance. The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of individuals attempting to redefine the way they work based on their holistic worldviews. The study uses a qualitative methodology employing in-depth interviews with four participants, and 16 coworkers and colleagues. The study found that each participant shares a holsense quality or an ability to sense the whole. The results suggest that the participants' conceptions of holism are highly unique, ever changing and based on the themes of wholeness, spirituality, and the environment. The study has also found that there are many experiences that influence the acquisition of a holistic worldview. The participants' holistic worldview is also evident in many aspects of their work. Personally, they cultivate their spiritual dimension through reflective practices. They also work to build strong relationships with others. They see meaningful work as a critical part of working holistically. Their organizations share many of the same qualities, including seeing people as whole people, caring, celebrations, the balance of life, openness, and freedom and involvement. Finally they take an approach to leadership based on integrity, trust, collective vision, global awareness and courage. This study has made an important contribution by increasing our understanding of how holism is emerging at work. The implications of this study suggest that more research must be conducted in this area. Furthermore, more support must be provided to holistic leaders as they attempt to redefine work in our society.
An examination of alienating trends in religious education

Sociology of religion, as defined by Peter Berger, suggests that alienation is an ongoing, one-sided dialectic where individuals internalize but fail to externalize religious life. Religious alienation occurs when individuals perceive the historical development of religious life as being 'divinely-given' and fail to see the human constructedness of institutions, rituals and dogma. This thesis demonstrates that alienating trends have developed and have been legitimated across religious traditions by the selective use of metaphors and symbols. Criticisms, concerning alienating trends in religious life, have been articulated in the modern period and are found in the writings of Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, and Habermas, yet for the most part are not incorporated into many modern presentations of religious life, especially into religious education. Attempts to understand religious judgement development and faith development through social scientific approaches are reviewed and these approaches suggest that individuals experience religious life differently throughout the life cycle and that some individuals express religious judgement and religious faith in less alienating ways than others. In order, to address alienating trends and begin to articulate a non-alienating approach to religious life, the thesis follows the research of Wilfred Cantwell Smith and his understanding of the development of the history of religion. Smith argues that religious life is an ongoing human expression of faith through a tradition in a community. The thesis concludes by suggesting that education about religious life needs to include but broaden the approach to religious life suggested by Smith, and also include spirituality and any 'considered way of life'. As well, the thesis argues that the teaching of religious life needs to develop an holistic approach to curriculum, and as well incorporate insights from learning theory that demonstrate that individuals perceive and process information in different ways.
Children in the spotlight, emotional correlates of cooperative performance in early adolescence

It is generally recognized that emotions play a part in the adjustment of children to school. Less is known, however, about the relationship between emotions and cooperative performance, a crucial issue with today's greater emphasis on cooperative learning in the classroom. Participants for this comparative study were recruited from schools for the performing arts, a regular school's music programme, and a precision skating team, thereby sampling a range of commitment and expertise. During the week of stage production, adolescents (52 boys, 140 girls, ages 11-15) kept structured emotion diaries (Oatley & Duncan, 1994) which they filled out both before and after a final rehearsal, as well as before and after the actual performance. Proportions of positive versus negative emotions were significantly different as a function of performance condition, $Q = 50.87,\ df = 3,\ p < .0001.$ Negative emotions in rehearsal were due to fatigue, boredom, fear of appearing foolish in front of peers, frustration with technical mishaps, or anger with authority figures for unreasonable directives or unfair criticism. Positive emotions after rehearsal or performance were, of course, contingent upon successful outcome. Prior to performance, adolescents were susceptible to anticipatory anxiety--highest for the most expert performers. For the performance process as a whole, however, happiness was by far the most frequently experienced emotion. This phenomenon is in accordance with Csikszentmihalyi & Larson's (1984) finding that arts and sports were the most intrinsically rewarding activities for teenagers. Performance groups differed significantly, not in pre-performance anticipation, but in post-event evaluation, $\chi\sp2 (4,\ N = 178) = 52.85$ and 70.88, respectively, $ps < .0001.$ These results support Oatley's (1992) emphasis on cognitive evaluation in emotion and Gordon's (1990) distinction between factive and epistemic emotions. Performers were not overwhelmed by their emotions. On the contrary, they demonstrated a rational focus on issues central to their performance task. This finding is consistent with a goal-based theoretical position (Oatley & Johnson-Laird, 1996). Diaries reflected a pattern of progression from rehearsal to final production: Emotions appeared to be playing a functional role in the process of preparation, evaluation, and management of cooperative performance.
Intuitive reasoning and the enhanced novelty filter

Functional enhancement makes it possible to introduce nonlinearity into a single-layer connectionist network. In this thesis I derive a fundamentally new class of learning model by integrating functional enhancement with a variant of Teuvo Kohonen's seminal novelty filter learning algorithm. It is argued that the properties which define the resulting enhanced novelty filter learning model (i.e. habituation, feedback, interaction), in-and-of-themselves, prove sufficient to serve as the foundation for a plausible model of cognition. A number of tests of this contention are offered, the examples forming a continuum--schemata arising from the interplay of habituation, feedback, and interaction ground concepts which, through recursion, spawn rational inference.
The relationship between self-knowledge accessibility and the predictive utility of personality scale responses

The main goal of the present thesis is to examine the relationship between the accessibility of self-knowledge in a personality domain as indexed by response latency to items contained in the relevant personality scale and the predictive utility of such responses. Assuming that self-knowledge is represented in an associative network and that the accessibility of the relevant self-knowledge increases as a function of its use, it is hypothesized that those who are schematic in the domain (i.e., fast responders) show more category-consistent behavior than those who are aschematic in the domain (i.e., slow responders). The first two studies are a correlational exploration of the relationship between response latency to items tapping the relevant self-knowledge in the self-monitoring and in the need for cognition domain, and the predictive utility of these responses. Study Three constitutes an experimental induction of self-knowledge accessibility in the self-monitoring domain and explores its effect on response latency to items contained in the Self-Monitoring Scale and their predictive utility. In all three studies, the relevant outcome measures are those on which individuals who fall at opposite ends of each of these two scales were found to differ in the past. Individuals who quickly answered questions about their self-monitoring tendencies (i.e., schematic low and high self-monitors) showed trends of behavior more consistent with the tenets of the self-monitoring construct than individuals who answered the questions more slowly (i.e., aschematic low and high self-monitors). Individuals who answered the Need for Cognition Scale questions quickly (i.e., schematic low and high need for cognition individuals) showed trends of behavior more consistent with the tenets of the need for cognition construct than individuals who answered the questions more slowly (i.e., aschematic low and high need for cognition individuals). Experimentally induced self-monitoring self-knowledge accessibility led to faster responses to the Self-Monitoring Scale items, but its effect on their predictive utility remained equivocal. The findings suggest that response latency to personality scale items may be a useful additional tool to fine-tune personality assessment and to obtain insight into the cognitive dynamics underlying the self-inference process and the relationship between personality and behavior.