VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Thai-ed up, un-Thai-ed, toward a genealogy of Thai-western relations

This thesis is an exploration of Thai-western relations using Foucault's genealogical method. The complex interactions of Thailand and the west are examined through readings of texts in the domains of history, ethnography, and feminism, paying particular attention to how western writers have conceptualized Thailand and Thai life and how Thai academics have responded to those constructions. The historical inquiry focuses on two moments in Thai history, the first in the 1680s when embassies flew between Europe and Thailand, then Siam, and the second in the 1860s when Anna Leonowens spent some years in the kingdom and laid the foundations for the views of Siam which were to metamorphose into the fabulous musical fantasy "The King and I". The ethnographic examination looks at English-language literature on Thailand, organized around themes of emotion and affect on one hand and structure and hierarchy on the other. The feminist investigation evaluates whether or not women are subordinated in Thailand, paying special attention to the topic of prostitution; the chapter concludes with a discussion of transgender individuals and how they function in the Thai sex/gender system. These academic and published discourses are contrasted to the personal and immediate understandings of nine couples who the author interviewed while living in Thailand, one member of which was a Thai, one a white westerner. It is suggested that sociocultural analysis take account of powerful discursive constructions like orientalism yet allow individuals agency. In this study this is accomplished in two major ways: in the historical, ethnographic, and feminist analyses by juxtaposing western voices wherever possible to Thai ones; and in the work as a whole by contrasting academic and generalizing discourses to the particular, momentary, and practical experiences conveyed in the interview material.
Transcriptional regulation of the human UDP-GlcNAc:Ã-6-D-mannoside ß-1,2-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase II gene (MGAT2) which encodes an enzyme that controls complex N-glycan synthesis

UDP-GlcNAc:Ã-6-D-mannoside ß-1,2-'N'-acetylglucosaminyl-transferase II (GnT II) is essential for the normal assembly of complex Asn-linked glycans. Three GnT II transcripts, with 2.0 kb being the major signal, have been identified in five different human cell lines by Northern analysis and 3' RACE. 5' RACE results indicated multiple putative transcription initiation sites, separated over 50 bp. No untranslated upstream exon was found. It is highly likely that the utilization of distinct cleavage/polyadenylation sites leads to the production of the multiple messages. Transient transfection experiments revealed that the main promoter activity of GnT II gene was localized within the 83 bp region between -636 and -553 upstream of the ATG translation start codon. This GC-rich region contains consensus sequences suggestive of multiple binding sites for Sp1 and other transcription factors.
Tokamak edge plasma modeling using an improved onion-skin method

Boundary (edge) plasma phenomena play a crucial role in the development of controlled thermonuclear fusion via magnetic confinement. In this work, the edge plasma are modeled by a coupled set of plasma/neutral transport equations; the neutral transport equations are solved by Monte-Carlo techniques (NIMBUS code), while the plasma transport equations are solved using an improved onion-skin method (OSM) based on the numerical techniques of computational fluid dynamics. The OSM approach, as defined in this thesis, consists of replacing the anomalous cross-field flux terms by (often simplified, always adjustable) cross-field source terms, and taking advantage of available diagnostic data (typically radial profiles of ã and Te from target Langmuir probes), of varying these cross-field sources in order to minimize the error between the solution and the diagnostic data. The OSM approach was shown capable of capturing the transition from attached to detached conditions in a tokamak divertor plasma, an important and timely aspect of present fusion research. The other applications presented in the thesis include a study of the sensitivity of modeling assumptions, a code-code comparison between the OSM and a standard 2D approach (represented by the EDGE2D code), and a code-experiment comparison with reciprocating probe data for Ohmic, L-mode and H-mode shots on the JET tokamak
Religion, science, and the transformations of magic, manuscripts of magic, 1300-1600

This project treats magical manuscripts of English origin or provenance 1300-1600. The central theme of this project is the manner in which authors, collectors, and scribes of magic established their practices as legitimate or "true." The first section deals with astrological image magic manuscripts 1300-1500. It demonstrates that this group of texts was understood as an extension of natural philosophy and transmitted with works of naturalia. In part due to concern about the legitimacy of the practices, scribes modified texts or selected them for copying according to scholastic scientific standards, epitomised by the 'Speculum astronomide'. The second section deals with manuscripts of ritual magic from the fourteenth and fifteenth century. Ritual magic scribes had little if any interest in the literature of natural philosophy or naturalia. In comparison to scholastic image magic, ritual magic was more often open-ended, having no pre-defined results. Further, its procedures employed and encompassed the magical operator himself. Finally, unlike texts of image magic, ritual magic texts were transmitted in a much more fluid process and were frequently rewritten or entirely reinvented. These changes resulted from conscious adaptations to varying religious sensibilities or the use of "visionary technologies." A diverse, fluid, and adaptable tradition resulted, in which there was little systematic coherence. In turn, this lack of coherence further encouraged the use of non-textual sources (e.g., visions) to establish what was true; in particular, truth was commonly understood to be accessible only through divine aid or illumination. The third section demonstrates that there is a higher level of continuity between medieval and sixteenth-century magic than has been previously recognised. But the continuity should not be traced to scholastic image magic, which practically vanishes from the collections of practising occultists. Rather, medieval ritual magic deserves our attention as it forms the overwhelming bulk of the magical texts in sixteenth-century collections. In addition, the magical practices of Marsilio Ficino and Cornelius Agrippa subsume the operator and depend upon his condition, they employ non-textual means of establishing the truth, and their goals were fundamentally religious. In all these senses practicing sixteenth-century occultists may be seen as extensions of the medieval ritual magic tradition.
Phenotypic fingerprinting as a management tool for wastewater treatment systems

Carbon substrate oxidation profiles (phenotypic fingerprints) were used to identify changes in the microbial community from the wastewater treatment system of a pulp and paper mill over a one year period. Principal component analysis was selected to identify shifts in the functional structure of the microbial community. Seasonal variations in the environment was found to be the primary factor reflected by shifts in the microbial community, although it was verified that microbial community dynamics are closely linked to overall system performance. It was also determined that unexpected shifts in the microbial community are possible indicators of system upsets. The technique was also found to be effective in confirming the diversity of microbial profiles from various effluent treatment systems of other pulp and paper mills around the world. Phenotypic fingerprinting is a simple and rapid method for characterizing whole microbial communities and shows great potential as an on-site management tool.
The perfect happiness of virtuous friends, the nature and place of perfect friendship in the happy life of the virtuous in Aristotle's practical philosophy

One part of Aristotle's overall philosophy is his study of ethics and politics which together form what Aristotle calls a 'philosophy of human concerns'. This practical philosophy has as its subject the human good of happiness, which, for the virtuous man, is a life of virtuous activity. In Book X of his 'Nicomachean Ethics' Aristotle appears to divide this life in two with the life of contemplation described as 'final' or 'perfect' happiness and a life of virtuous action as 'secondary'. In the first chapter of this thesis I argue that in doing this Aristotle is understanding the human good of the virtuous man as a focal homonym. That is, the term 'good' and indeed ultimately the term 'happiness' signify two different kinds of lives united in a focal connection of one to the other as the one is desired ultimately for the sake of the other. The happiness of the virtuous man's life of virtuous activity is a life of virtuous action in focal connection to the life of contemplation as the former is a good and final end desired ultimately for the latter as the supreme good and most final end. In the second chapter I argue that the virtuous man for whom this life is happy is a man who is wise, practically intelligent, and ethically virtuous, someone, in other words, who actualizes the complete human function with all its intellectual and appetitive faculties and virtues in his activity. But if the happiness of the virtuous man consists in this life of virtuous activity as a life of virtuous action in focal connection to a life of contemplation, that happiness is enhanced when shared with others like himself in friendship. A friendship of the virtuous Aristotle calls a 'perfect' friendship. In the third chapter of the thesis I argue that in a perfect friendship, the friends are better able to live the happiness of a life of virtuous activity than if they were to live alone. By their mutual sharing of goods in justice out of love for each other's virtuous character, the friends are not only able to live a life of virtuous action better than if they were alone but by their mutual sharing of knowledge in conversation they are able to engage in the contemplative life more continuously and therefore better than if they were to engage in contemplative activity alone. As the friends are better able to practice virtue and engage in contemplation together than if they were to do these things alone, their happiness is better, or more complete, than the happiness of the virtuous man alone. Finally in chapter four I argue that from what we can gather from Aristotle's treatment of civic friendship in the Ethics and the 'Politics', and from the sketch Aristotle gives us of what he considers the best polis in Book VIII of the 'Politics', civic friendship in this best polis is a perfect friendship of its citizens.
Driven apart, the construction of women as worker-citizens and mother-citizens in Canadian employment and child care policies, 1940-1988

This thesis examines how Canadian women have campaigned for federal employment equity and child care policies in order to enjoy equal employment opportunities with men. It demonstrates how women articulated these double-edged demands through the Royal Commission on the Status of Women (RCSW) and the Royal Commission on Equality in Employment (RCEE). It shows that while both royal commissions called on the federal government to take up women's double-edged demands, the policy response has been uneven. Federal policies to eradicate sex discrimination at work and promote employment equity have been developed. By contrast, a publicly-funded system of child care has never been included within the federal welfare state. Drawing on forty interviews and analysis of a range of primary documents the thesis argues that the federal response to women's demands was narrowed by the meta-discourse of worker-citizenship that underpinned the Canadian welfare state. This prioritised the equal, non-discriminatory treatment of worker-citizens and defined employment inequality as a problem located in the public sphere. Although the federal government promoted the equal treatment of worker-citizens once they entered the labour market, it was less willing to address the inequalities of access many women experience as a result of assuming paid employment while caring for dependent children. Federal policy responses to women's double-edged demands were driven further apart by the costs of each policy, government structures, jurisdictional tensions over child care and the pattern of women's mobilisation on employment equity and child care during the 1980s. This Canadian case study illuminates (i) current feminist debates about whether women's roles as worker-citizens and mother-citizens can be reconciled in public policy; (ii) the multi-dimensional nature of potential policy issues. It argues that royal commissions have been critical sites for women to voice concerns about the complex nature of gender inequality in employment, and challenge prevailing assumptions that the problem can be resolved through the equal treatment of men and women in the public sphere.
Cultura marginal y raíces populares en la obra narrativa de Haroldo Conti

Haroldo Conti's complete narrative works show a profound concern with the marginal people and the popular culture of his country and Latin America. In this thesis, I propose an integral journey through the totality of his novels and short stories, analyzing the texts within the political and cultural context in which they were produced. Throughout his narrative works Conti embraced the fate of his marginal compatriots and their relationship with their social and natural environment. He rescued the popular classes' wisdom, knowledge and traits of life, challenging the value of the dichotomy between civilization and barbarism, maintained in Argertina by the official canon since the mid-nineteenth century. In order to demonstrate this, I have divided my thesis into four chapters which are more related to the chronological order of the publications than to any discernible variation in the works, themes, motifs and characters. In the first chapter I locate Conti's and his contemporary fellow writers' works within the Argentinean literary tradition in particular, and the Latin American perspective in general. In the second chapter I cover the first stage of Conti's work, which was produced between 1960 and 1964. It consists of the long short story entitled "La causa" (1960), the collection ' Todos los veranos' (1964), and the first novel, ' Sudeste' (1962). In the third chapter, I undertake the study of the second stage of Conti's production. This period extends from 1966 to 1972, during which time the author published the novels 'Alredeclor de la jaula' (1966) and 'En vida' (1971), and the short story collection 'Con otra gente' (1967). During this time, the individual compositions "Con gringo" and "La espera" (both from 1972) are also brought to light. In the fourth chapter, I deal with his final stage which corresponds to the single year of 1975; I analyze the last novel, ' Mascaró, el cazador americano' and his closing short story collection, 'La balada del álamo carolina'. Finally, in the conclusion, I summarize Conti's contribution to the Argentinean and Latin American literary world, and I discuss the meanings and projections of his work.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and sleep problems

'Objective'. This thesis tests two opposing explanations for sleep difficulties in children with ADHD: (1) sleep problems are intrinsic to ADHD; and (2) sleep problems are extrinsic to ADHD. 'Method'. Three research studies were conducted as part of this thesis. The first study was a box-score analysis of previous research that evaluated for consistency in findings across studies and highlighted methodological issues. The second study tested the specificity of sleep problems to ADHD utilizing sleep questionnaires completed by parents of four groups of children (n = 172): unmedicated ADHD, medicated ADHD, clinical, and normal comparison groups. The third study examined six sleep parameters in 50 children (25 ADHD, 25 normal comparison) to verify sleep problems in children with ADHD through the use of multiple measures (i.e., questionnaires, sleep diaries, and actigraphy). 'Results'. The main finding from each study is outlined below. Firstly, it was found that across previous research, there is little consistent evidence for sleep problems in children with ADHD. Secondly, sleep problems were not found to be specific to ADHD, but were also found in a clinical comparison group. Moreover, specific sleep problems were related to stimulant medication use and comorbidity (e.g., oppositional defiant disorder and anxiety disorders). Thirdly, although sleep problems were reported by parents on a retrospective questionnaire, the majority of these sleep problems were not verified through sleep diaries or actigraphy. The only consistent finding across measures were that children with ADHD had longer sleep duration and more bedtime resistance (i.e., challenging behaviours). 'Conclusions'. The majority of the results across the three studies provide support for the notion that many of the commonly reported sleep problems in children with ADHD may be extrinsic in nature. More specifically, challenging behaviours during bedtime routines may account for these sleep problems. Clinically, it would seem that behavioural interventions should be the first line of treatment for sleep problems in children with ADHD.
Beliefs concerning school and learning, a multicultural perspective

The present thesis examined the beliefs concerning educational issues, which Japanese immigrant parents, their counterparts in Japan and Canada, and Canadian teachers hold. The thesis consists of two inquiries: Studies 1 and 2. In Study 1, a grounded theory of the beliefs that 6 Canadian teachers and 11 Japanese immigrant parents hold was explored qualitatively. The results indicated that the participants' whole belief system can be conceptualized hierarchically in terms of three layers: the general belief system concerning school and learning (General Belief Layer); opinions regarding learning difficulties (Problem Layer); and opinions concerning actions to take in order to solve the difficulties (Solution Layer). The parents' and teachers' opinions varied considerably with regard to issues in the General Belief Layer, manifested commonality in the Problem Layer and converged in the Solution Layer. The major source of the mismatch at the General Belief Layer was the parental belief that the Japanese and Canadian educational systems were distinctively different and an ideal school system was a combination of the two. In order to examine to what extent migration experience is contributing to such perception and preference, a questionnaire was constructed based on the themes emerging from Study 1. It was administered to Japanese immigrants ('n' = 88) and their counterparts in Japan ('n' = 56) and Canada ('n' = 38). The MANOVA and ANOVA results indicated that: (1) the immigrant parental perception regarding the school systems was significantly different from that of their counterparts in the home and host countries; and (2) the immigrant parents prefer the same type of school no matter in which country they would raise their children. Moreover, planned comparisons revealed that after having lived in Canada for three years, the immigrant parental school preferences gradually came to resemble those of Canadian parents. These results are interpreted within an acculturation framework. Theoretical as well as practical implications are also drawn.
A neutron diffraction study of intergranular strains and plastic deformation

Neutron diffraction has been used for non-destructive residual strain measurements at-depth for the past twenty years. Traditionally, it is mainly used to determine macroscopic residual strains in samples, although it is sensitive to both macroscopic and microscopic strains. We have performed a series of experiments to study the generation of microscopic or intergranular strains in polycrystalline materials with different properties of their elastic and plastic deformation using neutron diffraction. The evolution of intergranular strains, parallel and transverse to the stress axis, have been made on uniaxial tensile samples of four different materials: Al7050, a high strength ferritic steel 350WT, Zircaloy-2 and 309 stainless steel. The angular variation of the strain states of the tensile samples have been measured to fully characterise the intergranular strain distribution. The experiments also provide the information on which reflection ('hkl') is least affected by intergranular effects in different materials which is important in the selection of (' hkl') used for the macroscopic residual strain measurements. Intergranular strains of opposite signs are observed for (111) and (002) reflections in the fcc alloy Al7050 because of the anisotropy of plastic deformation. In the case of the bcc ferritic steel, intergranular strains were found to be actively developed at small plastic deformation (<4.5%) and stay unchanged in subsequent loadings. Tensile strains of an average 7 * 10 -4 were observed for the (002) reflections transverse to the stress axis whereas intergranular effects are comparatively insignificant for other reflections. The hcp Zircaloy-2 is a thermally and mechanically anisotropic alloy. After 5% deformation, an in-plane biaxial stress state was found, with tensor components, <math> <f> <g>s</g><inf>11</inf></f> </math> = 230 ± 20MPa and <math> <f> <g>s</g><inf>33</inf></f> </math> = -241 ± 21MPa. 309 stainless steel is a fcc alloy with anisotropic elastic and plastic properties. Only (002) planes along the tensile axis display a tensile strain of 8 * 10-4 at plastic deformation of 7.2%. The intergranular strains for other reflections are within ±2 * 10-4. The experimental results indicate the magnitudes of the intergranular strains are large and easily measured, even though the materials are macroscopically stress free. The experimental results are compared directly with simulations based on the elasto-plastic self-consistent model of Turner and Tomé. The model is in good agreements with the experiments for the ferritic steel and Zircaloy-2. In the comparison for the Al7050 experiments, qualitative agreement is found but there is a tendency of the model to overestimate the magnitudes of the intergranular strains. The model simulation for 309SS is not successful, possibly due to the inadequacy of the description of the hardening mechanisms.
Children's concept of understanding, its role in comprehension monitoring

Research in the area of comprehension monitoring shows that children often fall to monitor their own comprehension. This study hypothesizes that what these poor monitors may lack is a concept of understanding. A concept of understanding is argued to involve aspects of information and information transfer. Thus subjects were tested on their ability to judge information adequacy, assess information perspective, ascribe understanding and describe the purpose of discourse, Children ages 3 to 7 years were tested for comprehension monitoring ability as well as for a concept of understanding. Most tests showed a substantial increase in performance on measures of a concept of understanding and of comprehension monitoring at around age five. The two types of tasks were highly related in that high monitors were consistently superior in measures of understanding understanding. The results show that comprehension monitoring can be explained by the acquisition of a concept of understanding.