VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Through writing for publication, a biracial, bicultural, bilingual adolescent explores identity and normalcy: Sarah in her own words

This research attempts to fill gaps in the literature concerned with language and identity of interracial, intercultural, bilingual individuals. First, the literature is dominated by black-white racial mixing in the U.S. context. Other racial mixes in other contexts receive scant attention. Second, perhaps because the literature is dominated by U.S.-based research, little attention is paid to language in the context of being interracial. Third, research has made little use of these individuals' own voices. Therefore, I invited mixed race individuals who grew up in Japan and Canada to contribute to a collection of writing about their experiences as interracial, intercultural, bilingual individuals growing up and going to school in Japan or Canada. This research attempts to apply activity theory in the analysis of the data of one writer, Sarah, to examine the relationship of the individual to the social structures or institutions that make up her worlds. As I understand and use activity theory, it provides a temporary and permeable boundary for the phenomena I wish to examine. Activity theory presents a way of identifying and tracing the interaction of individuals with social constructions, particularly through the flow of artifacts, in this case the drafts of Sarah's writing. Activity theory also has limitations. I hope to be able to identify the strengths and limitations by the end of this analysis. This research also attempts to break ground in research methodology by gathering the data through a writing-for-publication process. I engaged in a collaboration with twenty-three students as writers with the goal of producing publishable prose. The young people participated simultaneously as writers and research participants. I worked simultaneously as an editor and a researcher. Through the process of writing and editing individuals constructed the self they wish others to see and recognize. This thesis presents one of those writers, her writing and editing. The thesis is my attempt to show the complexity, dynamism, and ongoingness of that process of self construction rather than a reductive, static, consideration of the variables affecting language and identity development.

Keywords: Self-perception in adolescence
Biculturalism
Teenagers' writings
Bilingualism
Racially mixed people
Ethnicity
Identity (Psychology) in youth
A GPU-inspired soft processor for high-throughput acceleration

In this thesis a soft processor programming model and architecture is proposed that is inspired by graphics processing units (GPUs) and well-matched to the strengths of FPGAs, namely highly-parallel and pipelinable computation. The proposed soft processor architecture exploits multithreading, vector operations, and predication to supply a floating-point pipeline of up to 60 stages via hardware support for up to 256 concurrent thread contexts. The key new contributions of this architecture are mechanisms for managing threads and register files that maximize data-level and instruction-level parallelism while overcoming the challenges of port limitations of FPGA block memories, as well as memory and pipeline latency. Through simulation of a system that is (i) programmable via NVIDIA's high-level Cg language, (ii) supports AMD's r5xx GPU ISA, and (iii) is realizable on an XtremeData XD1000 FPGA-based accelerator system, it is demonstrated that the proposed soft processor can achieve 100% utilization of the deeply-pipelined floating-point datapath.
Analysis of case management as a service delivery model in Ontario's Home Care sector

This study examined how case management is operationalized in Ontario Community Care Access Centres (CCACs). It also explored the specific goals of case management that are defined by CCACs and perceived as important to case managers. Case manager perceptions about goal achievement as well as the factors that help/hinder goal attainment were also elicited. The overall purpose was to contribute to the literature by reflecting the Canadian context. The study represents a first-time effort to systematically consolidate case management data reflecting the provincial experience. A multi-site, multi-phase, multi-method approach was used to achieve the research objectives. The study was conceptually anchored in the body of knowledge aggregated from case management literature. Literature data also guided the design of the survey tool used to capture informant perceptions about case management goals, goal achievement and associated help/hinder factors. The program logic model was used as an overall organizing structure to guide the preliminary analysis of the major elements, processes and goals of case management programs. A multi-level hierarchical typology was developed to classify case management approaches. Consistent with the literature, findings reveal that diverse case management models are in use across the province. Eight different exemplars emerged from the data. In addition, four context-specific and three emerging case management approaches were identified. The hierarchical typology constructed for use in this study clearly demonstrates that multi-level approaches to case management are being applied to suit varying geographic contexts, client conditions and/or environmental circumstances. For this reason, it is concluded that a pluralistic and pragmatic approach to case management is operant in CCACs. Despite the diversity of case management approaches throughout Ontario, data indicate that there is general consensus about the goals of case management. Survey findings show disparate views of front-line case managers regarding their ability to achieve the goals of case management. CCAC informants provide valuable insights about the factors that help/hinder goal achievement throughout Ontario. Their perceptions contribute important data reflecting the Canadian experience that will add to the case management literature while providing focus for a future research agenda.
The state got under my skin: "Giving flesh" to state theory, employing Black feminist epistemologies

This thesis focuses on the activism of Black women that has confronted the Welfare state and in doing so posed important theoretical and epistemic challenges to state theory. This project seeks to articulate the ways in which Black women's activism and its attendant theory (Black feminist thought) and epistemological framework force theories of the state to engage more substantively the analytic categories of race and gender. The political auto/biographies of Black women activists will serve as the narratives/theories1 that this thesis employs to re-conceptualize Marxian, Foucauldian, Weberian and other well established theories of the state. By assuming the vantage point of Black women activists, we will reveal how dominant theories and epistemologies of the state which rely on abstraction limit the range of theorizing permitted in the development of state theories. Our examination of Black women's narratives/theories of the state, introduce an alternative conceptualization of state processes and formations. 1James, J. (1993). Teaching Theory, Talking Community in Spirit, Space and Survival: African American Women in (White) Academe. Ed(s) James, J. and Farmer, R. New York: Routledge.

Keywords: Feminist theory
Women, Black, Attitudes
Political activists
Welfare recipients, Abuse of
Welfare recipients, Attitudes
The role of neural stem cells in stroke recovery

The adult injured brain has been suggested to be capable of self-repair following stroke; however, the source of new neurons detected at the injury site and their role in functional recovery remain elusive. We hypothesized that subependymal (SE) precursors are the source of new cells that contribute to stroke recovery. To test this hypothesis we used proliferation markers to exclusively label SE cells prior to inducing stroke in the motor cortex. The labelled SE cells were tracked over the course of recovery to examine their contribution to newly formed tissue. SE cells were observed proliferating and migrating in response to exogenous growth factor infusion to contribute to new neurons and astrocytes within the ischemic infarct wherein new tissue directly linked to functional recovery developed. We conclude that endogenous SE precursors can be harnessed as an in vivo therapeutic strategy to promote regeneration of damaged tissue and thereby restore lost function.
The taxing issue of energy trusts

The federal government announced the Tax Fairness Plan (the "Plan") on October 31, 2006. Under the Plan, income trusts are taxed in much the same manner as corporations, thereby losing the flow-through tax advantages previously associated with this structure. In this thesis I argue that energy trusts should be able to retain these tax advantages associated with the income trust form. In Part II, I describe these tax advantages, with a focus on foreign investors and tax exempt entities. In Part III, I explain the operation of the Plan and describe the way in which it interferes with these tax advantages. In Part IV, I explain tax expenditures and canvass the arguments for and against retaining these tax advantages for energy trusts. In Part V, I conclude that it is good public policy to exempt energy trusts from the Plan and retain the tax advantages of the income trust structure.
Folate production in the large intestine of human infants and piglets

The purpose of this study was to measure the folate in the feces of human infants and piglets. The folate content of fecal solids of infants was 93.2 ± 92.8 nmol/d, representing 50% of their estimated intake. Fecal folate was largely present as short-chain folate (66 ± 21.3%). The predominant form of folate was 5-methylTHF, 52.5 ± 30.1% of which was monoglutamated, important for folate transport across the large intestine. In the piglet, the folate content of feces was 301.3 ± 145.7 nmol/d, representing 36% of their intake. Again, piglet fecal folate was largely present as short-chain folate (68.1 ± 12.6%) with the predominant species being 5-methylTHF, 29.3 ± 33.2% of which was monoglutamated. Collectively, the data suggest that the quantity and form of folate in the large intestine of human infants and piglets is sufficiently large to potentially impact the folate status of the host.
Identification of an ATP-binding cassette cystine import system of Streptococcus mutans and its transcriptional regulation

The polar amino acid ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter, CysBPA, was shown to mediate L-cystine uptake in Streptococcus mutans. Transcriptional analysis enabled identification of a tricistronic operon and the transcriptional start site for cysBPA. Phenotypic characterization of the DeltacysBPA mutant showed a 28% decrease in biofilm biomass and formation of sparse, fragile biofilms when compared to wild-type biofilm grown in a semi-defined minimal medium. While assessing cystine transport, the DeltacysBPA mutant was less efficient at L-cystine uptake and its ability to grow was severely impaired under L-cystine starvation conditions. A substrate competition assay showed that L-cystine uptake by CysBPA was strongly inhibited by DL-cystathionine and L-djenkolic acid and moderately inhibited by S-methyl- L-cysteine and L-cysteine. Through gene expression analysis, the cystine transporter was shown to be up-regulated under cystine starvation and in biofilm-grown cells under acidic conditions. In summary, the CysBPA transporter is involved in cystine transport, growth, and biofilm formation.
Self-centering steel moment-resisting frames with energy dissipating systems

A new connection for steel welded moment-resisting frames (WMRFs) that incorporates posttensioning elements to provide a self-centering capacity along with friction mechanisms to dissipate energy was proposed and experimentally validated. A bolt-prestressed friction mechanism with a frictional interface consisting of stainless steel and new Non-Asbestos Organic (NAO) pads dissipates seismic input energy as the system undergoes lateral deformations. Cyclic friction material test results showed that the frictional behavior is stable, repeatable, and predictable. Proposed self-centering friction damped (SCFR) moment connections incorporating the NAO pads to stainless steel friction interfaces were tested to study their structural behavior under cyclic loading. They are capable of undergoing large deformations with good energy dissipation characteristics, but without residual story drifts. Even at the ultimate stage, i.e. beyond the self-centering limit, the proposed connections can be detailed to exhibit a ductile response with the formation of flexural hinges in the beam sections. Three levels of numerical models were developed to capture the behavior of SCFR connections. (i) A sectional analysis to obtain the monotonic behavior of SCFR connections, (ii) discrete spring models to capture the cyclic response of SCFR frames, and (iii) more advanced finite element models to capture the cyclic behavior within the self-centering limit as well as at ultimate deformation state, properly predicted well the structural behavior of the SCFR connections. The response of posttensioned self-centering viscously damped (SCVD) steel frames subjected to cyclic lateral loading was analytically introduced. The velocity-dependent structural behavior of SCVD frames was presented. Design procedures were developed using the dynamic characteristics of SCFR and SCVD frames and the seismic response of 6-story SCFR and SCVD frames was compared to that of corresponding special steel WMRF. Throughout comparative seismic responses, both the SCFR and SCVD frames eliminated residual deformations after ground shaking and higher seismic performance compared with the WMRF.
Synthesis and self-assembly of structurally well-defined polyferrocenylsilanes and their block copolymers

Block copolymers of poly ferrocenylsilanes (PFSs) and polypeptide were synthesized by the ring-opening polymerization of strained [1]-silaferrocenophanes and alpha-amino acid-N-carboxyanhydrides (alpha-NCA). PFS-b-poly(gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate) (PFS- b-PBLG) block copolymers showed thermotropic liquid crystalline phases. The benzyl ester groups of poly(gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate) were deprotected under standard hydrogenation conditions, and the resulting amphiphilic block copolymer, PFS-b-poly(L-glutamic acid), formed micelles in water. Dendronized polyferrocenylsilanes were synthesized by a substitution reaction of reactive poly(chloromethylferrocenylsilane) with monodendrons with a focal hydroxy group. AFM studies of the fractionated high molecular weight PFS samples revealed a spherical cocoon structure for the single chains of the dendronized polymer as well as elongated single chain structures. Thermoreversible gelation of PFS-b-PBLG in toluene was observed. Organogels of PFS-b-PBLG were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Based on the experimental results, a new mechanism for the self-assembly was proposed to explain the gelation of these PBLG block copolymers. This mechanism is likely to be general for numerous block copolymers based on helical polypeptides. Diblock copolymers, poly isoprene-b-polyferrocenylsilane (PI-b-PFS), were synthesized by living anionic polymerization. The PI block formed in cyclohexane showed a high content of 1,4-cis -microstructure rather than 1,2- or 3,4-microstructure. The micellization behavior of these block copolymers in hexane and decane (selective solvents for the PI block) was studied by TEM, and comparisons were made between polymers with high and low 1,4-cis-microstructure contents. New macromolecular self-assembling building blocks, dendron-helical polypeptide copolymers and dendritic-helical copolypeptides, have been synthesized. These materials possess a well-defined 3-D shape and self-assemble in solution to form nanoribbons via a mechanism proposed in this thesis. The well-defined 3-D structures of these macromolecular building blocks also affect their self-assembly behavior such as a lyotropic liquid crystal formation in organic solvents and micellization in water. Redox-active ferrocene groups were incorporated in conjugated polymer backbones. The resulting polymers with bissilylferrocenyl moieties showed photoluminescence triggered by the oxidation of ferrocene groups in the main chain. The intensity of the luminescence increased with increasing extent of oxidation of ferrocene groups in the polymer backbone. The polymer containing ferrocenyl groups in the backbone showed photovoltaic properties upon illumination.
Deterministic control of the quantum properties of single indium arsenide artificial atoms with indium phosphide nanoscale architectures

This thesis presents optical spectra of single InAs quantum dots on InP with an unprecedented signal-to-noise ratio and spectral resolution that has facilitated comprehensive characterization and made a significant contribution to their understanding. InAs quantum dots on InP are the leading contenders for a variety of quantum electrooptic devices that require wavelengths in the 1.5 mum range, most notably triggered single/entangled photon sources for quantum key distribution. As of yet, spectroscopic data for InAs on InP has only provided proof of emission, but no high quality data has been available, preventing any conclusive understanding of their properties. The work presented in this thesis dramatically improves upon previous reports by key optimizations at each experimental stage: growth, processing, and optical setup. The spectra clearly resolve, for the first time, the structure within the s-shell and p-shell, with fine resolution, allowing quantitative evaluation of exciton complexes such as trions, biexcitons, and triplet states. By measuring numerous dots, the behavioral trends of these species with respect to dot geometry is deduced. Also, for the first time, magnetic-field dependent spectra are obtained for individual InAs/InP dots. A remarkable discovery was the strong relation of the exciton g-factor to dot height. This thesis also demonstrates deterministic nanometer-scale control of the quantum dot dimensions---with the goal being to exploit the structure/quantum property relation in these dots. This was accomplished by using the apex of an in-situ grown nanoscale InP pyramid as a nucleation site. The dimension of this top (001) surface on which the dot nucleates is responsive to manometer-scale changes in the pyramid base dimensions, which can be precisely controlled with lithography. The InAs grown on top of these mesas then conform to the size, where the available area can be purposely relaxed or constrained. For similar height, the resulting dots have diameters larger or smaller as compared to dots formed on planar substrates, ultimately allowing control of the aspect ratio. Control of lateral dot dimensions is corroborated by SEM images and also by magneto-optical spectra, thereby demonstrating deterministic control of the quantum properties.
Helical collagen fibrils produced in vitro: An atomic force microscopy study

As the most ubiquitous protein in animals, collagen is a key protein of study in a number of fields including materials engineering, biotechnology, and regenerative medicine. A cornerstone of these studies is the self-assembly pathway of fibrils in vivo and in vitro. Although non-helical fibrils have dominated past work, helical fibrils have recently garnered more attention, though only in vivo. Here, it is demonstrated that helical fibrils can be reconstituted in vitro with high initial monomer concentrations above 0.75mg/mL, from acid-solubilized type I collagen extracted from calfskin. Simultaneous and warm starts were used in 0.025M phosphate buffer, at temperatures spanning 24--37°C, with final pH values of sim;7.2. Characterization for the first time by atomic force microscopy reveals a right-handed helical structure, and that they are indistinguishable from in vivo helical fibrils. The self-assembly pathway is discussed based on the final morphologies revealed.
The influence of CYP2A6 and CYP2B6 genotypes on smoking behaviour in adolescents

The CYP2A6 and CYP2B6 genes are involved in nicotine metabolism in humans. The role of CYP2A6 and CYP2B6 genotypes in smoking behaviour has not been examined in adolescents. We investigated the effect of CYP2A6 genotypes on the risk of becoming nicotine dependent, the effect of a CYP2B6 variant (C1459T) on cigarette cravings and the effects of both on the amount smoked. We found that adolescents with one or more of CYP2A6*2 or *4 were at increased risk of becoming nicotine dependent and while not significant, there was a trend towards smoking less compared to those homozygous for CYP2A6*1. The C1459T variant tended to increase cigarette cravings in males and decrease cigarette cravings in females, although neither observation reached significance. The C1459T variant did not significantly increase smoking among all subjects and within each gender. These data indicate that CYP2A6 and CYP2B6 genotypes may influence different aspects of adolescent smoking.
Platelet interactions with calcium phosphate coated implant surfaces

When implants are inserted into bone, the wound site is initially occupied by a blood clot which forms immediately around the implant. The surface is then modified by ion and protein exchange mechanisms as well as blood-borne cell activities. Only at a much later time do connective tissue cells, such as osteogenic cells, migrate to the surface through the remnants of the clot. Thus, the cellular and humoral components of blood, such as platelets and fibrinogen, interact with the implant well before osteogenic cells invade the wound site. Since early healing is of crucial importance in achieving successful endosseous integration, it is imperative to investigate the mechanisms behind the observed bone healing responses. Thus, the purpose of this study is to look at the effects of calcium phosphate on platelet activation because platelets are involved in several mechanistic pathways that influence wound healing.