VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Justice and friendship in Xenophon's Memorabilia

Part of the purpose of this dissertation is to show that Xenophon's predominantly modern critics are mistaken in dismissing the Memorabilia as a work worthy of serious consideration. These critics maintain that Xenophon's formal defense of Socrates in the opening two chapters of the work is so inadequate that it undermines the credibility and significance of his subsequent recollection of Socrates' conversations with the companions. Contrary to the claims of these critics, our examination of Xenophon's defense shows that it is designed to clarify Socrates' complex role as a critical but responsible citizen-philosopher. To further substantiate this reading of the defense, we examine a selection of the Socratic conversations reported in the Memorabilia. These conversations show how Socrates accomplished, within the framework of his awareness of the fundamental and unresolved questions of political life, different objectives at the same time: namely, to help his companions improve themselves, to point out practical ways of moderating the democracy, and to advance his private, philosophical interests. By revealing the scope and limits of Socrates' practical wisdom, these conversations point to the various aspects of the problem of perfecting the city and its citizens. In all, they suggest that the Memorabilia is intended to convey in a systematic and comprehensive manner those experiences of Socrates' civic life that led Xenophon to reflect on the fundamental problems of politics.
The role of the prefrontal cortex in episodic memory, pet studies in normal subjects

This thesis documents the findings of a series of positron emission tomography (PET) experiments undertaken to eluicidate the neural correlates of episodic memory--in particular, to understand the functional contributions of the prefrontal cortex to episodic memory. Healthy young adults were scanned using ($\sp{15}$O) -H$\sb2$O-PET imaging as they carried out encoding and retrieval tasks. The data were analyzed using the cognitive subtraction paradigm and Statistical Parametric Mapping technique of image analysis. The results clearly document a differential involvement of the left and right prefrontal cortex in encoding and retrieval respectively. The thesis further suggests that the left prefrontal activation is invoked by the task requirement of "working with meaning" of the stimulus. The results are supportive of a role for the left prefrontal cortex in facilitating the formation of a retrievable engram, regardless of the subject's intention. The right prefrontal cortex is invoked equally in recall and recognition tasks when these tasks are equated for difficulty. The role of the right prefrontal cortex in retrieval as revealed by PET, is consistent with the concept of "retrieval attempt" and is distinguishable for the concept of "ecphory" which may be a medial temporal or posterior association cortex based process. The results are discussed in concert with neuropsychological findings and it is concluded that the prefrontal cortex facilitates memory encoding and retrieval processes--though it may not be the site where the engram resides. The discrepancy with established neuropsychological findings is discussed and directions for future research are outlined.
Signaling in mesangial cells grown in three-dimensional culture

Mesangial cells grown as monolayers exhibit a "proliferative" phenotype which differs from the non-proliferative state of these cells in vivo. Mesangial cells embedded in matrix exhibit a phenotype more characteristic of cells in vivo. The purpose of this study was to characterize the cell signaling associated with mesangial cell-extracellular interactions, in both physiological and disease models, utilizing the gel contraction assay. Mesangial cells embedded in collagen and exposed to fetal bovine serum (FBS), fibronectin, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and platelet derived growth factor $\beta$ (PDGF-BB) cause contraction of collagen gels. Although each of these substances initiates contraction of the collagen gel via different mechanisms, they all induce phosphorylation of a similar set of tyrosine kinases. When PDGF-BB induces gel contraction, autophosphorylation of the PDGF-$\beta$ receptor is minimal, but a similar tyrosine phosphorylation cascade to that caused by FBS is initiated. In contrast, mesangial cells grown in 2-dimensional culture and exposed to the same concentration of PDGF result in a different tyrosine phosphorylation pattern demonstrating that the response of mesangial cells to PDGF-BB is altered by the phenotype of the cell. Low concentrations of $\rm H\sb2O\sb2,$ endogenous mesangial cell production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in response to aminotriazole or puromycin, and ROS produced by neutrophils induce a biphasic response on mesangial cell-collagen gel contraction. The gel contraction is associated with a tyrosine kinase phosphorylation pattern similar to that observed following FBS-induced collagen gel contraction. By contrast, mesangial cells exposed to the same concentrations of $\rm H\sb2O\sb2$ in 2-dimensional cultures, demonstrate significant differences in tyrosine phosphorylation, once again demonstrating that the response of cells to stimuli is altered by the phenotype of the cell. Glomerular epithelial cell injury is thought to be the primary reason for the development of proteinuria in puromycin aminonucleoside nephrosis (PAN) and mesangial cells are considered resistant to the effects of puromycin. When mesangial cells are exposed to similar concentrations of puromycin that cause PAN in vivo, FBS-induced collagen gel contraction is inhibited in a dose dependent manner. Antioxidants counteract the effect of puromycin on gel contraction. These results imply that mesangial cells may play a previously unrecognized role in PAN. Taken together these studies suggest that growth factors and ROS alter mesangial cell-extracellular matrix interactions and the cellular responses of mesangial cells to these growth factors and ROS is determined, at least in part, by the phenotype of the mesangial cell.
Towards a theory and practice of access to civil justice for the poor in Zimbabwe, law and dispute resolution in a pluralistic society

This thesis examines the problem of lack of access to justice for poor people in Zimbabwe. The focus is on civil justice. This thesis departs from the predominant approach in the North American (and other Western) scholarship on access to justice which tends to focus on legal services and dispute resolution mechanisms. An approach suitable to the Zimbabwean context, particularly by taking into account the existence of an officially pluralistic legal system, and the social context in which legal pluralism operates, is adopted. Justice for the poor in Zimbabwe is conceptualized as more than access to legal services and dispute resolution mechanisms. Although these are important, and issues of the quality of both are pertinent to the Zimbabwean context, issues about the adequacy of substantive laws are equally important. Therefore justice is conceptualized as both substantive and procedural justice. The interaction between substantive and procedural justice is also examined. The implications of pluralism for access to justice are specifically addressed in this thesis. The examination of pluralism includes an analysis of customary family laws from an historical perspective. Family laws and family relationships, including extended family and kinship ties, formed the basis of indigenous social organization. The area of family laws is most illustrative of the problems of pluralism in the legal system and general cultural pluralism. In particular, it illustrates the problem of divergent legal concepts. This divergence is more acute in the area of gender relations within family laws. The subordinate position of women in customary family laws presents one of the problematic features of customary laws. It also renders pluralism's acceptance of divergence of legal norms problematic. This thesis proposes some possible means of resolving these problems. Finally, this thesis also addresses the more conventional barriers to access to justice for poor people in Zimbabwe (including poverty itself) such as lack of access to information, linguistic problems, procedural barriers within the court system, social distance between judicial officers and poor people and geographical barriers to access to courts. Possible solutions to these problems are provided.
The effect of guided journal writing on community college students of technology

This thesis examines the effects of journal writing on students in community college classes, not only to assess and remediate their writing skills, but more important, to determine what their writing reveals about their lives, their outlook on their careers, their personal sense of freedom, and their choices and options as young adults. By looking critically at the writing over time, the author gains an awareness of how guided journal writing can contribute to their development as writers, both personally and academically. The research involved a response questionnaire for each student, reading and analyzing their journals, sharing journal entries in class and conferring with each student over time. For the analysis, the students' journals were examined in terms of the variety of material covered, personal expression and interest, and sophistication in dealing with topics. However, the students cannot be compared on the basis of the same assignments, for while some of the journal entries came about as a result of a prompting, there was also writing that was spontaneous. The study attempted to identify other important skills that the students may have gained, including improvement in writing style, increase in knowledge of subject matter, and growth in appropriate language usage. By noting this information obtained from each student, as well as by recording observations from the class and from interviews, the author has attempted to holistically assess the level of performance of each of the students. The position taken by this author is that journal writing is an important process, verified by the wide application of this genre in the classroom setting. However, the position that is presented in this thesis is that in classrooms, journal writing should be introduced, but should not be made a burdensome part of the course. Students should be helped to enjoy writing in their journals, encouraging them even further to continue to engage in the act of writing. Furthermore, students should be encouraged to express their feelings and record their reactions freely. While teacher response is essential, this should be done in a constructive manner, through suggestion and not prescription. Students should be given autonomy over their work, and should at all times retain ownership. Any suggestions or comments that are made should not change the basic structure of what the students has achieved. Journal writing should be incorporated into as many classroom settings as possible, in interesting and creative ways.
An experimental and numerical investigation of two-phase slug flow in a vertical tube

The multi-dimensional liquid velocity field and interfacial configuration of Taylor bubbles rising in stagnant kerosene in a vertical 25.6 mm I.D. pipe was investigated experimentally with a non-intrusive flow visualization technique based on photochromic dye activation, and numerically using a computer program for incompressible flows with free surfaces. The experimental results show that a change in flow direction of the liquid occurred at the nose of the Taylor bubble. From the nose, the liquid film accelerated downwards as the velocity profile became characteristic of developing falling film flow. At the tail, the liquid film penetrated into the wake creating vortices of different sizes. The film penetration distance in the wake region was not proportional to the film velocity, and therefore the bubble length. Within 1 to 1.5 tube diameters (26-38 mm) below the tail of the Taylor bubble, the vortices rapidly decayed and the liquid near the wall returned to essentially a stagnant state. However, small vortices in the bulk fluid remained visible up to 100 mm behind the Taylor bubble. An analysis of the flow revealed the liquid film surrounding the neatly cylindrical portion of the Taylor bubble to be approximately one-dimensional, whereas near the nose and in the wake it was highly two-dimensional. Furthermore, the velocity in the wake region was determined to be qualitatively similar for different runs. A simple predictive procedure for estimating the radially averaged streamwise film velocity and Taylor bubble shape concluded that the boundary-layer development at the pipe wall only influenced the falling film velocity. The numerical simulation of the Taylor bubble flow was conducted using the volume-of-fluid approach. However, the range of physical property values that yielded stable numerical results for the inertia-controlled rise of the bubble was severely limited, due to significant stability problems. The Taylor bubble shape was well predicted and velocity profiles in the liquid surrounding the Taylor bubble were computed with partial success for the first time in comparison with measured results. The flow in the wake was only qualitatively similar to the experimental data.
Violence and major mental illness

The purpose of the current investigation was to examine the relationship between major mental illness and violent behaviour. In order to investigate this association, two studies were conducted. The first investigated the criminal histories of psychiatric patients, and the second investigated index charges. Both studies were conducted following a review of 709 files from Metropolitan Toronto Forensic Service (METFORS). Information extracted from the chart review included, current diagnosis (Axis I--Paranoid and Non-Paranoid Schizophrenia, Affective, Delusional, Substance Abuse, and Schizoaffective Disorders; Axis II--Antisocial, Mixed, Paranoid and Borderline Personality Disorders), number of violent, non-violent and indeterminate offenses (past and present), age, age at initial diagnosis, age at first conviction, and gender. The research data were analysed employing multivariate, univariate and post hoc comparisons. Results indicated that: (1) Individuals with Paranoid Schizophrenia and those with Substance Abuse had incurred more convictions for violent offenses than individuals with Delusional or Affective Disorders. (2) Persons diagnosed with Paranoid and Non-Paranoid Schizophrenia did not differ with respect to the number of previous convictions or index charges. (3) Individuals with co-occurring Substance Abuse Disorder and Antisocial Personality Disorder were found to have significantly more violent convictions than individuals diagnosed with a singular Axis I mental disorder. Further, it was found that persons suffering from an Axis I disorder with a co-occurring Substance Abuse or Antisocial Personality Disorder had committed more nonviolent crimes than persons with a singular Axis I or II disorder. Results were discussed in terms of idiosyncratic aspects of different forensic populations, and the need to obtain local norms before relying on available reports with forensic groups. Methodological limitations and suggestions for future research are noted.
Class E power amplifiers for wireless communications

In this thesis, the use of Class E power amplifiers for digital wireless communication applications is presented for the first time. A linear transmitter design using Class E amplifier is proposed for the North American Digital Cellular Standard. In this architecture, a phase correcting feedback loop is used to cancel the AM-PM distortion in Class E power amplifier. Several low voltage Class E power amplifiers, and the phase correcting feedback loop are designed and implemented in a commercially available 0.8 $\mu$m GaAs MESFET process. A fully integrated Class E power module operating at 835 MHz is presented. The power module consists of a Class F driver stage and a Class E power amplifier, and delivers 250 mW to the standard 50 $\Omega$ load with a power added efficiency of 51%. The design and implementation of a hybrid Class E power module operating at 835 MHz is also discussed. In this design, the output matching network is implemented on an alumina substrate, and has a lower power dissipation than its GaAs counterpart. The power module delivers 443 mW to the 50 $\Omega$ load with a power added efficiency of 67%. A 1.8 GHz fully integrated Class E power module is also presented. In this case, the power module delivers 200 mW of power to the 50 $\Omega$ load with a power added efficiency of 57%. The design and implementation of the phase correcting feedback loop, which consists of a limiting amplifier, a phase detector and two phase shifters, are discussed. The phase correcting feedback loop is used to linearize the 835 MHz Class E hybrid power module. With a loop gain of 20, the maximum phase distortion in the power module was reduced from 30$\sp\circ$ to 4$\sp\circ$ and the total power added efficiency was 65%.
Implementing mathematics reform: A case study

Mathematics reform, as expressed by the vision articulated in the NCTM Standards, is currently shaping the restructuring of mathematics education throughout North America. Fueling this transformation is the increased use of computers and technology in the teaching of mathematics. Recently a large metropolitan board of education in Ontario designed a specific two week unit incorporating a computer spread sheet and mathematical modelling. This prescribed unit was intended to broaden the curriculum for the grade 12 mathematics students within existing guidelines and at the same time implement the vision of mathematics reform as expressed in the NCTM Standards. Preparing teachers to teach this unit and its actual implementation are viewed by the Board to assist in the ongoing process of teacher development. This inquiry involves a case study into the design and implementation of this unit as a means of investigating: how do experienced secondary mathematics teachers implement mathematics reform and in what ways might those teachers be supported in changing their practices and improving mathematics teaching and learning in their classrooms? Results from this study indicated a variety of perceptions are held by experienced teachers on mathematics reform and on the relationship of this unit to the implementation of reform. Constraints to the implementation of reform were identified and found to be similar to those reported in other studies. The lack of time, for various reasons, was determined to be the most common obstacle to the implementation of reform. Time in conjunction with an over crowded curriculum was found to result in teachers being unable to enact the curriculum in a manner that emphasized both content and process. This was also seen to act as an impediment to the professional development of teachers as reflective practitioners. Technology, while viewed by many as having the potential to facilitate reform, was perceived to be an additional burden to the curriculum. It would seem that, before progressive steps in mathematics reform can be accelerated, it is imperative to clarify the fundamental mathematical skills that students require with and without technology.
The combination of sensibility and understanding in Kant's Critique of pure reason

Since intuitions and concepts, the two elements that constitute knowledge, derive from two completely distinct sources, sensibility and understanding respectively, intuitions and concepts are themselves completely heterogeneous. This gives rise to the problem with which Kant concerns himself in the Schematism of the first Critique. Kant asks: How, given the heterogeneity between categories and appearances, is the application of the former to the latter possible? The solution he provides is the schema, which functions as a mediating representation in this application. The source of the schema, however, is imagination. Thus, I argue, in order to understand how the schema functions as mediator between intuitions and concepts, we must understand how imagination functions as mediator between sensibility and understanding. Imagination is able to mediate between sensibility and understanding since its activity manifests features in common with both. With sensibility, it shares the feature of receptivity; with understanding, it shares the feature of spontaneity. In the application of categories to appearances, imagination brings the unity of the categories to the mere synthesis of the manifold of intuition. Unity is achieved in the manifold of intuition only through the mediating activity of imagination, which brings the manifold of intuition into connection with the rules of the understanding. This process is referred to as combination. It is in the act of combination that imagination manifests both its receptive and spontaneous functions. For combination does not consist of a single act but rather a continuous series of acts--those toward the beginning of the series being more closely associated with receptivity, and those toward the end being more closely associated with spontaneity--as demonstrated in the production of the various transcendental schemata. Understood as a continuous series of acts, the combination that imagination carries out results in the continuity of the receptive and spontaneous functions of the faculties of sensibility and understanding. I conclude that it is this continuity of the faculties, achieved through the workings of the imagination in its activity of combination, that renders quite plausible Kant's solution to the problem of the Schematism.
The usefulness of art in education in and out of the classroom

This thesis examines the role of art from many perspectives, proposing an argument for its value as an educational tool. I begin by presenting John Dewey's concept of "experience" which is at the heart of his philosophy. His ideas of anti-racist, interactive, co-operative learning by doing and reflection anticipate Elliot Eisner's programs of DBAE (Discipline-Based Art Education), school as a place for opportunities, qualitative insights into education that mirror techniques used in art. Howard Gardner's concept of Multiple Intelligences, with an emphasis on practical, "intelligence-fair" assessment as developed and evaluated in his Key School, Spectrum, and ARTSpropel program, continue Dewey's theories into present day. From the theorists, I move to the world outside the classroom to point out the many uses art has had as criticism and self-expression over the years: from Goya to Judy Chicago to the contemporary artists, Conwill, DePace and Majozo. The need for authentic voices representative of society has prompted schools to realise that multicultural education, although problematic to implement in the curriculum, is a reality that must be faced. I present art as an applicable entry into that area, whether educators employ an "issues" or "themes" approach. I continue with discussion of school programs that have successfully used art as core, criticising one approach that again relegates art to the position of being a handmaiden to other subjects. My own drawings, created in storybook format, and piqued by courses taught at OISE, explore frames, DBAE, imagination and hope for the future, are included. Through my discussions of many places and people in this thesis, I arrive at a definition of art and reinforce the validity of an arts approach to curricula through specific reference to quantitative studies. As well, I direct the reader to traditional, metacognitive, and hidden curricular proof that supports the qualitative benefits. I conclude as I began with my own journey, one laden with metaphors, poets and personal experience that has informed my work as an action researcher.