cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Convenience and comfort: reasons reported for using drugs alone among clients of harm reduction sites in British Columbia, Canada
Creators: name: Papamihali, Kristi
name: Yoon, Minha
name: Graham, Brittany
name: Karamouzian, Mohammad
name: Slaunwhite, Amanda
name: Tsang, Vivian
name: Young, Sara
name: Buxton, Jane A.
Publisher: name: BioMed Central
Year: 2020

description: Background: North American communities are severely impacted by the overdose crisis, particularly in British Columbia (BC), which has the highest toxic drug overdose death rate in Canada. Most fatal overdoses in BC occurred among individuals using alone and in private residences. This study aimed to assess prevalence and reasons for using drugs alone among people accessing harm reduction services in BC. Methods: We recruited harm reduction supply distribution site clients from 22 communities across BC. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression were used to describe factors associated with using alone. Thematic analysis of free-text responses providing reasons for using alone were grouped with survey data and additional themes identified. Results: Overall, 75.8% (n = 314) of the study sample (N = 414) reported using drugs alone within the last week. Those that reported using alone did not differ from those that did not by gender, age, urbanicity, or preferred drug use method. Among those that used alone, 73.2% (n = 230) used opioids, 76.8% (n = 241) used crystal meth, 41.4% (n = 130) used crack/cocaine, and 44.6% (n = 140) used alcohol in the past week. Polysubstance use involving stimulants, opioids, and/or benzodiazepines was reported by 68.5% (n = 215) of those that used alone. Additionally, 22.9% (n = 72) of those that used alone had experienced an opioid and/or stimulant overdose in the past 6 months. In a multivariable logistic regression model, having no regular housing and past week crack/cocaine use were associated with using alone (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 2.27; 95% CI 1.20–4.27 and AOR: 2.10; 95% CI 1.15–3.82, respectively). The most common reason reported for using alone was convenience and comfort of using alone (44.3%). Additional reasons included: stigma/hiding drug use (14.0%); having no one around (11.7%); safety (9.6%); and not wanting to share drugs with others (8.6%). Conclusions: Using drugs alone, particularly for convenience and comfort, is ubiquitous among people accessing harm reduction services. Overdose prevention measures that go beyond individual behaviour changes, including providing a safer supply of drugs and eliminating stigma, are paramount to mitigate harms. These interventions are especially necessary as emergence of coronavirus disease may further exacerbate unpredictability of illicit drug content and overdose risk.
Extrinsic and Intrinsic Signalling Pathways That Regulate Stem Cell Developmental Potential
Creators: name: Price, Feodor DuPasquier
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2012
Subjects: Embryonic Stem Cells
Primitive Endoderm
Age
Satellite Cell
Wnt
Metastability

description: Instructive signals, whether external or internal, play critical roles in regulating the developmental potency or ability to self-renew of stem cells. External signals may range from secreted growth factors to extracellular matrix proteins found in the stem cell niche. Internal signals include activated signalling cascades and the eventual transcriptional mechanisms they initiate. In either fashion, stem cells are regulated in a complex temporal and context specific manner in order to maintain or maximise their unique characteristics. Previous experiments suggest that Wnt3a plays a role in maintaining the pluripotent state of mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells. However, in the absence of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), Wnt signalling is unable to maintain ES cells in the undifferentiated state. This implies that maintaining the pluripotent state of mES cells is not the primary function of canonical Wnt signalling. To further characterize the role of Wnt3a in pluripotency and lineage specification undifferentiated and differentiated mES cells were induced with Wnt3a. Wnt3a induced the formation of a metastable primitive endoderm state and upon subsequent differentiation, the induction of large quantities of visceral endoderm. Furthermore, we determined that the ability of Wnt3a to induce a metastable primitive endoderm state was mediated by the T-box transcription factor Tbx3. Our data demonstrates a novel role for Wnt3a in promoting the interconversion of undifferentiated mES cells into a pluripotent primitive endoderm state. Aging of skeletal muscle tissue is accompanied by fibrosis, atrophy and remodeling all of which negatively affect muscle performance. Whether this reduction in skeletal muscle competency is directly attributed to a resident adult stem cell population called satellite cells remains largely unknown. Here, we undertook an investigation into how age affects the transcriptional profile of satellite cells and their repopulating ability following transplantation. We determined that as satellite cells age, both their regenerative capacity and ability to colonize the satellite cell niche is reduced. Additionally, we identified satellite cell specific transcriptional profiles that differed with respect to age. Therefore, we conclude that intrinsic factors are an important determinant of satellite cell regenerative capacity during the aging process.
La percezione dell’amicizia, un’evoluzione con la crescita del bambino
Creators: name: Turkewitsch, Valentina
Publisher: name: Scuola Universitaria della Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI)
Year: 2012

description: Vivendo in una società multietnica come la nostra, i rapporti relazionali di amicizia possono venire influenzati da diversità culturali e da pregiudizi. All’interno di scuole, istituti e piccoli asili è sempre più facile incontrare bambini provenienti da tutto il mondo che, nonostante le proprie differenze di stili di vita, devono imparare a convivere l’uno con l’altro, ad instaurare legami accettandosi e rispettandosi. Lo scopo di questa ricerca è quello di evidenziare il cambiamento di percezione dell’amicizia interrazziale dalla prima alla quinta elementare. I dati raccolti attraverso questionari accompagnati da immagini, vengono confrontati e analizzati tenendo conto dei due cicli presenti nel campione di riferimento. Dalla ricerca emerge che, sia in prima che in quinta, vi è una percezione del legame di amicizia più positiva fra le razze uguali piuttosto che in quelle differenti, ma nella maggior parte dei casi, sono i bambini di prima elementare a mostrare una percezione migliore rispetto ai più grandi. Quindi le percezioni, con il passare del tempo e la crescita dell’individuo, peggiorano. In altre parole il bambino più grande sembra avere maggiore scetticismo verso le razze differenti e si può quindi affermare che egli mostra maggiori segni di razzismo. Relatore: Davide Antognazza
Supplementary document for Reconfigurable plasmonic nanoslits and tuneable Pancharatnam-Berry geometric phase based on electromechanical nano-kirigami - 5427141.pdf
Creators: name: Liu, Xing
name: Han, Yu
name: Ji, Chang-Yin
name: Chen, Shanshan
name: Liu, Juan
name: feng, shuai
name: Li, Jiafang
Publisher: name: Optica Publishing Group
Year: 2025
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: Supplemental Document
Edificio abitativo per tutte le età, Lugano
Creators: name: Lia, Gregorio
Publisher: name: Scuola Universitaria della Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI)
Year: 2016
Subjects: ballatoio
logge
calcestruzzo
intonaco

description: Il progetto vuole ricucire quello che è il comparto esistente, costituito da elementi architettonici di pregio e collocato in un punto strategico all'interno della città di Lugano. Il progetto vuole avere una forte sensibilità dal punto di vista territoriale: guarda e si riferisce agli edifici circostanti, si adatta a quella che è la morfologia del terreno, cerca di limitare per quanto possibile gli interventi sulle preesistenze e tiene conto dell'esposizione e dell'insolazione. L'edificio si articola in tre volumi. Questi si adattano al terreno sia in planimetria (posizione e dimensione) sia in sezione. Il primo blocco è diverso per dimensione perché è posto laddove si concentra la maggior parte del dislivello; gli altri due blocchi, dove la pendenza del terreno è più lieve, si presentano più allungati. La divisione in volumi permette all'abitante di sentire maggiormente la dimensione abitativa in quanto l'edificio è frazionato in più parti. La tipologia dell'edificio è a ballatoio. I locali di servizio si affacciano sul ballatoio mentre quelli più pregiati sono diretti verso una zona più privata. Al piano terra di ciascun blocco sono presenti attività pubbliche di vario tipo. Un piccolo bar di quartiere e una sala polifunzionale si affacciano sulla piazzetta di quartiere mentre all'interno degli altri blocchi sono presenti dei co-working da dedicare a coloro che vivono all'interno del quartiere che volessero lavorare da casa oppure coltivare i propri hobby avendo un piccolo spazio vicino casa affittato a canone agevolato. Ai piani superiori sono presenti gli appartamenti di vario taglio e misura, la tipologia prevalente è il 2.5 locali, una tipologia che all'interno del quartiere che si vuole costituire è al momento carente. Altri tagli di appartamenti che si possono avere sono i trilocali e i quadrilocali.
The impact of the introduction of the graphics calculator on system wide 'high stakes' end of secondary school mathematics examinations
Creators: name: Brown, Roger G.
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024

description: There has been widespread interest in the potential impact of the graphics calculator on system wide 'high stakes' end of secondary school mathematics examinations. This thesis has focused on one aspect, the way in which examiners have gone about writing examination questions in a graphics calculator assumed environment. Two aspects of this issue have been investigated. The first concerns the types of questions that can be asked in a graphics calculator assumed environment and their frequency of use. The second addresses the level of skills assessed and whether with the introduction of the graphics calculator has been associated with an increase in difficulty as has been frequently suggested. A descriptive case study methodology was used with three examination boards, the Danish Ministry of Education, Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority and the International Baccalaureate Organization. Four distinct categories of questions were identified which differed according to the potential for the graphics calculator to contribute to the solution of the question and the freedom the student was then given to make use of this potential. While all examination boards made use of the full range of questions, the tendency was to under use questions in which required the use of the calculator for their solution. In respect to the level of skills assessed, it was found that both prior to and after the introduction of the graphics calculator, all three examination boards used question types that primarily tested the use of lower level mathematical skills. With exceptions, where graphics calculator active questions have been used, the tendency has been to continue to ask routine mechanistic questions. In this regard, there is no evidence of the introduction of the graphics calculator being associated with either lowering or raising of the level of the mathematical skills assessed. For all cases studied, the graphics calculator was introduced with minimal change to the curriculum and examination policies. The role of the graphics calculator in the enacted curriculum was left implicit. The resulting examinations were consistent with the stated policies. However, the inexperience of some examiners and a general policy of containment or minimal change enabled examiners to minimise the impact of the introduction of the graphics calculators on assessment.
Novel Molecular Mechanisms in the Pathophysiology of Human Atrial Fibrillation
Creators: name: Alzoughool, Foad
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2015
Subjects: Atrial Fibrillation
Ric-3
Nicotinic receptor
CHRNB4

description: Background The autonomic nervous system (ANS) plays an important role in creating a vulnerability to atrial fibrillation in otherwise healthy and young individuals. This is commonly referred to as vagal atrial fibrillation. The ANS regulates the parasympathetic (vagal) tone of the heart via fast synaptic transmission of neural inputs into the cardiac neural ganglia, which surround the heart. The molecular mediators of fast synaptic transmission of neurons comprising these ganglia are nictotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), especially α3β4 and α3α5β4 subtypes, which bind acetylcholine and lead to rapid transmission of cholinergic signalling onto atrial myocardial tissue. This vagal signalling leads to altered electrical properties of the atria, specifically slowing of heart and shortening of tissue refractoriness, which in turn set up a vulnerable substrate for initiation of AF. In this research, we hypothesized that rare genetic variants in the molecular mediators of parasympathetic transmission to the heart may be present in some patients with AF, and imbue a hypersensitivity of vagal tone on the heart contributing to an increased vulnerability to arrhythmia. In a large cohort of other healthy patients with lone AF, we identified and functionally characterized rare genetic variants of both the neuronal nicotinic receptor B4 subunit gene (CHRNB4) and the neuronal nicotinic receptor chaperone gene, Ric-3. Methods and Results We comprehensively sequenced the CHRNB4 and Ric-3 genes in 315 patients with lone AF and identified 4 rare mutations in each gene, absent from 600 elderly (age > 70 years) controls with no reported history of arrhythmia. Mutant or wild-type CHRNB4 were co-expressed in heterologous HEK tsa-201 cells with the alpha-3 nicotinic receptor subunit (CHRNA3) cell and the functional response to acetylcholine and nicotine agonists was measured. For Ric-3, mutant or wild-type Ric-3 were co-expressed in HEK293 cells stably expressing α3α5β4 nAChRs. Mutations in CHRNB4 showed significant differences in biophysical function, including alterations in receptor current density and sensitivity in response to neuroligand. A unifying observation among 4 mutant receptors was a significant increase in macroscopic current as compared to wild-type channels following repetitive application of agonist, indicating loss of receptor desensitization. All 4 rare mutations in the Ric-3 gene led to significant enhancement of both nAChR current and surface expression. Conclusion These observations are consistent with a gain-of-function in nAChR behavior secondary to the identified rare mutations in the CHRNB4 and Ric-3 genes, which suggest that genetic influences on autonomic tone may contribute to AF vulnerability.
Le donne nell’Alto Medioevo: sperimentazioni didattiche per un approccio di storia mista
Creators: name: Fornara, Lisa
Publisher: name: Scuola Universitaria della Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI)
Year: 2014

description: Il presente lavoro mira ad indagare le possibilità didattiche per realizzare un insegnamento di storia mista, ossia una storia che comprenda sia aspetti legati alla condizione femminile sia a quella maschile, in un’epoca scarsamente documentata come quella altomedievale. L’obiettivo di tale lavoro è anche quello di creare materiali e riflessioni per favorire un insegnamento maggiormente equo soprattutto per le allieve, offrendo a esse dei modelli d’identificazione femminile. La sperimentazione didattica è stata svolta in due classi di prima liceo e concerne quattro unità di apprendimento, tutte affrontate in ottica mista e con l’ausilio quasi esclusivo di fonti coeve agli avvenimenti e relative alle donne. L’indagine, oltre ad un’analisi di fattibilità, riflette anche sulle modalità didattiche con cui è più appropriato affrontare e inserire la storia delle donne nella programmazione ufficiale, cercando pure di intessere una relazione con le ultime istanze della storiografia. La sperimentazione didattica, supportata da una ricerca-azione, si è avvalsa anche della valutazione dei discenti coinvolti, i quali ne hanno confermato l’esito positivo. Relatore: Pasquale Genasci. Materia: storia.
Économie plurielle dans la Bolivie du « proceso de cambio » : premiers jalons d’une économie agraire sociale et solidaire?
Creators: name: Mascolo-Fortin, Éva
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2013
Subjects: Bolivie
économie plurielle
économie sociale et solidaire
réforme agraire
mode de développement

description: Dans le contexte du processus de «décolonisation» et de redistribution annoncé par le Movimiento al Socialismo en Bolivie, la thèse étudie la stratégie d’une économie plurielle (étatique, privée, sociale et communautaire) afin d’analyser son potentiel dans l’implantation d’une économie sociale et solidaire (ESS) en milieu rural. La thèse avance que l’ESS doit dépasser une vision techniciste du développement et intégrer une modification des structures de propriété, la participation des organisations sociales et un investissement en faveur des secteurs social et communautaire. La thèse étudie la réforme agraire initiée en 2006 et les politiques d’appui aux organisations économiques paysannes (OECA), et identifie pour la période 2006-2012 des avancées en termes de reconnaissance de la pluralité, mais aussi des limites: non-rétroactivité de la réforme et portée limitée des restitutions; gouvernance ayant tendance à neutraliser les mouvements sociaux; imprécision de la notion de communauté; persistance d’un mode de développement extractif.
Tutti hanno la forza nel cuore, anche noi bambini
Creators: name: Erard, Céline
Publisher: name: Scuola Universitaria della Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI)
Year: 2017

description: Lo scopo di questo lavoro è indagare le rappresentazioni di genere dei bambini della scuola dell’infanzia rispetto ad alcuni mestieri, analizzandole quantitativamente mediante analisi statistica del linguaggio. Data la delicatezza del tema, che riguarda anche il nucleo familiare e i valori da esso trasmessi, si è scelto di sfruttare come sfondo motivazionale quello dei mestieri, svolgendo discussioni orientate sia ai saperi su di essi, sia, implicitamente, al genere. L'analisi dei protocolli ha mostrato che sviluppando competenze di Educazione allo Sviluppo Sostenibile (riflettere sui valori, partecipare attivamente a processi sociali, pensare in modo critico e costruttivo, cambiare prospettiva), i bambini: • cercano di spiegare "polarità" di genere nel linguaggio con diverse interpretazioni del concetto di forza: maschio e femmina sono diversi per forza fisica; uomo e donna per una "forza" che è la capacità di controllare (es. un elicottero); papà e mamma per il ruolo lavorativo; • fanno evolvere questo schema con ipotesi su dove sia la forza nel corpo (nelle braccia, nel cuore) e da cosa dipenda (ad es. l'età, o le dimensioni fisiche), mentre si consolida con stereotipi sociali/familiari; • applicano lo schema solo agli adulti: non vale per i mestieri che vorrebbero fare da grandi. Per quanto significativi, dato il tema, i risultati sono da considerarsi relativi alla sezione in cui sono stati ottenuti. Sarebbe auspicabile estendere lo studio ad altri contesti.
Probabilistic Shape Parsing and Action Recognition Through Binary Spatio-Temporal Feature Description
Creators: name: Whiten, Christopher J.
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2013
Subjects: binary
feature description
spatiotemporal feature
shape parsing
action recognition
object recognition

description: In this thesis, contributions are presented in the areas of shape parsing for view-based object recognition and spatio-temporal feature description for action recognition. A probabilistic model for parsing shapes into several distinguishable parts for accurate shape recognition is presented. This approach is based on robust geometric features that permit high recognition accuracy. As the second contribution in this thesis, a binary spatio-temporal feature descriptor is presented. Recent work shows that binary spatial feature descriptors are effective for increasing the efficiency of object recognition, while retaining comparable performance to state of the art descriptors. An extension of these approaches to action recognition is presented, facilitating huge gains in efficiency due to the computational advantage of computing a bag-of-words representation with the Hamming distance. A scene's motion and appearance is encoded with a short binary string. Exploiting the binary makeup of this descriptor greatly increases the efficiency while retaining competitive recognition performance.
Il traffico nel Luganese. I bambini confrontati a una situazione reale
Creators: name: Battaini, Sandro
Publisher: name: Scuola Universitaria della Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI)
Year: 2018

description: In questo lavoro si mette il bambino a confronto con una situazione reale e vicina a lui, per verificare se effettivamente questo possa essere una fonte di motivazione e quindi aiutare la costruzione delle competenze del futuro cittadino e favorire la sua conoscenza del mondo nel quale vive. La modalità di lavoro proposta è quella di una scuola “attiva”, basata sul coinvolgimento diretto degli allievi nel loro apprendimento. Si è lavorato in ambito geografico, che ben rappresenta il mondo che ci circonda. Lavorando in una quarta elementare, a Viganello, e avendo come argomento di fondo il tema della regione, mi sono occupato del Luganese. Ho quindi pensato di sviluppare con gli allievi un argomento di stretta attualità per la regione, ovvero la tematica legata ai problemi del traffico. Gli obiettivi del progetto erano quelli di valutare come gli allievi percepiscono e comprendono un problema reale legato al mondo che li circonda. L’idea è quella di confrontarli con la realtà nella quale vivono, rendendoli attori principali del loro apprendimento e cercando di fare in modo che siano loro a proporre delle soluzioni per avanzare. I dati raccolti dimostrano un interesse e una motivazione degli allievi verso le tematiche a loro vicine e soprattutto verso delle modalità di lavoro che mettano loro e le loro esperienze al centro. Questa modalità di lavoro può quindi essere promossa e applicata nei vari ambiti della scuola. Relatore: Luca Groppi
“I’m kind of finding myself, I think”: Parentified Individuals’ Experiences of Counselling Psychology Training. An IPA Study
Creators: name: Maconochie, Noreen Elizabeth Simpson
Publisher: name: University of Surrey
Year: 2024
Subjects: Parentification
counselling psychology training
therapist training
parentified therapist
wounded healer

description: This qualitative study explores the experiences of six female, final-year counselling psychology (CoP) trainees with a parentified background. Face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant exploring how they made sense of their motivation to train and their experiences of training and practice. Interview transcripts were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and four group experiential themes (GETs) emerged: “Counselling Psychology as a calling”; “Looking for training ‘parents’”; “Integrating parentified and professional selves”; and “Training as a journey of self-discovery”. Participants spoke of CoP as a vocation, reflected in a sense of fulfilment and belonging in practice. They described how they were looking for the “parental” nurture and containment from trainers they had not experienced growing up. Most reported not finding this in the course tutors, which mirrored and amplified difficult feelings from their pasts and impacted on their learning. However, they spoke of how they had found the “parents” they needed in clinical supervisors, which led to learning and growth. Participants described the challenges clinical practice brought as ingrained behaviours and emotions from their parentified pasts presented in client work, often in unanticipated ways. They spoke of how they were starting to negotiate the transition to a new type of helping relationship with clear boundaries and where the client, unlike parentifying parents, is not a passive recipient of care. In their final year, participants described how they had gained a new perspective on their parentification and were “finding” a new, differentiated sense-of-self as an authentic, autonomous person-as-practitioner, recognising this as an ongoing process. The findings provide insight into the experiences, needs, strengths and challenges of parentified individuals in CoP training, addressing a gap in the knowledge base due to a lack of empirical research in this area. Implications for counselling psychology and recommendations for future research are discussed.
Performance of Ultra-High Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete Columns Under Blast Loading
Creators: name: Dagenais, Frederic
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2016
Subjects: Blast
UHPC
UHPFRC
steel fibres
concrete columns
shock tube

description: Recent attacks and accidental explosions have demonstrated the necessity of ensuring the blast resistance of critical buildings and infrastructure in Canada such as federal and provincial offices, military buildings and embassies. Of particular importance is the blast resistance of ground-story columns in buildings which must be properly detailed to provide the necessary strength and ductility to prevent progressive collapse. There exists a need to explore the use of innovative materials that can simultaneously improve the performance of such columns, while also allowing for a relaxation of required detailing to ease construction. Advancements in concrete material science have led to the development of ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concretes (UHPFRC) which show superior mechanical properties when compared to conventional concrete, such as increased compressive strength, tensile resistance and toughness. These enhanced properties make UHPFRC an attractive material for use in the blast design of reinforced concrete columns. This thesis presents the results of a research program examining the performance of UHPFRC columns under simulated blast loads. As part of the experimental program twelve half-scale UHPFRC specimens, six built with regular grade steel reinforcement and six built with steel high-strength steel reinforcement, are tested under blast loading using the University of Ottawa shock tube. The specimens were designed according to CSA A23.3 standard requirements for both seismic and non-seismic regions, using various fibre types, fibre amounts and longitudinal reinforcement ratios, allowing for an investigation of various design parameters on blast behaviour. The results demonstrate that the use of UHPFRC improves the blast performance of columns by reducing displacements, increasing resistance and enhancing damage tolerance. The results also indicate that fiber content, fiber properties, seismic detailing, longitudinal reinforcement ratio and longitudinal reinforcement strength are factors which can affect the behaviour and failure mode of UHPFRC columns. As part of the analytical study the response of the UHPFRC columns is predicted using dynamic inelastic analysis. The dynamic responses of the columns are predicted by generating dynamic load-deformation resistance functions for UHPFRC and conducting single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) analysis using software RC-Blast.
I mastri aiutanti: un percorso di peer tutoring alla scoperta delle identità competenti
Creators: name: Richina, Giorgia
Publisher: name: Scuola Universitaria della Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI)
Year: 2018

description: Il lavoro di ricerca indaga quali sono gli aspetti che influenzano positivamente la consapevolezza degli allievi di IV elementare rispetto ai comportamenti da adottare in occasione di uno scambio tra pari, quale ad esempio il tutoring. Per poter rispondere al quesito di ricerca è stato proposto un progetto che stimolasse i bambini ad allenare le proprie abilità nel ruolo di mastro aiutante, ovvero di tutor, e ad individuare gli atteggiamenti positivi da assumere in tale circostanza, al fine di diventare dei mastri aiutanti per un’altra classe. Il ruolo di tutor porta con sé il sentimento del sentirsi esperti, ciò è stato reso possibile dal lavoro sulle identità competenti dei bambini e dalla relativa valorizzazione. Dalla descrizione del progetto si evince che si tratta di una ricerca di tipo qualitativo, per questa ragione i dati raccolti consistono principalmente nell’osservazione durante i momenti di tutoring, nella trascrizione delle discussioni che seguono tali momenti e nel confronto dei questionari riguardanti i comportamenti positivi da adottare durante uno scambio, i quali combinano l’aspetto di autovalutazione e di valutazione tra pari. L’analisi dei dati evidenzia come l’esperienza diretta del ruolo di tutor, la metacognizione rispetto ad essa, il confronto con le opinioni dei compagni e con i questionari, accompagnino i bambini verso una maggiore consapevolezza rispetto ai comportamenti positivi da adottare in uno scambio tra pari. Relatrice: Marina Bernasconi
Campus SUPSI (Mendrisio), X-teca
Creators: name: Hodolli, Bleranda
Publisher: name: Scuola Universitaria della Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI)
Year: 2018

description: Absrtact del progetto inerente Campus SUPSI (Mendrisio), X-teca. Disponibile su richiesta per consultazione. Absrtact del progetto inerente Campus SUPSI (Mendrisio), X-teca. Disponibile su richiesta per consultazione.
An automatic estimation of the rest-interval for MotionWatch8© using uniaxial movement and lux data
Creators: name: Backhouse, Daniel
name: Falck, Ryan S.
name: Liu-Ambrose, Teresa
Publisher: name: BioMed Central
Year: 2020

description: Background: Poor sleep is linked with chronic conditions common in older adults, including diabetes, heart disease, and dementia. Valid and reliable field methods to objectively measure sleep are thus greatly needed to examine how poor sleep impacts older adults. Wrist-worn actigraphy (WWA) is a common objective measure of sleep that uses motion and illuminance data to estimate sleep. The rest-interval marks the time interval between when an individual attempts to sleep and the time they get out of bed to start their day. Traditionally, the rest-interval is scored manually by trained technicians, however algorithms currently exist which automatically score WWA data, saving time and providing consistency from user-to-user. However, these algorithms ignore illuminance data and only considered motion in their estimation of the rest-interval. This study therefore examines a novel algorithm that uses illuminance data to supplement the approximation of the rest-interval from motion data. Methods: We examined a total of 1086 days of data of 129 participants who wore the MotionWatch8© WWA for ≥14 nights of observation. Resultant sleep measures from three different parameter settings were compared to sleep measures derived following a standard scoring protocol and self-report times. Results: The algorithm showed the strongest correlation to the standard protocol (r = 0.92 for sleep duration). There were no significant differences in sleep duration, sleep efficiency and fragmentation index estimates compared to the standard scoring protocol. Conclusion: These results suggest that an automated rest-interval scoring method using both light exposure and acceleration data provides comparable accuracy to the standard scoring method.
Marker-less respiratory gating for PET imaging with intelligent gate optimisation.
Creators: name: Scott-Jackson, William
Publisher: name: University of Surrey
Year: 2020

description: PET image degradation imposed by patient respiratory motion is a well-established problem in clinical oncology; strategies exist to study and correct this. Some attempt to minimise or arrest patient motion through restraining hardware; their effectiveness is subject to the comfort and compliance. Another practice is to gate PET data based on signals acquired from an external device. This thesis presents several contributions to the field of respiratory motion correction research in PET imaging. First and foremost, this thesis presents a framework which allows a researcher to process list mode data from a Siemens Biograph mCT scanner and reconstruct sinograms of which in the open source image reconstruction package STIR. Secondly, it demonstrates the viability of a depth camera for respiratory monitoring and gating in a clinical environment. It was demonstrated that it was an effective device to capture anterior surface motion. Similarly, it has been shown that it can be used to perform respiratory gating. The third contribution is the design, implementation and validation of a novel respiring phantom. It has individually programmable degrees of freedom and was able to reproduce realistic respiration motion derived from real volunteers. The final contribution is a new gating algorithm which optimises the number and width of gates based on respiratory motion data and the distribution of radioactive counts. This new gating algorithm iterates on amplitude based gating, where gates as positioned based on respiratory pose at a given instant. The key improvement is that it considers the distribution of counts as a consequence of the distribution of motion in a typical PET study. The results show that different studies can be optimised with a unique number of gates based on the maximum extent of motion present and can take into account shifts in baseline position due to patient perturbation. 7
A thesis of clinical research: Part A: Adolescent experiences of treatment for anorexia nervosa: a systematic review and thematic synthesis. Part B: A thematic analysis of adolescents’ experiences of the use of externalisation as a therapeutic technique in the treatment of anorexia nervosa. Part C: Summary of clinical practice and assessments.
Creators: name: Skolnick, Naomi Alexandra
Publisher: name: University of Surrey
Year: 2024
Subjects: Anorexia or Bulimia

description: Anorexia nervosa (AN), a serious and complex eating disorder, typically emerges during adolescence. It can have a chronic course, and current treatment outcomes are moderate. This thesis aimed to explore adolescents’ experiences of treatment for anorexia nervosa. In Part A of this portfolio, a systematic review of qualitative literature is presented exploring adolescents’ experiences of treatment and their conceptualisation of recovery and the process of change. Thematic synthesis found that adolescents conceptualise recovery as a process that emerges over time. Internal and external factors can have a reciprocal relationship, which can help or hinder change. In Part B of the portfolio, an empirical paper explores the experiences of adolescents’ views on the relationship between AN and their identity, and how this influences their perspectives on the use of externalisation as a therapeutic technique. Reflexive thematic analysis found that adolescents view AN as closely linked to their identity which can impact their response to externalisation. They viewed externalising as a helpful tool to separate their identity over time, which was seen as an important part of recovery, though this separation may initially be rejected.
Attiviamo l'ascolto! Utilizzo di strategie musicali per rifocalizzare l'attenzione dei bambini di scuola elementare
Creators: name: Giussani, Emma
Publisher: name: Scuola Universitaria della Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI)
Year: 2019
Subjects: attenzione
scuola elementare
canzone
battiti
cantare
percettivo-uditivo
strategia musicale

description: L’utilizzo di strategie musicali-canore e percettivo-uditive può essere efficace per rifocalizzare l’attenzione degli allievi? Questa è la domanda che mi sono posta e a cui ho cercato di rispondere. Il lavoro svolto e presentato in questo documento riguarda una ricerca-azione qualitativa che ha l’obiettivo di analizzare l’efficacia di due strategie in uno specifico contesto educativo. Esse vengono utilizzate in determinati momenti della giornata alla scuola elementare (la prima nei momenti di riordino delle postazioni di lavoro e la seconda nei momenti di accoglienza) e consistono in una canzone chiamata “Canzone del riordino” e in un gioco nominato “Conta battiti”. Nel caso del canto, le sue parole sono state create dagli allievi sulla base di una melodia già esistente, mentre il gioco di conta dei suoni eseguiti con una piastra sonora coinvolge i bambini durante il suo svolgimento. La ricerca ha messo in evidenza che nel contesto in cui mi trovavo, sia il canto che il gioco percettivo-uditivo risultavano essere efficaci: gli allievi, infatti, nei due casi riuscivano a distogliere la loro attenzione da un’attività e focalizzarsi su un nuovo compito. Relatrice: Anna Galassetti
Plagigeyeria feheri Grego and Gloer 2019, n. sp.
Creators: name: Grego, Jozef
name: Glöer, Peter
name: Falniowski, Andrzej
name: Hofman, Sebastian
name: Osikowski, Artur
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Mollusca
Gastropoda
Littorinimorpha
Hydrobiidae
Plagigeyeria
Plagigeyeria feheri

description: Plagigeyeria feheri Grego and Glöer n. sp.
(Figs. 35–39)
 Type locality
Montenegro: Herceg Novi, Savina, below Savina Monastery under Braće Grakalić street at Meljine Hospital, behind neonatal pavilion, 42.451656°N; 18.555225°E, (Fig. 2A).
 Type material
Holotype: Type locality, J. Grego leg., 26.07.201 6 (HNHM 103046). Paratypes: same data (col. Gloer 1, coll. Grego /8); same data, Z. P. Erőss and Z. Fehér leg., 16.07.201 8 (HNHM 104183 /17, coll. Grego /10, collection Erőss /10).
 Measurements
Holotype: H 1.50 mm; W 0.78 mm; BH 0.88 mm; BW 0.66 mm; AH 0.56 mm; AW 0.51 mm.
 Etymology
Named after Hungarian malacologist and friend Zoltán Fehér, curator of the malacological collection of Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest to acknowledge his substantive work on the gastropod fauna of the Balkans.
 Description
Shell small, 1.5 mm high, with four convex whorls separated by a deep suture, oval-elongated in shape, with blunt apex and corneous-yellowish color. Surface shiny, very finely axially ribbed, covered by small incrustation spots from precipitated calcium carbonate. Umbilicus closed. Proportionately large oval aperture with conspicuously reflected margins. Outer lip weakly sinuated sinuous at columellar margin in lateral view. Expanded labral margin protrudes from body whorl in frontal (apertural) view.
 Differentiating features
 This is the smallest known Plagigeyeria species (1.50 mm). Compared to the geographically close Plagigeyeria zetaprotogona pageti forma minor Schütt, 1961 (Montenegro, Risan) (Figs. 31–31), the new species differs by its much smaller, more slenderer elongated subcylindrical shape with less conspicuous axial ribbing, by the more closed umbilicus as well as by the different shape of the aperture and the weakly sinuated labral margin (Tab. 4). The overall shell shape of the new species resembles Plagigeyeria plagiostoma (A.J. Wagner, 1914) from Vrelo Bosne near Ilidža, but the new species differs by more small, oval and slender shell with its hidden umbilicus.
 Habitat
 See Stygobium hercegnoviensis n. sp.
 Distribution
 Known only from the type locality, where it was found with the Stygobium hercegnoviensis n. sp.
description: Published as part of Grego, Jozef, Glöer, Peter, Falniowski, Andrzej, Hofman, Sebastian & Osikowski, Artur, 2019, New subterranean freshwater gastropod species from Montenegro (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Moitessieriidae, and Hydrobiidae), pp. 71-90 in Ecologica Montenegrina 20 (2019) on pages 84-85, DOI: 10.37828/em.2019.20.6, http://zenodo.org/record/13359679
A thesis of clinical research and practice: Part A: Multiple Sclerosis & Suicide: A systematic review of the predictors for suicide amongst people living with Multiple Sclerosis. Part B: A qualitative exploration of people’s experiences of living with multiple sclerosis and perspectives regarding death, dying and suicide. Part C: Summary of Clinical Experience and Assessment
Creators: name: Dowling, Daniel
Publisher: name: University of Surrey
Year: 2024
Subjects: Multiple Sclerosis
Suicides & Suicide Attempts

description: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease of the central nervous system. It is a progressive, neurodegenerative, incurable, autoimmune inflammatory disorder, characterised by deterioration of the myelin sheath, which causes a variety of symptoms including loss of motor, cognitive, affective, and sensory function. While MS is not classified as a terminal illness, people living with MS (PLwMS) have a shorter life expectancy compared to the general population. In addition, evidence has indicated PLwMS are at a greater risk of suicide compared to the general population. A better understanding of the relationship between MS and suicide can help to avoid this outcome through targeted intervention and development of preventative measures. This thesis aimed to establish possible risk factors for suicide amongst PLwMS and to better understand the psychological mechanisms that may contribute to the development of suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviours in this population. Part one of the portfolio presents a systematic review of factors associated with suicide in PLwMS. The findings of this review suggest there is a lack of studies consulting psychological theory and investigating psychological factors contributing to the development of suicidal ideation and behaviour amongst PLwMS. Part two presents an empirical paper that explored the experiences of PLwMS and their perspectives on death, dying, and suicide, using the Integrated-Motivational Volitional model of suicide as a conceptual guide to better understand what factors may contribute to the development of suicidal ideation and behaviour. The findings highlighted a particular trigger point for vulnerability to the development of suicidal ideation in participant’s ‘journey to diagnosis’. In addition, narratives suggest a role for illness perceptions in the pathways to suicide.
Sensore di Irraggiamento Predittivo: Sviluppo di un Sistema Predittivo per l’ Acquisizione e la Previsione dell’Irraggiamento
Creators: name: Casoretti, Paolo
Publisher: name: Scuola Universitaria della Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI)
Year: 2019

description: La principale sfida odierna è il rispetto dell'ecosistema in cui viviamo e il sostentamento dello stesso tramite energie, sempre in maggiore percentuale rinnovabili, che vanno a sostituire le più obsolete e inquinanti fonti di energia derivanti dai combustibili fossili. L'energia rinnovabile più interessante e più utilizzata ma anche quella su cui si pone un maggiore focus è sicuramente il fotovoltaico nonostante la sua particolarità di concentrare la maggiore produzione nelle ore centrali della giornata per poi lasciare spazio a una produzione quasi nulla nelle ore notturne. La continua diffusione delle energie rinnovabili sulla rete elettrica pone delle sfide di gestione per via dell'aspetto stocastico delle nuove fonti di generazione. La difficoltà di previsione e la necessità di avere una stabilità di rete sempre migliore implica l'utilizzo di nuove tecnologie. L'avvento di una elettronica sempre più compatta ed economica,anche per basso numero di prototipi prodotti, sono la chiave di volta per lo sviluppo, il design e la prototipazione di un dispositivo atto alla cattura dei dati ambientali, gestione e previsione dell'irragiamento solare, che in futuro rappresenta con assoluta certezza la maggiore fonte di energia per il nostro pianeta.
Bridging the Past and the Present: The Historical Imagination in the Criticism and Narrative Poetry of C. S. Lewis
Creators: name: Anderson, Robin
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2013
Subjects: C. S. Lewis
Literary History
20th Century British Literature
Narrative Poetry
Inklings

description: C. S. Lewis is best known as the author of The Chronicles of Narnia, but Lewis’s poetry tends to be treated separately from his other works, or as an antecedent to his more famous prose works. This thesis shows that Lewis’s paradoxical views of literary history, cultural death, reason and imagination are reflected in his narrative poems. George Watson says that Lewis was “a paradoxical thing, a conservative iconoclast, and he came to the task well-armed” (1). He is both a traditionalist and a rebel against his times. I explain Lewis’s paradoxes in terms of the concepts of history, memory, reason and imagination, and show that Lewis’s position was a negotiation of his own historical and cultural context. Lewis’s poems and scholarly work indicate that his approach to historical terms is first to underline divergence, and then to emphasize a use of seemingly polarized terms in order to unify them.
Mucosal immunization with the Moraxella catarrhalis porin M35 induces enhanced bacterial clearance from the lung: a possible role for opsonophagocytosis
Creators: name: Easton, Donna M.
name: Cripps, Allan W.
name: Foxwell, A. Ruth
name: Kyd, Jennelle M.
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024

description: Moraxella catarrhalis is a significant cause of respiratory tract infection against which a vaccine is sought. Several outer membrane proteins are currently under investigation as potential vaccine antigens, including the porin M35. We have previously shown that the third external loop of M35 was immunodominant over the remainder of the protein for antibody produced in mice against the refolded recombinant protein. However, as this loop is predicted to fold inside the porin channel we also predicted that it would not be accessible to these antibodies when M35 is expressed on the surface of the bacteria in its native conformation. This study investigated the functional activity of antibodies against M35 and those specific for the loop 3 region of M35 in vitro and in vivo. Antisera from mice immunized with M35 or the loop 3-deletion, M35loop3-, recombinant proteins were not bactericidal but did have enhanced opsonic activity, whereas antibodies raised against the loop 3 peptide were not opsoniszing indicating that the immunodominant loop 3 of M35 was not accessible to antibody as we had previously predicted. Mucosal immunization with M35, M35 that had an antigenically altered loop 3 [M35(ID78)] and M35loop3- enhanced the clearance of M. catarrhalis from the lungs of mice challenged with live M. catarrhalis. The in vivo clearance of bacteria in the mice with the M35-derived protein constructs correlated significantly (p < 0.001) with the opsonic activity assessed an in vitro opsonophagocytosis assay. This study has demonstrated that the immunodominant B-cell epitope to loop 3 of the M. catarrhalis outer membrane protein M35 is not associated with immune protection and that M35-specific antibodies are not bactericidal but are opsoniszing. The opsoniszing activity correlated with in vivo clearance of the bacteria suggesting that opsoniszing antibody may be a good correlate of immune protection.