M.A. (English) / This dissertation begins by examining the central tenets of Russian Formalism and American New Criticism. Although it is a term coined by the Russian Formalists, both these schools of thought, in their own ways, are concerned with literariness – that is, that which distinguishes the literary work from other forms of writing. This study traces the ways in which these two critical movements account for the specifically literary language that they claim characterises literary works. Based on the principles derived from these two schools I analyse aspects of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway and demonstrate that defamiliarization is at work on various levels of this novel. Thereafter, I examine criticism pertaining to Woolf and illustrate that there are numerous illuminating parallels that can be drawn between recent critics’ studies on Woolf and the principles of the formalists. In particular, I attempt to show that the principle of estranged form continues to inform our critical thought about Woolf’s works. I focus primarily on the arguments posited in two critical studies: Edward Bishop’s Virginia Woolf (1991) and Oddvar Holmesland’s Form as Compensation for Life: Fictive Patterns in Virginia Woolf’s Novels (1998). These studies were selected because they centre on questions of language and form and, as such, coincide in a number of interesting ways with the tenets of formalism.

Skeletal muscle performs essential functions, including movement and posture. Musculoskeletal disorders can disrupt these functions, leading to temporary or permanent impairment. As most muscle abnormalities will cause morphological and physiological changes in skeletal muscle, identifying diseased or injured skeletal muscle relies on having a frame of reference, i.e. a correct characterization of what is considered healthy or 'normal' skeletal muscle. Non-invasive Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) techniques such as 1H Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-MRS) to assess the biochemical environment, Magnetization Transfer (MT) to study water dynamics and Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) signal to study blood flow and relative (de)oxy-Hb concentration have yet to be extensively explored in skeletal muscle. Therefore, to improve the knowledge of the biochemical environment of skeletal muscle, a series of experiments were performed using these techniques in calf muscles. 1H-MRS investigations showed high repeatability of metabolite quantification within and across scanning sessions despite its challenges due to the high structural organization of skeletal muscle. Furthermore, differences in the metabolic profile between endurance vs. power-oriented participants at rest were found, suggesting 1H-MRS could be used as a non-invasive technique to assess muscle fiber composition. A multimodal MT, and BOLD study were performed on exercised skeletal muscle to complement the metabolic understanding of skeletal muscle. It was shown that high-quality data could be obtained in simultaneous studies of BOLD/EMG. In addition, during a multimodal MT and BOLD acquisition, MT signal showed a decrease after exercise and was linearly correlated to the BOLD signal activation. The ability of MT to distinguish between highly/lowly activated muscle groups during exercise opens the opportunity to non-invasively investigate muscle group recruitment with a higher spatial resolution compared to EMG, and lower scanning times compared to BOLD. Overall, the main purpose of this thesis was to investigate, characterize and provide unique metrics to study the functional and metabolic profile of healthy skeletal muscle at rest and during exercise. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / Skeletal muscle performs vital functions such as movement, heat generation, and posture. The impact of musculoskeletal disorders, which can disrupt these functions and cause temporary or permanent impairment of physical activity and movement, is expected to grow in the future. Correctly characterizing healthy or 'normal' skeletal muscle is necessary to identify diseased or injured skeletal muscle, as most muscle abnormalities cause changes in morphology and physiology. Non-invasive MRI techniques to assess the biochemical environment, water dynamics, blood flow and relative (de)oxy-Hb concentration have yet to be extensively explored in healthy skeletal muscle. Thus, the primary purpose of this thesis was to investigate, characterize and provide unique metrics to study the functional and metabolic profile of healthy skeletal muscle at rest and during exercise. The metrics investigated can be used to establish a baseline to detect abnormal skeletal muscle.

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<p dir="ltr">High exposure to manganese (Mn) through the inhalation of welding fumes has been shown to have a toxic effect to the human brain, leading to parkinsonian-like symptoms such as changes in mood, cognition, and motor function. Oxidative stress and GABAergic dysfunction, two proposed mechanisms implicated in Mn neurotoxicity, can be measured by edited MR spectroscopy (MRS). Previous animal studies have found depleted levels of glutathione, the brain’s antioxidant, and GABA in response to exposure to Mn. Past welder studies have shown altered GABA levels in highly exposed welders. However, GSH has not yet been measured in welders. Recent advances in edited MRS allow for the simultaneous measurement of GABA and GSH, however, one sequence does not ‘fit all’. Thus, there is a need to ensure accurate and reproducible measurements of these metabolites in the study of neurological disorders, such as Mn neurotoxicity.</p><p dir="ltr">The overall goal of this dissertation is to establish a reproducible edited MRS protocol and ensure accurate measurement of metabolites in the context of Mn neurotoxicity. This work has been accomplished in three steps. First, we developed an optimized and reproducible HERMES sequence that allows for the consistently reliable measurement of GABA and GSH at 3T. Second, we investigated whether toenail concentrations of manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe) serve as biomarkers for levels of GABA, GSH, and Glx in the brains of welders exposed to these metals. This aim explores the potential for toenails to be used as a risk assessment tool by evaluating correlations between toenail metal levels and brain metals and metabolites. Lastly, we examined whether excessive accumulation of metals in the brain has an impact on the relaxation times of metabolites. Due to its paramagnetic properties, brain accumulation of two major components of welding fumes, Mn and iron (Fe), may be measured noninvasively through increased magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) relaxation rates, R1 and R2*, respectively. This aim delves into the potential effects of metal exposure on the physical properties of brain metabolites, which could shed light on the accuracy of quantification.</p><p dir="ltr">Overall, the dissertation is a successful step towards establishing reproducible edited MRS acquisitions, and the accurate quantification in the application of Mn neurotoxicity. This work focused on developing methodologies and assessing physical properties for accurate GABA and GSH measurements and investigating risk-assessment methods for metal-induced neurotoxicity.</p>

[pt] A presente tese é composta por três pesquisas. A primeira pesquisa buscou averiguar o relacionamento entre o FXvol e os retornos futuros da taxa cambial e do índice de mercado de ações, dado que o índice de volatilidade FXvol é visto como um termômetro da incerteza do investidor um período a frente. Investiga-se então a relação contemporânea entre o FXvol, a Ptax e o Ibovespa, bem como a capacidade do FXvol de captar a possível relação entre o nível de incerteza presente no mercado e as variações relativas futuras da taxa de câmbio e do índice de ações. A segunda pesquisa comparou os modelos GARCH tradicionais e o modelo GARCH com troca de regimes no que tange seu poder de previsão da volatilidade cambial. Buscou-se comparar o desempenho de cada um dos modelos em uma situação real de utilização, no caso, no cálculo do Valor em Risco de uma carteira cambial. A terceira pesquisa buscou identificar a existência do efeito manada no mercado brasileiro e compreender a influência do câmbio nesse efeito, devido à importância do mercado cambial para a realidade brasileira. A metodologia compreendeu dois passos, em um primeiro momento buscou-se analisar a média do efeito através de regressões tradicionais e num segundo momento estudar a variação do efeito ao longo do tempo através do método do Filtro de Kalman. / [en] The present thesis consists of three researches. The first research sought to ascertain the relationship between FXvol and future exchange rate and stock market index returns as the FXvol volatility index is viewed as a thermometer of investor uncertainty for a period ahead. The contemporary relationship between FXvol, Ptax and Ibovespa, as well as the ability of FXvol to capture the possible relationship between the level of uncertainty present in the market and the relative future return of the exchange rate and the stock index. The second research compared the traditional GARCH models and the GARCH model with regime changes regarding its power to predict the exchange rate volatility. We attempted to compare the performance of each of the models in a real situation of use, in this case, in the calculation of the Value at Risk of an exchange portfolio. The third research sought to identify the existence of the herd effect in the Brazilian market and to understand the influence of the exchange rate in this effect, due to the importance of the exchange market for the Brazilian market. The methodology comprised two steps, initially attempting to analyze the mean of the effect through regressions and in a second moment to study the variation of the effect over time through the Kalman Filter method.

Bakgrund: Smärta definieras som en subjektiv upplevelse där upplevelsen till viss del formas i hjärnan genom komplexa processer. Långvarig stress har visat sig leda till förändring i smärtkänsligheten vilket kanske förklaras av att akut stress förändrar aktivitet i främre delar av hjärnan. Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) är ett frontalt hjärnområde med en roll i den emotionella upplevelsen av smärta. Det finns indikationer på förändringar i ACC av den hämmande transmittorsubstansen GABA, och den stimulerande transmittorsubstansen glutamat, vid vissa smärttillstånd.  Motiv: I dagsläget saknas kunskap om hur stress påverkar smärtkänslighet samt hur det påverkar grundnivåerna av transmittorsubstanserna GABA och glutamat.  Syfte: Att studera samband mellan skattad stress och skattad smärta, samt studera samband mellan skattad stress, smärta, GABA och glutamat i två ACC regioner.  Metod: En experimentell pilotstudie med kvantitativ design utfördes med 10 friska deltagare. Percieved Stress Questionnaire användes för skattning av stressnivåer före smärtprovokation och Numeric Rating Scale användes för att skatta smärta vid smärtprovokation. GABA- och glutamatnivåer i två ACC regioner mättes med hjälp av Magnetic Resonans Spectroscopi.  Resultat: Spearmans test visade att det fanns ett signifikant positivt samband mellan skattad stress och skattad smärta (r=.86, p=.001). Det fanns även signifikant positivt samband mellan skattad stress och glutamat (r=.778, p=.008), skattad smärta och glutamat (r=.729, p=.017). Samt ett signifikant negativt samband mellan skattad stress och GABA (r= -.687, p=.028), skattad smärta och GABA (r=-.667, p=.035) i två ACC regioner.  Konklusion: Resultatet indikerar att sambandet mellan stress och smärta kan förklaras av förändringar i transmittorsubstansnivåer i två ACC regioner. Denna kunskap kan bidra till ökad förståelse hos vårdpersonalen för individuella skillnader i smärtkänslighet och hur komplex situationen kring patienter med smärta är, vilket motiverar till omvårdnadsåtgärder som minskar stress och smärta. / Background: Pain is defined as a subjective experience that some extent is formed through complex processes in the brain. Prolonged stress can affect pain sensitivity, which may be explained by changes in frontal parts of the brain. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is a frontal brain area that plays a role in the emotional experience of pain. In certain pain conditions, there are indications of changes in the neurotransmitter level GABA and glutamate in ACC. Motive: At present, there is a lack of knowledge about how stress affects pain sensitivity and how it affects the basic levels of the neurotransmitter GABA and glutamate in ACC.  Aim: To study the correlation between rated stress and pain, and study the correlation between rated stress, pain, GABA, and glutamate in ACC.  Methods: An experimental pilot study was performed with 10 healthy participants. The Perceived Stress Questionnaire was used to rate stress levels before pain provocation and the Numeric Rating Scale was used to rate pain during pain provocation. GABA and glutamate levels were measured in ACC by Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.  Result: Spearman´s test showed a significant positive correlation between rated stress and rated pain (r = .86, p = .001). There was a significant positive relationship between rated stress and glutamate (r = .778, p = .008), rated pain and glutamate (r = .729, p = .017) and a significant negative correlation between rated stress and GABA (r = -.687, p = .028), rated pain and GABA (r = -.667, p = .035) in ACC.  Conclusion: The results indicate that the correlation between stress and pain can be explained by changes in transmitter levels in the ACC region. This knowledge can contribute to increased understanding among healthcare professionals for individual differences in pain sensitivity and the complexity of pain conditions.

[pt] Esta dissertação se dedica a analisar os romances A montanha mágica de Thomas Mann, Mrs. Dalloway de Virginia Woolf, e O tempo recuperado de Marcel Proust, em relação aos momentos históricos da Primeira Guerra Mundial (1914-1918), que integra as suas narrativas, e do pós-Grande Guerra, quando os referidos volumes foram publicados – respectivamente em 1924, 1925 e 1927. Ela contém a hipótese de que esses textos não apenas participam do início de uma inflexão inesperada da ideia de progresso da História tal como vinha sendo delineada, sobretudo, entre os séculos XVIII e XIX e posta em questão a partir da guerra, como sobre ela produzem efeitos de ultrapassagem através da capacidade narrativa, entendida, por sua vez e de diferentes maneiras, como sinônimo de vida. Diante da amplitude possibilitada pela literatura ficcional, a seguinte investigação propõe uma consideração das noções de Vida e de História presentes nas obras selecionadas não apenas para estudar um período histórico de mudanças nas concepções das mesmas como também para provocar as narrativas do presente. / [en] This dissertation analyzes the novels The magic mountain by Thomas Mann, Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, and Time regained by Marcel Proust, linked to the historical moments of the First World War (1914-1918), which integrates its narratives, and of the post-Great War, when these volumes were published – respectively in 1924, 1925 and 1927. It contains the hypothesis that these texts participate in an inflection of the idea of Historical progress as it had been outlined, above all, between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and they overtake this inflexion by the narrative capacity, understood as a synonym of life. Given the breadth made possible by fictional literature, the investigation proposes a consideration of the notions of Life and History present in the works not only to study a historic period of changes in their conceptions but also to provoke the narratives of the present.

Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath are two well-known women writers of the twentieth century who committed suicide. The narratives created by their deaths have in some instances become as important as the canonical work they produced. In an effort to understand their motivations and struggles, critics and the public alike have sometimes reduced these women to victims of the patriarchy, mental illness, or even themselves. Beginning with my own discovery of this issue in the legacies of Plath and Woolf combined with my personal dealings with suicide in my family, I recount how I lost these two women as exemplary figures because of their choice to commit suicide. I then take a look at what others have said about their deaths and how it has affected their legacies as writers. Finally, I take a look at Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway and Plath’s The Bell Jar for an alternate perspective on suicide. Through this journey, I recount how I have been able to regain my respect for these two talented women by considering multiple viewpoints and acknowledging the nuance inherent in any account.

Neste trabalho, descrevemos o desenvolvimento do equipamento e o software necessários à implementação da técnica de obtenção de imagens por RMN. Nossos principais objetivos foram a construção de um sistema de controle e aquisição de dados que permitisse operar um espectrômetro de Fourier de RMN pulsada como um tomógrafo de RMN; por outro lado, visamos a construção de um espectrômetro que tivesse seus parâmetros facilmente reconfiguráveis pelo sistema de controle. O resultado foi um sofisticado equipamento que permite, além do proposto, trabalhar com técnicas de espectroscopia de alta resolução e espectroscopia em sólidos. Uma grande ênfase foi dada ao entendimento das técnicas De reconstrução de imagens, desde as convencionais até aquelas que constituem atualmente a fronteira de pesquisa nessa área. Os resultados obtidos com o sistema descrito são considerados bons, comparáveis aos das unidades construídas por empresas que operam comercialmente nessa área, em cooperação com centros localizados em universidades no exterior, pouco devendo a equipamentos similares (protótipos) desenvolvidos naqueles centros. / We describe in this work the development of hardware and software necessary to implement the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) techniques. Our major subjects were the construction of an acquisition and control system which allowed the operation of a pulsed Fourier NMR spectrometer as a NMR Tomograph; further we oriented the developing of a NMR spectrometer whose parameters could be easily reconfigured by the controlling system. As a result we obtained a sophisticated equipment which allows, more than the proposed, working with high resolution spectroscopic techniques and spectroscopy in solids. Since the basic techniques employed in NMR and CT Tomographs are well known, a great emphasis was also given on the understanding of the image reconstruction techniques that constitutes today the frontier of research in this area. The results obtained with the system described here are considered good, comparable to the results from commercial units developed in cooperation with imaging groups located in universities abroad.

This thesis explores the meanings of home in Elizabeth Gaskell's fiction. I argue that there are five components to Gaskell's fictional iteration of homes, each of which is explored in the chapters of this thesis. I analyse the ways in which Gaskell challenges the nineteenth-century cultural construct of the home as a domestic sanctuary offering protection from the strains and stresses of the external world. Gaskell's fictional homes frequently fail to provide a place of safety. Even the architecture militates against a sense of peace and privacy. Doors and windows are ambiguous openings through which death can enter, and are potent signifiers of entrapment as well as protective barriers. The underlying fragility of Gaskell's concept of home is illustrated by her narratives of homelessness, which for her, is better defined as a psychological, social and emotional separation rather than the literal lack of shelter. Education takes place within the home and is grounded in Gaskell's Unitarian beliefs and associationist psychology. Gaskell creates challenging paradigms for domestic relationships in her fictional portrayals of feminized men and servants. Her detailed descriptions of domestic interiors provide nuanced and unconventional interpretations of character and behaviour. I draw on Gaskell's letters, her non-fiction writing and a range of other contemporary documents for insights into her fictional presentations of home. This methodology provides a creative, holistic interpretative framework within which Gaskell's achievement can be more adequately measured. I argue that Gaskell's own experience of home was that of an outsider lingering on the borderland, and her concept of home was therefore unstable, fluid and unconventional. The tensions she experienced in her personal life found their way into her fiction, where her portrayal of home is multifaceted and complex.