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The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers
to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is
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Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
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Showing 41 to 46 of 46 (0.108 seconds)| 41 |
Stem Cell Regulation Using Nanofibrous Membranes with Defined Structure and Pore SizeBlake, Laurence A 08 1900 (has links)
Electrospun nanofibers have been researched extensively in the culturing of stem cells to understand their behavior since electrospun fibers mimic the native extracellular matrix (ECM) in many types of mammalian tissues. Here, electrospun nanofibers with defined structure (orientation/alignment) and pore size could significantly modulate human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) behavior. Controlling the fiber membrane pore size was predominantly influenced by the duration of electrospinning, while the alignment of the fiber membrane was determined by parallel electrode collector design. Electric field simulation data provided information on the electrostatic interactions in this electrospinning apparatus.hMSCs on small-sized pores (~3-10 µm²) tended to promote the cytoplasmic retention of Yes-associated protein (YAP), while larger pores (~30-45 µm²) promoted the nuclear activation of YAP. hMSCs also displayed architecture-mediated behavior, as the cells aligned along with the fiber membranes orientation. Additionally, fiber membranes affected nuclear size and shape, indicating changes in cytoskeletal tension, which coincided with YAP activity. The mechanistic understanding of hMSC behavior on defined nanofiber structures seeks to advance their translation into more clinical settings and increase biomanufacturing efficiencies.
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– Ja men usch ... – Nä men exakt ... : En interaktionsanalys av samtida svenska ja men/nej men-konstruktioner / ‘Yes but ew ...’ ‘No but exactly ...’ : A conversation analysis of Swedish ‘ja men/nej men’ utterances.Andersson, Susanna Birg January 2021 (has links)
I denna uppsats undersöks användningen av den etablerade och utbredda konstruktionen ja men/nej men, vars mångskiftande interaktionella betydelse i det svenska samtalsspråket inte tidigare har klarlagts i regelrätta studier. Utifrån en CA-baserad metodik och en modifierad modell av appraisalteorins dialogicitetssystem har ja men/nej men-konstruktionernas position, funktion, attityd och form i fyra dyadiska poddsamtal kategoriserats och analyserats. Kategoriseringen av konstruktionerna utgår ifrån – och kompletterar – tidigare internationella studier, och en övergripande beskrivning av de olika svenska ja men/nej men-konstruktionerna presenteras. I analysen av 137 fullföljda ja men/nej men-inledda yttranden, utkristalliserar sig nio funktioner för ja men/nej men, varav sju är sekvensreglerande och positionsoberoende. Av de sekvensreglerande funktionerna bidrar tre till att utvidga sekvensen (bekräftande, kompletterande, förhandlande), medan fyra inskränker och avslutar sekvensen (korrigerande, ifrågasättande, sammanfattande, skiftande). Utöver en sekvensreglerande funktion fyller de turinbäddade, men inte de turinledande, konstruktionerna även en av två praktiska funktioner (reparerande, anföringsmarkerande). Samtalsdeltagarna använder företrädesvis ja men/nej men-konstruktionerna turinledande i sekvensutvidgande yttranden. Ja men används något oftare än nej men, medan konstruktionen jo men ytterst sällan används. Ja men och nej men används såväl turinledande som turinbäddat, och i samtliga nio funktioner. Det kvantitativa resultatet indikerar att deltagarna i poddsamtalen tenderar att använda ja men med framhävande attityd i utvidgande funktioner, och nej men med nedtonande attityd i inskränkande funktioner. I den anföringsmarkerande funktionen ses ett samband mellan lexikal konstruktion och den handling som realiseras i det citerade yttrandet. En diakron studie av detta användande för att utröna om fenomenet är en rest från ett ursprungligt, prototypiskt bruk av konstruktionen föreslås som fortsatt forskning om ja men/nej men. / This thesis presents an examination of the well-establish and frequently used construction ja men/nej men (yes but/no but), which interactional significance in the Swedish language has not yet been investigated. By employing a CA-based method, and a modified model of the appraisal system of engagement, the position, interactional function, attitude, and form of the ja men/nej men-constructions in four dyadic podcasts has been categorized and analyzed. The categorization is based on – and contributes to – international studies, and a comprehensive description of the Swedish construction is presented. In the 137 analyzed ja men/nej men-initiated utterances, nine functions emerge of which seven regulate sequences, regardless of a turn-initiated or turn-embedded position. Three of these regulating functions expand the sequence (confirming, completing, negotiating), while four close it (correcting, challenging, concluding, shifting). The turn-embedded constructions also assume two additional practical functions (repairing, quotative marking). The participants primarily use the construction in sequence-expanding utterances and are more frequently using ja men than nej men, very rarely jo men. The result indicates that the participants tend to use an authoritative ja men to expand the sequence, and a hedging nej men to close the sequence. A correlation, although not significant, between lexical construction and function is seen in the quotative marking function, where the performed action in the quoted utterance seems to determine the lexical choice. A diachronic study of this usage, to investigate if this is a prototypical use, is one of the suggestions for future research of the usage of the Swedish ja men/nej men-construction.
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LIVING DISABILITY: WAYS FORWARD FROM DECONTEXTUAL MODELS OF DISABILITYKavanagh, Chandra January 2020 (has links)
Living Disability: Ways Forward from Decontextual Models of Disability consists
of six articles that provide both theoretical and pragmatic commentaries on decontextual
approaches to vulnerability and disability. In What Contemporary Models of Disability
Miss: The Case for a Phenomenological Hermeneutic Analysis I argue many commonly
accepted models for understanding disability use a vertical method in which disability is
defined as a category into which people are slotted based on whether or not they fit its
definitional criteria. This method inevitably homogenizes the experiences of disabled
people. A hermeneutic investigation of commonly accepted models for understanding
disability will provide an epistemological tool to critique and to augment contemporary
models of disability. In A Phenomenological Hermeneutic Resolution to the Principlist-
Narrative Bioethics Debate Narrative, I note narrative approaches to bioethics and
principlist approaches to bioethics have often been presented in fundamental opposition
to each other. I argue that a phenomenological hermeneutic approach to the debate finds a
compromise between both positions that maintains what is valuable in each of them.
Justifying an Adequate Response to the Vulnerable Other examines the possibility of
endorsing the position that I, as a moral agent, ought to do my best to respond adequately
to the other’s vulnerability. I contend that, insofar as I value my personal identity, it is
consistent to work toward responding adequately to the vulnerability of the other both
ontologically and ethically. Who Can Make a Yes?: Disability, Gender, Sexual Consent
and ‘Yes Means Yes’ examines the ‘yes means yes’ model of sexual consent, and the
political and ethical commitments that underpin this model, noting three fundamental
Ph.D. Thesis – C. Kavanagh; McMaster University - Philosophy
v
disadvantages. This position unfairly polices the sexual expression of participants,
particularly vulnerable participants such as disabled people, it demands an unreasonably
high standard for defining sexual interaction as consensual, and allows perpetrators of
sexual violence to define consent. In Craving Sameness, Accepting Difference: The
Possibility of Solidarity and Social Justice I note realist accounts typically define
solidarity on the basis of a static feature of human nature. We stand in solidarity with
some other person, or group of people, because we share important features in common.
In opposition to such realist accounts, Richard Rorty defines solidarity as a practical tool,
within which there is always an ‘us’, with whom we stand in solidarity, and a ‘them’,
with whom we are contrasted. I argue that by understanding Rorty’s pragmatic solidarity
in terms of the relational view of solidarity offered by Alexis Shotwell, it is possible to
conceptualise solidarity in a manner that allows for extending the boundaries of the
community with whom we stand in solidarity. In Translating Non-Human Actors I
examine Bruno Latour’s position that nonhuman things can be made to leave
interpretable statements, and have a place in democracy. With the right types of
mediators, the scientist can translate for non-humans, and those voices will allow for nonhuman
political representation. I wish to suggest that, like scientists, people with
disabilities are particularly capable of building networks that facilitate translation
between humans and non-humans. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Living Disability: Ways Forward from Decontextual Models of Disability consists of six separate articles that provide both theoretical and pragmatic commentaries on decontextual approaches to vulnerability and disability. The first three articles examine contemporary approaches to understanding vulnerability and disability, and explore what a contextual theoretical approach, one that puts the experiences of people with disabilities at the centre, might look like. The second three articles provide a bioethical examination of practical ethical questions associated with the treatment of people with disabilities when it comes to social and political positions on disability and sexuality, solidarity with people with disabilities, and the relationship between people with disabilities and objects.
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Srovnání podnikatelských záměrů: běžný bytový dům vs. pasivní bytový dům / Comparison: Common Block of Flats Compared with Passive Block of FlatsVlčková, Klára January 2009 (has links)
The object of this thesis is comparison of business plans of housing construction with passive housing construction in monitoring company. First section summarizes theoretical description of prospectus and passive houses. Another part attends to appreciation of housing construction and surrounding analyse of company. In the third section, there are proposals of realization prospectuses with alternatives of financing this kind of projects. Final part of thesis deals with a question whether realize passive block of flats or common block of flats.
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Optimizing Engineered Tendon Development via Structural and Chemical Signaling CuesThomas Lee Jenkins II (16679865) 02 August 2023 (has links)
<p>The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles and tendons in the shoulder that function to lift and rotate the arm. Rotator cuff tendon tears are increasingly common: more than 545,000 rotator cuff surgeries occur annually in the US. However, treatment is often complicated by disorganized collagen matrix formed via fibrosis and results in high re-tear rates. Tendon tissue engineering seeks to solve the problem using biomaterials to promote neo-tendon formation to augment repair or regenerate tendon. However, while current biomaterials provide the opportunity to improve tendon healing, they frequently still exhibit fibrosis in preclinical studies. Therefore, a critical need exists to understand the mechanisms of aligned collagen formation when designing biomaterials for tendon tissue engineering. Matrix architecture and transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 4 (TRPV4) regulate aligned collagen formation during tenogenesis in vitro, but the mechanism remains to be determined. Recently, TRPV4 stimulation was found to induce nuclear localization and activation of transcriptional co-activators Yes-associated protein (YAP). YAP expression is upregulated during tendon development, a process characterized by aligned collagen formation, and in response to physiological mechanical stimulation, suggesting it could play an important role in tendon. The objective of this work is to improve tissue engineering strategies and progress toward making a device that regenerate tendon after injury. Aim 1 incorporates tendon-derived matrix into synthetic polymer scaffolds to add biological signaling cues to induce tenogenesis. Aim 2 uses a 2D photolithography system (microphotopatterning) to optimize architectural and structural cues to promote stem cell differentiation toward tenogenic, chondrogenic, and osteogenic lineages. Aim 3 investigates dynamic tensile loading protocols to promote collagen matrix synthesis and improve engineered tendon mechanical function. Aim 4 investigates the role of TRPV4 and YAP in collagen alignment during engineered tendon development.</p>
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Evaluating Improvisation As A Technique For Training Pre-service Teachers For Inclusive ClassroomsBecker, Theresa 01 January 2012 (has links)
Improvisation is a construct that uses a set of minimal heuristic guidelines to create a highly flexible scaffold that fosters extemporaneous communication. Scholars from diverse domains: such as psychology, business, negotiation, and education have suggested its use as a method for preparing professionals to manage complexity and think on their feet. A review of the literature revealed that while there is substantial theoretical scholarship on using improvisation in diverse domains, little research has verified these assertions. This dissertation evaluated whether improvisation, a specific type of dramatic technique, was effective for training pre-service teachers in specific characteristics of teacher-child classroom interaction, communication and affective skills development. It measured the strength and direction of any potential changes such training might effect on pre-service teacher’s self-efficacy for teaching and for implementing the communication skills common to improvisation and teaching while interacting with student in an inclusive classroom setting. A review of the literature on teacher self-efficacy and improvisation clarified and defined key terms, and illustrated relevant studies. This study utilized a mixed-method research design based on instructional design and development research. Matched pairs ttests were used to analyze the self-efficacy and training skills survey data and pre-service teacher reflections and interview transcripts were used to triangulate the qualitative data. Results of the t-tests showed a significant difference in participants’ self-efficacy for teaching measured before and after the improvisation training. A significant difference in means was also measured in participants’ aptitude for improvisation strategies and for self-efficacy for their implementation pre-/post- training. Qualitative results from pre-service teacher class iv artifacts and interviews showed participants reported beneficial personal outcomes as well as confirmed using skills from the training while interacting with students. Many of the qualitative themes parallel individual question items on the teacher self-efficacy TSES scale as well as the improvisation self-efficacy scale CSAI. The self-reported changes in affective behavior such as increased self-confidence and ability to foster positive interaction with students are illustrative of changes in teacher agency. Self-reports of being able to better understand student perspectives demonstrate a change in participant ability to empathize with students. Participants who worked with both typically developing students as well as with students with disabilities reported utilizing improvisation strategies such as Yes, and…, mirroring emotions and body language, vocal prosody and establishing a narrative relationship to put the students at ease, establish a positive learning environment, encourage student contributions and foster teachable moments. The improvisation strategies showed specific benefit for participants working with nonverbal students or who had commutation difficulties, by providing the pre-service teachers with strategies for using body language, emotional mirroring, vocal prosody and acceptance to foster interaction and communication with the student. Results from this investigation appear to substantiate the benefit of using improvisation training as part of a pre-service teacher methods course for preparing teachers for inclusive elementary classrooms. Replication of the study is encouraged with teachers of differing populations to confirm and extend results.
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