Refractions of Canada in European Literature and Culture

Ever since the first exploratory expeditions in the early modern period, North America has epitomized to Europeans a promise and the hope for the fulfilment of great expectations, be it of more freedom, greater wealth, social liberation or religious tolerance. While numerous features in this dialogic intercontinental relationship will hold true for North America in its entirety, the vast northern territories which we know as Canada today began to emerge early on as a specific iconic location in European mind-maps, and they definitely acquired a distinctive profile after the formation of the USA. As a rich source of cultural exchange and an important partner in political and economic cooperation Canada has come to occupy an important position in the cultural discourses of many European nations. It is these refractions and images of Canada which this volume thoroughly explores in European literature and culture. The contributions include literature, philosophy, language, life-writing and the concept of 'Heimat' (homeland) as well as the cultural impact of the World Wars. While there is an emphasis on literary texts, other fields of cultural representation are also included.

The Relationship of Student Demographics to 10th Grade MCAS Test Anxiety

The intensification of consequential testing situations is associated with an increase in anxiety among American students (Casbarro, 2005). Test anxiety can have negative effects on student test performance (Everson, Millsap, & Rodriguez, 1991). If test anxiety has the potential to decrease students’ test scores, it becomes a factor that can threaten the validity of any inferences drawn between test scores and student progress (Cizek & Burg, 2006). There are several factors that relate closely to test anxiety (Cizek & Burg, 2006). Variables of key influence include gender, socioeconomic status, and teacher-manifested anxiety (Hembree, 1988). Another influence upon test anxiety is students’ participation in academic support programs to prepare them for exit examinations. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between 10th grade high school student gender, socioeconomic status, perceived teacher anxiety, and student preparedness with levels of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test anxiety. It appears that few studies have examined levels of high school test anxiety in regards to this specific high-stakes MCAS exit exam required for high school graduation. A two-phase sequential mixed-methods research design was used to survey (N=156) 10th grade students represented by a sampling of (n=80) students with low socioeconomic status and (n=76) students with high socioeconomic status regarding their levels of test anxiety in relation to upcoming MCAS testing. A multiple regression analysis was used to measure the relationship between the predictor variables (gender, socioeconomic status, perceived teacher anxiety, and student preparedness) with the criterion variable of student test anxiety using the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI). Personal interviews with (n=20) volunteer students provided rich explanations of students’ academic self-efficacy, their perceptions of their performance on the upcoming MCAS exam, and their use of strategies to reduce their levels of test anxiety. Personal interviews with (n=12) volunteer school administrators and teachers provided descriptions of their perceptions of how test anxiety affected their students’ performance. A major quantitative finding of this study was that the variables of student socioeconomic status and student ratings of teacher anxiety accounted for the variance in students’ levels of surveyed test anxiety (R2 = .06, p = .033, small to medium effect size). These results indicate that different student populations vary in their readiness skills to successfully participate in consequential testing situations. Consequently, high-test anxious students would require emotional preparation as well as academic preparation when confronting high-stakes testing. The results have the potential to re-shape the format of schools’ MCAS test preparation efforts.

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli as a cause of acute diarrhea

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) are considered an important emerging enteric and food-borne pathogen. The groups importantly affected by EAEC include international travelers, children in the developing world, and patients with HIV infection. EAEC does not commonly cause diarrheal illness in all hosts. ^ The reasons for the observed clinical variation in EAEC infection are multifactorial and are dependant on the pathogen, the inoculum ingested and the host susceptibility. A major obstacle in identifying the mechanism of pathogenesis for EAEC is the heterogeneity in virulence of strains. No EAEC virulence gene is consistently present in all diarrheagenic strains. However, a recent report suggests that a package of plasmid borne and chromosomal virulence factors are under the control of the described transcriptional activator aggR. Although the exact inoculum required for EAEC diarrheal illness is not known, a volunteer study has shown that oral ingestion of 10 10 cfu of virulent EAEC elicited diarrhea. Ongoing studies are being conducted to better define the exact infectious dose. There are also host factors associated with increased susceptibility of persons to diarrheal illness with EAEC. ^ The following three manuscripts: (1) review EAEC as an emerging enteric pathogen; (2) identify EAEC as a cause of acute diarrhea among different subpopulations worldwide; (3) identify virulence characteristics and the molecular epidemiology of EAEC isolates among travelers with diarrheal illness and describe the pathogenesis of EAEC infection. ^

The effects of proteasome inhibition on angiogenesis and autophagy in human prostate cancer cells

The proteasome degrades approximately 80% of intracellular proteins to maintain homeostasis. Proteasome inhibition is a validated therapeutic strategy, and currently, proteasome inhibitor bortezomib is FDA approved for the treatment of MM and MCL. Specific pathways affected by proteasome inhibition have been identified, but mechanisms of the anti-tumor effects of proteasome inhibition are not fully characterized and cancer cells display marked heterogeneity in terms of their sensitivity to proteasome inhibitor induced cell death. ^ The antitumor effects of proteasome inhibition involve suppression of tumor angiogenesis and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression, but the mechanisms involved have not been clarified. In this dissertation I investigated the mechanisms underlying the effects of two proteasome inhibitors, bortezomib and NPI-0052, on VEGF expression in human prostate cancer cells. I found that proteasome inhibitors selectively downregulated hypoxia inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1α) protein and its transcriptional activity to inhibit VEGF expression. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that proteasome inhibitors mediate the induction of the unfolded protein response (UPR) and that downregulation of HIF-1α is caused by eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) phosphorylation and translation repression. Importantly, I showed that proteasome inhibitors activated the UPR in some cells but not in others. My observation may have implications for the design of combination regimens that are based on exploiting proteasome inhibitor-induced ER stress.^ Although proteasome inhibitors have shown modest activity on prostate cancer, there is general consensus that no single agent is likely to have significant activity in prostate cancer. In the second part of this dissertation I attempted to exploit the effects of proteasome inhibition on the UPR to design a combination therapy that would enhance cancer cell death. Autophagy is a lysosome dependent degradation pathway that functions to eliminate long-lived protein and subcellular structures. Targeting autophagy has been shown to inhibit tumors in preclinical studies. I found that inhibition of autophagy with chloroquine or 3-methyladenine enhanced proteasome inhibitor induced cell death and the effects were associated with increased intracellular stress as marked by aggresome formation. Multiple cancers appear to be resistant to proteasome inhibition treatment alone. The implications of synergy for the combined inhibition of autophagy and the proteasome would likely apply to other cancers aside from prostate cancer. ^

Effect of Prosopis flexuosa on understory species and its importance to pastoral management in woodlands of the Central Monte Desert

In the Monte Biogeographic Province, located in the arid region of Argentina, the presence of Prosopis flexuosa DC. produces spatial heterogeneity through edaphic modifications and microclimate changes. This results in vegetation patches differing in species composition and abundance. However, this interaction can be modified by the occurrence of gradients of biotic stress or disturbance intensity. In particular, grazing has been observed to enhance or reduce vegetation heterogeneity. Such complex of interactions could determine forage availability for cattle in one of the driest areas of the Monte Desert. We assessed the effect of Prosopis on understory species and analyzed whether the outcomes of this interaction differed with distance to watering points, as a proxy of grazing intensity, in the Northeast of Mendoza Province, Argentina. We used a two-way factorial design including the following factors: 1) microsite (under the cover of P. flexuosa trees and in intercanopy microsites) and 2) distance to watering points ("near the watering point", 500-700 m away, and "far from the watering point", 3-4 km away). Cover of each species, total cover, bare soil, and litter were recorded, and plant diversity, richness, and evenness were estimated with the modified Point Quadrat method. Results showed that P. flexuosa cover, distance from watering points, and the interaction between them determined species composition, abundance and spatial distribution of understory species, and were, consequently, a determining factor for forage availability. The presence of P. flexuosa enhances carrying capacity by supporting higher abundance of grasses under its canopy. Near watering points, high grazing intensity appears to disrupt the patches formed under P. flexuosa canopies, reducing the differences between microsites.

Dissolved and particulate organic carbon in the Sea of Okhotsk

Data on distribution of dissolved and particulate organic matter obtained during Cruises 21 and 24 of R/V Akademik A. Nesmeyanov in June-August 1992 and 1993 are presented. In general a remarkable heterogeneity in distributions of both dissolved and particulate organic carbon is revealed. Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon vary from 98 to 700 µmol/l and those of particulate organic carbon vary from 3 to 50 µmol/l. Maximum concentrations are commonly observed in the shelf region while minimum concentrations - in the central basin. Run-off of the Amur River raises dissolved matter concentration in the Sakhalin Bay, while oil exploitation at the Sakhalin shelf maximizes particulate organic carbon concentration and minimizes dissolved one. Concentrations of dissolved and particulate organic carbon in the surface microlayer were estimated for the first time and are shown to be 1.5-2.0 times higher than in surface waters.

Composition of ferromanganese crusts from the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans

A collection of layered ferromanganese ores (27 samples) from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans was studied. Trace element and PGE contents were determined layer-by-layer (up to 10 microlayers) in 13 of these samples. The trace, rare earth, and platinum group element distributions, including their layer-to-layer variations, were compared in hydrogenic and hydrothermal crusts from different regions. It was found that the main PGE variations (by a factor of 10-50) are related to their layer-to-layer variations within a given ore field. The distributions of PGE and trace elements are strongly heterogeneous, which is related, first, to different contents of the elements in the layers of different age in ferromanganese crusts (FMC) and, second, to the observed regional heterogeneity and influence of hydrothermal fluids. Geochemical data indicate that CFC formation was mainly caused by the hydrochemical precipitation of material from seawater. This process was accompanied by diagenetic phenomena, water-rock interaction, and influence of volcanic and hydrothermal sources.

Un elixir de la palabra : Heterogeneidad interlingüe en la narrativa de Sandra Cisneros

Esta tesis doctoral explora la construcción de algunos aspectos enunciativos relacionados con la heterogeneidad lingüístico-cultural presentes en la narrativa de la escritora chicana Sandra Cisneros [n. 1954]. Más específicamente, esta investigación tiene como objetivo principal explicar el fenómeno de la desterritorialización de la lengua a partir del examen de la conformación de espacios lingüístico-culturales intersticiales a lo largo del desarrollo de la obra de Cisneros [1984, 1991, 2002], que conforma el corpus de nuestro trabajo. Nuestra hipótesis rectora indica que en la escritura de Cisneros. La constitución de la heterogeneidad y la gesta del sentido son ineludiblemente interlingües. Así, proponemos que la heterogeneidad interlingüe es la categoría que permite explicar la complejidad discursivo-enunciativa característica de nuestro corpus. A partir del concepto de heterogeneidad[es] enunciativa[s] elaborado por Authier-Revuz [1984]. Definimos la heterogeneidad interlingüe como un fenómeno enunciativo que se inscribe en el ámbito del dialogismo interdiscursivo [Bajtin [1952-3] 1982] y que se manifiesta a través de las marcas y formas que surgen en el discurso a través de los procesos de negociación y traducción Iingüistico-culturales actualizados en el encuentro constante y constitutivo de distintas lenguas. Según entendemos, la heterogeneidad interlingüe se articula a partir de tres dimensiones que se encuentran en permanente interacción: la conformación de una imagen discursiva o ethos [Ducrot, [1984] 1986; Amossy, 1999] asociado al responsable de la enunciación de la totalidad de los textos narrativos [Iocutor-Autor], la institución de sitios -formas y marcas- que se presentan como heterogéneos desde un punto de vista lingüístico-cultural y la configuración de una practica de lectura particular que exige una competencia discursivo-cultural de parte del lector que debe completar el sentido del texto y también del discurso. En atención alas dimensiones aludidas, esta tesis otorga atención específica a los siguientes aspectos: la constitución interlingüe de la paratextualidad, la alternancia de lenguas, los distintos modos de presencia de la traducción, los enunciados paremiológicos y la dimensión reflexiva de la enunciación. Entre los objetivos centrales de nuestra investigación, se cuentan: 1. la elaboración de un andamiaje teórico-metodológico pluridisciplinario que permita dar cuenta de las particularidades discursivas de nuestro corpus y ser referencia para el análisis de otras escrituras de minorías y narrativas de frontera; 2. la contribución al desarrollo de los estudios del discurso [Authier-Revuz, 1984, 1995; Ducrot. [1984] 1986, 2004] a través de la incorporación de la noción de interlingüismo a la discusión de la constitución de la heterogeneidad y de la gesta del sentido discursivo; 3. la articulación del concepto de desterritorializacion [Deleuze y Guattari, [1975] 1998] con algunas nociones originadas en los modelos provenientes de la teoría de la Frontera [Hicks, 1991; Arteaga, 1997] y de la teoría discursiva de Authier-Revuz [1984, 1995]. En cuanto a los objetivos particulares, este trabajo de tesis se propone examinar las distintas formas y marcas de la heterogeneidad interlingüe presentes en la narrativa de Cisneros y ofrecer un panorama analítico que pondere la evolución de la obra de la escritora chicana en relación con la construcción del responsable de la enunciación, los sitios de la heterogeneidad y la practica de lectura singular que impone esta escritura

Un elixir de la palabra : Heterogeneidad interlingüe en la narrativa de Sandra Cisneros

Esta tesis doctoral explora la construcción de algunos aspectos enunciativos relacionados con la heterogeneidad lingüístico-cultural presentes en la narrativa de la escritora chicana Sandra Cisneros [n. 1954]. Más específicamente, esta investigación tiene como objetivo principal explicar el fenómeno de la desterritorialización de la lengua a partir del examen de la conformación de espacios lingüístico-culturales intersticiales a lo largo del desarrollo de la obra de Cisneros [1984, 1991, 2002], que conforma el corpus de nuestro trabajo. Nuestra hipótesis rectora indica que en la escritura de Cisneros. La constitución de la heterogeneidad y la gesta del sentido son ineludiblemente interlingües. Así, proponemos que la heterogeneidad interlingüe es la categoría que permite explicar la complejidad discursivo-enunciativa característica de nuestro corpus. A partir del concepto de heterogeneidad[es] enunciativa[s] elaborado por Authier-Revuz [1984]. Definimos la heterogeneidad interlingüe como un fenómeno enunciativo que se inscribe en el ámbito del dialogismo interdiscursivo [Bajtin [1952-3] 1982] y que se manifiesta a través de las marcas y formas que surgen en el discurso a través de los procesos de negociación y traducción Iingüistico-culturales actualizados en el encuentro constante y constitutivo de distintas lenguas. Según entendemos, la heterogeneidad interlingüe se articula a partir de tres dimensiones que se encuentran en permanente interacción: la conformación de una imagen discursiva o ethos [Ducrot, [1984] 1986; Amossy, 1999] asociado al responsable de la enunciación de la totalidad de los textos narrativos [Iocutor-Autor], la institución de sitios -formas y marcas- que se presentan como heterogéneos desde un punto de vista lingüístico-cultural y la configuración de una practica de lectura particular que exige una competencia discursivo-cultural de parte del lector que debe completar el sentido del texto y también del discurso. En atención alas dimensiones aludidas, esta tesis otorga atención específica a los siguientes aspectos: la constitución interlingüe de la paratextualidad, la alternancia de lenguas, los distintos modos de presencia de la traducción, los enunciados paremiológicos y la dimensión reflexiva de la enunciación. Entre los objetivos centrales de nuestra investigación, se cuentan: 1. la elaboración de un andamiaje teórico-metodológico pluridisciplinario que permita dar cuenta de las particularidades discursivas de nuestro corpus y ser referencia para el análisis de otras escrituras de minorías y narrativas de frontera; 2. la contribución al desarrollo de los estudios del discurso [Authier-Revuz, 1984, 1995; Ducrot. [1984] 1986, 2004] a través de la incorporación de la noción de interlingüismo a la discusión de la constitución de la heterogeneidad y de la gesta del sentido discursivo; 3. la articulación del concepto de desterritorializacion [Deleuze y Guattari, [1975] 1998] con algunas nociones originadas en los modelos provenientes de la teoría de la Frontera [Hicks, 1991; Arteaga, 1997] y de la teoría discursiva de Authier-Revuz [1984, 1995]. En cuanto a los objetivos particulares, este trabajo de tesis se propone examinar las distintas formas y marcas de la heterogeneidad interlingüe presentes en la narrativa de Cisneros y ofrecer un panorama analítico que pondere la evolución de la obra de la escritora chicana en relación con la construcción del responsable de la enunciación, los sitios de la heterogeneidad y la practica de lectura singular que impone esta escritura

Factorial structure and reliability of a perceived influence on selection of a specialized plan of studies, IPEP, in secondary school students of Chillan, Chile

To evaluate these factors, the scale of perceived influences on the election of a specialized plan of studies, IPEP, was built and in this study its factorial structure and reliability were evaluated. The instrument was applied to 115 students, chosen by quote sampling. They were students of a subsidized private secondary school from the city of Chillan, Chile. An exploratory factorial analysis identified eight factors in the scale IPEP: Academic projection, Personal development, Maintenance of the social environment, Academic requirements, Satisfaction of others' expectations, Vocational information, Image of the plan and Family pressure. The results present an initial factorial structure, that empirically and theoretically adequate, whose factors were reliable and conceptually useful. These factors distinguish psychogenic and sociogenic aspects of the vocational process, and allow to initiate diagnostic and investigative actions in relation to this early vocational election that is established in secondary schools of the Chilean educational system

El oficio y la academia : Apuntes sobre las modalidades de circulación y producción de los libros

Este artículo recorre la relación entre la experiencia en los oficios del libro (traducción, redacción, corrección) y las nuevas disciplinas académicas (traductología, historia del libro) que las transformaciones de los soportes materiales y financieros han suscitado.

Evaluation of study competence in pupils between 12-14 years old

There are three main study areas of guidance needs for pupils in Compulsory Secondary Education (CSE) which are academic development, personal and social development and the area of professional career. The area of academic development is where the knowledge to be acquired by the pupils, attitudes towards efficient learning in schools and the skills of efficient study are inculcated, the latter being the objective of our study. The research was taken from a sample of 80 school children between twelve and sixteen years old in a Secondary School in Santiago of Compostela ( Spain ). After analysing the results obtained we can see several motivations that justify the need to improve learning and study skills used by pupils. Normative arguments exist, needs that are exhibited by pupils and by teachers, especially tutors, of a scientific nature (connection with academic work) and to develop new strategies taking into account the contributions to the pedagogic research in this field. In this sense the application of an innovative programme of skills and study strategies in communication could be of interest.

Un elixir de la palabra : Heterogeneidad interlingüe en la narrativa de Sandra Cisneros

Esta tesis doctoral explora la construcción de algunos aspectos enunciativos relacionados con la heterogeneidad lingüístico-cultural presentes en la narrativa de la escritora chicana Sandra Cisneros [n. 1954]. Más específicamente, esta investigación tiene como objetivo principal explicar el fenómeno de la desterritorialización de la lengua a partir del examen de la conformación de espacios lingüístico-culturales intersticiales a lo largo del desarrollo de la obra de Cisneros [1984, 1991, 2002], que conforma el corpus de nuestro trabajo. Nuestra hipótesis rectora indica que en la escritura de Cisneros. La constitución de la heterogeneidad y la gesta del sentido son ineludiblemente interlingües. Así, proponemos que la heterogeneidad interlingüe es la categoría que permite explicar la complejidad discursivo-enunciativa característica de nuestro corpus. A partir del concepto de heterogeneidad[es] enunciativa[s] elaborado por Authier-Revuz [1984]. Definimos la heterogeneidad interlingüe como un fenómeno enunciativo que se inscribe en el ámbito del dialogismo interdiscursivo [Bajtin [1952-3] 1982] y que se manifiesta a través de las marcas y formas que surgen en el discurso a través de los procesos de negociación y traducción Iingüistico-culturales actualizados en el encuentro constante y constitutivo de distintas lenguas. Según entendemos, la heterogeneidad interlingüe se articula a partir de tres dimensiones que se encuentran en permanente interacción: la conformación de una imagen discursiva o ethos [Ducrot, [1984] 1986; Amossy, 1999] asociado al responsable de la enunciación de la totalidad de los textos narrativos [Iocutor-Autor], la institución de sitios -formas y marcas- que se presentan como heterogéneos desde un punto de vista lingüístico-cultural y la configuración de una practica de lectura particular que exige una competencia discursivo-cultural de parte del lector que debe completar el sentido del texto y también del discurso. En atención alas dimensiones aludidas, esta tesis otorga atención específica a los siguientes aspectos: la constitución interlingüe de la paratextualidad, la alternancia de lenguas, los distintos modos de presencia de la traducción, los enunciados paremiológicos y la dimensión reflexiva de la enunciación. Entre los objetivos centrales de nuestra investigación, se cuentan: 1. la elaboración de un andamiaje teórico-metodológico pluridisciplinario que permita dar cuenta de las particularidades discursivas de nuestro corpus y ser referencia para el análisis de otras escrituras de minorías y narrativas de frontera; 2. la contribución al desarrollo de los estudios del discurso [Authier-Revuz, 1984, 1995; Ducrot. [1984] 1986, 2004] a través de la incorporación de la noción de interlingüismo a la discusión de la constitución de la heterogeneidad y de la gesta del sentido discursivo; 3. la articulación del concepto de desterritorializacion [Deleuze y Guattari, [1975] 1998] con algunas nociones originadas en los modelos provenientes de la teoría de la Frontera [Hicks, 1991; Arteaga, 1997] y de la teoría discursiva de Authier-Revuz [1984, 1995]. En cuanto a los objetivos particulares, este trabajo de tesis se propone examinar las distintas formas y marcas de la heterogeneidad interlingüe presentes en la narrativa de Cisneros y ofrecer un panorama analítico que pondere la evolución de la obra de la escritora chicana en relación con la construcción del responsable de la enunciación, los sitios de la heterogeneidad y la practica de lectura singular que impone esta escritura

Factorial structure and reliability of a perceived influence on selection of a specialized plan of studies, IPEP, in secondary school students of Chillan, Chile

To evaluate these factors, the scale of perceived influences on the election of a specialized plan of studies, IPEP, was built and in this study its factorial structure and reliability were evaluated. The instrument was applied to 115 students, chosen by quote sampling. They were students of a subsidized private secondary school from the city of Chillan, Chile. An exploratory factorial analysis identified eight factors in the scale IPEP: Academic projection, Personal development, Maintenance of the social environment, Academic requirements, Satisfaction of others' expectations, Vocational information, Image of the plan and Family pressure. The results present an initial factorial structure, that empirically and theoretically adequate, whose factors were reliable and conceptually useful. These factors distinguish psychogenic and sociogenic aspects of the vocational process, and allow to initiate diagnostic and investigative actions in relation to this early vocational election that is established in secondary schools of the Chilean educational system

El oficio y la academia : Apuntes sobre las modalidades de circulación y producción de los libros

Este artículo recorre la relación entre la experiencia en los oficios del libro (traducción, redacción, corrección) y las nuevas disciplinas académicas (traductología, historia del libro) que las transformaciones de los soportes materiales y financieros han suscitado.