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Dysregulation in neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation and degradation may play a role in the pathogenesis and severity of COVID-19; however, its role in the pediatric manifestations of this disease, including multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and chilblain-like lesions (CLLs), otherwise known as "COVID toes,"remains unclear. Studying multinational cohorts, we found that, in CLLs, NETs were significantly increased in serum and skin. There was geographic variability in the prevalence of increased NETs in MIS-C, in association with disease severity. MIS-C and CLL serum samples displayed decreased NET degradation ability, in association with C1q and G-actin or anti-NET antibodies, respectively, but not with genetic variants of DNases. In adult COVID-19, persistent elevations in NETs after disease diagnosis were detected but did not occur in asymptomatic infection. COVID-19-affected adults displayed significant prevalence of impaired NET degradation, in association with anti-DNase1L3, G-actin, and specific disease manifestations, but not with genetic variants of DNases. NETs were detected in many organs of adult patients who died from COVID-19 complications. Infection with the Omicron variant was associated with decreased NET levels when compared with other SARS-CoV-2 strains. These data support a role for NETs in the pathogenesis and severity of COVID-19 in pediatric and adult patients.

Transcriptomic, proteomic and immune repertoire profiling reveals distinct peripheral features of MIS-C and pediatric COVID-19, including elevated soluble spike protein levels, more pronounced type II IFN-dependent gene expression and a higher B cell mutation rate in patients with MIS-C.Pediatric Coronavirus Disease 2019 (pCOVID-19) is rarely severe; however, a minority of children infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) might develop multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), with substantial morbidity. In this longitudinal multi-institutional study, we applied multi-omics (analysis of soluble biomarkers, proteomics, single-cell gene expression and immune repertoire analysis) to profile children with COVID-19 (n = 110) and MIS-C (n = 76), along with pediatric healthy controls (pHCs; n = 76). pCOVID-19 was characterized by robust type I interferon (IFN) responses, whereas prominent type II IFN-dependent and NF-kappa B-dependent signatures, matrisome activation and increased levels of circulating spike protein were detected in MIS-C, with no correlation with SARS-CoV-2 PCR status around the time of admission. Transient expansion of TRBV11-2 T cell clonotypes in MIS-C was associated with signatures of inflammation and T cell activation. The association of MIS-C with the combination of HLA A*02, B*35 and C*04 alleles suggests genetic susceptibility. MIS-C B cells showed higher mutation load than pCOVID-19 and pHC. These results identify distinct immunopathological signatures in pCOVID-19 and MIS-C that might help better define the pathophysiology of these disorders and guide therapy.

Does Plato defend Socrates in his dialogues? This is my main question throughout this paper which aims to prove that Plato indeed, at least in the examined works, defends his master. I examine in the following order Plato’s Apology, the Symposium, the Meno, the Euthydemus and Charmides. The first two Platonic works comprise chapter one and two respectively, while the three following works compose chapter three. Each chapter includes an introduction, an analysis of my thesis statement and a short conclusion. In the close study of the five works above, my aim is to identify Plato’s means of Socrates’ defence (figures of speech, direct/ indirect defending arguments) against his formal and informal accusations (corruption of the young, impiety, relation to the Sophists). I also identify common traits between these and other Platonic works, while I compare them with works of other ancient scholars too (e.g. Xenophon). Providing the claims of many contemporary scholars, I hope to complete the picture of the Platonic defence.

Does Plato defend Socrates in his dialogues? This is my main question throughout this paper which aims to prove that Plato indeed, at least in the examined works, defends his master. I examine in the following order Plato’s Apology, the Symposium, the Meno, the Euthydemus and Charmides. The first two Platonic works comprise chapter one and two respectively, while the three following works compose chapter three. Each chapter includes an introduction, an analysis of my thesis statement and a short conclusion. In the close study of the five works above, my aim is to identify Plato’s means of Socrates’ defence (figures of speech, direct/ indirect defending arguments) against his formal and informal accusations (corruption of the young, impiety, relation to the Sophists). I also identify common traits between these and other Platonic works, while I compare them with works of other ancient scholars too (e.g. Xenophon). Providing the claims of many contemporary scholars, I hope to complete the picture of the Platonic defence.

The intervention in Libya is the best example to date to judge the implementation of the Responsibility to Protect. In 2011, public demonstrations started in Libya seeking political and economic reforms in the country. In return, the Libyan President Maummar Al-Qaddafi threatened mass atrocities in Libya. This allowed the UNSC to sanction the use of force against Qaddafi’s regime in order to protect civilians. First, under resolution 1970 (2011), the UNSC referred the case to the International Criminal Court and applied sanctions. Second, via resolution 1973 (2011), the application of force was approved for the express purpose of “protecting civilians.” This thesis assess whether the military intervention in Libya in 2011 was R2P case. This question is answered by an analysis based upon the UNSC’s Resolutions, Council’s proceedings, and other official documents.

Representation of ethnic communities is a matter of importance for Canada. Members of various ethnic communities tend to be habitual non-voters, not engaged into political life. This thesis examines how five Liberal Members of Parliament from the city of Winnipeg Interviews were used to get a better understanding of practices, used by five Liberal Members of Parliament from the city of Winnipeg during and after their campaigns in 2015. This allowed for a better understanding of how do MPs reach out to their ethnic community constituents, learn about their needs. It was found that differences in the way MPs reach out to ethnic communities were mainly attributing to differences in riding ecology, personal view and preferences, and communities MPs work with.

Representation of ethnic communities is a matter of importance for Canada. Members of various ethnic communities tend to be habitual non-voters, not engaged into political life. This thesis examines how five Liberal Members of Parliament from the city of Winnipeg Interviews were used to get a better understanding of practices, used by five Liberal Members of Parliament from the city of Winnipeg during and after their campaigns in 2015. This allowed for a better understanding of how do MPs reach out to their ethnic community constituents, learn about their needs. It was found that differences in the way MPs reach out to ethnic communities were mainly attributing to differences in riding ecology, personal view and preferences, and communities MPs work with.

The intervention in Libya is the best example to date to judge the implementation of the Responsibility to Protect. In 2011, public demonstrations started in Libya seeking political and economic reforms in the country. In return, the Libyan President Maummar Al-Qaddafi threatened mass atrocities in Libya. This allowed the UNSC to sanction the use of force against Qaddafi’s regime in order to protect civilians. First, under resolution 1970 (2011), the UNSC referred the case to the International Criminal Court and applied sanctions. Second, via resolution 1973 (2011), the application of force was approved for the express purpose of “protecting civilians.” This thesis assess whether the military intervention in Libya in 2011 was R2P case. This question is answered by an analysis based upon the UNSC’s Resolutions, Council’s proceedings, and other official documents.

Representation of ethnic communities is a matter of importance for Canada. Members of various ethnic communities tend to be habitual non-voters, not engaged into political life. This thesis examines how five Liberal Members of Parliament from the city of Winnipeg Interviews were used to get a better understanding of practices, used by five Liberal Members of Parliament from the city of Winnipeg during and after their campaigns in 2015. This allowed for a better understanding of how do MPs reach out to their ethnic community constituents, learn about their needs. It was found that differences in the way MPs reach out to ethnic communities were mainly attributing to differences in riding ecology, personal view and preferences, and communities MPs work with.

Representation of ethnic communities is a matter of importance for Canada. Members of various ethnic communities tend to be habitual non-voters, not engaged into political life. This thesis examines how five Liberal Members of Parliament from the city of Winnipeg Interviews were used to get a better understanding of practices, used by five Liberal Members of Parliament from the city of Winnipeg during and after their campaigns in 2015. This allowed for a better understanding of how do MPs reach out to their ethnic community constituents, learn about their needs. It was found that differences in the way MPs reach out to ethnic communities were mainly attributing to differences in riding ecology, personal view and preferences, and communities MPs work with.

This thesis argues that virtue belongs in any framework of moral philosophy, and specifies this along several lines. In the first chapter I establish that virtue is a good, or a duty. I defend this against skeptical objections which argue that virtue is only an instrumental good. In Chapter 2 I specify some features of virtue. I argue that virtue is an attitude toward the good, and also is enhance by an inclination toward action and a stable disposition. Chapter 3 argues against certain meta-ethical objections that would question the veracity of the aspects of virtue discussed in Chapter 2. These objections draw from psychological studies about traits and the telos of a life. Chapter 4 suggests a hypothesis that eudaimonia, or human flourishing defined narrowly can provide the theoretical unification for virtue.

This thesis argues that virtue belongs in any framework of moral philosophy, and specifies this along several lines. In the first chapter I establish that virtue is a good, or a duty. I defend this against skeptical objections which argue that virtue is only an instrumental good. In Chapter 2 I specify some features of virtue. I argue that virtue is an attitude toward the good, and also is enhance by an inclination toward action and a stable disposition. Chapter 3 argues against certain meta-ethical objections that would question the veracity of the aspects of virtue discussed in Chapter 2. These objections draw from psychological studies about traits and the telos of a life. Chapter 4 suggests a hypothesis that eudaimonia, or human flourishing defined narrowly can provide the theoretical unification for virtue.

Michel Foucault is often is taken to represent human beings as products of insidious structures of power that lie beyond control and perception. This is an unfair characterisation since a deeper reading into his work reveals reflections and even insistences on creativity, resistance and freedom as fundamental components of human experience. My aim is to unify these two aspects of Foucault's thought so as to provide a positive account of political resistance to power relations in contemporary neo-liberal society.

Michel Foucault is often is taken to represent human beings as products of insidious structures of power that lie beyond control and perception. This is an unfair characterisation since a deeper reading into his work reveals reflections and even insistences on creativity, resistance and freedom as fundamental components of human experience. My aim is to unify these two aspects of Foucault's thought so as to provide a positive account of political resistance to power relations in contemporary neo-liberal society.

The purpose of this study is to examine the utility of a just war explanation in understanding Canada’s decision to enter into the war in Afghanistan. It examines Canada’s three phases of the war under the lens of jus ad bellum. The concentration is upon jus ad bellum’s core criteria of legitimate authority, public declaration of intent, just cause, last resort, reasonable chance of success and proportionality and then applies it to the three phases. By examining Canada’s international role, paying close attention to Canada’s association with the UN, NATO and its ally status with the United State are important explanations of why Canada entered into the Afghanistan war. This analysis strives to provide a holistic comprehension by exploring the utility of an ignored body of explanation and extrapolates from this analysis the contemporary use of jus ad bellum.

The purpose of this study is to examine the utility of a just war explanation in understanding Canada’s decision to enter into the war in Afghanistan. It examines Canada’s three phases of the war under the lens of jus ad bellum. The concentration is upon jus ad bellum’s core criteria of legitimate authority, public declaration of intent, just cause, last resort, reasonable chance of success and proportionality and then applies it to the three phases. By examining Canada’s international role, paying close attention to Canada’s association with the UN, NATO and its ally status with the United State are important explanations of why Canada entered into the Afghanistan war. This analysis strives to provide a holistic comprehension by exploring the utility of an ignored body of explanation and extrapolates from this analysis the contemporary use of jus ad bellum.

This thesis involves the study of Cicero’s translation of several Greek terms and concepts. In this analysis I examine some of the historical relations between Greek and Roman cultures in order to establish some of the factors that Cicero encountered when attempting to use Greek terms. This includes, in specific, an examination of Cato the Elder as an example of an elite Roman. The latter half of the thesis focuses on a series of specific Greek terms that deal with the Stoic theory of action. This section illustrates how Cicero introduced the Greek term, how he attempted to translate it into Latin, and any problems that occurred in the translation. Finally, I offer some explanations for any differences that I detected between the Greek Stoic meaning of the term and Cicero’s own translation.

This thesis involves the study of Cicero’s translation of several Greek terms and concepts. In this analysis I examine some of the historical relations between Greek and Roman cultures in order to establish some of the factors that Cicero encountered when attempting to use Greek terms. This includes, in specific, an examination of Cato the Elder as an example of an elite Roman. The latter half of the thesis focuses on a series of specific Greek terms that deal with the Stoic theory of action. This section illustrates how Cicero introduced the Greek term, how he attempted to translate it into Latin, and any problems that occurred in the translation. Finally, I offer some explanations for any differences that I detected between the Greek Stoic meaning of the term and Cicero’s own translation.

The WARC (Web ARChive) file format offers a convention for concatenating multiple resource records (data objects), each consisting of a set of simple text headers and an arbitrary data block into one long file.

The WARC (Web ARChive) file format offers a convention for concatenating multiple resource records (data objects), each consisting of a set of simple text headers and an arbitrary data block into one long file.

This thesis is an examination of the traveler’s dilemma and its backward induction argument. I begin by explaining relevant terminology, the prisoner’s dilemma, and the iterated prisoner’s dilemma; the discussion of which aids my examination of the traveler’s dilemma and its backward induction argument. My evaluation of the traveler’s dilemma involves a dissection of the game into its different components, a presentation of the salient similarities and differences between the traveler’s dilemma and the prisoner’s dilemma, and the exploration of three possible solutions. The first two solutions are adapted from ones initially created to solve other backward induction argument problems. The third solution is original and its foundation rests on the unique structure of the traveler’s dilemma. I focus on this third solution and consider several objections to it. I end this thesis with some ancillary comments about the possibility of generalizing the third solution to other backward induction argument problems.

This thesis is an examination of the traveler’s dilemma and its backward induction argument. I begin by explaining relevant terminology, the prisoner’s dilemma, and the iterated prisoner’s dilemma; the discussion of which aids my examination of the traveler’s dilemma and its backward induction argument. My evaluation of the traveler’s dilemma involves a dissection of the game into its different components, a presentation of the salient similarities and differences between the traveler’s dilemma and the prisoner’s dilemma, and the exploration of three possible solutions. The first two solutions are adapted from ones initially created to solve other backward induction argument problems. The third solution is original and its foundation rests on the unique structure of the traveler’s dilemma. I focus on this third solution and consider several objections to it. I end this thesis with some ancillary comments about the possibility of generalizing the third solution to other backward induction argument problems.

Kepler is mainly known among historians of science due to his astronomical theories and his approaches to problems having to do with philosophy of science and ontology. This thesis attempts to contribute to Kepler studies by providing a comprehensive discussion of a topic hitherto not really considered, namely Kepler’s theory of the soul, a general theory of knowledge or epistemology whose central problem is what makes knowledge possible—rather than what makes knowledge true, as happens in the case of Descartes’s and Bacon’s epistemologies. Kepler’s theory consists of four issues: the theory of the different sorts of soul—i.e. the human soul, the animal soul, the vegetable soul, and the Earth soul—concerning their faculties, the differences and the resemblances that emerge among them, the relation they maintain with their own bodies and the world, and the distinction soul-world. The thesis discusses these issues from a historical perspective, that is, it reconstructs the way they appear in three periods of Kepler’s career: the period prior to the publication of the Mysterium Cosmographicum, the period going from 1596 to 1611, and the harmonic period. Finally, Kepler’s epistemology is briefly contrasted with Descartes’s and Bacon’s in order to suggest why Kepler’s is philosophically interesting and valuable.

Kepler is mainly known among historians of science due to his astronomical theories and his approaches to problems having to do with philosophy of science and ontology. This thesis attempts to contribute to Kepler studies by providing a comprehensive discussion of a topic hitherto not really considered, namely Kepler’s theory of the soul, a general theory of knowledge or epistemology whose central problem is what makes knowledge possible—rather than what makes knowledge true, as happens in the case of Descartes’s and Bacon’s epistemologies. Kepler’s theory consists of four issues: the theory of the different sorts of soul—i.e. the human soul, the animal soul, the vegetable soul, and the Earth soul—concerning their faculties, the differences and the resemblances that emerge among them, the relation they maintain with their own bodies and the world, and the distinction soul-world. The thesis discusses these issues from a historical perspective, that is, it reconstructs the way they appear in three periods of Kepler’s career: the period prior to the publication of the Mysterium Cosmographicum, the period going from 1596 to 1611, and the harmonic period. Finally, Kepler’s epistemology is briefly contrasted with Descartes’s and Bacon’s in order to suggest why Kepler’s is philosophically interesting and valuable.

Master of Arts (MA)