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One of the most interesting constructions in Cree is the inverse. The inverse comprises only half of the paradigm of the active transitive forms in the language and is interesting because it is typologically unusual. Inverse systems have only been reported in a few of the world's languages, and moreover, in the languages in which they occur they have been problematic for analysis, sometimes being analyzed as this unique voice opposition, and sometimes as a passive. The inverse in Cree has been problematic in this way, especially as it is morphologically like a passive, but syntactically like an inverse. In this thesis, I argue that the inverse originated as a passive construction. Specifically, I claim that a passive construction that existed at a much earlier stage in the history of the language was reanalyzed as an active transitive clause - the inverse. I use evidence from Cree and Proto-Algonquian, as well as evidence from Wiyot and Yurok, sister languages of Proto-Algonquian, to support this analysis. In addition, I provide typological evidence in support of this analysis. The reanalysis account is shown to explain why the inverse is morphologically like a passive, but syntactically like a inverse, in this way incorporating the insights of other theorists who have previously addressed the analysis of this construction. In addition, the reanalysis account for the inverse in Cree is shown to have implications for the study of language more generally.

Background: The implementation of mandatory synoptic templates in the final diagnosis section of pathology reports has been associated with increased uniformity and clarity though the content and format of other pathology report sections have yet to be examined. This study appears to be the first of its kind to examine the importance of gross and microscopic descriptions for pathologists and clinicians. Methods: Survey invitations were forwarded to both pathologists and clinicians on their use and their perceived value of the gross and microscopic description sections. A retrospective review of pathology reports of the specimens most commonly submitted to pathology was then performed to determine the elements currently included in/ omitted from microscopic descriptions. Results: Overall, the majority of pathologists indicated they at least usually read the gross descriptions of biopsies (73.59%) and excisional specimens (91.18%) but rarely felt that microscopic descriptions should be included for biopsies (81.25%) nor excisional specimens (78.13%). Pathologists also indicated they believed gross and microscopic descriptions were rarely read (72.73% and 57.58% respectively), understood (54.55% and 42.42% respectively), or utilized by clinicians. However, the majority of clinicians indicated that they always read pathology reports (94.94%) and at least usually read and understood the gross (79.66% and 85.80% respectively) and microscopic descriptions (91.23% and 87.06% respectively) and found these sections valuable. The pathology report review revealed that microscopic descriptions were included most frequently for renal (100%) and hepatic (45%) biopsies and dermatological excisions (53.85%) and consisted of histological descriptions and ancillary studies of the respective tissues. Other specimen types including pulmonary, and breast biopsies along with gynecological excisions included this information in the comments section. Conclusion: In summary, pathologists are advised to be cognizant that clinicians read and find value in the gross and microscopic description sections. Furthermore, there appears to be a discordance between where elements are included in pathology reports depending on specimen type. For increased consistency and clarity, it is recommended that elements be included in designated sections across all specimen types.

Immunopathological disorders are no longer defined by dysregulated T-helper (Th) type 1/ Th2 responses but account for modulatory cell types such as regulatory and Th17 cells. The newly defined Th17 subset is an effector memory subtype which regulates mucosal host defense responses. A distinctive feature of interleukin (IL)-17 is its ability to invoke neutrophilic responses and to synergize cytokine responses in proximal structural cells. This effect is most evident for proinflammatory cytokines and neutrophil-mobilizing chemokines which are under the regulatory control of the canonical, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) pathway. The uniqueness of the IL-17A receptor (IL-17RA) signal transduction pathway however has been a limiting factor in uncovering IL-17-mediated effector functions since the receptor bears little homology to other known receptors and contains a unique cytoplasmic consensus binding motif. Hence, the composition, dynamics and subunit interactions of the IL-17R complex have become an emerging area of research where novel recruitment motifs and adaptor proteins are actively being explored. Our study sought to uncover the signal transduction and molecular mechanisms mediating the initiation and amplification responses induced by IL-17. We hypothesize that (i) IL-17 represents a key cytokine which initiates inflammatory responses by acting on proximal structural cells to rapidly release neutrophil-mobilizing chemokines and myeloid growth factors and that (ii) IL-17 directly promotes survival responses of immune effector cells. Genomic analysis of stimulated human airway smooth muscle cells support the proinflammatory nature of IL-17 as NF-κB associated genes and chemokines were most significantly upregulated within 2 hours. However, IL-17 induced a modest fold increase in gene expression levels whereby only 4 genes achieved greater than 2 fold increases. This, along with the observation that IL-17 enhanced IL-1β-mediated CXCL8 expression via transcriptional promoter activation levels and post-transcriptional mRNA stabilization mechanisms suggests that IL-17 cooperatively functions with secondary cytokines to mediate inflammatory responses. Despite activating the p38-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway in peripheral blood neutrophils, IL-17 did not directly affect the apoptotic capacity of these cells but unexpectedly antagonized the survival response mediated by the granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Collectively, our results suggest that IL-17 is a potent synergistic cytokine which signals via the MAPK-NF-κB pathway to indirectly recruit neutrophils via CXC-chemokines produced by non-hematopoietic cells and that IL-17 may potentially dampen inflammatory responses by directly antagonizing inflammatory effector cells.

Youth health promotion activities should reflect the concerns and interests of the youth being served. A quantitative exploration of youth concern related to health risk behaviour (HRB) engagement was conducted among youth in Winnipeg, MB. This study involved descriptive and inferential analysis of HRB engagement and attitude data from a cross-sectional survey of 250 youth (14–24 years). Chi-squared tests, Fisher’s exact tests, logistic regression and cluster analyses were employed to explore relationships between sociodemographic traits, HRB engagement, and HRB-specific concern. Findings demonstrated that A) youth in Winnipeg, regardless of their sociodemographic characteristics, do express concern about HRBs that they engage in; B) the likelihood of concern varies depending on what HRB one is examining; and C) while youth display similar trends in their concern about HRBs, different groups of youth, characterized by different patterns of engagement and sociodemographic traits vary in their likelihood of being concerned about particular HRBs.