VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Therapeutic and Substance Abuse Biomarkers in the Immediate Postpartum Period
Keywords: fatty acid ethyl esters
fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
neonatal hair
opioids
pharmacogenetics
post-cesarean

The aim of this thesis was to develop the use of therapeutic and substance abuse biomarkers relevant to the immediate postpartum period, to reduce the risk of adverse outcomes in mothers and their infants. A systematic review was conducted to identify the role of opioid pharmacogenetics in analgesic response among postpartum patients, and in adverse events in these patients and their breastfed infants. Following a thorough search of the literature, studies were screened for their eligibility, data was extracted, and study quality was evaluated. Collectively, the 17 studies included in the review revealed that CYP2D6, OPRM1 A118G, UGT2B7 C802T and ABCB1 G2677AT may contribute to postpartum analgesia or adverse events. A nested cohort study was performed to explore the role of codeine pharmacogenetics in a population of 98 post-cesarean women. Participants were genotyped and instructed to report their pain using the visual analog scale 1 h following each dose of codeine. The OPRM1 A118G and UGT2B7 C802T variants were found to predict codeine consumption in the cohort overall (P
Crazy making: The reproduction of psychiatry by nursing education
Keywords: Critical discourse analysis
Critical thinking
Institutional ethnography
Mental health and psychiatry
Michel Foucault
Power and resistance

This is a study of how psychiatric discourse linguistically and institutionally figures in nursing education in Ontario. Correspondingly, it is a study of ‘mental health’ nursing education in undergraduate nursing programs, specifically, those offered by college-university partnerships. It is likewise an investigation of how psychiatry has come to colonize nursing by way of the nursing academy. A mixed qualitative methodology study, its analysis draws on the author’s experience as a nursing student and faculty member, with data also coming from student and faculty interviews, observation periods, and a number of curriculum and institutional documents. Two primary approaches are employed–critical discourse analysis and institutional ethnography. Critical discourse analysis is used to unearth how the structure and function of language play a role in the reproduction of ‘mental illness.’ The language of nursing mental health literature is examined as a producer of psychiatrically-colonized constitutions of ‘mental health.’ What is demonstrated is how nursing linguistically downloads psychiatric discourse, thereby reproducing an ideologically biomedical framing of ‘the patient.’ With institutional ethnography, the thesis makes visible the operational complex of the relations that comprise the nursing program under study. Beginning in the everyday world, the author traces the institutional processes which embed and maintain a problematic construction of the ‘mentally ill,’ in the process, maintaining a perpetual state of psychiatric ruling. Reinforcing this psychiatric reproduction are ‘disciplinary’ practices–those docility-producing teaching practices which are common to university professional education. These too are examined as an arm of the institution, as inscribers of psychiatric discourse, effectively perpetuating a problematic understanding of ‘mental health’ for nursing. The thesis ends with a discussion of implications for critical thinking and directions for nursing.
Post-Thrombotic Syndrome in Pediatrics: Development of a Measurement Index
Keywords: Children
Deep vein thrombosis
Diagnosis
Measurement
Outcome
Postthrombotic syndrome

Objectives: Post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) is the most common long-term complication of upper and lower extremity (UE/LE) deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The objective of this thesis was to develop an index for diagnosis and severity rating of pediatric PTS. Methods: Separate sub-indexes were developed for UE and LE. First, a preliminary study was conducted to determine normal values of limb fluid content in children, using bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS, Study 1); this information was used for item piloting in Study 2. Next, the signs and symptoms (items) to be included in each sub-index were obtained from a survey answered by an international panel of pediatric thrombosis experts and interviews to pediatric patients with PTS; the items were then defined and piloted in children with UE or LE-DVT to test their diagnostic performance and correlation with PTS diagnosis and severity, assessed by a pediatric thrombosis expert (Study 2). Last, the final items of the sub-indexes were voted by the expert panel using a Delphi process; a scoring system was then developed taking into account item importance to health care providers and to patients/parents, using multiple-criteria decision analysis (MCDA); the meaning of the scores was explored by comparing scores with PTS diagnosis and with parental satisfaction/dissatisfaction with the clinical condition of their child (Study 3). Results: Normal BIS values were obtained from 223 healthy children. Twenty-three experts and 16 patients with PTS identified 34 items, 32 of which fitted our measurement framework and were tested in children with UE-DVT (n=70) or LE-DVT (n=70). Aided by the obtained information on the diagnostic performance of each item, the pediatric thrombosis experts voted to retain 10 and 7 items for the LE and UE sub-indexes, respectively (81% response rate). Item weights were developed using MCDA (122 participants, 82% response rate). Both sub-indexes showed good discriminative ability to differentiate between patients with and without PTS. Higher scores were associated with parental dissatisfaction with the clinical condition of their child. Conclusion: We present an index for diagnosis and severity rating of pediatric PTS, developed using expert consensus. The tool provides a meaningful score and has proven diagnostic properties.
Historical Memory, Authority, and the Written Word: A study of the documentary and literary culture at the early medieval court of Benevento, 700-900 CE
Keywords: Benevento
documentary culture
early Middle Ages
historical memory
Lombards
southern Italy

This study examines the documentary and literary culture associated with the court of the Lombard Duchy and Principality of Benevento during the eighth and ninth centuries. More specifically, through the careful analysis of different genres of text associated with the court network, including epigraphy, legislation, precepts, charters, notices of judgment, and hagiography, this dissertation will argue that historical memory was mobilized at the Beneventan court as an important way for individuals and families to express and authenticate ideas of authority, whether it was to validate property claims, to legitimate a right to rule, or to justify a place within the hierarchy of Beneventan society. In order to anchor oneâ s claim to authority in the present and guarantee it in the future, the written word was fundamental, not only in facilitating authors and their patrons in recalling the memories of ancestors, rulers, holy men, historical events, and customary practices, but also in reconstructing and reinterpreting the past to suit present concerns. Interestingly, the Beneventan court community did not simply evoke its historical ties to or ethnic affiliation with the Lombard Kingdom in the north. Its sense of the past was much more fluid, evolving to adapt to changing political circumstances, new ideologies, and social transformations. Beneventoâ s unique location on the frontier in southern Italy and the development of a lay literary culture amongst the court elite meant that while the history of the Lombard Kingdom remained important, Beneventans were deeply influenced by other histories, including their own, as well as those of the Byzantine Empire, the Franks, the saints and holy figures of Christianity, and even the classical Roman past. Each of these histories could be evoked depending on the context of the claims being made. The flexibility and hybridity of Beneventan historical memory, however, was tempered by chronic warfare and the regionâ s political instability, which encouraged a more conservative and localist outlook amongst the court elite. Beneventan authors, therefore, navigated a complex course between appropriating the historical memory of the Lombard Kingdom and neighbouring communities and championing a more local past based on their own traditions.
Batch Continuous-Time Trajectory Estimation
Keywords: Computer Vision
Continuous-Time Trajectory
Robotics
State Estimation

As the influence of autonomous mobile robots grows stronger on the lives of humans, so too does the importance of robust and accurate localization (and control). Although motion-estimation techniques utilizing passive cameras have been a core topic in robotic research for decades, we note that this technology is unable to produce reliable results in low-light conditions (which account for roughly half the day). For this reason, sensors that use active illumination, such as lidar, are an attractive alternative. However, techniques borrowed from the fields of photogrammetry and computer vision have long steered the robotics community towards a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) formulation with a discrete-time trajectory model; this is not well suited for scanning-type sensors, such as lidar. In this thesis, we assert that a continuous-time model of the trajectory is a more natural and principled representation for robotic-state estimation. Practical robotic localization problems often involve finding the smooth trajectory of a mobile robot. Furthermore, we find that the continuous-time framework lends its abilities quite naturally to high-rate, unsynchronized, and scanning-type sensors. To this end, we propose novel continuous-time trajectory representations (both parametric, using weighted basis functions, and nonparametric, using Gaussian-processes) for robotic state estimation and demonstrate their use in a batch, continuous-time trajectory estimation framework. We also present a novel outlier rejection scheme that uses a constant-velocity model to account for motion distortion. The core algorithms are validated using data from a two-axis scanning lidar mounted on a robot, collected over a 1.1 kilometer traversal.
Evaluating Pension Funds Considering Unobservable Variables Bridging Pension Funds Mutual Funds through the Development of a New DEA Model
Keywords: Data Envelopment Analysis
Mixed Variable DEA (MV-DEA)
Mutual Funds
Pension Funds
Regulations
Trade-Off

Private pension plans provide an important source of retirement income for employees and their families. The effective performance of private pension plans is an important issue to investigate because of the social and economic implications for investors, managers and governments. Typically, financial ratios which have inherent limitations, are used to evaluate pension funds’ performance. The objective of this research is to develop Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) models which evaluate the private pension funds’ performance and suggest useful measures based on detailed data acquired from the federal regulator OSFI (Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada). The research has three sections. The first section evaluates private pension funds’ performance by considering the effect of regulations which are not under the control of fund managers as well as comparing pension funds with mutual funds which have different characteristics. A new DEA model is developed that can evaluate different entities with different cultures from the same industry such as pension funds and mutual funds. The results show that the new DEA model provided a more realistic assessment of pension funds’ performance and comparison between pension funds and mutual funds. In section two, the reason for low minimum efficiency scores in DEA for pension funds is examined. It is found that the presence of very low efficiency scores is not uncommon in this industry. In section three, a new methodology is introduced which evaluates the pension funds’ performance by considering the importance of different variables based on an expert’s judgements as well as borrowing useful information from the mutual funds’ dataset. The results show that the discriminatory power of DEA increases after adding an expert’s opinions as well as mutual funds’ information to the pension funds’ DEA model and three different target levels are defined for inefficient plans. Since private pension funds have unique characteristics compared to other investment funds as well as the significant importance of retirement income to people, the results of this research will be of interest to government, financial and industrial managers.
Native Trees, Urban Forest Management Planning, and Residents: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Actions
Keywords: Assisted Migration
Ecological Integrity
Ecosystem Services
Native Species
Residents
Urban Forest

In the past decade, municipalities across North America have increased investment in their urban forests in an effort to maintain and enhance the numerous benefits provided by them. Some municipalities have drafted long-term urban forest management plans (UFMPs) that emphasize the planting of native trees to improve ecological integrity, and participation of residents, since the majority of urban trees are typically located on residential property. Yet it is unclear if municipal foresters are mindful of UFMP goals or what residentsâ level of knowledge, attitudes, and actions are regarding native trees and urban forestry goals. Through a case study of southern Ontario municipalities, I administered interviews with municipal foresters and a survey exploring residentsâ ability to identify the native status of common tree species, as well as their attitudes and actions regarding urban forest issues. The results indicate that all municipalities with management plans emphasize native species, and many justify their planting as a way to increase ecological integrity. However, only a fraction of species native to the region are available through nursery stock, meaning many are not planted by municipalities. The results of the survey indicate that residents are better able to identify common native trees than non-native trees, although knowledge-levels are low, and there are failures of resident outreach within the case study municipalities. Although residents generally have positive attitudes towards native trees, few are interested in planting native species if they create a hazard or increase costs. These positive attitudes do not translate into emphasizing native species when actually selecting tree species to plant. This dissertation adds to existing research surrounding native species management in urban ecosystems, and understandings about how urban forestry policy influences residents and municipal actors. Future research is needed to determine species suitability for urban plantings and meaningful ways of engaging with new residents.
Fracture of Underfilled and Edge-Bonded BGA-PCB Assemblies: Effects of Joint Geometry, Strain Rate and Stiffness
Keywords: Ball grid array (BGA) package
Finite element analysis (FEA)
Printed circuit board (PCB)
Solder joints
Underfill adhesives

The reliability of the solder joints connecting microelectronic components to printed circuit boards (PCBs) is a serious concern in the design of many electronic devices. The focus of the present research was the fracture performance of component-solder-PCB assemblies with and without underfill adhesives under bending loading conditions. Fracture tests of copperâ solderâ copper double-cantilever-beam (DCB) specimens with a single continuous solder layer showed that for joints shorter than a characteristic length the fracture load increased with increasing solder joint length. Also, the fracture tests of DCBs with two discrete solder joints showed the strength was maximum at an optimal joint spacing. An analytical solution was developed for the characteristic length of mode I DCB specimens with a single continuous solder layer as well as the optimal spacing of double-joint DCBs, taking into account the mechanical properties and dimensions of the substrates and solder. Fracture experiments with underfilled ball grid array (BGA)- PCB specimens in a DCB configuration showed that the specimens always failed in the PCB. The strength of the underfilled BGAs was solely a function of the fillet size, and independent of the underfill thermal and mechanical properties. Edge-bonding is a less expensive alternative to underfilling, in which only the edges or corners of the component are bonded to the PCB using a viscous adhesive. Edge-bonded and underfilled specimens with fillets of the same size and shape tested using DCB specimens failed at the same load, because the stress distribution in the PCB near the PCB-fillet interface was only a function of the adhesive fillet size and shape, and independent of the extent of the adhesive layer between the PCB and the BGA. Finally, a cohesive zone model (CZM) was developed to predict the PCB delamination bending loads in underfilled BGA-PCB assemblies. The cohesive parameters were obtained from fracture tests of bending test specimens consisting of PCB substrates bonded with the underfill adhesive. The model provided relatively accurate predictions of the failure mode and fracture load of the underfilled BGA-PCB assemblies for a range of PCB stiffnesses, adhesive fillet sizes, and strain rates.
Biochemical Interrogation of Rare Cystic Fibrosis Mutations Informs Strategies for Future Therapeutic Intervention
Keywords: CFTR
Cystic Fibrosis
Drug Discovery
Personalized Medicine
Rare Mutations
Small Molecules

There are over 2000 mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene associated with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) disease, and to date, the two recently FDA-approved drugs KalydecoTM and OrkambiTM have been effective in rescuing functional expression of the two most common CFTR mutations, G551D and ΔF508, respectively, representing approximately 90% of the patient population worldwide. However, potential efficacy of these therapies for the remaining ~2000 mutations is unknown. Thus, biochemical characterization of each rare variant is needed to assess potential clinical benefit. My thesis attempts to understand molecular defects associated with less common CFTR mutations, mainly c.3700A>G (causing abberant splicing and subsequent translation of ΔI1234_R1239-CFTR) and c.2052_2053insA (Q685TfsX4-CFTR), with the goal of determining whether current CF therapies (specifically designed for G551D and ΔF508) could be used for these rare variants. Additionally, my work aims to identify unique molecular aberrations for these rare, mutant CFTR proteins in order to facilitate development of mutation-specific therapeutics. Through a collaborative initiative involving clinicians, biochemists and biophysicists, we found that ΔI1234_R1239-CFTR shared certain biochemical attributes with ΔF508-CFTR, however contained intrinsic defects which differed significantly (i.e. poorer interdomain assembly between the amino- and carboxy-termini, and decreased functional responses to cAMP agonists, CFTR correctors and potentiators). When CFTR activity was evaluated in nasal epithelial cultures from siblings homozygous for c.3700A>G, we likewise found that ΔI1234_R1239-CFTR responded poorly to small molecules. For Q685TfsX4-CFTR, we found that this variant was prematurely truncated, and therefore did not respond to CFTR-specific therapies. However, a proof-of-concept in vitro strategy to ‘skip’ the exon containing the c.2052_2053insA mutation led to an incomplete, yet partially mature CFTR molecule which exhibited channel activity, albeit this function was unregulated. In parallel to these studies, we generated and functionally characterized several other rare CFTR mutations using novel mutagenesis and high-throughput functional screening methods, allowing for rapid identification and stratification of genotypes that could potentially benefit from current CF therapies. Furthermore, our efforts described here aim to facilitate future mutation-specific CF drug discovery, as well as a ‘personalized medicine’ approach to assist in the development of novel strategies to combat this fatal genetic disease.
Studying Guidance Cues in Collective Cell Migration: Tools and Metrics
Keywords: Cell Streaming
Collective cell migration
Grooves
Guidance cues
Planar Cell Polarity Signalling
Wound Healing

Directed cell migration is essential in morphogenesis, regeneration and pathological conditions. Of particular interest is collective cell migration, in which groups of cells migrate in a coherent and coordinated manner while remaining in contact with one another. In vivo, migratory cells are exposed to a complex signalling milieu that directs their migration; however, how cells prioritize and translate these cues into directed migration is not fully understood. In vitro systems simplify the systematic study of the effect of guidance cues in cell migration by providing increased flexibility to manipulate these cues. This work describes novel in vitro tools and analytical metrics for the analysis of collective cell migration and utilizes them to probe the effects of combinations of guidance cues on cell migration. This includes an improved analytical methodology for the classical scratch wound assay in which individual cell migratory behaviour is characterised with high spatial and temporal resolution; a novel metric designed specifically for measuring cell-cell coordination during collective cell migration is also suggested. The tools described in this work were used to investigate the mechanism for propagation of guidance cues in epithelial cells. Migration guidance from topographical features was found to propagate to cells not directly exposed to them through mechanical interactions between cells not mediated by cell-cell junctions or intracellular tension, but arising rather from volume exclusion. Additionally, the tools proposed were also used to characterise the effect of modifying the expression of the Planar Cell Polarity signalling protein Vangl1 on the collective migration of endothelial cells. Vangl1 expression was found to influence the migration of endothelial cells by modulating directedness in the scratch wound assay, but not in a variety of other migration assays, implying damage signals from the scratch were necessary for a Vangl1 migration phenotype. The work presented here is a first step to an improved experimental and analytical pipeline to understand the effect of combinations of guidance cues on directed collective cell migration.