VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Electricity Outages on Households
Keywords: Electricity outages
Employment
Income
Pakistan

Electricity outages are a common occurrence in developing countries and can have a substantial impact on household welfare. In this dissertation, I assemble a unique data set with a district level measure of outages, electricity generation prices, and labour market outcomes to examine the effect of outages on employment and earnings. I also develop an analytical framework that can be used to measure the welfare impact of outages on households arising from disruption of electricity used in the home. In chapter 1, I construct a district level measure of outages in Pakistan using the intra-annual variability in night lights observed in meteorological satellite data. I estimate the elasticity between variability and reported outages, and use household electricity consumption data to show that electricity consumption declines as variability increases within districts. These findings establish that night lights variability is a valid measure of outages that can be used in empirical applications where subnational data on outages is not available. In chapter 2, I estimate the effect of outages on labour market outcomes of adult males in Pakistan. To address the problem of measurement error and potential endogeneity in night lights variability, I use exogenous variation in the price of energy used to generate electricity at thermal plants near a district, as an instrument. I find that outages have a significant negative effect on employment, days worked, earnings and productivity. A larger effect on districts with a greater reliance on electricity intensive industries and more educated workers suggests labour demand driven reduction in productivity. In chapter 3, I develop an analytical framework to measure the welfare impact of electricity outages on households. The welfare effect or the willingness to pay for a reduction in outages is larger the greater is the impact on home produced services affected by outages. It is also larger the smaller is the observed change in grid electricity expenditures. I find that the elasticity of grid electricity consumption to outages is smaller the more outward shifted is the demand for electricity, suggesting that households with a high value for electricity adapt by rescheduling activities or acquiring off-grid supply.
Design and Manufacture of an Ultrasonic Transducer for Long-term High Temperature Operation
Keywords: High temperature Environments
Long-term operation
Non-Destructive Testing
Piezoelectric Transducers
ULtrasonics

A novel design of ultrasonic transducers suitable for high temperatures is introduced. The transducers are targeted for trouble-free continuous operation at 700-800 째C for at least two years, with sufficiently wide bandwidth to yield good temporal resolution. The design and manufacturing procedures were formatted as a multistep sequence, adaptable to a variety of transducer specifications within a wide range of signal center frequencies (500 kHz to 10 MHz) and a wide range of signal bandwidths. Two transducer designs were pursued based on two different piezoelectric crystals as the active element: gallium phosphate and lithium niobate. A high Curie temperature of 1200 째C for lithium niobate and a high phase transition temperature of 970 째C for gallium phosphate, make the two piezoelements suitable for our application. A one-dimensional transducer model was used to model the transducer when used as a transmitter-receiver. The optimized acoustic impedance of the transducer backing element was determined to obtain desired signal center frequency of 3 MHz with 3 dB bandwidth of 90-95%. The concept of porous ceramics as a new generation of high temperature backing element is described. An acoustic model for wave propagation in such a medium was employed to estimate the optimal porosity and pore size for the backing element. Various high temperature adhesives and brazing alloys were investigated to bond stable bonding at high temperatures. An aluminum-based brazing alloy was found to yield reliable bonding between lithium niobate piezoelement and porous zirconia backing and alumina matching layer. None of the bonding agents resulted in acceptable bonding in the case of gallium phosphate piezoelement. The performance of the prototyped transducer at high temperature was tested on a steel plate. Despite some fluctuations in back-wall signal amplitude, clear signals were obtained.
Investigating Interactions between Ultrasound Stimulated Microbubbles and the Fibrin Network of Blood Clots
Keywords: fibrin
microbubble
sonothrombolysis

The occlusion of blood vessels by thrombus is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in cardiovascular diseases such as deep vein thrombosis, myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke. In these contexts, prompt restoration of blood flow is of the utmost importance and is poorly addressed by current methods in many cases. For example, the treatment standard for ischemic stroke is administration of the thrombolytic agent tissue plasminogen activator, which is only minimally effective and has associated safety issues. There is, therefore, a need for the development of alternative recanalization strategies and amongst these, bubble mediated sonothrombolysis (thrombolysis by ultrasound) has emerged as a promising approach. Though it is well established that ultrasound stimulated microbubbles can potentiate the lysis of blood clots, the mechanisms are not well understood and this lack of understanding is a hindrance to the development of improved ultrasound exposure strategies. This thesis has revealed insights into the mechanisms of bubble mediated sonothrombolysis which can be used to guide the development of improved exposure strategies and contrast agents (i.e. bubble sizes) for sonothrombolysis treatments. The experimental approach involved fast frame optical imaging of ultrasound stimulated microbubbles interacting with clots, and two-photon fluorescence imaging of clots following ultrasound exposure. It was demonstrated that bubbles can penetrate fibrin clots, disrupt the fibrin network, generate patent tunnels, enhance the transport of fluid into the clot and induce clot boundary displacements. Furthermore, the occurrence and extent of these therapeutically relevant effects were shown to be highly dependent on pulse length and bubble size: longer pulses and larger bubbles were associated with greater disruption of fibrin networks and greater fluid transport distances. Finally, it was shown that bubbles can induce the ejection of erythrocytes from blood clots and produce advanced erosion effects which depend on ultrasound exposure conditions.
School-based Screening for Mental Health Difficulties in Primary Grade Children: Psychometrics, Incremental Validity, and Patterns of Co-occurring Difficulties
Keywords: Children's Mental Health
Co-occurring Difficulties
Impairment
Multiple Informants
School
Screening

The demand for childrenâ s mental health services in Ontario exceeds available resources and, as a result, alternative approaches such as delivering mental health services in the school system may be needed. Within the school system, universal screening has been recommended as a method of identifying mental health difficulties early and beginning to provide intervention. If schools are to implement such screening programs, they must select appropriate screening measures and informants and be prepared to meet the needs of the children identified as at-risk. This process is complicated by high rates of co-occurrence among mental health difficulties, social and academic difficulties. The overall goal of this dissertation is to contribute to knowledge in the area of school-based mental health screening in terms of instruments, informants and the predominant patterns of co-occurring difficulties in elementary school children. Three studies will be presented, all of which involve the same community sample of 501 children in Grades 1 to 3. In the first study, confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the construct validity of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), a potentially useful screening measure that has received little research attention in Canada. The results support the five-factor structure of parent and teacher SDQ ratings. Adequate internal consistency and inter-rater agreement were also found. The second study used negative binomial regression to test the hypothesis that parent ratings of symptoms as well as parent and teacher ratings of impairment contribute to more accurate screening than teacher symptom ratings alone. The results suggest that the most useful combination of screening data includes teacher symptom and impairment ratings and parent impairment ratings. The third study used latent class analysis to identify patterns of co-occurrence among some of the most common childhood difficulties: internalizing, externalizing, inattention/hyperactivity, social, and reading difficulties. The results indicate that a significant number of non-referred elementary school children experience difficulties in two or more important aspects of functioning. Collectively, these findings provide an important foundation that may guide future research on and implementation of school-based mental health screening in terms of selecting measures and informants and anticipating potential patterns of need in young children.
The Role of Facial Movements in Face Processing and its Development
Keywords: adult
child
eye tracking
face processing
facial movements
infant

Our visual processing system is largely shaped by the environment in which we live. Human faces, as one of the most commonly seen stimuli, exert unparalleled influence in our visual system and its development. In the past half century, researchers have extensively studied face processing, which has greatly broadened our understandings of visual perception. Most of these prior studies used static face images as experiment stimuli. In the real world, faces are mostly moving: people smile, talk, and nod. Prior studies reported unique contributions of facial movements in facilitating face recognition in infants and adults. The underlying perceptual mechanisms for processing moving faces, however, are still unclear. In particular, our current understanding about face processing is limited to evidence from studies using static faces. It is an open question as to whether our understanding about static face processing can help us understand face processing in the real world where faces are moving. The current thesis specifically addresses this theoretically important question by examining the roles of facial movements in the development of face perception in infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Results from Chapter 2 demonstrated that moving faces facilitated part-based face processing in children, adolescents, and adults. In the first year of life, infants exhibited a left visual field bias in their face scanning pattern only for natural moving faces, but not for artificial moving ones (Chapter 3). Infants scanned moving faces differently from static ones. Their scanning pattern for moving faces, but not for static faces, predicted their face discrimination performance (Chapters 4 5). These studies consistently show crucial roles of facial movements in the development of face perception from infancy to adulthood. My research has laid an important foundation for future studies to understand real world face processing and the underlying perceptual and neural mechanisms.
Plasma Fibronectin in Hemostasis and Thrombosis: Evidence for Fibrin-dependent and Independent Pathways
Keywords: fibrin
fibrinogen
fibronectin
hemostasis
platelet
thrombosis

Hemostasis is the physiological process to stop bleeding, while thrombosis is the pathological vessel occlusive process leading to heart attack, stroke, and deep vein thrombosis, the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Plasma fibronectin (pFn), the plasma form of fibronectin (Fn), exists in circulation in high abundance. However, the exact role of pFn in hemostasis and thrombosis is unclear. pFn has long been suspected to play a role in hemostasis but direct evidence has been lacking. Using our unique Fg-/-/pFn-/-, VWF-/-/pFn-/-, and Fg-/-/VWF-/-/pFn-/- mouse models, we demonstrated that pFn is vital for the control of bleeding in fibrinogen deficient mice and in wild-type mice treated with anticoagulants. We further found that, at the site of vessel injury, pFn rapidly deposits and initiates hemostasis even before platelet accumulation (the first wave of hemostasis). This pFn deposition is independent of fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor, β3 integrin, and platelets. Our perfusion chamber assay indicates that subendothelial collagen can mediate the rapid pFn depostion. Using confocal and scanning electron microscopy, we reveal that pFn actively integrates into fibrin, which increases fibrin fiber diameter and enhances the mechanical strength of clots as determined by thromboelastography. Using an inferior vena cava thrombosis model, we found that pFn depletion attenuated venous thrombosis, suggesting the involvement of pFn in deep vein thrombosis. Interestingly, pFn promotes platelet aggregation when linked with fibrin but inhibits this process when fibrin is absent. Therefore, pFn may gradually switch from supporting hemostasis to inhibiting thrombosis and vessel occlusion following the fibrin gradient that decreases farther from the injured endothelium. In summary, our data established that pFn is a supportive factor in hemostasis, which is vital under coagulation deficient (both genetic and therapeutic) conditions. By interacting with fibrin and platelet β3 integrin, pFn plays a unique self-limiting regulatory role in thrombosis, suggesting pFn transfusion may be a potential therapy for bleeding disorders, particularly in association with anticoagulant therapy.
Gendering the Compliance Agenda: Feminism, Human Rights and Violence Against Women
Keywords: Compliance
Feminism
Human rights
International law
Violence against women

Driven by the work of feminists, the last three decades have seen international human rights law reformed to respond better to the scourge of violence against women. A central feature of these reforms - the due diligence standard - extends state responsibility into the private sphere, where women are most often subject to violence. This thesis examines why feminist progress at the level of law has not delivered real change. It argues that the work of feminists, whose efforts helped transform the law, must be extended to address the next challenge: the gap between the promise of the law, and reality. Applying feminist observations to the prevailing set of compliance theories, this thesis reveals some blind spots in current theories of compliance with international law, and illuminates some of the reasons why the due diligence standard has not been effective in eliminating violence against women.
Assessing the Prevalence, Penetration and Performance of Hospital Physicians in Ontario: Implications for the Quality and Efficiency of Inpatient Care
Keywords: Epidemiology
Health System Performance
Hospitalists
Hospital Medicine
Multilevel Analysis
Performance Measurement

Hospitalist physicians have emerged over the past two decades to become dominant providers of inpatient care in North American hospitals. Despite their widespread adoption, quantitative data characterizing the penetration of Canadian hospitalists or their influence on the quality of inpatient care within the Canadian context has not been explored. The primary objectives of this dissertation were to synthesize the existing findings on hospitalist performance, to describe the prevalence and penetration of hospital physicians working in the province of Ontario, and to assess the current performance of physicians practicing general hospital medicine within the province with regards to their clinical effectiveness and operating efficiency. The three papers included in the dissertation demonstrated clear trends that hospital-based physicians are increasingly prevalent in Ontario hospitals and deliver a sizable proportion of the province’s inpatient medical care. Increased inpatient workloads amongst these physicians translated to lower mortality, fewer readmissions and longer lengths of stay for patients under their care. There is a pressing need in Canadian healthcare to improve the processes of acute care provision in order to reduce unnecessary utilization, improve patient safety, and enhance patient experience. Findings in this dissertation provide support for the practice of hospital medicine and concentrated hospital care in Canada, suggesting that high-volume physicians practicing general hospital medicine, including hospitalists, could have a pivotal impact on quality improvement. Research can now turn to understanding the specific practice characteristics and processes of care that differentiate hospital generalists from their colleagues.
Towards Understanding Nanoparticle Uptake by the Liver: The Role of Flow Dynamics, Organ Microarchitecture and Cellular Phenotype
Keywords: Liver
Macrophage
Mononuclear Phagocyte System
Nanoparticle
Quantum Dot

Use of nanoparticles for the diagnosis and treatment of disease is impeded by poor targeting efficiency. The majority of the injected dose accumulates in the liver, where it persists over time. Nanoparticle clearance by this organ is problematic as an insufficient dose is available to reach the disease site and there is potential for hepatotoxicity. Despite its relevance, the nanoparticle-liver interaction is poorly understood. In this thesis, hepatic accumulation of a model nanoparticle is examined. In Aim 1, we isolated and analyzed liver cells from a quantum dot-treated animal. We report that not only Kupffer cells, but also sinusoidal endothelial cells and hepatic B cells are important for quantum dot clearance. In Aim 2, we identify three factors that determine nanoparticle biodistribution patterns. Using mathematical modeling and experimental methods, we show that blood flow dynamics, organ microarchitecture and cellular phenotype govern the off-target accumulation of nanoparticles. These results suggest new strategies to improve nanoparticle delivery and in Aim 3 we demonstrate that manipulation of these factors can reduce quantum dot uptake by phagocytic cells. Finally, in Aim 4, the importance of macrophage phenotype in mediating nanoparticle clearance is demonstrated and we show that nanoparticle internalization selectively alters cellular function. In order to successfully translate nanoparticles from bench-to-bedside, the liver barrier must be solved. This thesis represents the first glimpse into the ‘blackbox’ and provides a foundation for future studies to improve the targeting efficiency and safety of nanoparticle-based technologies.
Automaticity and Control in Human Action
Keywords: action
Aristotle
automaticity
control
dual-process
nudge

Since a large portion of our behaviour is automatic, what kind of agency and control do we humans have, and what are its limits? I address the question both from a historical perspective (through Aristotle’s philosophy) and a contemporary approach (engaging with recent empirical research). I begin with Aristotle’s action theory, which has remarkable resonances with current issues. He claims our goals are determined by non-rational habituation, so the question arises how we can control our life’s ends if they cannot be set rationally. I argue that for Aristotle we control our goals insofar as we carefully shape our habits. Care for habits belongs, not just to the individual (who cannot care for her habituation’s first stages), but primarily to the political community. So individual autonomy depends on social care practices; and reason can establish goals not directly, but by carefully shaping habits. I go on to argue that empirical evidence justifies a broadly similar account. Intellectualists hold that all actions must be produced through reflection (i.e. a top-down coordination by reference to a goal); anti-intellectualists argue that some actions can be produced without reflection. Anti-intellectualists receive preliminary empirical support from evidence that there is a kind of normativity proper to automatic (i.e. reflection-independent) processes, which reveals the existence of automatic control. Is automatic control sufficient for the production of intentional actions? Anti-intellectualists have often pointed to skilful bodily action to argue that it is, but I contend that even skilled action requires top-down, reflective control, confirming recent intellectualist proposals. So anti-intellectualism cannot find support in skilled-action phenomena; but it may find more promising evidence in decision-making studies. Framing effects in decision-making reveal that we control intention-formation processes automatically through background control: intuitive sense- making processes that are nonetheless susceptible to cognitive biases largely incorrigible by reflection. However, smart environmental design is able to protect intuitive control over decision-making. This supports a thesis called indirect intellectualism: like Aristotle, we should conceive of individual control over action as significantly dependent on reflectively shaping our practical environment.