VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Total Folate and Synthetic Folic Acid Content in the Food Supply and Its Influence on Absorption Across the Colon
Keywords: Absorption
Folate
Folate Status
Folic Acid
Food Fortification

To reduce the risk of neural tube defect-affected pregnancies in Canada, folic acid fortification of foods is mandated, and women planning a pregnancy are advised to consume a folic acid-containing supplement. This research aims to determine the amount of folic acid in fortified foods and understand the impact of folic acid on folate absorption in the colon. In study one, analysis of fortified foods by microbial analysis and mass spectroscopy showed 65% higher folate values than in the Canadian Nutrient File. In study two, an on-going randomized clinical trial, we seek to investigate the influence of folic acid on folate absorption in the colon. Data herein verify the feasibility of the protocol and that the feeding and supplement intervention produced two distinct groups in terms of blood folate status. This work will facilitate an improved understanding of available sources of folate to inform future folate supplementation and fortification recommendations.
Degradation of Phospholamban Disease Mutants in Neonatal Mouse Ventricular Cardiomyocytes
Keywords: Autophagy
Calcium Cycling
Heart Failure
Phospholamban

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) affects 1 in 500 individuals worldwide. Half of these cases have a genetic basis and Phospholamban is often implicated. PLN is the principal inhibitor of sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase and thus instrumental in cardiac Ca2+-cycling. Mutations in PLN, Rdel14 and L39Stop, result in DCM and present with distinct cellular protein localizations possibly attributed to aberrations in degradation. I thus aimed to determine the mechanisms underlying the degradation of Rdel14, and L39Stop. I hypothesized that Rdel14 and L39Stop are subjected to an increased degree of degradation by autophagy. Immunoprecipitations and immunofluorescence in HEK293T cells and neonatal cardiomyocytes indicate that Rdel14 is ubiquitinated, and interacts with p62, but does not colocalize with autophagosomes, suggesting defective trafficking. Similar experiments on L39Stop demonstrated a complete absence of expression. This work contributes to the expanding PLN interactome which will provide insight to cardiomyopathies that have a basis in defective Ca2+ cycling.
An Exploration of How Male Adolescents who had Childhood Cancer Make Sense of Infertility as a Long-term Effect of Cancer Treatments
Keywords: Adolescent
Cancer
Fertility preservation
Narrative methods
Quality of Life

Clinical practice guidelines recommend that healthcare professionals (HCPs) discuss fertility preservation (FP) with cancer patients, however studies show that many HCPs do not initiate these discussions with male adolescents. Research examining male adolescents’ perceptions of potential infertility is also limited. Using Frank’s three narrative typologies (restitution, quest, and chaos narratives) as a conceptual framework through which to examine a collection of interviews with 14-18 year old males, this study examines how male adolescent childhood cancer survivors make sense of infertility as a long-term effect of cancer treatments and explores how their experiences of cancer shape their identities. Findings: i) all three narrative types were evident in the interviews with an emphasis on the restitution and quest narratives; ii) the narratives highlighted the important role of family in the adolescents’ understanding and experience of infertility; and iii) the narratives shed light on the importance of biological parenthood to the participants.
Degradative Activities of Human Neutrophils toward the Tooth, Restoration and Restoration-tooth Interface
Keywords: Biodegradation
Dental caries
Dental restoration failure
Host-biomaterial interactions
Innate immune system

Human neutrophils constantly enter the mouth and release catabolic factors that are hypothesized to biodegrade the restoration, tooth and the restoration-tooth interface. Blood neutrophils were shown to have esterase-like and protease, matrix-metalloproteinase-like activities measured with colorimetric and fluorometric assays. Resin monomers, resin composite, resin adhesives, and tooth dentin were degraded by neutrophils in a material dependant manner, as measured by quantifying degradation by-products using ultra-performance-liquid-chromatography and imaged with scanning electron microscopy. Neutrophils also affected fracture toughness and fracture mode of restoration-tooth specimens compared to incubation with media alone. The above suggest a potential role of neutrophils in the development of primary and secondary caries, a significant health, and economic burden with more than 16 million restorations placed in Canada at a cost of $3B, mostly due to replacement of failed restorations. The development of materials and techniques to reduce degradation of restorations, restoration’s margins and tooth could enhance restoration longevity.
Investigating the Regulation and Function of DARC in Primary Human Microvascular Endothelial Cells
Keywords: ACKR1
DARC
Endothelial Cells
Microvasculature

The Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC) is a blood group antigen expressed on erythrocytes and endothelial cells (ECs) of the post-capillary venules. Regulation and function of endothelial-specific DARC remains unclear due to the lack of literature attributed to its loss of expression in culture within 2 days of isolation from tissue. We hypothesized that DARC expression is regulated by tissue microenvironment. Using primary human pulmonary microvascular ECs, we showed that 24 hour incubation with human whole blood leads to endothelial-specific DARC expression. Removal of blood following induction resulted in loss of DARC protein and mRNA within 24 hours; protein loss was found to be independent of the proteasome and matrix metalloproteinases. Together, these findings demonstrate that endothelial DARC expression is regulated by mediators from the microenvironment, and its regulation is likely to have implications for our understanding of how cultured cells maintain or lose their in-situ tissue phenotype.
Defining Conditions for Guided Mineralization of Amelogenin Ribbons by Amelotin
Keywords: Amelogenin
Amelotin
Biomineralization
Enamel

Living organisms build inorganic materials, biominerals, by a process called biomineralization. A key step in the formation of biological structures, including biominerals, is the assembly of extracellular matrices, which act as scaffolds to aid in the formation of the final product. Two proteins that play key roles in enamel formation are Amelogenin (AMEL) and Amelotin (AMTN). AMEL has been proposed to act primarily as a biological scaffold, while AMTN acts as promotor of crystallization. In this project, we have investigated the in vitro self-assembly and co-assembly of these proteins in a solution containing calcium and phosphate ions. We have shown that AMEL self-assembled structures, such as nanoribbons, serve as templates for mineralization while self-assembled AMTN promotes mineralization. The self-assembly of AMEL and AMTN were characterized by atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy under varying physicochemical conditions. This project has furthered our knowledge on the process of biomineralization.
Non-nutritive Sweetened Beverages and Cardiometabolic Risk
Keywords: cardiometabolic risk
low-calorie sweetener
network meta-analysis
non-nutritive sweetener
sugar-sweetened beverage
systematic review

Whether non-nutritive sweetened beverages (NSBs) improve cardiometabolic risk factors similar to water in their intended substitution for sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) is unclear. To assess the effect of 3 prespecified substitutions (NSBs for SSBs, NSBs for water and water for SSBs) on body weight and cardiometabolic risk factors, we undertook a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Fourteen trials (n=1530) predominantly in people with overweight/obesity at risk for or with diabetes were identified. The substitution of NSBs for SSBs improved body weight, BMI, body fat, triglycerides and intrahepatocellular lipids supporting the use of NSBs, as a viable alternative to water, for SSBs. Due to imprecision in the estimate and concerns that NSBs adversely affect glucose tolerance through compositional gut microbiome changes, we provided a rationale, design and baseline characteristics report for the STOP Sugars NOW trial to determine the effect of our 3 prespecified substitutions on gut microbiome and glucose tolerance.
Numerical Experiments on the Role of Adhesion in Shotcrete Behaviour
Keywords: Adhesion
Adhesion failure
DEM
Numerical modelling
Shotcrete
Structural liner element

Shotcrete has been widely used as surface support for underground excavations. However, the complex interactions between the shotcrete and rock is not well understood. This thesis aims to further develop the understanding of the mechanical behaviour of shotcrete with a particular focus on adhesion. A critical review of laboratory tests, analytical studies, and numerical investigations on shotcrete behaviours has led to the design of a series of numerical experiments. A 3D Discrete Element numerical model was used to capture the adhesion failure mechanism of a shotcrete liner. This was calibrated to the results from well documented laboratory investigations. Structural liner element was successfully implemented to simulate the behaviour of shotcrete liners. The thesis describes how input material properties and liner element geometry govern the overall mechanical behaviour of structural liner. A series of parametric tests demonstrated the impact of geometry, age, thickness, and adhesion on the performance of shotcrete liner.
Pressure Drop of a Shear-thinning Fluid in a Converging Channel
Keywords: Converging Channel
Polymer Solution
Pressure Drop
Shear-Thinning

The pressure drop of four concentrated aqueous viscoelastic solutions flowing through a long hyperbolic converging channel was measured. The channel was designed by a previous student to maximize extensional stresses, and to avoid an upstream vortex, which caused increased pressure drops in others’ work. Pressure drops with elastic, constant-viscosity dilute solutions equalled their inelastic equivalents. In the present work, concentrated polyethlyene oxide solutions were tested in the same channel. Rheological characterization showed that they followed the power law model. At low flow rates, theoretical inelastic predictions and experimental values agreed. At high flow rates, elastic effects caused an increased pressure drop, compared to predictions. The similarity with other works in the literature suggests that the increase in the pressure drops was due to changes in the flow field.
The Role of Lipid Transfer Proteins in Autophagy
Keywords: Autophagy
Lipid Transfer Proteins

Macroautophagy (hereafter autophagy) is a degradative cellular pathway that helps to maintain cellular homeostasis by delivering cargo to lysosomes. This pathway involves the generation of an autophagosome that engulfs cargo for degradation. The origin of the autophagosome membrane is still under debate but it is clear that multiple organelles are involved and membrane contact sites are important for their formation. Here, I examined the role of lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) in autophagy. I found that the LTPs OSBPL7 and OSBPL11 and their binding partner, VAPA, are required for autophagy of S.Typhimurium and for the clearance of ubiquitinated protein aggregates. OSBPL7 and OSBPL11 were found to be required for the lipidation of LC3-I to LC3-II during autophagy. I demonstrated that OSBPL11, but not OSBPL7, is involved in the localization of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate to autophagosomes containing S.Typhimurium. These results suggest that OSBPL7 and OSBPL11 play a key role in autophagosome formation.
Spray Characterization of an Aircraft Gas Turbine Engine Hybrid Fuel Nozzle
Keywords: Atomization
Experimental Characterization
Hybrid Fuel Nozzle

A series of experiments were conducted on an aircraft gas turbine engine hybrid fuel nozzle to evaluate spray performance and atomization quality. A commercial Malvern Spraytec analyzer and stereoscopic particle image velocimetry system was used to extract droplet size distributions and instantaneous flow fields, respectively. Aviation kerosene (Jet A-1) sprays associated with flow rates pertaining to engine ignition and take-off were investigated. Droplet sizes of the primary pressure-swirl nozzle were found to be 50% smaller compared to the secondary prefilming/airblast nozzle. The flow fields of both nozzles yield a turbulent-jet airblast stream with the primary pressure-swirl/airblast nozzle seeing a decrease in mean axial velocity with increase in axial distance; contrasting the secondary prefilming/airblast nozzle which shows an increase in mean axial velocity as distance from the nozzle head is increased. Overall, the industry hybrid fuel injector exhibits stable performance with optimal atomization quality and symmetry among all experimental conditions.
An Exploration of the Health and Wellness Experiences of Young People with Spina Bifida
Keywords: Disability
Health promotion
Photo-elicitation
Spina Bifida
Wellness

Introduction: Young people with spina bifida (SB) have unique abilities and challenges that can affect their experiences of health and wellness. Objective: To better understand the health and wellness experiences of young people with SB. Methods: 1. An overview of how the experiences of children and young people with disabilities have previously been explored. 2. A rapid scoping review of how photo-elicitation has been used to engage children and adolescents with disabilities 3. Photo-elicitation interviews with two young people with SB. Results: The voices of children and young people with disabilities have been frequently overlooked. Photo-elicitation can support their expression of ideas. The health and wellness experiences of young people with SB are nuanced and multi-dimensional, characterized by six key features. Discussion: Exploring how young people with disabilities experience health and wellness more broadly furthers understandings of how to promote health and wellness in ways that are important to them.
The Effect of Age and Frailty on Clinical Outcomes after Surgery for Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy
Keywords: Age
Cervical Myelopathy
Frailty
Outcomes

Introduction: Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is an emerging public health concern in the elderly, but a significant disparity exists in the application of surgical management for these patients. Aim: To determine whether age alone or age-related indicators of health determine the outcomes after surgery for DCM patients. Methods: 1) A comparison of clinical outcomes after surgery in a cohort of younger and older adults. 2) A systematic review of frailty in spine surgery. 3) A comparison of measures of frailty on perioperative outcomes in DCM surgery. Results: 1) Elderly DCM patients improve after surgery, but on a smaller magnitude compared to younger patients. 2) Frailty assessments have not been applied to DCM patients. 3) Frailty is a stronger predictor of perioperative complications compared to age alone. Conclusions: Surgery is safe and effective in elderly DCM patients. Frailty assessment provides a more robust prediction of perioperative outcomes compared to age alone.
Profiling the Performance of Programming Language Runtimes and Towards Building a New Python Runtime
Keywords: compiler
interpreter
just-in-time compiler
language runtime
programming language
python

Software is increasingly being written in higher level languages, which are typically implemented on top of a language runtime. This thesis presents an analysis of the performance of 4 popular language runtimes: OpenJDK, V8/Node.js, CPython, and PyPy. Notably, we find that in comparison, the performance CPython, the de facto Python runtime today, is significantly lacking. CPython only has an interpreter, and does not have a just-in-time compiler. Hence, it is 29.5x slower than V8. This motivates the second contribution of the thesis: it presents the initial design and implementation of a new optimizing Python runtime, consisting of nearly 20000 lines of code. We present a modification of the strongly connected components (SCC)-based value numbering algorithm used in the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) C++ compiler that incorporates dead code elimination, and show that there is code that our algorithm can optimize that SCC-based value numbering and dead code elimination performed separately cannot.
First in the Family: On-campus Employment and Academic Success
Keywords: Academic success
First-generation students
On-campus employment
Ontario
University

This study is concerned with the university experiences of students who are the first in their family to attend university in Canada, and how on-campus work programs, such as Work Study, may affect their sense of belonging to the university campus. The results of this study are based on 14 semi-structured interviews with undergraduate and graduate students studying at a large, urban, research intensive university in Ontario, Canada. The students valued how on-campus work accommodated the demands of their studies and the career-relevant skills and networks that on-campus work helped them develop. They believed that, as first-generation students, they particularly benefitted from the opportunities on-campus work gave them to increase their knowledge about the university and to develop a sense of belonging to the university community.
Calpric: Automated Classification of Privacy Policy Using Deep Active Learning and Crowdsourcing Techniques
Keywords: active learning
android privacy
deep learning
machine learning
natural language processing
privacy policy

Privacy policies are statements that notify users of the services' data practices. However, few users are willing to read through the entire policy due to its length and complexity. While there are existing privacy policy analysis tools based on machine learning, a large labeled training set is needed to achieve a high classification accuracy. Most existing policy corpora are labeled by skilled human annotators, requiring a significant amount of labor hours and effort. In this paper, we leverage active learning and crowdsourcing techniques to develop an automated classification tool named Calpric (Crowdsourcing Active Learning PRIvacy Policy Classifier), which is able to perform annotation equivalent to those done by skilled human annotators with high accuracy while minimizing the labeling cost. On average, our model is able to achieve the same F1 score using only 45.3% of the original labeling effort, and address the class imbalance issue of existing datasets.
Synthesis and Characterization of Nanostructured MXene Composite and Aerogel for Energy Devices
Keywords: aerogel
binder jet 3D printing
capacitor
enregy harvester
MXene
sensor

The rapid expansion for high performance material has driven interest in developing nano-structured composite material with new properties and functionalities. Herein, two distinctive nano-structured material were studied. The first was a PVOH composite 3D printed with MXene ink. The component was used as a strain sensor capable of detecting strain up to 250 %, it was also used as capacitor with an energy density of 36.4 mJ/cm3. The second was a polyurethane aerogel with high porosity of 94 vol %. Using polyol with four diols as crosslinking agent allowed for multiple crosslinking points, creating flexible and robust aerogel suitable for energy harvesting. Key fabrication parameters and their effect on final product were investigated to conclude on an optimized processing technique. A piece of aerogel film was then used as contact material inside a tribo-electric-nano-generator setup, the nano-porous structure of the film increased power output by2.5 times to achieve specific density of 1.12 W/m2.
Addition of GAC Caps and Ozonation to Conventional Filters for Improved Organics Control and Disinfection By-product Reduction
Keywords: Drinking water treatment
GAC Caps
Granular Activated Carbon

Granular activated carbon (GAC) caps are used in drinking water treatment facilities to help mitigate seasonal taste and odour events, however they may also provide additional water quality benefits, which have not been as widely examined. The objective of this pilot study was to compare filters utilizing GAC caps to conventional anthracite/sand filters in terms of disinfection by-product formation potential (DBP FP) reduction, organics removal and operational flexibility. Two different source waters (Otonabee River and Lake Erie) were examined such that differences in pre-treatment and organics composition may be considered. GAC caps employing biological and adsorptive filtration mechanisms, in combination with ozonation was observed to reduce HAA FP by 9±8 µg/L (12±10%) and DOC removal by 0.2 mg/L (6%) in Otonabee River samples. Application of GAC caps to the Lake Erie water system improved DOC reduction by 0.7±0.3 mg/L (44±17%) and DBP FP removal by 11±7 µg/L (33±19%) for HAAs and by 7±6 µg/L (23±17%) for THMs. As such, GAC caps may represent a cost-effective solution for facilities targeting specific components of regulatory importance.
BallMatics Program - Basketball Court as a Middle-school Math Classroom: A Mixed Methods Study
Keywords: BallMatics
Mathematics Education
Mixed Methods
Movement-based mathematics
Qualitative
Quantitative

Sport has a plethora of documented benefits, and evidence suggests that physical activity can significantly improve academic abilities of students. I propose that sports-based mathematic programming can support academic advancement of youths by actively embedding sports into academic mathematics programming. In this study, a mixed-methods design with one intervention group of 19 middle school youths participating in a movement-based mathematics afterschool program, called BallMatics, was delivered for ten weeks. Qualitative methods were employed to learn about participants’ academic identities and their perceived experience in the movement-based mathematics program. Thematic analyses based on social cognitive theory (SCT) revealed several recurring themes. Paired-samples t-tests demonstrated statistically significant increase in participants’ math knowledge and self-efficacy. Findings revealed increased participant engagement in mathematics content taught, motivation to complete mathematics tasks, eliciting of positive emotions and positive associations with mathematics.
Combination of Photodynamic Therapy and Chemotherapy for Cancer Treatment by using Paclitaxel-loaded Porphyrin-shelled Nanoemulsions
Keywords: Cancer treatment
Drug delivery
Nanoparticle
Paclitaxel
Photodynamic therapy

Porphyrin-lipids are ideal building blocks for the formation of self-assembled nanoparticles in multimodal imaging and therapeutics. In this study, a ~120 nm porphyrin-lipid shelled nanoemulsion loaded with paclitaxel (PLNE-PTX) was designed for combination of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and chemotherapy. The stable PLNE-PTX had sufficient loading efficiency of PTX (~3.1 %) and porphyrin (~18.3 %), and efficient tumor accumulation in mice (~5.4 ID %/g). For in vivo studies, the combination of PDT and chemotherapy (~223.2 mm3) illustrated an increased tumor growth inhibition compared with PDT (~566.9 mm3) or chemotherapy alone (~544.3 mm3) on day 16. Furthermore, a 4-fold decreased PTX dosage in combination treatment was achieved compared to chemotherapy alone, which could lower PTX toxicities. No significant side effects were observed from blood tests and H stains in mice after PLNE-PTX injection. Thus, PLNE-PTX is a suitable candidate for the synergistic and safe combination of PDT and chemotherapy for tumor treatment.