VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Sport and Mental Health: Wavering Between Resilience and Vulnerability
Keywords: adjustment disorder
athlete
elite sport
mental health issues
sport retirement
university sport

When sport participation reaches competitive levels it can become entangled with stressors such as injury, performance pressures, and vulnerabilities including developing a strong athletic identity that may influence athletesâ experiences with mental illness. A life history methodology was used to explore an elite university athleteâ s experience with an adjustment disorder with mixed moods of depression and anxiety. Seven interviews were conducted and a dialogical narrative analysis was used. The participant developed a strong athletic identity during her sport career which, coupled with a damaging interpersonal relationship, contributed to a period of mental health challenges post-retirement from sport and graduation from university. The findings from this study lead us to question whether the significant support and special access to services provided to university sports stars potentially leaves such individuals vulnerable to feelings of isolation and helplessness once outside the university-athlete bubble and contribute to challenging transitions out of sport.
Not Just Roleplay: How Rules Shape Identity Exploration and Community Creation in LARP and Tabletop Games
Keywords: Community
Game
Identity
Identity Performance
LARP
Roleplay

Earlier research has shown that players use roleplaying in a number of contexts to explore identity, identity performance, and to better understand their personal interactions. One place this comes into play is in games where players play the role of a character other than themselves. This thesis looks specifically at analog games and examines the way that game rules shape playersâ ability to explore identity and social interaction through the game. I argue that game rules in these games help determine what questions players ask themselves and what kinds of interaction they explore. To better understand these types of games I look at the rules of a specific LARP, Dystopia Rising, and a specific tabletop game, Shadowrun, in detail in order to better understand how these rules have the potential to shape players exploration of identity and interaction.
A Moderate In Vivo Lengthening Contraction Protocol Caused Muscle Damage in Mdx Mice
Keywords: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Heat Shock Proteins
Lengthening Contractions
Skeletal Muscle

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a severe muscle wasting disease caused by the failure to produce dystrophin. Dystrophic mdx and healthy C57 mice (n=5/group/time point) were subject to 15 stimulated, in vivo lengthening contractions and examined following 0, 3, or 24 hours to determine if the severe dystrophic response to exercise could be reproduced with a moderate volume of contractions. As expected, the mdx mice exhibited greater force loss (p
The Everyday Evaluations of Public Participation by Urban Planners
Keywords: evaluation
public participation
urban planning

Public participation evaluation research has identified a need for better tools to evaluate the effectiveness of this complex practice. Despite many theory-based evaluation approaches having been developed for public participation, practitioners are unlikely to incorporate structured evaluation into their work. By describing the informal and/or tacit judgements that urban planners make to improve their practice of public participation, this study seeks to understand what evaluation tools practitioners might actually use in their practice. Planners make tacit judgements of their practice of public participation, which have greater evaluation utility to them than structured theory-based techniques. Focus on tacit, unstructured judgements is a potential strategy for public participation research to have greater realisations in practice.
Overwintering Ecology of Head-started Blandingâ s Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) in an Artificial Wetland Complex
Keywords: Artificial Wetland
Blandingâ s Turtles
Emydoidea blandingii
Head-started
Overwintering

The Blanding's Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii), a species at risk, is expected to become extirpated in urban environments without anthropogenic mitigation. Rouge National Urban Park, along with the Toronto Zoo, is working to create wetland habitat, and is supplementing the existing population with head-starts; turtles raised for two years at the Zoo then released into the wild. The selection and availability of appropriate overwintering sites can minimize turtle mortality. This research examined environmental conditions influencing site selection by head-starts in an artificial wetland complex, 2014-2017. Temperature was determined to significantly influence site use by the turtles. Head-starts preferred cold water (2.16 oC Âą 0.37), close to the shore (
Exploring the Pain Contest in Competitive Male Rowers
Keywords: culture
ethnography
Goffman
identity
rowing
sport

The purpose of this study was to investigate the lived experiences of a group of competitive male rowers, to enhance understandings of pain, identity, and embodiment in sport culture. Ethnographic methods such as participant observation and semi-structured interviews were employed to access the cultural norms and ideologies that were later used to explain the shared embodied practices and perceptions relevant to the group of male athletes under scrutiny. The application of Goffmanâ s theoretical framework of dramaturgy also helped to address the cultural significance of non-injury related pain and suffering in relation to social constructs, such as masculinity, identity, and self-objectification. Further, this study unpacks the cultural complexities of pain in rowing culture and vividly presents the ways in which rowers contextually interpret, convey, and experience their bodies through the analysis of three major themes: pain, efficiency, and closeness. Specifically, this study presents rich descriptions of the unique and paradoxical relationships male rowers developed with pain and their embodied identities. Ultimately suggesting that male rowers engaged in risky and painful practices to uphold idealized performances of idealized rower identities, to enhance meaningful male bonding and to avoid feelings of shame, humiliation, or rejection in the sporting context.
Dialogue Among Civilizations? A Bibliometric Analysis of Research Collaboration Between the ‘West’ and the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2008-2016
Keywords: bibliometrics
collaboration
international
Iran
West

International collaboration has become an increasingly common feature of academic work in recent decades. Engaging in such collaboration may be particularly challenging when relationships between host countries are tense or unpredictable, as they are between the ‘West’ and the Islamic Republic of Iran. On the other hand, however, collaboration may be facilitated by the many highly skilled Iranians who have migrated to Western countries. In this study, I explore research collaboration between the West and Iran through an analysis of co-authored publications indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection for the nine-year period between 2008 and 2016. The findings of the study are discussed in relation to two conceptual frameworks, namely the centres and peripheries model of the global academic system, and the concept of a ‘Dialogue among civilizations’.
Amino Acid Metabolism and Protein Requirements in Active, Adolescent Males Using the Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation (IAAO) Technique
Keywords: Active adolescent
Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation
Nutrition
Protein Metabolism
Protein Requirement

We aimed to determine the protein requirements of active adolescents by utilizing the minimally invasive, Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation (IAAO) technique. Seven male participants (n=7; 13.8±0.5 years; 171±2.8 cm; 57.3±4.2 kg; 48.4±5.0 kg FFM; 0.3±0.2 years from peak height velocity (PHV); means±95% CI) each underwent 6 metabolic trials that included an acute bout of a variable intensity exercise, followed by the ingestion of 8 hourly meals providing a variable amount of protein (0.2 – 2.67 g·kg−1·d−1), 6 g·kg−1 of carbohydrate, and sufficient energy. Protein was provided as crystalline amino acid mixtures, modeled after the contents of egg protein, apart from tyrosine (40 mg·kg−1·d−1) and phenylalanine (30.5 mg·kg−1·d−1 of which 5.46 mg·kg−1 was L-[13C] phenylalanine over the final 4 drinks). 13CO2 enrichment in breath was determined by continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry and CO2 production by indirect calorimetry. Bi-phase linear regression indicated a breakpoint of the 13CO2 excretion (F13CO2) equivalent to an estimated average requirement (EAR) of 1.48 g·kg−1·d−1 (r2 = 0.54), with the upper 95% CI, which approximates the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of 1.78 g·kg−1·d−1. Our estimate exceeds the current protein RDA based on the factorial estimate of nitrogen balance for adolescents (0.9 g·kg−1·d−1). Therefore, suggesting that variable intensity exercise, as well as, the incorporation of a new determining method, increases daily protein requirements in active adolescents.
The Expression and Function of CCL5 in Early Atherosclerosis
Keywords: atherosclerosis
CCL5
mice
RANTES

Atherosclerosis is a chronic cardiovascular disease initiated by the accumulation of lipid-loaded macrophages within the artery wall. Chemokines can have several potential functions in atherosclerosis. CCL5, an inflammatory chemokine, is considered proatherogenic. Since CCL5 expression is dramatically increased in early mouse atherosclerotic lesions, the goals were to identify which cells express CCL5 and the functions of CCL5 in early lesion development. CCL5 mRNA and protein were up-regulated both by myeloid and endothelial cells in lesions. Bone marrow transplantation studies demonstrated that CCL5 deficiency in bone marrow-derived cells transiently affected lesion myeloid cell content but did not significantly affect macrophage proliferation or monocyte recruitment. Additionally, CCL5 deficiency in non-hematopoietic cells had no effect on lesion parameters. These studies suggest that although CCL5 is expressed abundantly within lesions, the effects of CCL5 deficiency in early lesion development is minimal and this may be due to compensatory functions of related chemokines.
Using Relative Phase Analyses and Vector Coding to Quantify Pelvis-Thorax Coordination During Lifting—A Methodological Investigation
Keywords: Lifting
Lumbar Spine
Relative Phase
Vector Coding

The objectives of this study were to determine if continuous relative phase (CRP) and vector coding (VC) analyses dissociate between biomechanically distinct lifting techniques and secondarily, if normalization and transformation is necessary to capture technique differences. Sixteen volunteers performed a sagittal lifting task with a freestyle (FRE), flexed spine (FLX), and neutral spine (NTL) technique. CRP and VC analyses were implemented to quantify pelvis-thorax coordination based on time-normalized, phase-normalized, and transformed relative phase signals. Mean relative phase along with thorax-only and in-phase coupling patterns were significantly different between FRE-NTL and FLX-NTL techniques (p
Towards Inclusive Community Engagement: Engaging Marginalized Residents in the Urban Planning Process
Keywords: Community planning
Diversity
Equity Planning
Inclusion
Public engagement

The increasing diversity of Canadian communities presents a challenge to municipalities as planners are called upon to lead inclusive public engagement programs. This thesis identifies current engagement tools developed by Ontario municipalities to increase the diversity of citizen participation in urban planning processes, and evaluates how well they are implemented in practice. An online review of policies from twelve municipalities was conducted, followed by interviews with staff representing four municipalities. The research findings demonstrate that traditional engagement mechanisms, such as public meetings, are still commonly used by municipalities; however, planners are increasingly expanding their engagement toolbox in order to remove barriers to participation, and in turn reach an audience that more accurately reflects the population. The extent to which these modern engagement tools are resulting in processes and outcomes that are more inclusive and representative of the community is difficult to determine because most municipalities do not yet track participant demographics.
Mine or Thine? Examining the Influence of Ownership and the Presence of a Co-Actor on Peri-Personal Space
Keywords: Co-Actor
Ownership
Peri-Personal Space

The overall purpose of this thesis research was to determine whether the perception of ownership and the presence of a co-actor exert an independent or interactive influence upon the perception of an individual’s peri-personal space. When an individual performs a stimulus-response compatibility task in the presence of a co-actor, there is an apparent ‘retraction’ in the perception of an individual’s peri-personal space. The current study was designed to examine the influence of ownership upon this social interaction. Participants completed a stimulus-response compatibility task, where the factors of social context, ownership, space, and object affordances were manipulated. Social context and ownership were found to affect the perception of space independently. However, these social cues did not exert an interactive influence upon the coding of space. These findings advance our understanding of the complex processes that enable us to efficiently move and interact with objects.
Understanding Neighbourhood Food Access: Practices and Perspectives of Residents of Scarborough Village, Toronto
Keywords: Food access
Food environment
Food justice
People-centred
Urban

Within food access research, little attention has been given to the perspectives and practices of residents in food insecure neighbourhoods. Taking a people-centred approach and using semi-structured interviews, this thesis explores food access through the day-to-day practices, strategies, challenges, perspectives, and emotions of residents of Scarborough Village, a low-income and food insecure urban neighbourhood in Toronto, Canada. The findings of this research are used to argue that including the voices of those commonly marginalised in the decision-making process of neighbourhood food environments is an important and valuable step towards a more just food system. To include these voices, more urban food access research and action needs to shift its approach from simplistic understandings of food security toward more comprehensive understanding of food access based on the concepts of food justice and food sovereignty. Only by doing so will urban food access research realise the often complex, context-specific needs of those it seeks to assist.
Understandings of Liveability: An Exploration of University Student Perceptions of Neighbourhood Spaces
Keywords: Liveability-neighbourhood
Perceptions
Students
(Sub)Urban

Developing “liveable cities” that accommodate population growth while reversing trends toward sprawl is a foremost concern of urban planning. Across North America planner advocacy for “complete communities” has resulted in compact neighbourhood (re)design within urban cores but has encountered resistance in suburban locations. The contrast between planning visions and suburban consumer preference for the existing landscape prompts consideration of how residents perceive liveability and the implications posed for neighbourhood redesign. While planning authorities assume public education can persuade residents to embrace compact designs, this study suggests otherwise. Utilising photo-elicitation in focus groups with university students at an urban and suburban campus, the research indicates lived experience, rather than education, informs perceptions. Based on their lived experiences students from the two campuses reacted very differently to the same neighbourhood images. The results of the study suggest understanding resident perceptions is vital to successful planning for liveability.
The Role of Resident Embryonic-Derived Cardiac Macrophages in Ischemic Injury
Keywords: Cardiovascular disease
Heart failure
Innate immunity
Macrophage

Heart disease is the leading cause of mortality worldwide and macrophages (MFs) play a central role in both tissue healing and tissue injury. The precise origin and role of cardiac MFs in ischemic injury remains unknown, which could help explain the paradoxical role MFs seemingly play. Initial work in the lab suggested that adult bone marrow-derived MFs play a role in inducing inflammation, whereas resident embryonic-derived (EmbryoD) cardiac MFs promote repair. This thesis demonstrated that most cardiac MFs in steady state were EmbryoD and they persisted for the life of the animal. Following MI in adult animals, EmbryoD cardiac MFs were initially lost within the infarct and subsequently competed with recruited MFs within the heart. Specific chronic depletion of EmbryoD MFs post-MI resulted in depressed cardiac function and adverse cardiac remodeling in the vulnerable peri-infarct zone. The ability to increase the abundance of reparative EmbryoD cardiac MFs post-MI now represents a novel therapeutic approach.
Elucidating the Metabolic Role of Macrophage Janus Kinase 2
Keywords: Diabetes Mellitus
Inflammation
Insulin Resistance
Janus Kinase 2
Macrophages

During obesity, macrophages can infiltrate metabolic tissues and contribute to chronic low-grade inflammation as well as mediate insulin resistance and diabetes. Our study addresses the essential role of macrophage JAK2, a key mediator downstream of various cytokines, hormones and growth factors, in the pathogenesis to obesity and insulin resistance. Macrophage-specific JAK2 knockout (M-JAK2
Effect of Different Ceramic Crown Preparations on Tooth Structure Loss—An In Vitro Study
Keywords: aesthetic dentistry
ceramics porcelain
dental materials selection
emax
restorations in dentistry
zirconia

Objective: To quantify and compare the amount of tooth-structure reduction following the full-coverage preparations for crown materials of porcelain-fused-to-metal, lithium disilicate glass-ceramic and yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline for three tooth morphologies. Methods: Groups of resin teeth of different morphologies were individually weighed to high precision, then prepared following the preparation guidelines. The teeth were re-weighed after preparation and the amount of structural reduction was calculated. Statistical analyses were performed to find out if there was a significant difference among the groups. Results: Amount of tooth reduction for zirconia crown preparations was the lowest and statistically different compared with the other two materials. No statistical significance was found between the amount of reduction for porcelain-fused-to-metal and lithium disilicate glass-ceramic crowns. Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, more tooth structure can be saved when utilizing zirconia full-coverage restorations compared with lithium disilicate glass-ceramic and porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns in maxillary central incisors, first premolars and first molars.
Circulating N1 Neutrophils Are Proinflammatory Granulocytes That are First Responders at Sites of Inflammation
Keywords: CD Markers
Immunology
Inflammation
Neutrophils
Subsets

Neutrophils are the most abundant cellular component of the innate immune system. As first responders, they are rapidly recruited to sites of infection, where they eliminate invading pathogens. Although neutrophils are generally regarded as a homogeneous cellular population, recent research suggests that they may be made up of multiple subsets. In cancer, neutrophils present as multiple subsets, impacting tumour growth and metastases. We identified two subsets of neutrophils, N0 and N1, in na誰ve bone marrow and blood of healthy mice, based on the surface expression of 4 CD markers. The N1 neutrophils are first responders, with a proinflammatory phenotype, while the N0 population is the resting state subset. We show that the percent of N1 neutrophils in circulation changes during acute and chronic inflammation, suggesting that studying this population may allow us to better understand the role of neutrophils in maintaining health, and their role in regulating the inflammatory processes.
Non-invasive assessment of aortic coarctation severity using computational fluid dynamics
Keywords: Aortic coarctation
CFD
Medical image processing

Aortic coarctation (CoA) is a congenital cardiovascular disease characterized by an abnormal narrowing of the proximal descending aorta, which can result in serious morbidity and complications after treatment. The severity of CoA is quantified by the blood pressure drop across the stenotic coarctation lesion, and intervention is recommended if the pressure drop exceeds 20 mmHg [1]. The clinical gold standard to obtain the pressure drop is catheterization, which is however an invasive procedure with a 1 in 1,000 risk of patient death or serious injury [2]. In the thesis, we propose an image-guided computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method for noninvasive assessment of CoA severity. The method reconstructs the geometry of the aorta from medical images and solves the Navier-Stokes equations numerically to estimate the pressure drop across the CoA. The Cohen0 s kappa statistic test indicates that CFD has the potential of becoming a non-invasive alternative to catheterization for estimating CoA severity.
EVALUATING THE WETTING AND DRYING RESPONSE OF GYPSUM DRYWALL SUBJECT TO LIQUID WATER
Keywords: Equilibrium Relative Humidity
Gypsum
Moisture
Sensors
Water
Water Activity

Gypsum drywall is susceptible to moisture damage due to their porous structure and common exposure to liquid water from floods, plumbing leaks, condensation, and enclosure leaks. There are many types of drywall, including some that are designed to be resistant to moisture damage and many ways of measuring moisture. In this thesis, I evaluate multiple methods of moisture measurement on different types of drywall under different water wetting amounts and environmental conditions. Different types of drywall respond differently to water and surface treatments play an important role in their response to moisture. Even on the same type of drywall, different sensors can provide different responses to wetting events in magnitude, duration, and temporal dynamics. The implications of this work are that the drywall itself, as well as the environmental conditions, the method of moisture measurement, and the nature of the wetting all are important to the availability of water for microorganisms and moisture-related decay processes.
Characterizing the role of ice1 in maintaining zebrafish neural stem cells
Keywords: ice1
little elongation complex
neural stem cell
snRNA

Maintenance of neural stem cell (NSC) niches is required for the continued growth of the zebrafish retina and forebrain after embryogenesis. The zebrafish mutant kess564, which maps to the ice1 locus, exhibits reduced NSC niches. RNA polymerase II-dependent snRNA transcription requires the little elongation complex (LEC) for which ICE1 is an essential scaffolding component. Mutant NSCs which are normally active no longer express markers of cycling cells and become apoptotic. Furthermore, quiescent NSCs of the mutant retina are unable to dedifferentiate in response to UV lesion. Whole-transcriptome analysis of ice1 mutant larvae show a decrease in CNS and cell cycle levels, and an increase in splicing genes indicative of a possible compensatory mechanism. snRNA transcript levels appear to be unaffected in a subset of NSCs but reduced in differentiated neurons. This work demonstrates that ice1 is essential for NSC maintenance in an in vivo loss of function model.