VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Pleading with Our Paesan: An Urgent Call to Re-structure Italian-Canadian Allegiance to White Supremacy
Keywords: Anti-Colonial Solidarity
Anti-Racism
Community Activism
Critical Whiteness
Italian Diaspora
Italian-Canadian

This thesis calls on White Italian-Canadians to recognize and re-structure their allegiance to White supremacy. It will draw from Critical Anti-Racist Theory (Dei Lordan 2013; Omi Winant 2002), Italian-Canadian Studies (Alba, 1985; Dickie, 1996; Guglielmo Salerno, 2003) and Critical Whiteness Studies (Morrison, 1992; Dyer, 1997; Frankenbergs, 1993). I will interrogate Italian-Canadian Whiteness and demonstrate the ways in which it has been mediated by varied socio-historical conditions across space and time. By documenting the work of grassroots organization Italian-Canadians for Black Lives (IC4BL), I will demonstrate how White Italian-Canadians are responding to calls for allyship/solidarity against White supremacy in Vaughan, Ontario. I develop these analyses in order to explore the opportunities and challenges presented in anti-racism activism organized around an Italian-Canadian cultural affiliation. I hope that this research can be utilized towards more meaningful relationships of solidarity, which take our responsibilities as citizens, (im)migrants and settlers seriously.
Conformational Analysis of Rotationally Restricted Macrocyclic Peptides
Keywords: Atropisomers
Conformational analysis
Macrocyclic peptides
Ramachandran plots

Conformation describes the spatial arrangement of atoms in a molecule. The conformation of a macrocyclic peptide is known to be a primary determinant of its biological utility. Chapter 2 describes methodology for biasing the conformation of macrocyclic peptides toward metastable “dark-space” conformations using a synthetic backbone motif known as the dominant rotor. Methodology for describing unusual conformations in macrocyclic peptides is described using modified Ramachandran plots to classify the geometrical properties of the backbone. The peptide conformations that arise in these systems bear an overrepresentation of positive φ-angles, representing non-canonical conformations. Herein we describe how the characteristics of “dark-space” conformations can be tuned by introducing structural modifications to the dominant rotor. Chapter 3 describes the applications of this methodology to medicinal chemistry with the development of macrocyclic inhibitors of the α4β7 integrin/MAdCAM-1 interaction. The effects of non-ground-state peptide conformations on the inhibition of this interaction are discussed herein.
Detecting Patient Position Using Bed-reaction Forces for Pressure Injury Management
Keywords: bed sores
healing
machine learning
pressure injuries
prevention
repositioning

Pressure injuries are largely preventable, yet they affect one in four Canadians across all healthcare settings. The best way to prevent and treat pressure injuries is to ensure at-risk individuals are repositioned regularly, but adherence to repositioning is poor. Our team has designed a repositioning prompting system for patients in bed that uses data from load cells under the bed legs. The goal of this project was to improve the accuracy of predicting a patient’s position as left, right, or supine and to determine the value of higher precision prediction (more than three categories). The range of positions that completely offloaded the great trochanters and sacrum were determined. Position detection (left, right, or supine) was improved to 84.2%. The sacrum was only fully offloaded for transverse pelvic angles of -90° and 90°, indicating there was little benefit to predicting with greater precision than with three categories: left, right, and supine.
Optimization of Thermal Control Schemes for Small Satellite Constellations Utilizing on-Orbit and Test Data
Keywords: Automation
Design
Optimization
Spacecraft
Structure
Thermal

As satellite constellations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) become widely used for telecommunications, Earth observation, and astronomy by small commercial space companies, a means of reliable, scalable, and rapid thermal design for small constellations is required.This thesis explores the development of an automated stochastic optimization system for the rapid design of thermal optical tape schemes for small satellite constellations utilizing an SFL NEMO platform mission as a test bed for development and finalizing a design which was launched to orbit. The optimization system has been designed to be rapidly applied to arbitrary platform agnostic satellite geometries and limit the amount of manual thermal design and Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE) required for each satellite cluster for which orbital parameters can vary widely. The collective heritage of subsequent satellite clusters, Thermal Vacuum (TVAC) testing, and on-orbit measurements are used to iteratively inform the structural and thermal design of future clusters.
Dramaturgies of Being: Agency, Pedagogy and the Self-focused Performance of Tabletop RPGs
Keywords: agency
dramaturgies of being
pedagogy
postapocalyptic performance
tabletop role-playing games

When approached as a performance medium, tabletop role-playing games, or TTRPGs, demonstrate a dramaturgical method that allows for the exploration of an individual player-performer’s agency, as well as the limits thereof. At the same time, the rule frameworks that structure play work to create experimental and pedagogical environments where suppositions about reality can become true within the virtual play-space, and thus allow space for speculative performances of said reality; if the rules say that something is true, what then becomes true by extension? The combination of these elements allows for the construction of ‘dramaturgies of being,’ which facilitate the performance of identity within the speculative framework, and thus the testing of said identities. Avery Alder’s 2018 game Dream Askew presents a dramaturgy of being for queer postapocalyptic identity exploration, community building, negotiation of agency, and teaching through simulated experience.
Investigating the Impact of a Peptide Modified Hydrogel on Dermal Fibroblasts and Keratinocytes
Keywords: Biomaterial
Fibroblast
Keratinocytes
Peptide
Q-Peptide
Wound Healing

Chronic wounds and excessive scarring represent large problems globally. Clinical efforts to facilitate effective wound healing and closure require a moist environment where coordinated process can occur. As a therapeutic for chronic wounds, Q-Peptide has been chemically conjugated to a chitosan-collagen hydrogel to maintain a stable wet healing environment, with demonstrated accelerated keratinocyte migration and immune modulation. Despite the observed functional efficacy of this peptide biomaterial in animal models, the direct effect on adult dermal fibroblasts and epithelial cells have not been investigated. This study has provided important insight into the direct impact of Q-Peptide on fibroblasts and keratinocytes, the main cells responsible for healthy wound healing. Using a deconstructed in vitro model to investigate these cell populations individually, we observed an anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory response that is temporally regulated alongside an appropriate early ECM deposition.
The Characterization of Context-dependent Olfactory Memory and Neuropathology in 1.5 Months and 4 Months Old 5xFAD Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease
Keywords: 5xFAD
Alzheimer's Disease
Early
Memory
Mice
Olfaction

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most prominent neurodegenerative disorders that significantly affects our society. In attempt to develop an earlier diagnostic tool for AD, this study aims to integrate olfactory and spatial contextual components into behavioral tests to characterize the early emergence of olfactory impairments in 1.5 and 4 months old 5xFAD mice and examine amyloid beta (Aβ) plaque deposition in central olfactory regions. Our findings showed that both 1.5month old wildtype and AD mice displayed no neuropathological phenotypes and olfactory memory impairments. Both 4month old wildtype and AD mice did not perform well in all three olfactory behavioral tests, and 4month old AD mice showed Aβ deposition in the anterior olfactory nucleus and ventral hippocampal regions. Our observations are limited by the small sample size in the 4m WT mice cohort and the difference of odor source used. Subsequent experiments would be done to address such limitations.
Naltrexone use Among Patients Diagnosed with Alcohol use Disorder in Ontario
Keywords: alcohol abuse
alcohol use disorder
AUD medication
naltrexone
Ontario

Naltrexone, a medication used to manage alcohol use disorder (AUD), was added to the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) program in 2018. This retrospective population-based cohort study among Ontario public drug beneficiaries who initiated publicly funded naltrexone from June 2018 to September 2019 aimed to determine the duration of naltrexone use in Ontario, as well as assessing the relationship between prescription setting and time to discontinuation of naltrexone. Among 2531 patients with AUD , the median (IQR) duration of naltrexone use was 31 (29-100) days, with  394 (15.6%) continuing naltrexone for 6 month or longer. Overall, there was no strong association between setting of initiation and duration of use, although, compared to those starting in physicians’ office, individuals initiating after an ED visit were less likely to be dispensed a second prescription. Future research can further elucidate the barriers encountered by patients with AUD, that lead to poor treatment retention.
Biasing the Average: The Role of Attention in Ensemble Processing
Keywords: Action
Ensemble Perception
Perception
Vision
Visual Attention

Ensemble processing allows the visual system to condense visual information into useful summary statistics (e.g., average size), thereby overcoming capacity limitations to visual working memory and attention. To examine the role of attention in ensemble processing, I conducted three experiments using a novel paradigm that merged the action effect (a manipulation of attention) and ensemble processing. Participants were instructed to make a simple action if the feature of a cue word corresponded to a subsequent shape. Immediately after, they were shown an ensemble display of 8 ovals of varying sizes and were asked to report either the average size of all ovals (average report task) or the size of a single oval from the set (single report task). In Experiment 1, participants were cued with a task-relevant feature (i.e., cued with size and asked to report the average or single size). In Experiments 2 and 3, participants were cued with a task-irrelevant feature (i.e., cued with colour and asked to report average size). Overall, the task-relevant cues that elicited an action biased reports of average size in the ensemble task more than the cues that were passively viewed, while task-irrelevant cues did not bias the reports of average size. The results of this study suggest that while attention is involved in ensemble processing, it only influences ensemble processing when it is directed towards a task-relevant feature.
Impact of Leucine on the Intracellular Spatial Regulation of mTORC1 in Human Skeletal Muscle
Keywords: Intracellular Signaling
Leucine
mTOR
mTORC1
Nutrition
Skeletal Muscle

The present study used immunofluorescence methods to investigate the effect of dietary leucine on the postprandial intracellular regulation of mTORC1 trafficking and a readout of its activity in human skeletal muscle. In a crossover trial, eight recreationally active males ingested 2g of leucine or dileucine and had thigh muscle biopsies collected at rest, 30, 60 and 180 min following feeding. p-RPS6Ser240/244 was assessed across the total muscle fibre and in subcellular peripheral regions. Leucine, but not dileucine, ingestion promoted mTORC1 translocation to the cell periphery and enhanced p-RPS6Ser240/244 in peripheral (but not central) regions at 30 and 60 min. Additionally, p-RPS6Ser240/244 at 60 min was positively correlated with previously determined rates of MyoPS following leucine ingestion. The ability of leucine to activate mTORC1 in peripheral regions suggests an enhanced rate of MyoPS, as this is the intracellular space thought to be enriched in translation initiation factors, capillaries, and nutrient sensors.
Perceptions of Curability in Outpatients with Advanced Cancer
Keywords: advanced cancer
perception of curability

Objectives. (1) To identify patient characteristics associated with the perception cancer is incurable. (2) To examine whether this perception is associated with (i) patients’ goals of care (GOC) and (ii) perceptions that their family and physician are aware of their future care wishes. Methods. Medical oncology outpatients with advanced cancer completed a GOC questionnaire. Results. Previous discussion of cancer curability was associated with the perception cancer was incurable when controlling for patient age, income, and ECOG (OR=4.35, 95%CI=1.18-17.11, p=0.03). Most patients perceiving cancer was incurable reported GOC wishes of living longer (56%) over curing their cancer (7%). A total of 77% believed their family was aware of their future care wishes, but only 13% believed their physician was aware. Conclusion. Discussion of cancer curability with patients may improve their understanding of prognosis and enable GOC decision-making. Physician-patient discussions about advance care planning appear to be lacking and should be encouraged.
Activating Choreographies of Care: An Inclusive Approach to 'Sidewalk Ballet'
Keywords: Environmental choreographies of care
Immersive theatre
Queen Street West
Accessibility
Immersive audio tour
Site-specific theatre

When it comes to immersive theatre, one of its most attractive characteristics is the way it engages audiences in a fictional site by inviting them to play a role in the performance. In order to perform this role, audiences are required to adhere to particular way(s) of moving through the performance site. Similarly, when traversing the sidewalk, pedestrians must adhere to a specific set of spatial scripts established by the physical characteristics of the street, and the bodies that traverse it. This becomes exclusionary for participants from the disabled community in both fictional and non-fictional contexts, as it is primarily non-disabled pedestrians that occupy the sidewalk, and consequently shape its dominant choreographies. To address these issues, this thesis uses a research-creation approach to develop an immersive tour that explores the daily choreographies of Queen Street West, in relation to the fictional choreographies established in my performance.
Automated Single Cell Surgery Robotic System for 2- Blastomere Embryo Applications
Keywords: Automation
Cell Surgery
Image Processing
Robotic Control

A fully automated single cell surgery system is proposed in this thesis. The proposed system firstuses convolutional neural network to detect the embryo location under the microscope field of view. The network produces a bounding box output which is used as region of interest for Z-stack images acquisition. The developed three-dimensional image processing algorithm uses Z-stack images to segment embryo and micropipette contours and compute their corresponding locations on the image plane. The sliding mode controller based on image based visual servoing concept uses these image plane coordinates to compute an error signal for processing. The velocity output controls the corresponding motorized stage to manipulate the micropipette to penetrate embryo membrane and reach the target location of a selected blastomere centroid. The experimental result with 2-blastomere mouse embryo has shown acceptable accuracy for certain types of cell surgery procedures and potential to extend to 4-blastomere embryo applications.
Wired Glass Failures: Investigation on the Mechanical Properties of Wired Glass
Keywords: modulus of rupture
wired glass

Despite the accidents involving wired glass, there has been no investigation on the fundamental mechanical and failure properties of this material. In this thesis, the modulus of rupture (MOR) value for wired glass was determined via four-point bend testing according to ASTM C158. The fracture surfaces of bend test samples were used to determine how the wires affected crack initiation and propagation. The final MOR value was then compared to finite element analysis (FEA) simulations of the four-point bend test to corroborate experimental results with simulation data. The MOR value for wired glass was determined to be 37 MPa ± 8 MPa, compared to FEA data which reported values of 20-50 MPa. Comparisons with reported MOR values of soda lime glass and observations of the fracture surfaces indicated that the wire mesh had no effect on the mechanical strength of the material nor on its behaviour during fracture.
Feasibility of a Telerehabilitation Approach to Active Rehabilitation in Youth with Concussion
Keywords: Active Rehabilitation
Concussion
Pediatric
Rehabilitation
Telerehabilitation

Active rehabilitation involving supervised exercise, education, and support promotes recovery in youth with concussion but is typically delivered in-person, which limits accessibility due to geographic, financial, and logistical barriers. The purpose of this research was to develop and explore the feasibility of a remotely delivered Tele-Active Rehabilitation (Tele-AR) intervention. A mixed-methods approach was used to explore feasibility in a pre-post case series study (n=3 youth; n=3 parents) and qualitative exploration of participant experiences in the intervention. All feasibility indicators met or approached success criteria, there were no adverse events, and all youth reported improvements in post-concussion symptoms, occupational performance, and illness perception post-intervention. Qualitative findings indicate that participants were satisfied with the intervention and appreciated the convenience and comfort of engaging from home, which facilitated youth taking responsibility for their recovery. This research provides a foundation for larger studies to evaluate efficacy of the Tele-AR intervention among youth with concussion.
Vision-based Assessment of Parkinsonism Severity in Gait
Keywords: Computer vision
Gait analysis
Human pose-estimation
Parkinsonism
Spatial-temporal graph convolutional networks

Parkinsonism refers to the collection of conditions whereby the patient experiences movement symptoms similar to those common in Parkinson’s disease (PD). With respect to gait, parkinsonism may result in step and arm swing asymmetry, stooped posture, or shuffling gait; and may be influenced by dual-tasking and medication use. Because the severity of gait impairment can fluctuate on a day-to-day basis, monitoring of patients’ gait is important to allow clinicians to make informed adjustments to therapies. When paired with state-of-the-art pose-estimation algorithms, vision-based systems present an opportunity to unobtrusively monitor gait in non-clinical settings. This work evaluates how gait features and joint trajectories extracted from standard color video can be used to assess severity of parkinsonism in gait on clinical rating scales. This thesis provides insight into the algorithms and processing considerations for assessing parkinsonian gait using color video.
Preliminary Evaluation of the Double Awareness Scale in Patients with Advanced Cancer Receiving Outpatient Palliative Care
Keywords: advanced cancer
death contemplation
double awareness
life engagement
palliative care
scale validation

Individuals with advanced cancer are tasked with engaging in life while simultaneously planning for the end of life. The capacity to sustain this duality, termed “double awareness,” may reflect optimal psychological adaptation to advanced cancer, though limited research on this phenomenon exists. The aim of the present study was to provide a preliminary evaluation of a new measure of double awareness, the Double Awareness Scale (DAS), in 70 palliative care outpatients attending at a comprehensive cancer center in Canada. Exploratory factor analysis identified that the DAS captures the two factors central to the concept of double awareness (i.e., Life Engagement, Death Contemplation) and perhaps a third construct of Legacy Remembrance. The factors of Life Engagement and Death Contemplation met the criteria for internal consistency and construct validity, which is promising. A validated DAS may assist health care providers in monitoring patient’s ability to live meaningfully while managing advanced cancer.
Biochemical Characterization of the SLX4IP-XPF-ERCC1 Complex and its Roles in Telomere Maintenance
Keywords: Alternative lengthening of telomeres
DNA repair
SLX4IP
Structure-selective endonucleases
Telomeres
XPF-ERCC1

A subset of cancer cells use the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) pathway to obtain replicative immortality. ALT is a recombination-based mechanism that requires the actions of structure-selective endonucleases, such as XPF-ERCC1 and SLX1-SLX4, to remove branched DNA intermediates called displacement loops (D-loops). Recent work suggests that the activity of these nucleases is regulated by the interaction with a non-catalytic protein called SLX4-interacting protein (SLX4IP). The goal of my project is to determine if SLX4IP modulates the nuclease activity of XPF-ERCC1 in vitro. First, I show that purified SLX4IP and XPF-ERCC1 form a complex in solution. I then show that XPF-ERCC1 cleaves the splayed arm but not the D-loop in vitro and that the addition of SLX4IP does not stimulate the cleavage of either structure by XPF-ERCC1. Further experiments are warranted to investigate the effects of additional proteins or post-translational modifications on the assembly and activity of the SLX4IP-XPF-ERCC1 complex.
Muscle Oxygenation of the Paretic and Nonparetic Legs Measured During Arterial Occlusion and Exercise in Chronic Stroke
Keywords: Arterial Occlusion
Exercise
Mobility
Muscle oxygen saturation
NIRS
Stroke

Oxygen delivery and demand are reduced in the paretic leg post-stroke, reflecting decreases of vascular function and reductions of muscle quantity and quality. It is unknown how muscle oxygenation is altered post-stroke and how it relates to functional ambulation. Skeletal muscle O2 saturation (SMO2) of the paretic and nonparetic legs of eleven post-stroke individuals were monitored with two near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) devices during rest, arterial occlusion, submaximal exercise and six-minute walk test (6MWT). Oxygen consumption (p=0.03) and microvascular responsiveness (p=0.04) were reduced in the paretic compared to the nonparetic leg. The exercise deoxygenation slope in the paretic leg was significantly steeper than the non-paretic leg (p=0.047) indicating a greater oxygen mismatch at the onset of exercise. Average 6MWT SMO2 of each leg was not significantly correlated with 6MWT distance. These impairments in the paretic leg may require strategies like prolonged warmups, resistance, or single leg training to improve muscle oxygenation.