VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Romantic Consent in Emerging Adults with Autism (ASD)
Keywords: ASD
Autism
Consent
Emerging Adults
Mixed Methods
Romance

This thesis explores how emerging adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) understand and practice consent in romantic contexts. Participants included 26 emerging adults (age 18-25) with ASD and 39 neurotypical (NT) emerging adults recruited online across Canada and the USA. Participants were presented with multiple vignettes detailing common romantic situations that emerging adults encounter and asked to decide how the main character should proceed. Thematic analysis was performed on participants’ decision making and reasoning. While overall the ASD and NT groups offered similar responses, differences did emerge: The ASD group was more likely to refer to social rules and norms, less likely to abstract the characters’ emotions, and less likely to articulate their reasoning. Gender difference also emerged: Females were sometimes more cautious and more likely to include apologies in their decisions. Implications and recommendations discussed.
HOXB4-mediated Enhanced Self-renewal of Committed Hematopoietic Progenitors
Keywords: hematology
hematopoiesis
HOXB4
self-renewal
stem cells
stemness

Stemness is the capacity of cells to 1) differentiate into distinct cell types and 2) self-renew. Self-renewal is the ability of a cell to produce identical daughter cells upon division and resist differentiation. Both hematopoietic and leukemic stem cells follow a hierarchy defined by varying capacities for self-renewal. Therefore, understanding the control of self-renewal is of vital importance. The Homeobox family of transcription factors, including HOXB4, plays an important role in the regulation of self-renewal. However, the specific stages in differentiation at which HOXB4 maintains self-renewal remain unknown. I identified two phenotypes of hematopoietic progenitors that sustain self-renewal in a subset of hematopoietic lineages given exogenous HOXB4. These findings provide new support to the idea that the cell sustaining self-renewal given exogenous HOXB4 is not multipotent, and contribute new specificity by finding that susceptibility to immortalization by exogenous HOXB4 is confined to specific early stages in hematopoiesis.
Influence of Frequency Content of Ground Motions on Seismic Fragility of Equipment of a Nuclear Power Plant
Keywords: Fragility functions
Frequency content
Frequency domain analysis
Nuclear auxiliary building
Nuclear containment structure

The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of frequency content of ground motions on seismic fragility of equipment in an APR1400 type nuclear power plant. A framework of seismic fragility analysis of structures, systems or components is proposed using frequency domain analysis method, and is applied to three-dimensional finite element models of an auxiliary building and a containment building. Fragility functions based on realistic response parameters are developed. Three sets of ground motions are selected according to frequency contents and the probabilities of failure for critical equipment and structures are calculated. Revised PGA-based fragility functions are also developed based on the selected ground motions. The system-level resilience of the target NPP is assessed by the CIRAF framework and the results show that ground motions with high frequency content cause the most damage to the NPP system in terms of the system-level failure probabilities and resilience.
Food Insecurity during Pregnancy in Canada
Keywords: Food Insecurity
Health
Pregnancy

Using the Canadian Community Health Surveys (2005-2014), the objectives of this thesis were to characterize the relationship between household economic circumstances and food insecurity during pregnancy; and to explore the health and well-being of food-insecure pregnant women. 13% of pregnant women reported experiences of food insecurity in this pan-Canadian sample (n=4,817). Adjusting for confounding sociodemographic variables, lower household income, reliance on social assistance, renting one’s dwelling and the presence of children in the household were associated with moderate-severe food insecurity. Moderate-severe food insecurity was associated with greater adjusted odds of multiple measures of poorer mental health. Food insecurity during pregnancy is a public health problem, requiring evidence-informed policy solutions explicitly aimed to reduce food insecurity. Specifically, policy action should focus on factors associated with vulnerability identified in this study, such as low income and reliance on social assistance.
Optimization of Diagonal-Norm Multidimensional Summation-by-Parts Operators on Simplices
Keywords: Computational fluid dynamics
Finite-difference
Summation by parts
Unstructured grids

This work investigates the construction and optimization of SBP operators on triangles and tetrahedra. The optimization of free parameters in the operators is investigated to minimize solution errors of test cases. The results show that increasing the degree of the cubature rule from p_cub = 2p − 1 to p_cub = 2p, where p is the degree of the operator, reduces the solution error. Progress is also presented in understanding how unisolvent sets of nodes can be constructed, which is important for certain families of SBP operators. Finally, novel operators are constructed that provide lower solution errors than existing operators for the same computational cost. For example, a novel p = 2 operator in the diagonal-E family is derived with a solution error 44% to 68% lower for the same computational cost and with 10 fewer nodes than the best previously published operator of that family and degree.
Educator Sexual Misconduct and the Problematic Culture of Silence
Keywords: child sexual abuse
culture of silence
education policy
educator sexual misconduct

This study aims to gather more information about the presence of educator sexual misconduct within public secondary schools in Ontario. There are two distinct directions: (i) the field research as originally designed, and (ii) ideas for future research. Initially, I sought to examine how principals manage allegations of educator sexual misconduct. No eligible person was willing to participate. Consequently, I aim to define research agendas for studying this phenomenon within different contexts of the education and political systems. This study provides a comprehensive review of existing academic literature, current legislation, prevalence in Ontario schools, patterns of abuse, and perpetrator characteristics. While studies are limited, it is apparent that more research needs to be conducted to gain an accurate understanding of how cases are handled, and how related policies function within each regulatory body.
Examining Safety and Usability of Virtual Reality for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Keywords: Anxiety
Autism
Children
Data-driven
Virtual Reality

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by social communication difficulties and the presence of repetitive behaviors and restricted interests. Virtual Reality (VR) systems have highly desirable features for delivering interventions to individuals with ASD. In particular, they can offer high levels of authenticity and realism, which in turn, can improve the ecological validity of interventions. They also provide a relatively inexpensive way to practice and learn skills in a personalized, controlled, and safe setting. There is, however, a significant gap in understanding how VR environments are experienced by individuals with ASD. To address this, the objectives of this study were to (1) evaluate the safety and usability of head-mounted VR for children with ASD, and (2) discover demographic and phenotypic predictors of VR usability and safety in ASD. Ultimately, the findings can inform the design of personalized VR-based interventions for this population.
Beyond the Menu: Assessing the Nutritional Quality of Canadian Restaurant Foods
Keywords: menu labelling
nutrition
restaurants
saturated fat
sodium
sugar

One of the primary preventative measures of non-communicable diseases is a healthy diet. There is currently no oversight of the nutritional quality of foods served in the restaurant industry, meanwhile increasing numbers of Canadians eat outside the home on a regular basis. This thesis aimed to assess mean saturated fat, sodium, and sugar levels in restaurant foods in Canada, and to determine the proportion of menu items that would require one of Health Canada’s ‘high-in’ labels if applied to the restaurant sector. Analyzing data from 10,950 menu items from 96 chain establishments, this thesis represents the largest study of its kind in Canada. Our results showed the majority of menu items evaluated were high in nutrients of public health concern, and would require at least one ‘high-in’ label. This highlights the urgent need for more legislation and strategies to improve the nutritional quality of restaurant foods in Canada.
Material Development and Design for 3D Printable Electronic Devices
Keywords: 3D printing
deep brain stimulation
nanomaterials
neural electrodes
supercapacitors

As additive manufacturing becomes increasingly ubiquitous in academia and industry, there is a growing demand for improved printer capabilities, new materials, and optimized processes that can be used to produce prints with progressively complex designs and functions. Electronic devices could benefit greatly from such advances in additive manufacturing, or 3D printing. In this work, new materials and designs for specialized electronic devices are developed to demonstrate novel applications of 3D printing. First, a commercial stereolithography system is used to 3D print low cost, durable electrode connectors for neural stimulation devices. Next, a novel conductive, stimuli-responsive, and 3D printable nanocomposite is developed to replace traditional neural stimulating electrodes. Finally, a bio-based conductive ink is produced to 3D print supercapacitors that could power such stimulating devices. Together, these studies illustrate how 3D printing could be used to transform a simple electronic device into a highly customizable and multi-functional tool.
The Circuit of Concussion Knowledge in Youth Sport: Regulating Guidelines and Athlete and Maternal Framing Experiences
Keywords: Concussion
Education
Guidelines
Knowledge
Youth Sport

This thesis shifts the lens of analysis concerning sport-related concussion (SRC) knowledge in youth sport from traditional knowledge translation research based in behavioral psychology, to a theoretically grounded, cultural studies approach. The research explores a discourse analysis of the 2016 Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport (McCrory et al., 2017) and a thematic analysis of interview data collected with youth athletes and mothers of youth athletes. The circuit of SRC knowledge framework is explored in relation to the complex social processes that influence the construction of knowledge. These constructs are investigated through the following moments: production (e.g., scientific knowledge), distribution (through media, educational efforts, and assessment tools), consumption (across audiences), reproduction (through the individual’s experience or institutional application), regulation (e.g., media censoring or audience regulation), and identity (e.g., gendered identity or athletic affiliation) The results provide important insight into the state of SRC knowledge in the youth sport setting.
Sirtuin 3 Expression and Acetylation of Three Downstream Targets in Painted Turtle Liver and Brain during Anoxia
Keywords: Anoxia
Sirtuin
turtle

The western painted turtle is a champion anaerobe; its anoxia tolerance is heavily enabled by metabolic depression. While cellular metabolism is highly regulated by reversible-acetylation of mitochondrial proteins; this phenomenon is relatively unexamined in the anoxia-tolerant turtle. Sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) is a mitochondrial global deacetylase involved in regulating many metabolic and stress-resistance processes, suggesting a potential role in the control of hypometabolism in the turtle. During early anoxia in the brain and liver, mitochondrial acetylation and SIRT3 protein levels increased. Cyclophilin D levels, a direct target of SIRT3, were also elevated during anoxia. Another target of SIRT3, NF-B p65 exhibited increased deacetylation during anoxia and reoxygenation in the brain; while there was no difference in prevalence or activity of manganese superoxide dismutase, an antioxidant target. This thesis provides preliminary evidence that SIRT3 and mitochondrial protein acetylation may play a role in the regulation of anoxia in the painted turtle.
Testing an Intergroup Relations Intervention Strategy to Improve Appraisals of Gender Nonconformity in Children
Keywords: Children
Gender nonconformity
Intergroup relations
Intervention
Prejudice
Stereotyping

Past research has linked poor psychosocial adjustment amongst children who express gender nonconformity (GNC) to poor peer relations (e.g., facing ridicule and rejection); however, very little research has explored whether it is possible to improve children’s appraisals of GNC. The present study employed an experimental vignette design aimed at improving appraisals of GNC amongst 4- to 5-year-old (n = 176) and 8- to 9-year-old (n = 182) children. In the intervention condition, targets were presented who displayed mostly gender-nonconforming preferences, some gender-conforming preferences, and positive attributes. Following the intervention, participants’ appraisals of gender-nonconforming and gender-conforming targets were assessed through verbal reports, a sharing task, and a rank-order task. Overall, the intervention did not improve appraisals of GNC, and there were no differences based on age or gender of the participants, or gender of the targets. This study provides insight into how future intervention work might be strengthened.
Complex Questions for the Study of Urban Agglomerations
Keywords: Complexity
Cooperation

This thesis attempts to construct a framework for answering perennial questions about urban agglomerations, called the Cooperative Capital framework. It takes the view of the city as complex system and relates the process of urban agglomeration to the city’s adaptive capability. It illustrates how the benefits of proximity are not simply reductions in the costs of moving goods, people, and information but, also in how it allows the exploratory recombination of the means of production and, relatedly, the reassociation of people. In contrast to firm-based theories of agglomeration, this thesis emphasizes that firms are transitory, and sometimes intermediate, forms of human organization, and thus argues that the city itself should be the fundamental unit of analysis for studying urban agglomerations. The cooperative capital of a cooperative system is the arrangement of components that reduce four barriers – trust, communication, transportation, computation – allowing many strangers to live in proximity peacefully and productively.
“Prepared to Live with the Unknown”: Patients’ Experiences with Uncertainty when Making Decisions about Learning Incidental Genomic Sequencing Results
Keywords: Genomic sequencing
Incidental results
Patient experiences
Qualitative methods
Uncertainty

Aim: To explore how adults with a history of cancer perceive, appraise and manage uncertainty when deciding whether or not to learn incidental results (IR) from genomic sequencing (GS). Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants after selecting but before receiving IR. Transcripts were analyzed thematically using constant comparison. Results: Fifteen participants were interviewed (12/15 women, on average 56 years old). Participants experience substantial uncertainty related to their cancer, “a grey cloud hanging over my head.” Cancer uncertainty helped participants accept uncertainty related to IR, despite generally disliking uncertainty. Cancer experiences heightened the perceived value of learning predictive health information. Participants anticipated managing IR-related uncertainty through strategies including information seeking, support from healthcare providers, or trying not to focus on uncertainty. Conclusions: Cancer uncertainty fostered tolerance of uncertainty related to IR, and cancer experience heightened the perceived value of IR. These findings could inform genetic counseling for IR.
Microfluidic Platform for Investigating Osteocyte Mechanoregulation of Breast Cancer Bone Metastasis
Keywords: bone metastasis
breast cancer
extravasation
mechanical regulation
microfluidics
osteocytes

Bone metastasis is a severe complication that occurs in approximately 85% of patients with advanced breast cancer. Although the potential of exercise in attenuating metastatic tumor growth in bone had been shown in vivo, the role of mechanical loading on bone in preventing bone metastasis remains unknown. Osteocytes, as the major mechanosensory bone cells, are identified regulators in mediating loading inhibited bone metastasis in vitro. However, there is no ideal platform currently available for investigating the impact and mechanism underlying loading reduced bone metastasis. To bridge the gap between in vivo and in vitro experiments, this thesis develops a novel microfluidic cancer extravasation platform that integrates bone mechanical loading and real-time bi-directional signaling between multiple cell populations within the bone metastasis environment. Using our microfluidic extravasation platform, we observed the overall effect that mechanically-stimulated osteocytes regulate breast cancer transendothelial extravasation indeed, and the specific impact is breast cancer type dependent.
Effect of Subcutaneous Administration of Resveratrol on Bone Healing under Diabetic Conditions
Keywords: Bone
Diabetes
Healing
Resveratrol

Diabetes mellitus impairs bone healing. Resveratrol (RES) may increase bone healing and have hypoglycemic action. Because RES may have positive effects on diabetes and bone healing, we investigated how subcutaneous administration of RES affects calvarial bone defect healing in diabetes. Wistar rats were divided in 4 groups: euglycemic control, hyperglycemic control, euglycemic RES, and hyperglycemic RES. Diabetes was induced via intraperitoneal injection of 65mg/kg streptozotocin. Bi-cortical 3mm osseous defects were created in the parietal bone. After surgery, animals received weekly subcutaneous administration of either propylene glycol (control) or RES until euthanasia at 28 days. Samples were subjected to micro computed tomography for quantitative analysis of bone formation. No differences of healed bone volume were found between diabetic and euglycemic groups. RES administration did not enhance bone healing in healthy or diabetic animals, but this is likely related to the dosing regimen that was used; further study is required.
Integer and Constraint Programming Approaches to Discretizable Distance Geometry Problems
Keywords: constraint programming
decomposition algorithm
discretization order
distance geometry
integer programming

Given a nonnegative integer K and an undirected, positive edge weighted graph G, the Distance Geometry Problem (DGP) aims to find a realization function mapping each vertex to a coordinate in R^K where the distance between pairs of vertex coordinates equals their corresponding edge weight in G. Discretization assumptions reduce the search space of the realization to a finite discrete one which can be explored via the branch-and-prune (BP) algorithm. Given a discretization vertex order in G, the BP algorithm constructs a binary tree where the nodes at a layer provide all possible coordinates for the corresponding vertex. We study two problems: the Discretizable Molecular DGP whose feasible solutions provide a discretization scheme for the DGP, and finding optimal BP trees for a class of Discretizable DGPs, i.e, a discretization vertex order in G that yields a BP tree with the least number of branches. We propose novel integer and constraint programming, and hybrid formulations as well as valid inequalities, and present computational studies which indicate that our formulations outperform the state-of-the-art.
Characterization of LINC Complex-mediated Regulation of Satellite Stem and Progenitor Cell Cycles
Keywords: Mechanobiology
Regeneration
Satellite Cell
Skeletal Muscle
Stem Cell

Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD) is an inherited disorder characterized by skeletal muscle wasting and cardiomyopathy. EDMD is linked to mutations affecting proteins forming the Linker of Nucleoskeleton and Cytoskeleton (LINC) complex. The LINC complex, composed of Nesprins at the outer nuclear membrane interacting with SUNs at the inner nuclear membrane, creates a bridge linking the cytoskeleton and nuclear lamina. The role of the LINC complex in the regulation of satellite stem and progenitor cell cycles is currently unknown. Using dominant-negative and siRNA approaches, we find that disrupting the LINC complex in satellite cells (SC) reduces regenerative potential and SC self-renewal in-vivo. Furthermore, we find that LINC complex disruption alters myoblast cell cycle. Our results provide evidence that EDMD may be due in part to defective SC function. Future studies aim to uncover molecular mechanisms through which the LINC complex modulates myogenic cell cycle to identify therapeutic entry-points for EDMD.
Winter Maintenance of Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement: Examining Opportunities to Reduce Road Salt Pollution and Improve Winter Safety
Keywords: chloride pollution
low impact development
permeable pavement
road salt reduction
slip skid resistance
winter safety

Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement (PICP) rapidly drains surface water through its paver joint spaces and therefore has the potential to prevent ice from forming during winter conditions. As a result, PICP may reduce the amount of road salt needed for de-icing paved surfaces, and it may also reduce the risk of pedestrian slipping and vehicle skidding. PICP also has the potential to reduce chloride concentrations released to the environment from winter salting practices, as melted ice and snow are temporarily retained within the aggregates of its base and subbase layers. This study evaluates the performance of an outdoor PICP and asphalt test pad over two winter seasons in Vaughan, Ontario by assessing differences in surface conditions, surface friction, surface temperatures, and chloride concentrations. PICP was found to prevent melted ice and snow from refreezing, have less drastic reductions in surface temperatures at sunset, and attenuate and delay chloride concentrations.
Functional Deficits in Children with Bilateral and Unilateral Deafness
Keywords: Binaural hearing
Children
Cochlear implants
Hearing loss
Pediatrics
Spatial perception

The two objectives of this thesis were to 1) determine if concurrent deficits in spatial hearing and balance impair spatial perception in children, and 2) assess the impact on academics and physical activity. Binaural hearing is poor in children with hearing loss who use bilateral cochlear implants and absent in children with unilateral hearing loss. In addition, approximately 40% of these children also have vestibular dysfunction (Cushing et al., 2013). Spatial memory, awareness and navigation were assessed in children with hearing loss who use bilateral cochlear implants and those with unilateral hearing loss. Outcomes of disordered spatial perception—academics, physical activity, language and verbal working memory—were also assessed. A principal component analysis identified working memory, academic, oral language, speech perception and balance deficits in both groups of children with hearing loss. The effects of auditory deprivation extend beyond oral speech and language for children with bilateral and unilateral deafness.