VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Rolling Out the Transformative Social Economy: A Case Study of Organic Intellectualism in Canadian Settlement Houses
Keywords: activism
adult education
advocacy
alienation
anti-poverty
Canadian settlement houses
case study
community development
community economic development organizations
conscientization
counter-hegemony
governance
marxist-humanist
organic intellectualism
popular education
roll-out neoliberalism
social change
social economy
social movement
social service provision
social work
sociology
Toronto
transformative
welfare

Social economy community development organizations (SECDOs) are social service organizations that provide poverty relief but do not necessarily inspire a counter-hegemonic antipoverty strategy against a neoliberal welfare state. Tension between providing human social services and engaging in advocacy is at the core of how SECDOs may be both complicit to as well as working against the neoliberalization of the welfare state. This study explores how SECDOs can nurture a new paradigm for community economic development organizations. Through a case study of a Canadian settlement house, the research demonstrates how transforming work may encourage a culture of organic intellectualism or, a culture of emancipatory consciousness-raising. By re-organizing workplace practices, such as working collaboratively, providing a hub for services and engaging in popular education, transformative SECDOs help provide the conditions for citizens to affect governance. The research theorizes how SECDOs may foster a culture of organic intellectualism to promote the transformative social economy.
Women and Leadership: Towards a Gender, Race and Class Analysis
Keywords: Women
Racial Studies

This study examines women and leadership and presents a critique of leadership within a framework of gender, race and class. It discusses the crucial role that leaders play in transforming Canadian society, and how women factor into that role. It explores the way in which leadership is also contextualized within and outside of gender. It also examines the way changes in Canadian demographics have resulted in a more diverse group of students in schools, out of which have arisen new problems. Consequently, this study proposes alternative educational leadership to help transform the situation. This study is based on content analysis using a series of books, periodicals, journals, and internet articles, and incorporates a theoretical framework of feminist theory, black feminist theory and black feminist thought and spirituality, and anti-racism theory.
Pinyin and Chinese Children's Phonological Awareness
Keywords: Chinese reading
English reading
Pinyin
Phonological awareness

This paper critically reviewed the literature on the relationships between Pinyin and Chinese bilingual and monolingual children’s phonological awareness (PA) and identified areas of research worth of further investigation. As the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet providing pronunciation of the universal Chinese characters, Pinyin facilitates children’s early reading development. What research has found in English is that PA is a reliable indicator of later reading success and meta-linguistic training improves PA. In Chinese, a non-alphabetic language, there is also evidence that PA predicts reading in Chinese, which confirms the universality of PA’s role. However, research shows the uniqueness of each language: tonal awareness is stronger indicator in Chinese while phonemic awareness is stronger indicator in English. Moreover, Pinyin, the meta-linguistic training, has been found to improve PA in Chinese and reading in Chinese and possibly facilitate the cross-language transfer of PA from Chinese to English and vice versa.
The Myth of Olympic Unity: The Dilemma of Diversity, Olympic Oppression, and the Politics of Difference
Keywords: Dilemma of Diversity
Politics of Difference
Olympics
Oppression
Aboriginal Appropriation
Sportive Nationalism
Educational Materials
Dwight Boyd
Iris Marion Young
Branding
Multiculturalism
Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games

The dilemma of diversity is the tension that exists when prescriptive claims are required across reasonable pluralism. Scholar and philosopher Dwight Boyd believes that the dilemma of diversity must be addressed for the continued health of multicultural societies, and suggests that the solution can be found through democratic reciprocity. Though the International Olympic Committee (IOC) markets unity and peace through its Olympic Games, does the Olympics relieve the dilemma of diversity? By critically examining the IOC’s historic and recent treatment of Aboriginals, its encouragement of divisive nationalism, and its educational programs, it is clear that the IOC does not embrace reasonable pluralism. The IOC’s public pedagogy is one that conceals its dominance through diversity. In exposing this dominance, I will argue that the IOC must embrace democratic reciprocity that allows for conversation across difference. Adopting an authentic acceptance of difference will alleviate the IOC’s propagation of Western ideology through neo-imperialism.
Set Stabilization for Systems with Lie Group Symmetry
Keywords: set stabilization
lie group symmetry

This thesis investigates the set stabilization problem for systems with Lie group symmetry. Initially, we examine left-invariant systems on Lie groups where the target set is a left or right coset of a closed subgroup. We broaden the scope to systems defined on smooth manifolds that are invariant under a Lie group action. Inspired by the solution of this problem for linear time-invariant systems, we show its equivalence to an equilibrium stabilization problem for a suitable quotient control system. We provide necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of the quotient control system and analyze various properties of such a system. This theory is applied to the formation stabilization of three kinematic unicycles, the path stabilization of a particle in a gravitational field, and the conversion and temperature control of a continuously stirred tank reactor.
A Study of Fraudulent Migratory Marriages in Canada and India
Keywords: Fraudulent Immigration Marriages

This thesis focuses on Fraudulent migratory marriages by discussing two paradigms of such marriages, the Abandoned Brides Problem in India and the Fraudulent Immigration Marriages or Marriages of Convenience in Canada. It highlights some of the socio-economic and legal problems that may arise in these migratory marriages and explores the various legal solutions proposed as solutions to them. The solutions offered in these two instances require changes in two different areas of law, the first being Private International Law and the second Immigration Law.
Performance of Full-rate Full-diversity Space-time Codes Under Quantization and Channel Estimation Error
Keywords: FRFD
STC
VEM

In this work, we investigate the performance of full-rate full-diversity space-time codes (FRFD-STCs) under practical conditions. In this thesis, we first discuss the performance of FRFD-STCs in the moderate SNR region. We also compare FRFD-STCs with spatial multiplexing, using the same transmission rate, for both un-coded and coded systems. The results show that spatial multiplexing is as good as FRFD-STCs with channel coding. Secondly, we investigate the issue of quantization, i.e. the effect of the quantization error in the space-time encoding matrix. Our analysis and results show that the performance loss is negligible. Finally, we propose two receiver structures in the presence of imperfect channel state information (CSI). The two receivers use the VEM module as the channel estimator and MIMO detector respectively. Both receivers are of low complexity, and have better performance than the methods proposed previously.
The BMPRII Tail Domain Modulates the Magnitude of BMP7 Signalling
Keywords: BMPRII
Bone morphogenetic protein

BMPRII, a BMP type II receptor, plays an important role in regulating diverse biological events. BMPRII contains a long carboxyl tail domain, which is highly conserved among vertebrate species. The tail domain has been shown to regulate cytoskeleton remodeling, whereas the function in regulating canonical BMP signalling is not well studied. Here, I show that the BMPRII tail domain reduces the magnitude of BMP7-induced pSmad1 activation in the early stage, which also changes the magnitude of BMP target gene expression. Furthermore, my data also suggest that the BMPRII tail not only modulates BMP7-induced Smad1 carboxyl terminal phosphorylation, but also inhibits endogenous BMP signalling under overexpression conditions. Finally, BMP7 promotes Neuro2a neurite extension and I demonstrate that knockdown of BMPRII affects BMP7 induced neurite outgrowth. Altogether, these studies demonstrate that the BMPRII tail may play a role in regulating responsiveness to BMP7, and thereby modulates BMP7 dependent neurite extension in neuronal cells.
High Frequency Trading in a Regime-switching Model
Keywords: High Frequency
Regime Switching

One of the most famous problem of finding optimal weight to maximize an agent's expected terminal utility in finance literature is Merton's optimal portfolio problem. Classic solution to this problem is given by stochastic Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman Equation where we briefly review it in chapter 1. Similar idea has found many applications in other finance literatures and we will focus on its application to the high-frequency trading using limit orders in this thesis. In [1], major analysis using the constant volatility arithmetic Brownian motion stock price model with exponential utility function is described. We re-analyze the solution of HJB equation in this case using different asymptotic expansion. And then, we extend the model to the regime-switching volatility model to capture the status of market more accurately.
Cognitive Variability in High-functioning Individuals & its Implications for the Practice of Clinical Neuropsychology
Keywords: cognitive variability
high-functioning
intraindividual variability
clinical neuropsychology

Knowledge of the literature pertaining to patterns of performance in normal individuals is essential if we are to understand intraindividual variability in neurocognitive test performance in neuropsychiatric disorders. Twenty-five healthy individuals with a high-level of education were evaluated on a short neuropsychological battery which spanned several cognitive domains. ---Results indicated that cognitive abilities are not equally distributed within a sample of healthy, high-level functioning individuals. This may be of interest to neuropsychologists who might base clinical inference about the presence of cerebral dysfunction, at least in part, on marked variation in a patient’s level of cognitive test performance. The practice of deductive reasoning in clinical neuropsychology may be prone to false-positive conclusions about cognitive functioning in neuropsychiatric disorders where base-rates of cognitive impairments are low and pre-existing educational achievements are high.
Metric Optimized Gating for Fetal Cardiac MRI
Keywords: fetal
MRI
imaging
blood flow
post-processing
gating
image metric
phase contrast

Phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PC-MRI) can provide a complement to echocardiography for the evaluation of the fetal heart. Cardiac imaging typically requires gating with peripheral hardware; however, a gating signal is not readily available in utero. In this thesis, I present a technique for reconstructing time-resolved fetal phase-contrast MRI in spite of this limitation. Metric Optimized Gating (MOG) involves acquiring data without gating and retrospectively determining the proper reconstruction by optimizing an image metric, and the research in this thesis describes the theory, implementation, and evaluation of this technique. In particular, results from an experiment with a pulsatile flow phantom, an adult volunteer study, in vivo application in the fetal population, and numerical simulations are presented for validation. MOG enables imaging with conventional PC-MRI sequences in the absence of a gating signal, permitting flow measurements in the great vessels in utero.
Epigenetic Basis for Heterogeneity in VCAM-1 Gene Expression Patterns in Cytokine Activated Vascular Endothelium
Keywords: Pathology
Biology
Vascular Endothelium
Epigenetics
VCAM-1

Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) is a cytokine-activated protein present on endothelial cells (ECs). Our laboratory has provided evidence that DNA methylation, a mark associated with gene silencing, is fundamental for regulating VCAM-1 expression. First, we showed that RNA polymerase II, preferentially associates with VCAM-1 hypomethylated alleles. This finding was confirmed using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) to sort populations of cytokine-activated ECs with high vs. low cell surface VCAM-1 expression. We found that ECs with high VCAM-1 expression were hypomethylated at the promoter. We then went on to show that populations of cells generated from single ECs exhibit differential VCAM-1 methylation from one another, and from the original founder population. Intriguingly, our data shows that VCAM-1 mRNA levels differ between the clones, and correlate with the observed differences in DNA methylation. Taken together, this data provides exciting evidence that DNA methylation is important in the regulation of VCAM-1 gene expression.
Quantization Techniques in Linearly Precoded Multiuser MIMO System with Limited Feedback
Keywords: MIMO Broadcast Channel
Linear Precoding
Channel Quantization
Bit Allocation

Multi-user wireless systems with multiple antennas can drastically increase the capac- ity while maintaining the quality of service requirements. The best performance of these systems is obtained at the presence of instantaneous channel knowledge. Since uplink-downlink channel reciprocity does not hold in frequency division duplex and broadband time division duplex systems, efficient channel quantization becomes important. This thesis focuses on different quantization techniques in a linearly precoded multi-user wireless system. Our work provides three major contributions. First, we come up with an end-to-end transceiver design, incorporating precoder, receive combining and feedback policy, that works well at low feedback overhead. Second, we provide optimal bit allocation across the gain and shape of a complex vector to reduce the quantization error and investigate its effect in the multiuser wireless system. Third, we design an adaptive differential quantizer that reduces feedback overhead by utilizing temporal correlation of the channels in a time varying scenario.
Factors Influencing the Formation and Development of Microalgal Biofilms
Keywords: Microalgae
Biofilm
Photobioreactor
adhesion

Differences in biofilm formation between Scenedesmus obliquus and Chlorella vulgaris were examined, as well as the effects of substrate properties. Species selection and species control had significant effects. In non-sterile conditions, C. vulgaris shifted from planktonic (23.7% attachment) to sessile (79.8% attachment) growth, and formed films of higher average thickness (52 ± 19 µm) than in sterile conditions (7 ± 6 µm). By contrast, S. obliquus attained similar thicknesses (54 ± 31 µm and 53 ± 38 µm) in both sterile and non-sterile conditions. The effect of substrate properties was minimal. Both species grew films of similar thickness (~ 30 µm for S. obliquus, <10 µm for C. vulgaris) on materials ranging from hydrophilic (glass) to hydrophobic (polytetrafluoroethylene). Micropatterning the surface also had little effect on film formation. The results indicate that species selection and species control are more important that substrate properties in the development of microalgal biofilms.
A Transient Model for Lead Pipe Corrosion in Water Supply Systems
Keywords: Transient-corrosion
Water supply systems
Numerical modeling
Lead pipe

This thesis focuses on lead related drinking water quality issues in general and on hydraulic transient induced lead pipe corrosion events in water distribution systems in particular. Corrosion is a complex phenomenon, and particularly in water distribution systems, when its already challenging electro-chemical processes are influenced by numerous other physical and chemical factors. Lead pipe corrosion can itself be influenced by both the hydraulic transients and water chemistry events. To understand the relationship among hydraulic, chemical and material processes, an existing numerical 1-D transient-corrosion model for iron-pipe based systems is modified and extended to apply for systems having lead-pipes connected in series. The coupled hydraulic transient and advection-dispersion-reaction model with improved data handling facilities is applied for analyzing the transient induced lead pipe corrosion behaviors in the system for a range of options and establishes interrelationships among the parameters.
Domain Boundaries are Essential for the Solubility of Nucleotide Binding Domains of ABC Transporters
Keywords: Biochemistry
NMR
ABC Transporters
Nucleotide Binding Domain
Sulfonylurea Receptors
KATP channels

SUR2A is a member of the ABC transporter superfamily. SUR2A mediated regulation of KATP channels is essential as mutations in the nucleotide binding domains (NBDs) of SUR2A are associated with cardiovascular disorders. Studies of eukaryotic NBDs, such as SUR2A, are hindered by low solubility of the isolated domain. We hypothesized that the solubility of heterologously expressed SUR2A NBDs depends on the definition of the domain boundaries. Boundaries were initially predicted using a combination of a structure-based sequence alignment and homology modeling, and subsequently verified by testing the solubility of five SUR2A NBD1 constructs with different N- or C-terminal boundaries. The boundaries of SUR2A NBD1 essential for solubility were identified. CD and NMR data indicate that SUR2A NBD1 is folded. Our method may be applied as a general method for developing suitable constructs of other NBDs of ABC proteins such as SUR isoforms, SUR2B and SUR2C, and the vacuolar transporter, Ycf1p.
Fabrication and Characterization of New Passive and Active Polymer Gels with Tailored Properties
Keywords: Silica Aerogel
Polymer
MRI
Electroactive Polymer
T1, T2
Mechanical Properties
Phantom
Actuation

In this thesis, three different types of polymer-based gels are fabricated and characterized for passive and active applications. Silica aerogel is a 3D mesoporous solid material that can be used for thermal insulation or in the biomedical industry. In this thesis, silica aerogel is cross- linked with diisocyanate to improve its strength and flexibility, which greatly opens up the range of applications. Then, soft polymer gel with tissue equivalent characteristics is fabricated to mimic the spin-lattice (T1) and spin-spin (T2) relaxation times for the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) phantom of a liver with lesions. This study demonstrates a relationship between the composition of a gelling agent, and T1 and T2 modifiers on its dielectric, mechanical and imaging properties. Finally, an ionic electroactive polymer (EAP) that can be actuated on an electric field is fabricated, and its swelling and bending behaviours on design parameters are closely examined.
Reconciling Family and Freedom: Hegel and Contemporary Laws of Parental Authority
Keywords: Family Law
Legal Theory

The law assigns to parents primary responsibility for their children and invests them with significant powers and discretion to discharge their duties. The considerable deference the law affords parents can appear to undermine important social and political values like equality, tolerance and social stability. The aim of this thesis is provide a rational account of why parents are invested with legal responsibility and authority over their children, and why the law limits state scrutiny of parental choice. To do so, I develop Hegel’s legal and political philosophy in order to show the family to be a necessary part of a system of institutions that constitute human freedom. As such, Hegel’s thought provides grounds to affirm the family, and broad scope of parental authority, even though the family constrains efforts to achieve equality of opportunity and can propagate intolerant and idiosyncratic values to subsequent generations.
Evaluation of an In situ formed Bioabsorbable Membrane and Hyperbaric Oxygen on Bone Regeneration using Alloplastic Bone Substitutes in Critical Sized Rabbit Calvarial Defects
Keywords: Membrane
Bone graft
Hyperbaric Oxygen

The aim of this study was to test the application of an in situ–formed synthetic polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a biodegradable membrane with a variety of graft materials and hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) for enhanced bone regeneration. Critical-sized rabbit calvarial defects were created in bilateral parietal bones. Group 1 served as a control with unfilled defects, Group 2 had defects filled with morcelized autogenous bone, and Group 3 had defects filled with biphasic calcium phosphate. One defect was protected PEG membrane and half the animals were subjected to HBOT treatment. The unsupported membrane didn’t produce the desired bone regeneration in the unfilled and bone grafted groups. HBO didn't ameliorate the bone grafted or ceramic filled defects over the 6-week time period. Caution is recommended with the membrane over unsupported defects. Future assessments with HBO should be completed at the 12-week time point.
Calcium-sensitive Mmechanisms in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Cycle Progression as Targets for Therapy
Keywords: Calcium
Cell Cycle
Vascular smooth muscle cell

Increased intracellular calcium (Ca2+) is required for vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation through mechanisms that are not well-known. Preventing calmodulin (CaM)-cyclin E interaction with a synthetic peptide inhibits VSMC proliferation in a cyclin E-dependent manner, without increasing de-differentiation or cell death, or affecting re-endothelialization or collagen deposition. Moreover, in situ Ca2+-sensitive phosphorylation and degradation of the cell cycle inhibitor p27Kip1 (p27) in VSMC is specific to G1 and dependent on camodulin kinase-II (CaMK-II) and the proteasome, but not MEK. Lastly, IQGAP1 binding to CaM increases during G1 with no change in total IQGAP1 expression across the cell cycle. Therefore, we determined the clinical potential of an established mechanism (CaM/cyclin E), the existence of a putative mechanism (CaMK-II/p27), and a target novel mechanism (CaM-IQGAP1). Characterization of calcium-sensitive mechanisms of VSMC cycle control could form the basis for new drug-eluting stent agents that have increased selectivity for rapidly dividing VSMC.
Joint Buffering and Rate Control for Video Streaming over Heterogeneous Wireless Networks
Keywords: Video Streaming
Heterogeneous Wireless Networks
Rate Adaptation
Buffering

The integration of heterogeneous access networks is becoming a possible feature of 4G wireless networks. It is challenging to deliver the multimedia services over such integrated networks because of the discrepancy in the bandwidth of different networks. This thesis presents an adaptive approach that combines source rate adaptation and buffering to achieve high quality VBR video streaming with less quality variation over an integrated two-tier network. Statistical information of the residence time in each network or localization information are utilized to anticipate the handoff occurrence. The performance of this approach is analyzed under the CBR case using a Markov reward model. Simulation under the CBR and VBR cases is conducted for different types of network models. The results are compared with a dynamic programming algorithm as well as other naive or intuitive algorithms, and proved to be promising.