VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Feasibility, Acceptability, and Outcomes of an 8-week Online Multidimensional Cancer Rehabilitation and Exercise Intervention: Mixed Methods Pilot Study
Keywords: Cancer
Digital
Exercise
Rehabilitation

Facility-based cancer rehabilitation programs exist, yet patients are often unable to attend due to distance, cost, and other obligations. A mixed methods pilot study was conducted to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and impact of CaRE@Home: an 8-week online multidimensional cancer rehabilitation and exercise program. Outcomes were captured by attendance and adherence metrics and through qualitative interviews. Preliminary estimates of the effects of CaRE@Home on patient-reported and clinical outcomes were calculated with a sample of n=35 cancer survivors. Recruitment (64%), retention (83%), and adherence (80%) rates, along with qualitative findings, support the feasibility of the intervention. Acceptability was also high. Disability (WHODAS 2.0) scores significantly decreased from baseline (T1) to post-intervention (T2) and three-months post-intervention (T3) (p = 0.03 and p = 0.008). The CaRE@Home program is a feasible and acceptable program that may help cancer survivors decrease disability. A phase III controlled trial is required to confirm these findings.
Visibly Transparent, RF Transmitting, and Low-emissive Metamaterials: Theoretical and Experimental Study
Keywords: Low-emissvity
Metamaterials
Metasurfaces
Transparency

We propose a set of RF and visibly transparent composite metasurfaces comprising newly developed transparent conductive coatings. Detailed experimental and theoretical analysis of the RF and visible transparency of the proposed meta-glass is presented. The proposed nature-inspired symmetrical honeycomb-shaped meta-glass designs, alter the electromagnetic properties of the glass substrate in the RF spectrum. We show that by using multilayer metallo-dielectric coatings, RF transparency of the meta-glasses can be enhanced while preserving visible transparency. Herein, we demonstrate high transparency meta-glass with up to 92% (i.e., 87% enhancement when compared to low-emissivity glass) and 86% peak RF and optical transmission at ~30 GHz and ~550 nm, respectively. Moreover, the meta-glass possesses high IR control (i.e., >60%). The meta-glass design presented here is amenable to a variety of 5G applications including automobile radar systems. This study paves the way for the design of new visibly transparent metamaterials and artificial dielectrics.
Nickel-catalyzed Cross-coupling Reactions to Access a-Aryl Nitriles
Keywords: Cyanation
Ligand Design
NHPI Esters
Nickel Catalysis
Reductive Cross-Coupling

a-Aryl nitriles are medicinally and biologically relevant compounds that also provide a synthetic handle for further chemical diversification. This thesis focuses on the development of Ni-catalyzed cross-coupling to access a-aryl nitriles. The first methodology described is a Ni-catalyzed reductive decarboxylative cross-coupling of NHPI esters and aryl iodides. The reaction development and the scope of the reaction will be presented. The second methodology is a Ni-catalyzed decyanation and arylation of disubstituted malononitrile derivatives. In this Chapter, the key focus is on the development of a benzonitrile ligand for Ni catalysis. The reaction development, ligand design and optimization, and preliminary scope of the reaction will be discussed.
Role of Basal Ganglia in Cognitive Function of Parkinson's Disease Patients
Keywords: attention
basal ganglia
cognition
deep brain stimulation
intraoperative recordings
movement disorders

Parkinson’s disease (PD) can be associated with significant cognitive impairments that may lead to dementia. A research priority is to identify biomarkers of cognitive decline in this population, but efforts are hampered by a lack of understanding of the role of globus pallidus in cognitive processing. We studied single units, beta oscillatory LFP activity as well as event related potentials from the globus pallidus internus (GPi) of 16 PD patients, while they performed an auditory oddball task. Of 62 neurons studied, the majority (51 or 82%) responded selectively to the deviant tones. Beta oscillatory activity showed an overall desynchronization during attended tones. P300s were recorded in GPi selective to the attended tone and averages of trials showing a difference in beta oscillatory activity between deviant and standard also had a significant difference in ERP amplitude. These findings may explain the deficits in the cognitive function following DBS procedures.
Selective Control-flow Reduction for Hardware Synthesis
Keywords: Compiler Optimization
Hardware Synthesis
High Level Synthesis

Control flow in a program can be represented in a directed graph, called the control flow graph (CFG). Nodes represent straight-line segments of code, basic blocks, and directed edges between nodes correspond to transfers of control. In this thesis, we present a methodology to selectively reduce control flow by collapsing basic blocks, providing increased instruction-level parallelism, and enabling the generation of pipelined circuits. Our work is motivated by the synthesis of hardware from software programs. Costing for potential collapses is determined by measuring the consequences on the speed performance of the generated hardware. We evaluate our framework within a high-level synthesis tool that allows a C-language software program to be automatically synthesized into a hardware circuit, using the CHStone benchmark suite, targeting an Intel Cyclone V FPGA. For individual benchmarks this yielded cycle latency reductions up to 20.7% and wall-clock time reductions up to 22.6%.
Characterization and Biological Evaluation of HDAC6 Selective Inhibitors
Keywords: HDAC6
Leukemia

Multiple studies implicating the dysregulated activity of Histone Deacetylases (HDACs) in several human pathologies have prompted tremendous interest into this family of enzymes as druggable epigenetic targets. Current clinical approaches using non-selective HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) have been associated with several toxicities and undesirable side effects. Thus, recent drug discovery has focused on the design of highly selective HDACi as a novel therapeutic strategy. Herein, we investigate the biological evaluation of novel HDAC6-selective inhibitors. These small molecules have demonstrated in vitro selectivity for HDAC6 inhibition, several fold greater than current clinical standards, ACY-241 and ACY-1215. This inhibition is recapitulated in cellulo, with nM-µM efficacy in hematological cancer cells (e.g. MV4-11, MM.1S) coupled to limited cytotoxicity against healthy cells (e.g. NHF, HUVEC). Additional mechanistic studies into the activity of these HDAC inhibitors revealed possible secondary mechanisms, such as cleavage of caspase 3, PARP-1, and the generation of reactive oxygen species, which collectively lead towards apoptosis.
Effects of Probiotic Lactobacilli Administration during Pregnancy on the Bone of CD-1 Mouse Dams at Weaning
Keywords: Bone
Lactation
Mouse
Pregnancy
Probiotic

Alterations in bone structure occur during low-estrogen stages of life (lactation, menopause). Selected probiotic lactobacilli prevent bone loss in ovariectomized mice. However, whether probiotic lactobacilli have similar effects during lactation remains to be elucidated. This study assessed the effect of the probiotic Lacidofil® strains (Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011 and Lactobacillus helveticus R0052) on the bone microarchitecture of dams at weaning. Female CD-1 mice received sterile or probiotic-supplemented water. Treatment started pre-mating until weaning, when tibia, lumbar vertebra, and mandible were collected for ex-vivo structure analysis. Probiotic administration did not modify trabecular and cortical bone outcomes. A positive association was found between the fecal Lacidofil® strains concentration and bone volume fraction in the lumbar vertebra. The administration of probiotics did not impact bone microarchitecture. However, observed positive correlations suggest that probiotics may be beneficial at higher doses or under dysbiotic conditions.
Low-profile Radial Leaky-wave Apertures for Satellite Applications
Keywords: Leaky-Wave Antenna
Low-Complexity
Low-Profile
Radial Antenna
Reconfigurable Antenna
True-Time Delay

Reliable and robust communication with fast-moving satellites in the low-earth orbit requires high gain antennas that are able to electronically steer and direct power to moving targets. In this work, a low-profile leaky-wave solution is proposed that combines the full-space beam-scanning capabilities of transmitarrays and the low-complexity feeding properties of radial leaky-wave antennas that can be used for ground base-station applications. A 2564-element low-profile array (of height 0.5 wavelengths at 19.5 GHz) with a true-time delay phase-shifting mechanism has been designed and simulated which generates a sharp pencil beam of gain, 25 dBi, and is steerable to any arbitrary angle. In addition to the reduction in profile and weight, the demonstration shows minimal beam-squint effects with a 1dB gain bandwidth of 2% and a 3 dB gain bandwidth of 3-5% operating at the K-band, a characteristic not easily attained in large reconfigurable apertures.
Integrating Mass Spectrometry and Computational Chemistry for the Identification of Persistent and Bioaccumulative Organic Compounds
Keywords: Computational chemistry
Environmental chemistry
Mass spectrometry
Organic pollutants

The environmental fate and behavior of many persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PB) compounds are unknown, requiring better analytical tools for detection in the environment. Nontargeted screening (NTS) enables measurement of numerous compounds while mass spectral prediction may be useful when reference standards and spectra are unavailable. A combined suspect screening and NTS method using high-resolution mass spectrometry was developed and used to screen electronics waste dust for suspected PB compounds. Two different computational mass spectral prediction methods were tested with 35 PB compounds. The screening identified 67 compounds or formulae, suggesting utility as an exploratory tool for identifying unknown PB compounds. One computational method produced good matches to two recently identified compounds, suggesting benefit for identifying unknown compounds. The results of this thesis suggest that suspect screening, NTS, and mass spectral prediction may be effective tools for detection and identification of PB compounds in the environment.
Detection to Prevention: Portable Diagnostics and On-demand Therapeutic Manufacturing
Keywords: Cell-Free
Diagnostics
Linear DNA
Synthetic Biology
Therapeutics Manufacturing
Zika Virus

Access to healthcare remains challenging globally. The 2015-2016 Zika and 2014-2016 Ebola outbreaks have highlighted the need for rapid point of care diagnostic tests. Meanwhile, according to the World Health Organization, 1.5 million children die from vaccine preventable diseases each year. A majority of these children live in rural areas, and centralized manufacturing of vaccines makes the distribution in remote areas challenging, leaving communities with unmet needs. To address these issues, cell-free systems offer an alternative that can be freeze-dried and rehydrated at the point-of-care for diagnostic or therapeutic applications. Although the activity of cell-free systems has been successfully demonstrated in laboratory settings, their application in real world scenarios requires companion devices. This work reports the development of: 1) a portable diagnostic device that can be used to quantify laboratory-based assays in the field and 2) a molecular platform to enable automated, cell-free protein manufacturing.
Improving the Accessibility of Health Services through Portable Diagnostics and Therapeutics Manufacturing
Keywords: Antivenom
Disease Diagnostics
Synthetic Biology
Therapeutics Manufacturing
Zika Virus

Access to health care can be limited outside of urban areas where centralized facilities are not found. My two thesis projects aim to improve the accessibility of health services through the development of molecular and hardware tools that provide portable and low-cost diagnostics and on-demand protein-therapeutic manufacturing. My first project involves the design, development and assembly of a camera-based plate reader, which was motivated by the need for hardware in our Zika virus diagnostics project in Latin America. This device, called ‘PLUM’, has developed, over time, into a low-cost, self-contained apparatus that serves as both a microplate reader and gel documentation system. My second project contributes to a bench-top device for the automated, portable production of protein-based therapeutics. My work has established the molecular infrastructure for the project and generated ten antivenoms against snake and scorpion venoms, including the in vitro validation of selected antivenoms.
Fabrication and Characterization of Bio-based Polyurethane Foams Reinforced with Natural Fibers
Keywords: Eco-friendly
Materials Science
Mechanical Properties
Polyurethane foam
Sustainable
Thermosets

With the world evolving towards the use of polymers, there has been an increasing demand to develop high performance, eco-friendly polyurethane (PU) foams for sustainable manufacturing. Herein, three novel studies were carried out to fabricate bio-based PU with natural fillers. The goal of these studies was to enhance the mechanical properties of foam while maintaining high quality and scalability. Initially, natural fillers including chitin, chitosan, lignin, polysaccharide, and hazelnut were embedded into free-rise PU foam to improve the mechanical properties. Consequently, this study helped identify the ideal formulation techniques to fabricate molded foam plaques embedded with hazelnut, chitin, cellulose, and eggshell. These composites were tested against the pure formulation to measure improvements in properties. They were characterized using mechanical, thermal, and morphological analyses to measure the scale-up potential of natural fiber-based PUs. In the last study, alternative reagents and formulation adjustments were made to see how they impact foam properties.
Analysis of Alternative Ventilation Strategies for Multi-family Buildings Using CONTAM Simulation Software
Keywords: Centralized Systems
Decentralized Systems
HVAC
Indoor Air Quality
Outdoor Air
Suites

Many high-rise multi-family buildings use a pressurized corridor ventilation system, which often has poor performance. This study examined three ventilation strategies including: a pressurized corridor ventilation system, a direct-to-suite ducting system, and a suite-based Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) system. A building model was constructed in a multizone ventilation analysis software using an archetype building. Airflow simulations were performed under summer and winter conditions. The resulting outdoor airflow delivery rates to the suites and corridor pressure differentials were compared for each strategy. The results show that the suite-based HRV strategy is able to provide adequate ventilation airflow to individual suites in both seasons. In the pressurized corridor system and the direct-to-suite ducting system, the airflow delivered to suites at the top of the building is higher than that delivered to suites at the bottom of the building. This uneven airflow distribution is more pronounced in winter due to stack effect.
Investigating the Phosphorylation of C-Terminus of HSC70-Interacting Protein (CHIP) in Modulating PINK1/Parkin Mediated Mitochondrial Quality Control
Keywords: Co-chaperone
Mitophagy
Neurodegeneration
Parkin
Parkinson's Disease
PINK1

Mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in both sporadic and familial forms of Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Mutations in PINK1 and Parkin lead to early-onset autosomal recessive PD; these two proteins are known to be involved in maintaining mitochondrial quality control however it is unknown how their function is regulated. BAG5 is a co-chaperone protein known to impair Parkin’s E3 ubiquitin ligase function and its translocation to mitochondria and enhance neurodegeneration in models of PD. In a BAG5 interactome, the phosphorylation of the co-chaperone CHIP at serine 19 (S19) was upregulated upon mitochondrial dysfunction. We show that phosphorylation of CHIP is enhanced in the mitochondrial fraction only upon mitochondrial depolarization, and phosphorylation of CHIP modulates Parkin recruitment to mitochondria which may impact downstream mitochondrial clearance. p25 a known activator of kinases CDK5 and GSK-3β was identified to enhance CHIP phosphorylation. Understanding how mitochondrial quality control is modulated is essential to understanding PD.
Liposome Formation from Acoustically Cavitated Microbubbles for Local Molecular Capture
Keywords: focused ultrasound
liquid biopsy
microbubbles

Microbubble cavitation in tumour vasculature has been investigated as a means to release biomarkers into the bloodstream for personalized therapy. However, even using this method, certain tumour subtypes result in biomarker release too low for detection. To overcome this limitation, this thesis proposes to use phospholipids from microbubbles after cavitation as a means to capture biomarkers, here, fluorescent molecules (i.e. Dsred2 protein and fluorescein) present in the local environment, for later isolation. For this evaluation, new microbubbles, composed of 3-14 mg/mL of DPPA/DPPC, were designed and synthesized. The concentration of liposomes formed was found to increase with phospholipid concentration and acoustic pressure (from 1.97x106 to 4.78x107 /mL). Microscopy showed colocalization of particles, DsRed2, and fluorescein, indicating molecular capture. This capture suggests a new means for isolating biomarkers in the bloodstream for future applications in personalized cancer treatment.
Calcineurin as a Potential Target of TRPM7 Signaling in Migration and Invasion of Glioblastoma Cells
Keywords: calcineurin
cyclosporine A
glioblastoma
TRPM7

Transient receptor potential melastatin 7 (TRPM7) is a divalent cation channel that plays critical roles in various cancers including glioblastoma (GBM), the most malignant brain tumor in adults. As modulation of TRPM7 activity affects GBM cell behaviors, better understanding of this pathway could reveal novel therapeutic targets. Calcineurin, a Ca2+-dependent phosphatase, is also crucial for GBM cell survival and migration. Although it may potentially interact with TRPM7, this possibility has not been explored. To address whether calcineurin contributes to TRPM7 signaling in GBM cells, I showed an interaction between TRPM7 and calcineurin proteins, which may be direct or within a protein complex. TRPM7 is suggested to function upstream instead of downstream from calcineurin, which implicates calcineurin as a potential mediator of TRPM7 signaling. In summary, calcineurin interacts with TRPM7 and is suggested to mediate the TRPM7 signaling pathway as a downstream target in glioblastoma cell migration and invasion.
Investigation of Proteasome Architecture, Activity, and Interactors in Arabidopsis thaliana under Abiotic Stresses
Keywords: Abiotic stress
Arabidopsis
Proteasome
Proteasome-associated proteins

The 26S proteasome plays a critical role in protein homeostasis via turnover of cellular proteins. Changes in subunit expression, assembly/disassembly of the holoenzyme, and association of non-canonical activators or inhibitors can fine-tune proteasome activity, although such pathways have not been explored in plants. This thesis examines the influence of abiotic stresses on structure, function, and interactors of the Arabidopsis thaliana proteasome. I found that oxidation and salinity decreased the cellular ratio of 26S to 20S proteasomes, altered proteasome subunit composition, and reduced binding of proteasome-associated proteins (PAPs) such as heat-shock and assembly chaperones. Additionally, oxidative stress specifically activated the 20S proteasome; a process which might be promoted by ATP deficiency. Further characterization of PAPs revealed that PBAC1, a 20S assembly chaperone, dampens oxidative damage to the germinating seed. Overall, findings suggest that regulation of proteasome activity, either through PAPs or ATP availability, is necessary for appropriate stress responses in Arabidopsis.
Free Sugars in the Canadian Food Supply: Changes from 2013 to 2017 and Modelling the Impact of Sugars Reformulation on the Nutritional Composition of Prepackaged Foods and Beverages
Keywords: Canada
food supply
nutritional composition
prepackaged foods
reformulation
sugars

This thesis assessed changes in free sugars contents of Canadian prepackaged foods and beverages between 2013 and 2017 and compared two sugars-focused reformulation strategies on the nutritional composition of Canadian foods. Overall, there have been no changes in free sugars contents since 2013 (median change 0 g per 100 g/mL, p=0.4922); although decreases were observed in 3 of 17 major food categories, the largest for beverages (-2.7 g; -10.8 calories/100 mL, p
Vascular Disruption Therapy in Lung Cancer using Endobronchial Ultrasound and Ultrasound Active Agents
Keywords: Cancer treatment
Lung cancer
Microbubbles
Nanodroplets
Tumor vascular disruption
ultrasound

Tumour vascular disruption therapy (VDT) hampers tumour growth by inhibiting its supply of oxygen and nutrients. One strategy in VDT is to use ultrasound and ultrasound active agents (UAAs) (i.e. microbubbles and nanodroplets) to locally damage tumour vessels. Despite pre-clinical successes, lung cancer VDT by ultrasound and UAAs remains challenging as conventional ultrasound cannot penetrate the lung. Diagnostic endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) enables ultrasound access into the lung and have the potential to be combined with UAAs to implement lung cancer VDT. Here, UAAs were characterized for stability and acoustic response in vitro and employed in vivo with EBUS to examine their potential in VDT in a mouse tumour model. The in vivo pilot study revealed that while applying EBUS and microbubbles showed little tumour vascular disruption effect, a substantial effect in vascular disruption was demonstrated when nanodroplets were used with EBUS (73% decrease in tumour microbubble perfusion).
Neuroqueer Phenomenology: Interrogating the Nature of Autistic Social Exclusion
Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
feminist
geography of health
neuroqueer
queer phenomenology
social disability model

This thesis conducts virtual archival research by analyzing the blogs of seven autistic advocates/activists. It conducts a queer phenomenology of the narratives of autistic women and non-binary people which reveals that autistic advocates/activists neuroqueer mainstream understandings of autism as deficit-based. Instead the blogs are filled with reparative narratives that question dominant understandings of autistic emotions, behaviours, and communications. In line with the social model of disability, this thesis argues that the blogs examined challenge the mainstream notions of the source of autistic individuals’ socio-spatial exclusion – that it is not in the autistic people’s lack of orientation towards others but rather in an ableist society that is uncomfortable with difference. These results contribute to the field of Critical Autism Studies which has yet to interrogate the intimate relationships of autistic women and nonbinary people.