VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The Development and Application of Global Proteomic Approaches to Quantify Protein Oxidation
Keywords: ATS
HLRCC
PTP
PTPN12
q-oxPTPome
ROS

ROS and ROS-induced protein oxidation are involved in a variety of physiological and pathological conditions. Methods that can globally detect and quantify protein oxidation are important for studying redox signaling pathways. I developed/optimized two MS-based approaches to detect protein oxidation, one is specialized to monitor classical PTP oxidation and the other detect oxidation of reactive cysteines more generally. Using these two approaches, I identified PTPN12 and PKM2 oxidation in FH-deficient hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell carcinoma (HLRCC) cells. PTPN12 oxidation leads to ABL1 activation, which is important for HLRCC cell proliferation and survival, whereas PKM2 is likely to be a redox sensor and its oxidation lowers oxidative stress in HLRCC cells. Overall, globally detecting and characterizing protein oxidation help us to understand the pathobiology of HLRCC and to identify potential therapeutic interventions to treat this cancer.
Low-cost Sensor Array Devices as a Method for Reliable Assessment of Exposure to Traffic-related Air Pollution
Keywords: air pollution
exposure
sensors
spatial
temporal
traffic

The exposure to air pollutant mixtures is a well-known risk factor for inducing and increasing the severity of diseases. Combining low-cost sensors in arrays holds great potential for real-time monitoring of pollutant exposure because of versatility and aptitude for tracking multi-pollutant exposure. While many low-cost air pollution monitoring devices have been proposed, several underexplored opportunities remain, including sensor-derived pollution indices, source analysis and exposure assessment. A thorough investigation of different low-cost commercial gas and particulate matter sensors from 5 manufacturers has been conducted and best-performing sensors were identified. A device for monitoring air quality has been developed and tested. Each device consists of an array of commercially available metal oxide semiconductor for monitoring NOx and O3, CO, CO2 and optical sensors for monitoring PM2.5. Level of pollutant exposure has been characterized at different locations in Toronto over 3 different campaigns between 2013 and 2016. These deployments allowed long-term sensor performance to be evaluated under different meteorological conditions as well as different ranges of pollutant concentrations. Analysis of a large range of gas sensors revealed several key challenges, including high intra-sensor variability, interference from temperature and nonlinearity. Air quality health index estimation from sensor readings was successfully demonstrated. Three aspects of device reproducibility were evaluated: drift over time, impact of interferences and impact of site-specific mixtures. Three categories of approaches for improving sensor accuracy and reproducibility were tested: nonlinear calibration models, variable transformations and training data selection. Model reproducibility, ability to adjust for multiple combinations of interferences and ability to resolve sites was improved when devices were calibrated at multiple sites. Analysis showed that both short-term and long-term temporal patterns could be resolved and compared at different sites. Background subtraction helped further emphasize the differences and rank sites in terms traffic-related pollution.
Innovative by Design: How Organizations Can Sustain Continual Innovation in Highly Competitive Markets
Keywords: Design
Exploitation
Exploration
Innovation
Practice
Project-Based Organization

Almost every contemporary organization operating in competitive markets is pressed to come up with novel concepts that create new experiences or meaningfully transform product typologies. For most organizations, this is a quest for survival and continued relevance in rapidly changing markets. The intuitive solution is “act,” more like a startup, playing fast and loose to disrupt established rules and conventions. Research shows however that the entrepreneurial mindset is short lived, giving way to the routines and structures that founders initially rebelled against, as companies scale and persist over time. More often than not, this leads organizations to disproportionately exploit existing knowledge at the cost of exploring for new ideas and ways of solving problems. This raises a fundamental question: how can creative organizations, whose value and vitality are derived from consistently generating novel concepts, do so reliably and over time, without becoming predictable in their output? My research, based on a yearlong ethnographic study at a world renowned architectural firm in New York City and interviews with designers across the United States, points to the criticality of project-based organizational structures, which serve as the framework for balancing the twin tasks of learning between projects and unlearning within projects — which is vital to productively breaking with past experiences and expectations. This organizational typology is in many instances necessary to drive innovation within a company, however not sufficient to explain its continuation and nonconformity with past outputs. I argue that it is the presence of company specific predispositions to ways or modes of responding to situations, and not particular acts, that enables highly innovative organizations to continually move forward explorations into the unknown, to generate genuinely novel concepts. I argue that to successfully drive continual innovation, three distinct areas of a creative-project based organization’s approach rely on predispositions for moving forward explorations, including team coordination, exploration, and constructing ideas.
Mechanically Robust, (Super)Hydrophobic Surfaces
Keywords: composite coating
electrodeposition
non-wetting
pulsed laser deposition
rare earth oxide
structure-property relationships

In this doctoral study, applied and fundamental research on mechanically robust, (super)hydrophobic surfaces was performed. On the applied front, a simple electro-codeposition process was developed to fabricate non-wetting metal matrix composite coatings with exceptional hardness and resistance to degradation of non-wetting characteristics from abrasive wear compared with a commercial superhydrophobic surface coating. The composites were made of ultra-fine grain / nanocrystalline nickel matrix with embedded hydrophobic particles: polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or rare earth oxide (i.e. cerium oxide) distributed throughout the thickness of the composite coating. Various characterization techniques, including wetting property measurements, electron microscopy, microhardness measurements, and abrasive wear testing were performed to develop the structure – property - performance relationships for this new class of non-wetting material. On the fundamental side, the inherent wettability of rare earth oxides was investigated, as there is currently an active debate in the literature as to whether these ceramics are hydrophobic or hydrophilic. To develop a better understanding on the wettability of rare earth oxides, a study of single crystals with near perfect surfaces was carried out. Epitaxial films of CeO2 and Er2O3 were grown on low Miller index oriented yttria stabilized zirconia single crystal substrates by a pulsed laser deposition technique. Through this study, the crystal orientation – surface energy - wetting property relationships for rare earth oxides were established. Fresh REO epitaxial films were hydrophilic, the water contact angle (WCA) strongly depending on the crystallographic orientation; WCA(111) > WCA(110) > WCA(001), which reflects the differences in surface energy (SN); SN(111)
Authorship’s Wake: Writing After the Death of the Author
Keywords: Authorship
Contemporary Literature
Critical Theory
David Foster Wallace
Roland Barthes
Zadie Smith

Fifty years ago, Roland Barthes declared the death of the author, setting the terms for a continuing critical conversation about authorship. “Authorship’s Wake” unsettles the centrality of Barthes’s essay in the debate by introducing a new set of participants: the authors themselves. Focusing on the generation of contemporary writers who were trained in theory’s critique of the author—Maggie Nelson, Zadie Smith, Chris Kraus, Sheila Heti, Ben Lerner, David Foster Wallace—and on the later work of theorists like Barthes and Judith Butler who participated in that critique, “Authorship’s Wake” argues that, even half a century after Barthes’s field-defining essay, the author is a more essential figure than ever in contemporary literary culture. Specifically, I make the case that authorship is at the centre of how writers today are grappling with a range of concrete questions—ethical, aesthetic, political, economic—that far exceed the scope of Barthes’s original intervention. Each of the four chapters focuses on one particular issue at stake in the debate: communication, intention, agency, and labour. The chapters are arranged by scale, from smallest to largest. The first, at the familial level, argues that Nelson’s non-fiction work The Argonauts provides a post-Barthes model for thinking about writing as a form of communication between two people. Against the background of debates about free speech in the university, the second chapter contends that campus narratives by Smith (in On Beauty) and Butler (in Precarious Life) demonstrate both the importance and the limitations of the critique of authorial intention. The final two chapters are more explicitly political: chapter 3 is an analysis of the author as a figure of patriarchal power in contemporary autofiction and in Barthes’s late seminars. And, at the largest scale, chapter 4 (drawing on archival research at the Harry Ransom Center) reads Wallace’s The Pale King as a theory of authorial labour in neoliberal America. “Authorship’s Wake” ultimately makes the case that the best way to understand what it means to be an author today is to read across lines of genre: theory, literature, and texts that defy categorization altogether.
Erasure Source-Broadcast: Information-Theoretic Limits
Keywords: Broadcast Channel
Communications
Delay
Distortion
Information Theory
Joint Source-Channel Coding

We study the information-theoretic limits of broadcasting a binary source over the erasure broadcast channel to n receivers who have individual fractional distortion constraints. For the n-user problem without feedback, we derive an achievable coding scheme that is optimal under certain conditions. For the n = 2 and n = 3 user problem with feedback, we propose achievable coding schemes that are optimal for n=2 and conjectured to be optimal for n = 3. In analyzing the n = 3 case, we also solve the more general problem of finding the expected accumulated reward before absorption of a Markov rewards process with impulse rewards and absorbing states. For the n = 2 case, we show that a feedback channel for both users is not necessary and that optimality can still be achieved if only the stronger user has a feedback channel. Finally, we derive an outer bound for the class of non-erasure-randomized codes for the case when n = 2 .
In This Together: The Impact of Mentorship Programs On The First-Generation Student Experience
Keywords: First-generation
Mentorship program
University

This study outlines the impact that a mentorship program directed at first-generation students in university has on the individuals who participate. First-generation students are identified as those whose parents do not have any postsecondary education. Colleges and universities are seeing more non-traditional students pursuing postsecondary studies and first-generation students fall into this group. However, despite the increasing numbers of first-generation students enrolling in university, there have not been many programs introduced to facilitate their transition into university. Concerns about their retention persist as these students are at a greater risk of dropping out as compared to their non-first-generation peers. Additionally, the factors associated with being a first-generation student may be limiting their ability to effectively engage in their academic experiences as well as the array of out-of-classroom offerings available at their campuses. Recognizing the challenges faced by first-generation students, the Ontario provincial government introduced funding for colleges and universities in 2005 to institute programs to address some of these issues. Using this funding, a number of college and universities in Ontario have introduced mentorship programs for first-generation students as they make their transition into their postsecondary studies. This study explored the experience of a group of students in relation to their first-generation identity and how their participation in a mentorship program influences their experience. This study was conducted using a mixed methods approach, using a secondary analysis of survey data and 16 interviews of first-generation students who participated in a mentorship program. Evaluating the experience of these students will help researchers and practitioners to better understand the barriers and strategies to support first-generation students who choose to study at university. The thesis applies a conceptual framework that focuses on three concepts: cultural capital, habitus, and self-efficacy. The findings support previous research that has shown the impact that cultural capital can have on habitus as well as self-efficacy. The results of this study also suggest two new findings: a) That an increase in one’s cultural capital can also increase their sense of self-efficacy via the effects of habitus; and b) That a strong sense of self-efficacy can positively affect their habitus.
Modelling Reinforced and Prestressed Concrete Structures Subjected to Shear and Torsion
Keywords: Modelling
Prestressed Concrete
Reinforced Concrete
Shear
Structures
Torsion

In the design and analysis of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures, engineers are often faced with complex loading conditions that require the assessment of members subjected to shear and torsion. To develop a better understanding of the behaviour of such structures, twelve shell element tests were conducted to investigate the influence of combined loads, reinforcement ratios and concrete strength on shear and torsion performance. Ten of the tests were subjected to combinations of in-plane shear and out-of-plane shear in addition to torsion, flexure and biaxial loads. The remaining two tests, cast from high-strength concrete, were subjected to combinations of in-plane shear and biaxial stresses. This thesis then presents five simplified analysis methods, based on the Modified Compression Field Theory, that can be used to model the behaviour of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures. Shell II-S, a three-layered sectional model capable of predicting the response of shells subjected to the eight stress resultants, is presented. Based on Shell II-S, a simplified three-layered finite element model for shells is presented, the method is called Shell II. These techniques are then used to inform the development of simplified design and analysis equations in the context of the Canadian shear design provisions. To assess the nonlinear response of beams subjected to the six stress resultants, a companion method to Shell II is presented, it is called VAST II. The finite element program is based on the variable angle space truss model for beams and can be used to rapidly model the full nonlinear response of structures in three-dimensions. Finally, a simplified calculation process, called the Single Element Method, is presented where a single membrane element is used along with simplified calculations to model the shear behaviour of slender and deep beams.
Assessment in Practice: A Mixed Model Study of the Representations of Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Competencies in the Position Descriptions of Student Affairs and Services Professionals in the Province of Ontario
Keywords: Assessment
Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Professional Competencies
Student Affairs
Student Services

A growing body of literature supports the emergence of assessment, evaluation and research (AER) as activities of increasing significance in the work of Student Affairs and Services (SAS) professionals. However, despite increases in the prevalence and depth of AER activities, there remains a lack of understanding of the AER competencies expected of SAS professionals, and their contingent AER professional responsibilities. Using the Student Affairs and Services Professional Competency Model developed by the Canadian Association of College and University Student Affairs and Services (CACUSS) as a framework, this study explores the extent to which AER competencies and responsibilities are represented in the position descriptions of SAS professionals in Ontario post-secondary institutions, and the factors that influence their representation. This study adopts a mixed model, sequential, explanatory, approach. A content analysis of a sample of 311 SAS position descriptions from Ontario colleges and universities was conducted. The results of the content analysis were then used to inform a series of 12 interviews of purposively selected Senior Student Affairs Officers (SSAOs) from participating institutions. Although the overall representation of AER competencies in position descriptions was found to be quite high, the content analysis revealed significant inconsistencies in the representation of AER qualifications and responsibilities within position descriptions, and only a modest degree of alignment with the CACUSS Strategic Planning, Research, and Assessment competency domain. Interviews with SSAOs revealed largely positive attitudes towards AER, and a commitment to evidence-informed practice. However, these values were tempered by administrative realities and resource constraints. The findings of this study suggest that although the overall prevalence of AER competencies in SAS PDs is reasonably high, the actual level of AER activity and the AER skills and knowledge of Ontario SAS professionals may still be quite low. The findings further suggest that the current discourse regarding AER competencies in SAS literature and across the profession may be out of alignment with the ways in which AER is enacted in SAS divisions in Ontario colleges and universities.
The Efficacy of LED Light Polymerization Units in Private Dental Offices in Toronto, Canada
Keywords: CheckMARC
Diametral Tensile Strength test
Light Polymerization Unit
MARC Patient Simulator
Relative hardness test
Resin-based Composite

Light-emitting-diode (LED) light-polymerization units (LPUs) are currently routinely used for resin-based composites (RBC) photopolymerization. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of LED-LPUs used in participating private dental practices in Toronto, Canada. One-hundred dental practices were recruited, and 113 LED-LPUs were examined. Part 1 evaluated radiant exposure (RE) of participants’ LED-LPUs. Majority of LPUs (n=87, 77%) passed the study-required criterion (delivering equivalent to 16 J/cm2 in 20s). A strong, negative correlation between LPUs' age, light-probe damage, and RE was found. Part 2 evaluated operator's technique to deliver 8 J/cm2 of RE in 10s to simulated restorations before and post-instructional. Before instructions, 73.6% of participants delivered required-energy to anterior restoration, and 32.2% of participants delivered required-energy to posterior restoration. Following instructions, 94.3% of participants delivered required-energy to anterior restoration, and 73.6% of participants delivered required-energy to posterior restoration. Part 3 examined relative-hardness (RH) of two RBCs polymerized at 1mm and 4mm, tip-to-target distance. Both RBCs polymerized at 1mm had average RH (ratio of mean lower/upper surface hardness) greater than 0.80, but not at 4mm tip-to-target distance. Part 4 evaluated the diametral tensile strength (DTS) of two RBCs polymerized with participating LED-LPUs. No significant difference between mean DTS values of two RBCs was observed. Mean DTS values were highly correlated among the LED-LPUs tested. In conclusion, 23% of LED-LPUs tested were deemed as incompetent for sufficient RBC polymerization. A high percentage of dental practitioners failed to deliver 8 J/cm2 in 10s exposure cycle, even after receiving specific instructions (5.7% to anterior restoration and 26.4% to posterior restoration). The outcome was due to a combination of LPUs performance and operator's technique. This finding is alarming as it relates well to early failure of Class-2 RBC restorations due to insufficient polymerization.
Design and Fabrication of a Rollable Engineered Tissue for Spatially Mapping the Heterogeneous Tumour Microenvironment
Keywords: cancer
hypoxia
microenvironment
scaffold
TRACER
tumour

It is clear there is a fundamental disconnect between preclinical data and clinical results. While animal models have been essential in cancer research, they remain limited in replicating human physiology, and lack the ability to mimic complex human carcinogenesis and cancer progression. Three-dimensional engineered tissues offer an exciting alternative. They can recapitulate key features of patient tumors by integrating cancer and stromal cells, relevant matrix components, and tissue-like biochemical and biophysical cues within one experimental system. Engineered tumours permit dissection of tumour cell and microenvironment interactions, especially in the context of therapeutic response. By strategically incorporating data acquisition strategies within engineered tissues, powerful, previously inaccessible data sets can be collected to guide preclinical drug development. In this work, I report the design and fabrication of a rollable engineered tissue for the assembly of user-defined and spatially heterogeneous tumour microenvironments. Our tissue roll for analysis of cellular environment and response (TRACER) platform is formed by seeding collagen encapsulated tumour cells within a thin, porous, cellulose scaffolding strip that is then wound around an oxygen impermeable core to establish the 3D tissue. Oxygen and other small molecule gradients form across TRACER layers in a cell-type and density-dependent manner. TRACERs can be rapidly disassembled to map cellular behaviour, phenotype, and therapy response to microenvironment properties by linking position along the 2D strip to location in the 3D tissue. We demonstrate that our model recapitulates known features of tumours in vivo and highlight the utility of our rollable-tissue design to map metabolic signatures of cancer cells along hypoxic gradients and explore their dependence on the transcription of HIF1. We then expand our platform for investigations of tumour-stromal interactions by developing a new tissue bioprinting approach. Finally, we lay the groundwork to incorporate patient-derived cells within our system with the goal of improving the translatability of our generated data sets to guide development new medicines for cancer.