VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Towards Equity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), in Kindergarten to Grade 12 Education
Keywords: Education
Engineering
Math
Science
STEM
Technology

In their quest to improve student outcomes and address the needs of all learners, school districts are now increasingly including a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programming among their core commitments. Within school districts’ Multi-Year Strategic Plans (see definition on p. 18) are often included a number of equity-related commitments and core priorities, such as: providing equity of access to learning opportunities for all students; providing all students with equitable access to deep learning experiences enabled by technology; striving to close the opportunity gap so that students who have been historically and contemporarily underserved can achieve their full potential; and eliminating disproportionate outcomes for students. Yet my professional experience in the field and analyses of student learning data indicate persistent achievement gaps and underrepresentation for certain groups of students in STEM. In order to develop a framework for addressing disproportionate student outcomes in STEM, this study examined K-12 educator perceptions about the factors associated with maximizing learning conditions for students across classroom, teachers’ professional learning, school, and board contexts. In addition to collecting perceptual data from educators, this mixed methods research study conducted in-depth interviews with study participants to gain further insight on strategies that address the barriers encountered by students from equity deserving groups within STEM-focused classrooms. Grounded in a critical perspective, the conceptual framework used in this study leveraged educator perceptions about how features across four contexts impacted their professional capacity to influence student learning in STEM. This set the stage for developing a clearer understanding of the disproportionate student outcomes problem. The study identified barriers to equitable student outcomes and how they might be addressed to attain equitable outcomes for all students in STEM. Additionally, this study considered how learning conditions might be improved for all students and how historically stubborn disproportionate student outcomes might be mitigated by paying closer attention to a range of features across all four contexts, including teacher content and pedagogical knowledge in the implementation of STEM programming. The study also highlighted the most impactful strategies across all four contexts to address disproportionate student outcomes in STEM. The findings of this study and the resulting policy implications hold the potential to raise awareness among policy actors and lead to better-informed decision making processes, where the presence of barriers to equitable student outcomes in STEM are more readily identified; and historically and contemporarily persistent opportunity and achievement gaps are mitigated with greater intentionality.
Resurgent Babylon: A Cultural, Political and Intellectual History of the Second Dynasty of Isin
Keywords: Babylonian History
Babylonian Religion
Isin II
Marduk
Mesopotamian Chronology
Nebuchadnezzar I

By the middle of the twelfth century B.C., the final upheavals of the Assyrian-Elamite phase were playing out on the stage of Babylonian geopolitics, and the long-reigning Kassite dynasty was brought to an end. In short order, a dynasty of kings hailing from nearby Isin would claim the Babylonian throne with the distinction of being the first native Babylonians to do so. The kings of the Second Dynasty of Isin would reign for one hundred and thirty-two years, a tumultuous time in which old foes would fall and new eminently formidable foes would rise, a time in which occurred a recasting of the local religio-political culture according to a new and distinctly Babylonian mold. Owing to the fact that the post-Kassite period happens to be the least archaeologically established as well as (concomitantly) the least documented Babylonian era, the task of assembling enough data to bring these events incrementally into a sharper focus has been ongoing for well over a century. Leaning on the evidence of kudurru texts, royal inscriptions and chronicles that have come to light in recent decades, the current study is able to draw on a corpus of texts roughly 32.5% larger than that available in previous studies of the period. By integrating the study of Isin II political history with the study of Babylonian religion and the rise of Marduk, complimentary topics which have typically been dealt with in isolation, the study to follow will take a path of inquiry that is well-established yet seldom trodden. Included within this study will be an updated examination of the royal ideology, dynastic succession and state formation of the Isin II period, together with a new interpretation of the timeline and political context of the first six kings, as well as a novel take on Assyro-Babylonian relations in the time of Adad-apla-iddina. The study concludes with an examination of the literary-theological developments of the period which places an emphasis on the Lambertian model of the rise of Marduk, together with fresh perspectives and new challenges to this model.
Essays in Technology and Market Power
Keywords: Infrastructure
Market power
Markups
Telegraph
U.S. economic history
Uber

This dissertation consists of three chapters. Chapter 1 is solo-authored, while Chapters 2 and 3 are coauthored with researchers at the University of Toronto and other institutions. In “Wiring Growth” I investigate the effect of communications technology improvements on the level and composition of economic activity. Between 1840 and 1860 the United States experienced a dramatic shift in economic geography, as population and output moved west and Northeastern counties shifted production away from agriculture. At the same time, the country saw the rapid growth of a new communications technology, the electric telegraph. I investigate how the telegraph facilitated the geographical transformation, using an instrumental variables approach and cross- county variation in telegraph growth from 1840 to 1850. I find persistent positive effects of the telegraph on the growth of county-level goods output per capita. This finding is consistent with historical accounts of the telegraph’s effects on production and distribution. I also find evidence that the telegraph facilitated the transition away from home production in nonagricultural sectors. In “VancUber,” we investigate the long-run effect of ride-hailing on public transit ridership, traffic congestion, and traffic fatalities. We estimate the long-run effect of ride-hailing by exploiting British Columbia’s use of a pre-existing regulation in 2013 to ban ride-hailing from Vancouver and using the synthetic control method to construct a counterfactual Vancouver. We do not find a statistically significant effect of ride-hailing on our outcomes. Our results for fatalities are imprecise, but our confidence intervals for the effect on transit ridership and congestion provide bounds on the likely effect that are smaller in magnitude than many existing estimates. In “Multi-Product Markups,” we examine the identification of firm-product markups in multi- product firms using production-side data. Identifying within-firm markup differences relies on identifying the marginal rates of transformation across goods. Since marginal rates of trans- formation are generally functions of (i) the degree of joint production and (ii) the magnitude of within-firm productivity differences, we explore whether markup estimates are sensitive to misspecification in these factors. Monte Carlo exercises indicate that misspecification of within-firm productivity differences is particularly likely to generate bias. However, a weighted average of 2 firm-product level markups (the “firm markup”) can be identified without information on these factors, and nests the firm markup of De Loecker and Warzynski (2012). The firm markup can be estimated using standard empirical methods. Standard parametric restrictions on the marginal rates of transformation across goods often deliver implausible estimates of plant-product markups. Firm markups, which do not require these restrictions, are more well behaved. We also discuss the welfare properties of the firm markup.
Attentional Templates in Context: Understanding the Tuning of Target Features During High- Versus Low-Similarity Search
Keywords: EEG
Feature-Based Attention
Selective Attention

In this dissertation, I investigate the phenomenon of attentional sharpening, wherein, difficult target-nontarget discriminations are more efficient when frequently made, compared to when they are infrequently made. In the past, this sharpening effect has been attributed to feature-based tuning processes, however, such claims have largely been assumed in the absence of explicit proof. I thus evaluate the proposal that expectations regarding target-nontarget similarity modulate the underlying tuning of mnemonic target representations. For my general method, I rely on a series of tasks where I bias individuals to expect either high- or low-similarity distractors while searching for targets defined by a relevant feature. I additionally apply several novel manipulations and analyses that better allow for meaningful interpretation of the underlying mechanisms that subserve the attentional sharpening effect. For example, by evaluating the extent to which attentional sharpening transfers across feature sets, in Chapter 2, I show that the sharpening effect is better accounted for by differences in the underlying gain of target and nontarget features than by global differences in attentional control that could be engaged to meet task-based demands more generally. Further, in Chapter 3, I demonstrate that the sharpening effect is reflective of how information is maintained in visual working memory. That is, while I do not find that the specificity of target feature maintenance is affected by the number of maintained features (which should be a limiting factor of visual working memory), I nonetheless show that the specificity of target feature maintenance is detrimentally affected when access to visual working memory is restricted. Finally, using a multivariate EEG analysis, in Chapter 4, I directly measure the tuning of target features in visual working memory. In doing so, I demonstrate that, when targets and nontargets are expected to resemble one another, target-specific activity at occipital sites becomes more selective than is the case when targets and nontargets are expected to be dissimilar; offering the most decisive proof to date that target-nontarget expectations directly alter mnemonic target representations. These results are discussed in relation to current theories of attention and memory and future avenues of investigation are offered.
One-Dimensional p-Wave Contact
Keywords: atomic
p-wave
scattering

A proposed method to stabilize p-wave interacting gases and protect from three-body loss is to confine atoms to quasi-one-dimensional (q1D) geometries. A stable p-wave gas in 1D is predicted to have odd-wave scattering and two-body correlations. Loss measurements in lithium have been reported and show strong three-body loss, but such measurements in fermionic potassium have not been reported. In this thesis, we investigate these predictions by studying p-wave interacting fermionic potassium in both 3D and 1D. First, we present a precise characterization of 3D p-wave scattering in $^{40}$K including the role of a low energy shape resonance on scattering. We observe clear nonlinearity of the p-wave binding energy near threshold due to the shape resonance. We study the breakdown of effective range approximation for scattering using coupled-channels calculations. We extract a new 3D parameterization that allows us to precisely calculate quasi-one-dimensional scattering parameters. Then, switching to 1D, we show theoretically how p-wave scattering in quasi-one-dimensional geometries breaks into the expected odd-wave scattering sector for ground band atoms and a newly predicted even-wave sector for interband scattering. For this even-wave scattering, an orbital singlet means that the two-body wavefunction is still antisymmetric, as required by quantum statistics. Next, we present experimental measurements of the two-body contact via rf spectroscopy for both cases. For odd-wave scattering, we find that two-body correlations remain weak outside of the loss-dominated regime making the study of equilibrium odd-wave gases unlikely with our experimental conditions. Loss is similar in magnitude to that in $^6$Li.Even-wave correlations between identical fermions, however, are strong and comparable to the unitary even-wave contact. We compare to theory and note that we have revealed a new paradigm for interactions between identical fermions. Lastly, we conclude with discussion of new possibilities for future research.
Quantitative and Qualitative Evaluation of Dental Structures using Multispectral Photothermal Diagnostic Techniques
Keywords: Active Thermography
Laser Engineering
Non-destructive Testing
Photonics

Enhanced Truncated-Correlation Photothermal Coherence Tomography (eTC-PCT) is a dynamic frequency-domain imaging modality for non-invasive imaging of samples. The original embodiment of eTC-PCT uses an 808-nm diode laser to generate 3D photothermal images of samples. In order to obtain molecular specificity in biological samples based on their absorption and scattering properties, in this thesis, the eTC-PCT has been improved and multispectral TC-PCT imaging technique has been developed which employs an Nd:YAG pulsed laser that pumps an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) for wavelength tunability. Multispectral TC-PCT is then used for 3D photothermal imaging of natural and artificial early dental caries. Results have shown that near-surface and deep subsurface defects within the tooth can be imaged as a function of wavelength. These results hold importance as other active thermography methods such as eTC-PCT have not achieved similar outcomes. This makes multispectral TC-PCT a promising approach for expanding its applications in imaging both hard and soft tissues, provided the appropriate wavelength is selected.To complement the experimental work in relation to the photothermal signal detected during multispectral TC-PCT imaging, a theoretical model of pulsed photothermal radiometry based on conduction-radiation theory is developed for two-layered samples followed by a controlled experimental approach. After validating the developed theory for two-layered samples through a controlled experiment, biological samples such as teeth are used. Teeth contain both absorption and scattering coefficients which allow for the quantitative examination of how the optical and thermal properties of healthy and carious enamel vary depending on the excitation wavelength. Through the utilization of both the theoretical framework and experimental findings, the optical and thermal parameters of healthy and carious teeth across the various wavelengths are measured leading to the determination of the degree of reliability of each of the fitted parameters. For the first time, pixel-by-pixel images depicting the essential optical and thermophysical parameters of dental structures are shown. This enables the creation of a precise calibration chart, empowering the identification and extent of caries in a tooth. This innovative method has the potential to improve how dental health is understood and diagnosed in a more concrete and measurable way.
Mediation and the Action-Oriented Approach in Language Education: The Learner Experience
Keywords: Action-oriented Approach
Agency
Language Education
Language Learning
Mediation
Tasks

The teaching of an additional language in a communicative educational context in Canada is traditionally approached through the development of four linguistic skills: listening, speaking reading, writing (Fox, Cheng, & Zumbo, 2014). The seminal Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment (CEFR) (Council of Europe, 2001) for language learning and teaching initiated a significant action-oriented paradigm shift from skills to modes of communication, namely: reception, interaction, production, and mediation. Since its initial timid yet pivotal presence in the CEFR 2001, mediation in particular has been attracting the interest of researchers, as this mode was further conceptualized to reveal it complex and rich nature (Coste & Cavalli, 2015; North & Piccardo, 2016; Zarate, 2003), and this led to the development of illustrative descriptors for it (North & Piccardo, 2016; North & Panthier, 2016), which informed the new updated version of the CEFR, the so-called CEFR Companion Volume (CEFRCV) (Council of Europe, 2020). Despite the growing interest in the subject, there are very few studies that focus on the implication and the learners’ experience on mediation-based tasks within an Action-oriented Approach in the language classroom. My research recruited a group of 12 adults (aged 19-45) intermediate level learners (CEFR B1) enrolled in an English for Academic Preparation program in an Ontario post-secondary institution. The participants completed 5 researcher-designed mediation-based, Action-Oriented tasks in small groups, and within the different learning scenarios they were required to collaborate and mediate text, concepts, communication, as well as to use mediation strategies, to explain new ideas, to adapt a text, and to create a final artifact for each task. These activities took place online via the ZOOM platform, and qualitative data were collected via transcription of video recordings of task completion, all 12 participants’ individual interviews, participants’ self assessments as well as researcher and peer-researchers’ task observations. These data were analyzed using theme identification, synthesis, and pattern identification via primarily inductive but also deductive coding. Findings reinforce that mediation and the Action-oriented Approach motivate learners, and also uncovers an increase in social agency with strong promise for language teaching and learning.
Cholecystokinin Inputs into the Lateral Periaqueductal Gray Drive Socially Enhanced Pain in Mice
Keywords: anterior cingulate cortex
cholecystokinin
nocebo
pain
periaqueductal gray
social

Nocebo hyperalgesia, or the experience of enhanced pain due to expectation of pain or injury, can arise from environmental cues such as surroundings or behaviors of other individuals. Cues from the environment can signal danger or indicate the potential for pain. Observing others in pain or being informed that a treatment will cause pain leads to increased ratings of pain in human participants. Similarly, when rodents interact with a cagemate in pain, it amplifies pain-related behavior. However, the neurochemical basis underlying socially enhanced pain remain unknown. Environmental conditions that signal threat to safety such as the presence of an aggressor can trigger cholecystokinin (CCK) release from neurons. Further, application of CCK to distinct brain regions enhances pain behavior in rodents. In this thesis, I interrogated the role of CCK at the circuit level in socially enhanced pain in mice. First, I developed a one-in-pain interaction mouse model where an observer exhibits enhanced pain after interacting with a cagemate displaying signs of pain. Through this model, I showed that systemic proglumide, a CCK receptor antagonist, blocks socially enhanced pain in the observer. Next, I showed that increased density of activated neurons occurs in the periaqueductal gray (PAG) in the intermedial portion of the lateral columns (lPAG) in observers of pain demonstrators compared to observers of no-pain control demonstrators. I then showed that application of proglumide to the lPAG prevented socially enhanced pain. Likewise, application of CCK to the lPAG facilitated pain. I then demonstrated that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a brain region important for pain perception, sends long-range axons expressing CCK into the lPAG. Silencing ACC neurons and long-range ACC-lPAG CCK projections blocked socially enhanced pain. Together, these data indicate that CCK receptors in the lPAG, which receive CCK inputs from the ACC, are involved in socially enhanced pain when mice observe cagemates in pain. These findings build a more neuroanatomically precise understanding of pain enhancement due to social context and the neural mechanisms underlying environmental and social-communicative enhancement of pain.
Design, Engineering, and Discovery of Transcription Factor-Based Biosensors for Applications in Value-Added Chemical Production
Keywords: Biosensor
Molecular Biology
Protein
Protein Engineering
Synthetic Biology
Transcription Factor

The rapid development of technology and techniques in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering has enabled the bio-based economy to develop microbial cell factories for the biological production of chemicals from renewable sources. As biological techniques and tools have developed and become cheaper, the ability to create strains and mutants has become essentially limitless. Traditional methods for screening and selecting viable mutants are low-throughput compared to the ability to build mutants, causing a bottleneck within the design-build-test-learn engineering cycle. To address the testing bottleneck, biosensors such as transcription factor-based biosensors have emerged as powerful biological tools that can be applied for the screening and control of microbial cell factories. Such biosensors can also be used in other applications for point-of-care diagnostics and environmental pollutant monitoring. While this technology has demonstrated its potential in the literature, the widespread development and deployment of biosensors is still limited by the availability of transcription factors for detecting target chemicals and the inconsistent design methods of biosensors. This project seeks to overcome current bottlenecks using multiple strategies to elucidate fundamental principles of transcription factor biosensor specificity and circuit engineering that can be harnessed to develop future biosensors. This was accomplished by establishing strategies for the design and construction of biosensors to guide biosensor development, developing structure-guided computational approaches for transcription factor specificity engineering to expand the breadth of potential biosensor applications, and creating chimeric transcription factors to expedite biosensor discovery and overcome the currently high levels of characterization typically required to develop biosensors. The accomplishment of these tasks improves the ability to design, engineer, and discover biosensors for molecules of interest, accelerating biosensor development and the implementation of biosensors towards harnessing biology for various applications.