VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Exploring Domestic Violence Social Support Work in Postcolonial Trinidad and Tobago: Old Talk, New Conversations
Keywords: Caribbean
Domestic Violence
Violence Against Women
Neoliberalism
Racialization
Social Support Work
Social Work

Domestic violence social support work is often simplistically conceptualized as ‘help’. In this thesis, I query this narrative of help through a critical examination of domestic violence social support praxis in the neoliberal, postcolonial, multiracial context of Trinidad and Tobago. I contend that (re)reading the historical legacy of social support work as a site of regulation in the Caribbean is a significant component of this critique as these support interventions are deeply implicated in attempts to manage the social body during the post-emancipation, post-indentureship era. By both historicizing and attending to the current neoliberal context of this support work, I explore its contradictory character by illustrating the ways in which workers engage with hegemonic scripts of gender, race, class, sexuality and family. I track the ways that workers reproduce, interrupt and adapt these scripts, specifically in relation to the logics of governance reminiscent of the colonial period and in response to the contemporary neoliberal moment in the Caribbean. In this qualitative study, I offer an analysis of semi-structured interviews with twenty-six domestic violence social support workers. I specifically explore how they narrate their praxis and the ways that they conceptualize domestic violence and the subjects who are embroiled within it. Analyzing instantiations of hegemonic understandings of difference in these narratives, I argue that many workers conceptualize domestic violence in ways that individualize and de-gender it, while producing women’s survival in ways that are inflected by understandings of ‘the neoliberal subject’. What also comes to the fore is how notions of domestic violence are racialized in ways that are deeply linked with historically rooted discourses of race, violence and family. In spite of this link and the overtly racialized social environment, workers disclose deep investments in disavowing the significance of race in their praxis. I situate and explore these findings within the convergence of the colonial and disciplinary legacy of social support work in the region; the growing prominence of neoliberal discourses; and the continuities of colonial constructions of race, gender, class, sexuality and family.
The Relationship between Multimorbidity and Incident Dementia in Ontario
Keywords: Dementia
Dementia risk
Diabetes
Health services research
Hypertension
Multimorbidity

It has been suggested that dementia is currently the greatest global challenge for health and social care. Given projected increases in prevalence, coupled with a lack of effective treatment, the primary prevention of dementia is being recognized for its potential role in reducing future disease burden. However, for preventive strategies to ultimately be tailored to individuals, there are gaps in our understanding of dementia that must first be addressed. In this context, this thesis examines three research questions related to the risk of incident dementia using linked provincial health administrative data: 1. Are all risk factors equal in how they contribute to dementia risk and how do the effects of multiple chronic conditions compare to the effects of chronic conditions considered as risk conditions for dementia? (Study 1) 2. When the role of time is appropriately accounted for, is there evidence of synergistic and dose-response effects of diabetes and hypertension and what role does medical comorbidity play? (Study 2) 3. Is there evidence of sex differences in the associations of diabetes, hypertension, and medical comorbidity with dementia? (Study 3) Study 1 confirmed a dose-response relationship between increased risk factor exposure and an increasing risk of dementia. However, it also shed light on the unequal contribution of risk factors to risk and highlighted a strong association between multimorbidity and dementia. Study 2 revealed evidence of a dose-response relationship between diabetes duration and risk of dementia. Hypertension was only associated with dementia in the presence of diabetes. Strong cumulative effects were found for medical comorbidity (i.e., number of chronic conditions other than diabetes and hypertension). There was also evidence that risk condition combination (i.e., the presence of diabetes and/or hypertension) and medical comorbidity each modified the association of the other with dementia. Study 3 did not find evidence of sex differences in the associations of risk condition combination and medical comorbidity with dementia. The thesis aimed to capture a slice of the nuances in health status that may contribute to heterogeneity in dementia risk. The results underscore that a holistic, lifecourse approach is required for understanding dementia risk and its prevention.
A Problem Oriented Approach to Urban Transportation Planning
Keywords: accessibility
decision-making
diagnosis
land use
planning
transportation

The complexity behind the urban phenomenon and the relationship between its systems and agents make the integrated land use and transportation (ILUT) planning practice a challenging and sophisticated step of the decision-making process. The difficulty in defining an adequate representation of problems that reflects both the perception and interests of all stakeholders involved and the interaction of the land use and transportation systems has often resulted in opposition and backlash towards decisions. Moreover, it seems clear that ILUT planning should focus on accessibility, promoting the efficient movement and access for people in urban areas and fulfilling a supporting role in promoting social inclusion, economic opportunities, and overall quality of life. This research addresses the existing theoretical, conceptual, and methodological gaps regarding urban transportation planning. It focuses specifically on the early stages of the planning process, seeking to highlight the importance of diagnosis for planning and its relevance to the later definition of objectives. It aims to answer the following questions: How does current planning practice identify and diagnose problems? How to frame “diagnosis” within ILUT planning? How, within the accessibility paradigm, can accessibility measures help to diagnose problems and inform the decision-making process? The research presents a literature review that highlights conceptual and methodological gaps, sets the current paradigms in the urban transportation planning field, and discusses different methodological approaches to address the complexity and systematic nature of urban problems. It also introduces an overview of the current urban and transportation planning practice in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area through a survey of planning practitioners. Additionally, it expands the discussion on problems and proposes a problem-oriented planning framework to identify, characterize, and diagnose problems. A theoretical exercise is presented to illustrate how planning dilemmas could benefit from the proposed planning framework in reconciling conflicting interests within a future vision for the city. Lastly, a case study is developed to characterize accessibility problems under the equity lens in the City of Toronto, allowing for a better understanding of how the land use and transportation systems, as well as individuals attributes, interact in shaping the socio-spatial reality where problems may emerge.
The Effects of Aerobic Exercise on the Distribution and Metabolism of Select Xenobiotics
Keywords: CYP450 enzymes
Exercise immunology
Exercise pharmacokinetics
Exercise pharmacology
Hepatic flow and drug metabolism
Microdose probe cocktail

Currently, no drug regulatory agency requires the investigation of how exercise might change the efficacy of a medication, which is unsettling considering the myriad of physiological changes in response to physical activity, many of which have the potential to influence pharmacology. Thus, this dissertation involves a series of studies to assess that potential with specific reference to the pharmacokinetics (PK) of several different drugs over various timelines. In Study 1, we examined if the increase in core body temperature (Tc) and decreases in blood pH affect the plasma protein binding of caffeine and its metabolite, paraxanthine, since a greater ‘free’ fraction would likely translate to greater pharmacodynamic effects, distribution, and clearance (CL). A convenience sample of 6 men and 4 women ingested 3 mg/kg of caffeine and a wireless temperature capsule before entering a sauna for passive heating, followed by low intensity cycling (55% V̇O2max, 20 min), and then high intensity intervals (90% V̇O2max, 20s sprint/40s rest, 10 min) to modulate Tc and blood pH. We found that Tc was elevated by 1.37  0.27 C and blood pH decreased by 0.12  0.051, but unbound fractions of caffeine and paraxanthine, along with their CL, were unchanged. In study 2, we determined whether the decrease in hepatic blood flow (Qh) during aerobic exercise limits the CL of the popular antidepressant, sertraline. Ten male participants ingested 50 mg of sertraline before running on a treadmill at 65 or 75% V̇O2max for 1 h. The exercise stimulus was associated with a 33% reduction in Qh and 5.74% decrease in plasma volume. Through our compartmental PK model, we deduced that the acute hemoconcentration elevated the concentration of sertraline immediately post-exercise, which we successfully modeled by adding another compartment that mimics quickly perfused tissues. In study 3, we evaluated whether the well-established exercise-mediated immune response affected regulation of CYP450 drug metabolizing enzymes during the subacute period after exercise. We found that in 10 male participants, 1 h of treadmill running at a moderate intensity resulted in elevations in IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10; however, the PK-modeled CL of 5 drugs ingested as microdoses were unaltered.
Two Redundant Ubiquitin-dependent Pathways of BRCA1 Localization to DNA Damage Sites
Keywords: BARD1
BRCA1
DNA damage
RAP80
ubiquitin

The tumor suppressor BRCA1 accumulates at sites of DNA damage in a ubiquitin-dependent manner, and coordinates DSB repair. The phosphopeptide-binding activity of the BRCA1 C-terminal (BRCT) domains is essential for ubiquitin-dependent recruitment and it is through these domains that BRCA1 indirectly interacts with RAP80, a ubiquitin-interacting protein. RAP80 targets BRCA1 to DSBs but whether or not RAP80 is the sole targeting subunit of the BRCA1 complex is a subject of debate. In my thesis, I generated somatic RAP80-/- cell lines and found that RAP80 is dispensable for the initial recruitment of BRCA1 to DSBs. I observed that the isolated tandem BRCT domain absolutely requires RAP80 to localize at DSBs, but the full-length protein does not. I found that the BRCA1 RING domain acts redundantly to promote BRCA1 recruitment to DNA damage sites. I show that that RNF8 E3 ligase acts upstream of both the RAP80- and RING-dependent activities whereas RNF168 acts uniquely upstream of the RING domain. BRCA1 RING mutations that do not impact BARD1 interaction, such as the E2-binding deficient I26A mutation, renders BRCA1 unable to accumulate at DNA damage sites in the absence of RAP80. Cells that combine BRCA1 I26A and mutations that disable the RAP80-BRCA1 interaction are hypersensitive to PARP inhibition and are unable to form RAD51 foci. Our results suggest that in the absence of RAP80, the BRCA1 E3 ligase activity is necessary for recognition of histone H2A Lys13/Lys15 ubiquitylation by BARD1 although I cannot rule out the possibility that the BRCA1 RING facilitates ubiquitylated nucleosome recognition in other ways.
Identifying Radiosensitizers in Radioresistant HPV-negative Squamous Cancers of the Aerodigestive Tract
Keywords: CDK4/6
NRF2
Radiobiology
Radiosensitizers
Squamous Cancer

Radiotherapy is a mainstay of curative treatment for squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of the aerodigestive tract and is frequently combined with radiosensitizing drugs to improve efficacy. Outcomes for HPV-negative SCCs remain heterogeneous, in part due to variable resistance to ionizing radiation (IR) and modest benefit of existing radiosensitizing drugs. There is a thus a clinical need for additional novel radiosensitizers that cause less toxicity as a result of their use. Hypothesis driven testing of novel radiosensitizing drugs has previously been limited due to a lack of robust, efficient, and reproducible methods to assess drug radiation combinations. This is largely due to the limitations of the clonogenic assay – the gold standard for measuring radiation response –first developed in 1954 by Puck and Marcus. The introduction of a viability assay amenable to high throughput that can act as a surrogate for the clonogenic assay has resulted in the publication of a dataset with radiosensitivity data and matched gene expression data (Yard et al, Nat. Commun., 2016). I have aided in the development of a computational platform for the analysis of radiogenomic data and have examined features related to radiation response, providing a valuable resource for further investigation. I developed an extension of the viability assay to investigate drug/radiation combinations, validated using the known radiosensitizing compound cisplatin in six radioresistant cell lines. Moreover, I developed a novel analytical framework for assessing radiosensitization from the viability assay output and applied it to evaluate the radiosensitizing potential of two putative radiosensitizing compound classes: cell cycle inhibitors and a NRF2 inhibitor. Finally, I used an ensemble approach to generate 84 signatures of radiation response. Together, these signatures were compared to perturbation signatures within the connectivity map to identify compounds who induce gene expression changes that mimic a radiosensitive phenotype. Future work will validate this method for unbiased radiosensitizer discovery. The knowledge gained from this thesis provides confidence in the utilization of the 9-day viability assay for evaluation of putative radiosensitizers. Our tests of putative radiosensitizing drugs in a cohort of radioresistant cell lines have identified CDK4/6 inhibitors to be of interest for further investigation.
Examining Nurse Educator Experience and Understanding of Simulation Pedagogy within the Practical Nurse Curriculum
Keywords: Curiculum
Nurse Educator
Nursing Education
Pedagogy
Practical Nurse
Simulation

Simulation-based nurse education provides a way to foster skill development, decision making, and the ability to think critically when faced with rapidly changing situations in the clinical setting. Utilizing simulation as an effective teaching and learning strategy requires the careful orchestration of instructional methods and the appropriate application of simulation technologies. It should involve educational experiences that are reflective of the healthcare industry’s best practices. The aim of this qualitative research study was to examine and understand how nurse educators experience and understand the various dimensions of simulation pedagogy as a teaching and learning strategy within the practical nursing curriculum. Eight nurse educators who work in a practical nursing program at a community college in Ontario, Canada participated in semi-structured interviews. The major findings include: i) Participants said they were initially unsure how to teach with simulations and it took time and practice before they felt proficient; ii) Participants with simulation-based certifications reported that this form of professional development improved both their self-confidence and their teaching practices; iii) Participants who were not certified were unfamiliar with the INACSL Simulation Standards of Best PracticeTM relied on their own intuitions and past instructional practices when implementing simulation experiences; iv) Part of their discomfort in teaching in a simulated nurse environment was related to technology hesitancy; v) None of the participants felt that they had received necessary support from administrators; vi) Participants felt that receiving training through certification was necessary to fully understand the pedagogy and to be an effective simulation educator; and vii) creating opportunities for peer mentorship and coaching would be a productive step to further strengthen their understanding and implementation of simulation pedagogies. Recommendations are identified not only for the educator, but also administrators and postsecondary institutions that offer simulation education. This study sheds new light on the professional development needs of nurse educators. It is hoped that the study’s findings will ultimately lead to the improved use of simulation pedagogies in schools of nursing.
Electoral Games, Frames, and Ethnic Party Moderation: The Limited and Selective Moderation of the Bharatiya Janata Party
Keywords: Bharatiya Janata Party
Elections
ethnic politics
Hindu nationalism
Party strategy
Political parties

This dissertation seeks to explain how and why ethnic parties like the Hindu nationalist party in India, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), moderate in the electoral arena while also examining the constraints on their electoral moderation. Questioning the restricted range of outcomes offered in extant literature, I argue that parties like the BJP can moderate in some ways while remaining radical in others. In short, electoral moderation can be limited and selective. I trace the limited and selective moderation of the BJP in the late 1990s and early 2000s to key changes in India’s party system including the decline of the historically dominant Congress Party, the rise of regional and caste-based parties, and the increased fragmentation of the party system that necessitated electoral alliances to govern. While analyzing key changes to the broader political and institutional context in which the BJP competes, I demonstrate that parties have a significant amount of agency to maneuver, pivot, and reposition themselves in their new institutional environments. In the case of the BJP, this meant limited and selective moderation that expanded its appeal among intra-Hindu identities, without substantive changes to the party’s approach to other religious groups. The second half of the dissertation focuses on explaining the limited and selective moderation of the BJP. A comparative analysis of the 2004 and 2014 elections reveals that two sets of relationships can constrain and incentivize limited and selective electoral moderation. One set emanates from within the party organization itself in the form of intraparty dynamics between the party, its workers, and other organizations within the Hindu nationalist movement. Second, the party is also constrained by the strategic interaction with its primary electoral rival, the Congress Party, to control the election narrative. A qualitative content analysis demonstrates how the Congress Party had an incentive to remind the electorate of the party’s ethno-religious strategies of mobilization from the past, even when ethnic parties like the BJP attempt to present a more ‘moderate’ face. These dynamic relationships within the BJP itself as well as its relationship to other electoral competitors can influence the party’s electoral strategies.
Brightside for Orchestra
Keywords: Composition
Music
Orchestra

Brightside is a thirteen-minute piece for symphony orchestra (woodwinds by twos plus piccolo, four horns, two trumpets in C, two tenor trombones, one bass trombone, one tuba, timpani, xylophone, vibraphone, and strings) inspired by my life on Brightside Drive in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The different compositional materials used in the piece reflect different aspects of my life.I see life as an interplay between steadiness and contrast and the search for balance between the two. This view of life reminds me of the rondo-like structures seen in ritornello forms of the Baroque era, and this is the basis of the form of Brightside. In the ritornello sections (which I designate as A1, A2, A3, and A4) I sought to depict the idea of gradual transition in the context of overall stability. The harmony is principally derived from minor and diminished triads with common notes, but other notes are added as the piece develops. The episodes (B, C, and D) which represent starker contrasts in my life, are built from contrasting materials including twelve-tone collections and octatonic scales. I also used timbral contrast to enhance the form, reworking ideas from the Baroque concerto grosso. The ritornellos generally make use of the orchestral tutti and the episodes focus on particular families of the orchestra. (B: strings and percussion; C: woodwinds and two horns; D: brass and percussion.) However, I have allowed periodic deviations from this plan, based on my intuition, to avoid the emergence of undesirable predictability. The harmonic plan aims at a long line of development by organizing tonal centers of the sections. The ritornellos work their way through the tonal centers C, Eb, Gb, and A. The episodes and the coda are comparatively unstable, beginning with C#, E, G, and Bb and ending with D, F, Ab, and C. So, the harmonic plan is based on three diminished seventh chord axes, except for the "correction" applied in order to end on C.  The dramatic arc of the piece is fairly "standard" with a climax approximately at the two-thirds mark.
Joint Action and Communication, with a Focus on Demonstratives
Keywords: communication
demonstratives
formal semantics
joint attention
pragmatics

This dissertation develops a view of human communication according to which it is the joint activity of making sense of one another, as fellow agents, in virtue of our actions. I consider the relationship between communication and joint attention in order to show how my view provides a superior successor to orthodox Griceanism. I also motivate my view by using it to explain how there can be successful communication, involving a demonstrative, despite the interlocutors not settling on one or another object as referent. Finally, I address a challenge, which arises for any Gricean view of communication, of explaining what is special about linguistic communication. My answer is based on a formal semantics for demonstratives and related expressions, and draws upon the tradition of dynamic semantics.