VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The Wandering Mind: A Philosophical Study of Thinking
Keywords: Attention
Daydreaming
Dual Process Theory
Mental Action
Mind-Wandering
Thinking

Although mind-wandering occupies up to half of our waking thoughts, it is seldom discussed within philosophy. My dissertation proposes a new theory of mind-wandering as unguided attention, then uses mind-wandering to illuminate three general philosophical topics: mental action/activity, attention, and thinking. Chapter one identifies two core tasks for the philosophy of mind-wandering, which current theories cannot accomplish. First, we must resolve a puzzle: mind-wandering seems essentially passive, yet it is under the influence of our goals in a way that seems active. Second, we must distinguish mind-wandering from two antithetical forms of cognition: rumination (e.g. fixation on one’s distress) and absorption (e.g. engrossment in a line of reasoning). Chapter two proposes that mind-wandering is unguided attention. Roughly speaking, an individual’s attention is guided when she would feel pulled back, were she distracted. In contrast, a wandering attention drifts from topic to topic unchecked. I argue that mind-wandering is active in one way––it can be motivated––but passive in another––it is never guided. Furthermore, mind-wandering differs from rumination and absorption because the latter two are guided. Chapter three addresses a methodological problem about how to individuate mind-wandering. I argue that we needn’t individuate mind-wandering, because it is atelic. Because I distinguish telic from atelic attention, I elucidate core cases of attention and undermine Koralus’ recent theory of attention. Chapter four argues that mind-wandering is a rare choice point between agency-based and consciousness-based theories of attention, which should classify mind-wandering as attentive and as inattentive, respectively. I contend that each view contains part of the truth. Drawing on White (1964), I distinguish between spectator attention (focused consciousness), which becomes agent or patient attention when it is guided. Mind-wandering is a choice point because it is pure spectator attention. My final chapter argues that mind-wandering does not fit cleanly into dual process theory, since it is neither unconscious and automatic (Type 1) nor conscious and analytic (Type 2). To accommodate mind-wandering, we must enrich dual process theory in a novel way: we must distinguish Type 2 processes that are guided (e.g. reasoning, planning) from those that are unguided (e.g. mind-wandering, brainstorming).
Hiring for Diversity: Changing the Face of Ontario's Teacher Workforce
Keywords: decision-making
diversity
hiring

Changing the face of Ontario’s teachers is a topic that draws both ardent support and profound criticism by those closest to school governance. It surfaces questions about teacher quality, student achievement, inequity, diversity, politics, public trust, the past, the present, and the future. In the centre are teachers applying for jobs, and principals making decisions about whom to hire, and why. Influencing these decisions are a number of elements that range from the rational procedures that underlie human resources management to the intuitive, difficult to define factors borne of principals’ experiences and perspectives on teacher excellence. This study attempts to examine the processes at play as principals go about hiring teachers for the specific purpose of diversifying the teacher complement in their schools. Despite pressure from public policy since the 1980s, movement towards greater diversity in the teacher workforce has been slow, showing only modest change while the ethno-racial diversity of Ontario’s large urban centres approaches or surpasses fifty percent. Surveys from nearly a quarter of the principals in District A (a large, suburban school district in the Greater Toronto Area) and follow-up interviews with ten of their colleagues provide data that reflect how principals position diversity relative to other teacher qualities when hiring, their understanding of policy intimating the need for more teachers from diverse backgrounds, and the internal and external hurdles they face when hiring teachers. The data also show that these factors do not often include dimensions of teachers’ diverse identities. This finding remains surprisingly consistent among principals across variables such as experience, the number of interviews they conduct, and the student diversity of their respective schools. Data collected from personal interviews, however, show more nuanced differences between principals’ hiring stories and reflect a strong, unresolved tension between a belief in the benefits of teachers from diverse backgrounds and the hiring decisions that manifest this belief. Of note: the vast majority of participants in both the survey and interviews self-identify as White European. As such, the data are interpreted as a representative sample of principals in District A, but also as the prevailing identity of those charged with hiring teachers.
Synthesis of New Nanocrystal Materials
Keywords: Nanocrystals
Perovskites
Quantum confinement
Quantum Dots
Semiconductors
Solar Energy

Abstract Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) have sparked great excitement in the scientific community in last two decades. NCs are useful for both fundamental research and technical applications in various fields owing to their size and shape-dependent properties and their potentially inexpensive and excellent chemical processability. These NCs are versatile fluorescence probes with unique optical properties, including tunable luminescence, high extinction coefficient, broad absorption with narrow photoluminescence, and photobleaching resistance. In the past few years, a lot of attention has been given to nanotechnology based on using these materials as building blocks to design light harvesting assemblies. For instant, the pioneering applications of NCs are light-emitting diodes, lasers, and photovoltaic devices. Synthesis of the colloidal stable semiconductor NCs using the wet method of the pyrolysis of organometallic and chalcogenide precursors, known as hot-injection approach, is the chart-topping preparation method in term of high quality and monodisperse sized NCs. The advancement in the synthesis of these artificial materials is the core step toward their applications in a broad range of technologies. This dissertation focuses on exploring various innovative and novel synthetic methods of different types of colloidal nanocrystals, both inorganic semiconductors NCs, also known as quantum dots (QDs), and organic-inorganic metal halide-perovskite materials, known as perovskites. The work presented in this thesis focuses on pursuing fundamental understanding of the synthesis, material properties, photophysics, and spectroscopy of these nanostructured semiconductor materials. This thesis contains 6 chapters and conclusions. Chapters 1ď ­3 focus on introducing theories and background of the materials being synthesized in the thesis. Chapter 4 demonstrates our synthesis of colloidal linker-free TiO2/CdSe NRs heterostructures with CdSe QDs grown in the presence of TiO2 NRs using seededâ growth type colloidal injection approach. Chapter 5 explores a novel approach of directly synthesized CdSe NCs with electroactive ligands. The last Chapter focuses on a new class of perovskites. I describe my discovery of a (bottom-up) simple method to synthesize colloidally stable methyl ammonium lead halide perovskite nanocrystals seeded from high quality PbX2 NCs with a pre-targeted size. This chapter reports advances in preparation of both these materials (PbX2, and lead halide perovskite NCs).
Therapeutic Effects of Intravenous Immunoglobulin, Platelet Transfusion and B Cell Depletion on Murine Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP)
Keywords: autoimmune disease
B cell depletion
CD20 antibody
immune thrombocytopenia
intravenous immunoglobulin
platelet transfusion

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disease characterized by an isolated thrombocytopenia and increased tendency of bleeding. The pathogenesis of ITP includes both decreased platelet production by megakaryocytes in the bone marrow and increased peripheral platelet destruction in the spleen due to antibody- and T cell-mediated immune responses against self platelet antigens. To better understand the disease and its therapies, I carried out three projects focusing on antibody-mediated ITP, T cell-mediated ITP and the relationship between the two immune pathways. In the first project, I examined the number and morphology of bone marrow megakaryocytes after induction of acute thrombocytopenia by anti-platelet antibodies with different specificities and isotypes. Most of the antibodies did not appear to alter megakaryocyte morphology or maturation within 24 hours. Moreover, although IVIg therapy successfully rescued the thrombocytopenia, it did not exhibit any significant effect on the megakaryocytes. Second, using an active ITP mouse model, I investigated the effect of allogeneic platelet transfusion therapy on T cell-mediated ITP. I found an immunosuppressive effect of the allogeneic transfusions on the T cell-mediated ITP associated with a decrease in the cytotoxic activity of CD8+ T cells in vitro and normalized megakaryocyte number/morphology in the bone marrow. Third, to investigate the relationship between B and T cells in ITP, I depleted B cells in vivo and examined the changes in T cell-mediated ITP. CD8+ T cell-mediated ITP was found ameliorated after B cell depletion therapy and was associated with a decreased proliferation of CD8+ T cells that could be rescued with interleukin (IL)-2 in vitro. This study provided a novel explanation for the therapeutic effect of B cell depletion in ITP and suggests a synergistic role between B cells and T cells in initiating the disease. In summary, this thesis revealed a lack of effect of anti-platelet antibodies on megakaryocytes suggesting that T cells may be involved in mediating bone marrow effects in ITP. Related to the T cells, it further elucidated the therapeutic effects of platelet transfusions and B cell depletion therapy on T cell-mediated ITP. These results may be of importance in decisions regarding the management of ITP.
A Bridging Cell Multiscale Methodology to Model the Structural Behaviour of Polymer Matrix Composites
Keywords: Composites
Computational Mechanics
Damage Machanics
Multiscale Modeling

Composite and nanocomposite materials exhibit behaviour which is inherently multiscale, extending from the atomistic to continuum levels. In composites, damage growth tends to occur at the nano and microstructural scale by means of crack growth and fibre-matrix debonding. Concurrent multiscale modeling provides a means of efficiently solving such localized phenomena, however its use in this application has been limited due to a number of existing issues in the multiscale field. These include the seamless transfer of information between continuum and atomistic domains, the small timesteps required for dynamic simulation, and limited research into concurrent multiscale modeling of amorphous polymeric materials. The objective of this thesis is thus twofold: to formulate a generalized approach to solving a coupled atomistic-to-continuum system that addresses these issues and to extend the application space of concurrent multiscale modeling to damage modeling in composite microstructures. To achieve these objectives, a finite element based multiscale technique termed the Bridging Cell Method (BCM), has been formulated with a focus on crystalline material systems. Case studies are then presented that show the effectiveness of the developed technique with respect to full atomistic simulations. The BCM is also demonstrated for applications of stress around a nanovoid, nanoindentation, and crack growth due to monotonic and cyclic loading. Next, the BCM is extended to modeling amorphous polymeric material systems where an adaptive solver and a two-step iterative solution algorithm are introduced. Finally, the amorphous and crystalline BCM is applied to modeling a polymer-graphite interface. This interface model is used to obtain cohesive zone parameters which are used in a cohesive zone model of fibre-matrix interfacial cracking in a composite microstructure. This allows for an investigation of the temperature dependent damage mechanics from the nano to microscale within polymer matrix composites due to transverse loading. Results from the simulations indicate that the BCM creates a seamless coupling between continuum and atomistic domains for crystalline material systems while substantially reducing force imbalance for amorphous material systems. Multiscale simulation results of the composite microstructure indicated that the model accurately predicted both quantitative (elastic modulus, strength, stress-strain response) and qualitative behaviour when compared to experimental results from the literature.
Research Ethics in the Ontario College Sector: An Exploratory Descriptive Study of Governance and Administrative Frameworks
Keywords: Administration
Applied research
College
Ethics
Governance
Organizational behaviour

The purpose of this study was to explore the existing frameworks for the governance and administration of research ethics policies and practices in place at the Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology (CAATS), and to identify implications for policy and practice related to the future governance and administration of research ethics at Ontario CAATs. This study examined four key areas associated with the management of compliance with ethics principles related to research conducted at the 22 English language Ontario colleges: the history of the establishment of Research Ethics Boards in the Ontario college sector; what currently exists, in terms of relevant policies, processes, funding and infrastructure at participating colleges; what currently works within the sector, to ascertain areas for improvement; and implications for future policy and practice. Lewin's (1947a) Theory of Planned Change formed the basis of the theoretical framework for this study. College employees responsible for the administration of research ethics and REB Chairs at the participating colleges were the key informants; research ethics administrators from all 22 English language colleges in Ontario were invited to complete an online questionnaire, and interviews were conducted with eight REB Chairs or their designate from a stratified purposeful sample of the English language colleges. The conclusions drawn from this study suggest that numerous driving and restraining forces exist to support and challenge the governance and administration of research ethics at participating colleges, and that these forces can be effectively addressed to improve the governance and administration of research ethics across the Ontario college sector. The study findings may inform policy and practice that could enhance the governance and administration of research ethics for the ultimate benefit of enhancing the culture of applied research and innovation, not just at the colleges that participated in this study, but also at other colleges and institutes across Canada and internationally that may face similar challenges.
Evolution and Genetics of Plant Sex Chromosomes
Keywords: evolutionary biology
molecular evolution
population genetics
sex chromosomes

Sex chromosomes have evolved multiple times independently in different lineages and the parallel changes that have occurred during their formation suggest that there are general processes driving their evolution. In this thesis I used a variety of approaches, including genetic crossing experiments, mathematical modeling, and statistical analysis of DNA sequence data to study the evolution and genetics of sex chromosomes, focusing on the recently evolved X and Y chromosomes in the plant Rumex hastatulus. I developed methods to identify sex-linked genes using segregation analysis and transcriptome sequencing, and found that both ancestral and neo-Y chromosomes in R. hastatulus have started to genetically degenerate, causing ∼28% and ∼8% hemizygosity of ancestral and derived X chromosomes, respectively. Genes remaining on Y chromosomes also accumulated more amino acid replacements, contained more unpreferred changes in codon use, and exhibited significantly reduced gene expression compared with their X-linked alleles. This genetic degeneration is consistent with theoretical predictions of reduced Y-linked selection efficacy caused by suppressed recombination. My results indicate that the magnitude of genetic degeneration depends on the time since X-Y recombination became suppressed. I also found that diversity on the Y was 40-fold lower than on the X, and nearly 50-fold lower than on autosomes, indicating that selective interference has played a significant role in reducing nucleotide polymorphism during the early stages of X-Y divergence. I also developed a theoretical model to investigate the interactions between sex chromosomes, haploid-phase selection, and selection on the sex ratio. The model's results indicate that biased sex ratios can be evolutionarily stable when there is a trade-off between Fisherian selection on the sex ratio and selection for purging deleterious mutations in the haploid phase. This finding provides a novel evolutionary explanation for biased sex ratios in dioecious plants, where haploid-phase selection is widespread. In conclusion, my analyses indicate that the evolution of sex chromosomes from autosomes can result in significant changes to effective population size, recombination rate, and patterns of gene expression, all of which have important implications for DNA sequence evolution, including the effectiveness of natural selection, rates of molecular evolution, and patterns of genetic diversity.
Experiential Learning in Undergraduate Pharmacy Curriculum: A Case Study of Co-operative Experience of Pharmacy Students
Keywords: Co-operative Experience
Experiential Learning
Health Professions
Personal Development
Pharmacy
Professional Development

This research study explores the co-operative experience of undergraduate pharmacy students with a focus on its influence on the students’ professional and personal development. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 19 pharmacy students from the first graduating class in this program, 12 co-op employers, and 12 faculty members. The impact of experiential learning on the professional and personal development of undergraduate pharmacy students during their co-op experiences was multi-dimensional. While students believed that they gained self-confidence and achieved self-discovery and career-related discovery after their co-op placements, their professional and personal development could be driven by their own motivation and personality. Co-op employers and the co-op sites did play a role in influencing students’ individual development. Despite the unstructured and inconsistent nature of co-op, it was evident that co-op offered students the opportunity to explore the diversity of the pharmacy profession. Students should take ownership of their learning and faculty should supplement students’ learning by using teaching moments at school to reinforce and re-align the knowledge and skills acquired in the classroom and those gained during real-world practice. Based on my research, I was able to propose a model of co-op experience integrated in the four stages of Kolb’s experiential learning cycle. I concluded that a hybrid of both structured and unstructured experiential learning for pharmacy students might be an ideal curricular model.
Fine-grained Adaptivity for Dynamic On-chip Networks
Keywords: chip multiprocessor
computer architecture
many-core
Network-on-Chip
NoC

A key challenge of building chip multiprocessors (CMPs) is providing an efficient communication infrastructure for their increasing communication demands. Networks-on-Chip (NoCs) offer a scalable, high-bandwidth, low-latency solution to this problem, but unfortunately incur significant area and power overheads. Current NoCs are mostly agnostic to application requirements and hence are statically provisioned for worst-case traffic scenarios, leading to wasted energy and performance. Based on our observations that a static NoC design cannot optimally support the constantly changing communication requirements of modern, multi-threaded applications, this dissertation proposes fine-grained adaptivity for NoCs. Fine-grained adaptive NoCs provide the ability to adjust NoC resources to the dynamically changing communication requirements during runtime. Specifically, we introduce three novel, adaptive NoC designs that each target a particular area of fine-grained adaptivity. Firstly, we focus on dynamically changing bandwidth requirements and propose fine-grained bandwidth adaptivity. Existing NoCs only use 5% of channel resources on average to avoid performance penalties during phases of high utilization. Our architecture uses fine-grained bandwidth-adaptive bidirectional channels and exploits temporal and spatial variations in bandwidth requirements to improve channel utilization. Our second proposed design focuses on variations in communication locality for hierarchical NoCs. Previous hierarchical NoCs support communication locality only for a fixed cluster of nodes; however, providing a fixed hierarchy is too restrictive in terms of parallelism and data placement. Therefore, we propose a new, more flexible class of hierarchical NoCs: Elastic Hierarchical NoCs. Elastic Hierarchical NoCs dynamically adjust the number and size of clusters during runtime according to the system's communication demands. Our third proposed design targets the prediction of fine-grained variations in communication requirements for dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS). Efficient DVFS relies on accurate predictions of future network state. While previous approaches are reactive and based on network-centric metrics, we find that these metrics lead to suboptimal DVFS decisions. Instead, we propose to utilize highly predictable properties of cache-coherence communication to derive more specific and reliable NoC traffic predictions. These three innovative designs advance the state-of-the-art by allowing NoCs to adapt to spatially and temporally changing communication requirements during runtime; thereby significantly improving their performance and energy efficiency.
Weak Value Amplification of a Post-selected Single Photon
Keywords: Cold Atoms
Nonlinear Optics
Quantum Optics
Weak Measurement

Weak value amplification (WVA) is a measurement technique in which the effect of a pre- and post-selected system on a weakly interacting probe is magnified. In this thesis, I present the first experimental observation of WVA of a single photon. We observed that a signal photon - sent through a polarization interferometer and post-selected by photodetection in the almost-dark port - can act like eight photons. The effect of this single photon is measured as a nonlinear phase shift on a separate laser beam. The interaction between the two is mediated by a sample of laser- cooled 85Rb atoms. Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) is used to enhance the nonlinearity and overcome resonant absorption. I believe this work to be the first demonstration of WVA where a deterministic interaction is used to entangle two distinct optical systems. In WVA, the amplification is contingent on discarding a large portion of the original data set. While amplification increases measurement sensitivity, discarding data worsens it. Questioning whether these competing effects conspire to improve or diminish measurement accuracy has resulted recently in controversy. I address this question by calculating the maximum amount of information achievable with the WVA technique. By comparing this information to that achievable by the standard technique, where no post-selection is employed, I show that the WVA technique can be advantageous under a certain class of noise models. Finally, I propose a way to optimally apply the WVA technique.