VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Improving the Estimation of Seasonal Leaf Area Index of Coniferous Forests for Better Carbon and Water Flux Estimation
Keywords: Coniferous forests
Land surface models
Leaf area index
Remote sensing
Surface energy budget

The availability of global products of leaf area index (LAI) using remote sensing (RS) data makes it possible to model land surface processes at regional and global scales. Due to the lack of continuous observations of in-situ LAI, studies on the seasonal variability of RS LAI products are rare in the literature. Moreover, the application of existing global LAI products is largely restricted by the underestimation of winter LAI over high-latitude evergreen coniferous forests. Low winter LAI values, due to the influence of background, the presence of ice and snow on leaves and the seasonal variation of leaf pigments, exaggerate the LAI seasonality, possibly causing errors in land surface modeling. The aim of this thesis is to gain a better understanding of the quality of existing RS LAI products, to improve these products, and to further investigate the influence of the improvements on modeling carbon, water and energy fluxes. Frequent measurements of LAI in all seasons were conducted at two white pine sites near Turkey Point, Ontario, Canada, using direct and indirect methods. The in-situ LAI measurements were then used to validate the University of Toronto RS LAI product Version 2. Results show that RS LAI captures mostly canopy structural information from the onset of needleleaf growth to the seasonal peak, but captures both leaf chlorophyll and structural information from the seasonal peak to the completion of needleleaf fall. This finding has significant implications for the application of current RS LAI products to terrestrial productivity modeling and prompts the need for separating leaf structure and chlorophyll information. A simple scheme for correcting the distorted LAI seasonality of evergreen conifers is proposed in my research, through which an improved LAI product over conifers in Canada has been developed. It is demonstrated that the improved product greatly increases the accuracy of the simulation of land surface carbon, water and energy fluxes in coniferous forests in Canada.
Global Well-Posedness and Scattering of Besov Data for the Energy-Critical Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation
Keywords: evolution equation
nonlinear
PDE
Schroedinger

We examine the Defocusing Energy-Critical Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation in dimension 3. This equation has been studied extensively when the initial data is in the critical homogeneous Sobolev space $\dot{H}^1,$ and a satisfactory theory is given in the work of Colliander, Keel, Staffilani, Takaoka and Tao (2008). \bigskip We extend the analysis of this equation to include infinite energy data $u_0 \in \dot{B}^1_{2,q}$ ($2 \leq q \leq \infty$) that can be decomposed as the sum of a finite energy component in $\dot{H}^1$ and a small part in a Besov space, with the size of the Besov part small enough compared to the size of the energy part. The solution is shown to scatter for initial conditions $u_0 \in \dot{B}^1_{2,q}$, for $2 \leq q
Response Styles in Student Evaluation of Teaching
Keywords: bias
course evaluation
measurement
response styles
student evaluation of teaching
validity

Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) typically refers to the use of summated rating scales to measure teaching quality base on studentsâ report. SET is widely used in post-secondary education institutions for informing teacher professional development, curriculum revision, personnel decisions, and for institutional accountability. The literature on SET validity is abundant but often atheoretical, the evidence inconclusive, and provides scarce attention to content and response process. Specifically, research examining whether students respond independently of content relying on response styles is rare. Types of response styles are acquiescence/disacquiescence (tendency to agree/disagree across items), extreme (tendency to endorse extreme response options across items), and midpoint response styles (tendency to use the midpoint option across items). Evidence of a substantial degree of response style would reduce the validity of SET scores as a measure of teaching quality and their utility for informing formative and summative decisions due to overestimation or underestimation of the actual level of teaching quality and artificial changes in the relationship to other variables. Three topics examined in the study are the degree to which SET scores are affected by response styles, differences in the extent to which SET scores are affected by response styles across measurement conditions, and the degree to which response styles moderate differences in SET scores between female and male teachers. Responses to a SET summated rating scale from N=5,921 education graduate students were analyzed. Student-level indexes of response styles suggest a high degree of acquiescence in the direction of teaching quality overestimation, and no disacquiescence, extreme, or midpoint response styles. A 2 (academic department) x 2 (program type) x 6 (academic session) ANOVAs on response styles indexes suggests no statistically significant differences across measurement conditions. Finally, multiple linear regression analysis indicates a statistically significant moderator effect of acquiescence on the difference in SET scores between female and male teachers. The discussion addresses implications of the findings for developers and users of SET summated rating scales, alternative interpretations of the observed pattern of responses, limitations, and suggestions for future research.
Genetic and environmental influences on neuroanatomy across the lifespan
Keywords: Alzheimer's disease
Environmental Enrichment
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Mouse models
Neuroscience
Rett Syndrome

After centuries of debate, it is acknowledged that the brain is not ﬁxed following development, but is rather a highly dynamic organ that continues to change in structure throughout the lifespan. This neuroanatomical plasticity is driven by the dynamic interplay between genetic and environmental forces that continuously shape the structure of the brain. When these forces are disrupted by genetic mutations or environmental insults, a range of behavioural and neuropsychiatric disorders arise. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the role genes and the environment play in shaping neuroanatomy across the lifespan and in the context of health and disease. In order to understand how these forces inﬂuence neuroanatomy, in-vivo and ex-vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques paired with deformation-based morphometry analytical methods were used to detect volumetric changes in the brain. Mice were used as experimental subjects due to the ability to generate inbred, transgenic animals with a level of control that can be used to speciﬁcally test genetic and environmental variables. Genetic inﬂuences on the brain were studied in the context of two neuropsychiatric disorders, Alzheimer's disease and Rett syndrome. The TgCRND8 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease was scanned longitudinally over the time course of pathological onset using a manganese-enhanced MRI sequence. An additional diﬀusion-weighted sequence was used to gain neuroanatomical images of the developing brain. Mouse models of Rett syndrome were studied using ex-vivo and in-vivo imaging techniques to determine whether neuroanatomical phenotypes that arise early in life could be rescued following the reactivation of Mecp2 in adulthood, the genetic determinant which drives this neurodevelopmental disorder. The eﬀects of the environment on the brain was investigated using in-vivo imaging to track the spatial and temporal changes that occur in the brain following exposure to an enriched housing environment. These studies demonstrate that the structure of the brain is inﬂuenced by genes that play important roles in development and maturation and is highly responsive to environmental challenges in adulthood.
Automation of Single Cell Manipulation for Embryo Biopsy
Keywords: Automation
Blastomere biopsy
Embryo biopsy
In vitro fertilization
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis
Single cell surgery

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) are a host of technologies and procedures related to fertility and reproduction. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), a procedure within ART, is a form of embryo biopsy in which a single cell, called a blastomere, is non-destructively extracted from the embryo for genetic analysis. PGD procedures are currently performed manually with low success rates, potentially caused by operator performance variability and contamination through handling, and are financially, physically, and psychologically taxing for the patient. The automation of PGD can increase the procedure repeatability and hence improve overall success rates. This thesis presents novel methods for the automation of certain PGD embryo biopsy procedures using robotic micromanipulators, computer vision and automation algorithms. This dissertation is separated into three main chapters, each pertaining to the automation of the three main phases of PGD biopsy: The first step in PGD biopsy automation is automated embryo position and orientation control using independently controlled parallel plates. Computer vision algorithms are used for tracking the embryo position and orientation. A novel 3D mapping technique for use with Hoffman modulation contrast microscopy is described and used for ablation zone optimization. Open and closed loop position and orientation control is demonstrated using the parallel plates. The second step of PGD biopsy automation performs a novel two-stage optimization for laser zona drilling to reduce embryo heating. The first stage uses computer vision algorithms to identify embryonic structures and determines the optimal ablation zone farthest away from critical structures such as blastomeres. The second stage combines a genetic optimization algorithm with a thermal model of LZD to optimize the combination of laser pulse locations and pulse durations. The third step of PGD biopsy automation involves blastomere extraction using the displacement method. A process flow for blastomere extraction automation is developed, and implemented using algorithms for non-vision-based feedback micropipette position control, and computer vision algorithms for blastomere extraction event detection and blastomere tracking during retrieval. For each PGD biopsy step, automation experiments were performed on mouse embryos. Successful demonstration of the above methods proves the feasibility of biopsy automation, and presents a step towards fully automated ART.
Doing Uncertain Time: Understanding the Experiences of Punishment in Pre-trial Custody
Keywords: Correctional staff
Courts
Male and female prisoners
Police custody
Pre-trial custody
Remand imprisonment

On any given day in Ontarioâ s provincial prisons, there are more legally innocent people in prison than there are sentenced prisoners. Yet, little is known about the experiences of these prisoners and the challenges they pose for correctional institutions. I seek to fill this gap by drawing on in-depth interviews with 120 pre-trial detainees (60 men and 60 women) and 40 staff at four maximum-security facilities in Ontario. My analysis focuses on the three temporal dimensions distinctive to what is known as pre-trial custody or â remand imprisonmentâ that have been neglected by prior research: experiences of arrest and police custody, making bail and court appearances, and daily life on remand. My findings indicate that this process inflicts a series of state-sanctioned harms on legally innocent prisoners. Much of the harm of this experience can be traced back to the fact that the criminal justice system is ignorant of or unconcerned with the human costs of this process. Police, acting under their authority to arrest, can apprehend and hold an individual, and have no legal obligation to allow a personal phone call so that arrangements about their lives can be made. Court appearances typically require some advance preparation; yet remand prisoners in Ontario must grapple with an outdated phone system that permits collect-calls to landlines but not cellular devices, leaving many unable to contact lawyers or loved ones, and seriously limiting their ability to prepare for court. Daily life in these facilities is characterized by uncertainty for both prisoners and staff, who must grapple with whatever challenges come their way in the form of an unpredictable flow of new admissions. In this thesis, I argue that disruption and uncertainty are unique features of pre-trial imprisonment and I examine the costs of these on the individuals confined to and working inside these facilities.
Weighing In: Psychological outcomes associated with weight changes among women treated for breast cancer
Keywords: body image
breast cancer
obesity
weight
women's health

This mixed-methods program of research consisted of three inter-related studies to examine how changes in weight contribute to womenâ s psychological health in the post-treatment phase of breast cancer. Study 1 employed a qualitative design and purposeful sample of weight-preoccupied women (n = 11), to explore experiences of weight-related changes post-treatment, and examines perceptions of weight throughout the cancer trajectory. In a prospective longitudinal design spanning the first-year post-treatment for breast cancer (n = 173), Study 2 examines how pre-cancer and post-treatment weight patterns impact indices of psychological health (i.e., weight-related guilt, shame, and depressive symptoms). Study 3 utilized a daily diary design of women with comorbid breast cancer and obesity (n = 52) to assess the acute emotional outcomes associated with daily self-weighing in the context of weight management. Collectively, this body of work underscored the distressing nature of both weight changes and weight management efforts, in the context of reducing risk for breast cancer. Women reported experiencing more negative emotional consequences when their weight was higher than usual, both acutely after self-weighing and chronically over time in the first-year post-treatment. It was further suggested that a history of pre-cancer weight cycling served as an additional risk factor predicting worsened psychological experiences after treatment. These findings are important given that the well-documented impact of excess weight and psychological distress on worsened cancer survival. In light of the fundamental challenges of weight management, targeting womenâ s weight-related psychological distress after breast cancer should be a clinical priority. Recent weight-neutral paradigms and compassion-focused approaches may be useful for improving the psychological health and well-being of women across the weight spectrum, and throughout the cancer trajectory.
On the Launching of Optically Thick Outflows from Massive Stars
Keywords: Acoustic waves
hydrodynamics
Massive Stars
Shocks
supernova
Winds

For decades, massive stars have been seen to lose mass at every stage of evolution. In recent years, detections of outbursts and circumstellar relics uncover transient modes emerging moments before the supernova. The goal of this thesis is to bring theoretical attention into how massive stars launch outflows. In this thesis, we study two modes of mass loss seen during rare, but critical, phases of stellar evolution. The first considers dense, steady outflows from Wolf-Rayet stars. The second considers the eruptions and explosions seen from luminous blue variables (LBVs) and Type IIn supernova (SN) progenitors. Outflows from both systems are optically thick but either radiative or adiabatic in nature. Wolf-Rayet winds are driven by strong radiative pressure on metal lines. Suppressing the outflow is shown to drastically alter the stellar structure with peculiar features including an extended radiative cavity encased in a massive shell. We construct outflow models and conclude the galactic WR population does not harbour such structures. We derive a minimum mass loss rate to launch a transonic, optically thick outflow and find the iron opacity bump to be responsible for launching WR winds. LBVs and Type IIn SN progenitors are seen to abruptly expel mass. Observational inferences suggest the rates are both exceptional and unsustainable with durations exceeding the outer envelope dynamical time. Yet, these outflows are occasionally preceded by fast motions indicative of shock acceleration. In this thesis, we explain how waves can be responsible for these dynamics. We derive an analytic solution wave steepening and shock formation for an inhomogeneous medium. The results suggest that any super-Eddington phenomenon driven by waves \textit{must} involve shocks. Shocks form deep in the star where they are initially weak. We show how weak shocks are capable of accelerating to become strong, breakout, and produce fast ejecta using a revived semi-analytical approximation. We discuss how a train of shocks can heat a large volume of the envelope and eject significant mass.
Fatty acid composition in four serum lipid fractions and the pathogenesis of diabetes
Keywords: Beta-cell function
Diabetes
Fatty acid composition
Insulin sensitivity
Longitudinal cohort

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic disease of glucose dysregulation leading to elevated blood glucose. Given that fatty acid and glucose metabolism are tightly entwined and that limited long-term data are available on this relationship, the objective of this thesis is to investigate the longitudinal associations of fatty acids from four lipid fractions on insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function. Data from an observational cohort of adults at risk for T2DM (n=477) was used, where 22 fatty acids in phospholipid, cholesteryl ester, triacylglycerol (TAG), and non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) fractions were quantified. Insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function indices were computed using glucose and insulin obtained from a 75g oral glucose tolerance test. Results from the analyses of these data show that fatty acids have differential associations with the pathogenesis of T2DM, dependent on the lipid fraction and on the species. Fatty acids within either phospholipid or TAG fractions showed varied and strong associations with insulin sensitivity and moderate associations with beta-cell function, while few associations were seen in the cholesteryl ester or NEFA fraction. Some results of particular note: higher phospholipid palmitic acid associated with 6-year declines in beta-cell function; phospholipid and TAG cis-vaccenic acid had consistent and strong beneficial associations with insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function; four TAG fatty acids strongly clustered together and higher levels strongly associated with lower insulin sensitivity, of which these four fatty acids are also indicative of higher de novo lipogenesis; and, higher total NEFA concentration associated with lower beta-cell function, independent of the specific fatty acid composition. These results emphasize that fatty acids have complex and differential associations on glucose metabolism and highlight potential areas of future research, for instance, on the de novo lipogenesis fatty acids or with cis-vaccenic acid, the study of which may lead to better prevention or management strategies for T2DM.
Addressing Complexities in Early Childhood Education and Care: The Relationships among Paradigms, Policies, and Children's Rights to Participate
Keywords: child as an active agent
children as active citizens
early childhood education care
ECE: consulting with young children from 0-8
image of the child
participatory rights of children

This dissertation contributes to the field of Early Childhood Education and Care studies by providing the in-depth theoretical, document, and empirical analyses. The three types of analysis aim to build a case for the practical utilization of the critical paradigm. The critical paradigm is understood as a driving force for early childhood pedagogy which empowers educators, policy-makers, and academic scholars to apply a practical change in the field while acknowledging and sustaining the young childrenâ s right to actively participate in matters related to their education and well-being. In this venue, the thesis provides (i) a thorough and productive analysis of the paradigmatic discussions presently available in the field of early childhood education; (ii) an argument for the practical application of the critical paradigm; (iii) an application of the paradigmatic debates to early childhood curricular and policy documents; (iv) and an empirical evidence from the field which has not been documented before and which gives insights to changes needed in policy directions and the preparation of pre-service early childhood educators.
The Examination of Different Pathways Leading Towards Police Traumatization: Exploring the Role of Moral Injury and Personality in Police Compassion Fatigue
Keywords: compassion fatigue
compassion satisfaction
moral injury
negative personality traits
police
traumatization

Abstract Police officers are mandated to respond to critical incidents, and, as the first responders to arrive at a crime scene, they are often tasked with providing support to traumatized victims of crimes. Compassion fatigue is a type of traumatization (“cost of caring”) experienced by caregiving professionals who work with traumatized populations (Figley, 1995). Conversely, compassion satisfaction refers to the sense of fulfillment that first responders feel from helping those who suffer (Stamm, 2002). The current research project is comprised of three studies. In study 1, researchers recruited a national police sample (n=1,351) from the US and Canada and measured the prevalence rates of compassion fatigue and satisfaction. This study found that authoritarianism was significantly associated with compassion fatigue among study participants. In study 2, the researcher further explored the role of negative personality traits (i.e., dark triad—Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy) in a national sample (n=1,173) of police officers serving with the National Police of Finland. Study 2’s findings were consistent with those of Study 1, showing that negative personality traits were significantly associated with compassion fatigue among police officers. Study 3 built on the main findings of the first two studies, and aimed to identify the different pathways that lead to traumatization by examining moral injury’s role in the process. Moral injury refers to unprecedented traumatic life events, which can be understood as events wherein one perpetrates, fails to prevent, or bears witness to actions that “transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations” (Litz et al., 2009, p.1). Employing moral injury would enable researchers to examine the different mechanisms that lead to traumatization. To this end, study 3 recruited a sample (n=453) comprised of officers from the National Police of Finland, and the results showed that the dark triad of personality traits significantly predicted “self-focused” and “others-focused” moral injury. In addition, “self-focused” moral injury (and not “others-focused” moral injury) significantly predicted compassion fatigue and PTSD symptoms. Furthermore, it was found that “self-focused” moral injury significantly mediated the pathway between the dark triad personality traits and traumatization (compassion fatigue and PTSD symptoms). Clinical implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.