VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Creating Inclusive Schools for LGBTQ Populations - A Study Exploring Strategies School Leaders Employ for LGBTQ Inclusion
Keywords: inclusive leadership
inclusive schools for LGBTQ
LGBTQ inclusive curriculum
LGBTQ professional learning
safe and caring schools for LGBTQ persons

The purpose of this study is to explore specific strategies that inclusive-minded elementary principals use to create more inclusive school environments for LGBTQ populations, which continue to be underrepresented in different facets of school community life. Qualitative interview data was collected across different school districts from thirteen elementary principals who actively promote the inclusion of LGBTQ populations in Ontario schools. The data suggests that, despite the number of barriers that principals face in their efforts to create more inclusive school environments for LGBTQ populations, school leaders employ many strategies to strategically and intentionally facilitate school environments that are welcoming, respectful, and inclusive for individuals who identify as LGBTQ. The findings of this research have implications for the urgency for this work as well as the possibilities to realize school communities which are inclusive of LGBTQ communities. The findings also have implications for professional learning for leaders in the area of inclusion and social justice. In addition, supports and appropriate resources that are needed to enhance the work of LGBTQ inclusion in schools are highlighted.
Financial Intermediaries, Regulation, and Macroeconomic Stability
Keywords: Financial stability
Macroeconomics
Macroprudential policy
Monetary policy

A growing share of financial transactions takes place outside the scope of financial regulation. The mortgage market is a specific example of this phenomenon. Some mortgage lenders do not face the same level of scrutiny as chartered banks or credit unions. These non-regulated financial intermediaries do not have to maintain a minimum level of bank capital (or equity) and cannot accept deposits. To finance their lending, they rely on other sources of funds such as securitization. In this thesis, I examine the impact of non-regulated mortgage lenders on the macroeconomy. In the first chapter, I present evidence on rates in the Canadian mortgage market where traditional lenders facing a minimum capital requirement compete against non-regulated financial intermediaries. My results show that non-regulated lenders offer lower mortgage rates. Differences in the type of household they serve could explain this observation. In Chapter 2, I build a dynamic and stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model to examine the impact of non-regulated financial intermediaries on the economy. My model features two types of financial intermediaries that differ in three ways: (i-) only the regulated sector faces a capital requirement, (ii-) the non-regulated sector cannot accept deposits, and (iii-) the non-regulated sector faces a more elastic demand. I also analyze the effectiveness of three regulatory tools aimed at improving macroeconomic and financial stability (often referred to as macroprudential tools). The simulations show that a larger non-regulated sector contributes to stabilizing the economy and has a non-trivial impact on the effectiveness of different macroprudential tools. Finally, in Chapter 3, I examine the impact of non-regulated financial intermediaries on optimal monetary policy. Mortgage rates are traditionally an important channel for the transmission of monetary policy and the expansion of non-regulated lenders could interfere with this mechanism. My results suggest that a trade-off exists between minimizing the volatility of output and inflation and implementing a monetary policy rule that is robust to the growth of the non-regulated sector.
Feed-Forward Regulation of Self-Selected Exercise Intensity in Response to Different Rates of Arterial Deoxygenation
Keywords: Arterial oxygen saturation
Constant RPE exercise
Feed-forward homeostatic control
Hypoxia
Rate of physiological strain development
Sequential gas delivery

Background: Arterial desaturation impairs exercise performance in a dose dependent manner. However, new theories of exercise-induced fatigue suggest that increasing rates of arterial deoxygenation augment the fatigue response during exercise. Purpose: To clarify if self-selected exercise intensity, while exercising at a constant Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE), is sensitive to alterations in the absolute arterial saturation (SPO2) and/or the rate of change in SPO2. Methods: Subjects performed constant RPE exercise for 30 min. They were instructed to adjust their exercise intensity during the trial to maintain their RPE at 5 on Borg’s 10-point scale. Subjects engaged in continuous, bilateral, isokinetic cycling (Study 2) and intermittent, unilateral, isometric knee-extension (Study 3). The fraction of inspired oxygen (FIO2) was reduced to desaturate arterial blood from starting values (>98 %) to 70 %. This desaturation occurred linearly over three target time periods (FAST, 5 min; MED, 15 min; SLOW, 25 min). Results: The rate of arterial desaturation was significantly different between each of the three conditions in both studies. During cycling exercise (Study 2), power output (PO) (FAST = 2.8 ± 2.1 W•% SPO2-1; MED = 2.5 ± 1.8 W•% SPO2-1; SLOW = 1.8 ± 1.6 W•% SPO2-1; P
The Effect of Reversibility and High Pressure on Soot Formation
Keywords: Aerosol Dynamics
Combustion
Computational Fluid Dynamics
Pollution
Soot

Reducing soot emissions from combustion processes is important due to the negative health and environmental effects of atmospheric soot. In order to achieve this goal, there has to be a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms of soot formation to allow for the determination of economically viable methods of reducing these emissions. Due to the highly complex nature of soot formation, detailed numerical models are employed to gain fundamental understanding of the factors that affect each mechanism of soot evolution. Since most practical combustion devices operate at elevated pressures, it is important to understand the effect of pressure on soot formation. The overall goal of this thesis is to improve the currently employed models by replacing tunable constants with fundamental physics, with secondary goals of applying the model to high pressure conditions. This thesis is divided into four research studies. The first is a detailed description and validation of the numerical code utilized to simulate soot formation, denoted as the CoFlame code. The second study develops a novel model for two key soot formation processes, which are the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) nucleation and condensation processes. The novel reversible PAH clustering (RPC) model is shown to be superior to previous models. The third study enhances the RPC model to include nucleation and condensation events from a wide range of PAHs. It is shown that smaller PAHs contribute the most to the nucleation process, while all PAHs contribute to the condensation process. The fourth and final study applies the CoFlame code to high pressure flames and determines that shear between the air and fuel streams is responsible for the formation of recirculation zones at elevated pressures and complete conversion of fuel to soot.
Development of an Automated Gait Analysis Tool
Keywords: Artificial intelligence
Classification
Gait Analysis
Kinect sensor
Older Adults
Smart home

Gait analysis involves the measurement of quantities that characterize human locomotion. This type of analysis helps clinicians detect gait disorder and therefore implement therapeutic interventions. However, clinicians have been faced with numerous difficulties such as high dimensionality and nonlinear time dependencies among measured gait parameters. Moreover, the existing analysis of gait is compounded by long recording times in gait laboratories and delayed diagnosis of disorder. An effective analysis of gait could be facilitated if technology enabled frequent assessment in the home or in any clinic, i.e., without the need to visit a specialized gait clinic. The major goal of this thesis is therefore to investigate the use of easy-to-use sensing devices for home use, as well as novel algorithms capable of processing sensed data, e.g., machine learning methods to automatically analyze gait data. This thesis consists of four different studies toward addressing our major goal. In the first study, we examined the applicability of the Microsoft Kinect sensor as an affordable, portable and easy to use sensing technology for long-term monitoring of mobility after an orthopaedic surgical procedure. This study provided reasonable outcomes that confirmed using a single Kinect sensor for a gait and movement analysis. In the second study, we investigated the validity and reliability of the Kinect sensor for spatiotemporal gait analysis in clinical settings. The results presented in this study indicated that the Kinect sensor along with its tracking algorithm and our custom made algorithms provide excellent validity when compared to gait measures obtained from a pressure mat. In the third study, we explored the use of an unsupervised machine learning technique to separate individuals with gait disorder into homogenous groups based on selected spatiotemporal gait measures. Unsupervised learning methods for gait analysis have been shown to be very successful in (1) grouping the gait patterns with similar characteristics, and (2) generating a composite measure indicative of overall gait performance and sensitive to improvement or deterioration and rehabilitation over time. In the last study, we demonstrated the integration of an affordable and unobtrusive sensing technology and a machine learning approach (automated gait system) to distinguish pathological gait from healthy individuals. This study establishes the successful deployment of an automated gait system in a hospital clinic and during routine exams to (1) detect pathological gait pattern, and (2) identify which body part is mostly affected by this pathology. Together, the findings of this thesis improve the existing gait analysis tool to be more cost-effective and efficient in monitoring and diagnosing of pathological gait.
The Preparation, Experiences and Challenges of Novice Principals in Ontario's Small Rural Schools
Keywords: Leadership
Principal
Rural

The unique characteristics of the rural setting, which includes isolation, smaller than average schools, a strong sense of community, uniformity of often limited employment, and lack of community resources, create additional challenges for a novice principal. The new principal, who is often from outside the community, faces a daunting task as they move into their first principalship. They must navigate the micro-politics of their new school â leading staff members who have often been at the school for years, even decades. They must recognize how and when to push their staff for improvement, while simultaneously ensure they develop a collaborative culture. They must balance the board and provincial mandate while still meeting the expectations of the community. The novice rural principal must also cultivate positive relationships with the parents and the community. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the preparation and experiences of novice rural principals in Ontario. The eleven participants were drawn from eight district school boards and represent Ontarioâ s diverse rural schools. Their responses demonstrated that principals felt prepared for their new role in large part because of the experiential learning they had prior to assuming the principalship. Some of the challenges identified in other jurisdictions including work-life balance, isolation, legacy of the predecessor, extra demands of rural communities and supervision of staff were also experienced here in Ontario. There were three new themes that emerged from this study. The first was the important role that school superintendents played in the socialization of novice rural principals into their new role as well as the important support the superintendent did or did not provide. The effect that rapid principal turnover had was also discussed in this study. Finally, many rural boards are recruiting principals from outside their own cadre of leaders, which impacted the novice rural principal as they transitioned not only into their new school but also their new board. This qualitative study contributes to the Canadian literature on rural school leadership and novice principals. It concludes with recommendation for both practice and future research.
Understanding the Language Bases of Poor Reading Comprehension in English and French
Keywords: bilingualism
French immersion
oral language
poor comprehenders
reading comprehension
reading disabilities

This dissertation is comprised of three studies that investigate characteristics of reading comprehension difficulties among children who receive school instruction in a second language (L2) in Canadian French immersion programs. The first study examines the overlap and stability of poor reading comprehension in English and French for a group of 8-year-old children enrolled in early French immersion programs. The primary aim of this study was to determine the extent to which those identified as having poor reading comprehension in English also demonstrate poor reading comprehension in French. Poor comprehenders of English and French, of English-only, and of French-only were compared on English and French vocabulary measures, concurrently and retrospectively. Children who were poor comprehenders in English and French scored significantly lower on English vocabulary at ages 6 and 8 compared to poor comprehenders in French-only. Lower scores on French vocabulary at age 8 distinguished poor comprehenders in French-only from poor comprehenders in English-only. The second study supplements the above findings through a retrospective case study that examines the early development of English and French decoding and vocabulary skills for a poor and average comprehender in French immersion. The findings suggest that relative to average comprehenders (who demonstrate average decoding and vocabulary combined with average reading comprehension) poor comprehenders show early and persistent difficulties with English and French vocabulary despite average decoding ability in both languages. Finally, the third study explores similarities and differences in components of English and French language comprehension among 10- to 11-year-old English-French bilingual children in French immersion and English monolingual children in mainstream programs. Three groups of comprehenders matched on age, nonverbal reasoning, English word reading accuracy and fluency were identified in each program: poor, average, and good. The three groups differed in English vocabulary, morphological awareness, and inference in both bilingual and monolingual groups, with poor comprehenders performing significantly lower than good comprehenders on these tasks. English inference also distinguished between poor and average comprehenders. Similar results were found in French for the bilingual group. French vocabulary and morphological awareness distinguished between poor and good comprehenders, and French semantics and inference distinguished between poor and good comprehenders and poor and average comprehenders. Together, these studies suggest that poor comprehenders experience similar and persistent difficulties with components of language in both L1 and L2.
Exploring the Backgrounds, Visions, and Practices of Six Literacy Teacher Educators with a Critical Stance
Keywords: Critical Literacy
Literacy Teacher Educators
Teacher Education

This study investigated the backgrounds, visions, practices, and pedagogies of six literacy teacher educators with a critical stance. In this qualitative research study, three semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant over a three-year period. Several significant findings emerged from this research study. First, the early life experiences of the literacy teacher educators significantly affected them, and as a result, directly influenced their stance as literacy teacher educators. Their early schooling experiences, which revealed to them how intertwined socio-political issues were in the roles of teaching and learning, influenced their practice as literacy teacher educators. Second, the literacy teacher educators with a critical stance held broad and expansive definitions of literacy. These definitions transcended traditional notions of literacy such as literacy as a set of autonomous skills (e.g., reading, writing) to include expansive notions of literacy including out of school literacy practices such as home literacies and community literacies. The literacy teacher educators modeled valuing expansive conceptions of literacy by including a wide range of texts in their courses, including: videos, blogs, spoken word, spaces (e.g., transit), and childrenâ s and young adolescent literature. Third, exploring issues of equity in a deliberate manner was a strategy to help student teachers appreciate the complexity of education and arrive at the understanding that literacy and schooling are not neutral practices. Implications for literacy teacher education courses include incorporating a range of texts and genres, which model expansive understandings of literacy, while modeling for student teachers how to effectively integrate them into literacy teaching. Implications for pre-service teacher education programs include building partnerships in the community including both traditional (e.g., schools) and non-traditional (e.g., community centres) learning spaces. Implications for future research include exploring how literacy teacher educators use the affordance of digital technologies to enact a critical stance in their teacher education courses.
Mental Health in the Workplace: Unions' Role in Identifying and Combating Psychosocial Hazards
Keywords: health and safety
psychosocial hazards
return to work
unions

The world of paid work has shifted extraordinarily in the last several decades. Globalization, technology, lean production, the intensification of work, mergers and reorganizations and precarious work have all meant a toughening of the conditions for workers. Unions organize in these conditions, confronting issues of concern to workers. Very little has been written about the role unions play in trying to protect the psychological health of their members. The major question of this thesis is whether unions are identifying and combating psychosocial hazards in the workplace. The thesis adds to knowledge on this subject by analyzing two data sets. First I conduct an analysis of grey literature on the Internet about psychological health and safety concerns. Second, I explore a series of questions with union health and safety experts representing every major Canadian union from each sector of the economy. The questions probe how unions are dealing with psychosocial risks in the workplace, how unions are organizing resistance and building solidarity. My inquiry also explores the issue of how unions deal with return-to-work for workers who have been absent for mental health reasons. I am not a neutral observer: I write from the standpoint of workers. My work has a practical utility to the degree that it can be directly applied to these real life problems facing health and safety practitioners. It attempts to theorize that which these union specialists should do. It also tries to anticipate some practical problems they may need to solve in future as a result of current health and safety practices. I observe real life phenomena and develop theory around them. One of these is that unions resist employer restraints and power and in so doing bump up against managementsâ right to control production and dictate work organization. In this thesis, I show the fledgling ways in which unions are challenging managementsâ typical rights in the interests of better working conditions. I give evidence of three promising practices that unions are adopting and propose that these may be adapted further for initiatives in other sectors. I argue that workersâ psychological health is one potential winner of these strategies. I also propose that union representatives be educated to deal more empathically with members that are absent for reasons of psychological ill health, in advocating for them when they return and by building solidarity among co-workers.
Motivational Deficits in Schizophrenia
Keywords: Apathy
Cognition
Motivation
Outcome
Psychosis
Schizophrenia

Reductions in drive and goal-directed behaviour have long been described as key features of schizophrenia. This thesis contains several investigations into the motivational deficits present in people with schizophrenia. Despite not being required for the diagnosis, motivational deficits were found to be a highly prevalent feature of the disease, even among younger patients who were relatively early in their course of illness. Using cross-sectional and longitudinal follow-up study designs, and across two studies with different participants, motivational deficits were found to hold strong predictive value for the determination of functional outcomes. After establishing the importance of motivational deficits in terms of outcomes, underlying behavioural mechanisms were explored using experimental paradigms. Several candidate reward processes were examined concurrently, including valuation of outcomes, estimation of the costs associated with obtaining outcomes, and learning the association between actions and outcomes. Our results provide support for the proposal that individuals with schizophrenia have impairments in their ability to compute effort demands, and that these impairments translate into real-world reductions in goal-directed behaviour. Beyond mechanisms, this thesis also examined the inter-relationship between motivational deficits and another key domain of psychopathology in schizophrenia, namely, cognition. Although these two domains are thought of as distinct, two studies included in this thesis provide empirical evidence of an association, which is interpreted within a theoretical framework whereby poor motivation translates into reduced effort put forth during cognitive testing, which ultimately results in poorer submaximal test performance. Finally, the last study included in this thesis addresses the issue of treatment-induced symptoms. This study failed to find support for the contention that treatment with antipsychotic medications necessarily worsens the severity of motivational deficits in schizophrenia. Taken together, these investigations highlight the importance of motivational deficits in schizophrenia, and lay the foundation for a mechanistic understanding of these impairments.