VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Framing the Mental Timeline: Egocentric and Allocentric Contributions to Space-time Compatibility Effects
Keywords: embodied cognition
mental timeline
metaphorical mapping
spatial attention
time-space compatibility

Temporal concepts are often thought to be implicitly associated with a spatial feature- within a spatial frame of reference- described as a mental timeline. Consequently, conceptual processing of temporal cues can modulate spatial responses in a left-to-right representation. However, empirical support for this view is limited to paradigms where attention operates along a strictly dichotomous, viewer-centered frame of reference (e.g., left vs. right). The present thesis investigates the nature of this spatial bias in (a) more complex spatial layouts consisting of more than two possible locations and (b) in frames of reference that are anchored to the stimulus rather than the viewer. Our results reveal that time-based attentional biases are able to extend to stimulus-centered frame of reference, but are mediated by the canonical arrangement of the visual targets. Results are discussed in light of the cognitive flexibility and specificity in the construction of a mental timeline.
Positive and Negative Emotion Vulnerability Following a Positive Mood Induction in the Context of Borderline Personality Disorder
Keywords: Borderline Personality Disorder
Emotion
Emotion Regulation
Emotion Vulnerability
Positive Emotion

Studies to date have demonstrated that greater borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptom severity is related to greater negative emotional experience, and that depression, trait negative affect, and difficulties regulating emotion each play a role in this relationship. Additional research is necessary, however, to determine if positive emotional experience may be similarly affected by BPD features. In the current study, data was collected from 120 undergraduate students pertaining to baseline intensity, reactivity, and post-induction stability for both positive and negative emotion in the context of three discrete positive mood inductions. Measures of BPD and depression symptom severity, trait negative affect, and maladaptive emotion regulation were administered at baseline. It was found that greater BPD symptom severity predicted greater concurrent negative reactivity and less positive emotion decay at 3-minute follow-up. These findings may portend to intervention strategies designed to foster healthier positive emotional experience for those with BPD.
HMGB-1 Release and the CD8+ T Cell Response Elicited by Radiation Treatment in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Keywords: Cancer
Immunology
Immunotherapy
Radiation
Treatment

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a cancer of the pleura that is associated with the inhalation of asbestos. Treatments, such as radiation therapy, have direct cytotoxic effects on cancer cells in addition to immune activating effects through the release of pro-inflammatory molecules associated with cancer cell death. The goal of this project was to investigate the role of High Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB-1), a typical Danger Associated Molecular Pattern (DAMP) protein released after radiation treatment, in CD8+ T Cell mediated tumor killing and in patient survival. Radiated tumor cells release HMGB-1 in vitro. Furthermore, radiation treatment leads to HMGB-1 release and correlates with higher survival in vivo. This thesis demonstrates that radiation leads to HMGB-1 release which is correlated to MPM cell death and increased survival in vivo. The findings of this project could be used to develop new therapies in combination with radiation.
Vitamin B12 and Choline Status in a Cohort of Canadian Pregnant Women and their Newborn Infants
Keywords: choline
fetal genotype
maternal diet
pregnancy
vitamin B12

This study determined maternal and cord blood concentrations of vitamin B12, choline and their metabolites as well as their association with maternal diet and fetal genetic variants. Dietary intakes of vitamin B12 and choline were assessed in 368 Canadian pregnant women. Concentrations of vitamin B12, choline and their metabolites were measured in maternal blood at recruitment and at delivery, and in the cord blood. Fetal DNA was genotyped for twenty genetic variants in vitamin B12 and choline metabolism. Maternal vitamin B12 and choline metabolite concentrations were the strongest predictors of corresponding cord concentrations. Maternal and cord nutrient and metabolite concentrations were not significantly altered by maternal diet or fetal genetic variants. Our data underscore the importance of maternal vitamin B12 and choline concentrations during pregnancy in fetal development as they are the primary predictors of cord blood concentrations of these nutrients.
Impedance Spectroscopy of Single Cells Using Embedded AgPDMS Electrodes
Keywords: Cells
Impedance spectroscopy
Microfluidics

This thesis presents a microfluidic device with wide channels and embedded AgPDMS electrodes for measuring the electrical properties of single cells. The work demonstrates the feasibility of using a large channel design and embedded electrodes for impedance spectroscopy to circumvent issues such as channel clogging and limited device re-usability. AgPDMS electrodes were formed on channel sidewalls for impedance detection and cell characterization. Equivalent circuit models were used to interpret multi-frequency impedance data to quantify the cytoplasm conductivity and specific membrane capacitance of each cell. T24 cells were tested to validate the microfluidic system and modeling results. Comparisons were then made by measuring two leukemia cell lines (AML-2 and HL-60) which were found to have different cytoplasm conductivity values (0.29 ± 0.15 S/m vs. 0.47 ± 0.20 S/m) and specific membrane capacitance values (41 ± 25 mF/m2 vs. 55 ± 26 mF/m2).
Senescent Carcinoma Associated Fibroblasts Up-regulate Interleukin 8 to Enhance Pancreatic Cancer Progression
Keywords: CAF
Fibroblasts
Interleukin 8
Pancreatic cancer
Senescence

Carcinoma associated fibroblasts (CAFs) represent a significant component of pancreatic cancer stroma. Within the stroma exists a subpopulation of CAFs which have ceased proliferation and undergone cellular senescence. These senescent CAFs possess an altered secretory phenotype that can influence cancer progression. Induction of senescence in primary cultured CAFs resulted in up-regulation of interleukin 8 (IL-8). Senescent CAFs increased cancer invasion and metastasis in in vitro and in vivo models. Addition of recombinant IL-8 also enhanced cancer invasion while inhibition of IL-8 receptors mitigated the pro-invasive effects of senescent CAFs. The proportion of senescent fibroblasts in pancreatic cancer tissue correlated with survival in cases without lymph node involvement. Cytokine pathways modulated by senescent fibroblasts are a potential therapeutic target in pancreatic cancer.
Interpolative Hyperbolic Realizable Moment Closures for Non-equilibrium Flows with Heat Transfer
Keywords: Computational fluid dynamics
Kinetic theory
Moment closure
Non-equilibrium gases

The predictive capabilities of a novel, 14-moment, maximum-entropy-based, interpolative closure are explored for multi-dimensional non-equilibrium flows of a monatomic gas with heat transfer. Unlike the maximum-entropy closure on which it is based, the interpolative closure provides closed-form expressions for the closing fluxes while retaining a large region of hyperbolicity. Properties of the moment system are explored via a dispersion analysis and an implicit finite-volume solution procedure is proposed. Multi-dimensional applications of the closure are then examined for several canonical non-equilibrium flow problems in order to provide an assessment of its capabilities. The predictive capabilities of the closure were found to surpass those of the 10-moment Gaussian closure. It was also found to predict interesting non-equilibrium phenomena, such as counter-gradient heat flux. The proposed implicit solver showed improved computational performance compared to the previously studied semi-implicit technique.
Comparing and Contrasting Two Clients in Emotion-focused Therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder across and within Four (4) Dimensions of: Negative Treatment-of-Self, Positive Treatment-of-self, Negative Emotions, and Positive Emotions
Keywords: Case Comparison
Case study
EFT
Emotion Focused Therapy
GAD
Generalized anxiety disorder

The current research paper presents a good-outcome and a poor-outcome case, individuals who were treated with Emotion-Focused Therapy, drawn from the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Pilot study. EFT is an evidence-based treatment for depression, couple distress and trauma and has shown promise for anxiety disorders, interpersonal problems, and eating disorder (Greenberg Watson, 2006; Paivio Nieuwenhivs, 2001; Greenberg Dolhanty, 2009; Mennin, 2004). The purpose of this research study was to track clients’ patterns of emotional change across treatment and within each therapy sessions, and to describe and examine how emotion changes for GAD clients in EFT. Using the individual case comparison methodology (Watson, Goldman, Greenberg, 2007) and implementing Plutchik’s wheel-of-emotion this study tracks the process of change between these two clients, across the four dimension of: Negative treatment-of-self, positive treatment-of-self, negative emotions, and positive emotions. The results represent certain factors that are specific to good and poor outcome clients.
Optimized Decentralized Control of Large Dynamic Structures
Keywords: Large Scale System
Optimization
PID Control
System Control

This thesis has proposed a new optimal decentralized controller design method for solving the tracking and disturbance rejection problems for the class of large scale LTI systems, using only low order decentralized controllers. The objective of the controller is to reject system constant disturbances and track constant reference signals by using an optimal decentralized control procedure. The proposed controller also has the property that if a sensor actuator failure occurs, thereby producing an unstable pole at the origin, that there is time for a repair to be carried out before massive destruction occurs. The proposed optimal controller also has the property that it is strongly robust as compared to the standard centralized LQR-Observer. In particular, the proposed controller can have the property of being some 5 orders of magnitude more robust than the standard LQR-Observer controller.
Investigating βPix as a Novel Upstream Regulator of the Hippo Pathway
Keywords: Arfgef7
Hippo
Lats
Mst
Yap/Taz

The Hippo pathway regulates cell growth and organ size and dysregulation of the pathway leads to cancer. In mammals, the core Hippo pathway consists of Mst/Lats kinases, which phosphorylate and inhibit transcriptional co-activators, Yap and Taz, by promoting cytoplasmic sequestration. Here, we identify the guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF), Arhgef7, or βPix, as a positive Hippo pathway regulator. Upon upstream Hippo signals emanating from cell-cell contact and actin cytoskeletal rearrangements, βPix functions to regulate Yap/Taz localization and activity in a GEF-independent manner. βPix interacts with Yap via the C-terminal KER domain and this physical interaction plays a key role in βPix-mediated Yap/Taz regulation. In normal mammary epithelial cells, Lats kinases are required for βPix function while Mst kinases are not required for Hippo signalling. In breast cancer cells, ectopic expression of βPIX is sufficient to re-couple the Hippo kinase cassette to Yap/Taz, suggesting a possible role as a tumour suppressor.
Network Calculus Analysis of Feedback Systems with Random Service
Keywords: Computer Networks
Feedback Analysis
Network Calculus

Feedback systems are deployed in many network related applications and various analytical approaches have tried to evaluate the performance of these systems. Network calculus is one such approach that uses (min,plus)-algebra for the analysis of networks. Although network calculus has successfully analyzed feedback systems under deterministic assumptions, the analysis of random feedback systems remains an open problem. In this thesis, we use network calculus to extend the deterministic analysis of feedback systems to stochastic settings. We provide statistical service bounds for the service function of a feedback system modelled by a window flow control scheme. We find an exact characterization for the stochastic service of special cases in window flow control and provide the upper and lower bounds for the service function of the feedback system. We also derive backlog bounds based on our analysis and compare these bounds with the simulated experiments.
Attitude Determination and Control Hardware Acceptance Testing for Next Generation Microsatellites
Keywords: Attitude
Control
Microsatellite
Nanosatellite
Satellite
Small

In a spacecraft development cycle, components must undergo a rigorous regime of testing, known as acceptance testing, to ensure that they can operate in the required environment and at the required level before being accepted for spaceflight. This thesis discusses the acceptance testing of attitude determination and control hardware using these procedures for four satellite missions currently under development at the time of writing in the Space Flight Laboratory at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies. Focus is placed on improvements made to the acceptance testing procedures and analysis methods for the hardware. The key contributions of the thesis are improvements to the magnetometer functional test and calibration, rate sensor calibration, sun sensor calibration, and reaction wheel long-form functional test. This work demonstrates that the hardware integrated into the satellites is reliable, improving confidence in mission success, and in some cases could improve the performance of missions on-orbit.
Allocation of Dentists to Canadian Armed Forces Dental Clinics: A Comparison between Two Human Resource Planning Models
Keywords: Canadian Armed Forces
dentistry
human resources
military
personnel
planning models

Objectives: To compare two methods of allocating general dentists to Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) dental detachments: a dentist-to-population ratio model and a needs-based model. Methods: Data obtained from CAF sources were analysed to compare models. Times assigned to treatment plan procedures were used as a proxy for treatment needs. Full-time equivalents (FTEs) were used as an indicator of the number of dentists allocated. Results: Under the current dentist-to-population ratio model, 83.25 FTE general dentists are allocated to CAF detachments compared to 64.71 FTEs that would be allocated using a needs-based model. The average difference between models was 0.71 FTEs. Conclusions: The results should be interpreted with caution since extrapolating treatment needs to the population-level using limited treatment plan data could lead to an over- or underestimation of human resources requirements. If the results are replicated in future research, then changing to a needs-based model may result in cost savings.
The Political Ecology of Indigenous Territorial Struggles in the Darién, Panama: Land Invasions, Partial State Recognition, and Racialized Discrimination in the Emberá-Wounaan Collective Land Struggle
Keywords: Indigenous rights
Land invasions
Political ecology
Resources conflict

By studying the case of land invasions on the Collective Land of Arimae and Emberá Puru, this thesis examines the material and symbolic conflicts underpinning the struggle for the recognition of indigenous collective lands in the Darién province of Panama. Data was collected primarily through semi-structured interviews and participant observation over a three-month period in Arimae in 2014. I argue that land invasions on indigenous territories are facilitated by the State’s ambivalence in the recognition of indigenous territorial rights, by discourses that devalue indigenous cultures and practices, and by the corruption of local State institutions. These elements, coupled with land invasions, promote internal rule violation and leadership cooptation in Arimae, which weaken community governance institutions. Yet, many community members retain a strong desire to fight for a legal recognition of their territory in order to halt land invasions, to protect the forest, and to secure the future of their children.
Mechanisms Underlying the Prosocial Construction Effect: Detail and Self-referential Processing
Keywords: empathy
episodic memory
imagination
memory
prosociality
self-referential processing

There is growing interest in the links between memory and imagination and in their contributions to other cognitive functions. In previous research, imagining oneself helping others increased one’s willingness to help them, and willingness to help correlated with the subjective vividness of imagination (i.e., the prosocial construction effect; PCE). We investigated the degree to which the PCE relies on self-referential processing and on more objectively measured vividness, and the relationship between episodic memory and self-reported trait empathy. We conclude that 1) self-reference is an important but not a necessary component of the PCE; 2) its role may relate to increased feelings of compassion; 3) the PCE is not limited to subjective vividness but can be demonstrated using more objective measures of vividness; and 4) self-reported trait empathy is higher when survey items cue memories of one’s own empathetic behaviour. Implications and avenues for future research are discussed.
Life Cycle Assessment and Environmental Efficiency of Concrete Materials
Keywords: concrete
environmental efficiency
green concrete
life cycle assessment

Many materials have been proposed as ‘green’ alternatives to conventional concrete constituents. A life cycle assessment (LCA) approach is adopted to model the processes included in the life cycle of concrete. Five LCA software packages are evaluated to select a tool for use in this work. The sensitivity of LCA results to the composition of Ontario’s electricity grid is analyzed. Allocation of environmental impact to by-product materials, namely fly ash, is investigated. Six functional units representing various levels of complexity and incorporating strength and durability performance are developed. Finally, a methodology for calculating Environmental Efficiency Indicators (EEIs) for concrete is presented. EEIs are calculated for eight mix designs containing varying amounts of alternative concrete materials. The results show that supplementary cementitious materials and limestone cement improve EEI. The EEI of photocatalytic cement concrete is improved if SCMs are incorporated. Recycled aggregate concrete has a lower EEI compared to conventional concrete.
Heat Transfer Analysis for Preliminary Design of Gas Turbine Combustion Chamber Liners
Keywords: Combustion Chamber
Heat Transfer
Numerical Analysis
Preliminary Design
Radiation
Zonal Method

The objective of this thesis was to assess numerical techniques that can be utilized to predict gas turbine combustion chamber liner temperature in preliminary design. There are three main aspects of liner temperature prediction that were explored: (1) hot gas temperature prediction; (2) radiation modelling; and (3) cooling technology modelling. Reactor networks, zonal method along with simple one/two-dimensional models were picked for the these three factors. Preliminary tests for zonal method very low run time with results showing accurate trends. Reactor Networks provided valid trends for combustor outlet temperatures; further validation would be required to assess its capability to predict local temperature. One/two-dimensional models for cooling technologies were tested potential benefits over empirical correlations were discussed. Additional validation would be required for all the sub modules to be integrated into a larger Preliminary Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (PMDO) tool for gas turbine combustion chambers.
Atomistic Modelling and Prediction of Glass Forming Ability in Bulk Metallic Glasses
Keywords: Glass Forming Ability
Kinetics
Metallic Glass
Molecular Dynamics
Structure
Thermodynamics

Atomistic modeling (via molecular dynamics with EAM interaction potentials) was conducted for the detailed investigation of kinetics, thermodynamics, structure, and bonding in Ni-Al and Cu-Zr metallic glasses. This work correlates GFA with the nature of atomic-level bonding and vibrational properties, with results potentially extensible to the Transition Metal – Transition Metal and Transition Metal – Metalloid alloy classes in general. As a first step in the development of a liquid-only GFA tuning approach, an automated tool has also been created for the broad compositional sampling of liquid and glassy phase properties in multicomponent (binary, ternary, quaternary) alloy systems. Its application to the Cu-Zr alloy system shows promising results, including the successful identification of the two highest GFA compositions, Cu50Zr50 and Cu64Zr36. Combined, the findings of this work highlight the critical importance of incorporating more complex alloy-specific information regarding the nature of bonding and ordering at the atomic level into such an approach.
Experimental Evolution of Pseudomonas syringae pathovar phaseolicola 1448A in the Non-host Plant Arabidopsis thaliana
Keywords: arabidopsis
bacteria
evolution
experimental
Pseudomonas
syringae

Plants use their innate immune system to recognize conserved molecular elicitors of microbes to contain most microbial infections. Successful microbes may evolve to overcome resistance by suppressing the immune system or avoiding recognition. In plant-pathogen systems, microbes that are not able to overcome the innate immune response are said to have non-host interactions. For example, in the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana Col-0 the bacterial phytopathogen Pseudomonas syringae pathovar phaseolicola 1448A (Pph1448A) exhibits a non-host resistance response. Here, an experimental evolution approach was used to track the adaptation of Pph1448A to the non-host Arabidopsis. After 30 serial passages, population whole genome sequencing was used to identify candidate mutations linked with the early stages of Pph1448A’s adaptation to Arabdopsis. With continued passaging, mutations will likely continue to accumulate in Pph1448A that may, in future, be linked with a change in virulence.
Mandibular Growth in Class II Patients with Severe Skeletal Dysplasia, After the Pubertal Growth Peak
Keywords: Class II
growth
mandible
orthodontics

Background. Treatment of Class II malocclusion depends on the etiology and on skeletal maturation. Objectives. To evaluate the extent of mandibular growth in Class II patients with severe skeletal dysplasia, after the pubertal growth peak. Materials and Methods. 27 subjects with Class II malocclusion (13m, 14f; ANB ≥ 6° and unit length difference ≤ 19.5) and 27 Class I controls (matched for age, gender, and skeletal maturation) had lateral cephalograms studied at: (T1) after the pubertal growth spurt (CVM stages 4, 5, or 6) and (T2) minimum 2 years after T1. Results. No statistically significant difference (p=0.5) was seen between mandibular growth in the study group (2.7 ± 2.4 mm) and the control group (2.6 ± 3.2 mm). Age and gender were significant predictors of growth (p