VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Fate and Removal of Triclosan in Open–water Treatment Wetlands
Keywords: Algae
Phototransformation
Triclosan
Wetland

Triclosan is an antimicrobial agent and one of the many emerging contaminants that is frequently detected in the environment. Triclosan is an endocrine disruptor that is able to accumulate in living organisms (i.e., fish, algae, humans). Triclosan can transform into various transformation products that are potentially toxic and can contribute to bacteria resistance against antibiotics. This research aimed at minimizing the accumulation of toxic by–products in open–water treatment wetlands for the safe transformation of triclosan. This work focused on triclosan phototransformation, and algae uptake and transformation. The results showed that the half–life of triclosan was generally shorter in solutions with a high pH (where the pH is greater than triclosan’s pKa at 8.2), and low dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration. However, in treatment wetlands, where the pH is around 7, triclosan phototransformation cannot be maximized unless the DOC is reduced, and the pH is increased. The use of Euglena gracilis strain Z was studied for its potential to (i) provide an additional transformation pathway for triclosan and (ii) naturally increase the pH of the water via photosynthesis. A series of multiple laboratory–scale algae reactors was carried out to investigate triclosan fate in open–water treatment wetlands. The pH of the algae–containing reactors increased during the 25–day experimental period for wetland water, autoclaved wetland water, and growth media. More than 90% triclosan concentration decrease was also observed in the reactors that used continuous (white) light. Data on kinetics, pathway apportionment, and transformation products showed that phototransformation, algae uptake and transformation, microbial transformation, and adsorption (at low pH) all contributed to triclosan elimination in these lab–scale algae reactors. Altogether, these results suggest that triclosan removal can be accomplished with open-water treatment wetlands while minimizing the accumulation of triclosan’s transformation products.
Programming Interval Training to Optimize Endurance Sport Performance
Keywords: endurance performance
endurance sport
interval training
sport science
time-trial

Interval training has become an essential component of endurance training programs because it can facilitate a substantial improvement in endurance sport performance. Interval training involves repeated bouts of high intensity exercise lasting from seconds to minutes in duration. There remains a lack of consensus concerning the optimal method to structure an interval training program. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is to determine the optimal method to program interval training to maximize endurance sport performance. The results of this thesis showed that interval training produced adaptations in the central and peripheral factors that influence maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) that were dependent on the type of interval training. Interval training programs led to improvements in VO2max, maximal aerobic power and time-trial (TT) performance. The responses were highly dependent on individual and training characteristics. Training status was shown to be the primary baseline characteristics that influenced the response to interval training. With respect to programming variables, long duration intervals (4 min to 5 min) performed during high-intensity interval training (HIIT) produced greater improvements in TT performance compared to sprint interval training (SIT). Exercise performed at any intensity within the severe domain led to similar improvements in TT performance. Consistent training for at least 4-weeks was required to see maximal improvements with HIIT. However, the relationship between total work and performance improvements was not present with SIT. Meta-analyses are highly effective tools that can be used to create best practice guidelines for programming interval training.
Low-complexity Forward Error Correction and Modulation for Optical Communication
Keywords: coded modulation
concatenated coding
low-complexity codes
low-density parity-check codes
performance-complexity tradeoffs
rate- and channel-adaptivity

A novel low-complexity architecture for forward error correction (FEC) in optical communication is proposed. The architecture consists of an inner soft-decision low-density parity check (LDPC) code concatenated with an outer hard-decision staircase or zipper code. The inner code is tasked with reducing the bit error probability below the level that allows the outer code to deliver on the stringent output bit error rate required in optical communication. A hardware-friendly quasi-cyclic construction is adopted for the inner codes. The concatenated code is optimized by minimizing the estimated data-flow at the decoder. A method is developed to obtain complexity-optimized inner-code ensembles. A key feature emerging from this optimization is that it pays to leave some inner codeword bits completely uncoded, thereby greatly reducing the decoding complexity. The trade-off between performance and complexity of the designed codes is characterized by a Pareto frontier. In binary modulation, up to 71% reduction in complexity is achieved compared to previously existing designs. Higher-order modulation via multilevel coding (MLC) is compared with bit-interleaved coded modulation (BICM) from a performance-versus-complexity standpoint. In both approaches, complexity-optimized error-reducing LDPC inner codes are designed for concatenation with an outer hard-decision code, for various modulation orders. Code designs for MLC are shown to provide significant advantages relative to designs for BICM over the entire performance-complexity tradeoff space, for a range of modulation orders. Codes designed for MLC can operate with 78% less complexity, or provide up to 1.2 dB coding gain compared to designs for BICM. A multi-rate and channel-adaptive inner-code architecture is also proposed. A tool is developed to optimize low-complexity rate- and channel-configurable concatenated FEC schemes via an MLC architecture. Compared to previously existing FEC schemes, up to 63% reduction in decoding complexity, or up to 0.6 dB coding gain is obtained. Code designs for MLC in combination with four-dimensional signal constellations are also considered. The design method is generalized to obtain complexity-optimized non-binary LDPC codes to concatenate with outer zipper codes. Gains of up to 1 dB over the conventional schemes are reported. The possibility of using a novel class of nonlinear codes in FEC design is also investigated.
Lifetime and Daily Discrimination and Mental Health in Sexual and Gender Diverse Individuals: Examining Risk and Protective Factors
Keywords: attachment
emotion regulation
LGBTQ+
mental health
microaggressions
minority stress

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, queer, two-spirit, intersex, asexual and other sexual and gender diverse (LGBTQ+) individuals are at increased vulnerability to experience negative mental health outcomes compared to their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts. A large body of scholarly literature suggest that stigma (often in the form of discrimination) contributes to stressors that may account for the increased mental health burden in this population. The Psychological mediation framework (PMF) indicates that emotion regulation and social support may be important mechanisms leading from stigma to mental health outcomes. The objectives of the present studies were to evaluate and expand the PMF by testing the effects of stigma on mental health (i.e., affectivity and depression) through emotion regulation and social support, and to examine the moderating effects of several risk factors (i.e., childhood abuse history, attachment insecurity) and protective factors (i.e., self-compassion). Daily diary data was used in Study 1 while Study 2 used cross-sectional baseline data to carry out objectives. In Study 1, participants (n = 84) submitted 592 daily surveys for an average of 7 days, reporting on their discrimination experiences, social support, emotion regulation, daily affect, and several risk and protective factors. Moderated mediation models were examined using multilevel, conditional process modelling. It was found that both within-person and across-persons, daily discrimination was indirectly related to daily negative affectivity, via emotion dysregulation, but not social support. Childhood abuse history and self-compassion moderated the daily discrimination- emotion dysregulation relationship. In Study 2, conditional process modeling was used to test pathways from lifetime LGBTQ+ discrimination to depression via social support and emotion dysregulation, with attachment insecurity as a moderator using cross-sectional data from 117 LGBTQ+ individuals. As expected, lifetime LGBTQ+ discrimination had an indirect effect on depression, via social support, and this effect was moderated by attachment insecurity. Social support had a direct and indirect effect on depression, via emotion dysregulation. Emotion dysregulation and social support are important mechanisms leading from discrimination to mental health in LGBTQ+ individuals, and understanding specific risk and protective factors can help to inform case conceptualization and treatment planning for LGBTQ+ affirmative interventions.
Project-Based Learning: A Case Study of Early Data Analytics Learning in Undergraduate Mathematics
Keywords: Big Data
Data Analytics
Problem-Based Learning (PBL)
Project-Based Learning (PBL)
Undergraduate Math
Undergraduate Research

The overall goal of this study was to examine the design and impact of project-based learning (PBL) for early data analytics learning in undergraduate mathematics at a four-year research university in the United States. I documented the plans, activities and participant feedback gathered as part of the original funded program at the university, and delved further into the archival data to explore the feasibility and impact of introducing data analytics learning early in the undergraduate mathematics curriculum. The relationships between student development of knowledge, ability, and confidence during this PBL-infused program were also examined, and the benefits and challenges from the perspectives of the learner and the teacher were detailed.The study provided a successful example of how a PBL-infused approach could be used to effectively teach data analytics early in the mathematics undergraduate curriculum. The findings suggested that the early introduction to data analytics program resulted in additional learning, research and internship opportunities, and informed students’ undergraduate studies, choice of major, and other life choices such as plans for graduate studies and/or careers. Interactions and collaborations in visualizing problem solving in the context of projects using real-world data afforded the students additional opportunities to network with their peers, faculty, and university, industry, and/or community partners. This created a community of learners with shared goals and achievements. These collaborations and interactions supported students’ development of knowledge and ability, both of which were positively correlated with confidence in this early data analytics experience. This study illuminates the design features of the early data analytics learning and research experience, and offers a refined design framework for PBL-infused data analytics curricula in mathematics. The refined design framework includes: real-world content for greater accessibility, visualization of the problem solving, incorporating interactions and collaborations among all in the community of learners, and the promotion of knowledge, confidence and beliefs in support of lifelong learning. The potential of the case study and the refined framework to transform learning across STEM disciplines bolsters the potential broader impact.
Perceived and Objective Cognitive Impairment in Depression: The Identification, Investigation, and Measurement of Cognitive Impairment Bias
Keywords: cognitive impairment
cognitive impairment bias
depression
functional impairment
neuropsychology
subjective cognitive impairment

A recently introduced construct – Cognitive Impairment Bias (CIB) – suggests that the common, but heterogeneous cognitive impairments reported in patients with depression and/or depressive symptoms may be related to biased perceptions related to one’s cognitive abilities. The current program of research examines CIB in a young adult sample with a range of depressive symptom severity. In the first study, CIB uniquely accounts for variation in depressive symptoms and functioning above and beyond objective measures of cognitive functioning. In the next study, CIB was shown to vary based on depressive symptom severity, distinguishing groups belonging to different depressive symptom severity groups, demonstrating large effects as a standalone distinguishing construct, but also when compared to objective measures of cognitive functioning. Finally, after highlighting that CIB is an important construct associated with depressive symptoms, warranting further exploration, the Cognitive Impairment Bias Scale (CIBS) was developed. Psychometric properties of the initial development of the CIBS are discussed. Collectively, results show that CIB is an important construct to consider for both clinicians and researchers. Future studies should seek additional evidence to support the validity of the CIBS in diverse clinical samples and research settings.
Distributed Leadership in Ontario’s CAAT sector English Department Academic Coordinators
Keywords: Colleges
Distributed Leadership
Hermeneutics
Networking
Ontario

This study uses the theories of distributed leadership (DL) and the lens of hermeneutic interpretation to explore and describe the interactional tasks and functions that English department Academic Coordinators (ACs) across the province of Ontario carry out in their leadership work as an alternative to the traditional administrative systems. Interviews with 15 English department Academic Coordinators at Ontario anglophone colleges in the CAAT (Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology) system provided the key data for the study. Document analysis in the form of organizational charts, union and corporate documents as well as observational journaling were used to provide data to account for the ACs practices. Study findings indicate that CAAT ACs in English departments have a unique and influential role as both teacher leaders and boundary spanners. Participants suggested this was because their role required them to span both the macro-world of the college context as well as the micro-world of their own departments and faculty peers. Results from the data indicate that there are multiple challenges to these interactive and collaborative coordinator interactions. Participants suggested this was caused by clashing with other faculty and administration over their influence and ability to work through change in policy and teaching practice. The theoretical lens of DL helps to illuminate some of these challenges. Throughout the study, participants also described positive aspects of their work that were used in order to maintain connections, establish trust and organize the flow of communications and to attempt to use influence to lead their respective departments and the college staff from the bottom up. Their experiences may provide a descriptive entrance into a conversation about collaborative forms of leadership that are already being used in the CAAT system.
The Ethical Transformative Leadership of Mid-level District Leaders in Ontario Working to Advance Educational Equity
Keywords: district leadership
educational equity
ethical transformative leadership
leadership frameworks
mid-level district leaders
social justice

Today, the advancement of equity dominates the reform and policy agenda of educational jurisdictions around the world. School districts are thus charged with advancing educational equity. In the United States, as in some Canadian provinces, school district staff report to a chief executive officer who is referred to as the “superintendent.” However, in publicly-funded districts in the province of Ontario, with the exception of small districts, groups of “superintendents” report to the director of education who occupies the role of chief executive officer in their district. In Ontario, the term “superintendents” therefore refers to mid-level district leaders. The extant American and Canadian literature and current Ontario professional standards, provincial education policy and leadership frameworks, and professional associations offer little guidance to mid-level district leaders on how to advance equity. In recognizing how educational leaders are struggling to advance equity, Dr. Carolyn Shields (2003, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017) positioned her theory of ethical transformative leadership as being more conducive to the advancement of equity than transformational leadership theory which has dominated the field of educational leadership and educational reform efforts since the 1990s. Shields has conducted two studies of ethical transformative American superintendents working to advance equity, but no research has been conducted to explore the utility of her theory in relation to mid-level district leaders or how they work to advance equity. In response to these gaps in the literature, the purpose of this qualitative project was to study how eleven ethical transformative Ontario superintendents, identified by reputation and drawn across seven districts, work to advance equity by exploring their adherence to Shields’ theory and their praxis. Qualitative interview data suggested that participants adhered to ethical principles and lenses and transformative leadership principles inherent in Shields’ theory. Findings also identified that participants enacted praxis to advance equity in their districts which can be categorized into six areas of practice. This study forms the beginning of a knowledge base on ethical transformative Ontario superintendents and how they work to advance educational equity. It concludes with a discussion of implications and recommendations related to professional standards, policy, practice, theory and research.
Internationalization of Higher Education and Imported Universities in Post-conflict Iraq through a Policy Borrowing Lens
Keywords: American Liberal Arts University Model
Imported Universities
Internationalization of higher education
Iraq
Policy Borrowing
Post-conflict society

The U.S.-led invasion in 2003 has created opportunities for Iraq to reconnect with the international academic community, adopt some internationalization activities and establish American-style universities. Drawing on policy borrowing and educational transfer theory, this study examines how internationalization and the American-style university are rationalized, appropriated, or resisted, by various actors at national, sectoral, and institutional levels. I used a vertical case study research design with interviews as the primary method of data collection. The findings suggest that various stakeholders in Iraqi higher education have rationalized internationalization activities, such as twinning programs and international university partnerships, differently. While the Iraqi government was motivated by an economic rationale to develop urgently needed manpower to participate in the economic and social development of the post-2003 democratic Iraq, the Ministry of Higher Education and some of the universities’ administrators framed the rationales around rebuilding the reputation of higher education institutions. At the institutional level, the rationales centered around finding a better alternative to the local system that seems resistant to change, bringing in financial aid, and the potential for revenue generation. The findings suggest that the primary framing used by various external and internal actors to justify adopting internationalization activities is the conceptualization of Iraq as a cradle of civilization that has collapsed, and desires help from the international community to reform its higher education institutions. The founders’ rationales for establishing American-style universities in post-conflict Iraq include peace and social cohesion, reviving the history of excellence and greatness of Iraq, and revolutionizing public higher education. While the American-style university model promises an environment for cultural tolerance and unity and encourages positive social change, the findings show that the chaotic transition to democracy in Iraq has yet to provide a safe environment for the university to fully realize its social and political agendas. Lack of financial support could make these universities more isolated rather than fully engaged in shaping Iraq’s new society. In the conclusion, I critique internationalization that occurs without regard for Iraq's specific contextual factors and suggests the establishment of a policy sector that could guide educational change for Iraq.
Rocks Will Melt With the Sun: Higher Education, National Identity and the Independence Debate in Scotland
Keywords: Higher Education
Independence Referendum
Nationalism
Scotland
Social Policy
Tuition fees

Higher education has become connected to the political debate around independence in Scotland, playing a significant role in both regular elections for the Scottish Parliament and in the debate around the 2014 Independence Referendum. Using the nationalism-social policy nexus as a framework for analysis, this thesis explores how contemporary higher education policy has been deliberately connected to a historical conception of a distinct tradition of higher education in Scotland to position nationalist political actors as the protectors of Scotland’s political values and identity, and independence as the only way to ensure the continuity of these values in the face of England’s differing approach to higher education and social service provision. Using document review, a content analysis, key informant interviews and several international comparative case studies, this dissertation validates the existence of a belief in a distinct Scottish tradition, and how appeals to that tradition can be motivating in certain political contexts, such as normal parliamentary elections. It also find that the nationalism-social policy nexus helps explain both the sharp policy divergence, particularly on tuition fees, between Scotland and the United Kingdom, and why higher education came to play a role in the 2014 Independence debate. Interestingly, higher education was deployed by both the “Yes” and “No” campaigns to support their respective arguments. This fact enriches our understanding of the nexus, in that it is effective in explaining why a nationalist sub-state government may make certain policy choices, but is unable to predict whether these choices become politically motivating for voters. The dissertation furthers our understanding of the relationship between higher education and the state, notably how political forces such as sub-state nationalism drive policymaking in postsecondary education systems. State power is often theorized as unitary, where one central political authority exerts influence on higher education institutions to further specific nation-building or ideological goals. The case of Scotland suggests that higher education policy is not only driven by what is useful to the state, but also by those who seek to re-negotiate or dismantle it.