VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The Relationship between Nurse Staffing and Patient Satisfaction in Emergency Departments
Keywords: Nurse Staffing
Patient Satisfaction
Emergency Departments

Patient satisfaction is a key outcome measure being examined by researchers exploring the relationships between patient outcomes and hospital structure and care processes. Only a few non-generalizable studies, however, have explored the relationship of nurse staffing and patient satisfaction with nursing care in emergency departments of hospitals. This dissertation aims to address that gap. Using more than 182,000 patient satisfaction surveys collected over a five-year period from 153 emergency departments (EDs) in 107 hospitals throughout Ontario, this study explores the relationship between nurse staffing and patient perceptions of nursing care in a range of Canadian ED settings, including urban and rural, community and academic, and small and large healthcare institutions with varying sizes and case mix. Using an established conceptual framework for investigating the relationship between nurse staffing and patient outcomes, nineteen nurse staffing variables were initially investigated. Ultimately, however, only five staffing variables were used in the multi-level regression analyzes. These five variables included registered nurse (RN) proportion, RN agency proportion, percent full-time nurse worked hours, RN worked hours per patient length of stay and registered practical nurse (RPN) worked hours per length of stay. Emergency department case mix index, patient age and gender, hospital peer group, size, wait times, cleanliness of the emergency department, physician courtesy, and year of measurement were controlled to account for their effect on the relationship between nursing staffing and patient satisfaction in the ED. The study revealed a subset of six patient satisfaction variables representing the overall variation in patient satisfaction with nursing care in the ED. Although RN proportion and RPN worked hours per length of stay were found to have a statistical association with patient satisfaction in the ED, the association was weak and not administratively actionable. Interpersonal and environmental factors such as physician and nurse courtesy, ED cleanliness and timeliness, however, were areas which hospital administrators should consider since they were highly associated with patient satisfaction in EDs.
The Role of Zfhx1b in Mouse Neural Stem Cell Development
Keywords: mouse
embryonic stem cells
neural stem cells
Zfhx1b/SIP1
FGF
Wnt

Construction of the vertebrate nervous system begins with the decision of a group of ectoderm cells to take on a neural fate. Studies using Xenopus ectodermal explants, or with mouse ectoderm cells or embryonic stem (ES) cells, demonstrated that this process of neural determination occurred by default – the ectoderm cells became neural after the removal of inhibitory signals. Whether ectoderm or ES cells directly differentiate into bona fide neural stem cells is not clear. One model suggests that there is an intermediate stage where “primitive” neural stem cells (pNSC) emerge harbouring properties of both ES cells and neural stem cells. The goal of my research was to address this question by evaluating the role of growth factor signaling pathways and their impact on the function of the zinc-finger homeobox transcription factor, Zfhx1b, during mouse neural stem cell development. I tested whether FGF and Wnt signaling pathways could regulate Zfhx1b expression to control early neural stem cell development. Inhibition of FGF signaling at a time when the ectoderm is acquiring a neural fate resulted in the accumulation of too many pNSCs, at the expense of the definitive neural stem cells. Interestingly, over-expression of Zfhx1b was sufficient to rescue the transition from a pNSC to definitive NSC. These data suggested that definitive NSC fate specification in the mouse ectoderm was facilitated by FGF activation of Zfhx1b, whereas canonical Wnt signaling repressed Zfhx1b expression. Next I sought to determine whether Zfhx1b was similarly required during neural lineage development in ES cells. FGF and Wnt signaling modulated expression of Zfhx1b in ES cell cultures in manner resembling my observations from similar experiments using mouse ectoderm. Knockdown of Zfhx1b in ES cells using siRNA did not affect the initial transition of ES cells to pNSC fate, but did limit the ability of these neural cells to further develop into definitive NSCs. Thus, my findings using ES cells were congruent with evidence from mouse embryos and supported a model whereby intercellular signaling induced Zfhx1b, required for the development of definitive NSCs, subsequent to an initial neural specification event that was independent of this pathway.
I Could have been a Contender: A Semiotic Analysis of Representative Films on Italians Outside Italy
Keywords: Cinema
Italian outside Italy

This thesis offers an in-depth analysis of five films (Pane e cioccolata, Queen of Hearts, L’Emmerdeur, Mediterraneo sempre, Raging Bull) which deal with the Italian reality outside of Italy. The segment-by-segment study of these works reveals overlapping themes that define parameters that can be used to define a deterritorialized culture which the author of this study names the Italic culture. The analytical system produced can help scholars and students to understand what constitutes the filmic narrative of ethnic films. The title of the thesis derives from a monologue spoken by Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull by Martin Scorsese, which is a paraphrase of another monologue said by Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront by Elia Kazan. Though the words of the speeches are similar, their meaning is different. What for Malloy was a need for success becomes for LaMotta a criticism of this success. Presented at once as a study of forms and a survey of cultural connotations, this investigation proposes a journey into the representative world created by immigrants and children of immigrants who, by refusing to disappear into sameness, question what it means to be Italian in the world today.
Regulation of B Lymphopoiesis: The Role of IL-7, SOCS-1, Heparan Sulfate and CD19 in Mediating B Cell Development
Keywords: B Cell Development

B lymphopoiesis is regulated by cytokines, chemokines and cell surface proteins that initiate signal transduction pathways necessary for maturation to proceed. Many of these factors are expressed by cells in the surrounding bone marrow (BM) microenvironment, which also form the niches that support development. Interleukin-7 (IL-7) is an essential cytokine for progenitor B cells and is important in providing survival, proliferation and maturation signals. By growing BM B cells for extended periods of time in vitro with IL-7 it is possible to select for cells that possess the ability to grow indefinitely, and these cultures can be used to generate cell lines. Data presented herein describe the generation and characterization of IL-7-dependent B cell lines as well as their utility in investigating aspects of B cell development. As B cells mature they lose responsiveness to IL-7, yet retain IL-7 receptor expression. I demonstrate that a B cell’s ability to respond to IL-7 is controlled by the expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins, which are regulated by a variety of signaling pathways including those initiated by IL-7. Development of progenitor B cells to mature immunoglobulin secreting B cells is mediated in part by surface proteins present on stromal cells as well as on B cells themselves. Heparan sulfate and CD19 play important roles in regulating this transition and I provide data that demonstrates how their ability to regulate Erk activation downstream of the pre-B cell receptor (pre-BCR) alters the proliferation and maturation of developing B cells.
Expressive Motion Editing Using Motion Extrema
Keywords: Motion Editing
Animation

When animating characters, a key goal is the creation of a believable, expressive performance that gives a character a unique personality with a distinct style of movement. While animators are skilled at creating expressive, personalized performances, it remains challenging to change performance-related aspects of movement in existing motion data. In recent years, motion data reuse has become increasingly important as recorded motion capture data has come into widespread use. This thesis investigates the use of a sparse set of pose-centric editing controls for editing existing motion data using techniques similar to those used by keyframe animators when they create new motion. To do this, this thesis proposes the use of motion extrema--the poses a character passes through when there is a significant change in movement--as a means for choosing effective pose-centric editing controls. First, I present algorithms for identifying motion extrema. Motion extrema can be associated with individual joints or the full body of the character. I introduce a set of approaches for identifying motion extrema; these include the use of extrema of differential measures and the explicit search for times at which the body or a joint is in a spatially extreme configuration. I then present three motion editing applications that use motion extrema as a foundation for applying motion edits. The first application, pose-centric editing, allows users to interactively change poses in a motion, and the system modifies the motion to respect existing ground contact. The second application--staggered poses, introduces a model of character pose that explicitly encodes how timing varies among motion extrema on different parts of the body. This timing variation is commonly used by animators to model overlapping action. By introducing an algorithm for finding timing variation on motion extrema in existing motion, this system enables users to make high-level changes to timing patterns to change overlap effects in existing motion. Finally, I present a procedural motion editing application that targets a specific aspect of motion style; this technique is called spatial exaggeration. Spatial exaggeration changes the geometric relationships among extreme poses. Such edits cause movement to appear more or less energetic. Overall, these applications demonstrate that performance-related aspects of existing motion can be edited using a sparse set of controls in the form of motion extrema.
Knowledge Mobilization Intermediaries in Education: A Cross-case Analysis of 44 Canadian Organizations
Keywords: knowledge mobilization
research use
K-12 education
intermediaries
research mediation
knowledge brokers
research brokering

The term ‘knowledge mobilization intermediary’ (KMI) is used to describe third party organizations whose role between research producers and users is a catalyst for knowledge mobilization (KM) - targeted, systematic efforts to increase connections between research, policy and practice in public services. This study analyzes 44 Canadian KMIs in education exploring types (governmental, not-for-profit, for profit, and membership), organizational features (mission, scope, target audience, size, resources, membership composition) and processes (message, strategies, functions, dissemination mechanisms). This study maps the landscape of research mediation in education and reports on these findings using a multiple-paper format. The introductory chapter sets the stage for the papers by providing the background of the study and introducing the concept of knowledge mobilization. The first conceptual paper provides a typology of KMIs and a framework of knowledge brokering characteristics with seven elements (mission, resources, staff roles, political affiliation, autonomy, message, and linkages). The second paper reports on an approach to measuring and comparing KM efforts of diverse organizations using a common matrix of elements arising from the research utilization literature: KM strategies (products, events and networks) and KM indicators as they relate to strategies (different types, ease of use, accessibility, focus of audience and so on). The third paper outlines what KMIs exist in Canada, their organizational features, and reports on their activities, ultimately providing a typology of brokering strategies utilized in research mediation and a framework of eight major brokering functions used to increase research use and its impact: awareness, accessibility, engagement, capacity building, implementation support, facilitating linkages and partnerships, policy influence and organizational development. The fourth paper presents empirical findings of online practices of KMIs such as blogging and microblogging, social networking, social bookmarking, multimedia, share buttons on websites, and RSS feeds. Overall, use of social media is not pervasive and, when it is used, the content is often not research-based. The concluding chapter synthesizes the findings in relation to each research question, summarizes the implications arising from each paper, and makes recommendations for research producers, users and intermediaries across public service sectors.
The Role of Low Temperatures in Determining the Northern Range Limit of Kudzu (Pueraria montana var lobata), an Invasive Vine in North America
Keywords: climate change
physiological ecology
invasive species
range limits
freezing tolerance
chilling temperatures
gas exchange
temperature response

Invasive non-indigenous species are among the principle drivers of global change, altering nutrient cycles, changing disturbance regimes, and generally threatening biodiversity. Climate change is widely expected to exacerbate invasions by relaxing abiotic barriers, such as low temperature, but the mechanistic evidence supporting this is limited. Here, I evaluate the hypothesis that low temperatures determine the northern range limit of kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata), an invasive Asiatic vine in North America, by assessing freezing and chilling tolerance of kudzu plants in winter, spring, summer, and fall. Kudzu was widely planted throughout the southeastern U.S. in the early 20th Century to prevent erosion. It is winter-deciduous and reproduces primarily from buds on stem nodes. In the last 40 years, kudzu has migrated northward in concert with a northward shift in the -20oC minimum winter temperature isocline, indicating that less severe winter cold is permitting northward migration. Freezing mortality during winter does not explain this correlation. Electrolyte leakage assays demonstrate that above- and belowground kudzu stems can survive to -27oC and -17oC. Insulation provided by soil and snow protects belowground stems from lethal temperatures to well north of kudzu's current range limit. Severe spring chill stops growth and photosynthesis and causes some shoot mortality, but both growth and photosynthesis recover quickly following the chill. Summer growth rates are rapid (up to 22 cm/d), responding within hours to temperature changes, and are unimpaired by nighttime lows. Photosynthesis is reduced at cool temperatures, but on cool days, kudzu leaves tend to be warmer than air temperature, so photosynthesis rates generally remain close to optimal values. In autumn, growth stops below 15oC, but leaves are retained and maintain modest photosynthetic competence until killed by frost in November. In colder climates that occur far north of kudzu's current range, reductions in the length and quality of the growing season could accumulate over time to reduce kudzu's success. There is, however, no strong evidence that low temperatures in any season will prevent kudzu from migrating throughout southern Ontario, making kudzu a good candidate for invasive species regulations.
Incorporating Waste Prevention Activities into Life Cycle Assessments of Residential Solid Waste Management Systems
Keywords: Life cycle assessment
Waste prevention
Waste management

The four papers of this dissertation explore themes related to waste prevention, the system boundaries, functional units and scale of life cycle assessments (LCAs) of municipal solid waste (MSW) management, as well as the transparency and consistency of the application of LCA methods. The first paper is a comparative analysis of the methodological choices and transparency of 20 LCAs of MSW that were recently published in peer-reviewed journals, and includes a comparison of their midpoint level impact values using statistical indicators. The second paper proposes a conceptual model, designated WasteMAP (Waste Management And Prevention), for evaluating LCAs of MSW which incorporate waste prevention. In WasteMAP, waste prevention through dematerialization is viewed as analogous to waste treatments so long as it does not affect the functional output (product services) of MSW-generating product systems. Papers 3 and 4 comprise the WasteMAP LCA case study. Paper 3 depicts product LCAs of wine and spirit packaging (conventional, lightweight and refillable, each type generating different quantities of waste) at the scale of the individual package and the municipality. At the municipal scale, the LCAs address impacts from the wine and spirit packaging supplied in the City of Toronto, Canada in 2008, and a waste prevention scenario which substitutes lighter weight and reusable containers. The lowest endpoint level impacts out of the five container types studied were associated with refillable containers and aseptic cartons. Paper 4 addresses the Toronto MSW management system and applies the WasteMAP model to allow for the comparison, on a functionally equivalent basis, of the LCA results of a reference scenario, based on 2008 data, with a scenario incorporating six types of waste prevention activities (prevention of unaddressed advertising mail, disposable plastic bags, newspapers, lightweight and refillable wine and spirit packaging, and yard waste). The findings highlight the benefits of waste prevention, and the relative significance of the decision to account for recycled content when modelling waste prevention. The endpoint level impact assessment results using the ReCiPe and Impact 2002+ evaluation methods are in keeping with the assumption in the waste hierarchy that waste prevention has a superior environmental performance.
Imaging Microvascular Changes Associated with Neurological Diseases
Keywords: cerebral blood volume
cerebral blood flow
mouse models
micro-computed tomography
magnetic resonance imaging
arterial spin labeling

Microvascular lesions of the brain are observed in numerous pathological conditions including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Regional patterns of microvascular abnormality can be characterized using current neuroimaging technologies. When applied to mouse models of human disease, these technologies reveal cerebral vascular patterns and help uncover genotype-to-phenotype relationships. This thesis focuses on the development and testing of techniques for measuring two perfusion-related metrics in mouse brain regions, namely, cerebral blood volume (CBV) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and arterial spin labeling (ASL), respectively. The main developments for measurement of CBV have included: refinements to micro-CT specimen preparation; registration of micro-CT images to an MRI anatomical brain atlas; and masking of major vessels to calculate small-vessel CBV (sv-CBV). The development of this micro-CT technique provided reference values of CBV over neuroanatomical brain regions in wildtype mice. A separate study was conducted to assess regional sv-CBV in a mouse model of AD; this study was motivated by the prevalence of microvascular lesions in patients who suffer from AD. Significant regional differences in sv-CBV were found between AD-afflicted mice and controls. The main developments for measurement of CBF have included: design and implementation of accurate ASL slice positioning and optimization of inversion efficiency parameters. The development of this ASL technique provided reference values of CBF over neuroanatomical brain regions in wildtype mice. These techniques for measuring CBV and CBF over mouse brain regions could lead to improved characterization of vascularity in models of neurological diseases.
Automorphic L-functions and their applications to Number Theory
Keywords: Automorphic L-function
Strong Artin Conjecture
class number
Euler-Kronecker constant
simple zero
Maass L-function

The main part of the thesis is applications of the Strong Artin conjecture to number theory. We have two applications. One is generating number fields with extreme class numbers. The other is generating extreme positive and negative values of Euler-Kronecker constants. For a given number field K of degree n, let Kˆ be the normal closure of K with Gal(Kˆ/[special characters omitted] = G. Let Gal(Kˆ/K) = H for some subgroup H of G. Then, [special characters omitted] where [special characters omitted]. When L(s, ρ) is an entire function and has a zero-free region [α, 1] × [−(log N) 2, (log N)2] where N is the conductor of L(s, ρ), we can estimate log L(1, ρ) and [special characters omitted](1, ρ) as a sum over small primes: [special characters omitted] where 0 < k < [special characters omitted] and [special characters omitted]. With these approximations, we can study extreme values of class numbers and Euler-Kronecker constants. Let [special characters omitted](n, G, r1, r2) be the set of number fields of degree n with signature (r1, r2) whose normal closures are Galois G extension over [special characters omitted]. Let f(x, t) ∈ [special characters omitted][t][x] be a parametric polynomial whose splitting field over [special characters omitted](t) is a regular G extension. By Cohen's theorem, most specialization t ∈ [special characters omitted] corresponds to a number field Kt in [special characters omitted](n, G, r1, r2) with signature (r1, r2) and hence we have a family of Artin L-functions L(s, ρ, t). By counting zeros of L-functions over this family, we can obtain L-functions with the zero-free region above. In Chapter 1, we collect the known cases for the Strong Artin conjecture and prove it for the cases of G = A 4 and S4. We explain how to obtain the approximations of log(1, ρ) and [special characters omitted](1, ρ) as a sum over small primes in detail. We review the theorem of Kowalski-Michel on counting zeros of automorphic L-functions in a family. In Chapter 2, we exhibit many parametric polynomials giving rise to regular extensions. They contain the cases when G = C n, 3 ≤ n ≤ 6, Dn, 3 ≤ n ≤ 5, A4, A5, S4, S 5 and Sn, n ≤ 2. In Chapter 3, we construct number fields with extreme class numbers using the parametric polynomials in Chapter 2. In Chapter 4, We construct number fields with extreme Euler-Kronecker constants also using the parametric polynomials in Chapter 2. In Chapter 5, we state the refinement of Weil's theorem on rational points of algebraic curves and prove it. The second topic in the thesis is about simple zeros of Maass L-functions. We consider a Hecke Maass form f for SL(2, [special characters omitted]). In Chapter 6, we show that if the L-function L( s, f) has a non-trivial simple zero, it has infinitely many simple zeros. This result is an extension of the result of Conrey and Ghosh [14].