VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Analysis, Design and Implementation of Ecological Group View Displays in a Nuclear Control Room Setting
Keywords: Cognitive Work Analysis
Control Room Design
Ecological Interface Design
Group View Displays
Nuclear

This thesis presents the analysis, design and implementation of a set of novel displays for a nuclear power plant control room. These displays were subsequently used in a successful simulator study, which investigated alternative configurations and content for shared, Group View Displays. A Cognitive Work Analysis was performed, that focused on a flexible Work Domain Analysis and resulted in a set of information requirements. Based on this analysis a set of new displays were developed using Ecological Interface Design principles. Finally, these designs were implemented and tested in proprietary software used in current control rooms. This work effectively demonstrates the potential for future display improvement, and shows that implementing more advanced forms is feasible with existing software.
Automatic Computer Aided Diagnosis of Breast Cancer in Dynamic Contrast Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Images
Keywords: Breast Cancer
CAD
Neural Networks
Segmentation

Automated Computer Aided Diagnosis (CADx) systems have the potential to improve the diagnostic accuracy of radiologists. Most CADx algorithms use features generated from outlined regions to differentiate between benign and malignant lesions. Manually outlining these regions for the purpose of analysis is not viable and therefore an automated segmentation method is essential. Our proposed method uses a trained deep Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to classify overlapping tiles in breast Dynamic Contrast Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DCE-MRI) images as lesion or non-lesion. The classified tiles are then grouped into regions. Additional morphological, kinetic and textural features are computed for each detected region. A cascaded Random Forests Classifier (RFC) classifies the regions as malignant or benign. Our method was tested on a dataset containing 71 malignant, 140 benign, and 316 normal studies. Free-response Receiver Operating Characteristic (FROC) analysis of our method shows 94.4% sensitivity at 0.12 false positive detections per normal study.
Design, Development and Evaluation of an mHealth Application to Improve Adolescent Sleep Behaviour
Keywords: adolescent sleep
behaviour change theory
mHealth
usability testing
wearables

Studies show most adolescents average 7.2 hours of sleep per night, compared to the recommended average of 9 hours per night. Currently, smartphone applications do not exist that are targeted towards adolescents and use goal-setting behaviours to improve sleep habits. Using the user centered design approach and features driven by behaviour change mechanisms, the application SOMNI was developed to be used with a Bluetooth enabled wearable activity tracker. The usability results (n=8) indicated that user satisfaction was high. The feasibility study (n=9) demonstrated the acceptability and feasibility of the application in a user's natural environment. Compared to actigraphy, the wearable activity tracker showed an accuracy of 96%, a sensitivity of 99%, and a specificity of 27%. On average, the activity tracker overestimated the actigraph device for sleep efficiency by 1.17% and total sleep time by 5.35 minutes. Results of the feasibility study highlighted areas for improvement and future work.
From Kilns to Markets: Re-examinations and Re-interpretations on Cizhou-Ware Pillows of Song-Jin Dynasties (10th-13th Centuries), China
Keywords: Cizhou-ware pillows
marketplace
production
technology

This essay is premised on observations and examinations into the pillow collection housed at the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto), aiming to trace the technological refinements and decorative features embodied within the incised- and ink-painted- Cizhou-ware pillows manufactured during the Song and Jin eras. Cross-referenced with similar pillows from other museum collections and publications, the analyses, which have been targeted at the production processes and technological advancement that Cizhou-ware pillow firing had involved, have attempted to re-interpret the ceramic pillows fired at folk kilns bridged by artisans as the agent from the perspective of commercial commodities. Thus, such dynamic exploration would have the ceramic pillowsâ marketing characteristics been re-examined in the closer association with the remarkable urbanization, exceeding population growth and the prosperous urban cultural enrichment, being concomitant with the enormous commercialization from the 11th to the 14th centuries.
Social Development, Peacebuilding and Democratization through Community-based Sport: Perspectives of Global South Facilitators in Rural Namibia and South Africa
Keywords: Citizenship
Community Development
Democratization
Peacebuilding
Sport for Development and Peace
Sub Saharan Africa

Sport can be an important tool to facilitate learning for transformative social development, as a catalyst for development and peace in post-conflict contexts. This research involves semi-structured interviews regarding the first-hand accounts and perspectives, in relation to facilitation of sport activities for social development, of local volunteer trained facilitators, working in two sport for development and peace projects in South Africa and Namibia. A review of theory and research literature on democratic citizenship and peacebuilding provides a context for hearing and understanding the facilitatorsâ voices. This thesis shows what selected facilitators experienced and learned through participation in these community based projects, and situates their perspectives on how their sport for development and peace projects facilitated global and local belonging, democratic citizenship engagement, and peacebuilding. These counternarratives based on lived experience contribute to critical anti-colonial approaches to understanding sport for development and peace in rural Southern Africa.
Hardware-based Linear Program Decoding with the Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers
Keywords: Code
Correcting
Error
Graph
Inference
Optimization

This thesis is concerned with the hardware implementation of Linear Program (LP) decoding for Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) codes. Until recently, LDPC codes have been decoded exclusively by means of graphical inference using belief propagation (BP). LP decoding frames the decoding problem in the language of convex optimization, resulting in several advantages over graphical inference techniques: better performance in certain applications, convergence guarantees, and an ability to incorporate advances in optimization theory. However, LP decoding is not currently used in practice as it is unclear whether or not a hardware-based implementation is possible. Recent LP decoding decomposition efforts, using the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM), make such an implementation possible. This work expands upon the ADMM decomposition of LP decoding, and a hardware-based LP decoder is implemented. This implementation shows that hardware-based LP decoding with error-rate performance within 0.5dB of double-precision BP and LP decoding is possible using 10-bit messages.
Needs and Preferences of Technology among Chinese Family Caregivers of Persons with Dementia: A Pilot Study
Keywords: Chinese
Dementia
Family Caregiving
Sex and Gender
Technology

The purpose of this study was to examine the technology needs and preferences of Chinese family caregivers of PWDs with a sex and gender lens in Canada. A survey was distributed to Chinese family caregivers of PWDs was conducted. Frequency distributions, Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test and multiple regression analyses were performed. The majority of the respondents did not demonstrate knowledge about technology for caregiving. Overall, respondents demonstrated a positive attitude towards the use of technology during caregiving. Ease of installation and reliability were identified as the most important features when installing and using technology respectively. Controlling for age, female respondents were significantly more receptive of technology compared to males. Our findings suggest a need to increase awareness of technology options to assist caregiving in this ethnic population. They provide insight for future development and marketing of technological innovations that will better align with the needs and preferences of caregivers.
"Management is About Coping with Complexity": Concerns of Ontario Pharmacists Regarding Management of the Process of Adapting to Changes in the Scope of Pharmacy Practice
Keywords: change management
community pharmacy
health care management
patient centered practice
pharmacy practice
professional culture

Increasing evidence suggests that community pharmacists in Ontario are underutilized health care professionals, especially with respect to medication management and prescribing for patients (Pojskic, McKeigan, Boon Austin, 2014). In December 2009, Ontarioâ s provincial government expanded the scope of pharmacy practice (Ontario Pharmacists Association [OPA], 2014b) to improve access to health care for Ontarians (Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, 2015). Subsequently, pharmacists have been called upon by professional organizations to adopt a patient-centered role. However, many pharmacists in Ontario are encountering challenges to fully adopting the new scope of practice. Using Kotterâ s (1995; Kotter Cohen, 2002) framework of change management, this research aims to identify and describe enablers of and barriers to the process of change in community practice. The findings of this research can further support leaders (regulators, academics, employers, etc.) in the profession to support pharmacists through the change process.
A Fast Metal Layer Elimination Approach for Power Grid Reduction in Integrated Circuits
Keywords: Graph Sparsification
Integrated Circuits
Model Order Reduction
Power Grid

Simulation and verification of the on-die power delivery network (PDN) is one of the key steps in the design of integrated circuits. With the very large sizes of modern grids, verification of PDNs has become very expensive and a host of techniques for grid model approximation have been proposed. These include topological node elimination and full-blown numerical model order reduction (MOR). However, both of these traditional approaches suffer from drawbacks that limit their scalability to very large grids. In this thesis, we propose a novel technique for grid reduction that is a hybrid of both approaches -- the method is numerical but also factors in grid topology. It works by eliminating whole internal layers of the grid at a time, while aiming to preserve the dynamic behavior of the grid. Effectively, instead of traditional node-by-node topological elimination we provide a numerical layer-by-layer block-matrix approach that is both fast and accurate.
Pharmacological Inhibition of the G9a/GLP Histone Methyltransferase and Anxiety-related Behaviour in the Mouse
Keywords: A-366
Anxiety
Epigenetic
G9a/GLP
UNC0642

Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent category of psychiatric diagnosis and are one of the leading causes of disability in developed countries. Several existing antidepressants with anti-anxiety properties have been shown to downregulate G9a, a methyltransferase that methylates lysine 9 of histone H3 (H3K9). Histone methylation regulates epigenetic responses to environmental stress. Thus we sought to investigate the role of G9a/GLP in regulating anxiety behaviour during adulthood and neurodevelopment. C57BL/6 mice were treated with G9a/GLP inhibitors, UNC0642 and A-366, at doses of 1mg/kg, 2mg/kg or 4mg/kg. In adult mice, both drugs decreased anxiety-related behaviours. Inhibition of G9a/GLP in utero increased anxiety-like behaviours and decreased social interaction in adulthood. These findings suggest that G9a/GLP inhibition has the potential to alleviate anxiety symptoms and could be pursued as a novel anti-anxiety drug target. Our data also provide evidence that epigenetic mechanisms can contribute to the development of anxiety disorders.
Effects of n-Propylbenzene Addition on Soot Formation in an n-Dodecane Laminar Coflow Diffusion Flame
Keywords: Laminar diffusion flame
n-Dodecane
n-Propylbenzene
Soot

The first part of this thesis addresses the validation of combined laser extinction and two-angle elastic laser scattering diagnostics for soot characterization. The results from three measurement heights (30, 40, 50 mm) of a non-smoking ethylene-air laminar coflow diffusion flame were found to agree well with those from the literatures. The second part of this thesis applies the optical diagnostics mentioned above to investigate the effects of n-propylbenzene addition on soot formation in an n-dodecane laminar coflow diffusion flame. All of the tested flames had similar temperature profiles. Soot volume fraction was found to increase at all flame heights as the mole fraction of n-propylbenzene increases. Along the centerline, the increase of the soot formation was mainly caused by the combined effect of higher soot inception rate and surface growth rate, while along the wing, the higher soot formation was mainly because of the higher surface growth rate.
Expression and Structural Studies of Nucleic Acid Binding Cytidine Deaminases
Keywords: Crystallography
Deaminase
Protein Structure

Activation Induced Deaminase (AID) and the APOBEC3 proteins are nucleic acid cytidine deaminases (CDs) which play critical roles the immune system. These proteins bind both single-stranded -DNA (ssDNA) and -RNA (ssRNA) and catalyze deamination of ssDNA cytidines, the mechanisms mediating said binding events are poorly understood and their study has proven troublesome due to the difficulty of working with these proteins. Due to a lack of success in using AID in biochemical and structural analyses we turned to another CD, the Brassica oleacra var. capitate cytidine deaminase putative tRNA CD (BOCD). BOCD was selected due to predicted structural homology to other nucleic acid binding CDs and its immune functioning. I have determined the structure of BOCD crystallographically and analyzed it against other CD structures. BOCD will be useful for studying nucleic acid interactions of CDs and may be useful for engineering of more soluble nucleic acid CDs.
Identifying Novel Genetic Causes of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia
Keywords: cilia
PCD
spdl1
zebrafish

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a disease that affects the function of respiratory cilia that helps protect against airway infections. Diagnosis is difficult with current methods but genetic testing may expedite the process since PCD is hereditary, however the etiology of 30% of cases remains unknown. To identify more causes of PCD, whole exome sequencing was performed on patients identifying Spindly (spdl1) as a candidate. Analysis using zebrafish indicate spdl1 is expressed in motile ciliated tissues. Spdl1 deficiency results in embryos with ventral curvatures indicating cilia dysfunction. The defects can be rescued with 100pg of WT RNA but not RNA containing one of the mutations identified. Cilia orientation and range of motion was unaffected but motile cilia length was significantly increased in mutant neural tube floorplate (p
Elucidating the Role of ARKL1 in Regulating Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) Iinfection
Keywords: Arkadia
ARKL1
EBV
Jun
Polycomb
Reactivation

ARKL1 and Arkadia were previously identified as proteins that bind to the CK2Î˛ KSSR motif. Since the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) protein Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) is also known to bind to the same sequence, it was hypothesized that ARKL1 and Arkadia might play a role in regulating EBV infection. Silencing experiments demonstrated that both ARKL1 and Arkadia function to suppress EBV reactivation. ARKL1 was subsequently found to colocalize with the PRC1 protein CBX4 in distinct nuclear foci. This localization of ARKL1 to CBX4 foci was dependent upon its SIMs, as mutation of its SIMs resulted in diffused nuclear staining. In order to gain mechanistic insights into how ARKL1 regulates EBV infection, I carried out affinity purification-mass spectrometry (AP-MS) of ARKL1. ARKL1 was found to bind the transcriptional activators Jun and CREB1. This result raises the possibility that ARKL1 may function to recruit PRC1 to sites bound by Jun/CREB1, thereby repressing transcription.
Nishnaabeg Encounters: Living Indigenous Landscapes
Keywords: Indigenous Geography
Land-based Research
Nishnaabeg Methodology
Paddling Methodology
Property
Settler Colonialism

This thesis is an exploration of Nishnaabeg geography in what is now known as Southern Ontario that takes into consideration the dominating settler colonial context. Using a mixed method of textual document analysis, and embodied research, I develop a Nishnaabeg geography of a region colonized by a the Trent Severn Waterway (TSW), a large canal composed of several locks and dams that connect natural lakes, and dense settlement in the form of privately owned cottages. The TSW was integral to establishing settlement in the region and is commemorated as a part of Canada’s nation-building project over Indigenous lands. This research considers how the colonization of the water contributed to the creation of a built colonialscape and helped to spatialize Indigenous land relations as belonging “somewhere else.” I argue that in spite of these imagined spatializations, the Indigenous landscape continues to live on beneath the built colonialscape in geographical layers.
Successes and Challenges of Implementing the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan
Keywords: environmental conservation
greenbelt
land use
sustainable development
urban containment policy
urban sprawl

A common planning response to urbanizing regions is the creation of protected zones or greenbelts at the edge of existing urban development, with the goal of controlling the location of future development while conserving natural features. The Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (2002) was created by the Ontario Provincial Government to protect the Oak Ridges Moraine, one of the few remaining large greenspace corridors in southern Ontario that is threatened by the expansion of the Greater Toronto Area. This research investigates the effectiveness of the Plan at protecting the Moraine. It explores the successes and challenges of implementing the Plan and the proposed changes by the provincial government. Regional town hall meetings and open houses were attended, and interviews and questionnaires were conducted. The results suggest the Plan has effectively protected the Moraine through changing building practices, although the Plan requires some modifications to better protect the Moraine.
Predicting Upper Airway Abnormalities by Detecting Inspiratory Flow Limitation with Temporal Features of Nasal Airflow
Keywords: Inspiratory flow limitation
Sleep-disordered breathing

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the potential of the temporal features extracted from nasal airflow as the source for detecting inspiratory flow limitation non-invasively. This thesis focused on developing and validating algorithms capable of extracting physiologically meaningful features from nasal airflow recording, followed by classification of flow limited breaths, utilizing supervised and un-supervised learning. The feature values and the classification results were compared with the upper airway anatomical measurements such as neck circumference, upperairway cross-sectional area, and neck fluid volume. Three features (deviation index, peak amplitude variability, and peak number) were found to be significantly correlated with the upper airway measurements. Un-supervised classification suggested that participants with more neck fluid volume before sleep are associated with more flow limited breaths. The findings corroborated our understanding that inspiratory flow limitation is associated with upper airway anatomical abnormalities.
Preliminary Mapping of HopZ1b Resistance-associated Loci in Arabidopsis thaliana via EMS and Ecotype Screens
Keywords: HopZ1b
plant immunity
pseudomonas syringae
type III effector

Pseudomonas syringae is a plant pathogen that infects agriculturally important crops and the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana. P. syringae deploys type III effectors to suppress immunity and enhance bacterial growth. However, plants possess resistance proteins to recognize these effectors. Thus, effectors have diversified to evade recognition. For example, in Arabidopsis Columbia-0, HopZ1a effector triggers robust immunity through ZAR1 resistance protein, but the related HopZ1b elicits a weak resistance-like phenotype. We conducted EMS and ecotype forward genetic screens in A. thaliana to identify variations conferring HopZ1b resistance. We found one EMS mutant and one ecotype Gabelstein-0 with enhanced HopZ1b resistance. Resistance correlated with bacterial growth inhibition, and was enhanced by surface bacterial inoculation rather than direct injection into plant tissue. Resistance required putative HopZ1b catalytic function and localization. We also analyzed Gabelstein-0 ZAR1 and found enriched variations in the NB-ARC activation domain. These variations may facilitate ZAR1 activation and consequent HopZ1b resistance.
The Development of a New Experimental Facility for Pyrolysis Liquid Biofuel (Bio-oil) Combustion
Keywords: Bio-oil
Burner
Carbon-neutral
Combustion
Pollutant emissions
Pyrolysis

Bio-oil is made from pyrolysis of waste biomass, which provides a carbon-neutral combustion energy alternative. This study focuses on developing burners for use with bio-oil. The previous burner using bio-oil/ethanol mixtures had a small combustion chamber with no refractory lining. It was not feasible to stabilize flames of pure bio-oil and the pollutant emissions were relatively high. In this study, the burner is made more comparable to actual bio-oil burners by implementing a refractory-lined combustion chamber and increasing the size of the chamber to investigate the relationship between burner design and combustion performance of bio-oil. After making some modifications in the new burner configuration and adjusting the operating parameters, stable flames of pure bio-oil are achieved with no major nozzle coking problems, and almost no unburned hydrocarbons and low CO emissions (below 10 ppm) in the exhaust gases. The effects of operating conditions on the pollutant emissions are also investigated.
NFV and VNF Service Chaining on SAVI SDI
Keywords: NFV
SDI
SDN
Security
vCPE
VNF

Network Function Virtualization, a flexible networking architecture virtualizing network nodes, allows modular development of network functionalities and quick deployment on cloud infrastructures. Each network module individually deploys a virtualized network function (VNF). A network application might demand a set of inter-connected VNFs to work together. The logic and process of connecting VNFs together are called VNF service chaining. In this thesis, two contributions were presented. First, a framework for VNF service chaining for software dened infrastructure was designed and tested using security attacks. The shortcomings of deploying security as a service with VNFs was examined, and a combined NFV/SDN solution was proposed. A parallelism technique was employed to make the NFV/SDN security solution scalable. Second, the real-time content delivery network of a stadium, equipped with virtualized customer premises Edges (vCPEs), accommodated a higher number of users employing our service chaining algorithm.