VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Characterization of the Wildland Fire Environment and Situational Factors associated with Historical Wildfire Evacuations in the Province of Ontario, Canada
Keywords: evacuation
forest fire
FWI system
Ontario
wildfire
wildlandfire

Evacuations in Ontario are used to ensure public safety from either the direct threat of wildfire or from the health impacts of smoke. The recommendation to evacuate is based on several factors, one being forecasted fire weather and fire danger from the Canadian Fire Weather Index (FWI) System. We examined fire danger and evacuation occurrence at both an annual scale and an individual community scale for Ontario. Annually, in Ontario smoke evacuation occurrence was associated with extreme Build Up Index (BUI), while direct threat evacuations were associated with extreme Fire Weather Index (FWI). When a fire occurred in the area around communities, fire size, distance from the community and maximum BUI had the strongest associations with evacuation occurrence. When differentiating evacuation cause, fires closer to communities were more strongly associated with direct threat evacuations. These results can inform Ontarians of the conditions associated with evacuations from wildland fires.
Inhibiting Thioredoxin Reductase for Dual Molecular Targeted and Photodynamic Cancer Therapy
Keywords: Inhibition
Photocage
Photodynamic Therapy
Photosensitizer
Targeted Therapy
Thioredoxin Reductase

Conventional cancer treatment is limited by lack of selectivity, limited efficacy towards metastatic cancer and resistive mechanisms acquired by cancer cells. Thus, alternative cancer treatments such as molecular targeted therapy and photodynamic therapy have emerged as promising therapies to combat these issues, although these therapies also present their own limitations. Alternatively, these two types of therapies can be combined for enhanced potency, selectivity and to combat limitations presented by each type of therapy individually. This thesis describes a novel dual therapeutic approach whereby a single small molecule drug, DG-EryB, can irreversibly and covalently inhibit thioredoxin reductase 1 (TrxR1) for molecular targeted therapy, while simultaneously acting as a photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy. This thesis also describes how a photocleavable group can be attached to DG-EryB in a prodrug design for improved pharmacokinetic properties.
Accessible Localized, Trauma-focused Support for Refugee Students in K-6 Canadian Classrooms: A Codified Workbook for Educators
Keywords: Curriculum
Educator
Refugee
Resettlement
Trauma

Canadian educators play an important role as first responders for the increasing number of refugee students in classrooms. Refugee students enter the classroom with prior experiences of trauma from premigration, migration, and resettlement; educators must be trained and equipped to support the needs of these students. The present research explores a fusion of Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) and Art Therapy (AT) methodologies to design an accessible workbook format to be utilised by educators. NET and AT are effective strategies for trauma support with refugee communities and can efficiently translate into the localized and cooperative format of a workbook. An in-class workbook is a multi-modal trauma focused intervention strategy to incorporate family, peer, and community networks at the local level to accommodate the diversity and individuality of each refugee student. A biopsychosocial methodology works to emphasize the psychological, educational, and social realities of individual refugee students to develop resiliency skills and trauma support networks.
Mechanical Properties of Outcropped Montney Formation
Keywords: 3D Reconstruction
Fracture Propagation
Hydraulic Fracturing
Montney Formation
Serial Sectioning

This thesis presents experimental and image-processing studies on outcropped Montney Formation. The mechanical properties of the rock were obtained from a series of laboratory testing that was conducted following the International Society of Rock Mechanics Suggested Methods. From the results, the studied Montney Formation was classified as relatively strong compared to previous studies on other rocks from Montney Formation. Additionally, size effect was observed, and a positive correlation between acoustic emission and fracture toughness was discovered. In the second part of this thesis, the fracture network generated in a Montney Formation cube during a companion laboratory hydraulic fracturing experiment was three-dimensionally reconstructed using the serial section images method to understand the rock behaviour and fracture propagation. The serial section images and three-dimensional visualization showed that bedding planes and rock anisotropy have a significant influence on the generated fracture network geometry. These observations have important implications on the evaluation of the stimulated rock volume, as well as on completion strategies, as preferential opening of bedding planes might result in horizontal intra-well connectivity and increase parent-child interactions.
Challenges and Possibilities for the Creation of Knowledge Building Dashboards
Keywords: Knowledge Building
Learning Dashboard

In this paper, I discuss challenges and possibilities for design of a Knowledge Building dashboard. Knowledge Building aims to foster knowledge creation in education and requires high levels of agency in planning, monitoring, evaluating, and pursuing promising ideas to create new knowledge. Students must take collective responsibility for advancing community knowledge, working as an expert team to take ideas to increasingly high levels. Typically, education and learning dashboards focus on individual achievement; in contrast, Knowledge Building focuses on collective responsibility for advancing public knowledge. I review the literature on limitations in learning dashboards; for example, data misinterpretation, failure to accommodate personal preferences, irrelevant metrics, and lack of pedagogical focus, followed by designs that aim to moderate these limitations and provide bases for Knowledge Building dashboards to be added to Knowledge Forum, a technology specially built to support Knowledge Building.
Resequencing Identity: African Americans and Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing
Keywords: African Diaspora
Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing
Human Computer Interaction
Identity
Race
Technological Appropriation

This thesis examines the integration of direct-to-consumer genetic testing technologies into personal and group identity formation practices among African Americans. In framing race and identity as performative, I applied digital ethnographic and situational analyses frameworks to examine ‘ancestry reveals’ shared by African Americans mobilizing test results on YouTube. To do so, I examined 10 ancestry reveals highlighting collaborative meaning-making processes mediated through information infrastructures, both direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTC GT) technologies and YouTube. Exploring ancestry reveals among African American consumers offers insight into an emerging practice merging technology, and the performativity of race and identity online.
Development and Optimization of Multi-Motif Ionizable Lipid Nanoparticles for the Delivery of Ribonucleic Acids
Keywords: Delivery System
Lipid Nanoparticles
Ribonucleic Acid

Lipid nanoparticles and the emergence of RNA technology has come forth as a key player in the medical field in recent years. With the development of mRNA vaccines to treat SARS-COV2 the potential applications for RNA and lipid nanoparticles have expanded. Lipid nanoparticles comprised of an ionizable lipid encapsulating RNA payloads in its core, provide the delivery vehicle required for RNA to effectively enter cells. Using engineering design criteria and a rational approach, we discuss the synthesis of a novel ionizable lipid and its formulation into RNA nanoparticles. Lipid nanoparticle formulation optimization is an intricate process which can be engineered many ways to meet design criteria. In this body of work the process from conception to lead formulation is described, as well as in vitro and in vivo validation studies.
Concentric Tube Robot Optimization and Path Planning for Epilepsy with 3D Slicer
Keywords: 3D Slicer
Concentric Tube Robots
Continuum Robots
Epilepsy Surgeries
Optimization

Robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has been widely studied in recent years, as they reduce pain and recovery time in patients compared to open surgery. However, one major concern of conventional MIS is safely accessing the diseased sites with straight instruments. Concentric tube robots (CTR) have the potential to address this problem with their shape flexibility. One of the applications of CTR is the treatment of epilepsy. Epilepsy effects about 1% of the pediatric population, and surgeries can make considerably improved seizure outcomes in 90% of patients. An integrated software platform is proposed in this thesis, which allows surgeons to find optimal patient-specific and procedure-specific CTR design and surgical plans, as well as to validate the plans in simulation. It is believed that this platform would demonstrate feasibility of using CTR in epilepsy surgeries, and lead to increased adoption rate of CTR in those surgeries in the future.
Development and Optimization of Multi-motif Ionizable Lipid Nanoparticles for the Delivery of Ribonucleic Acid
Keywords: Delivery System
Lipid Nanoparticles
Ribonucleic Acid

Lipid nanoparticles and the emergence of RNA technology has come forth as a key player in the medical field in recent years. With the development of mRNA vaccines to treat SARS-COV2 the potential applications for RNA and lipid nanoparticles have expanded. Lipid nanoparticles comprised of an ionizable lipid encapsulating RNA payloads in its core, provide the delivery vehicle required for RNA to effectively enter cells. Using engineering design criteria and a rational approach, we discuss the synthesis of a novel ionizable lipid and its formulation into RNA nanoparticles. Lipid nanoparticle formulation optimization is an intricate process which can be engineered many ways to meet design criteria. In this body of work the process from conception to lead formulation is described, as well as in vitro and in vivo validation studies.
Portraying the Urban Food Environment of the City of Toronto before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic through Yelp Reviews
Keywords: COVID-19
Food choices
Food environment
Urban food environment
Yelp Reviews

The obesity epidemic encompassing diet-related health outcomes, such as obesity and overweight, has risen as a public health crisis. The urban food environment, within which we make our daily food choices, is essential in influencing eating behaviours. Recent impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban dwellers have signaled changes in the urban environment that ultimately affected food consumption habits. This study utilizes Yelp reviews to capture changes in the environment, and improve our understanding of the consumers’ perceived urban food environment in the City of Toronto. The list of food words that can be used to identify content in social media data is expanded, then a comparison of the environment before and during the pandemic in relation to neighbourhood characteristics is performed. Results reveal that the food environment is disproportionately affected, and consumers’ favourableness towards healthy foods varied with neighbourhood characteristics. These findings should be considered for policy interventions catering to consumers’ characteristics.
Staying Hydrated: An Automated Fluid Intake Monitoring System using a Vision-based Approach
Keywords: artificial intelligence
computer vision
dehydration
home monitoring

Staying hydrated is important at any stage of life and even more so as we age, as there are increased risks. There is a need for an accurate, automated system that tracks the amount of liquid consumed to prompt the user to drink. The objective of this thesis is to determine whether using cameras and depth cameras can accurately detect drinking events and determine the amount consumed when using deep learning models. We collected data with subjects performing household tasks, eating and drinking in a simulated home environment. We compared the use of both static images and videos as inputs to train the models, and the videos yielded a higher detection performance. Notably, using video inputs also allowed us to estimate the amount consumed throughout a sip with an error comparable to previous literature. If hydration can be tracked at home remotely to encourage intake, hospitalizations from dehydration can decrease.
Adsorption of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Microcystins by Virgin and Weathered Microplastics in Freshwater Matrices
Keywords: adsorption
microcystins
microplastics
PFAS

Microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) both represent persistent environmental contaminants that have been associated with human health risks. Microcystins are naturally occurring cyanobacterial toxins that may be present in drinking water sources. Recent concerns have emerged regarding the ability of microplastics to adsorb various types of organic contaminants, including PFAS and microcystins. This study examined the adsorption of two long-chain and two short-chain PFAS by virgin microplastics, as well as two common microcystins by both virgin and weathered microplastics in freshwater. Results indicate adsorption to be driven by specific types of polymers and dominated by hydrophobic interactions. Weathering may decrease adsorption of microcystins by introducing hydrophilic oxygen-containing groups to microplastic surfaces. This is the first known study to determine if PFAS and microcystins may be concentrated by microplastics in freshwater when considering environmentally relevant concentrations while also addressing questions regarding weathered microplastics.
Evaluation of Peracetic Acid Treatment for Reducing Disinfection By-product Formation in Drinking Water
Keywords: Adsorbable Organic Halides
Disinfection By-products
Haloacetic Acids
Hydrogen Peroxide
Peracetic Acid
Trihalomethanes

Prechlorination is a widely adopted mussel control strategy by water treatment utilities. Although prechlorination is effective and inexpensive, it leads to disinfection by-product (DBP) formation. Peracetic acid (PAA), which exists in equilibrium with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), is a promising alternative to prechlorination for mussel control. At the same time, PAA may also destroy DBP precursors, thereby serving two concurrent roles in drinking water treatment. This research explored the ability of PAA pre-oxidation to reduce subsequent chlorination DBPs (THMs, HAAs, and AOX). The results showed that a 5 mg/L PAA dose (containing about 10% H₂O₂ by mass) decreased DBP formation potential by up to 40% in raw water (pH:7.8-8.2, temperature:22-24 °C) collected from three Ontario utilities. The findings also indicate that H₂O₂ is more effective than PAA for reducing DBPs on a per mass basis. However, the poorer reactivity of PAA is compensated by its higher concentration in the PAA/H₂O₂ mixture.
Desorption of Organotin and Organophosphorus Compounds from Virgin Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Microplastics in Freshwater
Keywords: Chemical additives
Microplastics
Organotin
PVC

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in the environment. Health concerns exist regarding chemicals that have been added during plastic production and may desorb from MPs into water. Previous studies have examined desorption of chemical additives from MPs into marine environments, however only limited studies consider freshwaters that also represent sources of drinking water. This thesis examined the desorption of two groups of chemical additives, organotin (OTCs) and organophosphorus compounds (OPs) from virgin polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in artificial freshwater (AFW). Higher desorption was observed when considering smaller size (45 - 125 µm) PVC particles compared to larger (300 - 500 µm) particles. Water quality factors including pH and the presence of chlorine or chloramines were observed to impact OTC desorption. This thesis provides new information regarding the desorption of chemical additives such that potential risks may be better understood when considering freshwater sources of drinking water.
Characterizing the Roles of RNF168 and RNF169 in Mammary Tumourigenesis
Keywords: breast cancer
breast tumour
DNA damage
Double-strand break
RNF168
RNF169

Dysregulated DNA damage response (DDR) often leads to genomic instability, carcinogenesis, and other diseases. Thus, elucidating molecular mechanisms of DNA repair has tremendous therapeutic implications. RNF168 is a RING E3 ligase with essential roles in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Its paralog RNF169 has been proposed to impede recruitment of DDR effectors downstream of RNF168. In the present study, novel roles of RNF168 and RNF169 in tumourigenesis were identified. Mice with germline mutations for Rnf169 are predisposed to developing mammary tumours, whereas those with an additional loss of Rnf168 are protected. This protection occurs at the cost of compromised DSB repair and ability to recruit DDR effector proteins to DSBs. In addition, this study also implicates RNF168 and RNF169 in regulating mammary side branching. These findings identify novel functional interactions of RNF168 and RNF169 and suggest potential therapeutic implications by means of modulating DSB repair pathways.
Structural Insight into a Member of the Schizorhodopsin Family
Keywords: Crystallization
EPR Spectroscopy
Membrane protein
Microbial rhodopsin
Structural biology
X-ray crystallography

Microbial rhodopsins are the best-studied photosensitive proteins that are involved in ion transport in cells. Upon light activation, these rhodopsins can act as inward Cl- pumps, outward H+ pumps or ion channels to maintain a membrane potential and have more functions such as photosensors and light-switchable enzymes. A recent study illustrated the discovery of a new microbial rhodopsin family – schizorhodopsins. A member of this new family, Antarctic Rhodopsin (AntR), is found in microbial life located in Antarctic lakes. AntR has been well characterized biophysically, however, the molecular structure of AntR remained elusive. Through X-ray crystallography, I determined the structure of AntR under acidic and basic conditions. The structure showed the typical seven transmembrane helix bundle and revealed a subsequent cytoplasmic helix located at the C-terminus. This cytoplasmic helix is unique in microbial rhodopsins and its deletion resulted in a slower photocycle to pump protons but increased thermal stability.
The Role of Paramedics in Integrated Care
Keywords: complex systems
governance
health policy
integrated care
paramedic

Health systems look to improve by enacting principles of ‘integrated care,’ but lack guidance on being responsive to local needs. This qualitative study examined the evolving role of paramedics in integrated care, finding that paramedics fill localized gaps in health and social services and serve as flexible, adaptive capacity in health systems. They perform unscheduled response functions and support prevention and primary care, targeting both broad, low-needs populations and more complex, high-needs populations. The findings support that integrated care systems can be enhanced by community-based services accessed through a single-point-of-entry, delivered by a generalist, flexible health workforce that is mobile in the community. This means fostering local organizational networks, allowing local control and experimentation, balancing standardization with flexibility and assessing value at a system level. Further work is needed on governance approaches to enable this, and clarifying the role of paramedics in the skill mix of integrated care teams.
Characterizing the Window of Vulnerability in a Mouse Model of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Keywords: axons
concussion
mild traumatic brain injury
mouse model
white matter

Following one mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), there is a window of vulnerability during which subsequent mTBIs can cause exacerbated impairments. I characterized this window in mice by giving them one or two mTBIs separated by various intervals and measuring their resulting behavioural impairment using the Y-maze, visual cliff, and novel object recognition tests as well as their white matter pathology by silver staining. The window of vulnerability following our lab’s mTBI model was over 2 weeks when defined by silver staining but was not detectable when defined by behavioural testing. I also found that sex and impact severity differentially affect post-mTBI vulnerability in different white matter regions. This work highlights the value of including white matter damage, sex, and replicable mTBI models for the study of post-mTBI vulnerability. As well, this work establishes important groundwork for the future investigation of mechanisms, biomarkers, and therapies for post-mTBI vulnerability.
Towards an Injectable Hydrogel for the Delivery of Thermostable Chondroitinase ABC
Keywords: Chondroitinase ABC
Controlled Release
Delivery
Hydrogel
Protein
Stroke

Chondroitinase-ABC (ChABC) is a bacterial enzyme that has immense potential as a therapy for central nervous system injuries due to its ability to degrade the chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans of the glial scar; however, its clinical translation has been thwarted by its thermal instability and lack of an optimal delivery strategy. In this thesis, we compared two delivery vehicles for the affinity-release of thermostabilized ChABC expressed with a Src homology 3 domain (ChABC-37-SH3): a tetrazine-norbornene-crosslinked carboxymethylcellulose hydrogel (CMC), and a biodegradable, oxime-crosslinked dextrin-gelatin-based hydrogel (Dexime). Cytocompatibility of both gels was demonstrated using neural progenitor cells and microglia in vitro. Rigorous mechanical characterization revealed their tuneability with crosslink density. Notably, sustained release of bioactive ChABC-37-SH3 was achieved from CMC over 7 days. In contrast, limited release was observed from Dexime due to the potential adsorption of ChABC-37-SH3 to gelatin. Based on these studies, CMC was the preferred hydrogel for affinity-release of ChABC-37-SH3.
Investigating the Role of the SUMO System in PAX5- ETV6-driven Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Keywords: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Leukemia
Proteomics
SUMO
ZMYM2

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood cancer, diagnosed in ~1140 children every year in Canada. Despite a high 5-year survival rate, it remains one of the leading causes of cancer morbidity and mortality in children. Predisposing factors of ALL include several chromosomal translocations that give rise to fusion proteins. Among them is PAX5-ETV6, a gene fusion present in ~1% of pediatric ALL cases. Very little is known about the PAX5-ETV6 protein interactome. Using proximity-dependent biotinylation, I found a prominent association between PAX5-ETV6 and components of the SUMO system, which plays important roles in heterochromatin formation and maintenance. A better understanding of this interaction could help shed light on the initiation mechanism for this disease and importantly - could be targeted therapeutically. So, I investigated the role of the SUMO system in PAX5-ETV6 leukemogenesis and examined the possible therapeutic effects of SUMO inhibitors on these types of cancers.