VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
More Than A Curriculum: The Political Project of Radical Labour Education
Keywords: radical labour education
Solidarity Works

This thesis analyzes the experiences of participants of the Canadian Labour Congress and Saskatchewan Federation of Labour radical labour youth activist training program “Solidarity Works.” The theoretical work of Antonio Gramsci and Paulo Freire is used to analyze why radical labour education is important. The theoretical work of Michel Foucault is used, in addition to the work of Gramsci and Freire, to examine the complications of radical labour education. The essential argument of this thesis is that radical labour education programs like Solidarity Works produce an activist subjectivity that ultimately comes into conflict with the institutionalized politics of the labour movement. Solidarity Works is a model radical labour education project, its challenges and successes warrant analysis so those lessons can be used for future radical labour education projects.
Parenting Stress of Parents of Adolescents with Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Keywords: ADHD
parenting stress
adolescent

This study examined parenting stress among parents of adolescents with ADHD. The sample comprised 45 adolescents (26 ADHD; 19 Comparison) age 13 to 18 and their parents. The Stress Index for Parents of Adolescents was completed by both mothers and fathers of participating youth. Parents of adolescents with ADHD reported more stress than parents of adolescents without ADHD. Mothers of adolescents with ADHD experience higher levels of stress in all areas. Fathers of adolescents with ADHD experience more total stress and more stress in the Adolescent and Adolescent-Parent Relationship domains. Maternal inattention and adolescent externalizing behaviour mediated the relationship between ADHD status and maternal parenting stress, and ADHD status and adolescent externalizing behaviour were found to predict paternal parenting stress. The results of this study provide strong support for the need to provide parents of adolescents with ADHD with interventions designed to reduce or help them cope with parenting stress.
Teaching Civility: How Teachers Negotiate Race, Culture and Citizenship in the Multicultural School
Keywords: civility
race
citizenship
education
teachers
multiculturalism

In this project, I ask: How do Ontario public schools participate in the construction and perpetuation of a racial hierarchy of Canadian citizenship? I argue that the discourse of white civility produces and organizes a governable Canadian populace that serves to legitimize the nation-state. Employing a critical anti-colonial, anti-racist framework, I analyze the narratives of teachers as they relate to the notions of citizenship, multiculturalism and professionalism. I aim to shed light on the role of the teacher within the circuits of power that serve to regulate ‘Canadian-ness’ and respectability. Through a discourse analysis of the statements of educators working with newcomer students, I illustrate some of the obstacles to equitable praxis. I conclude by challenging teachers to consider their investments in the systems that perpetuate oppression.
Muslim Pakistani-Canadian Women's Experiences in Canadian Higher Education: A Case Study at One Ontario University Campus
Keywords: Muslim women
Pakistani women
higher education
student experience

Seven women that identify as Muslim, Pakistani and Canadian in varying capacities participated in this qualitative research to discuss how their cultural and/or religious norms shaped their educational and career aspirations and overall decision-making. Areas of discussion included identity formation, understandings of culture and religion, familial influences on educational and career pursuits and overall experiences and interactions with faculty, peers and student service providers. This research brings together Chickering and Reisser’s (1993) Theory of Identity Development and feminist critical understandings of intersectionality (Collins, 1990; Knudson, 2005) and Orientalism (Said, 1978) in order to theoretically frame the students’ experiences. The research constitutes a major contribution from the Canadian perspective in terms of theory development as well as practical implications for faculty and campus services to ensure that students experience a learning environment that is supportive and inclusive.
Financial Literacy: Neoliberalism, the Consumer and the Citizen
Keywords: Financial literacy
neoliberalism

This thesis argues that consumer financial literacy is not a solution but a tool that mystifies and supports the very problems it could help solve: exploitation, economic crises, the spread of neoliberalism, alienation and the further disempowerment of the citizen. The characterization and implementation of financial literacy programs influence the resources and subjectivities that we use to act, see, reflect, create the world and create ourselves, resources and subjectivities that should support our free actions and enable us to do more than conform to the dictates of capital and be more than neoliberal entrepreneurial consumers. In the place of consumer financial literacy, we need a critical financial literacy that supports active citizens. The citizen is not the alienated investor or consumer who can only choose what the market provides; instead, he or she can assist in altering or abolishing the market to create a new economic system that offers better choices. A critical financial literacy would encourage citizens to reflect on and transform the social relations of production in order to create a world, free from capital’s dictates, in which individuals are as free from necessity as possible and better able to develop their human capacities to the fullest.
Hedge Funds and Systemic Risk: A Modest Proposal
Keywords: Hedge Funds
Law and Economics
Systemic Risk
Law

This paper explores the economic rationales underpinning potential hedge fund regulation, and reviews the arguments about why rules aimed to mitigate systemic risk may be economically efficient. The paper presents a limited definition of systemic risk, and proposes that an international macro-prudential supervisory body be set up for the Ontario, U.S. and U.K. markets to collect systemically important information about hedge funds and to recommend policy changes in light of this information. The paper also reviews the proposed regulatory reforms in the United States that will apply to hedge funds, and argues that while helpful, such regulations are sub-optimal because they do not consider certain important characteristics of systemic risk.
“They Should Stand on Their Own Feet”: Mothers’ Accounts of Education, School Choice and Their Children’s Uncertain Futures in Varanasi, India
Keywords: India
Equity
Social stratification
Education
Private schools
Varanasi

The heavily privatized and socially stratified schooling system in Uttar Pradesh, India offers low income children limited opportunities for social mobility via education. In that context, this thesis presents the results of interviews with low-income mothers in the city of Varanasi, gathering their perspectives on the relationship between their children’s current schooling and anticipated adult futures. The results indicate that these mothers see education as an essential investment in both their boys’ and girls’ ability to “stand on their own feet” as independent adults. Study participants dream of a life for their children, especially their daughters, which differs dramatically from their own, and pursue this dream through strategizing to secure the highest quality education possible within their means. Alongside their strong commitment to education, mothers are filled with uncertainty about the adult futures their children will face, especially given the current climate of economic, educational and social change in India.
A Critical Analysis of the Activities of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to Promote Equity and Access in the Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for Education in Ghana: 2005-2010
Keywords: Equity
African Development
Anticolonia Education
International Development

Canada supports developmental efforts in Ghana through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). This dissertation investigates how Canada partners with Ghana to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for education by 2015. The study focuses on achieving equity and access to education in Ghana, and examines how far Ghana’s policy and Canada’s aims and objectives (through CIDA) for adressing these developmental issues converge or diverge. The principal methodology for accomplishing this study includes literature review and a content analysis of CIDA programmes and documents related to education in Ghana. The study concludes that CIDA programmes and operations in education in Ghana have a clear focus on issues relating to equity and access to education, and complement governmental efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals for Education in Ghana. The thesis ends with recommendation for further study on using spirituality and indigenous knowledges to enhance and provide holistic education in Ghana.
Exploring Predictors of Performance on a Curriculum-based Measure of Written Expression
Keywords: written expression
curriculum-based measurement

The role of gender, handwriting automaticity, reading proficiency, and verbal working memory in grade 4 and 5 students‟ (N = 42; 23 boys) performance on a curriculum-based measure of narrative writing was examined. Three outcomes were measured: total words written, correct minus incorrect word sequences (accurate production of spelling and grammar in-text), and composition quality. Gender (girls > boys) and handwriting automaticity were significant predictors of total words written, and gender (girls > boys), reading proficiency, and grade (5 > 4) significantly predicted correct minus incorrect word sequences scores. Total words written was the only significant predictor of composition quality. The results suggest that reading proficiency and handwriting automaticity should be assessed alongside written expression in order to identify children at risk for writing difficulties and to inform instructional recommendations for these individuals.
Why Bring Students to the Theatre? An Exploration of the Value of Professional Theatre for Children
Keywords: curriculum studies
theatre education
drama education
spatial theory
theatre
drama
theatre for young audiences (TYA)
ethnography
aesthetic education

Experienced by thousands of children every year, professional theatre for young audiences TYA) is still a relatively new and understudied phenomenon in Canada. The purpose of this research has been to learn why teachers bring their students to the theatre, specifically Young People’s Theatre (YPT), and to determine how these connect to the perceptions of those who work at and with the theatre. In order to understand the complexities of the impetus to bring students to YPT, the limitations and successes teachers encounter in doing so, this ethnographic study was situated at the intersection of spatial and curriculum theories and has included surveys, interviews and participatory observation. This research provides greater understanding of the challenges and benefits of including theatre-going in one’s educational repertoire. These new insights contribute to contemporary scholarship on aesthetic education and arts-based community building and provide opportunities for further research about teaching and learning through theatre.
Characterization of Metal-binding P-loop GTPases: E. coli YeiR and M. thermoacetica AcsF
Keywords: P-loop GTPase
metallochaperone

Organisms express metal-binding proteins in order to deal with essential metal ions that can be potentially toxic. A common trend of bacterial metal homeostasis pathways is the presence of a GTPase, and several of these proteins are members of the G3E family of P-loop GTPases. In this work we focused on E. coli YeiR, member of the under-characterized COG0523 subfamily, and on M. thermoacetica AcsF. The in vitro metal-binding properties of isolated YeiR are presented. The protein binds Ni2+ and Zn2+ with low micromolar affinity, and oligomerizes in the presence of metal. The GTPase activity of YeiR is similar to that measured for other members of the group and is enhanced by Zn2+. In the case of AcsF, it was not possible to establish concluding evidence that the protein binds metal. This study helps shed light upon members of the under-characterized subfamily of G3E P-loop GTPases.
Interferon Regulatory Factor-9 (Irf-9) Mediates Short Term Host Protection, But Promotes Long Term Immune Injury in Evolution of Myocarditis Leading to Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Keywords: viral myocarditis
dilated cardiomyopathy

Evolution of viral myocarditis to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)represents a delicate balance between host innate immunity and T-cell acquired immunity. IRF-9 is a key member of a transcription factor family that regulates type I interferon (IFN) production, critical for innate antiviral protection. RESULTS: IRF9-/- mice showed dramatically increased mortality compared to the wildtype littermates (0% WT vs 72% IRF-9-/- on day 14, P<0.0001). On day 42, there was less cardiac hypertrophy and inflammation in IRF-9-/- mice compared to WT controls (p<0.05). Onn day 42 there was a dramatic increase in the number of cytotoxic and helper T-Cells in the wild-type mice that was not observed in the IRF-9-/- spleens (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest a novel dual role of IRF-9 in not only regulating interferon in acute stage of viral infection in myocarditis, but also late acquired immunity activation, including CD4/8 populations, contributing to the development of chronic cardiomyopathy.
Genome-wide Analysis of Nucleosome Occupancy Surrounding Saccharomyces cerevisiae Origins of Replication
Keywords: nucleosome
yeast

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae origin recognition complex (ORC) binds to replication origins at the ARS consensus sequence (ACS), serving as a scaffold for the assembly of replication complexes needed for the initiation of DNA synthesis. I generated a genome-wide map of nucleosome positions surrounding replication origins because the precise locations of nucleosomes may influence replication. My map revealed a nucleosome-free region surrounding the ACS that is bordered by two well-positioned nucleosomes. I was able to explain differences in origin properties by clustering nucleosome profiles. I found an association between the replication time and nucleosome profile for a given origin cluster. An ORC depletion mutant nucleosome map indicated a shift in nucleosomes towards the ACS. I present the first genome-wide view of origin nucleosome architecture, indicate a relationship between chromatin structure and replication timing, and suggest a model whereby the interplay between DNA sequence and ORC binding defines the nucleosome occupancy pattern.
Genome-scale Dynamic Modeling of the Competition Between Rhodoferax and Geobacter in Anoxic Subsurface Environments
Keywords: systems biology
model

In situ bioremediation by Fe(III) reducers is a strategy for clean-up of ground water through reductive immobilization. The dynamics of the community involved is complex and needs to be understood better for improving the bioremediation. Here, we have created a dynamic genome-scale metabolic model of Geobacter sulfurreducens and Rhodoferax ferrireducens, the two primary iron-reducers in subsurface environments, in order to understand the community competition prior to and during uranium- bioremediation. The simulation results suggest that the community competition is modulated by two factors: the ability of G. sulfurreducens to fix nitrogen under ammonium limitation, and a rate vs. yield trade-off between these two organisms. This model will be an important tool for the analyses of more complex microbial communities and the design of effective uranium-bioremediation strategies.
Design and Development of a Modular Platform for Remotely Testing DC Motors via the Internet
Keywords: motor testing
hardware-in-the-loop
emulation
torque/speed

This thesis presents the design of a platform for testing DC motors over the Internet. The system allows customers to test multiple DC motors under the specific loading conditions of the real world application for which the motor is required. This provides more information than the motor performance charts alone, therefore allowing the user to make a more-informed decision. The architecture is divided into three subsystems: the Motor Test Platform, the Target Software Application and the Server Software Application. A proof-of-concept prototype was built using this architecture. This implementation was evaluated against benchmark tests to determine its capabilities as a simulation and evaluation tool. The positioning system performed well and was able to connect to different Test Motors with any proximal human operation. The positioning system did introduce some error compared to emulation done with manual coupling.
Analog Front-end Design for 2x Blind ADC-based Receivers
Keywords: High-speed signaling
chip-to-chip communication
analog front-end
equalization
clock and data recovery
feed-forward equalization
receiver
ADC-based receiver
blind receiver
channel

This thesis presents the design, implementation, and fabrication of an analog front-end (AFE) targeting 2x blind ADC-based receivers. The front-end consists of a combination of an anti-aliasing filter (AAF) and a 2-tap feed-forward equalizer (FFE) (AAF/FFE), the required clock generation circuitry (Ck Gen), 4 time-interleaved 4-b ADCs, and DeMUX. The contributions of this design are the AAF/FFE and the Ck Gen. The overall front-end optimizes the channel/filter characteristics for data-rates of 2-10 Gb/s. The bandwidth of the AAF is scalable with the data-rate and the analog 2-tap feed-forward equalizer (FFE) is designed without the need for noise-sensitive analog delay cells. The test-chip is implemented in 65-nm CMOS and the AAF/FFE occupies 152×86 μm2 and consumes 2.4 mW at 10 Gb/s. Measured frequency responses at data-rates of 10, 5, and 2 Gb/s confirm the scalability of the front-end bandwidth. FFE achieves 11 dB of high-frequency boost at 10 Gb/s.
A 5Gb/s Speculative DFE for 2x Blind ADC-based Receivers in 65-nm CMOS
Keywords: high-speed signaling
decision-feedback equalizer (DFE)
blind sampling
ADC-based receiver
speculative
look-ahead
clock and data recovery (CDR)
blind oversampling
CMOS
jitter tolerance
eye diagram
equalizer

This thesis proposes a decision-feedback equalizer (DFE) scheme for blind ADC-based receivers to overcome the challenges introduced by blind sampling. It presents the design, simulation, and implementation of a 5Gb/s speculative DFE for a 2x blind ADC-based receiver. The complete receiver, including the ADC, the DFE, and a 2x blind clock and data recovery (CDR) circuit, is implemented in Fujitsu’s 65-nm CMOS process. Measurements of the fabricated test-chip confirm 5Gb/s data recovery with bit error rate (BER) less than 1e−12 in the presence of a test channel introducing 13.3dB of attenuation at the Nyquist frequency of 2.5GHz. The receiver tolerates 0.24UIpp of high-frequency sinusoidal jitter (SJ) in this case. Without the DFE, the BER exceeds 1e−8 even when no SJ is applied.
VLSI Implementation of Digital Signal Processing Algorithms for MIMO Detection and Channel Pre-processing
Keywords: MIMO Communication
VLSI Implementation
Digital Signal Processing
MIMO Detection
Channel Pre-Processing
QR Decomposition
K-Best Algorithm
Error Correcting Codes
High Speed
Low Power

The efficient high-throughput VLSI implementation of Soft-output MIMO detectors for high-order constellations and large antenna configurations has been a major challenge in the literature. This thesis introduces a novel Soft-output K-Best scheme that improves BER performance and reduces the computational complexity significantly by using three major improvement ideas. It also presents an area and power efficient VLSI implementation of a 4x4 64-QAM Soft K-Best MIMO detector that attains the highest detection throughput of 2 Gbps and second lowest energy/bit reported in the literature, fulfilling the aggressive requirements of emerging 4G standards such as IEEE 802.16m and LTE-Advanced. A low-complexity and highly parallel algorithm for QR Decomposition, an essential channel pre-processing task, is also developed that uses 2D, Householder 3D and 4D Givens Rotations. Test results for the QRD chip, fabricated in 0.13um CMOS, show that it attains the lowest reported latency of 144ns and highest QR Processing Efficiency.
Decidual Leukocyte Involvement in Human Spiral Artery Remodeling
Keywords: uNK cells
macrophages
flow cytometry
dendritic cells
lymphocytes

The decidualized endometrium harbors abundant leukocyte populations that are proposed to regulate critical processes at the maternal fetal interface including transformation of decidual spiral arteries. The work in this thesis investigated the leukocyte subtypes in the decidua throughout the course of this vascular transformation. A particular focus was the role of the uterine Natural Killer (uNK) cells and macrophages in an in vitro model of vascular remodeling. A significant infiltration of uNK cells and macrophages, matrix metalloproteinase-2/9 activity, and evidence of apoptosis and phagocytosis were observed in remodeling arterioles. From first to second trimester, FACS analysis demonstrated dramatic changes in the decidual leukocyte subpopulations, including the decline of uNK cells and macrophages and substantial increase in T lymphocytes and neutrophils. These data demonstrate an integral role of uNK cells and macrophages in early vascular remodeling and provide evidence of unique and complex immune interactions in the decidual microenvironment during human pregnancy.
Verdazyl Radicals as Substrates for the Synthesis of Novel Nitrogen-containing Heterocycles
Keywords: Verdazyl radicals
1,3-dipolar cycloaddition
azomethine imine
heterocyclic syntheses
pyrazolotetrazinanone

The emergence of verdazyl radicals as starting materials for organic synthesis is providing a unique opportunity to create a variety of distinctive heterocyclic scaffolds. These stable radicals have previously been used as spin probes, polymerization inhibitors, mediators of living radical polymerizations, and as substrates for molecular-based magnets. However, verdazyl radicals have never been employed to fulfill an organic synthetic role until recently. In an effort to pioneer the chemistry behind verdazyl radicals as novel organic substrates, our lab has been inspired to expand and explore the scope of reactions involving their synthetic utility. This thesis assesses the synthetic versatility of verdazyl radicals by constructing a library of structurally complex and diverse verdazyl-derived heterocycles in an approach called diversity-oriented synthesis. The synthetic versatility was further expanded to the preparation of a biphenyl-stacked biphenylophane, which exhibited interesting structural and conformational features as highlighted herein.