VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Inositol Polyphosphate 4-Phosphatase Type II Contributes to Chemotherapy Resistance in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Keywords: AML
Chemotherapy
Daunorubicin
INPP4B
Leukemia
Resistance

Inositol polyphosphate 4-phosphatase type II (INPP4B) is a lipid phosphatase with diverse roles in select human cancers. It has yet to be comprehensively studied in the context of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This investigation reports an association between overexpression of INPP4B in myeloid cell lines and resistance to DNA damaging agents. Clinical observations showed that high INPP4B expression in peripheral blood was associated with poor response to induction chemotherapy in AML patients (n=279). In vitro, AML cell lines overexpressing INPP4B exhibited reduced sensitivity and decreased apoptosis after exposure to daunorubicin chemotherapy and ionizing radiation. Preliminary evidence suggests INPP4B overexpression may confer increased redox metabolism in AML cells in vitro. Immunoblotting of a newly generated daunorubicin-resistant OCI/AML-3 cell line identified a distinct change in INPP4B-specific antibody binding compared to its parent line. In summary, INPP4B overexpression may serve as a putative clinical biomarker for intrinsic resistance to induction therapy in AML.
The Effect of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Growth and microRNA-21 Expression in Estrogen Receptor-positive Breast Cancer Cells (MCF-7)
Keywords: Breast cancer
Cell growth
Gene expression
microRNA
Omega 3 fatty acids
Protein biomarker

Targeted, effective and safe therapies for breast cancer are lacking and many are turning towards complementary therapies, such as FS oil (FSO) and fish oil (FO). Interest surrounding the role of microRNA (miR) in breast cancer has piqued over the last decade, and the interaction between miR and dietary factors is emerging. This thesis examined the role of α-linolenic acid (ALA) alone or combined with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docoashexaenoic acid (DHA) at ratios seen in the serum post-FSO consumption on cell growth, miR-21 expression and molecular targets of miR-21 in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer (MCF-7) cells. A reduction in cell growth and miR-21 expression was observed following fatty acid treatment of varying incubation times. Bcl-2 gene is one molecular target of miR-21 that was reduced by the fatty acid treatment. In conclusion, ALA alone or combined with EPA and DHA can reduce cell growth and miR-21 expression.
Separate and Combined Representations of Positivity and Negativity in the Nucleus Accumbens
Keywords: Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Nucleus Accumbens
Reinforcement Learning
Representational Similarity Analysis
Reward

Reward and punishment signals in the brain are represented in many brain areas, such as the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), which has been found to encode aspects of positivity and negativity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Animal neuron-recording studies also suggest that the ventral striatum has multiple representations of rewards and punishments, however fMRI studies do not have the adequate resolution to provide convincing evidence of this differentiation. Using representational similarity analysis (RSA), we aimed to find separate representations of positives and negatives in the NAcc. We found valence-general voxels that did not have distinct patterns for gains and losses, as well as voxels that represented positive outcomes separate from negative outcomes. Future directions include whole brain analysis to examine areas such as the orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala, which have been suggested in both animal and human literature to have multiple representations for reward and punishment.
Mechanical Aspects of Design, Analysis, and Testing for the NORSAT-1 Microsatellite
Keywords: Aerospace
Design
Microsatellite
NORSAT
Satellite
Structural

NORSAT-1 is a multi-payload microsatellite mission funded by the Norwegian Space Center, with three overall objectives: investigating solar radiation, space plasma research, and developing improved methods for detection and management of ship traffic. The successful development of the NORSAT-1 platform aims to lay the groundwork for additional low-cost microsatellites in the NORSAT series, and expand the Norwegian presence in space and space-based ship tracking technologies. This thesis provides some insight into the NORSAT-1 satellite platform design, and focuses heavily on the mechanical aspects of design, analysis, and testing. The structural design is detailed from the early conceptual design phases, and follows the development to the manufacturing, integration, and testing of the flight spacecraft. Validation of the design through finite element modeling is presented, along with the development and design of two honeycomb composite solar panels, and two deployable whip antennas.
Pharmacist Immunizers: An Analysis of their Experiences and Perceptions of Pain
Keywords: Experiences
Immunizations
Interviews
Pain Management
Qualitative

OBJECTIVES: In 2012, Ontario pharmacists were granted immunization privileges for administering influenza vaccines to the public. This study explored the experiences and practices of pharmacist immunizers and the impact of immunization pain on their practice. METHOD:Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 pharmacists in the Greater Toronto Area. Transcribed interview data were coded and analyzed via thematic analysis. RESULTS: Pharmacists felt satisfied in their new role, despite the associated increased workload. Pharmacists felt that immunization pain was not akey consideration when administering vaccines and that pain management was not necessary. Fear was identified as more important than pain and vaccinating children was challenging and time intensive. Pharmacists’ main focus was on injection techniques when asked how they minimize pain. CONCLUSION:These findings suggest that pharmacists are accepting of their role as immunizers. More research is needed to examine impact on workload and patient satisfaction.
Separating Patterns of Space and Time: Differences in Memory for Event Duration and Sequential Order
Keywords: Episodic memory
Hippocampus
Spatial navigation
Temporal order
Temporal perception

Our memories are temporally organized. However, little is known about how the duration of individual events is encoded in episodic memory. We used a virtual reality navigation paradigm where periods of navigation were interspersed with pauses of different durations. In Experiment 1, we show that the active experience of the passage of time selectively enhanced memory for duration, with no effect on memory for the temporal sequence of events. In Experiment 2, we show that active navigation interspersed with passive waiting did not result in a similar enhancement of temporal memory. Crucially, in both studies participants were able to reliably distinguish the durations of subjectively re-experienced events, but not familiar ones. This effect was unique to duration. We posit that time is represented in episodic memory in a manner akin to space, and that the hippocampally-supported ability to recollect an event enables the reinstantiation of its temporal and spatial context.
Illustration-inspired Visualization of Blood Flow Dynamics
Keywords: computational fluid dynamics
feature-tracking
hemodynamics
illustration-inspired
visualization

Image-based computational fluid dynamics is an invaluable tool in the study and evaluation of hemodynamic factors involved in cardiovascular disease. Simulating blood flow inside a patient-specific model provides an understanding of the blood's complex behaviour without resorting to risky invasive procedures. However, detailed hemodynamic data can be difficult to present clearly using conventional flow visualization techniques. Many approaches use single snapshots in time which fail to capture the time-varying qualities of the flow dynamics; and animations retain temporal information but are constrained to a single point of view. To address these concerns, we took cues from illustration and comics to explore data-driven paradigms for visualizing blood flow. We programmatically reproduced illustrative techniques using modern computer graphics capabilities and computer vision-inspired feature-tracking algorithms. The culmination of this work produced an interactive web-based tool that allows users to explore the hemodynamics of cerebral aneurysms in a unique, immediate, and novel way.
User-centred Perspectives in the Design of Innovative Technologies to Promote Physical Activity in Young People with Physical Disabilities
Keywords: Health promotion
Physical activity
Rehabilitation
Social support
Social technology
Young people

Background: Social support networks facilitated by technologies may be one way of addressing young people with physical disabilities' low physical activity levels. Objective: To explore the perceived benefits and impact of social networks on physical activity in young people with physical disabilities, and to identify design considerations when creating social technologies to support physical activity. Method: A 2-stage, iterative design included individual interviews and group design workshops with eleven young people aged 12 to 18 with physical disabilities. Results: Supportive environments for physical activity included those that promote fair and equitable participation, belonging through teamwork, and opportunities for interdependence. Participants perceived some benefits to using social technology for physical activity, provided it is tailored to suit their needs and abilities. Conclusions: This study contributes user-generated design recommendations for social technologies to promote physical activity in young people with physical disabilities that align with principles of inclusive design and self-determination theory.
Enabling Interposer-based Disintegration of Multi-Core Processors
Keywords: Computer Architecture
Network on Chip

Silicon interposers enable high-performance processors to integrate a significant amount of in-package memory, thereby providing huge bandwidth gains while reducing the costs of accessing memory. Once the price has been paid for the interposer, there are new opportunities to exploit it and provide other system benefits. We consider how the routing resources afforded by the interposer can be used to improve the network-on-chip’s (NoC) capabilities and use the interposer to “disintegrate” a multi-core chip into smaller chips that individually and collectively cost less to manufacture than a large monolithic chip. However, distributing a system across many pieces of silicon causes the overall NoC to become fragmented, thereby decreasing performance as core-to-core communications between different chips must now be routed through the interposer. We study the performance-cost trade-offs of implementing an interposer-based, multi-chip, multi-core system and propose new interposer NoC organizations to mitigate the performance challenges while preserving the cost benefits.
MRI Based Quantification Of Cerebrovascular Health In Pediatric Subjects With Sickle Cell Disease
Keywords: cerebrovascular reactivity
cortical thickness
magnetic resonance imaging
sickle cell disease

Sickle cell disease is a lifelong genetic disorder of the erythrocytes characterized by the sickling of deoxygenated hemoglobin. As a result of the sickling, children with SCD suffer from many different complications such as poor cerebrovascular health, vasculopathies and stroke. Using MR, we can quantify the degree of cerebrovascular health impairment with cerebrovascular reactivity. It was seen that children with SCD had significantly reduced CVR both regionally and globally which was then seen to be correlated with regional measures of cortical thickness. From this study, it was observed that regional deficits in cerebrovascular health are related to regional cortical thinning. Furthermore, previous studies have demonstrated impaired vasculature in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) which occurs at a high rate in SCD. Therefore, CVR was measured in SCD patients with OSA and compared against SCD patients with no-OSA to determine the effect of OSA in children with SCD.
“We Exist. We’re Not Just Some Fairytale in a Book”: Migration Narratives of LGBTQ2S Aboriginal People in Toronto
Keywords: Aboriginal people
Canada
LGBTQ2S
migration
Toronto

Over the past 60 years, the urban Aboriginal population in Canada has increased by almost 700 percent. Toronto’s population is no different; from 2001 to 2011, the Aboriginal population in Toronto grew by 87 percent. While it has been suggested that there is a high rate of Aboriginal mobility between reserves and cities, there are few qualitative studies that examine experiences of migration. Within that, little attention has been paid to narratives of Aboriginal people who are marginalized within this already marginalized community, such as the LGBTQ and two-spirited (LGBTQ2S) population. Utilizing Indigenous methodologies and a critical population health theoretical framework, semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-two LGBTQ2S migrants to understand urban transition narratives. The findings suggest that LGBTQ2S migrants have unique migration narratives based on their intersectional identities, which contribute to new challenges accessing housing, employment, culture, and services for this particular population.
Modelling of Alkali-aggregate Reaction Effects in Reinforced Concrete Structures
Keywords: alkali-aggregate reaction
finite element analysis
modelling
simulation

Significant research has been performed worldwide on alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR) since its first deleterious effects on concrete structures were identified 75 years ago. According to the CSA A864-00, conventional methods become invalid for the structural assessment of AAR-affected members due to the induced anisotropy with regards to the mechanical properties of concrete. As such, there is a need for proper analysis tools to investigate the behaviour of an AAR-affected structure, and assist in identifying possible rehabilitation actions. The VecTor suite of nonlinear finite element programs, developed at the University of Toronto for the analysis of reinforced concrete structures, can be developed into such a tool. The work performed in this thesis is directed towards modifying the algorithms of VecTor2 and VecTor3 for the analysis of AAR-affected structures, as part of a comprehensive study initiated and funded by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.
Measuring the Magnitude of Oral Health Inequalities within and between Canada and the United States from 1970 to 2009
Keywords: concentration index
inequalities
oral health

Objectives: To compare the magnitude of, and contributors to, income-related inequalities in oral health outcomes within and between Canada and the United States over time. Methods: The Concentration Index (CI) was used to estimate income-related oral health inequalities from two Canadian and two American cross-sectional surveys, and decomposed to determine the potential contributors to inequalities. Results: Pro-poor inequalities were observed in oral disease outcomes and pro-rich inequalities in oral health outcomes, with greater magnitude in the United States. Decreases in inequalities for edentulism and increases in decayed teeth were observed in both countries over time. Inequalities in filled teeth decreased in the United States and increased in Canada. Socioeconomic characteristics contributed greater to inequalities than demographic characteristics, with greater contributions of income over time. Conclusions: Oral health inequalities have persisted over time in Canada and the United States and are associated with age, sex, education, and have varied over time.
Online Three-class Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound-based Brain Computer Interface
Keywords: Brain computer interface
Lateralization
Transcranial Doppler ultrasound

Transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) is an imaging technique used to assess cerebral blood flow velocities (CBFV) and can be used to develop a brain computer interface (BCI). Generally in right-handed individuals, verbal cognitive tasks elicit a greater increase in CBFV in the left hemisphere in comparison to the right while spatial tasks result in greater blood flow to the right hemisphere. Previous TCD-BCI systems have used verbal and spatial tasks as control signals; however, the spatial task required a visual cue, which is not feasible for those with visual impairments and restricts the BCI to a system-paced paradigm. Therefore, new right-side lateralized tasks that do not require visual cues were investigated and evaluated as control signals in an online three-class TCD-BCI system. An average online accuracy of 62.4±10.8% (n=10) and information transfer rate of 1.08±0.69 bits/min was achieved. These results demonstrate the feasibility of a user-paced, vision-free, online TCD-BCI system.
Automatic Performance Tuning of Stencil Computations on Graphics Processing Units
Keywords: auto-tuning
GPGPU
machine learning
optimization space exploration
stencil

The focus of this work is the automatic performance tuning of stencil computations on Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). A strategy is presented that uses machine learning to determine the best way to use the GPU memory followed by a heuristic that divides the remaining optimizations into groups and exhaustively explores one group at a time. The strategy is evaluated using 104 synthetically generated OpenCL stencil kernels on an Nvidia GTX Titan GPU. The strategy is assessed both in terms of the number of configurations explored during auto-tuning and the quality of the best configuration obtained. Two alternative heuristics that use different groupings of the optimizations are explored. Relative to a random sampling of the space and an expert search, the strategy achieves a reduction in the number of configurations explored of up to 71% and 84% respectively while finding configurations that perform 12% and 6% better respectively.
Family Matters: People’s Perceptions of Family Members Dating Interracially
Keywords: Family
Intergroup Relations
Interracial Dating
Prejudice
Stereotyping

Family members significantly influence dating behaviors and their support is instrumental for a healthy relationship (e.g., Wang et al., 2006). Although many interracial couples report family disapproval of their relationship (e.g., Inman et al., 2011), few studies have asked family members directly about their attitudes towards these couples. We asked three-hundred twenty-nine White participants how they feel, what they think, and how they would behave towards a couple consisting of either their brother or their sister with a White, Black, or Asian partner. Results revealed that participants’ level of internal motivation to control prejudice (IMS) consistently moderated perceptions of interracial couples. Specifically, high levels of IMS were associated with positive affect, beliefs, and behaviors towards White siblings dating a non-White partner. The findings suggest that IMS may be key in understanding how individuals perceive interracial couples involving a family member.
Effect of Geometry and Bonding Method on the Convective Heat Transfer Enhancement from Copper Foam Partially Filling a Channel
Keywords: Convection
Fluid mechanics
Heat transfer
Metal foam

Copper foam with a 10 PPI linear pore density was used to enhance convective heat transfer from a heat sink in which the foam only partially filled the airflow channel. During initial tests with a 100 W heat input, and 6-7 CFM airflow rate, it was found that bonding together two pieces of copper foam with the same geometry provided worse heat transfer compared to a single foam layer. However, improved heat transfer was obtained when smaller pieces of foam that did not completely cover the first layer were added. Next, a heat sink made by solidifying molten tin around copper foam was tested at varying heat inputs and flow rates. The results were compared against tests performed on a heat sink made by soldering copper foam. The new fabrication method using tin was found to provide better heat transfer at a given pressure drop compared to soldering.
Sedentary Behaviour Profiling in Breast Cancer Survivors and Implications for Mental Health
Keywords: breast cancer survivors
cancer
depression
mental health
physical activity
sedentary behaviour

Background: Symptoms of depression remain under diagnosed but highly prevalent in breast cancer survivors (BCS). Reducing sedentary behaviour (SED) during the early survivorship period may be a strategy for treating clinical depression in survivors. Methods: One hundred and eighty-seven BCS provided baseline demographic, medical, and SED/physical activity data. Depression was reported three months later. Multiple dimensions of SED were identified and examined in cluster analysis. The association between cluster membership and depression was assessed using logistic regression. Results: Two SED groups were identified representing higher and lower SED. High SED cluster BCS’s were significantly older, heavier, less physically active, less educated, and were more likely to have undergone lymph/axial node dissection. In the logistic regression model cluster membership was a significant predictor of clinical depression. Conclusions: Reducing dimensions of SED during the early survivorship period could protect from clinical depression symptoms.
Towards Exploratory Aerodynamic Design using the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes Equations
Keywords: Aerodynamics
Computational
Optimization

The aerodynamic optimization framework Jetstream is applied to problems involving lift-constrained drag minimization using the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations. A parallel Newton-Krylov algorithm is used to solve the governing equations on multiblock structured meshes; gradients are computed using the discrete-adjoint method. Geometry parameterization and mesh movement are integrated using B-spline control volumes. Drag minimization studies from past works are revisited and strategies are devised to improve optimization convergence. These strategies include linear constraints for geometric feasibility, robust flow solver parameters, and meshing with an O-O topology. The single-point and multi-point optimization of the NASA Common Research Model (CRM) wing geometry is presented. A rectangular NACA0012 wing is optimized with planform design variables, enabling significant changes in span, sweep, taper, and airfoil section. To demonstrate Jetstream’s flexibility, a wing based on the B737-900 is optimized with nonplanar winglets, split-tip, and wingtip fence configurations. Finally, the box-wing optimization in subsonic flow is revisited.
Cardiovascular Computed Tomography Phantom Fabrication and Characterization through the Tailored Properties of Polymeric Composites and Cellular Foams
Keywords: Compute Tomography (CT)
Coronary Plaque
CT Phantom
Polymeric Composite
Polymeric Foam

The overall objective of this thesis was to control the fabrication technique and relevant material properties for phantom devices designated for computed tomography (CT) scanning. Fabrication techniques using polymeric composites and foams were detailed together with parametric studies outlining the fundamentals behind the changes in material properties which affect the characteristic CT number. The composites fabricated used polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and polyethylene (PE) with hydroxylapatite (hA) as additive with different composites made by means of different weight percentages of additive. Polymeric foams were fabricated through a batch foaming technique with the heating time controlled to create different levels of foams. Finally, the effect of fabricated phantoms under varied scanning media was assessed to determine whether self-made phantoms can be scanned accurately under non-water or rigid environments allowing for the future development of complex shaped or fragile material types.