VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Topological Aspects of Real-valued Logic
Keywords: C*-algebra
Continuous logic
Infinitary logic
Model theory
Topology

We study interactions between general topology and the model theory of real-valued logic. This thesis includes both applications of topological ideas to obtain results in pure model theory, and a model-theoretic approach to the study of compacta via their rings of continuous functions viewed as metric structures. We introduce an infinitary real-valued extension of first-order continuous logic for metric structures which is analogous to the discrete logic Lω(1),ω, and use topological methods to develop the model theory of this new logic. Our logic differs from previous infinitary logics for metric structures in that we allow the creation of formulas inf nϕn supnϕn for all countable sequences (ϕn)n <ω of formulas. Our more general context allows us to axiomatize several important classes of structures from functional analysis which are not captured by previous logics for metric structures. We give a topological proof of an omitting types theorem for this logic, which gives a common generalization of the omitting types theorems of Henson and Keisler. Consequently, we obtain a strengthening of a result of Ben Yaacov and Iovino concerning separable quotients of Banach spaces. We show that continuous functions on separable metric structures are definable in our Lω(1),ω if and only if they are automorphism invariant. The second part of this thesis develops the model theory of the C*-algebras C(X), for X a compact Hausdorff space. We describe all complete theories of these algebras for X a compact 0 -dimensional space. We show that the complete theories of C(X) (for X of any dimension) having quantifier elimination are exactly the theories of C, C2, and C(2N) , and that if the theory of C(X) is model complete and X is connected then X is co-elementarily equivalent to the pseudoarc. We use model-theoretic forcing to answer a question of P. Bankston by showing that the pseudoarc is a co-existentially closed continuum.
Advancing Theory in Healthcare Simulation Instructional Design: The Effect of Task Complexity on Novice Learning and Cognitive Load
Keywords: Cognitive Load Theory
Fidelity
Healthcare simulation
Health professions education
Instructional design
Procedural and surgical skills

Dramatic changes to healthcare systems globally have led to increased use of simulation as a pedagogical tool in health professions education. An impressive evidence base has accrued in support of simulation-based education and training, leaving little doubt that ‘it works’. As a result, scholarship in the field is shifting toward clarifying the features of simulation instructional design that optimize learning outcomes. Many scholars advocate for the use of established instructional frameworks to advance this agenda. In this dissertation, the author employed Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) and related instructional frameworks to investigate the relationship between task complexity, cognitive load (CL), and learning among novices engaged in simulation-based procedural skills training. Phase one of this research program established the sensitivity of two CL measures (subjective ratings of mental effort and secondary task performance) to predicted differences in load related to learners’ proficiency with a procedural skill and simulation training task complexity. As a result, these measures may be used to track changes in CL during simulation training and distinguish between the CL imposed by different instructional designs. Phase two operationalized Elaboration Theory (ET) to identify the task-conditions that impact training complexity of a prototypical procedural skill (lumbar puncture). The results of this phase demonstrate the methodological and theoretical advantages of combining a structured instructional design framework with expert consensus (via the Delphi technique) when developing healthcare simulation curricula. The final phase examined the competing effects of task complexity and context similarity on novices’ skills transfer. The results demonstrate that higher task complexity increases load during training, which may impede initial learning and subsequent transfer of skills ‘peripheral’ to the task (e.g. sterility). However, the findings also suggest that other variables (i.e. context or information processing specificity and learners strategies to manage load) may have important effects on these learning outcomes. At a broader level, the systematic, multi-phased approach employed in this dissertation provides a framework to guide future research in simulation instructional design. Furthermore, the application of CLT in this work exposes strengths and shortcomings in the theory that educators and researchers should be aware of, and highlights avenues for future inquiry.
A Geoarchaeological Investigation of Storage and Surplus at Tel Tsaf, Israel
Keywords: Chalcolithic
geoarchaeology
micromorphology
Surplus of goods

The Chalcolithic period of the southern Levant spans from c. 5800 - 3600 cal BC. Traditional hallmarks of this period include caches of copper items, non-domestic shrine sites and large off site cemeteries or burial caves. However, these features date to the later portion of the period (Late Chalcolithic) and date to c. 4400 cal BC onwards. The focus of this dissertation is on the Middle Chalcolithic period (c. 5040 – 4440 cal BC), specifically in relation to storage and access to resources at the village of Tel Tsaf, Israel. Excavations at Tel Tsaf uncovered evidence of at least four walled courtyard complexes spanning two Chalcolithic phases. Each courtyard contained either rectangular broadroom houses or circular buildings, with no evidence of both structural forms in the same courtyard. Each courtyard also contained multiple large, mudbrick-lined circular silos. The research goals of this work address the implications of these varied architectural forms and the possible identification of surplus of both floral and faunal goods. Microscopic sediment analysis was used to investigate these questions, and the results are discussed in relation to the big picture debates of the Chalcolithic period. Micromorphology and bulk sediment samples were taken from Building Complexes I, II and IV during the 2006 and 2007 field seasons. Results demonstrate that domestic activities centred in the broadroom house and courtyard of Building Complex I, and animal penning activity was restricted to the circular buildings in Building Complex II. This distribution, combined with the numerous large silos, indicate there may have been some economic specialization at Tel Tsaf. The relationship among storage, surplus and wealth is explored and put in context of public and private access to resources and potential feasting at the site. It is established that the evidence is not significant enough to classify Tel Tsaf or the Middle Chalcolithic societies as chiefdoms. The evidence of likely surplus and potential private ownership of animals without evidence of a central distribution system or regional hierarchy further differentiates Tel Tsaf from large Late Chalcolithic villages. However, the evidence from Tel Tsaf demonstrates that it is distinct from the Early and Late Chalcolithic sites, demonstrating some similarity to both periods, as well as some evidence unique to the Middle Chalcolithic.
Improv Remix: Video Manipulation Using Whole-body Interaction To Extend Improvised Theatre
Keywords: improvisation
interaction techniques
remix
video editing
whole-body interaction

This work represents a technical implementation of features seen in modern theatrical improvisation: re-use of previous concepts and moments in performance via recontextualization, coordinated by gestures between the performers on stage. We present a system for manipulating the video content of a stage show, and re-projecting previous moments on the stage. As part of this thesis, we have explored the generic research problems of live video editing and separating for-system interaction (foreground activity) from noisy gesticulation (background activity). We have workshopped and designed iterations of our system extensively with experienced theatrical improvisation performers. We have exhibited this work in a public showcase, and have observed the impact on interacting with a system, while performance is the primary activity, on both performance and audience members. We provide several use cases discovered during performance, and reflect on thinking of theatrical improv performers as a special group of users.
Predicting Individual-level Probabilities of Dementia and Diabetes using Health Services Administrative Data
Keywords: administrative data
health services research
machine learning
performance measurement
probabilities
surveillance

Health services administrative data (HSAD) provide a timely and readily available population-based data source for health research and planning. To perform disease-specific analyses, individuals with the disease must first be identified in the administrative data. In this validation study, a data modeling method (logistic regression) and two algorithmic modeling methods (random forests and gradient boosted machines) were compared in predicting individual-level probabilities of diabetes and dementia using HSAD. Prevalence for both diseases was calculated to demonstrate a population-level application and A1C testing rates were calculated to demonstrate an individual-level application. Diabetes prevalence and A1C testing rates were compared with the classification-based methods currently used for the Ontario Diabetes Database (ODD). The reference standard data were chart re-abstraction data for a sample of Toronto-areas physician for diabetes and the Ontario sample of the Canadian Study of Health and Aging for dementia. The three-year random forest models were the best-performing models for both diabetes (Nagelkerke’s R2=0.82, C statistic=0.98 and calibration slope=1.02) and dementia (Nagelkere’s R2=0.58, C statistic=0.92 and calibration slope=1.00). Based on the random forest probabilities, the prevalence of dementia in Ontario in 2008/09 was 8.5 percent for females and 5.7 percent for males. The prevalence of diabetes was 5.4 percent for females and 6.5 percent for males. A1C testing rates varied from 38 to 61 percent depending on the probability cutoff used. The probability-based diabetes prevalence was lower than the ODD-based rates and the A1C testing rates were higher than the ODD-rates. Although the random forest models are more complex than the pooling algorithms currently used for the ODD, they offer researchers the flexibility to construct cohorts with sensitivities and specificities specific to each purpose. Algorithmic modeling methods are well suited to research using health services administrative data and should be pursued as an alternative to data modeling methods.
Fishing for a Zebrafish model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: The Behavioural Characterization and a Biological Exploration of the Effects of Embryonic Alcohol Exposure on Zebrafish
Keywords: Dopamine
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
High throughput
Impaired social behaviour
Learning and memory
Zebrafish

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is the leading cause of birth defects in the Western world. Individuals with FASD may suffer from physical deformities and /or behavioural and cognitive impairments that are life long, severely reducing their quality of life while placing a financial burden on society. In order to address the aforementioned issues it is necessary to unravel the mechanisms underlying FASD. Animal models can aid in elucidating the mechanisms involved in FASD. The zebrafish possess a number of behavioural and biological characteristics making them a suitable animal model for FASD research. In the past this species has been used to explore the effects of embryonic alcohol exposure (EAE) on physical features. While a few studies have begun to investigate the impact EAE has on social behaviour, these studies utilized a live group of zebrafish (shoal) to assay the behaviour. Previously, I demonstrated that a computerized shoal could be used to study the behavioural deficits associated with EAE; specifically, I found a dose-dependent decrease in social behaviour in exposed fish. The research presented within this thesis represents an expansion of my previous research. Beginning by optimizing the parameters of the computerized stimulus, I was able to demonstrate that the size and the number of fish within the animated shoal effects the social behaviour of experimental fish. Using the optimized social paradigm, I showed that the deficits in social behaviour caused by EAE are stage-specific and that these social impairments do not subside with age. I used high-pressure liquid chromatography to determine whether the changes in social behaviour caused by EAE were accompanied by changes to the dopamine system, finding that EAE did impair the dopaminergic system. I was also successful at developing a new apparatus that is capable of assaying many behaviours in zebrafish, including associative learning and memory.
Applications of Fourier coefficients of modular forms
Keywords: factoring
modular forms
primality test
squarefreeness test

Let f be a modular form of even weight k and level N which is a normalized eigen-form for the Hecke operators, and write [special characters omitted] for its Fourier expansion at i∞. We assume the Fourier coefficients {af(n)}(∞/n=1 are rational integers. A notable example of such a form is Ramanujan's cusp form Δ of weight 12 and level 1. In this case, the Fourier coefficients are given by the famous Ramanujan tau function: [special characters omitted] In this thesis, we study applications of the Fourier coefficients τ( n), and more generally, af( n). First, we present a factoring algorithm that uses an oracle that outputs af(n) . We show that the algorithm runs in polynomial time for squarefree integers on average, and quasi-polynomial time for non-squarefree integers on average. We note that current factoring algorithms have sub-exponential runtimes. More importantly, when combined with Edixhoven's (conditional) polynomial time algorithm for computing af(p), we get an equivalence between factoring and computing af(n) . Secondly, we present an algorithm that uses an oracle that outputs af(n) for testing the squarefree-ness of an integer. This algorithm exploits the greatest common divisor of sequences of the form (af(pr)) r∈A where p is a prime and A ⊂ N . Thirdly, we present a primality testing algorithm that uses an oracle that outputs τ( n) and af/E}(n) where fE is a form of weight 2 corresponding to an elliptic curve. As a corollary, we use such an oracle to compute in polynomial time the value of the Möbius function in the squarefree case.
The Operating Room as a Classroom: a New Approach to Skills Assessment and Training in Surgery
Keywords: Coaching
Debriefing
Error-analysis
Feedback
Postgraduate Surgical Education
Technical Skills

Introduction: Ensuring that trainees are graduated as competent, safe surgeons who can independently perform successful operations is a social obligation. Much of surgical technical training occurs in the operating room; as a result, enhancing training in this environment needs to be a priority. In this thesis, a comprehensive training approach, based on coaching principles, is described as a means to structure the experiential learning experience of training in the operating room. Methods: Three main steps were required. Step 1: Design of an assessment methodology based on error analysis, as an adjunct to global skill assessment, to allow for comprehensive feedback. Step 2: Standardization of training content. For this, delineation of erroneous from adequate task execution was required, and causal relationships between errors and intraoperative injuries (events) needed identifying. Step 3: Design of a coaching intervention, based on observed operative performance, using established instructional approaches. Results: (1) The generic error rating tool was based on four error modes attributed to nine laparoscopic tasks. Substantial construct validity evidence was gathered through applying the tool in video analyses of routine procedures. (2) In an international Delphi consensus, definitions and examples of errors and events were obtained. Further, evidence supporting the role of errors was obtained through reviewing 66 error-event patterns identified by video analysis of routine bariatric procedures. (3) The effectiveness of the coaching intervention was demonstrated in a randomized controlled design. Coached residents (n=9) scored significantly higher on a procedure-specific skill scale (BOSATS) and made fewer technical errors than conventionally trained residents (n=9) (BOSATS median 3.90 (i.q.r. 3.68-4.30) vs. 3.60, (2.98-3.70), P=0.017; technical error 10 (7-13) vs. 18 (13-21), P=0.003). Conclusion: Designing training in a personalized fashion, following principles of coaching, can help structure experiential learning in the operating room, which leads to significantly enhanced skill acquisition in surgical training.
Nontechnical Skills in Postgraduate Surgical Education
Keywords: competency-based education
Nontechnical skills
patient safety
surgical education
teamwork

Background: Surgeons’ nontechnical skills are critical for patient safety in the operating room (OR) and have been included in resident training requirements. The optimal approach to their training and assessment though is unknown. The goal of this thesis was to develop a structured approach to the training and assessment of nontechnical skills in surgical education. Methods: Objectives were: (1) to establish the prevalence of nontechnical training components in postgraduate curricula; (2) to develop a reliable tool for the criterion-referenced assessment of residents’ nontechnical performance; (3) to determine surgical residents’ innate nontechnical skills and how these relate to personality; (4) to evaluate the effectiveness of a strategy for competency-based training of nontechnical skills in surgical residency. Results: (1) One-third of responding residency programs reported nontechnical training components; (2) the Objective Structured Assessment of Nontechnical Skills (OSANTS) tool was developed to assess resident-specific skills. Good psychometric properties were demonstrated, both in simulation and in the real OR; (3) large inter-individual differences in nontechnical performance were found among 31 junior surgical residents. Some variability could be explained by personality traits; (4a) a basic skills curriculum was evaluated in a randomized trial. Curriculum trained first-year residents (n=11) outperformed conventionally trained peers (n=11) in knowledge and attitudes about nontechnical skills. Curriculum-trained residents’ performance in a simulated OR improved significantly from baseline to post-training (OSANTS: (median 23(interquartile range 17-28) vs. 31(25-33), p=0.012), while conventionally trained residents did not improve (OSANTS, 26(24-32) vs. 24(23-32), p=0.713); (4b) In an interrupted time-series study, observed nontechnical performance of senior residents (n=11) in the OR improved significantly following one debriefing and feedback session. Conclusion: Based on the results, a combined approach to nontechnical education in surgical postgraduate education is proposed, with a basic skills curriculum in the first year, and debriefing and feedback in formative assessments throughout residency training.
The Influence of Nonverbal Communication Processes in String Quartet Performance
Keywords: gesture
interaction
leadership
nonverbal communication
performance
string quartet

The Influence of Nonverbal Communication Processes in String Quartet Performance Caitlin Boyle Doctorate of Musical Arts Graduate Department of Music University of Toronto 2015 Abstract Nonverbal processes play a significant role in the musical communication that takes place between ensemble musicians during performance. This dissertation focuses on players in professional string quartets, whose artistic goal is a collective interpretation of a pre-composed musical score. In this study I focus on nonverbal communication realized through physical gesture, eye contact, breathing, and sound as fundamental aspects involved in string quartet coordination of synchronization and expression. As such, I position various forms of nonverbal communication as foundational to string quartet interaction and also draw from theories of interaction and gesture to enhance and support my investigation. The purpose is to isolate specific qualities and functions of these various nonverbal modes, and analyze how they are influenced by one another and how they work together or independently from one another. Some primary issues that are addressed include: the nature of the information being shared between co-performers; the correlation of nonverbal processes to those of “spontaneous musical variation” during performance; the impact of familiarity between players; examination of the reception of nonverbal communication as a competence; and how leadership is navigated in the context of string quartet performance. In order to help address these issues I draw critically on my own experiences as a string quartet performer, record and analyze videos of professional string quartet performances, and interview members of the groups. Key findings are the importance of the different levels of perception within vision and sound, and their interaction with breath and gesture in helping instigate sound and movement within this context. Understanding the complex interactions of elements was aided by theorizing the idea of the different functions of modes and channels of sensory reception utilized in nonverbal communication, and the application of concepts such as multi-functionality, anticipatory auditory imagery, inter-reaction, and empathetic creativity as a means of coordinating and inspiring players during performance. This thesis hopes to increase the chamber musician’s understanding of the multiple ways in which these processes can be used, and outlines the most useful ways in which these processes can be applied during the moment of performance.