VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
How Unpopular Musicians Live: Complex Leisure Careers in Toronto's Indie Scene
Keywords: indie
leisure
music education
popular music education
Toronto

The phenomenon of independence in popular music offers a glimpse into the economic dimensions of musical creation and livelihoods. Such considerations have been absent in scholarship concerning musical learning and music education. Building upon extant research on popular music, this research seeks to further the growing presence of (un)popular music education emphasizing the reality that most musicians who engage in popular music are relatively unpopular. This narrative ethnographic research features the experiences and stories of 24 Toronto-based indie musicians. Data was collected via 17 semi-structured interviews between May and December of 2020. 13 interviews feature individual musicians, and four interviews were conducted with bands (11 musicians). The interviews were structured around open-ended questions that invited participants their musical histories and perspectives. A significant finding was the highly complex relationship between earning a living and pursuing a career creating original music, which one participant describes as a catch-22 due to the rising cost of living in Toronto. Further, the opaque gatekeeping processes of the music industry provide a deep contrast from the music scene, suggesting functional differences between the two despite significant overlap in their physical and social spaces. The analytical and theoretical framework for this research is based on extensions to Stebbins’ serious leisure perspective. The first is the expansion of possible activities to include fulfillment activities, entrepreneurial activities, ancillary activities, and casual activities; the second is the concept of a complex leisure career, containing multiple activities, which serves to better represent the complexity of indie musicians’ careers in creating original music; the third is the introduction of semi-professional devotee as a role to most respectfully and accurately represent the magnitude of musical activities (and complex leisure careers) in the participants’ lives. I conclude by discussing the implications of participants’ experiences on the field of music education. In considering the purpose of public music education, I suggest that school-based music education could better support the individual and collective interests of its students through the implementation of learning models based on serious leisure education, prioritizing students’ independence (of).
Black Student Organizing on Indigenous Lands
Keywords: Black geographies
critical university studies
land
place
social movements
student activism

Between Fall 2020 and Winter 2021, I conducted 30 interviews and 3 focus groups with Black student organizers at post-secondary institutions in Canada and the United States about their relationships to place and land, and how this shapes their organizing work. In the first section of this dissertation (chapters 3 and 4), I outline Black students’ theorizations of their post-secondary institutions and the unique challenges that emerge from organizing within and against universities. I theorize the contemporary university through the social relations and logics onset by settler colonialism and slavery and trace the breadth of contributions made by Black student organizing. In the second section (chapters 5 and 6), I illustrate rich and complicated relationships to place and land that my participants described using their chosen photographs, and I outline broad principles for land-centered Black student organizing that emerge from a collaborative concept map. Taken together, in this dissertation I elaborate upon the robustness of Black student organizing, the limitations and frustrations of organizing within and against universities, and the rich theorizations of land Black students embed into their organizing. By bringing land and place to the fore of my study, I de-center the university as the sole focus of Black student activism. Black students have organized in ways that demonstrate they are not invested in fixing the university or seeking repair through institutional solutions (Harney and Moten, 2013; Purnell, 2016; Kelley, 2016). For such Black organizers, their ambivalence towards the university as a site of social transformation does not discount harm-reduction or intermediary solutions to support Black students. However, they believe in a longer, liberatory project that transcends universities. I offer ‘land-centered’ to resist this implicit assumption and to highlight Black students’ abolitionist and decolonial desires. Thinking about their organizing as land-centered, rather than university-centered, honours the expansiveness of Black student organizing.
Gabor Frames and Contact Geometry: From Models of the Primary Visual Cortex to Higher Dimensional Signal Analysis on Manifolds
Keywords: Contact Geometry
Gabor Frames
Primary Visual Cortex

This thesis has two objectives: first, to provide a model of the functional architecture of the primary visual cortex $(V_1)$ in terms of both geometry and signal analysis and second to provide a mathematical framework for signal analysis on certain classes of contact manifolds. It is organized in three main parts. \par Firstly, we introduce a model of the primary visual cortex $(V_1)$, which allows the compression and decomposition of a signal by a discrete family of orientation and position dependent receptive profiles. We show in particular that a specific framed sampling set and an associated Gabor system is determined by the Legendrian circle bundle structure of the $3$-manifold of contact elements on a surface (which models the $V_1-$cortex), together with the presence of an almost complex structure on the tangent bundle of the surface (which models the retinal surface). We identify a maximal area of the signal planes, determined by the retinal surface, that provides a finite number of receptive profiles, sufficient for good encoding and decoding. We consider the extension of this model for receptive fields dependent on position, orientation, frequency and phase. \par Moreover, we provide a construction of Gabor Frames that encode local linearizations of a signal detected on a curved smooth manifold of arbitrary dimension. In particular we use Gabor Filters that can detect higher-dimensional boundaries on the manifolds. We describe an application in configuration spaces in robotics with sharp constrains.The construction is a generalization of the geometric framework, developed for the study of the visual cortex. \par Finally, we present a general construction of Gabor analysis on manifolds with coorientable contact distribution, equipped with a Legendrian fibre bundle structure and an almost CR-Structure. This construction is suitable for studying the stability of Gabor frames under contact transformations of the manifold. We prove that Gabor frames with a specific class of window functions are stable under a certain class of contact transformations.
Investigating Anti-cancer Signalling in the Meninges during Medulloblastoma Development
Keywords: Chemokine signalling
Medulloblastoma
Meningeal Macrophages
Norrin/Frizzled4 signalling
Preneoplasia
Tumour Microenvironment

Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common solid malignant paediatric tumour. Sonic hedgehog signalling, which drives cerebellar development, also potentiates the formation of MB tumours (Shh-MB) from granule neuron progenitors (GNPs) in the external granular layer (EGL). Like many cancers, Shh-MB tumours accrue mutations in tumour drivers and suppressors to promote malignancy, which are necessary but not sufficient to the formation of tumours. Tumourigenesis is augmented by sustained activation of microenvironmental pathways that promote proliferation, but analysis of these pathways is hindered by the complexity of the tumour and its microenvironment. Deeper insight into the mechanism of Shh-MB has the potential to uncover novel pathways to target this tumor. In brain tumours, interactions between the meningeal microenvironment and tumourigenesis are understudied. During cerebellar development, canonical Wnt signalling mediated by Norrin/Frizzled4 (Fzd4) activation in meningeal endothelial cells is a potent inhibitor of preneoplasia and tumour progression in mouse models of Shh-MB. As a bridge between the meningeal microenvironment and cerebellar tumourigenesis, the discovery of Norrin regulated factors in cerebellar tumourigenesis will aid in the creation of new therapeutic strategies in Shh-MB. In this thesis, I developed a tractable method using 3DISCO tissue clearing with light sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) to characterize cerebellar development and to identify and quantify preneoplastic changes associated with disruption Norrin/Frizzled4 signalling. I developed models for the quantification of PNL formation in Ptch+/− mice and EGL hyperplasia in Neurod2-SmoA1+/− mice, which led to the discovery that the anti-tumour effect of Norrin/Fzd4 signalling is restricted to the posterior region of the cerebellum and is characterized by defective GNP migration away from the EGL. Single cell transcriptome profiling and deep phenotyping of the meninges revealed that Norrin/Fzd4 signalling maintains the activation of meningeal macrophages (mMΦs), characterized by Lyve1 and CXCL4 expression, during the critical period for preneoplasia. mMΦ depletion during this critical period phenocopies the enhanced preneoplasia and tumourigenesis caused by Norrin loss. Moreover, CXCL4 mediates the anti-tumourigenic effect of mMΦs, as it antagonizes CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling in GNPs to reduce cell cycle progression and promote migration away from the pre-tumour niche. These findings prove that mMΦs are key mediators of chemokine-regulated anti-cancer cross talk between the stroma and pre-tumour cells in the control of Shh-MB initiation.
Modeling Human Cerebellar Granule Neurogenesis and Mmedulloblastoma Genesis using Embryonic Hindbrain Neuroepithelial Stem Cells
Keywords: cerebellum
differentiation
granule neuron
medulloblastoma
neuroepithelial stem cells
sonic hedgehog

Cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs) are the most abundant neurons in the human brain. Dysregulation of their development underlies movement disorders and medulloblastomas.It is suspected that these disorders arise in progenitor states of the CGN lineage, for which human models are lacking. Here, I have differentiated human hindbrain neuroepithelial stem (hbNES) cells to CGNs in vitro using soluble growth factors, recapitulating key progenitor states in the lineage. I show that hbNES cells are not lineage committed and retain rhombomere 1 (r1) regional identity. Upon differentiation, hbNES cells first transit through a rhombic lip (RL) progenitor state at day 7, demonstrating human specific sub-ventricular cell identities. This RL state is followed by an ATOH1+ CGN progenitor state at day 14. By the end of a 56-day differentiation procedure, I obtained functional neurons expressing CGN markers GABAARα6 and vGLUT2. I show that sonic hedgehog (SHH) promotes γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic lineage specification and is a positive regulator of CGN progenitor proliferation. In extending these results to model pediatric SHH medulloblastoma (SHH-MB), I show that common SHH-MB driver mutations confer hbNES cells with a proliferative advantage and, in rare cases, may cause chromothripsis. The work I present in this thesis establishes a new model for the study of CGN development and disease lineage in a human context.
The Interconnected Cosmos: A Study of Multi-Scale Correlations in the Late Universe
Keywords: cosmic web
cosmology
host galaxies
intergalactic medium
superclusters
transients

As the depth and breadth of cosmological observations grow, correlations between vastly different scales and structural morphologies are revealed in multi-wavelength brilliance. The interactions of light with baryonic matter guides us through the dark and interconnected cosmic web: stars shine in galaxies; energetic transients flare brightly and briefly; diffuse gas scatters primordial light and emits its own. These observations may reveal great new insights in fundamental physics, but to unlock their full capacity we need analysis techniques and simulations that properly treat the interconnected nature of the universe. In the first stage of this thesis, we develop a novel large-scale structure analysis technique for directional cross-correlation between galaxy and cosmic microwave background surveys. The method, which combines multi-scale galaxy field constraints with oriented stacking, is particularly suited to the analysis of hot gas in filaments and superclusters. We validate the method with simulations of the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (tSZ) effect, studying the dependence of the extended thermal energy in superclusters to the background cosmology, late-time structure formation, and the gas modelling. Applications to Atacama Cosmology Telescope and Dark Energy Survey data show evidence for the correlated anisotropy between the large-scale thermal energy, galaxy, and overall mass distribution surrounding galaxy clusters. To better understand the origin of the tSZ signal, we analyze a suite of hydrodynamical simulations in the same manner, finding that a significant portion of the simulated signal originates beyond halos. In the second stage, we encode correlations between transient events and their host galaxies into simulations. We first apply an empirically-conditioned algorithm to synthetic galaxy data to predict likely Type~Ia supernovae. Using insights from the successes and failures of this approach, we proceed to develop a more complex framework for encoding transient-host correlations, culminating in a wide and deep simulation of light curves and associated hosts being used in preparation for the upcoming Rubin Observatory. This thesis expands our understanding of anisotropic large-scale structures and adds to the toolbox of survey simulations and analysis techniques, paving the way for a deeper understanding of the correlated universe.
Understanding Parent Support for Physical Activity and Motor Skill Development during Early Childhood
Keywords: early childhood
motor development
parent support
physical activity

Physical activity (PA) during early childhood is associated with physical, cognitive and mental health benefits and is predictive of PA across the lifespan. The development of fundamental movement skills (FMS) in the early years provides the foundation for lifelong PA participation. In the early years, parents are among the most influential to a child’s development and help shape their learning and behaviours. A better understanding of how parents support children’s PA and FMS is necessary to help address the declining rates of PA and FMS among young children. This doctoral research program consisted of three independent and complimentary studies. Study 1 was a feasibility study that examined parents’ (n=20) usage and perceptions of the acceptability and feasibility of an online parent-mediated physical literacy intervention for preschool-aged children. The findings from this study suggested that while online approaches may be a feasible way to engage parents of young children, further investigation into the theoretical determinants of parent PA and FMS support was warranted. Study 2 and 3 focused on gaining an in-depth understanding of the role of parents for supporting PA and FMS in early childhood. In Study 2, moderation analyses were used to examine the relationship between parent support, child PA and motor skills among 589 children aged four to five years old. Parent support had a significant, positive relationship with motor skills among children who engaged in relatively low levels of PA (B=5.96, p=0.004). Similarly, parent support had a positive relationship with child PA among children with relatively low (B=2.49, p=0.066) and moderate (B=0.90, p=0.372) motor skills. Study 3 sought to examine the antecedents to parent PA and FMS support using a mixed-methods study design. Positioned within the multi-process action control framework, a cross-sectional design was used to survey 124 parents of children aged three to four years on reflective (e.g., attitudes), regulatory (e.g., planning) and reflexive (e.g., habit) processes related to PA and FMS support. Follow-up semi-structured interviews were conducted with a subset of 20 parents to gain a more nuanced understanding of parent PA and FMS support behaviours. Survey findings demonstrated that parents’ intentions and support behaviours for child PA and FMS were associated with a combination of reflective, regulatory and reflexive processes. Interview findings highlighted the ways by which parents viewed support for PA and FMS differently and the unique barriers and facilitators to PA and FMS support. The collective findings from this doctoral research program provide evidence that parent support influences child PA and FMS in the early years. Importantly, this program of research provides the practical and theoretical foundations that can be used to inform future development and testing of parent PA and FMS support interventions to increase PA and FMS in young children.
In the Image of Bach: The Unaccompanied Violin Sonatas of Friedrich Wilhelm Rust
Keywords: baroque
classical
galant
solo violin
unaccompanied Bach
violin

In this dissertation I examine unaccompanied violin music by the German composer Friedrich Wilhelm Rust (1739–1796), seeking to extract and contextualize information about his approaches to violin performance practices and pedagogy. Rust had very close biographical and geographic connections to the Bach family, and I argue that his two unaccompanied violin Sonatas of 1795 are structurally modelled upon J.S. Bach’s iconic 1720 Sei Solo for unaccompanied violin; I also demonstrate that Rust’s Sonatas were written with strong pedagogical intent. Collectively, these features position Rust and his works as a rare window into performance practices in circles directly tied to the Bach family. My research in these areas was conducted through careful biographical, archival, and performance study of works by Rust and his contemporaries and provides historical evidence for approaches to 18th century performance practice which have not yet been widely utilized within the historically informed performance movement. Chapters of the dissertation concern Rust’s biography, the state of unaccompanied violin music in the long 18th century, Rust’s numerous unusual works for unaccompanied violin, and a thorough examination of the performance practices made evident in original manuscripts of Rust’s Sonatas. The final result is not a performance guide to Rust’s Sonatas or Bach’s Sei Solo, but rather an invitation to reconsider current approaches to historically informed performance of the 18th century.
Predicting Health Outcomes from Hematopoietic Evolution
Keywords: Clonal hematopoiesis
Computational biology
Evolutionary modelling
Hematopoietic stem cells
Population genetics
Somatic mosaicism

The genomic architecture of blood is complex with germline polymorphisms, somatic point mutations, and mosaic chromosomal alterations (mCAs) shaping the fitness of immune cells. Many advances have been made in understanding how the age-associated acquisition of somatic mutations in blood, termed Age-Related Clonal Hematopoiesis (ARCH), predispose individuals to blood cancer. Yet, ARCH is commonly observed in healthy individuals and our ability to predict who is at risk of progressing to disease remains limited. In this thesis, I interrogate the mutational and selective pressures within blood to understand how the full spectrum of somatic changes within an individual impact clonal fitness and cancer outcomes. I integrate deep learning and population genetics to evaluate the interplay of positive and negative selection in deeply sequenced blood samples from 92 individuals who subsequently progressed to blood cancer and 385 controls. I discriminate amongst evolutionary classes with high accuracy (86%) and capture pervasive signatures of purifying selection in blood cells. The proportion of passenger-to-driver mutations in an individual appears to be critical in determining if the selective advantage conferred by a driver mutation can overwhelm purifying selection acting on passenger mutations thus allowing disease-predisposing clones to rise to dominance. Further, I evaluate how selection shapes the prevalence of mCAs among 14,000 individuals. I find that mCA-associated ARCH is three times higher than previously estimated with up to one in eight individuals harbouring a mCA. I find that mCAs accumulate preferentially across genes implicated in blood cancer development and observe a 136% increase in the rate of cancer development for each additional autosomal mCA. To determine the functional impact of mCAs, I investigate the relationship between mCAs and gene expression and find that different types of mCAs impact gene expression distinctly. Over 30% of eQTLs are impacted by mCAs, with loss events accounting for 9.1% of allele specific expression revealing a previously overlooked somatic contribution to blood expression profiles, regulatory mechanisms, and disease development. In summary, my work explores how different evolutionary models shape clonal dynamics in healthy and pre-cancerous blood and are critical when leveraging the predictive power of somatic events for early cancer detection.
Capturing Residential Preference Changes through Perception Detections of Rationally Inattentive Decision Makers
Keywords: Adaptive Survey
Conjoint Analysis
Discrete Choice Modelling
Rational Inattention
Residential Location Choice
Stated Preference

This dissertation focuses on the changes in aggregate residential trends and disaggregate perturbations in residential location choice behaviour. The empirical investigation uses the contexts of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Two conceptual models are presented in the study, each providing a unique perspective on analyzing residential preferences and forming the foundation of the research. The study delves into both the short- and long-term effects of the pandemic on residential location choice behaviour and aims to understand how preferences differ across various demographic groups. The research is based on Stated Preference (SP) surveys collected in July 2020 and July 2021 and housing price data for different dwelling attributes from January 2019 to August 2021. The dissertation proposes a new Efficient Adaptive Stated Preference (EASP) survey design that detects respondents’ tastes while doing the survey and integrates present information in choice experiment designs to improve the quality of SP data collection. The effectiveness of the EASP design is evaluated using a data-driven Neural Network model. The thesis also introduces an empirical model of rational inattention discrete location choice based on latent preferences and attention span. This model contributes to explaining the heteroskedasticity of different demographics in decision-making. The proposed methodology is validated by comparing its performance with comparable classical discrete choice models. Overall, the dissertation highlights the importance of high-quality data collection in the context of residential location choice and how the proposed survey design and empirical models can help improve data collection accuracy and inform policy decisions. The research has theoretical and practical implications for the planning of residential neighbourhoods, especially in the context of pandemics and other unexpected demand shocks.