VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The Association Between Kindergarten Teachers’ Facilitation of Playful and Didactic Learning Activities and Their Responsive Interactions with Students
Keywords: didactic instruction
kindergarten
play-based learning
process quality
responsive interactions
responsivity

Research findings show the invaluable role of responsive student-educator interactions in promoting high-quality early childhood education and fostering positive student outcomes. Despite their importance, responsive interactions occur variably in early childhood education classrooms, in part because they are impacted by numerous classroom variables including the curriculum. In recent years, many early childhood education programs have implemented play-based learning curriculums. To investigate the association between educators’ responsive interactions with students and their facilitation of different levels of developmentally appropriate learning activities, the present study examined 5-minute videotaped interactions between 42 kindergarten teachers and their students, collectively spanning teachers’ facilitation of free play, guided play, teacher-directed play, and didactic activities for learning. Videos were coded for quality of responsive interactions using the RIFL-Ed. Results indicated that the type of playful or didactic learning activity being facilitated may influence the quality of responsive student-educator interactions. Implications for researchers, policymakers, and educators are considered.
The Role of Exosomes in Spreading Pathology in Synucleinopathies
Keywords: Neurodegeneration
Parkinson's disease
Synucleinopathy

Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and multiple system atrophy are neurodegenerative diseases classified as synucleinopathies due to the accumulation of misfolded and aggregated α-synuclein (α-syn). This misfolded α-syn is implicated in templating the misfolding of additional α-syn in a prion-like manner, contributing to the spread of synuclein pathology between brain regions. A purported mechanism of intercellular α-syn transmission is through small extracellular vesicles called exosomes which are comprised of a lipid bilayer enclosing proteins and nucleic acids. Here, we isolated and characterized exosomes from the brains of synucleinopathy-affected mice and intracerebrally inoculated healthy mice. We demonstrated that exosomes can induce progressive neurological dysfunction which correlates with the accumulation of insoluble and protease resistant α-syn inclusions. Furthermore, we measured peripheral blood α-syn to investigate its potential utility as a biomarker for aberrant α-syn. This work suggests that exosomes can transport α-syn across brain regions contributing to the progression of synucleinopathies.
Impact of a Digital Counselling Program with an Integrated Social Support Network for Self-care on Mental Health in Chronic Kidney Disease and Chronic Heart Failure
Keywords: Chronic Heart Failure
Chronic Kidney Disease
Digital Health
Psychological Well-being
Quality of Life
Self-care Behaviours

ODYSSEE-vCHAT is a novel intervention combining digital counselling (ODYSSEE) with social network support (vCHAT) to increase self-care behaviours to improve patient prognosis and psychological well-being. The role of social support in digital self-care programs is understudied. The primary objective was to assess the impact of vCHAT engagement on mental health at 4 months using the Mental Component Summary (MCS) of the 36-Item Short-Form Survey. Secondary outcomes included the MCS subscales, the 9-Item Patient Health Questionnaire, the Revised 6-Item UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the ENRICHD Social Support Instrument. Greater engagement was associated with higher composite and Vitality and Role-Emotional MCS scores. Individuals with greater vCHAT usage were less likely to express depressive symptoms. This study demonstrated the therapeutic benefit of vCHAT on psychological well-being. It added to our understanding of digital health interventions aimed at optimizing patient health-related quality-of-life. These findings will support a large-scale randomized controlled trial.
Temozolomide Chemoradiotherapy and Pneumocystis Pneumonia Prophylaxis
Keywords: Glioma
ICES
Pneumocystis pneumonia
Temozolomide

Background: Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) can occur in glioma patients receiving chemoradiotherapy. Health Canada recommends PCP prophylaxis during temozolomide chemoradiotherapy. Not all neuro-oncologists follow these recommendations. The research objective was to characterize the risk-versus-benefit balance of PCP prophylaxis during chemoradiotherapy. Methods: Using ICES data, the risk of PCP in temozolomide-treated glioma patients with or without antibiotics was evaluated. Secondary outcomes included mortality, hospitalizations, and myelosuppression. Results: Between 2005–2019 there were 3225 patients included in the cohort (648 received antibiotics). Eighteen patients developed PCP within 90 days of therapy. The propensity score–adjusted absolute risk reduction in PCP with antibiotics was 0.0035 (95% CI -0.0013–0.0083), number needed to treat:288. Neither overall survival nor hospitalization count differed between groups. The number needed to harm by causing grade 3/4 neutropenia was 39. Conclusion: In regions where PCP is rare, routine PCP prophylaxis should not be offered, since the harms may outweigh the benefits
Skeleton-based Body Geometry Reconstruction from Sparse Image Sequences
Keywords: Geometry processing
Image fusion
Motion estimation
Object tracking
Spatial computing
Surface reconstruction

In this thesis, we propose a point cloud fusion algorithm to reconstruct a 3D model of the human body from a sparse set of depth images. The challenges we address are threefold: (1) complex body geometry; (2) non-rigid motion; and (3) self-occlusions with little image overlap. We define an energy function with an internal skeleton model to track non-rigid body motion and a visual hull term to promote spatial consistency. Supplementary to our algorithm is a novel lightweight automatic measurement extraction method. To evaluate our fusion algorithm, we generate a synthetic dataset with controlled body motion. An ablation analysis on our synthetic dataset quantitatively demonstrates the effectiveness of skeleton tracking. Furthermore, we simulate joint estimation errors and demonstrate algorithm robustness to joint estimation. Comparisons are made with existing techniques of various complexity. Our algorithm uses fewer images while maintaining low reconstruction error, a crucial step towards accessible 3D scanning technology.
A New Method for Estimating Total Wing Area to Determine Flight Efficiency and Dispersal Ability in Birds
Keywords: aerodynamic efficiency
birds
folded-wing method
natal dispersal distance
spread-wing method
wing shape

Dispersal is a fundamental process in evolution and ecology. Due to the predominant role of flight in bird movement, their flight morphology can be used to predict dispersal capabilities. Most predictors of flight efficiency require an estimate of the total wing area, but the existing methodologies for estimating wing areas are multi-stepped and prone to compounding error. Here, I validated a new method for estimating the total wing area that requires only two measurements from the folded wings of study skin specimens–wing length and secondary length–and an associated wingspan. I demonstrate that the new folded-wing method estimates total wing area with high precision across various species and wing shapes. With the folded-wing method, estimates of the total wing area can readily be obtained from thousands of specimens in ornithology collections to benefit studies of flight efficiency and dispersal in birds.
YouTube for Museums: The Role of YouTube Content in Museum Education and Outreach
Keywords: Education
Educational YouTube
Museum
Online
Social Media
YouTube

The production of original educational content by museums has a long history, and throughout it, these institutions have found reward in experimenting and adapting to new forms of technology. YouTube is the most recent stage in this history, and as with previous changes in distribution mediums, YouTube comes with its own infrastructure, features, and user culture that must be navigated to utilize the platform to best effect. Rather than directly transplanting approaches from legacy media like television and radio, YouTube should be approached on its own terms. Using the successful museum-based YouTube channel The Brain Scoop as a case study, this thesis undertakes a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the channel’s content and production approaches, and from these findings, a set of best practices are identified for institutions looking to produce their own content on the platform as an extension of their educational and outreach objectives.
When the Measure Affects the Outcome more than the Intervention: The Unexpected Effect of Object Differences on Alternate Uses Test (AUT) Scores
Keywords: creativity

The alternate uses test (AUT) is a divergent thinking measure wherein participants are asked to produce creative uses for common objects. A study done during my undergraduate degree revealed a positive effect of conflict-processing on AUT scores. During my master’s degree, studies were conducted to expand on and replicate this effect, but were unsuccessful. Unexpectedly, there was an effect of AUT object on AUT scores, suggesting that a characteristic of the measure (i.e., the object chosen to produce uses for in the AUT) affected the outcome non-uniformly. This object effect is concerning for studies that rely on the AUT, as AUT objects are not chosen consistently across studies. Furthermore, many studies do not analyze object differences, which can be problematic if preventative measures are not taken. A study is proposed to address this concern by standardizing AUT object usage with objects that have non-significant differences in AUT scores.
A Comparative Analysis of Orthognathic Surgical Stability between Fixed Appliances and Clear Aligner Orthodontic Therapy
Keywords: Clear aligner
Dentistry
Fixed appliance
Invisalign
Orthodontic
Orthognathic Surgery

The purpose of this study is to: (1) compare the incidence of skeletal relapse following Orthognathic Surgery between patients treated with conventional fixed appliances (CFA) versus clear aligner orthodontic therapy (CAT) and (2) to compare outcome measures of peri-operative morbidity and surgical performance including surgical blood loss, operative time and length of hospital stay between the two treatments groups. The primary objective was evaluated on lateral cephalograms obtained at two post-operative time periods to identify changes in skeletal position of the maxilla and mandible. The secondary objectives were investigated through a chart review. Statistical analysis with parametric methods did not reveal any statistically significant difference in skeletal relapse, peri-operative morbidity or surgical performance between patients treated with CFA or CAT. Furthermore, the overall degree of relapse was minimal and did not require re-operation. The study supports both CFA and CAT as viable treatment options in combined surgical-orthodontic therapy.
Exploration of the Phylogenetic Properties of the Na+ Leak Channel NALCN and its Accessory Subunits UNC-79, UNC-80, and FAM155A
Keywords: Electrophysiology
Ion channel
NALCN
Sodium Leak Channel
Trichoplax Adhaerens

The Na+ leak channel NALCN is a constitutively open channel that provides depolarizing offset currents that help establish the resting membrane potential of many excitable cell types, and is implicated numerous human diseases. Until recently, the ion-conducting properties of NALCN have remained enigmatic, for difficulties in expressing the functional channel in vitro. Indeed, successful in vitro expression of the human NALCN channel requires co-expression with its three accessory subunits, UNC-79, UNC-80, and Fam155a/Nlf-1. This thesis explores the core functional properties of the human NALCN channel. Additionally, it is shown that the homologous auxiliary subunits of NALCN from Trichoplax adhaerens can promote functional expression of the human NALCN channel in vitro, in lieu of the human subunits. Furthermore, voltage-gated calcium channel α2δ and β1b accessory subunits promote in vitro expression of the NALCN channel, which may a useful tool for enhancing expression of the NALCN channel protein for in vitro experimentation.
Simulation-based Analysis of Points Systems in Accumulative and Independent Sports
Keywords: points systems
rating systems
simulation
sports

The goal of a points system is to synthesize multiple individual performances to capture an athlete’s overall skill. However, a complicating feature of a points system is the loss of information that comes from collapsing the raw athlete performances (e.g., judges scores, run times, goals, etc.) into ranks prior to assigning points. Furthermore, there is evidence in existing points systems that show poorer performance when neglecting competition characteristics such as competition size, quality of athletes, and selective athlete participation. In this work, we develop an extensive simulation framework to model the processes of any multi-competitor sport with an accumulative points system. Using our framework, we propose a set of experiments to identify and quantify sources of error within a points system. Lastly, we apply our framework and suggest improvements to the existing points system in slopestyle snowboarding, governed by the Fédération Internationale de Ski (FIS).
Is Basal Forebrain Volume Loss Associated with Visual Hallucinations, Mild Cognitive Impairment, or Concomitant Symptomology in Advanced Parkinson’s Disease?
Keywords: basal forebrain
mild cognitive impairment
nucleus basalis of Meynert
Parkinson's disease
visual hallucinations

Visual hallucinations (VH) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are prevalent and often co-occur in Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Basal forebrain (BF) atrophy and difficulties with visuoperception and semantic fluency are associated with each symptom type separately however the association in people with comorbid symptoms is unknown. I conducted a chart review including MRI data in a group of advanced PD patients (n=296) with and without each VH and MCI. Two-way ANCOVAs were run on total and regional BF volumes using VH and MCI as independent variables, covarying dopaminergic medication. Cognitive profiles of MCI-VH versus MCI-noVH were also studied using Mann-Whitney U tests. Atrophy of the Ch4 BF region was associated with MCI-VH while Ch1-2 was associated with MCI regardless of VH status. People with both MCI and VH had poorer performance than individuals with MCI-noVH on object recognition tasks. Future research will examine other brain areas and confounds of other medications.
Decentralization of IoT Networks: Exploring Blockchain-enabled Connected Vehicles and Data Marketplaces
Keywords: Blockchain
IoT

Blockchain technology has been proposed as a solution to the privacy and security concerns faced by the Internet of Things. This is especially true in the automotive industry, where connected sensors surround vehicles and proper handling of data they produce is safety critical. In addition, blockchain networks' ability to support microtransactions could revolutionize how data from sensors are bought and sold. This thesis surveys and analyzes the current state of automotive blockchains. It describes the services blockchains have to offer the automotive industry and analyzes the applications that build on them. It also investigates the current state of blockchain architectures that may be capable of supporting these applications, and proposes directions for future work in this area. Additionally, this thesis presents a design for a blockchain-based data marketplace and credit system that together allow data producers to sell data streams to interested parties in a decentralized, safe, and efficient manner.
Investigation of Senescence in Inner Annulus Fibrosus Cells
Keywords: Degeneration
Intervertebral Disc
ROS signaling
Senescence

This study investigates the ability of TNFα and H2O2 to induce senescence in cells of the inner annulus fibrosus (iAF) and the role of paracrine signaling in the latter process. Our results show that unlike NP cells, TNFα does not induce senescence in iAF cells, however degeneration-like changes were observed. Contrary to iAF cells, TNFα treatment induced dysregulation of ROS homeostasis in NP cells, which suggests ROS involvement in the mechanism of TNFα-induced senescence for NP cells. Treating iAF cells with an exogenous low dose of H2O2 did induce senescence, but did not induce degeneration-like changes. Lastly, co-culturing iAF cells with TNFα-induced senescent NP cells could induce both degenerative and senescent changes in iAF cells. This study provides insights into factors and their related pathways involved in the accumulation of senescent iAF cells associate with the IVD. The work contributes to our understanding of the pathogenesis of IVD degeneration.
Decolonizing or Changemaking: Professional Perspectives on Decolonizing Museum Practice in Small- and Medium-Sized Public Art Institutions
Keywords: art gallery
changemaking
decolonization
diversity equity inclusion and accessibility
institutional change
slow museology

Ongoing calls for change in the museum sector, paired with recent events, have increased the urgency for decolonization. While past scholarship on decolonizing museums has been dedicated to large-scale institutions, this study focuses on small- and medium-sized public art institutions to ask how they have been responding to calls for decolonization. It uses semi-structured interviews with staff and volunteers to determine how professionals understand decolonizing; how they have been enacting decolonizing in practice; and what challenges have limited decolonial change. Answering these questions revealed that professionals choose to describe their practice using more general terms, commonly diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, which better align with their broad changemaking efforts. This language, however, obscures attention to land and privileges a focus on representation. Furthermore, interviews revealed that despite the process-based nature of decolonizing and changemaking, critical reflection has not been considered an essential component of current practice.
Generator Model Identification using the Unscented Kalman Filter Based on Augmented Phasor Measurement Unit Signals
Keywords: parameter estimation
phasor measurement units
power systems
simulation
synchronous generators
unscented kalman filter

In 1996, the Western Systems Coordinating Council system had a system break-up event due to incorrect parameters. As a result, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has mandated the regular calibration of parameters to ensure accurate simulation results. It has been proposed to use Kalman filter-based approaches to estimate parameters via signals from an online generator. However, the current literature focuses on using limited signal measurements and limiting the number of simulation parameters to estimate. In this thesis, we investigate if a richer set of signals from the phasor measurement unit with the unscented Kalman filter will make it easier to improve the simulation accuracy, estimate more parameters, and identify the generator controllers’ parameters. The results show that improving simulation accuracy via an unscented Kalman filter is more manageable with augmented phasor measurement unit signals.
Water-energy Nexus in Intermittent Water Supplies: A Household-induced Trap
Keywords: Energy loss
EPANET modelling
Global South
Intermittent water supplies
Water distribution networks

Intermittent water supply (IWS) is a persistent reality for one billion people. Here we explore one possible reason for the persistence of IWS: friction-induced energy loss. Under IWS, water is delivered in a short period, increasing flow rates and friction. To quantify this IWS-friction relationship, we defined three paces at which a household could withdraw water from IWS and determined how each pace would contribute to energy loss. We implemented each household withdrawal type by: a) expressing an analytic model of energy loss in a highly simplified IWS and b) simulating the behaviours of IWS in EPANET. Together, the analytic expressions and the EPANET simulations provide strong evidence that energy loss in an IWS is highly dependent on the household withdrawal type which may trap some utilities in the mode of IWS. We recommend additional theoretical and field research on IWS investigate the pace at which household withdrawals occur.
3D Video Tracking Technology in the Assessment of Orofacial Impairments in Neurological Disorders
Keywords: computer-aided orofacial assessment
facial kinematics
neurological disorders

Changes to the orofacial muscles’ movement and speech are often among the earliest signs perceived in Neurological disorders. Detection of subtle changes in speech and facial movements can help with the diagnosis and prognosis of neurological disorders. Deep artificial intelligent video-based facial analysis models have the potential to be used as objective and non-invasive clinical tools. This thesis used the V3 framework for evaluation of digital biomarkers and their adoption into clinical settings to evaluate an automatic video-based facial analysis system as an objective assessment tool for accessing orofacial movements. The proposed system consists of a 3D camera and Artificial Intelligent-based algorithms that automatically extract objective clinically interpretable kinematic features from video recordings of individuals performing standard orofacial tasks. This work investigates the analytical and clinical validation of the proposed system to assess the severity of orofacial impairment in clinical groups.
Teacher Perspectives on Refugee Youth Education in Ontario: The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on School Engagement and Barriers to Education
Keywords: Barriers
Education
Engagement
Refugee
Youth

Refugee youth arrive in Canada with gaps in their education and a lack of English language abilities. English Literacy Development (ELD) programs are designed to help refugee high school students close these gaps and provide direct instruction in reading, writing, and oral language. Refugee youth are also at considerable risk for school disengagement, and they have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 school disruptions (Gallagher-Mackey et al., 2021). The present study uses thematic analysis based on teacher interviews to investigate refugee school engagement, barriers to education, and schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to teachers, refugee high school students face numerous barriers to their education including a lack of school skills and difficult home environments which negatively impact their school engagement, and which were exacerbated during emergency online learning. Findings from the present study will add to existing literature and serve as a foundation for future research in this area.