VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Stakeholder Perspectives on Consent and Violence Prevention in Ontario K-12 Education

This study examines the implementation of sex and consent education in Ontario K-12 public schools by focusing on perceptions of stakeholders in education: parents, students, and teachers. The study asks: What factors inhibit and activate consent education curriculum reform in Ontario K-12 public schools? How do diverse stakeholders respond to curriculum modules pertaining to sex and consent, and what factors determine these responses? By addressing these questions, the study enriches research on sexual violence prevention in K-12 education, deepening knowledge that supports or inhibits such education. The study highlights an important gap in the literature: the role of parents/families in shaping sex-education. The study extends multiple fields: critical media literacy education, consent education, sexual violence prevention, and social justice education. The social justice education framework anchoring this study draws from critical race theory, intersectionality, and feminist standpoint theories focused on the role of social differences in sexual violence and its prevention. The study uses three qualitative approaches: (1) the design of an original media literacy curriculum module to discuss consent and non-violence with Ontario adolescents, (2) curriculum assessment of the module by diverse adult stakeholders in Ontario (n=20), collected through in-depth personal interviews to probe adult stakeholder views about sex-education; and (3) analysis of archival documents, including official curricula and media reports to map the social and cultural contexts of sex-education in Ontario. Based on stakeholders’ perceptions of the study’s curriculum module, the analysis highlights four barriers to effective sex-education in Ontario K-12 public schools: (1) rigid “consent” definitions that neglect the diverse cultures and histories of Ontario’s population; (2) “childhood innocence” narratives that do not consider research assessing adolescent needs and activism; (3) the persistence of neoliberalism that prioritizes preparation for the workplace over non-violence; (4) a lack of training and administrative support for K-12 educators. Additionally, four key factors enabling K-12 consent education were analyzed: (1) youth and parents’ intrigue with media-based pedagogies; (2) teachers’ professional development pertaining to consent; (3) educator collectives and resource-sharing groups; and (4) parent council activism and education. The study concludes by discussing future directions of the research, including piloting the module.

Keywords: consent
curriculum design
media literacy
social justice education
violence prevention
Advisor: Todorova, Miglena
Applications and Effects of Halogenation on Boron Subphthalocyanines for use in Organic Electronic Devices

Organic photovoltaic (OPV) research has reached the stage in development where it is ready tobegin scale up and translate the technology from the lab to the next phase. Here, the versatile macrocyclic compound known as boron subphthalocyanine (BsubPc) is the focus of this process. BsubPcs can be chemically modified with different axial and peripheral substituents most promisingly being different halogenation. Peripheral chlorination has previously been shown to deepen the BsubPc energy levels enough to allow triplet harvesting from singlet fission materials. In this thesis it was shown how triplet harvesting is not only a pathway to improve device performance but how it can also enhance outdoor stability. Fluorination of the BsubPcs has a similar influence on the energy levels but also offers some synthetic, stability, and solubility benefits so there is a desire to find applications for these materials. Initial screening in triplet harvesting devices revealed that fluorinated BsubPcs performed significantly worse as acceptor molecules. Upon further testing fluorinated BsubPcs showed promising results as OPV donor materials and in simple solution cast organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) but remained worse than chlorinated BsubPcs as OPV acceptors. In a further attempt to improve stability chlorinated BsubPcs were incorporated into solution cast OPVs to compare architectural differences between sequential and blended active layer deposition. Although neitheriii architecture produced particularly stable devices the sequentially deposited devices did have a notable stability improvement over traditional blended devices in outdoor applications. To fully assess OPV stability common materials were also subjected to individual layer accelerated aging which revealed that the organic layers undergo different crystallization depending on the level of humidity in the environment and certain active materials can be photobleached by strong light. The adverse impact of impurities on device performance was also highlighted to evaluate what will be required when OPV technology is eventually translated beyond the lab. Specifically, unintended methyl group additions originating from the synthesis of α-sexithiophene significantly affected open circuit voltage and performance of baseline OPV devices. The conclusions outlined here serve to guide further development of halogenated BsubPcs for different organic electronic applications as well as to elucidate possible avenues for improving the outdoor stability of OPVs.

Keywords: Light Emitting Diodes
Organic Electronics
Photovoltaics
Solar Cells
Stability
Advisor: Bender, Timothy P
Control and Topological Solutions for Emerging Converters with Increased Capacitive Energy Storage

Emerging Multi-Level Flying Capacitor (ML-FC) topologies have proven to be an attractive alternative to conventional dc-dc converters due to their potential to increase power density and improve efficiency in a wide range of power applications. There are, however, technical challenges to their wider adoption in dc-dc applications, regarding the balancing of the voltages of the Flying Capacitors (FC) that compose it. There are two main routes that designers take to address this issue. First is by utilizing passive balancing techniques, which often include topological and modulation solutions assuring that the FC voltages stay close, albeit unregulated, to their ideal values. The second method is to use feedback control to directly regulate the FC voltages. Both these methods have their own challenges. The first method requires the use of specific modified converter topologies, which have a limited scope of application. The second method is more universally applicable. However, the existing control techniques for ML-FC converters are either unreliable or lack a precise dynamic model for the FC voltages behavior. The goal of this thesis is to contribute to both methods. Chapter 3 presents a passive balancing technique applicable for multi-phase ML-FC converters, along with experimental validation on how it can successfully simplify multi-phase ML-FC designs. Regarding active regulation methods, Chapter 4 focuses on resolving an existing control instability issue that appears during light-load operation when attempting to control the FC voltages using duty-cycle as the control input. The solutions presented in Chapter 4 resolve the issue for the specific case of the 3L-FC converter. Finally, Chapter 5 presents a completely new way of actively regulating the FC voltages using phase-shift modulation. This new control method is general and applicable to any N-level ML-FC converter, thanks to the accurate dynamic model developed, and verified, through simulations and experiments for various converter examples.

Keywords: Converter modeling
DC-DC converter control
Flying capacitor converter
Low-power applications
Multi-level topologies
Power supplies
Advisor: Prodic, Aleksandar
Instrument Design and Analysis Techniques for Low-Redshift 21 cm Cosmology and Transient Detection with CHORD and CHIME

The Canadian Hydrogen Observatory and Radio-transient Detector (CHORD) is a compact, innovative “large-$N$ , small-$D$” radio interferometric array set for construction in British Columbianext to its older sibling, the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME). With its 0.3–1.5 GHz band, sub-30 K system temperature, sub-millimeter precision dish surfaces, nearly 15,000 m$^2$ collecting area, and very broad field of view, it is designed to map the Universe’s matter distribution up to redshifts of $$ = 3.7 and boost fast radio burst (FRB) detection rate. This work emphasizes that CHORD’s array elements be located as close as possible to enhance sensitivity to lower k-modes of the matter power spectrum and minimize transient search cost. It also introduces arguments for using very deep dishes ($f/D = 0.21$) based on coupling and ground illumination considerations. Preliminary calibration results from the Deep Dish Development Array (D3A6) suggest that the signal chain’s system temperature matches specifications at lower frequencies ($\nu$ < 0.8 GHz), while further testing is required for higher frequencies. The CHORD feed, designed for the array, is inexpensive and quick to assemble, while maintaining a 30 K system temperature using ambient-temperature analog receiver hardware across the band. The design’s major novelty is an oversized backshort on an exponentially tapered (“Vivaldi”) design, adaptable to an observatory’s impedance and beam shape requirements via a simple optimization algorithm, particularly suitable for very deep dishes ($f/D ≤ 0.25$). In those dishes, the aperture efficiency remains above 50% over the band. Cosmological measurements are complicated by instrumental coupling and foregrounds. We show that coupling can be estimated from electromagnetic (EM) simulations of the array elements using a combination of their S-parameters, time-domain response, and beam shapes. Lowering the focal ratio of the dishes emerged as a powerful method to reduce coupling power. Foregrounds are typically removed from data using their spectral smoothness via a Fourier decomposition along the frequency axis; this can also be done with a singular value decomposition, and we successfully demonstrate this approach on CHIME data.

Keywords: 21 cm
baryon acoustic oscillations
cosmology
fast radio bursts
interferometry
radio astronomy
Advisor: Vanderlinde, Keith
Mexican Students’ Experiences in Study Abroad Programs: Analyzing the Link between Experiences and Learning Outcomes

There is very little research on Mexican students’ experiences and learning in study abroad programs. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation is to describe the experiences that Mexican students have while studying abroad; illustrate how learning takes place; identify major changes in Mexican students’ learning outcomes; and analyze links between study abroad experiences and learning outcomes. Guided by Kolb’s (1984) Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) and the classification of learning outcomes by Varela (2017), this mixed-methods study draws on experiences of 96 Mexican students enrolled at Tecnológico de Monterrey, a non-profit private university, who participated in a study abroad program in the Fall 2021. Two sets of surveys (N = 96) and three sessions of interviews (N = 14) were conducted. Three statistical analyses (Paired t-test, Multiple Linear Regression, and ANCOVA) were performed on the survey data, and the inductive qualitative coding examined key themes from students’ interviews. Quantitative analyses showed that after studying abroad there was a statistically significant increase in participants’ scores on various indices, including: proficiency in the host country’s language, knowledge of the host country, openness to diversity, and flexibility. However, there was a statistically significant decrease in their disposition for social interaction with local people. The quantitative analyses also demonstrated that the students who got meaningfully involved in new experiences abroad showed significantly higher post-scores on key learning outcomes. The qualitative analysis described diverse experiences and highlighted numerous challenges, including adapting to a new country, communicating in a different language, making social connections with the local and international students, and adjusting to different academic environments. Nonetheless, many of the participants expressed a sense of personal growth, development of self-confidence, independence, autonomy, tolerance, adaptability, and patience after studying abroad. Finally, the qualitative analysis indicated that various factors, including willingness to take initiative, financial resources, and free time are the main factors that facilitated or impeded meaningful study abroad experiences. The key contributions of the thesis are to shed light how study abroad experiences contribute to different types of learning outcomes and to highlight the distinctive experiences and outcomes that Mexican students in particular have while studying abroad.

Keywords: Experiences
Higher Education
Internationalization
Learning Outcomes
Mexican Students
Study Abroad Programs
Advisor: Buckner, Elizabeth
Scale-phobic and Extractant Impregnated Surfaces for Critical Materials (Scandium and Rare earth Elements) Separation and Purification

This dissertation focuses on the development of innovative materials that contribute to sustainable, efficient, and environmentally friendly processes for the separation and purification of critical materials. In this dissertation, the scale-phobicity of rare earth oxides (REOs) ceramics is investigated. The weight gain due to gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O) scale accumulation on the REO surfaces shows a 55% and 77% reduction in comparison with bare borosilicate glass and stainless steel 304 surfaces. It is shown that the polar component of surface energy is the main contributor to scale deposition; hence, REOs with a minimal polar component (0.1 mJ m-2) show scale repellency. The adhesion forces between gypsum salt and test materials showed a strong positive correlation with the total surface energy and the polar component of surface energy. The focus of this dissertation is expanded to the development of supported-liquid extraction systems, and the extractant impregnated surfaces (EIS) are developed to tackle the challenges associated with separating scandium from bauxite residue slag leachate. Compared with traditional solvent extraction, the EIS requires significantly less volume of extractant and no agitation. About 95% of scandium is separated from the complex feedstock prepared from industrial waste bauxite residue using bis(2,4,4-trimethyl pentyl) phosphinic acid loaded EIS, and the selectivity of scandium is more than 200 times higher than that of aluminum. The fundamentals of developing EIS systems are demonstrated, and systematic investigations are conducted to elucidate the scandium adsorption mechanism. Moreover, it is confirmed the EIS scheme and its underlying principles can be applied to sandblasted polytetrafluoroethylene substrates, which proves the potential of using EIS design at larger scales. The applicability of EIS is expanded to the separation of rare earth elements (REEs). The EIS impregnated with 2-ethylhexyl phosphonic acid-mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (PC88A) is developed to separate praseodymium (Pr) and neodymium (Nd) from a mixture of heavy rare earth elements (HREEs). A 92% purity of Pr+Nd with 96% yield and a separation factor of 171 are achieved. Fundamental investigations provide mechanistic insight into the selectivity of Pr and Nd over HREEs, and the reaction pathway of adsorption to PC88A-EIS substrates.

Keywords: antiscaling
extractant impregnated surfaces
rare earth elements
scandium recovery
supported liquid extraction
surface energy
Advisor: Azimi, Gisele
Policing and Police Reform in Turkey since 1980: Regime Transitions and Policing Transformations

Extant scholarship examining how political transitions affect policing have suggested that police forces in transitional states continue to be characterized by repressive and predatory practices, and have primarily investigated the causes of such continuities. Drawing on a case study of the endurance of authoritarian police practices following the transition from military to civilian rule in Turkey in 1983, I argue that the scholarly literature has largely neglected the role of mixed regimes and incomplete transitions in influencing the course of police reform in democratic transitions. The dissertation also analyzes how Turkish policing has responded to successive political transformations, including the end of tutelary democracy (accompanied by emerging competitive authoritarianism), and over the last decade the consolidating authoritarian rule of the AKP (Justice and Development Party).This study brings to light how the police, an institution that is generally treated as subordinated to regime leaders, can pursue an independent policy agenda that can sometimes include a reformist element. Thus, in Turkey, reform-minded officials within the police pursued substantive democratic transformations in policing in exchange for their cooperation with the AKP government’s attempts to delegitimize the political role of the military, even in the face of the AKP’s ‘authoritarian turn’ after 2006. This experience demonstrates how the police themselves can be instruments of democratic change in policing through their degree of independence from political leaders due to their control over coercion or can sometimes exhibit greater loyalty to democratic principles than the governments they serve. My findings also demonstrate how the police can shape regime transitions, a question that neither policing scholars nor political scientists have fully explored, by revealing how policing has catalyzed Turkey’s authoritarian transformation over the last 15 years. My analysis of the AKP’s reassessment of the source of threats to its survival and its response to that changed assessment resulting in different changes to policing during the authoritarian transformation in the country also represents a contribution to the (mostly criminology) policing literature by applying insights from the political science scholarship on coercive institutions in autocracies, which theorizes how authoritarian leaders organize their coercive institutions to remain in power.

Keywords: AKP
Authoritarianism
Policing
Political Transitions
Turkey
Turkish National Police
Advisor: Light, Matthew A.
“Indigenizing Settlement”: Investigating the Possibilities and Limitations of Indigenous-Immigrant Solidarity Through Immigrant Settlement Organizations

This dissertation investigates the possibilities and limitations of solidarity between immigrant and Indigenous communities when mediated through the immigrant settlement sector. I conducted participant observation, interviews, and sharing circles in a program I call the Indigenous-Newcomer Training Program (INTP), which brings together Indigenous and immigrant youth in employment seeking, along with interviews and document analysis in the broader immigrant serving sector in Saskatoon, SK, Canada. In my first empirical chapter, I find that contrary to previous literature on immigrant-Indigenous relations, the sector is deeply invested in acknowledging the First Peoples of the land and resisting anti-Indigenous racism among immigrants. While these organizations are taking steps toward building relationships with Indigenous communities, they also face limitations in terms of funding, overburdening Indigenous colleagues, and maintaining Western ways of knowing. My second empirical chapter investigates the ways INTP’s employment programming demonstrates alternatives to neoliberalism and settler colonialism by drawing on Indigenous ways of knowing. I argue that INTP resists the neoliberal self-reliance that other state-funded programs attempt to inculcate in immigrant and Indigenous job seekers by focusing on healing at individual and community levels instead of individual skill development. Yet, because of the constraints presented by INTP’s reliance on state funding, the extent to which they can resist is limited. In my final empirical chapter, I turn to the ways Indigenous and immigrant youth come to (re-)interpret each other through the frames provided by INTP. I find that when immigrants compare settler colonialism in Canada to the colonialisms their home countries went through, rather than building solidarity, these comparisons reveal resentment of Indigenous people. I argue that rather than using colonial comparison to absolve themselves of settler complicity, immigrants make these comparisons to become settlers themselves. Overall, this dissertation argues for analysis in migration studies that keeps settler colonialism in view and takes Indigenous solidarity as an imperative. By conceptualizing the empirical case of INTP as an opportunity to reconstruct theory on settlement agencies and immigrant-Indigenous relations, my study brings the literature up to speed with this reality on the ground, and offers an empirical case study in a largely theoretical field.

Advisor: Cranford, Cynthia J
Order in Chaos: Decoding the Age-Metallicity Structure of the Milky Way disk

In the Milky Way, billion-star observations have opened avenues to study the complex interplay between processes that build disk galaxies. The Sun's position in the Galactic disk allows us to observe a large number of stars, but these observations only cover a part of the disk. Additionally, the data are noisy, high-dimensional, and heterogeneous, making it challenging to model processes underlying the Milky Way. This thesis tackles these challenges by bridging the gap between astrophysics and statistics, and developing novel data-driven tools that guide models of formation and evolution of the Galactic disk. Stars encode information about their origins in their age and chemical properties. Estimating the age-metallicity (or age-abundance) structure of stars across the Galactic disk thus allows us to decode its history of star formation, chemical enrichment, dynamical evolution, and accretion. To obtain this structure, I develop two innovative methods that improve the accuracy and/or precision of current chemical abundance and age estimates of red giant stars. First, I extract the low-dimensional component of APOGEE spectroscopic data that is intrinsic to stars from that due to systematics. Combining this intrinsic component with simulation-based Bayesian inference, I efficiently and accurately estimate chemical abundances of red giants. Second, I develop a novel frequency analysis method for asteroseismic data that tackles statistical issues faced by current methods, and helps estimate high precision ages of Kepler giants with efficiency greater than the state-of-the-art. Using the chemical and age information of stars, I study the origin of the chemical bimodality of the two-component disk of the Milky Way, traditionally referred to as the thick and thin disks. The results suggest that the two disk components form sequentially, with the high-α disk forming in the early turbulent phase of the Galaxy and the low-α disk in the later quiescent phase. Further, I estimate the correlation between stellar age and metallicity across the two-component disk using distances from the Gaia satellite, and find evidence for strong spiral-driven radial migration in the low-α disk.

Advisor: Bovy, Jo
Eadie, Gwendolyn