VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Interpreting Complement Coercion in Context

Complement coercion (The woman finished the coffee, The worker started a bench) has been treated as a phenomenon of mismatch and repair, where an aspectual verb (begin, finish, start, etc.) which typically takes an event argument (e.g., fight, game) instead occurs with a physical entity as its direct object (e.g. coffee, bench) (Pustejovsky and Bouillon, 1995). The specific combination of an aspectual verb and an entity type direct object is known to cause processing costs for readers(McElree et al., 2001; Traxler et al., 2002, and more). With few exceptions in past literature (e.g., Pi˜nango and Deo, 2016), the processing of these coercion sentences has been analogized to the interpretation of a covert complement verb, semantically composed but not syntactically present (finish the coffee→finish [drinking] the coffee). This means that past accounts treat coercion interpretation as lexicalized event retrieval – a process of interpreting a physical entity direct object as an event by way of lexical selection (i.e., choosing an appropriate verb to represent the event). In this dissertation, I present 3 diverse methodologies to offer a new descriptive account of complement coercion. I argue for coercion interpretation as lexically underspecified event selection, where an event sense is chosen from several broad possible meanings of the aspectual verb itself. I argue against the dominant treatment of coercion as lexicalized event retrieval, and in favour of a descriptive theory that relies on independently motivated ground principles. More broadly, I situate the processing of complement coercion as a derivative of other linguistic phenomena, as opposed to being a construction-specific process of repair. I end by noting other coercion phenomena where a similar, multidisciplinary approach might challenge prevailing assumptions that require singular construction-specific explanations.

Keywords: aspectual verbs
complement coercion
metonymy
Advisor: Beekhuizen, Barend
Digital Ethnographic Explorations of Adolescent Mobilities

Children and adolescents have unique and important contributions to make to urban discourses; However, their experiences are usually invisible, remaining on the borders of academic work and planning practice. While there is growing scholarly work on children’s mobility, much of this work is limited to quantitative examinations of independent mobility and Active School Travel of younger children that does not always account for: a.) non-active modes of travel beyond school trips, b.) intersecting axes of identity of the mobile subject, and c.) children’s grounded experiences. Aiming to address this gap, I draw from feminist, critical-race, and decolonial perspectives underpinned in post-structural sociological framings of childhoods and mobilities to examine embodied and embedded suburban (im)mobilities for immigrant adolescents. To do so, community-based work was completed with four non-profit organizations in the city of Mississauga, Canada. I engaged twenty-eight participants in GPS mapping, visual diaries (e.g. photos and short videos), semi-structured interviews, and collaborative video-editing to explore their grounded experiences of transport. Key findings from this study are presented in three chapters. The first explores mobility as a tactical process with mundane practices highlighted as means of extending activity spaces, accessing inaccessible places, and existing adult-governed norms. The second chapter presents specific grounded mobility narratives to explore interdependent entanglement of adolescent mobilities with socioeconomic, material, and institutional processes. Finally, a re-centering of a subset of forgotten visual data of fleeting rhythms are presented in the third chapter as modes of rereading the (sub)urban beyond adult-centered constructions. Overall, the work challenges reductive readings of childhoods, and limited understandings of their reproduced mobilities and spaces in a suburban context.

Keywords: Adolescents
Childhood
Critical GIS
Mobilities
Visual Ethnography
Advisor: Buliung, Ronald
Dynamic Integration of Textual Data in Digital Twins Using Concept Networks and Machine Learning

Digital twins (DTs) refer to a digital environment that incorporates all data generated by a building to develop descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive models. DTs virtualize building physical products, work processes, and decision-making systems, aiming to use data and analytics to create business intelligence tools. By definition, DTs must facilitate the interplay between structured and unstructured data, accommodating fragmented parties involved in the construction and operation of a building. Despite the focus of many studies on structured data, unstructured data is the primary source of capturing business and operational knowledge, making it vital for developing business intelligence applications. The top-down and rule-based solutions that are generally used for managing structured data fail to match the non-parametric and evolutionary nature of unstructured data. Nevertheless, having a formal model for conceptualizing unstructured data is the essential first step for developing any business intelligence application. This study explores the potential advantages of using concept networks as data models for managing and integrating unstructured textual data in the context of DTs. Concept networks arrange text concepts into a graph, which provides for formal and logical manipulation and analysis of unstructured data. Inductively, unstructured data is represented through a skeleton, but not parametrized. This approach is a bottom-up approach, which contrasts the traditional top-down approaches, where knowledge is deducted and data is captured in a formal, static model. The research is limited to the domain of work orders, as managing work orders is one of the most essential tasks for facility/operational digital twins. The thesis then proceeds in three main steps. The first step is a review of the current state of digital twins and digital twinning, identifying the key research gaps in the domain, and proposing a definition for digital twinning. The second and third stages address the research gaps through two separate studies focusing on the interaction between unstructured data and users and integrating unstructured data with Building Information Modeling, respectively.

Keywords: Building Information Modeling
Concept Networks
Digital Twins
Machine Learning
Unstructured Data
Advisor: El-Diraby, Tamer
Cluster Pictures for Hitchin Fibers of Rank Two Higgs Bundles

Let φ:X→Y be a degree two Galois cover of smooth curves over a local field F of odd characteristic. Assuming that Y has good reduction, we describe a semi-stability criterion for the curve X, using the data of the branch locus of the covering φ. In the case that X has semi-stable reduction, we describe the dual graph of the minimal regular model of X over F. We do this by adopting the notion of cluster picture defined for hyperelliptic curves for the case where Y is not necessarily a rational curve. Using these results, we describe the variation of the p-adic volume of Hitchin fibers over the semi-stable locus of the moduli space of rank 2 twisted Higgs bundles.

Advisor: Jeffrey, Lisa
Groechenig, Michael
Getting in on the Action: Spectatorship at the Technologized Interface of Live Performance

This dissertation explores the impact of evolving media and technology on theatre audiences and the consequent performative labour of tech-savvy spectators. In the context of increasing use of digital devices, some theatre and performance-makers are challenging audiences with interactive art projects that make use of ubiquitous technologies. By examining this mode of performative spectatorship through critical scholarship on video games, the dissertation offers insight into the nature of interactive theatre and performance-going and the ethics of demanding so much from the public. The project uses a comparative methodology to examine video game-like performances and engage with theatre companies and artists who use intermedial interventions to encourage dynamic interactions between the audience and the artwork. The analysis is organized into three categories: animated components of installation art, theatrical events where audience input changes the action on stage, and alternate reality games where spectators take on roles in the production. Close reading and analysis of the creative process and ultimate performance of these projects provide substantive material to explore the implications of interactive intermediality.The first chapter of the dissertation aims to explain why concepts from video games are useful in analyzing performance events. It delves into key ideas about games and gamers, highlighting how the process of playing a game is a creative project that involves imagination and problem-solving. The second chapter focuses on art objects that require observer engagement to animate them, challenging traditional notions of liveness as a quality inherent in objects/performances themselves. Instead, the chapter considers liveness as a state of being produced by spectator engagement. The third chapter explores theatre and theatre-like performances and examines the ethics of making audiences conspicuous within the frame of the performance event. Using the gaming concept of ludonarrative dissonance, the chapter suggests that spectatorial unease can be ethically or socially productive. Finally, the fourth chapter demonstrates how alternate reality games can serve as community-building enterprises that mobilize participation both within the game world and without. Overall, the dissertation offers insights into the nature of interactive performance events and spectatorship, using video game concepts and ideas to illuminate these phenomena.

Keywords: Alternate Reality Games
Creative Communities
Interactive Theatre
Ludic Art
Spectatorship
Video Games
Advisor: Cesare Schotzko, Nikki
Controlling Molecular Interactions Using Terahertz Electromagnetic Waves

In this thesis, we propose a stimulus-responsive paradigm which integrates electromagnetic (EM) and molecular communication (MC) by stimulating proteins in the human body. Our model, which consists of a nanoantenna transmitter (Tx) and a protein receiver (Rx), capitalizes on the fact that proteins act as an interface between both mediums, in which triggering proteins by THz waves changes their conformational structure. In the first part of the thesis, we adopt a Markov chain model to account for the protein stochasticity with transition rates governed by the nanoantenna force. Both two-state and multi-state protein models are presented to depict different biological configurations. A closed form expression for the mutual information of each scenario is derived and maximized to find the capacity between the input force and the protein state. In the second part of the thesis, we formulate a selectivity metric for both single and multiple proteins. The metric serves as an indicator that quantifies the system performance. It provides a score between −1 and 1 to capture the capability of the nanoantenna in stimulating a conformational change in the desired protein population, without provoking untargeted proteins to fold. In the third part of the thesis, we study the impact of the intra-body environment on the THz induced protein interactions. Specifically, we consider the channel between the Tx and Rx to be a blood vessel composed of moving red blood cells (RBCs). The cells act as obstacles that attenuate the signal power, giving rise to both shadowing and fading. We thereby investigate the effect of the medium’s stochastic nature on the previously developed selectivity metric to evaluate the nanoantenna-protein interaction. In the final part of the thesis, we study the thermal effect of THz radiation on protein networks, particularly under resonant conditions. To do so, we adopt the heat diffusion model, where we conduct a parametric study explaining the impact of the signal power, pulse duration, and inter-particle distance on the protein thermal analysis. Finally, we demonstrate the relationship between the change in temperature and the opening probability of thermally-gated ion channels.

Advisor: Adve, Raviraj S
Eckford, Andrew W
Oropharyngeal Exercises for Post-Stroke Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Approximately 70% of individuals develop obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) after stroke. Untreated OSA in post-stroke patients leads to numerous adverse outcomes during the acute and chronic recovery phases of stroke, including increased long-term mortality and reduced functional outcomes. This dissertation aimed to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of oropharyngeal exercise (OPE) intervention for post-stroke OSA. A scoping review (Study 1) was conducted to evaluate the existing literature on oral and pharyngeal exercise interventions for post-stroke recovery. The review revealed inconsistencies in published protocols and selected outcome measures, highlighting the need to assess motor function in addition to global function (e.g., sleep-breathing). Building upon the findings from the review, Study 2 explored the effect of an OPE program on muscle strength and movement in individuals with OSA after stroke, showing improved muscle strength and movement in the OPE group compared to the sham group. Study 3 aimed to determine the feasibility and efficacy of an OPE regimen through a randomized feasibility trial in post-stroke/ TIA patients with OSA. This study demonstrated the feasibility of conducting a randomized controlled trial and revealed that the OPE regimen resulted in reduced sleep apnea severity, decreased daytime sleepiness, and improved quality of life outcomes. Study 4 evaluated the acceptance of a new app called "OPEX" in patients with post-stroke OSA and showed positive results in terms of app acceptance through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The findings of all studies provide comprehensive insights into the use of OPE for treating OSA after stroke/TIA. Future implications of this work include establishing the efficacy of OPE programs for post-stroke/TIA individuals with OSA to expand the evidence-based treatment options for this population.

Advisor: Yunusova, Yana YY
Stochastic and Empirical Models in Support of Managing Patient Flow from Acute to Rehabilitation Care

The continuing growth of the older population has led to a significant increase in demand for rehabilitation over the past two decades and subsequently in long delays in admission to rehabilitation care. These delays have two important implications: Firstly, delayed patients continue occupying their beds in acute care, blocking new patients from being admitted and incurring additional costs of operating acute beds. Secondly, admission delays could adversely impact rehabilitation outcomes. In this thesis, we propose new empirical and stochastic models of patient flow and use them to develop insights and operational interventions aimed at reducing admission delays. In Chapter 2, we investigate the sources of admission delays in Low Tolerance Long Duration (LTLD) rehabilitation. Admission delays can be caused by capacity constraints or extra processing requirements to plan rehabilitation activities. However, standard data only includes a single (combined) measure of delay, and the bed allocation decisions in practice can be quite complicated with multiple determinant factors. To address these challenges, we propose a Hidden Markov Model to estimate the status-quo bed allocation policy with unobserved processing times. The estimation results are then combined with a high-fidelity queueing model of the system to evaluate the effectiveness of various interventions to reduce admission delays. In Chapter 3, we focus on High Tolerance Short Duration (HTSD) rehabilitation and investigate the causal impact of delays on rehabilitation length-of-stays (LOSs) and outcomes. By utilizing an instrumental variable approach, we find that admission delays increase the rehabilitation LOS and negatively impact the functional outcomes of the patients in rehabilitation. Finally, motivated by the empirical findings of Chapter 3, in Chapter 4, we develop approximately optimal scheduling policies for multiclass queues with wait-dependent service times. We propose a simulation-based approximate policy iteration algorithm, wherein the policy improvement step is guided through Machine Learning-based classifiers and the policy evaluation is accelerated using a coupling approach. Using extensive numerical experiments, we investigate the scalability of the proposed algorithm and further apply it in a Case Study calibrated using HTSD rehabilitation data.

Keywords: approximate dynamic programming
causal inference
healthcare operations
hidden Markov models
patient flow
structural estimation
Advisor: Sarhangian, Vahid
The Role of Respiration in Maintaining Carbon Balance during Growth at Elevated CO2 in Nicotiana tabacum

Atmospheric CO2 continues to rise to levels never seen before. This increase in CO2 is beneficial for plant growth as CO2 is a key substrate for photosynthesis, ultimately resulting in an increased carbohydrate production. However, these benefits are not sustained indefinitely, likely due to end-product (carbohydrate) feedback mechanisms repressing photosynthetic proteins such as Rubisco; a process known as acclimation. Demand for carbohydrates comes from young, non-photosynthetic tissue (sinks), however the number of sink leaves decline with plant age while photosynthetic leaves (sources) predominate, resulting in low demand and consequential metabolic imbalances. As such, plants require alternative strategies to maintain carbohydrate balance to maximize the benefit of increased photosynthesis whilst simultaneously preventing acclimation. My research examines pathways that may aid in maintaining leaf carbohydrate balance. These include the mitochondrial non-energy conserving terminal oxidase called alternative oxidase (AOX) and a chloroplast glucose-6-phosphate transporter (GPT3), amongst others. I determined that AOX and GPT3 expression increased concomitantly in numerous situations that increase carbohydrate status. These situations include growth at elevated CO2, in response to exogenous sucrose (amongst other carbohydrates) supply, over the course of the day, and in plants with a high source:sink ratio. Next, plants with either overexpressed (OE) or knockdown (KD) amounts of AOX protein were tested in situations that significantly increase leaf carbohydrate status. I determined substantial acclimation noted by declines in Rubisco protein in AOX KD relative to wild-type (WT) plants, whereas the AOX OE showed little acclimation through greater retention of Rubisco than the WT. Additionally, the highest GPT3 expression, positively correlated to starch content, was seen in the AOX KD, along with the greatest hexose:sucrose ratio, suggesting greater accumulation of other carbohydrate pools in the absence of AOX. Taken together, AOX respiration may aid in reducing, or at least delaying, the onset of photosynthetic acclimation. Furthermore, this pathway may play a role in maintaining balance between the various carbohydrate pools. These findings demonstrate the importance of AOX, along with metabolic flexibility, in a higher CO2 world. Maximizing the benefits of increased CO2 while reducing acclimation may be useful for agricultural purposes, ultimately benefiting the world.

Advisor: Vanlerberghe, Greg C
The Warping of International Humanitarian Law: Problematizing Regime Interaction in the Law of Armed Conflict

This essay has two aims. The first is to demonstrate that substantive international humanitarian law (IHL) is being ‘warped’ in its application through the prisms of international human rights law (IHRL) and international criminal law (ICL), i.e. IHL's substantive norms are being reinterpreted by IHRL and ICC courts and institutions. 'Warping' can undoubtedly create normatively desirable outcomes that improve IHL doctrine without upsetting its internal principles, in particular the balance between humanity and military necessity. However, there are also many instances of warping where IHL is made weaker. The central argument of this essay is that the outcomes of warping are inherently uncertain, and this uncertainty in the development of IHL norms, and especially uncertainty as to what the positive law is, constitutes a significant threat to IHL compliance. The second aim of this essay is to outline potential ways forward to address the risks of the warping of IHL. Firstly, warping occurring at the doctrinal level might be avoided through a theory of ‘compound norms’ accounting for the composite nature of the norms applied by ICL and IHRL institutions: they contain both IHL and IHRL/ICL elements resulting in a compound different from its component parts. Secondly, warping at an institutional level might be prevented through more formalised cooperation between law of armed conflict institutions.

Keywords: Armed Conflict
International Criminal Law
International Human Rights Law
International Humanitarian Law
International Law
Regime Interaction
Advisor: Prado, Mariana
Su, Anna
Identifying Targets for Improving Quality of Pediatric Emergency and Critical Care in Low-Resource Settings

Introduction: Nearly 6 million children and adolescents died worldwide in 2021, largely due to preventable causes and disproportionately in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). To reduce child mortality in LMICs, targeted pediatric emergency and critical care (PECC) quality-of-care interventions are needed. Several knowledge gaps must be addressed to inform their design. Objectives: This thesis (1) describes the epidemiology of disease and outcomes of children 0–14 years presenting with acute illness to a District Headquarter (DHQ) hospital in Pakistan, (2) synthesizes the evidence for performance of pediatric mortality prognostic models developed and validated in LMICs, and (3) describes the global infrastructure for PECC in low-resource settings. Synthesis: In Chapter 3, we included 3850 children presenting to Sanghar DHQ hospital outpatient department and 1286 admitted children. Communicable diseases were the most common presenting diagnoses among outpatients and among inpatients 1–9 years. Non-communicable diseases and nutritional disorders were more common with increasing age. At 28 days from hospital admission, 50 children had died. Age <28 days was associated with increased odds of death (OR 4.39 [95% CI 2.4–8.26], p<0.001, reference age: 28 days-14 years). No sex differences in mortality risk were observed. Leading causes of death included neonatal sepsis/meningitis, neonatal encephalopathy, and lower respiratory tract infections. In Chapter 4, we identified seven prognostic models for hospital mortality validated in >1 cohort. The Lambarene Organ Dysfunction Score [0.85 (0.63–0.95)] and Signs of Inflammation in Children that Kill [0.85 (0.84–0.86)] had the highest summary C-statistics (95% CI). All models were at high risk of bias. In Chapter 5, we described infrastructure for PECC in 238 hospitals in 60 countries, predominantly in Latin America and Africa (N=161, 67.4%). Across 174 intensive care units (ICUs), there were statistically significant differences in the proportion of hospitals reporting consistent resource availability between World Bank country income groups. Resources with low availability in low- and lower-middle income countries included specialized staff, ICU equipment, diagnostic tests (imaging, microbiology, biochemistry), and commonly used drugs. Conclusion: This thesis addresses important knowledge gaps regarding the foundations for delivery of high-quality PECC to reduce child mortality from acute illness.

Keywords: Child health
Critical care medicine
Emergency medicine
Advisor: Adhikari, Neill KJ
Hansen, Bettina