VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
American Conservative Political Orientation: Masculine Independence, Religious Traditionalism, and Ethnic Separateness

Many studies of political orientation (PO) construe conservatism as a unidimensional construct, linked to variables reflecting heavier negativity bias. Paradoxically, conservatism is also linked to indicators of positive adjustment, social connectedness, and well-being. In 5 studies, I test how empirically derived factors of PO relate to variables relevant to negativity bias versus positive adjustment, and collective- versus individual-focus. Study 1 replicates a positive association between unidimensional conservatism and Satisfaction with Life (SWL), demonstrating that conservatives’ lower neuroticism can account for this association. Studies 2a, 2b, 3, and 4 develop a 33-item Attitude-Based PO (ABPO) Scale measuring what emerges as three factors of conservatism, starting with a pool of 214 items. I interpret the dimensions, based on item content and individual difference predictors, as Masculine Independence (MI), Religious Traditionalism (RT), and Ethnic Separateness (ES). They constitute three correlated but distinct dimensions of PO, each of which accounts for incremental variance in unidimensional conservatism and voting behaviour. MI, including attitudes toward taxation, environmental issues, health care, and government reach, is the only factor positively associated with SWL, and negatively with neuroticism and disgust sensitivity, clashing with findings linking unidimensional conservatism to negativity bias. RT issues include abortion, stem cell research, and euthanasia; RT is associated with religiosity and – when MI and ES are controlled for – femininity and higher agreeableness. ES issues include bi-racial families, refugees, and foreign aid. ES is associated with racism and accounts for the positive bivariate correlations of racism with MI and RT. I suggest that bidimensional models based on fiscal and social conservatism are not well-founded; MI is a mix of economically and socially relevant factors, RT is a social factor exclusively comprising issues relevant to Christian faith, and ES issues are also fiscally and socially relevant. Throughout, MI is linked with indicators of positive adjustment, while RT and ES associate more expectedly with indices of negativity bias. RT exclusively is linked with indicators of benevolent collective-focus toward one’s ingroup members, while MI and ES are not. Thus, the ABPO scale stands to further clarify the associations of distinct dimensions of conservative PO with negativity bias and collective-focus.

Keywords: Big Five
Conservatism
Personality
Political Orientation
Advisor: Plaks, Jason E
Peterson, Jordan B
The Ethics of Nudge: From Liberty to Autonomy

Behavioural insights – the way that individuals actually choose and behave in real life, often contrary to the predictions of neoclassical economics – are increasingly influencing law and policy. One of the policy tools developed in response to these insights are nudges – a method of intentionally designing the context of choice so as to steer individual choices in welfare-promoting directions while also preserving freedom of choice. Because of their potential to improve health and welfare in a libertarian manner, nudges have exploded in popularity, deployed in disparate domains such as health care, education, retirement saving, energy consumption, and tax compliance. As more clever interventions are developed using behavioural insights, there is a tendency to label them all as nudges. However, doing so misses the fundamental promise of nudging – improving welfare while respecting liberty (and autonomy). The first distinct contribution of this thesis is to present a framework for identifying nudges as those interventions in choice architecture that preserve the opportunity set of individual choosers satisfying a liberty of choice constraint. Once nudges have been properly identified, the second contribution is to provide a framework for their ethical evaluation. To date, nudges have been critiqued on several ethical grounds, for example, paternalism, manipulation, and for not being wholly libertarian. However, most of these critiques suffer from a generalization problem – not all nudges are the same and we should not try to evaluate them as a class. Instead, we need a framework for evaluating the effects and functions of nudges individually. To this end, I will offer a normative framework for the ethical evaluation of nudges that uses autonomy (conceived of as participatory self-government) as its guide. Only those nudges that preserve the autonomy of individual choosers will be found to be ethical. The ethical framework will turn on a key distinction between participatory “process autonomy” (actual participation as a decision-maker) and “outcome autonomy” (non-participatory linking between motivations and choices).

Advisor: Chapman, Bruce
Social Disadvantage Gets Inside The Family: Exploring Biopsychosocial Family Processes in the Emergence of Developmental Health Inequalities

Children raised in socially disadvantaged settings often exhibit poorer developmental health in a variety of domains, including socioemotional, medical and cognitive functioning. This relationship appears to operate in part via a cascade linking poverty and cumulative environmental adversity to early biological risk and interpersonal family process. Moreover, these mechanisms are suggested to function over-and-above the direct effects of material investments in childrenâ s healthy development and wellbeing. Despite this knowledge, there remains a need for longitudinal developmental research examining the nature in which environmental risk in early life impacts multiple and distinct intermediary mechanisms that are manifest within the proximal family environment. In order to address this limitation, the present dissertation provides three separate empirical studies outlining the nature in which social disadvantage impacts family process (in the form of interpersonal sensitivity), and early biological risk (in the form of birth weight). Data for the present dissertation came from the Kids, Families and Places Study, which is a population-based prospective birth cohort of newborn infants and their families from Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (N=501 families). The present dissertation demonstrates that social disadvantage (1) impacts cognitive functioning in a number of domains at the time of school entry via maternal sensitivity and material investments, (2) disrupts the receipt of cognitive sensitivity during family interactions across multiple dyads, particularly for younger siblings, and (3) simultaneously increases developmental risk for multiple siblings-per-family and tends to increase sibling differences in developmental experience. To conclude, implications for the study of developmental health and family science are discussed.

Keywords: Children
Development
Family
Parenting
Risk
Socioeconomic Status
Advisor: Jenkins, Jennifer M
The Equivariant Geometry of Nilpotent Orbits and Associated Varieties

Nilpotent orbits are highly structured algebraic varieties lying at the interface of algebraic geometry, Lie theory, symplectic geometry, and geometric representation theory. The interest in these objects has been long-standing, ranging from Kostant's foundational work in the 1950s and 1960s to Kronheimer's realization of nilpotent orbits as instanton moduli spaces. At the same time, nilpotent orbits are studied for the sake of understanding closely associated varieties, such as nilpotent Hessenberg varieties. In this thesis, we study the equivariant algebraic geometry and topology of nilpotent orbits and related varieties. Our first group of results is principally concerned with presentations of T-equivariant cohomology rings. More specifically, we give concrete presentations of the T -equivariant cohomology rings of the regular and minimal nilpotent orbits, with the latter presentation providing an equivariant counterpart to existing work on the ordinary cohomology of the minimal nilpotent orbit. We also examine the family of Hessenberg varieties arising from the minimal nilpotent orbit, showing them to be GKM and obtaining presentations of their T-equivariant cohomology rings. In Lie type A, we explain how one would compute the Poincaré polynomials and irreducible components of these Hessenberg varieties. Our second group of results includes a characterization of those semisimple real Lie algebras for which every complex nilpotent orbit contains a real one, building on Rothschild's criterion for such a Lie algebra to be quasi-split. We also consider the role of nilpotent orbits in quaternionic Kähler geometry by giving a new, self-contained proof of the LeBrun-Salamon Conjecture for equivariant contact structures on partial flag varieties. This approach allows us to give an intrinsic description of the standard contact structure on the isotropic Grassmannian of 2-planes in C 2n.

Advisor: Jeffrey, Lisa
Scherk, John
Double Perovskites with Strong Spin-orbit Coupling

We first present theoretical analysis of powder inelastic neutron scattering experiments in Ba2FeReO6 performed by our experimental collaborators. Ba2FeReO6, a member of the double perovskite family of materials, exhibits half-metallic behavior and high Curie temperatures Tc, making it of interest for spintronics applications. To interpret the experimental data, we develop a local moment model, which incorporates the interaction of Fe spins with spin-orbital locked magnetic moments on Re, and show that it captures the experimental observations. We then develop a tight-binding model of the double perovskite Ba2FeReO6, a room temperature ferrimagnet with correlated and spin-orbit coupled Re t2g electrons moving in the background of Fe moments stabilized by Hundâ s coupling. We show that for such 3d/5d double perovskites, strong correlations on the 5d-element (Re) are essential in driving a half-metallic ground state. Incorporating both strong spin-orbit coupling and the Hubbard repulsion on Re leads to a band structure consistent with ab initio calculations. The uncovered interplay of strong correlations and spin-orbit coupling lends partial support to our previous work, which used a local moment description to capture the spin wave dispersion found in neutron scattering measurements. We then adapt this tight-binding model to study {111}-grown bilayers of half-metallic double perovskites such as Sr2FeMoO6. The combination of spin-orbit coupling, inter-orbital hybridization and symmetry-allowed trigonal distortion leads to a rich phase diagram with tunable ferromagnetic order, topological C=1 and 2 Chern bands, and a C = 2 quantum anomalous Hall insulator regime. We have also performed theoretical analysis of inelastic neutron scattering (INS) experiments to investigate the magnetic excitations in the weakly distorted face-centered-cubic (fcc) iridate double perovskites La2ZnIrO6 and La2MgIrO6. Models with dominant Kitaev exchange seem to most naturally account for the neutron data as well as the measured frustration parameters of these materials, while the uniaxial Ising anisotropy does not. Our findings highlight how even seemingly conventional magnetic orders in oxide materials containing heavy transition metal ions may be driven by highly-directional exchange interactions rooted in strong spin-orbit coupling. Motivated by experiments on the double perovskites La2ZnIrO6 and La2MgIrO6, we lastly study the magnetism of spin-orbit coupled j_{eff} =1/2 iridium moments on the three-dimensional, geometrically frustrated, facecentered cubic lattice. The symmetry-allowed nearest-neighbor interaction includes Heisenberg, Kitaev, and symmetric off-diagonal exchange. A Luttinger-Tisza analysis shows a rich variety of orders, including collinear AII type antiferromagnetism, stripe order with moments along the {111}-direction, and incommensurate non-coplanar spirals, and we use Monte Carlo simulations to determine their magnetic ordering temperatures.

Keywords: double perovskites
spin-orbit coupling
Advisor: Paramekanti, Arun
Glycemic Index and Macrovascular Disease in Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract The rapid rise in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) prevalence seen over the past few decades is projected to increase further, together with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Thus, there is a need to find effective and sustainable prevention and treatment strategies for diabetes, including dietary strategies. Low glycemic index (GI) diets may be suitable to assist in T2DM management; however there is a lack of evidence on long term adherence, as well as on the association with surrogate markers of CVD risk beyond traditional risk factors. Recently, advances have been made in measures of subclinical arterial disease through the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which, along with standard measures from carotid ultrasound scanning (CUS), have been associated with CVD events. To address these knowledge gaps, we conducted a randomized controlled trial in those with T2DM at high risk of CVD to assess the effect of a low GI diet over 3 years. The trial, currently ongoing, has already yielded a rich dataset allowing for the exploration of associations between dietary variables and subclinical arterial disease assessed as vessel wall volume (VWV) by MRI and carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) by CUS. The thesis objectives were to assess the association between GI and CIMT and VWV, assess whether a low GI diet can be followed successfully long term, what advice is adopted, and more specifically, whether provision of free study bread improves adherence. Baseline cross-sectional analyses did not reveal any association between GI and either CIMT or VWV. CIMT and VWV were however, significantly associated negatively with carbohydrates, starch, and dietary pulses, which are a particularly low GI food. Long term adherence to a low GI diet was demonstrated to be sustainable over 3 years at a level similar to that observed in earlier 3- and 6-month trials (an average reduction of 11 GI units) through substitutions of breads, cereals and fruit for low GI options and of potatoes and rice for dietary pulses. The provision of a free study bread, which was implemented mid-way through the trial, significantly improved adherence to low GI statistically, however not at a level physiologically significant (~1 GI unit lower). These results are the first to assess and demonstrate long term adherence to a low GI diet and to assess GI and MRI measures of macrovascular disease to assist in the understanding of the role of diet and nutrition in macrovascular disease development in T2DM.

Keywords: carotid plaque burden
clinical trials
glycemic index
type 2 diabetes
Advisor: Jenkins, David JA
Professions, Organizations, and the Challenges of Change: A Multi-Method Exploration in the Context of Healthcare Delivery

Organizations often struggle to implement change or to reconfigure their internal processes and practices to achieve desired performance outcomes. This can be particularly challenging with a professional workforce since many of the organization’s tools of influence may not work as intended due to the attributes of professionals and their work. As a result, the presence of professionals can complicate the change processes in ways that many of our current theories do not capture. My multi-method dissertation explores this by examining how organizations can change and innovate when their workforces are dominated by professionals. I study this in the context of healthcare service delivery. In the first study, I explore the efficacy of one of the organization’s main tools of influence: financial incentives. I develop a theory of situated professionalism to explore the conditions under which professionals change their activity patterns in response to changes in financial incentives. I find support for two conditions which dampen their incentive responses: when financially-motivated actions carry the potential to cause harm (and thus violate a central professional norm); and when work settings constrain autonomy. The analysis uses a matching methodology with difference-in-differences estimation on a large sample of physicians over nine years. In my second study, I use ethnographic data to explore how one hospital implemented a set of strategically important, centrally-designed tools and practices in five internal clinics. Although these changes did not affect the technical work of physicians (i.e., treating patients), teams struggled to engage physicians in the change. What emerged from the analyses was that physicians enacted their autonomy very broadly within the organization; it encompassed not only the technical work, but also the processes around the work. As such, these non-technical changes represented surprising infringements to physician autonomy. My analyses also highlight the importance of clinics’ adaptation processes in which they attempted to remove these infringements, while at the same time adapting the new practices to generate value. I conclude by integrating the two studies to elaborate on the studies’ common themes and to develop a set of policy considerations for organizations managing professionals, particularly in the healthcare context.

Keywords: Financial Incentives
Healthcare
Mixed Methods
Organizational Change
Physicians
Professionals
Advisor: Kaplan, Sarah
Neuroprotection Following Stroke in the Gyrencephalic Non-Human Primate Brain

Many pharmacological agents that have shown promise as stroke neuroprotectants in rodent studies have failed when tested in clinical trials. It was therefore suggested to evaluate such neuroprotectants in gyrencephalic non-human primate (NHP) stroke models as an intermediate step to bridge the translational gap between rodent and human studies. To date, there has been a paucity of model systems to do so. Furthermore, there is no clear evidence that stroke neuroprotection in the gyrencephalic brain can protect against ischemic tissue damage or improve functional outcome. Using cynomolgus macaques we tested the hypothesis that neuroprotection is feasible in the gyrencephalic NHP brain with the neuroprotectant Tat-NR2B9c, a PSD-95 inhibitor. Tat-NR2B9c reduced stroke volume and improved behavioural outcomes in a model middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Tat-NR2B9c was subsequently tested in a model of embolic stroke in the cynomolgus macaque. Tat-NR2B9c reduced the number and total volume of embolic strokes in this model and was used to design a subsequent human trial that ultimately had similar results. The effects of Tat-NR2B9c on gene expression were examined in the ischemic penumbra of NHPs subjected to MCAO using whole genome microarrays. Microarrays revealed that transcriptional regulation is maintained in Tat-NR2B9c treated animals compared to controls. An analysis of single genes and pathways differentially regulated following stroke is presented. To study differences between genetic regulation in NHP and rat following stroke whole genome microarrays from the ischemic penumbra of each species were used to compare differential gene expression at 1 and 6 hours following stroke onset. This analysis revealed maintenance of transcriptional regulation in the rat at 6 hours following stroke. Single gene and pathway analysis revealed an increase in transcripts related to endogenous neuroprotection and inflammation in the rat whereas the NHP had an increase in pro-apoptotic signaling and cell-cell adhesion. We conclude that Tat-NR2B9c is neuroprotective in the NHP following both MCAO and embolic stroke. We have demonstrated that neuroprotection is feasible in the gyrencephalic brain. Finally, we have demonstrated that an NHP stroke model is beneficial in the design of a subsequent human clinical trial.

Keywords: Animal Model
Microarray
MRI
Neuroprotection
Non-Human Primate
Stroke
Advisor: Tymianski, Michael
The Role of Oral Communication In Accessing and Assessing Mathematical Understanding: Case Studies of Primary School Teachers' Perceptions of Teaching Mathematics and Teaching Literacy

The study investigated primary teachers’ perspectives on teaching mathematics and teaching literacy. The focus was on oral communication strategies to see if perspectives could be harmonized by building on teachers’ greater comfort with teaching literacy. Case studies in a small suburban GTA school provided qualitative data through classroom observation, on-going conversations about observed teaching episodes, semi- formal interviews with the teachers and principal at the beginning and end of the study, and one participant’s blog and research report. Participants’ teaching experience ranged from 10 to 25+ years from kindergarten to grade 7. During the study (2013-2014), members of the school staff were organized into teaching partners by grade level to teach math through inquiry with an emphasis on communicating mathematical ideas. Evidence collected from grades 1 and 3 lead to the following findings: (1) Essential resources for teaching math effectively that teachers need and want, are available; However, teachers are unaware of their existence; (2) Teachers who try to implement reform strategies without understanding how they work do not achieve the desired result; 3) A teacher with well developed processes for making sense of mathematics, can identify gaps in student understanding by relating student behaviour to her own processes; (4) When a teacher contrasts his/her sense-making teaching strategies in literacy and mathematics, he/she can better identify areas of dissatisfaction in his/her math instruction and possible strategies to try; (5) A teacher who is able to think about teaching goals in more general terms may come to see parallel objectives between certain teaching strategies in math and non-math subjects; (6) Teaching mathematics through inquiry requires students to have a solid grounding in early literacy as well as early mathematics; and (7) Reporting requirements that ask for student achievement in mathematics on a strand by strand basis encourage teachers to teach the subject strand by strand. The study has implications for effective professional development, teachers learning math content and developing teaching materials, improving teacher confidence and the development of mindful reform practice. Suggestions for stakeholders to facilitate teachers’ reform practice are included at the end of the study.

Keywords: classroom dialogue
emergence of meaning
reasoning
sense-making strategies
student engagement
teacher perspective
Advisor: McDougall, Douglas