VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The Hums: Feminist Listening and Gendered Affects in Music Production and Audio Engineering in Canada

This dissertation articulates the entanglements of subtle and explicit pressures many women, trans, and gender non-conforming recordists face as they build professional careers in the recording arts in Canada. I present these affective pressure points of power as “hums”: a concept that elucidates the explicit and implicit accumulation of these feelings of un-belonging, which include experiences of isolation, marginalization, microagressions, violence, warnings, and whispers, and illuminates the way hums gradually aggregate in the body over time. I argue that hums and their abrasive “intimacy of body and world” (Ahmed 2017, 190) often go unnoticed by recordists and those involved in the broader music industries because they accumulate and operate on such a personal, subtle, and yet widespread level. I suggest that while it may be relatively rare for early-career women, trans, and gender non-conforming recordists to be outwardly discouraged from fully participating in the professional fields of music production and audio engineering, there are numerous ways to quietly dissuade systemically marginalized recordists from continuing on their chosen professional path. I attend to the particularities of these experiences of conditionality and exclusion based on extensive (auto)ethnographic fieldwork and in-depth interviews with recordists at various stages of their careers, examining three categories of hums cited as primary restrictions among my collaborators: a study of hums of neoliberalism, of violence, and of being included. Though presented as discrete, hums are always extended, overlapping and intersecting in their affects. However, this fluidity also allows for the potential for challenges and change. Therefore, as much as this work serves to illustrate the continuity and magnitude of ongoing issues, it also offers moments of transformation, of laughter, of hope, for the future of music production and audio engineering.

Keywords: audio
ethnomusicology
feminism
gender
music industry
music technology
Advisor: Packman, Jeff
Essays in International Trade

This thesis contains three chapters investigating the gains from trade and the subsequent costs of changes in trade policy. In Chapter 1, I use detailed data linking individual households to the origin country of the goods they buy in order to study the distributional costs of tariffs across US households. I find that tariffs on high-income countries are progressive and anti-urban, whereas tariffs on low-income countries are regressive and anti-rural. In estimating these costs, I propose a model of import substitution which marks a departure from standard assumptions often made in the trade literature, and I illustrate that this proposed model is effective at matching the underlying substitution data while also providing a nuanced analysis of how import substitutability differs across origin countries.Chapter 2 complements the analysis in Chapter 1 by providing an empirical study of the US-China trade war of 2018-2019. I use the same barcode country-of-origin data to provide direct evidence that, in the short run, the cost of tariffs implemented on Chinese imports was borne almost entirely by American consumers. However this paper departs from the previous literature in finding that in the medium-run, the incidence of these policies shifted away from American consumers and towards Chinese producers, with the market share of tariff-affected goods decreasing by almost 50\% eight months after the final tariff increase. I discuss which firms and countries gained and lost the most from this substitution and provide evidence that, due to selection effects, estimates of tariff pass-through using customs data may be biased upward. Chapter 3 provides an analysis and critique of the empirical literature documenting the variety gains from trade. I use detailed scanner data to study how the set of varieties available to US consumers responds to increases in import penetration. I find that while increased trade does lead to increased entry of new varieties, this entry is more than off-set by subsequent exit of existing varieties leaving households with contracted choice sets. I discuss heterogeneity across US cities in terms of their relative entry and exit responses to changes in trade costs.

Advisor: Trefler, Daniel
Neuroimaging and Reward Processing in Major Depressive Disorder and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a common and disabling condition experienced by 20-45% of individuals who have suffered a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The comorbidity of MDD and mTBI is associated with cumulatively worse outcomes, yet its neurobiological and behavioural presentation remains poorly understood. Importantly, while most literature has evaluated TBI groups with varying depressive symptom levels, scant research has investigated the impact of mTBI history among those with MDD. The current research sought to clarify this interaction with a focus on anhedonia and its underlying reward system, which are central to MDD and have preliminary evidence of disruption in mTBI. The substantial overlap in frontotemporal and limbic brain regions implicated in MDD, mTBI, and reward, combined with previous neuroimaging and reward findings in each condition separately, suggest a cumulative impact. Thus, the goals of the present studies were to understand the impact of mTBI history on resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and cortical thickness among those with MDD, and assess the combined impact of MDD and mTBI on anhedonia and reward function. Four participant groups were recruited across two studies: (1) MDD-alone, (2) mTBI-alone, (3) MDD+mTBI, and (4) healthy control participants. Together, clinical and neuroimaging findings converged to suggest that MDD is the main contributor to the interaction between MDD and mTBI, with significant differences observed between those with and without MDD, but limited separation by mTBI history. Subtle differences between MDD-alone and MDD+mTBI groups emerged, with altered sgACC-precuneus connectivity and more intact reward learning among MDD+mTBI participants, as well as trends toward altered cortical thickness in temporal regions. However, mTBI history within MDD was not associated with large-scale network differences in this cohort. In the present sample, we also found no evidence of differences in reward valuation, motivation, or response bias based on MDD or mTBI history. This work is the first to report the impact of mTBI history on RSFC and cortical thickness among those with MDD, as well as reward outcomes in MDD+mTBI versus either alone. Findings strongly support inclusion of MDD-alone groups in future studies of TBI and depression given its substantial impact on this interaction.

Keywords: anhedonia
Major Depressive Disorder
mild traumatic brain injury
resting-state functional connectivity
reward processing
task-based fMRI
Advisor: Kennedy, Sidney H
Online Research and Comprehension Process and Experience for Postsecondary Students with Learning and Attention Disorders

Students with disabilities are increasingly participating in higher education compared to previous years and continue to face barriers to achievement, wellbeing, and sense of inclusion. Understanding how these students experience and engage in universal academic activities, such as online research and information comprehension, will allow educators to better support them. This dissertation includes two qualitative studies exploring the process and experience of online research and comprehension for postsecondary students with learning and attention disorders, respectively. Fifteen students with a specific learning disorder and/or attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder completed questionnaires, a recorded online research and comprehension task, a virtual-revisit think aloud protocol, and a semi-structured interview. Data were analysed using constructivist grounded theory methodology in Study 1 to generate a theoretical model of the process of the phenomenon. In addition to engaging in navigational, comprehension, and output activities, students also described a process of managing feelings of overwhelm. Both sources of overwhelm (i.e., disorientation, pop-ups, performance) and overwhelm-management strategies (i.e., emotion regulation, boosting focus, problem solving, capturing information for future use, stepped-up evaluation) are described as well as the impact of time and experience on the process. To contextualize and enrich the theoretical model of the process generated in Study 1, Study 2 used the same data for a phenomenological analysis to describe and interpret the experience of online research and comprehension for students with learning and attention disorders. Themes related to students’ awareness of their disability, distraction, urge to control/contain/compartmentalize, self-efficacy, and experience of support emerged from the data and are described.Overall, the findings from this dissertation illuminate barriers to, and facilitators of, online research and comprehension for postsecondary students with learning and attention disorders. Pedagogical implications are described. In addition, key variables of the phenomenon are highlighted from an emic perspective to guide future inquiry in a meaningful direction for those with lived experience.

Keywords: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Inclusive Pedagogy
Lived Experience
Online Learning
Online research and comprehension
Specific Learning Disorder
Advisor: Martinussen, Rhonda
Roles and the Filtering of Reasons

This is a moral theory of roles. It asks how the special rules and purposes of institutions (such as legal systems, corporations, and governments) can change the moral rights and responsibilities of role occupants (such as lawyers, managers, and politicians). Its answer, the filtering account, is that legitimate institutions selectively filter the considerations that a role occupant may or must give weight to in doing her job. On this view, to perform a role with integrity is to respect the scope of the role’s filters, sifting the reasons for action that must be excluded from those that must remain on the moral scales. The filtering account is distinguished from two alternatives in the literature: the view that roles simply add additional reasons to the balance, and the view that roles entirely shield their occupants from ordinary moral criticism. The account is further explained in terms of a distinction between first-order and second-order reasons, which is then applied to a colourful range of examples—featuring cynical corporate lobbyists and conflicted criminal lawyers, unflinching public regulators and buck-passing middle managers. The result is a system for understanding the moral structure of roles, including the bounds of professional discretion, the ethics of official disobedience, and the relationship between individual and institutional integrity. The view is presented as a liberal theory in its respect for the moral claims of legitimate roles, as a critical theory in its diagnosis of the tendency for those same claims to be stretched and distorted.

Keywords: Discretion
Institutions
Integrity
Normative Reasons
Professional Ethics
Roles
Advisor: Heath, Joseph
Roles of microRNAs in AML Cell Survival and Drug Response

There are numerous cellular processes that contribute to progression and treatment resistance of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). In this thesis, I examine the role of microRNAs (miRNAs), which are small RNAs that function as key modulators of gene expression and participate in oncogenic and chemoresistance related pathways. For this, I generated a microRNA-only Knock-Out (miRKO) CRISPR/Cas-9 library to screen for essential miRNAs in the AML cell lines OCI-AML2, OCI-AML3 and U937. These screens revealed 10 candidate essential miRNAs: miR-19b-1, miR-19b-2, miR-29b-2, miR-302a, miR-3678, miR-3713, miR-3910-1, miR-4447, miR-4718, and miR-6795. miR-19b-1 and miR-29b-2 were validated as pro-survival genes. miR-19b-1 originates from the well-known oncogenic miRNA cluster known as miR-17~92. Targeted knockout of miR-19b-1 demonstrated that its loss is sufficient to slow the growth and limit the colony forming potential of AML cells. Phenotypic profiling of miR-19b-1 deficient and miR-19b-1 overexpressing cells demonstrated that it plays a role in regulating cellular metabolism. Similarly, targeted knockout of miR-29b-2 was demonstrated to slow growth, reduce colony formation and negatively affect cell metabolism in AML cells. However, overexpression of miR-29b-2 also reduced growth and metabolic output, indicating that miR-29b-2 may have a complex role regulating AML cell homeostasis. Notably, miR-eCLIP analysis of miR-19b-1 and miR-29b-2 targets in OCI-AML2 confirmed that the vast majority of mRNA binding partners play a role in metabolism. In a second miRKO screen, I identified miRNAs involved in mediating resistance to Daunorubicin (DNR) or Cytarabine (Ara-C). In a parallel aim, DNR or Ara-C resistant AML cell lines were generated and profiled by small-RNA sequencing to identify miRNAs with altered expression. This identified: miR-146a-5p, let-7b-3p, let-7b-5p, miR-181b-5p, miR-29b-2-5p, miR-210-3p as candidate miRNAs that promote chemoresistance and miR-99a-5p, miR-363-3p, let-7i-5p, miR-106b-3p and miR-143-3p as candidate miRNAs that promote chemosensitization in AML cells. Altogether, this work identifies miRNAs that can support AML survival, are implicated in drug response, and may predict patient survival. This work also identifies metabolic processes as underlying mechanisms that could be regulated by miRNAs in AML cell survival.

Keywords: Acute Myeloid Leukemia
CRISPR/Cas-9
Drug Resistance
Essentiality
microRNA
Screening
Advisor: Salmena, Leonardo
Application of Visualization-based Analytic Methods in Population Health and Health Services Research to Rehabilitation Sciences

Visualization-based analytic methods have evolved rapidly over the last two decades, allowing knowledge generation from large healthcare datasets. However, their application in the rehabilitation sciences, particularly related to population health and health services research is limited. This research is divided into two main parts. The first presents two systematic literature syntheses of two information visualization methods, visual analytics and interactive visualization, both applied in these areas of healthcare. The second part presents two use cases illustrating the application of these methods. The first use case is an interactive visualization dashboard prototype for the Canadian Institute for Health Information's Population Grouping Methodology, where the candidate was placed as an embedded fellow. The second use case presents a proof-of-principle dashboard exploring data on rehospitalizations from a multicenter practice-based evidence study on outcomes of persons with spinal cord injury. Rehabilitation health services' research can benefit from the use of visualization-based methods alone or combined with exploratory visual and confirmatory statistical analysis to advance the field. In addition, this thesis highlights the opportunity for organizations to leverage embedded research for advancing and improving healthcare through integrated knowledge translation initiatives and building Learning Health Systems inclusive of rehabilitation services.

Keywords: data visualization
health services research
population health
rehabilitation
visual analytics
Advisor: Jaglal, Susan B.
Off the Bench, Sing and Play: Lived Experiences in Dalcroze-inspired Piano Lessons for Amateur Adults

The lived experiences of career-aged adults (30-55 years of age) greatly impact how they learn a new skill. As adult piano lessons become more popular, a lack of training in adult piano education means many piano instructors are forced to adapt their methods used for children with little guidance. An increasing number of piano method books for adults are being published, but these materials often neglect the notion of musical expression and the process of feeling music through their entire body. This disconnection between the body and the music can lead to a lack of fulfillment in lessons for this age group. In this research, I explored a piano teaching approach that incorporates Dalcroze Eurhythmics, a multi-sensory music learning approach, to gain a better understanding of these experiences and expand the possibilities in adult piano education. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was the methodology I applied to answer the following research questions:1) What are the perceptions of career-aged amateur adults learning piano through Dalcroze-inspired activities? 2) How do the perceptions of the lived experiences of adult students participating in Dalcroze-inspired piano lessons further inform and broaden adult piano education? Three career-aged adults who had taken Dalcroze-inspired piano lessons for a minimum of two years participated in this study. Thematic findings were organized into two domains. First, examination of the experiences of amateur adult students returning to piano lessons later in life revealed themes of fulfilling dreams, learning with autonomy, acknowledging challenges, and feeling joy from music. The second domain explored the experiences specifically in Dalcroze-inspired piano lessons, and revealed that adult learners who stepped out of their comfort zone and used this whole-body approach became more engaged in their learning and enhanced their musical abilities from both physical and mental perspectives. The findings suggest that career-aged amateur adults have specific purposes and approaches to learning piano due to various social, physiological, and psychological factors. Dalcroze-inspired lessons provided them a holistic learning environment to incorporate a whole- body multi-sensory approach to learning, creating, and connecting music with their daily lives. This study offers insight to a unique student age group and aims to broaden the possibilities in piano adult education.

Keywords: Adult Piano
Career-Aged
Dalcroze Eurhythmics
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA)
Piano Education
Piano Pedagogy
Advisor: Koga, Midori
Essays on Marriage and Location Choice in Same-Sex and Different-Sex Relationships

This thesis studies how individuals who look for same-sex relationships sort in different states within the United States and its effect on the rate of same-sex relationships. These questions require the development of a comprehensive general equilibrium marriage model which accounts for pre-marital migration between states. The first chapter extends marriage matching models to consider individuals with different sexual orientations. The chapter gives sufficient assumptions to identify the match gains. Combined with the existence and uniqueness of a general equilibrium in marriage, we can analyze the effect of match gains on the marital rate through counterfactual analyses. The second chapter focuses on adding pre-marital geographical sorting to the general equilibrium matching model without same-sex couples. The model combines the marriage matching models with location choice models, where individuals can sort in different local marriage markets before choosing a partner. The model gives sufficient assumptions for the existence and uniqueness of an equilibrium given pre-migration population supplies, exogenous labor market earnings, and match gains. Identification follows a typical discrete choice strategy, with an additional discussion on handling the endogeneity of individual match utility on migration propensity. This model analyzes the interaction between the marital rate and migration decisions. The chapter illustrates the model's utility by examining the effect of earnings on migration and the marriage rate in the United States from 1960 to 2000. Both chapters' theoretical contributions are brought together in the final chapter to discuss the impact of sorting between states on the rate of same-sex relationships. The chapter outlines how combining both models leads to further difficulties in identifying match gains. The chapter gives additional assumptions sufficient for identifying match gains in this marriage model with pre-marital regional sorting. The model is then used to quantify the importance of moving between states for same-sex relationships. The model predicts that same-sex marital rates would decrease by almost 50% if individuals did not have a chance to move. Furthermore, 4% of lesbian women and 7% of gay men would change which states they live in if there were no difference in match gains between states. These rates decrease over time, indicating that social progress affects migration and same-sex marital rates across the United States.

Advisor: Siow, Aloysius
Mourifie, Ismael
Beyond the Youth Athlete: Exploring Concussion Education and the Provision of Social Support

Youth can experience a concussion through many mechanisms including motor vehicle collisions, sports, falls, recreational play, assault and other causes. Despite the many mechanisms of sustaining a concussion, to date, most concussion education has been provided to athletes or within sport settings and focused on concussion reporting behaviours. Following a concussion, youth can experience a range of concussion symptoms that are cognitive, physical, sleep and emotional/behavioural, with these symptoms impacting youths’ ability to meaningfully participate in activities. Specifically, the influence of emotional symptoms on participation has been highlighted within the literature and the provision of social support has been suggested as one way to decrease these symptoms. Therefore, the motivation for this thesis is to inform concussion education interventions for all youth (athletes and non-athletes) in order to promote positive concussion-related behaviours and health outcomes. To do so, this thesis will explore: (1) existing concussion education and (2) youths’ intentions to provide social support to a peer with a concussion. This thesis is comprised of four studies. Study 1 identifies online concussion resources that are up-to-date, accurate and designed for Canadian youth by assessing the resource content as well as the readability, usability and suitability. Study 2 involves the completion of a scoping review that explores peer-reviewed concussion education delivered in the school setting. This scoping review included 27 studies and focused on the education context, delivery method, development and evaluation. Study 3 and 4 highlight relationships between demographic variables, concussion knowledge and social support-related constructs, and identify youth who may be more likely to provide social support. Study 3 involves the delivery of a novel concussion survey based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour to 200 youth (athletes and non-athletes). Study 4 builds on preliminary work conducted in Study 3 by delivering a shortened and more feasible version of the survey to 1330 Canadian high school students. The findings from this thesis highlight the opportunity to develop concussion education that fills existing gaps by delivering education to all youth and including content specific to the provision of social support to youth with a concussion.

Keywords: Concussion
Education
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Social Support
Youth
Advisor: Reed, Nick