VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Radical Ornament: Its Effects and Affects Understood through the Materiality of Rocaille Ornament and Body-horror Films

This dissertation analyzes a type of ornamentation I describe as radical through an examination of its effects and affects, which are observed in the common formal and functional aspects of French rocaille ornaments and in the material details of contemporary body-horror films. Although these areas of study have obvious differences, by demonstrating what their materiality has in common I make innovative claims about the potential agential power of ornament. In Chapter One, the lack of analysis of rocaille forms is examined in the work of little-discussed rocaille artists. I explain that the framing systems formed by rocaille ornaments are open and that their effects are like Derrida’s parergonality. I also equate the actions of rocaille ornaments with the work of the informe. Chapter Two examines how the contemporary materiality, which I term heterogeneous organic detail (HOD), is physically comparable to that of rocaille ornaments, while its actions are explained as viral and prosthesis-like. Viral actions are described as those of breaking boundaries, communicating infection, and transforming infected subjects into symptomatic ones. Chapter Three demonstrates that rocaille ornaments and HODs have such powerful affect that they allow their viewing subjects to connect to imaginary space and become other via what is explained as prosthetic imaginary experiences. Due to this affective process, rocaille space is argued to be subjective because it is resolved in the viewer’s imagination. Another implication of radical ornament’s induced prosthetic experiences is that the infected subject’s personal identity may be transformed. Thus, the areas most affected by the work of radical ornament are the subject’s perception of space and the subject’s personal identity. The dissertation concludes that unlike other forms of ornamentation, radical ornaments destroy order and the centrality of subject matter by creating associations and connections between segregated sectors that allow for intersubjectivity. This disruption causes radical ornament’s subject to be re-embodied and the split between subject-object and mind-body to be effaced. By addressing the lack of material and theoretical examination of these two types of materiality, this dissertation contributes to a rethinking of the nature and agency of ornament.

Keywords: 18th-Century French Art
Body-Horror Films
David Cronenberg
Ornament
Rococo
Advisor: Cheetham, Mark
Large-scale decomposition strategies for collaborative operating room planning and scheduling

Operating rooms (ORs) play a substantial role in hospital profitability, and their optimal utilization is conducive to containing the cost of surgical service delivery, shortening surgical patient wait times, and increasing patient admissions. We extend traditional single-hospital operating room scheduling to a coalition of multiple collaborating hospitals in a strategic network. Using data from the University Health Network (UHN), in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, we propose new centralized approaches to elective and operating room scheduling when multiple collaborating hospitals are involved. We formulate the OR scheduling problem based on location-allocation problems in supply chain management. We ensure caseload balancing among collaborating hospitals in macro and micro levels. We additionally incorporate patient-to-surgeon allocation flexibilities, surgeon-to-hospital allocation flexibilities, and surgeon schedule tightness. Furthermore, we tackle single-hospital multiple specialty OR scheduling problems and single-hospital single-specialty multi-resource constrained OR scheduling problems. We develop novel logic-based Benders decomposition and branch-and-check techniques for these problems and we show that our approaches are up to two orders of magnitude faster than directly solving the mathematical models.

Keywords: Branch-and-check
Collaborative operating room planning and scheduling
Flexibility
Game convexity and Shapley value
Logic-based Benders decomposition
Optimization
Advisor: Aleman, Dionne M
Urbach, David R
Neighbourhood Sanitation and Childrenâ s Diarrhea in Developing Countries

Diarrhea is a leading cause of global child mortality. Sanitation has long been recognized as a key intervention against diarrhea, but it has been mostly evaluated as a household-level intervention for household-level health gain, without addressing its implications at neighbourhood-level. In this thesis, neighbourhood sanitation was defined as safe removal of excreta from the neighbourhood environment to prevent human contact. The effect and cost of neighbourhood sanitation intervention against childrenâ s diarrhea were evaluated. The distinct effects of neighbourhood sanitation conditions and household sanitation on diarrhea morbidity were distinguished and compared by a systematic literature review. The results suggested that sanitary neighbourhood conditions and household sanitation access are each associated with reduced diarrheal burden, at comparable magnitudes. The effect of neighbourhood sanitation was further investigated by an exposure-response analysis of neighbourhood-level coverage of sanitation facilities and under-five childrenâ s diarrheal illness. Health survey datasets from 29 developing countries were analysed using a multilevel regression model. The study found a non-linear exposure-response trend between neighbourhood sanitation coverage and diarrhea. A sanitation coverage threshold was identified, below which increase in sanitation coverage was associated with marginal reduction in diarrhea. The cost of neighbourhood sanitation delivered by centralized wastewater management (CWWM) and decentralized wastewater management (DWWM) strategies were compared in a case study site in India. As part of the analysis, the cost variability of DWWM was assessed for a broad range of system configurations. The study showed that NSan delivered by DWWM can be less costly than that by CWWM but with higher land requirement. The lower cost, together with the enhanced flexibility and resilience offered by DWWM, suggested that DWWM may be an adequate alternative to CWWM in rapidly developing regions. The findings of this thesis demonstrate that neighbourhood sanitation is an important and cost-effective intervention against childrenâ s diarrhea in developing countries.

Keywords: Child health
Sanitation
Wastewater
Advisor: Cheng, Yu-Ling
Embodied Humanistic Intelligence: Design of Augmediated Reality Digital Eye Glass

In this thesis, I present a new generation of Augmediated Reality Digital Eye Glass (DEG) that embodies the principles of Humanistic Intelligence (HI). In particular, this thesis addresses the fundamental issues in the practical realization of the HI framework, most notably the dynamic range of sensors and the design of a natural human-computer interface based on three dimensional (3D) gestural input. First, to address the dynamic range limitation of color sensors, a practical implementation of high dynamic range (HDR) image composition and tone mapping algorithms were designed on both Field-programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) to enable real-time processing of video streams. The algorithms are optimized for wearable applications and provide a constant runtime performance independent of the scene. To demonstrate the robustness of the algorithm, a specialized DEG helmet was designed to work under the most extreme lighting condition - tungsten inert gas welding. In addition, I discuss the development of a novel HDR technique for 3D depth sensing cameras called 3DHDR. Here, I present a method of creating 3D HDR depth maps using an array of 3D depth sensing cameras designed for wearable applications. The system provides a tonal and spatial range that significantly exceeds the capability of any individual depth sensor. Finally, I present an untethered wearable solution of DEG with 3D gestural input based on 3DHDR. The recognition system provides various mode of operations and allows users to integrate gesture-based input to control the Augmediated Reality DEG system. The final prototype has been translated to a development platform for use in future wearable computing research to further explore the HI framework.

Keywords: 3DHDR
Augmediated Reality
Gesture Recognition
High Dynamic Range
Humanistic Intelligence
Wearable Computing
Advisor: Mann, Steve
TOWARDS A SOCIOLOGY OF HARM REDUCTION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF DRUG POLICY CHANGE IN CANADA AND THE UNITED KINGDOM BETWEEN THE YEARS 1900 AND 2017

The primary goal of this dissertation is to advance a sociological understanding of harm reduction policy development and change. Drawing on social constructionism, as well as comparative and historical methodologies, this dissertation accomplishes the abovementioned goal by comparing and contrasting the development of harm reduction policies for intravenous drug use (IDU) in Canada and the United Kingdom (UK).This dissertation addresses a gap in the drug policy scholarship: namely a lack of sociological research using comparative methods to explain similarities and differences in the development of harm reduction policy across geographical locations and over time. While there exists a large, multi-disciplinary literature that explores the development of specific harm reduction programs such as needle exchanges and drug consumption rooms, to my understanding this is the first large-scale study to approach the topic from a sociological perspective. To accomplish the goals set out in this paper, I analyse content drawn from 60 federal Hansard documents, 47 municipal council documents (Vancouver City Council minutes), 32 committee reports and 2,609 newspaper and online news articles from Canada (N=1,866) and England and Wales (N=7443) that were published between 1997 and 2017.

Advisor: Tanner, Julian
Kant's Philosophy of Religion and Climate Change

This thesis argues that Kant’s Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason (1793) may be applied to climate change issues. This thesis makes use of James DiCenso’s interpretation of Kant’s philosophy of religion (2011, 2012), which argues that Kant’s key text on religion conveys a social and political vision. This thesis addresses both traditional religious worldviews and secular political movements engaged in climate politics. It argues for the need to ethically assess these social formations’ evolving responses to the climate crisis. The failure (to date) of religious traditions to adequately address the climate crisis, and possible reasons for this, are addressed. Examples of social formations, ideologies, and religious responses examined include consumerism, environmental theology, religiously motivated climate change denial and dispensationalist theology, as well as the secular climate justice movement. Kant locates the source of many of our problems in the power of choice and determining ground of morality. In this sense, his ethical system is distinct from the neo-Marxist interpretation of “systems of power.” The theory of what DiCenso refers to as “shared representations” of “supersensible” cognition is helpful for understanding the dynamics of belief that inform complex social and political formations. Kant’s philosophy of religion may be of value for those trying to understand how religions and political ideologies that employ powerful symbols and ideals play a role in the unfolding of historical events.

Keywords: climate change
climate ethics
environmental ethics
Kant
philosophy of religion
religion
Advisor: DiCenso, James J.
Canadian Law on Foreign Corruption and The Development Turn

The significance attributed to corruption, and especially foreign corruption, has been subject to a long series of shifts in political and legal thought. In addition to moralism and self-interest, a third motivation for legal control over foreign corruption has emerged in recent decades: the notion that bribery by businesses from wealthy states plays a material role in perpetuating poverty within developing states. The growth of this idea is the 'Development Turn'. This thesis critically examines, through a broadly interdisciplinary lens, both the Development Turn and associated law in Canada.

Advisor: Fadel, Mohammad
Towards Engineering a Programmable Universal Transcription Activation System

Developing the next generation of medical, agricultural and sustainability biotechnology is limited by the complexity of natural biological systems; namely the dynamics and interactions between genetically encoded parts. Synthetic biology seeks to reduce the complexity by replacing natural biological components with simplified, synthetic control systems. Transcription is a major control step for biological systems and thus subject to a number of successful efforts for synthetic regulation, primarily in eukaryotes. These systems, however, rely primarily on host components and thus are still largely entangled in the complex host processes. Additionally, prokaryotes, which represent a large fraction of hosts in industrial biotech, still lack the programmable activation systems of eukaryotes. Furthermore components are not readily transferable between the two, which is important for simplifying design. Thus, we sought to design a programmable transcription activation system in prokaryotes by combining the wealth of information on the strong phage T7 RNA Polymerase (RNAP) with modular and programmable DNA binding proteins. Importantly, T7 RNAP is a self-contained RNAP that interacts minimally with the host and is thus orthogonal. We reasoned that reducing T7 RNAPs natural affinity for DNA would allow for control of initiation through programmable DNA binding proteins (DBPs). We show that indeed, T7 RNAP can be programmed to transcribe synthetic promoters via fusion to programmable DNA binding proteins and this interaction can be tuned with various molecular manipulations of promoter and protein. Furthermore, the set of DBPs can be expanded by replacing the fusion with a split T7 and DBP facilitated through programmable leucine zipper domains. This culminates in T7 RNAPs that are programmable and small molecule inducible.

Keywords: Programmable
Protein Engineering
Synthetic Biology
T7 RNA Polymerase
Zinc Finger
Advisor: McMillen, David R
Maximal Interval Handgrip Exercise for Blood Pressure Modification Among Post-menopausal Women

Handgrip (HG) exercise training reduces resting blood pressure (BP) but is infrequently employed. Common HG protocols prescribe sustained grips at moderate intensities of 20-50% of one’s maximum intensity, an approach that requires real-time force monitoring. This limits exercise accessibility, an especially important consideration for at-risk cohorts (ie. older women) who display low adherence to traditional aerobic exercise options. This research describes the creation and evaluation of a novel HG strategy: the Maximal INTerval (MINT) strategy. MINT is highly accessible, easy to use, and participant-informed. Testing of acute cardiovascular responses to MINT among older women (n=20) with normotension demonstrated moderate BP increases during the exercise bout (systolic BP: 24 ± 3mmHg, diastolic BP: 11 ± 2) that swiftly returned to resting values following exercise cessation. In comparison to a commercially available strategy (ZONA), the MINT intervention took less time to complete and required less exercise effort, yet participants perceived greater exertion. Neither HG intervention produced post-exercise alterations to either resting forearm blood flow or peak reactive flow. The concomitant creation of the MINT grip tool followed stages of new product development with structured focus groups (n=20). The result was a participant-preferred tool with a small grip circumference, slight grip contouring, soft foam covering, and black colour. Finally, the MINT exercise protocol and MINT grip tool were combined and the impact of MINT HG training was assessed via measures of both exercise efficacy and exercise effectiveness. Among a cohort of post-menopausal women (n=17) with a range of resting BPs and various co-morbidities, eight weeks of MINT training effectively reduced resting systolic BP (128 ± 14mmHg to 122 ± 14mmHg), improved sample entropy (a measure of heart rate complexity) (1.36±0.10 to 1.62±0.11), and reduced cardiovascular reactivity to a serial subtraction stressor (21.7 ± 20.5mmHg to 19.0 ± 13.8mmHg, Measures of adherence were high for this at-home handgrip training program (96.9%) with participants indicting high levels of both exercise effort and exercise enjoyment. Collectively, the participant-informed MINT training strategy is a safe, efficacious, and effective exercise option for post-menopausal women to reduce resting blood pressure.

Keywords: blood pressure
isometric handgrip exercise
post-menopausal women
Advisor: Thomas, Scott G
Development of Mn(III) Porphyrins as High Relaxivity MRI Contrast Agents for Blood Pool and Targeted Imaging

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) provides detailed anatomical information and has become indispensable for a wide range of medical applications. To further broaden our diagnostic capabilities, about 40% of clinical MRI scans are performed with the administration of MRI contrast agents (CAs). There are, however, two major limitations to the current clinical CAs which are mainly small Gd-based chelates. 1) They exhibit low relaxivities at high magnetic fields, requiring high dose in modern clinical MRI scanners and 2) the release and accumulation of Gd ions in vivo is correlated with Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) in some patients with renal dysfunction. These challenges motivate us to develop a new class of CAs using more biocompatible metal species. Paramagnetic Mn-porphyrin (MnP) was the building block of choice as it is stable and exhibits high relaxivities at high fields. This thesis focuses on the development of MnP MRI CAs for blood pool and targeted imaging purposes. In Chapter 2, a water-soluble MnP dimer, MnP2 was designed as a high-relaxivity T1 agent. Preliminary in vivo study of MnP2 showed prolonged blood circulation, desirable for MR angiography (MRA). In Chapter 3, MnP2 was systematically evaluated as a BPA in vitro and in vivo. Using different spectroscopic methods, MnP2 was found to form a tight and non-covalent interaction with HSA. Via a competitive binding study using ligands with known HSA binding site, results suggest MnP2 to be bound in subdomain IB. In Chapter 4, a second generation dimer, m-MnP2 was developed. m-MnP2 exhibited slightly lower relaxivity than MnP2, likely due to its smaller size. The relaxivity of m-MnP2 did not increase upon binding to HSA and is similar to that of the MnP2â HSA complex. This suggests that both CAs are potential BPAs and that the tumbling rate may be excessively slow. (Chapter 5) Towards the goal of active targeted imaging, a versatile covalent protein tagging MnPNCS was synthesized. Successful tagging of multiple MnPs onto HSA was demonstrated and the resulting MnPâ HSA exhibited excellent blood pool properties. Overall, through rational design, the highly sensitive MnPs have shown promise as the next generation Gd-free MRI CAs.

Keywords: Blood Pool Agent
Contrast Agents
Human Serum Albumin
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Mn Porphyrin
Targeted Imaging
Advisor: Zhang, Xiao-an
Mass Spectrometry Coupled with Laser Spectroscopy for Probing the Intrinsic Photophysical Properties of Light-Harvesters

In the pockets of proteins and in solution, light-harvesting molecules are subject to a variety of interactions which fine-tune their photophysical properties. This makes it difficult to distinguish which of their photophysical features are intrinsic (due to their structure) versus those that arise out of these specific environmental interactions. Thus, there has been considerable interest in probing the photophysical properties of a number of different light-harvesters, especially porphyrins, in vacuo. A convenient in vacuo approach is through the use of optical spectroscopy combined with ion trapping mass spectrometry. For one, light-harvesters are easily introduced intact into the gas phase using electrospray ionization and can be subsequently isolated based on their mass-to-charge ratio and stored using the capabilities of the ion trap. However, the ion number densities achieved using this method are well below those required to perform conventional absorption measurements. Thus, alternative techniques relying on the measurement of an event occurring in response to photon absorption are employed. These include fluorescence excitation (FE) and photodissociation (PD) action spectroscopy. The work in this dissertation features an evaluation of these commonly employed action spectroscopy techniques and subsequently applies them to investigate the intrinsic photophysical properties of a select series of biologically-significant light-harvesters. Thus, Chapter 2 begins by presenting a back-to-back comparison of the absorption spectrum measured for Rhodamine 100 using FE and PD action spectroscopy. Equipped with this knowledge, PD action spectroscopy is used to characterize the intrinsic spectroscopic features of the well-known porphyrin chlorophyll a (Chla) including when it is adducted with different alkali metal cations. Significantly, this chapter also featured the first report of fluorescence emission from gaseous Chla and demonstrated how it may be â turned offâ via protonation. PD action spectroscopy was also used to characterize a heme-related porphyrin, n-methyl mesoporphyrin IX (NMM), so as to uncover the intrinsic relationship between its charge state and spectroscopic profile. Together, these investigations progress our understanding of how and to what extent environmental interactions are responsible for fine-tuning the photophysical properties of these porphyrins while also specifically highlighting how optical spectroscopy combined with mass spectrometry is a powerful approach for addressing these questions.

Keywords: Chlorophyll
Fluorescence
Gas phase
Ion Spectroscopy
Mass Spectrometry
Porphyrin
Advisor: Jockusch, Rebecca A