VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The Politics of Standardized Testing in Ontario: Critically Assessing the Impact on Learners, Teachers, and Administrators

This study examines the historical origins and educational and political objectives of the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT). It argues that ultimately, standardized tests, such as the OSSLT, advance neoliberal agendas reflecting the interests of the Canadian state and capital, rather than those of diverse learners, teachers, and society at large. The study traces the ways in which Ontario and state educational policies have infused neoliberal values of individuality, self discipline, accounting, and work preparedness into public education through standardized testing, in order to foster students who can find placement in the local and global economies as workers and consumers. The study also illuminates how the OSSLT has functioned as a hegemonic tool for measuring teacher and learner ‘success’. The study uses a qualitative methodology, including personal interviews with teachers and school administrators in the Greater Toronto Area, and an examination of primary and secondary sources that include educational policy documents. The interpretation of the data utilizes a critical discourse analysis approach and a constellation of theories pertaining to educational policy, neoliberalism, racial and cultural difference, and theories related to modes of governmentality and educational systems that shape the rationale, design, and implementation of standardized testing tools in public education. The major findings of this study note the elimination of community, segregating stakeholders where school administrators and teachers view the test and its purpose in very distinct ways. The OSSLT has shifted the purpose of education from sorting students for human capital as a priority over educating them as democratic citizens. The role of administrators has altered from leaders to managers of data, and teachers’ loss of power changed their role to that of facilitators. Finally, a myriad of negative emotional effects were noted for all stakeholders especially students who are racialized and marginalized. The study moves from critique to resolutions by offering three possible ways to re-imagine and re-shape the test: altering the rules of the test; incorporating multiple aspects of learning and knowing by using an inclusive design model of holistic assessment; and resisting the test, thus undermining its credibility and function altogether.

Keywords: Impact on Administrators
Impact on Students
Impact on Teachers
OSSLT
Standardized Testing
Advisor: Todorova, Miglena
Statistical Methods for X-inclusive Genome-wide Association Study

The X-chromosome is often excluded from genome-wide association studies because of analytical challenges. Some have been investigated such as the random, skewed or no X-inactivation model uncertainty. Others have received little to no attention such as the value in considering non-additive and gene-sex interaction effects, and the inferential consequence of choosing different baseline alleles. In this thesis, we purpose two solutions to these challenges from different perspectives. We first consider a Bayesian model averaging framework that offers a principled way to account for the inherent model uncertainty, providing model averaging-based posterior density intervals and Bayes factors. Next we propose a unified and flexible regression-based association test for the X-chromosome. We provide theoretical justifications for its robustness in the presence of various model uncertainties, as well as for its improved power under certain alternatives when compared with the existing approaches. We examine the inferential properties of the proposed methods via extensive simulation studies, and provide supporting evidence by revisiting several published genome-wide association studies.

Advisor: Craiu, Radu Virgil
Sun, Lei
A Goddess in the Caravans and a Saviour in the Hulls: Worship and Migration in Athens, Delos, and Corinth

This thesis compares how four religions moved through four ancient diasporas (c. 300 BCE–100 CE): Syrian (Delos), Phoenician (Delos), Thracian (Athens), and Judaean (Corinth). While problematizing these two concepts, it nevertheless shows that being in diaspora was the catalyst for new formulations of group identities, and that the worship of deities and associated cultural practices became more central for groups in diaspora. Often community boundaries evolved to include outsiders with no shared ethno-geographical background, for whom membership became mediated through shared worship.

Keywords: Antiquity
Christianity
Diaspora
Integration
Migration
Religion
Advisor: Kloppenborg, John
Development and Application of Genetic Networks for Engineering Photo-controlled Proteins

Light-switchable proteins are being used increasingly to understand and manipulate complex molecular systems. The success of this approach has fueled the development of tailored photo-switchable proteins, to enable targeted molecular events to be studied using light. The development of novel photo-switchable tools has to date largely relied on rational design. Complementing this approach with directed evolution would be expected to facilitate these efforts. Directed evolution, however, has been relatively infrequently used to develop photo-switchable proteins due to the challenge presented by high-throughput evaluation of switchable protein activity. This thesis describes the development of two genetic circuits that can be used to evaluate libraries of switchable proteins, enabling optimization of both the on- and off-states. A screening system is described, which permits detection of DNA-binding activity based on conditional expression of a fluorescent protein. In addition, a tunable selection system is presented, which allows for the targeted selection of protein-protein interactions of a desired affinity range. This thesis additionally describes the development and characterization of a synthetic protein that was designed to investigate chromophore reconstitution in photoactive yellow protein (PYP), a promising scaffold for engineering photo-controlled protein tools.

Keywords: genetic circuits
optogenetics
photoactive yellow protein
protein engineering
switchable proteins
Advisor: Woolley, Andrew
Arndt, Katja
Dental Hygiene Curriculum and Core Competency Development: A Case Study of One Ontario College Program

The purpose of this convergent parallel mixed methods case study was to explore the dental hygiene curriculum at one Ontario College, referred to as DH College (pseudonym) to discover educator, student, and graduating student perceptions of teaching and learning strategies related to national core competency development. Dental hygiene programs across Canada use these entry-to-practice National Dental Hygiene Competencies to develop curricula. All full-time educators of the program were invited to participate in an online survey and interview. This study explored how participating educators (n=7) in the DH College program interpreted, integrated, and assessed student achievement of core national competencies in the classroom. Through document analysis the study explored how students (n=144) perceived learning experiences related to core competency development. And, through the use of an online survey, the study further explored how participating graduating students (n=20) self-assessed their abilities related to the core national competencies. The Capabilities Approach theoretical framework grounded this study. The conclusions drawn from the findings of this mixed methods case study suggest that the DH College curriculum supports the development of core national competencies which are: the dental hygienist as a professional, communicator and collaborator, critical thinker, advocate, and coordinator however, educators find it challenging to teach professionalism and advocacy in the classroom. Three of the seven educators interviewed felt that graduates are not attaining all of the 70 core ability-based outcomes at the level of national expectations. And, graduating students reported that they had gained no understanding or a less than a basic understanding from their program curriculum with respect to 21 (30%) of the 70 core national ability-based outcomes required for entry-to-practice into the profession. Furthermore, and most importantly, educators were not unanimous in their explicit understanding of what constituted basic attainment of the national ability-based outcomes. Though the findings are not generalizable beyond the case study program, an understanding of these findings has the potential to inform teaching and learning, policy, and practice, not just in the case study program, but other dental hygiene programs that seek to review their own programs with respect to the core National Dental Hygiene Competencies.

Keywords: capabilities approach
case study
convergent parallel
core competencies
dental hygiene
mixed methods
Advisor: Janzen, Katharine
Health-related Quality of Life in Children with Drug Resistant Epilepsy: A Focus on Risk Factors, Measurement, and Surgical Outcomes

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is recognized as the most important outcome of any chronic health condition. Despite growing empirical interest in HRQOL outcomes, important knowledge gaps undermine the burgeoning literature, compromising the translation of findings to clinical care for children with drug resistant epilepsy. In response, this dissertation presents a comprehensive investigation of HRQOL in children with drug resistant epilepsy through three integrated objectives: (1) fine-tune the existing arsenal of HRQOL measures in pediatric epilepsy; (2) identify risk factors for HRQOL in children with drug resistant epilepsy; and (3) examine the influence of low intellectual ability on post-surgical change in HRQOL. Studies 1 and 2 examined HRQOL assessment in children with drug resistant epilepsy across research and clinical settings. Study 1 extended the validity of the Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy Questionnaire (QOLCE-55) to children with drug resistant epilepsy, including confirmation of the higher order factor structure; the findings contribute to the robust psychometric profile of the QOLCE-55 as a reliable and valid measure. Study 2 demonstrated promising evidence regarding the psychometric properties of a global measure of quality of life (QOL), a potentially useful tool that can be used by clinicians to evaluate the impact of treatment outcomes in children with drug resistant epilepsy. Study 3 investigated correlates of HRQOL in children with drug resistant epilepsy, finding that lower child IQ, fewer resources available to aid families and caregiver unemployment were uniquely associated with diminished HRQOL. These results highlight the dominant effect of psychosocial factors on child HRQOL, relative to epilepsy-related variables. Lastly, Study 4 assessed change in HRQOL after epilepsy surgery, with a focus on the role of intellectual ability. Our results suggest that children with low intellectual ability can expect to achieve similar post-operative improvements in HRQOL compared to those with normal intelligence. In sum, the four studies included in this dissertation address and overcome many gaps in the literature on pediatric epilepsy and HRQOL. This body of work provides necessary and novel evidence with the potential to improve prognostication, inform presurgical counselling, and identify targets for therapeutic interventions in children with drug resistant epilepsy.

Keywords: Epilepsy
Measurement
Pediatric
Quality of life
Risk factors
Surgery
Advisor: Smith, Mary Lou
Widjaja, Elysa
Semi-parametric Methods to Aid in the Detection and Characterization of Distant Worlds around Small Stars

Statistical studies of the exoplanet population have provided key insights into their formation histories and evolution. Developing an understanding of the planet formation process requires both accurate and precise measurements of fundamental planetary parameters such as their masses, radii, and orbital characteristics. Planetary systems orbiting low mass stars represent superlative opportunities to characterize exoplanets in detail as they are plentiful within the solar neighbourhood and they are known to commonly host multi-planet systems of terrestrial to Neptune-sized planets that are more easily detectable than similar planets around Sun-like stars. One major deterrent to the characterization of such planets is stellar activity and its manifestation in radial velocity (RV) measurements that can mask and even mimic planetary signals. In this thesis, I develop and implement a formalism aimed at enabling the detection and precise and accurate characterization of planetary systems around low mass stars. This formalism is based around semi-parametric Gaussian process (GP) regression models that are used to simultaneously model planets, in both RV and transit light curve observations, and the temporal covariance structure arising from stellar activity produced by magnetically active regions on the stellar surface. The GP formalism is applied to synthetic RV datasets emulating the upcoming planet detection survey using the near-infrared spectropolarimeter SPIRou and to synthetic optical and near-infrared measurements of the expected population of transiting planets discovered with TESS. I also apply the GP formalism to activity modelling in the K2-18 planetary system from which an accurate and precise planetary mass of its transiting temperate sub-Neptune is inferred along with the presence of an additional planet in the system using RV measurements from HARPS and CARMENES. Lastly, I extend the GP formalism to the treatment of stellar photometric variability and systematic effects in TESS light curves and uncover a number of candidate transiting planets around low mass stars in the first two TESS sectors. Applications of GPs for the detection and characterization of exoplanets will prove to be a crucial tool for developing a global understanding of planet formation and in revealing how common the conditions for life like our own are within our galaxy.

Keywords: exoplanets
Gaussian processes
low mass stars
statistical models
stellar activity
terrestrial planets
Advisor: Menou, Kristen
Sharing Responsibility for Social Welfare Provision between Companies and the State: A Comparison of Brazil and India

In the Global South non-state actors sometimes provide more collectively desirable goods than the state. This includes the engagement of companies through corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects, but an unexplored question remains: under conditions of limited state capacity, how do state and business actors interact in the evolution of systems of social welfare provision? To answer this question, I consider Brazil and India. While existing literature on the relationship between business and the state has found the two to be similar cases, research reveals divergent trends in both how these states promote corporate engagement in social welfare provision, and in how companies take on such roles. I show that Brazil supports social welfare largely through the expansion and universalization of state programs, and promotes CSR through taxation, lending policies and legal arbitration mechanisms. India includes business actors in socioeconomic development to a greater degree and has passed legislation that requires companies to spend a portion of profits on community development in the form of CSR projects. I show that this empirical variation can be explained with reference to three factors: state capacity, prevailing ideas about which actors hold responsibility for social welfare provision, and the historical institutionalization of CSR. State capacity is a permissive condition. Under conditions of limited state capacity, the interplay of prevailing notions of citizenship and ideas about how business and the state should interact combine to shape differing notions of responsibility. In India, the norm that responsibility should be shared between state and corporate actors exists, while in Brazil the state has come to be seen as holding primary responsibility for social welfare. These ideas have subsequently shaped both state policies towards CSR, and companies’ willingness to engage in socioeconomic development. I argue that the Indian state is developing a liberal CSR regime that promotes company engagement in CSR, while also granting companies leeway over their engagement. Companies have responded by expanding their role in delivering collectively desirable goods. The Brazilian state, on the other hand, is developing a statist CSR regime under which the state seeks to maintain control over company involvement in socioeconomic development.

Keywords: Brazil
corporate social responsibility
development
India
non-state welfare
welfare state
Advisor: Wong, Joseph
Projection of State Power: State-making in the Dryland Periphery of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda

Since the turn of the twenty-first century, the governments of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda have embarked upon rapid and far-reaching expansion of their presence and power in the long-neglected dryland region that straddles the three countries’ borders. Such efforts to project the power of states across their territories are an essential aspect of state-making but have attracted relatively little scholarly attention. Extension of state power in the drylands raises an important question: why, how, and with what consequences do states project their power? The region’s transformation also presents an empirical puzzle: while the political order has been altered throughout the drylands, its key components, including the capacity of newly constructed state apparatuses and their responsiveness to popular demands, vary considerably not only across the three countries’ sections of the region, but also within them. This puzzle has broader theoretical implications that scholars have not adequately addressed: what explains the heterogeneity of state-making processes? To solve the puzzle and answer the research questions, I develop a causal model that assesses the effects of agentic and structural causal mechanisms present at two levels—central and local—of state-making. I argue that both the variability of state-making and the incidence, dynamics, and impacts of projection of state power reflect the dynamic interplay and relative strength of the model components in specific countries and, crucially, sub-national areas. To test this argument, I make use of a research design that takes the form of a natural experiment made possible by the distribution of the ethnic groups in the drylands, several methodological tools—a survey, conjoint experiments, and elite interviewing—and twelve months of fieldwork in sixty-eight research sites in seven areas of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda. Analysis of the collected data reveals that extension of state power in the drylands and the observed inter- and intra-country variation can only be explained through specification of causal chains comprised of different configurations of all (central- and local-level, agentic and structural) model components. These results provide much-needed empirical evidence on projection of state power and draw attention to the underappreciated importance of the agentic and local-level drivers of state-making.

Advisor: Handley, Antoinette
Cannabis Use Through a Developmental Lens: Perceptions of Cannabis Use in Emerging Adulthood

Rates of cannabis use are highest during emerging adulthood (EA) relative to other age groups, and researchers have found that involvement with substances influences EAs’ perceptions of this time of life. However, there is limited empirical research on how the experience of EA influences perceptions of cannabis use. Using a mixed methods approach, this research examined perceptions of cannabis use in EA and the relationship between cannabis use and critical tasks associated with this developmental period. In Study One, 182 EAs completed an online survey that examined relationships between the developmental context and cannabis use. Results of multivariate analyses indicated that certain core features of EA were associated with cannabis use problems, but not frequency of cannabis use. Specifically, viewing EA as a time of instability and cannabis use as related to this instability was associated with greater cannabis problems. Non-daily to daily use of cannabis was associated with viewing EA as a time to focus on others – a feature not typically associated with EA. In Study Two, 20 semi-structured interviews were completed in which EAs with current, lived experience using cannabis were interviewed about their conceptualizations of cannabis use and connections between their cannabis use and EA. Cannabis use was described according to whether problems were experienced, reasons for using cannabis, social context, frequency and quantity, and use in combination with other substances. The majority of the sample related their cannabis use to the developmental features of EA; however, they spoke about Arnett’s (2005) features in overlapping ways, rather than as mutually exclusive categories. Participants believed the conditions of EA were conducive to cannabis use, and used cannabis to regulate their EA experience and facilitate self-reflective practices. They also recognized ways in which cannabis use could interfere with their development. Conclusions. In this research, EAs described a breadth of cannabis use experiences, and most viewed their cannabis use as connected in some way to the developmental period of EA. The theoretical implications of these current findings for Arnett’s framework and the clinical implications for assessment, referral, and treatment of cannabis use are discussed.

Keywords: Cannabis
Clinical Psychology
Developmental
Emerging Adulthood
Qualitative
Quantitative
Advisor: Goldstein, Abby L
Acetazolamide potentiates the anti-tumor efficacy of sulforaphane and HDAC inhibitor, MS-275, on bronchial carcinoids and neuroblastoma

Bronchial carcinoids (BC) and neuroblastoma (NB) are subgroups of neuroendocrine tumors of the lung and peripheral nervous system, respectively. BC present mainly in adults, and NB in children. BC accounts for 1–5% of all invasive lung malignancies and the atypical variant has a poor prognosis. NB accounts for 7-8% of all childhood cancers portending

Keywords: acetazolamide
bronchial carcinoids
carbonic anhydrase
MS-275
neuroblastoma
sulforaphane
Advisor: Yeger, Herman