VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Psychological Meme Science

Memes are ideas, often represented using media, with the special characteristics of being repeatable and adaptable. Memes impact our lives in material ways, influencing political systems and propagating the stories our shared culture is built from. When propagated via online social networks, the massive scale at which memes operate is without precedent. However, the meme does not act on its own; it is only by human activity that memes are created and proliferated. This dissertation will tackle a series of research questions surrounding the scientific study of humans and memes from a psychological perspective. This work begins with the observation that science is a social enterprise and scientific ideas spread as memes. The first chapter of this dissertation applies social network methods to the global scientific collaboration network in order to build a map of beliefs about systems of humans and memes. The next chapter examines a hierarchical democratic phenomenon - the online campaign preceding an election - in order to determine the appropriate analytical scope for investigating complex systems of political memes. The final chapter presents a method for translating regression models from the psychological literature into computational social simulations using agent-based models. A computational social simulation of urban legends is then built, replicating a study from the literature and then extending it to examine the effect of social network topology upon the propagation of urban legends. Humans and memes, together, constitute a complex system that offers new methodological tools to study the human condition.

Keywords: agent-based modeling
computational social science
election campaigns
memes
social networks
urban legends
Advisor: Cupchik, Gerald C
Optoelectronic Investigations of Colloidal Quantum Dot Solar Cells

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are solar photovoltaic materials synthesized and processed as an ink, a potential advantage in scaling manufacture. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of CQD solar cells has progressed well in recent years, from under 4% in 2010 to 13% today. In this thesis I seek to understand further and improve the CQD solid at both the materials and device levels with the goal of maximizing power conversion efficiency. I begin by developing an analytical model for the design and realization of optically-enhanced infrared CQD solar cells: here I focus on devices intended to operate as the junction behind a silicon solar cell collecting otherwise-unabsorbed infrared light. This optical strategy leads to a record peak external quantum efficiency of 60% in the infrared in devices employing ~100 nm-thick active layers. Next I present an optical model that uses experimental inputs from spectroscopic ellipsometry, and calculations based on the transfer matrix method, to obtain, for the first time, the spatial distribution of photocurrent losses in CQD solar cells operando. I then deploy this capability to observe depletion widths and interfacial energy barriers in operating CQD devices. Moving from photocurrent to photovoltage investigations, I then provide a model to quantify the impact of CQD size distributions on absorption and photoluminescence spectra, and that allows prediction of voltage losses, low-energy absorption tails, and the Stokes shift. These results provide physical insight into CQD absorption and photoluminescence spectra; and offer a quantitative picture of open-circuit voltage losses in CQD solar cells. They indicate that suppressing deep trap states is the most promising path forward in improving CQD solar cell performance. I then develop spectrally-tailored infrared solar cells that lever the engineering of ensembles of CQDs, achieving a record of 1% additional power points on top of a silicon cell’s efficiency. The studies herein improve understanding of the operating principles of CQD solar cells and offer quantitative guidance to chemists, materials scientists and engineers towards improved syntheses, processes, and designs.

Keywords: Colloidal quantum dots
Optoelectronics
Photovoltaics
Renewable energy
Solar cells
Advisor: Sargent, Edward H
Variation in the Initial Mass Function of Nearby Galaxies: Instrumentation and Observations

Galaxies are a fundamental structural unit of the Universe, where the vast majority of stars form and reside. Investigating the underlying mechanisms that direct the formation of stellar populations is key to furthering our understanding of how galaxies evolve. One major ingredient of a stellar population is the initial mass function (IMF), which describes distribution of stellar masses that arise from a star forming event. This thesis presents two projects to further our knowledge of the IMF: an observational near-infrared study of the IMF in early type galaxies, and the development and commissioning of the Wide Integral Field Infrared Spectrograph (WIFIS). Recent measurements of the IMF, traditionally considered to be universal, in nearby massive early type galaxies have revealed an overabundance of low-mass stars. In this thesis, we detail a pilot study using integral field spectroscopy to characterize the IMF and other stellar population parameters of M85 and M87 by comparing a novel set of near-infrared gravity-sensitive absorption features to stellar population synthesis models. Adopting modern statistical analysis methods, we find that the IMF slopes are much steeper in the massive M87 than in M85, where the IMF is similar to the Milky Way. The IMF slopes are efficiently constrained by the near-infrared spectral features, opening a path for further studies into the IMF of nearby galaxies using these new diagnostics. WIFIS is an integral field spectrograph that delivers an unparalleled combination of field size and near-infrared spectral coverage. We present the development of WIFIS, from laboratory assembly to on-sky instrument performance. Furthermore, we detail the optomechanical design and development of two critical WIFIS subsystems, a Calibration Unit that enables flat fielding and wavelength calibration, and a Guider Camera, which provides guiding and target acquisition capabilities. Presently, WIFIS is operating successfully and is conducting an extragalactic survey to characterize the properties of nearby stellar populations. As part of this survey, we conduct a preliminary investigation into the IMFs of M85 and M87 using WIFIS and find evidence for a radially varying IMF, while confirming the capability of WIFIS to deliver scientifically rigorous spectroscopy.

Keywords: Astronomical Instrumentation
Extragalactic Astronomy
Initial Mass Function
Integral Field Spectrograph
Near-Infrared
Star Formation
Advisor: Moon, Dae-Sik
Teacher Collaboration for Mandated Accreditation: A Case Study of Evaluating the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program

This qualitative case study investigates how teachers work together to complete the evaluation for a mandated accreditation of a program at one school. Specifically, the study describes the participants’ experiences of completing the evaluation, the effects of the evaluation on a school’s program as perceived by the participants, and the future of program evaluation. Qualitative data were collected in the form of document review, participant survey and interviews of evaluation team members. The evidence from the study shows that the majority of participants find the evaluation of the program transformative for their practices. Five major findings as suggested by the case study can be summarized as follows: (1) participants in this study find that their perceptions of completing the evaluation are influenced by the context of the specific school, their own experience with the given program, the personal relationships that exist between the leadership team and the teachers and among teaching colleagues, and the larger community of stakeholders situated in a specific culture; (2) the freedom to change practices and determine what is needed for the given school is crucial in how participants view the impact of an evaluation; (3) respondents’ perceptions of the intentions and abilities of the internal evaluation leaders may have some effect on how they view their evaluation experiences; (4) participants express the desire to determine what aspect of their program is most useful for them to evaluate, when to gather what data, and how to report their findings to their networks; and (5) participants argue that self-assessment is a regular function of continuous performance monitoring and a natural part of the learning climate where professional conversations lead to change. Implications from this study suggest that the context of the evaluation and the individual characteristics of the teachers can have an effect on how they perceive the collaboration required for the evaluation and how much value they place on engaging in these mandated processes. School leadership needs to establish a learning climate that supports the collaborative professional development of teachers. Suggestions for areas of further research are included at the end of the study.

Keywords: Accreditation
International Baccalaureate Diploma Program
Program Evaluation
Teacher Collaboration
Advisor: McDougall, Douglas
Working with an Accent: The Aesthetic Labour of International Teaching Assistants in Ontario Universities

International teaching assistants (ITAs) in North American English-medium universities often work with an accent. In one sense, to work with an accent entails doing one’s work while having an aural stigma. This is due to the increased likelihood that students and other university stakeholders perceive ITAs’ foreign-accented English as difficult to understand. The purported problem of their foreign accents can thus create additional facets in working with an accent such as working with the idea of how to change an accent and performing (around) it in order to be viewed as effective workers. All of this work can be considered a type of aesthetic labour in that ITAs need to develop the right sound for their professional duties. Based on a narrative inquiry of the experiences of 14 ITAs working in various universities in Ontario, Canada, this thesis explores how they conceptualize and execute aesthetic labour. Specifically, it details their perceptions of a satisfactory aural aesthetic for work as well as the extent to which they incorporate this aesthetic in discussions about their professional practices. Regarding the first research objective, the ITAs understood a satisfactory accent in linguistic, racial, and professional terms. Indeed, an accent could sound “native” or “nonnative,” become “whitened” or remain racialized, and match or not match one’s work (environment). In terms of taking up these perceptions in their professional practices, which took the general form of working on or around an accent, the ITAs’ prior views on aural aesthetics were upheld and/or tempered by contextual factors in their universities. On the immediate level, the above findings provide suggestions for changes to existing forms of ITA training, which tend to ignore the knowledge of ITAs and fail to prepare them to effectively communicate according to the specificities of their work environments. More broadly, the findings are useful in highlighting how accents are not stable individual traits, but rather, malleable tools that help workers negotiate intercultural encounters in a range of professional settings. Therefore, this study counters research that frames the ITA accent as an inherent problem needing to be rectified for a homogeneous audience.

Keywords: accent
aesthetic labour
internationalization
international teaching assistants (ITAs)
narrative inquiry
universities
Advisor: Mirchandani, Kiran
Translanguaging as an Agentive, Collaborative and Socioculturally Responsive Pedagogy for Multilingual Learners

The translanguaging turn in language education offers a new perspective on multilingualism by positing that multilingual learners have one linguistic repertoire rather than two or more autonomous language systems (García Li Wei, 2014). When learners engage in translanguaging, they draw on all the features from their repertoire in a flexible and integrated way (Otheguy, García, Reid, 2015). While many studies have advocated for the use of teacher-led pedagogical translanguaging, less research has documented the affordances of student-led collaborative translanguaging, and the factors that may constrain their use of translanguaging. My study is a step in this direction as it provides evidence of the potential of translanguaging as an intentional and agentive student-led collaborative pedagogy for multilingual learners. My research was a case study of two trilingual Grade 5 English language classes in a Malaysian elementary school – one class with an English-only policy, and one class without. Over 6 months, I recorded learners’ interactions as they worked in groups of 3-5 on collaborative learning activities. My data sources also included interviews with 55 learners and their two teachers, artefacts, field notes, and reflexive journal entries. Using sociocultural critical discourse analysis (Fairclough Wodak, 1997; Mercer, 2004), I conducted qualitative and quantitative analyses of 100 30-minute to 1.5-hour long transcripts of learners’ interactions, and conducted a thematic analysis (Nowell, Norris, White Moules, 2017) of the interviews. The results revealed that learners in both classes used translanguaging agentively to fulfil 100 cognitive-conceptual, planning-organizational, affective-social and linguistic-discursive functions that supported their individual and collective learning. Even with an English-only policy in place, learners harnessed the affordances of translanguaging using multimodal resources such as symbols, images, videos, and gestures. However, their specific language choices and beliefs about language were influenced and at times constrained by the teacher’s language policies and practices, parental discourses about linguistic capital, and ethnic tensions in the country. My research positions translanguaging as collaborative and agentive, socioculturally situated and culturally responsive, and a resource for learning as well as a process of learning. As an outcome of this study, I provide recommendations for a collaborative translanguaging pedagogy approach.

Keywords: collaborative learning
English as a Second Language
English Language Learner
language policy
multilingual education
translanguaging
Advisor: Stagg Peterson, Shelley
Development of an Immersed Boundary Method for the Simulation of Moving Bodies at Fluid-fluid Interfaces

Particles interacting with interfaces in multiphase flows appear in many scenarios of industrial interest, including bitumen extraction, mineral recovery via froth flotation, soil remediation, and many others. This thesis presents the development of Immersed Boundary Methods (IBMs) coupled to a two-phase incompressible flow solver. The phases are treated as immiscible, and are modelled using the Volume-of-Fluid (VOF) method. The methods developed to include the effects of surface tension and contact lines are presented. A detailed description of the numerical methods, as well as their implementation into a new software framework, are presented. Details regarding the solution of the resulting large systems of sparse equations in parallel are briefly described. The accuracy of the proposed models are demonstrated in three chapters; test cases range from validation of the correct contact angle for droplets sitting on curved surfaces, to more complex Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) problems involving moving objects at fluid-fluid interfaces. Stationary IBMs were coupled with a VOF multiphase solver, with the effects of surface tension included via the Continuum Surface Force (CSF) method. The domain was separated into fluid and solid regions, with coupling between them achieved through a ghost-cell interpolation procedure, which in effect prescribed the desired boundary conditions for the velocity and pressure fields. A new method was developed to include the effects of contact angle/wetting for moving boundary problems. For these problems, a unified momentum equation for both the fluid and solid phases was solved, and the effect of the boundary was introduced into the momentum equation via a body force term. Solutions to FSI problems involving strong capillary forces are presented and compared to experiments. Finally, an application of the proposed numerical methods to simulating porous media injection is shown. The algorithm's ability to predict an interface's transition between stable displacement, viscous fingering and capillary fingering is demonstrated.

Keywords: Computational Fluid Dynamics
Contact Lines
Immersed Boundary Method
Multiphase Flow
Surface Tension
Volume-Of-Fluid
Advisor: Bussmann, Markus
Digging up the Medicines: Urban Métis Women’s Identity and Experiences with Health and Social Services in Toronto, Ontario

Métis Peoples comprise over a third of the Indigenous population in Canada while experiencing major gaps in access to culturally safe health services. These gaps are problematic given the severe disparities in health determinants and outcomes that Métis Peoples experience, compared to the non-Indigenous Canadian population. To address the Métis health service gap, this qualitative study applied a conversational method to follow up with a subgroup of Métis women who participated in the Our Health Counts Toronto longitudinal cohort. Guided by a Decolonizing Praxis woven with Indigenous Feminist Theory, conversations explored Métis women’s perspectives on identity and their experiences with health and social services in Toronto. The three manuscripts presented in this dissertation expose the multitude of barriers Métis women face when trying to access services in Toronto. In the first manuscript, Métis women share about the influence of patriarchy in health and social services in Toronto. This included men dominating policies regarding Métis identity; cultural mentors crossing barriers; physicians who were judgmental and sexually violent; and being forced to advocate for basic services. This manuscript highlights the need for Métis women to be re-centered in positions of leadership. The second manuscript reveals the experiences with racism and discrimination that Métis women face when trying to access health and social services in Toronto. This included witnessing, absorbing, and facing racism, feeling unwelcomed, and experiencing lateral violence. This manuscript underscores the urgency and importance of understanding and addressing racism as a determinant of Métis Peoples’ health. The third manuscript provides recommendations by Métis women to improve access to health and social services in Toronto for the Métis community. This included having a Métis presence within services; culturally relevant design; Métis specific and/or informed services; welcoming reception; and service providers with an understanding of Indigenous Peoples’ histories and complexities. This research illustrates the multitude of barriers that Métis women have experienced when trying to access health and social services in Toronto. At the same time, this research demonstrates that Métis women hold practical solutions to develop culturally-specific, appropriate, and effective health programs and services for Métis Peoples in Toronto.

Keywords: Access
Health
Identity
Métis
Toronto
Women
Advisor: Smylie, Janet
Tunnelling Time of a Bose-Einstein condensate

Tunnelling is one of the phenomena at the heart of quantum mechanics. Despite its central role in physics, the duration of the tunnelling process has been debated since the development of quantum theory without a definite answer. In this thesis, the question of how long a particle takes to tunnel is investigated experimentally using ultracold atoms. These systems provide an ideal platform to address this question due to their isolation from the external environment and the ability to create almost arbitrary potentials for the atoms. As the tunnelling time experiment requires low temperatures, the realization and characterization of wave packets below the nanokelvin regime are studied first. A 16x reduction of the effective temperature of the atoms is obtained through delta-kick cooling. However, the achieved temperatures are so low that a new method, dubbed the “knife-edge technique”, is developed to characterize the final atomic state accurately. Through this new method, a final temperature of 900 ± 200 pK is found. Finally, the tunnelling time is investigated using a Bose-Einstein condensate in a one dimensional waveguide intersected by a 1.3 μm barrier. As the atoms tunnel through the thin potential, their spins time the tunnelling event through the Larmor precession induced by a pseudo-magnetic field localized inside the barrier. The precession angle is found by performing tomography on the spin state of the tunnelling atoms. With the knowledge of the Larmor frequency and the rotation angles, we find a tunnelling time of 0.65(7) ms. This experiment achieves a long-sought tunnelling time measurement with a clear interpretation, and its results show good quantitative agreement with theory based on the weak measurement formalism.

Keywords: BEC
delta kick cooling
Larmor clock
tunneling
tunneling time
Advisor: Steinberg, Aephraim M
In the Image of a Woman: Spirited Identifications and Embodied Interpellations Along the Betsiboka Valley

Amidst ongoing political turmoil and economic instability across Madagascar, sarimbavy (male-bodied, same-sex desiring and/or gender-expansive persons) are increasingly conceived of as timely subjects by HIV-prevention industries, homonationalist LGBT rights projects backed by the United States Embassy, and Christian religious publics. Based on 24 months of ethnographic fieldwork in the Betsiboka Valley, this dissertation both considers and diverges from these biomedical and moral panics by attending to the dynamic and often ambiguous relationship between sarimbavy and tromba spirit mediumship. In focusing upon the epistemological and hermeneutical labor that possession provides for those who live “in the image of a woman,” tromba (spirits of former reigning members of the Sakalava monarchy), and the wider social worlds in which they all reside, In the Image of a Woman offers a portrait of burgeoning sarimbavy counterpublics in Antananarivo, Mahajanga, and the rural district of Ambato-Boéni. This dissertation charts how these queer networks have flourished within the entangled milieus of possession pilgrimage, the use of an in-group “secret” sociolect, and the development of MSM (Men who have Sex with Men) activism. In the Image of a Woman bypasses strict functionalist explanations for the affinity between tromba and sarimbavy subjectivity. Nevertheless, this dissertation meditates upon how future-oriented MSM/LGBT rights-work and its attendant HIV-prevention activism (widely conceptualized by interlocutors as modern phenomena connected to foreign intervention) were uncannily facilitated through spirit mediumship (generally articulated by interlocutors as a longstanding “custom of the ancestors”). In thinking alongside these shifting temporal allegiances of sarimbavy medium-activists, the ethnography contained therein intervenes in the literature on global LGBT rights movements and religiosity by troubling the assumption that their relationship is inherently antagonistic.

Keywords: LGBT
Madagascar
queer
religion
Sakalava
spirit possession
Advisor: Lambek, Michael
Dave, Naisargi