VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The Making of Soviet Chernivtsi: National 'Reunification', World War II, and the Fate of Jewish Czernowitz in Postwar Ukraine

The Making of Soviet Chernivtsi: National “Reunification,” World War II, and the Fate of Jewish Czernowitz in Postwar Ukraine Doctor of Philosophy Svitlana Frunchak Graduate Department of History University of Toronto 2014 Abstract This dissertation revisits the meaning of Soviet expansion and sovietization during and after World War II, the effects of the war on a multiethnic Central-Eastern European city, and the postwar construction of a national identity. One of several multiethnic cities acquired by the USSR in the course of World War II, modern pre-Soviet Chernivtsi can be best characterized as a Jewish-German city dominated by acculturated Jews until the outbreak of World War II. Yet Chernivtsi emerged from the war, the Holocaust, and Soviet reconstruction as an almost homogeneous Ukrainian city that allegedly had always longed for reunification with its Slavic brethren. Focusing on the late Stalinist period (1940–1953) but covering earlier (1774–1940) and later (1953–present) periods, this study explores the relationship between the ideas behind the incorporation; the lived experience of the incorporation; and the historical memory of the city’s distant and recent past. Central to this dissertation is the fate of the Jewish residents of Czernowitz-Chernivtsi. This community was diminished from an influential plurality to about one percent of the city’s population whose past was marginalized in local historical memory. This study demonstrates a multifaceted local experience of the war which was all but silenced by the dominant Soviet Ukrainian myth of the Great Patriotic War and the “reunification of all Ukrainian lands.” When the authors of the official Soviet historical and cultural narratives represented Stalin’s annexation as the “reunification” of Ukraine, they in fact constructed and popularized a new concept of “historical Ukrainian lands.” This concept—a blueprint for the Soviet colonization of the western borderlands in the name of the Ukrainian nation—tied ethnically defined Ukrainian culture to a strictly delineated national territory. Applied to the new borderlands and particularly to their urban centres characterized by cultural diversity, this policy served to legitimize the marginalization and, in several cases, the violent displacement of ethnic minorities, bringing to an end Jewish Czernowitz.

Keywords: Soviet History
Eastern European History
Urban History
History of Eastern European Jews
World War II
The Holocaust
Modern Ukraine
Historical Memory
Advisor: Viola, Lynne
Political Stages: Gay Theatre in Toronto, 1967 - 1985

Abstract This dissertation constructs an analytical history of gay theatre in Toronto from 1967 to 1985, a period that saw the radical reformation of the city’s gay community and its not-for-profit theatre industry. It undertakes this research using a cultural materialist theoretical frame that enables it to recover the history of gay theatre in Toronto and connect this history to the contemporary development of gay community and theatrical production in the city. By recovering the history of gay theatre in Toronto, this dissertation demonstrates its seminal importance to the history of gay culture in Canada, and to Canadian theatre history. To construct its narrative of gay theatre history in Toronto, this dissertation focuses on three pioneering gay playwrights, John Herbert, Robert Wallace, and Sky Gilbert, historically contextualizing these within three distinct eras of contemporary gay history and Toronto theatre history. Chapter one addresses the years prior to the decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada in 1969, analyzing the theatrical development of John Herbert’s Fortune and Men’s Eyes, and the political significance of the New York production’s tour to Toronto’s Central Library Theatre in October 1967. Chapter two examines the rise of gay liberation and the Alternative theatre movements, 1969 to 1976, recovering the production history of Robert Wallace’s long-neglected play, No Deposit, No Return. Chapter three investigates the backlash against gay liberation, the consolidation of gay community as a political minority, and the emergence of AIDS, 1977-1985, focusing on the early career of Sky Gilbert, and the significance of his play, Drag Queens on Trial. Paying close attention to the politics of gay identity and community in Toronto, and providing a thick description of the biographical, social, cultural, and political discourses that shaped the lives of these playwrights and impacted the production and reception of their plays, this dissertation reveals the important part gay theatre played in the reformation of Toronto’s gay community and its not-for-profit theatre industry in this foundational period.

Keywords: Gay theatre, Toronto theatre, history
Advisor: Most, Andrea
Literary Codicologies: The Conditions of Middle English Literary Production, c. 1280-1415

This dissertation studies three important textual projects that speak to the conditions of Middle English literary production from 1280-1415: the West Midlands collection of saints’ lives compiled at the end of the thirteenth century known as the South English Legendary; NLS, MS Advocates 19.2.1 (Auchinleck), a compilation of romances, historical and religious texts copied by six scribes in London in the 1330s; and the Prick of Conscience, an anonymous penitential treatise from the north of England and one of the most widely produced Middle English texts of the second half of the fourteenth century. Central to this dissertation is a methodology that connects techniques of bibliographic description including dialect analysis, comparison of layout and booklet structure, and identification of scribal hands with a holistic examination of how texts were produced and circulated. This dissertation argues, firstly, England’s vernacular literary culture was shaped by the relationship between manuscripts and texts; secondly, that the manuscript producing activities of secular and religious manuscript users, and of various institutions (monastic, fraternal, civil), were interpenetrative rather than discrete; thirdly, that the production of Middle English manuscripts was never isolated from other languages and other kinds of textual production including documentary production and the production of religious books; and, fourthly, that England’s vernacular literary culture at the national level depended upon and emerged from local instances of production, the circulation of manuscripts and texts beyond their site of production, and the institutional and cultural ties that facilitated the resulting networks of textual exchange. Although the textual projects under study in this dissertation differ in date, genre, origin and form, they show how certain elements—local resources, the availability of exemplars, the organization and training of scribes, and techniques of book-making—contributed to and sustained the development of a national Middle English literary culture.

Keywords: medieval literature
book history
South English Legendary
Prick of Conscience
Auchinleck manuscript
manuscript studies
bibliography
scribal hands
medieval booklets
medieval literary cultures
Advisor: Gillespie, Alexandra
The Ecology of Transformation: A Relational Study of the Ecology of Leadership Program at the Regenerative Design Institute

This research project is based upon the assumption that humanity is passing through a period of great transition, or “Great Turning,” in which we have a critical opportunity to pass from a destructive “industrial growth society” to a “life-sustaining society” (Macy and Brown, 1998). I argue that the current scale of social, political, environmental, economic, psychological, and spiritual challenges reflects an underlying “disconnect disorder” (Arabena, 2006), and that these combined external and internal crises present an opportunity for widespread transformative learning and a collective shift. My core hypothesis is that this transition depends on humanity’s ability to engage in a dual process of individual and collective transformation through remembering our connections with ourselves, with one another, with the natural world, and with a sense of purposeful engagement in the world. I investigate this hypothesis through an in-depth, relational study of the Ecology of Leadership program (EOL) at the Regenerative Design Institute (RDI) in Bolinas, California, an organization that aims to “serve as catalyst for a revolution in the way humans relate to the natural world.” The Ecology of Leadership represents a unique model of transformative adult education that incorporates the principles of “inner permaculture” and regenerative design to support participants in cultivating personal and collective transformation. I introduce a “relational” theory and methodological approach, which centralizes Indigenous and ecological principles of relationship, respect, reciprocity, and regeneration. Using interviews (p=20), surveys (p=409), arts-based data (p=12), sharing circles (p=8), and participatory research, I integrate personal and participant narratives together with images, graphics, poems, and practices to bring this case study of the Ecology of Leadership to life. I also advocate for a new model of “regenerative research,” in which the research itself is life-giving and contributes to the healing, transformation, and regeneration of the researcher, the community of research, and the whole system. Based upon my interactions, observations, and interviews in the EOL program and my reflections and supportive research, I conclude by articulating the “Ecology of Transformation,” a holistic model for transformation that incorporates inner and outer change with practices for reconnection to oneself, the natural world, and the village.

Keywords: Transformative Learning
Ecology
Transformative Education
Regenerative Design
Global Education
Global Change
Great Turning
Inner Permaculture
Advisor: Restoule, Jean-Paul
2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin-inducible Polymerase is a Mono-ADP-ribosyltransferase and a Ligand-induced Repressor of AHR Transactivation

2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)-inducible poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (TiPARP/ARTD14) is a member of the ARTD family and is regulated by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR); however, little is known about TiPARP function. In this study we examined the catalytic function of TiPARP and determined its role in AHR transactivation. We observed that TiPARP exhibited auto-mono-ADP-ribosyltransferase activity and ribosylated core histones. RNAi-mediated knockdown of TiPARP in T47D breast cancer and HuH7 hepatoma cells increased TCDD-dependent cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) and CYP1B1 mRNA expression and recruitment of AHR to both genes. Overexpression of TiPARP reduced AHR-dependent increases in CYP1A1-reporter gene activity, which was restored by overexpression of AHR, but not ARNT. Deletion and mutagenesis studies showed that TiPARP-mediated inhibition of AHR required the zinc finger and catalytic domains. TiPARP and AHR co-localized in the nucleus, directly interacted and both were recruited to CYP1A1 in response to TCDD. Overexpression of TiPARP enhanced whereas RNAi-mediated knockdown of TiPARP reduced TCDD-dependent AHR proteolytic degradation. TCDD-dependent induction of AHR target genes was also enhanced in Tiparp-/- mouse embryonic fibroblasts compared to wildtype controls. Moreover, livers excised from TCDD-treated Tiparp-/- mice displayed significantly greater AHR target gene expression compared with wildtype or heterozygous mice. Comparison of TiPARP to known negative regulator, AHR repressor (AHRR) revealed TiPARP and AHRR some notable similarities and differences between their mechanisms of repression. Similar to TiPARP, the AHRR was recruited to AHR target regulatory regions in response to TCDD and its overexpression repressed reporter gene activity. However unlike TiPARP, knockdown of the AHRR did not affect AHR transactivation or its proteasomal degradation. Despite some mechanistic similarities, our data suggest that TiPARP and AHRR independently repress AHR transactivation. Overall, our findings show that TiPARP is a mono-ADP-ribosyltransferase and a transcriptional repressor of AHR, revealing a novel negative feedback loop controlling AHR transcriptional regulation.

Keywords: TiPARP
AHR
Advisor: Matthews, Jason
Re-viewing Reception: Criticism of Feminist Theatre in Montreal and Toronto, 1976 to Present

While the power dynamics between theatre critics and artists are inevitably imbalanced, as the written word reaches a wider audience and lives much longer than does performance, for feminist artists, the stakes in this relationship are heightened due to the disjunction in identity and ideology that often separates them from mainstream reviewers. This study exposes the gendered nature of theatre criticism, examining the dialogue about feminist theatre in which critics, audiences, and artists are engaged, and identifying its consequences beyond the box office. Case studies are drawn from Nightwood Theatre (1979-present) in Toronto and the Théâtre Expérimental des Femmes (TEF) (1979-1987) in Montreal as well as the work of the TEF’s co-founder Pol Pelletier before 1979 and after 1987 in order to examine key issues in the critical reception of feminist theatre in Canada, including: censorship, the relationship between art and politics, translation, and how artists speak back to their critics. This dissertation argues that the standards employed by mainstream reviewers, while most often not intentionally discriminatory against women, run counter to the central qualities of much feminist theatre. Reviewers’ tendency to separate text and spectacle and their consistent reification of universality and objectivity as critical ideals work in contradistinction to feminist theatre, which has historically placed greater emphasis on performance over written text and foregrounded the particularized nature of identity and experience. Drawing extensively on archival materials and applying a materialist feminist framework to the study of theatre criticism, this dissertation examines the history of feminist theatre and performance in Canada from a different perspective than it has previously been studied and suggests new ways to understand the relationship between critics, artists, and audiences. Through its case studies emerge several practical suggestions about responsible and ethical critical writing that can be applied beyond the scope of feminist theatre.

Keywords: theatre criticism
women's theatre
feminist theatre
Canadian theatre
Pol Pelletier
Nightwood Theatre
Théâtre Expérimental des Femmes
Advisor: Copeland, Nancy
Nanoscale Interfaces in Colloidal Quantum Dot Solar Cells: Physical Insights and Materials Engineering Strategies

With growing global energy demand there will be an increased need for sources of renewable energy such as solar cells. To make these photovoltaic technologies more competitive with conventional energy sources such as coal and natural gas requires further reduction in manufacturing costs that can be realized by solution processing and roll-to-roll printing. Colloidal quantum dots are a bandgap tunable, solution processible, semiconductor material which may offer a path forward to efficient, inexpensive photovoltaics. Despite impressive progress in performance with these materials, there remain limitations in photocarrier collection that must be overcome. This dissertation focuses on the characterization of charge recombination and transport in colloidal quantum dot photovoltaics, and the application of this knowledge to the development of new and better materials. Core-shell, PbS-CdS, quantum dots were investigated in an attempt to achieve better surface passivation and reduce electronic defects which can limit performance. Optimization of this material led to improved open circuit voltage, exceeding 0.6 V for the first time, and record published performance of 6% efficiency. Using temperature-dependent and transient photovoltage measurements we explored the significance of interface recombination on the operation of these devices. Careful engineering of the electrode using atomic layer deposition of ZnO helped lead to better TiO2 substrate materials and allowed us to realize a nearly two-fold reduction in recombination rate and an enhancement upwards of 50 mV in open circuit voltage. Carrier extraction efficiency was studied in these devices using intensity dependent current-voltage data of an operational solar cell. By developing an analytical model to describe recombination loss within the active layer of the device we were able to accurately determine transport lengths ranging up to 90 nm. Transient absorption and photoconductivity techniques were used to study charge dynamics by identifying states in these quantum dot materials which facilitate carrier transport. Thermal activation energies for transport of 60 meV or lower were measured for different PbS quantum dot bandgaps, representing a relatively small barrier for carrier transport. From these measurements a dark, quantum confined energy level was attributed to the electronic bandedge of these materials which serves to govern their optoelectronic behavior.

Keywords: Quantum Dots
Photovoltaics
Nanotechnology
Advisor: Edward, Sargent
Household Food Insecurity in Canada: Towards an Understanding of Effective Interventions

Over 12% of households were food insecure in Canada in 2011. Despite recognition of this problem, there remains no targeted public policy to address it. To inform interventions, examined in this thesis were how changes in financial resources related to changes in severity of food insecurity, the needs of food insecure households, and the effectiveness of current interventions. Studies 1, 2, 4, and 5 utilized data from a sample of 485 low income families living in high poverty neighbourhoods in Toronto, and Study 3 used data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 2009-2011. In Study 1, the sensitivity of severity of food insecurity to changes in employment and income was observed. In Study 2, it was found that severity of food insecurity was associated with increasing probability of experiencing hardships in other domains such as delayed bill payments and giving up household services. The relationship between food insecurity and obesity among women was examined in Study 3, and it was shown that diagnoses of mood disorder partially explained the association. Patterns of association also varied by family status and severity of experiences. In Studies 4 and 5, use and non-use of current interventions focused on alleviating hunger (i.e. food banks) and improving healthy food access in communities (i.e. community gardens, Good Food Box) were examined among food insecure families. There was a low prevalence of use of all types of programs. Programs were not used because programs were not accessible or were not viewed as appropriate supports to meet needs. Taken together, findings suggest that interventions focused on potential manifestations and consequences of food insecurity are misplaced, and reinforce the urgent need for interventions to alleviate the financial insufficiency and insecurity that underpins food insecurity.

Keywords: food security
poverty
low income
family characteristics
material hardship
nutrition
Advisor: Tarasuk, Valerie
Cardiac Gating Methods for Coronary Magnetic Resonance Angiography

Coronary magnetic resonance angiography (CMRA) is a potential diagnostic tool for coronary artery disease (CAD). Compared to the current gold standard, x-ray angiography, CMRA provides three-dimensional visualization of coronary vessel lumens without the use of catheters and ionizing radiation. CMRA, however, requires long acquisition times that span multiple heartbeats. Typically, to reduce cardiac motion artifacts, electrocardiogram (ECG) gating is used to synchronize data acquisition windows to diastasis periods. Gating errors may cause vessel blurring by unintentionally triggering the scanner to acquire image data during periods of significant cardiac motion. This is particularly problematic for CMRA because of the associated fine spatial resolution requirement for diagnosing CAD. This thesis presents and tests the novel idea of determining the timing of global epicardial diastasis periods from the motion of the basal ventricular septum. An experiment involving a small patient cohort undergoing elective diagnostic angiography revealed a significant correlation between the beat-to-beat diastasis periods of the ventricular septum and the coronary vasculature. This motivated the ii development and testing of the hypothesis that suggests sharper coronary artery images may be obtained by using cardiac gating windows determined by septal motion. A preliminary study involving a small volunteer cohort provided encouraging results, but also revealed limitations of using ultrasound to measure septal motion during a pre- scan prior to an MRA exam. This led to the major technical development of this thesis, which is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method called the Septal Scout for monitoring septal motion at a very high temporal resolution. The technique was applied to a volunteer cohort which showed that cardiac gating windows as determined by the Septal Scout provided sharper coronary images compared with conventional ECG gating. The scientific knowledge and technical developments presented in this thesis are intended to improve CMRA as a non-invasive diagnostic tool of CAD. In the future, I intend to integrate the concepts presented here into a functioning MRI-based cardiac gating system. As well, I intend to validate the Septal Scout in a patient cohort study.

Keywords: Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Coronary Angiography
Cardiac Gating
Coronary Artery Disease
Advisor: Wright, Graham