VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The Political Pop Art of Wang Guangyi: Metonymic for an Alternative Modernity

This thesis examines the political pop art of contemporary Chinese artist Wang Guangyi in light contemporaneous shifts within the political, economic, and artistic space of China from 1978 until the present. Through an analysis of the work of art as an historically determined antagonistic aesthetic praxis, this thesis attempts to reveal the sedimented traces of the alternative modernity which the Chinese government is actively attempting to construct. With its evocative juxtaposition of contrasting ideological forms, the artwork of Wang Guangyi seeks to deconstruct the normative and teleological narratives encountered within the dialectic interplay between state sponsored transnational capitalism and Marxist-Leninist communism. An understanding of the discursive structure upon which these dual modernising narratives has been based, and of the fragmented artistic space they have engendered, should serve to enliven the debate concerning the role of cultural production in questioning and revealing narratives of the nation, of the Self, and of modernity.

Keywords: Chinese art
Wang Guangyi
art history
cultural studies
contemporary chinese art
political pop art
China
Modern China
cultural history
china neoliberalism
postsocialist
postmodern art
Advisor: Purtle, Jennifer
An Economic Evaluation of HIV-associated Facial Lipoatrophy Treatments: A Cost-utility Analysis

Introduction: Facial lipoatrophy is a stigmatizing hallmark for HIV-positive status, and can lead to poor social functioning. Information gleaned from an economic evaluation of facial lipoatrophy treatments would inform policy decision making concerning potential public insurance coverage. Methods: A decision-analytic model was used to estimate the lifetime costs and Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) gained from treatments using either poly-l-lactic or and polyalkylimide gel for HIV positive patients. Disease progression probabilities and utilities were derived from the literature. Costs were obtained from interviews with physicians and product distributors. Findings: Incremental costs per QALY were $66,409 CAD/$57,352 CAD for poly-l-lactic acid, and $48,715 CAD/$45,457 CAD for polyalkylimide gel® (Societal perspective/Ministry of Health perspective). Sensitivity analysis did not have a significant effect on the lower incremental costs per QALY reported for polyalkylimide gel. Conclusion: Our base-case analysis revealed that treatments using polyalkylimide gel offers lower ICUR than treatments using poly-l-lactic acid.

Keywords: facial lipoatrophy
a cost-utility analysis
utility
QALYs
Advisor: Coyte, Peter C.
Cyclooxegenase-2, Matrix Metalloproteinase-2, 9, 11 and CK19 Expression in Intraductal and Invasive Salivary Duct Carcinoma

Salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) is an uncommon neoplasm showing extensive local invasion and metastasis. Histologically it exhibits ductal differentiation without myoepithelial participation and resembles intraductal and invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast. This study investigates the incidence of intraductal disease within invasive SDC and characterizes the expression of CK19, COX-2, MMP-2, 9 and 11 in intraductal and invasive SDC. 21 conventional SDC, 8 SDC arising as carcinoma ex-pleomorphic adenoma (CaExPA), 2 pure low-grade intraductal SDC, 1 pure high-grade intraductal SDC and 1 intraductal SDC with de-differentiation were studied. The presence of intraductal tumor in SDC is relatively common (52.4%) but is not a prominent component. SDC tumor cells were strongly positive for CK19 and COX-2. MMP-2 and 9 expression showed no significant pattern. MMP-11 was expressed by fibroblasts surrounding invasive tumor and was significantly associated with lymph node positivity (p=0.02).

Keywords: salivary duct carcinoma
COX-2
MMP-2
MMP-9
MMP-11
Advisor: Perez-Ordonez, Bayardo
McComb, John
The Role of Intravenous Immunoglobulin Anti-A and Anti-B in Complement Activation and Red Blood Cell Phagocytosis

Intravenous immunoglobulin is a human blood derived product that is used to treat immunodeficiencies and autoimmune disorders. An adverse side effect of IVIg therapy is hemolysis. Patients who experience hemolysis are mainly blood group A or AB. Clinical laboratory studies have demonstrated that IVIg contains ABO blood group antibodies, which can bind complement proteins. This study hypothesizes that anti-A/B in IVIg will bind to A/B antigens and activate complement in a dose dependant manner, which may lead to enhanced RBC phagocytosis. This study observed that the quantity of ABO antigens does not affect the in vitro binding of IVIg to RBCs. IVIg induced C3b deposition at high doses; however, the amount of complement deposition was insufficient to enhance phagocytosis of IVIg-sensitized RBCs by monocytic THP-1 cells in vitro. These studies emphasize that hemolytic reactions involve many factors in conjunction with antibodies and complement proteins.

Keywords: Immunohematology
Advisor: Denomme, Gregory
Caring for Caregivers: Balancing Formal and Informal Care for Frail Older Persons

The decrease in hospital recovery time created a transition to more care being performed in the home. There is a need to balance care needs from both demand and supply characteristics. This research sets out to address how the presence or absence of informal caregiver(s) impacts on resource allocation decisions made by home and community care case managers. This research used a mixed methodologies approach employing both semi-structured interviews with frontline workers and secondary data analysis of the Central and Toronto Central LIHN Resident Assessment Instrument for Home Care (RAI-HC). Overall total average hours of formal services did not differ between care recipients depending on the presence or absence of a caregiver. It is evident from the responses provided by the participants that street-level bureaucracy plays a large role in service allocation decisions. That is, decisions are being made based on diverse idiosyncratic observations, opinions and feelings.

Keywords: Informal Cargivers
Home and Community Care
Advisor: Neysmith, Sheila
Williams, Paul
Optimization of Span-to-depth Ratios in High-strength Concrete Girder Bridges

Span-to-depth ratio is an important bridge design parameter that affects structural behaviour, construction costs and aesthetics. A study of 86 constant-depth girders indicates that conventional ratios have not changed significantly since 1958. These conventional ratios are now questionable, because recently developed high-strength concrete has enhanced mechanical properties that allow for slenderer sections. Based on material consumption, cost, and aesthetics comparisons, the thesis determines optimal ratios of an 8-span highway viaduct constructed with high-strength concrete. Three bridge types are investigated: cast-in-place on falsework box-girder and solid slabs, and precast segmental span-by-span box-girder. Results demonstrate that total construction cost is relatively insensitive to span-to-depth ratio over the following ranges of ratios: 10-35, 30-45, and 15-25 for the three bridge types respectively. This finding leads to greater freedom for aesthetic expressions because, compared to conventional values (i.e. 18-23, 22-39, and 16-19), higher ranges of ratios can now be selected without significant cost premiums.

Keywords: Span-to-depth ratio
High-strength concrete
Bridge aesthetics
Bridge design
Advisor: Gauvreau, Douglas Paul
Impacts of UV-H2O2 Treatment for Taste and Odour Control on Secondary Disinfection

The Cornwall Water Purification Plant collaborated with the University of Toronto to monitor UV-H2O2 treatment performance. This study includes a review of engineering and operational aspects of UV-H2O2 implementation. A number of operational challenges were experienced with retrofitting UV-H2O2 into the existing treatment plant, and an overview of the challenges and solutions faced at Cornwall is given. The project also includes a thorough water quality analysis. Taste and odour (T&O) events have been monitored for three years and the efficiency of UV-H2O2 on T&O removal is reported. Furthermore, little is known about any potential side effects of the treatment on downstream processes, especially secondary disinfection. The impact of UV-H2O2 on natural organic matter alterations, chlorine stability and disinfection by-product formation is reported using results from full-scale water quality monitoring campaigns at Cornwall, combined with laboratory experiments.

Keywords: UV-H2O2
disinfection
Advisor: Hofmann, Ronald
Music Industry v. File-sharing - Why We Need a New Approach to Copyright Protection in the Digital Era

This thesis examines the evolution of digital copyright protection in response to the digital challenges, specifically unauthorized file-sharing, in the context of the music industry. It reviews the different strategies used to fight the peer-to-peer technology and its users so as to assess whether the direction which has been taken is in agreement with the ultimate goal of copyright and with other fundamental values of our modern society. It posits that the effort to strengthen the rights of copyright holders and thus maintain an old system of distribution in the face of new technology not only runs afoul the expectations of the public but also prevents the artists and the public from fully taking advantage of the new opportunities of the digital era. This thesis ultimately suggests that policy makers tackling the digital copyright reform should seriously consider legitimizing the use of file-sharing services as a possible way to better achieve the goals of copyright.

Keywords: digital copyright
music industry
Advisor: Katz, Ariel
Stress Corrosion Crack Nucleation in Alloy 600 and the Effect of Surface Modification

The stress corrosion cracking (SCC) condition for Alloy 600 was determined for various stress modes: constant-strain standard C-ring, and indentation, used to localize cracks for interrogation with x-ray techniques such as micro Laue diffraction (MLD). The SCC cracks nucleated on both the indentation edge, where finite element analysis showed that the maximum residual tensile stresses lie, and the surface in tension (bulge) on 150-kgf conically indented mill-annealed specimens (0.02 wt% C) in de-aerated solution of 10% caustic at 150 mVRE (pseudo-reference: A600), 315 OC for 48 hr. On the C-rings, the cracks nucleated at the lateral outer surface of apex, where maximum tensile stresses lie, in less than 12 hours, and propagated into the cross section. Also, corrosion tests on as-received A600 30-min ZrO2 surface mechanical attrition treated (SMAT) specimens suggested an intergranular attack type of behavior in 50% caustic at 210 mVRE (pseudo-reference: A600), 280°C for 24 hr.

Keywords: Stress Corrosion Cracking
Alloy 600
SMAT
Indentation
Advisor: Newman, Roger C.
Halogen Activation from Sea Ice: Nitrate Photolysis and Heterogeneous Reaction with Ozone

Oxidation of aqueous bromide into reactive, gas-phase bromine species has been of interest since the 1980’s, when the presence of bromine in the Arctic boundary layer was linked to ozone depletion events. We have investigated two different mechanisms for Br2 release from sea ice. We have shown that nitrate in sea ice can photolyze to produce OH, which can go on to form gas-phase Br2. This reaction is analogous to a known reaction that occurs in the aqueous phase. We have also investigated Br2 production from a heterogeneous reaction between gas-phase ozone and sea ice/seawater. We have determined ozone’s reactive uptake coefficient, and have shown how it varies with temperature, bromide concentration, ozone concentration and acidity. We have been able to decouple the bulk aqueous chemistry that occurs from the Langmuir-Hinshelwood surface chemistry, and quantify the relative contribution of each.

Keywords: bromine
activation
heterogeneous
ozone
nitrate
photolysis
Langmuir-Hinshelwood
ice
Arctic
halogen
Advisor: Abbatt, Jonathan P. D.
Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor MS-275 Inhibits Neuroblastoma Cell Growth by Inducing Cell Cycle Arrest, Apoptosis, Differentiation and by Targeting its Tumor Stem Cell Population

Objective: MS-275, a phase trialed histone deacetylase inhibitor will be characterized for its ability reduce neuroblastoma (NB) viability and to target the tumor stem cell (TSC) population in neuroblastoma. Methods: Ability of MS-275 to reduce NB growth is characterized using a tumorigenic NB N-type cell line that has high differentiation potential. TSC enriched side population from NB and a reference teratocarcinoma cell line was analyzed as a model of TSC. The potential of MS-275 to modulate functional characteristics and markers of TSC was also investigated. Results: MS-275 induces a G1 cell cycle arrest, the intrinsic apoptosis pathway in NB and can potentially differentiate NB into a more terminal phenotype. NB TSC-like population is reduced following MS-275 treatment by the targeting of their self-renewal and drug pumping ability. Conclusions: By targeting both the NB and its TSC population, MS-275 has therapeutic potential for neuroblastoma. This warrants further in-vivo investigations.

Keywords: Cancer
Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor
Neuroblastoma
cancer stem cell
side population
Advisor: Yeger, Herman
Response of Human Hematopoietic Cells to DNA Double-strand Breaks

Maintenance of hematopoiesis depends upon rare hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which can persist over an organism’s lifetime. It is conceivable that they must maintain a high degree of genetic stability; otherwise recurring exposure to genotoxins and accumulation of genetic changes could result in genomic instability and malignancy or cell death. We have focused on the response of HSCs and primitive hematopoietic cells to highly toxic DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Using assays to detect break rejoining and kinetics of early DSB response foci, we determined that non-cycling human HSC-containing cells display delayed break rejoining kinetics and persistent γH2AX and 53BP1 foci compared to cycling counterparts, more differentiated hematopoietic cells and human primary fibroblasts. In contrast, when stimulated to cycle, these HSC-containing cells are quite efficient at repairing breaks and resolving foci. These data suggest that the DNA damage response may be unusually prolonged in non-cycling primitive hematopoietic cells.

Keywords: primitive hematopoietic cell
DNA double-strand break
cell cycle
neutral comet assay
53BP1 foci
H2AX foci
Advisor: Meyn, M. Stephen
Regulation of Vertebrate Planar Cell Polarity

Planar cell polarity (PCP) provides positional information to a field of cells, coordinating the orientation of polarized structures or the direction of polarized cell movements. An evolutionarily conserved signalling pathway regulates PCP, however, the cue that establishes PCP is unknown. There is a strong precedent for Wnt signalling to act as the cue to establish PCP. Here I perform in vivo assays of cell polarity to examine the role of non-canonical Wnt signalling in regulating PCP, using zebrafish neural progenitor cells and asymmetric membrane localization of GFP-Prickle (a PCP cytoplasmic effector molecule) as a model system. My preliminary evidence suggests Wnt4a provides positional information to cells in the neural tube. In addition, using a membrane-yeast-two-hybrid approach to discover novel regulators of PCP, I identified Ring Finger 41 as a new binding partner to Van-gogh-like-2 (an essential PCP signalling molecule) and a novel regulator of vertebrate PCP.

Keywords: Polarity
Development
Advisor: Ciruna, Brian Garrett
Role of the Tumor Suppressor ARF and the p53-pathway in Retinoblastoma Development

Retinoblastoma development is a multistep process, and inactivation of the RB1 gene is not sufficient for tumorigenesis. Previous studies suggest that the p53-tumor suppressor is inactivated due to overexpression of p53-antagonists MDM4 and MDM2. This thesis evaluates the importance of ARF, a p53-activator that inhibits MDM2. In retinoblastomas, ARF protein is nearly undetectable despite robust mRNA expression. Chemical inhibition of the proteasome, which regulates ARF protein-turnover, did not result in ARF accumulation in retinoblastoma cells, indicating that ARF protein was not aberrantly degraded by the proteasome. During mouse retinoblastoma development, Arf protein was expressed at low level, and p53-target genes involved in cell cycle arrest and autoregulation were not activated. Overexpression of ARF in retinoblastoma cells led to growth inhibition, accompanied by increased expression of p53 and p53-transcriptional targets. Taken together, our data suggests that low ARF protein is an important factor in silencing of the p53-pathway during retinoblastoma development.

Keywords: Cancer
Retinoblastoma
INK4a/ARF
p53
Retina
Tumor suppressor
Oncogene
Therapy
Advisor: Gallie, Brenda L.
Deuterium Retention in Polycrystalline Tungsten

Deuterium retention in two types of polycrystalline tungsten was studied as a function of ion fluence, irradiation temperature and ion energy. Fluence dependence: D retention at 300 K tends to saturate in both Rembar and Plansee PCW. At 500 K, D retention in the Plansee PCW increases with increasing ion fluence, similar to previous results for Rembar tungsten. Even at a fluence of 8×10^25 D+/m2, no sign of saturation was observed. Temperature dependence: D retention in Plansee PCW decreases with increasing irradiation temperature (300 - 500 K). Energy dependence: varying the D+ energy from 100 to 500 eV/D+ plays a minor role in D retention in W, suggesting that D retention depends more on the W structure, irradiation temperature and fluence, rather than on the ion energy when the energy is below the displacement threshold.

Keywords: deuterium
polycrystalline tungsten
retention
Advisor: Haasz, Anthony A.
Do Moral Action and Moral Prediction Go Hand in Hand? Exploring Morality as a Function of Self-regulation

Psychologists have long been directing their energy to the domain of moral judgment or moral prediction, assuming that when extended to moral behaviour, results will prove consistent. The aim of this research was to explore the dissociation between moral prediction and moral behaviour. Pilot research suggests that people expect others to act less morally than they say they would. The results of two experiments, however, suggest the opposite. In both studies, participants were assigned to either a moral action condition, where they were placed in a moral dilemma, or a moral prediction condition, in which they had to predict their behavior in that dilemma. In Study 1, the Dictator Game was used to measure morality, whereas in Study 2, cheating behaviour was measured. In both experiments, participants acted more morally than they predicted they would. This research has implications for scrutinizing the applicability of previous work on moral self-prediction.

Keywords: Morality
Self-regulation
Advisor: Inzlicht, Michael
Insulin Sensitivity is Enhanced by CGMP-mediated MAPK Inhibition in Rat Adipocytes

Bradykinin (BK) acts through eNOS to reduce MAPK-mediated feedback inhibition of insulin signalling. Preliminary data suggest that the sGC-cGMP-PKG pathway, a prominent NO target, is involved. Our present study aimed to support the role of this pathway with atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), which uses a receptor associated GC (NPR-A) to generate cGMP. We found that treating adipocytes with ANP mimicked BK effects on insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, Tyr-IRS-1 and Akt/PKB phosphorylation, as well as JNK and ERK1/2 inhibition. These outcomes depended on GC-cGMP-PKG signalling since A71915 (NPR-A antagonist), and KT-5823 (PKG inhibitor), completely abrogated them, while zaprinast (phosphodiesterase inhibitor), prolonged ANP actions. Furthermore, decreased MAPK phosphorylation was independent of upstream kinase activity, suggesting that MAPK phosphatases may be involved. These data indicate that BK and ANP act through the GC-cGMP-PKG pathway to potentiate insulin signalling via attenuated feedback inhibition. Stimulating the GC-cGMP-PKG pathway may, therefore, be a promising therapy for T2DM.

Keywords: ANP
insulin resistance
bradykinin
diabetes
MAPK
AKT
PKB
cGMP
PKG
Advisor: Fantus, I. George
Characterizing the Role of RGS5 in the Regulation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Function

Regulators of G-protein signaling (RGS) modulate G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) activity in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). One such protein, RGS5, has been shown to have selective expression in VSMCs and pericytes, and can inhibit signaling from Gαq and Gαi subunits. Using an RGS5 knockout model, we assessed the functional effect of RGS5 in the constriction and dilation of resistance arterioles. Furthermore, we examined the intracellular lipid interaction of RGS proteins to identify the determinants regulating the biologic function of RGS5. Surprisingly, loss of RGS5 function in mesenteric arterioles had no effect on constriction and dilation of resistance arterioles. Cultured VSMCs showed increased basal ERK1/2 phosphorylation and increased VASP signaling in response to SNP treatment in RGS5KO VSMCs as compared to wild type controls, with no effect on cell proliferation. These data suggest RGS5 may integrate multiple intracellular pathways with competing effects on VSMC contraction.

Keywords: G-Protein
Vascular
Advisor: Heximer, Scott P.
Analysis of Lead Monitoring Data in Drinking Water

Historical lead in tap water data from the City of London and the City of Ottawa were examined for trends and correlations over time. Factors such as the sampling protocol, temperature, and pH were analyzed to determine their specific impacts on lead. Linear and logistic regression models were also developed to predict lead concentrations in tap water based on different water quality parameters. Finally, a physical mass transfer and flow model (zonal model) was validated with the lead data from the two municipalities. Results indicate the potential use of the regression and zonal models to predict a range of lead concentrations for a number of homes in a Canadian city based on the field data. These methods may allow municipalities to determine the impact of a corrosion control strategy such as a pH increase without having to sample for lead in people's homes.

Keywords: 0543
Advisor: Andrews, Robert C.
Quantitative Characterization of Natural Rock Discontinuity Roughness In-situ and in the Laboratory

The surface roughness of unfilled rock discontinuities has a major influence on the hydro-mechanical behaviour of discontinuous rock masses. Although it is widely recognized that surface roughness is comprised of large-scale (waviness) and small-scale (unevenness) components, most investigations of surface roughness have been restricted to small fracture surfaces (<1m2). Hence, the large-scale components of roughness are often neglected. Furthermore, these investigations typically define roughness using two-dimensional profiles rather than three-dimensional surfaces, which can lead to biased estimates of roughness. These limitations have led to some contradictory findings regarding roughness scale effects. This thesis aims to resolve some of these issues. The main findings indicate that discontinuity roughness increases as a function of the sampling window size contrary to what is commonly assumed. More importantly, it is shown that the estimated roughness significantly decreases as the resolution of surface measurements decrease, which could lead to the under estimations of roughness and, consequently, discontinuity shear strength.

Keywords: Discontinuity roughness
Rock engineering
Scale effects
Geomechanics
Rock mechanics
Discontinuity shear strength
Advisor: Grasselli, Giovanni