VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Holistic or Autonomous: Educators' Conceptions of Literacy and their Implications for Practice and Teacher Development

This thesis investigates educators' conceptions of literacy, what beliefs and conceptual frameworks support them, how literacy seems to be defined in educators' sites of practice, and how conceptions of literacy inform teaching. Main findings show that `literacy' is a sliding signifier: a sign that bears no connection to the thing it ostensibly represents; dominant literacy pedagogies in teachers' sites of practice are the strongest determinants of how teachers conceptualize and teach literacy, influencing or superseding personal definitions when differences exist; and elementary and secondary teachers described different notions of both the ontology and function of literacy. Specific professional development is needed to allow educators to deal with policies that aim to standardize and decontextualize the teaching and assessment of literacy, and that posit literacy as a series of discrete skills, as opposed to a series of context-specific social practices.

Keywords: Curriculum
Elementary
Fluency
Holistic
Literacy
Secondary
Advisor: Simon, Robert M.
The Effects of Trauma on Religious and Spiritual Change

An emerging area of research on religion, spirituality and trauma has documented religious change in the wake of trauma, with some individuals casting doubt on their faith and others renewing their investment. However, the emotional and cognitive processes involved in faith change remain unclear. This study addresses this gap in the literature through in-depth interviews with eleven participants who experienced changes in their religion as a result of a traumatic experience. The interviews aimed to uncover 1) changes in participants' worldview 2) changes in participants' relationship with their deity and 3) personal and social factors that affected participants' faith change. Data was analyzed thematically using the grounded theory approach and an integrative model of religious change was proposed. Findings indicated that participants engaged in an emotional, cognitive and relational process of faith change that generally followed three paths: weakening of faith, strengthening of faith, and developing an individual spirituality.

Keywords: Religion
Spirituality
Trauma
Advisor: Moodley, Roy
An Aural History of Critique in Curriculum: An Account of being Critical in Post-reconceptualist Curriculum Studies

This thesis is a piece of criticism about criticism in post-reconceptualist curriculum studies: how if functions, what it makes possible, and what or whom it forecloses. I begin with my argumentative parameters, my social and social discursive locations, and their critical implications. I then define criticism as the evaluative gesture of critique, and further define critique as the generative ethos of being critical, grounded in historical-discursive example. Through rhetoric as critique, I take the contexts and documents of post-reconceptualist discourse as the objects of my analysis to demonstrate that curriculum is born of critical rupture and generative critique. Concluding with demonstrations of this aural process, I argue that the field today is and can be made or remade through the choices of scholars to engage (or not) in particular acts of intellection. I end with a call for relevance and accounting of our own critical agency in curriculum.

Keywords: aural history
criticism
critique
curriculum studies
life history
relevance
Advisor: Gaztambide-Fernández, Rubén A
Building Sustainable Leadership for Inclusive School Communities: A Case of Muslim Parents

This study explores how Muslim parents in the Greater Toronto Area are engaged in their children's education and the challenges they face in trying to engage with the public school system. The public schools in Ontario are secular by law and free from any religious affiliation. They are however encouraged to find ways to accommodate the religious practices of students and parents of the Islamic faith and other faiths. Using a qualitative methodology, twelve Muslim parents selected from ethnically diverse backgrounds were interviewed. Data was collected and analyzed utilizing constant comparative method. Four major themes emerged from the data which focused on the centrality of religion in these parents' households. Implications point towards the need for a culturally responsive policy that integrate Muslim values, cultural and religious beliefs in schools, which will make Ontario a stronger province that encourages people of all cultures and diversities to succeed and thrive.

Keywords: Equity and Inclusion
Inclusive School Communities
Muslim Parents
Parent Engagement
Religious Accommodations
Sustainable Leadership
Advisor: Bascia, Nina
HIV Health Literacy for African, Caribbean, and Black Men Living with HIV/AIDS

This qualitative study explored the experiences of immigrant, refugee, and non-status men from the African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities living with HIV/AIDS in Toronto regarding gaps in current HIV health literacy initiatives, and propose appropriate solutions. The focus group was conducted at a local AIDS Service Organization (ASO) with 8 ACB men living with HIV/AIDS who self-identified as either gay or heterosexual. Based on a modified Grounded Theory analyses of the transcripts and on thematic coding, a range of issues faced by the ACB men emerged that increased the risk for HIV infection, delayed seeking and getting timely and appropriate care, and created obstacles to testing and treatment. Our findings suggest the need for more culturally specific support services; greater involvement on the part of ASO's, greater sensitivity from Canadian immigration officials, more specific guidelines regarding HIV disclosure for healthcare providers; and extra efforts to tackle HIV related stigma.

Keywords: African
Caribbean
and/or Black men
Canada
Health Literacy
HIV/AIDS
Advisor: Gillis, Dr. Joseph Roy
Exploring how Civics Education in Secondary Schools Constructs Social Action in a Changing Participatory Landscape

This study explores the effect of the changing participatory landscape on the ways in which students engage in social justice. Student involvement in social justice-orientated activities via digital technology has challenged current perceptions of youth engagement. The presence of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in schools and student clubs dedicated to fund-raising for the Global South has supplemented school programs in the area of civics education. The central focus of this study is how civics education constructs social action for students in a new participatory culture. Bourdieu's conceptual tools of "field" and "doxa" are used to question how different players in civics education structure student participation. Findings from the document analysis reveal that civics curriculum and NGO documents use the themes of citizenship and education for participation to restructure the field of civic education. The contribution of this study accentuates how the unique positioning of NGOs in schools has narrowed the understanding of social actions.

Keywords: Civics Education
Participation
Participatory Culture
Social Action
Advisor: Farmer, Diane
Professional Female Dancers in Canada: Tobacco, Alcohol Use and their Correlates including Disordered Eating, Body Dissatisfaction, Stress, Depression, and Social Pressure

The dance research regarding substance use has been limited to international samples (e.g., Oreb, et al., 2006; Sekulic et al., 2010) and there is no research examining the substance use correlation with body dissatisfaction, social pressure, disordered eating, stress and depression in a Canadian dance sample. We examined group comparisons for substance use, as well as the relationship between substance use and body dissatisfaction/body-esteem, social pressure, disordered eating, stress, and depression. Results indicated that female professional dancers consume more alcohol, have more alcohol dependence, and are at a higher risk for alcohol-related harm, when compared to female non-dancers. Among female professional dancers, alcohol use was correlated with body-esteem attribution, alcohol dependence was correlated with body-esteem weight, stress and depression, and alcohol-related harm was correlated with body-esteem attribution and depression. Tobacco use was correlated with body esteem attribution and disordered eating. Findings suggest specific treatment services for Canadian professional dancers.

Advisor: Tse, Shasha C
Mindfulness Education in the Development of Self-regulation in Elementary Aged Children

Abstract Elementary teachers are currently required to assess and report on students' learning skills in Ontario Ministry Progress and Term reports. Among those learning skills is self-regulation. This study supports mindfulness as a potential intervention to help students who struggle with the development of self-regulation. This study addresses the constructs of mindfulness and what it looks like, as it is implemented in the elementary classroom. Research was conducted as a "snapshot," examining, observing and collecting data over a 5-week period in a classroom where a mindfulness program was actively implemented from the beginning of the year. This study can help teachers design and implement a mindfulness practice and corresponding curriculum in their classrooms. Mindfulness education could help children deal with the mounting stresses in their lives, ease difficulties with various aspects of classroom management and help support the development of focus and concentration in young students.

Keywords: Elementary Education
Meditation
Mindfulness
Mindfulness Education
Self-Regulation
Yoga
Advisor: Cameron, Linda
Sexual Assault and Formal Service Use: Understanding Help-seeking among Women Living in Poverty

Despite the extensive and often long-lasting sequelae of sexual assault, a significant majority of survivors do not seek assistance from formal support sources. While past research has identified factors that influence help-seeking among survivors, limited attention has been paid to the role of socioeconomic status in shaping these decisions. Guided by Liang and colleagues' (2005) three-stage help-seeking model, this qualitative study aims to develop an in-depth, contextualized understanding of the help-seeking processes of sexual assault survivors living in poverty, along with suggestions on how formal service use rates and experiences can be improved. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifteen women, and thematic analysis was applied to the data. Results reveal a number of barriers and illustrate the ways in which limited resources contribute to decisions to delay help-seeking, avoid certain support sources, or not seek help altogether. Drawing upon participants' recommendations, implications for formal services and future research are discussed.

Keywords: barriers
help-seeking
low-income
mental health
poverty
sexual assault
Advisor: Stermac, Lana
Right to Education: A Comparative Analysis of the Use of Rights Talk by Indian Non-state Actors

This study examines the framing of the right to education through the discourse of the Government of India and two key non-state actors. Specifically, it addresses two research questions using word frequency data and applying content and frame analysis. The first question examines the discourse of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009, its alignment with the right to education, and framing of non- state participation in education. The second question examines the discourse of two non- state actors with opposing views on privatisation in order to assess their use of `rights talk' to promote education, and determine whether education privatisation and rights are mutually exclusive. The discourse of each actor is compared to a framework of the right to education to determine how it aligns or diverges from this model. The findings of this study provide insight into how RTE Act is interpreted by different actors.

Keywords: Discourse
India
Policy
Public-private partnerships (PPPs)
Right to Education
Advisor: Mundy, Karen
Ethnic Difference and Conflict in Burundian Schools: Experiences of Different Student Generations

Interethnic conflict in schools may be destructive, passive, and/or constructive. This case study examined how the Burundian formal education system incorporated ethnic difference and conflict into schools, throughout three time periods: the three pre-civil war Independent Republics, civil war (1993-2005), and post-civil war. It looked at education policy and planning documents from each time period and compared these documents to the remembered, lived experiences in schools, obtained from semi-structured interviews with ten Burundian immigrants currently living in Canada. Results showed that destructive conflict and passive conflict, in particular conflict avoidance, were often present in Burundian schools during the Independent Republics. The interviews suggested that the avoidance interethnic conflict in schools may have contributed to the direct violence in the 1990s. Thus, constructively engaging with interethnic difference and conflict in schools, through critical dialogue and incorporating multiple experiences, may help to build sustainable peace in the country in the future.

Keywords: Censorship
Conflict Education
Constructive Conflict
Dialogue
Peacebuilding
Primary schools
Advisor: Bickmore, Kathy
Development and Characterization of Next Generation Flexible Dielectric and Thermoelectric Energy Harvesting Materials

This thesis presents the study of next generation Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) based flexible nanocomposite materials that can be used in future energy storage or harvesting applications. Composites were created by incorporating different types of nano-sized particles to tailor desired properties such as electrical and thermal performance. The study is divided into two major chapters and the findings can be summarized as the following: 1) improvement of composites electrical permittivity and dielectric properties via homogeneous dispersion of silane treated titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, 2) fabrication and characterization of polymer based Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) and Graphene Nanoplatelets (GNPs) blended solid thermoelectric materials via compounding processes, and 3) further improvement of the thermoelectric performance by utilizing super critical carbon dioxide (scCO2) foaming method. A variety of techniques were used to characterize the composites, including surface/internal morphologies, crystalline phase identification, electrical properties and lastly, thermal behaviors.

Keywords: Dielectric Materials
Polymer Nanocomposites
Thermoelectric Materials
Advisor: Naguib, Hani E
Systematic Study of Bacterial Phenotypes Caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Prophage Adaptive Genes

In addition to being the major predator of bacteria, some bacteriophages adapted a symbiotic relationship with their bacterial hosts through the formation of prophages. Unique genes in prophages known as Prophage Adaptive Genes (PrAGs) function to alter host biological processes, and they contribute greatly to bacterial pathogenicity. I aimed to investigate the phenotypic effects of PrAGs on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an opportunistic human pathogen. Individual PrAGs in P. aeruginosa PA14 or PAO1 strain background were screened for bacterial phenotypes related to virulence and survivability, including phage resistance, motility, production of biofilm and pyocyanin, and virulence in Drosophila melanogaster. I found that 11 out of 17 PrAGs screened modified the host phenotype in some manner. In addition, some of them were observed to affect multiple phenotypes or cause bacterial strain-specific changes, which suggests that PrAGs interact with host components to cause the phenotypes observed.

Keywords: bacteriophage
lysogenic conversion
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Advisor: Davidson, Alan R
Maxwell, Karen L
Optimization of a Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion with Flexible Expansion Time

The municipal water and wastewater sector is considered to be one of the most capital intensive industrial sectors. Optimization methods that reduce both capital and operating costs can be of great benefit to this sector. Models using real options approaches to determine the optimal size of a wastewater plant expansion can provide insights that traditional Net Present Value approaches cannot. Previous studies on optimal plant expansion utilizing the real options framework only considered a predetermined expansion time. In this study, we expand on previous work and also utilize the Monte-Carlo simulation technique to consider a wastewater plant expansion in a high growth municipality. In the enhanced model, the date of the decision for the expansion is not a predetermined fixed variable, leading to Bermudan-like Asian option formulation. The results show that a wastewater plant which faces uncertain future demand can benefit from time-flexible modular expansion.

Keywords: Bermudan Option
Capital Budgeting
Modular Expansion
Option Pricing
Real Options
Wastewater Treatment Plant
Advisor: Lawryshyn, Yuri A
Davison, Matt
The Use of Ga(C6F5)3 in Frustrated Lewis Pair Chemistry

Although numerous publications have investigated the use of boron-based and aluminum-based Lewis acids in frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) chemistry, the exploration of Lewis acids of the next heaviest group 13 element, gallium, has remained limited in this context. In this work, the reactivity of Ga(C6F5)3 in FLP chemistry is probed. In combination with phosphine bases, Ga(C6F5)3 was shown to activate CO2, H2, and diphenyl disulfide, as well as give addition products with alkynes. Moreover, the potential for synthesizing gallium arsenide using Ga(C6F5)3 as a source of gallium was investigated. In an effort to synthesize GaAs from a safe precursor, adduct formation of Ga(C6F5)3 with a primary arsine as well as with a tertiary arsine was examined.

Keywords: Frustrated Lewis Pair
Ga(C6F5)3
Gallium
Lewis acid
Advisor: Stephan, Douglas W
Contributions to the Development of a Real-time Ultrasound Simulator

Realistic, real-time ultrasound simulation is important for medical education and research. This thesis continues to develop the Fast and Mechanistic Ultrasound Simulator through understanding computational artifacts, constructing metrics for reliable simulation, and improving acoustic modelling. Computational artifacts in simulated Doppler spectra were found to originate from various types of discretization, such as in sampling frequency and subsequent phase mismatches, providing insight into mitigation strategies. A study of simulation and input data parameters has determined a practical estimate of greater than 6 point scatterers/mm^3 within the acoustic sample volume as sufficient to support consistent and realistic Doppler simulation. Finally, frequency dependent attenuation was incorporated to model dispersive effects in tissue. The resulting simulated B-mode images are comparable to those of the Field II ultrasound simulation package, with only a modest performance penalty over the existing simulator.

Keywords: real-time systems
simulation
training
ultrasound
Advisor: Cobbold, Richard S.C.
Steinman, David A.
Application of J-Aggregate Monolayers in Silica Encapsulated SERS Nanoprobes for Immunophenotyping of B-cell Malignancies

Immunophenotyping is indispensable in studying B-cell malignancies as the cell surface markers on malignant cells provide critical information for the diagnosis, treatment decisions and prognosis of the disease. Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) nanoprobes as an alternative optical label have been explored as they may overcome limitations of fluorescent labels through their naturally sharper spectral bands and resistance to photobleaching. In this project, we demonstrate the successful labelling of lymphoma cells with rituximab-anti-CD20 functionalized silica-encapsulated J-aggregate SERS gold nanoparticles - these particles represent the brightest of their kind thus far. Additionally, we demonstrate that the Raman signal on cells labelled with our particles is not affected by treatment with two hematological stains: hematoxylin and methylene blue; although two others: Giemsa and eosin mask the Raman spectra with intense fluorescence. These results support the potential of simultaneously using hematological stains with SERS nanoprobes for visualizing B-cells.

Keywords: Immunophenotyping
J-Aggregates
Lymphoma
Nanoprobes
Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering
Advisor: Wang, Chen
Carnitine Transporter CT2 (SLC22A16) is Over-expressed in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and Target Knockdown Reduces Growth and Viability of AML cells

AML (acute myeloid leukemia) cells have unique reliance on mitochondrial metabolism and fatty acid oxidation (FAO). Thus, blocking FAO is a potential therapeutic strategy to target AML cells. In the current study, I assessed carnitine transporters as novel therapeutic targets for AML. I examined the expression of the known carnitine transporters, OCTN1, OCTN2, and CT2 in AML cell lines and primary AML samples and compared expression to normal hematopoietic cells. Of the three carnitine transporters, CT2 demonstrated the greatest differential expression between AML and normal cells. I knocked down CT2 and demonstrated that target knockdown impaired the function of the transporter. In addition, knockdown of CT2 reduced the growth and viability of AML cells with high expression of CT2 (OCI-AML2 and HL60), but not low expression. CT2 knockdown reduced basal oxygen consumption without a concomitant increase in glycolysis. Thus, CT2 may be a novel target for a subset of AML.

Advisor: Schimmer, Aaron D
Pediatric Emergency Room Revisits in Urban Ontario: Does Being an Immigrant Matter?

Objectives: To test the association of unscheduled 7-day emergency department (ED) revisits and immigrant status for all children living in urban Ontario and within subgroups of immigrant children. Methods: Population-based cohort study using linked health administrative and demographic datasets of immigrant and non-immigrant children in urban Ontario, who visited an ED between April 2003 and March 2010 (n = 3322901). Associations were tested using logistic regression models. Results: Recent immigrants had a higher odds of ED revisit compared with non-immigrants (OR 1.07; 95% CI 1.05-1.09). In the adjusted model, this relationship disappeared. Within immigrants, the odds of revisit was not different between immigrant classes or by region of origin but immigrants whose native tongue was not English or French had a higher odds of revisiting the ED in adjusted models (AOR 1.05; 95% CI 1.01-1.09). Conclusions: Immigrant children are not more likely to revisit the ED, although within immigrants, language proficiency is important.

Keywords: Emergency Department
Immigrant
Ontario
Pediatrics
Revisits
Advisor: Guttmann, Astrid
Human Activity Recognition Using Time Series Classification

Activity Recognition (AR) has become a basis for applications such as health care and elderly surveillance, human position tracking, home monitoring and security applications. Embedding motion sensors in smart phones increases the interest in using smart phones for detecting users' activities. In this thesis, we propose a system that learns activity trends using only the data from an accelerometer sensor, which is the most common motion sensor in smart phones. The system uses raw traces in a training set to build a predictor that assigns the proper label to new traces. Our approach addresses the two main challenges in AR using smart phones. First, the system is well trained with fewer training traces compared to benchmark approaches, and new traces can easily be added to our data base. Second, since we use the raw traces without de_ning any particular features, our system gives more general and gives almost perfect accuracy.

Keywords: Activity recognition
Affinity propagation
Dynamic time warping
Advisor: Valaee, Shahrokh