VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
What Was I Thinking? Using Multi-Voxel Pattern Analysis to Identify Shared Neural Representations Between External and Internal Speech

The phenomenological experience of hearing one’s own voice inside one’s head – inner speech – is a fundamental yet mysterious aspect of cognition. Compared to speech perception and production, relatively little is known about the neural representations that underlie inner speech. This is partly due to its “hidden” nature; functional neuroimaging offers one way to observe the neural substrates of inner speech. In particular, multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) is well suited to investigate its representational nature using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. In this dissertation, I use MVPA and fMRI to investigate the extent to which auditory and motor representations of speech are co-opted during inner speech. In Chapter 2, I establish that MVPA can be used to identify phonological features (voicing, place of articulation, and manner of articulation) during speech perception. In Chapter 3, this work is extended to include silent speech production (“speech miming”). Together, these data show that phonological features are represented throughout the bilateral auditory cortices during perception and that certain phonological features are robustly represented in the speech-motor system during miming. In Chapter 4, I use a technique known as multivariate cross-decoding to demonstrate that inner speech recapitulates neural patterns of activation observed during miming in both the auditory and motor cortices. In Chapter 5, the concept of inner speech is extended to include a verbal working memory (WM) task and MVPA is used to track the neural time-course of auditory and motor representations. The results from Chapter 4 are replicated and it is further shown that neural patterns associated with speech perception can also be reactivated during verbal WM. The neural representations shared between perception and inner speech are active early in the WM task, while the representations shared between miming and inner speech remain active throughout the WM task. This work suggests that MVPA can detect the underlying representations associated with inner speech and that multiple types of representations interact to support the task at hand. Further, it demonstrates that the patterns of activation present in the auditory and motor systems during miming provide a reliable model from which to predict inner speech.

Advisor: Buchsbaum, Bradley R
Novel Aqueous Microgels and Their Applications

This thesis describes the design, synthesis, and some new applications of aqueous microgels. One research objective was to prepare lanthanide-containing microgels which are resistant to lanthanide ion leaching in aqueous media and can be used in bead-based assays. I report the synthesis of lanthanide phosphate (LnPO4) nanocrystals embedded in poly(NIPAM/VCL/MAA) copolymer microgels. Here the microgels were first ion-exchanged with Ln3+ and then treated with PBS buffer to form LnPO4 crystals. The TEM images of the TbPO4-containing microgels in combination with SAXS studies show remarkable needle-like nanocrystals distributed throughout the microgel. Mass cytometry studies showed that these microgels resist ion leaching in different buffers. Another direction in my Ph.D. research was to design and synthesize temperature-invariant aqueous microgels that would preserve their dimensions and colloidal stability upon heating in water, and can serve as a host for enzymes in high-temperature reactions. For this purpose, I prepared poly(N-hydroxyethyl acrylamide) (PHEAA) microgels through a two-step synthesis. First, I prepared a precursor particle of poly[di(ethylene glycol) acrylate] in water, and then, these particles were subjected to aminolysis in dioxane with a mixture of ethanolamine and ethylenediamine to form to PHEAA-NH2 microgels. As a proof-of-concept study, I attached the enzyme horseradish peroxidase (HRP) to the microgels. Kinetic studies showed that immobilization led to improved enzyme stability at high temperatures compared to the native enzyme. I also examined the effect of the thermal response of microgels on the activity of enzymes. I prepared the thermo-responsive poly[oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate] (PEGMA) microgels and attached aminotetraethyleneglycol pendant groups to these microgels to act as a spacer and to make them biofunctionalizable. I found no discontinuous change in the activity of the immobilized enzyme as the microgel was heated through its VPTT. This study serves a guide for the biofunctionalization of protein repellent PEGMA microgels.

Keywords: enzyme
immobilization
lanthanide
microgel
nanocrystals
precipitation polymerization
Advisor: Winnik, Mitchelle A.
Choral Art Music as a Reflection of Prairie Identity

Abstract The Canadian Prairie, identified in this research as the southern regions of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, are often described by geography and landscape. The Prairies also possess a rich choral heritage. This study seeks to identify potential commonalities among choral compositions from the Canadian Prairie region by pursuing the answer to this question: In what way, if any, can choral music from the Prairies be construed as reflecting the values and geographical texture of the region? The qualitative research for this study included a survey of the history of Canadian choral music, a review of literature pertaining to the notion of identity and place, data collection related to selected composers and their repertoire, interviews with representative composers and writers, in addition to formal musical and textual analyses of selected works. The results of this research led me to conclude that four general elements have shaped the choral heritage of the Prairies: religious beliefs, secondary and post-secondary education, cultural voices, and Prairie landscapes.

Keywords: Alberta
Canadian Prairie
Choral Art Music
Identity
Manitoba
Saskatchewan
Advisor: Apfelstadt, Hilary
Evidence Accumulation Drives Policy Change in Decision-Making.

Adaptive decision-making requires constant updating of relevant information and if needed switching to a new course of action. While much is known in regards to how reward is processed in the brain and how discrepancies in reward prediction may drive learning in reward-based decision making, much less is known about how the brain supports switching to a new course of action (changes in policy). One possibility is that it is accomplished through evidence accumulation, such that under normal circumstances an agent will prefer to continue its current course of action until enough evidence has been accumulated to indicate a potential benefit of adopting a new policy. Proactive preparatory neural signals may reflect evidence accumulation as they may be integrated in the brain in order to elicit a change in course of action (or policy) and guide decision-making. Using multimodal-neuroimaging methods from cognitive neuroscience and computational modeling techniques from reinforcement learning, the current research investigates whether proactive preparatory brain activation underlies decisions to switch courses of action. Specifically, three studies were conducted. For study 1, functional Magnetic Brain Imaging (fMRI) activity was collected while participants performed the Iowa Gambling task. Study 2, combines fMRI and computational modeling to test whether preparatory signals are present in the four-arm bandit gambling task. Study 3 investigates the temporospatial dynamics using EEG and the four-armed bandit task. Multilevel models were implemented to test the effect of pre-trial neural activity on subsequent choice behavior. fMRI analyses from studies 1 and 2 provide support for preparatory signals in frontal regions, particularly in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, driving change in future courses of action. Consistent with these results, frequency analysis of EEG data in dorsolateral frontal regions revealed a significant effect of alpha power predicting a switch in action in future trials. Taken together, these results provide support for proactive preparatory brain activation as a neural mechanism supporting changes in action in decision-making, and more generally provide a much-needed consideration of the temporospatial dynamics of choice behavior in humans and in particular in policy implementation.

Keywords: Cognitive Neuroscience
Decision-Making
Evidence Accumulation
fMRI
Neuroeconomics
Proactive preparatory
Advisor: Cunningham, William A
Anderson, Adam K
Planes of Justice: Investment Law, Basic Structures, and Critical Legal Theory

Despite its scope and the striking powers it establishes, the international investment regime, as a whole, has drawn little more than restrained scholarly criticism. One smaller, still nascent body of scholarship has taken to forming systemic critiques of the regime, and it is to it that the author seeks to contribute. He argues that global distributive justice philosophy furnishes a critical, normative framework that is useful for systemic critique, though one that is undermined at present by a widely held and problematic theory of law. The author submits that critical legal theory should be incorporated into global justice philosophy, so as to remedy this problem. His is a double-sided argument: (1) investment law does raise a problem of global distributive justice, and (2) global justice theoryâ s foundational concept of a â basic structureâ should be reimagined as something far more flexible and variable than it is generally taken to be.

Advisor: Macklem, Patrick
Schneiderman, David
Why no one comes running for the boys who cry rape: The response of domestic and international criminal justice systems to sexual violence against men and boys during conflicts

Sexual violence against men and boys is prevalent throughout situations of conflict, yet this study outlines the significant challenges to male victims accessing justice at either a national or international level. The legal community has the unique potential to acknowledge and address such violence. However, utilising a case study of Uganda exposes the multiple hurdles male victims may face, with domestic legislation both failing to criminalise their rape and prosecuting individuals perceived as homosexual, including through implementation of forced anal testing. Meanwhile, the countryâ s International Crimes Division faces constraints to its available resources, caseload and jurisdiction. A review of International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and International Criminal Court jurisprudence demonstrates that international criminal tribunals may be better placed to ensure effective redress for male victims. Nevertheless, further progress is essential to achieve justice for all boys and men who cry rape.

Keywords: international criminal tribunals
male rape
men and boys
post-conflict justice
sexual violence
Uganda
Advisor: Su, Anna
Cannabis Regulation and Public Health: Using the Experience of Alcohol Regulation to Maximize Public Health Outcomes in Ontario

The Government of Canada has signalled that it will legalize recreational cannabis on or before July 1, 2018. While there are numerous anticipated benefits of this change, including a reduction in the costs of enforcement and an increase in tax revenues, the consumption of cannabis is not risk-free. The many negative effects related to cannabis consumption include increased cancer risk, impairment of cognitive and psychomotor functioning, and a greater likelihood of manifesting mental health issues. A regulatory approach aimed at reducing these harms associated with use – and not use per se – is called a “public health” approach. In order to contribute to the design of a regulatory framework for cannabis in Ontario, this paper reviews and synthesizes the literature on the efficacy of specific regulatory tools in maximizing public health outcomes with respect to alcohol, including taxation and price controls, controlling the physical availability, and advertising and marketing restrictions.

Keywords: Alcohol
Cannabis
Law
Public Health
Regulation
Advisor: Stacey, Richard
The Recovery of Unlawful Tax in Canada: Re-evaluating the Kingstreet Cause of Action in light of Developments in the Law of Unjust Enrichment in Canada and England

A decade after Kingstreet Investments Ltd v New Brunswick, this thesis re-evaluates the Supreme Court of Canada’s rejection of unjust enrichment in favour of a standalone public law restitutionary cause of action for the recovery of unlawful tax. I argue that the recognition of the Kingstreet cause of action threatens the coherence of the Canadian law of restitution and is inconsistent with more recent jurisprudence permitting unjust enrichment claims against the Crown in other contexts. I also argue that the Supreme Court’s doubts about whether the levying of unlawful tax constitutes an enrichment in the Crown’s hands (and a deprivation on the taxpayer’s part) are largely misplaced. Analyzing recent developments in both Canadian and English law, I contend that the law of unjust enrichment is perfectly capable of providing an adequate route to recovery while protecting the important constitutional principles at stake in unlawful tax cases.

Keywords: Constitutional
Kingstreet
Restitution
Unjust enrichment
Unlawful tax
Advisor: Alarie, Benjamin
The Role of the Printed Press in the Process of Democratization: The Case of Mexico

This work addresses the gap in the media and democracy literature on Mexicoâ s democratization process. It examines the role of a liberalizing and increasingly diverse press in the transition and its impact on the political process once it was freed of political control in the stage of electoral democracy. It investigates the role of opinion-makers in Mexico and delves into the significant difference between published opinion and public opinion. The central argument in this dissertation is that structural factors, specifically economic changes and reforms, relaxed press controls significantly in the 1990s, propelling the incipient liberalization process of the print media. It further argues that once electoral democracy was achieved, opinion articles reflected the existing political polarization, as divisions and disagreements increased among opinion makers. The elitist orientation of the Mexican press is key to explaining the pressâ s propitious role during the democratization process in Mexico, as well as the dynamics of the post-transition period. A key component of this dissertation is a systematic analysis of opinion articles from three national newspapers on the 1996 and the 2007 electoral reforms. Content analysis was based on a model identifying the frame elements, which represent the functions of media frames: diagnose or define problems, explain causes or provide context, evaluate, and prescribe solutions. Identifying frame elements revealed the support or rejection of different aspects of the legislation, as well as the connections between opinion-piecesâ authors and their arguments. Research findings suggest the influence of an increasingly plural and diverse print media is more direct in the earlier stages of a process of transition than during the stage of democratic consolidation. The Mexican case contributes to understanding the role of opinion-makers and print media in developing countries with low press readership in a transition process, in young democracies, and in contexts of political polarization.

Keywords: democratization
electoral reform
framing analysis
Mexico
opinion makers
press
Advisor: Teichman, Judith A
Simplified Analytical Tools for Impact and Impulsive Loading Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Structures

The analysis of reinforced and prestressed concrete elements under blast and impact loading is drawing the interest of many researchers due to increasing number of natural or human-made hazards that require attention. The analysis methods used are mainly based on either simplified single degree-of-freedom methods or highly sophisticated and complex hydrocodes. Although single degree-of-freedom methods are commonly used by designers for practical reasons, they are incapable of providing detailed results such as deformed shapes and crack maps. Additionally, since they require simplification of the structure to a single degree-of-freedom system, they are difficult to apply to complex geometries. On the other hand, hydrocodes overcome the limitations associated with the simplification of the structure. However, they require highly detailed models which require significantly increased modelling and computational time. Moreover, the accuracy of blast and impact analyses with hydrocodes heavily relies on the material input parameters which are not commonly known. Thus, there remains a need for accurate, simplified and reliable tools for analysis of reinforced and prestressed concrete subjected to blast and impact loading. The VecTor family of nonlinear finite element programs, using a macro-element smeared rotating crack approach, has been shown to be accurate in predicting the response of shear-critical structures under quasi-static conditions. In this study, two members of this suite, VecTor3 and VecTor6, were adapted for the blast and impact analyses of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures in 3D and axisymmetric conditions, respectively. The results obtained from the simulations were close to those experimentally observed. Additionally, a semi-analytical formula for the prediction of perforation velocity from missile impact was developed. The formula, which is based on the Modified Compression Field Theory, considers the influence of longitudinal and shear reinforcement in the target differently from other commonly used empirical formulae. The formula was validated with numerous missile impact data available in the literature, and good accuracy was found.

Keywords: Axisymmetric
Blast
Dynamic analysis
Missile impact
Nonlinear finite element analysis
Reinforced concrete
Advisor: Vecchio, Frank J
PDE Option Pricing: Analysis and Application to Stochastic Correlation

This thesis is a study of numerical Partial Differential Equation (PDE) methods in financial derivatives pricing. The first part of the thesis is concerned with the behaviour of a numerical PDE solution when the initial condition is not smooth. The second part of the thesis develops computational PDE methods for option pricing problems with stochastic correlation. In the first part of this thesis, we provide an analysis of the error arising from a non-smooth initial condition when solving a pricing problem with a finite difference method. We build our framework on the sharp error estimate in [25], and study three types of non-smoothness that are of financial interest. We show that the error of the numerical solution under Crank-Nicolson-Rannacher timestepping with central spatial differences can be decomposed into two components, respectively a second order error resulting from the approximation to the heat kernel by a discrete operator, and a quantization error that depends on the positioning of non-smoothness on the grid. We discuss how this positioning affects the quality of the numerical solution, and the possibility of an optimal placement of the non-smoothness in the mesh. We also study explicitly the effect of smoothing on the approximation error. The second part of the thesis focuses on the pricing of European options using a stochastic correlation model. We derive a time-dependent PDE for the pricing problem under stochastic correlation, and develop computational approaches for its solution. The first approach is a finite difference scheme. We study such issues as localization of domain, boundary conditions and stability of the numerical scheme. The second approach is an asymptotic solution of the PDE, appropriate for cases when the correlation process exhibits fast mean reversion and when a numerical PDE solution is considered costly. Numerical experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of our methods, and the agreement among the two solutions and Monte Carlo simulations. We also experimentally demonstrate the effect of smoothing on the numerical solution, and study the effect of certain problem parameters on the approximate solution.

Keywords: Error Analysis
Finite Difference Method
Numerical Analysis
Scientific Computing
Advisor: Christara, Christina C
Persistence of algal viruses and cyanophages in freshwater environments

Algal viruses and cyanophages exert top-down population controls upon primary producers in aquatic environments. Despite their clear importance, many ecological phenomena related to viruses are poorly understood. For instance, several studies suggest that phytoplankton viruses often exist at stable abundances, even when their hosts are absent. However, estimates of algal virus and cyanophage decay suggest that they decay too swiftly for these stable abundance patterns to occur. This paradox is the primary impetus for my research. In order to begin to address this knowledge gap, the seasonality of algal virus decay was assessed using decay incubation experiments across all four seasons using infectivity assays with cultivated viruses to estimate decay rates, which found high decay rates in the summer and spring and low decay rates in the winter. This seasonal study found that the low algal virus decay rates during winter allowed for survival after 126 days under ice cover in a seasonally frozen freshwater pond. This work was expanded upon by developing and validating molecular assays to estimate decay of environmental viruses with either unknown or uncultivated hosts, which represent the majority of viruses in nature. Upon validation of molecular assays for estimating decay rates, environmental algal virus and cyanophage decay rates were found to vary seasonally in the same way that cultivated algal virus decay rates did. Further, environmental algal viruses were found to have lower decay rates than cyanophages. In the molecular study, viruses were also found to persist in the winter under/within the ice cover for 126 days. However, the spring and summer decay rates estimated in both studies were often too high to permit virus population maintenance for long periods without ongoing production, which would require the presence of host cells at relatively high abundances. As such, the ability of freshwater sediment to serve as an environmental refugium for phytoplankton viruses was assessed using molecular methods. Freshwater sediments from Lake Erie were found to harbor diverse assemblages of both algal viruses and cyanophages. Some algal virus and cyanophage genotypes were found at high abundances in putatively 50 year old sediments, suggesting that sediments may aid in the persistence of viruses. In conclusion, over-wintering of algal viruses in the water column appears to be one mechanism that maintains a viral â seed-bank,â and the sediments of aquatic environments may be an environmental refugium for algal viruses and cyanophages alike.

Advisor: Short, Steven M