VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Cortical Thickness as a Predictor of Amygdala Reactivity in Healthy Adults

Background: Cortico-limbic affective processing regions undergo structural and functional changes with aging. However, there are no investigations into the relationships between measures of cortical thinning and affective functional reactivity in older adults. Methods: Two groups of Caucasian men (n = 10 each, aged 60 – 85 years, and aged 20 – 40 years) underwent structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging during which they completed affective and sensorimotor (control) tasks administered according to a blocked design. Results: Age groups were comparable in amygdalae response to negative affect. Older men were best distinguished from young by thinning of the gray matter in bilateral frontal, parietal and temporal lobes. Greater mean right amygdala activation was best predicted by a pattern of left orbito- and middle frontal cortical thickness/thinning in older men. Conclusion: Even in the absence of age differences in amygdalae activation, prefrontal structure alterations uniquely influence emotional amygdala response in healthy older adults.

Keywords: Amygdala
Cortical thickness
Emotion
Functional magnetic resonance imaging
Prefrontal cortex
Structure-function relations
Advisor: Pollock, Bruce G
Museums and Money: The Impact of Provincial Cultural Policy

This thesis examines the influence of provincial funding strategies on museum public programming in New Brunswick from 2002 until 2014. Using a literature review and archival research, I traced the development of New Brunswick cultural policy from the 1960s to 2014. Then, I conducted interviews with seventeen individuals representing museums or the Government of New Brunswick (GNB). The results demonstrate that GNB’s Exhibit Renewal and Museum Activities Support Program, a project-based grant, increased the quantity of new or renewed exhibits and encouraged ancillary programming, but limited human resource capacity restricted its use. The provincial Student Employment and Experience Development (SEED) program provided funding for summer staff that offer programming, but SEED’s administration led to challenges, such as a lack of consistency from one year to the next. I recommend additional research into the use of GNB’s Museum Network and a shift in government priorities toward increasing museums’ human resource capacity.

Keywords: Cultural Policy
Museums
New Brunswick
Public Programming
Subnational
Advisor: Stanbridge, Alan
Association of Primary Care Structures with Patient Utilization of Acute Health Services

Background: Evidence suggests that Patient Medical Homes (PMH) improve patient health outcomes and patient experience. Objective: To determine the extent that Ontario primary care (PC) practices represent PMH and the association between PMH components and acute health service utilization (i.e., emergency department (ED) visits and avoidable hospitalizations). Methods: Ontario survey data was used to characterized PC practices, based on PMH components. Survey data was linked to health administrative data to identify practices’ patients’ use of acute health services. Significant associations were determined by hierarchical logistic regression models. Results: There is wide variation of PC practices’ representation of PMH. After adjusting for patient characteristics, increased accessibility and use of electronic medical records were associated with lower odds of ED visits. Increased interprofessional behaviour was associated with lower odds of hospitalization yet higher odds of ED visits. In comparison to PMH, fee-for-service PC practices had lower odds of acute health services utilization.

Keywords: Family Health Team
Patient Medical Home
Primary Care
Advisor: Wodchis, Walter P
The Effect of Physical Activity and Body Size on BRCA1 mRNA Expression

Prevention of BRCA1-associated cancer is limited to prophylactic surgery and chemoprevention. Factors that increase BRCA1 expression and normalize protein levels may impact cancer risk. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether physical activity and/or body size correlate with BRCA1 mRNA expression. Women (n=50) were asked to wear the GT3X activity monitor for 7 days. Anthropometric measurements were obtained and blood samples were collected. BRCA1 mRNA was quantified using the NanoString nCounter Analysis System. Mean BRCA1 expression was significantly lower for mutation carriers vs. non-carriers (139 counts vs. 157 counts; P=0.02). No significant relationship was observed between physical activity, anthropometrics, and BRCA1 expression (P≥0.05). A borderline significant inverse relationship was observed between mean sedentary time and BRCA1 expression (158.2 vs. 154.7 counts; Ptrend=0.05), suggesting that prolonged sedentary behavior may be associated with lower BRCA1 expression. Whether this finding translates into an increased risk for BRCA1-associated cancer warrants further investigation.

Keywords: Body Size
BRCA1
Breast Cancer
Physical Activity
RNA
Advisor: Kotsopoulos, Joanne
Narod, Steven
The Role of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Predicting Surgical Outcome in Patients with Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is commonly used to confirm a diagnosis of degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM), however, its role in predicting outcome following surgical treatment remains unclear. Herein, it is hypothesized that quantitative preoperative MRI analysis can predict surgical outcome. Using data derived from a prospective and multicenter cohort of patients undergoing surgical treatment for DCM, multiple MRI parameters were assessed, including presence/absence of signal change on T1 and T2, T2 signal quantitative factors, and anatomical measurements. A dichotomized postoperative modified Japanese orthopedic association score at 6-months was then used to characterize patients with mild myelopathy (≥16) and those with substantial residual neurological impairment (

Keywords: imaging
model
neurosurgery
prediction
radiology
spine
Advisor: Fehlings, Michael G
ECG Biometrics: New Algorithm and Multimodal Biometric System

This thesis studies the challenges of applying the electrocardiogram signal (ECG) as a biometric. Unlike most biometric characteristics, ECG is time-dependent and naturally affected by the physical and psychological activity of the human body which is mainly neglected by the ECG biometric community. In this work we first presents the UofT ECG database (UofTDB) which offers a comprehensive analysis of the underlying interindividual variability under a number of conditions, such as body posture, physical activity, and time lapse. Then we propose a new biometric methodology and evaluate its performance using the UofTDB. The new method outperforms the state of the art ECG method AC/LDA and is robust to day-to-day ECG variations (3.12% EER). Finally we investigate the fusion of ECG and fingerprint and propose a fusion scheme to be robust to spoof attacks and achieves a very promising performance for real life applications (~0.08% EER).

Advisor: Hatzinakos, Dimitrios
Numerical Simulation of Thermoacoustic Response of Laboratory Scale Premixed Multi-slit Burner Flames

Thermoacoustic instabilities are an entirely unwanted, yet nearly inevitable phenomenon occurring in many practical premixed combustors. If not properly accounted and designed for, they can incur significant increases in the development combustion systems. The fact that such unexpected issues are encountered is indicative of a fundamental lack of understanding regarding the mechanisms that drive thermoacoustic phenomena. Numerical techniques are used to characterize the thermoacoustic re- sponse of premixed multi-slit bunsen burner flames. A symmetrical rep- resentation of the multi-slit burner is used, and the transfer function is computed at several different frequencies and at three different equiva- lence ratios. The numerical results are then compared against experimen- tal results in order to determine the suitability of numerical techniques for studying thermoacoustics. A fully compressible Navier-Stokes combustion solver is used in conjunction with adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) for improved resolution at the flame interface.

Keywords: Acoustics
Combustion
Compressible
Computational Fluid Dynamics
Navier-Stokes
Thermoacoustics
Advisor: Groth, Clinton P.T.
Gülder, Ömer L.
Matrix Metalloproteinase Expression and Regulation During Pregnancy, Term Labour, and Postpartum

It is widely accepted that pregnancy, spontaneous term labour (TL), and postpartum (PP) involution is associated with changes in the cellular and extracellular composition of the uterus. These changes involve metalloproteinases (MMPs) secretion by myometrial smooth muscle cells and infiltrating leukocytes. MMP activation results in collagenolysis, modulation of cellular behaviour and barrier function. I hypothesize that during late gestation, the expression and activity of myometrial MMPs and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) increase in preparation for TL, and are regulated by mechanical stretch. The current in vivo study demonstrated that gene and protein expression of MMP-7 and MMP-11 were upregulated during TL, suggesting labour promotion; whereas other MMPs (2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 12) were induced only during the early PP period. The sources of myometrial MMPs during TL and PP include myocytes and resident leukocytes. In vitro studies did not support the regulation of myometrial MMP expression by mechanical stretch.

Keywords: matrix metalloproteinases
myometrium
postpartum
pregnancy
term labour
Advisor: Lye, Stephen J
Differentiating "Integrative" from "Complementary", "Alternative" and "Unconventional": A Textual Analysis of the Terms and Meanings in the Peer-reviewed Literature

This study investigates the discourse surrounding the changes in terms used to describe unconventional medicine in North America. A textual analysis was conducted on the most highly-cited unconventional medicine-related literature published from 1970-2013. Five commonly-used terms were identified as follows: “complementary and alternative”, “complementary”, “alternative”, “unconventional” and “integrated/integrative”. Two major themes emerged from the data analysis. Authors using the first four terms tended to define them by what is not conventional medicine and stressed that the purpose of their research was purely the pursuit of knowledge. Comparatively, authors using the fifth term sought to advocate for the integration of unconventional and conventional medicines. This emergence of two groups may explain why certain stakeholders within this field may be choosing to use terms which attract interest from both groups. Furthermore, since the two groups have unique agendas, the potential tension between them will serve as an interesting phenomenon to further explore.

Keywords: alternative medicine
complementary medicine
integrated medicine
integrative medicine
textual analysis
unconventional medicine
Advisor: Boon, Heather S
Characterization of Symbiotic Interactions between Pancreatic Cancer Cells and Tumor-associated Fibroblasts

Pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal of cancers, is characterized by extensive fibrotic stroma. It is unknown whether this extensive stroma promotes or prevents tumor growth. In this thesis project, I attempted to elucidate the interactions between pancreatic cancer cells and fibroblasts, a major cell type in the stroma, using an in vitro co-culture model. I co-cultured CFPAC-1 pancreatic cancer cells and Hs 343.T fibroblasts, sorted them by flow cytometry, measured their gene expression, and inferred molecular intercellular interactions due to co-culture. Analysis revealed abundant changes in the gene expression in fibroblasts that were co-cultured with pancreatic cancer cells. These involve pathways such as ECM, TGF-beta, Ras/PDGFR, HIF-1-alpha, Notch, and Rho GTPases. I also identified many factors produced by cancer cells that can potentially induce the expression changes observed in co-cultured fibroblasts. This study offers a simplified approach to begin dissecting the complexity of PDAC stroma.

Keywords: co-culture
desmoplasia
fibroblasts
fibrosis
pancreatic cancer
tumor microenvironment
Advisor: Hudson, Thomas
A Study of an In-memory Database System for Real-time Analytics on Semi-structured Data Streams

Recently there have been increasing demands for real-time analytics on rapidly changing data and for databases to effectively support mixed OLTP and OLAP workloads. In-memory databases provide a promising paradigm for these applications. However, due to the rapid emergence of various types of semi-structured data, one key challenge for in-memory databases is the data layout. In this dissertation, we developed an in-memory database system that dynamically partitions its tables vertically based on workload characteristics to achieve fast querying speed on semi-structured data. We produced a set of guidelines on vertical partitioning in-memory data in different situations and showed that our approach can outperform traditional columnar and row-based storage methods, as well as an alternative data structure, ARGO, that was recently developed to enable JSON storage in relational databases. We also showed that our system has advantages over a system with similar idea, called Hyrise, in partitioning adaptability.

Advisor: Amza, Cristiana
Multisensory Integration at Peak Limb Velocity

The current thesis focused on multisensory integration during rapid upper-limb movements, specifically at peak limb velocity (PLV). Participants were required to “fling” their limb through a virtual target while aligning PLV with the target. In Experiment 1, participants were provided with augmented: auditory, visual, audiovisual, or no feedback at peak limb velocity. In Experiment 2, participants completed the same flinging task. At PLV, participants were exposed to either two: auditory beeps, visual flashes, or audiovisual events. Participants then indicated which sensory cue was presented first (i.e., left or right of the target) in a within modality temporal order judgment task. This judgment was also made following stimuli presentation at rest. Across both experiments, the results failed to reveal an audiovisual (i.e., bimodal) advantage over unisensory stimuli presentation (i.e., auditory or visual cues alone), suggesting that the optimal integration of audiovisual information may not occur at peak limb velocity.

Keywords: audition
motor control
multisensory integration
peak limb velocity
vision
Advisor: Tremblay, Luc
From Print to Paint: Analyzing the Influence of Print Culture in Art Museums

Collections of printed images often make up the largest part of an art museum’s inventory of objects. These images are connected to a history of printing innovation that allowed images to be designed, printed, and sent between cities and countries. As a means of visual communication, print has had a profound impact on art and culture. However, their artistic influence is not often recognized. Prints are looked at as ‘copies,’ contrasted with the rare and unique objects that are celebrated in art museums. This thesis was inspired by the lack of scholarship focusing on the place and purpose of print collections. While there is significant scholarship focusing on prints in the history of art, little has been written about what happens when printed images are institutionalized in art museums. An analysis of print collections exposes much larger issues with curatorial practices and how culture is valued in museums, suggesting a reevaluation of modes of museum display.

Advisor: Stanbridge, Alan
Regulation of Hematopoietic Progenitor Formation in a Shwachman Diamond Syndrome Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Disease Model

Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS) is an inherited bone marrow failure disease, with 90% of SDS patients carrying a mutation in the SBDS gene. Due to limited efficacy or toxicity of current treatments available, and the otherwise reduced life expectancy of SDS patients, novel therapeutic strategies are needed. Since the main morbidity and mortality are related to the blood dyscrasia, studying hematopoiesis will help characterize the hematological phenotype. We hypothesized that the definitive wave of hematopoiesis is markedly impaired. We generated SDS iPSCs that recapitulated the human SDS disease, specifically, the reduced blood cell formation. The SDS iPSCs showed a defect in definitive hematopoiesis, with a marked reduction in the hemogenic endothelium population. We did not observe a defect in primitive hematopoiesis. Our study sheds light on the onset and progression of the SDS hematopoietic phenotype, and provides a platform for the development of novel, potential therapeutic targets to improve patient care.

Keywords: hematopoiesis
iPSCs
shwachman
Advisor: Dror, Yigal
Investigating the Determinants of Host Range Specificity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Phage

Phage therapy, or the use of bacteriophages (phages) to kill pathogenic bacteria, represents an alternative strategy to antibiotics in combating bacterial disease in the face of growing antibiotic resistance. To use phage therapy as an antibacterial treatment, we need to understand how the phages choose their host. The following thesis outlines my work studying two particular Pseudomonas aeruginosa phages, D3 and JBD44a, which I have chosen based on structural similarity and host diversity. I have shown that D3-27 and JBD44-39 are required for complete phage particles as well as involved in specificity through heterologous complementation experiments. I have determined that JBD44a can be blocked by LPS from its host strain PA14. I have also determined that D3-27 specifically and immediately modifies LPS from its host strain PAO1 through the C-terminus. The experiments outlined have shown that D3-27 and JBD44 are involved in specificity and are found in the phage tail.

Keywords: aeruginosa
Bacteriophage
fibers
Pseudomonas
Specificity
tail
Advisor: Davidson, Alan R
Development of Sand-bedded Rivers in Glaciated Southern Ontario

Many studies of river floodplain sedimentology demonstrate a need to simplify observations in the form of standard floodplain models. A field investigation was undertaken to test the applicability of the accepted sand-bedded river facies model provided by Miall (2010), to sand-bed rivers in southern Ontario. A challenge in this environment is the influence of non-alluvial channel boundary materials such as glacial outwash sands, till, and glaciolacustrine clay. The presence of these materials in some channel beds and banks suggest that recognized “models” may not always be appropriate at predicting channel behaviour. A multifaceted approach (sedimentology, channel surveys, geophysics, etc.) is used to characterize the processes controlling the lateral and vertical mobility of these active sand bed channels. This study proposes that three primary fluvial process domains can be identified and used to explain variable floodplain and channel morphologies, based on slope, migration patterns, sedimentology, and proximity to glacial landforms.

Keywords: Channel Pattern
Facies Models
Glacially Conditioned
Ground Penetrating Radar
Sand-Bed Rivers
Advisor: Desloges, Joseph R
Counterpunching with Culture: Boxers in Relation to the Dominant Ideology

Numerous scholars have studied the sociological underpinnings of boxing and the boxing site; however, few studies have looked at the cultural level of boxing. This study endeavours to introduce boxing as a cultural practice that is part of a particular group’s cultural milieu. The study employs Willis’ (1977) Learning to Labour to engage with why working class people play working class sports. Much like ‘the lads’ in Learning to Labour the boxers are vulnerable to the dominant ideology. However, in contrast, their own ideology reveals that they have agency, which is performed in relation to other dominant cultural practices. The boxers create an Other (Hall, 1996/2000) and reject and separate themselves from normative cultural practice, thus deliberately reproducing their culture and place in the society.

Keywords: boxing
class culture
cultural studies
ethnography
ideology
sports sociology
Advisor: Donnelly, Peter
Kidd, Bruce
Male Mating Strategies within a Shifting Competitive Landscape: Performance and Phenotypic Correlates of Mate Guarding Success

Mate-guarding males who limit access of rivals to females may be likewise preferred by females, or their mating advantage may lie only in excluding opponents. In the jumping spider Phidippus clarus, males guard immature females, mating once females synchronously moult. To investigate factors contributing to mate guarding success in the field, we compared the morphology, competitive and courtship success of guarding and non-guarding males collected throughout their season. Guarders were larger than roamers only during the time when females moult, and also demonstrated both higher fighting and courtship success independent of size-related advantages. Thus, high levels of male-male competition during female moult implicates male-male contests in determining mate-guarding success. Given the proposed significance of mate guarding to male fitness, heritability of traits related to competitive ability and guarding may explain the observed correspondence between sexual selection via female choice and male-male competition.

Keywords: Female mate choice
Jumping spider
Male-male competition
Mate guarding
Sexual selection
Advisor: Andrade, Maydianne CB
Mason, Andrew C
Appropriating City Spaces: Exploring Practice, Process and Policy in Aboriginal Street Art

In this thesis I analyze the city of Toronto’s graffiti management policies, constructing street art as a new commons to offer a means of understanding cultural production, appropriation, and resistance within the regulated environment. Using the case of 7th Generation Image Makers, an Aboriginal street art organization based in Toronto, this thesis deconstructs street art as cultural commons, arranged through neighbourhood and knowledge commons. Through interviews conducted with artists, group discussions, and document analysis, this thesis offers an opportunity to develop a new context for understanding street art as a space for both cultural production and resistance. Created within these policy structures, 7th Generation murals present street art as a space for decolonization, education, and community building. Moreover, the production of specific Aboriginal teachings, environments, and histories in such a mode challenges the marginalization of Aboriginal peoples in urban centres and Canadian society, requiring a reflection on explicit cultural resistance that makes use of hegemonic structures.

Keywords: Aboriginal Art
Biopolitics
Commons
Graffiti
Street Art
Advisor: Shade, Leslie R
Development and Implementation of Behaviours for a Socially Assistive Robot for the Elderly

Bingo is a cognitively stimulating recreational activity popular in long-term care facilities and retirement homes. This thesis focuses on the development of the human-like socially assistive robot Tangy for the autonomous facilitation of Bingo. A set of assistive social behaviours are developed for multi-user and single user interactions the robot may encounter while facilitating the Bingo game. In addition, development of actuation modules for establishing eye contact, controlling the arms, and interacting with players using audio communication is discussed. A set of experiments verified the system performance of these behaviours and actuation capabilities and the efficacy of the social robot behaviours with elderly residents in long-term care. The results demonstrate that the robot determines and executes the appropriate behaviours during the facilitation of a Bingo game, and that elderly residents enjoyed interacting with Tangy and wished to participate in Bingo games facilitated by the robot in the future.

Keywords: Cognitive Training
Human-Robot Interaction
Robot Behaviours
Socially Assistive Robots
Advisor: Nejat, Goldie