VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The Role of Circulating Mitochondrial DNA in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Previous studies have demonstrated mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) activates Toll-like receptor-9 signaling, and may activate inflammasomes leading to the release of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1b. Chronic inflammation may lead to cell death and the release of mtDNA into circulation, where elevated levels have been reported in plasma from patients with autoimmune diseases. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is characterized by inflammatory arthritis of unknown etiology. Classified into seven subtypes, the systemic JIA (sJIA) and enthesitis related arthritis subtypes are thought to have autoinflammatory components as patients have elevated levels of IL-1Î˛. mtDNA,transfected with lipofectamine, was immunostimulatory; mtDNA stimulated upregulation of proIL-1b gene and protein expression and IL-1b secretion in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, treatment significantly decreased plasma levels of circulating mtDNA in JIA patients. In sJIA patients, circulatory mtDNA was moderately associated with disease activity and molecules related to inflammasome activation. Altogether, these results provide new insights into the pathogenesis of JIA.

Keywords: IL-1 beta
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
macrophages
mitochondrial DNA
Advisor: Yeung, Rae SM
PET Imaging of Pathological Tau in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

PSP is a neurodegenerative movement disorder that is characterized by the pathological accumulation of tau aggregates in the brain. PSP differs neuropathologically from other movement disorders such as PD and MSA, which are classified as synucleinopathies. PSP patients would benefit from a clinically approved tau imaging agent for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. Previous testing of the tau radiotracer [18F]AV-1451 in AD, another tauopathy, suggested that it was capable of distinguishing AD from MCI and healthy controls. The aim of this investigation was to test whether [18F]AV-1451 was able to distinguish PSP patients from PD patients and healthy controls. There were no significant increases in [18F]AV-1451 retention in PSP patients compared to the other two subject groups. These findings may indicate that [18F]AV-1451 is not an effective radiotracer for imaging tau in PSP, or perhaps the method of measuring [18F]AV-1451 retention used in this study was not appropriate.

Keywords: Neuroimaging
Parkinson's Disease
Positron Emission Tomography
Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
Tau
Tauopathy
Advisor: Strafella, Antonio P
The Effect of Bisphosphonate Therapy on Neutrophil Function and Delivery

Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw is a significant complication of bisphosphonate administration and its pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated. Previous studies in mice have revealed that polymorphonuclear neutrophils develop impaired function following exposure to bisphosphonates. Our hypothesis is that there will be an impairment of oral and blood polymorphonuclear neutrophil reactive oxygen species production and chemotactic capabilities one month following the initial infusion of pamidronate in bisphosphonate-na誰ve patients relative to baseline testing. We observed an overall decrease in both oral and blood polymorphonuclear neutrophil reactive oxygen species production and chemotaxis. This finding suggests that the decrease in polymorphonuclear neutrophil function may play a role in the pathophysiological processes that contribute to the development of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw. Furthermore, this suggests that reduced polymorphonuclear neutrophil function may serve as a potential biomarker in patients who might be susceptible to the development of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw.

Keywords: Bisphosphonate
Neutrophil
Advisor: Wood, Robert E
Tenenbaum, Howard C
The Influence of Forest Fires in Central Canada on Carbon Monoxide in Southern Ontario

Forest fires in 2010 summer over North Saskatchewan province had a continual influence on carbon monoxide (CO, a major pollutant) in Southern Ontario, as found using three methodologies that synthesized satellite fire and CO column data, surface CO concentration data, and meteorological data. Time series analysis suggests that CO in Southern Ontario responds to fires and CO in North Saskatchewan in 3-5 day lags. The source-receptor relationship is best reflected in CO column data (r=0.295, after a 3-day lag, |p|

Keywords: Atmospheric Dynamics
Bayesian Model
Carbon Monoxide
Forest Fires
Pollutant Transport
Time Series Analysis
Advisor: Liu, Jane
A Survey of Professional Burnout and Depression among Pediatric Dentists in the United States

Objectives: 1) To assess the prevalence of occupational burnout and depression among pediatric dentists in the United States, and 2) To explore for differences in the prevalence of burnout/depression based upon gender, age, marital status, clinical practice type, geographical location, number of years in clinical practice, and number of hours worked per week. Methods: A self-administered online anonymous survey using Survey Monkey速 was sent to all active members of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry residing in the United States. The survey included: 1) demographic information; 2) the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI); and 3) the Patient Health Questionnaire 8 (PHQ-8). Results: A total of 4,735 pediatric dentists received the survey questionnaires and resulted in 540 usable responses (response rate = 11.40%). The prevalence of occupational burnout and depression were 9.1 and 7.2 percent respectively. Conclusions: A small but notable number of U.S. pediatric dentists had occupational burnout and depression.

Keywords: Burnout
Depression
Pediatric Dentistry
Advisor: Nainar, Hashim
3-Methylcholanthrene Induces Chylous Ascites and Lethality in Tiparp Knockout Mice

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a ligand-regulated transcription factor that is activated upon binding to various ligands. The activated AHR modulates the expression of many genes including cytochrome P450s (CYPs) such as Cyp1a1, Cyp1b1, and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)-inducible poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (Tiparp). We recently reported that TIPARP is a transcriptional repressor of AHR and Tiparp knockout mice show increased sensitivity to dioxin-induced toxicities. Because of these findings, we examined the sensitivity of Tiparp knockout mice to 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC), another potent AHR ligand. Tiparp knockout mice treated with 100mg/kg of 3-MC exhibited increased hepatotoxicity, increased lipolysis, and developed chylous ascites compared with treated wildtype mice. No treated Tiparp knockout mice survived beyond day 16; all wildtype mice survived the 30 day treatment. Collectively, this thesis shows that Tiparp knockout mice exhibit increased sensitivity to 3-MC-induced toxicity and lethality supporting our previous findings that TIPARP is an important negative regulator of AHR activity.

Keywords: 3-Methylcholanthrene
Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor
Chylous Ascites
Lethality
TIPARP
Toxicity
Advisor: Matthews, Jason
Canada's (Live-in) Caregiver Program: Perceived Impacts on Health and Access to Health Care among Immigrant Filipina Live-in Caregivers in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada

This research examines the relationship between employment as a live-in caregiver under the (Live-in) Caregiver Program and health and access to health care services in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario. Semi-structured interviews are used to examine how perceptions of health and access to health care services are impacted by employment conditions among twenty-one current and former immigrant Filipina live-in caregivers. The findings demonstrate that employment as a live-in caregiver negatively impacts physical health due to a change in diet, increasingly sedentary lifestyle and exposure to a negative environment. Negative impacts on mental health was also reported due to family separation and work related stress. Further, being a live-in caregiver was seen to facilitate and create barriers accessing health services. Future research must examine more socially isolated caregivers as well as caregivers living-out(side) their place of employment to examine the impact other aspects of employment as a caregiver has on health.

Keywords: Caregiver Program
Employment
Filipina
Health
Immigration
Live-in Caregivers
Advisor: Wilson, Kathi
Investigation of the Sediment Retention Behaviour of a Catch Basin Insert Receiving Urban Stormwater Runoff

Ongoing urbanization has detrimental effects on receiving water bodies, making it imperative to apply decentralized stormwater management and in particular on-site controls. This study evaluates the efficiency of a catch basin insert, the CB ShieldTM, in improving sediment retention in conventional catch basins that are subjected to urban runoff typical of Southern Ontario cities. Year-long field trials in Toronto, Ontario, demonstrated that the retrofitted catch basin retained more sediment in its sump, which in turn, lead to greater retention of environmental pollutants. The concentrations observed for retrofitted and conventional catch basins sumps were significantly different for many water quality parameters, including nutrients, heavy metals, and total suspended solids. The CB ShieldTM is a positive retrofit option for conventional catch basins, and further research would be helpful in the evaluation of its operational requirements to ensure a seamless addition into existing infrastructure.

Keywords: Catch Basin Shield
Pollution Prevention
Stormwater Management
Stormwater Runoff
Treatment Train
Urban Contaminants
Advisor: Drake, Jennifer
A Neurodevelopmental Study of Mice following In Utero and Early Postnatal Exposure to Imidacloprid, a Neonicotinoid Pesticide

Imidacloprid (IMD), a neonicotinoid insecticide, is the most widely used insecticide on the planet. The purpose of this study was to examine the behavioural and biochemical effects of chronic in utero and early postnatal IMD exposure. Our treatment regimen entailed chronic exposure whereby pregnant mice were infused with 0.5mg/kg/day of IMD via a subcutaneous osmotic mini-pump from gestational day 3 to postnatal day 21. Beginning on postnatal day 42, the offspring were studied in a series of behavioural tests assessing locomotor activity, anxiety, social dominance and aggression, sensorimotor gating, and depression, while postmortem biochemical analyses included tests that observed sperm abnormalities, immune response abnormalities, and abnormalities in whole blood composition. A decrease in body weight, increased motor activity, enhanced social dominance, decreased depressive-like behaviours, and a decrease in visible social aggression was observed, demonstrating the induction of abnormal behaviours in mice after in utero and early postnatal exposure to IMD.

Keywords: Behaviour
Imidacloprid
Mice
Neonicotinoid
Neurodevelopment
Toxicology
Advisor: Hampson, David R
Development of Raman Spectroscopy as a Clinical Diagnostic Tool

Raman spectroscopy is the collection of inelastically scattered light in which the spectra contain biochemical information of the probed cells or tissue. This work presents both targeted and untargeted ways that the technique can be exploited in biological samples. First, surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) gold nanoparticles conjugated to targeting antibodies were shown to be successful for multiplexed detection of overexpressed surface antigens in lung cancer cell lines. Further work will need to optimize the conjugation technique to preserve the strong binding affinity of the antibodies. Second, untargeted Raman microspectroscopy combined with multivariate statistical analysis was able to successfully differentiate mouse ovarian surface epithelial (MOSE) cells and spontaneously transformed ovarian surface epithelial (STOSE) cells with high accuracy. The differences between the two groups were associated with increased nucleic acid content in the STOSE cells. This shows potential for single cell detection of ovarian cancer.

Keywords: Cell surface receptors
Multiplexing
Multivariate statistical analysis
Ovarian surface epithelial cells
Raman Spectroscopy
Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS)
Advisor: Wilson, Brian C
First-year Kinesiology Students' Learning Experience in a Practice-based Course

The purpose of this study was to investigate first-year kinesiology studentsâ learning experience in a practice-based course. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven first-student kinesiology students following their completion of a first year practice-based course. The six core tenets of experiential learning theory were used to structure the interview protocol and framed the initial steps in data analysis. The results show that the practice-based learning experience is different for all students. Despite such differences, four central themes emerged from the data: the importance of connection, consideration for the individuality of all learners, the influential role of the instructor, and the importance of the learning space. The significance of these findings is discussed and recommendations are provided for the enhancement of student learning in practice-based or experiential learning environments.

Keywords: Experiential learning
Practice-based learning
Student experience
Advisor: Frost, David
Ultrasonic Classification of Defects in Thin-walled Structures

This thesis focused on the development of techniques to detect and estimate the size of circular corrosion defects in thin-walled structures using ultrasonic guided waves. A 3D Finite Element (FE) model was developed to simulate the propagation of waves in thin-walled plates. The model was validated with experimental analysis using an Electro-Magnetic Acoustic Transducer (EMAT). Using a combination of fundamental and higher order horizontally polarized shear waves, the loss in amplitude of the received waves could be correlated to the minimum diameter of a defect. The transmitted pulse was delayed by an amount correlated to minimum defect diameter at the bottom of the defect. The 3D FE model predicted the received signals in plates with defects with an average error of 5%Âą2% for amplitude changes and 19%Âą17% for pulse delays. These results suggest that a 3D model can be used to predict the effects of defects on shear wave propagation.

Advisor: Sinclair, Anthony
Filleter, Tobin
Orchestration over Heterogeneous Infrastructures

The future cloud ecosystem will be very diverse. On account of differences in offerings, prices, and locations, resource allocations may span multiple public cloud providers and include private resource pools in the form of virtual customer premise edges. Additionally,future applications will require more powerful networking paradigms like software-defined networking (SDN), which provide a centralized and fine-grained view of the network. When considering private resource pools, we must extend the notion of SDN to other resource types and consider software-defined infrastructure (SDI)- a resource management approach that converges the management of heterogeneous resource types and provides a centralized view over all resources. This work proposes Vino, a system for managing resources in heterogeneous domains (public and private clouds) as well as orchestration over these heterogeneous infrastructures. Additionally, Vino enables SDI capabilities on arbitrary clouds by leveraging overlay networks. We design, prototype and evaluate the Vino system, capable of handling the aforementioned tasks.

Keywords: Orchestration
Advisor: Leon-Garcia, Alberto
The Effect of High Temperature on the Reproductive Success of Trianthema portulacastrum

Plant reproduction is highly sensitive to rising temperatures, which can lead to pollen abortion, and lower yield in many crop species. It remains uncertain whether wild plant species adapted to hot climates are able to reproduce at high temperature. I studied heat sterility thresholds in Trianthema portulacastrum, a weedy species found throughout the tropics and subtropics, often on barren soils where temperature exceeds 40°C. Plants were grown at seven day/night temperatures: 30/24°C, 33/24°C, 36/24°C, 40/24°C, 44/24°C, 24/40°C, and 40/40°C. Pollen viability significantly declined with increasing temperature, but this did not significantly affect percent pollen germination or seed set. In contrast, seed set was significantly reduced under high night temperature. The results show high night temperatures have a greater impact on reproduction than day temperature, indicating T. portulacastrum is using a night escape strategy to maintain reproductive success in its natural habitat.

Keywords: climate change
heat sterility
heat stress
plant reproduction
thermal tolerance
Advisor: Sage, Rowan F
Evaluating the Neurophysiological Effects of Late-life Depression using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Background: Depression is one of the most common neuropsychiatric disorders in adults aged 60 and over. Young depressed adults demonstrate dysfunctional GABAergic neurotransmission and impaired neuroplasticity. However, an understanding of the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying late-life depression (LLD) is lacking. Methods: This study aimed to evaluate transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) measures of cortical inhibition, excitation, and neuroplasticity in 67 LLD patients and 39 healthy non-psychiatric controls aged 60 and over. Results: No differences were found for cortical inhibition or excitation between depressed patients and controls. LLD patients demonstrated impaired neuroplasticity induction compared to a baseline value of 1mV; however, when compared to controls depressed patients showed no significant plasticity deficits. Conclusions: Our findings provide indirect support for the age-by-disease hypothesis for LLD, which posits that with age the brain advances into a physiological state that promotes susceptibility to LLD. Further research is required to understand the pathophysiology of LLD.

Keywords: Cortical Inhibition
Late-Life Depression
Motor Cortex
Motor Evoked Potential
Neuroplasticity
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Advisor: Blumberger, Daniel M
Hippocampal Activation and Memory Encoding in Borderline Personality Disorder

Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) report everyday problems with forgetfulness and display deficits on standardized measures of memory functioning. The medial temporal lobe, involved in memory encoding and consolidation, is smaller in individuals with BPD and shows an altered pattern of resting metabolism. The neural correlates of disrupted memory formation in BPD have not been studied outside of the context of emotionally-valenced material. To examine the neural underpinnings of memory encoding in BPD, the present study assessed eight females with BPD and an equal number of age- and sex-matched non-psychiatric controls. Participants viewed visual scenes during functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning and subsequently completed a recognition memory test outside the scanner. Compared to controls, individuals with BPD exhibited less activation in the right hippocampus for subsequently remembered versus forgotten scenes. These results suggest that hippocampal dysfunction during the formation of memories may underlie the memory disturbances associated with BPD.

Keywords: borderline personality disorder
functional magnetic resonance imaging
memory encoding
neuroimaging
subsequent memory
Advisor: Ruocco, Anthony C
Lee, Andy CH
Targeting of Heat Shock Protein HSPA6 (HSP70B') to the Periphery of Nuclear Speckles is Disrupted by Transcription Inhibitor following Thermal Stress in Human Neuronal Cells

Heat shock proteins (Hsps) are a set of conserved proteins involved in cellular repair and protection. Localization of inducible members of the HSPA (HSP70) family can be used as an index to identify stress-sensitive sites in differentiated human neuronal cells. Following thermal stress, the little studied HSPA6 (HSP70B') associated with the periphery of nuclear speckles (perispeckles) that are sites of transcription factories, however the widely studied HSPA1A (HSP70-1) did not. Triptolide, a fast-acting transcription inhibitor, knocked down levels of the large subunit of RNA polymerase II, RPB1, during the time-frame when HSPA6 localized to perispeckles. Administration of triptolide to heat shocked human neuronal SH-SY5Y cells, disrupted HSPA6 localization to perispeckles, suggesting involvement of HSPA6 in transcriptional recovery after stress. The HSPA6 gene is present in the human genome but not in mouse and rat. Hence, current animal models of neurodegenerative diseases lack a potentially protective member of the HSPA family.

Keywords: heat shock proteins
HSPA6
human neuronal SH-SY5Y cells
triptolide
Advisor: Brown, Ian R.
ID1 Mediates Glioblastoma Chemoresistance to Temozolomide

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most lethal primary brain tumour in adults, and represents a therapeutic challenge. We investigated the role of inhibitor-of-DNA-binding-1 (ID1), a transcriptional regulator implicated in cancer cell survival and cancer progression in breast and colon cancer, as a mediator of chemoresistance in glioblastoma. Using immunohistochemical and Western blot analysis, we determined that increased ID1 expression correlates with decreased progression-free survival in GBM patient samples following chemotherapy, and TMZ resistancy in GBM cell lines. Inhibition of ID1 using pimozide (chemical ID1 inhibitor), siRNA-mediated knockdown, and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout enhanced the effect of TMZ in GBM cell lines and intracranial xenografts. In vitro, ID1 inhibition sensitized cells to TMZ-treatment and ID1-knockout reduced colony formation post-TMZ. In vivo, ID1-knockout delayed GBM tumour initiation and progression, and increased survival; pimozide combined with TMZ delayed tumour recurrence. Our studies demonstrate that ID1 may serve as a potential therapeutic target in glioblastoma.

Keywords: cancer
chemoresistance
inhibitor of DNA binding 1 (ID1)
tumour recurrence
Advisor: Das, Sunit
Effects of Cholesterol Depletion on Membrane Capacitance Cytoplasmic Conductivity

Cholesterol is a key molecule in a wide variety of cellular functions and serves as an important indicator for cellular properties. Cholesterol can be measured directly using fluorescent techniques or indirectly through biophysical properties, such as capacitance. To explore the relationship between membrane cholesterol depletion and electrical properties, single cell impedance spectroscopy was used. HEp2 cells were exposed to methyl-Î˛-cyclodextrin, a cholesterol-depleting molecule, for varying treatment times. The level of depletion was determined using a Filipin-III fluorescent assay. A frequency sweep was performed in a microfluidic constriction channel, allowing the electrical properties to be extracted by fitting the data to a circuit model. Depletion of cholesterol was shown to affect both the membrane capacitance and the cytoplasmic conductivity. The capacitance decrease is thought to be caused by a decrease in surface area and the conductivity by changes in the ion concentration of the cytoplasm.

Keywords: Cholesterol Depletion
Cytoplasm Conductivity
Membrane Capacitance
Single-Cell Impedance Spectroscopy
Advisor: Sun, Yu