VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Long-term effects of nasoalveolar molding in patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate

To investigate the long-term nasolabial esthetic outcome of nasoalveolar molding (NAM) in comparison to traditional infant orthopedics (TIO), and to no IO in the treatment of patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (CUCLP) at a mean age of 11 years 8 months. Three samples were collected with different infant management protocols, namely NAM, TIO, and no IO. Nasolabial esthetics were assessed based on frontal and cleft-side profile photographs using the Q-Sort modification of the Asher-McDade et al. method. Statistical analysis included the Kruskal-Wallis test and a Bonferroni correction. The use of both types of IO yielded significantly better results in vermilion border and nasal form and profile esthetics of the sample treated with TIO were rated more superiorly. Although direct causation cannot be established given the heterogeneity surrounding cleft care, this study suggests reconsidering the proposed benefits associated with IO in the long-term.

Keywords: Cleft lip and palate
Nasoalveolar molding
Orthodontics
Presurgical infant orthopedics
Advisor: Daskalogiannakis, John
Non-enzymic Fluoride Elimination and Iodination of the Breslow Intermediate

3-fluoropyruvate is an unusual substrate for pyruvate decarboxylase and pyruvate dehydrogenase that results in mechanistic divergence through exclusive fluoride elimination. A synthetic analogue, 2-(1-hydroxytrifluoroethyl)-thiamin (HTFETh), was designed to generate a similar Breslow intermediate to that produced in the diverted pathway. 1H NMR studies on HTFETh at pH/pD 7.0 displayed 100% fluoride elimination in solution and the corresponding C2alpha carbanion/enamine is subject to rapid proton transfer. The rate constants for C2alpha proton transfer were measured by trapping the Breslow intermediate with triiodide at various concentrations for the purpose of solving that of fluoride elimination. The results suggested that fluoride elimination is molecularly intrinsic and likely rate-determining on the enzymes. Furthermore, the second-order rate constants for C2alpha proton transfer showed general base and general acid catalysis and an averaged pKa value of 12.5. Preliminary BrĂ¸nsted plots with alpha = 0.48 and beta = 0.49 implied mid-way proton transfer at the transition state.

Keywords: Breslow intermediate
Flouride elimination
Pyruvate decarboxylase
Pyruvate dehydrogenase
Thiamin
Advisor: Kluger, Ronald
Identification of novel resistance specificity in Arabidopsis thaliana against Pseudomonas syringae strains

Pseudomonas syringae is a plant pathogen that infects a diverse set of hosts by injecting type III secreted effectors (T3SEs) into plant cells to cause disease. Plants like Arabidopsis thaliana have evolved resistance (R) proteins to recognize these effectors and trigger robust immunity. Co-evolutionary pressures have led to effector and R protein diversification as plants and pathogens struggle for survival. To date, there are >60 T3SE families in P. syringae and ~160 predicted R proteins in Arabidopsis, yet, less than a dozen R protein-effector pairs are characterized. To tackle this problem, we took 2 approaches. 1) We screened Arabidopsis ecotypes for resistance to PtoDC3000. We identified the Uod-1 ecotype and propose HopM1 as a potential T3SE triggering immunity. 2) We screened P. syringae strains for those capable of triggering immunity in the Arabidopsis Col-0 ecotype. We identified two strains with immune-eliciting effectors that have yet to be characterized.

Keywords: Arabidopsis thaliana
plant immunity
plant-pathogen interactions
Pseudomonas syringae
type III effector
Advisor: Guttman, David S
Desveaux, Darrell
Composite Films Formed by Cellulose nanocrystals and Latex Nanoparticles: Optical, Structural, and Mechanical Properties

This thesis describes the preparation of iridescent, birefringent, composite films composed of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), latex nanoparticles (NPs) and a NP crosslinker; hexanediamine (HDA). First, aqueous suspensions were prepared with varying quantities of CNCs, NPs and HDA before equilibrating for one week. The cholesteric (Ch) phase was then cast and dried into a film. The optical, structural and mechanical properties of the film was analyzed. Second, films with identical compositions of CNCs, NPs, and HDA were fabricated in three different ways to yield films of different morphology, (i) fast drying of an isotropic suspension, yielding an isotropic film, (ii) slow drying of an isotropic suspension, yielding a partially Ch films, (iii) slow drying of an equilibrated suspension, yielding a highly Ch film. The optical and mechanical properties of the films was analyzed.

Keywords: Cellulose
Cholesteric
Composite
Film
Latex
Nanoparticles
Advisor: Kumacheva, Eugenia
The Impact of Plants on Indoor Air Quality, Energy Use, and Psychological Status of Occupants

Plants may have several impacts, which can be categorized into indoor air quality, energy use, and psychological effects. This thesis presented a comprehensive review of the impact of indoor plants in these categories. Indoor plants can emit a negligible amount of VOCs and microorganisms to the indoors but also have limited ability to remove pollutants. In addition, greenery systems are exterior to the building enclosure, resulting in a reduction of external surface temperature and heat transfer, particularly in certain climates. Interaction with indoor plants can also deliver measurable psychological benefits to people despite the confounding variables and other experimental design issues. In conclusion, indoor plants have limited effect on indoor air quality, external plants have a possible impact on saving energy, and indoor plants can influence psychological status when placed on the level of vision. Plants cannot be treated as a system, and other alternatives can provide promising solutions.

Keywords: Clean air Delivery rate
Energy Saving
Indoor air quality
Plants
Psychological effects
Advisor: Siegel, Jeffrey
Development of a Transdermal Microneedle Patch for Conscious Sedation in Pediatric Dentistry

Objectives: Identification of a practical microneedle transdermal delivery system for conscious sedation, identification of drugs that can be used in such a transdermal device, development of a working prototype, survey potential users regarding such a sedation modality. Methods: Available microneedle systems and sedative agents in pediatric practice were evaluated through literature review using clinical and pharmacological criteria. Specifications of a working prototype were established, followed by fabrication. Healthcare professionals were surveyed regarding their likelihood of using such a device, potential concerns, and cost sensitivity. Results: The hollow microneedle design option was determined to be the most suitable for sedation agent delivery. Midazolam was identified as an appropriate transdermal agent. A working prototype was fabricated. The survey of potential users revealed high acceptability for this concept but with potential concerns on the pharmacological profile. Conclusion: The microneedle system will likely be a new, effective modality for the administration of conscious sedation.

Advisor: Kulkarni, Gajanan
RHS-to-RHS Axially Loaded X-Connections Offset Towards an Open Chord End

In all truss-type welded rectangular hollow section (RHS) connection design procedures, the chord member is assumed continuous on both sides of the branch. Amendments to code have recently been submitted which specify minimum end distances from an open chord end to achieve the full connection strength. To investigate their suitability for RHS connections, an experimental program consisting of 16 RHS-to-RHS X-connections subject to branch axial compression was undertaken. A proposed analytical model is derived and, by comparing with the experimental results, is shown to accurately predict the yield loads. The closed-form solution for the end distance is thus justified for use with RHS connections, in lieu of a pending EN amendment, based on the twelve Î˛=0.5 tests. A strength reduction is recommended from the four Î˛=1.0 tests. A re-evaluation of 109 prior tests on full-width X-connections also reveals significant discrepancies between current design rules for RHS chord sidewall strengths.

Keywords: analytical modelling
chord end effects
chord sidewall strengths
rectangular hollow sections
steel structures
truss connections
Advisor: Packer, Jeffrey A.
Teneurin C-terminal Associated Peptides (TCAPs): Evolutionary Origins and the Role of TCAP-1 on Calcium Flux in Astrocyte Monocultures and in Astrocytes Co-cultured with Neurons

Teneurin C-terminal associated peptides (TCAPs) are a family of 40-41 amino acid peptides located at the C-terminus of each of the four teneurin type II transmembrane proteins. The teneurin-TCAP system is ancient and likely arose as a result of a horizontal gene transfer event. TCAPs share sequence similarity to the Secretin superfamily, a less evolutionarily ancient family that includes corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF). The phylogenetic position of TCAP places it as a putative ancestor of the Secretin superfamily. Calcium ion signaling is integral to all living organisms and astrocytes are integral to the development of the central nervous system in chordates. It is likely that TCAP played a role in these mechanisms. TCAP-1 stimulated calcium signaling in astrocyte monocultures but not in astrocytes co-cultured with neurons. This effect is mediated, in part, by the glutamatergic system. Therefore, the ancient peptide TCAP-1 plays a role in regulating calcium flux in astrocytes.

Keywords: Astrocyte-neuron co-cultures
Astrocytes
Calcium
Evolution
Neurons
Teneurin C-terminal associated peptide (TCAP)
Advisor: Lovejoy, David A.
Novel Bismuth-Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide Photocatalytic Nanomaterial for Antibacterial Applications

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) have become a global concern, especially with the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria which can survive on surfaces from days to months. In order to combat these infections, a superior, next-generation antimicrobial agent was generated since conventional agents offer no residual effect beyond its single-use. This novel composite material contained a bismuth-based photocatalyst, and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), a known antiseptic surfactant which does not require photoactivation, allowing antibacterial activity under both indoor fluorescent light and dark conditions. The as-prepared Bi-CTAB composites have a highly crystalline, layered sheet-like structure with the thickness of a single layer around 0.5 nm. The number of layers can be easily tuned from single layer to multiple layers by the control of the hydrolysis process. These ultra-thin Bi-CTAB composites exhibited superior antibacterial action in both light and dark conditions, tested in a modified broth microdilution assay against E. coli concentrations of 5 x 10^5 CFU/mL. In the presence of light, Bi-CTAB composites retained significant bactericidal effect after four cycles of bacterial inoculation, demonstrating an advantage over single-use conventional agents. We anticipate these assay results to be a starting point in translating the composite into clinical setting as a general disinfectant.

Advisor: Goh, M. Cynthia
An Experimental Study on the Effects of Rings on Flame Length and Stability in Lime Kilns

Ring formation in lime kilns has been a persistent problem in kraft pulp mills due to the reversible nature of the calcination reaction that takes place in lime kilns. Rings can form due to temperature fluctuations in the kiln, which triggers the backward reaction depositing hard calcium carbonate deposits on the walls of the kiln. Rings can alter the inner surface of the kiln and can affect the flame pattern or cause impingement, causing further temperature fluctuations in the kiln. The effect of ring position, thickness and length on flame length and stability was examined in this work. Ring position, thickness and length were found to affect the flame shape and stability greatly. The rings could be altering the recirculation inside the kiln and thereby affecting the flame.

Keywords: Flame
Flame stability
Lime kiln
Ring formation
Advisor: Tran, Honghi
Correlating Sensitive Behaviours with User Interaction on Android

In recent years, ransomware and private information leakage have become more prevalent on mobile devices. Distinguishing such applications from benign ones that make use of similar functionality is challenging because they make use of the exact same APIs. In order to disambiguate these uses, a security analyst may wish to consider whether the user was aware of and consented to the sensitive behaviour. This thesis seeks to aid an analyst making this determination by correlating sensitive behaviours with user interaction. In order to assess user awareness, an analyst should consider all paths to a sensitive behaviour. A path to a sensitive behaviour should be preceded by some UI interaction or a read from persistent storage written to as a consequence of UI interaction. A technique capable of correlating sensitive behaviours with preceding UI interaction has been implemented and evaluated on a suite of synthetic applications.

Keywords: mobile
privacy
program analysis
security
static analysis
Advisor: Lie, David
Knowledge and Practices of Family and Emergency Physicians in Managing Non-traumatic Dental Conditions: a Case-based Survey

Background: Physicians are often patients’ first point of contact for management of non-traumatic dental conditions (NTDCs). Objective: To evaluate the knowledge and practices of Ontario physicians in managing NTDCs. Methods: A scenario-based online survey was distributed to Ontario family and emergency physicians (n = 1012). Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: 204 surveys were completed (20.2% response rate). A majority of the sampled physicians would prescribe antibiotics for NTDC scenarios in which an antibiotic would not be indicated. Antibiotic overprescribing was significantly associated with practicing in smaller communities and with patient pressures. About half of the sample (52.9%) felt discomfort in overall management of NTDCs, while 85.3% felt that their training inadequately prepared them to manage NTDCs. Conclusions: Ontario physicians report NTDC management practices that are not in line with “best evidence” care. Areas that present opportunities for improvement in the physician management of NTDCs have been identified.

Keywords: Antibiotics
Dental conditions
Knowledge
Ontario
Physicians
Practices
Advisor: Azarpazhooh, Amir
A Sampling-based Approach to GPGPU Performance Auto-tuning

We present a novel strategy for automatic performance tuning of GPU programs. The strategy combines heuristic search with regression trees, a machine learning model, to prune the optimization space. It samples configurations in the space as training data for a regression tree. It then focuses the search on the tree region with the best mean sample performance. Additional regression trees are built using the cumulative samples collected. This process is repeated until the given time budget is exhausted.We implement our strategy in OpenTuner, an open source automatic tuning framework. We evaluate the strategy using 8 benchmark GPU programs run on an Nvidia GTX 1060 GPU. We compare the effectiveness of our strategy in obtaining good performing configurations against the state-of-the-art AUC-Bandit strategy used by OpenTuner. Experimental results show that our strategy is more consistently able to obtain better performing configurations compared to OpenTunerâ s strategy, by up to 34% averaged over 100 auto-tuning experiments.

Keywords: Auto-tuning
GPGPU
Regression Trees
Advisor: Abdelrahman, Tarek
Novel Approaches to Automated Digital Design Debugging in a Modern Development Cycle

The ever-increasing complexity of modern digital designs has introduced significant challenges to ensuring designs meet specification. Verification alone consumes up to 70% of the cost of designing a chip, with debugging comprising the majority of this cost. In recent years, advances in automated debugging techniques have alleviated this cost, but nevertheless are resource-intensive and offer only design-centric results. This thesis proposes two novel methodologies to address these problems. First, a dual-window approach to analyzing memory-locked errors is introduced. A sliding window is used to model inputs to memory while a fixed observation window is used to model memory outputs. Next, an extensible perceptron-based framework that ranks revisions based on their likelihood of having introduced an error is discussed. A perceptron is trained on past failures and their fixes, then used to make predictions on future failures. Experiments demonstrate the benefits offered by the proposed techniques.

Keywords: Debugging
Machine Learning
Verification
Advisor: Veneris, Andreas
Distinct Oral Neutrophil Subsets Define Health and Disease States

Neutrophils exit the vasculature and swarm to sites of inflammation and infection. Neutrophils are also actively recruited to the healthy periodontium without eliciting clinical signs of inflammation, suggesting a unique immune surveillance neutrophil function. We hypothesized that oral neutrophils in the healthy periodontium exist in a â para-inflammatoryâ state that allows neutrophils to symbiotically interact with the commensal oral microflora. Using the principles of immunophenotyping, we identified four distinct neutrophil subsets: resting circulatory neutrophils, two para-inflammatory and one pro-inflammatory tissue neutrophil phenotypes in the absence and presence of chronic inflammation, respectively. This work is the first to comprehensively characterize healthy oral neutrophils and identity the para-inflammatory neutrophil phenotype, thereby demonstrating that not all neutrophils trafficking through periodontium are fully activated. In addition to establishing possible diagnostic and treatment monitoring biomarkers, the oral tissue neutrophil phenotype model builds on existing literature suggesting that the healthy periodontium may be in a para-inflammatory state.

Keywords: CD Markers
Chronic Periodontitis
Neutrophils
Phenotypes
Advisor: Glogauer, Michael
Topical 5-Fluorouracil - A Novel Targeted Therapy for the Keratocystic Odontogenic Tumour

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is used to treat basal cell carcinomas (BCCs), which are similar in etiopathogenesis to Keratocystic Odontogenic Tumours (KOTs). We hypothesized that KOTs are molecularly targeted by 5-FU, and 5-FU-treated KOT cases have lower recurrence rates and less morbidity compared to those treated with Modified Carnoyâ s (MC). An ambispective study of recurrence rates and morbidity in patients with KOTs treated with 5-FU or MC was completed. There were no KOT recurrences with 5-FU; whereas, there were 4 recurrences with MC (p=0.190). There was also a lower incidence of inferior alveolar nerve paresthesia with 5-FU treatment (p=0.039). Immunohistochemistry revealed up-regulation of thymidine phosphorylase (TP, p

Advisor: Lam, David K
Development of a Miniature Low Power Cylindrical Hall Thruster for Microsatellites

To enable more advanced commercial microsatellite missions, a low power electric propulsion system was designed by the University of Toronto Space Flight Laboratory. A prototype cylindrical Hall thruster was first developed using electromagnets. The thruster's performance was evaluated over a range of 20-300 W. At the nominal 200 W operation, 6.2 mN of thrust with a specific impulse of 1139 s was measured with xenon propellant. Significant erosion of the thruster's discharge chamber wall was observed which limited its lifetime to 100 hours. Subsequently, a flight representative version of the thruster was developed. Permanent magnets were used to reduce the size, mass, and power consumption. Changes to the design were implemented to improve lifetime. Performance characterization and literature suggest that a reduction in performance is expected with the use of permanent magnets. Lastly, thermal vacuum and vibration tests were performed to bring the thruster to Technology Readiness Level 6.

Keywords: Electric Propulsion
Hall Thruster
Microsatellite
Plasma
Advisor: Zee, Robert E
Pathological Validation of the Role of Endoscopic Contouring in Head and Neck Cancers

Purpose: To develop and test methods of correlating whole-mount pathology of head and neck (H) samples to pre-operative radiological imaging. The ultimate goal of this study is to correlate pathology samples of H cancers to pre-operative computed tomography (CT) imaging and navigated endoscopy. Methods: Tongue and mandible samples from non-survival pig studies were used. We assessed tissue shrinkages and proposed methods to enhance the registration accuracy. A slicing apparatus was designed that generates consistent tissue sections to aid histology to pre-operative registration. Finally, the whole registration pipeline was tested using intermediate steps. Results: The fiducial registration error (FRE) from histology to pre-operative imaging was 1.94 mm for tongue and 1.07 mm for mandible. Conclusion: We demonstrated the feasibility of registering pathology findings with volumetric imaging. The registration error can further improve by utilizing techniques of deformable registration and adding more landmarks in our specimens to calculate the registration error reliably.

Advisor: Weersink, Robert A.
Design and Validation of a Transfemoral Amputee Walking Model with Passive Prosthesis Swing Phase Control

A two dimensional, seven segment biped transfemoral amputee swing phase model was developed at four walking speeds as an evaluation tool for variable cadence swing phase controllers. Torques at each joint were modelled as a function of tracking error and a forward dynamic optimization was performed to produce joint torques to match four sets of reference amputee kinematics. A prosthetic knee’s swing phase was simulated across four speeds (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 m/s) and compared to experimental data. The knee performance RMSE ranged from 1.42° - 37° with increasing errors at higher walking speeds. The introduction of absolute hip motion measured from the affected side increased errors across all walking speeds. Additional modelling and optimization strategies to improve the model’s accuracy are discussed.

Keywords: above knee amputation
computational modelling
prosthetic knee joint
swing phase
swing phase controller
variable walking speeds
Advisor: Andrysek, Jan
Quadrotor Visual Servoing for Automatic Landing

This thesis investigates the application of camera-based tracking and landing for multirotor UAVs on a moving target. Both Position-Based and Image-Based Visual Servoing are utilized to provide guidance to the quadrotor which will aim to track the target and to land on top of it. A novel Image-Based Visual Servoing scheme with a non-static desired image is developed to facilitate landing and yawing motions by the quadrotor. These control laws are then investigated through simulation and implementation on an experimental platform. Experiments are performed using the Ardrone 2.0 quadrotor and a Create Roomba as the ground rover. Successful implementations for landing are presented in the case of the Position-Based Visual Servoing, while hover and small motions are performed using the Image-Based Visual Servoing.

Keywords: IBVS
PBVS
Quadrotor
Visual Servoing
Advisor: Liu, Hugh H. T.