VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The Intersection between Child Irritability and Parental and Family Factors in Children with Disruptive Behaviour

Irritability has received growing clinical and empirical attention as a transdiagnostic vulnerability trait; however, it is unclear which factors are most closely associated with its emergence and negative impact on daily functioning (i.e., functional impairment). An increasing body of literature has examined the role of environmental factors, particularly parental and family characteristics, in child irritability. To date, there is no review that comprehensively summarizes associations between parental factors and child irritability. There is also limited research examining how parental characteristics are associated with child irritability and how these might impact functional impairment. This dissertation aimed to address these gaps in the literature through a deeper examination of the role of parental factors on child irritability and potential contributions to impairments in children’s functioning. Study one consisted of a systematic review that evaluated the evidence of associations between three key parental factors (i.e., behaviours, emotional functioning, cognitions) and child irritability. A narrative synthesis of the results of the included studies (n = 48) was undertaken. Findings showed that higher child irritability was associated with non-supportive parenting behaviours (e.g., inconsistent discipline) and parental mental health difficulties (i.e., internalizing and externalizing disorders). Other parental factors (e.g., cognitions) were less studied. In study two, data from mothers of clinic-referred children aged 6 – 12 years (n = 353) with disruptive behaviours were analyzed using a person-centered analytic approach to determine profiles based on measures of maternal mental health difficulties, parenting behaviours, and family functioning. Three profiles were identified and labelled, “Relatively Low Difficulties,” “Mental Health Difficulties,” and “High Difficulties.” Profiles were compared on mother- and teacher-reported child irritability and functional impairment. Profiles with elevated levels of maternal mental health difficulties and negative parenting behaviours had the highest child irritability severity and impairment. Using a mediation framework, child irritability was not found to account for the association between maternal profiles and children’s level of functional impairment. Findings from this dissertation may help to clarity parental factors that may be important to address in prevention and intervention efforts to reduce child irritability symptoms and potentially offset the long-term negative outcomes associated with irritability in children.

Keywords: child
functional impairment
irritability
mental health
parenting
parents
Advisor: Andrade, Brendan
Identifying and De-implementing Low-value Administrative Practices in Long-term Care

For continued survival, organizations must undergo changes to their structure, routines, and practices, which are facilitated by organizational learning and unlearning. The concept of unlearning is highly relevant in healthcare organizations, where information is continually updated and resources may be limited. In health services research, organizational change is often discussed in terms of implementation and de-implementation. As such, the objectives of this dissertation were: (i) to explore the conceptual and practical characteristics of organizational unlearning in the health services research context, and (ii) identify and characterize the subject of organizational unlearning with respect to administrative work in Canadian long-term care homes, and the processes that may contribute to their de-implementation. This was achieved through three complementary studies. The first study was a concept analysis on organizational unlearning. This concept analysis demonstrated that organizational unlearning involves five key attributes: plan, action, subject of organizational unlearning, value, source. Antecedents and consequences were described. The second study was a scoping review to understand the approaches used in the existing empirical literature to explore the phenomenon of unlearning within an organizational setting. This review offers four key findings: (1) De-implementation is the most common terminology used to describe organizational unlearning in health services research; (2) The most common methods used to study unlearning was quantitative chart reviews and qualitative interviews; (3) Educational strategies were the most common experimental strategies used to facilitate unlearning; and (4) there is inconsistency with use of theories, models, and frameworks, across studies. The third study employed qualitative interviews to explore de-implementation in a health care setting. Specifically, low-value administrative practices in the Canadian long-term care sector. Twenty-seven low-value administrative practices were identified and characterized. The details of each practice were presented as cases. In nine cases, de-implementation processes were described, including the stakeholders engaged, strategies employed, and outcomes achieved. The findings of this dissertation move beyond the important conceptual and theoretical work that has been done to facilitate de-implementation efforts in practice. As was demonstrated here, such efforts can be meaningfully applied to the long-term care, where resources with respect to time, money, and staff are increasingly limited.

Keywords: administrative practice
de-implementation
long-term care
organizational unlearning
qualitative
Advisor: Berta, Whitney
Creating the Self: Life-Writing of Maria Matios and Oksana Zabuzhko as an Autobiographical Map of Meaning for Ukrainian Feminine Identity from Independence to 2013

This dissertation analyzes the life writing of two contemporary Ukrainian female authors Maria Matios and Oksana Zabuzhko who explore the notion of self-concept, gender, and the residual impact of Soviet colonialism on the ever-morphing construction of Ukrainian feminine identity. My analysis brings to the fore the experiences of childhood and the impact of familial relations on episodic memories and psychological development. I argue that in their early years, the authors learn to recognize the duality of their existence and establish mechanisms of performance to protect their privately constructed idea of the self in relation to others. They then use these mechanisms of performance in their adulthood in order to advocate for the re-emergence of Ukrainian culture in Ukraine and beyond its borders. The performative aspect is visible in their interaction as students within a Soviet education system, as well as in their early adulthood in making decisions over their bodies as well as the women they write about. I then explore the dynamic process of Soviet narrative reinforcement and legitimization of colonial identity through the school curriculum. Drawing on the analytical theory of projective identification, I explore the efforts of the young Matios and Zabuzhko in resisting the legitimate identity by questioning the gaps in veteran accounts and the repetition of historical accounts. In attempts to verify the heroic myths with the observed show trials, they develop a projection of an alternative narrative, which then they try to question, verify, and legitimize into a Ukrainian form. Their life writing texts present an intertwined and lifelong challenge to reconcile the private and public accounts to find a place of belonging without punishment or concealment. This thesis also investigates the attempt to break the invisibility of the colonial and gendered subject oppression, by restating the cyclical process of identity building returning it to the legitimization of the projective Ukrainian identity through constant agency and performance of both the individual self and through a collective community.

Keywords: autobiography
lifewriting
Maria Matios
Oksana Zabuzhko
Ukrainian
Advisor: Tarnawsky, Maxim
All-Under-Heaven: A Confucian Theory of Global Justice

This dissertation offers a historical narrative of the development of the Confucian concept of tianxia (“All-Under-Heaven”) as a resource for cross-cultural debates about global justice. Current studies of global justice generally follow the logic of western liberal thought, paying little attention to non-western intellectual and cultural traditions. By setting out a novel interpretation of tianxia theory and giving voice to Chinese tradition on this topic, the dissertation sets the stage for further cross-cultural exchange, makes a contribution to the field of comparative political theory, and contrasts with other recent accounts of tianxia theory. It studies the development of tianxia theory in three periods: (1) the Western Zhou Dynasty and Spring & Autumn/Warring States period, through the texts ascribed to Confucius and Mencius; (2) the Qin Dynasty and the Han Dynasty, as represented in works attributed to Dong Zhongshu; and (3) the late Qing Dynasty, as expressed in Kang Youwei’s The Book of Great Unity (Da Tongshu).The dissertation’s core argument is that tianxia, as both a normative ideal and a system of political rule, evolved through a dialectical interaction between theory and practice. This dynamic enabled a robust, stable, and adaptive relationship between core and periphery in a political order that covered a vast territory and encompassed diverse peoples. Tianxia theory originated in the political practice of the Western Zhou Dynasty; following the political collapse of the first tianxia system, Confucius and Mencius reconstructed its logic at the level of theory. The establishment of the Qin Dynasty marked the birth of the ancient Chinese empire, setting the scene for a new tianxia system with the central kingdom of China at its core. In the Han Dynasty, Dong Zhongshu produced a new theoretical understanding of tianxia, providing an intellectual and ideological infrastructure that supported the exploration of the ancient Silk Road and the tributary system. In the late 19th century, when the Chinese empire was challenged by the imperial ambitions of Western states, the ancient tianxia system came to an end. However, Kang Youwei’s revival of the concept of great unity demonstrated the possibility of a modern tianxia theory.

Keywords: Comparative Political Theory
Confucianism
Global Justice
Political Theory
Tianxia
Advisor: Carens, Joseph
Williams, Melissa
Thermal Stability and Mechanical Properties of Mass-Produced Electroformed Nanocrystalline Ni-Co Sheet Metal

The thermal stability and its influence on the microstructural and mechanical properties of a recently commercialized electroformed nanocrystalline Ni-32at%Co (grain size: 18 nm) free-standing sheet metal was investigated to better understand the structure-property relationships of this alloy system. A series of 1 hour isothermal annealing treatments revealed that the alloy exhibited three different grain growth stages including stage 1: initial uniform coarsening of the nanocrystalline grains (≤200 ℃); stage 2: development of abnormally grown grains in a nanocrystalline matrix (225 – 300 ℃), and stage 3: uniform growth to sub-micrometer sized grains (350 – 400 ℃). The effect of microstructural changes on the mechanical properties were examined by both hardness indentation measurements and tensile tests. Both hardness and ultimate tensile strength followed an extrinsic Hall-Petch to inverse Hall-Petch (HP-IHP) transition. The transition of the alloy took place in the mid-stage of abnormal grain growth, at an average grain size of ~30 nm. Stage 1 and onset of stage 2 grain growth formed the IHP region. The strengthening effect with increasing grain size in this region is predominantly attributed to structural relaxation triggered by low temperature annealing including grain boundary atom reordering, grain rotation and recovery. Late stage 2 and stage 3 grain growth formed the HP region where a reduction in strength/hardness was due to the significant increase in grain size. S impurity segregation found in the boundaries of abnormally grown grains in stage 2 grain growth was responsible for the sharp drop in ductility of the materials annealed at higher temperatures. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the alloy can be separated into three regions. Below 185 ℃, the nanocrystalline material’s CTE is similar to its polycrystalline counterpart. Between 185 and 310 ℃, the CTE of the nanocrystalline material plateaus, then drops at temperatures above 310 ℃ due to volume shrinkage induced by grain growth. The grain boundary excess volume (BEV) was determined to be between 0.20 – 0.24 nm. It is shown that simple digital caliper measurements are a reliable technique to estimate BEV. Overall, the results of this study suggest that the Ni-32at%Co alloy should currently not be considered for applications at temperatures exceeding 200 ℃ without implementing further thermal stabilization measures during their manufacture.

Keywords: Electroforming
Grain growth
Mechanical properties
Nanocrystalline
Nickel Cobalt alloy
Thermal stability
Advisor: Erb, Uwe
Howe, Jane Y
Investigating the Molecular Determinants in Stromal Exosome Mediated Breast Cancer Cell Motility

In 2012, Luga and Zhang demonstrated that the non-canonical Wnt-PCP signalling pathway is important in fibroblast-derived exosome-assisted breast cancer cell metastasis. How exosomes mediate the mobilization and signalling of Wnt remains elusive. Here, using a proximity based labelling method, BioID, I characterized the basal as well as the exosome-stimulated WNT11 associatomes in breast cancer cells. By comparing with the WNT11 BioID associatome with two secreted morphogens, WNT3A and INHBB, I identified a common and Wnt-selective associations. Importantly, the identification of WNT11- versus WNT3A-specific associatomes revealed potential differences in the processing and trafficking of different Wnt ligands. By testing the requirement of select WNT11 BioID targets in exosome-stimulated cell motility, I defined functionally relevant interactors, in particular demonstrating that WLS, a known interactor of Wnt required for the trafficking and secretion of many Wnt ligands, was dispensable for WNT11-mediated breast cancer cell motility. Analysis of the exosome-stimulated WNT11 associatome also revealed that exosomes stimulated the interaction of WNT11 and Porcupine (PORCN), an ER resident enzyme critical for the palmitoylation of Wnt ligands. Furthermore, I showed that exosomes enhanced WNT11 acylation by PORCN. Taken together, my studies have shed new light on the processing and intracellular trafficking of WNT11 in the context of Wnt-PCP signalling in breast cancer, which may with further studies contribute to the discovery of molecular determinants of cancer progression and metastasis.

Advisor: Wrana, Jeffrey L
Feedback Saxophone: Expanding the Microphonic Process in Post-Digital Research-Creation

The microphonic process is the term I use to encapsulate how microphones, loudspeakers, and related media are used to support, extend, and innovate musical practice. In this research-creation thesis, I contextualize, document, and analyze my own application of the microphonic process – feedback saxophone. My feedback saxophone system combines the unique characteristics of the tenor saxophone with the idiosyncrasies of various microphones and loudspeakers to produce and manipulate acoustic feedback. While there are examples of similar systems, there is no standardization and little documentation exists outside of audio recordings. Furthermore, my work employs feedback in a systematized fashion that challenges its conventional, indeterminate use in performance and composition. To support this research-creation, I discuss the history of the microphonic process, examine contemporary “microphonic” practices, and use these findings to describe and analyze my own works. For the history of the microphonic process, I discuss how microphone amplification changed popular vocal technique through the work of early-microphone singer Bing Crosby. I then discuss how microphonic instrumentaria were variously employed by avant-garde and popular artists using the examples of Mikrophonie I by Karlheinz Stockhausen, Hugh Davies’ feedback work Quintet, and the guitar-feedback practice of Jimi Hendrix. Following this discussion of instrumentaria, I establish the contemporary context in which my research-creation occurs by examining two present-day microphonic saxophonists, Colin Stetson and John Butcher. I use their distinct electroacoustic practices as a springboard to explain recent musical-technological trends: from the accelerating consumption of digital media in the new paradigm of sound, to the reactionary concepts of post-digitalism and the minimally augmented instrument. Lastly, I describe the creation of three concert etudes for my post-digital, minimally augmented feedback saxophone system, and critically examine the new works’ processes of creation, musical materials, and aesthetics.

Keywords: acoustic feedback
augmented instrument
improvisation
post-digitalism
research-creation
saxophone
Advisor: Huang, Aiyun
Systematic Aalysis of Alternative Exon-dependent Interactome Remodelling reveals Multitasking Functions of Gene Regulatory Factors

Alternative splicing is a widespread mechanism underlying the expansion of transcriptomic and proteomic complexity, particularly in the vertebrate nervous system. To date, thousands of developmentally- and tissue-regulated alternative splicing events have been detected in transcriptome profiling studies, yet only a minor fraction of these have been functionally characterized at the protein level. One of the ways in which alternative splicing has been shown to regulate protein function is through controlling specific protein-protein interactions. This is especially true in the nervous system, where these exons frequently overlap intrinsically disordered regions predicted to impact protein-protein interactions. In my thesis work, I describe the use of an affinity purification coupled to mass-spectrometry (AP-MS) approach to detect changes in the interactomes of a functionally related subnetwork of proteins upon the inclusion or skipping of single neural-differential exons. In particular, I profiled a subset of 17 neural splicing events found in proteins involved in regulating gene expression, almost half of which resulted in the gain or loss of multiple partner interactions when their respective isoforms were expressed at the same level in isogenic cells. In some cases, these changes expand the range of functional activities of the host protein in unexpected ways. I highlight two examples of these exons in Chromatin target of Prmt1 (Chtop) and SIN3A-associated protein 30 binding protein Sap30bp, two proteins which have been previously linked to transcriptional regulation but where my results demonstrate that their neural exons control interactions that contribute to roles in the differential regulation of mRNA processing and splicing of a novel class of <100 nt ‘mini-introns’ respectively. Both exon-dependent changes affect the cellular localization of transcripts with important functional roles in nervous system development. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the systematic AP-MS analysis of protein isoforms is a powerful approach for elucidating context-dependent multi-tasking functions of proteins imparted by regulated alternative splicing.

Keywords: Affinity purification-mass spectrometry
Alternative splicing
Intron retention
mRNA export
Neurogenesis
Transcriptional regulation
Advisor: Blencowe, Benjamin J
Gingras, Anne-Claude
Essays in Empirical Economics

This thesis contains three chapters in empirical economics. In Chapter 1, I use administrative data from British Columbia, Canada, to study the short-term effects of a parental layoff on children's academic performance in grades 4, 7, and 10. I find that households where a parent suffers a layoff, earn approximately $8,000 - $10,000 less in after-tax income in the year after the layoff. In spite of such a large loss in financial resources, I find no significant short-term effects on children’s test scores due to parental job loss. My estimates for grade 4 and grade 10 rule out negative treatment effects larger than 3.5% of a standard deviation at the 95% confidence level, and the estimates for grade 7 rule out negative treatment effects larger than 5.3% of a standard deviation. In Chapter 2, I exploit close city council elections in California from 1996 to 2017 to implement a regression discontinuity design and study the causal effects of a nonwhite candidate's victory against a white candidate. I find that in cities where the nonwhite candidate won (“treatment”), compared to cities where the nonwhite candidate lost (“control”), more new white candidates run in the next election. Heterogeneity analysis shows that this effect is driven by cities that have gone through bigger demographic changes over the past few decades, which suggests that changes in the racial composition of the city and the associated perception of threat to the dominant status of whites within the city are an important factor in driving the main result. Chapter 3 is based on my joint work with Louis Bélisle and Vivek Nandur. We compare two prominent methods used to estimate production functions in the literature. We estimate total factor productivity for firms in four manufacturing industries in India for the time period 2005-2012 using both estimation methods and using two different intermediate inputs as proxies. We find large discrepancies in the distribution of estimated total factor productivity for firms depending on the estimation method and the proxies used.

Keywords: Causal inference
Empirical microeconomics
Human capital production
Layoffs
Political economy
Advisor: Kroft, Kory