VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Inquiry and its Norms

This dissertation explores the nature and norms of inquiry. In Chapter 1, I argue that curiosity is an intrinsic desire to know. My argument centers around ascriptions of the form ‘curious to φ’, used to attribute curiosity to see, to hear, to try,to meet, and so on. I argue that this form of curiosity should be understood as a desire to φ where the goal of φ-ing is to acquire knowledge. In Chapter 2, I develop an account of the norms of asking questions. The literature on the norms of asking has focused on speaker-centered norms. For instance, inquirers should not ask questions to which they already know the answer. I offer a range of linguistic data to show that there are addressee-centered norms as well: inquirers should not ask addressees who fall short of a certain epistemic status. That epistemic status, I argue, is knowledge. In Chapter 3, I address a puzzle about a tension between the norms of inquiry and the norms of belief. I propose two resolutions of the puzzle that have important consequences for understanding epistemic normativity. The first is thatepistemic norms are conditional on forming a doxastic attitude to a proposition, but have no say on whether to form a doxastic attitude at all. The second is that both positive and negative epistemic obligations, if they exist at all, are not satisfiable. In Chapter 4, I consider whether there are epistemic, rather than just practical, reasons to inquire. Evidentialists have argued that the answer is no, since there are only epistemic reasons for belief, while others have held that the answer isyes, because inquiry has an epistemic aim. In this chapter, I offer a different view: epistemic reasons are primarily for belief, but they also entail epistemic reasons to inquire when inquiring is needed for believing as we should.

Keywords: Curiosity
Epistemic norms
Inquiry
Zetetic norms
Advisor: Charlow, Nate
Zoroastrian Philosophy in the Islamic World

This dissertation describes a school of Zoroastrian philosophy that flourished in the 8th to 10th centuries of the Common Era. It is the first analysis of the school in terms of its own definitions, distinctions, and argument patterns. The school is named the Dēnkard School after the central extant text: the Dēnkard. The proponents of the Dēnkard School drew from Greek, Indian, and contemporary Islamic thought in order to articulate and advance a worldview rooted in the ancient Avestan literature of the Zoroastrians. They wrote in Middle Persian, and this makes them the earliest extant robust system of philosophy preserved in the Persian language. The dissertation discusses them both historical and philosophically. The historical origins of the school are obscure, but the fully articulated system dates to the early ʿAbbāsid period (8th – 10th CE). It is possible to outline six generations of the school, though only the thought of three of them stand out clearly. The earliest figure is The earliest representative is Adurfarrōbay (late 8th – early 9th), who is credited with revitalizing the Dēnkard as well as defending the religion in public. The second figure is Mardānfarrox (mid-9th), who was likely a younger contemporary of the philosopher al-Kindī (c. 800 – 873) and who wrote the most sophisticated public presentation of Dēnkard School philosophy. The third figure is Ādurbād (late 9th – early 10th), who finalized the Dēnkard as we have it today. The school mysteriously vanished in the century following Ādurbād, and the reasons for this disappearance are unclear. The philosophy of the Dēnkard School is articulated in two types of text: technical and public. The technical texts are terse and presume fluency in the system and so were likely only for internal scholastic use, while the public texts are clear and accessible and so show the school interacting with contemporary thinkers. Both types show familiarity with Greek, Indian, and contemporary Islamic thought, and both use this variety of sources to defend the metaphysical thesis of bifoundationalism. It’s the claim that all reality arises out of two independent and irreconcilable sources. Mardānfarrox develops this position through a polemic against the atheists, in which he argues for the existence of both a creator god as well as a contrary opposed to god. The Dēnkard develops it in a variety of ways, such as by arguing against absences or ontological negatives as well as by arguing that it’s directly available to the mind by being the absolute presumptions of thought.

Keywords: Dēnkard
global philosophy
Islam
Late Anitquity
Zoroastrianism
Advisor: Raffaelli, Enrico G
Andrés-Toledo, Miguel Ángel
Quantifying the impacts of resolution-dependent model errors on tropospheric ozone simulation

Ozone (O3) is an important trace gas in the troposphere, since it is a significant oxidant, greenhouse gas and pollutant. It is important to understand the processes controlling its distribution and variability. Although current Chemical Transport Models (CTMs) are capable of capturing the general characteristics of ozone, there are still biases in the models. One factor that contributes to the biases is the model resolution. This thesis quantifies the impacts of resolution- dependent model transport errors on modelled ozone, and discusses the main biases induced by coarse resolution.The GEOS-Chem model is run at the horizontal resolution of 2° x 2.5° and 4° x 5° at two different modes, with detailed and linearized chemistry, to isolate the dynamic and chemical impacts of coarse resolution. It is found that increased model resolution leads to a reduction in total stratosphere-troposphere-exchange (STE), which is compensated by an increase in net tropospheric chemical production. The ozone differences in the subtropical and extratropical upper troposphere are primarily attributed to the changes in STE. Meanwhile, convection is stronger in the higher resolution model, resulting in more ozone in the lower troposphere and less in the upper troposphere in the tropics at 2° x 2.5°. Evaluation with ozonesonde data confirms that the ozone simulation is improved in the higher resolution model. A second component of this thesis is an investigation of the impacts of re-computing convection online, which is one possible solution to restoring the weakened vertical transport in the tropics in the lower resolution model. Analyses show that re-computing the convection online at 4° x 5° would reduce the bias in ozone in the tropics, similar to the correction obtained in the higher resolution runs. A third component of this work is an evaluation of the modelled depths of the extratropical mixing region in the 2° x 2.5° model. The results indicate that the modelled mixing depth is comparable to that derived from observations, with a bias of about 1 km. It was also found that the model was capable of capturing the absence of a trend in the mixing region, suggesting that the 2° x 2.5° model could be suitable for ozone studies.

Keywords: Air quality
Convection
Ozone simulation
Resolution-dependent model errors
Stratosphere-troposphere-exchange
Advisor: Jones, Dylan
Closing the Gaps in Pediatric and Maternal Reference Standards for Biomarkers of Health and Disease

Clinical biomarker assessment is integral to the diagnosis, prognostication, and monitoring of health and disease in pediatrics and during pregnancy. An understanding of the impact of dynamic physiological and metabolic adaptations throughout child growth and development as well as pregnancy on the circulating biochemistry is urgently needed to support evidence-based diagnostics. Inappropriate biomarker interpretation due to lack of high quality evidence significantly increases risk of misinformed clinical decision-making, with serious implications for mother and child. I postulate that pediatric and maternal reference values for the majority of routine and emerging clinical biomarkers change significantly during these periods, necessitating establishment of evidence-based reference intervals in these specific populations. Profiling of 78 biochemical and immunochemical parameters as well as 62 hematological parameters in healthy children and adolescents (birth to <19 years) was completed, resulting in a robust reference database of age- and sex-stratified pediatric reference intervals for clinical biomarkers of health and disease. Data mining techniques were also applied to interrogate a retrospective cohort of 120,000 healthy Canadian pregnant women and evaluate the influence of gestational age on 29 clinical biomarkers in uncomplicated pregnancy. A trimester-specific reference database for biochemical and hematological parameters was established and findings were validated in a newly derived prospective cohort of 104 healthy pregnant women. Findings revealed dynamic reference value patterns across the pediatric and gestational periods for biomarkers of renal, hepatic, thyroid, cardiac, inflammatory, and hematological function, supporting the urgent need for evidence-based reference intervals to improve laboratory assessment and clinical decision making in pediatric and maternal healthcare.

Keywords: clinical chemistry
pediatrics
pregnancy
reference intervals
Advisor: Adeli, Khosrow
Machine Learning At-Home Physiotherapy Adherence

Adherence to prescribed physiotherapy is essential for successful treatment of rotator cuff pathology. Patients are typically responsible for performing the majority of physiotherapy independently at home, but methods for measuring adherence to home physiotherapy such as patient self-reporting lack objectivity and are prone to biases. Using state-of-the art machine learning (ML) techniques, our team has developed a Smart Physiotherapy Activity Recognition System (SPARS) for monitoring home shoulder physiotherapy adherence with inertial sensors in a commercial smart watch. The objectives of this thesis research are to advance ML research in physiotherapy adherence monitoring using smart watch inertial data, validate SPARS and its algorithms with clinical patient data, and to develop and deploy an ethically-guided SPARS-powered rehabilitation program. The newly developed SPARS technology was tested with a cohort of healthy volunteers, which allowed for the refinement of the technology prior to clinical use. An out-of-distribution (OOD) ML analysis was performed with the data collected, which advanced understanding of the use of ML algorithms for detecting activities of interest with human activity recognition (HAR) inertial data. A non-interventional validation study was performed with rotator cuff pathology patients, wherein smart watch inertial sensor data was collected using the SPARS system during supervised physiotherapy and independent home exercise sessions. An ML analysis of data collected by patients in the home setting was performed, yielding insights into ML physiotherapy exercise detection as well as home exercise performance. An analysis is presented comparing objective SPARS-generated measures of at-home physiotherapy participation and adherence with clinical outcomes and patient factors. Policy and ethics research guided the development of a SPARS-powered rehabilitation pilot program and SPARS-powered mobile apps providing real-time feedback on adherence, progress, and technique to both patients and treating physiotherapists. Output from this research and development work is presented, as well an analysis of data collected from a small patient cohort from this ongoing study. This research has advanced the field of ML HAR with inertial data, generated clinical and policy insights, and yielded an objective tool for monitoring and feedback of home shoulder physiotherapy adherence to inform individualized patient care.

Keywords: Activity Recognition
Adherence
Inertial Sensors
Machine Learning
Physical Therapy
Physiotherapy
Advisor: Whyne, Cari
The Unwired, the Ghost and the Automata: Utopian Reconfigurations of Collectives in Japanese Popular Culture

This dissertation argues that utopian configurations of collectives emerge from popular culture, radically challenging dominant structures of power and conventional conceptualization of collective formation. The underlying argument posits that social change is necessary in the face of the devastating inequalities and discrimination, as well as the crippling exploitation of people and nature rooted in capitalism, racism, patriarchy, and colonialism which reinforce and sustain systemic violence. It also suggests that utopia is a key conceptual tool for conceptualizing approaches to social change and that popular culture is a rich terrain for experimentations in such change. Ultimately, it propounds that a reconfiguration of collectives is a fundamental component enabling social change. I thus navigate the three intertwined problems of utopia, popular culture, and collectives, for they are not only interconnected in their conceptual influences and histories, but also in the possibilities they hold. At bottom, my intervention is informed by a utopian framework of social change, engages in an exploration into the depths of popular culture as a productive playground for such change, and advances speculations on new ways of being together. In this dissertation, I develop three interrelated and cumulative configurations of collectives through the analysis of three media and popular culture works of fiction. I begin by considering the triple negation of mediation, the state and ultimately the interface in the anime series Serial Experiments Lain (1998), giving rise to the utopian imagining of alternative collectives I refer to as the Unwired Collectives. I then turn my attention to multimedia franchise Ghost in the Shell and propose the configuration of Ghost Collectives built on two pillars: the Stand Alone Complex which emerges from the transmedial cyborgian structure of the franchise, and the Reciprocity of the Ghost which defines the operative logic of transformative reciprocal exchange at the core of this new configuration. Finally, I re-functionalize these core concepts in the cumulative notion of Automata Collectives developed from the radical negation of endings in the videogame Nier: Automata (2017) and leading to a reconfiguration of the temporality of active participation that allows collectives to persist beyond their own ending.

Keywords: Anime and manga studies
Critical theory
Japanese history
Japanese popular culture
Media studies
Videogame studies
Advisor: Cazdyn, Eric EC
The Role of the School Leader in Indigenous Education in Publicly Funded Ontario Schools

This study examined the ways in which school leaders are engaging in the work of Indigenous education within publicly funded schools in the province of Ontario. Interviews with ten school leaders were conducted to determine the skills, knowledge, strategies and perspectives they brought to their work and the openings and barriers they encountered at various levels of the system, in their attempts to move forward. A literature review provided an understanding of the existing research conducted in Ontario related to student and staff knowledge, curriculum and policy, and transformational leadership, as well as bringing Indigenous voice to the forefront in terms of the scope that Indigenous education and pedagogy can include. Critical race theory offered a theoretical lens through which to interpret the data, as this theory purports that colonization has resulted in vast inequities and the perpetuation of oppressive structures that benefit White supremist systems at the expense of Indigenous peoples, and peoples of Colour more generally. Operating within that system, the research highlighted the ways in which principals and vice principals work within their direct sphere of influence (the school) to support the learning of staff and students related to Indigenous education. A nested conceptual framework provided clarity to examine the impacts and influences of the various levels (society, Ministry of Education, School Board, community, Indigenous community, and school) impacting the work of school leaders. The findings also demonstrated systemic gaps and areas of need for further attention and funding. While pockets of in-depth work and professional development in Indigenous education were evident, foundational gaps in student and staff knowledge were also noted, along with questions about cultural appropriation and resistance to change. School leaders pointed out the importance of ongoing Indigenous partnerships within schools, and the need for further funding and structures to support such relationships. To address existing gaps, recommendations included curriculum overhaul through authentic partnerships with Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers, Indigenous educators, and government funding to make such change a reality.

Keywords: curriculum
education
Indigenous
leadership
Ontario
schools
Advisor: Bascia, Nina
Mechanisms and Consequences of White Adipose Tissue Remodeling and Aging in Response to Thermal Injury

Severe burns remain a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. While burn care has improved over the past 50 years, morbidity and mortality rates remain high due to the difficulty of precisely identifying and pharmacologically correcting the biological mediators that contribute to the significant metabolic derangements that occur after injury. It is now recognized that severe burns invoke a specific response, termed white adipose tissue (WAT) browning, that leads to a substantially increased hypermetabolic stress response associated with poor outcomes in adult patients. Interestingly, emerging evidence suggests that burn patients ≥60 years of age fail to initiate this response. Therefore, we investigated the mechanisms and consequences of WAT remodelling and aging in response to thermal injury. First, we delineated how WAT browning contributes to morbidity and mortality in adult burn patients and what regulates this process. We discover that, while burn-induced browning constitutes an adaptive mechanism to alleviate a strong redox pressure generated by increased lactate fluxes, prolonged and hyperactivation of this response leads to a lipotoxic environment, thereby driving hepatic steatosis and dysfunction. Thus, we subsequently tested the hypothesis that inhibition of post-burn browning by therapeutically targeting IL-6, an upstream regulator, is beneficial in terms of improving systemic hypermetabolism and organ function in vivo. Finally, we studied how aging affects hypermetabolism and outcomes after injury. Here, we show that aging impairs the activation of post-burn browning, leading to hypometabolism and significantly worse survival. Importantly, we propose therapeutically targeting aging with metformin can improve outcomes in older burn patients and mice by rescuing WAT browning. Together, our findings indicate that a tightly controlled response of the adipose is central for survival after a burn injury and that activation of browning in either extreme (too much vs. too little) can be detrimental. As such, further research is required to enable more nuanced monitoring of this browning response in burns during aging so that we can better identify the ideal activation levels of this remarkable process. This knowledge will be critical for developing new therapies that take the age of a burn patient into account to ultimately optimize care and recovery.

Keywords: Adipose
Beige fat
Browning
Burns
Metabolism
Trauma
Advisor: Jeschke, Marc G
Screaton, Robert A
Essays on Network Narration and Audience Attention

This dissertation explores the concept of network narration, which refers to actors' agentic actions in describing or giving an account of their network ties to targeted audiences. The dissertation aims to contribute to strategic management theory by introducing network narration as a new concept and exploring its antecedents and consequences. The first chapter examines how the prominence of a focal actor and their counterparts affects their narration actions and audience attention. The study finds that high prominence actors are more likely to narrate ties with high prominence others and obtain greater attention benefits than low prominence actors. This paper contributes to social network research by suggesting a new form of network agency where actors strategically narrate their network ties to affect audiences' perceptions. The second chapter, authored jointly with Professor Bill McEvily and Professor Navid Asgari,examines how a focal firm's and its partner firm's status affects selective announcement of an alliance formation and market reactions. The study finds that partner firms' status is a resource that a focal firm can strategically leverage in announcing an alliance, but that the value of doing so is greater for middle-status firms. The study suggests that firms' narration of network ties is another source of benefits alliances provide, aside from resources acquired through alliances. The third chapter extends the first chapter by studying the impact of two network narration strategies on audience attention. The study finds that the explicit use of veiling, which involves hiding or blurring information about another actor, can backfire and lead to lower attention levels. The results confirm that revealing ties leads to a higher level of attention than veiling ties. Overall, the dissertation suggests that network narration is an important concept for scholars to consider, as it modifies and extends our existing knowledge of the scope of network functions. The study also suggests the importance of network narration strategies, as they have implications for performance outcomes. Actors are strategic in narrating their network ties, resulting in heterogenous performance outcomes. The dissertation demonstrates the value of studying network narration and its effects on outcomes in the field of strategic management theory.

Advisor: McEvily, Bill