VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of an evidence-based science approach for the establishment of national nutrition guidelines

Inter-rater agreement was assessed using kappa statistics (K) and percent agreement. Filtering decisions were initially performed independently and then revised after a 'consensus meeting' to discuss disagreements as a comparison of the responses with an expert reference standard (consensus evaluations by the investigators). One-hundred and eighty-five and heart disease risk in children. The inter-rater agreement was similar among like groups and between corresponding filtering (P> 0.05). Higher inter-rater agreement was observed filtering, there was no significant difference between groups for the proportion of agreement with the expert reference standard (P> 0.05) after the consensus meeting. For the groups, false-negative rates ranged from 11.5--26.2% for title filtering, 11.1--23.3% for If descriptions of inclusion/exclusion criteria, withdrawals and drop-outs, justification of sample size, and statistical analysis were present in an article, it was more likely to be appraised as 'Important'. Experienced scientists and nutrition professionals (experts) have traditionally developed national nutrition guidelines after a non-systematic review of relevant literature. The overall objective of this thesis was to develop literature filtering and article appraisal tools for use by non-experts for the creation of an evidence-based national nutrition guideline. A specific objective and article filtering and appraisal using these tools by 3--4 pairs of dietitians (RDs) and 3--4 pairs of nutrition students (Grads) (non-experts). Filtering is the process of selecting only those articles that are relevant to a review. This study describes the development and evaluation of literature filtering and appraisal tools for use by non-experts. After consensus meetings, both although important differences remained compared to the expert reference standard. Further work is needed to determine if non-experts can adequately complete literature filtering and article appraisals.
Producing Chicago's Near North Side, 1919--1929: Class, race, ethnicity and the politics of localized urban development

This thesis presents a case-study of uneven capitalist development in Chicago's Near North Side during the period 1919-1929. It explores how the improvements to North Michigan Avenue---devised, orchestrated, and implemented by a land-interested urban elite---sparked the transformation of Chicago's Near North Side from a dormant residential, warehousing and industrial district into a central node of capital accumulation within the city proper. Divided by class, race, and ethnicity, there was little the 85,000 residents of the Near North Side could do to oppose the growth imperatives of Chicago's land-interested urban elite as from establish distinctive communities that continued to appropriate urban space for the defense and preservation of neighborhood use values. As a source of both exchange and use value, Chicago's Near North Side during the 1920s was a neighborhood comprised of multiple, interpenetrating, and contested urban spaces.
The role of the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase---Akt-glycogen synthase kinase 3beta pathway in protection from myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury

Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) is a protective phenomenon where brief episodes of ischemia protect the heart from a prolonged ischemia. Recent studies have focused on the role of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway in eliciting protection. We found that PI3Kalpha dominant-negative (DN) hearts were resistant to ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. 5-Hydroxydecanoate (5-HD) inhibits the mitochondrial ATP-sensitive K+ channel (mitoKATP) and abolished IPC protection in wildtype hearts; however, PI3KalphaDN hearts were unaffected. This implies the resistance of PI3KalphaDN hearts to I/R injury occurs independently of the mitoKATP; a proposed IPC end-effector. I have also taken a novel genetic approach and created conditional cardiac-specific GSK3beta defficient mice (GSK3beta( -/- )). GSK3beta( -/- ) hearts are resistant to (I/R) injury to the same extent as wildtype hearts subjected to IPC. These results stress the importance of the PI3K-Akt-GSK3beta pathway in resistance to ischemia/reperfusion injury. Suppresion of either PI3Kalpha or GSK3beta may be a target for treatment of ischemic heart disease.
Cross-body lead, counterbody motion: political and poetic notes towards a sociology of globalization, nation-building and transcultural performativity in Toronto salsa

This thesis takes up some of the kinds of identifications and articulations (re/made) possible in the context of latinidad given a certain visibility in the overdeterminations/and openings of contemporary globalization of 'popular culture'. The terrain I have articulated for the purpose of entering the social relations is the discursive field of 'salsa' in terms of a suggested transcoding of deferred, signifying and refiguring transcultural performativities involving 'latinidad' as emergent transborder reassemblage grafting new roots onto old, and nurturing ancient deeply rooted traditions like wildfire in glocalized expressions of Salsatropolis as seen especially in Toronto, Canada. In terms of refiguring latinidad as a signifying history, the thesis takes up the metaphor of mobilization and mobility suggested by salsa as a beginning point to address: (1) the continuing erasure and suppression of latinidad despite selective incorporation of latin(o) music and language into anglo-majoritarian everyday commercial life; (2) the ongoing vitality of latinidad alongside coloniality in late capitalism, and of latinidad as commercialized embodiment of the asymmetrical relations of cultural reassemblage; (3) the need for histories of complexity capable of minorizing the terms of majoritarian erasures, distortions, misreadings, obsessive-compulsive overdeterminations; the ability to suggest the importance of a displaced authorization of the historical text, and of reading practices sympathetic to dynamic histories of resistance with both/neither concrete and/nor uncoded effects; (4) the articulation of majoritarian histories with the contingencies of subsuming privilege; (5) the significance of majoritarian subjects occupying minoritarian discursive spaces. The thesis arises from a commitment to calling into question the majoritarian discourse granting legitimacy to a Future-seeking filiation invested with logics of entitlement surrendering latino peoples in an exaggerated myth of undignified presence or absence from a history of significance. Following Guattari (1995), the thesis meanwhile conjugates signifying assemblages with other discursive strategies or lignes errantes (de Certeau, 1984, p. xviii) from the decentred centres made historical margins, including asignifying, presignifying, countersignifying and postsignifying modalities.

Keywords: Salsa (Dance), Political aspects
Latin Americans, Social conditions
Latin Americans, Ontario
Racism, Ontario
Automatically classifying English verb-particle constructions by particle semantics

We address the issue of automatically determining the semantic contribution of the particle in a verb-particle construction (VPC), a task which has been previously ignored in computational work on VPCs. Adopting a cognitive linguistic standpoint, we assume that every VPC is compositional, and that the semantic contribution of a particle corresponds to one of a small number of senses. We develop a feature space based on syntactic and semantic properties of verbs and VPCs for type classification of English VPCs according to the sense contributed by their particle. We focus on VPCs using the particle up since it is very frequent and exhibits a wide range of meanings. In our experiments on unseen test VPCs, features which are motivated by properties specific to verbs and VPCs outperform linguistically uninformed word co-occurrence features, and give a reduction in error rate of around 20-30% over a chance baseline.
Assessment of discrimination skills in individuals with autism: validity of the Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities (ABLA)

The Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities (ABLA) is a reliable and valid measure of discrimination skills in individuals with Developmental Disabilities (DD), but there are several gaps in the few studies that have attempted to extend its use to individuals with Autism and accompanying mental retardation. The study was designed (a) to determine whether ABLA performance is indicative of real world learning and (b) to examine whether the ABLA has clinical value beyond current assessment practices. Each experimental task had six discrimination levels designed to be analogous to the ABLA. One set of tasks used materials that were virtually identical to the ABLA (differing by colour), while the other used common everyday materials. ABLA Performance was compared to performance on these tasks delivered as static probes, and as dynamic teaching tasks. The ABLA accurately predicted learning (95% agreement) on virtually identical tasks, but was less accurate at predicting everyday discrimination skill learning (78%) than static baseline probes (89%), and took significantly longer to administer. Performance on the ABLA did not predict skill acquisition on everyday tasks, in this sample with autism, to the degree that it has for individuals with DD. Further, the hierarchy of task difficulty of everyday skills was consistent with the disordered development that is characteristic of Autism. The lack of generalization of skills across materials was related to differences in task difficulty and stimulus overselectivity. A hierarchical multiple regression procedure was used to test a model of everyday discrimination skill learning with: chronological age, mental age, adaptive skill level, communication ability, severity of autism, and ABLA level as predictors. Chronological age, mental age, and adaptive behaviour accounted for 50% of the variance in the model. The ABLA contributed a small portion (6%) of unique variance over and above the standardized psychological assessment protocol. Overall, the ABLA does not appear to contribute meaningful information not already provided by a thorough developmental and diagnostic assessment. This, combined with the lack of generalization of performance to everyday discrimination tasks, suggests that the ABLA (in its present form) is not an adequate measure of discrimination skills for individuals with Autism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Keywords: Autistic children
Autism in children
Child psychiatry
Child psychopathology
Developmental disabilities
The roles of the neutralized NHR and RING domains in Notch signaling and Delta trafficking

Notch signaling plays a critical role during development. A key component of the Notch pathway is Neuralized, a ubiquitin ligase that targets Notch ligands, such as Delta and Serrate, for endocytosis. Neuralized is conserved from nematodes to humans and is composed of a RING domain and two Neuralized Homology Repeat (NHR) domains. Here, I have analyzed the roles of these domains in Delta trafficking and Notch signaling in Drosophila. I first identified a mutation affecting the NHR1 domain in a well-characterized neurogenic allele of neuralized, suggesting that the NHR1 domain is critical to Neuralized function. I then demonstrated that NHR1 mediates Delta trafficking and Notch signaling in vivo. I also determined that the NHR1 domain is sufficient to mediate binding to Delta, revealing that NHR domains function in protein-protein interactions. Although Neuralized has been characterized as a peripheral membrane protein, I have determined that a subset of Neuralized protein is found cytoplasmically and that mutations in NHR1 disrupt this balance. I also determined that Neuralized exhibits nucleocytoplasmic shuttling and that in the nucleus, Neuralized associates with the nuclear envelope. Mutations in NHR1 disrupt this association. Altogether, my analyses demonstrated that mutations in NHR1 affect both Neuralized function and localization. My discovery that Neuralized exhibits nuclear envelope localization in flies is a novel finding. Interestingly, I also demonstrated that ectopic expression of Delta can decrease Neuralized nuclear import, suggesting that a nuclear function for Neuralized is likely to occur in tissues with low levels of Delta. The Neuralized RING domain mediates ubiquitination and mutations in this region abrogate function. On characterizing their effects in vivo, I determined that Neuralized RING mutant proteins cause dominant negative phenotypes. Because RING mutations do not affect Delta binding, it is thought that Neuralized RING mutants bind Delta but are unable to ubiquitinate, resulting in a block of endocytic trafficking. Interestingly, I found that Neuralized RING mutants result in a decrease in membrane Delta, likely a result of defective Delta trafficking to the membrane or post-endocytosis. Altogether, these studies demonstrated an essential role for the Neuralized NHR and RING domains in Delta trafficking and Notch signaling.
Infant responses to symmetrical and asymmetrical looming pathways

When objects approach an observer, they can result in either a collision (e.g., a hit) or a non-collision (e.g., a miss). Such objects can also travel on different paths of approach. On a symmetrical path, an object starts in front of the observer but on an asymmetrical path, it starts from either the left or the right. This study examined the eye blink response of 4- to 5-month-old infants' to determine if they perceive collision from non-collision on different paths of approach. The results indicated that objects on a collision path led to more blinking than those on a non-collision path, symmetrical paths produced greater blinking responses than asymmetrical paths, and asymmetrical paths where the object crossed in front of the observer's line of sight produced more blinking than those that did not. These findings suggest that type of contact, and path of approach influence infant's perception of collision.

Keywords: Visual perception in infants
Space perception in children
Eating disturbances in pre-teen and early teenage girls with type I diabetes mellitus: A case-controlled study

Eating disorders are common in teenage girls and young women with type I diabetes mellitus (DM), and are associated with increased risk of serious DM-related medical consequences. In this case-controlled study of eating disturbances in pre-teen and early teenage girls with DM, 101 girls with DM 9–14 years of age were compared to 303 age-matched non-diabetic peers. Sub-threshold eating disorders, full syndrome eating disorders and severely disturbed eating attitudes were all significantly more common among the girls with DM, as were binge eating and the use of intense, excessive exercise for weight control. Eating disturbances were not associated with poor blood sugar control in this sample of girls with DM. Among girls with DM, eating disturbances were associated with low self-esteem, higher body mass index, and more advanced stage of pubertal development, but not with older age.
Locating power, knowledge and subject in nursing

The purpose of this study is to uncover how mechanisms of power developed and became entrenched in nursing. Mechanisms of power function within the discourses and exclusionary practices in the nursing profession. I argue that The Standard, a journal published by The College of Nurse's of Ontario establishes a normalizing process that promotes conformity to the image of white middle-class womanhood for its nursing subjects. This study begins with a historical framework that situates the origins of modern nursing in Victorian times. The themes of professionalism, proletarianization, feminism and exclusion are presented through a deconstruction of the front cover and two letters from the inaugural issue of The Standard. As well, three personal narratives are presented to elucidate the important issues of gender, race and class in the nursing profession today.
Microscopy-based approaches to the use of radiation-induced nuclear foci as biomarkers of DNA repair

The visualization of ionizing radiation-induced foci (IRIF) by immunofluorescent microscopy is a proven method of identifying sites of DNA double strand breaks (DNA-DSB). IRIF can be analysed using high-resolution microscopes with appropriate filter sets. In this thesis, I developed a rigorous microscopic approach to IRIF foci image analysis with the development of appropriate algorithms. I then tested the hypothesis that H2AXS139ph IRIF are dose and time responsive and can reflect differences in DNA-DSB repair using normal and DNA-DSB repair-deficient human fibroblasts. The algorithms for automatic foci counting utilized wide-field microscopic deconvolution and multi-pass filtering to determine "true" IRIF over background. Initial H2AXS139ph IRIF can be quantitated using this technique, but it was found that H2AXS139ph IRIF did not predict DNA-DSB repair between the two cell types. Using the methods developed in this thesis, investigators can now pursue dedicated DNA-dsb experiments with an improved "signal to noise" ratio.
Governments and women's movements: explaining child care and anti-violence policy in Ontario and British Columbia, 1970--2000

The thesis concludes by suggesting that movement actors can improve their policy fortunes by strengthening alliances with left-wing governments instead of promoting strategies of non-partisanship. While a tendency to cast movement demands in a gender neutral light improved immediate policy results, it had the potential to blunt feminist demands for longer-term improvements to women's overall equality. This dissertation comparatively examines government policy responses to provincial women's movements in the areas of child care and violence against women in Ontario and British Columbia between 1970 and 2000, It argues that policy responses have been diverse across time and place and cannot be explained by theories of provincial welfare state retrenchment convergence. Although these values can cross-cut party differences, evidence shows that left-wing parties had consistently higher levels of feminist consciousness than right-wing parties and therefore tended to enact pro-feminist child care and anti-violence policies most often. However, at times, the impact of party differences was mitigated by incentives from strong women's movements and by disincentives, which arose when provincial economies performed poorly. Strong women's movements exerted influence as members of the core constituency of left-wing governments and by projecting a perceived electoral payoff to right-wing governments in the lead-up to a provincial election. Poor provincial economic performance led both left- and right-wing governments to sometimes curb child care and anti-violence expenditures, but this impact was more consistent and pronounced under right-wing regimes. While strong women's movements and poor provincial economic performances had mitigating effects, these variables were not strong enough to offset party variables. Instead, the thesis employs a modified version of the partisan theory of public policy to explain positive and negative policy responses to feminist child care and antiviolence movements. It argues that, while left-right party differences help us understand policy diversity, partisan theory needs to measure feminist consciousness levels within the extra-parliamentary party and party leadership in order to adequately explain diverse women's policy results.
Gait asymmetry and step to step variability post stroke

Variables related to balance control during walking, could assist therapists in monitoring recovery and highlighting fall risk. This study focuses on two of these variables: asymmetry and step to step variability. The objectives were to determine if: (1) asymmetry and variability differed between stroke and control subjects and (2) whether task conditions (e.g. walking fast or distracted) influenced these measures. Findings indicate that stroke patients display greater asymmetry across tasks and this asymmetry was related to slower maximal walking speeds. Step to step variability was higher in the patient group in step length and velocity variability but did not vary across task conditions. The results provide some evidence that these measurements were patient specific and may not be appropriate for all stroke patients. The use of a fast walking task should be a screening tool in gait assessments in order to highlight who may require further detailed gait assessments.
The design of interactive life story multimedia for an individual and family affected by Alzheimer's disease

We present a design project for interactive multimedia with personalized life stories for a family affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our primary end users have declining cognitive abilities. We conduct a feasibility study with one participating family to answer many of the research questions regarding the user-centered design process for this project. We investigate the needs of our stakeholders and present new approaches to design methods. We elicit and produce multimedia life stories and iterate through several prototypes with different media content and input devices. We conduct prototyping sessions with our AD participant, and study the short-term effects of viewing the multimedia. Our findings from this study offer insights for future researchers by documenting our procedures for conducting life story work, including lessons learned and guidelines for future studies. Our research shows how certain designs may be more stimulating and empowering, and may trigger more reminiscences than others.
Eating behaviour in response to olfactory food cues: The role of dietary restraint

Four studies were conducted in order to investigate the behavioural effects of exposure to an olfactory food cue in restrained and unrestrained eaters. In Study 1, participants were randomly assigned to either a food-cue condition (smell of chocolate chip cookies baking in the background) or a control condition (no food cue). Participants' food intake, time spent eating, and latency to begin eating was then assessed in an incidental-eating task. The results of Study 1 demonstrated that restrained eaters who were exposed to a food cue spent less time eating, and ate somewhat less, compared to restrained eaters in the control condition. This finding was inconsistent with previous studies on the effects of food-cue exposure in restrained eaters, and it was hypothesized that the incidental-eating task may account for the differences, given that many previous studies used a 'taste-test' paradigm to assess intake. In Study 2, the context of eating was manipulated in order to investigate whether the pattern of results would vary in an incidental-eating versus a taste-test paradigm; however, the context of eating did not influence the pattern of results: restrained eaters ate less after food-cue exposure than in the control condition. In Study 3, participants' affect was manipulated in order to investigate whether the decreased intake evident in restrained eaters exposed to a food cue was mediated by negative affect. There was no evidence to suggest that negative affect accounts for the decreased eating exhibited by restrained eaters exposed to a food cue. Study 4 was conducted in order to test various mechanisms that could be responsible for the suppressed intake occurring in each of the three prior studies. It appears that the suppressed intake of restrained eaters in response to food-cue exposure can be accounted for by a lack of contingency between the food-cue exposure and the subsequent presentation of food. Incidental exposure to an olfactory food cue appears to lower the expectations of restrained eaters of later encountering the food cue, which in turn may suppress their food intake.