VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Artifacts on Air: Cultural Coherence, Collaboration, and Remote Access in Indigenous Archeological Collections

This thesis explores if and how radio can be used to promote remote access to Indigenous archaeological collections for descendant communities, with attention to how First Nations media techniques can inform museum interpretation. With increasing globalization, museums can now reach audiences who may never enter the museumâ s physical space. This is especially important for First Nations with a strong cultural interest in museum collections they are often unable to visit. How then, can we interpret Indigenous objects in a culturally coherent manner without a physical encounter? Within this, how can competing expert narratives be navigated through collaborative practice? This thesis acknowledges the insufficiencies of visual media for remotely interpreting Indigenous material heritage. Audio is proposed as a supplementary medium, which offers alternative interpretive benefits and is more broadly accessible. The radio format is also used to consider tensions between the presence and absence of objects and people.

Keywords: Accessibility
Archaeology
Collaboration
First Nations radio
Ontario
Remote access
Advisor: Krmpotich, Cara
Requirement(s) for the Replication of Lucerne Transient Streak Virus Satellite RNA

The satellite RNA of Lucerne Transient Streak Virus (LTSV) is a 322-nucleotide, single-stranded circular RNA with a high degree of base-pairing (70%) that has a rod-like structure very similar to that of viroids. As it does not encode any translation products and cannot replicate independently of a helper virus, the satellite RNA is proposed to rely on viral-encoded proteins for the replication and cell-to-cell movement that facilitate its systemic infection in a host. To investigate the requirements for replication and cell-to-cell movement of the LTSV satellite RNA, transgenic plant systems were generated to express the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Results of infectivity assays of these transgenic lines demonstrated for the first time that the viral encoded RNA-dependent RNA polymerase is necessary and sufficient for the replication of LTSV satellite RNA, and no additional viral-encoded protein products for its cell-to cell or systemic transport.

Keywords: Biology
Molecular
Plant
Virology
Advisor: AbouHaidar, Mounir G
Integrating Biologic and Clinical Data towards Resolving Heterogeneity in Childhood Inflammatory Diseases

Kawasaki disease (KD) is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children from the developed world, with up to 25% risk of developing aneurysms if untreated. Diagnosis uses a set of classical clinical symptoms, which fail to capture the heterogeneity in KD. One solution is to incorporate new biomarkers and expanded biologic datasets to generate new predictive models that can better discern homogeneous groups of patients. Using Similarity Network Fusion (SNF), a novel computational technique, we uncovered 3 robust clusters of patients after fusing gene expression and clinical datasets for 171 KD patients. The first cluster is older females with marked activation of the innate immune response, second cluster is patients with prolonged fever and markers of activation of the adaptive response, while cluster 3 is males with no lymphadenopathy in a less severe innate immune response. SNF identified clinically meaningful clusters of patients and is a promising new tool for future KD studies.

Keywords: Kawasaki Disease
Similarity Network Fusion
Advisor: Yeung, Rae S.M.
The Diagnostic Series SA.GIG: Ancient Innovations and Adaptations

The following thesis study will explore and contextualize the tradition of Mesopotamian medical diagnostics for the reader, with a particular focus on the first millennium canonical series SA.GIG. It charts the rise of the ancient diagnostician, the āšipu, as well as the emergence of the early diagnostic texts which predate the SA.GIG series. It problematizes the role of the series’ (alleged) 11th century editor, Esagil-kīn-apli, and seeks to qualify his role by delineating between editorial innovations and editorial adaptations. With reference to recent in-depth structural studies of the texts, it will argue that the head-to-foot order of the second subseries is an adaptation while the real innovation lies in the grouping of the entries within that order. This thesis will also argue for the association of the diagnostic and divinatory traditions based on an examination of the structure of the diagnoses and the modus operandi of the diagnostician.

Keywords: āšipu
Mesopotamian diagnostic texts
Mesopotamian magic
Mesopotamian medicine
SA.GIG
sakikk没
Advisor: Beaulieu, Paul-Alain
Walled Prison, Walled Garden – or Both? The GDR and Images of Education: Film Media’s Relationship to History and Memory of the German Democratic Republic in the Post-Wende Period

This paper first examines the broad context of German historiography, then moves on to specific recollections of educational life in the GDR. The paper then attempts to link issues of education in the German Democratic Republic to larger forces of media, history and memory, arguing that both film makers and historians have viewed the nature of repression in German Democratic Republic in the post-unification period in several limited ways. The latter part of the paper examines the several films of the post-unification period, linking them to changes in the historiographical perceptions in GDR history, offering a model which suggests that while the German Democratic Republic was oppressive, it was also a nation where â normal lifeâ was possible, that the whole GDR was as a metaphor, a kind of dysfunctional, educative state. It concludes with a caution for educators in their use of film as history.

Keywords: education
film history
German Democratic Republic
memory
oral history
Wende
Advisor: Levine, David
Troper, Herschel
Making Digital Polity Spaces: Encoding Democracy into Information Systems

This paper examines how democratic constructs are encoded into information systems through the design process. Specifically, I examine how designers conceived of their project goals in creating Budget Talks, a platform launched by the Ontario government to solicit citizen input in the run-up to the yearly budget. Using ethnographic methods, such as interviews and examination of internal documents, I explore how the goals of Budget Talks were conceived of organizationally and by designers. I then examine how specific design choices about commenting, posting, voting, etc, contribute to a value-laden environment. This analysis allows me to discuss how design decisions represented choices between values, many of which harken to known problems in deliberative and democratic theory. Finally, I explore how the structure of Budget Talks creates a relationship between government and public that instantiates a specific conception of the citizen; in particular, one that is based on the importance of individual experience and knowledge, rather than one that emphasizes the formation of collaborative publics.

Keywords: Democratic Information Systems
eDemocracy
eParticipation
Participatory Information Systems
Advisor: Ratto, Matt
Understanding Effective and Timely Administration of Loop Diuretics for the Treatment of Acute Heart Failure: A Quality Improvement Intervention and Evaluation

Objectives: Intravenous administration of loop diuretics is a cornerstone of therapy for acute heart failure. We developed and evaluated the MSH La6 Protocol, a tool to standardize practices for administration, monitoring and dose adjustment of IV furosemide over a 48-hour period and delegated autonomy to the nurse at the point of care. Results: There were no serious adverse events and no deaths. Between the pre- and post-implementation period, a significant and stable improvement was observed in the monitoring of patients receiving IV furosemide. A significantly larger proportion of patients treated using the La6 Protocol had a furosemide dose increase in the 24-48 hour block versus patients treated with usual care. Conclusions: An intervention that resulted in improved adherence to practices for monitoring was also associated with the observation that furosemide dosage was up titrated more frequently early during hospital admission.

Keywords: Adherence
Heart Failure
Quality Improvement
Advisor: Mak, Susanna
Design and Control of a Vertical Takeoff and Landing Fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

With the goal of extending capabilities of multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for wetland conservation missions, a novel hybrid aircraft design consisting of four tilting rotors and a fixed wing is designed and built. The tilting rotors and nonlinear aerodynamic effects introduce a control challenge for autonomous flight, and the research focus is to develop and validate an autonomous transition flight controller. The overall controller structure consists of separate cascaded Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controllers whose gains are scheduled according to the rotors' tilt angle. A control mechanism effectiveness factor is used to mix the multi-rotor and fixed-wing control actuators during transition. A nonlinear flight dynamics model is created and transition stability is shown through MATLAB simulations, which proves gain-scheduled control is a good fit for tilt-rotor aircraft. Experiments carried out using the prototype UAV validate simulation results for VTOL and tilted-rotor flight.

Keywords: Gain scheduling
Tilt-rotor
Transition
UAV
VTOL
Advisor: Liu, Hugh H
A Passive Solar-thermal Aeration System for Rural Pond Aquaculture

Dissolved oxygen is one of the most critical aspects of water quality in a fish culture system. For small-scale aquaculture farmers in resource-constrained communities, aeration systems -- which introduce oxygen to pond water -- are out of reach due to their high capital cost and lack of access to electricity. This thesis presents an alternative, passive, affordable, aerator concept to meet the needs of those farmers. Using a solar-thermal absorber and heat conductor, the device induces convective circulation in the pond, thereby producing an even dissolved oxygen distribution. In order to evaluate this concept, a tool to predict temperature and dissolved oxygen profiles in a water column was developed, along with CFD simulations of the device. Using results from those simulations, prototypes of the device were designed, constructed and tested in Vietnam and Bangladesh. Field trials of those prototypes showed a dissolved oxygen improvement of ~18% near the device.

Keywords: Aeration
Aquaculture
Convection
Dissolved Oxygen
Solar Thermal
Stratification
Advisor: Bilton, Amy M
Metformin: A Potential Chemosensitizing Agent for Improving Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer Treatment

Symptomatic metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is treated with docetaxel chemotherapy which provides a survival benefit but is associated with significant toxicity. A novel therapeutic approach is combining docetaxel with an agent that enhances its efficacy (i.e. a chemosensitizer). Metformin, an oral biguanide used to treat Type 2 diabetes, has been shown to have anti-neoplastic activity, and more specifically, enhance the effect of chemotherapy in multiple types of solid tumors. We hypothesized that metformin would act as a chemosensitizing agent when combined with docetaxel chemotherapy in CRPC. A retrospective cohort study of CRPC patients in Ontario indicated metformin did not have a chemosensitizing effect. However, in vitro experiments completed using CRPC cells indicated metformin may act as a chemosensitizing agent when combined with docetaxel in PC3 cells but not in DU145 cells. Therefore, metformin may be a novel chemosensitizing agent for CRPC and further investigation of cellular mechanisms is warranted.

Keywords: Castration-resistant prostate cancer
Docetaxel
Metformin
Advisor: Venkateswaran, Vasundara
Klotz, Laurence
Youth Crisis: Unemployment and Outmigration in Nova Scotia

In recent years, the unemployment, underemployment, and outmigration of youth from Nova Scotia have been widely researched. The subject is often referred to as the “youth crisis”. Much of this work analyzes the experiences of youth who have left the province, as well as those who remain and the communities impacted by youth migration trends. But insufficient attention has been paid to how social and historical relations have created this moment. This thesis explores these relations, the ideology behind them, and how young people in Nova Scotia understand both these relations and this ideological framing. Through two complimentary entry points – document analysis and narrative-based interviews – this thesis examines and challenges the dominant way of conceptualizing the “youth crisis”. This research will inform the project of imagining and building an alternative future, a future where all Nova Scotians can feel secure to pursue the things that make them feel most fulfilled.

Keywords: Consciousness
Ideology
Migration
Nova Scotia
Youth
Advisor: Mojab, Shahrzad
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Detected Intraplaque Hemorrhage in Non-stenotic Carotid Artery Atherosclerotic Disease of Asymptomatic Diabetic Patients

Cerebrovascular disease represents a major cause of death globally. It is directly related to atherosclerotic development in the carotid arteries where risk is mainly assessed by measurement of stenosis. Diabetic patients are predisposed to cerebrovascular event occurrence and atherosclerotic development. An advanced feature of atherosclerotic disease is intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH), which increases the risk of such events. In this study, magnetic resonance imaging techniques were used to define an optimal method for measuring IPH. This method was applied to a cohort of diabetic patients without carotid artery stenosis, to find the prevalence of IPH, which was compared with carotid artery wall measurements to determine its related effects. This thesis provides evidence that advanced features of atherosclerosis, in the form of IPH, can be found even when no carotid stenosis is present and may provide insight into the added risk borne by diabetic patients.

Keywords: Atherosclerosis
Carotid artery disease
Diabetes
Image processing
Intraplaque Hemorrhage
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Advisor: Moody, Alan R
Long Non-coding RNA Fingerprint Regulated by Cyclic Mechanical Stress in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells: Implications for Hypertension and Aortic Aneurysms

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a new class of noncoding RNA and emerging evidence suggests that they represent a cellular hub for coordination of various cellular processes involved in health and disease. We hypothesized that lncRNAs may be involved in mechanical stretch-induced alterations in human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs), which play a critical role in the pathophysiology of aneurysms and hypertension. Transcriptome analysis was performed on HASMCs that had been subjected to mechanical stretch. Human long intergenic non-coding RNA-p21 (hLincRNA-p21) was found to be significantly up-regulated in stretched HASMCs as well as in aneurysmal samples from patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (both P

Keywords: aortic aneurysm
hypertension
mechanical stretch
vascular smooth muscle cell
Advisor: Verma, Subodh
Wearable Gait Analysis Using Vision-aided Inertial Sensor Fusion: WearGait

Gait analysis is useful in characterizing impaired gait in patients with various neuromusculoskeletal disorders. Contemporary gait analysis is conducted using numerous motion capture cameras and force plates. However, this setup is restricted to a constrained and artificial testing environment, which may lead patients to make unnatural movements that poorly represent real-world human gait. We proposed a shoe-mounted gait analysis system composed of two 9-axis Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), an IR sensor, and a pair of instrumented shoes. The system was validated against a state-of-the-art gait lab in a study with ten subjects. The results showed that the system was able to estimate the 3D kinematics, the global Centre of Pressure (COP), and gait parameters such as step length and gait phases acceptably well. This work provides a portable and unobtrusive method of performing lower-limb gait analysis in unconstrained and ambulatory environments.

Keywords: Gait analysis
Inertial sensors
Instrumented shoes
Position estimation
Sensor fusion
Advisor: Popovic, Milos
Masani, Kei
Applications of Gluco-oligosaccharide Oxidase

The nascent study of carbohydrate-active enzymes is now influencing a variety of industries at the commercial scale, particularly in processing lignocellulosic biomass for the production of fuels, materials, and other commodities. These enzymes are highly specific and can modify sugars with selectivity unmatched by chemical processes. Our group has worked extensively with gluco-oligosaccharide oxidase (GOOX), and feel the enzymeâ s oxidative activity would prove desirable in many new and existing applications where other commercialized carbohydrate oxidases are employed. The work presented here has demonstrated the improved characteristics of an immobilized fusion enzyme, CtCBM22A_GOOX-Y300A, on insoluble polysaccharide fibre, with potential applications in food additives, protein purification, and aldonic acid production. A second study has successfully employed GOOX oxidation as part of a synthetic pathway to generate a clickable monomer from glucuronoxylan capable of forming a carbohydrate-based polytriazole polymer; a process which could be extended to include neutral hemicelluloses such as galactoglucomannan.

Keywords: Biorefinery
Carbohydrate-active enzymes
Click chemistry
Hemicellulose
Lignocellulose
Advisor: Master, Emma R
The Chemical Composition of High Arctic Snow: Deposition Mechanisms and Sources

Recent observations of Arctic temperature increases and ice/snow loss have highlighted the importance of defining pollutant pathways to the Arctic. Fresh snow samples collected at Alert, Nunavut, from September 2014 to June 2015 were analyzed for carbon species, major ions, and metals, and their concentrations and fluxes reported. Comparison with simultaneous atmospheric monitoring found dry deposition to be a dominant removal mechanism for several compounds over the winter while wet deposition increased in importance in the fall/spring, possibly due to enhanced scavenging by mixed-phase clouds. This unprecedented dataset provided an opportunity for a temporally-refined source apportionment of key snow impurities. The majority (73%) of the black carbon in snow, a light-absorbing compound critical to the Arctic radiative balance, was identified as the product of fossil fuel burning with limited biomass burning influence. Both depositional and sourcing analyses suggested the external mixing of black carbon, sea salt, crustal, and sulphate aerosols.

Keywords: Arctic snow
Black carbon
Deposition and scavenging
Snow albedo
Source apportionment
Advisor: Evans, Greg J
Abbatt, Jonathan
Beyond Reading and Writing: How Volunteer Tutors Develop Their Practice with Learners in Adult Literacy Programs in Ontario

Although volunteers account for a considerable portion of the instructors and tutors delivering adult literacy programs, volunteers are rarely the focus of research. Focusing specifically on the narratives of volunteers, this study fills this research gap by examining what the volunteers do in the tutoring sessions as well as their experience as volunteers. This study uses Bourdieuâ s theory of practice as the theoretical framework to gain a deeper understanding of the rationale behind the volunteersâ role as policy actors in the policy process. Three volunteers from an adult literacy program in Ontario shared their experiences in this study from which four composite stories emerged: before and after volunteering; what happened during the tutoring sessions; relationships between tutors and learners; and contrasts. These composite stories highlight the dynamics between agency and structure, the importance of perspective in understanding the relationships and the potential for social and policy change through reflexive practice.

Advisor: Joshee, Reva
Silicon Integrated Transmitter for Quantum Key Distribution

Silicon (Si) photonics is reaching maturity and has the potential of offering low-cost, reliable, chip-scale systems for quantum key distribution (QKD). On the other hand, QKD is also maturing with the bridging of theory and practice. This work presents a Si integrated photonic transmitter for polarization-encoded QKD. The chip was fabricated in a standard Si photonic foundry process and integrates a pulse generator, intensity modulator, variable optical attenuator, and polarization modulator in a 1.3 mm x 3 mm die area. The devices in the photonic circuit meet the requirements for QKD. The transmitter was used in a proof-of-concept demonstration of the BB84 QKD protocol over a 5 km long fiber link. A quantum bit error rate of 5.4% and an asymptotic secure key rate of 0.95 kbps is obtained. This work shows the feasibility of foundry based Si photonics for quantum information applications.

Keywords: integrated photonics
quantum key distribution
silicon photonics
Advisor: Poon, Joyce K. S.
Field Extensions Generated by Kernels of Isogenies

Given an odd prime p, A technique due to Jean-Francois Mestre allows one to construct infinitely many quadratic fields for which the ideal class group has p-rank at least 2, using a degree p isogeny between elliptic curves such that the kernel has a rational point. This technique only works for primes p ? 7; we attempt to generalize the construction for larger primes. One line of approach uses higher degree isogenies (which have no rational point in the kernel), from which we obtain higher-degree number fields with p-rank at least two. In the process, we collect data on the number fields generated by the points in the kernel of an isogeny, and make a series of conjectures based on the data. We also discuss the possibilities and limitations of replacing the elliptic curves in Mestre's technique with more general abelian varieties.

Keywords: class number
elliptic curve
field extension
isogeny
Advisor: Tsimerman, Jacob
The Axial Spray Mode I as a Solution for Miniaturized Ion Mobility Spectrometry

Miniaturized ion mobility spectrometers present several advantages as portable chemical detection tools. They are fast, simple and inexpensive. However, they still suffer from low resolving power and hard implementation of ion gates in micro scale designs. Even in examples where they are successfully combined, ion gates cause dispersion, compression, and depletion effects that result in ion packets than are wider than desired. This thesis describes an alternative gating method that is free of ion gates and that can be used in liquid phase ion mobility spectrometry (LPIMS), a technique where conventional ion gates are currently unsuitable. A parametric study shows that the method proposed has the potential to achieve resolving powers comparable to macro scale designs if successfully coupled to LPIMS. Observations relating the maximum meniscus height to current measurements are presented and are of particular interest to E-jet printing and similar techniques.

Keywords: axial spray mode I
chemical detection
electrospray
ion gating
ion mobility spectrometry
pulsating regime
Advisor: Sullivan, Pierre E.
Ben Mrad, Ridha