VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Spray Characterization of an Aircraft Gas Turbine Engine Hybrid Fuel Nozzle

A series of experiments were conducted on an aircraft gas turbine engine hybrid fuel nozzle to evaluate spray performance and atomization quality. A commercial Malvern Spraytec analyzer and stereoscopic particle image velocimetry system was used to extract droplet size distributions and instantaneous flow fields, respectively. Aviation kerosene (Jet A-1) sprays associated with flow rates pertaining to engine ignition and take-off were investigated. Droplet sizes of the primary pressure-swirl nozzle were found to be 50% smaller compared to the secondary prefilming/airblast nozzle. The flow fields of both nozzles yield a turbulent-jet airblast stream with the primary pressure-swirl/airblast nozzle seeing a decrease in mean axial velocity with increase in axial distance; contrasting the secondary prefilming/airblast nozzle which shows an increase in mean axial velocity as distance from the nozzle head is increased. Overall, the industry hybrid fuel injector exhibits stable performance with optimal atomization quality and symmetry among all experimental conditions.

Keywords: Atomization
Experimental Characterization
Hybrid Fuel Nozzle
Advisor: Gulder, Omer L.
Investigation of the Stabilization of Supersaturated Drug-in-adhesive Transdermal Drug Delivery Systems

Transdermal drug delivery systems have become an attractive drug delivery method due to various advantages. Diffusion of drug through the epidermis is often limited by the stratum corneum, which acts as a diffusion barrier. Therefore, permeation enhancement strategies are often applied to improve the resulting systemic bioavailability. Supersaturation is an attractive enhancement approach since it does not compromise the integrity of the stratum corneum. However, supersaturated systems are metastable which may result in reduced diffusional driving force and bioavailability due to spontaneous crystallization. Stabilization of such systems using additives is crucial to avoid reduced product performance. Various additives were evaluated and identified for their suitability to sufficiently inhibit crystallization in our systems. Dissolution testing revealed that patches exhibit different release mechanisms depending on the adhesive selected. Finally, mathematical modeling was applied to analyze the data and gain further understanding of the mechanisms governing drug release from our systems.

Advisor: Lee, Dr. Ping I
An Exploration of the Health and Wellness Experiences of Young People with Spina Bifida

Introduction: Young people with spina bifida (SB) have unique abilities and challenges that can affect their experiences of health and wellness. Objective: To better understand the health and wellness experiences of young people with SB. Methods: 1. An overview of how the experiences of children and young people with disabilities have previously been explored. 2. A rapid scoping review of how photo-elicitation has been used to engage children and adolescents with disabilities 3. Photo-elicitation interviews with two young people with SB. Results: The voices of children and young people with disabilities have been frequently overlooked. Photo-elicitation can support their expression of ideas. The health and wellness experiences of young people with SB are nuanced and multi-dimensional, characterized by six key features. Discussion: Exploring how young people with disabilities experience health and wellness more broadly furthers understandings of how to promote health and wellness in ways that are important to them.

Keywords: Disability
Health promotion
Photo-elicitation
Spina Bifida
Wellness
Advisor: McPherson, Amy C
The Effect of Age and Frailty on Clinical Outcomes after Surgery for Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

Introduction: Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is an emerging public health concern in the elderly, but a significant disparity exists in the application of surgical management for these patients. Aim: To determine whether age alone or age-related indicators of health determine the outcomes after surgery for DCM patients. Methods: 1) A comparison of clinical outcomes after surgery in a cohort of younger and older adults. 2) A systematic review of frailty in spine surgery. 3) A comparison of measures of frailty on perioperative outcomes in DCM surgery. Results: 1) Elderly DCM patients improve after surgery, but on a smaller magnitude compared to younger patients. 2) Frailty assessments have not been applied to DCM patients. 3) Frailty is a stronger predictor of perioperative complications compared to age alone. Conclusions: Surgery is safe and effective in elderly DCM patients. Frailty assessment provides a more robust prediction of perioperative outcomes compared to age alone.

Keywords: Age
Cervical Myelopathy
Frailty
Outcomes
Advisor: Fehlings, Michael G
Profiling the Performance of Programming Language Runtimes and Towards Building a New Python Runtime

Software is increasingly being written in higher level languages, which are typically implemented on top of a language runtime. This thesis presents an analysis of the performance of 4 popular language runtimes: OpenJDK, V8/Node.js, CPython, and PyPy. Notably, we find that in comparison, the performance CPython, the de facto Python runtime today, is significantly lacking. CPython only has an interpreter, and does not have a just-in-time compiler. Hence, it is 29.5x slower than V8. This motivates the second contribution of the thesis: it presents the initial design and implementation of a new optimizing Python runtime, consisting of nearly 20000 lines of code. We present a modification of the strongly connected components (SCC)-based value numbering algorithm used in the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) C++ compiler that incorporates dead code elimination, and show that there is code that our algorithm can optimize that SCC-based value numbering and dead code elimination performed separately cannot.

Keywords: compiler
interpreter
just-in-time compiler
language runtime
programming language
python
Advisor: Yuan, Ding
First in the Family: On-campus Employment and Academic Success

This study is concerned with the university experiences of students who are the first in their family to attend university in Canada, and how on-campus work programs, such as Work Study, may affect their sense of belonging to the university campus. The results of this study are based on 14 semi-structured interviews with undergraduate and graduate students studying at a large, urban, research intensive university in Ontario, Canada. The students valued how on-campus work accommodated the demands of their studies and the career-relevant skills and networks that on-campus work helped them develop. They believed that, as first-generation students, they particularly benefitted from the opportunities on-campus work gave them to increase their knowledge about the university and to develop a sense of belonging to the university community.

Keywords: Academic success
First-generation students
On-campus employment
Ontario
University
Advisor: Childs, Ruth
Contextualizing GWAS Findings in Depression by Integrating Transcriptomic Studies of Differential Expression and Neuroanatomy

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most prevalent psychiatric disorder worldwide and affects individuals of all ages. A recent consortium study identified 269 genes associated with depression which we prioritized using expression data. We examined the differential expression of these genes in three studies that profiled gene expression of MDD cases and controls and integrated anatomical expression information to determine areas of enrichment. We observed sex-specific effects and highlight 12 of the 269 genes with the most consistent differential expression: MANEA, UBE2M, CKB, ITPR3, SPRY2, SAMD5, TMEM106B, ZC3H7B, LST1, ASXL3, ZNF184 and HSPA1A. We place greater emphasis on ZNF184 as it is the top gene in a more conservative analysis of the 269. Anatomically, our results suggest the importance of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus, cholinergic, monoaminergic and enteric neurons. These findings provide a guide for targeted experiments to advance our understanding of the genetic underpinnings of depression.

Advisor: French, Leon
Sibille, Etienne
Calpric: Automated Classification of Privacy Policy Using Deep Active Learning and Crowdsourcing Techniques

Privacy policies are statements that notify users of the services' data practices. However, few users are willing to read through the entire policy due to its length and complexity. While there are existing privacy policy analysis tools based on machine learning, a large labeled training set is needed to achieve a high classification accuracy. Most existing policy corpora are labeled by skilled human annotators, requiring a significant amount of labor hours and effort. In this paper, we leverage active learning and crowdsourcing techniques to develop an automated classification tool named Calpric (Crowdsourcing Active Learning PRIvacy Policy Classifier), which is able to perform annotation equivalent to those done by skilled human annotators with high accuracy while minimizing the labeling cost. On average, our model is able to achieve the same F1 score using only 45.3% of the original labeling effort, and address the class imbalance issue of existing datasets.

Keywords: active learning
android privacy
deep learning
machine learning
natural language processing
privacy policy
Advisor: Lie, David D
Synthesis and Characterization of Nanostructured MXene Composite and Aerogel for Energy Devices

The rapid expansion for high performance material has driven interest in developing nano-structured composite material with new properties and functionalities. Herein, two distinctive nano-structured material were studied. The first was a PVOH composite 3D printed with MXene ink. The component was used as a strain sensor capable of detecting strain up to 250 %, it was also used as capacitor with an energy density of 36.4 mJ/cm3. The second was a polyurethane aerogel with high porosity of 94 vol %. Using polyol with four diols as crosslinking agent allowed for multiple crosslinking points, creating flexible and robust aerogel suitable for energy harvesting. Key fabrication parameters and their effect on final product were investigated to conclude on an optimized processing technique. A piece of aerogel film was then used as contact material inside a tribo-electric-nano-generator setup, the nano-porous structure of the film increased power output by2.5 times to achieve specific density of 1.12 W/m2.

Keywords: aerogel
binder jet 3D printing
capacitor
enregy harvester
MXene
sensor
Advisor: Naguib, Hani E
Addition of GAC Caps and Ozonation to Conventional Filters for Improved Organics Control and Disinfection By-product Reduction

Granular activated carbon (GAC) caps are used in drinking water treatment facilities to help mitigate seasonal taste and odour events, however they may also provide additional water quality benefits, which have not been as widely examined. The objective of this pilot study was to compare filters utilizing GAC caps to conventional anthracite/sand filters in terms of disinfection by-product formation potential (DBP FP) reduction, organics removal and operational flexibility. Two different source waters (Otonabee River and Lake Erie) were examined such that differences in pre-treatment and organics composition may be considered. GAC caps employing biological and adsorptive filtration mechanisms, in combination with ozonation was observed to reduce HAA FP by 9±8 µg/L (12±10%) and DOC removal by 0.2 mg/L (6%) in Otonabee River samples. Application of GAC caps to the Lake Erie water system improved DOC reduction by 0.7±0.3 mg/L (44±17%) and DBP FP removal by 11±7 µg/L (33±19%) for HAAs and by 7±6 µg/L (23±17%) for THMs. As such, GAC caps may represent a cost-effective solution for facilities targeting specific components of regulatory importance.

Keywords: Drinking water treatment
GAC Caps
Granular Activated Carbon
Advisor: Andrews, Robert C.
BallMatics Program - Basketball Court as a Middle-school Math Classroom: A Mixed Methods Study

Sport has a plethora of documented benefits, and evidence suggests that physical activity can significantly improve academic abilities of students. I propose that sports-based mathematic programming can support academic advancement of youths by actively embedding sports into academic mathematics programming. In this study, a mixed-methods design with one intervention group of 19 middle school youths participating in a movement-based mathematics afterschool program, called BallMatics, was delivered for ten weeks. Qualitative methods were employed to learn about participants’ academic identities and their perceived experience in the movement-based mathematics program. Thematic analyses based on social cognitive theory (SCT) revealed several recurring themes. Paired-samples t-tests demonstrated statistically significant increase in participants’ math knowledge and self-efficacy. Findings revealed increased participant engagement in mathematics content taught, motivation to complete mathematics tasks, eliciting of positive emotions and positive associations with mathematics.

Keywords: BallMatics
Mathematics Education
Mixed Methods
Movement-based mathematics
Qualitative
Quantitative
Advisor: McDougall, Douglas
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Settled House Dust

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are organic compounds which generated from high-temperature incomplete combustion processes. A major route of exposure to PAHs occurs in the indoor residential environment. PAHs can sorb into dust particles, and resuspension of these particles mobilizes potentially toxic compounds. The sources of indoor PAHs are still poorly understood. In this study, we examine the results from the Fire Ash Characterization and Evaluation of Toxicity (FACET) study. We found that the profile of PAHs in indoor house dust resembled that from vehicular emissions and/or local oil sand processing operations. We also investigated the effects of the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire and found limited impacts on PAH levels. Total PAH levels are lower in the winter, likely due to an increase in wet deposition to snowfall. The change of vapor pressure of PAHs under different seasons also shapes the overall PAH profile in Fort McMurray.

Advisor: Chan, Arthur AC
Combination of Photodynamic Therapy and Chemotherapy for Cancer Treatment by using Paclitaxel-loaded Porphyrin-shelled Nanoemulsions

Porphyrin-lipids are ideal building blocks for the formation of self-assembled nanoparticles in multimodal imaging and therapeutics. In this study, a ~120 nm porphyrin-lipid shelled nanoemulsion loaded with paclitaxel (PLNE-PTX) was designed for combination of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and chemotherapy. The stable PLNE-PTX had sufficient loading efficiency of PTX (~3.1 %) and porphyrin (~18.3 %), and efficient tumor accumulation in mice (~5.4 ID %/g). For in vivo studies, the combination of PDT and chemotherapy (~223.2 mm3) illustrated an increased tumor growth inhibition compared with PDT (~566.9 mm3) or chemotherapy alone (~544.3 mm3) on day 16. Furthermore, a 4-fold decreased PTX dosage in combination treatment was achieved compared to chemotherapy alone, which could lower PTX toxicities. No significant side effects were observed from blood tests and H stains in mice after PLNE-PTX injection. Thus, PLNE-PTX is a suitable candidate for the synergistic and safe combination of PDT and chemotherapy for tumor treatment.

Keywords: Cancer treatment
Drug delivery
Nanoparticle
Paclitaxel
Photodynamic therapy
Advisor: Zheng, Gang
Seasonal Variation of Brain Size and Structure in a Freshwater Top Predator

Teleost fishes occupy a range of ecosystem and habitat types subject to large seasonal fluctuations. Strategies for surviving theses seasonal environments can vary widely and are commonly accompanied by variation in brain structure. However, our understanding of how predictable changes in behavior across seasons shape, or are shaped by, the nervous system is limited. Here I investigate how patterns in the brain size and brain region sizes of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) coincide with seasonal changes in habitat and behavior using Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) and bioacoustic telemetry. There was significant seasonal variation in whole brain size, as well as the size of some regions, which coincided with movement of lake trout between nearshore and offshore habitats. Successful completion of annual life history events (i.e., reproduction, habitat use, and diet shifts) could therefore be supported by seasonally responsive brain size flexibility that allows for a cognitive capacity more tailored to different parts of the year.

Keywords: Behavior
Brain Size
Flexability
Seasonal
Telemetry
Winter
Advisor: McMeans, Bailey C
Establishing a Mechanistic Link Between Synucleinopathy and Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behaviour Disorder

REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is characterized by REM sleep without muscle atonia. Ninety percent of RBD cases convert into synucleinopathies within 15 years. Synucleinopathies are characterized by α-synuclein aggregates and neurodegeneration. In patients with RBD, α-synuclein aggregates and neurodegeneration affect REM sleep atonia generating brain areas, including the sublaterodorsal tegmental nucleus (SLD) and ventromedial medulla (vmM). Disrupting glutamatergic SLD neurons and GABA/glycinergic vmM neurons causes RBD-like behaviour. Therefore, α-synuclein pathology may cause RBD by disrupting these nuclei. To test this, α-synuclein was overexpressed in glutamatergic SLD cells and GABA/glycinergic vmM cells and α-synuclein aggregation and neurodegeneration were quantified. α-synuclein overexpression in GABA/glycinergic vmM neurons caused α-synuclein aggregation and neuronal loss. Although α-synuclein overexpression in glutamatergic SLD cells caused aggregation, it did not cause neuronal loss. This project provides an animal model of RBD in prodromal synucleinopathy and a means to study synucleinopathic neurodegeneration in REM sleep atonia generating nuclei.

Keywords: REM sleep
REM sleep behaviour disorder
synucleinopathy
α-synuclein
Advisor: Peever, John H
Effect of Resveratrol and Implant Surface Topography on Osseointegration under Hyperglycemic Conditions

Chronic hyperglycemia compromises bone structure and may contribute to dental implant failures. Previous studies show that topographically complex implant surfaces enhance bone-implant anchorage compromised by hyperglycemia. Furthermore, resveratrol (RSV) is a potent antioxidant that counteracts the effects of hyperglycemia. The influence of two implant surface profiles (micro- and nanotopographically complex) and RSV administration on osseointegration in hyperglycemic bone was investigated. 240 custom-designed threaded implants were inserted in the proximal tibiae of 120 hyperglycemic Wistar rats. Rats were randomized to receiving weekly subcutaneous resveratrol or propylene glycol injections for a maximum of 4 weeks. Implants then underwent reverse-torque mechanical testing at timepoints between 5 and 84 days. Nanotopographic implants significantly enhanced bone-implant anchorage during implant osseointegration, which transpires within 28 days post-implantation, while resveratrol significantly increased bone-implant anchorage at 84 days, indicating an effect on bone remodelling. This likely occurred due to an influence of RSV on tibial longitudinal growth.

Keywords: anchorage
diabetes
hyperglycemia
implant
resveratrol
topography
Advisor: Mendes, Vanessa C
Exercise as an Alternative Depression Treatment: Perspectives and Practices of Canadian Post-secondary Mental Health Care Providers

Post-secondary campuses are experiencing challenges with increasing reports of depression symptoms among students. Exercise is an evidence-based treatment for depression, and prescriptions initiated by mental health care providers (MHCPs) could improve uptake to exercise as a treatment. Campuses provide recreation facilities and exercise programs that could be used to support prescription practices, yet the exercise prescription practices among on-campus MHCPs are currently unknown. The purpose of this mixed methods research was to explore post-secondary MHCPs’ practices and beliefs towards prescribing exercise for depression. Participants (N = 153) completed a self-report questionnaire to assess exercise prescription practices, beliefs, and theoretical determinants of prescription practices. Semi-structured interviews (N =12) were conducted to provide contextual details. Based on the integration of the findings, favourable perceptions towards exercise were reported and results provide implications for developing theory-informed resources and training opportunities to leverage on-campus exercise programs as an alternative depression treatment approach.

Keywords: Alternative treatment
Depression
Exercise
Mental health
Physical activity
Post-secondary student
Advisor: Sabiston, Catherine M
The Development and Assessment of a Measure of the Quality of Preventive Oral Health Services for First Nations Communities

Indigenous populations face inequities in oral health compared to the Canadian population. Prevention is key in reducing this gap. This thesis develops and assesses the sensibility and initial validity of a novel instrument for preventive oral health care delivery to Indigenous communities in Canada. Using a mixed-methods sequential approach and concept mapping methodology, the resulting Quality Preventive Oral Health Services for Indigenous Communities (QPOHSIC) scale contains 53 items organized into 7 domains, which present new themes that are not included in previous measures of oral health care delivery, while maintaining themes captured by frameworks and measurements of quality oral health services. The QPOHSIC demonstrated excellent sensibility. Initial construct validity supports that the QPOHSIC measures dental satisfaction, with additional measures of quality pertaining to Indigenous peoples that do not exist in other dental satisfaction measures. Further reliability and validity testing will be performed to complete psychometric assessment of the QPOHSIC scale.

Keywords: Indigenous
Measurement
Preventive dentistry
Quality of care
Advisor: Lawrence, Herenia P.
Alpha- and Beta-diversity of Amphibians and Reptiles in Ontario

Reptiles and amphibians are experiencing a global decline. Anthropogenic factors (habitat loss and climate change) are among the many forces causing such decline. At a regional scale, understanding the drivers of amphibian and reptile diversity may be important in the establishment of protected areas. My study leveraged data from the Ontario Reptile and Amphibian Atlas, a citizen science initiative of amphibian and reptile presence data, to uncover the regional-scale drivers of alpha- and beta-diversity of amphibians and reptiles in Ontario. Using univariate and multivariate regression trees, I found that temperature, agriculture, and road density were most strongly associated with alpha- and beta-diversity. My work emphasizes that amphibian and reptile diversity is greatest in southern and central Ontario, where human density is also highest. Future research should examine temporal changes in diversity while accounting for variation in sampling intensity, in order to recommend areas of conservation for wildlife corridors.

Keywords: Alpha-diversity
Amphibians
Beta-diversity
Ontario
Reptiles
Advisor: Fortin, Marie-Josée
Rollinson, Njal