VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Islamic Environmental Stewardship through Aboriginal Spirtual Ecology: How Muslim Students can learn Stewardship through Aborginal Teachings

This study investigates the challenges and opportunities of using the Aboriginal principles of “Respect,” “Reciprocity,” “Relationship,” and “Responsibility” (known as the “4 R’s”), Seventh Generation Stewardship, and an Aboriginal circle of giving and receiving, to teach Muslim students in one Islamic elementary school setting about environmental stewardship. The research tracked the thoughts and emotional connections of students as they undertook to establish the Aboriginal circle of giving and receiving, with plants they planted for their science unit. Through lessons and practices around the 4 R’s, the majority of students demonstrated an increased emotional attachment to the plants in their respective circles, which was documented in journals. While establishing these practices, the students expressed a heightened awareness of the various ways in which they may enhance the practice of environmental stewardship mandated in traditional Islamic texts.

Keywords: Environmental Education
Islamic Education
Stewardship Education
Islamic Schools
Religious Education
Aboriginal Teachings
Advisor: Restoule, Jean-Paul
Positive Affect Promotes Unbiased and Flexible Attention: Towards a Dopaminergic Model of Positivity

A review of extant literature on positive affect suggested that it has two major dimensions: a hedonic dimension related to subjective feelings and reward processing, and a cognitive dimension related to affect-specific changes in perception and cognition. A novel dopaminergic mod el was proposed to provide a unitary account for the effects of positive affect across the two dimensions. The model hypothesized that positive affect is associated with distinct modes of mesocortical and mesolimbic dopa mine transmission, which in turn mediate unbiased, unfiltered and flexible attention. Three separate behavioral tasks on perception, attention, and reward learning were conducted. In line with the hypothesis, positive affect was found to associate with less biased bi-stable perception, faster regain of attention to previously ignored information, and fewer perseverative errors in face of changing reward contingencies.

Keywords: positive affect
positive psychology
attention
perception
reward learning
Advisor: Anderson, Adam K.
A Single Phase Grid Connected DC/AC Inverter with Reactive Power Control for Residential PV Application

This Master of Applied Science thesis presents a single phase grid connected DC/AC inverter with reactive power (VAR) control for residential photovoltaic (PV) applications. The inverter, utilizing the voltage sourced inverter (VSI) configuration, allows the local residential PV generation to actively supply reactive power to the utility grid. A low complexity grid synchronization method was introduced to generate the parallel and orthogonal components of the grid voltage in a highly computationally efficient manner in order to create a synchronized current reference to the current control loop. In addition, the inverter is able to use a small long life film type capacitor on the DC-link by utilizing a notch filter on the voltage control loop. Simulations were performed on PSCAD/EMTDC platform and a prototype was also developed in the lab to prove the effectiveness of the controllers and the grid synchronization method.

Keywords: single phase inverter
residential PV
reactive power
grid synchronization
Advisor: Lehn, Peter W.
Testing the Limits of Oral Narration: A Case Study on Armenian Genocide Survivors

This research discusses communication and meaning in the context of orality, using a variety of theoretical perspectives, including memory theory, media and communication theory, and semiotics. Drawing on the work of Walter Ong, it provides new insight about the characteristics and limits of oralnarration by assessing the memes, tropes, and phraseological units in the oral narrations of Armenian Genocide survivors. This research identifies a list of replicable forms of stories and oral devices that are used by the group in question; it then proposes that oral narration of non-fictional topics designed to convey historical or episodic information to others is intuitive, reactive, directed, fuzzy, and sticky. Concerns about the legitimacy and historical value of the narrations under review do not play a role in this research; instead, the focal point is the meaning embedded in the form and structure of the narrations under study.

Keywords: orality
narration
oral history
oral histories
armenian genocide
genocide
walter ong
media theory
communication theory
semiotics
memory
zoryan institute
interview
survivor
Advisor: Dilevko, Juris B.
The Effectiveness of Magnesium Oxide-based Additives in Mitigating Fouling Problems in Kraft Recovery Boilers

Magnesium oxide-based additives have been used in kraft recovery boilers to minimize deposit accumulation on superheater and generating bank tubes. Due to inconclusive results observed in boilers and claims made for additive effectiveness backed by little scientific evidence, only a few mills still use the additives for fouling control. A systematic study was performed to examine the effect of MgO-based additives on deposit accumulation and removal under controlled laboratory conditions, and to evaluate the additive effect in a kraft recovery boiler. The results show that while the additive coating has no effect on deposition, it could ease deposit removal if a coating greater than 5 µm can be applied on the tube surface effectively. Separate injection of additive and black liquor had insignificant effect on deposition and removal. Results of the field study show that the amount of additive collected on the tube is too small to have an impact.

Keywords: additives
kraft recovery boilers
fouling problems
pulp and paper
Advisor: Tran, Honghi
Protective Effect of Peroxiredoxin 2 on Oxidative Stress Induced β-cell Toxicity in the Pancreatic β-cell Line MIN6

Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are characterized by an excessive loss of insulin producing β-cells. β-cells are particularly susceptible to increased oxidative stress induced apoptosis due to low expression of major antioxidants. Peroxiredoxin-2 (PRDX2) belongs to a group of antioxidants with antiapoptotic roles. Preliminary data indicate PRDX2 is expressed in the β-cells. Endogenous PRDX2 in the β-cell line MIN6 is found to decrease under oxidative stress conditions. I hypothesize that PRDX2 has a role in protecting β-cells against oxidative stress induced apoptosis. Overexpression or knockdown strategies were used to examine the role of PRDX2 in insulin-secreting MIN6 cells treated with various stimuli (cytokines, palmitate, streptozotocin) to induce apoptosis. Results showed that PRDX2 overexpression decreased oxidative stress induced apoptosis markers and cell death indicators, whereas knockdown of PRDX2 exaggerated oxidative stress induced toxicity. These findings suggest that PRDX2 plays a protective role in pancreatic β-cells under oxidative stress conditions.

Keywords: Oxidative stress
β-cell
toxicity
Peroxiredoxin 2
Advisor: Wang, Qinghua
Tat-9c, a Tat-fusion Cysteine-rich Peptide, Attenuates Behaviour Deficits following Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats

Peroxynitrite, a highly oxidative molecule, plays a role in neuronal cell death following traumatic brain injury (TBI). A peptide comprised of the HIV-1 tat transduction domain fused to nine cysteine residues (Tat-9c) was previously designed to act as an exogenous target for nitrosylation by peroxynitrite. The present study’s aim was to explore the efficacy of Tat-9c in maintaining neurological function following TBI. Rats treated with Tat-9c exhibited significant improvement in performance compared to controls 24 hrs following TBI in the Beam-Walk task but not in the Rota-Rod task. Injured animals, given the drug, show a recovery as indicated by similar performance on the Morris Water Maze task compared to sham controls. These findings suggest Tat-9c may constitute a potential therapy for improving motor and cognitive function following TBI.

Keywords: Traumatic Brain Injury
cysteine
Advisor: Tymianski, Michael
Multi-edge Low-density Parity-check Coded Modulation

A method for designing low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes for bandwidth-efficient high-order coded modulation is proposed. Code structure utilizes the multi-edge-type LDPC code ensemble to achieve an improved match between codeword bit protection ca- pabilities and modulation bit-channel capacities over existing LDPC coded modulation techniques. The multi-dimensional EXIT vector field for the specific multi-edge parame- terization is developed for the analysis and design of code ensembles. A multi-dimensional EXIT decoding convergence condition is derived to enable efficient optimization. Code design results in terms of ensemble thresholds and finite-length Monte-Carlo simulations indicate that the new technique improves on the state-of-the-art performance, with sig- nificantly lower design and implementation complexity.

Keywords: Coded modulation
Coding theory
EXIT
LDPC
Multi-edge-type
Advisor: Kschischang, Frank R.
Parallel Anisotropic Block-based Adaptive Mesh Refinement Finite-volume Scheme

A novel parallel block-based anisotropic adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) technique for multi-block body-fitted grids is proposed and described. Rather than adopting the more usual isotropic approach to mesh refinement, an anisotropic refinement procedure is proposed which allows refinement of grid blocks in each coordinate direction in an independent fashion. This allows for more efficient and accurate treatment of narrow layers and/or discontinuities which occur, for example, in the boundary and mixing layers of viscous flows, and in regions of strong non-linear wave interactions with shocks. The anisotropic AMR technique is implemented within an existing finite-volume framework, which encompasses both explicit and implicit solution methods, and is capable of performing calculations with second- and higher-order spatial accuracy. To clearly demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed technique, it is applied to the unsteady and steady-state solutions of both the advection diffusion equation, as well as the Euler equations, in two space dimensions.

Keywords: adaptive mesh refinement
anisotropic
computational fluid dynamics
Binary Tree
advection diffusion
euler equations
finite-volume
Advisor: Clinton, Groth
Hypothalamic AMP-activated Protein Kinase Regulates Glucose Production

Hypothalamic AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) regulates energy homeostasis in response to nutritional and hormonal signals. However, its role in glucose production regulation remains to be elucidated. Here, we tested the hypothesis that bidirectional changes in hypothalamic AMPK activity alter glucose production in rodents. First, we found that knocking down hypothalamic AMPK activity in an in vivo rat model led to a significant suppression of glucose production independent of changes in food intake and body weight. Second, we showed that activation of hypothalamic AMPK negated the ability of hypothalamic glucose- and lactate- sensing to lower glucose production. Collectively, these data indicate that changes in hypothalamic AMPK activity are sufficient and necessary for hypothalamic nutrient-sensing mechanisms to alter glucose production in vivo, and highlight the novel role of hypothalamic AMPK in the maintenance of glucose homeostasis in addition to energy balance.

Keywords: Diabetes
Nutrient Sensing
Hypothalamic AMPK
Glucose Production
Advisor: Lam, Tony K. T.
Multimedia Features in Electronic Health Records: An Analysis of Vendor Websites and Physicians' Perceptions

Electronic health records (EHRs) facilitate storing, organizing, and sharing personal health information. The academic literature suggests that multimedia information (MM; image, audio, and video files) should be incorporated into EHRs. We examined the acceptability of MM-enabled EHRs for Ontario-based software vendors and physicians, using a qualitative analysis of primary and acute care EHR vendor websites, and a survey of physician perceptions regarding MM features in EHRs. Primary care EHR vendors provided more product-specific information than acute care vendors; however, neither group emphasized MM features in their EHRs. Physicians had slightly positive perceptions of image and video features, but not of audio features. None of the external factors studied predicted physicians‘ intention to use MM. Our findings suggest that neither vendors nor physicians are enthusiastic about implementing or using MM in EHRs, despite acknowledging potential benefits. Further research is needed to explore how to incorporate MM into EHR systems.

Keywords: electronic medical record
ehealth
health information technology
technology acceptance model
diffusion of innovations
Advisor: Shachak, Aviv
Probing the Mechanism of Correction in ΔF508-CFTR

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene, which cause loss function of the CFTR channel on the apical surface of epithelial cells. ΔF508-CFTR, the major mutation in patients, is misfolded, retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and degraded. Small molecule corrector compounds partially rescue the trafficking defect of ΔF508-CFTR by allowing escape from the ER and trafficking to the plasma membrane where it exhibits partial function. These compounds may bind directly to the mutant protein and rescue the biosynthetic defect by inducing improved protein conformation. We tested this hypothesis by evaluating the consequence of corrector compound on the conformation of each nucleotide-binding domain (NBD) in the context of the full-length mutant protein in limited proteolytic digest studies. We found that VRT-325 was capable in partially restoring compactness only in NBD1. In comparison, ablation of the arginine framed peptide sequence: R553XR555 (ΔF508-KXK-CFTR) modified the protease resistance of NBD1, NBD2 and the full-length protein. Singly, each intervention led to a partial correction of the processing defect. Together these interventions restored processing of ΔF508-CFTR to near wild-type levels. Importantly however, a defect in NBD1 conformation persisted, as did a defect in channel activation after the combined interventions. This defect in channel activation can be fully corrected by addition of the potentiator: VX-770. The experiments performed partly elucidated ii the molecular mechanism of action for drug therapy and suppressor mutation. It is important to understand these basic concepts in hopes to layout a blue print for future drug design.

Keywords: cystic fibrosis
corrector
biochemistry
Advisor: Bear, Christine
Analysis and Modeling of Planetary Gearbox Vibration Data for Early Fault Detection

Planetary gearboxes are key rotating motion transmission components used in many types of machinery. Syncrude Canada uses planetary gearboxes in their Fort McMurray oil sands field operations to transport stockpile for further downstream processing. There is currently no condition monitoring capability for these gearboxes. As such, unexpected failures are not detected in advance. Failure of these gearboxes results in costly bottlenecks and secondary damages. Routine inspections to check on condition of the gearbox, requiring the gearbox to be off-line, are also costly. This thesis investigates into condition monitoring for Syncrude's planetary gearbox through analyzing the data collected at a test rig that is modeled after the one used in field operations. The condition at specific points in the testing is analyzed, and the desired fault to be detected early is identified. The Time Synchronous Averaging (TSA) preprocessing technique is applied to the original data, and results show that it is superior for modeling purposes. Health indicators and statistical control charts are applied based on the TSA model, and show clear indication of deterioration.

Advisor: Makis, Viliam
Experimental and Kinetic Modeling Study of 1-hexanol Combustion in an Opposed-flow Diffusion Flame

Biofuels are of particular interest as they have the potential to reduce our dependence on petroleum-derived fuels for transportation. 1-Hexanol is a promising renewable long chain alcohol that can be used in conventional fuel blends or as a cosolvent for biodiesel mixtures. However, the fundamental combustion properties of 1-hexanol have not been fully characterized in the literature. Thus, new experimental results, consisting of temperature and concentration profiles of stable species were obtained for the oxidation of 1-hexanol generated in an opposed-flow diffusion flame at 0.101 MPa. The kinetic model consists of 361 chemical species and 2687 chemical reactions (most of them reversible). This experimental data were compared to the predicted values of a detailed chemical kinetic model proposed in literature to study the combustion of 1-hexanol. Reaction pathway and sensitivity analyses were performed to interpret the results. In addition, several improvements were investigated to optimize the proposed chemical kinetic mechanism.

Keywords: Combustion
1-Hexanol
Kinetic Modeling
Biofuels
Oppposed-flow diffusion flame
Advisor: Thomson, Murray J.
Investigating the Evolution and Functional Diversification of Pseudomonas syringae type III effector HopZ1

The pathogenicity of plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae depends on the type III secretion system which translocates effector proteins into host cells. In response, plants have evolved resistance proteins to detect presence of specific effectors and activate defense responses. The constant host surveillance imposes a strong selective pressure on effector proteins to evolve rapidly in order to evade detection. The P. syringae HopZ1 effector has evolved into three allelic forms as a result of diversifying selection. In this thesis, I aimed to investigate how sequence divergence contributes to the distinct allelic specificities of HopZ1. Mutational analysis of HopZ1a identified three amino acid residues that were potentially involved in dampening host defense responses, and two HopZ1a mutants partially lost the ability to trigger defense responses yet did not lose their virulence functions. These results suggested that distinct host targets could be involved in the defense-eliciting activity and virulence function of HopZ1a.

Keywords: type III effector
evolution
Pseudomonas syringae
HopZ1a
Advisor: Guttman, David S.
Desveaux, Darrell
Formation and Metabolism of Sugar Metabolites, Glyoxal and Methylglyoxal, and their Molecular Cytotoxic Mechanisms in Isolated Rat Hepatocytes

High chronic fructose consumption has been linked to many diseases. Sugar metabolites, especially glyoxal and methylglyoxal can form advanced glycation products, which contribute to the pathology of diabetic complications. Our objective was to study the metabolism of these metabolites and the associated protein carbonyation and cytotoxicity in isolated hepatocytes. In addition, the effect of oxidative stress on the metabolism of these toxins was also investigated. Methylglyoxal and glyoxal can induce protein carbonylation, which contributes to hepatocyte toxicity. Methylglyoxal, but not glyoxal, was detoxified mainly by the glyoxalase system. Both toxins can be metabolized by mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase. The detoxification of glyoxal was impaired under oxidative stress conditions (i.e. increased hydrogen peroxide level). Glyoxal was found to be a common autoxidation product from glyceraldehyde, hydroxypyruvate and glycolaldehyde. Glyoxal and the reactive oxygen species formation during the autoxidation process contributed to the hepatocyte toxicity of glyceraldehyde, hydroxypyruvate and glycolaldehyde.

Keywords: Dicarbonyls
Oxidative Stress
Fructose
Protein carbonylation
Diabetes
AGEs
Advisor: O'Brien, Peter J.
Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Carbide Prepared using DC Saddle Field PECVD for Photovoltaic Applications

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC:H) can provide exceptional surface passivation essential for high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells. This thesis reports on the fundamental study of a-SiC:H films deposited using a novel deposition technique, DC saddle field PECVD, in contrast to the conventional industrial use of RF-PECVD. The growth conditions were optimized and correlated with passivating, structural, and optical characteristics. The lifetime has a strong dependency on deposition temperature and improves by over two orders of magnitude as the temperature increases; the maximum lifetime achieved in this work reached 0.5 ms. In addition, the Tauc optical gap can be increased from 1.7 eV to 2.3 eV by varying the precursor gas mixture ratio. Post-deposition annealing experiments demonstrate thermal stability of the samples deposited at 250 °C and in some instances shows improvement in passivation quality by a factor of two with a one-step annealing treatment at 300 °C for 15 minutes.

Keywords: amorphous silicon carbide
DC saddle field PECVD
Advisor: Kherani, Nazir P.
Modeling and Application of a Thermoelectric Module

Thermoelectric modules are an important alternative to heat engines in the harvesting of waste heat. Electrical-thermal analogues are often employed when studying heat conduction and this analogue can be extended to develop an equivalent circuit for thermoelectric effects. For the primarily one-dimensional problem of thermoelectricity, the equations can be discretized to create a simple mathematical model. In this document, such a model is developed from first principles and show that the electro-thermal coupling is properly in- corporated. The results of simulations using the model are then presented and validated experimentally. Furthermore, in one possible application of thermoelectric modules, a self-contained cooling unit with an integrated thermoelectric generator is designed. By performing fluid dynamics simulations on a fan and heat sink model, the geometry and operating conditions can be optimized and the start-up and transient characteristics are studied.

Keywords: thermoelectric
modeling
Advisor: Dawson, Francis P.
Pugh, Mary C.
A Framework for Aerostructural Analysis of Wind Turbine Blades

As international growth in wind energy steadily increases and the world gradually moves away from fossil fuels, advanced computational tools are required to produce accurate and fast predictions in wind turbine performance, and to allow efficient design cycles using advanced materials and manufacturing methods. Currently, aerostructural analysis often employs the relatively fast but inaccurate Blade Element Momentum (BEM) theory, while accurate but slower Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods are generally used for aerodynamic analysis alone.To bridge the gap between speed and accuracy, a 3D panel code, TriPan, was coupled with an advanced structural Finite Element Method (FEM) code, TACS, to perform aerostructural analysis for wind turbine blades. In addition, the framework allows the replacement of the panel solver by higher fidelity solvers to increase the accuracy of the overall aerostructural solution.

Keywords: Wind Turbine
Aerostructural
Advisor: Martins, Joaquim R. R. A.