VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Citizenship in a Post-Pandemic World: A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis of H1N1 in the Canadian Print News Media

The 2009/2010 outbreak of H1N1 thrust pandemic influenza into the media spotlight. Not only did the outbreak dominate media coverage during that time, but news coverage also played an integral part in the official public health response for public communication across Canada. As influenza pandemics are notoriously fraught with scientific uncertainty, much of that news coverage centred on risk (e.g. infection, vaccination). Over the past several decades, risk has emerged as a central organizing principle and a prevailing characteristic of modernity, and recent studies on the discursive constitution of risk claim that risk discourses operate as a technology of governance within neoliberal societies. To date, very little work has been done to explore the discursive constitution of H1N1, or H1N1 risk, within the news media. To address this gap, I analyzed print news coverage of the H1N1 outbreak within two major English-language, Canadian daily newspapers, The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star. Applying a governmentality and risk perspective as an analytic lens, and informed by the theoretical concepts of biopower and biopedagogy, I explored how media discourses on risk made possible particular ways of acting, seeing, and talking about ourselves, both as individuals and in social groups. The results indicate that three distinct strands of risk discourse were operating in the media during the H1N1 pandemic: ‘causal tales’ which serve as explanations of risk; ‘cautionary tales’ which warn of expanded H1N1 risk; and, ‘precautionary tales’ which offer instructions for managing H1N1 risk. I argue that these results suggest a shifting discursive terrain surrounding H1N1 risk and its management, in which each new ‘tale’ recalibrates the conditions of possibility for H1N1, and hails the audience into a new H1N1 storyline and a heightened awareness of H1N1 risk. Further, I argue that this expansion of ‘risk space’ makes possible a particular kind of ‘pandemic subject’ which operates as a neo-liberal bio-citizen. Lastly, I posit that there is a heretofore untheorized risk rationality, operating in the context of pandemic influenza, that pertains to the case-by-case assessment of risks located within the social interactions of daily life, which I term ‘social-interactive risk’.

Keywords: discourse analysis
governmentality
H1N1
media
pandemic
risk
Advisor: Robertson, Ann
Reversible Covalent and Noncovalent Interactions in Organoboron Catalysis and Solution Phase Chalcogen Bonding

The covalent and noncovalent interactions that occur between molecules are at the heart of a wealth of chemical applications. This work describes studies of these interactions in the design of new compounds for molecular sensing and recognition (Chapters 1â 3), and catalysis (Chapters 3 and 4). In Chapter 1, a systematic study on telluradiazole chalcogen bonding interactions delineates the thermodynamic driving forces behind the formation of these noncovalent bonds. This information was applied in Chapter 2 in the design of a bidentate tellurophene capable of solution phase anion recognition. In Chapter 3, the covalent interactions between a new class of b-aminoalkylboronic acids and carbohydrates were explored. Additionally, the b-aminoalkylboronic acids were found to be catalytically active in regioselective diol acylation reactions. This work suggests that b-aminoalkylboronic acids are a promising candidate for future catalyst and carbohydrate sensor development. In Chapter 4, a mechanistic study on the diphenylboronic acid catalyzed chloroacylation of 2,3-epoxy alcohols is presented which reveals the catalystâ s unusual role at activating the substrate as both an electrophile and as a nucleophile. Future directions for improving the scope of the reaction to include new nucleophiles and electrophiles are suggested based on the mechanistic results. In Chapter 5, a new method for creating graphical rate equations from integral data is presented. The method uses curve fitting to a first order nonlinear ordinary differential equation. This method is shown to be applicable to a range of reactions with diverse mechanistic behaviour. Additionally, the graphical rate equations created from this method are shown to be insensitive to the size, noise level, and experimental duration of the data set. The method also provides a means to accurately define areas of statistical similarity, or overlay, during reaction progress kinetic analysis.

Keywords: Borinic Acid
Boronic Acid
Chalcogen Bonding
Molecular Sensing
Organocatalysis
Reaction Progress Kinetic Analysis
Advisor: Taylor, Mark S
THREE ESSAYS ON INTERNATIONAL ASSET PRICING

The common thread running through my research is to explore the asset price dynamics across countries and across asset classes. In the first chapter of this thesis, I apply Newton's law of universal gravitation to investigate the determinants of the bilateral relationships in returns. Examining the gravity effect in a large set of countries, I find that the size of economies and geographical distance are significant determinants of the contemporaneous as well as the lead-lag correlation patterns observed in stock returns across countries. In addition, decomposing stock market returns into cash-flow and discount-rate news shows that the international transmission of country specific news is more pronounced through discount-rate news, and that the size of economies and geographical distance are significant determinants for both components of returns. In the second chapter, based on a joint work with Redouane Elkamhi and Mikhail Simutin, we propose a diversification approach that exploits the global connectedness of developed countries to gain exposure to emerging countries' overall economies rather than their shallow equity markets. In doing so, we demonstrate that developed markets still offer substantial diversification benefits beyond those available through equity indices, contrary to a large body of literature claiming that the benefits of international diversification via developed markets have dramatically declined. Our results also suggest that relying on equity indices to assess diversification benefits understates diversification gains. The third chapter explores the potential risk of investing in global markets. Specifically, my co-author Redouane Elkamhi and I study the two widely-known speculation strategies in the FX market, carry and momentum trades, and provide a risk-based explanation for the excess returns. We construct a common factor that drives correlation across international equity markets and show that the cross-sectional variations in the average excess returns across carry and momentum portfolios can be explained by different sensitivities to our correlation factor. By using a factor constructed from the equity market to explain abnormal return in the FX market, these findings shed light on the important linkage across the two markets through equity correlations as a main instrument of the aggregate risk.

Keywords: Carry and momentum
Correlation
Currency market
Diversification
Gravity
International Asset Pricing
Advisor: Han, Bing
Elkamhi, Redouane
An Eulerian Approach to Optimal Transport with Applications to the Otto Calculus

This thesis studies the optimal transport problem with costs induced by Tonelli Lagrangians. The main result is an extension of the Otto calculus to higher order functionals, approached via the Eulerian formulation of the optimal transport problem. Open problems 15.11 and 15.12 from Villaniâ s Optimal Transport: Old and New are resolved. A new class of displacement convex functionals is discovered that includes, as a special case, the functionals considered by Carrillo-SlepË cev. Improved and simplified proofs of the relationships between the various formulations of the optimal transport problem, first seen in Bernard-Buffoni and Fathi-Figalli, are given. Progress is made towards developing a rigorous Otto calculus via the DiPerna-Lions theory of renormalized solutions. As well, progress is made towards understanding general Lagrangian analogues of various Riemannian structures.

Keywords: Displacement Convexity
Eulerian Calculus
Optimal Transport
Otto Calculus
Advisor: Burchard, Almut
Gangbo, Wilfrid
Essays on organizations in market emergence processes

Economic growth is associated with market dynamics based on new products and ideas. However, products that do not fit into the established market structure face risks, including being overlooked, undervalued, and failing. To overcome those risks, organizations can try to influence emergence of new market structures with which to be associated. My dissertation draws on theories related to organizational strategy, institutions, market categories, and social movements to examine how organizations engage in processes of market emergence. My dissertation deploys a social constructionist perspective wherein it is through social interactions and socio-cognitive processes that market structures emerge. Using this lens, I examine choices by organizations and external reactions to them by focusing on environments in which interactions are likely. The first study examines the strategic choice to claim a label by members of an emerging market category. We introduce the concept of proximate social space to examine the responsiveness of organizations to their external environment defined by either geography or market segment. In the context of a niche nonprofit practice in the U.S., we find that organizations choose to be early claimants of a label relative to their local geographic region, even as they exhibit awareness of their peers within their market segment. The second study examines the activities social movement organizations can use to increase awareness and market demand for certified products. Research on social movements has identified product certifications as a means for influencing the market, however certifications require awareness to function as intended. In a series of chapters using the context of LEED certification for environmentally-friendly buildings, I examine the strategies that social movement organizations can use to influence awareness of their certification, and the relationship between awareness and demand for that certification in the local geographic regions where interactions occur. I conclude by identifying both theoretical and practical implications based on the insights in each of the chapters.

Keywords: Market categories
Market emergence
Social movements
Advisor: Bowers, Anne
Mitchell, William
The Path to Parenthood isn’t Always Straight: A Qualitative Exploration of the Experiences of Gestational Surrogacy for Gay Men in Canada – Perspectives of Gay Fathers and Surrogates

Background: Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) have facilitated novel family structures and, in turn, have yielded new opportunities to parent for gay men. Recently, Canada has witnessed an increased number of same-sex parent families and a growth of gay father-headed households. ARTs continue to be only ascribed as biomedical interventions to resolve infertility. With the progress of ARTs and the increasing prevalence of gay fathers, the aim of this dissertation is to explore gestational surrogacy for gay men in Canada. Methods: From January 2015 to January 2016, gay fathers (n=16) and gestational surrogates (n= 6) were recruited through advertisements distributed across same-sex parenting groups, surrogacy consulting services and social media. Using non-probability purposive sampling, three populations were targeted: (1) single or partnered gay fathers who completed gestational surrogacy; (2) gestational surrogates who bore a child for gay men; and (3) gay fathers and their paired surrogate. All participants had to be living in Canada at the time surrogacy was practiced. In-depth semi-structured interviews (~60-90 min) were conducted either in-person or over the phone; informed consent was reviewed and obtained prior to the interview. Textual analysis was conducted by the researcher; emerging patterns were organized from the data manually to generate findings. Triangulation, member-checking and peer-debriefing supported validity. Results: The three empirically-based chapters will report on: (1) the motivations of gay intended fathers and gestational surrogates to pursue surrogacy; (2) the interpersonal relationships between gay intended fathers and gestational surrogates before, during and post pregnancy; and (3) institutional supports and barriers encountered during surrogacy and post-birth, with respect to both the practice of surrogacy and gay fatherhood. Implications: This dissertation has implications for social work practice, research and education, as well as policy, law and bioethics. The aim of this dissertation is to advance an understanding of non-normative families, resisting and challenging heteronormative discourses that have framed parenting and reproduction practice and scholarship. Encouraging dialogues with stakeholders, such as surrogates, intended parents, lawyers, fertility specialists and allied health professionals, is critical.

Keywords: assisted reproduction
Canada
fertility
gay men
intended parents
surrogacy
Advisor: Newman, Peter A.
The Dynamic Role of Jumonji C Domain Containing Protein 6 in Placental Development and Disease

Perturbations in oxygen sensing are a defining feature of placental-associated pathologies such as preeclampsia, a serious disorder of pregnancy. Preeclamptic placentae have markedly elevated levels of Hypoxia Inducible Factor 1Îą (HIF1A), a master regulator of oxygen homeostasis. Mounting evidence implicates a family of Fe2+ and oxygen-dependent Jumonji C domain containing enzymes (JMJDs) as mediators of the epigenetic code and hypoxic gene expression. While several JMJDs are induced in hypoxia, their role in pregnancy remains unclear. The goal of this study was to characterize JMJD6 function in the placenta in physiological and pathological conditions, and unravel its regulatory relationship with von Hippel Lindau tumour suppressor (VHL), a key executor of the cellular hypoxic response. JMJD6 expression inversely correlated with changes in oxygen tension during placental development, while JMJD6 protein and mRNA were significantly elevated in low oxygen and in early-onset preeclamptic (E-PE) placentae. In vitro demethylation assays revealed that optimal JMJD6-dependent demethylation of its histone targets, H3R2me2s and H4R3me2s, occurred in normoxia, and this was impaired in E-PE placentae due to a hypoxia-iron imbalance. In cytotrophoblast cells, JMJD6 is a positive regulator of VHL gene expression in normoxia. Accordingly, JMJD6 histone targets in E-PE placentae showed marked reductions in their association with VHL promoter regions. Independent of VHL gene regulation, JMJD6 also controlled VHL protein stability through lysyl hydroxylation and promoting its SUMO1-dependent SUMOylation. Importantly, the Jumonji C catalytic domain was found to be indispensable in executing both functions of JMJD6. In summary, these data signify a novel function for JMJD6 as an oxygen sensor in the human placenta, exerting a dual role in regulating VHL gene and protein. Uncovering epigenetic oxygen sensing mechanisms controlling HIF1A is crucial for defining the unique molecular signature of preeclampsia, which may ultimately translate to molecular-based diagnosis and therapy.

Advisor: Caniggia, Isabella
Reflections of the Past: Investigating the Mechanism of Distraction Transfer in Older Adulthood

Previous work has demonstrated that human aging is associated with an increase in attention to visual distraction and that older adultsâ implicit knowledge of previous distracters can affect their performance on later tasks. This thesis investigated the mechanism of distraction transfer by examining the effect of reduced attentional control on distracter processing during encoding (Studies 1-3), retention (Study 4), and retrieval (Study 5). Studies 1 and 2 investigated whether people attend to distraction at the cost of attending to targets; Study 1 showed that implicit memory for distracters is not accompanied by decreased implicit memory for targets, and Study 2 showed that distraction transfer is not eliminated in older adults when target stimuli are more attentionally captivating. Study 3 demonstrated that young adults show distraction transfer when their capacity for attentional control is diminished under divided attention conditions. Study 4 provided evidence that distracters remain active in working memory after encoding using functional magnetic neuroimaging (fMRI) and multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA). Lastly, Study 5 showed that older adults automatically reactivate previous distracters during a test task.

Keywords: Aging
Attention
Memory
Multi-voxel pattern analysis
Advisor: Hasher, Lynn
Versioning Mexico City: Musical Performances, Gender, Sexuality, and the Musical Production of Place

This dissertation attends to the interplay of musical performances, gender, and sexuality in socio-musical productions of Mexico City. A musical history of the modern metropolis and an ethnography of musical performances in contemporary Mexico City, this dissertation considers how nonnormatively gendered and sexually oriented persons employ musical performances to engage with and alter physical space—its affective, discursive, and material configurations. Therefore, I propose versioning—the popular music practice of altering tracks with recording studio equipment most closely associated with Jamaican dub—as a metaphor, analytic, and modality of musical performances. Musical performers, I argue, are effectively music producers who version in performance. In Mexico City, musical performances act as arenas where musical performers alter common assumptions and expectations attached to music, gender, sexuality, and place. These performers produce a world founded on the unwillingness to sustain the entwined projects of compulsory heteronormativity, misogyny, white supremacy, and neoliberalism on the basis that they obstruct the lives of nonnormatively gendered and sexually oriented persons. Specifically, I focus on a set of Mexico City-based musical performers who orchestrate the everyday to their specifications, for survival and to flourish. Ali Gua Gua, Bloody Benders, La Bruja y Sus Conjuros, and Cabaret Transchanga’s musical performances activate and make use of musical and sonic ways of knowing, being, and becoming. And, while their musical performances are in conversation with ever-shifting notions of mainstream propriety in contemporary Mexico City, they are not often recognized as sound, productive, reproductive, or legible worldviews. This is particularly the case for matters that are musically and sonically foundational to the metropolis and inseparable from gender and sexuality: the global city, nation-state, state-sanctioned violence, and geopolitical borders, which Ali Gua Gua, Bloody Benders, La Bruja y Sus Conjuros, and Cabaret Transchanga interact with in order to version Mexico City, Mexico.

Keywords: ethnomusicology
gender
mexico
mexico city
sexuality
sound
Advisor: Packman, Jeff
Stable Isotope and Trace Element Paleoecology of the Rudabánya II Fauna: Paleoenvironmental Implications for the Late Miocene Hominoid, Rudapithecus hungaricus

The Late Miocene extinction of great apes in Europe has generally been regarded as the consequence of environmental changes that occurred in correlation with global Late Miocene cooling. However, given the range of dietary and locomotor adaptations observed among the different hominoid genera it is unlikely that the same environmental factors can account for the decline of the entire group. To better understand the factors that influenced the extinction of European Miocene apes it is necessary to evaluate their paleoecology on a regional scale. This research utilizes stable carbon and oxygen isotope (δ13C and δ18O) and strontium/calcium (Sr/Ca) trace element ratios measured in fossil ungulate tooth enamel to reconstruct the paleoecology and paleoclimate of Rudabánya II (R. II), an early Late Miocene (~10 Ma) hominoid locality in northeastern Hungary. The fossiliferous deposits at R. II preserve abundant samples of the extinct great ape Rudapithecus hungaricus. Primary aims of this research include: 1) evaluating the types of habitats present in terms of forest canopy cover, 2) examining trophic niche dynamics among the diverse ungulate community, and 3) estimating key climatic variables including mean annual temperature (MAT), mean annual precipitation (MAP), and degree of seasonality. Stable isotope and Sr/Ca values indicate the presence of a heterogeneous wetland-forest environment, with a gradient of more open to closed canopy habitats. Significant differences in stable isotope and Sr/Ca values were observed among the sampled ungulate fauna, supporting the interpretation of resource specialization and partitioning. A MAP of 1030-1333 mm/yr, and a MAT of 14°C were calculated from the average δ13C and δ18O values of the equid Hippotherium intrans. Intra-tooth δ18O values revealed low amplitudes of variation indicating that seasonal changes in temperature and precipitation were relatively mild. The paleoenvironment that Rudapithecus inhabited was similar to that of contemporaneous hominoids in Western Europe, but strikingly different from that of hominoids in the Eastern Meditterranean. While adaptations to fallback feeding and efficient suspensory arboreality would have allowed Rudapithecus to endure some degree of environmental deterioration, the progressive restriction and fragmentation of humid wetland-forests following the retreat of Lake Pannon would have eventually led to its extinction.

Keywords: Hominoid
Hungary
Late Miocene
Paleoecology
Stable Isotope
Trace Element
Advisor: Begun, David R
Three Essays in Lending

This Thesis studies whether financial technology (fintech) innovation and loans provided by corporate insiders can mitigate financing frictions and correct market failures in markets with asymmetric information and adverse selection. It consists of five chapters. Chapter 1 outlines the research questions examined in the Thesis and highlights its main findings. Chapter 2 studies the effect of borrowing from peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platforms, a recent fintech innovation in lending, on the supply of credit by traditional credit intermediaries, such as banks, and the demand for credit from banks by consumers. It provides evidence suggesting that this innovation in lending affects the information environment in the credit market and increases access to credit by consumers. Chapter 3 examines loan selection by investors and loan returns in P2P markets. It demonstrates the dominating role of institutional investors in P2P lending, contrasts the loan-picking skill of institutional and retail investors, and discusses the ability of fintech lenders to accurately price and screen loan applications. Chapter 4 studies whether information-intensive debt can benefit corporations by investigating loans provided by corporate insiders, so-called related-party lending, from the perspective of corporate borrowers. It documents characteristics of these loans and shows that they are taken when the information asymmetry between borrowers and external capital providers is likely high. The findings also suggest that other debt providers regard relating-party lending as a signal of credit quality of borrowers. Chapter 5 concludes and discusses avenues for future research.

Keywords: adverse selection
algorithms
fintech
information asymmetry
peer-to-peer lending
related-party lending
Advisor: Davydenko, Sergei