VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Eh 440: Tuning into the Effects of Multiculturalism on Publicly Funded Canadian Music

In 1988, Canada enshrined multiculturalism into law, a democratizing manoeuver that allowed practitioners of non-Western and non-classical forms of music to agitate for equitable access to public arts funding. This agitation ultimately forced government-funded Canadian arts councils to re-examine their Eurocentric granting programs and to expand the parameters by which they fund music. Today’s arts council peer assessors must now assess applications covering a broad range of musical genres and differing aesthetic values, and must incorporate into their evaluations the councils' sociopolitical priorities emphasizing diversity and inclusivity. Yet, few assessors understand why and how identity politics informs the contemporary music-making of ethnocultural minorities and how collectively held stereotypes influence Canadians’ expectation for ethnocultural representation. In this thesis, I endeavour to separate the historical, sociopolitical and philosophical threads that have contributed to the current musical environment in Canada. I begin by examining the parallel histories of funding for high culture—which led to public arts funding—and early celebrations of multiculturalism. I then examine liberal democratic philosophy and how it fostered the “politics of difference” that characterizes Canadian multiculturalism. Although liberal democracy holds that each citizen be recognized as equal and have equality of opportunity to nurture his or her individual, authentic self, Canadians have historically treated ethnocultural minorities unequally, resulting in the latter pursuing politics of difference based upon collective characteristics. Collective difference politics, though, are prone to stereotype. In the Canadian music world these stereotypes are manifest in external desires for authentic ethnocultural representation, which can overshadow a minority musician’s ability to cultivate a unique musical voice. I devote the second part of my thesis to examining the effects of equity initiatives on Canadian arts councils. Based upon interviews with music and equity officers from the Canada Council, the Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council, I show how the dichotomy between collective and individual authenticities results in unequal modes of assessment that perpetuate both ethnocultural stereotypes and Western classical music’s monopoly over funding, limiting our definitions of Canadian music.

Keywords: Music
Multiculturalism
Canadian Music
Arts Councils
Canada Council for the Arts
Ontario Arts Council
Toronto Arts Council
Advisor: Averill, Gage
Moduli of Abelian Schemes and Serre's Tensor Construction

In this thesis we study moduli stacks \calM_\Phi^n, indexed by an integer n>0 and a CM-type (K,\Phi), which parametrize abelian schemes equipped with action by \OK and an \OK-linear principal polarization, such that the representation of \OK on the relative Lie algebra of the abelian scheme consists of n copies of each character in \Phi. We do this by systematically applying Serre's tensor construction, and for that we first establish a general correspondence between polarizations on abelian schemes M\otimes_R A arising from this construction and polarizations on the abelian scheme A, along with positive definite hermitian forms on the module M. Next we describe a tensor product of categories and apply it to the category \Herm_n(\OK) of finite non-degenerate positive-definite \OK-hermitian modules of rank n and the category fibred in groupoids \calM_\Phi^1 of principally polarized CM abelian schemes. Assuming n is prime to the class number of K, we show that Serre's tensor construction provides an identification of this tensor product with a substack of the moduli space \calM_\Phi^n, and that in some cases, such as when the base is finite type over \CC or an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero, this substack is the entire space. We then use this characterization to describe the Galois action on \calM_\Phi^n(\overline{\QQ}), by using the description of the action on \calM_\Phi^1(\overline{\QQ}) supplied by the main theorem of complex multiplication.

Keywords: Arithmetic Geometry
Abelian Schemes
Advisor: Kudla, Stephen S.
Remodeling Planning Domains Using Macro Operators and Machine Learning

The thesis of this dissertation is that automating domain remodeling in AI planning using macro operators and making remodeling more flexible and applicable can improve the planning performance and can enrich planning. In this dissertation, we present three novel ideas: (1) we present an instance-specific domain remodeling framework, (2) we recast the planning domain remodeling with macros as a parameter optimization problem, and (3) we combine two domain remodeling approaches in the instance-specific remodeling context. In the instance-specific domain remodeling, we choose the best macro-augmented domain model for every incoming problem instance using a predictor that relies on previously solved problem instances to estimate the macros to be added the domain. Training the predictor is achieved off-line based on the observed relation between the instance features and the planner performance in the macro-augmented domain models. On-line, the predictor is used to find the best remodeling of the domain based on the problem instance features. Our empirical results over a number of standard benchmark planning domains demonstrate that our predictors can speed up the fixed-remodeling method that chooses the best set of macros by up to 2.5 times. The results also show that there is a large room for improving the performance using instance-specific over fixed remodeling approaches. The second idea is recasting the domain remodeling with macros as a parameter optimization. We show that this remodeling approach can outperform standard macro learning tools, and that it can significantly speed up the domain evaluation preprocessing required to train the predictors in instance-specific remodeling, while maintaining similar performance. The final idea applies macro addition and operator removal to the instance-specific domain remodeling. While maintaining an acceptable probability of solubility preservation, we build a predictor that adds macros and removes original operators based on the instance’s features. The results show that this new remodeling significantly outperforms the macro-only fixed remodeling, and that it is better than the fixed domain models in a number of domains.

Keywords: Classical Planning
Learning
Macro Operators
Remodeling
Advisor: Beck, J. Christopher
From Education to Tumour Characteristics in Colorectal Cancer: An Analysis of the Pathways.

Background: Genetic and environmental factors have been associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. However, their association with prognosis has been less studied. Methods: Path analysis was employed to examine causal pathways from education to environmental (diet, alcohol, smoking, physical activity) and personal factors (screening), and then to obesity and ultimately to tumour characteristics (stage, grade, microsatellite instability (MSI), and site) that are associated with CRC prognosis. Data came from the Ontario Familial Colon Cancer Registry. Pathways were evaluated for effect modification by sex and two indicators of CRC genetic susceptibility (Bethesda criteria and newly identified familial cancer clusters). Results: Four food patterns (healthy foods, high-fat foods, sweet and processed foods, and oriental foods) and four nutrient patterns (total macronutrient, fat vs. carbohydrate, and micronutrients from supplements and from foods) were identified. Education was associated positively with healthy lifestyle factors (e.g. healthy foods factor) and negatively with unhealthy factors (e.g. smoking). As expected, high body mass index (BMI) was associated with lower physical activity and higher fat vs. carbohydrate factor. Unexpectedly, BMI was positively associated with the healthy foods factor among Bethesda positive patients and men. An association between education and BMI was mediated by the healthy foods factor and by physical activity. Important poor prognostic factors, higher grade and stage, were associated with smoking and not being screened. However, unexpected associations included a positive association of physical activity with tumour grade among Bethesda positive patients and a positive association of healthy foods with stage among Bethesda negative patients. Patients with right-sided tumours were more likely to receive micronutrients from supplements, and screening and less likely to smoke, and for men, to have a high BMI, high fat diet and healthy food diet. Conclusion: Some unhealthy lifestyle factors, such as smoking and a high fat food dietary pattern, are associated with adverse CRC tumour characteristics and so may affect the prognosis. Family history may modify some associations though the findings require independent confirmation.

Keywords: Lifestyle
Diet
Alcohol
Physical activity
Smoking
Screening
Colorectal cancer
Tumour characteristics
Survival
MSI
Grade
Stage
Site
Advisor: Eyssen, Gail
Mechanisms of Inhibitory Synaptic Plasticity: The Regulation of KCC2

The mechanisms that regulate the activity of the neuron specific K+Cl- cotransporter (KCC2) remain poorly understood, despite the critical importance of this transporter in inhibitory synaptic transmission and plasticity. In this thesis I made three novel discoveries which reveal the cellular and molecular mechanisms of KCC2 regulation. First, I assayed the K+Cl- cotransport function of KCC2 under isotonic conditions and determined the molecular domain of the cotransporter required for constitutive Cl- transport in hippocampal neurons (Acton et al 2012). Specifically, I identified the 15 amino acid domain of the C-terminus in neurons that is responsible for the ability of KCC2 to cotransport K+Cl- under basal isotonic conditions, allowing it to remain constitutively active to create the steep Cl- gradient across the neuronal membrane required for synaptic inhibition. Secondly, I investigated a novel KCC2-interacting protein named Neto2 and determined its effect on the postsynaptic action of GABA (Ivakine et al 2013). I have found that Neto2, which is also an auxiliary protein of kainate-type ionotropic receptors, can also regulate the activity of the KCC2. Neto2 is required for neurons to maintain low [Cl-]i and strong synaptic inhibition. Third, I examined the functional relevance of the KCC2:Neto2:KAR multiprotein complex and found that this complex regulates the surface level membrane expression pattern of KCC2 and the stability of the cotransporter in the membrane. Moreover, I have provided the first evidence that the interactions of KCC2:Neto2:GluK2 regulate KCC2 via a PKC-mediated phosphorylation of the cotransporter. Taken together, these results resolve three novel mechanisms of KCC2 regulation: the identity of the key C-terminal domain of KCC2 required for isotonic transport, the functional significance of the KCC2:Neto2 interaction, and the mechanism by which the KCC2:Neto2:KAR complex regulates KCC2 expression and mobility in the neuronal membrane.

Keywords: KCC2
chloride regulation
Advisor: Woodin, Melanie A.
Epidemiologic Characterization of the Heterosexual Transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and other Sexually Transmitted Infections in India

India houses the world&rsquo;s third largest population of people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) who constitute about 6% of the global HIV burden. In about 2008-9, an estimated 1.9 million [95%CI: 1.5 to 2.5] adults were living with HIV in India. The four southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu account for about 60% of estimated HIV infections, although they house only 30% of the adult population. I report that most HIV infections in infected couples in the general population of India (85.4% (95%CI: 80.0, 90.7)) were introduced by the male partner. The per-partnership transmission probability of HIV in the general population was low 29.1% (95%CI: 22.5, 35.7) compared to what has been reported for other STIs. Important theoretical facilitating factors for HIV transmission were associated with HIV infection with nearly equal effect sizes in both genders and across HIV&ndash;risk settings (multiple partnerships (OR: 2.46 (95%CI: 1.98, 3.06) and STIs (ORHSV-2: 5.60 (95%CI: 3.37, 9.33); ORSyphilis: 4.12 (95%CI: 2.35, 7.25)). The strength of association of STIs with HIV was consistent. Intervention spending on, or coverage of, STI treatment-focused sex work interventions (per 1000 total district population) was associated with a reduced annual risk of either HIV (- 1.7%, 95%CI: -3.3, -0.10) or syphilis (-10.9%, 95%CI: -15.9, -5.8) infection in young pregnant women in the high-burden southern states. A decreased annual risk of syphilis iii among young pregnant women attending public prenatal clinics in the high-burden southern states was associated with a unit increase (per 1000 total district population) of intervention spending (-0.009%, 95%CI: -0.014, -0.004), number of STIs treated (-10.9%, 95%CI: -15.9, -5.8), FSWs reached (-3.0%, 95%CI: -5.2, -0.7) and condoms distributed (-0.034%, 95%CI: - 0.053, -0.015). Male sexual behaviour (non-regular partnerships and use of female sex work) is the dominant driver of HIV transmission in the general population of south India. Ulcerative STIs were strongly associated with HIV infection in south India and interventions aimed at treating STIs and promoting safer sex practices for FSWs and their clients have resulted in reductions in HIV and syphilis incidence and prevalence in the general population of south India.

Keywords: HIV
India
AIDS
Epidemiology
Sexually transmitted infection
Public Health
Advisor: Jha, Prabhat
Tragic Rhetoric: Sophocles and the Politics of Good Sense

This dissertation investigates rhetoric and prudence in Sophocles through close readings of Antigone, Ajax, Philoctetes, and Oedipus at Colonus. Central to the project is a reconstruc-tion of a uniquely Sophoclean conception of prudence as “good sense”; good sense is distinguished from traditional conceptions of prudence as an inter-subjective capacity for good judgment that is born of experience and chance. The study finds that while good sense and persuasive rhetoric are occasionally paired, they are frequently divorced from one another. Thus, in place of heroic conflicts and tragic failings, these readings present an alternative tragic tension between the persuasive yet often solipsistic speech of heroes and protagonists and the good sense of marginalized characters. This project is situated within the “turn to rhetoric” in contemporary democratic theory; in this context, it presents Sophocles as a novel and under-theorized resource in three overarching ways. First, his dramas were performed in a democratic context and gave voice to perspectives otherwise marginalized within the polis; in this respect he offers more inclusive democratic resources than his Athenian contemporaries. Second, these plays offer sobering insight into the impact of contingency in shaping rhetorical contexts. They reveal that overconfidence in rhetorical technē underestimates the extent to which successful persuasion is often aligned with chance and social advantage. Third, he draws attention to pervasive structural inequalities that work against and silence good sense. In this final respect the plays themselves are considered as didactic resources that cultivate reflective judgments and good sense in the spectator and reader.

Keywords: rhetoric
tragedy
prudence
good sense
democracy
judgment
Sophocles
Athens
inclusion
contingency
spectator
chance
Advisor: Balot, Ryan
Structural Insights into the Regulatory Mechanism of the Ryanodine Receptor and its Disease-associated Mutants

Calcium is a ubiquitous second messenger in cells that plays a vital role in the control of cellular and physiological processes as diverse as cell division, memory and learning, fertilization and muscle contraction. Opening of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+-release channel, the ryanodine receptor (RyR), in response to mechanical or chemical stimuli via the dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR) is a crucial step in the process of muscle excitation-contraction coupling. I have determined the first high-resolution structure of a folded domain of RyR1 (RyR1A). The structure adopts a β-trefoil fold that is similar to the homologous suppressor domain of the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R). I identified a loop region in RyR1A concentrated with malignant hyperthermia (MH)- and central core disease (CCD)-associated mutations that have been implicated in perturbing inter-domain interactions with downstream regions of RyR. More recently I have used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to study the structure and dynamics of the cardiac isoform (RyR2) A domain and its mutants. I detected a dynamic α-helix that undergoes an α-helix to β-strand switch in the catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT)-associated mutant, RyR2A Δ exon 3. This dynamic helix is localized at an interface with electron dense columns in the cryo-EM map of the tetrameric receptor that connect with the pore region, suggesting that this dynamic helix may also interact with downstream regions of RyR to gate the channel. My high-resolution structural studies in collaboration with others have shed light on the structural underpinnings of RyR function and dysfunction in human disease.

Keywords: Structural Biology
Ryanodine receptor
NMR
X-ray crystallography
Advisor: Ikura, Mitsu
Engineering of TEV Protease for Manipulation of Biosystems

Synthetic biology is a nascent discipline that aims to design and construct new biological systems beyond those found in nature, ultimately using them to probe, control, or even replace existing biological systems. The success of synthetic biology depends on the assembly of a set of well-defined and modular tools. These tools should ideally be mutually compatible, reusable in different contexts, and have minimum crosstalk with endogenous proteins of the subject. The tobacco etch virus protease (TEV protease, TEVp) is a suitable candidate for such a tool due to its unique substrate specificity and high efficiency. Importantly, TEVp is capable of imitating proteolysis, a ubiquitous mechanism in nature for post-translational modifications and signal propagation. Here, TEVp is employed as a self-contained proteolytic device capable of executing biological tasks that are otherwise governed by endogenous proteins and processes. Consequently, the goal of using TEVp for synthetic manipulation of biosystems is achieved. First, a single-vector multiple gene expression strategy utilizing TEVp self-cleavage was created. This approach was used for the robust expression of up to three genes in both bacterial and mammalian cells with consistent stoichiometry. The products can then be individually purified or targeted to distinct subcellular compartments respectively. Second, a temperature-inducible TEVp was created by incremental truncation of TEVp. The 18th truncation of TEVp (tsTEVp) resulted in negligible activity at 37 °C, but retained sufficient activity at 30 °C for rapid processing of its substrates in several mammalian cell cultures. Finally, tsTEVp was applied in the context of other synthetic modules to generate a variety of biological responses. Its versatility was demonstrated as cellular processes including protein localization, cellular blebbing, protein degradation, and cell death were rewired to respond to the physical stimulus of temperature.

Keywords: protein engineering
TEV protease
Advisor: Truong, Kevin
Convex Solutions to the Power-of-mean Curvature Flow, Conformally Invariant Inequalities and Regularity Results in Some

In this thesis we study three different problems: convex ancient solutions to the power-of-mean curvature flow; Sharp inequalities; regularity results in some applications of optimal transportation. The second chapter is devoted to the power-of-mean curvature flow; We prove some estimates for convex ancient solutions (the existence time for the solution starts from – ∞) to the power-of-mean curvature flow, when the power is strictly greater than ½. As an application, we prove that in two dimension, the blow-down of an entire convex translating solution, namely [special characters omitted], locally uniformly converges to [special characters omitted] as h → ∞. The second application is that for generalized curve shortening flow (convex curve evolving in its normal direction with speed equal to a power of its curvature), if the convex compact ancient solution sweeps the whole space R2, it must be a shrinking circle. Otherwise the solution must be defined in a strip region. In the first section of the third chapter, we prove a one-parameter family of sharp conformally invariant integral inequalities for functions on the n-dimensional unit ball. As a limiting case, we obtain an inequality that generalizes Carleman's inequality for harmonic functions in the plane to poly-harmonic functions in higher dimensions. The second section represents joint work with Tobias Weth and Rupert Frank; the main result is that, one can always put a sharp remainder term on the righthand side of the sharp fractional sobolev inequality. In the first section of the final chapter, under some suitable condition, we prove that the solution to the principal-agent problem must be C1. The proof is based on a perturbation argument. The second section represents joint work with Emanuel Indrei; the main result is that, under (A3S) condition on the cost and c-convexity condition on the domains, the free boundary in the optimal partial transport problem is C1,α.

Keywords: mean curvature
ancient solution
conformally invariant inequalities
optimal transportation
Advisor: McCann, Robert