VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Influence of Maternal High Fat Diet, Stress and Cocaine on Neural Mechanisms of Reward and Anxiety in Rat Offspring

Maternal obesity has important health consequences for the mother and her offspring. Experiments presented in this dissertation explored the role of maternal overnutrition with a high fat diet (HFD) on several aspects of offspring phenotype: reward- and stress-related behaviours, the endocrine stress response, and associated neural gene expression. First, I examined maternal HFD effects on offspring phenotype in stress-related brain regions. Maternal HFD was associated with altered expression of stress-related genes, a heightened endocrine stress response and increased anxiety behaviour in adult offspring. Genes central to stress and drug addiction (TH and CRF) were upregulated in HFD offspring, suggesting that maternal HFD alters neural systems underlying related processes. Second, I investigated the role of maternal HFD on offspring phenotype following chronic cocaine exposure. Maternal HFD increased anxiety in saline-treated control females, reduced anxiety in cocaine-treated females, but did not interact with cocaine-primed locomotor activity or neural gene expression. These findings suggest that maternal HFD modulates offspring anxiety behavior with chronic cocaine exposure. Third, I investigated the role of maternal HFD and maternal stress on offspring phenotype given acute cocaine exposure. Maternal HFD did not interact with cocaine at the level of behavior or gene expression. However, there was an increase in locomotor activity in males exposed to maternal HFD, and with maternal stress at a high dose of cocaine. These findings suggest that, overall, maternal HFD and stress increase cocaine-induced locomotor activity in offspring through common but not identical neural mechanisms. Finally, in parallel I investigated the role of pre-gestational cocaine on offspring phenotype, and demonstrated an effect on the locomotor activating effects of cocaine in adult male offspring, as well as dopamine receptor 1 expression in the medial prefrontal cortex. These findings suggest increased sensitivity to cocaine in the male offspring of mothers given pre-gestational cocaine. The collective findings are discussed within a framework of maternal influences on cocaine sensitivity in offspring, wherein maternal HFD and pre-gestational cocaine confer increased sensitivity of stress- and reward-related responses in offspring.

Keywords: anxiety
gene expression
hpa stress axis
maternal overnutrition
psychomotor activity
Advisor: Erb, Suzanne
Troubling Suicide: Law, Medicine and Hijra Suicides in India

Attempting suicide is a criminal offense in India, although in the recent past there have been many public and legal discussions considering decriminalizing suicide attempts. How is suicide conceptualized within criminal law? What are the knowledges that inform the complex and shifting views, claims, and legal decisions that constitute the legal regulation of suicide, in India today? Informed by Foucauldian works on governmentality and biopolitics, postcolonial studies, sociolegal scholarship, and queer theory, this dissertation attempts to answer these questions by tracing the discourses that inform the regulation of suicide in India and showing how they are put together (or kept apart) in various legal and governance networks. In addition to a systematic, original study of how suicide appears in criminal court decisions, law reform documents, and proposed laws, this dissertation also studies the framing of suicide within psychiatric and psychosocial public mental health programming. Along with studying the framing and the governance of suicide within law and medical systems, I also study a kind of suicide that exists at the edges of both medical and legal rights systems: hijra suicides. “Hijra” is a gender/sexual identity specific to the South Asian region that does not necessarily fit well under the label of ‘transgender’ (a label that has come into prominence in Indian rights law in recent years). Based on my fieldwork in Bangalore, I study hijra suicides to demonstrate that these experiences exist at the edges of both public health programs and rights/legal discourses. In existing at the fringes of all current forms of governmentality, I demonstrate that hijras continue to exert their personhood through expressing their experiences with suicide, which makes the more general point that sociolegal studies of medical-legal assemblages should not be reduced to studies of successful governmentalization.

Keywords: Death
Hijra
India
Law
Suicide
Transgender
Advisor: Valverde, Mariana
Mental health professionals' practice of reintegration therapy for parent-child contact disputes post-separation: A phenomenological study

Over the last decade, family courts have seen an increase in the number of parent-child contact problems and allegations of alienation. Children resisting or refusing contact with a parent post-separation pose considerable challenges to the mental health professionals tasked to work with them. Reintegration therapy (RT) has recently evolved to help ameliorate parent-child contact issues and alienation. However, little is known about what consensus exists on RT, or how it is defined and delivered by mental health practitioners. Limited evidence exists on treatment models, or evaluations of RT, and no standards or practice guidelines are available for the treatment of parent-child contact issues. The purpose of this study was to: 1) Explore how RT is defined and practiced among experienced mental health professionals in Canada and the United States; 2) identify underlying theory informing practitionersâ understanding of the issues and on clinical practice in RT; and 3) use findings for practice recommendations to advance knowledge for clinical practice with this population. To this end a hermeneutic, phenomenological design was chosen to elicit thick descriptions for a phenomenological analysis and theme development. A purposive sample of fourteen (14) practitioners was obtained. Initial analysis revealed substantial variance among practitioners' training, underlying theoretical frameworks, clinical approaches and service delivery models utilized. Three distinct themes/subthemes emerged from in-depth analyses representing a measure of consensus among respondents. First, RT is generally viewed as a therapeutic process to help improve family relationships as a whole. Second, participants identified frequently used assessment criteria necessary for determining suitability for RT. Finally, agreement on overall treatment goals for families participating in RT was identified. These study findings illustrate the need for more and better-developed training in RT, integrated theory development, and the creation of best practice guidelines based on scientific and rigorous evaluation preferably using a longitudinal approach.

Keywords: Alienation
Child Custody
Divorce
Parent-Child Contact Problems
Reintegration Therapy
Therapeutic Interventions
Advisor: Alaggia, Ramona
Advances in Silicon Nanocrystals

Silicon nanocrystals (ncSi), which are considered as greener alternatives to traditional nanocrystals like CdSe and PbS, offer the benefits of being earth abundant, potentially inexpensive, purportedly less toxic and compatible with silicon electronics. The work presented in this thesis focuses on the contributions in the advances in silicon nanocrystals. This would include developing new synthesis methods for ncSi with simpler precursors and higher yields, exploring new design strategies to enhance the stability and photoluminescence (PL) absolute quantum yield (AQY) of the ncSi, and probing other surface reactions, such as the reduction of gaseous carbon dioxide by the nanosilicon surface hydrides (ncSi:H). Specifically, a batch synthesis based on the thermal solid-state disproportionation of SiO was developed. We managed to pinpoint an optimal temperature range of 850-1100 â , in which the nucleation and growth of ncSi in a SiO2 matrix were observed. More importantly, by implementing this synthetic route, we were able to prepare ncSi with a wider size range and observe directly the size-dependent PL AQY of these ncSi. For the first time we observed optically the both upper and lower critical size at which the quantum size effects (QSE) begin to switch on and switch off, respectively. Apart from this, a major step was taken towards the synthesis of a more stable ncSi ensemble against oxidation by capping the surface with perfluorocarbon chains. Lower rates of oxide shell forming on the ncSi surface was observed and a higher PL AQY was measured for these ensembles. On the other hand, by utilizing the reducing ability of the ncSi surface hydrides, we were able to convert gaseous CO2 selectively to CO, and the observation was unprecedented. The work presented in this thesis has pushed the boundaries of ncSi research, towards a more thorough understanding in the fundamentals and surface chemistry of ncSi.

Advisor: Ozin, Geoffrey A
Outcomes and Costs of Post-Acute Care Pathways in Hip Fracture Patients: Implications of Trade-Offs in Resource Allocation

There is a gap in evidence with respect to the delivery of quality post-acute care for hip fracture patients. The primary objective of this thesis is to describe the post-acute care pathways of hip fracture patients and their associated outcomes (i.e., mortality and re-hospitalizations) and health system costs. The secondary objective is to explore the use of system dynamics modelling to determine the impact of trade-offs in resource allocation on patient outcomes and health system costs. Population-level administrative databases were used to capture older adults admitted to acute care for hip fracture between 2008 and 2012 in Ontario, Canada. Study one describes the variation in post-acute care pathways for hip fracture patients and concluded that four health regions discharge a relatively higher proportion of patients to inpatient rehabilitation (IPR) compared to the remaining 10 health regions. In study two, patients discharged directly from acute care to the community (i.e., community patients) were matched to patients discharged directly from acute care to IPR (i.e., IPR patients). A substantially higher proportion of community patients died or re-hospitalized and had substantially lower health system costs compared to their matched IPR counterparts. Results of study three suggest that only 60% of community patients receive post-acute rehabilitation, and of the community patients who do receive it, they have substantially lower rehabilitation intensity and specialistsâ visits compared to their matched IPR counterparts, regardless of health region. Study fourâ s system dynamics model predicts the increased health system costs required to increase the number of hours of home-based rehabilitation to attenuate these differences in re-hospitalizations. Taken together, results suggest that the variations in hip fracture post-acute delivery are pervasive in Ontario and that the impact of this variation on patient outcome may be attenuated through increased allocation of resources to home-based rehabilitation. Results can be used by policymakers, clinicians, and researchers to further improve and understand the post-acute quality of care delivered to hip fracture patients.

Keywords: Health System Performance
Hip Fractures
Rehabilitation
Advisor: Jaglal, Susan B
The Nature of the Teacher Knowledge Constructed in a Multimodal Professional Learning Community

This research explores the nature of teacher knowledge constructed over four years in a multi-modal environment. Fourteen K-12 teachers, from Ontario, Canada and Michigan, USA, met online for two hours during a monthly research release day, participated in online chats, a forum site called Virtual Professional Learning Community, as well as participated in four three-day summer institutes. The teachers used these times to engage in knowledge building, creating research for their specific schools/classes in a recurring cycle of learning. The data consist of multiple forms, including the online meetings, the forum, and the summer institute discussions. The research investigated what types of knowledge teachers developed and how those knowledges informed their professional learning. Grounded Theory informed the data gathering and an hermeneutical approach was used for the analyses. Three types of professional knowledge emerged, associated with the classical Aristotelian intellectual virtues: episteme, techne and phronesis. Teachersâ discourse revealed the complexity of their professional knowledge and the wide range of scope of their action â a finding that goes beyond many neoliberal conceptions of the profession. Findings provide ways to develop models of professional development with teachers leading to their sustained journey for meaningful professional learning.

Keywords: Discourse analysis
Hermeneutics
Teachers' dialogue
Teachers' knowledge
Teachers' professional development
Teachers' professional learning communities
Advisor: Kooy, Mary A.
DOES PERCEIVED STRESS IN PREGNANT IMMIGRANT WOMEN PREDISPOSE THEIR INFANTS TO ALLERGIC DISEASE DEVELOPMENT?

Prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) is linked with a multitude of negative outcomes in the exposed offspring, including allergic disease development. Pregnant Canadian immigrant women often experience high levels of stress; however, psychosocial contributors to PNMS and their physiologic sequelae remain understudied in this group. This pilot study prospectively examined whether PNMS in Canadian immigrant women was associated with allergic outcomes in their infants, focusing on potential mediators and underlying mechanisms. Seventy-eight women were examined in early-/mid-pregnancy, in late pregnancy, and at a minimum of one year postpartum. Assessments included questionnaires concerning PNMS and other psychosocial determinants of health, collection of saliva samples throughout the day for measurement of cortisol activity, collection of blood samples for measurement of serum cytokine levels, and administration of a skin-prick test on mothers and infants for measurement of allergic sensitization. Low levels of perceived stress in early-/mid-pregnancy were associated with a greater likelihood of allergic sensitization in infants, but this association was mediated by a lack of financial hardship (i.e., high socioeconomic status). Financial hardship and a greater number of prenatal stressful life events were associated with lowered cortisol activity in early-/mid-pregnancy. A trend was also seen for higher levels of IL-10 during late pregnancy in women reporting financial hardship. These results are limited by a small sample size that further decreased at each subsequent study (i.e., significant participant attrition). Nevertheless, the novelty of this study and the numerous strengths in its design (including women with a language barrier, objectively measuring atopy in mothers and infants, and examining underlying mechanisms) make this a unique contribution to the literature. Furthermore key facilitators and barriers to conducting health research in this group were identified that may aid future studies aiming to test these preliminary results in a larger sample size.

Keywords: allergy development
developmental programming
immigrants
mental health
prenatal stress
psychoneuroimmunoedocrinology
Advisor: Steiner, Meir
Multiple Roles of Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 Genes in Liver Functions

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) α and β are protein-serine threonine kinases that regulate diverse cellular targets. Their substrates range from regulators of cellular metabolism to molecules that control growth and differentiation. Unlike most protein kinases, GSK-3α and β are active under basal, resting conditions and are typically inactivated as a consequence of extracellular signaling. This unusual property is thought to be the key reason as to why GSK-3 is associated with a diverse array of signaling pathways. Prior studies revealed late embryonic lethality upon whole body knockout of GSK-3β. Inactivation of GSK-3α, however, did not result in embryonic lethality and changes in glucose metabolism were observed. These findings indicated distinct roles for these two highly related gene products. Here, I demonstrate that GSK-3α and β play important roles in liver development, functionality and overall survival. I show that the two genes regulate liver size and architecture, as well as metabolic regulation and zonation. Deletion of both copies of GSK-3 genes specifically in the liver led to an early lethality, loss of zonated gene expression, perturbed glycogen metabolism and mis-regulation of expression of the enzyme glutamine synthetase in the liver parenchyma. GSK-3 also plays important roles in differentiation and maturation of liver cells. Postnatally, liver tissue lacking GSK-3 retains a supportive niche for hematopoietic stem cells that are normally only present in fetal liver. These effects were found to be independent of GSK-3’s role in the Wnt signaling pathway since a mouse model expressing an activated form of β-catenin, the downstream effector of canonical Wnt signaling, failed to show the same phenotype. By contrast, inactivation of β-catenin in the liver partially circumvented the early lethality caused by loss of GSK-3 but these animals developed liver cancer as early as 40 weeks of age, with occasionally metastatic liver cancer. These effects were not found upon deletion of β-catenin alone. Hence, GSK-3 may act as a tumor suppressor in this context. In summary, the studies documented here reveal important roles of GSK-3 in controlling developmental, metabolic, and carcinoma programs and provide further insight into the role of this enzyme in tissue homeostasis.

Advisor: Woodgett, James R
Representations of Muslim Cultures and Societies in Children's Literature as a Curriculum Resource for Ontario Classrooms: Promises and Prospects

Situated in the context of multiple challenges and possibilities faced by Muslim students and communities in the Western socio-political and educational contexts, this qualitative research examines curriculum perceptions pertaining to Muslim children’s literature and attempts to answer the major research question: “How can Ontario curriculum be enriched with curriculum resources comprising of Muslim children's literature?” This question touches several chords within curriculum studies, teacher development and schooling in general, therefore, an integrated framework combining insights and concepts from critical pedagogy, anti-racism, post-coloniality, multiculturalism, as well as, anti-orientalism are applied to guide the research’s data collection and analysis. Additionally, my own situatedness within the study as a minority Muslim woman teacher with experiences from East and West plays a critical role in engaging and deconstructing the complex webs of Muslim representations in curricular resources. The near absence of Muslim children’s literature in Ontario curriculum and paucity of the Muslim content for elementary students are investigated through a three-pronged approach: (1) Examination of the Trillium List; (2) Engaging with the voices of contemporary writers of Muslim children’s literature; and (3) Critically dissecting the contents of select literary pieces, which have potential of being used as curricular resources. The understanding created through engagement with the above exploration generate opportunities for relevant conversations and awareness for both Muslim and non-Muslim stakeholders. This research is thus a unique study of Muslim children’s literature through application of systematic frameworks to bring social justice and offers a promise of development of cosmopolitan ethics in young Canadians. It assures equipping Ontario teachers with significant knowledge to validate experiences of elementary children through stories. The use of Muslim children's literature as curricular resources has the capacity to promote bridging of cultures, create responsiveness around Muslim students' background, alleviate misconceptions in the students and promote confidence in parents of Muslim children, especially those in the public schools. The findings show limited authors writing Muslim stories, little literacy and reading culture amongst immigrant Muslims, lack of publishers and not enough recognition of Muslim literature and authors in Canada. This study helps teachers and policy makers to develop a deeper appreciation of multicultural ethos of the Canadian education system and recommends stakeholder involvement for a more inclusive holistic, authentic and credible State curriculum with pluralist Muslim representations.

Keywords: Children's Literature
Comparative
International and Development Education
Curriculum Studies
Diversity in Ontario Classrooms
Muslim Children's Literature
Teacher Education
Advisor: Niyozov, Sarfaroz
KNOWLEDGE COUNTS: A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF THE EDUCATION FOR ALL GLOBAL MONITORING REPORTS

Empirical evidence has a vital role to play in the international development of education. However, knowledge production in development involves important issues of power and vested interests, and is often viewed as a North / South asymmetrical process where knowledge production is dominated by the Northern elite. This study examines the evidence-base informing one of the most influential publications in the field of international education development, the Education for All Global Monitoring Reports (EFA GMRs), and illuminates broader discussions in the development literature as to what knowledge counts and who gets to decide? Through the application of bibliometric methods, this study examines the combined 8271 references listed in the 12 EFA GMRs published between 2002-2015 to gain empirical insight into (a) individual and organizational knowledge actors engaged in the production and dissemination of the evidence referenced, (b) the knowledge networks, or underlying patterns of relationships between actors and organizations, (c) the extent of the influence wielded by individual and organizational actors over the knowledge network, and (d) how the EFA GMR knowledge networks changed over time. In addition to a range of descriptive statistics, this study calculated for Lotkaâ s Law of authorship distribution and Bradfordâ s law of publisher distribution, and utilized network analysis to provide a deeper look at the EFA GMR knowledge networks. Several organizations were found to be far more central to the EFA GMR knowledge networks than others, with the most central being the World Bank, UNESCO and the EFA GMR. Despite the prominence of these organizations, this study found that EFA GMR knowledge networks grew over time, with more actors (and more types of actors) joining the reports each year. However, while the knowledge networks underpinning the EFA GMRs grew over time, network density and fragmentation measures conclude these networks are not becoming increasingly interconnected. This study adds to our empirical understanding of what capacity for knowledge production and mediation currently exist, and where is it located. This in turn allows us to identify what levers exist that could potentially help create a more equitable and inclusive version of evidence-based development, particularly in the education sector.

Keywords: Bibliometric Research
Education for All
Evidence-based International Development
International Education Development
Knowledge Mobilization
Network Analysis
Advisor: Mundy, Karen