VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students' Experiences Participating in Evaluative Performances

Abstract Evaluative performances, such as festivals and conservatory examinations, frequently play a large role in formal piano study. Many teachers and parents assume that requiring students to participate in these evaluations will result in several benefits, including increased discipline and motivation, exposure to a balanced and rigorous music curriculum, and access to helpful feedback from expert adjudicators and examiners. However, not all students experience positive outcomes as a result of their participation in evaluative performances. Using a multi-method approach that incorporates grounded theory and narrative inquiry, this research provides insight into how beginning and intermediate piano students experience participating in festivals and examinations and what factors contribute to the quality of students’ experiences. Positive experiences with evaluative performances are characterized by positive emotional outcomes, meaningful music learning, and the development of a strong musical identity. The theoretical model developed through this research presents several important contributors to students’ positive experiences with evaluative performances, including students’ understandings, values, and goals related to music learning, and their abilities and inclinations as performers. The entire learning process must take place within a supportive relational context. When students have positive experiences with evaluative performances, their self-efficacy is heightened. They also experience self-determination regarding their music studies and their involvement in evaluative performances. The self-efficacy and self-determination that follow students’ success and positive experiences motivate further involvement in music study.

Keywords: music examination
music competition
piano instruction
motivation
performance anxiety
parents
piano teachers
beginning piano student
intermediate piano students
adjudication
Advisor: Bartel, Lee
Engineering Synthetic Control over Rho GTPases using Ca2+ and Calmodulin Signaling

Engineered protein systems have been created to impart new functions, or “re-program” mammalian cells for applications including cancer and HIV/AIDS therapies. The successful development of mammalian cells for re-programming will depend on having well-defined, modular systems. Migration is a particularly important cell function that will determine the efficiency and efficacy of many re-programming applications in vivo, and Rho proteins are responsible for regulation of cell migration natively. While there have been several reports of photo-activated Rho proteins, no strategy has been developed such that Rho proteins and cell migration can be controlled by a variety of extracellular stimuli that may be compatible with signaling in large organisms. Here, several methods are described for engineering Ca2+-sensitive Rho proteins so that the large, natural toolbox of Ca2+-mobilizing proteins can use the Ca2+ intermediate to activate Rho proteins in response to a variety of exogenous stimuli, including chemicals, growth factors, and light. First, an unreported calmodulin binding site was identified in RhoA. This knowledge was used to create a tandem fusion of RhoA and calmodulin that mediated Ca2+-sensitive bleb retraction in response to a variety of Ca2+-elevating chemicals. Ca2+-mobilizing modules including channelrhodopsin-2 and nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α4 were used for light- and acetylcholine-dependent bleb retraction. Second, a more robust morphology switch was created by embedding a calmodulin binding site into RhoA to enable Ca2+-responsive bleb formation. A wider range of Ca2+-mobilizing modules were also used here including LOVS1K/Orai1 and vascular endothelial growth factor 2. Combining Ca2+-mobilizing and Ca2+-responsive modules increased amoeboid-like cell migration in wound closure and transwell assays. Finally, the embedded peptide design was applied to Rac1 and Cdc42 to enable control of new morphologies and migration modes. The modular Ca2+ control over Rho proteins developed here is an important contribution to cell re-programming because it shows that control over cell migration can be rewired in a way that is flexible and tunable.

Keywords: Ca2+ signaling
Rho GTPases
Advisor: Truong, Kevin
The Role of the PTPN22 (Lyp/Pep) Phosphatase and its Disease-associated Variant in T-cell Signalling

The PTPN22 gene encoding the Lyp/Pep protein tyrosine phosphatase has recently been described as a negative regulator of T-cell receptor signalling. Little biological information is available on this protein, but a variant allele in this gene conferring a R620W change has been associated with rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune disease states. To gain further understanding into the roles of Lyp, this work is aimed at identifying and characterizing Lyp interactions, and elucidating the effect of the variant Lyp in immunological disease. Specifically, the interaction of Lyp with the ubiquitin ligase Cbl was further examined and characterized to uncover its role in T-cells. Furthermore, the biochemical and functional differences of the variant Lyp were examined by utilizing a murine model of the variant, Pep R619W. This work led to novel findings on the stability of the protein and its resulting dysfunction, leading to cell hyperresponsiveness. Finally, a new role for Lyp in controlling cell migration was uncovered through its interaction with GRK2. The inhibitory properties of Lyp on cell migration are disrupted in the presence of the Lyp R620W variant, leading to dysregulation of GRK2 function and altered migratory properties of cells, particularly in the collagen-antibody induced arthritis model. Understanding the normal function of Lyp, as well as dysfunction of the variant, will provide new insights into normal T-cell signalling and aid in the understanding of the processes of autoimmunity.

Keywords: Immunology
Cell Signalling
Advisor: Siminovitch, Katherine A.
How Genes and the Environment Shape what Mothers Say, Think, and Do

Human maternal responsiveness is a complex repertoire of infant-related behaviours and attitudes, which vary between and within mothers. Environmental and socioeconomic factors undoubtedly influence maternal care, but less is known about how genetic variation associates with maternal responsiveness. Where genetic variation has been examined in relation to mothering, the moderating effects of early life experiences in the mother have not been explored. Additionally, studies tend to focus on maternal sensitivity, neglecting to explore other dimensions of maternal responsiveness. The purpose of the present thesis was to explore genetic variation in three gene families – dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT), and oxytocin (OXT) – in relation to differences in maternal care in a Caucasian sample of new mothers recruited in early pregnancy from Hamilton, Ontario (N=187). Furthermore, interactions between early experiences in the mothers’ lives and their genetic polymorphic variants were examined. Early experience was a combined measure of the Parental Bonding Instrument and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Maternal behaviour during mother-infant interaction was assessed at 6 months postpartum and derived from a video-recorded 30-minute mother-infant interaction. The behavioural outcomes of interest maternal sensitivity (assessed using the Ainsworth Maternal Care Scales) and maternal behaviors (vocalizing, orienting away from infant, instrumental caregiving). We also assessed maternal attitudes about parenting the infant at 6 months postpartum. Multiple polymorphisms on DA receptors D1 (rs686, rs4532, rs265981, rs265976, rs5326) and D2 (rs6277, rs1799732, rs1799978, rs1800497) associated with maternal vocalizing and orienting away from the infant, respectively. The OXT polymorphisms rs2740210 and rs4813627 associated with infant-directed vocalizing. A major polymorphism on the 5-HT transporter (5HTTLPR and a related rs25531 polymorphism) associated significantly with maternal sensitivity. There were gene-environment interactions between this 5-HT polymorphism and early adversity in association with maternal orienting away and maternal attitudes. Gene-environment interactions were also found between the OXT polymorphisms rs2740210 and rs4813627 and instrumental care of the infant. These results suggest that variations in genes encoding major brain neurotransmitters and neurohormones are related to observed maternal behaviour and self-reported maternal attitudes. These results showcase the importance of exploring multiple dimensions of complex behavioural phenotypes like mothering.

Keywords: Behavioural genetics
Mothering
Advisor: Fleming, Alison S.
Sokolowski, Marla B.
Beyond the ‘Bedrooms of the Nation’: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Canadian Adolescents with Lesbian, Gay, or Bisexual-identified Parents

Although parenting by lesbian, gay, and bisexual-identified (LGB) individuals has attracted increasing research attention over the past few decades, relatively little focus has been given to the personal identity development of adolescents raised in such families. There is scant qualitative data that describes the phenomenon from the viewpoint of Canadian adolescents; this study aims to give voice to those with parents that identify as non-heterosexual. In semi- structured interviews, participants were asked to explain how they made sense of being from an LGB-led family, particularly within the contexts of school and Canadian society, and of what unique needs they perceived families like theirs to have. For inclusion in the study, each participant needed to have at least one LGB-identified parent. Additionally, they needed to be a current or recent student in an Ontario secondary school. A convenience sampling method was used to locate nine (N=9) participants. Three of the participants were male, and six were female. All participants were Canadian-born English speakers who ranged in age from 13 to 19 years old, with a mean age of 17.5. The interview schedule was constructed with input from existing narrative psychology literature, consultation with fellow students and faculty, and inspiration from other semi- structured protocols such as The Life Story Interview (McAdams, 2008). Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was employed to organize and evaluate responses. Thematic findings were organized within three domains. First, family-related themes were considered, such as interviewees’ responses to parental disclosures of an LGB identity, responses of extended family members, and perceived advantages of having LGB-identified parents. Second, school-related themes were found, such as how children choose to disclose their parents’ sexual identity to peers. Finally, themes related to queer identity were considered, since many participants revealed their parents’ sexual identity intersected with other narratives (e.g., being Canadian, being heterosexual, the master narrative of heteronormativity, etc.) to create multiple layers to their own sense of self. The study endeavours to add a qualitative approach to the literature so that Canadian adolescents’ narratives are represented in the overall understanding of the phenomenon of LGB- led families. It also has potential to impact the development of school policies and curricula and to enrich the quality of life for LGB-led families.

Keywords: lesbian
gay
parenting
family
adolescent
identity
narrative
interpretative phenomenological analysis
IPA
bisexual
GSA
QSA
school
education
personality
Advisor: Ferrari, Michel
On C^1 Rigidity for Circle Maps with a Break Point

The thesis consists of two main results. The first main result is a proof that C^1 rigidity holds for circle maps with a break point for almost all rotation numbers. The second main result is a proof that C^1 robust rigidity holds for circle maps in the fractional linear transformation (FLT) pair family. That is, for this family, C^1 rigidity holds for all irrational rotation numbers. The approach taken here of proving a more general theorem that C^1 rigidity holds for circle maps with a break point satisfying a `derivatives close condition', allows us to obtain both of our main results as corollaries of this more general theorem.

Keywords: circle maps with a break point
rigidity
Advisor: Khanin, Konstantin
Sympotic and Rhapsodic Discourse in the Homeric Epics

This dissertation examines the relationship between sympotic and rhapsodic discourses and the Homeric epics and specifically considers how an understanding of sympotic discourse can affect an external audience’s perception of events within the narrative. Heroic feasting is examined and defined as an activity which signifies different attitudes and aesthetics than the symposium. Yet a case is made for the possibility that Greek people are practicing symposia at a time when rhapsodes – the creative composers-in-performance of the epics – would have been freely incorporating material from the contemporary world into their performances. This is a period of time extending over much of the 7th century, and perhaps even into some time before and after. I analyze both the symposium and rhapsodic performances as discourses, using literary, archaeological, epigraphic, and iconographic evidence to define markers – certain signs, gestures, attitudes, accoutrement, and behavior specific to each – of each discourse. By treating the symposium and rhapsodic performances as discourses with their own markers, I establish a methodology with which to examine certain passages of the epics and the implicit meanings conveyed in them. Odysseus is thus shown to be manipulating sympotic discourse in the Phaeacian episodes of the Odyssey in order to win a favorable return home – at least as the contemporary external audience familiar with sympotic conventions of speaking and behaving would have understood it. Achilles too is treated, with specific reference to his behavior in the embassy scene of the Iliad. The sympotic discourse conveyed by the actions and attitudes of Achilles and Patroclus can be shown to communicate additional layers of meaning to the external audience and perhaps reference extra-Iliadic motifs concerning Achilles’ behavior at symposia. A proper understanding of rhapsodic and sympotic discourses within the epics not only contributes to a more nuanced understanding of character behavior within the epics and audiences’ perception of such behavior, but also challenges our understanding of the role of archaic social institutions such as the symposium within the epics.

Keywords: Ancient Greek Epic
Homer
Symposium
Advisor: Burgess, Jonathan
Internationally Trained Immigrants and Ontario Colleges

This study explored the responsiveness of two Ontario Colleges (called Eastern and Western for the purposes of this study) in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to internationally trained immigrant (ITI) students accessing college education for retraining purposes. Many highly educated immigrants are unable to have their credentials recognized because professional regulatory bodies and employers are reluctant to accept their previous education and work experience. Therefore, many ITIs access Ontario college education in the hope that, upon graduation, they will find skill-related employment that will contribute to their settlement in Canada. The purpose of this research was to examine how the two participating colleges address the ITI students’ occupation-specific needs in their current institutional policies and practices. Qualitative research methods, interviews and document analysis, were utilized to examine the admission and program delivery practices at each of the study colleges. Interviews were conducted with 13 ITI student participants and 14 college personnel to provide an opportunity for them to voice their opinions about their college experiences. To provide direction for interpreting and analyzing the research findings, the single- and double-loop organizational learning framework developed by Argyris and Schon (1974, 1978) was used. The findings suggest that Eastern and Western Colleges have different approaches in valuing and placing importance in responding to ITI students’ retraining needs. The data indicated that ITI students at Eastern College were not perceived by college personnel as a unique group of students having specific retraining needs; rather, they were seen as part of the larger student constituency. On the other hand, Western College recognized the ITI students’ distinctive occupation-specific needs and made commitments towards improving its policies and practices to increase the College’s effectiveness in meeting the ITIs needs. Although limited to only two Ontario colleges, the study findings have some important implications for theory and practice. The findings have contributed to increased awareness and a better understanding of challenges ITI students face in accessing Ontario college education, and it has offered recommendations for college efforts to respond to ITI students’ educational needs.

Keywords: Internationally Trained Immigrants
Ontario Colleges
Advisor: Bascia, Nina
Coricobasal Syndrome: Clinical, Neuropsychological, Imaging, Genetic and Pathological Features

Corticobasal Syndrome (CBS) is a rare movement and cognitive disorder. There is significant heterogeneity observed in it clinical presentation, neuroimaging, pathology and genetics. Understanding this heterogeneity is a priority and may help to shed light on underlying pathogenic mechanisms. We first demonstrated that truncating mutations in the progranulin gene (PGRN) can cause familial CBS associated with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD)-ubiquitin pathology. This study identified a mutation in PGRN (Intervening Sequence 7+1 guanine > adenine [IVS7+1G>A]) that segregated with CBS in a family. The mutation was predicted to result in a shortened messenger RNA (mRNA) sequence and the absence of the mutant PGRN allele was confirmed in the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) product, which supported the model of haploinsufficiency for PGRN-linked disease. In a second familial study, clinical, radiological, genetic, and pathological studies were performed to contrast clinical features of the affected members. Sequencing PGRN revealed a novel, heterozygous cytosine-adenine dinucleotide deletion in exon 11 (g.2988_2989delCA, P439_R440fsX6). The proband`s clinical diagnosis was frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism (FTDP). The proband’s brother with the same mutation presented initially as a progressive non-fluent aphasia (PNFA), and later evolved into a CBS. Pathological analysis revealed Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration-Ubiquitin (FTLD-U)/ TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP43) positive pathology. The next studies shift away from pathogenic mechanisms to focus on brain-behavioural correlations and phenotypic heterogeneity in a prospective sample of 31 CBS cases. We provide the first direct correlative analysis between the severity of ideomotor apraxia, a common sign in CBS, and cerebral SPECT perfusion imaging. Reductions in perfusion within the left inferior parietal lobule (t=5.7, p=0.03, Family-Wise Error [FWE] corrected), including the left angular gyrus (t=5.7, p=0.02, FWE corrected), were associated with more severe ideomotor apraxia. We stratified the sample into CBS presenting with early motor features (CBS-M; n=9) or early dementia (CBS-D; n=22), which identified that CBS-M were more likely to have cortical sensory loss than CBS-D (p=0.005). In contrast, the presence of aphasia was found to be more common and severe in CBS-D compared to CBS-M (p=0.02). CBS-M patients had significantly reduced perfusion in the right supplementary and premotor areas compared to CBS-D (p<0.05).

Keywords: corticobasal syndrome
mutation
Progranulin
brain SPECT
heterogeneity
apraxia
dementia
movement disorder
Advisor: Black, Sandra
The Transtheoretical Model of Behaviour Change and Possible Selves in Criminal Offenders

In order to assist people in making positive changes of problematic behaviour it is necessary to examine how people change and what factors influence the process. Criminal offenders represent a group of individuals who often have difficulty desisting from problematic behaviour and continue to engage in illegal activity. Offenders in provincial correctional institutions were administered questionnaires to determine stage of change and processes utilized as outlined in the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of change (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1984). Additionally, offenders were asked about their visions of the future using the Possible Selves (PSs) Model (Markus & Nurius, 1986). Taken together, this study looked at the contribution of the PSs Model to our understanding of the TTM, which has been criticized in recent years as lacking therapeutic significance for treatment providers as they guide individuals through the change process. More specifically, this study compares chronic criminals with first time offenders on psychological variables such as readiness for change, vision of possible selves, and hope for the future, as well as on legal variables such as risk for recidivism and institutional behaviour. The results indicate that most offenders acknowledged their behaviour as problematic and some even reported they were actively taking steps to change; however, chronic offenders admitted having less hope than first time offenders. Interestingly, both groups rated similarly on the dimensions of PSs. The outcomes would suggest that research efforts to incorporate other complimentary theories of change into the TTM, like the PSs model, may be helpful for understanding the process of change. While it seems these models may not be useful for predicting institutional behaviour, the data perhaps demonstrates the complexity of criminal behaviour and speaks to the necessity of further research in this population.

Keywords: transtheoretical model of change
possible selves
criminal offenders
stages of change
Advisor: Stermac, Lana