VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Control relevant identification for robust optimal control

This thesis presents a novel approach to designing the input signal for an identification experiment, in which the process model estimate obtained is used to formulate and solve a robust (in a worst case sense) optimal controller. The input signal is designed to contain the information that is relevant for the end use of the model, that is for process control purposes. As a result, the experiment time required to achieve a certain level of achievable controller performance can be minimized. The new approach uses sensitivity analysis to determine the input signal frequencies that are important with respect to a certain measure of achievable controller performance. Using the sensitivity analysis framework, an overall experiment design methodology (which deals with specific design issues such as when to stop the experiment, how much data should be acquired at one time, etc.) is developed. Preliminary results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed design methodology.
Muscle arm development in Caenorhabditis elegans

Stereotypical connections between cells are established using membrane extensions. In the nematode worm C. elegans, the body wall muscles (BWMs) contact motor neurons located in the dorsal and ventral nerve cords using membrane extensions called muscle arms. I have used muscle arm extension as a model to study guided membrane extension. I find that muscle arm extension is stereotypical and dependent upon motor neuron birth, axon extension, anterograde axonal transport and pre-synaptic neuronal development. Interestingly, I find that disruption of small molecule neurotransmitter and neuropeptide synthesis, regulated synaptic vesicle release and numerous previously characterized cell migration guidance pathways does not interfere with normal muscle arm extension. This suggests that the system regulating muscle arm extension may be novel. Using a candidate gene approach I determined that muscle arm extension is regulated by two different receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) pathways. First, hyperactivation of the EGL-15 fibroblast growth factor (FGF) pathway results in a failure of normal muscle arm development, a phenotype called muscle arm development defective (Madd). Second, inhibition of the DAF-2 insulin signaling pathway results in excessive muscle arm extension, a phenotype called supernumerary arm extension (Sna). Analysis of various Madd and Sna mutants suggests a model whereby RTK signaling in neurons, BWMs and, surprisingly, the intestine, regulates the function of specific muscle arm guidance cues and receptors.
Nocturnal episodic hypoxia and chemoreflex responsiveness

Chemoreflex responsiveness in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is enhanced when evening vs. morning responses are compared. Such changes result in a decrease in ventilatory stability during sleep. I hypothesised that changes in chemoreflex responsiveness are due to the repetitive bouts of hypoxia experienced by OSA patients. To test this, I gave repetitive bouts of hypoxia to normal healthy subjects during overnight sleep experiments. Subjects slept in the lab for two nights, randomly assigned as a control or experimental night, on consecutive weeks. To assess if evening to morning changes occurred in chemoreflex responsiveness subjects performed two modified rebreathing tests, before sleep and immediately after waking. My results showed that a decrease in threshold of the central chemoreflex response on a night without hypoxia indicates an overnight stabilization of ventilation in a healthy subject. However, when healthy subjects are exposed to nocturnal episodic hypoxia this stabilizing decrease in the central chemoreflex response threshold was no longer evident and a destabilizing increase in peripheral chemoreflex sensitivity appeared. Therefore, I suggest that mimicking the repetitive bouts of hypoxia in OSA to normal healthy subjects, causes a destabilization of ventilation much like that reported in OSA.
Predictors of low bone mineral density among Canadian men: data from the Canadian multicentre osteoporosis study

Baseline data from the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study (CaMos), a population-based cohort study, were used to identify predictors of osteoporosis and low bone density in men. Out of 2,884 CaMos men, 1768 Caucasian men, aged 50 or older, with no long-term steroid use (<3 months) that had a femoral neck bone mineral density (FN BMD) were included. Mean age was 65 years, 5% (n = 89) had osteoporosis and 14% (n = 252) had low bone density. Logistic regression analyses demonstrated that lower weight, current smoking, older age, history of nontraumatic fracture since age 50 and a family history of osteoporosis were all predictive of FN osteoporosis (AUROC = 0.82, SE = 0.02). These factors along with a family history of fracture, steroid use, diabetes, more comorbidities, low vitamin D intake, low alcohol consumption and low physical activity were predictive of FN low bone density (AUROC = 0.78, SE = 0.01).
Low-voltage and low-power silicon germanium BiCMOS topologies for 80-100 gigabit-per-second serial communication

The new concepts presented in this thesis enable the design of highly-integrated broadband circuits in a 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS technology with 150-GHz fT SiGe HBT. The first single-chip pseudo-random binary sequence generator with a pattern length of 231 - 1 is reported and achieves a maximum output data rate of 80 Gb/s. Additionally, the first 86-Gb/s serial transmitter is presented, which operates from a 2.5-V supply voltage and consumes less power (1.36 W) than any 40-Gb/s serial transmitter reported to date. This thesis focuses on new design challenges which arise in the design of next-generation wireline circuits operating at data rates of 80--100 Gb/s. Methodologies for low-power high-speed logic are described. A new low-voltage BiCMOS current-mode logic family is introduced, which allows for more than a 20% reduction in power consumption in high-speed building blocks. This logic family, based on a MOS-HBT cascode topology with common-source nMOS and common-base SiGe HBT, takes full advantage of the best features of both devices to achieve low-voltage, high-speed operation. Algorithmic design methodologies for MOS and BiCMOS high-speed logic circuits are presented based on the invariance of characteristic current densities in nanoscale MOSFETs, resulting in robust designs which can be ported between foundries and even across technology nodes. Further reduction in building block power consumption can be achieved by trading of bias current for inductive peaking. For the first time, monolithic spiral inductors and transformers are demonstrated for use at mm-wave frequencies. Broadband inductor models along with a model extraction methodology based on measured or simulated y-parameters is described for the first time. Low-noise broadband input stages are compared theoretically and experimentally to determine the best topology to improve sensitivity in Ethernet or backplane receivers. It is proven that the transimpedance input stage yields the best noise performance, highest bandwidth, best input matching, and lowest power consumption than more conventional emitter-follower-inverter or Cherry-Hooper input stages, making it an ideal topology for use in broadband receivers.
Brain mechanisms of sensorimotor learning: "What" and "where" neural processes support sensorimotor integration in intramodal and crossmodal cueing paradigms

In this study, evoked potentials were used to test whether coordination of responses based on spatial location or identity of visual and auditory stimuli involved functionally segregated neural pathways. Using distinct cue and target pairings, normal subjects were instructed to identify and localize lateralized auditory and visual stimuli in an intramodal and crossmodal cueing paradigm. In terms of behaviour, responses to targets based on their location in space were performed faster than responses based on their identity. Furthermore, crossmodal conditions were performed faster than intramodal ones. Analysis of the evoked potentials following the stimuli showed that (i) a sensory-specific "what" versus "where" segregation follows the presentation of the cue, as participants get ready to process the identity and location of the target, respectively, and (ii) a sensory-independent mapping of extrapersonal space follows the target presentation, as participants prepare to respond to the location of the target.
A novel, DNA-based alphavirus gene expression system for rapid recombinant protein purification and virus-based gene delivery to retina and retinoblastoma tumor cells

Semliki Forest virus (SFV) vectors can be produced faster, and have a wider host range, than baculovirus vectors. However, the original SFV system requires in vitro manipulation of RNA. I have generated a system that is wholly DNA-based. Both the replicon vector, encoding SFV polymerase and the protein of interest, and the helper vector, encoding viral structural proteins, were modified so that expression was RNA polymerase II-dependent. Transfection of the modified replicon plasmid (pSCA) alone generated 20–30-fold more protein than obtained from a simple CMV-driven expression vector. Expression from pSCA required the SFV replicase, which amplifies replicon RNA. The SFV-based vector generated 10–20-fold more protein than a plasmid based on Sindbis virus. Cotransfection of SFV replicon and helper vectors generated viral titers of around 106 infectious particles per ml. A single electroporation, plated on one 10 cm plate, generated enough virus (107 particles) to produce >500 μg of protein. Wild type, replication proficient virus was not detected in three tests utilizing almost 108 viral particles, a distinct advantage over a DNA Sindbis-based system in which over half the virus particles generated are fully infectious. I also present additional enhancements to the DNA-based SFV vector system, pSMART, for use in protein structure and function studies, vaccine development and gene therapy. To simplify and enhance viral and protein production, I characterized an optimal producer/target cell combination, generated a packaging “helper” cell line that amplifies viral yield 100-fold and improved the DNA-based replicon with an expanded multiple cloning site, viral-based translational enhancer and FLAG and HIS10 epitope/affinity tags. The translation enhancer improved expression 3-8 fold from infected and transfected cells, respectively. The presence of affinity tags facilitated purification of nuclear retinoblastoma protein (pRB) and, in a single step, cytoplasmic β-galactosidase. Full-length, functional pRB was produced in mammalian cell culture without the truncated products characteristic of bacterially produced pRB. In addition, pSMART, and its predecessor pSCA1, efficiently infected developing mouse retinal explants and hard-to-transduce retinoblastoma tumor lines. The new SFV vectors significantly enhance the utility of this expression system and will be useful in both molecular studies and novel applications in health care.
School readiness: perceptions of early childhood educators, parents, and preschool children

The purpose of this study was to examine the school readiness beliefs of early childhood educators working with preschool children, parents, and their children. Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies were employed. Surveys examined the school readiness beliefs and the philosophical beliefs and practice approach of 53 early childhood educators and the school readiness beliefs of 72 parents of children who were to begin kindergarten in September of 2005. Focus groups with 105 children starting kindergarten in September 2005 helped to describe their beliefs about starting kindergarten. Formal classroom observations were completed to examine the relationship between early childhood educators' perceptions of school readiness and the quality of their classroom practice. Results show that early childhood educators and parents view children's emotional maturity as the most important factor for a successful transition to school. A majority of early childhood educators also regarded children's social competence and their physical health and well-being as important factors for a successful transition to school. Both early childhood educators and parents reported that children should experience language and cognitive activities in the home prior to beginning kindergarten, although parents rated language and cognitive skills as more important for children's successful transition to school than did early childhood educators. Data gathered from the children's focus groups highlight the importance of play. Children's references to kindergarten generally related to play. Children also stated a list of rules they expected to follow in kindergarten. Overall, findings raise important issues that may have implications for the professional practice of early childhood educators.
Signaling pathways linking osmotic stress to adaptive responses: Roles for Rho family GTPases

Cell shrinkage is known to elicit three major adaptive responses: ion transport activation, gene transcription and cytoskeletal remodeling. Importantly, little is known about the signaling mechanisms linking the osmotic insult with these responses. Further, cytoskeletal remodeling in shrunken cells has not been fully characterized, and its potential role in sensing/transmitting to other adaptive responses is unclear. Since Rho family GTPases are known to be major organizers of F-actin, and since they have been linked to a variety of biochemical processes including ion transport and gene transcription, presumably via their effects on the cytoskeleton, we asked two general questions: (1) Are Rho GTPases sensitive to hyperosmotic stress? (2) Do Rho GTPases participate in signaling to the three major adaptive responses initiated by cell shrinkage? To answer these questions we first characterized the osmotic stress-induced F-actin remodeling. Our results indicated that cell shrinkage induces major changes in the F-actin cytoskeleton which manifests as an increase in de novo F-actin polymerization at the cell periphery concomitant with an increase in myosin contractility. Importantly, our major findings indicated that Cdc42, Rac and Rho are each activated by hyperosmolarity and mediate the above mentioned changes in the cytoskeleton. Specifically, Cdc42 and Rac are involved in cortical F-actin polymerization via their effects on the actin related protein complex and cortactin localization, while the Rho-Rho kinase signaling pathway proved to be important for myosin light chain phosphorylation. Finally, in our cellular setting the activation of Rho GTPases and their subsequent effects on the cytoskeleton did not seem play a significant role in signaling to other adaptive responses including Na+-K +-2Cl- cotransporter mediated transport and osmotic response element promoter activity.
The effect of aging on long-term outcomes following traumatic brain injury

As individuals living with traumatic brain injury (TBI) grow older, there is a need to better understand the relationship between aging and long-term occupational performance (self-care, productivity, leisure) outcomes. This study examined the effect of aging on long-term outcomes up to 24 years following TBI. It involved analysis of data from a large retrospective cohort study of 306 adults with moderate to severe TBI discharged from a rehabilitation hospital. Extensive sociodemographic, injury-severity, personal (cognitive, physical, affective), environmental (social, institutional, physical), and occupational performance variables were gathered via medical records and in-person interviews. Results showed that persons aging with TBI report ongoing cognitive, physical, and affective problems. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that preinjury sociodemographic characteristics (gender and behavioural problems) and postinjury cognitive and physical function had the strongest independent associations with occupational performance outcomes. These findings suggest the need for long-term continuation of rehabilitation services and targeted interventions.
Necessary evils: Strangers, outsiders and outports in Newfoundland drama

This dissertation examines the dramatic literature of post-Confederation Newfoundland within the context of Stranger figuration and other degrees of alienation. It is here argued that a continuing feature of Newfoundland culture is its identification with Strangeness and its consistent self-definition through a filter of otherness. The figure of the Stranger, and other related figures of alienation, occurs repeatedly within the emergent drama of the region. Using a method of literary analysis which combines sociological aspects of otherness with a close reading of both the language and physical action of each play, a selection of plays are introduced as examples of this pattern of Stranger figuration. The first two chapters introduce and define the terms of analysis used within the dissertation, and the rationale for play selection. The political, social, and cultural histories of Newfoundland are inextricably intertwined. Short accounts of the political and social events which may be regarded as pivotal in assisting with the development of this alienated stance are included. The theatrical history of the island's people is followed from its early manifestations as popular folk tradition in the outports to the convention-based theatre favoured by the emerging bourgeoisie in St. John's from the 19th century onward. The development of an indigenous theatre community took place in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This development may be seen as a response to the amateur theatre tradition, which generally eschewed local playwriting, and which used as its model the neo-Aristotelian narrative framework popular in Britain. The new professional community, in contrast, strove to incorporate Newfoundland subject matter and performance modes into its work. In so doing it produced, in general terms, two streams of theatrical production: the collective creation and the playwright-driven script. Both types of theatre have consistently maintained the sense of Newfoundland and Newfoundlanders as Strangers within Canada and the wider world. In recent years this cultural self-definition has grown to include an awareness of Strangeness which may be found within the region's own micro-communities. The final chapter provides an analysis, within this critical framework, of nineteen plays written between 1945 and 2002.

Keywords: Canadian drama, History and criticism
Canadian drama, Newfoundland and Labrador
Canadian drama, Effect of strangers on
Canadian drama, Newfoundland and Labrador
Canadian drama, Effect of outsiders on
Canadian drama, Newfoundland and Labrador
Strangers in drama
Outsiders in drama
Regulation of cell death during murine placental development and its dysregulation due to xenobiotic exposure

It is well established that during human placentation, cell death is a tightly controlled process regulating normal trophoblast turnover, differentiation and invasion. As such, we hypothesize that cell death profiles during murine placentation will exhibit similar features to those observed in human placenta. Furthermore, we hypothesize that dysregulation of murine trophoblast cell death due to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure will result in altered placental cell death, having consequent deleterious effects on the fetus. Examination of murine placental cell death over gestation revealed patterns and rates similar to those observed in human placenta. In addition, genetic background exerted a profound effect on cell death rates and patterns, altering developmental outcome of both normal and PAH-induced models of placental insufficiencies. Deficiency in the proapoptotic gene Bax resulted in intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), accompanied by a placental phenotype characterized by accumulation of trophoblast giant cells and alterations in labyrinthine architecture. This gene also contributed to embryonic lethality as in its absence, embryos were protected from PAH-induced resorptions. In addition, we have determined that PAHs are directly responsible for alterations in the placental vasculature, associated with deficient cell death within the labyrinthine regiont. This event is mediated by aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), as AhR-deficient conceptuses were protected from aberrant placental cell death and IUGR. The results of these studies indicate that murine placental death rates and patterns parallel those observed in human placentation during normal development and after exposure to xenobiotics such as PAHs. Thus, murine placentation provides a useful model to investigate the molecular pathways involved in cell death signaling during human placental development.
The evolution and alignment of RCMP conflict management and organizational surveillance

This dissertation examines the evolution of organizational conflict management within the Royal Canadian Mounted Police throughout the last three decades. Since the governance of conflicts is an important aspect of public policing, this study explores the interrelationships between broader philosophical shifts in public policing vis-à-vis this evolution. Moreover, since philosophies of public policing are intimately related to broader philosophies of government, this analysis is located within the broader context of Canadian governmental transformation. Both epistemologically and ontologically, this dissertation is primarily concerned with how rationalities of western liberal government evolve. It principally draws from academic studies that trace various aspects of this evolution, from the Classical liberal period, through the rise and fall of the Welfare State, to the more recent development of Neo-liberalism. By additionally drawing from the academic literatures on policing, organizational police management, and organizational management more broadly, this study significantly contributes to our understanding of western governmental evolution by looking at how the management of organizational conflicts within the RCMP aligns with broader philosophical transformations in these spheres. Moreover, this dissertation contributes to our understanding of how the surveillance of organizational conflicts interrelates, evolves, and aligns with these broader philosophical trends. Ultimately, this dissertation develops a preliminary theory of alignment from an analysis of how the management and surveillance of organizational conflicts evolves within the RCMP. Furthermore, conclusions are drawn in relation to an existing, although underdeveloped, hypothesis of how surveillance within western police organizations transforms. This thesis also draws conclusions on how individual “mindsets” are (re)colonized by broader managerial and governmental rationalities. Finally, the implications of this study on future academic exploration, as well as normative policy development, are briefly discussed.

Keywords: Conflict management, Canada