VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Wages, Worker Mobility, and the Macroeconomy

This thesis contains three essays on wages, worker mobility and the macroeconomy. Chapter 1 develops an equilibrium model of the labor market with on-the-job search, wage-tenure contracts, and heterogeneity in match productivity. The model predicts an inverse relationship between match productivity and post-unemployment wages where workers in high productivity matches earn a low wage initially, but experience significant wage growth over tenure. The model is considered in the context of labor market entry for young adults. Unemployment risk in the transition process reduces worker mobility and limits the ability of workers to recover from a low quality initial match. Quantitatively, workers that initially form low quality matches expect to produce 8.0% less and consume 5.2% less in their first three years in the labor market relative to workers that initially form high quality matches. Chapter 2 studies efficiency in the model developed in Chapter 1. The social planner's match formation strategy perfectly insures employed workers against unemployment risk and results in an 11.3% increase in permanent consumption relative to the competitive equilibrium. Two self-financed policies in the forms of an extension of unemployment insurance and a hiring subsidy are considered as alternative strategies to increase worker welfare. The optimal policies increase permanent consumption by 5.1% and 1.3% respectively relative to the competitive equilibrium, however both policies are associated with a decrease in average output per worker. Chapter 3, joint with Shouyong Shi, develops an equilibrium model of the labor market where workers have incomplete information about their ability. Search outcomes yield information for updating the belief about the ability, which affects optimal search decisions in the future. Firms respond to updated beliefs by altering vacancy creation and optimal wage contracts. To study equilibrium interactions between learning and search, this paper integrates learning into a search equilibrium with on-the-job search and wage-tenure contracts. The model is calibrated to quantify the extent to which learning and on-the-job search can explain empirical facts related to wage decreases in job-to-job transitions, duration dependence in unemployment, and frictional wage dispersion.

Keywords: Inequality
Mobility
Search
Wages
Advisor: Kambourov, Gueorgui
Shi, Shouyong
To Sing or Not to Sing, Again: Perspectives on the Journey of Reclaiming One's Voice as an Adult Non-singer

In this study, I explored the perspectives of three adults who self-described as non-singers through the conceptual framework of “identity formation,” to determine how “sense of self” influences their lives, and how they re-imagine the singer-self as an aspect of the whole self – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Many well-established music communities in Western society do not often promote a sense of welcome and hospitality for those who believe they cannot sing. Fortunately, all three participants found their way to a “Singing Fore the Love of It” program focused on their needs, doubts, and concerns. After a period of continued participation in learning to sing activities, further exploration through interviews gave insight into their perceptions of the terms safe place, proprioception, and community. The vivid portraits of the participants’ journeys showed that sense-of-self as an adult singer was influenced by the relationships formed in group dynamics encountered earlier in one’s life; in families, in schools, in communities such as the arts, and in the church. This research was grounded in the narrative methodological perspectives of Boyatzis (1998), Yin (2008), and Creswell (2012), with a focus on the importance of investigating the complexity of experience as lived by the participants, no matter how disparate their points of view might be. I collected extensive data over a period of six months through participant interviews, beginning with an opening questionnaire from which future questions were developed to draw out more vivid memories and reflections. I examined codable moments through the lens of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, culminating in the creation of a template for journeying as an adult non-singer. Based on the findings, I outlined implications for further research, specifically regarding how adult non-singers may be nurtured and inspired to re-imagine themselves physically, emotionally, and spiritually––from within, projected outward, and in collaboration with others.

Keywords: adult non-singer
community
identity formation
narrative methodology
safe place
sense of self
Advisor: Dolloff, Lori-Anne
New Physics of the Standard Model and Beyond

In this thesis, I present the research works carried during my Ph.D. period from 2014 to 2019, on topics of the high energy completion and the low energy exploration of the Standard Model (SM). The focus will be put on four finished papers. Firstly, we introduce the extensions of the Standard Model that are not only completely asymptotically free, but are such that the UV fixed point is completely UV attractive. Semi-simple gauge groups with elementary scalars in various representations are explored. We also present a Pati-Salam model for illustration. We then attempt to build the asymptotically safe extensions of the Standard Model using the large number-of-flavour technique. Next, we build a phenomenological model that describes the mass and decay width spectra of the lightest pseudo-scalar and scalar meson nonets at low energy. We then apply this model to the study of quark matter, and find that udQM (quark matter consists of up and down quarks only) generally has a lower energy per baryon than the strange quark matter and normal nuclei for baryon number A> Amin with Amin ≥ 300. After that, we present the work on the ud quark stars (udQSs) that are composed of udQM. Distinct signatures are discussed compared to the conventional study regarding strange quark stars. The tidal deformabilities in binary star mergers, including the udQS-udQS and udQS-HS cases, are calculated. This study points to a new possible interpretation of the GW170817 binary merger event, where udQS may be at least one component of the binary system detected.

Keywords: beyond the Standard Model
compact star
gravitational waves
quark matter
UV completion
Advisor: Holdom, Bob
Multilingual Education in Classrooms with Multiple Mother Tongues: A Case Study of Pedagogical Possibilities

This dissertation describes a collaborative action research project undertaken with Grades 1 and 2 children and parents from two Adivasi communities in a multiple-language classroom in a remote area of Odisha, India. The children came from Santali, Ho, and Odia home language backgrounds but were taught in Odia, the dominant state language. Classroom interactions were observed over a 7-month period in order to understand how students and teachers negotiated the teaching of academic content and initial reading skills. The study built on the extensive research that has emerged in recent years supporting mother-tongue based multilingual education (MTBMLE) in countries as diverse as Ethiopia, India, and the Philippines. These studies have provided evidence for cross-linguistic interdependence and transfer of conceptual and academic skills across languages. However, these initiatives were implemented in contexts of linguistic homogeneity involving children from a single mother tongue, whereas the majority of the classrooms in Odisha have children from multiple linguistic backgrounds. In addition to classroom observations, data were gathered by means of interviews with eight parents, two teachers, and five students. These interviews took place both before and after the creation by parents of a multilingual children’s book in Ho, Santali, and Odia. The interviews with parents and teachers prior to the creation of the book focused on participants’ own educational experiences, their linguistic identities, and their views on medium of instruction in education. The interviews after the community book creation project focused on these issues and how participants’ perspectives were affected by the inclusion of the two Adivasi languages in the book and in classroom instruction. The student interviews were conducted after the book was used within the classroom and focused on the impact of this initiative on their attitudes towards their home languages and the dominant school language. The findings of the study suggest a positive impact of a community created multilingual storybook on the parents, the students and the community. The project demonstrated that the multilingual repertoires of parents can be used as a powerful resource for implementing multilingual education in linguistically diverse Adivasi contexts.

Keywords: Minority Language Education
Multilingual Education
Advisor: Cummins, Jim
On the Understanding of Sodium Transport and its Role in Salinity Stress in Plants

Soil salinity is a major threat to global agriculture, affecting >900 million hectares of land. Sodium chloride is the most soluble and widespread salt on earth, and at high cytosolic concentrations, is considered toxic. For decades, researchers have been investigating the pathways of Na+ transport and its distribution in plants under salinity stress, especially at the point of contact, the root surface, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly resolved. According to the current proposed model, Na+ enters root cells passively (i.e. down its electrochemical gradient), via membrane channels, at very high rates and is then actively pumped out of the cytosol at nearly the same rate. This model of rapid Na+ cycling has recently been called into question, as inexplicable cellular energetics, flawed methodologies, conflicting results, and a lack of in-planta demonstrations all plague the model. The present work addresses these fundamental issues by systematically comparing radiotracer measurements and electrophysiological recordings, in conjunction with various nutritional profiles, inhibitory assays, mutant analyses, and genetic characterizations in the model systems barley (Hordeum vulgare), rice (Oryza sativa), and Arabidopsis thaliana. Efflux analysis showed the first physiological evidence of differential unidirectional Na+ efflux from distal root and bulk root zones under steady-state conditions, validating the physiological role of the Na+/H+ antiporter (SOS1) in Na+ efflux, but lack of significant involvement in rapid Na+ cycling based on known expression patterns. Electrophysiological recordings and radiotracer measurements indicated that Na+ influx is modest in nature and saturates well below any toxic concentration of Na+, in stark contrast with what is reported in the literature in support of the standing model. Influx analysis also revealed considerable plasticity in Na+ transport under salinity stress in response to nutritional changes, but only by breaking with conventional protocols. These findings provide clear evidence that the current model of rapid Na+ cycling is invalid and in need of significant reevaluation. It is concluded that most of the reported Na+ fluxes under salinity stress are a gross overestimation of symplastic flow and are more likely to be predominately apoplastic in nature.

Advisor: Kronzucker, Herbert J.
The Epigenome through the Lens of the Transcriptome and How it Regulates Tumour Development in Cancer

Battling complex human disease requires deep understanding of the disease etiology at the molecular level. Recent international collaborations provide a multitude of datasets assessing changes in DNA at the single-nucleotide resolution, chemical modifications such as cytosine methylation, protein binding to DNA such as transcription factors (TFs), and gene expression for a variety of patient samples and cell lines. Getting the most out of these datasets, however, requires methods which address technical difficulties and provide valuable biological insights. Assessing cytosine methylation through sequencing or arrays, to date, remains the most widely used assay for investigating the epigenome. The experimental procedure, however, changes the nature of the DNA assembly that the sequencing reads could map to. In this dissertation, I will propose a solution and provide publicly available datasets to allow researchers use DNA methylation assessments properly. Identifying TF binding sites remains an important challenge in epigenomics. The available assays, such as ChIP-seq, however, require a large amount of cells not always available from patient tissues. For decades, researchers have relied on the sequence preference of TFs instead of directly assessing TF binding. In this dissertation, I will show that relying solely on TF sequence preference will bring many false negative findings as well as previously reported false positive findings (futility theorem). I propose a solution, Virtual ChIP-seq. To predict TF binding, Virtual ChIP-seq uses as input the data of two assays which require only minimal tissue: RNA-seq and ATAC-seq. These assays assess the transcriptome and the accessible chromatin, respectively. For certain TFs, Virtual ChIP-seq predicts cell-type–specific DNA binding with high accuracy. I provide predictions of Virtual ChIP-seq for binding of 36 TFs in 31 human tissue types as a public resource. In the last part of this dissertation, I investigate the transcriptome and epigenome in a specific group of tumours: squamous cell carcinomas infected with human papillomavirus (HPV). I found that HPV integration into the host genome modifies the local host epigenome and transcriptome, possibly because of a conserved CTCF binding site within its 8 kbp genome. This dissertation introduces publicly available tools that allow the research community better assess the epigenome and it also enhances our understanding of how HPV contributes to tumourigenesis.

Keywords: Cancer
Computational biology
Epigenomics
Genomics
HPV
Machine learning
Advisor: Hoffman, Michael M
Symphony No. 2

Symphony No. 2 by Daniel Mehdizadeh Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition Graduate Department of Music University of Toronto © Copyright by Daniel Mehdizadeh 2020. Abstract Texture: One aspect of my approach is concerned with canonic layering of the various instruments and voices; I have explored these techniques throughout my doctoral degree and have further developed this method of layering (of motives and sustained notes) to create supporting texture throughout the symphony. Orchestration: I have abstained from the use of extended techniques to effectively showcase my ability to write concisely for the standard symphony orchestra. I have aimed for balance and clarity. This includes a clear approach to the canonic textures. Rhythmic development: One aspect of my music is to make use of ostinati patterns. I have been working toward breaking away from such habits, and to explore a continuous strain of rhythmic variation and development. I believe that this avoidance of ostinati grants me rhythmic independence. This symphony represents my attempt to synthesize these opposing rhythmic devices. Harmony: I have utilized my synthetic mode (the multi-tonic1 mode) along with Western traditional harmony, to ????nd a balance and a common-ground between the two. My multi-tonic mode has further set grounds for motivic variation, as well as harmonic structure. Motivic development: My dissertation utilizes a uni????ed motivic development throughout the entirety of the symphony. This includes secondary motives and “new” ideas all of which have been derived from the initial motif, which is rather simple and child-like in nature. Motivic contrast is often initially presented in a traditionally Western art music fashion and can subsequently be restated in the light of my mode. Form: This symphony is in 3 movements; fast-slow-fast. Within each movement the approach of through-composed has been employed. 1 Mehdizadeh, Daniel. (2018). Modality in Mehdizadeh. DMA Research Paper 2 of 2, submitted as partial ful????llment of the DMA in Composition Comprehensive Examinations, University of Toronto.

Keywords: Chorale
Humoresque
Kundalini
Mode
Persian
Symphony
Advisor: Kulesha, Gary
Significance of Expression of Immunomodulatory B7 Family Members B7-H3 and B7-H4 in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Thus far, ovarian cancer has had low response rates to immunotherapy despite strong evidence that the immune system is able to mount an anti-tumor response. Further investigation into the tumor microenvironment of epithelial ovarian cancer will facilitate the development of more effective immunotherapies. This thesis focuses on characterizing the tumor immune microenvironment using flow cytometry, histology, and genomic analyses. I have focused on investigating the expression patterns of B7-H3 and B7-H4, two members of the B7 family of immunomodulatory proteins as these molecules are being investigated as potential immunotherapeutic targets. In Chapter III of this thesis, it was found that B7-H3 was commonly expressed on the cell surface of tumor, stromal, and immune cells. Stromal cells expressed higher levels of B7-H3 than tumor cells, and this differential expression could be used to identify tumor and stromal cells by flow cytometry. The tumor-to-stroma ratio was calculated using differential B7-H3 expression and differences in the immune infiltrate associated with tumor-stroma ratio were assessed. A higher tumor-to-stroma ratio was associated with greater proportions of CD8+ T cells expressing high levels of PD-1, higher CD16 expression on monocytes, and higher PD-L1 expression on antigen-presenting cells. In Chapter IV of this thesis, B7-H4 expression in epithelial ovarian cancer was evaluated. Unlike B7-H3, B7-H4 expression was restricted to the tumor cell compartment and was not expressed by stromal cells. While B7-H4 was frequently expressed in the tumor cell cytoplasm, membrane-bound expression was less frequent. Genomic analyses revealed that B7-H4 expression was strongly correlated with expression of CXCL17, a monocyte chemoattractant. Further, tumors with high B7-H4 expression had higher frequencies of infiltrating APCs but did not have increased frequencies of infiltrating T or B cells. This work provides valuable information about the expression patterns of B7-H3 and B7-H4 on the tumor, stromal, and immune cells in epithelial ovarian cancer. We have performed a comprehensive analysis of the immune infiltrate in relation to expression of B7-H4 or the tumor-to-stroma ratio of tumors. Taken together, this detail of the tumor immune microenvironment provides context that can inform the potential therapeutic uses of B7-H3 and B7-H4 targeting agents in ovarian cancer.

Keywords: B7 family
epithelial ovarian cancer
tumor microenvironment
Advisor: Ohashi, Pamela S
Dynamic Voltage Scaling for Current and Future FPGAs

Field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) have been continuously evolving ever since their inception; recent FPGAs include millions of logic elements and various hard blocks for computation, communication and storage. These advancements have helped FPGAs gain traction as a general-purpose compute chip that enables users to design custom digital systems without the non-recurring engineering costs of application-specific integrated circuits. Unfortunately, FPGA power consumption has significantly increased in recent technology nodes (14-nm and below); typical designs on the largest Stratix 10 or UltraScale+ consume more than 100 W. While FPGAs have evolved on many fronts (architecture and CAD tool support), they are still powered with a fixed supply voltage (Vdd). In this thesis, we propose shifting FPGAs away from the fixed-Vdd operation towards a variable-Vdd operation through dynamic voltage scaling (DVS). With DVS, the FPGA Vdd is set, during online operation, to the minimum value that ensures safe operation. By reducing Vdd, we reduce both dynamic and static power significantly. In addition, we explore designing different FPGA circuitry that are better suited for a variable Vdd. While DVS has been supported by other compute chips, it has not been deployed for FPGAs. It is more challenging to implement DVS for FPGAs as the timing critical paths of an FPGA are application dependent and are unknown during FPGA design and manufacturing time. In this dissertation, we propose a novel DVS solution that solves these challenges through an offline calibration-based procedure. We develop a CAD tool that analyzes each user application to generate application-specific calibration bitstreams that are used to measure the minimum Vdd of the user application on each FPGA under different operating conditions. We store these values on-chip and use them during online operation to scale Vdd to the minimum safe value. Our DVS solution saves 30% of the power consumed with fixed-Vdd, without any performance degradation. To enable future FPGAs to achieve better performance at reduced Vdd, we design different look-up-tables (LUTs) that reduce the critical path delay compared to a conventional LUT design by 14% at the nominal Vdd (0.8 V) and by 45% at a reduced Vdd (0.6 V).

Advisor: Betz, Vaughn
The Intellective Touch: A Phenomenology of Digital Modernism

This dissertation re-examines the methods of existential phenomenology and media ecology by situating both within the aesthetics of “digital modernism,” which, following the media scholar Marshall McLuhan, I employ as an “anti-environment” to reveal the psychic and sensory attitudes engendered by the digital media environment. Drawing on McLuhan’s reading of the cultural environment constituted by electric media as – what the media ecologist Walter Ong famously labeled – “secondary orality,” I argue that the environment constituted by digital media is more profitably understood as “secondary literacy,” a term that Ong employed but did not develop. In contrast to the “secondary orality” of the electric environment, which, according to both Ong and McLuhan, retrieves the psychic attitudes associated with pre-literate tribalism, I characterize the “secondary literacy” of the digital environment as retrieving the psychic attitudes associated with ancient Greek and medieval manuscript literacy. Through contextualizing the interpretive attitudes of Husserl’s phenomenology and McLuhan’s media ecology within the primary literacy of medieval manuscript culture, I argue that both may function as important theoretical lenses, through which the attitudes of digital secondary literacy can be uncovered. On the basis of this theoretical integration, through which I analyze the artistic work of Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Paul Klee, Christopher Alexander, and Anton Webern, I re-evaluate McLuhan’s use of modernist aesthetics as an anti-environment to the electric environment so as to position modernist aesthetics as an anti-environment to the digital environment.

Keywords: Digital Culture
Marshall McLuhan
Media Ecology
Modernist Aesthetics
Phenomenology
Advisor: Keilty, Patrick