VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Struggling adolescent and young adult readers from the Ontario child welfare system

Study 1 also used a reading classification system to categorize the 55 youth into one of three poor reader subtypes based on their pattern of cognitive deficit. Using criteria derived from the Double Deficit Hypothesis, 96% of the sample could be classified; 41% presented with a PA Deficit Only; 2% a RAN Deficit Only; and 57% a Double Deficit (DD). The DD subgroup were the most impaired readers. These results were compared to a school-aged sample of poor readers classified in Lovett, Steinbach and Frijters's (2000) study. This thesis describes the results from two studies. Study 1 examined the cognitive processing skills of 55 struggling readers from the child welfare system to determine whether their cognitive skills differed from the skills of struggling readers within the general population. The results showed these 55 youth presented with a pattern of cognitive deficits similar to that which characterizes poor readers in the general population. They showed deficits in phonological awareness (PA), rapid automatized naming (RAN), vocabulary, and memory. The cognitive skills of these 55 youth were also compared to the skills of 15 good readers from the child welfare system. Overall, the good readers performed significantly better than the poor readers on most of the cognitive measures although, individually, many of the good readers presented with weaknesses on these measures as well. In a second set of analyses, the good readers were matched onintelligence and age to a smaller sample of 15 poor readers. The results of these analyses were similar to the first set. In Study 2, 24 youth-in-care with poor reading skills participated in one of two reading programs (Program A or Program B) to see if either intervention would improve their reading. The results showed that participants made significant gains on the majority of measures administered to them at post-test. The youth in both programs made significant gains with Program A participants showing greater gains on only one of the measures, suggesting that the youth benefited equally from the programs. Youth with different patterns of cognitive deficit, based on the Double Deficit classification, also benefited equally from the two programs.

Keywords: Education, Social aspects
Education, Ontario
Poor youth, Education
Poor youth, Ontario
Reading, Ability testing
Reading, Ontario
English language, Written English
English language, Ontario
English language, Written English
English language, Ontario
Developmental reading, Ontario
Reading, Psychology of
Validation of a predictive model for survival in metastatic cancer patients attending an out-patient palliative radiotherapy clinic

Objectives. The primary objective was to temporally validate a predictive model for survival in metastatic cancer patients attending an outpatient palliative radiotherapy clinic at the Rapid Response Radiotherapy Program (RRRP), Toronto Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Centre (TRSCC). Secondary objectives included: (a) To compare various ways of predicting survival: partial score (SPS), number of risk factors (NRF) and recursive partitioning (RP). (b) To simplify the model and perform both temporal and external validation of the model with the data from Palliative Radiation Oncology Program (PROP) at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH). Methods: Prospective databases in the years 1999 and 2000 at RRRP, TSRCC and 2002 at PROP, PMH were used as training, temporal and external validation sets respectively. Models were developed employing the partial score method (SPS), the number of risk factors method (NRF) and recursive partitioning (RP). The performance of each model was evaluated by: (i) Log-rank test statistic for trend; (ii) Spread of probabilities measured by PSEP; (separation of the survival probabilities of the best and worst groups); (iii) Index of concordance, D statistic; and (iv) Discrimination using the generalized R 2. Results. The models using SPS, NRF and RP were successfully validated both temporally and externally in terms of the median survival times and survival probabilities of their subgroups. The PSEP values of all the 3 models were maintained in the validation series suggesting that overoptimism was unlikely in the models. The best and intermediate subgroups derived by the RP in the external validation series did, however, cross over at 39 weeks. This may be due to a limitation in the RP model, small sample size in the intermediate group or a different case mix in the external dataset. The simplified 3-variable models fared as well as the 6-variable models despite a diminished R2 value. Conclusion: Clinical prediction of survival should not be used alone but in conjunction with other prognostic factors. The 3-variable models are clinically simpler and user-friendlier models. The NRF method is recommended since it avoids the need to remember the partial score of each prognostic variable.
Establishment of a digital, three-dimensional model of the Drosophila larval brain, and the identification of behaviourally important central interneurons in defined neuropiles using MARCUM (mosiac analysis with a repressible cell marker)

A series of experiments was designed that allowed us to observe locomotive defects in vivo by randomly shutting down interneurons in the larval central nervous system. The first goal was to expand on pre-existing maps of neuropile compartments. This was achieved with immunohistochemical methods and modelling software. The second goal was to use these anatomical maps to aid the discovery of neurons involved in motor circuitry in the CNS. This was accomplished by using the "Mosaic Analysis with a Repressible Cell Marker" technique on a population of interneurons. A candidate compartment was found in the brain. Neurons supplying this compartment had a higher chance of being labelled with MARCM clones in animals showing locomotion defects. Also, areas in the ventral have also been identified as critical areas in the control of locomotion. These observations indicate specific compartments may be specialized in the motor circuitry of the Drosophila larvae.
Fault-tolerant control in discrete-event systems

Faults are common in complex systems. If not treated, faults in subsystems can propagate through the system and lead to catastrophic failures. Fault-tolerant control is therefore needed for system safety. Fault tolerance is the ability of a controlled system to maintain control objectives even if faults occurred. It can be obtained through fault-accommodation or reconfiguration, with acceptable degradation of performance. Fault-tolerant control has been studied over the last decade. It usually assumes that faults can be isolated and the system can be remedied after isolation. In this paper we relax these assumptions. By the techniques of fault diagnosis and state feedback control in a discrete-event framework, we introduce trace-feedback control for fault-tolerance. We define fault-accommodation and reconfiguration for systems with partial state information. Software procedures for control design are developed. A case study is provided to illustrate the design process.
Interactions between the transmembrane helices of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)

Many membrane-based mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) involve introduction of a polar residue, which can lock helices together via a side chain-side chain interhelical non-native hydrogen bond to a neighboring wild type polar residue [i.e. Val 232-to-Asp (TM4) to Gln207 (TM3) (Therien, Grant Deber, Nat. Struct. Biol., 2001]. We studied the Gln 207 H-bond 'capture potential' by performing an Asp 'walk' through TM4 in a series of TM3/4 helix-loop-helix (hairpin) constructs, assessing factors including the Asp position relative to the helix-helix interface, and side chain length and polarity. Diagnostic gel shift assays on SDS-PAGE were used to measure 'open-closed' states of each hairpin. In related experiments, L346P and R347P mutants were investigated in a TM5/6 hairpin to determine why R347P inserts properly in the membrane, while L346P does not. The overall results help explain the molecular basis for aberrant CFTR function in CF-phenotypic TM domain mutants.
Molecular mechanisms of calcium sensitive G1/S cell cycle progression in vascular smooth muscle cells its therapeutic applications for the treatment of vascular proliferative diseases

We have shown that a coordinated elevation in the intracellular free calcium ion concentration ([Ca2+]i) is required for G 1 to S phase progression in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC). However the mechanisms through which Ca2+ regulates cell cycle in VSMC is not fully understood. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying Ca2+-sensitive VSMC proliferation may allow for the design of therapies aimed at vascular diseases including atherosclerosis, hypertension, and restenosis. We found that the kinase activity of cyclin E/CDK2, but not other G 1/S-associated cell cycle complexes, was responsive to physiological changes in [Ca2+]. This Ca2+-responsiveness was mediated by a direct interaction between calmodulin (CaM), the major Ca 2+-signal transducer of eukaryotic cells, and cyclin E. Inhibition of CaM abrogated the Ca2+-sensitivity of cyclin E/CDK2, and retarded mouse VSMC proliferation by causing G1 arrest. We next defined the presence of a highly conserved CaM-binding motif in mammalian cyclin E genes, and showed its essential role in mediating Ca2+-sensitivity of cyclin E/CDK2. These findings reveal CaM-dependent cyclin E/CDK2 activity as a mediator of the Ca2+-sensitivity of the G1/S transition of VSMC. To explore therapeutic strategies based on this discovery, a peptide termed 'CBS' (Calmodulin Binding Sequence) was designed to inhibit CaM-cyclin E interactions specifically. We found that CBS inhibited basal cyclin E/CDK2 activity by sim;40% and abolished Ca2+-sensitive cyclin E/CDK2 activity entirely. The CBS peptide also blocked activating Thr160 phosphorylation of CDK2. Moreover, the CBS peptide inhibited proliferation of VSMC in a dose-dependent manner, by causing a G1 arrest. Importantly, the CBS peptide did not inhibit proliferation and cell cycle progression of cyclin E-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts, suggesting that this agent acts in a cyclin E-dependent manner. Finally, application of the peptide to injured carotid arteries of mice significantly inhibited neointima formation and medial thickening. Together, these results suggest that CBS peptide inhibits (a) cyclin E-specific Ca2+ /CaM-dependent CDK2 activity, and (b) Ca2+-sensitive cell cycle progression and cell proliferation, with high specificities in VSMC. As such, this study represents an entirely novel treatment for vascular proliferative disorders in vivo.
The effect of folate and folylpoly-gamma-glutamate synthase (FPGS) modulation in the chemotherapeutics of human breast cancer cells

Folylpoly-gamma-glutamate synthase (FPGS) is essential in folate and antifolate polyglutamylation, a process required for intracellular retention. Folylpolyglutamates are preferred substrates for one-carbon transfer reactions, and polyglutamatylated antifolates confer greater cytotoxicity compared with shorter antifolates. In the present study, the role of folate and FPGS in the chemotherapeutics of human breast cancer cells was investigated. An in vitro model of altered FPGS levels in MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cells with predictable functional ramifications was developed and validated. The effect of modulating exogenous folate concentrations and intracellular FPGS activity on chemosensitivity to 5-fluorouracil (5FU) and methotrexate (MTX) was examined. Chemosensitivity of MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cells to 5FU was determined by both polyglutamylation and exogenous folate concentrations whereas chemosensitivity to MTX was influenced primarily by polyglutamylation, independent of exogenous folate concentration. These data suggest that modulation of FPGS and folate concentrations may have significant translational potential in breast cancer treatment involving 5FU and MTX.
Dysregulated lymphocyte homeostasis in diabetes and lymphoma development

Autoimmune diseases result from dysregulated lymphocyte homeostasis resulting in the activation, proliferation and survival of autoreactive lymphocytes. Insight into the dysregulated mechanisms provide opportunities for therapies directed against the onset of disease. In my thesis studies on type 1 diabetes (T1D) in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, I found that NOD lymphocytes display an enhanced frequency of activation compared to non-diabetes prone strains. NOD Vβ3+ T cells that escape endogenous superantigen (SAg)-mediated deletion and B cells are characterized by a high frequency of activation in vivo. NOD Vβ3+ T cell and B cell activation in vivo precedes the development of insulitis and are genetically linked to the endogenous SAg, Mtv-3, and the NOD major histocompatibility complex (NEC) respectively, suggesting that genetic control of lymphocyte activation is an early event in NOD T1D. Although B cells can play a critical role in NOD T1D, diabetogenic T cells can develop and cause diabetes without B cells in a lymphopenic environment that promotes lymphocyte expansion. The pro-diabetes lymphocyte environment may also contribute to NOD susceptibility to lymphomas, as immunodeficient NOD mice are more prone to lymphomas independent of DNA repair defects. NOD susceptibility to lymphomas may represent common defects in lymphocyte homeostasis that predispose to NOD T1D. Thus, my research provides evidence that common genetic and cellular pathways regulating lymphocyte fate contribute to the pathogenesis of autoimmunity and lymphocyte malignancies.
The diabetogenic effects of atypical antipsychotic medication: an animal model

In the schizophrenia population, the increased prevalence of atypical antipsychotic use has been paralleled by an increase in reported incidence of obesity, type 2 diabetes, diabetic ketoacidosis and other metabolic abnormalities. These side effects contribute additional health risks to a population that is already burdened by issues of increased morbidity and mortality. We have developed an animal model to evaluate a number of variables relating to antipsychotic treatment and disruptions in metabolism. Investigating measures of insulin sensitivity, and secretion we assessed the chronic versus acute effects of atypical antipsychotic treatment, the differential effect of various antipsychotics, and a neural component by which the atypical antipsychotics induce glucose dysregulation. Chronic administration of olanzapine resulted in a decrease in insulin sensitivity. This insulin resistance was also observed with acute administration of olanzapine. Clozapine and risperidone induced insulin resistance, while ziprasidone and haloperidol did not change insulin sensitivity. We report novel data that show olanzapine and clozapine can have an immediate and significant impact on pancreatic beta cell function. We also initiated experiments to help uncover the pathways mediating antipsychotic-induced glucose dysregulation. Our results show that ICV injections of olanzapine affect both insulin sensitivity and secretion. Our acute data challenge prior notions that weight gain is the primary side effect of treatment with atypical antipsychotic medication and that the host of metabolic problems observed are merely a result of this increased adiposity. We highlight the significant risk to homeostatic glucoregulatory mechanisms in the acute phase of treatment with atypicals reiterating the need for clinicians to monitor metabolic status from the earliest stages of pharmacotherapy.

Keywords: Neurosciences
Mental health
Pharmacology
Beyond participation: mapping the institutional dimensions of collective action in Zambia

Why are some groups able to act collectively while others fail? Drawing on responses of diverse groups of people in Zambia, to the work of a development project called the Micro-projects Unit that is jointly funded by the World Bank and European Union, this study principally contends that the pattern of people's responses to the organization's social interventions has been determined not simply by considerations of need, but also by an institutional logic. This institutional logic is principally founded on socio-political relations and notions of political community but is more importantly consolidated by authority structures. One of its crucial features is that it mediates local politics and accordingly influences collective action. Thus, this study examines current efforts to engage citizens in the provision of public goods, using participatory approaches, in an institutional perspective. In particular, this study challenges the technical approach to empowerment that has elevated participatory approaches into something of a theory of social action yet without accounting for politics at the group level. The state in this approach is postulated as omnipotent while poor citizens are characterized as powerless. This dichotomous and one-sided analysis of power in approaches to empowerment is challenged by closely examining power relations in local collective initiatives. A principal finding from this study of three urban and six rural social projects is that collective initiatives are political expressions of group cohesion rather than are simply a sociable thing to do. Accordingly, this study proposes that we move from the current attention that is given to social capital building and focus instead on building 'political capital' at the local level. The notion of building 'political capital' is in turn about creating conditions that not only encourage group action in local initiatives but also creates the conditions for citizens to actively participate in political processes at a higher level. However, while this study pushes the theoretical boundaries on participatory approaches and frames the broader challenges of public sector reform, it only provides a small glimpse into the very complex socio-political and institutional logic behind collective action.
Protein-based fluorescence resonance energy transfer biosensors: Design, simulation, and optimization

Protein-based biosensors have been designed to detect changes in biological events based on the principle of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). These biosensors generally have weak dynamic ranges that are undesirable for applications such as high throughput drug screening. Hence, I introduced a computational modeling approach to improve the dynamic range of a FRET protein biosensor. Next, to systemize this approach, I developed a modeling tool called Fusion Protein MODeller (FPMOD) that constructs the biosensor models and predicts their FRET properties. Lastly, I developed a molecular biology technique to systematically construct a library of circularly permutated yellow fluorescent proteins. This technique can be used to maximize the dynamic range of FRET protein biosensors. Together, this work represents an advance in the design, simulation and optimization of protein-based FRET biosensors.
Are the medical inadmissibility provisions of Canada's Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA, 2001) inconsistent with the human rights principles with respect to the treatment of persons with disabilities?

The paper provides a legislative account of Canada's law of entry restrictions with respect to persons with disabilities and argues that Canadian immigration law and policies contradict the principles of inclusion and accommodation that dominate international and domestic human rights law in this area and create vast barriers to full participation of immigrants with disabilities in Canadian society. First, human rights principles for disabled individuals are extracted from a number of international covenants and domestic sources, including the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Canadian Human Rights Act and Ontario Human Rights Code with accompanying jurisprudence. Second, the medical inadmissibility provisions with their jurisprudence are analyzed, and their conflict with human rights principles highlighted. The third section focuses on how Canadian immigration policy could be changed with the aim of incorporating human rights law in terms of allowing the entry to Canada of those who have health impairments.

Keywords: Human rights, Canada
People with disabilities, Legal status, laws, etc
People with disabilities, Canada
Admission of nonimmigrants, Canada
Application of long gauge fiber optic measurement system: long gauge fiber optic sensor

A novel Long Gauge Fiber Optic Sensor (LGFOS) system and Spatial Division Multiplexing (SDM) concept are developed and tested in this Master's thesis. Advantages over existing strain measuring devices include immunity to EMI and relatively small size, as well as lower cost (standard single mode fiber). Performance of this innovative sensor is evaluated and discussed in uniform and variable strain distribution load cases. Field tests are conducted to apply sensors to practical structures. Successes and improvements are presented in the thesis. Major developments in research involve improved sensor installation techniques such as pre-tensioned sensors, stripped sensor fiber coating, and adhesion. Accurate and precise results in tension tests of LGFOS are achieved while compression results show significant improvement using new sensor installation techniques and upgraded instrumentation. The major achievement is a conceptually working 3-sensor SDM system which is described in this thesis.

Keywords: Optical fibers, Testing
Optical fiber detectors
Optical communications
A query rewriting system: implementation and applications

Given two schemas S1 and S2 along with a mapping m between them, query rewriting consists of an algorithm for transforming a query q 1 expressed with respect to S1 into an equivalent query q2 expressed with respect to S2. This thesis describes our implementation of a query rewriting system that is based on the bucket algorithm. Our implementation extends the bucket algorithm by supporting query rewriting when equivalent and complete rewrites do not exist. Moreover, our extension is designed for two specific applications: Migration of E-commence systems and query processing in a Peer-to-Peer data management context. Our query rewriting system has been tested with hundreds of views and queries from an industrial e-commence application. Since the complexity of query rewriting system is exponential in time, the processing time may easily increase tremendously. We analyze the performance and characteristics of our system through a series of experiments.