VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The race to space madness: making respectability through mad sites in Ontario

This thesis explores a history of provincial mad carceral sites in Ontario. I argue that these sites work to build respectable and degenerate subjects, as well as contribute to nation building by framing Canada as a benevolent, progressive, and white nation. Through examining the official history and architecture of The Toronto Psychiatric Hospital, The Clarke Institute, The Whitby Hospital, and Queen Street Mental Health Centre, this thesis shows how spaces built to contain madness contribute to meta-narratives of Ontario as civilized. Both the architecture and the various acts of commemoration surrounding these mad sites are analysed as monuments through which official stories are told. At the same time, these sites are used in very material ways to spatially regulate, discipline and control mad bodies. Ultimately, this thesis argues that because projects to spatially regulate madness are never-ending processes, they act to legitimize interventionist policing of mad bodies in Ontario.

Keywords: Mentally ill, Institutional care
Mentally ill, Ontario
Psychiatric hospitals, History
Psychiatric hospitals, Ontario
Design, fabrication and characterization of plasmonic waveguides

Properties of long range surface plasmon polaritons (LRSPP) are studied in lossy silver waveguides at λ0=633 nm using a tool developed in MATLAB as well as finite element method (FEM) and finite-difference time domain (FDTD) simulation software. Designs for vertically coupled LRSPP waveguides with coupling lengths as short as 22λ0 are proposed using FEM and FDTD. Simulations show that losses can be reduced below 1 dB using vertical coupler configurations. In-house proficiency is developed for the fabrication of plasmon devices using silver and PMMA. Silver films as thin as 10 nm are deposited using electron-beam evaporation and patterned using photolithography and wet etching. Surface properties of silver are studied through atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Silver waveguides and couplers are fabricated. Device characterization of these structures is performed using an end-fire coupling setup and a HeNe laser and the results are compared to simulation values.
Alternative protocols for the captive propagation of endangered species the benefit of mate choice and the cost of inbreeding

To advance breeding protocols for endangered species, I used the guppy to investigate the relative importance of inbreeding and mate choice on fitness. While inbreeding and mate choice had no effect on mother reproduction, they did affect offspring size. Mate choice resulted in larger infant offspring, while inbreeding had no effect at this stage. In contrast, inbreeding decreased juvenile and female adult offspring size, while mate choice had no effect. Only adult male offspring experienced concurrent effects of inbreeding and mate choice, with more pronounced effects of the latter. Although the levels of inbreeding depression documented were low, this study provides the first evidence that mate choice can have stronger effects on fitness than inbreeding. Moreover, mate choice benefits may offset inbreeding depression when both occur within the same trait. This calls to question current breeding protocols which focus on genetic diversity, and make no considerations for mate choice.
Recognition of popular songs by children and adolescents with cochlear implants

Cochlear implants, which are optimized for speech perception, provide users with good temporal resolution but poor pitch resolution. In the present study, we examined the music processing abilities of child and adolescent implant users and comparison groups of normally hearing children and adults. Specifically, we tested their identification of original and altered renditions of familiar recordings of popular songs. Cochlear implant users performed somewhat more poorly than age-matched hearing listeners on instrumental and bass-and-drum renditions that preserved a number of acoustic features of the original recordings. Dramatic differences between these groups were evident on piano renditions that presented the main melodic theme in a novel timbre. Age and working memory were associated with implant users' performance on the challenging piano renditions. Despite their poor pitch resolution, which makes the most common pitch steps in music (1 and 2 semitones) inaccessible, cochlear implant users provided favorable appraisals of all renditions.
A phenomenological study of adolescents' lived experience of support for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

This study explores adolescents' lived experience of formal and informal support for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, individual and focus group interviews were conducted with seven adolescents diagnosed with ADHD in order to capture the essential elements of each participant's everyday experiences of support and uncover the universal meaning shared by all. Results indicate that, from the perspective of adolescents, there is a fundamental mismatch between adolescents and adults in their understandings of ADHD and the most appropriate strategies for intervening. Four main themes emerged that portrayed adolescents' experiences of support for ADHD: It's No Big Deal, I Don't Think They Care, Nobody Understands, and My Opinion Means Nothing. The results suggest that caregivers must build on adolescents' own definitions and understandings of ADHD; use methods of communication that young people find comfortable and respectful; and deliver services that acknowledge the needs, expertise, and preferences of adolescents.
Measurement of the W boson mass at the Collider Detector at Fermilab from a fit to the transverse momentum spectrum of the muon

This thesis describes a measurement of the W boson mass from a fit to the transverse momentum spectrum of the muon in W decay. In past measurements this technique was used as a cross-check, however, now presents the best method in terms of systematic uncertainty. We discuss all sources of systematic uncertainty with emphasis on those to which the Muon pT measurement is particularly sensitive, specifically, those associated with modelling the production and decay of W bosons. The data were collected with the CDF II detector between March 2002 and September 2003 and correspond to an integrated luminosity of (191 +/- 11) pb-1. We measure the W mass to be (80.316 +/- 0.066stat. +/- 0.051syst.) GeV/c2 = (80.316 +/- 0.083) GeV/ c2.
Protecting gypsum sheathing in insulated steel-stud walls

A potential loss of strength and the growth of mold and mildew are two of the problems resulting from moisture accumulation in gypsum sheathing. The purpose of this research is to examine the moisture performance of various insulated steel stud wall systems when these walls are exposed to condensation conditions. Eighteen different wall panels were exposed to laboratory-controlled, freezing and non-freezing temperatures and 100% relative humidity conditions at the surface of the exterior gypsum sheathing. Numerical analyses and full-size field testing were also carried out. Spun bonded polyolifin and polyethylene can be used to protect exterior gypsum sheathing from moisture. In addition, high permeability insulation in the envelope air space allows moisture in the sheathing to escape to the exterior of the wall. However, the use of the protective layers on the warm side of the gypsum sheathing require the development of designs which allow for the removal of accumulated moisture in the steel stud space.
Long-term memory for absolute pitch level of songs in infancy

Adults retain precise pitch information for musically meaningful materials (e.g., themes from popular TV programs). Are similar memories evident in infancy? In Experiment 1, 44 6- and 7-month-olds were exposed to infant-directed folk lullabies for 2 weeks. They were subsequently tested on their preferences for the novel or familiar pitch using a visually based preference procedure. Seven-month-old infants showed greater visual attention when the familiar lullaby was presented at a novel pitch level. No such preference was evident in 6-month olds. In Experiment 2, an additional group of 6-month-old infants was tested with the same stimuli, but without prior exposure to the lullabies. These infants exhibited preferential looking for the lower pitched songs. Thus, prior exposure may have conflicted with pre-existing preferences in Experiment 1. Our results indicate that 7-month-olds (and perhaps younger infants) retain the pitch level of familiar music if this music is meaningful to them.
Human neutrophil peptides contribute to impaired neutrophil phagocytosis in cystic fibrosis

Introduction. Bacterial infections may persist despite the abundance of neutrophils and antimicrobial human neutrophil peptides (HNP) in the lung. We hypothesized that HNP alter neutrophil phagocytic function resulting in this clinical paradox. Methods. Neutrophils isolated from blood and sputum of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients or healthy volunteers were used to phagocytose E. coli or latex beads. Markers of phagocytic function were analyzed by flow cytometry, confocal microscopy and Western blot. Results. CF sputum neutrophils demonstrated impaired phagocytic function that correlated with HNP concentration. HNP treatment of healthy neutrophils reproduced this effect and was associated with altered F-actin distribution, decreased CD 16 expression, increased intracellular calcium, early apoptosis and decreased expression of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase. Pre-treatment with alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor restored neutrophil phagocytic function. Conclusions. CF lung neutrophils exhibited phagocytic dysfunction associated with increased HNP concentration. This may explain the clinical paradox seen in inflammatory lung diseases and have implications for novel clinical therapy.
An investigation of an alternative teacher education program

Teacher education reform has often been debated in relation to the various structural models that counter the traditional consecutive preservice model. Although the utility of these diverse models remains an open question, and one worthy of further inquiry, we know relatively little about what goes on inside these new programs. Feiman-Nemser's conceptual orientations taxonomy allows researchers an effective way of understanding and categorizing the underlying themes that drive a particular program. It serves as a useful starting point to address the important question of what should be the central task(s) of a teacher. Although this taxonomy has been used to study various American teacher education programs, no such body of work exists within Canada. This study examines the conceptual orientations of a Canadian intermediate/senior teacher education program. The thematic focus of this program is entitled “School, Community and Global Connections”. Student perceptions of this thematic program were investigated through the use of both quantitative and qualitative measures. Results indicated congruence between the orientations (i.e., critical/social and personal) intended by the program leaders and students' conceptions of their professional development. The results also suggested that not all conceptual orientations may be equally utilized in practice, and that the critical/social orientation often clashed with the social structures within schools while the personal orientation clashed with organizational structures. Further research is needed to determine similar relationships with the other major orientations as well the effects of lower self-efficacy around practical aspects of teaching. Preliminary findings suggested that the survey questionnaire could be used to investigate the conceptual orientations of other teacher education programs.

Keywords: Teachers, Training of
Teachers, Canada
Teaching, Methodology
Teaching, Canada
Community and school, Canada
Global method of teaching
High frequency ultrasound for monitoring changes in liver tissue during preservation

In this study I use high frequency ultrasound integrated backscatter (HFUIB) to assess liver damage in experimental models of liver ischemia. No significant increase in HFUIB ( sim;2.5dBr) was measured for the livers prepared using standard preservation conditions. For all other ischemia models, HFUIB increased by 4--9 dBr, demonstrating kinetics dependent on storage conditions. The results provide a potential framework for using high frequency ultrasound imaging to non-invasively assess liver preservation injury. To examine the effects of liver ischemia at different temperatures livers from Wistar rats were surgically excised, immersed in phosphate buffer saline and stored at 4 and 20°C for 24h. To mimic organ preservation, livers were excised, flushed with University of Wisconsin (UW) solution and stored at 4°C for 24h. Preservation injury was simulated by either not flushing livers with UW solution or, before scanning, allowing livers to reach room temperature. Ultrasound images and corresponding radio-frequency data were collected over the ischemic period.
Interactive public ambient displays

We develop design principles and an interaction framework for sharable, interactive public ambient displays that support the transition from implicit to explicit interaction with both public and personal information. A prototype system implementation that embodies these design principles is described. We use novel display and interaction techniques such as simple hand gestures and touch screen input for explicit interaction and contextual body orientation and position cues for implicit interaction. Techniques are presented for subtle notification, self-revealing help, privacy controls, and shared use by multiple people each in their own context. The results of two user studies are also presented, and future directions discussed.
Line shape studies in the 03(1)0 - 01(1)0 Q branch of nitrous oxide using a mid-infrared difference-frequency spectrometer

We have constructed an infrared difference-frequency spectrometer, with a tuning range between 7 and 9 μm, to complement the already existing one at 2–5 μm. The characteristics of this high resolution (1.5 MHz or 5 × 10−5 cm−1), high signal-to-noise (2000:1) spectrometer have been tested on the very weak and very dense, double-sided, 0310 ← 0110 Q branch of N2O. Lines Q18F to Q12E have been recorded in a single scan, at 297 K and at pressures ranging from I to 130 torr. At pressures lower than 11 torr (1.5 kPa), we analyzed our data on a line-by-line basis, using asymmetric Voigt and hard collision profiles (Ciurylo, 1998), to account for the asymmetry induced by line mixing. This analysis allowed us to obtain accurate values for the broadening coefficients and for the relative line centers of the transitions composing the Q branch. The broadening coefficients that we have determined for these spectral lines are the first ever to be reported in the literature. The medium pressure results, ranging from 23 to I30 torr (3.1 to 17.3 kPa), were analyzed by treating the band as a whole, through the relaxation matrix formalism. This approach provides a more physically realistic picture by relating the band's behavior at higher pressures with the molecular dynamics that takes place at a microscopic level. The elements of the relaxation matrix were evaluated based on the rotational relaxation rates, given through a semi-empirical formula known as the “energy power gap” (EPG) law. A value F = 0.26, found for the coupling factor describing the interference effects of the lines, suggests that the line broadening does not arise solely from the inelastic collisions coupling the rotational levels of the molecule. The frequency shift of the Q branch was also determined using a low-pressure reference cell in parallel with the main absorption cell. A red shift of δ = −5.8 × 10−3 cm−1/atm was found for the band and was interpreted as a systematic stretch of the molecule under the influence of collisions.
Catenation and operand specialization for Tcl virtual machine performance

We present techniques for eliminating dispatch overhead in a virtual machine interpreter using a lightweight just-in-time native-code compilation. In the context of the Tcl VM, we convert bytecodes to native code, by concatenating the native instructions used by the VM to implement each bytecode instruction. We thus eliminate the dispatch loop. Furthermore, immediate arguments of bytecode instructions are substituted into the native code using run-time specialization. Native code output from C compiler is not amenable to relocation by copying; fix-up of the code is required for correct execution. Resulting code size increase is apparently impractical. We evaluate performance using hardware performance counters and system simulation. Some benchmarks achieve up to 50% speedup, but roughly half slow down, or exhibit little change. Most slowdown is attributable to I-cache overflow due to increased code size, and increased compilation time. Larger I-caches broaden applicability of technique.
Quantitative analyses of embryonic stem cell fate responses to cytokine supplementation: mechanisms of LIF-mediated regulation

The therapeutic use of stem cells is limited by our inability to control and predict their behavior. Applying engineering analyses to experimental results offers the means for developing the kind of quantitative appreciation of stem cell fate mechanisms that is needed for their eventual clinical use. In this study, a novel experimental and computational framework was developed to predictably link murine embryonic stem (ES) cell responses to interleukin-6 (IL-6)-type cytokine stimuli. It was hypothesized that thresholds in levels of appropriate ligand-receptor interactions modulate individual stem cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival responses, thus dynamically contributing to population composition. Using two cytokines that exhibited quantitative differences in ligand-receptor interactions, a direct correlation between the number of ligand-receptor signaling complexes formed and individual ES cell fate was demonstrated. To investigate whether signaling complex numbers were also responsible for selectively promoting the survival and/or proliferation of undifferentiated cells, cell responses were kinetically tracked using a transgenic ES cell line (that expressed green fluorescent protein (GFP) under control of the Oct4 promoter; Oct4 is a transcription factor critical to the establishment and maintenance of ES cells). Sub-population specific analyses showed that undifferentiated cells had a ligand dose-dependent survival and proliferation advantage over their immediately differentiated counterparts. The findings attributed changes in population output to the net outcome of competitive responses between undifferentiated and differentiated cells and showed that strategic alteration of culture conditions (e.g., adjusting relative concentrations of exogenous cytokines/growth factors) can allow one sub-population to predictably dominate the system. Kinetic measurements of sub-fraction specific responses were used to develop a comprehensive computational model of stem cell fate determination that predicted cell outputs over multiple cell divisions. Model simulations identified parameters (e.g., Oct4 protein half-life, cell growth and death rates, sensitivity to extrinsic regulation, etc.) that distinctly impacted the growth of stem vs. differentiated cells, and therefore provided clues to differentially control the two sub-populations. Together, these integrated experimental and computational analyses provided novel insights on the effects of exogenous parameters on stem cell fate regulation. These findings have important applications in the emerging field of stem cell-derived products and therapeutics.
Structural and kinetic characterization of chorismate synthase; the last enzyme of the shikimate pathway

The shikimate pathway has immense biological significance given its existence in plants, bacteria and fungi but not animals, and is the target of the broad spectrum herbicide, Glyphosate. The three-dimensional (3D) structure of each component of the pathway has been elucidated save chorismate synthase (CS), the final enzyme. In this thesis the structure of CS from Aquifex aeolicus is reported following a proteomics-based strategy designed to yield protein crystals of CS from several different species. This 3D structure is compared and contrasted to other examples subsequently published. Using the 3D structure of CS from Streptococcus pneumoniae [MacLean and All, (2003). Structure 11; 1499] targeted mutagenesis was performed on residues conserved in CS from Arabidopsis thaliana. Each CS mutant was assayed for activity and compared to wild-type. The effect of each mutation is discussed in context of the 3D structure of the active site and mechanistically unique reaction catalyzed by CS.
The ecological effects of herbivore-specific induced plant responses

Feeding by herbivorous arthropods often induces phenotypic responses in their host plants. Such responses are increasingly found to be herbivore-specific, as both their strength and type can vary with herbivore identity. To date, most research has focused on discerning the causes, whether functional or evolutionary, of this specificity. However, recent studies have suggested that it can also have strong ecological effects on the distribution and occurrence of herbivores. Using Solanum dulcamara (bittersweet nightshade), I established a consistent ecological pattern within its herbivore community that is driven by specificity in plant responses: early-season differences in the identity of colonizing herbivores induce divergent plant phenotypes, producing heterogeneity in resource quality and a predictable distribution of late-season herbivores. These priority effects (i.e., differences in later herbivore occurrence caused by the identity of initial herbivores) seem to have their temporal basis in a physiological tradeoff within the plant, as it is unable to sequentially respond to different herbivore species. The responses associated with a particular herbivore occur only when it is the first species to feed on the plant. If its feeding follows that of a different herbivore, these responses are no longer induced. Chemical antagonism between different signaling pathways in the plant may underlie these results, in which case we may be able to predict the occurrence of priority effects based on knowledge of the response pathways induced by different herbivores. However, the spatial scale of these interactions can also influence their strength. I found that the presence of multiple plant phenotypes has a greater effect on herbivore occurrence within stands of S. dulcamara than it does between them. Fragmentation of S. dulcamara populations reduces the likelihood of herbivores moving between plants, thereby reducing the degree to which they can discriminate between different plant phenotypes. Overall, therefore, a combined knowledge of the chemical basis and ecological context of plant-herbivore interactions may be essential when examining the dynamics of herbivore communities.