VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Multiliteracies, Identity Construction and the Marginalized: Understanding Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) As a Tool to Bridge the Knowledge Society Divide

Scholars suggest that when students use information and communication technology to complete and present identity texts about their own cultural background, such as self-authored literature, artwork, and multi-media texts, they learn about themselves and others and they can improve literacy skills and proficiency with technology (Chow & Cummins, 2003; Cummins, 2006). In this exploratory case study five middle-school students attending a diverse inner city school, and each representing a different demographic, were asked to complete an identity text project. In question was whether they would consume or critically deconstruct the negative hegemonic discourses they might encounter in the process. Results indicated that student response to these discourses was inconsistent, that students minoritized as black were especially vulnerable to them, and that student-led constructivist projects like this should be preceded by effective inclusive schooling and media literacy pedagogy to help ensure student engagement with multi-literacies is enhanced as intended.

Keywords: inclusive schooling
online learning
multiliteracies
literacy
Advisor: Brett, Clare
Understanding Canadian-Chinese University Partnerships through The Confucius Institute

There are currently over 300 Confucius Institutes in nearly 100 countries around the world. The fast rise of the Confucius Institute since its inception in 2004 has attracted attention from both political and academic arenas. Recent research on the Confucius Institute has focused on China's goal to increase its soft power through this establishment. The objective of this Master's thesis is to explore the nature of the partnership between Chinese and Canadian universities through the Confucius Institute. Specifically, three Canadian Confucius Institutes are selected for the case studies. This interdisciplinary research uses Constructivism from International Relations and Internationalization of Higher Education as the theoretical framework for analysis. Data collection involves interviewing key administrative staff from each site along with a review of secondary resources such as online and print literature. Significance of key findings and suggestions for future research are provided in the conclusion of this thesis.

Keywords: China
Canada
university partnerships
Confucius Institute
higher education
international relations
Advisor: Hayhoe, Ruth
The Impact of the Quality of Heterosexual and Homosexual Romantic Relatoinships on a Woman's Body Dissatisfaction and Eating Patterns

Romantic relationships are one of the most important relationships a woman will develop in her life. Women are often socialized to be compliant within their relationships, and are reminded of how a thin body type is ideal. The implications of this socialization can affect the way a woman feels about her body. The current study included 207 women who ranged in age from 18-30, were in a relationship (neither married nor engaged) for 6 months or longer, and identified as either being attracted to the same or opposite sex. Results of the study indicated a significant effect of higher levels of body dissatisfaction between both negative relationship quality, and increased engagement in unhealthy dietary behaviours. In addition, self-silencing was found to be a significant mediator in the relationship between relationship quality and both body dissatisfaction and unhealthy dietary behaviours. Limitations of the study and directions for future research are discussed.

Keywords: romantic relationship
eating pattern
homosexual
heterosexual
body dissatisfaction
self-silencing
socialization
sexual orientation
Advisor: Piran, Niva
Exploring the Evolution of Credit Transfer Policy: Implications on the Role and Interplay between Colleges and Universities

This thesis examines the historical evolution of the credit transfer policy and its implications on the roles and interplay between colleges and universities. This in-depth analysis of credit transfer evaluates the establishment of College of Applied Arts and Technology (CAATs) in the 1960s, to present day initiatives in place to create a system wide credit transfer system between colleges and universities. The theoretical framework is comprised of two major components: firstly, through an examination of policy tools used over the years, this thesis provides a basis to understand measures that have been employed to address the issue of credit transfer. Secondly, through the organization adaptation approach and resource dependency theory, the credit transfer discussion contextualizes the overall impact on the relationship between colleges and universities. The findings conclude that although higher educational institutions are proactively responding to credit transfer demands, the hierarchical structure between universities and colleges is still prevalent.

Keywords: Evolution of Credit Transfer Policy
Implications on Role and Interplay between Colleges and Universities
Advisor: Sá, Creso
Where Are We Now? Changing Demographics and Perspectives of Women in Educational Administration

Women have been underrepresented in administrative roles in education, due to a wide variety of barriers. In the province of Ontario, women comprise approximately seventy one percent of teachers, yet occupy only sixty percent of school principal and vice principal roles. More recently, there has been an increase in the ranks of women working as principals and vice-principals; this study examines one Ontario School Board using quantitative and qualitative data. It finds that the percentage of women working as administrators has moved closer to a reflection of the provincial percentage of women in teaching. Interviews with active school administrators reveal the barriers and supports that are important. Their contributions reveal three distinct themes: the importance of mentorship and peer networks, the challenges of maintaining a work / family balance, and the continued importance of gender in educational administration.

Keywords: women
administration
barriers
supports
family / work balance
mentoring and peer networks
gender
Advisor: Gaskell, Jane
Excavating Lesbian Feminism from the Queer Public Body: The Indispensability of Women-identification

Drawing on my own process of entry into local queer, lesbian and feminist public cultures, I argue that a powerful relationship between feminist and lesbian existence can be felt and that this sensibility bears influence on the way queer erotic and politicized identities emerge in relation to one another. These affective links remain frequently unacknowledged and/or are actively repudiated due to popular accounts of feminist genealogy whereby second wave lesbian-feminist positions are rendered fundamentally incompatible with contemporary queer/third wave feminist ones. I challenge this narrative by building on select early articulations of radical lesbian feminism to show that when affirmed consciously, the sense that lesbianism and feminism are interconnected constitutes a “woman-identified experience” and an opportunity to bear witness to the unrealized possibilities of second-wave radical feminism in the present. I conclude that politicized “lesbian” and/or “woman” identification remain indispensable strategic sites from which to observe and confront heteropatriarchy.

Keywords: lesbian-feminism, queer theory, woman-identification, integrative feminism
social movement, second wave feminism, radical feminism
Advisor: Miles, Angela
Elementary Teachers' Perspectives on Teaching Science to Socio-culturally Diverse Students

In this qualitative research study, I examine eight elementary educators perspectives on teaching science to diverse students in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). A critical pedagogy and antiracism conceptual framework is used to examine elementary educators perspectives on the interrelationship between student sociocultural background and science education. Ontario Ministry of Education policies and curriculum documents and science educational research are used to interpret themes/codes from the official literature on student diversity and science education. Key findings of my research study show that: (1) elementary educators’ are ‘socio-culturally conscious’ of diverse students in the science classroom; (2) elementary educators require a more complex and broader understanding of official discourses on the sociocultural contexts of science education and implications for scientific literacy development; and (3) professional development (i.e., workshops and training) and teacher collaboration opportunities are identified as effective strategies for supporting elementary educator in diverse science classroom spaces.

Keywords: elementary science
equity
diversity
teaching
Advisor: Gérin-Lajoie, Diane
Indo-Caribbean African-isms: Blackness in Guyana and South Africa

In an attempt to close the gaps between diaspora and regional studies an Afro-Asian comparative perspective on African and Indian identity will be explored in the countries of Guyana and South Africa. The overlying aim of the ethnographic research will be to see whether blackness can be used as a unifier to those belonging to enslaved and indentured diasporas. Comparisons will be made between the two race models of the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean worlds. A substantial portion will be set aside for a critique of the concept of Coolitude including commentary on V.S. Naipaul. Further, mixing, creolization, spirituality and the cultural politics of Black Consciousness, multiculturalism, and dreadlocks will be exemplified as AfroAsian encounters.

Keywords: Blackness
Caribbean
South Asian
Guyana
South Africa
African
Asian Studies
Black Studies
Diaspora Studies
Critical Race Studies
AfroAsian
Coolitude
Postcolonial Theory
Advisor: Walcott, Rinaldo
Alegal Midwives: Oral History Narratives of Ontario Pre-legislation Midwives

This study examines the oral histories of midwives who practiced in Ontario without legal status in the two decades prior to the enactment of midwifery legislation on December 31, 1993. The following questions are answered: Who were Ontario’s pre-legislation midwives? What inspired and motivated them to take up practice on the margins of official health care? Current scholarship on late twentieth century Ontario midwifery focuses on a social scientific analysis of midwifery’s transition from a grassroots movement to a regulated profession. Pre-legislation midwives are commonly portrayed as a homogenous group of white, educated, middle class women practicing a “pure” midwifery unmediated by medicine and the law. Analysis of the oral history narratives of twenty-one “alegal” Ontario midwives reveals more complex and nuanced understandings of midwives and why they practiced during this period. The midwives’ oral histories make an important contribution to the growing historiography on modern Canadian midwifery.

Keywords: midwifery
midwives
oral history
midwifery history
Ontario midwifery
North American midwifery
midwifery movements
alternative birth movements
midwifery revival
counterculture midwives
unregulated midwives
midwives' inspirations
midwives' motivations
Advisor: Morgan, Cecilia
Tritium Removal Facility High Tritium Distillation Simulation

A dynamic model was developed for the distillation mechanism of the Darlington Tritium Removal Facility. The model was created using the commercial software package MATLAB/Simulink. The goal was to use such a model to predict the system behaviour for use in control analysis. The distillation system was first divided into individual components including columns, condensers, controllers, heaters and the hydraulic network. Flow streams were then developed to transfer enthalpy, pressure and mass flow rate between the components. The model was able to perform various plant transients for validation and analysis purposes. A comparison of the different controllers was made with the introduction of various disturbances to the system. Also, the effect of the system disturbances when isolated from the transients was studied using the same controllers. Studying different plant transients and disturbances under each controller enabled a comparative analysis.

Keywords: Modeling
Simulation
Thermodynamics
Nodalization
MATLAB
Simulink
Tritium
Distillation
Control
Cascade
PID
Tuning
Advisor: Mostaghimi, Javad
Borairi, Majid
Comparison of CT and Optical Image-based Assessment of Liposome Distribution

The use of multimodal imaging as a tool to assess the in vivo pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of nanoparticles is important in drug development and imaging-guided therapy. The current study reports the use of combined micro-CT and optical imaging FMT to quantitatively assess the whole body and intratumoural distribution of a nano-sized liposome-based CT/optical imaging probe carrying iohexol and Cy5.5. Micro-CT was used to guide the FMT tumour delineation and signal correction. This investigation demonstrates the critical role micro-CT can play in guiding FMT-based quantification of distribution. As well the combination of CT and optical imaging enable visualization of the liposomes at the whole body, tumor and cellular levels with high sensitivity and excellent anatomical background. Such non-invasive assessment of therapeutic distribution at the macro and micro scale is necessary for implementation of personalized medicine including image-guided patient stratification and real-time adjustment of therapeutic dose.

Keywords: liposome
contrast agents
CT
optical
FMT
Advisor: Allen, Christine
Methods for Data Analysis in Split-mouth Randomized Clinical Trials, a Simulation Study

Split-mouth trials are a design of randomized controlled trial in dentistry in which divisions of the mouth are the units of randomization. Since there is more than one tooth in each mouth division, the structure of the data is complex, which can create difficulties in the statistical analysis. The aim of this study was to determine what is the most appropriate method to analyze split-mouth trials with continuous outcomes, with regards to the treatment effect estimates, power, type-I error, confidence interval coverage and confidence interval width. A superiority split-mouth trial in the field of periodontology was simulated, using two mouth divisions and varying underlying study characteristics such as correlation among teeth, treatment effects and sample size. Twenty-four statistical methods were compared across 315 scenarios. The performance of the statistical methods depended mainly on the correlation among the data, and a paired t-test performed the best across the different scenarios.

Keywords: split-mouth trials
data analysis
Advisor: Tomlinson, George
Effects of Insulin Resistance on Leptin Modulation of Hypothalamic Neurons

Central resistance to the actions of insulin and leptin is strongly associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). These anorexigenic hormones modulate one another’s actions at the neuronal level. To investigate the cellular events underlying the effect of insulin resistance on leptin modulation of hypothalamic neurons, a neuronal cell model was established. The rHypoE-19 cell line expresses the insulin and leptin receptors alongside a complement of signaling molecules rendering it an appropriate model to study the molecular events underlying leptin and insulin crosstalk. Hyperinsulinemia was used to induce insulin resistance and leptin regulation of the rHypoE-19 neurons was analyzed prior to and following the induction of insulin resistance. It was found that the attenuation of insulin signal transduction affects leptin signaling and transcriptional modulation of the rHypoE-19 neurons. These studies will ultimately lend itself to an improved understanding of the complex cellular events that accompany neuronal hormone resistance.

Keywords: Neuroendocrinology
Hypothalamus
Obesity
Diabetes
Insulin resistance
Leptin
Insulin
Crosstalk
Hyperinsulinemia
Hypothalamic cell lines
Advisor: Denise, Belsham
Deep Brain Stimulation Suppresses Gamma Oscillations in Treatment Resistant Depression

Background: Major depressive disorder is a debilitating psychiatric condition with high rates of treatment resistance that may be associated with working memory (WM) deficits. For treatment resistant depression (TRD) patients, deep brain stimulation (DBS) is emerging as an effective therapeutic option. Objective: To determine if electroencephalography signals recorded during DBS ON and OFF states while performing WM tasks can serve as biomarkers of therapeutic efficacy for DBS in TRD patients. Results: DBS stimulation suppressed frontal gamma oscillations (30–50Hz) during the ON state relative to the OFF state, an effect that was more pronounced with higher WM load. This suppression strongly correlated with depressive symptoms reduction. Conclusion: Suppression of gamma oscillations by DBS is likely mediated by indirect activation of inhibitory circuits in the frontal cortex. It represents a potential treatment biomarker for DBS in TRD and may lead to more tailored treatment parameters that can result in enhanced efficacy.

Keywords: deep brain stimulation
major depressive disorder
treatment resistant depression
gamma oscillations
working memory
subcallosal cingulate gyrus
Advisor: Wong, Willy
Phosgene-free Synthesis of Verdazyl Radicals and Enantioselective 1,3-dipolar Cycloaddition Reactions of Azomethine Imines Generated in situ from Verdazyl Radicals

Verdazyl radicals started receiving attention as substrates for organic synthesis only a few years ago. Since then, the chemistry of verdazyl radicals has advanced at a very fast rate. There are now a number of generations of novel molecular scaffolds derived from verdazyl radicals. Traditionally, verdazyl radicals have been synthesized from mono-substituted alkyl hydrazine and phosgene, which are extremely dangerous to handle. Alkyl hydrazines are restricted from being imported into certain countries, including Canada. A completely new alkyl hydrazine- and phosgene-free synthesis is reported in this thesis. The new synthesis, relative to previously reported syntheses of verdazyl radicals, is safer, more economical and provides the ability to derivatize verdazyl radicals to a larger extent. In addition, enantioselective 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions with various metal- or organo-catalysts are reported. The project is still in progress with the highest e.e. of > 90%.

Keywords: Verdazyl Radical
1,3-dipolar cycloaddition
enantioselective synthesis
Advisor: Georges, Michael
Interactive Flexible Switch Mode Power Supplies for Reducing Volume and Improving Efficiency

The purpose of this thesis is to introduce a family of interactive Switch Mode Power Supplies (SMPS) for reducing the overall volume of the conventional converter topologies in low-to-medium power (up to 60W) applications. As shown in this thesis, the interaction between power supplies and electronic devices can be incorporated with emerging digital controllers for SMPS, to implement flexible converter topologies. These flexible topologies dynamically change the converter configuration, based on the load requirement, to provide near ideal transient response and/or improved efficiency over a wide range of operating conditions. This interaction relaxes the energy storage requirement for the converter reactive components and results in a low volume implementation. The interaction with the SMPS can be between the electronic load and the power supply or different conversion stages of a multi-stage converter. The effectiveness of the introduced family of SMPS is verified on digitally controlled dc-dc and ac-dc converter topologies.

Keywords: Switch Mode Power Supply
Volume Reduction
Flexible Topology
Interactive Converter
Advisor: Prodic, Aleksandar
Characterization of Structural and Binding Properties of 4E-BP2

Eukaryotic initiation factor-4E (eIF4E) controls the rate of cap-dependent translation initiation and is in turn exquisitely regulated by 4E-BPs. 4E-BP2 binds eIF4E with the highest affinity and is implicated in cancer, and metabolic and neurological disorders. Herein we use NMR, ITC and fluorescence to characterize 4E-BP2 structural and binding properties. Isolated 4E-BP2 is intrinsically disordered, but possesses some transient secondary structural propensities. eIF4E, however, is folded but has a disordered N-terminus. The eIF4E:4E-BP2 interaction is tight (Kd = 10-9 nM) and involves 4E-BP2 C-terminal and canonical binding regions, and the disordered eIF4E N-terminus. 4E-BP2 remains largely disordered upon binding to eIF4E. Noteworthy, high affinity interactions are not necessarily mediated by static structures, and 4E-BP2 binding is not the simple “disorder-to-order” transition observed in many interactions involving disordered proteins. This study offers molecular insights into 4E-BP2 functionality, and lays a foundation for development of novel therapies for cancer and neurological disorders.

Keywords: Translation initiation
Intrinsically disordered protein
Eukaryotic initiation factor 4E
4E-BP2
NMR
Fluorescence
Advisor: Forman-Kay, Julie Deborah
Dietary Implications of Interactions between Ants and Symbiotic Bacteria

Studies of symbiotic bacteria have demonstrated that they provide multiple benefits to their hosts. These studies, however, have overlooked the importance of interactions with other bacteria and environmental factors that affect bacterial assemblages. To understand what shapes bacterial assemblages, I manipulated the diet of ants from the genus Cephalotes and disturbed their gut microbiome. I found that a deficit of nitrogen reduces bacterial densities. Furthermore, the data suggest that bacterial abundance may influence ant survival. I followed this experiment up by manipulating a putative protein source in the field. Our lab assigned Allomerus octoarticulatus ant colonies to treatments in which potential prey were present or absent. I collected data on foraging behaviour, colony performance, and composition of the bacterial community. The absence of prey increased ant recruitment to protein-rich baits; these ants were also less fit than ants that had insect prey but their bacterial assemblages were not affected.

Keywords: Ants
Bacteria
Symbiosis
Advisor: Frederickson, Megan
Auger Electron-emitting Radioimmunotherapeutic (RIT) Agent Specific for Leukemic Stem Cells

Objective: CSL360 is a chimeric IgG1 mAb recognizing CD123+/CD131- LSCs responsible for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The in vitro targeting properties of 111In-labeled CSL360 modified with nuclear localization sequence (NLS) were evaluated in AML cells. Methods: 111In-NLS-CSL360 was constructed and its binding affinity, cellular uptake and nuclear importation were analyzed on CD123+ cells. Cytotoxicity was evaluated by clonogenic assays on AML cells (CD123+/CD131-). Results: 111In-NLS-CSL360 exhibited preserved binding to CD123. High cellular and nuclear uptake was observed at 266 nM after 24 hour of incubation. Nuclear uptake of 111In-NLS-CSL360 (266 nM) was 2.0-fold higher than 111In-CSL360 (266 nM) after 24 hour of incubation. Clonogenic survival (CS) of AML cells was reduced to 27.5 ± 4.1%. The nuclear uptake and cytotoxicity were reduced when pre-exposed to unlabeled CSL360, indicating 111In-NLS-CSL360 was CD123-specific. Conclusion: 111In-NLS-CSL360 could be a promising radioimmunotherapeutic agent specific for LSCs.

Keywords: auger electron radioimmunotherapy
acute myeloid leukemia
leukemic stem cells
CD123
111-indium
Advisor: Reilly, Raymond Matthew