VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Vaginal Fibroblasts Derived From Premenopausal Women With and Without Severe Pelvic Organ Prolapse: Differential Characteristics and Effect of Mechanical Stretch

Mechanical properties of connective tissue depend on appropriate cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. Failure of the vaginal connective tissue integrity may cause the development of pelvic organ prolapse (POP). I hypothesized that (1) primary fibroblasts derived from vaginal tissue (VFs) of premenopausal women with severe POP display differential functional characteristics as compared to VFs derived from age-matched non-POP women; (2) continuous mechanical loading of the POP VFs can directly influence the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and matrix remodeling factors they secrete. I demonstrated that POP-VFs show altered in vitro cellular characteristics vs. non-POP-VFs. Moreover, mechano-responses of POP-VFs to static mechanical loading on collagen-coated plates showed a difference in the expression of ECM and cell adhesion proteins. These data indicate that risk factors that induce stretch of pelvic floor may result in defective vaginal tissue composition and subsequent POP development; which should be considered during mesh-augmented reconstructive surgery of the pelvic floor.

Keywords: cell adhesion
ECM
Pelvic Organ Prolapse
Stretch
Urogynecology
Vaginal Fibroblasts
Advisor: Lye, Stephen
Effects of High Intensity Interval Training on Hemostasis and Fibrinolysis in Healthy Males: Relationship to Sympathetic Nervous System Activation

The hemostatic response to stress is related to sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activation, affecting both coagulation and fibrinolysis pathways. This study measured hemostatic and SNS responses to acute high intensity interval training (HIIT), to assess if these systems are altered by repeated HIIT at 100% peak-power output. Sixteen healthy males performed HIIT once and eight performed HIIT six times over two weeks. Viscoelastic hemostatic assays, thromboelastography and rotational thromboelastometry, showed post-exercise hypercoagulability (P

Keywords: Catecholamines
Coagulation
Exercise
High intensity interval training
Rotational thromboelastometry
Thromboelastography
Advisor: Rhind, Shawn G
Locke, Marius
Indoor Localization in Green Wireless LAN Environment

Indoor localization is an emerging field that enables people to benefit from location-based services such as positioning and tracking. Wi-Fi received signal strength (RSS) based method is an attestative technique of localization as it uses the existing infrastructure and can provide very good accuracy on location estimation. In the environments equipped with green wireless LAN infrastructure, such systems face a great challenge: Access Points in such environments work on demand, meaning that they become idle when there is no request for data communication. Missing signals in the environment highly degrade the performance of localization systems and deteriorates the positioning accuracy as the percentage of idle APs increases. This thesis proposes a method to detect the missing signals and uses Singular Value Thresholding algorithm to recover them. Experimental results show that the proposed system can provide good localization accuracy, even when a great portion of signals in the environment is missing.

Keywords: GAPD
Green WLAN
Indoor Localization
Advisor: Valaee, Shahrokh
Listening to Marginalized Women in Toronto: A Dialogue about Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening

This study explored the perceptions of women living in homeless shelters and women with severe mental health challenges about the factors influencing their decision-making processes regarding breast and cervical cancer screening. Twenty-six qualitative interviews were conducted and analyzed using thematic analysis. The aim of this exploratory study was to focus on meanings and actions with a broader view to identify the interplay between participants' narratives and social structures, medical praxis and policy implications. Results provided insights on both positive and negative prior cancer screening experiences, the role of power and trust in women's decision-making, and areas for improvement in health care provider/patient interactions. Outcomes of this investigation contribute to the future development of appropriately designed intervention programs. Tailored and effective health promotion strategies leading to life-long cancer screening behaviours among marginalized women may improve clinical outcomes, decrease treatment costs and save lives.

Keywords: breast
cancer
cervical
homeless
mental health
qualitative
Advisor: Boydell, Katherine M
Identifying Affordances from and Categorizing Consumer Product Reviews

Studying affordances allows designers to better understand how their products can be used by consumers in both desired and undesired ways. Online product reviews are a free and accessible source of information on consumer product usage, which suggests unforeseen uses and misuses of products that may inspire the development or redesign of products. To simplify the process of identifying affordances in reviews, relevant cue phrases are highlighted. Then, linguistic features for clustering review sentences are examined to identify characteristics of informative reviews. Cue phrases classifying review content for purposes of product improvement are also highlighted and discussed. The usage of verbs in stating affordances, as well as topic modelling of reviews for identifying affordances are also examined.

Advisor: Shu, Lily H.
In vivo NMR-based Metabolomics of Daphnia magna: Exploring the Potential and Limitations

Daphnia magna (a keystone species) is routinely used in understanding the toxicity of environmental contaminants. Traditional ecotoxicity methods use endpoints such as mortality to understand the toxicity of contaminants. To fully understand the impact of a stressor, the underlying biochemical pathways that drive the physiological changes in an organism must be studied. Here in vivo Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was developed to understand the metabolomic changes that occur in 13C-labelled Daphnia magna in response to stress. A flow-system which delivered oxygen to daphnia inside an NMR tube allowed for a total experiment time of 48 hours. A baseline metabolomic profile D. magna was established from 1H/13C one dimensional (1D) and two dimensional (2D) NMR. Changes in the lipids/TriAcylGlycerides (TAG) and carbohydrates of daphnids under different physical conditions (male/female and pregnant/non-pregnant) were identified demonstrating the viability of this approach for studying the biochemical response of D. magna to contaminant exposure.

Keywords: Daphnia Magna
In vivo
Metabolomics
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Advisor: Simpson, Andre J
Simpson, Myrna
Early Age Activation of SCMs as Influenced by Alkali Content of Cement

A lot of research has been done on the activation of SCMs in order to guarantee maximum performance of concrete whether through durability or strength, especially at early age. The use of SCMs along with low-alkali cements might be suggested as an approach to ensure optimal concrete conditions against extreme deterioration mechanisms such as alkali aggregate reactions. The issue with that is it is thought that the SCMs maybe better activated by high alkali content cements. This project investigates other drivers for activation, mainly the content of alite. From the test results it is concluded that although high alkali cement content with average alite content samples had high strength, so did the lowest alkali cement with the highest alite content.

Keywords: Activation of SCM
High Alites
Low-Alkali Cements
Advisor: Hooton, Douglas
Critical Oxygen Tensions of Neuronal Anoxic Defence Mechanisms in the Western Painted Turtle

The critical oxygen tension (Pcrit) is the oxygen partial pressure at which oxidative metabolism can no longer support the energetic (ATP) needs of the cell, at which point the cell must either decrease its energetic needs, or produce ATP anaerobically. The Western Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) is an anoxia-tolerant vertebrate species that undergoes spike arrest to conserve ATP, by activating GABAA receptors and inhibiting action potential generation. The 𝑃crit of spike arrest was unknown and considered to be very low but my measurement suggests a range between 25 and 35 torr. Three additional changes occurred during spike arrest: mitochondrial membrane potential depolarized, cytosolic [Ca2+] increased and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) decreased, all of which both activate spike arrest downstream and are indicative of decreased mitochondrial respiration. My findings thus suggest that mitochondria might act as bioenergetic oxygen sensors for spike arrest once oxygen tension reaches𝑃Pcrit.

Keywords: Anoxia Tolerance
Critical Oxygen Tension
GABA
Ischemia
Spike Arrest
Stroke
Advisor: Buck, Leslie T
Efficient Spray-coated Colloidal Quantum Dot Solar Cells

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) offer the promise of low-cost, high-performance solar cells due to their ability to be synthesized and deposited from solution, which makes it possible for this material to be adapted to production-scale manufacturing protocols such as roll-to-roll (R2R) processing. Here we describe the design and implementation of a spray- coating process for the fabrication of CQD solar cells. We find that spray-coated films are morphologically superior to films that were fabricated using the conventional spin-coating method. Spray coating is found to be effective at removing an electronic trap caused by an organic impurity, enhancing the diffusion length of the CQD film and leading to an average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.5%, which is higher than the average PCE of spin- coated cells (5.2%). We also show that the spray process can be adapted to R2R methodologies and can be used to fabricate efficient solar cells with unconventional form factors, such as surfaces with multiple dimensions of curvature.

Keywords: Colloidal quantum dots
Manufacturing
Photovoltaics
Spray coating
Advisor: Sargent, Edward H
Characterization of Impact-induced Damage of Jointed Rock Masses

The dynamic response of rock under impact loading has become of particular interest for several mining and civil engineering applications. This thesis uses an advanced numerical method to address the response of jointed rock masses subjected to impact loading. The applied methodology includes the determination of static and dynamic mechanical properties of an intact rock unit by conducting a series of laboratory tests. A distinct element code, 2D Particle Flow Code, was used to generate a bonded particle model to simulate the intact rock properties. This was followed by simulation of large-scale jointed rock mass samples by incorporating joint networks into the calibrated bonded particle model. Finally, the impact-induced damage inflicted by a rigid projectile particle on the jointed rock mass samples was determined. A parametric analysis was performed to investigate the influence of joint characteristics, impact condition, and projectile particle properties on the damage inflicted by impact on the simulated jointed rock mass samples.

Advisor: Esmaieli, Kamran
Hadjigeorgiou, John
Functional Analysis of the Architecture of the Oro-facial and Hyoid Musculature: A Comparative 3D Modelling Study

The functions of the oro-facial and hyoid muscles are poorly understood, despite their importance in mastication and communication. Muscle architecture is an important determinant of function, but the lack of an architectural database is impeding understanding of the individual and coordinated activities of these muscles. The purpose was to digitize, model and analyze the architecture of the oro-facial and hyoid muscles to compare their force-generating and excursion capabilities, as determined by the muscle architectural parameters, at the muscle group, whole muscle, and muscle partition levels. In total, 9600 fibre bundles were digitized and modelled in 46 muscles. The functional characteristics of each muscle and its component parts were determined from the architectural parameters, line(s) of action, and force indices. Correlation of the volumetric musculotendinous data with the functional characteristics of a muscle provides a comprehensive approach to assessing the implications of muscle geometry in normal and pathological states.

Keywords: Anatomy
Biomechanics
Computer Modelling
Craniofacial
Muscle Architecture
Skeletal Muscle
Advisor: Agur, Anne M
McKee, Nancy H
An Objective Method to Quantify the Location Criterion used to Classify Species at Risk in Canada

Location is an indicator often used in the conservation assessments of species by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). The guidelines on the definition and calculation of location have received criticism for their ambiguity. To examine the application of location, I summarized the use of locations in COSEWIC assessment reports for 86 Canadian freshwater taxa. I propose an alternative method for calculating location using a standardized geographic buffer. Simulations to test the applicability of the buffer were conducted in ArcGIS using distribution data, scale of the primary threat, and minimum area for viable population for 20 imperiled freshwater fish species of southern Ontario. The shape of the buffer is dependent on the species habitat and the primary threat to the species. My proposed objective method of calculating location will contribute to more accurate conservation assessments of species, and subsequent development and implementation of conservation strategies.

Keywords: Canadian Species at Risk
COSEWIC
Freshwater Fish Conservation
IUCN
Location Criterion
Risk Designation
Advisor: Jackson, Donald A.
Mandrak, Nicholas E.
Investigation of the Effects of Beam Scattering and Beam Wandering on Laser Beams Passing through the Off-gas Duct of an Electric Arc Furnace

The goal of this project is to determine the effects of scattering and beam wandering on light that passes through the off-gas of electric arc furnaces. The effects of light scattering off of fine metal oxide particles and beam wandering (steering) due to temperature gradient and turbulence in the medium are investigated. Using Matlab, a numerical model was developed based on Mie theory to calculate the light transmission when the optical properties of the medium and particles as well as their physical characteristics are known. The main property is the refractive index of the dust material. Other necessary parameters are the incident wavelength, particle size and concentration of the particles per cm3 of the gas. The model was validated with literature and experimental data. The model showed that as the ratio of wavelength to particle diameter increases, the loss due to scattering decreases. Turbulent eddies and temperature gradients in the air cause the laser beam to broaden and deflect. Using a big collection lens can minimize the signal fluctuation caused by the beam wandering. A better understanding of these phenomena helps in designing optical sensors for process control systems.

Keywords: Beam Wandering
Electric Arc Furnace
Mie Scattering
Scattering Model
Sensor
Vertical Flow Reactor
Advisor: Thomson, Murray J
Digestibility of Selected Resistant Starches in Humans

Resistant starches (RSs) are food ingredient sources of fiber. Their fiber content is measured in vitro, which may not accurately reflect in vivo digestibility. Carbohydrate content of commercial starches (Hi-Maize® 260 [HM], Hylon® VII [HY] and Amioca [AM]) was determined in vivo. Fiber values for HM, HY and AM were: 32.8 g, 11.5 g and 0 g in vitro, 12.5 g, 40.8 g and 6.2 g from blood glucose study (n=10) and 18.7 g, 21.6 g and 1.7 g from ileostomy study (n=3). 13.4% and 43.5% of RS in HM and HY was recovered in effluent. Total bacterial count (TBC) was 10^9 CFU/ g of effluent and positive correlation (r=0.4955) existed between TBC and carbohydrates by difference for HM and HY. The in vitro AOAC 991.43 method underestimates fiber content in HY and AM and overestimates fiber content in HM and does not accurately reflect fiber content of RS products.

Keywords: AOAC 2002.02
AOAC 991.43
blood glucose responses
Hi-maize® 260 Hylon® VII Amioca
ileostomy model
resistant starch
Advisor: Wolever, Thomas M.S.
The Micropolitical Acumen of Secondary School Principals in Ontario

This study explores the micropolitical acumen of Ontario secondary school principals in their work with teachers. Secondary schools can be unwieldy because of their size, fragmented structure, and balkanization of departments. Effective principals must understand the micropolitics of this environment, work strategically with teachers, and reflect on their strategic action. Five secondary school principals, considered by teachers to be politically effective, were interviewed from one school board. The data was analysed by constant comparison regarding principals' understanding, strategic actions, and reflection within a micropolitical environment. Principals' strategies were categorized as follows: setting direction; communicating strategically; building relationships; gathering information; managing conflict; team-building; using policy strategically; and persuading. Three findings follow: gathering information and relationship building are foundational to other micropolitical strategies; principals perceive morals and micropolitics as interconnected; and principals' differing opinions regarding the nature of conflict in their role may influence the strategies they use.

Keywords: education
leadership
micropolitics
principal
strategic
teachers
Advisor: Flessa, Joseph
An Investigation into the Effect of DNA Structural Polymorphism and Single-stranded DNA Binding Proteins on Repair of Disease-associated Slipped-DNA Repeats

Gene-specific repeat expansions are the cause of a growing list of neurological diseases, including myotonic dystrophy type 1 and Huntington's disease. The formation of slipped-DNA structures in the expanded repeat sequences is thought to drive repeat instability and pathogenesis by impairing normal DNA metabolic processes. Here I show that slipped-DNAs with nicks located within the repeat tract displayed increased structural heterogeneity relative to slipped-DNAs with nicks located in the flanking sequence. Nick-in-repeat slipped-DNAs were repaired better than nick-in-flank slipped-DNAs, likely due to increased amounts of single-stranded DNA at the nicked repeat ends allowing for better repair factor binding. Single-stranded DNA binding proteins RPA and aRPA seem to play an important part in tissue-specific instability as both complexes are overexpressed in the brains of HD patients. Neither RPA nor aRPA was required for slipped-DNA repair, although they both enhanced slipped-DNA repair efficiency.

Keywords: Alternative RPA
DNA structure
Myotonic dystrophy
Replication protein A
single-stranded DNA
Slipped-DNA
Advisor: Osborne, Lucy
Properties and Structure of Cellulose Nanocrystal Hydrogels for Potential Applications as Three-dimensional Artificial Extracellular Matrices

This thesis describes the preparation of hydrogels of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) into environments that would support the growth of cells either by (i) adding Hank's Balanced Salt Solution to CNC suspensions to induce gelation or (ii) by modifying the surface of CNCs with a thermoresponsive polymer to stimulate gelation in situ. Fibroblast cells were grown within suspensions of CNCs of varying concentrations and the mechanical properties and structure of the resulting suspensions were examined. The viability of the cells cultured within the cellulose nanocrystal matrix was evaluated using two spectroscopic techniques: UV-Vis absorption and fluorescence confocal microscopy. The synthesis of thermoresponsive CNCs was conducted via an atom-transfer radical-polymerization-based living radical polymerization. The thermoresponsive polymers, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-polyethylene glycol methacrylate) were polymerized from the surface of initiator-modified CNCs. The resulting polymer was characterized by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance and dynamic light scattering.

Advisor: Kumacheva, Eugenia
Model of Electrophysiology and Metabolism of The Heart

Electrical and metabolic activities of the heart are closely connected, however, the dynamics of this relationship remains unclear. In this thesis, the relationship between the electrophysiology and metabolism of the heart is studied. Using mouse heart in Langendorff set-up and an optical system to measure NADH and calcium concurrently in endocardium of the mouse heart, the effect of heart rate on metabolism is studied. Based on the experimental measurements, a mathematical model of metabolism and electrophysiology of the heart is constructed and used for exploring new drug therapeutic strategies.

Keywords: Cardiology
Metabolism
NADH
Advisor: Mahadevan, Radhakrishnan
Nanthakumar, Kumaraswamy
Measuring CFTR Function of Lung Epithelial Colonies by Means of Forskolin-induced Swelling: A Proof of Concept Study

Current assays to measure CFTR function in vitro are unsuitable for patient derived lung epithelium. Recently, an assay using forskolin-induced swelling (FIS) was developed for primary intestinal epithelium, resulting in a visual display of CFTR function. The goal of this thesis was to establish if FIS was possible with lung epithelial cells in hopes of applying this assay in a patient specific manner. Calu-3 cells formed colonies efficiently and expressed increased levels of CFTR in a time dependent fashion, resulting in CFTR dependent swelling induced by forskolin, IBMX and VX-770. These data suggest that this technique is a feasible approach to testing CFTR function, but only when using a defined cell population that contains appropriate levels of CFTR. Further understanding of CFTR expression in primary lung colonies is necessary before this approach can be applied in a patient specific manner.

Advisor: Waddell, Thomas k
Bio-inspired Optimal Locomotion Reconfigurability of Quadruped Rovers using Central Pattern Generators

Legged rovers are often considered as viable solutions for traversing unknown terrain. This work addresses the optimal locomotion reconfigurability of quadruped rovers, which consists of obtaining optimal locomotion modes, and transitioning between them. A 2D sagittal plane rover model is considered based on a domestic cat. Using a Genetic Algorithm, the gait, pose and control variables that minimize torque or maximize speed are found separately. The optimization approach takes into account the elimination of leg impact, while considering the entire variable spectrum. The optimal solutions are consistent with other works on gait optimization, and are similar to gaits found in quadruped animals as well. An online model-free gait planning framework is also implemented, that is based on Central Pattern Generators is implemented. It is used to generate joint and control trajectories for any arbitrarily varying speed profile, and shown to regulate locomotion transition and speed modulation, both endogenously and continuously.

Keywords: Central Pattern Generators
Gait Generation
Gait Optimization
Quadruped Locomotion
Advisor: Emami, M. Reza