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<p>Multi-stimuli-responsive materials with dual sensitivities to both temperature and light were designed and investigated for their responsive properties in aqueous media.</p> <p>Amphiphilic polymers were synthesized by copolymerizing monomers of thermoresponsive N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) with vinyl cinnamate (VC), using different chain transfer agents to both control the molecular weight and impart functionality of an amine-terminal or carboxylic acid- terminal end groups. Linear polymers based on pNIPAM-VC were characterized and their thermo- and photo-responsive properties confirmed by ¹H NMR, GPC, and UV-visible spectroscopy.</p> <p>To obtain desired solubility and phase transition properties for the copolymer, latent variable methods were applied to past polymer data to identify the correlated reaction variables. Using model inversion, the ability to predict polymer properties was possible. The outcomes helped to determine ideal reaction reagents and conditions for future designs, facilitating the synthesis of both amine-capped and carboxylic acid-capped poly(NIPAM-co-VC) polymers with high solubility and phase transition onset below physiological temperature (<37°C)</p> <p>The designed poly(NIPAM-co-VC) polymers were subsequently grafted to a polysaccharide, hyaluronic acid (HA) or carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), via carbodiimide chemistry. The graft material’s mechanical strength was compromised by both the linear polymer size and the architecture (end-group-grafting) which lead to unsuitable materials.</p> <p>Microgels with multi-responsive properties were synthesized by copolymerizing NIPAM with either acrylic acid (AA) or methacrylic acid (MAA) by conventional precipitation-emulsion methods. These microgels were aminated and subsequently grafted with a cinnamate pendant group. As an alternative, microgels were fabricated by microfluidics using linear polymers precursors. Both types of microgels exhibited significant deswelling upon changes in temperature, light, and pH, suggesting their potential utility as smart, photo-responsive drug delivery vehicles.</p> / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

Background: Approximately 56,000 persons with dementia are admitted to hospitals annually and 75% of them experience responsive behaviours. Responsive behaviours are words/actions used to make one's needs known (e.g. wandering, yelling, hitting, and restlessness) and are perceived by healthcare professionals to be a challenging aspect of dementia care. Aims: This study explores the perceptions of nurses about: (a) caring for older adults with dementia experiencing responsive behaviours in acute medical settings and (b) an educational intervention in dementia care called P.I.E.C.E.S. (Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, Capabilities, Environmental, and Social assessment). Methods: Thorne's interpretive description approach was used. In-person, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 nurses and allied health professionals from acute medical settings in a hospital in Ontario. Data were analyzed using experiential thematic analysis. Findings: Themes related to caring for individuals with responsive behaviours included the following: (a) providing nursing care for older adults with responsive behaviours of dementia is a complex experience, (b) there are many barriers to dementia care within acute medical settings, (c) nurses use a combination of pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies to care for older adults with dementia, (d) there is limited continued use of P.I.E.C.E.S. education although the program and its approaches were seen as relevant for dementia care, and (e) participants viewed organizations as responsible for improving dementia care in acute medical settings. Conclusions: Findings provide guidance for improved support for nurses who provide care to persons experiencing responsive behaviours in acute medical settings such as increasing staffing. Strategies should be implemented to provide continuous educational reinforcements to help staff apply P.I.E.C.E.S such as interdisciplinary rounds focusing on responsive behaviours. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Developing a drug delivery vehicle that can control the release kinetics of a therapeutic drug on demand has great potential to improve health by allowing health care professionals to maintain the drug concentration in its therapeutic window and increase the efficiency at which treatment is administered. On-demand release can be triggered by a range of stimuli including magnetic, radiation, and ultrasound activation. Of the three, ultrasound is the only one indiscriminate of the chemical properties of the material and is the most widely available clinically, which makes it versatile and applicable for many systems. However, existing strategies that use ultrasound as a release stimulus either pop the microcapsules altogether (enabling no subsequent effective control over the kinetics of drug release) or require continuous ultrasonic administration (typically impractical in a clinical setting), both of which are suboptimal. Overcoming at least of these shortcomings would vastly improve on the technology. In this thesis, microcapsules with a complex shell were fabricated using a modified electrohydrodynamic approach named immersion coaxial electrospraying, which allowed for an increased polymer loading in the shell and improved manipulation of microcapsule size. The complex shell structure of the microcapsules incorporated silica microparticles that acted as corks plugging pores between the inside and outside of the microcapsule. The modified microcapsules were shown to release their payload in the presence of a focused ultrasound signal, while uncorked microcapsules do not release. Release kinetics were shown to be adjustable based on the number of corks initially present in the shell of the microcapsule material. Altogether, the cork-shell microcapsules fabricated in this thesis show promise as a tunable on-demand drug delivery vehicle that is able to better control release compared to conventional ultrasound triggered microcapsules. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / This thesis focuses on the fabrication of complex microcapsules that can be deliver therapeutic drugs on-demand using ultrasound waves. These microcapsules are composed of a water-based core and a biologically inert shell into which particles are embedded. Upon the application of ultrasound, these embedded particles (like corks on a bottle) are popped out to release the “corks” from the shell, creating pores from which the drug in the microcapsule core can be released. In the absence of ultrasound signals, the microcapsules do not release any of their contents, making these effective for “on-demand” release. These microcapsules are made using a modified process based on electrospraying which allows very precise control over the microcapsules’ physical properties, incorporating a key modification that overcomes an inherent issue with the general technique. These microcapsules also improve on currently used ultrasound triggered drug delivery systems by requiring shorter periods of ultrasound and/or enabling better control over the dynamics of drug release following the ultrasound pulse.

The increase in cultural diversity within the K-12 U.S. student population has resulted in a greater focus on preparing future teachers to enact culturally responsive pedagogy (Villegas and Lucas, 2002). Over the past two decades, various scholars have studied the perceptions and dispositions of teachers in regard to topics of multiculturalism, diversity, and social justice education. However, there remains a limited number of studies which address beginning teachers' transitions from the conceptualization to the implementation of culturally responsive teaching. This study employs a qualitative approach to examining one first-year teacher's understandings of culturally responsive pedagogy and her experiences with implementing a culturally responsive curriculum unit. The researcher took on the role of a participant-observer to engage in-depth data collection and analysis through the use of a variety of data sources including: interviews, lesson planning sessions, classroom observations, field notes, analytic memos, and reflective journal entries. The findings of the study reveal the importance of coursework on culturally responsive pedagogy during teacher education and the need for increased support, through mentoring and modeling, to assist preservice and novice teachers in their efforts to translate culturally responsive theory into practice. Longitudinal studies which begin in teacher education and follow participants into their first year of teaching are needed to contribute further insight regarding the challenges faced by, and needs of, novice teachers who attempt to teach in culturally responsive ways. / Doctor of Philosophy / The increase in cultural diversity within the K-12 U.S. student population has resulted in a greater focus on preparing future educators to teach in ways that are responsive to the needs of their culturally diverse students. Over the past two decades, more research has been conducted on topics of multiculturalism, diversity, and social justice education. However, there remains a limited number of studies which address beginning teachers' transitions from their understanding to their implementation of culturally responsive teaching. This study examines one first-year teacher's understandings of culturally responsive teaching and her experiences with implementing a culturally responsive curriculum unit. The researcher conducted in-depth data collection and analysis through the use of a variety of data sources including: interviews, lesson planning sessions, classroom observations, field notes, memos, and reflective journal entries. The findings of the study reveal the importance of coursework on culturally responsive teaching during teacher education and the need for increased support, through mentoring and modeling, to assist preservice and novice teachers in their efforts to translate the concepts of culturally responsive teaching into practice.

The demographic landscape of the elementary classroom continues to grow more diverse. Due to this increasing diversity, it is important that all educators, no matter the level of experience, are prepared to support all students, especially those from unique or under represented backgrounds. One way to assist educators in meeting these needs is to provide them with educational resources and effective teaching strategies that are culturally and linguistically responsive. A possible resource and teaching strategy is the literacy tool, Reader's Theatre. Considering this, the two studies contained in this dissertation provide readers with a glimpse of how Reader's Theatre may be used as a valuable resource to foster culturally and linguistically responsive classrooms. A content analysis (Berelson, 1952; Northrop et al., 2019; White and Marsh, 2006) of 141 Reader's Theatre scripts contained in the Best Class Collection (Young, 2019) was conducted to assess the cultural and linguistic authenticity of those resources. A thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006) was carried out accessing preservice teachers' perceptions and understandings of Reader's Theatre as a culturally and linguistically responsive teaching strategy gauging the value of combining the two teaching strategies. Overall, the findings from these two studies may serve as starting points for future research in respect to the value of implementing Reader's Theatre as a culturally and linguistically responsive teaching strategy as discussions about culturally and linguistically responsive teaching remain prevalent in today's elementary school classrooms. / Doctor of Education / Students in today's elementary classrooms come from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and cultures. Due to this increasing diversity, teachers must be prepared to support these students in a variety of ways. One of the best ways to support these unique students is to use teaching strategies that are engaging and allow students to connect with what is being taught in the classroom. Reader's Theatre, normally used as a literacy strategy, could be used as a tool to address the different cultures and languages of students. In this dissertation, two research studies were conducted about the connection of Reader's Theatre and culturally and linguistically responsive teaching. The first study looked at a group of Reader's Theatre scripts to see if they were appropriate to use in the classroom to support students from multicultural backgrounds. In the second study, preservice teachers, or student teachers, were interviewed to get their thoughts as to any possible value using Reader's Theatre as a culturally and linguistically responsive teaching strategy. The preservice teachers expressed that there is value in combining the two strategies, but only when teachers plan carefully and use Reader's Theatre in a meaningful way. As elementary classroom populations continue to grow in the number of students from diverse backgrounds, the information from these two studies can provide teachers with an idea of what may be possible to support all students in being successful.

The development of controllable drug delivery systems is crucial for reducing toxicity and minimizing off-target drug effects for patients undergoing chemotherapy. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of hybrid materials that have become of interest in the field of drug delivery. MOFs are composed of metal nodes and organic bridging ligands. MOFs have a wide range of desirable properties including chemical stability, high porosity, and structural tunability which have positioned them as successful drug carriers. Through judicious choice of linker, stimuli-responsive MOFs can be synthesized to achieve precise control over cargo release. Previously, our lab developed a novel light-responsive drug delivery system using a framework known as UiO-AZB (UiO= University of Oslo, AZB=4,4ʹ-azobenzenedicarboxylic acid). This MOF contains a photoswitchable azobenzene linker. Upon irradiation with ultraviolet light, the compound undergoes a structural change known as photoisomerization, resulting in degradation of the MOF structure and simultaneous release of encapsulated cargo. To improve the clinical relevance of our framework, we focus on developing synthetic methods for production of visible light-responsive azobenzene photoswitches. A green light-responsive MOF (UiO-AZB-F) containing a 4,4ʹ-(diazene-1,2- diyl)bis(3,5-difluorobenzoic acid) linker was developed as a drug delivery system for the treatment of colorectal cancer. Our work also focuses on optimizing various aspects of MOF design to maximize and diversify cargo loading and precisely control cargo release rates. A combined computational and experimental investigation of drug adsorption process reveals that the presence of solvent can significantly impact the adsorption of drug molecules within MOF pores. To address these concerns, a variety of drug loading procedures were screened to determine conditions for maximizing the loading of diverse drug cargoes. Conditions for the loading of single agents as well as chemotherapy cocktails were explored to expand the application of our delivery platform to other cancer types including lung, pancreatic, bladder and cervical. To modulate the release of cargo, a series of MOFs containing precise ratios of green light-responsive linker were synthesized to create a platform for sustained release. Remarkably, several MOF derivatives showed enhancement in drug adsorption, highlighting the important role of host–guest interactions in nanocarrier development. Holistically, this work highlights the promise of stimuli-responsive MOFs as drug delivery platforms. / Doctor of Philosophy / Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. In 2021, nearly 2 million people in the U.S. were diagnosed with cancer. For patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment, the side effects of potent chemotherapeutics are often debilitating. Drug- delivery systems serve as a promising platform for localizing the delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs within a diseased area. When chemotherapeutics are delivered precisely to tumor regions via drug delivery systems, systemic side effects are significantly diminished. In this work, a series of materials known as metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are developed as carriers for chemotherapeutic cargo. Due to the incorporation of photoactivated compounds within the backbone, these MOFs can be degraded on-demand through green light irradiation. As the framework degrades into small molecule components, drug cargo is simultaneously released. Methods for maximizing MOF drug loadings, diversifying the types of cargo that can be incorporated, and modifying cargo release rates are also investigated. This work establishes stimuli-responsive MOFs as promising materials for on-demand drug delivery.

Traffic responsive mode of operation with its two mechanisms, threshold-based and pattern matching, is considered one of the effective and efficient signal control modes. This operation mode is underutilized due to its cumbersome configuration procedure. The research presented in this thesis aims to give some guidelines regarding traffic responsive and issues that might improve the system performance. Four different issues related to traffic responsive are considered: The first issue is the generation of different traffic scenarios that drive the design of the system. This point is not limited to traffic responsive only but it is more general for different traffic engineering applications that need different traffic scenarios. The second issue is presenting an approach to implement traffic responsive control mode of operation in a large arterial network in Northern Virginia. Pattern matching mechanism is used for this application. Compared to time-of-day control mode, traffic responsive control saves up to 26.94% of the average delay and 21.13% of average number of stops for Reston Parkway network. The third issue is an attempt to improve the current threshold mechanism by relaxing the threshold constraints and using variable thresholds for different levels of plan selection parameters. The last issue is a study for the pedestrian effect on the performance of networks operating by traffic responsive control. The effects of pedestrian calls and pedestrian phases on traffic responsive control are compared and the results shows that pedestrian calls are better for low pedestrian volumes while pedestrian phases are better for high pedestrian volumes. / Master of Science

This mixed-method study explored the culturally responsive practices of a midsized, Southern California school district that used Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP) state funding to implement a voluntary summer program accessible to TK–6 grade students district-wide. Qualitative data gathered from semistructured interviews with the principal on special assignment (POSA), three upper-grade summer school teachers, and three school outreach liaisons (SOLs) highlighted the culturally responsive practices of the school district to address student and family needs, focusing specifically on English learners (ELs). Quantitative data from the school district examined included the summative test scores for EL students in Grades 4–6. Although EL summer school students did not score significantly higher than EL students who did not attend summer school, the findings demonstrated EL students increased their scaled scores in English language arts (ELA), math, and English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC). A promising finding was the significant change in scores from before to after the summer school program for EL students. Although the study demonstrated funding alone did not address educational inequity as seen in test scores, the qualitative data highlighted powerful educational practices to help address the needs of students and families. Thus, the culturally responsive design features and practices of the summer school program are an initial start to supporting EL students and shifting the education system toward equity.