VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Design Mapping And Optimization For Field Programmable Gate Arrays With Embedded Networks On Chip
Keywords: CAD
FPGA
NOC

Field-programmable gate array (FPGA) architectures have recently incorporated hardened networkson-chip (NoCs) to enable more efficient and easier system-level integration. This presents a new challenge for FPGA computer-aided design (CAD); the tools must optimize the placement of netlist primitives to not only minimize wirelength and critical path delay, but also consider the traffic patterns between modules to minimize NoC aggregate bandwidth and meet latency constraints.This work enables flexible modeling of FPGA architectures with hard NoCs in the open-source versatile place & route (VPR) CAD flow, facilitating both CAD and architecture research. We first enhance the VPR placement engine to co-optimize traditional circuit placement metrics and NoC performance metrics. We then validate our enhancements on a variety of synthetic benchmarks.Finally, we evaluate the NoC-optimized placer on real applications and show that our flow results in 2X less NoC aggregate bandwidth compared to an NoC-agonistic flow.
The Medical Necessity of Orthodontic Care: A Qualitative Study
Keywords: Dentistry
Health
Medical
Necessity
Orthodontics
Public

Introduction: The medical necessity of orthodontic care is not a widely agreed upon concept. Without an operational definition of medically necessary orthodontic care (MNOC), priority setting of funds for orthodontics remains a challenge.Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore factors that might be used to discern MNOC as perceived by stakeholders in orthodontics. Methods: Sixteen participants were interviewed regarding their perceptions of MNOC. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed for themes. Results: Participants identified dental, medical, psychosocial, and funding factors which must be considered when discerning MNOC. This highlights the complex interplay between the dental profession, funders, society, and individual patients in understanding MNOC. Conclusions: A contemporary decision-making process which considers the viewpoint of all stakeholders should be developed to ensure that resource allocation and priority setting are effectively securing coverage for those with true need in the context of health, wellbeing, and quality of life.
Asymmetry in Bilateral Cochlear Implant Stimulation Levels affect Access to Inter-aural Level Cues in Children
Keywords: Auditory Development
Binaural Hearing
Cochlear Implants
Electrophysiology
Pediatrics

This thesis assessed asymmetrical stimulation levels in bilateral cochlear implants(CIs) and its limits on spatial hearing in children. Children with bilateral CIs rely on inter-aural level differences(ILDs) for binaural cues, but this does not achieve normal spatial hearing. The first hypothesis was that asymmetrical levels would affect ascending areas of the afferent bilateral auditory pathways. Asymmetrical left vs. right auditory nerve responses predicted asymmetric unilateral brainstem responses and a larger bilateral brainstem response but did not predict behavioral lateralization. The second hypothesis was that sensitivity to ILDs would be limited by asymmetric programming and hearing history. Early cortical responses demonstrated sensitivity to changes in ILD, with an effect of acoustic hearing experience and programmed levels. Asymmetric programming, but not cortical detection or experience, affected behavioral lateralization. While asymmetric stimulation levels impact binaural processing, they do not fully predict how children adapt to perceive spatial information from bilateral CIs.
Novel Strategies to Extend In Situ Lung Preservation In An Uncontrolled DCD Large Animal Model
Keywords: ex-vivo lung perfusion
lung transplantation
sevoflurane
uncontrolled DCD

Clinical series reported successful transplantation of uDCD lungs preserved by pulmonary inflation up to 3h postmortem. We investigated the additive effects of in situ intrapleural cooling and sevoflurane perconditioning on lung grafts in a porcine uDCD model. After uDCD induction, donors were allocated to: (1) control, (2) topical cooling, or (3) sevoflurane group. Lungs were preserved for 6h, then assessed on EVLP. The group with best performance was evaluated by allotransplantation in a second phase. Intrathoracic temperature <15°C was achieved within 1h in intervention groups. All lungs in group 1 failed on EVLP. Group 3 outperformed group 2 during 6h-EVLP and presented lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Post-transplant graft assessment in group 3 showed excellent oxygenation. Preservation of uDCD lungs with sevoflurane, static lung inflation and intrapleural cooling maintains good function up to 6h postmortem, with excellent early post-transplant performance. These interventions could potentially expand clinical utilization of uDCD lungs.
The Association of Postoperative Anemia with Adverse Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Keywords: Anemia
Cardiac surgery

Anemia is a common blood disorder in cardiac surgery patients. While many studies demonstrated a relationship between preoperative anemia and adverse outcomes, few have explored postoperative anemia in this manner. This single-centre retrospective cohort study included 4608 elective cardiac surgery patients and was undertaken to assess the prevalence of postoperative anemia, to identify potential risk factors, and to examine the influence of postoperative anemia on outcomes. Nearly half (48%) of patients developed postoperative anemia. Significant risk factors were female sex, older age, lower BMI, preoperative anemia, poor kidney function, unstable cardiac symptoms, and longer procedure times. Postoperative anemia was a significant predictor of acute kidney injury (odds ratio 1.41; 95% CI 1.09-1.82) and longer hospital stay (ratio of means 1.04; 95% CI 1.00-1.08). The data suggest that postoperative anemia is a highly prevalent and important risk factor for adverse events in cardiac surgery. Therefore, research into potential therapies is necessary.
Designing a Good Place: Culturally Safe Virtual Care for Chinese Canadian Prostate Cancer Survivors through Community-based Participatory Methods
Keywords: Chinese Canadian
Cultural adaptation
Digital health
Health informatics
Prostate cancer
Structural competency

Cultural adaptations of digital health interventions have been posited as a pathway to relieve resource constraints in an era of thinning healthcare services, while increasing access to care for communities made vulnerable. However, in settler colonial nation-states such as Canada, this approach may problematize “minority” culture and identity as the cause of structural health inequities. This research programme sought to qualitatively (1) explore the perceptions and experiences of Chinese Canadian prostate cancer survivors with follow-up and virtual care to identify structures that influenced their care (Study 1), and (2) develop and evaluate a community-based, culturally safe adaptation of the patient-facing Ned Clinic application (Study 2). Rather than adapting interventions using cultural sensitivity or competency, we demonstrate that by shifting paradigms, resurfacing the desires of our relations, and designing for relational accountability and cultural safety, we may be able to regenerate places of caring through digital health for more communities instead.
Exploring the Experiences of Racialized Lawyers Within Law Firms and Their Impact on Career Wellbeing
Keywords: attrition
career wellbeing
diversity
inclusion
law firms
racialized lawyers

The upward mobility of racialized lawyers within Canadian law firms continues to lag behind that of their White counterparts. Available data suggests that the underrepresentation of racialized lawyers within the highest echelons of firm leadership may be closely linked to rate of attrition. This study used semi-structured interviews to gain an in-depth understanding of the subjective experiences of racialized lawyers working within Canadian law firms. These experiences were examined under the lens of theories about career wellbeing and the existence and persistence of racial inequity within organizations to understand their affect on racialized lawyers’ career wellbeing and, therefore, shed light on why racialized lawyers may be more likely to leave law firms than their White counterparts. This analysis suggested that experiences unique to or more common amongst racialized lawyers within Canadian law firms can negatively affect their career wellbeing, which can in turn lead to decreased organizational commitment and overall wellbeing.
Theory Embedded Learning
Keywords: Combinatorial Optimization
Finance
Machine Learning
Reinforcement Learning

Theory Embedded Learning (TEL) combines theoretical principles with machine learning to solve Engineering problems. It offers a middle ground between principle-driven and learning-based approaches. Principle-driven approaches rely on assumptions to inject prior knowledge, to simplify the problem for analytical solvability, and the solution is represented by mathematical relations the solution should satisfy. Learning-based approaches, on the other hand, require minimal assumptions and use parameterized black-box functions without any prior knowledge. TEL modifies principle-driven approaches by retaining assumptions that represent prior knowledge while removing unnecessary assumptions for solvability. It achieves solvability through gradient based optimization, representing the solution with parameterized mathematical relationships. Therefore, TEL benefits from the flexibility of learning-based approaches and the rigidity of principle-driven approaches, without any unnecessary assumptions made for solvability. This work identifies TEL solution approach as well as introduces three original instances of TEL for solving problems in optimal control, derivative pricing and combinatorial optimization.
VLR: Scalable Failure-Tolerant Routing Based on Virtual Topologies
Keywords: Ad-hoc routing
Internet of Things
Overlay networks
Scalable routing
Virtual links

The Internet of Things (IoT) transforms industries by interconnecting a wide range of products, systems, sensors, vehicles, etc., leading to improved productivity and efficiency, reduced expenses, and new business directions. These large, dynamic networks consisting of heterogeneous devices call for scalable routing solutions that require minimal configuration and supervision. However, the current Internet's hierarchical architecture demands sufficient communication infrastructure and manual configurations, whereas typical ad-hoc routing protocols face scalability issues due to high memory consumption and control traffic overhead. In response to these challenges, this thesis introduces Virtual Link Routing (VLR), a distributed, scalable network routing scheme based on location-independent identifiers that is compatible with any link layer. VLR can leverage any structured virtual topologies that satisfies the greedy property, but the ring topology stands out because of its simplicity, configurability, efficient memory-stretch trade-off. Based on a ring overlay, we present a self-organizing VLR protocol that avoids network-wide flooding and periodic route probing while ensuring loop-free routing even in times of network instability. VLR exhibits robust performance in simulations comprising up to 10 000 nodes, highlighting its competence in achieving timely convergence after node/link failures or network partitions.
Evaluation of Land-Atmosphere Nitrogen Cycling in CLASSIC at the Single-Site Level
Keywords: CLASSIC
Environmental Chemistry
Modelling
Nitrogen cycle

The objective of this study was to evaluate Canadian Land Surface Scheme Including Biogeochemical Cycles (CLASSIC) simulations following the implementation of the nitrogen (N) cycle and compare these model outputs with observations of fluxes of reactive N (Nr) species in preparation for future coupling with the atmospheric component of the Canadian Earth System Model (CanESM). The model was forced using two deposition data sets, one observation-based (NADP) and the other model-based (TRENDY), at two FLUXNET towers, US-Ha1 and US- UMB. Elevated N deposition led to higher Nr emissions, and this was emphasized for N deposited as NO3-. Observations of NO and N2O fluxes at each site and other locations across the globe showed variability depending on forest type, which CLASSIC could not represent. Volatilization to ammonia is a significant contributor to gaseous N loss from the land and its description in CLASSIC is sensitive to soil pH.
Maternal-fetal ABO Blood Group Congruence and Risk of Serious Maternal and Infant/child Infection
Keywords: ABO blood group(s)
Infant/child health
Infection(s)
Infectious disease(s)
Maternal health

During pregnancy, a variety of maternal IgG antibodies are transported across the placenta to the developing fetus, some of which are present at the birth, and protect the neonate against infection. Exposure of the mother and fetus to different (“incongruent”) ABO blood groups may influence maternal antibody formation, and plausibly, affect the risk of serious infection in the infant, and lesser so, the mother. The purpose of this study was to determine if maternal-newborn ABO blood group incongruence vs. congruence is associated with a higher risk of serious infection in the mother, or in her child, within the first 27 days after birth, as well as, from 28 days to 5 years thereafter. This retrospective population-based cohort study was completed at ICES, using linked patient-level datasets. Included were mothers with a singleton hospital livebirth in Ontario from 2008-2022, with known ABO blood groups among the mother and her newborn, and OHIP eligibility at the index birth. The relation between ABO blood group congruence and risk of serious infection was assessed using Cox proportional hazard models, adjusted for relevant covariates, and expressed as adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Relative to congruent maternal-newborn ABO groups, those with incongruent ABO blood groups had an aHR for serious maternal infection of 1.14 (95% CI 0.98-1.35) within 27 days, and 0.95 (95% CI 0.91-0.99) from 28 days to 5 years after birth. The respective aHR for serious infant/child infection were 0.81 (95% CI 0.70-0.92) within 27 days and 0.95 (95% CI 0.93-0.97) from 28 days to 5 years after birth. The results of this study suggest that maternal-fetal ABO incompatibility may influence the short-term risk of infection in the child, and perhaps, the mother, soon after birth.
Multi-Period Index-Tracking Strategies for Investment Portfolios
Keywords: cardinality constraint
convex optimization
heuristic
index-tracking
multi-period

We introduce an innovative multi-period approach to index tracking for long-term investment portfolios. Unlike conventional tracking methods relying on single-period estimates, we propose a multi-period adaptive receding horizon strategy. The multi-period model mirrors the risk-return dynamics of the index it is tracking while accommodating portfolio manager preferences. This differs from existing multi-period tracking approaches that solely focus on replicating the return profile of an index. Our approach also incorporates cardinality constraints by way of a Penalized Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (PADM), ensuring efficient optimal portfolio computations. The strategy showcases sustained tracking accuracy, computational efficiency, and adaptability to varying market conditions. We extend the multi-period index tracking model to a goal-oriented strategy that aims to increase the likelihood of attaining a defined wealth goal over a specified investment horizon. Our proposed model consistently outperforms benchmark strategies like Mean-Variance Optimal (MVO) and Equal-Weighted (EW).
Designing a Synthetic Intron for AAV Capsid Engineering
Keywords: AAV capsid engineering
g triplets
nanobody
splice enhancers
synthetic intron

Introns are often forgotten about in research, as they are typically not included in final proteins. However, their ability to be conditionally spliced out can benefit protein engineering by creating two protein variants from the same DNA sequence. In this research, a synthetic intron was developed that produces two variants; one where the intron is retained (i.e., readthrough), and another where it is spliced out. This creates two protein variants from the same DNA. To realize this concept, three constructs (control, weak splice, and strong splice) were engineered by integrating varying levels of intronic elements, such as, 5’ and 3’ splice enhancers (SEs), and G triplets. These constructs demonstrated that you can tailor splicing by adding intronic elements. These results were verified by microscopy and RT-qPCR. Then, an AAV repcap construct was developed and its splicing was determined by RT-qPCR. This research has many applications, such as rAAV targeting.
Assessing a n Novel Synthetic FZD4 Agonist to Rescue Blood Brain Barrier Ddysfunction
Keywords: Blood Brain Barrier
Frizzled
GPR124
Wnt

The Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) is a selective structure controlling the passage of molecules between the blood and the brain. It is characterized by the formation of tight junctions between endothelial cells (ECs). The Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway controls angiogenesis and barrier integrity, both crucial for vascular development and homeostasis of the BBB. FZD4 is required for angiogenesis and barrier functions in brain vasculature, forming a receptor complex with WNT7/GPR124/RECK/LRP5/6 to evoke Wnt-mediated signalling in brain vasculature. Our lab has engineered novel synthetic antibody-based Frizzled/LRP Agonists mimicking Wnt ligands. This thesis investigated activation of the FZD4 receptor complexes using F4L6 and its efficiency to promote CNS barrier function and promote recovery in stroke animal models. A GPR124 siRNA knockdown in ECs was established showing F4L6 acts independently of GPR124. Weassessed F4L6 in an endothelin-1 induced ischemic stroke model and showed decreased leakageat day 10 post-stroke and significant behavioural rescue.
Lake Ice and Snow in the Canadian High Arctic: In Situ Monitoring Using Ground-Based Techniques
Keywords: Arctic
Camera imagery
Cryosphere
Ground-based monitoring
Lake ice
Snow

Arctic warming is leading to a rapid loss of lake ice and snow cover in recent years. Cryosphere monitoring includes ground-based cameras which provide the ability to monitor study sites that generally have poor accessibility. This study maximized the usage of field imagery for ice and snow studies within the context of the changing Arctic climate. Camera imagery (2016-2022) was collected from five study lakes near Resolute and Nanuit Itillinga, Nunavut in the Canadian High Arctic. An image classification technique was developed to quantify ice and snow from the in situ digital imagery. Recent variability in phenology was examined, and these results were compared to the existing long-term records from Resolute Lake to see how the recent years compare to past records. Thus, a new, accessible methodology to assess Arctic climate change was presented, which will support better projections for future responses to climate change.
Climate Data Practices in Toronto's Municipal Government
Keywords: climate
data
data justice
environmental justice
municipal government
Toronto

Since the declaration of a climate emergency in 2019, the City of Toronto has placed an increased focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. In the effort to combat climate change, municipal policymakers utilize various forms of data ranging from greenhouse inventories to resident testimonies in order to define targets, monitor progress and communicate results. This project draws on research in environmental justice, data justice and human-computer interactions to explore uses of climate data within the City from a practice-theory perspective and to describe five climate data practices. Reflexive thematic analysis of data collected through interviews with policymakers as well as a document analysis of City reports are used to illustrate four aporias created in the pursuit of data driven climate governance that span these practices. To help overcome these contradictions we propose three alternative strategies for future design and research.
Characterizing Molecular Alternations in Glioma Growth and Progression
Keywords: BRAF
copy number alteration
Cre-Lox
glioma
mutagenesis
whole exome sequence

High grade gliomas (HGG) are incurable, aggressive brain malignances that occur in patients of all ages. These cancers carry universally poor prognoses. Significant scientific advances made over the last decade have uncovered many of the features of these diseases, culminating in the latest World Health Organization (WHO) classification of Central Nervous System (CNS) tumors integrating histopathologic and molecular information for diagnosis. However, it is unclear how genetic and epigenetic features change as the CNS tumor grows. To elucidate mutations and transcriptional changes driving glioma growth and progression, we used a Nestin-Cre mouse model in combination with an extrinsic chemical mutagen (N-ethyl-N¬-nitrosurea, ENU), to sample discrete lesions during premalignant, early stage tumor, and end stage tumor phases. We show that the somatic mutations, copy number changes, and transcriptional profiles of tumors vary depending on the stage of growth. Importantly, we show that the Raf/Ras pathway is key for tumor growth with a recurring Braf mutation occurring in early stage lesions. Additionally, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) shows that end stage tumors have increased immunogenic/inflammatory activity, and increased signaling through Raf/Ras. Overall, this work sheds light on important differences between early and late stage tumors.
The Effect of Ovariectomy on the Repeated Bout Effect
Keywords: Heat Shock Proteins
Lengthening Contraction
Muscle Damage
Ovariectomy
Preconditioning
Repeated Bout Effect

The repeated bout effect (RBE) occurs when a bout of lengthening contractions (LCs) is used to confer protection to the skeletal muscle (SKM) from a subsequent, bout of LCs. LCs stimulate an increase in heat shock protein content, and ovarian hormones mediate HSP content following LCs, thus ovariectomy (OVX) may impact the RBE. To investigate these relationships, Tibialis anterior muscles (TAs) from ovary intact (OVI) and OVX rats were subjected to no preconditioning or preconditioning with 15 LCs, and both were subjected to 60 LCs 24 hrs later. Preconditioning improved peak torque; however, OVI maintained peak torque beyond OVX. HSP25 and HSP72 increased in OVI and OVX TAs in a trend reflective of an RBE. Preconditioning reduced discernable morphological damage in OVI and OVX TAs. In conclusion, preconditioning induced a stress response in SKM from OVI and OVX animals; however, OVI animals demonstrated an improved response compared to OVX animals.
Exploration of Epistemic Diversity in Computer Science Education
Keywords: Computer Science Education
CS Ethics
CS Pedagogy
Curriculum
Design-based methodology
Epistemic diversity

This thesis examines the meaning of epistemic diversity in computer science education and how to embed it in an algorithm ethics course. Previous research has shown that epistemic traditions can act as gatekeepers, making it difficult to think of other futures, epistemologies, and ontologies. This thesis uses a design-based methodology to analyze the first iteration of an algorithm ethics course at a large North American university. Three surveys were collected, the first focused on student identity, the second focused on pedagogy, and the third on improvements to the course. The surveys helped inform and design the next iteration of the algorithm ethics course. The thematic analysis of survey results and narrative analysis of ethical frameworks provided an avenue to investigate how to embed epistemic diversity into the course topics and discover the meaning of epistemic diversity in computer science education.