VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Fuel Aging on Combustion Performance and Emissions of Biomass Fast Pyrolysis Liquid-Ethanol Blends in a Swirl Burner
Keywords: Fuel Aging
Combustion
Emissions
Pyrolysis Liquid

Biomass fast pyrolysis liquid is a renewable fuel for stationary heat and power generation; however degradation of bio-oil by time, a.k.a. aging, has an impact on combustion performance and emissions. Moreover, the temperature at which bio-oil is stored has a strong effect on the degradation process. In this study, the same biooil-ethanol blends with different storage conditions are tested in a pilot stabilized spray burner under the same flow conditions. Measurements were made of the steady state gas phase emissions and particulate matter, as well as visual inspection of flame stability. The results confirm a relationship between room temperature storage time and storage at higher temperatures (accelerated aging). They also show that fuel aging increases the emissions of carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbon and the organic fraction of particulate matter. These emissions increase more rapidly as more time is allocated for aging. NOx emission shows a slight decrease with fuel aging.
FusionSim: Characterizing the Performance Benefits of Fused CPU/GPU Systems
Keywords: fusionsim
fused system

We present FusionSim, a modeling framework capable of cycle-accurate simulation of a complete x86-based computer system with (a) a CPU and a GPU on the same die, and (b) a CPU and a GPU connected as separate components. We use FusionSim to characterize the performance of the Rodinia benchmarks on fused and discrete systems. We demonstrate that the speed-up due to fusion is highly correlated with the input data size. We demonstrate that for benchmarks that benefit most from fusion, a 9.72x speed-up is possible for small problem sizes. This speedup reduces to 1.84x with medium problem sizes. We study a software-managed coherence solution for the fused system. We find that it imposes a minor performance overhead of 2% for most benchmarks. Finally, we develop an analytical model for the performance benefit that is to be expected from fusion and show that FusionSim follows the predicted performance trend.
Retrospective Review of Dental Local Anesthetic in the United Kingdom
Keywords: Paresthesia
local anesthetic

Background: While local anesthetics are essential drugs in dentistry, risks such as paresthesia are associated with their use. The purpose of this study was to analyze the reported paresthesia cases in the United Kingdom. Methods: Voluntary reports of paresthesia from local anesthetic use between 1998 and 2008 obtained from UK’s Yellow Card Scheme were examined. Statistical significance was tested using the Chi-Square analysis, comparing expected frequencies of paresthesia based on the UK dental anesthetic sales data, to the observed reports of paresthesia. Results: Of the 44 reported cases of paresthesia, 85% of the cases involved the mandible with the lingual nerve being the most often affected. The frequency of observed paresthesia associated with 4% articaine solution, was 5.9 times greater than expected (χ2, p<0.0001). Conclusions: These data suggest that paresthesia after the injection of local anesthetic in dentistry is rare, yet more likely to occur if a 4% solution is used.
The Impact of Vitamin B6 Deficiency on the Angiogenic Response to Ischemia In Vivo and In Vitro
Keywords: Nutrition
Vitamin B6

B vitamins are of interest in preventative and protective strategies in cardiovascular disease. However, the safety and efficacy of B vitamins has been questioned. Previous research from this group has demonstrated that B6 supplementation alone or in combination with folic acid and B12 reduces angiogenic response. This study determined the effect of vitamin B6 deficiency on the angiogenic response after ischemia in vivo and in vitro using a rodent model. Results indicated that vitamin B6 deficiency enhanced the early angiogenic response by increasing blood flow in vivo after an ischemic event. In vitro measurements demonstrated that vitamin B6 deficiency influenced endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) function and angiogenic growth factor release early after ischemia. In conclusion, B6 deficiency appears to have a modest effect on increasing blood flow and angiogenic markers after ischemia. Additional research is needed to further characterize the impact of lowered vitamin B6 on angiogenesis and its mechanisms.
A Healthcare Failure Mode and Effect Analysis on the Safety of Secondary Infusions
Keywords: HFMEA
human factors
secondary infusion
piggyback infusion
intravenous medication safety
smart infusion pump

Secondary infusions are a common and convenient method to administer intermittent infusions unattended through a single IV access using infusion pump technology. Previous studies have indicated that clinicians have a high frequency of committing operation errors while administering secondary infusions, which can cause patient harm. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety of secondary infusion practice by identifying and analyzing potential failure modes when delivering secondary infusions on five different smart infusion pumps. Healthcare Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (HFMEA) was used to prioritize potential failure modes that are considered high-risk for each pump. Results showed that four of the five pumps were not able to mitigate physical set-up errors. As well, each pump contributed differently to programming errors due to difference in interface design. Recommendations from this study focused on outlining desired infusion pump features and mitigation strategies to help alleviate high-risk secondary infusion failure modes.
Development and Error Analysis of a Conrad Probe for Measurements of 2D Velocity in a Laminar Boundary Layer
Keywords: Conrad probe
two-dimensional velocity measurements
transient growth
look-up table method
velocity correction
laminar boundary layer

The present study proposes to use a Conrad probe for transient growth study by measuring the two-dimensional velocity behind an array of roughness elements in the Blasius boundary layer. A look-up table approach is proposed to increase the accuracy of the data reduction process at low velocities, based on the results of the calibration performed in a round jet. A velocity correction method is proposed to minimize the errors due to high velocity shear and wall-proximity in the Blasius boundary layer by comparing Conrad probe results to previous hot-wire data. Measurements of the steamwise velocity perturbation obtained with the Conrad probe agree with previous studies. The measured spanwise perturbation confirms the transport process suggested by simulation. The results show that the perturbation amplitude increases by increasing both the freestream velocity and roughness elements height. However, the mechanism for changing the perturbation amplitude of influence differs for these two parameters.
The Architectural Optimization of Stretch-formed Ceramic-aluminum Microtruss Composites
Keywords: Architectural optimization
Stretch forming
Work hardening
Cellular materials
Microtruss composites
Ceramic-Aluminum hybrids
Anodizing
Analytical modelling
Compressive strength
Buckling

Microtruss cellular materials have large internal surface areas and small cross-sectional strut dimensions, permitting surface modification to substantially enhance their mechanical performance. For instance, a ~400% increase in compressive strength with virtually no weight penalty can be induced by a hard anodized Al2O3 ceramic coating of only ~50 µm thickness. The present study seeks the optimal architecture of these composites by exploring three research challenges: architecture and degree of forming are interdependent due to stretch-forming, architecture and the material properties are interdependent due to work-hardening, and ceramic structural coatings add design complexity. Theoretical predictions and architectural optimizations demonstrated a potential weight reduction of ~3% to ~60% through the increase of internal truss angle for both annealed and work-hardened microtruss cores. While further validation is needed, experimental evidence in this study suggested the collapse in ceramic-aluminum microtruss composites could be considered as a mixture of composite strut global buckling and oxide local shell buckling mechanisms.
Towards Automated Nanomanipulation under Scanning Electron Microscopy
Keywords: Nanorobotics
Nanomanipulation

Robotic Nanomaterial Manipulation inside scanning electron microscopes (SEM) is useful for prototyping functional devices and characterizing one-dimensional nanomaterial’s properties. Conventionally, manipulation of nanowires has been performed via teleoperation, which is time-consuming and highly skill-dependent. Manual manipulation also has the limitation of low success rates and poor reproducibility. This research focuses on a robotic system capable of automated pick-place of single nanowires. Through SEM visual detection and vision-based motion control, the system transferred individual silicon nanowires from their growth substrate to a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device that characterized the nanowires’ electromechanical properties. The performances of the nanorobotic pick-up and placement procedures were quantified by experiments. The system demonstrated automated nanowire pick-up and placement with high reliability. A software system for a load-lock-compatible nanomanipulation system is also designed and developed in this research.
Sufficient Conditions for Output Regulation on Metric and Banach Spaces - A Set-theoretic Approach
Keywords: Dynamical Systems
Output Regulation

Output regulation problems are a class of problems that has high importance in systems control engineering. The solutions of such problems generally involve the design of an internal model based controller with error feedback structure that can also provide stability to the closed-loop system. Most of previous studies of such problems, however, are based on dynamical systems described by di erential equations for continuous-time and by di erence equations for discrete-time on the space of Rn. Few results have been obtained for dynamical systems with more abstract descriptions on sets with more general topologies. In this thesis, we use a set-theoretic approach with commutative diagrams to describe a dynamical system and its properties. Output regulation problems will also be de ned based on such dynamical systems. We will present su cient conditions for output regulation problems on complete metric spaces and Banach spaces.
Mating of Starlike Quadratics
Keywords: Complex Dynamic
Mating Polynomials

The bounded Fatou components for certain quadratic polynomials are attached to each other at the boundary and form chain-like structures called ``bubble rays". In the context of mating quadratic polynomials, these bubble rays can serve as a replacement for external rays. The main objective of this thesis is to apply this idea to the mating of starlike quadratics.
Generating Inducible Vector Systems for Controlling Pluripotent Stem Cell Fate
Keywords: human embryonic stem cell
piggyBac
R4-Integrase

Transgenic manipulation of exogenous and endogenous gene expression in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) is a powerful approach to decipher the genetic pathways dictating their developmental fate. Presently used genetic tools face limitations including leakiness in inducibility of expression, epigenetic silencing in long-term cell culture, low genomic integration efficiencies, small genetic cargo limit and lack of high-throughput cloning capabilities. To overcome these limitations, I have constructed R4-Integrase and piggyBac transposon genetic vector systems for stable transgene overexpression and knockdown in hESCs. Preliminary functional testing of the piggyBac vector system in HEK 293T and hESCs demonstrated vector inducibility as well as successful overexpression and knockdown of pluripotency factor OCT4. Concurrently, a cost-effective and high efficiency method for chemical transfection of hESCs was developed. Exogenous overexpression and knockdown of transcription factors in hESCs will aid in the elucidation of gene regulatory networks controlling pluripotency and developmental fate.
Modeling the Effective Thermal Conductivity of an Anisotropic and Heterogeneous Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Gas Diffusion Layer
Keywords: fuel cell
lattice Boltzmann modeling

In this thesis, two numerical modeling methods are used to investigate the thermal conductivity of the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell gas diffusion layer (GDL). First, an analytical model is used to study the through-plane thermal conductivity from representative physical GDL models informed by microscale computed tomography imaging of four commercially available GDL materials. The effect of the heterogeneity of the through-plane porosity of the GDL and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) treatment is studied and it is noted that the high porosity surface transition regions have a dominating effect over the addition of PTFE in impacting the overall thermal conductivity. Next, the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is employed to study both the in-plane and through-plane thermal conductivity of stochastic numerically generated GDL modeling domains. The effect of GDL compression, binder content, PTFE treatment, addition of a microporous layer (MPL), heterogeneous porosity distributions, and water saturation on the thermal conductivity are investigated.
Interactions of Cationic Antimicrobial Peptides with Bacterial Membranes and Biofilms
Keywords: antimicrobial peptides
biofilms

Cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAPs) offer a viable alternative to conventional antibiotics as they physically disrupt the bacterial membranes, leading to cell lysis and death. However, colonized bacteria often form “biofilms” – characterized by the overproduction of exopolysaccharides - that restrict the penetration of antibiotics; successful antimicrobial agents must evade this exopolysaccharide ‘matrix’ to reach the bacterial membrane. Since the Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm alginate traps CAPs by forming peptide-alginate complexes, the aim of this thesis is to better understand the mechanisms of interaction of CAPs with bacterial membranes and biofilm alginate. Using a series of CAPs designed in our lab derived from the sequence KKKKKK-AAFAAWAAFAA-NH2, we found that hydrophobicity, charge distribution, and amino acid composition of CAPs play important roles in their membrane disruptive power, bioactivities, alginate-binding and alginate-diffusion abilities. These findings suggest routes to an optimal balance of factors in CAP design to allow both biofilm penetration and bacterial membrane destruction.
Protective Coatings of Y2O3 and CeO2 on Porous Stainless Steel Supports for Use in Intermediate Temperature Metal-supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
Keywords: coatings
metal supports
solid oxide fuel cells
sol-gel
reactive elements

With increasing attention paid to metal-supported SOFCs recently, metal supports have become important factors in the performance of the cells. The formation of surface oxides and the poisoning of Cr from Cr2O3-forming metal supports often result in the degradation of the cells. However, few studies have focused on developing oxidation resistance and decreasing Cr migration from porous alloys in intermediate temperature metal-supported SOFCs. In this work, Y2O3 and CeO2 coatings were applied to porous AISI 430 stainless steels by sol-gel dip coating. Phases and microstructures of the coatings on the porous metal supports were characterized by XRD and SEM with EDS, respectively. The effects of the coatings on oxidation resistance of the supports were evaluated by cyclic oxidation testing. Electrical and electrochemical properties of LSCF-SDC cathodes and symmetrical cells deposited on the Y2O3-protected metal supports were also investigated. The issue of Cr depletion of the supports was also discussed.
A Novel Pathway for Enhanced Metabolic Capacities Underlies the Neuroprotective Actions of Teneurin C-Terminal Associated Peptide (TCAP)-1
Keywords: Glucose
Apoptosis
Stress
Neuroendocrinology
Protection
Metabolism
ATP
Lactate
GLUT
Adipose
Leptin
Insulin
Glycolysis
Oxidation
TCAP-1
TCAP
Teneurin C-terminal Associated Peptide

Teneurin C-terminal Associated Peptide (TCAP)-1 is postulated to play a critical role in cellular defense mechanisms as it is highly neuroprotective against alkalotic and hypoxic stress. Optimization of metabolic pathways is recognized as an essential survival tactic by alleviating energy deficits and meeting the demands to cope with the stressors. The aim of this research was to delineate the mechanism through which TCAP-1 confers protection. My findings show that TCAP-1 increases the overall expression of GLUT1 and enhances overall expression and membrane localization of GLUT3. With respect to metabolic parameters, chronic TCAP-1 application led to increased intracellular [ATP] with decreased intracellular [lactate], both in a dose-dependent manner, but did not alter tumourgenic glycolytic enzyme expression or mitochondrially associated apoptotic protein expression. Contrastingly, acute TCAP-1 led to decreased intracellular [ATP]. Indicative of increased cellular ATP production and physiological energy expenditure, TCAP-1 reduced serum insulin levels and subcutaneous adipocyte size in vivo.
Multi-antenna Relay Beamforming with Per-antenna Power Constraints
Keywords: Wireless communications
Electrical Engineering
Multi-antenna Relay Beamforming
Per-Antenna Power Constraints
Power minimization
SNR maximization
Sum power constraints

Multi-antenna relay beamforming is a promising candidate in the next generation wireless communication systems. The assumption of sum power constraint at the relay in previous work is often unrealistic in practice, since each antenna of the relay is limited by its own front-end power amplifier and thus has its own individual power constraint. In this thesis, given per-antenna power constraints, we obtain the semi-closed form solution for the optimal relay beamforming design in the two-hop amplify-and-forward relay beamforming and establish its duality with the point-to-point single-input multiple-output (SIMO) beamforming system. Simulation results show that the per-antenna power constraint case has much lower per-antenna peak power and much smaller variance of per-antenna power usage than the sum-power constraint case. A heuristic iterative algorithm to minimize the total power of relay network is proposed.
Validation of Point and Pressure Loading Models for Simply Supported Composite Sandwich Beams
Keywords: composite
sandwich
four point bending
pressure
simply supported
failure mechanism map

Stiffness and strength models are derived for simply supported composite sandwich panels comprised of fibre-reinforced face sheets and polymer cores subject to symmetric four point bending and uniformly distributed loading. Optimal trajectories for minimum mass design are calculated using the models and situated on failure mechanism maps. A stiffness constraint is also derived to omit beam designs of excessive compliance. Analytical models were validated through an extensive series of experiments, considering beams comprised of GFRP face sheets with ROHACELL 51-IG and extruded polystyrene (EPS) polymer cores. An alternate loading fixture was used to simulate uniform pressure loads. In general, experiments were able to validate most analytical expressions for a range of experimental conditions. Though the predictions worked well with most beam cases, analytical models were noted to become unreliable for short or slender beams.
Adjusting Expectations of Scale Based on Limitations of Supply: A Review of the Case for a Forest Bioenergy Strategy that Prioritizes Decentralization, Efficiency, and Integration
Keywords: energy policy
forestry
forest policy
bioenergy
climate change
forest engineering
renewable energy
bio-heat

The limitations of renewable energy technologies require that pathways are carefully chosen such that renewable resources are used most effectively in addressing modern energy challenges. Optimized decision-making is particularly challenging for the forest bioenergy sector because of the multitude of potential pathways and because profit is highly sensitive to biomass procurement costs. I assessed energy wood recovery and procurement costs during semi-mechanized selection operations in the tolerant hardwood forests of Ontario. Logging contractors were able to recover unmerchantable sections of branches normally discarded during conventional operations, amounting to 1.3 to 2.7 dry tonnes of additional biomass per hectare. Supply chain scenarios are used to show that the biomass can be brought to market at a cost similar to mechanized operations. The need for prioritization of decentralization, efficiency, and integration with the value-added forest sector is discussed with reference to the relative scarcity and high cost of the forest resource.
MeCP2 Deficiency is Sufficient to Disrupt Daily Rhythmic Behaviours in Mice
Keywords: Rett Syndrome
Electroencephalography
Epilepsy
Thermoregulation
Delta Rhythm
Telemetry
Methyl DNA-Binding Factor
Mutant Mice
MeCP2 Expression
Phenotypic Behaviour

Mutations in the X-linked gene encoding Methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MECP2) cause the neurodevelopmental disorder Rett syndrome, a common genetic cause of mental retardation in females. Although alterations in performance of MeCP2-deficient mice in specific behavioural tasks have been documented, it remains unclear if, and to what degree, MeCP2 dysfunction affects patterns of periodic behavioural and electroencephalographic activity. To address this, we monitored daily rhythmic patterns of core body temperature, gross motor activity, and cortical delta power from MeCP2-deficient mice and correlated it against regional MeCP2 expression levels. Our results show that normal daily rhythmic behavioural patterning of delta wave activity, body temperature and mobility are disrupted in these mice. Moreover, MeCP2-deficient mice displayed lower average core body temperature and significantly greater body temperature fluctuation than wild-type female mice. Finally, we also found that epileptiform discharge activity in MeCP2-deficient mice is more predominant during times of behavioural activity compared to inactivity.
Synthesis of a Novel Acyl Phosphate Cross-linker and its Modification of Hemoglobin
Keywords: hemoglobin
HBOCs

Hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) are of great interest for their potential as a safer alternative to blood transfusions. To overcome the vasoactivity associated with small HBOCs, our group is interested in connecting two hemoglobin tetramers together, forming “bis-tetramers”. Bis-tetramers have previously been synthesized by our group, but yield and purity of the resulting solutions have been low and hindered their usefulness for trials. A new cross-linker was designed in an attempt to improve yield. This thesis describes the synthesis of an acyl phosphate cross-linker N-[bis(sodium methyl phosphate)isophthalyl]-4-azidomethylbenzoate (5), its modification of hemoglobin and subsequent purification attempts of the resulting solution. Cross-linker 5 was found to be selective to β-β-crosslinking and produced singly modified subunits as byproducts. Attempts to purify the resulting reaction mixture by heating resulted in the decomposition of the azide group on the cross-linker, which was critical for the coupling step. Efforts to overcome this problem were unsuccessful.