VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Infrastructure Robotics: A Trade-off Study Examining both Autonomously and Manually Controlled Approaches to Lunar Excavation and Construction

NASA‘s planned permanent return to the Moon by the year 2018 will demand advances in many technologies. Just as those pioneers who built a homestead in North America from abroad, it will be necessary to use the resources and materials available on the Moon, commonly referred to as in-situ resource utilization. In this concept study, we propose a role for autonomous, multirobot robotic precursor excavation missions that would prepare a lunar site for the arrival of astronauts, serving to establish methods of collecting oxygen, water and various other critical resources. A novel quantitative approach is presented that combines real-time 3D simulation with the use of Artificial Neural Tissues, a machine learning approach that produces autonomous controllers requiring little human supervision. Advantages of the autonomous multirobot approach to excavation over the traditional manually operated single vehicle ones are analyzed in terms of launch mass, power, efficiency, reliability, and overall mission cost.

Keywords: Robotics
Lunar Excavation
Lunar Construction
Lunar Base
Machine Learning
Advisor: D'Eleuterio, Gabriele M. T.
Identification of Downstream Targets of the Putative Transcription Factor Prdm8

The putative transcription factor Prdm8 is a member of the PR domain-containing protein family, which are regulators of cell proliferation and differentiation. Prdm8 is expressed in the developing and adult retina, most abundantly in the inner nuclear layer, where retinal bipolar interneurons reside. Adult Prdm8eGFP/eGFP retinas have a near complete absence of rod bipolar and Type 2 OFF cone bipolar cells. Prdm8 is required for late bipolar cell differentiation. To begin to identify downstream targets of Prdm8, I compared gene expression of wild-type and Prdm8eGFP/eGFP retinas at P6 by microarray analysis. I identified 75 differentially expressed genes, many of which are involved in neurogenesis and neurite development. Differentially expressed genes include transcription factors such as Sox6 (2.4-fold up in mutant), Lhx4 (1.6-fold up), and Eomes (1.4-fold down). Differentially expressed genes of the Prdm8eGFP/eGFP retina are strong candidates to be controlled by Prdm8, suggesting Prdm8 may function in a transcription factor cascade that regulates late bipolar cell differentiation.

Keywords: Genetics
Molecular
Neuroscience
Advisor: McInnes, Roderick
Dancing With Maple Leaves: Labour Market Experience of Immigrant Women Professionals

This study presents an account of experiences of recent immigrant women professionals in negotiating labour market opportunities after arriving in Canada. The purpose of this research is to bring in immigrant women’s perspectives on immigration and employment study. Six immigrant women professionals from different cultural backgrounds were interviewed within the framework of qualitative research. Informed by feminist theories, this study intended to make women’s experience in post-arrival integration and settlement more visible and prominent. Research findings indicate both labour market and household factors contributed to shape the labour market experience of immigrant women professionals of recent years. Their experiences reveal the complicated social relations of their doubly burdened and triply oppressed location.

Keywords: immigrant women professionals, employment, integration, settlement, labour market, gender roles
double burden, family responsilities
Advisor: Jackson, Nancy
Calcium Phosphate Cements Loaded with Pantoprazole as Novel Bone Substitutes

Calcium phosphate cements are produced by the mixing of calcium phosphate powders in an aqueous solution resulting in a low-temperature synthesized hydroxyapatite. They have been used as bone substitutes and drug delivery systems. The present work examined the possibility of a machine-based modification to this process to derive a standardized preparation method of calcium phosphate cements that could be loaded with Pantoprazole. To examine the characteristics of these novel materials, the following analyses of hand- and machine-made cements, with and without Pantoprazole were undertaken: in vitro surface characterization, dissolution, hydroxyapatite conversion, Pantoprazole delivery, as well as in vivo reparative bone formation and particulate degradation. The in vitro surface characterization, dissolution at different pHs, and drug release analyses showed insignificant differences between hand- and machine-prepared cements. However, machine-made cements showed increased hydroxyapatite conversion, decreased dissolution at pH 7.4, and better in vivo outcomes than commercially available bone-substitute particulate biomaterials.

Keywords: calcium phosphate cements
bone substitutes
proton pump inhibitors
bone healing
Advisor: Davies, John Edward
Enhancing Production of Recombinant BMP-2 in Mammalian Cell Culture Systems by Inhibition of Pro-protein Cleavage using 9DR Peptides

Introduction: Mammalian cell recombinant bone morphogenetic protein (rBMP) synthesis is reported to be poor. The BMP pro-domain may be involved in folding, stability and secretion. Objectives: Investigate the effect of inhibition of pro-domain cleavage on rhBMP-2 production. Methods: CHO cells transfected with human BMP-2 (hBMP-2) were cultured in the presence of the proprotein convertase inhibitor 9DR in short (multi-well) and long-term (bioreactor) cultures. Mature and proBMP secretion was measured by ELISA and characterized by Western blot. BMP activity was determined by C2C12 bioassay. Results: 9DR significantly enhanced the yields of both pro- and mature hBMP-2 in short and long-term cultures, without any negative effects on cell growth or viability. The rhBMP-2 was biologically active. ProBMP-2 could be converted by exogenous furin treatment into mature BMP-2 as shown by Western blot. Conclusions: 9DR increases rhBMP-2 production and is a simple, but effective way to enhance the yield of active, mature BMP-2 in CHO cells.

Keywords: recombinant BMP-2 production
furin cleavage
Advisor: Cameron, Clokie
Sean, Peel
Development of Al2O3 Gate Dielectrics for Organic Thin-film Transistors

The focus of this thesis is on radio frequency magnetron sputtered aluminum oxide thin films developed for use as the gate dielectric for organic thin film transistors. The effect of top metal electrodes on the electrical characteristics of aluminum oxide metal-insulator-metal capacitors has been studied to determine an optimum material combination for minimizing the leakage current, while maximizing the breakdown field. The leakage current and breakdown characteristics were observed to have a strong dependence on the top electrode material. Devices with Al top electrodes exhibited significantly higher breakdown voltages compared to devices with Au, Ni, Cu and Ag electrodes. Introducing an Al diffusion barrier dramatically increased the breakdown field and reduced the leakage current for capacitors with Ag, Au and Cu top electrodes. The electrical characteristics were found to relate well to material properties, of the contacting metals, such as ionization potential and diffusion coefficient.

Keywords: Aluminum Oxide
Metal Insulator Metal Capacitors
Metal Contact
Leakage Current
Advisor: Lu, Zhenghong
Ng, Wai Tung
A Parallel Implicit Adaptive-mesh-refinement Scheme for Hypersonic Flows with an Equilibrium High-temperature Equation of State

A parallel implicit adaptive-mesh-refinement scheme is proposed for the solution of the Navier-Stokes equations as applied to two-dimensional steady-state hypersonic laminar flows in conjunction with an equilibrium high-temperature equation of state. A finite-volume discretization is applied to the governing equations. Limited piecewise-linear solution reconstruction and Riemann solvers (Roe and HLLE, both modified for a general equation of state) are used to evaluate the inviscid fluxes. The gradients in the viscous fluxes are calculated using diamond-path reconstruction. The system of non-linear algebraic equations resulting from the finite-volume discretization are solved using an inexact Newton method with GMRES to solve the update step of the Newton method. GMRES is preconditioned with Schwarz preconditioning with local block-fill incomplete lower-upper factorization. Multigrid and pseudo-transient continuation are used for startup. Numerical results, including flows at Mach numbers of 7.0, are discussed and demonstrate the validity and efficiency of the scheme.

Keywords: computational fluid dynamics
hypersonic flows
high-temperature equation of state
Advisor: Groth, Clinton P. T.
Development of a Time-restricted Region-suppressed ER-SAM Beamformer and its Application to an Auditory Evoked Field Study

This study evaluated a time-restricted region-suppressed event-related synthetic aperture magnetoencephalography (TRRS-ER-SAM) beamformer algorithm against equivalent current dipole (ECD), and event-related synthetic aperture magnetoencephalography (ER-SAM) post-processing methods for magnetoencephalography data. This evaluation was done numerically and with auditory evoked field (AEF) data elicited by binaurally presented 500 Hz tones. The TRRS-ER-SAM beamformer demonstrated robustness to noise, and the ability to handle coherent sources. The TRRS-ER-SAM algorithm was then applied to a study of N1m AEFs in 8 subjects aged 12-25 years. The study examined the effects of age, stimulus frequency, and right-sided monaural versus binaural stimulation on the N1m location, amplitude, and latency. It was found that age affected the N1m latency; stimulus frequency affected the N1m location, amplitude, and latency; and monaural versus binaural stimulation affected the N1m amplitude. In the context of these effects, the auditory pathway structure and neurophysiological changes due to maturation were discussed.

Keywords: beamforming
magnetoencephalography
auditory evoked field
auditory development
Advisor: Harrison, Robert
Characterizing a Role for Dopamine on Sleep and Cataplexy in Narcoleptic Mice

Narcolepsy is a disabling sleep disorder that is characterized by persistent sleepiness, and cataplexy – an involuntary loss of waking muscle tone. Cataplexy and narcolepsy are caused by the loss of hypocretin containing neurons in the hypothalamus. However, it is hypothesized that dopamine is also involved in sleep and motor control and plays a role in cataplexy. This study investigated how manipulating dopamine affected sleep and cataplexy in narcoleptic mice devoid of hypocretin. We used d-amphetamine to increase endogenous dopamine levels and quinpirole (D2 agonist) to agonize D2 receptor sites. Amphetamine promoted wakefulness while decreasing sleep in wild-type mice, but was less effective in narcoleptic mice. Amphetamine also reduced cataplexy as well as sleep attacks (an indicator of sleepiness) in narcoleptic mice. Quinpirole had no effect on sleep or wakefulness; however, it potently increased cataplexy without affecting sleep attacks in narcoleptic mice.

Keywords: Narcolepsy
Dopamine
Sleep
Cataplexy
Mice
Amphetamine
Quinpirole
Sleep Attacks
Advisor: Peever, John H.
Yeomans, John S.
Innovative Pre-cast Cantilever Constructed Bridge Concept

Minimum impact construction for bridge building is a growing demand in modern urban environments. Pre-cast segmental construction is one solution that offers low-impact, economical, and aesthetically pleasing bridges. The standardization of pre-cast concrete sections and segments has facilitated an improved level of economy in pre-cast construction. Through the development of high performance materials such as high strength fibre-reinforced concrete (FRC), further economy in pre-cast segmental construction may be realized. The design of pre-cast bridges using high-strength FRC and external unbonded tendons for cantilever construction may provide an economical, low-impact alternative to overpass bridge design. This thesis investigates the feasibility and possible savings that can be realized for a single cell box girder bridge with thin concrete sections post-tensioned exclusively with external unbonded tendons in the longitudinal direction. A cantilever-constructed single cell box girder with a curtailed arrangement of external unbonded tendons is examined.

Keywords: unbonded external post-tensioning
cantilever construction
fibre-reinforced concrete
minimum impact construction
Advisor: Gauvreau, Douglas Paul
Structure-based Subfamily Classification of Homeodomains

Eukaryotic DNA-binding proteins mediate many important steps in embryonic development and gene regulation. Consequently, a better understanding of these proteins would hopefully allow a more complete picture of gene regulation to be determined. In this study, a structure-based subfamily classification of the homeodomain family of DNA-binding proteins was undertaken in order to determine whether sub-groupings of a protein family could be identified that corresponded to differences in specific function, and identification of subfamily-determining residues was performed in order to gain some insight on functional differences via analysis of the residue properties. Subfamilies appear to have different specific DNA binding properties, according to DNA profiles obtained from TRANSFAC [1] and other sources in the literature. Subfamily-specific residues appear to be frequently associated with the protein-DNA interface and may influence DNA binding via interactions with the DNA phosphate backbone; these residues form a conserved profile uniquely identifying each subfamily.

Keywords: subfamily classification
bioinformatics
homeodomains
Advisor: Wodak, Shoshana J.
Microwave-assisted Thermolysis of ortho-substituted Aroylsilanes

Microwave-Assisted Thermolysis of ortho-Substituted Aroylsilanes Marc Tremblay Master of Science Department of Chemistry University of Toronto 2008 The microwave-assisted thermolysis of ortho-substituted aroylsilanes has been investigated. When irradiated at 250ºC in DMSO or o‑dichlorobenzene for 10 minutes, aroylsilanes form siloxycarbenes that react following different pathways depending on the solvent and the structure of the starting material. It is shown that in the case of substrates having an O‑allyl or an O‑propargyl chain ortho to the acylsilane, cycloaddition occurs followed by a cascade ring opening to give respectively chroman‑4-one and chromen‑4-one derivatives in up to 66% yield. Among the major competitive pathways were the insertion of the siloxycarbene into allylic C–H bonds and decomposition of the acylsilane group to the corresponding aldehyde, followed by Claisen rearrangement.

Keywords: acylsilanes
Brook rearrangement
cyclopropanation
cyclopropane
siloxycarbenes
thermolysis
aroylsilanes
microwaves
carbenes
cyclopropenation
cyclopropenes
chromanone
C-H insertion
Advisor: Dong, Vy Maria
Forest Tenures and their Implications for Exercising Aboriginal and Treaty Rights on the Kaska Traditional Territory

This study identifies potential changes within the current tenure system to better accommodate Aboriginal values. Aboriginal expectations for sustainable forest management were identified using structured conceptual content cognitive mapping. A structured survey of industry, government and First Nations participants was then used to identify Aboriginal expectations that are poorly met through the current tenure system and establish which attributes of tenure could be modified in order to meet these expectations. Perception gaps existed between the Kaska and government/industry about the ability of current forest management institutions to meet Aboriginal expectations. Some of the expectations were met in part by tenure but when tenure failed or couldn’t meet expectations, other institutions were often in place to meet them. However, some expectations could neither be met through institutions nor modifications to existing tenures and so recommendations were made for the creation of an Aboriginal tenure as a means of addressing these issues.

Keywords: Tenure
Aboriginal
Forest Management
British Columbia
Yukon
Advisor: Kant, Shashi
Automatic Task Formation Techniques for the Multi-level Computing Architecture

The Multi-Level Computing Architecture (MLCA) is a multiprocessor system-on-chip architecture designed for multimedia applications. It provides a programming model that simplifies the process of writing parallel applications by eliminating the need for explicit synchronization. However, developers must still invest effort to design applications that fully exploit the MLCA’s multiprocessing capabilities. We present a set of compiler techniques to streamline the process of developing applications for the MLCA. We present an algorithm to automatically partition a sequential application into tasks that can be executed in parallel. We also present code generation algorithms to translate annotated, sequential C code to the MLCA’s programming model. We provide an experimental evaluation of these techniques, performed with a prototype compiler based upon the open-source ORC compiler and integrated with the MLCA Optimizing Compiler. This evaluation shows that the performance of automatically generated code compares favourably to that of manually written code.

Keywords: compiler optimization
task-level parallelism
multimedia
automatic parallelization
software
programming
Advisor: Abdelrahman, Tarek S.
Conducting Nanocrystal Solids for Optoelectronic Devices

Nanocrystal solids represent an exciting new class of materials. These are often referred to as artificial solids, in which the nanocrystals take the place of atoms in traditional solids. This thesis reports the utility of field-effect transistor measurements to elucidate charge transport parameters, such as charge carrier density and charge carrier mobility in a nanocrystal solid. The evolution of these parameters with chemical treatments is followed and correlated to improved performance in photovoltaic devices. Chemical treatments are demonstrated to simultaneously engineer interparticle spacing, doping and electronic coupling in nanocrystal solids. The nanocrystal solids are then utilized as building blocks for fabricating all nanocrystal heterostructure. A type-I nanocrystal heterostructure is fabricated to demonstrate efficient electroluminescent device in the infrared communications wavelength. The device emits at peak wavelength of 1.58 um with an effciency of 0.5%.

Advisor: Sargent, Edward H.
Small Mammal Communities and Multicohort Stand Structure in Boreal Northeastern Ontario

Although boreal forest management typically results in an increased frequency of even-aged forest stands in managed landscapes, fire history research suggests that much of the natural forest mosaic is composed of stands characterised by multiple cohorts of trees. To aid in the development of multicohort management, I investigated stand structural characteristics and small mammal communities as a function of their tree cohort structures. I also tested key alternatives: stand age, productivity, and tree species composition, as correlates of structural variation and small mammal communities. Results reveal that in mixedwood and black spruce forests, three-dimensional structure of boreal forests is strongly correlated with small mammal community structure, and indicate that tree diameter distribution is a succinct descriptor of such structural variation, performing better than alternative stand characteristics. This represents a new approach to characterising habitat supply as a function of within-stand heterogeneity, contrasting with existing approaches that focus on among-stand characteristics.

Keywords: boreal forest
small mammals
forest stand structure
habitat structure
Advisor: Malcolm, Jay R.
Magnetically-assisted Remote Control Steering of Endovascular Catheters in Interventional MRI

Current applied to coils wound at the tip of an endovascular catheter can be used to remotely steer a catheter tip in a clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. This study focuses on (1) derivation and experimental validation of an equation that characterizes the relationship between catheter tip deflection and a number of magnetic, mechanical, and physical factors, and (2) evaluation of resistive heating in a worst-case scenario due to application of current necessary for clinically significant deflections, and radiofrequency (RF) heating due to real-time MRI pulse sequences. The derived equation was found to accurately model the behavior of the specialized catheter tip. The equation also has implications for catheter design and device implementation, including minimization of resistive heating, which was physiologically significant (> 4°C) under certain worst-case scenario conditions. This catheter steering mechanism should improve navigational control and is a unique advantage offered by MRI-guidance of endovascular procedures.

Keywords: MRI
Advisor: Roberts, Timothy
Variability in Gene Expression

The variability in protein number was studied. The reporter protein Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein (EGFP) in various strains of Escherichia coli with regulated and unregulated plasmid copy number systems were investigated. The relaxation of perturbed population was studied in two different systems and cell division was observed to drive the relaxation of perturbed populations. It was found that an unregulated system has more inclusion bodies in comparison to regulated one. This accounted for the difference in correlation between cell size and protein number in two different systems. Flow cytometry was cross-validated with fluorescence microscopy and it was concluded that the Forward Scatter signal in a flow cytometer is representative of size in terms of generating size distributions. A new method for determining cell viability was devised, reducing the analysis time to less than five minutes. The unregulated system in comparison to the regulated one tends to have higher percentage of dead cells.

Advisor: McMillen, David
Dense Stereo Reconstruction in a Field Programmable Gate Array

Estimation of depth within an imaged scene can be formulated as a stereo correspondence problem. Software solutions tend to be too slow for high frame rate (i.e. > 30 fps) performance. Hardware solutions can result in marked improvements. This thesis explores one such hardware implementation that generates dense binocular disparity estimates at frame rates of over 200 fps using a dynamic programming formulation (DPML) developed by Cox et. al. A highly parameterizable field programmable gate array implementation of this architecture demonstrates equivalent accuracy while executing at significantly higher frame rates to those of current approaches. Existing hardware implementations for dense disparity estimation often use sum of squared difference, sum of absolute difference or other similar algorithms that typically perform poorly in comparison to DPML. The presented system runs at 248 fps for a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels and disparity range of 128 pixels, a performance of 2.477 billion DPS.

Keywords: stereo vision
disparity
depth
fpga
dynamic programming
dense
high frame rate
pipeline
dpml
maximum likelihood
parallel
hardware
field programmable gate array
ssd
sad
computer vision
machine vision
stereo
binocular
high resolution
high disparity
large disparity
large resolution
two view
Advisor: MacLean, W. James