VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Frequency adaptive digital filters: two case studies

This thesis explores the feasibility of using variable sampling rate frequency adaptation for digital filters. This is accomplished by a fixed ratio between the sampling frequency and the system base frequency. The following two case studies are considered: bandpass filter for fundamental extraction (synchronization), and a notch filter for harmonic and fundamental elimination (arc detection). The objective is to design the filters to meet specific performance targets subject to the following constraints: frequency quantization, word length quantization, filter structure, filter realization, and sampling frequency. The performance of the notch filter and bandpass filter is tested considering the following disturbances in the input signal: a phase step and a step change in the magnitude of the incoming signal. Specific filter designs are simulated using Xilinx's ISE software for functional verifications and to assess the effect of wordlength on the real estate realization.
Asthma as a risk factor for dental caries and dental erosion in children and adolescents

Objectives. The objective is to look at the association between asthma and oral health by attempting to answer the following question: is asthma a risk factor for dental decay and/or dental erosion in children and adolescents via an evidence based report (EBR) and an analysis of a national data base set. Methods. For the EBR, a total of 8 studies were identified for decay and 3 for erosion. For the database analysis report, data was analyzed from the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey public use data file. Results. In the EBR, two studies revealed a positive association between asthma and decay vs. only one with erosion. The database analysis report demonstrated a higher percentage of tooth sensitivity in asthmatic children with asthma. Conclusion. Since no clear association between asthmatic children, decay and erosion could be established, education and prevention programs should be directed to this group until an association can be proven.
The association between asthma and dental caries in Canadian Aboriginal preschool children

The literature suggests that asthmatic children may be at an increased risk for early childhood caries (ECC). Objective. To investigate the potential relationship between dental caries risk and asthma in a population of Canadian aboriginal preschoolers. Methods. Secondary analyses of oral health and health status data collected as part of an evaluative study of a community-based prenatal nutrition program for the prevention of ECC in the Sioux Lookout Zone. 471 Ojibway-Cree 2-5 year-olds were examined using the dmft/s index. A case of 'severe' ECC was defined as a child's dmft ge; 11. Health questionnaires were completed and asthma diagnoses were confirmed by reviewing the medical charts. Results. Asthma prevalence was 28.9% and 55% had S-ECC. Children with asthma were 1.85-times more likely (95% CI: 1.44-3.26, p=0.035) than those without asthma to have ECC. Conclusion. Asthma had a significance influence on the risk of caries in First Nations children.
Relationships in learning: the role of mentors in the developmental trajectory of law firm associates

This phenomenological study examines the multiple workplace influences, including mentors and other developmental relationships, on the growth and development of young lawyers from law school through the first few years of practice. The research questions are analyzed through the multiple lenses of situated learning, transformative learning, and mentoring. Situated learning theory directs attention to workplace participatory practices and affordances. Transformative learning theory describes epistemological change. The literature on mentoring and social networks provides a framework to understand the complexity of developmental relationships in the workplace and the effect of those relationships on individual agency. Eleven lawyers in six different large multi-service law firms located in a large Canadian city participated in the research. Three primary methods were employed: an in-depth interview, brief questionnaires on mentoring behaviours and practices, and the Role Construct Repertory Test. Learning occurred within a richly diverse field of influences, including mentors, supervisors, senior lawyers, peers, and clients. These relationships strongly affected the invitational qualities of the workplace, in terms of access to work and support for learning. Mentors were only one member of the constellation of developers and not always the most important influence on individual development. Some participants enjoyed strong and enduring mentoring relationships almost from the outcome of their career, while others struggled without a mentor until later in their career. Formal mentors were more likely than informal mentors to engage in dysfunctional behaviours such as poor communication or limited support. The importance of luck in the workplace was an unanticipated finding. Nearly every participant was able to tell a story about how luck influenced their professional life, either by an early encounter with an important person or access to important work. The participants identified a clear growth trajectory from student through the first three years of being an associate. They described high stress levels and a general feeling of being in over their heads. As they developed confidence and coping skills they described a lessening of the stress and an increasing sense of mastery over their work.
A substantive theory of effective collaboration within asynchronous computer mediated groups

This grounded theory study explored the experience and the meaning of collaboration within asynchronous computer-mediated groups. Twenty female and ten male graduate students, divided into six groups, completed a collaborative project within 24 days as part of their course work, using Web Knowledge Forum (WebKF), a hypermedia program. Participants' contributions to WebKF, data logs, participant interviews, and demographic and technical skill assessment survey responses comprised the data. Asynchronous collaboration was found to be difficult despite its time and place convenience. Inhibiting factors identified were: lack of knowledge and skills in using technology; problems keeping pace with high performing members who had time and technical expertise and the need to rely heavily on them; and the time consuming nature of written communication. Facilitating factors were: design and facilitation within WebKF, availability of sufficient time for the course, accessibility of needed technical resources, high motivation, a committed group leader with technical expertise who allowed participatory leadership to develop, and the use of other media for interaction. The core category timely action evolved from this study denotes that effective collaboration within asynchronous computer mediated groups occurs, when group members are cognizant of both opportune timing and situational appropriateness in exercising any action. A substantive theory of effective collaboration was developed based on the core category, timely action, and blended with the three following primary categories: (i) Design and facilitation of asynchronous collaborative environment. It is timely action to prepare the virtual space ahead of time, orient all participants and provide feedback. (ii) The collaborative effort of the individual. Includes cognizance of the presence of self, other group members and the virtual space. (iii) The collaborative project. Comprises dialogue, negotiation and development of a common purpose for the project as soon as possible, decisions on the tasks and roles members prefer, and setting group norms to give and receive feedback. This study confirms that time matters in groups, as well as the use of other media for collaboration, in addition to the asynchronous medium.

Keywords: Computer conferencing
Computer-assisted instruction
Interpersonal communication
Interpersonal relations
Group work in education
Information technology
Learning
Cognitive learning
Development of controller strategies for ultra-precision piezoceramic actuated positioners

Due to the strong demand for ultra-precision positioning systems in different areas of science and technology, new precision positioning devices are under development. Piezoceramic actuated positioners seem to be most promising in many applications due to the achievable accuracy of piezoceramic actuators. Piezoceramic actuated positioners (piezomotors) are often made-up of a monolithic frame that houses a set of piezoceramic actuators. Different designs of piezomotors, offering a wide array of characteristics, have been introduced by researchers but essentially no work has been done on developing appropriate control laws and strategies that lead to good performance in a wide number of positioning tasks. In this thesis, control methodologies for linear inchworm piezomotors are developed for tracking and positioning applications. For this purpose, an inchworm piezomotor is designed and modeled. The design developed involves a monolithic frame that houses four piezoactuators, of which two are used for the clamping and the remaining two are used for motion generation. The frame is developed such that the expansion of the piezoactuators generating the motion is amplified at the load end of the positioner. Two control methodologies are then developed for the designed piezomotor. The first developed control methodology is a combination of an Automatic Clamp Switching (ACS) mechanism and a Conventional Controller (CC). ACS provides the best timing for the clamp switching operation while the CC provides the control signal for the forwarding piezostacks. This controller requires, for its implementation, two position sensors with one providing information on the absolute position of the motor and the second providing information on the relative position of one clamping chamber with respect to the other. The second controller is neural network based and is characterized by the learning-by-training property of neural networks that enables fast control design and implementation. A Feed Forward Neural Network (FFNN) and a perceptron network are combined together to form the second controller which requires only one position sensor to be part of the controller. The performance characteristics of the two controllers developed are assessed based on an extensive numerical study of the positioner in tracking and positioning tasks. The simulation results indicate the good ability of the two controllers in positioning tasks and in tracking tasks as long as the desired trajectory is not varying faster than the maximum achievable speed of the motor.
Modeling of via interconnects in parallel-plate environments and suppression of the induced ground/power noise

The limiting factors in implementing faster printed circuit boards and integrated circuit architectures for modern electronic systems are interconnects and packaging constraints rather than semiconductor device performance. The efficient interconnection of high density input and output signals is no longer possible by only utilizing planar interfaces. Therefore, routing by means of vertical interconnects such as vias through multiple layers is unavoidable. Especially, when vias penetrate through the conductor planes or are buried in between them, their induced electrical effects are not only limited to the generation of conducted noise (reflections) but also include the generation of radiated noise in the form of voltage fluctuations on the conductor planes. The pair of conductor planes form a parallel-plate waveguide (PPW), thus the induced noise is in fact a waveguide mode, and it is called PPW noise in this thesis. With the ever-increasing clock frequencies of digital circuits and the emergence of low power integrated circuits, the bottle-neck imposed by the PPW noise becomes more and more significant. Therefore, two distinct tasks are undertaken in the present dissertation; the development of physics-based models to capture the PPW noise in various structures, and the introduction of a novel approach for the global suppression of this noise, as opposed to conventional localized methods. In the modeling endeavor, fast and accurate representative models based on radial transmission line theory are developed which can be integrated with circuit components. On the other hand, by utilizing these equivalent circuits, different methods of noise suppression have been studied while giving insight to the noise characteristics which lead to the development of a novel approach for noise suppression. In the proposed method, Electromagnetic Bandgap (EBG) structures are employed to provide an omnidirectional suppression of the PPW noise. Simulations and measurements carried on a number of test structures are presented herein to validate the accuracy of the developed models and prove the successful global suppression of the PPW noise by utilizing EBG surfaces.
An investigation of the mechanisms, and the effects, of hypoglycemic seizures in a novel in vitro model

Severe hypoglycemia results in seizures, coma and death. It is the limiting factor in the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Hypoglycemic seizures have been studied in vivo since the advent of insulin, yet no in vitro model has been established. The present dissertation is the first report of hypoglycemic seizures studied in vitro. It characterizes their generation and their effect on neuronal function. The generation of seizures in the isolated intact hippocampus and isolated frontal neocortex of the mouse was first characterized using established in vitro methods. In agreement with clinical and in vivo observations, it was found that the hippocampus will readily generate seizures while the neocortex is relatively resistant to seizure generation. When exposed to hypoglycemia, the hippocampus similarly generated seizure-like activity, while the neocortex did not. A result of the hypoglycemic seizure activity was an irreversible reduction in synaptic transmission in the hippocampus, not observed in the neocortex, despite similar hypoglycemic conditions. The hypothesis that hypoglycemic seizures exacerbate hypoglycemic damage was confirmed. Hypoglycemic seizures were abolished, and synaptic transmission preserved, during hypoglycemia by methods which reduce neuronal activity such as the application of glutamatergic antagonists. It was hypothesized that cerebral glycogen is neuroprotective against hypoglycemia. A study of the factors affecting cerebral glycogen content in vitro was undertaken. Unexpectedly, four hour exposure to APV or midazolam decreased glycogen content. Further, increased glycogen content did not always lead to a lower incidence of hypoglycemic seizures. The first intracellular recordings of hypoglycemic seizures in vitro were also performed. It was hypothesized that neurons would depolarize only during hypoglycemic seizures. Neurons, however, depolarized during hypoglycemia both in the presence and absence of seizure activity. This depolarization was accompanied by a significant loss of input resistance. Agents which protected against hypoglycemic seizures, such as APV or midazolam, did not prevent depolarization, but did mitigate the decreased input resistance. These data suggest that the hippocampus is highly susceptible to seizure activity during hypoglycemia, and that methods successful in abolishing hippocampal seizure activity during hypoglycemia should be considered for use in patients suffering from severe hypoglycemia.
Interacting discrete event systems: modelling, verification, and supervisory control

Within the formal language and automata settings, a modelling and analysis paradigm for multiprocess discrete event systems is proposed. The modelling structure, referred to as one of interacting discrete event systems (IDES), features explicit representation of the system components. In addition, different forms of interactions between the components can be directly representedâ€”as interaction specificationâ€”in the modelling structure. A multilevel extension to the model is introduced. The composition and decomposition operations for multiprocess systems are extended for the IDES model to incorporate the interaction specification. Several approaches are presented for verifying interacting discrete event systems. The proposed approaches do not require the computation of the synchronous product of the system components, and therefore avoid a major bottleneck in this class of problems. In one approach, the system is verified for internal correctness (non-blocking) by first detecting potential synchronization conflicts and then checking the reachability of the underlying states. External verification with respect to a given specification is also investigated. In certain situations, the interaction information can be used to solve the external verification problem modularly by converting the problem into an equivalent set of verification tests addressing the system components individually. In case the interaction specification does not provide enough information to verify the system modularly, an iterative procedure is presented to refine the interaction specification gradually until a solution is found. The supervisory control problem is then investigated within the IDES setting. Two efficient procedures are presented for optimal non-blocking supervisory synthesis for multiprocess systems. In these procedures, the composition of the system components is avoided by exploring only the common traces between the system and the specification. The general case of IDES supervision is then investigated. It is shown that under certain conditions depending on the structure of the system and the given specification, optimal supervision can be achieved and implemented modularly, that is, using local supervisors for the components and a high-level supervisor for the interaction specification.
Handling inductance in early power grid verification

As part of integrated circuit design verification, one should check if the voltage variations on the power grid exceed some critical threshold. One way to do this is by simulation, but that is computationally expensive and gets prohibitive for large circuits. Another limitation of a simulation-based approach is that it requires complete knowledge of the logic circuitry drawing current from the grid, thus precluding grid verification early in the design process. In this work, we model the grid as an RLC circuit and we propose three verification techniques that can be applied in the early stages of the design process. These techniques do not require exact knowledge of the circuit currents. Instead, the currents drawn by the logic beneath the power grid are described by means of current constraints that capture the uncertainty about circuit details and activity. The first verification approach gives the exact worst-case voltage drop at every node of the grid, but it is slow. A second faster verification approach gives conservative bounds on the exact worst-case voltage drop at every node of the grid. The third approach is much faster; it is a conservative approach which simply checks if the grid voltage drop exceeds some pre-defined thresholds, without actually computing the worst-case voltage drop at every node.
A model for interoperable performance assessment for infrastructure evaluation

Canadian infrastructure is deteriorating at an alarming rate, and accruing an expensive bill in rehabilitation expenses. Various infrastructure systems are attempting to assess performance in order to allocate resources accordingly. However, there is a lack of interoperable means for sharing information about infrastructure performance. This research presents a concept for a generic and comprehensive performance assessment model that may be applied to infrastructure systems in order to assess performance and identify needs more precisely in an interoperable fashion. The model focuses on transportation, water, wastewater and power supply systems. Five main unified performance measures were selected for the systems and served as categories for the various performance indicators. The model was improved through input from domain experts. An XML schema was developed for the model, which will promote system interoperability and enhance system compatibility. An interactive user interface was developed to support the education of the model users.
Dissection of the regulatory elements that control the Chx10 pathway of eye development

The Chx 10 retinal transcription factor is critical to normal eye development. Previous research on the or2J mutant mouse, in which Chx10 retinal expression is ablated, suggests the existence of a defect in a 5? regulatory element of Chx10. With the goal of using transgenic mice to localize this element, I constructed an RPCI-23 BAC contig spanning 177.7 kb upstream of Chx10. I also compared mouse and human sequence upstream of Chx10/CHX10 for conserved elements found in both sequences with greater than 80% identity over at least 100 base pairs, and therein identified 22 conserved non-coding elements. Element #510 could not be amplified by PCR from or2J DNA and produced bands of unexpected sizes with or2J DNA in genomic Southern blots. The location of element #510 is likely to be the site of a sequence disruption in the or2J mouse, and the element itself is a candidate to be the retinal enhancer of Chx10.
Mary, mother of Jesus and the Qur'anic text: A feminist literary study

This study will investigate the portrayal of Maryam, mother of `Isa (Mary mother of Jesus) and will question whether the language of the Qur'an and its meanings offer a concept of the feminine which confines or emancipates women. Maryam is chosen from among other qur'anic women of 'salvation history' because she is the exemplary figure par excellence not only to righteous women but also to the Prophet Muhammad. Not only is Maryam the only female figure named in the Qur'an, she is the only one who has the power to name as well as the only biblical and non-biblical figure to have a story of her own. Feminist literary studies raise questions pertinent to textual politics (how the story of Maryam functions), to stylistics (how linguistic and psychological truth contribute to the esthetic value of the text) and to narrative (old and new motifs and how myth relates to literature). Many scholars have contributed to gender issues and qur'anic studies in the context of women's legal rights; however, none has devoted a literary study to a qur'anic woman figure. Other scholars, on the other hand, have devoted narrative studies to biblical figures such as Adam, Sulayman, Ibrahim, Musa and Yusuf but none has studied the portrayal of a female exemplar from a feminist perspective. This study is primarily research in the field of qur'anic scholarship on the applicability of modern literary theories to the Qur'an. Feminist literary theory attempts to break new ground for qur'anic studies and gender issues. It raises important questions for Muslim women and reclaims, through the Maryamic persona, the great meeting point between Christianity and Islam. This research will focus on the two main suras that contain the story of Maryam: The first covers her journey into the mythic where she becomes a mother archetype celebrated for her power of fertility (Surat Maryam), while the second covers her privileged infancy which equips her to enter the Holy of Holies and later to conceive her son, give him his matronym, `Isa son of Maryam, and his matrilineal genealogy, that of Al Imran. Whether through the literary or the social, through Maryam this study questions the fundamentality of the feminine in the Qur'an.