VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
A Study of Underground Stormwater Detention Chambers and the Creation of the Model for Underground Detention of Sediment

This thesis investigates the hydraulic and runoff treatment capabilities of Underground Stormwater Detention Chambers (USDC) and compares them to stormwater management ponds, the industry standard system for runoff detention and treatment. Runoff characteristics were monitored at a USDC in Markham, Ontario. Characteristics include: total suspended solids, turbidity, nutrients, metals, bacteria, temperature, and hydrocarbons. The Model for Underground Detention of Sediment (MUDS) was created to predict the removal of suspended solids by a USDC. The results indicate that the Markham USDC meets all provincial hydraulic requirements and most water quality requirements. Also, the Markham USDC provides equivalent or improved level of service compared to stormwater management ponds for runoff treatment in most cases. MUDS was proven capable of accurately predicting USDC hydraulics and suspended solids removal for both event based and continuous based simulations.

Keywords: Sedimentation Modeling
Stormwater Management
Stormwater treatment
Underground Stormwater Detention Chamber
Advisor: Drake, Jennifer
Role of Dentin Compositional Changes and Structural Loss on Fracture Predilection in Endodontically Treated Teeth

The aim of this study was to examine the role of chemical compositional changes and iatrogenic dentin structural loss on the mechanical response of teeth to force and resistance to fracture. The experiments were divided into three phases. In phase 1, experimental studies were performed to evaluate the effect of chemicals used during treatment on ultrastructure, composition and resistance to fracture of dentin. In phase 2, experimental studies were used to evaluate the influence of dentin removal and remaining dentin volume on the resistance to fracture and microcrack formation in root dentin. In phase 3 finite element analysis was carried out to examine the influence of dentin loss on the stress distribution in root dentin. The combination of experimental and numerical analysis highlighted the role of remaining dentin volume and moment of inertia on root dentin biomechanics.

Advisor: Kishen, Anil
The Use of Social Media in a Physical Activity Campaign: MoveU

This study used mixed methods to explore the role of a social media platform (Facebook) in supporting a social marketing physical activity (PA) campaign ("MoveU") targeting first year undergraduate females. It comprised one-on-one interviews with nine key partners involved in the campaign's development and implementation; six focus groups with the target audience; and analytic data combined with a content analysis of posts delivered by MoveU on the Facebook page. This evaluation highlights that Facebook can be used to assist in some PA campaign goals such as reaching a target audience while simultaneously promoting existing opportunities to be physically active. However, campaign partners had unrealistic expectations about how "social media" could be used to engage the audience in multi-way conversations, as seen in modest engagement with MoveU's Facebook page. The meaning behind engagement metrics, as well as theoretical and methodological implications of the findings, are discussed.

Keywords: Evaluation
Facebook
Health promotion
Physical activity
Social marketing
Social media
Advisor: Faulkner, Guy
Drift Recovery and Station Keeping for the CANX-4 and CANX-5 Nanosatellite Formation Flying Mission

Canadian Advanced Nanospace eXperiments 4 5 (CanX-45) are a pair of formation flying nanosatellites that demonstrated autonomous sub-metre formation control at ranges of 1000 to 50 m. To facilitate the autonomous formation flight mission, it is necessary that the two spacecraft be brought within a few kilometres of one another, with a low relative velocity. Therefore, a system to calculate fuel-efficient recovery trajectories and produce the corresponding spacecraft commands was required. This system was also extended to provide station keeping capabilities In this thesis, the overall drift recovery strategy is outlined, and the design of the controller is detailed. A method of putting the formation into a passively safe state, where the spacecraft cannot collide, is also presented. Monte-Carlo simulations are used to estimate the fuel losses associated with navigational and attitude errors. Finally, on-orbit results are presented, validating both the design and the error expectations.

Keywords: Control
Formation Flight
Guidance
Microsatellite
Nanosatellite
Navigation
Advisor: Zee, Robert E.
Biogeography of the Weakly Electric Knifefish Gymnotus carapo (Teleostei: Gymnotidae) in the Guianas

The electric knifefishes (Gymnotiformes) are widely distributed across South and Central America, with the highest species concentrations occurring in the Amazon and Orinoco basins. Riverine features such as waterfalls and rapids can cause disjunct populations to form between highland and lowland areas in these basins. The Guiana Shield provides a good model to study the genetic differences between populations precisely because it has upland and lowland areas with extant populations of Gymnotiformes. To examine genetic divergence between highlands and lowlands, mitochondrial (cytochrome b) and nuclear (S7) DNA was sequenced for members of the Gymnotus carapo species complex (Gymnotidae). Population and phylogenetic analysis indicate a distinct split between upland and lowland populations, with those species in the highlands showing greater genetic similarity to populations from the Amazon basin.

Keywords: biogeography
Guiana Shield
Gymnotidae
ichthyology
species complex
Advisor: Lovejoy, Nathan R
An Examination of Benders' Decomposition Approaches in Large-scale Healthcare Optimization Problems

Benders' decomposition is an important tool used to solve large-scale optimization problems found in healthcare. Radiation therapy and operating room planning and scheduling are two areas in which Benders' decomposition have been applied to solve difficult problems. In radiation therapy, we develop two novel Benders' algorithms, including a classical Benders' algorithm and a combinatorial Benders' algorithm, to solve the sector duration and optimization problem efficiently. In operating room planning and scheduling, we implement an existing logic-based Benders' algorithm for tactical operating room planning and scheduling and analyze the effect of changes to the input data on various output statistics.

Keywords: Benders
large-scale
optimization
planning
Advisor: Aleman, Dionne M
Clinicopathological Correlates of Pituitary Adenoma

Our current understanding of pituitary adenoma (PA) pathobiology is limited. Thus, the purpose of this project is to gain a better understanding of PA biology through the completion of two aims: 1) conducting a retrospective review of PA patients and 2) establishing and characterizing an intracranial xenograft mouse model of PA and using the model to identify novel targeted therapies. With respect to our first aim, several tumor- and patient specific factors were correlated to PA growth and recurrence. In our second aim, our tumor models were found to express growth hormone (GH) and prolactin as well as proteins in the mTOR pathway. These PA models were responsive to mTOR inhibition using RAD001 and resuted in a reduction in tumor growth rate and the expression of mTOR and GH. A preclinical and clinical study of PA provides a robust understanding of the clincopathologic factors contributing to PA and may ultimately help improve treatment and outcome.

Keywords: clinicopathological
Intracranial
mTOR
Pituitary
RAD001
xenograft
Advisor: Ezzat, Shereen
Zadeh, Gelareh
Development of a Real-time System to Measure Foot Clearance Based on Inertial Sensors

Certain patient populations such as amputees are at a higher risk of falling when walking due to the diminished ability to maintain a safe Foot Clearance (FC). Current research in FC measurement focuses on developing systems that can be worn by the patient in the community, providing a tool for clinical assessment of gait outside a laboratory to provide users with feedback about FC. In this project, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) was used and an algorithm was developed for estimating FC during walking. Experiments were conducted whereby five health adults walked under different conditions while their foot movements were tracked using the IMU-based system, and concurrently with an Optical Motion Capture System for comparison. Pearson Correlation coefficient and error in peak values were used to determine the system accuracy, while the processing time was measured during every trial to determine the delays in the system.

Keywords: Accelerometer
Foot clearance
Gyroscope
Intertial measurement unit
Advisor: Andrysek, Jan
Role for the Red Nucleus in Motor Control during REM Sleep

During rapid eye movement (REM) sleep the brain exhibits activity similar to waking. Despite this activity, the motor system is forced into a state of paralysis called REM sleep atonia. Though muscle tone is highly suppressed, this atonia is punctuated by phasic twitches. Here, the red nucleus (RN), a predominantly glutamatergic motor center in the midbrain, is identified as a potential region involved in the control of REM sleep twitches. Using a pharmacogentic technique termed Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADDs), the RN was stimulated during REM sleep to determine its effect on muscle tone. I found that activation of the RN and its glutamatergic neurons increases muscle activity during REM sleep by increasing the number of phasic twitches. This increase disrupts the normal pattern of muscle activity seen during REM sleep. These results bring to light a new area of motor control during REM sleep.

Keywords: DREADDs
Muscle atonia
Phasic Twitches
Red Nucleus
REM Sleep
REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder
Advisor: Peever, John H
Engineered Biofiltration for the Removal of Disinfection By-product Precursors, Genotoxicity and Emerging Contaminants

Biofilters have been operated in a passive manner without operator control, but the focus has shifted to the potential for enhancement. This pilot study compared conventional treatment (coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, non-biological filtration) to passive and engineered direct biofilters for the removal of disinfection by-product precursors, and genotoxic precursors for two different source waters (Lake Ontario and Otonabee River). Additionally, 9 pharmaceuticals and 2 artificial sweeteners were spiked into the pilot to observe the reduction of these emerging contaminants through the biofilters. Conventional treatment provided superior performance compared to biofiltration for the removal of DBP precursors, but performed equally well with respect to genotoxicity reduction in Otonabee River samples. Lake Ontario water was best treated by filters receiving 0.8 mg/L PACl. Engineered biofilters, enhanced with nutrients or hydrogen peroxide, were typically no better than a passively operated biofilter. The removal of pharmaceuticals and sweeteners was improved with a combination of biological and chemical treatments.

Keywords: Biological Filtration
Disinfection By-Products
Drinking Water
Engineered Biofiltration
Genotoxicity
Halogenated Furanones
Advisor: Andrews, Robert C
Andrews, Susan A
Upgrading a Commercial Vehicle Model Using a Roadside Truck Survey: Application for the City of Edmonton

The movement of goods and services are central to the economy of the City of Edmonton. The City understood the importance of incorporating commercial vehicle movements as part of their overall planning process and developed a commercial vehicle model in 2006. Since the development of the original model, no further analysis has been conducted to ensure that the model is estimating commercial vehicle movements accurately. Preferably, an updated establishment-based survey would be collected and a complete re-estimation of the tour-based microsimulation model would be performed. However, this research aims to provide a cost effective approach to upgrade the City of Edmonton's commercial vehicle model to reflect current conditions using the truck counts collected in a roadside truck survey. This research has provided the City with an effective iterative adjustment procedure which has resulted in a model which outperforms the original model and is re-calibrated to the new road count data.

Keywords: Calibration
Commercial Vehicle Model
Edmonton
Freight Demand Modelling
Freight Modelling
Transportation
Advisor: Roorda, Matthew J
Implementation and Evaluation of an SDN Management System on the SAVI Testbed

Distributed computing applications often require a variety of infrastructure components, such as storage, computing power, and network access, in order to be deployed. In recent years, the IaaS model of cloud computing has significantly reduced the cost of storage and computing power, thus lowering barriers for developers who wish to deploy such applications. However, allowing administrators and users to exercise fine-grained control over the network fabric itself has been an elusive feature. The Smart Applications on Virtualized Infrastructure (SAVI) testbed is an IaaS cloud aimed at empowering researchers to deploy novel applications and experiments. One of the key traits of the testbed is its attempt to virtualize the entire infrastructure, including non-conventional resources such as FPGAs and wireless access points, while enabling researchers the ability to carry out fine-grained traffic control. This thesis documents the implementation and evaluation of an SDN management system for the SAVI testbed, using a novel infrastructure management concept known as software-defined infrastructure.

Keywords: Cloud Computing
Management
Networking
Software-Defined Infrastructure
Software-Defined Networking
Virtualization
Advisor: Leon-Garcia, Alberto
Development of Artificial Neural Networks for the Optimization of Drinking Water Treatment

Effective filtration is essential to maintaining surface water treatment objectives. To maximize water quality in terms of effluent turbidity and filter run time, the Elgin Area WTP has adopted artificial neural networks (ANN) to predict settled water and filter effluent turbidity as well as optimum alum and carbon dioxide dosages. Settled water turbidity dosage-response surfaces were produced by applying a matrix of assumed alum and carbon dioxide dosages and comparing the results to historical averages. Trained ANNs were used to predict filter effluent turbidity for a variety of flow rates and compared to removal efficiency equations. ANN responses based on assumed values proved to be successful diagnostic tests for the ANN and ease the choice of operating conditions for optimal performance. Point-wise confidence intervals based on error and squared error values were produced using ANN. These ANN based confidence intervals performed well compared to statistic-based confidence intervals.

Keywords: artificial neural networks
coagulation
filtration
optimization
Water Treatment
Advisor: Andrews, Robert C
Alterations of Bone Mineral Density, Microarchitecture and Strength in Patients with Ankylosing spondylitis: a Cross-sectional Study using High-resolution Peripheral Quantitative Computerized Tomography

Patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) have high fracture risk. BMD, bone microarchitecture and strength determine bone strength. However, the effect of AS on bone microarchitecture and strength is not studied yet. This study aimed to analyze how AS affects bone microarchitecture and strength. Volumetric BMD (vBMD) and microarchitecture were measured using HRpQCT, and bone strength was estimated using finite element analysis. Multivariable linear regression was used to analyze the effect of AS on HRpQCT and FEA parameters. There were 44 AS patients and 85 non-AS subjects. In multivariable linear regression models, AS patients had lower volumetric BMD, cortical thickness, BV/TV and higher cortical porosity and trabecular separation when compared to non-AS controls. FEA parameters such as bone stiffness and stress were also abnormal in AS patients. To conclude, it was found that volumetric BMD, trabecular and cortical microarchitecture as well as FEA parameters were worse in AS patients than non-AS subjects. These abnormalities might partly explain the high fracture risk in patients with AS.

Keywords: Ankylosing Spondylitis
Bone microarchitecture
Bone mineral density
HRpQCT
Advisor: Cheung, Angela M
Soybean N2-fixation Rates and Yield in Tree-based Intercropping Systems: Effects of Water Limitations and Environmental Modifications

In Ontario, where 80% of Canada's soybean crop is grown, a lack of reliable soil moisture during the growing season is an anticipated outcome of climate change. Di-nitrogen (N2) fixation rates in soybean are well known to be highly sensitive to water deficits. The objective of this study was to examine i) the effect of a full season water deficit on soybean N2-fixation rates and yield in the field, and ii) whether tree- based intercrops (TBI) could modulate the impact of a full season water deficit on these two parameters. This study used rainfall reduction shelters to reduce available soil moisture in monoculture and in a TBI agroforestry system in southern Ontario. Fixed N was significantly reduced in the water deficit treatment in both monoculture and TBI systems. Soybean yield was significantly reduced in the water deficit treatment but only in monoculture, not in the TBI system. Results demonstrate that important N pathways are restricted under water limitation but that TBI systems may induce yield stability under water deficit scenarios.

Keywords: legume
N2 fixatoin
Ontario
soybean
water deficit
water stress
Advisor: Isaac, Marney E
Energy-optimal Flight of a Solar-assisted Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

The harnessing of solar energy during the operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) provides a potential solution to combat the energy constraints. This thesis examines the practicality of a mini solar-assisted UAV and provides experimental validation in regards to energy maximization through solar-electric power management and flight path optimization. A solar-assisted UAV is constructed and shows an increase in flight time. In addition, through the application of power management techniques, an increase in net energy for the solar-assisted UAV is observed. A simulation environment is also developed providing a model for the UAV and estimations for the energy collected and consumed during flight. The simulation results are consistent with real-time measurements during flight tests. Finally, an energy-optimal flight path increasing the net energy is obtained and successfully demonstrated during flight tests.

Keywords: energy-optimal path planning
flight test
power management
solar
UAV
Advisor: Liu, Hugh H.T.
Ng, Wai T.
Synthesis and Solution Self-assembly of Poly(L-Lactide)-based Amphiphilic Block Copolymers

Nanostructures based on biocompatible and biodegradable polymers are desirable for numerous biomedical applications. An amphiphilic block copolymer, poly(L-lactide)-b-poly(acrylic acid) (PLLA-b-PAA), was synthesized by combination of ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of L-lactide and reversible-addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of tert-butyl acrylate, a protected acrylic acid. Methoxy-terminated poly(ethylene glycol)-amine, a protein-repellent polymer, was conjugated to a portion of the PAA block to prepare a brush copolymer, PLLA-b-P(AA-r-PEGAm). The self-assembly of these amphiphilic block copolymers was explored in dilute aqueous solution using a solvent-switch method. A number of morphologies were observed when the self-assembly conditions (e.g., solvent, concentration, temperature) were varied. These structures included fibers, lozenges, and intermediate fiber-lozenge structures. The most intriguing result was that PLLA-b-PAA formed well-defined lozenge-shaped structures when the self-assembly was performed at 55 °C. The -COOH groups on the PAA corona of the micelles were used to coordinate to cisplatin, demonstrating the potential of the micelles to be employed as nanocarriers for drug delivery.

Advisor: Winnik, Mitchell A.
Divide-and-conquer Techniques for Large Scale FPGA Design

The exponential growth in Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) size afforded by Moore's Law has greatly increased the breadth and scale of applications suitable for implementation on FPGAs. However, the increasing design size and complexity challenge the scalability of the conventional approaches used to implement FPGA designs - making FPGAs difficult and time-consuming to use. This thesis investigates new divide-and-conquer approaches to address these scalability challenges. In order to evaluate the scalability and limitations of existing approaches, we present a new large FPGA benchmark suite suitable for exploring these issues. We then investigate the practicality of using latency insensitive design to decouple timing requirements and reduce the number of design iterations required to achieve timing closure. Finally we study floorplanning, a technique which spatially decomposes the FPGA implementation to expose additional parallelism during the implementation process. To evaluate the impact of floorplanning on FPGAs we develop Hetris, a new automated FPGA floorplanning tool.

Keywords: Benchmarks
Computer-Aided Design
Floorplanning
FPGA
Latency Insensitive
Advisor: Betz, Vaughn
Accelerated Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Thermometry using an Undersampled Radial Acquisition and an Iterative Reconstruction

This thesis investigated the acceleration of MR thermometry, in the context of prostate heating generated via a transurethral ultrasound applicator, using highly undersampled radial acquisitions with a compressed sensing reconstruction. Three clinically-relevant heating patterns were generated in a phantom using a planar ultrasound transducer. Radial k-space was acquired and retrospectively undersampled by acceleration factors of 4, 8, and 16. Thermometry images were reconstructed using zero-filling and a compressed sensing approach and their accuracy was evaluated. A data-driven method was used for selecting the sparsity transform and the tuning parameters were chosen based on representative heating images. At each acceleration rate the compressed sensing thermometry images showed considerable reduction in artifacts relative to the zero-filled case. The Daubechies and Battle-Lemarie transforms were found to work well. At the maximum acceleration factor, thermometry images could be obtained that were of sufficient accuracy for use in the treatment.

Keywords: compressed sensing
magnetic resonance thermometry
prostate
transurethral
ultrasound
Advisor: Chopra, Rajiv
Nachman, Adrian
Engagement of Primary Care Providers in Care Coordination for Patients with Complex Medical Conditions

Background: The Seamless Care Optimizing the Patient Experience (SCOPE) project was initiated to increase linkages between primary care physicians (PCPs), hospitals and community resources to improve care for patients with complex chronic disease. This thesis examines the key steps and influencing factors associated with PCPs' engagement in SCOPE. Methods: A case study design was employed to collect interview data from PCPs identified as `early', `mid', or `later' adopters based on engagement during the first 14 months of SCOPE. Results: Twenty two of 30 eligible PCPs participated. Several engagement factors and differences between adopter groups were identified. Contextual elements such as strained inter-provider relations; feelings of responsibility, isolation and burnout; and the provision of support in a trusting, collaborative manner further influenced PCPs' engagement. Conclusion: A framework of contextual elements relevant to the engagement process of PCPs in care coordination models, and potentially other practice change initiatives, is presented .

Advisor: Baker, Ross G
Hawker, Gillian