VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
A 4PAM/2PAM Coaxial Cable Receiver Analog Front-end Targeting 40Gb/s in 90-nm CMOS

A 4-PAM/2-PAM receiver analog front-end (AFE) targeting 20GSymbol/s for use with coaxial cable channels is presented. Behavioral simulations incorporate a transmitter, scalable coaxial cable model, and the proposed receiver architecture, targeting cable loss of 32dB at 10GHz. To accommodate links of varying lengths, the AFE includes a variable-gain amplifier (VGA) and analog peaking equalizer. The input preamplifier is important for achieving the required input sensitivity. A DC bias current is introduced through the feedback resistor in a conventional shunt-shunt feedback nMOS transimpedance amplifier (TIA) to level-shift the output, obviating a following level-shifting stage. The fabricated AFE occupies 0.89mm2 in a 90-nm CMOS process and dissipates 138mW from a 1.3V supply. The AFE amplifies and opens the eye pattern of a 20-Gb/s 2-PAM data stream transmitted over coaxial cable with 7.5dB loss at 10GHz.

Keywords: electrical engineering
electronics
equalization
CMOS
4-PAM
PAM4
Advisor: Carusone, Anthony Chan
Academic Clustering and Placement Tools for Modern Field-programmable Gate Array Architectures

Academic Clustering and Placement Tools for Modern Field-Programmable Gate Array Architectures Daniele Giuseppe Paladino Masters of Applied Science Graduate Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Toronto 2008 Abstract Academic tools have been used in many research studies to investigate Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) architecture, but these tools are not sufficiently flexible to represent modern commercial devices. This thesis describes two new tools, the Dynamic Clusterer (DC) and the Dynamic Placer (DP) that perform the clustering and placement steps in the FPGA CAD flow. These tools are developed in direct extension of the popular Versatile Place and Route (VPR) academic tools. We describe the changes that are necessary to the traditional tools in order to model modern devices, and provide experimental results that show the quality of the algorithms achieved is similar to a commercial CAD tool, Quartus II. Finally, a small number of research experiments were investigated using the clustering and placement tools created to demonstrate the practical use of these tools for academic research studies of FPGA CAD tools.

Keywords: Clustering
Placement
CAD
FPGA
Field-Programmable Gate Array
Computer Aided Design Tools
FPGA Architecture
software
Computer Engineering
Advisor: Brown, Stephen
Roles and Responsibilities of Pharmacists with Respect to Natural Health Products: Stakeholder Interviews

Background: Although many pharmacies sell natural health products (NHPs), there is no clear definition as to the responsibilities (if any) of pharmacists towards these products. Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore and compare pharmacy and stakeholder leaders’ perceptions of pharmacists’ professional NHP responsibilities. Methods: Semi-structured key informant interviews were conducted with pharmacy leaders and stakeholder leaders representing: consumers, complementary and alternative medicine practitioners, conventional healthcare practitioners, and industry across Canada. Results: Nearly all participants believed safety monitoring was a key responsibility of pharmacists. One challenge identified was pharmacists’ general lack of NHP knowledge. Stakeholder leaders did not expect pharmacists to be NHP experts, but should have a basic level of education on NHPs. Many pharmacy leaders seemed unfamiliar with current pharmacy NHP policies. Conclusion: Participants described pharmacists’ professional responsibilities for NHPs as similar to those for over-the-counter drugs. More awareness of existing NHP-related pharmacy policies is needed.

Keywords: natural health product
pharmacist
responsibilities
pharmacy policy
Advisor: Boon, Heather
Construction of Multidimensional Metal-organic Framework via Self-assembly Approach: the Harvest of Interesting Molecular Textures

Metal organic framework (MOF) has emerged as a new class of porous, thermally stable material which has attracted great attention due to their wide applications in gas storage, separation, catalysis etc. Self-assembly is the operative mechanism of MOFs syntheses; however, the control of MOF self-assembly is still a challenge in the construction of predetermined, structurally well-defined MOFs. The goal of the research is to arrive at multidimensional, highly porous and functional MOFs via hierarchical assembly of smaller molecular building blocks and, at the same time, to examine the possibilities for different interesting molecular textures. This goal is to be accomplished by the knowledge of ligand coordination mode, and geometry as well as logical choices of ligands and metals from which the MOFs are to be constructed from. Preparations of novel frameworks as well as other interesting molecular architectures are highlighted with their structures characterized.

Keywords: metal-organic framework
self-assembly
luminescence
host-guest system
coordination polymer
molecular textures
multidimensional framework
Advisor: Song, Datong
Distributed Circuit Techniques for Equalization of Short Multimode Fiber Links

Electronic dispersion compensation (EDC) of intermodal dispersion on short multimode fiber (MMF) links operating at 40 Gb/s is investigated through system level simulations and the design of two analog integrated circuit (IC) equalizers. System simulations using worst-case MMF link models show the effectiveness of a 2-tap baud spaced finite impulse response (FIR) equalizer for 40-m links, and a second-order Tbaud/2 infinite impulse response (IIR) equalizer for 50-m links. An IIR filter topology suitable for IC implementation with double loops and multiple delay sections was developed. The 2-tap FIR and the IIR equalizer are implemented in UMC 0.13-um and STM 90-nm CMOS processes respectively. Measurements demonstrate the FIR and IIR equalizing 38-Gb/s and 30-Gb/s cable channels respectively. To the author's knowledge, the double-loop multi-delay IIR equalizer is the first integrated traveling-wave equalizer utilizing poles as a means of frequency boosting, contrasting the conventional FIR technique of utilizing zeros.

Keywords: equalizers
infinite impulse response
traveling wave filter
transversal filter
CMOS
integrated circuits
Advisor: Carusone, Anthony Chan
Concerns, Desires and Expectations of Surgery for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Comparison of Patients', Parents' & Surgeons' Perspectives

Concerns, Desires and Expectations Of Surgery For Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Comparison Of Patients’, Parents’ & Surgeons’ Perspectives. Master of Science, 2008 Unni G. Narayanan Department of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation University of Toronto ABSTRACT This study explored the concerns, desires (goals) and expectations of adolescents undergoing surgery for idiopathic scoliosis, and contrasted their priorities with those of their parents and surgeons. Parents were more concerned than their children about the consequences of scoliosis and of surgery. With the exception of improving physical appearance, surgeons' goals of surgery were different from those of either the patients or parents. There was little agreement among surgeons about the natural history of scoliosis, other goals of surgery and the likelihood of specific outcomes. Parents wanted and expected more from surgery than their children. Parents and patients had greater expectations of surgery than surgeons. Although adolescents had different priorities from their parents, parents were aware of these differences and reliably predicted their children’s priorities. These findings have important implications on shared decision-making and informed consent, and might contribute to better understanding and measurement of outcomes that matter to patients.

Keywords: patient priorities
concerns, desires and expectations
adolescent idiopathic scoliosis
surgery
Advisor: Wright, James G.
Sketch-based Path Design

We first present a novel approach to sketching 2D curves with minimally varying curvature as piecewise clothoids. A stable and efficient algorithm fits a sketched piecewise linear curve using a number of clothoid segments with G2 continuity based on a specified error tolerance. We then present a system for conceptually sketching 3D layouts for road and other path networks. Our system makes four key contributions. First, we generate paths with piecewise linear curvature by fitting 2D clothoid curves to strokes sketched on a terrain. Second, the height of paths above the terrain is automatically determined using a new constraint optimization formulation of the occlusion relationships between sketched strokes. Third, we present the break-out lens, a novel widget inspired by break-out views used in engineering visualization, to facilitate the in-context and interactive manipulation of paths from alternate view points. Finally, our path construction is terrain sensitive.

Advisor: Singh, Karan
The Impacts of Health and Education for Children and Families Enrolled in Aboriginal Head Start Urban and Northern Communities in Ontario

Aboriginal Head Start Urban and Northern Communities (AHSUNC) Initiative in Ontario provides an early childhood development program specifically for urban Aboriginal children between 3 and 5 years old. Twenty-nine families from Waabinong Head Start in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, completed two questionnaires given four months apart covering a range of health and education topics. The completed surveys supported a trend toward healthier lifestyle choices, improved education of the children, upward mobility in employment, increases in self-perceived general and mental health of primary and second caregivers, and decreases in smoking, illegal drug use, and alcohol use. Families reported an increased sense of pride in being Aboriginal shown by their children, plus learning of culture and Ojibwe language, which has lead to improvement in all of the child’s skills and abilities.

Keywords: early childhood development
Aboriginal people
health
social determinants of health
nutrition
culture
language
urban Aboriginal people
Advisor: Restoule, Jean-Paul
Olson, Paul
Does Aging Act to Maximize or Minimize Cultural Differences in Cognitive Processing Style? Evidence from Eye Movements during Scene Perception

There is evidence to suggest that people from different cultures have different cognitive processing styles. For example, by measuring the eye movements of American and Chinese students when viewing pictures, Chua, Boland, and Nisbett (2005) found that American students fixated more on the focal object, whereas Chinese students fixated more on the background. In a subsequent object-recognition task, the Chinese students were less likely to correctly recognize old objects presented in new backgrounds than Americans did. This study used a similar scene-viewing task to investigate whether aging modulates these cultural differences in cognitive processing style. Like Chua et al., we found that young Chinese students spent longer fixating the background than did their Western counterparts. However, we failed to replicate the accompanying memory bias observed by Chua et al. Our strongest finding was that maintaining the original background facilitated memory for objects in young participants of both cultures but not for older participants. This result suggests that older adults had poorer memory for background details and/or had poorer integration of object and background.

Keywords: aging
culture
eye-tracking
Advisor: Daneman, Meredyth
Computational Studies of Engineered Defects in Colloidal Photonic Crystals

This thesis is an exploration of the properties of engineered defects in self-assembled photonic crystals, with particular attention paid to the complete band gap of the a-Si inverse opal. The potential of this metamaterial for optical signal processing in telecommunications is studied using a pair of complementary simulation techniques; one is a frequency-domain code, while the other is in the time domain. Calculations of photonic states associated with isolated point defects are performed, and their cavity modes, losses and field distributions are calculated. The equivalence of two classes of defects is demonstrated, and a robust, single-mode point defect microcavity is proposed. A linear defect waveguide, comprised of coupled chain of such point defects, is analyzed. Transmission around sharp bends is demonstrated, and some simple devices are considered. Several potential approaches to fabrication of the defects, the properties of various candidate materials, and more complex devices are discussed.

Keywords: photonics
photonic crystals
materials
simulation
devices
Advisor: Ozin, Geoffrey Alan
Aitchison, J. Stewart
Perovic, Doug
Yu, Sun
Uncoupling Protein-2 Modulation of Reactive Oxygen Species and Cell Viability in the Pancreatic Beta Cell

Uncoupling protein-2 (UCP2) may be linked to the attenuation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), but it is unclear whether this phenomenon pertains to the pancreatic beta cell. In this study, a UCP2-deficient mouse model was used to assess the importance of UCP2 to beta cell viability. We investigated the effect of UCP2 absence in response to a beta cell cytotoxic model of diabetes induction. In vivo treatment by the cytotoxic agent streptozotocin led to overall beta cell loss, but severity was not exacerbated by UCP2 deficiency. We also examined ROS production and cell viability in islet cells exposed to various stressors associated with oxidative stress. In vitro measurements of ROS and cell death in islet cells demonstrated that the response was not influenced by UCP2 expression. In contrast with UCP2 overexpression studies showing cytoprotection, this study reveals that beta cell survival is not compromised by the absence of UCP2.

Keywords: uncoupling protein-2
diabetes
beta cell
reactive oxygen species
oxidative stress
cell viability
Advisor: Wheeler, Michael
Diabetes and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Pancreatic beta-cells: Effects on Insulin Biosynthesis and beta-cell Apoptosis

Chronic hyperlipidemia (lipotoxicity) and hyperglycemia (glucotoxicity) have recently been shown to induce Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress, which may contribute to pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction in type 2 diabetes. This thesis examined the involvement of ER stress in beta-cell lipotoxicity and glucotoxicity. Although chronic treatment with saturated free fatty acids (FFA) in vitro induced ER stress, altering ER stress by increasing or knocking-down GRP78 chaperone expression had no effect on apoptosis induction. Conversely, overexpression of ER chaperones rescued the reduction in proinsulin protein levels caused by chronic exposure to high glucose, although it had no effect on the decreased insulin mRNA levels and proinsulin translation rate. Thus, ER stress is likely not the main mechanism involved in saturated FFA-induced beta-cell apoptosis in vitro, but it may contribute to glucotoxic effects on proinsulin levels. These findings have increased our understanding of the link between ER stress and beta-cell dysfunction in type 2 diabetes.

Keywords: pancreatic beta-cells
type 2 diabetes
ER stress
apoptosis
pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction
free fatty acids
lipotoxicity
palmitate
high glucose
hyperglycemia
glucotoxicity
insulin biosynthesis
unfolded protein response
chaperone
GRP78
PDI
INS-1
MIN6
human islets
stable cell line
Advisor: Volchuk, Allen
Development of a Novel Biodegradable Drug Polymer for the Modification of Inflammatory Response

The first objective of this thesis was to assess the feasibility of designing a “smart” degradable polymer that can release anti-inflammatory drugs in response to inflammatory-related enzymes. The drug polymer was synthesized using diisocyanates, poly(caprolactone)diols, and oxaceprol (OC) biomonomers. Biodegradation studies demonstrated that the trimethylhexamethylene diisocyanate-based drug polymer responded to an inflammatory enzyme to release more OC, while a 1, 12-diisocyanatododecane analog demonstrated minimal drug release. The drug delivery response was believed to be a direct function of the molecular structure and distribution of the hard segment. The second objective of this thesis was to elucidate the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of OC by investigating its effects on cytokine-induced monocytic-cells adhesion in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro. Results showed that OC had no direct effect on the monocyte-endothelium adhesion, suggesting that OC may mediate inflammation by mechanisms other than those suggested by the literature.

Keywords: Drug delivery
Oxaceprol
anti-inflammatory
Polyurethane
Advisor: Santerre, J. Paul
Adoption of a Clinical Innovation "Best Practices for Concurrent Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders" in Ontario, a One-year Follow up

Objectives: To determine the level of adoption and which characteristics are most strongly associated with the adoption of a clinical innovation in Mental Health and Addiction Service organizations in Ontario, one year after dissemination. Methods: This cross-sectional study included a voluntary quantitative mail-out survey, using a self administered questionnaire that was sent to 260 mental health and addiction service organizations in Ontario. Linear regression analysis was conducted to identify significant predictors of the overall adoption-decision of the best practice recommendations. Results: Individuals’ tenure within the organization and the provision of screening (organizational variable) was identified to be predictors of adoption for the organization. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrated the majority of the organizations are on the path towards a finale decision of adopting or rejecting the recommendations. The results also demonstrate the importance of individual characteristics and organizational characteristics in identifying predictors of adoption.

Keywords: diffusion
best practices
Concurrent disorders
mental health
Advisor: Cockerill, Rhonda
Barnsley, Janet
Representation and Reorganization of Web Accessibility Guidelines Using Goal Graphs and Design Patterns

Web accessibility guidelines have textual representation and provide little support in systematic analysis and usage. The study hypothesizes that the guidelines can be reorganized and represented using the goal oriented technique and design patterns which will allow their usage in a more systematic manner and accommodate detailed analysis of the guidelines with other competing goals. For this study, knowledge from web designers’ experiences in using the guidelines, researchers’ findings, and the actual guidelines have been amalgamated. Six web designers have been consulted on a one-on-one basis and difficulties in using the guidelines for (1) specific scenarios, (2) systematic application, and (3) detailed systems analysis have been reported. Goal oriented modeling and design patterns have been introduced for (1) graphical representation of the guidelines using goal graphs, and (2) keeping the technical details separate from the goal graphs. The proposed representation allows for the accessibility guidelines to be systematically applied into interface design, and systems design using the goal oriented modeling technique.

Keywords: web accessibility guidelines
goal oriented modeling
goal graphs
non-functional requirements
NFR
guideline application
design patterns
UI design
interface design
holistic design
goal analysis
accessibility conflict
Advisor: Yu, Eric
Solution-processed Schottky-quantum Dot Photovoltaics for Efficient Infrared Power Conversion

Solar energy harvesting demands low-cost energy conversion in the infrared from 1 – 2 μm. However, solution-processed photovoltaic devices have remained relatively inefficient in this spectral region. Herein, lead sulfide colloidal nanocrystal quantum dots are used to facilitate efficient infrared power conversion. Solution-cast nanocrystal films are employed in a simple metal/semiconductor/metal architecture to produce a photovoltaic effect. It is shown that a Schottky barrier is induced, which is responsible for the charge separating action. Through optimization of chemical processes and device fabrication, the photovoltaic response is maximized. The infrared power conversion efficiency reaches 4.2%, which sets a new precedent for solution-processed photovoltaic cells. Furthermore, the devices exhibit efficient broadband solar power conversion and show promise for multijunction cell architectures. Carrier drift through a large depletion region near the Schottky contact is determined to be the dominant transport mechanism.

Keywords: Photovoltaics
Nanocrystal
Quantum Dot
Infrared
Schottky
Advisor: Sargent, Ted
Facilitators and Barriers of Physical Activity in Older Persons Who Have Experienced a Fall

FACILITATORS AND BARRIERS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN OLDER PERSONS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED A FALL Edwin Yoshiyuki Hanada, Master's of Science Degree, Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, 2008 ABSTRACT A systematic review and four focus groups were conducted to determine the facilitators and barriers of physical activity in older adults who have experienced a fall. Results from the systematic review demonstrated facilitators and barriers of purposeful and non-purposeful physical activity for older adults, but not specifically fallers. Facilitators identified in the systematic review and elaborated upon in the focus groups involving older fallers included: deriving benefits from physical activity in the physical, psychological, or functional realms; and social support providing encouragement for participation in physical activity, or acting as a distraction from negative physical symptoms during participation in group physical activity. Conversely, barriers to purposeful and non-purposeful physical activity included: symptoms of chronic illnesses, such as cardiac chest pain, arthritic pain, poor balance or poor eyesight; a fear of falling; and adverse physical environmental conditions, such as cold or warm, humid weather. The focus groups identified disinclination to activity as an important barrier to purposeful physical activity. When placed in a theoretical context such as Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory and Marcus and Owen’s Readiness for Change model, the results of this study can help inform the design of physical activity interventions to prevent falls in older adults with a history of falls.

Keywords: facilitators
barriers
determinants
physical activity
older
elderly
fall
Advisor: Naglie, Gary
Cost-aware Dynamic Provisioning for Performance and Power Management

Dynamic provisioning of server boxes to applications entails an inherent performance-power trade-off for the service provider, a trade-off that has not been studied in detail. The optimal number of replicas to be dynamically provisioned to an application is ultimately the configuration that results in the highest revenue. The service provider should thus dynamically provision resources for an application only as long as the resulting reward from hosting more clients exceeds its operational costs for power and cooling. We introduce a novel cost-aware dynamic provisioning approach for the database tier of a dynamic content site. Our approach employs Support Vector Machine regression for learning a dynamically adaptive system model. We leverage this lightweight on-line learning approach for two cost-aware dynamic provisioning techniques. The first is a temperature-aware scheme which avoids temperature hot-spots within the set of provisioned machines, and hence reduces cooling costs. The second is a more general cost-aware provisioning technique using a utility function expressing monetary costs for both performance and power.

Keywords: Autonomic Computing
Proactive Provisioning
Advisor: Amza, Cristiana