Advances in technology and the introduction of high speed processors have increased the demand for fast, compact and commercial methods for transferring large amounts of data. The next generation of the communication access network will use optical fiber as a media for data transmission to the subscriber. In optical data or chip-to-chip data communication, the continuous received data needs to be converted to discrete data. For the conversion, a synchronous clock and data are required. A clock and data recovery (CDR) circuit recovers the phase information from the data and generates the in-phase clock and data. In this dissertation, two clock and data recovery circuits for Giga-bits per second (Gbps) serial data communication are designed and fabricated in 180nm and 90nm CMOS technology. The primary objective was to reduce the circuit power dissipation for multi-channel data communication applications. The power saving is achieved using low swing voltage signaling scheme. Furthermore, a novel low input swing Alexander phase detector is introduced. The proposed phase detector reduces the power consumption at the transmitter and receiver blocks. The circuit demonstrates a low power dissipation of 340µW/Gbps in 90nm CMOS technology. The CDR is able to recover the input signal swing of 35mVp. The peak-to-peak jitter is 21ps and RMS jitter is 2.5ps. Total core area excluding pads is approximately 0.01mm2.

This thesis presents two contributions in the area of high speed clock and data recovery systems. These contributions are focused on the fast phase recovery and adaptive equalization techniques. The first contribution of this thesis is an adaptive engine for a 2x blind sampling receiver. The proposed adaptation engine is able to find the phase-dependent DFE coefficients of the receiver on the fly. The second contribution is a burst-mode clock and data recovery architecture which uses an analog phase interpolator. The proposed burst-mode CDR is capable of locking to the first data transition it receives. The phase interpolator uses the inherent timing information in the data transition to rotate the phase of a reference clock and align it with the incoming data edge. The feasibility of the concept is demonstrated through fabrication and measurements.

This thesis presents two contributions in the area of high speed clock and data recovery systems. These contributions are focused on the fast phase recovery and adaptive equalization techniques. The first contribution of this thesis is an adaptive engine for a 2x blind sampling receiver. The proposed adaptation engine is able to find the phase-dependent DFE coefficients of the receiver on the fly. The second contribution is a burst-mode clock and data recovery architecture which uses an analog phase interpolator. The proposed burst-mode CDR is capable of locking to the first data transition it receives. The phase interpolator uses the inherent timing information in the data transition to rotate the phase of a reference clock and align it with the incoming data edge. The feasibility of the concept is demonstrated through fabrication and measurements.

This thesis deals with the controlling environment in the Revenue Assurance team of the telecommunication company Vodafone Inc. Its main goals are the suggestion of realizing and implementation of a new controlling process in Revenue Assurance. The individual goals of the thesis are introducing the term Revenue Assurance, so that the reader would understand the basic connection, and explanation of understanding the Revenue Assurance concept in other companies. The term is further compared to other controlling concepts such as controlling, risk management and internal audit, and the main differences among them are stated. Additionally, it explains the connection between the Revenue Assurance concept and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. This thesis' part is then followed by an explanation of understanding the Revenue Assurance concept in the telecommunication company Vodafone CZ. The key part of the thesis is the description of the suggestion, realizing and implementation of the control into the company process. This part is preceded by a descriptive part dealing with description of the chosen method and the analysis of a telecommunication environment. The final part then deals with the question if the control has been implemented successfully and how it was working during its existence. Finally, I state the benefit for the company according to the number of the cases and the revealed amount of revenue leakage.

This thesis is part of a project at Bombardier’s Object Controller System. This system acts as a communication interface for several sub-systems that control the railway traffic. Therefore, part of the safety and availability of railway transportation is dependent on the performance and reliability of this system especially the digital communication system that handles the board-to-board communication. Thus, Bombardier has implemented new high-speed LVDS channels to use instead of the implemented RS-485 channels to improve the board-to-board communication performance in the Object Controller System but they lack a transceiver. This thesis work explores possible transceiver solutions that achieve Bombardier requirements. Reusability is very important for Bombardier for safety compliance and certification. Therefore, the investigation was carried out by looking into what is currently implemented and then was carried on by looking into transceivers that used in highspeed communication and check their suitability and compliance for the FPGA and the requirements. This exploration results in three experiments for different transceiver architecture. The first experiment exploits the currently implemented transceiver architecture and it is not suitable for high-speed data rate due to a limitation in the buffer. The second experiment overcomes the buffer limitation by using a clock domain crossing buffer and results in a 100-time faster system. The third experiment aimed to achieve a higher data rate by using a clock and data recovery transceiver and results in a promising solution but needs some enhancements. For testing, a verification methodology following the one-way stress test architecture has been developed using VHDL for simulation and for in-chip testing and the results were verified using ChipScope logic analyzer from Xilinx. In addition, a thermal test for the solution from the second experiment has been performed. / Denna avhandling är en del av ett projekt på Bombardiers Object Controller System. Detta system fungerar som ett kommunikationsgränssnitt för flera delsystem som styr järnvägstrafiken. Därför är en del av säkerheten och tillgängligheten av järnvägstransporten beroende av systemets prestanda och tillförlitlighet, särskilt det digitala kommunikationssystemet som hanterar kommunikationen ombord. Bombardier har sålunda implementerat nya höghastighets LVDS-kanaler för att använda istället för de implementerade RS-485-kanalerna för att förbättra kommunikationsprestandan ombord i objektkontrollen, men de saknar en transceiver. Denna avhandling arbetar med att undersöka möjliga transceiverlösningar som uppnår Bombardier-krav. Återanvändbarhet är mycket viktigt för Bombardier för säkerhetsöverensstämmelse och certifiering. Undersökningen genomfördes därför genom att undersöka vad som för närvarande implementeras och sedan genomföras genom att titta på transceivers som används i höghastighetskommunikation och kontrollera deras lämplighet och överensstämmelse för FPGA och kraven. Denna undersökning resulterar i tre experiment för olika transceiverarkitektur. Det första experimentet utnyttjar den nuvarande implementerade transceiverarkitekturen. Den är inte lämplig för höghastighetsdatakommunikation på grund av en begränsning i bufferten. Det andra experimentet övervinns buffertbegränsningen genom att använda en klockdomänöverföringsbuffert vilket resulterar i ett 100-timmars snabbare system. Det tredje experimentet syftade till att uppnå en högre datahastighet genom att använda en klockoch dataåterställningstransceiver vilket resulterar i en lovande lösning men behöver vissa förbättringar. För testning har en verifieringsmetod som följer envägsstresstestarkitekturen utvecklats med hjälp av VHDL för simulering och för inchip-testning. Resultaten verifierades med hjälp av ChipScope logic analyzer från Xilinx. Dessutom har ett termiskt test för lösningen från det andra experimentet utförts.

Den fysiska arbetsmiljön är ett känt fenomen där arbetet kring förbättring har pågått under en längre tid. Den digitala arbetsmiljön är dock något nyare som blir allt mer påtaglig med den digitala utvecklingen. Vilka begrepp som bygger upp fenomenet digital arbetsmiljö samt deras funktion och påverkan är något som denna studie kommer undersöka för att bidra till hållbarhet på arbetsplatsen. Studien kommer undersöka vad företag gör för att bidra till en hållbar digital arbetsmiljö samt hur arbetsmiljön kan förbättras genom digitalt ansvarstagande. Undersökningens resultat baseras på studerande av befintliga teorier om ämnena: digital arbetsmiljö, digital integritet, digital funktionalitet och digital hållbarhet samt kvalitativa intervjuer. Intervjuerna ger dels information ur ledningens perspektiv samt medarbetarnas på operativ nivå. De två respondenterna inom ledningen arbetar som digitaliseringsansvariga på ett privatägt IT-företag respektive i en större kommun i Sverige, medans de två respondenterna som representerar den operativa nivån arbetar som IT konsult respektive Digital modellerare. Efter undersökning framkommer ett tydligt större intresse och fokus på den digitala arbetsmiljön. Teknikens möjligheter har i många år styrt utvecklingen som lett till att användarna fått anpassa sig efter tekniken. Allt större fokus har nu skiftat till att se tekniken som ett hjälpmedel som ska stötta och anpassa sig till verksamheten och medarbetarnas behov. Studiens resultat beskriver ett flertal olika saker som de studerade verksamheterna gör för att bidra till en bättre arbetsmiljö, men vi ser att det även finns många utmaningar i den digitala utvecklingen. Med hjälp av det digitala ansvaret har vi listat ett antal punkter som verksamheter bör sträva efter för att kunna uppnå en bättre hållbar digital arbetsmiljö. Några av slutsatserna som kan nyttjas av verksamheter för att bidra till bättre digital arbetsmiljö är att skydda medarbetarnas integritet, utbilda i ny teknik och informationshantering samt stötta och underlätta arbetet när tekniska problem inträffar. / The physical work environment is a well known phenomenon where the work of improvement has been going on for a long time. The digital work environment on the other hand is a newer concept and is more recognicable due to the digital development. The concepts that make up the phenomenon of the digital work environment and their function and impact is something that this study will examine to contribute to a sustainable workplace. The study will examine what companies do to contribute to a sustainable digital work environment as well as how the work environment can be improved through digital responsibility. The result of the study is based on earlier research and theories about digital work environment, digital integrity, digital functionality, digital sustainability, and also qualitative interviews. The interviews provide information from a management perspective as well as from an operational level. The two interviewees on a managerial level are both digital managers, one for a privately owned IT business and the other one in a large county in Sweden. The two respondents who represent the operational level are working as an IT consultant and a digital modelar respectively. After research, a clear greater interest and focus emerges on the digital work environment. The technique itself has for many years been controlling the development which has led to the users having to adapt to the technique, instead of an interplay. The focus has now shifted to treat the technique as an aid to support and adapt to the organisation, its users and their needs. The results of the study describe several things that the studied companies are actively doing to contribute to a better work environment, but there are also challenges along with the digital development. With digital responsibility as a standing point, we came up with a list of points which companies should strive for in order to achieve a sustainable digital work environment. Some of our conclusions for businesses to use to contribute to a better digital work environment are to protect the integrity of employees, educate in new technology and information management as well as to support and facilitate work when technical problems occur.

Les traces réelles de réseaux cellulaires représentent une mine d’information utile pour améliorer les performances des réseaux. Des traces comme les CDRs (Call detail records) contiennent des informations horodatées sur toutes les interactions des utilisateurs avec le réseau sont exploitées dans cette thèse. Nous avons proposé des nouvelles approches dans l’étude et l’analyse des problématiques des réseaux de télécommunications, qui sont basé sur les traces réelles et des algorithmes d’apprentissage automatique. En effet, un outil global d’analyse de données, pour la classification automatique des stations de base, la prédiction de la charge de réseau et la gestion de la bande passante est proposé ainsi qu’un outil pour la détection automatique des anomalies de réseau. Ces outils ont été validés par des applications directes, et en utilisant différentes topologies de réseaux comme les réseaux WMN et les réseaux basés sur les drone-cells. Nous avons montré ainsi, qu’en utilisant des outils d’analyse de données avancés, il est possible d’optimiser dynamiquement les réseaux mobiles et améliorer la gestion de la bande passante. / Real datasets of mobile network traces contain valuable information about the network resources usage. These traces may be used to enhance and optimize the network performances. A real dataset of CDR (Call Detail Records) traces, that include spatio-temporal information about mobile users’ activities, are analyzed and exploited in this thesis. Given their large size and the fact that these are real-world datasets, information extracted from these datasets have intensively been used in our work to develop new algorithms that aim to revolutionize the infrastructure management mechanisms and optimize the usage of resource. We propose, in this thesis, a framework for network profiles classification, load prediction and dynamic network planning based on machine learning tools. We also propose a framework for network anomaly detection. These frameworks are validated using different network topologies such as wireless mesh networks (WMN) and drone-cell based networks. We show that using advanced data mining techniques, our frameworks are able to help network operators to manage and optimize dynamically their networks

Den fysiska arbetsmiljön är ett känt fenomen där arbetet kring förbättring har pågått under en längre tid. Den digitala arbetsmiljön är dock något nyare som blir allt mer påtaglig med den digitala utvecklingen. Vilka begrepp som bygger upp fenomenet digital arbetsmiljö samt deras funktion och påverkan är något som denna studie kommer undersöka för att bidra till hållbarhet på arbetsplatsen. Studien kommer undersöka vad företag gör för att bidra till en hållbar digital arbetsmiljö samt hur arbetsmiljön kan förbättras genom digitalt ansvarstagande. Undersökningens resultat baseras på studerande av befintliga teorier om ämnena: digital arbetsmiljö, digital integritet, digital funktionalitet och digital hållbarhet samt kvalitativa intervjuer. Intervjuerna ger dels information ur ledningens perspektiv samt medarbetarnas på operativ nivå. De två respondenterna inom ledningen arbetar som digitaliseringsansvariga på ett privatägt IT-företag respektive i en större kommun i Sverige, medans de två respondenterna som representerar den operativa nivån arbetar som IT konsult respektive Digital modellerare. Efter undersökning framkommer ett tydligt större intresse och fokus på den digitala arbetsmiljön. Teknikens möjligheter har i många år styrt utvecklingen som lett till att användarna fått anpassa sig efter tekniken. Allt större fokus har nu skiftat till att se tekniken som ett hjälpmedel som ska stötta och anpassa sig till verksamheten och medarbetarnas behov. Studiens resultat beskriver ett flertal olika saker som de studerade verksamheterna gör för att bidra till en bättre arbetsmiljö, men vi ser att det även finns många utmaningar i den digitala utvecklingen. Med hjälp av det digitala ansvaret har vi listat ett antal punkter som verksamheter bör sträva efter för att kunna uppnå en bättre hållbar digital arbetsmiljö. Några av slutsatserna som kan nyttjas av verksamheter för att bidra till bättre digital arbetsmiljö är att skydda medarbetarnas integritet, utbilda i ny teknik och informationshantering samt stötta och underlätta arbetet när tekniska problem inträffar. / The physical work environment is a well known phenomenon where the work of improvement has been going on for a long time. The digital work environment on the other hand is a newer concept and is more recognicable due to the digital development. The concepts that make up the phenomenon of the digital work environment and their function and impact is something that this study will examine to contribute to a sustainable workplace. The study will examine what companies do to contribute to a sustainable digital work environment as well as how the work environment can be improved through digital responsibility. The result of the study is based on earlier research and theories about digital work environment, digital integrity, digital functionality, digital sustainability, and also qualitative interviews. The interviews provide information from a management perspective as well as from an operational level. The two interviewees on a managerial level are both digital managers, one for a privately owned IT business and the other one in a large county in Sweden. The two respondents who represent the operational level are working as an IT consultant and a digital modelar respectively. After research, a clear greater interest and focus emerges on the digital work environment. The technique itself has for many years been controlling the development which has led to the users having to adapt to the technique, instead of an interplay. The focus has now shifted to treat the technique as an aid to support and adapt to the organisation, its users and their needs. The results of the study describe several things that the studied companies are actively doing to contribute to a better work environment, but there are also challenges along with the digital development. With digital responsibility as a standing point, we came up with a list of points which companies should strive for in order to achieve a sustainable digital work environment. Some of our conclusions for businesses to use to contribute to a better digital work environment are to protect the integrity of employees, educate in new technology and information management as well as to support and facilitate work when technical problems occur.

O estado de São Paulo produz cerca de 58.700 t/dia de resíduos dividido pelos seus 645 municípios nas vizinhanças de aproximadamente 170 usinas de açúcar e álcool. Diante deste fato, é evidente o potencial para se fazer o uso consorciado destes dois combustíveis na geração de energia. Este trabalho investigou os possíveis efeitos deletérios que a presença de cloro, flúor, sódio e potássio possam trazer nas caldeiras voltadas para a produção de energia elétrica, utilizando bagaço de cana e combustível derivado de resíduo (CDR). Foi realizada uma busca criteriosa na literatura internacional a fim de possíveis efeitos deletérios em caldeiras de biomassa para a produção de energia em razão do uso consorciado de resíduo, no aspecto da integridade da caldeira, principalmente no papel desempenhado pelos elementos, cloro, flúor, sódio e potássio, e em seguida uma análise criteriosa dos resultados encontrados. Esta análise foi realizada através de um estudo de caso, considerando uma caldeira de leito fluidizado borbulhante (BFB) de 60MW, queimando bagaço e parte do resíduo de uma cidade de 600.000 habitantes. Verificou-se que o resíduo que a cidade produz pode ser transformado em CDR que irá alimentar a caldeira como combustível auxiliar, produzindo energia elétrica de forma limpa e sustentável. Um parâmetro utilizado para se definir a quantidade máxima de CDR queimada na caldeira, foi o cloro específico, calculado pela razão entre o teor de cloro e o poder calorífico inferior (PCI) do combustível. Com base na literatura encontrada, limitou-se o cloro específico em 40 mg/MJ, para que não haja danos a integridade do equipamento. A combustão consorciada de bagaço de cana e CDR pode ser uma alternativa para o estado de São Paulo reduzir o problema da falta de aterros para descarte de resíduos e uma possibilidade para as usinas de açúcar e álcool produzirem energia elétrica por um período mais extenso no ano, economizando bagaço de cana. / The state of São Paulo produces about 58,700 tons/day waste divided by its 645 municipalities in the vicinity of about 170 sugar and alcohol mills. Given this fact, the potential is evident to make the consortium use of these two fuels in power generation. This paper investigated the potential deleterious effects that the presence of chlorine, fluoride, sodium and potassium can bring the boilers focused on the production of electric power using bagasse and refuse derived fuel (RDF). A thorough search in the international literature with the view to possible deleterious effects on biomass boilers for power generation because of consortium use of residue in the boiler integrity aspect, particularly the role played by the elements chlorine, fluorine, sodium and potassium, and then a careful analysis of the results. This analysis was conducted through a case study, considering a bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) boiler of 60 MW, burning bagasse and part of the residue of a city of 600,000 inhabitants. It was found that the residue that the city produces can be turned into RDF which will feed the boiler as an auxiliary fuel, producing electricity in a clean and sustainable manner. A parameter used to set the maximum amount of burned RDF in the boiler, was the specific chlorine, measured by the ratio between the chlorine content and the lower heating value (LHV) of the fuel. Based on the literature found, the specific chlorine was limited to 40 mg/MJ, so there is no damage to the integrity of the equipment. The consortium combustion of bagasse and RDF can be an alternative to the state of São Paulo reduce the problem of landfills for waste disposal and a possibility for the sugar and alcohol mills producing electric power for a longer period in the year, saving bagasse.

Base teórica: Apesar de o escore da soma das caixas da escala de avaliação clínica da demência (CDR-SB) ser amplamente utilizado, sua aplicabilidade na avaliação do estadiamento da gravidade da demência e sua acurária para detectar as categorias diagnósticas não foram normatizadas em várias partes do mundo, inclusive no Brasil. Objetivo: O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a validade diagnóstica de CDR-SB na detecção e no estadiamento do comprometimento cognitivo e da demência em uma amostra de pacientes brasileiros com comprometimento cognitivo leve amnéstico (CCL amnéstico), doença de Alzheimer (DA) e demência vascular (DV). Métodos: Os dados foram obtidos a partir do banco de dados do ambulatório de demência do Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA) e incluíram 407 participantes com idade superior a 50 anos (115 controles saudáveis, 41 pacientes com CCL amnéstico, 165 pacientes com DA e 86 pacientes com DV ou demência mista). Curvas ROC foram geradas para detectar os melhores pontos de cortes de CDR-SB. A escolaridade média foi 4 anos. Resultados: Um ponto de corte de CDR-SB ≥0,5 permite identificar corretamente indivíduos com CCL amnéstico de controles normais (sensibilidade de 100% e especificidade de 98,3%). Um ponto de corte ≥4,5 identifica corretamente os pacientes com CCL amnéstico dos pacientes com demência, todos juntos ou separadamente (DA e DV) (sensibilidade de 96,4% e especificidade de 100%) em 96,9% dos indivíduos. Os melhores intervalos de CDR-SB correspondentes aos escores globais de CDR foram de 0,5 a 4,0 para um escore global de 0,5; 4,5 a 8,0 para um escore global de 1,0; 8,5 a 14,0 para um escore global de 2,0; e 14,5 a 18,0 para um escore global de 3,0. Quando aplicados à amostra de validação, os escores variaram de 0,87 a 0,97. Conclusão: O escore CDR-SB apresentou boa validade clínica para detectar e classificar a gravidade de prejuízos cognitivos na população brasileira. / Background: The Clinical Dementia Rating Scale sum of the boxes (CDR-SB) score has been widely used its utility in staging dementia severity and accuracy to detect diagnostic categories in sociodemographic and cultural diverse regions of the world remains untested. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the CDR-SB diagnostic validity in detecting and staging cognitive impairment/dementia in a sample of Brazilian patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VD). Methods: Data were obtained from the Dementia Clinic of Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA) database and included 407 participants (115 healthy controls, 41 aMCI, 165 AD and, 86 VD). Receiver operating characteristic curves were generated to detect best CDR-SB cutoffs. Average education was 4 years. Results: A CDR-SB cutoff ≥0.5 was obtained to correctly identify aMCI from normal controls (sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 98.3%). The cutoff ≥4.5 correctly identified aMCI from dementia patients altogether or separately (AD and VD) (sensitivity of 96.4% and specificity of 100%) in 96.9% of the individuals. Optimal ranges of CDR-SB scores corresponding to the global CDR scores were 0.5 to 4.0 for a global score of 0.5, 4.5 to 8.0 for a global score of 1.0, 8.5 to 14.0 for a global score of 2.0, and 14.5 to 18.0 for a global score of 3.0. When applied to the validation sample, scores ranged from 0.87 to 0.97. Conclusion: The CDR-SB showed good clinical validity to detect and classify severity of cognitive impairment a Brazilian population.