This study examined framing in two Bulgarian television stations and their web sites. Framing within the web sites' news coverage of the United States was examined during the one-month period immediately following the 2008 United States presidential election. The news articles gathered from the two web sites were examined for amount of coverage, frame presence and valence, as well as hyperlinks, in order to offer insight into the fields of gatekeeping, framing, and corporate ownership bias. Suggestions of bias were found in terms of the overall tone of the articles but not in the amount of coverage. There was a significant difference between the two web sites in the tone of coverage concerning individuals and events. / Master of Arts

This thesis addresses the partitioning problem for configurable computing machines. Specifically, this thesis presents algorithms to partition chain-structured task graphs across configurable computing machines. The algorithms give optimal solutions for throughput and total execution time for these problems under constraints on area, pin count, and power consumption. The algorithms provide flexibility for applying these constraints while remaining polynomial in complexity. Proofs of correctness as well as an analysis of runtime complexity are given. Experiments are performed to illustrate the runtime of these algorithms. / Master of Science

FPGAs provide an ideal template for run-time reconfigurable (RTR) designs. Only recently have RTR enabling design tools that bypass the traditional synthesis and bitstream generation process for FPGAs become available. The JBits tool suite is an environment that provides support for RTR designs on Xilinx Virtex and 4K devices. This research provides a comprehensive design process description of a two-dimensional discrete wavelet transform (DWT) core using the JBits run-time reconfigurable FPGA design tool suite. Several aspects of the design process are discussed, including implementation, simulation, debugging, and hardware interfacing to a reconfigurable computing platform. The DWT lends itself to a straightforward implementation in hardware, requiring relatively simple logic for control and address generation circuitry. Through the application of RTR techniques to the DWT, this research attempts to exploit certain advantages that are unobtainable with static implementations. Performance results of the DWT core are presented, including speed of operation, resource consumption, and reconfiguration overhead times. / Master of Science

Synthetic genetic circuits have revolutionized numerous fields, ranging from academic research and point-of-care diagnostics to disease therapeutics and industrial biomanufacturing. These circuits provide a powerful tool for precise spatiotemporal control over biological and biochemical interactions, thereby enhancing our understanding of these complex systems and expanding their applicability. The last few decades have witnessed a surge in research efforts, both in cell-free and cellular systems. These endeavors include those to improve the sensitivity and specificity of diagnostics and optimize the safety, efficacy, and tunability of existing treatments. This dissertation delves into the exploration of Boolean logic gates in the cell-free realm: the development of a 'Cell-Free Recombinase Integrated Boolean Operating System' (CRIBOS) for expanding the capabilities of cell-free sensing applications. Applications of Boolean logic gates have flourished within cellular systems and animal models. However, a persisting gap in the field is in their exploration within the cell-free system. This deficiency has resulted in a constrained toolkit for studying and applying Boolean logic gates in cell-free settings. Recognizing this limitation in the field and aiming to extend the frontiers of genetic circuits beyond traditional boundaries, I introduce CRIBOS, leveraging the advantages of recombinase, known for its high orthogonality, efficiency, and sensitivity. I designed more than 20 multi-input-multi-output recombinase Boolean logic gates in a cell-free context, from which a set of critical rules crucial for building genetic circuits in the cell-free environment was also established. In addition, integrating allosteric transcription factor (aTF)-based sensors with CRIBOS enabled multiplex environmental sensing within the cell-free environment. Moreover, the CRIBOS system showcased its versatility by facilitating the creation of a biological memory storage device, demonstrating robust functionality with high stability over four months. Implementing CRIBOS not only expands the application of multiplex Boolean logic gates from cellular systems to the cell-free environment but also expands their overall versatility, opening new avenues for the design and application of sophisticated genetic circuits.

I propose compact models of single-gate (SG) and double-gate (DG) JFETs predicting the current-voltage characteristics for both long and short channel devices. In order to make the current equation continuous through all operating conditions from subthreshold to well-above threshold, without non-physical fitting parameters, mobile carriers in depletion region are considered. For describing the short channel behavior, relevant parameters extracted from the two-dimensional analytical solution of Poisson's equation are used for modifying long channel equations. Comparisons of models with the numerical simulation showing close agreement are presented. Based on models, merits of DG JFET over SG JFET and SG MOSFET are discussed by examining the schematic circuit diagram describing the relation between gate and channel potentials for each device. / text

La tomoscintigraphie myocardique est considérée comme un examen de référence pour le diagnostic et l'évaluation de la maladie coronarienne. Mise au point dans les années 1980, cette technique est en pleine mutation depuis l'arrivée de nouvelles caméras à semi-conducteurs. Deux caméras à semi-conducteurs, dédiées à la cardiologie nucléaire et utilisant des détecteurs de Cadmium Zinc Telluride sont actuellement commercialisées : la Discovery NM-530c (General Electric) et la DSPECT (Spectrum Dynamics). Les performances de ces caméras CZT ont été évaluées : 1) à la fois sur fantôme et sur des examens d'effort provenant de patients à faible probabilité de maladie coronaire, et 2) avec les paramètres d'acquisition et de reconstruction utilisés en clinique. Les résultats ont démontré la nette supériorité des caméras CZT en termes de sensibilité de détection, de résolution spatiale et de rapport contraste sur bruit par rapport à la génération de caméras d'Anger. Ces propriétés vont permettre de diminuer très fortement les temps d'acquisition et les activités injectées, tout en améliorant la qualité des images. Néanmoins, on connaît encore mal les limites et possibles artéfacts liés à la géométrie particulière d'acquisition. C'est pourquoi nous avons développé, avec la plateforme de simulations Monte Carlo GATE, un simulateur numérique spécifique de la caméra DSPECT. Nous avons pu ensuite le valider en comparant des données effectivement enregistrées aux données simulées. Ce simulateur pourrait aider à optimiser les protocoles de reconstruction et d'acquisition, en particulier les protocoles les plus complexes (acquisitions double traceur, études cinétiques) / Myocardial single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is considered as the gold standard for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. Developed in the 1980s with rotating Anger gamma-cameras, this technique could be dramatically enhanced by new imaging systems working with semi-conductor detectors. Two semiconductor cameras, dedicated to nuclear cardiology and equipped with Cadmium Zinc Telluride detectors, have been recently commercialized: the Discovery NM- 530c (General Electric) and the DSPECT (Spectrum Dynamics). The performances of these CZT cameras were compared: 1) by a comprehensive analysis of phantom and human SPECT images considered as normal and 2) with the parameters commonly recommended for SPECT recording and reconstruction. The results show the superiority of the CZT cameras in terms of detection sensitivity, spatial resolution and contrast-to-noise ratio, compared to conventional Anger cameras. These properties might lead to dramatically reduce acquisition times and/or the injected activities. However, the limits of these new CZT cameras, as well as the mechanism of certain artefacts, remain poorly known. That?s why we developed, with the GATE Monte Carlo simulation plateform, a specific simulator of the DSPECT camera. We validated this simulator by comparing actually recorded data with simulated data. This simulator may yet be used to optimize the recorded and reconstruction processes, especially for complex protocols such as simultaneous dual-radionuclide acquisition and kinetics first-pass studies

Pacientes que sofrem de doenças na tireoide, como hipertireoidismo causado pela doença de Graves, ou câncer de tireoide, têm como principal forma de tratamento a chamada terapia por radioiodo. Este tratamento consiste na ingestão de um radionuclídeo, no caso, o isótopo de massa atômica 131 do iodo (131I). A terapia utilizando radioisótopos é aplicada em uma variedade de tumores e, por se tratar de um material radioativo que o paciente recebe por via venosa ou oral, certa quantidade de radionuclídeos chegam a órgãos e tecidos diferentes do esperado e mesmo o acúmulo de material radioativo na região de interesse contribui para dose em tecidos sadios. Logo, é necessário um planejamento prévio. Em 80% dos planejamentos, a atividade a ser administrada no paciente é calculada através de valores pré-determinados, como peso, idade ou altura. Apenas cerca de 20% das terapias são realizadas com um planejamento personalizado, específico para cada paciente. Levando essas informações em consideração, este trabalho tem como objetivo realizar um estudo dosimétrico através de imagens para que no futuro seja utilizado em rotinas clínicas para planejamento de iodoterapia individualizado para cada paciente. Neste trabalho foram adquiridas imagens tomográficas (SPECT-CT) de um fantoma de tireoide preenchido com 131I. O fantoma foi construído com base na literatura, reproduzido de maneira fidedigna, e aperfeiçoado, permitindo a inserção de dosímetros termoluminescentes (TLD) em pequenas cavidades. As imagens foram inseridas no software GATE, baseado na ferramenta GEANT4, que permite a simulação da interação da radiação com a matéria pelo método Monte Carlo. Essas imagens foram convertidas em formato reconhecível pelo GATE e através da elaboração de um script de comandos, foram realizadas simulações com o intuito de estimar a dose em cada região da imagem. Uma vez que o dosímetro permanecia exposto ao material radioativo por alguns dias, para evitar um dispêndio de tempo computacional muito grande e estimar o valor final da dose no mesmo período de tempo em que o dosímetro ficou exposto através da simulação, foi necessário extrapolar uma equação e calcular a dose para este tempo. Foram realizadas duas aquisições diferentes, a primeira com uma distribuição não homogênea da fonte e a segunda com distribuição homogênea. Para a distribuição não homogênea, a comparação dos resultados da simulação com resultados obtidos por TLD mostram que ambos possuem a mesma ordem de grandeza e variam proporcionalmente em relação à distância que se encontram da fonte. A diferença relativa entre eles varia de 1% a viii 39% dependendo do dosímetro. Para a distribuição homogênea, os valores possuem a mesma ordem de grandeza, mas estão muito abaixo do esperado, com uma diferença relativa de até 70% e os valores da dose simulados estão, em sua maioria, duas vezes menores que o real. A técnica ainda não está pronta para ser implementada na rotina clínica, mas através de estudos de fatores de correção e novas aquisições, essa técnica pode, em um futuro próximo, ser utilizada. / Radio-iodine therapy is the main form of treatment for patients with diseases on the thyroid, such as hyperthyroidism caused by Graves\' disease or thyroid cancer. This treatment consists in the intake of a radionuclide, the iodine isotope of atomic mass 131 (131I). The radioisotope therapy is applied in a variety of tumors and since the patient receives it intravenously or orally, certain amount of radionuclide reaches different organs and tissues than the ones expected. Even the radioactive material accumulated in the region of interest contributes to the energy deposition on healthy tissues. Therefore, it is necessary a treatment planning. However, 80% of nuclear medicine therapy the administered activity is based in quantity as patients weight, age or height. The patient-specific therapy planning occurs in less than 20% of applications in nuclear medicine. Considering that information, this work aims to conduct a dosimetric study based on images so that in the future could be used in clinical routines for patient-specific radioiodine therapy. Were acquired tomographic images (SPECT-CT) of a thyroid phantom filled with 131I. The phantom was consistently reproduced according to the literature, with some improvements allowing the placement of thermoluminescent dosimeters into small cavities. Such phantom was used for the acquisition of SPECT-CT images. The images were inserted into the GATE software, based on GEANT4 tool, which allows the simulation of radiation interaction with matter, through the Monte Carlo method. Those images were converted into acceptable format for GATE and through the development of a command script, the simulations were performed in order to estimate the dose in each region of the image. Since the dosimeter remained exposed to the radioactive material for a few days, to reduce computational time and estimate, by simulation, the dose over the same period of time which the dosimeter has been exposed, it was necessary to extrapolate the equation and calculate the dose for this time. Two images acquisitions were made, the first with an inhomogeneous source distribution and the second with a homogeneous distribution. For the inhomogeneous acquisition, the simulation and TLD values have the same magnitude and both of them vary in proportion to the source distance. The relative difference ranges from 1% to 39% depending on the dosimeter. For the homogeneous one, despite being in the same magnitude either, the values are much lower x than expected, with a difference of up to 70%, and the simulated data, in general are half the TLD values. The technique is not yet ready to be implemented in clinical routine, but through studies of correction factors and new acquisitions, this technique may in the near future, be used.

Pacientes que sofrem de doenças na tireoide, como hipertireoidismo causado pela doença de Graves, ou câncer de tireoide, têm como principal forma de tratamento a chamada terapia por radioiodo. Este tratamento consiste na ingestão de um radionuclídeo, no caso, o isótopo de massa atômica 131 do iodo (131I). A terapia utilizando radioisótopos é aplicada em uma variedade de tumores e, por se tratar de um material radioativo que o paciente recebe por via venosa ou oral, certa quantidade de radionuclídeos chegam a órgãos e tecidos diferentes do esperado e mesmo o acúmulo de material radioativo na região de interesse contribui para dose em tecidos sadios. Logo, é necessário um planejamento prévio. Em 80% dos planejamentos, a atividade a ser administrada no paciente é calculada através de valores pré-determinados, como peso, idade ou altura. Apenas cerca de 20% das terapias são realizadas com um planejamento personalizado, específico para cada paciente. Levando essas informações em consideração, este trabalho tem como objetivo realizar um estudo dosimétrico através de imagens para que no futuro seja utilizado em rotinas clínicas para planejamento de iodoterapia individualizado para cada paciente. Neste trabalho foram adquiridas imagens tomográficas (SPECT-CT) de um fantoma de tireoide preenchido com 131I. O fantoma foi construído com base na literatura, reproduzido de maneira fidedigna, e aperfeiçoado, permitindo a inserção de dosímetros termoluminescentes (TLD) em pequenas cavidades. As imagens foram inseridas no software GATE, baseado na ferramenta GEANT4, que permite a simulação da interação da radiação com a matéria pelo método Monte Carlo. Essas imagens foram convertidas em formato reconhecível pelo GATE e através da elaboração de um script de comandos, foram realizadas simulações com o intuito de estimar a dose em cada região da imagem. Uma vez que o dosímetro permanecia exposto ao material radioativo por alguns dias, para evitar um dispêndio de tempo computacional muito grande e estimar o valor final da dose no mesmo período de tempo em que o dosímetro ficou exposto através da simulação, foi necessário extrapolar uma equação e calcular a dose para este tempo. Foram realizadas duas aquisições diferentes, a primeira com uma distribuição não homogênea da fonte e a segunda com distribuição homogênea. Para a distribuição não homogênea, a comparação dos resultados da simulação com resultados obtidos por TLD mostram que ambos possuem a mesma ordem de grandeza e variam proporcionalmente em relação à distância que se encontram da fonte. A diferença relativa entre eles varia de 1% a viii 39% dependendo do dosímetro. Para a distribuição homogênea, os valores possuem a mesma ordem de grandeza, mas estão muito abaixo do esperado, com uma diferença relativa de até 70% e os valores da dose simulados estão, em sua maioria, duas vezes menores que o real. A técnica ainda não está pronta para ser implementada na rotina clínica, mas através de estudos de fatores de correção e novas aquisições, essa técnica pode, em um futuro próximo, ser utilizada. / Radio-iodine therapy is the main form of treatment for patients with diseases on the thyroid, such as hyperthyroidism caused by Graves\' disease or thyroid cancer. This treatment consists in the intake of a radionuclide, the iodine isotope of atomic mass 131 (131I). The radioisotope therapy is applied in a variety of tumors and since the patient receives it intravenously or orally, certain amount of radionuclide reaches different organs and tissues than the ones expected. Even the radioactive material accumulated in the region of interest contributes to the energy deposition on healthy tissues. Therefore, it is necessary a treatment planning. However, 80% of nuclear medicine therapy the administered activity is based in quantity as patients weight, age or height. The patient-specific therapy planning occurs in less than 20% of applications in nuclear medicine. Considering that information, this work aims to conduct a dosimetric study based on images so that in the future could be used in clinical routines for patient-specific radioiodine therapy. Were acquired tomographic images (SPECT-CT) of a thyroid phantom filled with 131I. The phantom was consistently reproduced according to the literature, with some improvements allowing the placement of thermoluminescent dosimeters into small cavities. Such phantom was used for the acquisition of SPECT-CT images. The images were inserted into the GATE software, based on GEANT4 tool, which allows the simulation of radiation interaction with matter, through the Monte Carlo method. Those images were converted into acceptable format for GATE and through the development of a command script, the simulations were performed in order to estimate the dose in each region of the image. Since the dosimeter remained exposed to the radioactive material for a few days, to reduce computational time and estimate, by simulation, the dose over the same period of time which the dosimeter has been exposed, it was necessary to extrapolate the equation and calculate the dose for this time. Two images acquisitions were made, the first with an inhomogeneous source distribution and the second with a homogeneous distribution. For the inhomogeneous acquisition, the simulation and TLD values have the same magnitude and both of them vary in proportion to the source distance. The relative difference ranges from 1% to 39% depending on the dosimeter. For the homogeneous one, despite being in the same magnitude either, the values are much lower x than expected, with a difference of up to 70%, and the simulated data, in general are half the TLD values. The technique is not yet ready to be implemented in clinical routine, but through studies of correction factors and new acquisitions, this technique may in the near future, be used.

Les dernières technologies microélectroniques embarquent des transistors dont les isolants de grille sont des isolants à forte constante diélectrique (high-k en anglais) associés à des grilles métalliques (on utilise l'abréviation HKMG pour high-k – metal gate). Si cet empilement permet de garder une quantité de charges suffisante dans le canal, il est plus difficile de contrôler les tensions de seuil des transistors à cause de la présence de charges et de dipôle dans ces couches ou aux interfaces. Deux études préliminaires ont établi qu'il existe une corrélation entre les énergies de liaisons des éléments mesurées par XPS d'un empilement HKMG et la tension de seuil d'un transistor utilisant ce même empilement. Des charges sont présentes dans les couches isolantes des empilements HKMG, conduisant à un décalage du potentiel électrostatique au sein de ces couches. Ceci induit une modification du travail de sortie effectif de l'électrode métallique du transistor. Et en XPS ces charges induisent une variation de l'énergie cinétique des électrons extraits des couches se trouvant sous ces charges. L'objectif de cette thèse est de simuler de manière quantitative l'impact électrostatique induit par ces charges et dipôles et de comparer cet impact aux décalages des raies XPS ainsi qu'aux mesures électriques des tensions de seuil des transistors. Ceci permettra ensuite d'estimer la variation des tensions seuil des transistors très en amont dans le procédé de fabrication / The last microelectronic technologies includes transistors with materials of high dielectric constant (high-k ) associated to metal gate (we use the abbreviation HKMG for high-k - bad metal). If this pile allows to keep a sufficient quantity of charges in the channel, it is more difficult to check the threshold voltage of transistors because of the presence of charge and of dipole in these layers or in the interfaces. Two preliminary studies established that there is a correlation between the binding energies measured by XPS of a pile HKMG and the threshold voltage of a transistor using the same pile. Charges are present in the insulating layers of piles HKMG, leading to a difference of the electrostatic potential within these layers. A modification of the effective workfunction of the metallic electrode of the transistor in s then observed, and in XPS these charges lead t oa variation of the kinetic energy of electrons extracted from the layer. The purpose of this thesis is simulate in a quantitative way the electrostatic impact of this charges and dipôles and to compare this impact with the observation made by XPS as well as with the electric measures of the threshold voltage of transistors. This will then allow to estimate the variation of the threshold voltage of transistors well further in the manufacturing process.

A relatively new area of analog integrated circuits is emerging which is likely to have an impact on the signal processing area --analog floating-gate circuits. Analog floating- gate circuits have the potential to deliver more sophisticated signal processing at less power in a smaller space. This is the result of a novel application of digital memory technology -- the floating-gate MOSFET, that is used as an analog memory and computational device. Critical to the success of analog floating-gate circuits is on-chip programming. After investigating integrated schemes for DC-DC converters to generate the necessary voltages on chip, this research focuses on charge pumps that are integrated into the programming structure of floating-gate circuits. The impact of this research is far reaching since programmability is an indispensable feature of analog floating-gate circuits. This research lays the foundation for meeting the requirement of on-chip programming. Charge pumps will eliminate the need for high voltages to be externally supplied or regulated for analog floating-gate circuits. To the design engineer, the utilization of floating-gate circuits will look identical to their non floating-gate counterparts in terms of the value and number of supply voltages. In addition, the integration of on-chip DC-DC converters will reduce pin count, reduce board space for the implementation of the chip and facilitate distributed on chip power supplies for mixed signal integrated circuits.