With the reduction in transistor dimensions to a few tens of nanometers as a result of aggressive scaling, interconnect delay has now become one of the major bottlenecks to chip performance. Secondly, interconnect power and area have both become a significant part of the total chip power and area respectively. These concerns have led to an effort to find a solution that would reduce interconnect delay and leakage, while also reducing the area they occupy in a chip, so that either the chip area could be reduced, or more functionality could be incorporated within a certain area. 3D integration, i.e., stacking of various sub-systems of a chip on top of each other, enables chip-makers to achieve higher packaging efficiencies, thereby reducing system cost, while also reducing delay (and thus increasing the available bandwidth). Through Silicon Vias (TSVs) have emerged as the key interconnect technology for 3D ICs, as they enable significant reduction in delay and leakage compared to wire-bonded dies, while also occupying less area in a package. They also enable stacking of sub-systems which differ in functionality, and stacking of multiple dies. Also, unlike wire-bond, dies need not be bandwidth limited by the number of wire bonds that can be made between two levels in a stack. While TSVs offer many advantages, one of the concerns when implementing a 3D system using TSVs is the mechanisms of interaction between a TSV and a device in its vicinity. Another concern is with regards to the interaction between the TSV and its surrounding material. The purpose of this thesis is to develop a TCAD framework for process and device co-simulation of a TSV transistor system to study the various mechanisms of interaction between them, as well as between the TSV and substrate. The utility of this tool has been demonstrated by studying two mechanisms of interaction, the effect of TSV-induced stress, and the effect of TSV-device electrical coupling, on the electrical performance of bulk NMOS and PMOS transistors. The results from 3D TCAD simulations suggest that designers can scale the keep out zone (KOZ) around TSVs more aggressively, allowing for more efficient utilization of silicon area, without a drastic performance penalty.

Objective: To evaluate three-dimensional position of the TMJ condyle within the glenoid fossa in different types of skeletal patterns. Materials and methods: Ninety CBCT images were consecutively selected and divided into skeletal class I, class II and class III. The images were analyzed locating landmarks in the different areas of the condyle and glenoid fossa. All landmarks presented acceptable reliability. The mean results were compared using ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc test (p < 0.05). Results: There was a tendency for the anterior joint space to be smaller than the posterior joint space. Statistical analysis, however, evidenced no significant differences between the anterior, superior and posterior joint spaces and the different skeletal patterns or between sides. Conclusion: There was non-concentricity of the condyle for all the groups studied, and no particular direction was statistically significantly favored. It is unclear whether the differences found would be clinically significant, considering anatomical individual variations.

A numerical analysis is performed for the three-dimensional, turbulent flow of air in a thyristor valve hall located at the Dorsey Converter Station, owned and operated by Manitoba Hydro. The goal of this analysis was to determine the configurations that result in increased air-side cooling effectiveness in the valve hall. The governing equations are solved using the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code CFX-5. This computer code uses a finite volume method of solution and is based on a finite element approach for representing the geometry. The effects of inlet and outlet opening geometry, inlet air mass flow rate, and inlet air angle on the thermal performance for the air-side cooling of the thyristor valve hall geometry are examined.

The process of fish migration within rivers and streams is important, especially during the spawning season which often coincides with peak spring discharges in Manitoba. Current environmental regulations for fish passage through culverts require that the average velocity be limited to the prolonged swimming speed of the fish species present. In order to examine the validity of this approach, physical model results were used to calibrate and test a commercially available Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model. Detailed analysis showed that CFD models and the empirical equations used were both able to give a better representation of the flow field than the average velocity. However, the empirical equations were able to provide a more accurate velocity distribution within the fully developed region. A relationship was then developed, to estimate the cumulative percent area less than a threshold velocity within CSP culverts, to be used as a guideline during the design phase.

A numerical analysis is performed for the three-dimensional, turbulent flow of air in a thyristor valve hall located at the Dorsey Converter Station, owned and operated by Manitoba Hydro. The goal of this analysis was to determine the configurations that result in increased air-side cooling effectiveness in the valve hall. The governing equations are solved using the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code CFX-5. This computer code uses a finite volume method of solution and is based on a finite element approach for representing the geometry. The effects of inlet and outlet opening geometry, inlet air mass flow rate, and inlet air angle on the thermal performance for the air-side cooling of the thyristor valve hall geometry are examined.

A large number of studies have concentrated on golf swing biomechanics, ranging from planar rigid-link models to 3D kinematic analysis. A promising technique, instantaneous screw axis (ISA) theory, has not been covered in the literature and could provide a better true segment rotation approximation. The objectives of this study are to identify ISA location and orientation, as well as segment angular velocity, of the major body segments involved in the golf swing. For all subjects, it was found that the magnitude of maximum angular velocities increased from the most proximal segment (the pelvis) to the most distal segment (the left arm), in accordance with the summation of speeds principle. Furthermore, most subjects achieved their maximum angular velocities in the desired kinematic sequence, where the first maxima was achieved by the most proximal segment and followed by the more distal segments in the kinematic chain.

Early detection is one of the most important factors in the survival of patients diagnosed with breast cancer. For this reason the development of improved screening mammography methods is one of primary importance. One problem that is present in standard planar mammography, which is not solved with the introduction of digital mammography, is the possible masking of lesions by normal breast tissue because of the inherent collapse of three-dimensional anatomy into a two-dimensional image. Digital tomosynthesis imaging has the potential to avoid this effect by incorporating into the acquired image information on the vertical position of the features present in the breast. Previous studies have shown that at an approximately equivalent dose, the contrast-detail trends of several tomosynthesis methods are better than those of planar mammography. By optimizing the image acquisition parameters and the tomosynthesis reconstruction algorithm, it is believed that a tomosynthesis imaging system can be developed that provides more information on the presence of lesions while maintaining or reducing the dose to the patient. Before this imaging methodology can be translated to routine clinical use, a series of issues and concerns related to tomosynthesis imaging must be addressed. This work investigates the relevant physical processes to improve our understanding and enable the introduction of this tomographic imaging method to the realm of clinical breast imaging. The processes investigated in this work included the dosimetry involved in tomosynthesis imaging, x-ray scatter in the projection images, imaging system performance, and acquisition geometry. A comprehensive understanding of the glandular dose to the breast during tomosynthesis imaging, as well as the dose distribution to most of the radiosensitive tissues in the body from planar mammography, tomosynthesis and dedicated breast computed tomography was gained. The analysis of the behavior of x-ray scatter in tomosynthesis yielded an in-depth characterization of the variation of this effect in the projection images. Finally, the theoretical modeling of a tomosynthesis imaging system, combined with the other results of this work was used to find the geometrical parameters that maximize the quality of the tomosynthesis reconstruction.

This project explores systematic strategies for establishing a definitive mode of representation in drawing. These strategies are considered in the context of the subjectivities and contingencies of perceptual experience, the mediation of that experience and inherent limitations in representational language. The aim is to explore the possibilities of constructing two-dimensional artworks which serve to define or investigate perceptual processes, perspective devices and spatial relationships.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2000. / Adviser: David A. Boas. Submitted to the Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 139-147). Access restricted to members of the Tufts University community. Also available via the World Wide Web;

Thesis (M.F.A.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 2007. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 20-21).