Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This research performs a comparative study of techniques for combining spatial data and multivariate statistical methods for characterizing water quality conditions in a river basin. The study has been performed on the White River basin in central Indiana, and uses sixteen physical and chemical water quality parameters collected from 44 different monitoring sites, along with various spatial data related to land use – land cover, soil characteristics, terrain characteristics, eco-regions, etc. Various parameters related to the spatial data were analyzed using ArcHydro tools and were included in the multivariate analysis methods for the purpose of creating classification equations that relate spatial and spatio-temporal attributes of the watershed to water quality data at monitoring stations. The study compares the use of various statistical estimates (mean, geometric mean, trimmed mean, and median) of monitored water quality variables to represent annual and seasonal water quality conditions. The relationship between these estimates and the spatial data is then modeled via linear and non-linear multivariate methods. The linear statistical multivariate method uses a combination of principal component analysis, cluster analysis, and discriminant analysis, whereas the non-linear multivariate method uses a combination of Kohonen Self-Organizing Maps, Cluster Analysis, and Support Vector Machines. The final models were tested with recent and independent data collected from stations in the Eagle Creek watershed, within the White River basin. In 6 out of 20 models the Support Vector Machine more accurately classified the Eagle Creek stations, and in 2 out of 20 models the Linear Discriminant Analysis model achieved better results. Neither the linear or non-linear models had an apparent advantage for the remaining 12 models. This research provides an insight into the variability and uncertainty in the interpretation of the various statistical estimates and statistical models, when water quality monitoring data is combined with spatial data for characterizing general spatial and spatio-temporal trends.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The aim of this study was to use multivariate statistical techniques to: (1) determine the reproducibility of fiber evidence analyzed by MSP, (2) determine whether XRF is an appropriate technique for forensic tape analysis, and (3) determine if DART/MS is an appropriate technique for forensic tape analysis. This was achieved by employing several multivariate statistical techniques including agglomerative hierarchical clustering, principal component analysis, discriminant analysis, and analysis of variance. First, twelve dyed textile fibers were analyzed by UV-Visible MSP. This analysis included an inter-laboratory study, external validations, differing preprocessing techniques, and color coordinates. The inter-laboratory study showed no statistically significant difference between the different instruments. The external validations had overall acceptable results. Using first derivatives as a preprocessing technique and color coordinates to define color did not result in any additional information. Next, the tape backings of thirty-three brands were analyzed by XRF. After chemometric analysis it was concluded that the 3M tapes with black adhesive can be classified by brand except for Super 33+ (Cold Weather) and Super 88. The colorless adhesive tapes were separated into two large groups which were correlated with the presence of aluminosilicate filler. Overall, no additional discrimination was seen by using XRF compared to the traditional instrumentation for tape analysis previously published. Lastly, the backings of eighty-nine brands of tape were analyzed by DART/MS. The analysis of the black adhesive tapes showed that again discrimination between brands is possible except for Super 33+ and Super 88. However, now Tartan and Temflex have become indistinguishable. The colorless adhesive tapes again were more or less indistinguishable from one another with the exception of Tuff Hand Tool, Qualpack, and a roll of 3M Tartan, which were found to be unique. It cannot be determined if additional discrimination was achieved with DART/MS because the multivariate statistical techniques have not been applied to the other instrumental techniques used during tape analysis.

Fire debris analysis currently relies on visual pattern recognition of the total ion chromatograms, extracted ion profiles, and target compound chromatograms to identify the presence of an ignitable liquid. This procedure is described in the ASTM International E1618-10 standard method. For large data sets, this methodology can be time consuming and is a subjective method, the accuracy of which is dependent upon the skill and experience of the analyst. This research aimed to develop an automated classification method for large data sets and investigated the use of the total ion spectrum (TIS). The TIS is calculated by taking an average mass spectrum across the entire chromatographic range and has been shown to contain sufficient information content for the identification of ignitable liquids. The TIS of ignitable liquids and substrates were compiled into model data sets. Substrates are defined as common building materials and household furnishings that are typically found at the scene of a fire and are, therefore, present in fire debris samples. Fire debris samples were also used which were obtained from laboratory-scale and large-scale burns. An automated classification method was developed using computational software that was written in-house. Within this method, a multi-step classification scheme was used to detect ignitable liquid residues in fire debris samples and assign these to the classes defined in ASTM E1618-10. Classifications were made using linear discriminant analysis, quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA), and soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA). The model data sets iv were tested by cross-validation and used to classify fire debris samples. Correct classification rates were calculated for each data set. Classifier performance metrics were also calculated for the first step of the classification scheme which included false positive rates, true positive rates, and the precision of the method. The first step, which determines a sample to be positive or negative for ignitable liquid residue, is arguably the most important in the forensic application. Overall, the highest correct classification rates were achieved using QDA for the first step of the scheme and SIMCA for the remaining steps. In the first step of the classification scheme, correct classification rates of 95.3% and 89.2% were obtained using QDA to classify the crossvalidation test set and fire debris samples, respectively. For this step, the cross-validation test set resulted in a true positive rate of 96.2%, a false positive rate of 9.3%, and a precision of 98.2%. The fire debris data set had a true positive rate of 82.9%, a false positive rate of 1.3%, and a precision of 99.0%. Correct classifications rates of 100% were achieved for both data sets in the majority of the remaining steps which used SIMCA for classification. The lowest correct classification rate, 69.2%, was obtained for the fire debris samples in one of the final steps in the classification scheme. In this research, the first statistically valid error rates for fire debris analysis have been developed through cross-validation of large data sets. The fire debris analyst can use the automated method as a tool for detecting and classifying ignitable liquid residues in fire debris samples. The error rates reduce the subjectivity associated with the current methods and provide a level of confidence in sample classification that does not currently exist in forensic fire debris analysis.

[IT] Negli ultimi 200.000 anni, la specie umana si è diffusa in tutta la Terra, adattando la sua morfologia e fisiologia a un'ampia gamma di habitat. Lo scheletro umano ha quindi registrato i principali effetti ambientali e di conseguenza i reperti scheletrici assumono grande importanza nell'indagine dei processi evolutivi. Oggi le moderne tecniche di indagini quantitative delle principali caratteristiche morfologiche consentono di metterle in relazione con la variabilità genetica. La posizione geografica della Sicilia, l'isolamento e la sua lunga e dinamica storia di colonizzazione (diversi e numerosi contributi culturali e biologici) hanno creato un contesto peculiare che consente uno studio antropologico unico, utile per sottrarre informazioni importanti sul “Flusso Migratorio” e il conseguente "Influenza delle Popolazioni" sui resti scheletrici umani. Questo progetto si basa sull'analisi antropologica delle ossa umane provenienti da diverse popolazioni (indigene e colonizzatori) distribuite dal Paleolitico all'Età Contemporanea. Le più moderne tecniche di Analisi Geometria Morfometrica (ricostruzione 3D) e di Analisi Statistica Multivariata sono state applicate su tre diversi caratteri scheletrici (Denti, Crani e Statura). L'obiettivo del progetto è quello di eseguire un'ampia analisi della Biodiversità Umana Siciliana al fine di: - Analizzare i dati odontometrici 2D con tecniche multivariate per esplorare le relazioni tra i popoli nel corso dei secoli. - Usare modelli 3D e la morfometria cranio-facciale per studiare la complesso variabilità morfologica relativa alle influenze dei flussi migratori. - Valutare il Secular Trend della Statura. - Usare questi tre caratteri per fornire una panoramica generale della Biodiversità Umana in Sicilia. Il nostro lavoro denota l'affidabilità dei metodi impiegati e come in uno studio sulla biodiversità diversi caratteri sono indispensabili per comprendere il processo evolutivo. I dati forniti dimostrano anche la correlazione tra i caratteri morfologici XI e l'influenza esercitata (non solo dai fattori ambientali) dal flusso umano sul fenotipo. I risultati mostrano chiaramente come tutti i caratteri valutati siano coinvolti allo stesso tempo nello stesso processo di diversificazione. Le variazioni morfologiche mostrano una generale diminuzione del prognatismo mascellare e una leggera mesocefalizzazione con il cranio che diventa più stretto e leggermente e meno allungato e il viso che diventa più largo e più corto. Considerando sempre l’influenza del rapporto dimensione/composizione sia l'analisi statistica canonica che quella multivariata, supportano la teoria che i coloni del Paleolitico superiore di San Teodoro potrebbero ragionevolmente essere la prima prova di colonizzazione umana in Sicilia (questa teoria è anche supportata dai campioni Mesolitici che clusterizzano separati dai primi). Significativi sono i periodi del Bronzo della transizione Bronzo/Ferro nei quali assistiamo ad importanti cambiamenti morfologici (Denti, Crani e Stature) dovuti a “Flussi Migratori” costanti e numericamente significativi. Questa variazione coincide esattamente con i primi “Afflussi di Popolazione” stabili conseguenti alle migrazioni umane dal continente. Tuttavia i campioni preistorici di alcune popolazioni, conservano alcuni caratteri arcaici anche dopo l'Età del Ferro (Era Storica) mentre la "Continuità di Popolazione" (conseguente alla convivenza e agli alternamenti delle diverse colonizzazioni) dall'Antichità al Medioevo ha prodotto un progressivo aumento della variabilità senza grandi variazione tra Eignevalue e Componenti Principali. L'assenza di relazione interna causata dall'intricato periodo di colonizzazione è invece presente sul campione preistorico sul quale si riscontra una netta variazione tra i PC. Le correlazioni tra "Afflusso di popolazione" e Variabilità sono osservabili anche nell'influenza dei coloni islamici sugli indigeni durante il Medioevo. Tuttavia, l'ampia variabilità e il morfospazio omogeneo mostrano che dopo questi gruppi (fino ai Contemporanei) sono riconoscibili popolazioniben definite. / [ES] Durante los últimos 200.000 años, la especie humana se ha extendido por toda la Tierra, adaptando su morfología y fisiología a una amplia variedad de hábitats. Por tanto, el esqueleto humano ha registrado los principales efectos ambientales. Hoy las modernas técnicas de investigaciones cuantitativas de las principales características morfológicas nos permiten relacionarlas con la variabilidad genética. La posición geográfica de la Sicilia, su aislamiento y su larga y dinámica historia de colonización han creado un contexto peculiar que permite un estudio antropológico único, útil para extraer información importante sobre el "Flujo Migratorio" y "Influencia Población". Este proyecto se basa en la análisis antropológica de huesos humanos de diferentes poblaciones (indígenas y colonizadoras). Las técnicas de Análisis de Geometría Morfométrica y Análisis Estadístico Multivariante se han aplicado en tres caracteres esqueléticos diferentes (Dientes, Cráneos y Estatura). El objetivo del proyecto es realizar un análisis amplia de la Biodiversidad Humana Siciliana con el fin de: - Analizar datos odontométricos 2D con técnicas multivariadas para explorar las relaciones entre pueblos entre los siglos. - Utilizar modelos 3D y la morfometría craneofacial para estudiar la compleja variabilidad morfológica relacionada con los flujos migratorios. - Evaluar la tendencia secular de la estatura. - Utilizar estos tres caracteres para proporcionar una descripción general de la Biodiversidad Humana en Sicilia. Esto trabajo denota la confiabilidad de los métodos utilizados y, como en un estudio de la biodiversidad, varios caracteres son indispensables para comprender el proceso evolutivo. Los datos también demuestran la correlación entre los caracteres morfológicos y la influencia (no solo por factores ambientales) de los flujos humanos sobre el fenotipo. Los resultados muestran claramente que todos los caracteres evaluados están involucrados al mismo tiempo en el mismo proceso de diversificación. Las variaciones morfológicas muestran una disminución general del prognatismo maxilar y una ligera mesocefalilización con el cráneo que se convierte en más estrecho y ligeramente y menos alargado y la cara más ancha y corta. Siempre considerando la influencia de la relación tamaño/composición, de la muestra, tanto el análisis estadístico canónico como multivariado apoyan la teoría que la población del Paleolítico Superior de San Teodoro podría ser razonablemente la primera evidencia de colonización humana en Sicilia (esta teoría también es apoyada de la muestra Mesolítica que se agrupa separada). Son significativos los periodos de el Bronce y de la transición Bronce/Hierro en los que asistimos a importantes cambios morfológicos (Dientes, Cráneos y Estatura) debido a los constantes y numéricamente significativos "Flujos Migratorios". Esta variación coincide exactamente con los primeros "Flujos de Población" estables como consecuencia de las migraciones humanas desde el continente. Sin embargo, las muestras Prehistóricas de algunas poblaciones conservan algunas características arcaicas incluso después de la Edad del Hierro (Era Histórica) mientras la "Continuidad de la Población" (resultante de la coexistencia y alternancia de la colonización) desde la Antigüedad hasta la Edad Media produjo una mayor progresiva variabilidad sin pero mayor variación entre Eignevalue y Componentes Principales. La ausencia de relación interna causada por el intrincado período de colonización está presente en la muestra prehistórica en la que hay una clara variación entre las Componentes Principales. Las correlaciones entre la "Afluencia de Población" y la Variabilidad también se pueden observar en la influencia de los colonos Islámicos sobre los indígenas durante la Edad Media. Sin embargo, la amplia variabilidad y el morfoespacio homogéneo muestran que poblaciones bien definidas no son reconocibles después de estos grupos (hasta los contemporáneos). / [EN] During the last 200,000 years, human species has spread throughout Earth, adapting their morphology and physiology to a wide range of habitats. The human skeleton has therefore, recorded the main environmental effects. Nowadays modern quantitative investigations of the main morphological features permit us to relate them with the genetic variability. The Sicilian geographic position, isolation and its long and dynamic history of colonization) made a peculiar context that allows a unique anthropological study, useful to sign-out important information about the "Migratory Flow" and the consequent "Populations Influx". This project is based on the Anthropological Analysis of the human bones coming from different populations distributed from Paleolithic to the Contemporary Age. The techniques of Morphometric Geometric analysis and Multivariate Statistic Analysis were applied over three different catchers (Teeth, Skulls and Stature). The project aim is to perform a wide analysis of the Sicilian Human Biodiversity in order to: - Analyze 2D odontometrics data with multivariate techniques to explore the relationships between the peoples over the centuries. - Use 3D models and skull-facial morphometry to study the complex morphological variability concerning the "Populations". - Evaluate the "Stature's Secular Trend". - Use these three characters to provide a general overview of the human biodiversity in Sicily. Our work denotes the reliable of the methods employed underlying as in a study of biodiversity several characters are indispensable to understand the evolutionary process. Data also provided to demonstrate the correlation between the morphological characters and the influence carried (not only by the environmental factors) by the human flow on the phenotype. Results clearly shows as all the characters evaluated are at the same time involved in the same process of diversification. Morphological variations show a general decrease of Maxilla Prognathism and a soft Mesocephalization with the skull that becomes tighter and slightly and less elongated and the face that become wider and shorter. Always considering simple size/composition both Canonical and Multivariate Statistics Analysis display, as the Upper-Paleolithic Würm-Settlers of San Teodoro could reasonably be the first evidence of human colonization in Sicily (this theory is supported by the Mesoltitch Hunter-Gatherers specimens clustered separated from the first one). Meaningful is the periods of Bronze/Iron transition in we assist to the prime plainness of morphological changes (teeth, skulls and statures) due to the constant and numerically significative "Migratory Flows". This variation exactly coincides with the first "Population Influx" consequent of the human migrations from the continent. Instead, Prehistorical samples of some populations, keep some archaic characters after Iron Age (Historical Era) the "Population Continuity" (consequent of the cohabitation and alternations of the several Mediterranean populations) from Antiquity to Middle Ages produced a progressive increase of variability without big variation among Eigenvalue and Principal Component. The absence of internal relationship caused by the intricate colonization period is on the contrary present on Prehistorichal sample on which we can find a clear variation between the PC. Correlations between "Population Influx" and Variability are also observable on the influence of Islamic settlers on the Indigenous during the Middle Ages. However, the wide variability and the homogenous morphospace showed by these groups and the Contemporary resulted in no well-defined populations. / [CA] Durant els últims 200.000 anys, l'espècie humana s'ha estés per tota la Terra, adaptant la seua morfologia i fisiologia a una àmplia varietat d'hàbitats. Per tant, l'esquelet humà ha registrat els principals efectes ambientals. Hui les modernes tècniques d'investigacions quantitatives de les principals característiques morfològiques ens permeten relacionar-les amb la variabilitat genètica. La posició geogràfica de la Sicília, el seu aïllament i la seua llarga i dinàmica història de colonització han creat un context peculiar que permet un estudi antropològic únic, útil per a extraure informació important sobre el "Flux Migratori" i "Influència Població". Aquest projecte es basa en l'anàlisi antropològica d'ossos humans de diferents poblacions des del Paleolític fins a l'Edat Contemporània. Les tècniques d'Anàlisis de Geometria Morfomètrica (reconstrucció 3D) i Anàlisi Estadística Multivariante s'han aplicat en tres caràcters esquelètics diferents (Dents, Cranis i Alçada). L'objectiu del projecte és realitzar una anàlisi àmplia de la Biodiversitat Humana Siciliana amb la finalitat de: - Analitzar dades odontométricos 2D amb tècniques multivariades per a explorar les relacions entre pobles entre els segles. - Utilitzar models 3D i la morfometria craniofacial per a estudiar la complexa variabilitat morfològica relacionada amb els fluxos migratoris. - Avaluar la tendència secular de l'alçada. - Utilitzar aquests tres caràcters per a proporcionar una descripció general de la Biodiversitat Humana a Sicília. Això treball denota la confiabilitat dels mètodes utilitzats i, com en un estudi de la biodiversitat, diversos caràcters són indispensables per a comprendre el procés evolutiu. Les dades també demostren la correlació entre els caràcters morfològics i la influència (no sols per factors ambientals) dels fluxos humans sobre el fenotip. Els resultats mostren clarament que tots els caràcters avaluats estan involucrats al mateix temps en el mateix procés de diversificació. Les variacions morfològiques mostren una disminució general del prognatisme maxil·lar i una lleugera mesocefalilización amb el crani que es converteix en més estret i lleugerament i menys allargat i la cara més ampla i tala. Sempre considerant la influència de la relació grandària/composició, de la mostra, tant l'anàlisi estadística canònica com multivariat donen suport a la teoria que la poblacion del Paleolític Superior de Sant Teodoro podria ser raonablement la primera evidència de colonització humana a Sicília (aquesta teoria també és secundada de la mostra Mesolítica que s'agrupa separada). Són significatius els períodes del Bronze i de la transició Bronze/Ferro en els quals assistim a importants canvis morfològics (Dents, Cranis i Alçada) a causa dels constants i numèricament significatius "Fluxos Migratoris". Aquesta variació coincideix exactament amb els primers "Fluxos de Població" estables com a conseqüència de les migracions humanes des del continent. No obstant això, les mostres Prehistòriques d'algunes poblacions conserven algunes característiques arcaiques fins i tot després de l'Edat del Ferro (Era Històrica) mentre la "Continuïtat de la Població" (resultant de la coexistència i alternança de la colonizacion) des de l'Antiguitat fins a l'Edat mitjana va produir una major progressiva variabilitat sense però major variació entre Eignevalue i Components Principals. L'absència de relació interna causada per l'intricat període de colonització està present, en contrero, en la mostra prehistòrica en la qual hi ha una clara variació entre les Components Principals. Les correlacions entre l' "Afluència de Població" i la Variabilitat també es poden observar en la influència dels colons Islàmics sobre els indígenos durant l'Edat mitjana. No obstant això, l'àmplia variabilitat i el morfoespacio homogeni mostren que poblacions ben definides no són recognoscibles després d'aquests grups (fins als contemporanis). / Thanks to: Dr. Francesa Spatafora (Archaeological Museum “A. Salinas”, Palermo, Sicily, Italy), Dr. Maria Grazia Griffo (Archaeological Museum “Baglio Anselmi”. Marsala, Sicily, Italy) , Dr. Maria Amalia Mastelloni (Archaeological Museum “Bernabò-Brea", Aeolian Island, Sicily, Italy) and Dr. Carolina Di Patti (Geological University Museum of Palermo “Gemmellaro”, Sicily, Italy) for the authorization to study the materials. Thanks to Prof. Armando González Martín, Prof. Oscar Cambra-Moo Laboratorio de Poblaciones del Pasado (LAPP), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain) for the invaluable help. Thanks to the Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva Humana (LEEH) - Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (UNCPBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina), to all the laboratoy directors to provide the modern specimens of reference sample. Thanks to the Mayor Mr. Domenico Giannopolo, the council member of cultural heritage Mrs. Nieta Gennuso and Dr. Filippo Ianni (Municipality of Caltavuturo, Sicily, Italy) for the excavation seasons and the authorization to study the materials. To the Museum of Mozia. (Sicily, Italy), The Whitaker foundation and Dr. Pamela Toti for the authorization to study the materials. To the Soprintendenza BB.CC.AA. di Palermo. (Sicily, Italy) Dr. Stefano Vassallo and Dr. Maria Grazia Cucco for the opportunity of the excavations in Caltavuturo and authorization to study the materials. Thanks to the Soprintendenza BB.CC.AA. di Trapani. (Sicily, Italy), Soprintendente and Dr. Rossella Giglio, Township Museum of Mussomeli. (Sicily, Italy), and Prof. Erich Kistler and Dr. Nicole Mölk (University of Innsbruck, Austria, Innsbruck) for the authorization to study the materials. / Lauria, G. (2020). The Human Biodiversity in the Middle of the Mediterranean. Study of native and settlers populations on the Sicilian context [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/159789

[Truncated abstract] Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) is a technique that can be used to capture and store water in aquifers for later reuse. This method recycles water that would normally be lost or discarded to the environment. MAR has been observed to have the potential for improving the quality of recharged water through a combination of physical, chemical and biological processes. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in groundwater microbial population structure during MAR and the major influences that drive these population changes. Biogeochemical MAR studies have the potential to assist in the improved prediction of the removal of contaminants such as nutrients, pathogens and trace organics from the recharged water. Biological clogging during recharge also has the potential to overwhelm an aquifers ability to process wastewater thus reducing the hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer. Therefore further research into the spatial and temporal biogeochemical processes that occur during MAR is required. The geochemical and microbial population dynamics of two contrasting MAR techniques were investigated at two different geographical locations (Perth, Western Australia and Adelaide, South Australia). These MAR sites contained aquifers of dissimilar properties that were recharged with wastewater that contrasted in water quality. The Perth MAR site received secondary treated effluent which continuously infiltrated the unsaturated zone into an unconfined aquifer aided by infiltration galleries. Reclaimed water was extracted from a well at distance from the infiltration gallery. ... Notably the background and recovered water was most dissimilar in microbial and chemical population structure to that described for the infiltration gallery and injection well. Microbial and chemical evidence suggested that the background and extraction well groundwater were unaffected by plume migration. These results suggested that extraction well groundwater was similar in quality to that of ambient groundwater. Significant geochemical and microbial changes of secondary treated effluent during infiltration and lateral movement through aquifer were implicated in addition to the forced hydraulic gradient created from extracting fives time the volume of infiltrating wastewater. This study demonstrated that microbial populations and the geochemical processes associated with MAR can be studied and compared. Multivariate statistical methodology greatly simplified a vast array of dynamic biogeochemical information that could be dissected for meaningful interpretation over distance and time. The study evaluated the major biogeochemical influences which resulted in microbial and geochemical changes where it was noted that microbial populations were more dynamic than geochemical variation over time. Additionally biogeochemical comparative analysis indicated that microbial populations could change in population structure before a shift in aquifer geochemistry was detected. It is anticipated that the results from this study will benefit further research into the biogeochemical processes involved in water quality changes (e.g. nutrient removal, pathogen decay and biodegradation of trace organics) as well as controlling biological clogging of MAR schemes.

No description available.

This thesis addresses the question as to why multilevel politics is becoming an integral part of politics in Europe. Multilevel politics is conceptualized as a system which functions through a complex web of political relations within and across levels of decision making. The thesis argues that the rise of multilevel politics can be explained by its institutionalization in terms of the emergence, the evolution and especially the effects of relevant institutions. Based on a mixed-method research project, the influence of European institutions on subnational actors and the alignment of actor motives with institutional characteristics are empirically shown. The first chapter of the dissertation establishes the centrality of institutions for political transformation, examines the role of transnational and domestic institutions for multilevel politics, and contextualizes the research question in terms of institution-actor relations. The second chapter develops a new-institutionalist theoretical framework that explains the emergence, the evolution and the effects of the institutions, and formulates a series of hypotheses with regard to freestanding institutional influence, power distribution, material benefits and political identification. The third chapter outlines the mixed-method research design which addresses individual-level and institutional-level variations through a Europe-wide survey and a comparative case study. The fourth chapter on survey results shows generally favourable views on multilevel politics, and strong associations of these views with the independent variables under scrutiny. The fifth chapter specifies a multivariate model which includes all posited variables and confirms the majority of the hypotheses. Therefore, the new-institutionalist argument is broadly confirmed, while there is relatively weak evidence to sustain sociological explanations. The final chapter compares the Committee of the Regions and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, and examines the institutional characteristics which correspond to the hypothesized variables. It is then concluded that the two institutions share several overarching similarities, and display complementarity in other aspects.

Les progrès continus dans les techniques du stockage et de la collection des données permettent d'observer et d'enregistrer des processus d’une façon presque continue. Des exemples incluent des données climatiques, des valeurs de transactions financières, des modèles des niveaux de pollution, etc. Pour analyser ces processus, nous avons besoin des outils statistiques appropriés. Une technique très connue est l'analyse de données fonctionnelles (ADF).<p><p>L'objectif principal de ce projet de doctorat est d'analyser la dépendance temporelle de l’ADF. Cette dépendance se produit, par exemple, si les données sont constituées à partir d'un processus en temps continu qui a été découpé en segments, les jours par exemple. Nous sommes alors dans le cadre des séries temporelles fonctionnelles.<p><p>La première partie de la thèse concerne la régression linéaire fonctionnelle, une extension de la régression multivariée. Nous avons découvert une méthode, basé sur les données, pour choisir la dimension de l’estimateur. Contrairement aux résultats existants, cette méthode n’exige pas d'assomptions invérifiables. <p><p>Dans la deuxième partie, on analyse les modèles linéaires fonctionnels dynamiques (MLFD), afin d'étendre les modèles linéaires, déjà reconnu, dans un cadre de la dépendance temporelle. Nous obtenons des estimateurs et des tests statistiques par des méthodes d’analyse harmonique. Nous nous inspirons par des idées de Brillinger qui a étudié ces models dans un contexte d’espaces vectoriels. / Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

<div> Advancements in cancer treatments have increased rapidly in recent years, but cures remain elusive. Surgical tumor resection is a central treatment for many solid malignancies. Residual tumor at surgical margins leads to tumor recurrence. Novel tools for assessing residual tumor at surgical margins could improve surgical outcomes by helping to maximize the extent of resection. Ambient ionization-mass spectrometry (MS) methods generate and analyze ions from minimally prepared samples in near-real-time (e.g. seconds to minutes). These methods leverage the high sensitivity and specificity of mass spectrometry for analyzing gas phase ions and generating those ions quickly and with minimal sample preparation. Recent work has shown that differential profiles of ions, corresponding to phospholipids and small metabolites, are detected from cancerous and their respective normal tissue with ambient ionization-MS methods. When properly implemented, ambient ionization-MS could be used to assess for tumor at surgical margins and provide a molecular diagnosis during surgery. </div><div><br></div><div>The research herein reports efforts in developing rapid intraoperative ambient ionization-MS methods for the molecular assessment of cancerous tissues. Touch spray (TS) ionization and desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) were utilized to analyze kidney cancer and brain cancer.</div><div><br></div><div> As a demonstration of the applicability of TS-MS to provide diagnostic information from fresh surgical tissues, TS-MS was used to rapidly analyze renal cell carcinoma and healthy renal tissue biopsies obtained from human subjects undergoing nephrectomy surgery. Differential phospholipid profiles were identified using principal component analysis (PCA), and the significant ions were characterized using multiple stages of mass spectrometry and high resolution/exact mass MS. The same TS-MS analyzed renal tissues were subsequently analyzed with DESI-MS imaging to corroborate the TS-MS results, and the significant DESI-MS ions were also characterized with MS.</div><div><br></div><div>Significant efforts were made in developing and evaluating a standalone intraoperative DESI-MS system for analyzing brain tissue biopsies during brain tumor surgery. The intraoperative DESI-MS system consists of a linear trap quadrupole mass spectrometer placed on a custom-machined cart that contains all hardware for operating the mass spectrometer. This instrument was operated in the neurosurgical suites at Indiana University School of Medicine to rapidly analyze brain tissue biopsies obtained from glioma resection surgeries. A DESI-MS library of normal brain tissue and glioma was used to statistically classify the brain tissue biopsies collected in the operating room. Multivariate statistical methodologies were employed to predict the disease state and tumor cell percentage of the samples. A DESI-MS assay for detecting 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG), the oncometabolic product of the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutation (a key glioma prognostic marker), was developed and applied to determine the IDH mutation status during the surgical resection. The strengths, weaknesses, and areas of future work in this field are discussed. </div><div><br></div>

Electroencephalographic data recorded on the human scalp can be modeled as a linear mixture of underlying dipolar source generators. The characterization of such generators is the aim of several families of signal processing methods. In this HDR we consider in several details three of such families, namely 1) EEG distributed inverse solutions, 2) diagonalization methods, including spatial filtering and blind source separation and 3) Riemannian geometry. We highlight our contributions in each of this family, we describe algorithms reporting all necessary information to make purposeful use of these methods and we give numerous examples with real data pertaining to our published studies. Traditionally only the single-subject scenario is considered; here we consider in addition the extension of some methods to the simultaneous multi-subject recording scenario. This HDR can be seen as an handbook for EEG source analysis. It will be particularly useful to students and other colleagues approaching the field.