In this thesis context refers to information about the environment (the user or entity's surroundings) that can influence and determine the behavior of a computing system. Context-awareness means that the computer can adapt to the situation in which it is working. Context is a key issue in mobile computing, especially with handheld devices (such as PDAs and mobile phones), due to the fact that they can be used while on the move; hence the environment around them can change. The environment of a static device may also change and require the device to adapt. Applications and systems that exploit context by both sensing and reacting to their environment are called context-aware applications. Devices that are context-aware are able to perceive stimuli and react accordingly, with minimal interaction with the user. Providing context-aware services to users of mobile devices via context-aware applications is becoming an important and significant factor in the market and is a developing industry. In this thesis we analyze and develop an application that exploits context to provide a service that improves the interaction between humans and a computer. The thesis begins with a study of what types of sensors are available to provide information about the device's context. This is followed by the design of an appropriate way of using the selected sensor (ecompass) to provide a means of adapting a service to the user's and device's context. The focus is every day activities of a student at a university - specifically finding the location of a meeting room for a seminar; however, similar scenarios exist for other types of users. After determining that it was feasible to add a e-compass as a sensor to an existing personal digital assistant and to provide a map to the mobile user, the focus of the thesis shifted to an examination of the performance of the adaptation of the map as the user moved the device. Initially it required excessive time to render the map on the device, thus as the user moved the device the map was not updated quickly enough for the user to know their correct orientation with respect to the map. Therefore the thesis project examined how this performance could be improved sufficiently that the rendering would keep up with the change in orientation of the device. This investigation lead to a shift from server based rendering of the map as an image, followed by the transfer of the image to the device for display; to a sending a scalable vector graphics version of the map to the device for local rendering. While initially this was expected to be much faster than transferring an image for an actual map of the building where this work was taking place the local rendering was actually slower. This subsequently lead to server based pruning of the irrelevant details from the map, then a transfer of the relevant portion of the map to the device, followed by local rendering. / I den här avhandlingen hänvisar 'context' till information om miljön (i användarens eller enhetens omgivning) som kan bestämma och påverka beteendet hos ett datorsystem. Contex-awareness innebär att datorn kan anpassa sig till den situation där den arbetar. Context är en central fråga för mobila enheter, speciellt för handhållna enheter (t.ex. handdatorer och mobiltelefoner), på grund av att de kan användas på resande fot där omgivningen hela tiden förändras. Omgivningen för en statisk enhet kan också förändras och kräver att enheten kan anpassa sig. Applikationer och system som utnyttjar context genom att både känna av och reagera på sin omgivning kallas context-aware applications. Enheter som är kontextmedvetna kan uppfatta stimuli och reagera på den med minimal användarinteraktion. Att tillhandahålla kontextmedvetna tjänster till användare av mobila enheter via kontextmedvetna applikationer blir en allt viktigare och betydelsefullare faktor på marknaden och är en växande industri. I den här avhandlingen analyserar och utvecklar vi ett program som utnyttjar kontext för att tillhandahålla en tjänst som förbättrar samspelet mellan människa och dator. Avhandlingen inleds med en undersökning av vilka typer av sensorer som finns tillgängliga för att tillhandahålla information om enhetens kontext. Detta följs av en design för att på lämpligaste sätt använda den valda sensorn (e-kompass) för att tillhandahålla ett sätt att anpassa en tjänst till användaren och enhetens kontext. Fokus är vardagsaktivitieter för en student vid ett universitet - särskilt att hitta till ett konferensrum för ett seminarium, liknande scenarier finns även för andra typer av användare. Efter att ha fastställt att det var möjligt att koppla en sensor, i form av en e-kompass, till en befintlig personal digital assistant samt att visa en karta för användaren, flyttades fokus för avhandlingen till en undersökning om tjänstens prestanda när användaren flyttade enheten. Initialt krävde enheten väldigt lång tid att rendera kartan och när enheten flyttades uppdaterades kartan inte tillräckligt snabbt för att användaren skulle veta sin riktning i relation till kartan. Därför undersöktes hur prestandan kunde förbättras så att enheten skulle kunna hänga med bättre när enhetens riktning förändrades. Undersökningen ledde till att istället för att rendera en bild på servern och sedan skicka till enheten, skapa en vektorbaserad bild på servern, skicka till enheten och rendera lokalt. Även om detta initialt förväntades vara mycket snabbare än att överföra en bild av en verklig karta var den lokala renderingen faktiskt ännu långsammare. Detta ledde till en serverbaserad gallring av ovidkommande kartdetaljer samt beskärning innan kartan fördes över till enheten och renderades lokalt.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Introduction: A novel device developed by J. Morita can generate electromagnetic stimulation (EMS) into the root canal. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the anti-biofilm effect of EMS combined with low concentrations of NaOCl against an established biofilm of Enterococcus faecalis in an in vitro human tooth model. Materials and Methods: Single rooted human teeth were standardized and an E. faecalis biofilm was established in the canal. The specimens were subject to six treatment groups: 1) 1.5% NaOCl; 2) 1.5% NaOCl and EMS; 3) 0.25% NaOCl; 4) 0.25% NaOCl and EMS; 5) saline and 6) saline and EMS. Biofilm was collected, plated, and the number of colony forming units (CFU)/mL was used to determine antibacterial activity. Results: The effect of treatment group on bacterial counts were made using one-way ANOVA followed by pair-wise comparisons. Although there was no significant difference between individual groups tested, there was statistically significant difference between the average difference between ‘treatments with EMS’ and ‘treatments without EMS.’ Conclusion: EMS can improve the antibacterial efficacy of NaOCl against an established biofilm of E. faecalis in an in vitro human tooth model

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of an extremely low frequency sinusoidal magnetic field (ELF MF) with frequency of 10 Hz and intensity of 1.8-3.8 mT on the levels of the biogenic amines dopamine (DA), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), homovanillic acid (HVA), 3-methoxytyramine (3-MT), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA), and noradrenaline (NA), as well as on DA and 5-HT turnover in corpus striatum and frontal cortex of adult male Wistar rats. We found that ELF MF exposure for 14 days, 1 h daily, did not influence the level of the examined biogenic amines and metabolites, but increased the rate of synthesis (turnover) of DA and 5-HT in rat frontal cortex as compared to control, sham exposed rats. On the basis of the present results and our previous findings, extremely low frequency magnetic field (ELF MF) exposure has been found to alter both turnover and receptor reactivity of monoaminergic systems, as well as some behaviors induced by these systems or their agonists and antagonists.

Le travail présenté dans cette thèse s’inscrit dans le domaine de l'astrophysique de laboratoire, qui consiste à étudier en laboratoire des processus physiques qui se produisent dans des objets astrophysiques. Les principaux avantages ici sont que les processus peuvent être étudiés de manière contrôlée et que leur dynamique complète peut être étudiée. Présentement, nous avons profité des installations laser à haute intensité pour effectuer nos études.Pour cela, dans ce manuscrit, seront traitées les questions liées à l'astrophysique de laboratoire qui impliquent l'interaction d’un plasma en détente dans le vide en présence d’un champ magnétique ambiant. La présence d'un champ magnétique dans une variété de phénomènes astrophysiques rend l’introduction de cette composante magnétique dans le laboratoire nécessaire afin que ces études soient pertinentes. Pour ce faire, en collaboration avec Laboratoire National des Champs Magnétiques Intenses -LNCMI, une bobine Helmholtz, spécialement conçue pour travailler dans un environnement laser a été développée, permettant d'atteindre une force de champ magnétique jusqu'à 30 T.Les objets astrophysiques sur lesquels cette étude est centrée sont les étoiles jeunes ou « Young Stellar Objects » (YSOs). Plusieurs étapes du processus de formation de ces étoiles seront ici étudiées : (i) la génération de jets collimatés à très grande échelle, (ii) la dynamique d'accrétion impliquant, dans la représentation standard, des flux de matière tombant sur la surface de l’étoile sous forme de colonnes magnétiquement confinées, et (iii) des canaux d'accrétion plus exotiques, comme l'accrétion équatoriale qui implique la propagation du plasma perpendiculairement aux lignes de champ magnétique.Plus précisément, dans un premier chapitre, la dynamique de formation des jets sera discutée. Une première partie est dédiée au mécanisme de formation de jet dans un champ magnétique poloïdal (aligné par rapport à l'axe principal d’expansion du plasma). Une seconde partie traite de la distorsion d'une telle formation de jet par l'interaction du même plasma en expansion avec un champ magnétique désaligné (c'est-à-dire présentant un angle par rapport à l'axe d’expansion du plasma). Enfin, une troisième partie détaille la propagation du plasma dans un champ magnétique perpendiculaire. Cette dernière partie nous permet d'étudier des canaux exotiques d'accumulation de matière sur les étoiles, consistant en une accrétion du disque d’accrétion directement vers l'étoile, c’est-à-dire sur le plan équatorial, impliquant une propagation orthogonale aux lignes de champ magnétiques. Le deuxième chapitre aborde le thème de la dynamique d'accrétion par l'intermédiaire de colonnes de matière magnétiquement confinées, tombant sur la surface stellaire. En utilisant la même configuration expérimentale que dans le premier chapitre, le jet formé (dans le cas du champ magnétique parfaitement aligné) est utilisé pour imiter la colonne d'accrétion et est lancé sur une cible secondaire qui agit comme la surface stellaire. La dynamique de choc à l'emplacement de l'obstacle est soigneusement étudiée et des liens avec les observations de phénomènes d’accrétion astrophysique sont construits. Un cocon de plasma, formé autour de la région d'impact via l'interaction avec le champ magnétique, est observé être similaire à celui trouvé dans les simulations astrophysiques. Ce cocon est un élément important en tant que milieu potentiel d'absorption des émissions X. Ce milieu permettrait en effet d'expliquer les écarts observés entre les émissions UV / optiques et les émissions X provenant des étoiles lors des phases d’accrétion. / The work that is presented here has been performed in the frame of laboratory astrophysics, which consists in studying in the laboratory physical processes occurring in astrophysical objects. The main advantages in doing so are that the processes can be studied in a controlled way and that their full dynamics can be investigated. Here, we have been taking advantage of high-intensity laser facilities to perform our studies.In this manuscript, will be treated issues that include the interaction of a plasma expanding into vacuum with an ambient magnetic field. The presence of a magnetic field in a variety of astrophysical phenomena makes the inclusion of this component in the laboratory of great interest. We have used for our study a split Helmholtz coil, specifically designed in order to work in a laser environment, that allows for reaching a magnetic field strength up to 30 T.The astrophysical objects on which this study is focused are Young Stellar Objects (YSOs). Several steps of the star formation process are here investigated: (i) the generation of very long range, bright jets, (ii) the accretion dynamic involving, in the standard representation, matter falling down on the star in the shape of magnetically confined columns, and (iii) more exotic accretion channels, as the equatorial accretion that implies propagation of plasma perpendicularly to magnetic field lines.More precisely, in a first chapter, the jet formation dynamic will be discussed. A first part is dedicated to the jet formation mechanism in a poloidal magnetic field (aligned with respect to the main plasma expansion axis). A second part is dealing with the distortion of such jet formation via the interaction of the same expanding plasma with a misaligned magnetic field (i.e. presenting an angle with respect to the plasma expansion axis). Finally, a third part details the propagation of the plasma within a perpendicular magnetic field. This last part allows us to investigate exotic channels of matter accretion onto the stars, consisting of equatorial accretion from the disk to the star, through orthogonal magnetic field lines. The second chapter addresses the topic of the standard accretion dynamic via magnetically confined columns of matter, falling down onto the stellar surface. Using the same experimental setup as in the first chapter, the formed jet (in the case of the perfectly aligned magnetic field) is used to mimic the accretion column, and is launched onto a secondary target that acts as the stellar surface. The shock dynamic at the obstacle location is carefully studied and links with astrophysical accretion observations are built. A plasma cocoon, shaped around the impact region via the interaction with the magnetic field, is found to be similar to the one found in astrophysical simulations. This cocoon is an important element as a potential X-ray absorptive medium in order to explain observed discrepancies, between observed UV/Optical and X-ray emissions emitted from accreting stars.

Cette thèse a pour objet la modélisation du champ magnétique de la couronne solaire à l'aide du code de reconstruction non linéaire XTRAPOLS, avec une attention particulière pour les environnements des phénomènes éruptifs. Le caractère novateur des études menées porte sur l'aspect sphérique global de la méthode.Trois études principales de cas sont présentées dans cette thèse. La première concerne les évènements éruptifs de février 2011, géoeffectifs, faisant figurer une région active étendue. Nous mettons en évidences plusieurs structures de tubes de flux torsadés, et caractérisons leur lien avec les structures à grande échelle.La deuxième concerne les évènements du 3 et 4 août 2011. Plusieurs régions actives sont présentes sur le disque solaires, et deux d'entre elles présentent une activité éruptive importante.Là encore, nous mettons en évidences des tubes de flux torsadés dans chacune de ces deux régions active,et mettons en lumière les liens topologiques qui existent entre elles.La Troisième concerne une étude faite dans le cadre d'un groupe NLFFF, pour l'étude de la modélisation non linéaire globale de la couronne. La date correspondant à la reconstruction est celle de l'éclipse totale de soleil du 20 mars 2015. Nous discutons ici de l'impact de différents type de données et de modèles utilisés, et soulignons l'importance de la cohérence temporelle et de l'inclusion du courant dans les régions actives.Les travaux présentés dans cette thèse ont donc permis de caractériser l'environnement global des régions actives éruptives et d'étudier les liens entre les éléments à différentes échelles. Nous présentons en guise d'ouverture différente méthode pour étendre la modélisation au delà de la surface source. / The object of this thesis is the modelisation of the magnetic field of the solar corona using the non linear reconstruction code XTRAPOLS, with a special emphasis on eruptive phenomena environments.The innovative nature of the studies we undertook is the spherical global aspect of the method.Three main works are presented in this dissertation. The first one is about the February 2011 geoeffective events, featuring a large active region. We highlight several twisted flux ropes structures,and characterize their relationship with large scale structures.The second work is about the events of August 3rd and 4th. Several active region are present on the disk,and two of them feature a high eruptive activity. Here again, we find twisted flux ropes in each of the active regions, and we highlight the topological relationship between them.The third is a study performed in the context of an NLFFF group, in order to study the non linear modeling of the global corona. The reconstruction is performed at a date corresponding to the total solar eclipse of march 20th 2015. We discuss the impact of the different types of data and models used, and emphasize on the importance of data temporal coherence and of taking into account coronal currents.Thus, the works presented in this dissertation allowed to characterize the global environment of eruptive active regions, to study the relationship between features at different scales. To go further, we present different methods for extending the model beyond the source surface.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第18442号 / 理博第4002号 / 新制||理||1577(附属図書館) / 31320 / 京都大学大学院理学研究科物理学・宇宙物理学専攻 / (主査)教授 一本 潔, 教授 嶺重 慎, 教授 柴田 一成 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第19914号 / 理博第4214号 / 新制||理||1605(附属図書館) / 33000 / 京都大学大学院理学研究科化学専攻 / (主査)教授 北川 宏, 教授 島川 祐一, 教授 有賀 哲也 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become one of the premier non-invasive diagnostic tools, with around 60 million MRI scans applied each year. However, there is a risk of thermal injury due to radiofrequency (RF) induction heating of the tissue and implanted metallic device for the patients with the implanted metallic devices. Especially, MRI of the patients with implanted elongated devices such as pacemakers and deep brain stimulation systems is considered contraindicated. Many efforts, such as determining preferred MRI parameters, modifying magnetic field distribution, designing new structure and exploring new materials, have been made to reduce the induction heating. Improving the MRI-compatibility of implanted metallic devices by modifying the properties of the existing materials would be valuable. To evaluate the temperature rise due to RF induction heating on a metallic implant during MRI procedure, an electromagnetic model and thermal model are studied. The models consider the shape of RF magnetic pulses, interaction of RF pulses with metal plate, thermal conduction inside the metal and the convection at the interface between the metal and the surroundings. Transient temperature variation and effects of heat transfer coefficient, reflectivity and MRI settings on the temperature change are studied. Laser diffusion is applied to some titanium sheets for a preliminary study. An electromagnetic and thermal model is developed to choose the proper diffusant. Pt is the diffusant in this study. An electromagnetic model is also developed based on the principles of inverse problems to calculate the electromagnetic properties of the metals from the measured magnetic transmittance. iv This model is used to determine the reflectivity, dielectric constant and conductivity of treated and as-received Ti sheets. The treated Ti sheets show higher conductivity than the as-received Ti sheets, resulting higher reflectivity. A beam shaping lens system which is designed based on vector diffraction theory is used in laser diffusion. Designing beam shaping lens based on the vector diffraction theory offers improved irradiance profile and new applications such as polarized beam shaping because the polarization nature of laser beams is considered. Laser Pt diffusion are applied on the titanium and tantalum substrates using different laser beam polarizations. The concentration of Pt and oxygen in those substrates are measured using Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS). The magnetic transmittance and conductivity of those substrates are measured as well. The effects of laser beam polarizations on Pt diffusion and the magnetic transmittance and conductivity of those substrates are studied. Treated Ti sheets show lower magnetic transmittance due to the increased conductivity from diffused Pt atoms. On the other hand, treated Ta sheets show higher magnetic transmittance due to reduced conductivity from oxidation. Linearly polarized light can enhance the Pt diffusion because of the excitation of local vibration mode of atoms. Laser Pt diffusion and thermo-treatment were applied on the Ta and MP35N wires. The Pt concentration in laser platinized Ta and MP35N wires was determined using EDS. The ultimate tensile strength, fatigue lives and lead tip heating in real MRI environment of those wires were measured. The lead tip hating of the platinized Ta wires is 42 % less than the as-received Ta wire. The diffused Pt increases the conductivity of Ta wires, resulting in more reflection of magnetic field. In the case of the platinized MP35N wire, the reduction in lead tip heating was only 1 °C v due to low concentration of Pt. The weaker ultimate tensile strength and shorter fatigue lives of laser-treated Ta and MP35N wires may attribute to the oxidation and heating treatment.

Методом точек помутнения изучены фазовые переходы систем ПС – метилацетат, ПВА – этанол, ПДМС – бутанон и ПММА – бутанол в магнитном поле и в его отсутствие. Построены фазовые диаграммы систем ПС (Mh = 2,0´105) – метилацетат, ПВА (Mη = 5,8´104) – этанол, ПДМС (Mη = 1,0x103) – бутанон и ПММА (Mh = 5,5´104) – бутанол. Установлено, что магнитное поле не влияет на температуру фазовых переходов растворов гибкоцепных аморфных полимеров. / Phase transitions of the PS – methyl acetate, PVAc – ethanol, PDMS – butanone, PMMA – butanol systems have been studied using the cloud-point method. Phase diagrams of these systems are constructed. It is shown that the magnetic field does not influence on the phase transition temperature of flexible chain amorphous polymer solutions.

Phase transitions of the gelatin – water and agaroza - water systems have been studied using the cloud-point method. Phase diagrams of these systems are constructed at different values of pH of medium. It is shown that pH of medium influences on the melting temperature of gelatin and agaroza gels. / Методом точек помутнения изучены фазовые переходы в системах желатин – вода и агароза – вода. Построены фазовые диаграммы систем при разных pH среды в магнитном поле и вне поля. Установлено, что pH среды влияет на температуру плавления гелей желатина и агарозы.