Submitted by Jorge Silva (jorgelmsilva@ufrrj.br) on 2018-08-24T18:57:55Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2013 - Marcia Cavalcanti de Albuquerque.pdf: 12812324 bytes, checksum: 6ad3724579dc770eb98b1bc085f473fe (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-24T18:57:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2013 - Marcia Cavalcanti de Albuquerque.pdf: 12812324 bytes, checksum: 6ad3724579dc770eb98b1bc085f473fe (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-01-25 / CAPES / CNPq / This study aimed to identify the parasite species of eight forage fish species from the Tr?s Marias reservoir; to clarify some aspects about their parasite faunas through the quantification of the parasite parameters (prevalence, intensity and , abundance); to determine diversity indices of each endocommunity; to compare the endoparasite communities using qualitative and quantitative methods; and to investigate which biotic and abiotic factors were relevant in the endoparasite communities structuration. A total of 492 fish (Characiformes, Characidae) were collected in the Tr?s Marias reservoir (18?12'59"S, 45?17'34"W), upper S?o Francisco river, State of Minas Gerais, between May 2003 and July 2010. Of these total, 44 specimens were of Astyanax bimaculatus (Linnaeus, 1758), 76 of Astyanax fasciatus (Cuvier, 1819), 70 of Bryconops affinis (G?nther, 1864), 64 of Hemigrammus marginatus Ellis, 1911, 41 of Moenkausia costae (Steindachner, 1907), 51 of Orthospinus franciscensis (Eigenmann, 1914), 63 of Tetragonopterus chalceus Spix & Agassiz, 1829 and 83 of Triportheus guentheri (Garman, 1890). Were found 21 endoparasite species among the eight communities ? Digenea: Creptotrema creptotrema Travassos, Artigas & Pereira, 1928, Magnivitellinum simplex Kloss, 1966, unidentified species of Digenea (adults), Austrodiplostomum sp. and Clinostomum marginatum (Rudolphi, 1819) Braun, 1899 (metacercariaes); Eucestoda: unidentified species of Cyclophyllidea (metacestode) and unidentified species of Proteocephalidae (plerocercoids); Nematoda: Procamallanus saofranciscencis Moreira, Oliveira & Costa, 1994, Rhabdochona spA., Spinitectus rodolphiheringi Vaz & Pereira, 1934 (adults), Contracaecum sp., Hysterothylacium sp., Goezia sp., unidentified species of Cucullanidae, Procamallanus sp., Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) sp., Spiroxys sp., Rhabdochona sp. and Cystidicoloides fischeri (Travassos, Artigas & Pereira, 1928) (larvas); Myxozoa: Henneguya sp. (plasmodium with spores); and Protozoa (Apicomplexa): Calyptospora sp. (cysts with oocysts). Seven of these species were more frequent between the eight hosts: plerocercoids of Proteocephalidae, P. saofranciscencis, Contracaecum sp., Hysterothylacium sp., Spiroxys sp., Rhabdochona sp. and Henneguya sp.. The A. bimaculatus was the richest (16 endoparasite species) and the T. guentheri was the most diverse (Shannon-Wiener = 0,86) communiity. The H. marginatus was the less rich (nine taxa) and diverse community (Shannon-Wiener = 0,03). The most qualitative similarity was between the A. bimaculatus and A. fasciatus communities, while the most quantitative similarity occurred between the H. marginatus and O. franciscensis communities. The structure of parasite communities was mainly influenced by five factors: biotic ? fish species, size and diet; and abiotic: water electrical conductivity and fish collection period. However, the fish diet seems to be the major determining composition of the parasite communities of forage fish from the Tr?s Marias reservoir. / Este trabalho teve como objetivos identificar as esp?cies de parasitos de oito esp?cies de peixes forrageiros do reservat?rio de Tr?s Marias; esclarecer alguns aspectos sobre suas faunas parasit?rias atrav?s da quantifica??o dos par?metros parasit?rios (preval?ncia, intensidade e abund?ncia); determinar ?ndices de diversidade de cada endocomunidade; comparar quantitativa e qualitativamente as comunidades endoparasit?rias desses oito hospedeiros; e investigar quais fatores bi?ticos e abi?ticos foram relevantes na estrutura??o das comunidades endoparasit?rias. Um total de 492 peixes (Characiformes, Characidae) foram coletados no reservat?rio de Tr?s Marias (18?12'59"S, 45?17'34"W), alto rio S?o Francisco, Minas Gerais, entre maio de 2003 e julho 2010. Desse total, 44 esp?cimes eram de Astyanax bimaculatus (Linnaeus, 1758), 76 de Astyanax fasciatus (Cuvier, 1819), 70 de Bryconops affinis (G?nther, 1864), 64 de Hemigrammus marginatus Ellis, 1911, 41 de Moenkausia costae (Steindachner, 1907), 51 de Orthospinus franciscensis (Eigenmann, 1914), 63 de Tetragonopterus chalceus Spix & Agassiz, 1829 e 83 de Triportheus guentheri (Garman, 1890). Foram encontradas 21 esp?cies de endoparasitos dentre as oito comunidades - Digenea: Creptotrema creptotrema Travassos, Artigas & Pereira, 1928, Magnivitellinum simplex Kloss, 1966, uma esp?cie n?o identificada (adultos), Austrodiplostomum sp. e Clinostomum marginatum (Rudolphi, 1819) Braun, 1899 (metacerc?rias); Eucestoda: esp?cie n?o identificada de Cyclophyllidea (metacestoide) e esp?cie n?o identificada de Proteocephalidae (plerocercoides); Nematoda: Procamallanus saofranciscencis Moreira, Oliveira & Costa, 1994, Rhabdochona spA., Spinitectus rodolphiheringi Vaz & Pereira, 1934 (adultos), Contracaecum sp., Hysterothylacium sp., Goezia sp., esp?cie n?o identificada de Cucullanidae, Procamallanus sp., Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) sp., Spiroxys sp., Rhabdochona sp. e Cystidicoloides fischeri (Travassos, Artigas & Pereira, 1928) (larvas); Myxozoa: Henneguya sp. (plasm?dio com esporos); e Protozoa (Apicomplexa): Calyptospora sp. (cistos com oocistos). Sete dessas foram mais frequentes dentre os oito hospedeiros: plerocercoides de Proteocephalidae, P. saofranciscencis, Contracaecum sp., Hysterothylacium sp., Spiroxys sp., Rhabdochona sp. e Henneguya sp.. A comunidade de A. bimaculatus foi a mais rica (16 esp?cies de endoparasitos) e a de T. guentheri a mais diversa (Shannon-Wiener = 0,86). A comunidade de H. marginatus foi a menos rica (nove t?xons) e diversa (Shannon-Wiener = 0,03). A maior similaridade qualitativa foi entre as comunidades de A. bimaculatus e A. fasciatus, enquanto que a maior similaridade quantitativa se deu entre as comunidades de H. marginatus e O. franciscensis. A estrutura das comunidades parasit?rias foi influenciada principalmente por cinco fatores: bi?ticos ? esp?cie, comprimento e dieta dos peixes; e abi?ticos ? condutividade el?trica da ?gua e ?poca de coleta dos peixes. Contudo, a dieta dos peixes pareceu ser o maior determinante da composi??o das comunidades endoparasit?rias dos forrageiros do reservat?rio de Tr?s Marias.

The term prosody refers to characteristics of speech such as intonation, timing, loudness, and other acoustical properties imposed by physical, intentional and emotional state of the speaker. Phone durations and fundamental frequency contours are considered as two of the most prominent aspects of prosody. Modeling phone durations and fundamental frequency contours in Turkish speech are studied in this thesis. Various methods exist for building prosody models. State-of-the-art is dominated by corpus-based methods. This study introduces corpus-based approaches using classification and regression trees to discover the relationships between prosodic attributes and phone durations or fundamental frequency contours. In this context, a speech corpus, designed to have specific phonetic and prosodic content has been recorded and annotated. A set of prosodic attributes are compiled. The elements of the set are determined based on linguistic studies and literature surveys. The relevances of prosodic attributes are investigated by statistical measures such as mutual information and information gain. Fundamental frequency contour and phone duration modeling are handled as independent problems. Phone durations are predicted by using regression trees where the set of prosodic attributes is formed by forward selection. Quantization of phone durations is studied to improve prediction quality. A two-stage duration prediction process is proposed for handling specific ranges of phone duration values. Scaling and shifting of predicted durations are proposed to minimize mean squared error. Fundamental frequency contour modeling is studied under two different frameworks. One of them generates a codebook of syllable-fundamental-frequency-contours by vector quantization. The codewords are used to predict sentence fundamental frequency contours. Pitch accent prediction by two different clustering of codewords into accented and not-accented subsets is also considered in this framework. Based on the experience, the other approach is initiated. An algorithm has been developed to identify syllables having perceptual prominence or pitch accents. The slope of fundamental frequency contours are then predicted for the syllables identified as accented. Pitch contours of sentences are predicted using the duration information and estimated slope values. Performance of the phone duration and fundamental frequency contour models are evaluated quantitatively using statistical measures such as mean absolute error, root mean squared error, correlation and by kappa coefficients, and by correct classification rate in case of discrete symbol prediction.

O recrutamento é extremamente importante no ambiente recifal, sendo o principal responsável pelo reabastecimento de populações adultas de peixes. Esse fenômeno é altamente complexo, não sendo claro se é influenciado apenas por processos estocásticos ou também por processos determinísticos. No presente estudo avaliamos a dinâmica temporal do recrutamento de diversas espécies de peixes recifais, identificando sítios de berçário (i.e. recrutamento estável e alto) e a influência de variáveis ambientais. Para tal, utilizamos dados de um monitoramento de médio prazo (i.e. 2001 a 2014) realizado no Banco dos Abrolhos (BA-Brasil). Foram amostrados mais de 45 sítios, sendo levantados dados sobre a comunidade de peixes, comunidade bentônica e outras variáveis ambientais. A partir desses dados, avaliamos a variação do recrutamento por sítio em dois períodos distintos (i.e. 2001-2008/2006-2014) e a influência de variáveis ambientais no recrutamento, através da técnica Boosted Regression Trees. Constatamos que diversas espécies de peixe apresentam-se com recrutamento estável em distintos sítios de amostragem. Também observamos um efeito positivo da densidade de peixes recifais coespecíficos adultos e da cobertura relativa de algas frondosas no recrutamento de diversas espécies analisadas. No geral, observamos que há certa espécie especificidade no processo de recrutamento, porém, em escalas espaciais maiores, os padrões podem estar ligados a características mais gerais, relacionadas a um grupo taxonômico mais elevado. Em relação aos sítios de berçário, um se destacou, sendo berçário de 5 diferentes espécies, incluindo Scarus trispinosus, uma das espécies prioritárias para conservação na região de Abrolhos. Assim, recomendamos a criação de uma área marinha de proteção integral que englobe o sítio em questão. Além disso, as descobertas deste trabalho nos permitem reforçar a teoria de que o recrutamento de peixes recifais pode ser influenciado por fenômenos determinísticos e não varia simplesmente de maneira estocástica. / Recruitment is extremely important in the reef environment, because it is the main source of population replenishment. Reef fish recruitment is a highly complex process and it is not clear whether it is influenced only by stochastic processes or also by deterministic processes. Herein, we aimed to investigate temporal dynamics of reef fish recruitment, identify nursery sites (i.e. predictably high recruitment sites) and evaluate the influence of environmental variables on recruitment. We used data from a medium-term time series (i.e. 2001-2014) of scientific surveys in Abrolhos Bank (BA-Brazil). We sampled more than 45 sites, for several consecutive years and recorded data about fish community, benthic community and other environmental variables. We assessed the variation of recruitment on each site, during two distinct periods (i.e. 2001-2008 / 2006-2014), and used the Boosted Regression Trees technique to evaluate the influence of environmental variables in recruitment. We found that several reef fish species present a low variable recruitment at different sampling sites. BRT showed a positive effect of the coverage of flesh algae and abundance of conspecific in the abundance of recruits (i.e. young-of-year) of many species. Overall, we notice that the recruitment traits seems to be species specific, but we also found indications that in larger spatial scales, recruitment spatial and temporal patterns may be related to general characteristics among species of the higher taxa. Nursery sites varied among species and one site was a nursery to 5 different reef fish species, including Scarus trispinosus, a species that require priority conservation in the Abrolhos Bank. Therefore, we recommend the creation of a new no-take marine protected area that encompasses this site. Our results also indicated that reef fish recruitment may be influenced by deterministic processes and do not vary only stochastically.

Orientador: Reinaldo José da Silva / Resumo: Nos últimos anos, os parasitas foram reconhecidos como importantes componentes dabiodiversidade global, dado os importantes papéis desempenhados por esses organismosem ecossistemas naturais. Embora o conhecimento sobre a diversidade de parasitas tenhaaumentado nas últimas décadas, o número de espécies de parasitas de peixes no Brasil érelativamente baixo quando comparado com a biodiversidade das espécies hospedeiras.Desta forma, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo realizar um levantamento dabiodiversidade dos parasitas de peixes procedentes de quatro locais em uma área sob ainfluência de Pequenas Centrais Hidrelétricas (PCHs) no rio Sapucaí-Mirim, Estado de SãoPaulo, Brasil, bem como avaliar a estrutura das comunidades de metazoários parasitas depeixes Characiformes e de quatro espécies do gênero Leporinus. Durante o período demarço de 2012 a julho de 2013, foram coletados 462 espécimes pertencentes a 16 espéciesde peixes das ordens Characiformes, Siluriformes, Gymnotiformes e Perciformes.Observou-se que 86,58% dos espécimes estavam parasitados por pelo menos um taxon demetazoário parasita. Os parasitas encontrados pertenciam a oito diferentes grupos(Myxozoa, Monogenea, Digenea, Cestoda, Nematoda, Acantocephala, Arthopoda eAnnelida), sendo coletado um total de 6.830 parasitas. Noventa e sete taxa de parasitasforam encontrados, sendo que a classe Monogenea foi o grupo que apresentou o maiornúmero de espécies, seguido do filo Nematoda e da s... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Recently, parasites have been recognized as important components of global biodiversitybecause the important roles played by these organisms in natural ecosystems. Althoughknowledge about the diversity of parasites has increased in recent decades, the number ofparasite species of fishes in Brazil is relatively low compared to the biodiversity of hostspecies. Thus, this study aimed to survey the biodiversity of fish parasites from foursampling sites in an area under the influence of Small Hydroelectric Power Plants in theSapucaí-Mirim River, São Paulo State, Brazil, as well as to evaluate the structure ofmetazoan parasite communities of Characiformes and four species of Leporinus sp. FromMarch 2012 to July 2013, 462 fish specimens of 16 species of Characiformes,Siluriformes, Perciformes, and Gymnotiformes were collected. It was observed that86.58% of fish specimens were parasitized by at least one metazoan parasite taxon. Theparasites found belonged to eight different groups (Myxozoa, Monogenea, Digenea,Cestoda, Nematoda, Acantocephala, Arthopoda and Annelida) and a total of 6,830parasites were collected and analyzed. Ninety-seven parasite taxa were found, andMonogenea was the group that had the highest number of species, followed by Nematodaand Digenea. The parasite communities of Characiformes showed mainly differencesamong the host species, although belonging to the same order or family. The sampling site,condition factor and the host body ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Orientador: Reinaldo José da Silva / Resumo: Peixes da família Loricariidae (Siluriformes) apresentam grande plasticidade fenotípicaintraespecífica durante toda sua ontogenia. O conhecimento limitado sobre os aspectosbiológicos, padrões biogeográficos e elevada variabilidade morfológica destes peixesdificultam estudos sobre a biodiversidade acerca deste grupo, incluindo estudos sobre afauna parasitária. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo foi realizar levantamento dabiodiversidade de parasitas de peixes da família Loricariidae em áreas sob a influência daconstrução de Pequenas Centrais Hidrelétricas (PCHs) no rio Sapucaí-Mirim, Estado deSão Paulo, Brasil. Ademais, avaliar a estrutura das comunidades parasitárias doshospedeiros analisados (ao nível de infracomunidade e comunidade componente) epossíveis mudanças na abundância das infracomunidades baseadas em variáveisexplanatórias (espaciais, temporais e fatores intrínsecos ao hospedeiro). Para tanto, duranteos anos de 2012 e 2013 foram realizadas duas amostragens anuais (período seco/chuvoso),em oito áreas amostrais situadas nos reservatórios de três PCHs: Palmeiras, Anhanguera eRetiro. Foram necropsiados 334 loricarídeos pertencentes a 10 espécies: Loricaria prolixa,Hypostomus margaritifer, Hypostomus heraldoi, Hypostomus strigaticeps, Hypostomusregani, Hypostomus ancistroides, Hypostomus cf. margaritifer, Hypostomus topavae,Hypostomus aff. topavae, além de uma espécie não identificada pertencente ao gêneroHypostomus. Foram encontrados 29 ta... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Loricariid fishes (Siluriformes) presents great intraspecific phenotypic plasticity throughouttheir ontogeny. The limited knowledge about the biological aspects, biogeographic patternsof distribution and high morphological variability of these fishes make the studies onbiodiversity of this group difficult, including that about parasites. Therefore, the aim of thisstudy was to survey the biodiversity of parasites of Loricariidae fishes from an area underthe influence of the construction of Small Hydro Power Plants (SHPPs) in the Sapucaí-Mirim River, São Paulo State, Brazil. Moreover, the study evaluated the structure ofparasitic communities of these hosts (at both the component community andinfracommunity levels), assessing the possible variation in infracommunity abundanceamong sites and fish species based on explanatory variables (spatial, temporal, and hosttraits). During 2012 and 2013, two annual samples (dry/rainy seasons) were carried out, ineight sampling sites situated in the reservoirs of three SHPPs: Palmeiras, Anhanguera, andRetiro. Specimens of Loricaria prolixa, Hypostomus regani, Hypostomus ancistroides,Hypostomus strigaticeps, Hypostomus heraldoi, Hypostomus margaritifer, Hypostomus cf.margaritifer; Hypostomus topavae; Hypostomus aff. topavae and Hypostomus sp., wereanalyzed, totaling 334 fishes. Twenty-nine taxa were found, totaling 15,957 parasitespecimens, and Monogena was the dominant group, which showed the greatest richness ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

No estudo das comunidades florestais, estabelecer a importância relativa dos fatores que definem a composição e a distribuição das espécies é um desafio. Em termos de gradientes ambientais o estudo das respostas das espécies arbóreas são essenciais para a compreensão dos processos ecológicos e decisões de conservação. Neste sentido, para contribuir com a elucidação dos processos ecológicos nas principais formações florestais do Estado de São Paulo (Floresta Ombrófila Densa de Terras Baixas, Floresta Ombrófila Densa Submontana, Floresta Estacional Semidecidual e Savana Florestada) este trabalho objetivou responder as seguintes questões: (I) a composição florística e a abundância das espécies arbóreas, em cada unidade fitogeográfica, variam conforme o gradiente edáfico e topográfico?; (II) características do solo e topografia podem influenciar na previsibilidade de ocorrência de espécies arbóreas de ampla distribuição em diferentes tipos vegetacionais? (III) existe relação entre o padrão de distribuição espacial de espécies arbóreas e os parâmetros do solo e topografia? O trabalho foi realizado em parcelas alocadas em unidades de conservação (UC) que apresentaram trechos representativos, em termos de conservação e tamanho, das quatro principais formações florestais presentes no Estado de São Paulo. Em cada UC foram contabilizados os indivíduos arbóreos (CAP ≥ 15 cm), topografia, dados de textura e atributos químicos dos solos em uma parcela de 10,24 ha, subdividida em 256 subparcelas. Análises de correspodência canônica foram aplicadas para estabelecer a correspondência entre a abundância das espécies e o gradiente ambiental (solo e topografia). O método TWINSPAN modificado foi aplicado ao diagrama de ordenação da CCA para avaliar a influência das variáveis ambientais (solo e topografia) na composição de espécies. Árvores de regressão \"ampliadas\" (BRT) foram ajustadas para a predição da ocorrência das espécies segundo as variáveis de solo e topografia. O índice de Getis-Ord (G) foi utilizado para determinar a autocorrelação espacial das variáveis ambientais utilizadas nos modelos de predição da ocorrência das espécies. Nas unidades fitogeográficas analisadas, a correspondência entre o gradiente ambiental (solo e topografia) e a abundância das espécies foi significativa, especialmente na Savana Florestada onde observou-se a maior relação. O solo e a topografia também se relacionaram com a semelhança na composição florística das subparcelas, com exceção da Floresta Estacional Semicidual (EEC). As principais variáveis de solo e topografia relacionadas a flora em cada UC foram: (1) Na Floresta Ombrófila Densa de Terras Baixas (PEIC) - teor de alumínio na camada profunda (Al (80-100 cm)) que pode refletir os teor de Al na superfície, acidez do solo (pH(H2O) (5-25 cm)) e altitude, que delimitou as áreas alagadas; (2) Na Floresta Ombrófila Densa Submontana (PECB) - altitude, fator que, devido ao relevo acidentado, influencia a temperatura e incidência de sol no sub-bosque; (3) Na Savana Florestada (EEA) - fertilidade, tolerância ao alumínio e acidez do solo. Nos modelos de predição BRT, as variáveis químicas dos solos foram mais importantes do que a textura, devido à pequena variação deste atributo no solo nas áreas amostradas. Dentre as variáveis químicas dos solos, a capacidade de troca catiônica foi utilizada para prever a ocorrência das espécies nas quatro formações florestais, sendo particularmente importante na camada mais profunda do solo da Floresta Ombrófila Densa de Terras Baixas (PEIC). Quanto à topografia, a altitude foi inserida na maioria dos modelos e apresentou diferentes influências sobre as áreas de estudo. De modo geral, para presença das espécies de ampla distribuição observou-se uma mesma tendência quando à associação com os atributos dos solos, porém com amplitudes dos descritores edáficos que variaram de acordo com a área de estudo. A ocorrência de Guapira opposita e Syagrus romanzoffiana, cujo padrão variou conforme a escala, foi explicada por variáveis com padrões espaciais agregados que somaram entre 30% e 50% de importância relativa no modelo BRT. A presença de A. anthelmia, cujo padrão também apresentou certo nível de agregação, foi associada apenas a uma variável com padrão agregado, a altitude (21%), que pode ter exercido grande influência na distribuição da espécie ao delimitar áreas alagadas. T. guianensis se associou a variáveis ambientais preditoras com padrão espacial agregado que somaram cerca de 70% de importância relativa, o que deve ter sido suficiente para estabelecer o padrão agregado em todas as escalas. No entanto, a influência dos fatores ambientais no padrão de distribuição da espécie não depende apenas do ótimo ambiental da espécie, mas um resultado da interação espécie-ambiente. Concluiu-se que: (I) características edáficas e topográficas explicaram uma pequena parcela da composição florística, em cada unidade fitogeográfica, embora a ocorrência de algumas espécies tenha se associado ao gradiente edáfico e topográfico; (II) a partir de características dos solos e da topografia foi possível prever a presença de espécies arbóreas, que apresentaram particularidades em relação a sua associação com o solo de cada fitofisionomia; (III) a partir de associações descritivas o solo e a topografia influenciam o padrão de distribuição espacial das espécies, na proporção em que contribuem para a presença das mesmas. / In the study of forest communities, establish the relative importance of the factors that define the composition and distribution of species is a challenge. In terms of environmental gradients study the responses of tree species are essential to the understanding of ecological processes and conservation decisions. In this regard, to contribute to the elucidation of ecological processes in the main forest formations of São Paulo (Dense Ombrophylous Forest of Lowlands, Submontane Dense Ombrophylous Forest, Semideciduous Forest and Savanna Woodland) this study aimed to answer the following questions: (I) floristic composition and tree species abundance in each phytogeographic unit change according to edaphic and topographic gradient?; (II) soil characteristics and topography can influence the occurrence of predictability of tree species widely distributed in different types of vegetation? (III) there is a relationship between spatial distribution pattern of tree species and the soil parameters and topography? The work was carried out in allocated plots in protected areas (PA) with the four main forest formations in terms of conservation and size of Sao Paulo. In each PA was sampled individual trees, topography, texture data and chemical properties of the soil on a plot of 10.24 ha, subdivided into 256 subplots. Canonical corresponding analyzes (CCA) were applied to establish the correspondence between the abundance of species and environmental gradient (soil and topography). The modified TWINSPAN method was applied to CCA ordination diagram to evaluate the influence of environmental variables (soil and topography) on species composition. Boosteed Regression Trees (BRT) were adjusted for predicting the occurrence of the species according to soil variables and topography. The Getis Ord-index (G) was used to determine the spatial autocorrelation of environmental variables used in the BRT models. In analyzed phytogeographic units, correspondence between the environmental gradient (soil and topography) and abundance of species was significant, especially in Savanna Woodland. The soil and topography also correlated with the floristic composition similarity of the subplots, with the exception of Semicidual Seasonal Forest (EEC). The main soil and topography variables related to floristic in each PA were: (1) Dense Ombrophylous Forest of Lowlands (PEIC) - aluminium content in the deep layer (Al (80-100 cm)) which may reflect the Al content at the surface, soil acidity (pH (H2O) (5-25 cm)) and altitude, which outlined the flooded areas; (2) Submontane Dense Ombrophylous Forest (PECB) - elevation, due to the rugged terrain influences the temperature and light incidence in the understory; (3) Savanna Woodland (EEA) - fertility, tolerance to aluminum and soil acidity. In BRT prediction models, the chemical soil variables were more important than the texture due to small variation of this soil attribute in the sampled area. Among the soil chemical variables, cation exchange capacity was used to predict the species occurrence in four forest formations and particularly important in the soil deepest layer on the Dense Ombrophylous Forest of Lowlands (PEIC). In relation to topography, elevation was included in most models and had different influences on the study areas. Overall, the species widely distributed showed the same trend as the association with the attributes of the soil, but with amplitudes of edaphic descriptors that change according to the study area. The occurrence of the Guapira opposita and Syagrus romanzoffiana, whose pattern change according to the scale, was explained by variables with aggregated spatial patterns that amounted to between 30% and 50% relative importance in the BRT model. The presence of A. anthelmia, which defaults also presented certain level of aggregation, was associated only with one aggregate variable, elevation (21%), which may have exerted great influence on the species distribution to delimit wetlands. T. guianensis was related with the predictive environmental variables of aggregate spatial pattern which totaled to about 70% relative importance, what must have been enough to establish the aggregate pattern at all scales. However, the influence of environmental factors (soil and topography) on the species distribution pattern depends not only on the environmental optimum of the species, but a result of species-environment interaction. We concluded that: (I) soil and topographical characteristics explain a small portion of the floristic composition in each phytogeographic unit, although the occurrence of some species have been associated to the soil and topographic gradient; (II) from soil characteristics and topography it was possible to predict the presence of tree species, which showed particular in relation to its association with the soil of each vegetation type; (III) from descriptive associations soil and topography influence the spatial distribution pattern of the species, to the extent that contribute to the presence of the same.

La survie nette, indicateur clé de l'efficacité des systèmes de soin dans la lutte contre le cancer, est un concept théorique représentant la survie que l'on observerait dans un monde hypothétique où le cancer étudié serait la seule cause de décès. En s'affranchissant de la mortalité due aux causes autres que ce cancer, elle permet des comparaisons entre populations. Dans cette thèse, après présentation du concept et des méthodes d'estimation de la survie nette quand la cause de décès est inconnue, nous étudions trois problématiques. La première porte sur les tables de mortalité utilisées pour estimer la survie nette. En France, ces tables sont stratifiées sur âge, sexe, année et département. Il serait intéressant d'utiliser des tables stratifiées sur d'autres facteurs impactant la mortalité. Nous étudions l'impact du manque de stratification sur les estimations des effets des facteurs pronostiques sur la mortalité en excès (celle due au cancer en l'absence des autres causes de décès) par des études de simulations et sur données réelles. La deuxième problématique porte sur la construction d'un test de type log-rank pour comparer des distributions de survie nette estimées par l'estimateur Pohar-Perme, estimateur non paramétrique consistant de la survie nette. Notre troisième problématique est de déterminer dans une aire géographique des zones différentes en termes de survie nette. Nous adaptons une méthode de détection de clusters à la survie nette en utilisant le test précédemment développé comme critère de découpage. Ce travail propose ainsi des développements et outils nouveaux pour étudier et améliorer la qualité de la prise en charge des patients atteints d'un cancer. / In cancer research, net survival is a key indicator of health care efficiency. This theoretical concept is the survival that would be observed in an hypothetical world where the disease under study would be the only possible cause of death. In population-based studies, where cause of death is unknown, net survival allows to compare net cancer survival between different groups by removing the effect of death from causes other than cancer. In this work, after presenting the concept and the estimation methods of net survival, we focus on three complementary issues. The first one is about the life tables used in the estimates of net survival. In France, these tables are stratified by age, sex, year and département. Other prognostic factors impact on mortality. So it would be interesting to use life tables stratified by some of these factors. We study the impact of the lack of stratification in life tables on the estimates of the effects of prognostic factors on excess mortality by simulations and real data studies. In 2012, the Pohar-Perme estimator was proposed. It is a consistent non parametric estimator of net survival. The second issue involves the building of a log-rank type test to compare distributions of net survival (estimated by the Pohar-Perme estimator) between several groups. Our third issue is to propose a method providing potential spatial clusters which could contain patients with similar net cancer survival rates. We adapt a clustering method using the test we have built as a splitting criterion. This work proposes new developments and new tools to study and improve the quality of care for cancer patients. These methods are suitable to other chronic diseases.

La compréhension de la répartition spatiale des sols et leur cartographie est un enjeu important tant les services écosystémiques rendus par les sols ont un rôle fondamental dans les enjeux agro-environnementaux actuels. A l’échelle nationale, les données pédologiques sont fournies via des cartographies au 1 :250 000 des types de sols (Référentiel Régional Pédologique, RRP) dont la résolution est devenue insuffisante pour répondre à ces enjeux. Placés dans un contexte de cartographie numérique des propriétés des sols à l’échelle régionale (Languedoc-Roussillon) caractérisé par une grande étendue (27 236 km²) et une faible densité de données sur les sols ( 1 observation/13.5 km2), les travaux de thèse ont eu pour objectif de réaliser une nouvelle infrastructure de données pédologiques régionale satisfaisant les spécifications édictées dans le projet international GlobalSoilMap et répondant aux besoins des utilisateurs de la région.Dans un premier temps, plusieurs approches connues de cartographie numérique des sols utilisant les diverses données pédologiques issues du RRP ont été appliquées et comparées entre elles. Les meilleurs résultats ont été obtenus par des approches de régression krigeage utilisant les profils avec analyses de sol existant dans le RRP. Pour le pH, le carbone organique et les variables de texture (argile, limon, sable) les performances de prédiction se sont avérés modérées mais suffisantes pour permettre la production de cartes informatives (R2 entre 0.2 et 0.7). En revanche les propriétés de sol avec une trop faible densité de profils et/ou variant sur des distances trop courtes (Eléments grossier, Profondeur, CEC) n’ont pu être prédites .Dans un deuxième temps, des méthodologies ont été proposées et testées pour mieux estimer les incertitudes de prédictions de propriétés de sol. Concernant les incertitudes locales, des progrès par rapport à l’utilisation de la régression krigeage ont été obtenus avec l’utilisation d’arbres de régression quantile. Ces incertitudes locales ont pu d’autre part être propagées dans les calculs d’indicateurs de sol caractérisant des entités géographiques de la région (exemple : commune). Enfin une troisième étape a été consacrée à la mise en production effective de la nouvelle infrastructure de données pédologique régionale permettant une diffusion des cartes obtenues dans cette thèse vers les utilisateurs.Les résultats de la thèse permettent de démontrer la faisabilité d’une approche de cartographie numérique des propriétés de sols à l’échelle régionale qui pourra être généralisée sur le territoire français. Bien que certains verrous méthodologiques restent à lever (ex : modèles de prédiction pour données censurées, covariable « lithologie »), la faible densité des observations pédologiques stockées actuellement en bases de données représente le facteur limitant majeur qui devra être levé dans l’avenir pour obtenir des cartes numériques de propriétés de sol à des précisions acceptables et incertitudes connues. / Depicting and mapping the soil variability is an important issue since the ecosystem services provided by soils play an important role in solving the current agro-environmental challenges. At the French national scale, the pedological data are currently provided by regional soil databases (« Référentiel Régionaux Pédologiques », RRP) at 1:250,000. However they provide soil information at a spatial resolution that is too coarse for addressing these challenges. This thesis undertakes a Digital Soil Mapping approach at the regional scale in a region (Languedoc-Roussillon) characterized by a great extent (27 236 km ²) and a low density of soil observations (1 observation/13.5 km2). The goal is to produce a new regional infrastructure of pedological data that could satisfy the specifications enacted in the international project GlobalSoilMap and that meets the needs of the local end-users. In a first step, several known approaches of digital soil mapping using the various pedological data available in the RRP were applied and compared. The best results were obtained by a regression-kriging approach using the legacy measured soil profiles of the RRP. For the pH, organic carbon and the variables of texture (clay, silt, sand) the performances of prediction were of moderate quality but sufficient to allow the production of informative maps (R2 between 0.2 and 0.7). Conversely the soil properties with a too low density of profiles and/or that varied within too short distances (coarse fragment, soil Depth, CEC) could not be predicted. In a second step, methodologies were proposed and tested for better estimating uncertainties of predictions of soil properties. Concerning local uncertainties, a progress compared to the use of Regression Kriging was obtained with the use of Quantile Regression Tree. These local uncertainties could in addition be propagated in calculations of soil indicators characterizing the geographical entities of the area (example: districts). Finally a third stage was devoted to the setting in effective production of the new regional infrastructure of pedological data, which allowed the diffusion of the maps obtained in this thesis towards the users. The results of the thesis demonstrate the feasibility of a digital soil mapping approach at the regional scale that could be generalized over the French territory. Although some methodological obstacles have to be addressed (ex: models of prediction for censored data, soil covariate “lithology”), the low density of the pedological observations currently stored in regional databases represents the major limiting factor, which will have to be addressed in the future to obtain digital maps of soil properties with acceptable and known precision.

The Highway Safety Manual (HSM) estimates roadway safety performance based on predictive models that were calibrated using national data. Calibration factors are then used to adjust these predictive models to local conditions for local applications. The HSM recommends that local calibration factors be estimated using 30 to 50 randomly selected sites that experienced at least a total of 100 crashes per year. It also recommends that the factors be updated every two to three years, preferably on an annual basis. However, these recommendations are primarily based on expert opinions rather than data-driven research findings. Furthermore, most agencies do not have data for many of the input variables recommended in the HSM. This dissertation is aimed at determining the best way to meet three major data needs affecting the estimation of calibration factors: (1) the required minimum sample sizes for different roadway facilities, (2) the required frequency for calibration factor updates, and (3) the influential variables affecting calibration factors. In this dissertation, statewide segment and intersection data were first collected for most of the HSM recommended calibration variables using a Google Maps application. In addition, eight years (2005-2012) of traffic and crash data were retrieved from existing databases from the Florida Department of Transportation. With these data, the effect of sample size criterion on calibration factor estimates was first studied using a sensitivity analysis. The results showed that the minimum sample sizes not only vary across different roadway facilities, but they are also significantly higher than those recommended in the HSM. In addition, results from paired sample t-tests showed that calibration factors in Florida need to be updated annually. To identify influential variables affecting the calibration factors for roadway segments, the variables were prioritized by combining the results from three different methods: negative binomial regression, random forests, and boosted regression trees. Only a few variables were found to explain most of the variation in the crash data. Traffic volume was consistently found to be the most influential. In addition, roadside object density, major and minor commercial driveway densities, and minor residential driveway density were also identified as influential variables.

In this thesis, a binary decision tree is used as an approximation of a nonparametric regression curve. The best fitted decision tree is estimated from data via least squares method. It is investigated how and under which conditions the estimator converges. These asymptotic results then are used to create asymptotic convergence regions.