Image and video quality evaluation is very important. In applications involving signal transmission, the Reduced- or No-Reference quality metrics are generally more practical than the Full-Reference metrics. Digital watermarking based quality evaluation emerges as a potential Reduced- or No-Reference quality metric, which estimates signal quality by assessing the degradation of the embedded watermark. Since the watermark contains a small amount of information compared to the cover signal, performing accurate signal quality evaluation is a challenging task. Meanwhile, the watermarking process causes signal quality loss. To address these problems, in this thesis, a framework for image and video quality evaluation is proposed based on semi-fragile and adaptive watermarking. In this framework, adaptive watermark embedding strength is assigned by examining the signal quality degradation characteristics. The "Ideal Mapping Curve" is experimentally generated to relate watermark degradation to signal degradation so that the watermark degradation can be used to estimate the quality of distorted signals. With the proposed framework, a quantization based scheme is first implemented in DWT domain. In this scheme, the adaptive watermark embedding strengths are optimized by iteratively testing the image degradation characteristics under JPEG compression. This iterative process provides high accuracy for quality evaluation. However, it results in relatively high computational complexity. As an improvement, a tree structure based scheme is proposed to assign adaptive watermark embedding strengths by pre-estimating the signal degradation characteristics, which greatly improves the computational efficiency. The SPIHT tree structure and HVS masking are used to guide the watermark embedding, which greatly reduces the signal quality loss caused by watermark embedding. Experimental results show that the tree structure based scheme can evaluate image and video quality with high accuracy in terms of PSNR, wPSNR, JND, SSIM and VIF under JPEG compression, JPEG2000 compression, Gaussian low-pass filtering, Gaussian noise distortion, H.264 compression and packet loss related distortion.

Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is the leading cause of inherited intellectual disability. The disorder is caused by a trinucleotide expansion that silences the Fragile X Mental Retardation 1 (Fmr1) gene resulting in the loss of its protein product, the Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein (FMRP). FXS patients show broad clinical phenotypes including intellectual disability, as well as a number of cognitive and behavioral problems. The lack of FMRP is believed to be the direct cause of the deficits seen in FXS patients. FMRP is an RNA-binding protein that is expressed in the brain and testes. This protein is believed to form a messenger ribonucleoprotein complex with mRNAs in the nucleus and subsequently export them to polyribosomes in the cytoplasm, therefore influencing translation of its bound mRNAs. Importantly, FMRP has long been suspected to be involved in synaptic plasticity due to its ability to bind several mRNAs that encode for proteins important in synaptic plasticity. Such proteins include the GluN1, GluN2A and GluN2B subunits of the N-methyl-D- aspartate receptor (NMDAR). FMRP is expressed in the hippocampus, a region of the brain involved in learning and memory processes. Recently, impaired NMDAR functioning in the dentate gyrus (DG) subregion of the hippocampus has been observed in Fmr1 knockout (-/y) mice. This impairment also resulted in reduction in long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) of synaptic efficacy, two biological models of learning and memory. In the present study, I focused on the levels of the NMDAR GluN1, GluN2B and Glu2B subunits in order to determine the synaptic plasticity alterations seen in the DG of Fmr1-/y mice. Using Western blotting, I found that there is a decrease in the GluN1, GluN2A and GluN2B subunits in the DG of young adult Fmr1-/y mice, indicating that these mice have significantly lower amounts of total NMDARs. These results could explain the altered LTP and LTD seen in Fmr1-/y mice at the molecular level and might contribute to the intellectual impairments seen in these KO mice. NMDARs appear to be important in the development and maturation of synapses. The GluN2A and GluN2B subunits are developmentally regulated, where GluN2B is predominantly expressed early in development and GluN2A in the adult brain. A dysregulation of GluN2A and GluN2B subunits has been proposed to affect the maturation and formation of synapses. Intriguingly, FMRP is also believed to play a functional role in early brain development. Thus, this study also focused on the developmental expression of the GluN1, GluN2A and GluN2B subunits in the DG, Cornu Ammonis, prefrontal cortex and cerebellum of Fmr1-/y mice, all of which are brain regions implicated in FXS. We found that the developmental expression of these subunits is altered in Fmr1-/y mice in specific brain regions. Together, these results demonstrate that the loss of FMRP differentially affects GluN1, GluN2A and GluN2B subunit expression both developmentally and spatially, further implicating NMDARs in the pathophysiology of FXS. / Graduate

Discussion around the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) re-intensified in the 1990s as a response to the increasing power of large corporations, the regulatory vacuum left by neoliberal market deregulation and the changing nature of the state in the context of globalization. This dissertation analyzes the constitution of CSR, grounded in political economy and situated in the context of globalization, and identifies CSR as a constitutive element of global governance. Claims made about the potential business contribution to social and economic development in developing regions are largely unsubstantiated and little is known about the impact of CSR on the people it is supposed to benefit. Mainstream literature strips CSR from its context and assumes that practice can be standardized and the results quantified. The qualitative case study analyzes the contextual practice and impact of CSR activities by EnCana Corporation, Canada’s largest independent oil and gas company, on Indigenous peoples and settler communities in Ecuador, and on the Dene Tha’ First Nation in Canada. Analysis of EnCana’s definition and implementation of CSR reveals a conflicting narrative, attempting to reconcile competitive capitalism with broad moralistic principles and ethics. Corporate culture prioritized the business case and the assumption that triple bottom line goals are compatible and mutually reinforcing. Findings from the case study demonstrate that corporate ideology remained constant across the company’s operations in the two countries, allowing adaptation of its CSR practices only within a certain range of possibilities. The case study provides evidence that EnCana Corporation had to adapt its CSR practice in response to specific articulations of local social-economic and political contexts. Specifically, CSR practices responded first, to national development goals and state capacity; and second, to Indigenous and communal resources and strategies. The findings further suggest that CSR practice creates fragile dependencies, subjecting social, ecological and social justice objectives to economic imperatives. Two important processes contribute to the creation of fragile dependencies. First, at the business-society interface, citizens are conceptualized as stakeholders; second, participation in decision-making becomes institutionalized as a limited form of consultation, often delegated to project proponents, without sufficient involvement of the state.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2009. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Sept. 10, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.

Ce travail de thèse s’inscrit dans le contexte de la sûreté nucléaire, et plus précisément, de l’intégrité des circuits secondaires des Réacteurs à eau pressurisée (REP). L’étude porte donc sur le comportement à rupture de structures minces soudées dans le domaine haut de la transition fragile/ductile. Elle a pour objectif de développer le modèle en contrainte seuil initialement développé par Chapuliot, qui permet de prédire la non-rupture par clivage de cette structure soudée. Le modèle est identifié pour la soudure de l’acier au C-Mn de construction nucléaire, en s’intéressant plus particulièrement à la limite supérieure du domaine de transition.Une contrainte seuil, en-dessous de laquelle le clivage ne peut avoir lieu, est identifiée à partir d’essais de traction à basses températures sur éprouvettes axisymétriques entaillées prélevées dans le joint soudé. Cette contrainte seuil permet de définir le volume seuil, ou volume dans lequel les contraintes principales maximales dépassent la contrainte seuil au cours de l’essai.L’analyse au MEB des faciès des éprouvettes rompues montre que la zone fondue brute de solidification dans la ZAT est la zone la plus susceptible de cliver. La relation entre la probabilité de rupture fragile et le volume seuil dans cette zone est établie via une fonction de sensibilité, grâce à des essais sur éprouvettes CT et à leur simulation multi-matériaux. Le modèle ainsi identifié est testé pour prévoir la non rupture par clivage d’éprouvettes SENT prélevées dans le joint soudé et sollicitées en traction. Les résultats obtenus sont encourageants relativement à la transférabilité du modèle à la structure réelle / This work concerns the nuclear safety, specifically the secondary circuit integrity of pressurized water reactors (PWR). Therefore, the present study focuses on the fracture behaviour of welded thin structures in brittle/ductile transition. It aims at developing the threshold stress model initially proposed by Chapuliot, to predict the non-brittle-fracture of this welded structure. The model is identified for the welded joint in C-Mn steel for nuclear construction, specifically in the upper part of the transition.A threshold stress, below which the cleavage cannot take place, is identified using tensile tests at low temperature on axis-symmetrical notched specimens taken in welded joint. This threshold stress is used to define the threshold volume where the maximum principal stress exceeds the threshold stress during the test.The analysis by SEM of specimen fracture surfaces shows that the gross solidification molten zone in the weld is the most likely to cleave. The relation between the brittle fracture probability and the threshold volume in the gross solidification molten zone is established via a sensitivity function, using multi-materials simulations. The model thus identified is tested for the prediction of non-brittle-fracture of SENT specimens taken in the welded joint and tested in tension. The results obtained are encouraging with regards to the transferability of the model to the actual structure

Orientador: Ibiara Correia de Lima Almeida Paz / Resumo: A realização dos experimentos teve como objetivo avaliar as características produtivas e econômicas, o gait score e a qualidade óssea de duas linhagens de frangos de corte machos submetidas a planos nutricionais para desempenho regular, médio ou superior em duas épocas do ano e duas idades de abate. Para isto, foram realizados dois experimentos igualitários em época fria e quente e em cada um foram utilizados 2.400 frangos de corte machos distribuídos em delineamento experimental em blocos casualizados alocados em esquema fatorial 2x3 (linhagens Cobb® 500 e Ross® AP95 e planos nutricionais para desempenho regular, médio ou superior). Avaliaram-se o desempenho, eficiência econômica alimentar, gait score, causa da morte e refugagem, rendimento de carcaça e partes, arranhões na carcaça, problemas locomotores (degeneração femoral, discondroplasia tibial e espondilolistese), resistência óssea e síndrome do osso negro. Conclui-se que em época fria, o plano nutricional para desempenho regular foi mais indicado por apresentar melhores resultados econômicos. Para melhoria da qualidade óssea e dos distúrbios locomotores os planos para desempenho médio e superior foram mais indicados. Já em época quente, para obtenção de melhores resultados produtivos, econômicos e ósseos foi satisfatório utilizar-se o plano para desempenho superior. Tanto em época quente como em época fria, nas condições em que os experimentos foram realizados, foi positiva a utilização de frangos da linhagem Ross® AP9... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Doutor

Afin d'assurer le contrôle de son parc de production d'électricité, EDF doit maîtriser le vieillissement de ses installations pour en garantir le bon fonctionnement dans la durée. Dans ce but, il est nécessaire de disposer d’outils performants pour le modéliser et simuler la propagation des défauts dans les structures.Dans ces travaux de thèse, on s’intéresse à la propagation de fissures avec la méthode X-FEM et notamment à l’étape de localisation de la fissure par une technique de courbes de niveau. Nous avons proposé une approche fondée sur une méthode de propagation d’information de distance dite fast marching method pour rendre cette étape plus robuste. Elle est applicable à tous types de mailles,linéaires ou quadratiques.De plus, le calcul du taux de restitution d’énergie et des facteurs d’intensité de contrainte en pointe de fissure doit être suffisamment précis pour permettre de calculer la direction et l’avancée de la fissure. Dans ce but, nous avons proposé d’étudier une méthode d’intégrale de domaine pour laquelle on soulève plusieurs difficultés liées à la représentation de la fissure dans un espace tridimensionnel. Plusieurs améliorations sont proposées pour rendre les calculs plus précis et plus robustes.Dans le cas des fissures à front courbe, nous avons identifié les limites de l'utilisation des champs asymptotiques obtenus en pointe de fissure sous l'hypothèse des déformations planes comme champs auxiliaires d’une méthode d’intégrale d’interaction et nous avons proposé de nouveaux champs de déplacements auxiliaires qui prennent en compte la courbure du front de fissure. Toutes ces approches sont développées et validées dans le logiciel code_aster. / In order to ensure the control of its nuclear power plants, EDF must guarantee that they function effectively over the long term. For this purpose, it is necessary to have efficient tools tomodel and simulate crack propagation in structures. In this PhD work, we are interested in the propagation of cracks with the X-FEM method which allows using the same mesh as for a structure without default. We target especially the reconstruction of thelevel sets that characterize the position of the crack after propagation. We have proposed a fast marching method approach based on the propagation of distance information from the crack surface to the whole structure to make this step more robust in the X-FEM propagation process. It is applicable to all types of meshes, linear or quadratic. The calculation of information characteristic of thecrack status such as the energy release rate and the stress intensity factors must be accurate enough to obtain the direction and advance of the crack front ateach propagation step. For this purpose, we proposed to study a domain integral method, for which several difficulties related to the representation of the crackin a three-dimensional space are identified. Several improvements are proposed to make the calculations more accurate and more robust. In the case of curved cracks front, we have identified the limitations of using asymptotic fields obtained under the plane deformation hypothesis as auxiliary fields of an interaction integral method and we have proposed new auxiliary displacement fields that take into account the curvature of the crack front. All these methods are developed and validated with EDF software code_aster.

Submitted by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio (fiscina@bahia.fiocruz.br) on 2012-07-25T21:04:26Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Marcela Kelly Astete Gómez Estudo dos alelos da região....pdf: 1187772 bytes, checksum: d35081c0e79dae64122fa5e5a15c60c3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2012-07-25T21:04:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Marcela Kelly Astete Gómez Estudo dos alelos da região....pdf: 1187772 bytes, checksum: d35081c0e79dae64122fa5e5a15c60c3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, Bahia, Brasil / A Síndrome do X-Frágil (SXF) é a principal causa hereditária de deficiência mental de herança dominante ligada ao cromossomo X. Em 1991, o gene FMR1 (Fragile X Mental Retardation 1) foi descoberto como responsável pela SXF. De acordo com o número de repetições, os alelos se dividem em: (a) alelo normal compreendendo 6 a 55 repetições (b) pré-mutado: 61 a 200 repetições e (c) mutado: com >200 repetições. Os alelos que apresentam 45 a 60 repetições são considerados como zona intermediária ou gray-zone. A base molecular dessa doença é bastante peculiar quando comparada com os padrões típicos observados em outras desordens de etiologia genética. As pré-mutações podem agregar-se de forma silenciosa por muitas gerações de uma família antes de se expandir para a mutação completa, levando aos sinais clínicos da doença. Na Bahia existem poucas pesquisas envolvendo esta doença, consequentemente, é desconhecida sua frequência nessa região. Portanto, este trabalho tem como objetivo detectar a frequência das classes alélicas do gene FMR1 em uma amostra de indivíduos do sexo masculino da população geral de Salvador-BA. Este estudo foi realizado em 511 homens provenientes de outro amplo estudo desenvolvido pelo Instituto de Saúde Coletiva (ISC) da Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA) sendo utilizada a técnica da PCR e posterior classificação dos alelos baseando-se na relação entre o número de repetições CGG e o tamanho do fragmento obtido na PCR. Dos 511 homens analisados no presente estudo observou-se predominância de alelos normais pertencentes à classe 2 (11 a 26 repetições CGG) em 73,70% dos indivíduos analisados, seguido da classe 3 (27 a 40 repetições CGG) em 25,10% dos indivíduos. Apenas 1,20% foram incluídos na classe 1 (<10 repetições CGG) e nenhum alelo foi encontrado nas classes 4 (41 a 60 repetições CGG), classe 5 ( >60 repetições CGG) e classe 6 (>200 repetições CGG). Este é o primeiro estudo utilizando a técnica da PCR para detecção dos alelos do gene FMR1 em uma população geral de Salvador-BA, podendo direcionar futuros trabalhos envolvendo o gene FMR1 tanto para o estado da Bahia, quanto para a região Nordeste e também minimizar deficiências existentes em termos de diagnóstico da SXF na cidade de Salvador-BA. / The Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the leading cause of inherited mental deficiency (MD) of dominant inheritance linked to X chromosome. In 1991, the FMR1 gene (Fragile X Mental Retardation 1) was discovered as responsible for FXS. According to the number of repetitions, the alleles are divided in: (a) normal stable allele comprising 6 to 55 repetitions; (b) premutation: 61 to 200 repetitions and (c) mutant with> 200 repeats. The molecular basis of this disease is quite unusual when compared with the typical patterns seen in other disorders of genetic etiology. The pre-change can add up so silent for many generations of a family before they expand to full mutation, leading to clinical signs of disease. In Bahia there are few studies involving this disease, therefore, its frequency is unknown in this region. So, this study aims to detect the frequency of allelic classes of FMR1 gene in a sample of males from the general population of Salvador-BA city. This study was conducted on 511 samples using the PCR technique and subsequent classification of alleles based on the number of CGG repeats and the size of the fragments in PCR. Of the 511 individuals examined was found to predominate among the normal alleles the class 2 (11 to 26 repetitions) with 73,70% followed alleles analyzed in Class 3 (27 to 40 repetitions) with 25,10%, and Class 1 (<10 repetitions) with only one 1,20% . No allele was found in class 4 (41 to 60 repetitions), which corresponds to gray zone and class 5 (> 60 repetitions) for the premutation and class 6 (>200 repetitions) the corresponds full mutation.This is the first study using the PCR technique for detection of alleles of the FMR1 gene in a general population of Salvador, Bahia, and may direct future studies involving the FMR1 gene for both the state of Bahia, the Northeast and to also minimize deficiencies existing in the diagnosis of FXS in Salvador, Bahia.

É uma verdade incontestável que a fadiga constitui um dos problemas mais críticos em engenharia, especialmente em estruturas formadas por materiais dúcteis. Por essa razão, uma grande quantidade de métodos e estudos tem sido desenvolvida para tratar deste problema. No entanto, no caso de materiais quase frágeis como concreto, rochas cerâmicas e alguns tipos de materiais compostos, o efeito que cargas oscilantes produzem sobre estes materiais é menos conhecido e aparentemente também menos crítico. No presente trabalho, se utiliza uma versão do método dos elementos discretos formado por barras para explorar as possibilidades do mesmo na simulação do efeito de fadiga em materiais quase frágeis. Simulações sobre corpos de prova simples são apresentadas e vários aspectos deste estudo são discutidos, entre eles: influência da escala, influência da aleatoriedade nas propriedades do material simulado e se a lei de crescimento prevista por Paris (1961) se apresenta nas simulações realizadas. Finalmente, nas considerações finais, são salientadas as possibilidades que se abrem ao aplicar o modelo de elementos discretos apresentado no estudo de materiais quase frágeis submetidos à ação de cargas oscilantes. / It is an unquestionable truth that fatigue consists in one of the most critical problems of engineering, especially in ductile material structures. For that reason, a great amount of methods and studies has been developed to deal with this matter. However, when it comes to quasi brittle materials like concrete, ceramic stones and a few kinds of composites, the effect of cyclic loading on these materials is less well known, and apparently also less critical. In this work, a version of the discrete elements method formed by bars is applied to explore the possibilities of its use on simulating the effect of fatigue over quasi brittle materials. Simulations are presented over simple test specimens and several features of this study are discussed, among them: the influence of specimen scale, the influence of random distribution on material properties and if crack growth laws previewed by Paris, (Paris et al., 1961) are verified in the performed simulations. In the final considerations, the possibilities brought by applying the discrete elements method in this study of quasi brittle materials submitted to cyclic loading are highlighted.

Aços resistentes à abrasão possuem uma dureza elevada, sendo amplamente utilizados em aplicações em que o componente ou estrutura é submetido a situações em que é exigida alta resistência mecânica e resistência ao desgaste. Este tipo de aço pode ser aplicado para fabricação de implementos rodoviários, implementos agrícolas, montagem de altos fornos e na indústria de mineração. O presente trabalho visa analisar a influência da baixa temperatura na tenacidade de uma junta de aço resistente à abrasão da série 450HB soldado através do processo ao arco elétrico com arame tubular (Flux-Cored Arc Welding- FCAW). Para tanto foram realizados ensaios de tenacidade ao impacto (Charpy-V) no metal base, metal de solda e ZAC nas temperaturas de 25ºC, 0ºC, -20ºC, -60ºC, -80ºC e -100ºC com o objetivo de levantar a curva de transição dúctil-frágil para cada uma dessas regiões. Também foram realizados ensaios para medição da tenacidade à fratura pelo parâmetro CTOD (Crack Tip Opening Displacement) nas regiões do metal base, metal de solda e ZAC nas temperaturas 25ºC, 0ºC, -20ºC. Adicionalmente foram realizados perfis de microdureza Vickers, dureza Brinell, análise química do metal de base e do metal de solda, caracterização metalográfica (macrografia e micrografias) e análises fractográficas a fim de complementar o estudo da junta soldada. Os resultados mostram melhor desempenho do metal base em relação ao ensaio de impacto, entretanto, o metal de solda apresentou melhores resultados de tenacidade à fratura. A região da ZAC apresentou o pior desempenho entre as regiões em ambos os ensaios de tenacidade realizados. / Abrasion resistant steels have a high hardness, being widely used in applications where the component or structure is subjected to situations where high strength and wear resistance is required. This type of steel can be applied to the production of road equipment, agricultural implements, mounting blast furnaces and in the mining industry. The present work analyzes the influence of low temperature on the toughness of an abrasion resistant steel joint of 450HB series welded through the FCAW (Flux Cored Arc Welding-FCAW) process. It was performed tests of impact toughness (Charpy-V) in the base metal, weld metal and HAZ in the temperatures of 25ºC, 0ºC, -20ºC, -60ºC, -80ºC e -100ºC with the objective to raise the ductile-fragile transition curve for each one of these regions. Tests for measurement of fracture toughness by CTOD (Crack Tip Opening Displacement) parameter in the regions of the base metal, weld metal and HAZ in the temperatures of 25 º C, 0 º C, -20 º C were also performed. In addition, Vickers microhardness profile, Brinell hardness, chemical analysis of the base metal and weld metal, metallographic characterization (macrograph and micrographs) and fractography analysis were performed to complement the study of the welded joint. The results show better performance of the base metal in relation to the impact test, however, the weld metal showed a better fracture toughness. The region of the HAZ showed the worst performance among regions in both toughness tests performed.