Cette thèse est consacrée à la détection des contours à partir d'images acquises par des caméras couleur mono-capteur. Dans ces dispositifs, le capteur est recouvert d'une mosaïque de filtres chromatiques (Color Filter Array, ou CFA) et forme une image (dite <<brute>> ou CFA) qui ne comporte qu'une seule composante couleur par pixel. Une procédure de dématriçage est classiquement appliquée à cette image pour estimer les deux composantes couleur manquantes en chaque pixel et obtenir une image couleur. Cependant, les artéfacts générés par le dématriçage peuvent altérer les performances des méthodes d'analyse bas-niveau des images. Ceci nous amène à éviter le dématriçage pour la détection des contours. Dans une approche de type gradient, nous proposons d'estimer les dérivées partielles soit en calculant les dérivées partielles dans les trois plans couleur (approche vectorielle), soit en estimant une luminance adaptée à la détection des contours (approche scalaire). L'état de l'art met en évidence que l'exploitation directe de l'image brute a été peu abordée et que les approches développées dans cette thèse sont originales. Pour l'approche vectorielle, nous proposons une adaptation de l'implantation récursive du filtre de Deriche au treillis du CFA. Pour l'approche luminance, nous utilisons un filtre optimal qui lisse et dérive conjointement les données brutes. Nous évaluons les performances des méthodes développées sur une base d'images synthétiques dont la vérité terrain est connue. Nous montrons ainsi que la détection des contours à partir des données brutes peut être satisfaisante tout en étant peu coûteuse en temps de calcul. / This thesis is devoted to edge detection from the raw image acquired by single-sensor cameras. Such cameras are fitted with Bayer Color Filter Array (CFA, generally Bayer one) and deliver raw CFA image, in which each pixel is characterized by only one out of the three colour components (red, green, or blue). A demosaicing procedure is necessary to estimate the other two missing colour components at each pixel, so as to obtain a colour image. This however produces artefacts that may affect the performance of low-level processing tasks applied to such estimated images. We propose to avoid demosaicing to compute partial derivatives for edge detection. Simple differentiation kernels, Deriche filters or shifted Deriche filters can be used either in a vector or a scalar approache. The vector approach computes partial derivatives for the three channels and the scalar approach first estimates a luminance image, then computes derivatives. The partial CFA derivatives are then used to compute Di Zenzo gradient for edge detection. We assess the performance of our methods on a large dataset of synthetic images with available edge ground truth. We show that CFA-based approaches may provide as accurate edge detection results as colour vector-based ones at much reduced computation cost.

Food insecurity (FI) is a significant risk factor in malnutrition which can lead to obesity and type 2 diabetes. The association of FI to undernutrition can additionally lead to impaired cognitive development in children. Nearly $100 billion is spent annually on federal nutrition programs yet FI still affects 1 in 8 American households pointing to the urgent need for the further refinement of our national/regional anti-hunger models. One notable and underutilized tool is the community food security assessment (CFA) which seeks to eliminate FI at the local level by improving food access throughout the community. A major limitation in knowledge about CFAs is the dearth of empirical studies of their effectiveness. The principal aim of this dissertation research was to statistically examine secondary data on U.S. counties where CFAs have been conducted and to determine whether they helped reduce individual FI over a two-year, post-test period. Repeated measures of ANOVA across the longitudinal time frame for n=66 counties revealed the main effect of FI was not statistically significant. A majority (56.9%) of 37 counties experienced a decrease in FI over the period. Linear regression found that unemployment was a significant influence in communities that experienced decreases in individual FI at the county level during the pre-test/post-test interval (β = .387 [.067], p<.01). This dissertation found that CFAs can be more effective in areas of higher unemployment as well as geographically where FI is initially higher, however further research is clearly needed in more communities over a longer time period. Also, the study suggests that proper development and structure of state and local-level food policy councils (FPCs) may lead CFAs to find better structure, funding and best practices to become more effective. Overlays prepared with ArcGIS mapping demonstrate that, in general, CFAs are not being performed in areas of highest FI when measured at the county level. The most important take-away from the visual mapping is the dearth of studies performed in the southeastern and southwestern regions of the country where county-level FI is higher, on average, than the rest of the country. These regions coincide with much of the Southern Black Belt and areas where Hispanic or Latino populations are most prevalent suggesting that communities in these regions may be able to benefit from the intervention.

Šešėlinę ekonomiką daug kas supranta kaip nelegalų verslą ar kontrabandą. Tai nėra tik vogtų daiktų realizavimas, prostitucija ar narkotikai, kuriuos privalo kontroliuoti policija ir kitos valstybės institucijos. Tačiau ir legalus verslas taip pat tampa šešėlinės ekonomikos dalimi, kai jos veiklos rezultatai falsifikuojami siekiant išvengti mokesčių. Tai neteisėti sandoriai, nerealios jų vertės ir panašiai. Iš tiesų, tai sudėtingas reiškinys, iškreipiantis oficialiąją statistiką, stabdantis ekonomikos augimą. Šio darbo tikslas nustatyti ekonominius faktorius, reikšmingai įtakoja Lietuvos šešėlinę ekonomiką. Darbo eigoje apibrėžiama šešėlinė ekonomika, jos sudedamosios dalys bei vertinimo metodikos. Tyrimo metu sudaromas Lietuvos šešėlinės ekonomikos MIMIC (Multiple Indicator Multiple Causal) modelis. Tikrinamas jo suderinamumas su turimais statistiniais duomenimis. Taip pat pateikiamos trys skirtingos MIMIC modelio specifikacijos, remiantis statistiniais kriterijais jos palyginamos ir randama priimtiniausia. / There is considerable agreement internationally about the factors that determine the relative size of the underground economy and that evidence of underground activity will be captured in several economic indicators. Until recently, however, the methods that have been employed to measure the underground economy focused on only a few causal factors, one indicator, and only produced an estimate for one particular point in time. This paper presents the modeling technique that threats the underground economy as an unobservable or latent variable and incorporates multiple indicator and multiple causal variables – MIMIC model. Moreover this technique allows us to estimate the significance of each causal variable as well as each indicator. First of all the theoretical definition of the shadow economy is proposed. Further the MIMIC modeling technique is described and the emphasis is laid on the most common variables used for latter method. Subsequently, the model is defined and the corresponding economical variables of Lithuanian are chosen. Whereupon the model is estimated and respecified while nonsignificant variables and relations been removed. Finally the conclusions about the most suitable model and statistically significant variables are maid.

Les résultats obtenus dans ce travail ont permis de démontrer que chez les deux bactéries lactiques modèles, L. lactis subsp. cremoris et O. oeni, la transcription du gène cfa, codant pour la Cfa synthase, est stimulée lorsque les cellules entrent en phase stationnaire de croissance ou lorque que les cellules sont cultivées en conditions de stress (milieu acide ou présence d'éthanol dans le milieu). Le rôle des CFA a pû être appréhendé par l'analyse physiologique comparative de la souche parentale L. lactis subsp. cremoris et du mutant Δcfa généré chez cette souche. Les forts pourcentages de survie obtenus chez les souches cultivées à pH 5,0, puis subissant un stress acide (pH 3,0), prouvent que la cyclopropanation des acides gras insaturés n'est pas indispensable à la survie de L. lactis subsp. cremoris en conditions de stress acide. En outre, les données d'anisotropie de fluorescence démontrent que la présence de CFAs membranaires ne permet pas de réguler le niveau de fluidité membranaire, en particulier avec les souches cultivées en présence d'éthanol, où une fluidification membranaire est observée dans tous les cas. L'hypothèse d'un équilibre entre les acides palmitoléique / cis-vaccénique / lactobacillique pour réguler la fluidité membranaire chez L. lactis subsp. cremoris est avancée. L'étude du rôle physiologique des CFA chez O. oeni nécessite l'expression du gène cfa de la bactérie en système hétérologue. Les résultats obtenus confirment la fonctionnalité du gène chez la bactérie hôte L. lactis subsp. cremoris, cependant la cyclisation du précurseur acide cis-vaccénique, reste partielle chez la souche mutante complémentée. Un travail de caractérisation biochimique in vitro de l'enzyme Cfa synthase de O. oeni a donc été entrepris afin d'expliquer la faible efficacité de l'enzyme de O. oeni chez la bactérie hôte. Les travaux réalisés ont permis la surproduction et la purification de l'enzyme. Une technique de mesure d'activité in vitro a été également développée. Une stratégie d'expression du gène cfa de O. oeni en système hétérologue dans la bactérie hôte E. coli BL21 Star a permis la surpoduction d'une protéine d'environ 45 kDa, en accord avec la masse moléculaire théorique de la Cfa synthase de O. oeni. A partir de l'extrait protéique, une purification a été réalisée par chromatographie d'affinité sur colonne d'agarose nickel. Les tests d'activité enzymatique in vitro ont pu été réalisés. La température optimale de l'enzyme est de 35,8°C. Son pH optimal est de 5,6. Même en se plaçant dans les conditions physico-chimiques optimales de l'enzyme, nous constatons que la cyclisation in vitro de l'acide cis-vaccénique issu des phospholipides membranaires du mutant L. lactis subsp. cremoris Δcfa reste partielle. Ceci induit une détermination expérimentale de valeurs de KM et Vmax largement supérieures aux données citées dans la littérature. La différence, entre les deux bactéries modèles, de nature et de répartition des phospholipides membranaires pourrait expliquer l'action partielle de la Cfa synthase de O. oeni.

abstract: Measurement invariance exists when a scale functions equivalently across people and is therefore essential for making meaningful group comparisons. Often, measurement invariance is examined with independent and identically distributed data; however, there are times when the participants are clustered within units, creating dependency in the data. Researchers have taken different approaches to address this dependency when studying measurement invariance (e.g., Kim, Kwok, & Yoon, 2012; Ryu, 2014; Kim, Yoon, Wen, Luo, & Kwok, 2015), but there are no comparisons of the various approaches. The purpose of this master's thesis was to investigate measurement invariance in multilevel data when the grouping variable was a level-1 variable using five different approaches. Publicly available data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K) was used as an illustrative example. The construct of early behavior, which was made up of four teacher-rated behavior scales, was evaluated for measurement invariance in relation to gender. In the specific case of this illustrative example, the statistical conclusions of the five approaches were in agreement (i.e., the loading of the externalizing item and the intercept of the approaches to learning item were not invariant). Simulation work should be done to investigate in which situations the conclusions of these approaches diverge. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Psychology 2016

abstract: A simulation study was conducted to explore the influence of partial loading invariance and partial intercept invariance on the latent mean comparison of the second-order factor within a higher-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model. Noninvariant loadings or intercepts were generated to be at one of the two levels or both levels for a second-order CFA model. The numbers and directions of differences in noninvariant loadings or intercepts were also manipulated, along with total sample size and effect size of the second-order factor mean difference. Data were analyzed using correct and incorrect specifications of noninvariant loadings and intercepts. Results summarized across the 5,000 replications in each condition included Type I error rates and powers for the chi-square difference test and the Wald test of the second-order factor mean difference, estimation bias and efficiency for this latent mean difference, and means of the standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). When the model was correctly specified, no obvious estimation bias was observed; when the model was misspecified by constraining noninvariant loadings or intercepts to be equal, the latent mean difference was overestimated if the direction of the difference in loadings or intercepts of was consistent with the direction of the latent mean difference, and vice versa. Increasing the number of noninvariant loadings or intercepts resulted in larger estimation bias if these noninvariant loadings or intercepts were constrained to be equal. Power to detect the latent mean difference was influenced by estimation bias and the estimated variance of the difference in the second-order factor mean, in addition to sample size and effect size. Constraining more parameters to be equal between groups—even when unequal in the population—led to a decrease in the variance of the estimated latent mean difference, which increased power somewhat. Finally, RMSEA was very sensitive for detecting misspecification due to improper equality constraints in all conditions in the current scenario, including the nonzero latent mean difference, but SRMR did not increase as expected when noninvariant parameters were constrained. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Educational Psychology 2016

Introduction: Bioceramics have been studied for their ability to emit long infrared radiation producing non-thermal and thermal effects, with several biological activities. Objective: To evaluate the effects of bioceramics on peripheral inflammation in mice, as well as to analyze the possible neurobiological mechanism involved in this effect. Methods: Swiss male mice injected with CFA in the paw were submitted to bioceramic treatments by means of contact with a ceramic impregnated pad that, under paw heat, radiates far infrared. Six groups (n = 8) of animals were randomly distributed into naive, control group and treated by exposure (radiation) to the bioceramics for 30, 60, 120 minutes or by continuous exposure. Edema formation, Mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia were analyzed using behavioral tests, i.e., the von Frey test, a hot plate and a micrometer (paw thickness), respectively. In the biochemical analyzes the local tissue (paw) concentrations of pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines were measured by the ELISA method. In the oxidative stress analyzes, parameters related to oxidative damage (TBARS and carbonylated proteins), antioxidant defense (SOD and CAT) and inflammation (myeloperoxidase and nitrite / nitrate concentrations) were analyzed by spectrophotometry. Intraplantar administrations of AM281 or AM630 (cannabinoid), caffeine and DPCPX (adenosine), naloxone (opioid) were used to investigate the endogenous pain control systems involved in the antihyperalgesic activity of bioceramics. Results: Bioceramic treatment reduced edema, as well as mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia. In addition, it decreased TNF-α and IL-1β concentrations and increased IL-10. The treatment also decreased oxidative damage and increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Activation of μ-opioid receptors, A1, CB1 and CB2 appear to mediate the antihyperalgesic effect of bioceramics. Conclusion: Material impregnated with bioceramics has anti-hyperalgesic and antiedematogenic activity in vivo. This antihyperalgesic effect seems to be related to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, as well as its ability to activate endogenous pain control systems. / Submitted by Ralph Fernando Rosas (ralph.fernando@unisul.br) on 2018-01-10T19:19:10Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 805 bytes, checksum: c4c98de35c20c53220c07884f4def27c (MD5) Tese Ralph.pdf: 2333014 bytes, checksum: 4f908be9d81a609616c758dde27e1f72 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Silvane Cauz (silvane.cauz@unisul.br) on 2018-02-06T12:45:15Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 805 bytes, checksum: c4c98de35c20c53220c07884f4def27c (MD5) Tese Ralph.pdf: 2333014 bytes, checksum: 4f908be9d81a609616c758dde27e1f72 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-02-06T12:45:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 805 bytes, checksum: c4c98de35c20c53220c07884f4def27c (MD5) Tese Ralph.pdf: 2333014 bytes, checksum: 4f908be9d81a609616c758dde27e1f72 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017 / Biocerâmicas têm sido estudadas por sua capacidade de emitir radiação de infravermelho longo que produz efeitos não-térmicos e térmicos, com diversos efeitos biológicos. Objetivo: Avaliar os efeitos da biocerâmica na inflamação periférica, bem como analisar o possível mecanismo neurobiológico envolvido nesse efeito. Métodos: O modelo de inflamação periférica persistente usado foi induzido por CFA. Foram utilizados camundongos Swiss de ambos os sexos. Foi injetado 20 μl desta solução na pata direita de cada animal. O tratamento foi realizado com uma almofada de PVC de milho (colocada abaixo da maravalha) impregnada com cerâmica que, sob estímulo térmico, irradiava infravermelho. Para os testes comportamentais, os animais foram distribuídos nos grupos (n=8): naives, controles, animais submetidos ao CFA e expostos à biocerâmica por 30, 60 e 120 minutos e exposição contínua. A hiperalgesia mecânica foi avaliada utilizando monofilamentos de von Frey; a hiperalgesia térmica ao calor utilizando o teste da placa quente; o edema da pata com micrômetro e pletismômetro digital; a análise das concentrações de citocinas utilizou-se o método de ELISA. Para as análises bioquímicas, as superfícies ventrais (pele) das patas posteriores direitas dos animais foram utilizadas. Para avaliação do dano oxidativo e sistema antioxidante de defesa foram avaliadas a peroxidação lipídica endógena, determinadas as atividades das enzimas superóxido dismutase, catalase, a concentração nitrito/nitrato, a atividade da enzima mieloperoxidase e o dano oxidativo a proteínas carboniladas. O envolvimento dos sistemas canabinoidérgico, adenosinérgico e opioidérgico, no efeito da biocerâmica foram investigados. Conclusão: Os resultados demonstraram que a biocerâmica reduz a dor de origem inflamatória, pois diminuiu a hiperalgesia mecânica juntamente com a hiperalgesia térmica e o edema de pata. Além disso, diminuíram-se os níveis das concentrações das citocinas pró-inflamatórias (TNF-α e IL-1β) e aumentaram-se da anti-inflamatória (IL-10). Também, houve diminuição do dano oxidativo com aumento da atividade das enzimas antioxidantes. Os sistemas citados estão envolvidos no efeito anti-hiperalgésico. Neste sentido, estes dados fornecem à literatura essenciais subsídios do efeito terapêutico da biocerâmica para o direcionamento de futuros ensaios clínicos.

abstract: Exiting prostitution is a process whereby women gradually leave prostitution after a number of environmental, relational, and cognitive changes have taken place. Most women attempting to leave street prostitution reenter five or more times before successfully exiting, if they are able to at all. Prostitution-exiting programs are designed to alleviate barriers to exiting, but several studies indicate only about 20-25% of participants enrolled in such programs are successful. There is little quantitative knowledge on the prostitution exiting process and current literature lacks a testable theory of exiting. This mixed-methods study defined and operationalized key cognitive processes by applying the Integrative Model of Behavioral Prediction (IMBP) to measure intentions to exit street-level prostitution. Intentions are thought to be a determinant of behavior and hypothesized as a function of attitudes, norms, and efficacy beliefs. The primary research objective was to measure and test a theory-driven hypothesis examining intentions to exit prostitution. To accomplish these aims, interviews were conducted with 16 men and women involved in prostitution to better capture the latent nuances of exiting (e.g., attitudinal changes, normative influence). These data informed the design of a quantitative instrument that was pilot-tested with a group of former prostitutes and reviewed by experts in the field. The quantitative phase focused on validating the instrument and testing the theory in a full latent variable structural equation model with a sample of 160 former and active prostitutes. Ultimately, the theory and instrument developed in this study will lay the foundation to test interventions for street prostituted women. Prior research has only been able to describe, but not explain or predict, the prostitution exiting process. This study fills a gap in literature by providing a quantitative examination of women's intentions to leave prostitution. The results contribute to our understanding of the cognitive changes that occur when a person leaves prostitution, and the validated instrument may be used as an intervention assessment or an exit prediction tool. Success in predicting an individual's passage through the exiting process could have important and far-reaching implications on recidivism policies or interventions for this vulnerable group of women. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Social Work 2013

Les résultats obtenus dans ce travail ont permis de démontrer que chez les deux bactéries lactiques modèles, L. lactis subsp. cremoris et O. oeni, la transcription du gène cfa, codant pour la Cfa synthase, est stimulée lorsque les cellules entrent en phase stationnaire de croissance ou lorque que les cellules sont cultivées en conditions de stress (milieu acide ou présence d’éthanol dans le milieu). Le rôle des CFA a pû être appréhendé par l’analyse physiologique comparative de la souche parentale L. lactis subsp. cremoris et du mutant Δcfa généré chez cette souche. Les forts pourcentages de survie obtenus chez les souches cultivées à pH 5,0, puis subissant un stress acide (pH 3,0), prouvent que la cyclopropanation des acides gras insaturés n’est pas indispensable à la survie de L. lactis subsp. cremoris en conditions de stress acide. En outre, les données d'anisotropie de fluorescence démontrent que la présence de CFAs membranaires ne permet pas de réguler le niveau de fluidité membranaire, en particulier avec les souches cultivées en présence d’éthanol, où une fluidification membranaire est observée dans tous les cas. L'hypothèse d'un équilibre entre les acides palmitoléique / cis-vaccénique / lactobacillique pour réguler la fluidité membranaire chez L. lactis subsp. cremoris est avancée. L’étude du rôle physiologique des CFA chez O. oeni nécessite l’expression du gène cfa de la bactérie en système hétérologue. Les résultats obtenus confirment la fonctionnalité du gène chez la bactérie hôte L. lactis subsp. cremoris, cependant la cyclisation du précurseur acide cis-vaccénique, reste partielle chez la souche mutante complémentée. Un travail de caractérisation biochimique in vitro de l’enzyme Cfa synthase de O. oeni a donc été entrepris afin d’expliquer la faible efficacité de l’enzyme de O. oeni chez la bactérie hôte. Les travaux réalisés ont permis la surproduction et la purification de l’enzyme. Une technique de mesure d’activité in vitro a été également développée. Une stratégie d’expression du gène cfa de O. oeni en système hétérologue dans la bactérie hôte E. coli BL21 Star a permis la surpoduction d’une protéine d’environ 45 kDa, en accord avec la masse moléculaire théorique de la Cfa synthase de O. oeni. A partir de l’extrait protéique, une purification a été réalisée par chromatographie d’affinité sur colonne d’agarose nickel. Les tests d’activité enzymatique in vitro ont pu été réalisés. La température optimale de l’enzyme est de 35,8°C. Son pH optimal est de 5,6. Même en se plaçant dans les conditions physico-chimiques optimales de l’enzyme, nous constatons que la cyclisation in vitro de l’acide cis-vaccénique issu des phospholipides membranaires du mutant L. lactis subsp. cremoris Δcfa reste partielle. Ceci induit une détermination expérimentale de valeurs de KM et Vmax largement supérieures aux données citées dans la littérature. La différence, entre les deux bactéries modèles, de nature et de répartition des phospholipides membranaires pourrait expliquer l’action partielle de la Cfa synthase de O. oeni. / The results obtained in this work have shown that in both lactic acid bacteria models, L. lactis subsp. cremoris and O. oeni, transcription of the cfa gene, encoding the Cfa synthase is stimulated when cells enter stationary phase of growth or when the cells are grown under stress conditions (acidic or presence of ethanol in the medium). The role of the CFAs has been apprehended by the comparative physiological analysis of the parental strain L. lactis subsp. cremoris and a Δcfa mutant generated in this strain. The high percentages of survival obtained in strains grown at pH 5.0 and undergoing acid stress (pH 3.0) prove that the cyclopropanation of unsaturated fatty acids is not essential to the survival of L. lactis subsp. cremoris under conditions of acid stress. In addition, fluorescence anisotropy data show that the presence of membrane CFA does not regulate the level of membrane fluidity, especially with strains grown in the presence of ethanol. The assumption of a balance between palmitoleic acid / cis-vaccenic acid / lactobacillic acid in membrane fluidity regulation in L. lactis subsp. cremoris is advanced. The study of the physiological role of CFA in O. oeni requires cfa gene expression of the bacterium in a heterologous system. The results confirm the functionality of the gene in the host bacterium L. lactis subsp. cremoris. However, the cyclopropanation of the precursor cis-vaccenic acid remains partial in the mutant strain complemented. Biochemical characterization in vitro of the enzyme CFA synthase from O. oeni was therefore undertaken in order to explain the low efficiency of the enzyme of O. oeni in the host bacterium. The work led to the overproduction and purification of the enzyme. A technique for measuring the activity in vitro has also been developed. A strategy of O. oeni cfa gene expression in the heterologous host bacterium E. coli BL21 Star has permitted the surpoduction of a protein of approximately 45 kDa. This data is in agreement with the theoretical molecular weight of the CFA synthase from O. oeni. Protein purification was performed by affinity chromatography on nickel-agarose column. Enzymatic activity assays in vitro have been made. The optimum temperature for the enzyme is 35.8 ° C. Its optimum pH is 5.6. However, we find that the in vitro cyclopropanation of cis-vaccenic acid from membrane phospholipids of the mutant L. lactis subsp. cremoris Δcfa remains partial. This leads to an experimental determination of KM and Vmax values much higher than the data cited in the literature. The difference between the nature and the distribution of membrane phospholipids in the two model bacteria may explain the partial activity of Cfa synthase from O. oeni.

No description available.