L'analyse des structures curvilignes en 3 dimensions est un problème difficile en analyse d'images. En effet, ces structures sont fines, facilement corrompues par le bruit et présentent une géométrie complexe. Depuis plusieurs années, de nombreuses méthodes spécialement dédiées au traitement d'images contenant des structures curvilignes ont vu le jour. Ces méthodes concernent diverses applications en science des matériaux, télédétection ou encore en imagerie médicale. Malgré cela, l'analyse des structures curvilignes demeure une tâche complexe.Dans cette présentation nous parlerons de la caractérisation des structures curvilignes pour l'analyse d'images. Nous présenterons en premier lieu une nouvelle méthode appelée RORPO, à partir de laquelle deux caractéristiques peuvent être calculées. La première est une caractéristique d'intensité, qui préserve l'intensité des structures curvilignes tout en réduisant celle des autres structures. La deuxième est une caractéristique de direction, qui fournit en chaque point d'une image, la direction d'une structure curviligne potentielle.RORPO, contrairement à la plupart des méthodes de la littérature, est une méthode non locale, non linéaire et mieux adaptées à l'anisotropie intrinsèque des structures curvilignes. Cette méthode repose sur une notion récente de Morphologie Mathématique: les opérateurs par chemins.RORPO peut directement servir au filtrage d'images contenant des structures curvilignes, afin de spécifiquement les préserver, mais aussi de réduire le bruit. Mais les deux caractéristiques de RORPO peuvent aussi être utilisées comme information a priori sur les structure curvilignes, afin d'être intégrées dans une méthode plus complexe d'analyse d'image.Dans un deuxième temps, nous présenterons ainsi un terme de régularisation destiné à la segmentation variationnelle, utilisant les deux caractéristiques de RORPO.L'information apportée par ces deux caractéristiques permet de régulariser les structures curvilignes seulement dans la direction de leur axe principal. De cette manière, ces structures sont mieux préservées, et certaines structures curvilignes déconnectées par le bruit peuvent aussi être reconnectées.Des résultats en 2D et 3D de ces méthodes seront enfin présentées sur des images de vaisseaux sanguins provenant de diverses modalités / The analysis of curvilinear structures in 3D images is a complex and challenging task. Curvilinear structures are thin, easily corrupted by noise and present a complex geometry. Despite the numerous applications in material sciences, remote sensing and medical imaging and the large number of dedicated methods developed the last few years, the detection of such structures remains a difficult problem.In this thesis, we work on the characterization of curvilinear structures. We first propose a new framework called RORPO, to characterize such structures through two features: an intensity feature which preserves the intensity of curvilinear structures while decreasing the intensity of other structures, and a directional feature providing at each point, the direction of the curvilinear structure.RORPO, unlike classic other state of the art methods, is non-local and non-linear, which are desirable properties adapted to the intrinsic anisotropy of curvilinear structures. RORPO is based on recent advances in mathematical morphology: the path operators.We provide a full description of the structural and algorithmic details of RORPO, and we also conduct a quantitative comparative study of our features with three popular curvilinear structure analysis filters: the Frangi Vesselness, the Optimally Oriented Flux, and the Hybrid Diffusion with Continuous Switch.Besides the straightforward filtering application, both RORPO features are designed to be used as prior information to characterize curvilinear structures. We propose a regularization term for variational segmentation which embed these features. Classic regularization terms are not adapted to curvilinear structures and usually lead to the loss of most of the low-contrasted ones. We propose to only regularize curvilinear structures along their main axis thanks to both RORPO features. This directional regularization better preserves curvilinear structures but also reconnect parts of these structures which may have been disconnected by noise.We present results of the segmentation of retinal images with the Chan et al. model either with the classic total variation or our directional regularization term. This confirm that our regularization term is better suited for images with curvilinear structures

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Male factor disorders affect more than 30% of infertile couples. Thus, it has become important to perform a andrological consultation and a basic semen evaluation in all male partners of couples consulting for infertility. The advent and development of assisted reproductive technologies has not only improved clinical results but also enhanced our basic understanding of the physiology of sperm and sperm preparation methods. Assisted reproduction has become among the more successful therapeutic modalities for a wide variety of sperm function disorders e.g. artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization (IVF) (Acosta et al. 1989). It is clear from recent experience that patients with male infertility showing oligozoospermia, asthenozoospermia, teratozoospermia (sometimes in combination), male immunological factor (antisperm antibodies) or ejaculatory problems as well as congenital abnormalities, can be successfully treated with IVF and embryo transfer. Prerequisite pre-fertilization changes by sperm, termed "capacitation" (Austin 1952) provides sperm with the capacity to fertilize eggs. These processes are generally regarded as encompassing all pre-fertilization changes occurring in sperm up 'to, but not including, loss of the acrosome (Bedford 1970). The endpoints of capacitation are often described as the acrosomal loss as well as changes in the motion characteristics. Capacitation alters the pattern of motility exhibited by freely swimming sperm, changing from a fairly rigid flagellar beat pattern to one of extreme flexure, often associated with increased thrust (Johnson et al. 1981) , which is referred to as hyperactivated motility (Yanagimachi 1981). without the transition to hyperactivated motility, sperm are unable to penetrate the zona pellucida (Fraser 1981), and possibly unable to fertilize eggs. Hyperactivation per se is marked by increased curvature in swimming trajectories and/or increased lateral displacement of the sperm head along their path (Burkman 1984). However, the physiological role of this change in motility is not clearly understood because almost all relevant data have been obtained under in vitro conditions. The association of specific seminal characteristics (sperm concentration, percentage motile cells and percentage normal sperm morphology) with the success rate of assisted particular has been The analysis of 1984; the reproductive techniques and IVF in under great scrutiny (Mahadevan and Trounson relationships between conventional semen parameters and fertilization rates in vitro has shown that sperm motility, concentration and morphology must be considered in estimating opportunities for successful intervention, as in the case of IVF and gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) (Oehninger and Hodgen 1991). A reduction in the percentage of progressive motility alone does not seem to have a significant impact on IVF results unless it is below a threshold value of 10%. The semen sample should have an acceptable sperm concentration and morphology and/or that at least 1.5 X 106 motile spermatozoa can be recovered after swim-up separation (Acosta et al. 1989).

The purpose of this thesis is to solve unsteady two-dimensional compressible Navier-Stokes equations for a moving mesh using implicit explicit (IMEX) Runge- Kutta scheme. The moving mesh is implemented in the equations using Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) formulation. The inviscid part of the equation is explicitly solved using second-order Godunov method, whereas the viscous part is calculated implicitly. We simulate subsonic compressible flow over static NACA-0012 airfoil at different angle of attacks. Finally, the moving mesh is examined via oscillating the airfoil between angle of attack = 0 and = 20 harmonically. It is observed that the numerical solution matches the experimental and numerical results in the literature to within 20%.

Each year million of babies are born pre-term, some of these pre-term births occur due to the motherhaving a too soft cervix which can not withstand the forces the baby exposes it to. The aim of thisstudy was to implement and evaluate a programmable shear wave elastography ultrasound system forcervical applications and investigate the optimal settings of shear wave elastography push voltage andshear wave elastography push focus depth. Shear wave elastography is an ultrasound based imagingmodality aiming to evaluate the tissue elasticity by using acoustic radiation forces to induce shear waves.The propagation of the shear waves through the tissue is then tracked in order to calculate the shearwave velocity which is related to the tissue elasticity. B-mode imaging, pushing sequence and planewave imaging have been implemented and measurements have been conducted on four cervical polyvinylalcohol phantoms. The acquired data has been post-processed using Loupas 2D-autocorrector to gainthe axial displacement and enabling tracking of the shear waves to allow evaluation and optimizationof the implemented method. The implemented shear wave technique showed to be able to distinguishcervical phantoms of dierent elasticity and a high pushing voltage and shallow focus push depth havebeen found to produce the most reliable results.

This observational study was conducted to evaluate the anatomic relationship between the proximocaudal femoral joint capsule insertion and the femoral caudolateral curvilinear osteophyte (CCO), across ancient and modern domestic and non-domestic canids. Museum specimens of proximal femora were screened for presence of remnant enthesophytes of the caudal joint capsule insertion (first inclusion criterion) and then for the CCO (second inclusion criterion). The initially screened population included 267 dry bone specimens: Six Canis species, hybrid coyote × domestic dog, and five vulpines (three Vulpes species, one Urocyon, and one Nyctereutes). Proximocaudal joint capsule insertion remnant enthesophytes were limiting at n = 19 specimens: Seven ancient domestic dogs, four modern coyotes, two ancient coyotes, two modern hybrid coyote × dog, two modern red foxes, and two modern raccoon dogs. The joint capsule enthesophytes are associated with inflammation, but are observed far less frequently than the CCO. The CCO is seen radiographically but is visible more frequently by direct inspection. The primary inclusion criterion necessarily was a visible caudal joint capsule insertion; spatial relationships of the CCO can be assigned with confidence only when a capsule insertion line can be recognized clearly. We demonstrate that the anatomic CCO associates with the joint capsule insertion being nonspecific and species-independent. A joint capsule insertion-CCO spatial relationship across species is an important new observation, strongly indicating that both are pathological features. Our data indicate need for new research to characterize the canid coxofemoral joint and its overt and incipient pathology in a phylogenetic context. Anat Rec, 302:2164–2170, 2019.

No description available.

For simple fluids, or Newtonian fluids, the study of the Navier-Stokes equations in the high Reynolds number limit brings about two fundamental research subjects, the Euler equations and the Prandtl's system. The consideration of infinite Reynolds number reduces the Navier-Stokes equations to the Euler equations, both of which are dealing with the entire flow region. Prandtl's system consists of the governing equations of the boundary layer, a thin layer formed at the wall boundary where viscosity cannot be neglected. In this dissertation, we investigate the upper convected Maxwell(UCM) model for complex fluids, or non-Newtonian fluids, in the high Weissenberg number limit. This is analogous to the Newtonian fluids in the high Reynolds number limit. We present two well-posedness results. The first result is on an initial-boundary value problem for incompressible hypoelastic materials which arise as a high Weissenberg number limit of viscoelastic fluids. We first assume the stress tensor is rank-one and develop energy estimates to show the problem is locally well-posed. Then we show the more general case can be handled in the same spirit. This problem is closely related to the incompressible ideal magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD) system. The second result addresses the formulation of a time-dependent elastic boundary layer through scaling analysis. We show the well-posedness of this boundary layer by transforming to Lagrangian coordinates. In contrast to the possible ill-posedness of Prandtl's system in Newtonian fluids, we prove that in non-Newtonian fluids the stress boundary layer problem is well-posed. / Ph. D.

Tow-placement machines have made it possible to manufacture curved-fiber composite tow paths. A composite structure with curved-fiber tow paths can be formed in a manner similar to filament winding. The result is a laminate with spatially varying stiffness and response. This manufacturing method can also result in overlap regions between adjacent tow paths. In previous research, a closed-form solution was developed to determine the response of these variable-stiffness laminates, but the overlap regions were not included in this model. Additionally, the fiber-orientation angle throughout the panel was based on individual fiber path definitions and not tow path definitions. In this thesis, a method of creating a finite element model of tow-placed variable-stiffness composite panels is presented. This method provides a representation of the overlap regions and an accurate model of the fiber-orientation angle change throughout the laminate. The GENESIS finite element analysis and design package is used to solve for the static response of the models created. The results of these analyses compare favorably with the results of the previous research and give some insight into the interaction of the thickness and fiber-orientation variation. Additionally, some of the advanced design capabilities of the finite element modeling method, and some results of those designs are demonstrated. / Master of Science

No description available.

A general finite element method is presented to solve the Euler equations in a Lagrangian reference frame. This FEM framework allows for separate arbitrarily high order representation of kinematic and thermodynamic variables. An accompanying hydrodynamics code written in Matlab is presented as a test-bed to experiment with various basis function choices. A wide range of basis function pairs are postulated and a few choices are developed further, including the bi-quadratic Q2-Q1d and Q2-Q2d elements. These are compared with a corresponding pair of low order bi-linear elements, traditional Q1-Q0 and sub-zonal pressure Q1-Q1d. Several test problems are considered including static convergence tests, the acoustic wave hourglass test, the Sod shocktube, the Noh implosion problem, the Saltzman piston, and the Sedov explosion problem. High order methods are found to offer faster convergence properties, the ability to represent curved zones, sharper shock capturing, and reduced shock-mesh interaction. They also allow for the straightforward calculation of thermodynamic gradients (for multi-physics calculations) and second derivatives of velocity (for monotonic slope limiters), and are more computationally efficient. The issue of shock ringing remains unresolved, but the method of hyperviscosity has been identified as a promising means of addressing this. Overall, the curvilinear finite elements presented in this thesis show promise for integration in a full hydrodynamics code and warrant further consideration.