Litterfall in the UBG Research Forest was collected from traps randomly-placed in each of five half-acre plots of twelve year old Coastal Douglas fir of spacings ranging from 3 x 3 to 15 x 15 feet. Collections were also made from a half-acre plot of 3 x 3 feet spaced eleven year old western hemlock, and from an older, thinned natural stand of western red cedar and western hemlock. Forest floor accumulations and soil samples from each plot were also collected and analysed. The amount of litterfall in the Douglas fir spacing plots showed that the denser the stand the greater was the litterfall. The percentage of litter from broadleaved species present was in increasing order from the 3 x 3 to the 15 x 15 feet Douglas fir plots. The amount of litterfall in the Douglas fir was about 3,000 kg/ha more than that in the western hemlock plot of the same spacing. The litterfall in the cedar-hemlock stand showed a large amount of cones and twigs, but was not greater than the litterfall collected from the denser plantations of Douglas fir. It should be noted that the 3x3 and 6x6 feet Douglas fir plots of this study gave a much greater litterfall than the values reported by other authors for this species. However, judging from the literature, comparable data for stands of this age and density are not available. Since the variation of litterfall within a plot was very great, the number of traps needed will have to be increased to attain a precision of ± 10 gm at 5% probability level for an annual collection. The amount of forest floor decreased as spacing widened. It was shown statistically that two groups of plots existed: one with associated vegetation (12 x 12 and 15 x 15 feet) and the other without (3x3 and 6x6 feet plots). The weight of forest floor of western hemlock was less than that of Douglas fir of the same spacing. The weights of forest floor obtained in this study were well below the figures given by other authors in this field. The index of forest floor turnover, calculated from the ratio of litter-fall/forest floor showed that the closer-spaced plantations had a higher ratio than the wider-spaced. This suggests that faster circulation of nutrient elements is going on in the stand with a full canopy than in a more widely spaced stand. The chemical contents of the litterfall and forest floor were determined on composite samples from each plot. Nutrient concentration in litterfall and forest floor did not vary with spacing in the Douglas fir plots. The ground vegetation layer found only under the wider Douglas fir spacings showed greater concentration of phosphorus and potassium than the litter or forest floor of all the spacings. The calcium concentration in the western hemlock and cedar-hemlock plots was higher than that found in the Douglas fir plots, but phosphorus was found to be lower. However, the total amount of nutrients in litterfall and in forest floor under differently spaced Douglas fir plantations followed a distinct pattern: a higher content was present in the denser and lower in the wider plots. No clear relationship between litterfall or forest floor accumulations and growth as measured so far was observed. The importance of soil physical properties in affecting growth should be considered more closely, because the plots were different in soil texture and probably in other physical characteristics. / Forestry, Faculty of / Graduate

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) often have difficulty learning to communicate ideas and emotions. Consequently, many new educational theories aimed at improving appropriate socialization and verbal communication skills are emerging for early intervention practices. Because children with ASDs will more willingly make attempts at communication when they are involved in meaningful interactions with caregivers, educational theories include the use of sensory-perceptive, social, and emotion-based language. The Developmental Individual Difference Relationship-Based (DIR) model aids the child in discovering his or her own intentionality and self-purpose, thus creating an intrinsic desire to communicate. The purpose of this study was to increase relevant utterances in an early elementary aged child with autism, using main components of the DIR model. The effects of the model were gauged on frequency and quality of expressive speech used during fifteen-minute sessions. One three-year- old child was selected t6 participate in this study, through the University of Central Florida Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Orlando, FL. Results indicated that the total number of utterances used did not increase with the implementation of the DIR model from Baseline Phase to Intervention Phase. However, the number of relevant utterances used did show a significant increase during Intervention phase, as total number of echolalic utterances decreased.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a seven week DIR/Floortime parent training on (1) the quality of the parent-child dyad and (2) the child's developmental level. The results of this study provide support for the notion that short term parent training significantly increases the quality of the parent/child interaction and also significantly increases the developmental level of the child with Autism Spectrum Disorder. These significant results were evidenced on the first two levels and the total scores on both the Functional Emotional Assessment Scale - Child (FEAS) and the Neuro-Developmental Disorders of Relating and Communication Functional Emotional Developmental Levels (NDRC-FEDL). / Educational Psychology

Conducting the cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach can be a challenge of sizeable proportions. A significant part of the challenge arises from interpreting and synthesizing several key elements. These elements must be addressed by the conductor if she or he is to produce an informed performance of the work. Before conducting J.S. Bach's Cantata 150, a conductor must have specific knowledge of the various issues that directly impact the performance of the cantata. These issues include appropriate tempi, performing pitch, dynamics, phrasing and articulation, ornamentation, continuo issues, size and sonority of ensemble, historical background, text painting and period instrument factors. This dissertation provides the conductor with a practical and functional guide that addresses the many interpretative elements and provides answers to several specific questions about Cantata 150, aiding the conductor in making critical decisions about preparing and performing this cantata. Divided into three main sections, including a performance practice chapter, a theoretical analysis chapter and a synthesis chapter, this practical manual analyzes and examines the cantata from a performer's point of view. A selected Discography is included. / School of Music

Cette thèse a été centrée sur l’étude de la formation d’une phase martensitique dans les aciersFe-Ni-C et sur la diffusion des atomes de carbone dans cette phase à basse température. Lamodélisation à l’échelle atomique a été utilisée. Pour décrire ces phénomènes, deux approchesont été développées: un modèle discret basé sur la théorie de la fonction de densité atomique(ADF) et une approche quasiparticulaire basée sur la théorie atomique de Fratons (AFT). Dansun premier temps, pour montrer l’universalité de notre approche, nous avons appliqué l'AFTpour modéliser la cinétique d'auto-assemblage des atomes initialement désordonnés à desstructures ordonnées complexes. Cette approche a ensuite été appliquée à l'étude detransformation austénite/martensite. Il a été montré que le germe de martensite se développecomme agrégat multivariant dans la matrice austénitique. En utilisant des figures de pôles etdes diagrammes de diffraction simulés, ces variants ont été identifiés et comparés aux donnéesexpérimentales. La diffusion du carbone dans la phase de martensite a été étudiée en utilisantla théorie ADF. Deux systèmes avec différentes propriétés élastiques, Fe-C et Fe-Ni-C, ont étéconsidérés. Il a été montré qu’au cours du premier stade de vieillissement, les atomes decarbone subissent une décomposition spinodale sur les interstices octaédriques du réseautétragonal centré de martensite et forment les zones riches en carbone. Ensuite, la morphologie«tweed-like» des zones riches en carbone est développée. Les résultats des simulations sontun bon accord avec les images expérimentales obtenues par sonde atomique tomographique.La relation entre une mise en ordre de Zener et la concentration des zones riches en carbone aété discutée. / This thesis examines the formation of martensite in Fe-Ni-C steels and the diffusion of carbonatoms in this phase at low temperatures. To achieve this goal the atomistic modeling have beenused. To describe these phenomena two different approaches were developed: a discretemodel based on the Atomic Density Function (ADF) theory and the quasiparticle approachesbased on the Atomic Fraton Theory (AFT). First, the AFT was tested to model a self-assemblykinetics of initially disordered systems to three different classes of ordered one: singlecomponent crystals with fcc and diamond structures, two component crystals with zinc-blendstructure, and polymers with single-strand and double-stranded helixes structures. Then thisapproach was applied to model austenite/martensite transformation. It was shown thatmartensite nucleus grows as multivariant aggregate in austenite matrix. Using pole figures andsimulated diffraction patterns these variants were identified and compared with the experimentaldata. The carbon diffusion in martensite phase was studied using ADF theory. Two systemswith the different elastic properties corresponding to the Fe-C and Fe-Ni-C systems wereconsidered. It was shown that during a first stage of aging the carbon atoms undergo a spinodaldecomposition on the octahedral interstices of bcc lattice and form the carbon-rich zones. Then"tweed-like" morphology of carbon-rich zones is developed. The simulations results are a goodagreement with experimental images obtained by atom probe tomography. The relationbetween Zener ordering and the concentration of carbon reach zones is discussed.

In room acoustics, the directional information of sound arrivals at a listening location can be used to diagnose the origins of problematic reflections so offending surfaces or other features can be properly treated. It can also be used for other purposes, including the study of psychoacoustic indicators. Many methods have been developed in the past to derive directional information, but despite their benefits, each has had significant drawbacks that have necessitated further research into their properties and development of an improved method. This thesis presents a review of past methods, their benefits and shortcomings. It discusses many theoretical and practical issues pertaining to the Polar ETC method and methods using the cross-correlation function. It also presents a new short-time correlation-based method (STCM) for gathering directional information of sound arrivals in rooms. Computer programs were developed for the implementation of the theory. Numerical simulations and experimental measurements are shown and the results are compared to those obtained by the Polar Energy Time Curve (ETC) method. The STCM is shown to be an improvement over past methods in terms of its ability to distinguish between simultaneous arrivals, its accuracy, its computational efficiency and its equipment requirements. Limitations of the method are also discussed.

Deformable image registration (DIR) is an essential tool in medical image processing. It provides a means to combine image datasets, allowing for intra-subject, inter-subject, multi-modality, and multi-instance analysis, as well as motion detection and compensation. One of the most popular DIR algorithms models the displacement vector field (DVF) as B-splines, a sum of piecewise polynomials with coefficients that enable local shape control. B-splines have many advantageous properties in the context of DIR, but they often struggle to adequately model steep local gradients and discontinuities. This dissertation addresses that limitation by proposing the replacement of conventional B-splines with a generalized formulation known as a Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS). Beginning with the 1D fitting, heuristic rules are developed to determine the values of the additional free parameters introduced by NURBS. These rules are subsequently modified and extended to the 2D and 3D fitting of anonymized and publicly available patient DVFs. Based on the lessons learned from these increasingly complex test cases, a 2D DIR scheme is developed and tested on slices from a thoracic computed tomography (CT) scan. Finally, an automatic, non-uniform scheme is presented, and its registration performance is compared to the conventional uniform methods.

Deformable image registration (DIR) is a type of registration that calculates a deformable vector field (DVF) between two image data sets and permits contour and dose propagation. However the calculation of a DVF is considered an ill-posed problem, as there is no exact solution to a deformation problem, therefore all DVFs calculated contain errors. As a result it is important to evaluate and assess the accuracy and limitations of any DIR algorithm intended for clinical use. The influence of image quality on the DIR algorithms performance was also evaluated. The hybrid DIR algorithm in RayStation 4.0.1.4 was assessed using a number of evaluation methods and data. The evaluation methods were point of interest (POI) propagation, contour propagation and dose measurements. The data types used were phantom and patient data. A number of metrics were used for quantitative analysis and visual inspection was used for qualitative analysis. The quantitative and qualitative results indicated that all DVFs calculated by the DIR algorithm contained errors which translated into errors in the propagated contours and propagated dose. The results showed that the errors were largest for small contour volumes (<20cm3) and for large anatomical volume changes between the image sets, which pushes the algorithms ability to deform, a significant decrease in accuracy was observed for anatomical volume changes of greater than 10%. When the propagated contours in the head and neck were used for planning the errors in the DVF were found to cause under dosing to the target tumour by up to 32% and over dosing to the organs at risk (OAR) by up to 12% which is clinically significant. The results also indicated that the image quality does not have a significant effect on the DIR algorithms calculations. Dose measurements indicated errors in the DVF calculations that could potentially be clinically significant. The results indicate that contour propagation and dose propagation must be used with caution if clinical use is intended. For clinical use contour propagation requires evaluation of every propagated contour by an expert user and dose propagation requires thorough evaluation of the DVF.

Dans le contexte actuel, l’approvisionnement en terres rares est un enjeu capital, et le recyclage des déchets produits par les sociétés industrialisées apparaît comme une solution extrêmement pertinente d’un point de vue écologique. Dans ce travail, nous nous sommes intéressés aux aimants permanents Nd-Fe-B, car ils constituent un gisement potentiel important pour le néodyme, mais aussi pour le dysprosium et le praséodyme, éléments également critiques. Plus précisément, les aimants présents au sein des disques durs d’ordinateur ont été étudiés en vue de leur recyclage. L’intérêt est donc de mettre en place des solutions permettant le retraitement et la valorisation de ces aimants, présentant non seulement un impact environnemental faible, mais également un coût bas. Nous avons décidé de nous intéresser au traitement hydrothermal des aimants permanents Nd-Fe-B en vue de leur recyclage. L’étude du traitement thermique des aimants Nd-Fe-B en présence d’une solution saline pour des températures avoisinant les 225°C, permet la mise en évidence d’une dégradation complète du matériau. La poudre récupérée à l’issue du procédé est donc constituée de cristaux octaédriques, correspondant à la magnétite, et de cristaux aciculaires correspondant aux hydroxydes de néodyme, mais également aux différentes terres rares présentes en tant que dopants dans la phase intergranulaire. A l’issue du traitement hydrothermal, les fragments de revêtement peuvent être retirés par tamisage, en raison de leur dimension millimétrique, et les ocydes de fer séparés des hydroxydes de terres rares par séparation magnétique. Afin de valoriser les aimants Nd-Fe-B comme matière première magnétique permettant la fabrication de nouveaux aimants permanents, le broyage a également été envisagé. Des échantillons d’alliage Nd2Fe14B ont été broyés à haute énergie sous atmosphère protectrice, et nous avons réalisé l’étude microstructurale et magnétique de ces poudres. Les échantillons ont été analysés par magnétométrie SQUID, par spectrométrie Mössbauer, ainsi que par Sonde Atomique Tomographique. Ainsi, nous avons pu mettre en évidence un phénomène couplé de décomposition et de nanostructuration à l’échelle moléculaire de la phase Nd2Fe14B. L’ensemble de ce travail a donc permis d’étudier le comportement et les transformations des aimants Nd-Fe-B au cours de deux procédés très différents : le traitement hydrothermal et le broyage mécanique. Les résultats obtenus lors du traitement hydrothermal sont très prometteurs en vue du recyclage des terres rares à grande échelle. / Rare earth supplying is a very current topic, linked to the rare earth crisis of 2010. « Urban mining » is a promising path for recycling rare earths included in waste daily generated by industralized countries. In this work, we focus on recycling Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets, because they are a very interesting deposit for Neodymium, but also for Dysprosium and Praseodymium. More precisely, permanent magnets included in hard disks drives have been considered. The objective of this work is to set up environmentally friendly and low cost recycling processes for rare earths. First, we investigated hydrothermal treatment of Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets, We developed a new and environmentally friendly approach for recycling Ni−Cu coated Nd-Fe−B permanent magnets included in computer hard disk drives. In a closed reactor, the coated magnets are heated at 250 °C in water mixed with sodium chloride for up to 18 h. First, the hydrothermal treatment induces the removal of the metallic coating that can be recovered by sieving. Then, the Nd-rich phase reacts with water, leading to the formation of Nd(OH)3. Atomic hydrogen is absorbed by the Nd2Fe14B phase, leading to the formation of Nd2Fe14BHx. The volume expansion of the intergranular phase, in relation to the formation of Nd(OH)3, together with the lattice expansion of the Nd2Fe14BHx phase causes the disintegration of the magnets. Finally, Nd2Fe14BHx is oxidized by water into Fe3O4 and Nd(OH)3. The Nd(OH)3 crystals can be isolated from the Fe3O4 crystals by magnetic separation. This process is thus an easy way to extract rare earths from permanent magnets found in WEEE. It uses green chemistry design principles and can be applied to large amounts of magnetic wastes. Mechanical milling of Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets has also been investigated, and, in the study presented here, the milling effect on the magnetic properties of the Nd2Fe14B intermetallic was investigated using SQUID measurements, Mössbauer spectrometry and atom probe tomography (APT). Mechanical milling of the Nd2Fe14B alloy leads to its decomposition and its nanostructuration. This transformation induces first the formation of an amorphous, disordered phase Nd-Fe-B, with an enrichment in Neodymium; then to the formation of a mixture of -Fe and Nd-rich regions. The corresponding microstructure is very characteristic, with the formation of pure iron particles, with a hundred of nanometers in size, surrounded by an amorphous shell enriched in Neodymium and in Boron. Finally, intermixing of these phases is observed. Thanks to this work, we determine the behavior and the transformations of Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets during two very different processes: hydrothermal treatment and mechanical milling. Results obtained with hydrothermal treatment are very promising for recycling rare earths at the industrial scale.

Pour répondre aux exigences réglementaires de plus en plus sévères au regard des émissions de CO2, l'industrie automobile voit poindre l'émergence des chaînes de traction électrique dans des structures véhicules en matériaux composites. Dans ce manuscrit, le point de vue du constructeur automobile est considéré. En effet, pour répondre aux exigences automobiles en compatibilité électromagnétique (CEM) pour l'homologation et la protection de la santé des personnes vis-à-vis des champs électriques et magnétiques, le blindage électromagnétique est l'une des solutions de conception les plus utilisées. Afin d'évaluer les meilleurs concepts à moindre coût et réduire autant que possible les délais de prototypage, la modélisation et la simulation numérique doivent encore se développer et être déployées. Les chapitres de ce manuscrit illustrent, étape par étape, la modélisation, la simulation et la validation expérimentale du blindage d'une architecture de chaîne de traction électrique. Dans un premier temps,l'influence d'un matériau composite à savoir l'époxy renforcé en fibres de carbone est étudié sur les émissions conduites et rayonnées en présence d'un câble blindé. Dans un deuxième temps, une méthodologie de modélisation des câbles blindés et des raccords de masse est proposée dans un environnement électromagnétique où la théorie des lignes de transmission classique ne s'applique pas. Pour valider les deux précédentes parties, des bancs de mesure sont proposés et développés. Les résultats expérimentaux sont comparés à la simulation numérique. La dernière partie considère une chaîne de traction électrique simplifiée en présence de boîtiers métalliques, de câbles de puissance blindés, de raccords de blindage et de raccords de masse dans une structure multi-matériaux dans la bande de fréquences 10 kHz - 300 MHz. Les émissions conduites et rayonnées sont analysées en portant une attention particulière à la perturbation de la réception radio. / To reach the increasingly stringent regulatory requirements for CO2 emissions, the automotive industry is improving the electric powertrains in car bodies with composite materials. In this thesis report, the point of view of the car manufacturer is considered. The electromagnetic shielding is one of the most important design solutions to respect the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements for the homologation and the protection of human health with respect to electrical and magnetic fields. In order to evaluate the best concepts at lower costand to minimize prototyping delays, modeling and numerical simulation still need to be developed and deployed.The chapters of this thesis report illustrate, step by step, the modeling, the simulation and the experimentalvalidation of the shielding applied to an electric powertrain. In a first step, the influence of a composite material such as the carbon fiber reinforced epoxy is studied on the conducted and the radiated emissions in presence of a shielded cable. In a second step, a methodology to model shielded cables and the grounding connectionsis proposed in an electromagnetic environment where classical transmission line theory cannot be applied. Tovalidate the two previous parts, measurement setups are proposed and developed. The experimental results arecompared with the numerical simulation. The last part considers a simplified electric powertrain with metal housings, shielded power cables, shielding connections and grounding connections in a multi-material structurein the 10 kHz - 300 MHz frequency band. The conducted and radiated emissions are analyzed with a particular attention to the disturbance of the radio reception.