Le but de l'étude présentée dans ce mémoire de thèse est de caractériser localement l'intensification des transferts thermiques observée le long d'une plaque chauffante lorsqu'elle est soumise à des ultrasons. Ces derniers induisent des effets hydrodynamique dans les fluides qu'ils traversent. Premièrement, la cavitation acoustique, qui permet de produire de forts effets mécaniques dans les liquides. Viens ensuite le courant acoustique qui génère une écoulement convectif sous l'action d'une dissipation visqueuse de l’énergie acoustique. Ce travaille à permis de mettre en évidence la relation existant entre ces effets hydrodynamiques et l'intensification des transferts thermiques observée. Ces résultats ont permis de définir quelles conditions expérimentales sont favorables à l'intégration d'ultrasons dans un échangeur de chaleur. / The aim of the study presented in this thesis is to characterize heat transfer enhancement by ultrasound observed along a hot plate in forced convection. These induced hydrodynamic effects in the fluids they cross. The first one is the acoustic cavitation, which can produce strong mechanical effects in liquids. The second one is the acoustic streaming which generates convective flows thanks to viscous dissipation of the acoustic energy. This work helped to highlight the relationship between ultrasound hydrodynamic effects and heat transfer enhancement. Thanks to those results, experimental conditions which allowed ultrasound integration in a heat exchangers, could be determined.

abstract: Following the success in incorporating perceptual models in audio coding algorithms, their application in other speech/audio processing systems is expanding. In general, all perceptual speech/audio processing algorithms involve minimization of an objective function that directly/indirectly incorporates properties of human perception. This dissertation primarily investigates the problems associated with directly embedding an auditory model in the objective function formulation and proposes possible solutions to overcome high complexity issues for use in real-time speech/audio algorithms. Specific problems addressed in this dissertation include: 1) the development of approximate but computationally efficient auditory model implementations that are consistent with the principles of psychoacoustics, 2) the development of a mapping scheme that allows synthesizing a time/frequency domain representation from its equivalent auditory model output. The first problem is aimed at addressing the high computational complexity involved in solving perceptual objective functions that require repeated application of auditory model for evaluation of different candidate solutions. In this dissertation, a frequency pruning and a detector pruning algorithm is developed that efficiently implements the various auditory model stages. The performance of the pruned model is compared to that of the original auditory model for different types of test signals in the SQAM database. Experimental results indicate only a 4-7% relative error in loudness while attaining up to 80-90 % reduction in computational complexity. Similarly, a hybrid algorithm is developed specifically for use with sinusoidal signals and employs the proposed auditory pattern combining technique together with a look-up table to store representative auditory patterns. The second problem obtains an estimate of the auditory representation that minimizes a perceptual objective function and transforms the auditory pattern back to its equivalent time/frequency representation. This avoids the repeated application of auditory model stages to test different candidate time/frequency vectors in minimizing perceptual objective functions. In this dissertation, a constrained mapping scheme is developed by linearizing certain auditory model stages that ensures obtaining a time/frequency mapping corresponding to the estimated auditory representation. This paradigm was successfully incorporated in a perceptual speech enhancement algorithm and a sinusoidal component selection task. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Electrical Engineering 2011

abstract: Computed tomography (CT) is one of the essential imaging modalities for medical diagnosis. Since its introduction in 1972, CT technology has been improved dramatically, especially in terms of its acquisition speed. However, the main principle of CT which consists in acquiring only density information has not changed at all until recently. Different materials may have the same CT number, which may lead to uncertainty or misdiagnosis. Dual-energy CT (DECT) was reintroduced recently to solve this problem by using the additional spectral information of X-ray attenuation and aims for accurate density measurement and material differentiation. However, the spectral information lies in the difference between two low and high energy images or measurements, so that it is difficult to acquire the accurate spectral information due to amplification of high pixel noise in the resulting difference image. In this work, a new model and an image enhancement technique for DECT are proposed, based on the fact that the attenuation of a high density material decreases more rapidly as X-ray energy increases. This fact has been previously ignored in most of DECT image enhancement techniques. The proposed technique consists of offset correction, spectral error correction, and adaptive noise suppression. It reduced noise, improved contrast effectively and showed better material differentiation in real patient images as well as phantom studies. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Bioengineering 2011

Human enhancement continues to be hotly debated by both 'professionals' and academics, and increasingly also by the general public. This is no surprise, given that the idea of making human beings better - individually and collectively - has existed for centuries. Parents appear to be especially receptive to new ways of improving the qualities of their offspring - first and foremost their cognitive abilities - in the hope of giving them the best life possible. At the same time, children as not-yet autonomous persons are vulnerable to the decisions made on their behalf. This dynamic has led to a long-running philosophical debate about the moral permissibility of paediatric enhancement. Unfortunately, this debate has somewhat stalled at the point of disagreement on general permissibility, with both sides strongly relying on the notion of well-being to support their respective positions. Rapid progress in the sciences, including the development of the new CRISPR-Cas9 technique, holds much promise for effective cognitive enhancement in children, and this makes proper ethical assessment an urgent matter. Arguing that enhancement is here to stay and that prohibition is not a feasible option in a globalised world, I suggest that the debate should instead focus on what cognitive enhancement in children is likely to mean for the welfare of children. Addressing the question of whether enhancement of intellectual abilities in children is likely to lead to the creation of 'superhuman' disabled children - that is, children with superior or even yet-unseen cognitive capacities but a disability in some other sense (medical, social or both) - I draw on evidence from various fields, including education, law, disability studies and sociology, to demonstrate that the positive effect of cognitive ability on individual well-being is frequently overestimated and can thus not serve as a moral justification for cognitive enhancement. Furthermore, the current legal environment with regard to children with higher intellectual abilities gives cause for concern about the well-being of future cognitively enhanced children and urges us to address prevailing shortcomings in educational provision before deliberately engaging in the creation of more cognitive potential. Suggesting that any moral judgment about cognitive enhancement should focus strongly on the ends pursued, I argue that the welfare of children is endangered not so much by the new possibilities and methods of enhancement as by the failure to fully appreciate children's need for the provision of appropriate opportunities to match their individual abilities.

People’s self-perception biases often lead them to see themselves as better than the average person (a phenomenon known as self-enhancement). This bias varies across cultures, and variations are typically explained using cultural variables, such as individualism versus collectivism. We propose that socioeconomic differences among societies—specifically, relative levels of economic inequality—play an important but unrecognized role in how people evaluate themselves. Evidence for selfenhancement was found in 15 diverse nations, but the magnitude of the bias varied. Greater self-enhancement was found in societies with more income inequality, and income inequality predicted cross-cultural differences in self-enhancement better than did individualism/collectivism. These results indicate that macrosocial differences in the distribution of economic goods are linked to microsocial processes of perceiving the self. / Steve Loughnan is a postdoctoral research associate funded by the Leverhulme Trust (F/00236/W). Peter Kuppens is a postdoctoral research fellow with the Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders and is supported by Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Research Council Grants GOA/05/04 and OT/11/031. Anu Realo and Jüri Allik were supported by a grant from the Estonian Ministry of Education and Science (SF0180029s08). Junqi Shi was supported by a grant from the National Nature Foundation of China (NSFC:71021001). / Revisión por pares

Submitted by Edileide Reis (leyde-landy@hotmail.com) on 2013-05-09T12:57:56Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Maria Silva parte 2.pdf: 542025 bytes, checksum: 740aa96791d29372c127b99e76111854 (MD5) Maria Silva parte 1.pdf: 1563936 bytes, checksum: 1f238ace30f3d3c94142f48fae509424 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by NELIJANE MENEZES(rubi2276@gmail.com) on 2013-05-11T00:30:31Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Maria Silva parte 2.pdf: 542025 bytes, checksum: 740aa96791d29372c127b99e76111854 (MD5) Maria Silva parte 1.pdf: 1563936 bytes, checksum: 1f238ace30f3d3c94142f48fae509424 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-05-11T00:30:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Maria Silva parte 2.pdf: 542025 bytes, checksum: 740aa96791d29372c127b99e76111854 (MD5) Maria Silva parte 1.pdf: 1563936 bytes, checksum: 1f238ace30f3d3c94142f48fae509424 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005 / Objetivando investigar como é desenvolvida a avaliação institucional na rede pública estadual de ensino foi escolhida para a realização da pesquisa, uma escola de Educação Básica, de médio porte, da cidade de Salvador. Tomando-se como objetivos específicos: a) identificar as características teóricas, políticas e epistemológicas da avaliação institucional e como se dinamiza esta prática na instituição; b) verificar que importância é dada ao projeto político pedagógico e ao currículo na avaliação institucional nessa Escola; c) identificar que compromissos com a aprendizagem e com o crescimento qualitativo da instituição refletem a avaliação nessa Escola; d) que fundamentação teórica norteia a avaliação da aprendizagem e; e) a que se propõem os educadores ao avaliar os seus alunos. A descrição etnográfica norteou a pesquisa com especial atenção aos etnométodos, forma como os atores institucionais se organizam para avaliar a Escola. A observação e a análise da realidade dessa Escola pelo espelho de suas singularidades contribuiu para o enriquecimento dos resultados. As principais categorias elencadas para a coleta de dados foram: 1) conceitos sobre avaliação educacional, medida e avaliação institucional, envolvendo educadores, educandos e familiares e; 2) organização do processo de tomada de decisões e da implantação de melhorias. Outras categorias emergiram do processo: 3) conceitos de avaliação da aprendizagem e de avaliação processual; 4) relações de poder na avaliação e; 5) Conselho de Classe como instância de julgamento do aluno. As posições que cada um ocupa no contexto da Instituição são fundamentais para o direcionamento dado às elaborações em torno do assunto. Enquanto os administradores estão preocupados com aspectos da avaliação da escola e dos processos educativos nela vivenciados, os professores dirigem a sua atenção ao seu trabalho com os alunos e aos resultados da aprendizagem. Os seus conceitos estão ainda atrelados à visão de avaliação como medida, embora se reportem, em muitas situações, à avaliação processual, à qualidade desse processo, à avaliação de competências e habilidades e à importância da avaliação institucional. O que se percebe, ao tentar fazer uma aproximação dos conceitos dos educadores com a produção teórica em avaliação institucional e a sua prática, é que lhes falta fundamentação e posição política adequadas ao exercício consciente de um processo que os emancipe de velhos padrões. Os alunos expressam expectativas, demonstram que se preocupam com a sua aprendizagem e constroem julgamentos de valor em torno de seus desempenhos. Os pais, inspirados nos papéis exercidos pelos atores institucionais e no funcionamento da Escola, se preocupam com a qualidade do desempenho de cada um, com as possibilidades de diálogo e de parcerias e enfatizam a aprendizagem e o crescimento dos alunos como finalidade essencial da Avaliação na Educação. A Avaliação Institucional nessa escola é ainda um processoem construção, apresenta fragilidades teóricas, epistemológicas e práticas e não há um consenso entre os educadores quanto ao seu conceito e a sua práxis. Recomendou-se como procedimento compatível com as necessidades da instituição e dos educadores, o estudo e a pesquisa em torno da temática e a construção de um programa de Avaliação Institucional nessa Escola. / Salvador

Introdução: O desenvolvimento da radiologia digital e da tomografia computadorizada de feixe cônico (TCFC) permitiu aos profissionais diferentes formas de avaliação das imagens. Entretanto, frente a materiais metálicos, é observada a formação de artefatos tanto na imagem tomográfica, quanto nas radiografias digitais após a aplicação de filtros de processamento. Objetivo: Esta pesquisa objetivou investigar a interferência provocada por materiais metálicos na avaliação da interface osso/implante em radiografias periapicais convencional e digital, e em TCFC. Materiais e Métodos: Foram inseridos implantes de titânio em 74 blocos de costelas bovina frescas. Em 37, a inserção foi em íntima relação com as paredes ósseas (Grupo Controle-GC) e nos outros 37 com um espaço de 0.125 mm (Grupo Teste-GT). As radiografias periapicais foram realizadas com filme convencional e dois sistemas digitais de placa de fósforo. As imagens volumétricas foram adquiridas em dois equipamentos de TCFC. Nos sistemas digitais as imagens foram investigadas com e sem a utilização dos filtros e, nas tomografias, com diferentes protocolos de aquisição. Três examinadores treinados e cegados realizaram a avaliação utilizando uma escala Likert de cinco pontos. Foram utilizados testes de sensibilidade, especificidade e acurácia (área sob a curva ROC) e teste de concordância de Kendall (W). Resultados: Na avaliação radiográfica (ARTIGO I), foi observada maior acurácia do exame convencional e das imagens do sistema VistaScan com filtros Caries2 e Endo e do sistema Express com filtro Sharpen3 na detecção da justaposição entre osso e implante. Na avaliação tomográfica (ARTIGO II), somente as imagens do tomógrafo i-Cat com a resolução de voxel de 0.125mm não apresentaram diferença significativa com a radiografia convencional na acurácia diagnóstica. Conclusão: Na avaliação radiográfica da justaposição entre o osso e o implante, preferência deve ser dada às radiografias convencionais ou às digitais com filtros de realce (Caries2, Endo e Sharpen3). Em caso da existência de exames de TCFC com voxel 0.125 mm, tal avaliação também pode ser realizada. / Introduction: The development of digital radiology and computed tomography cone beam (CBCT) enabled professionals different possibilities of images evaluation. However, when metallic materials are present, artifacts formation can be observed in tomographic images and in digital radiography after processing fiters. Objective: This study investigated the interference caused by metallic materials in bone/implant interface evaluation with conventional and digital periapical radiographs, and CBCT. Materials and Methods: Titanium implants were placed into 74 fresh bovine ribs. In 37, the implants were in close relation with the bone walls (Control Group-CG) and the remaining 37 ribs preparations promoted a 0.125 mm space (Test Group-GT) .The periapical radiographs were taken with conventional film and digital photostimulable phosphor plate (PSP) system of two commercial brands. The volumetric images were acquired in two CBCT equipment. The digital images were investigated with and without the use of processing filters available and the tomographic with different acquisition protocol. Three trained and blinded examiners performed the evaluation using a five points Likert scale. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy (area under the ROC curve) tests were used and Kendall´s coefficient of concordance (W). Results: In the radiographic evaluation (Article I), there was a higher accuracy to detect the juxtaposition between bone and implant with the conventional radiography and the images of VistaScan system using the Caries2 and Endo filters, and Express system with Sharpen3 filter. In the tomographic evaluation (Article II), only the images with 0.125mm of voxel resolution from i-Cat CBCT showed no significant difference with conventional radiography in the diagnostic accuracy. Conclusion: In radiographic evaluation of juxtaposition between bone and implant preference should be given to conventional radiographs or in digital radiographs to Caries2, Endo and Sharpen3 enhancement filters. In case of the existence of CBCT exams (voxel 0.125mm), such evaluation can also be performed.

A utilização não-terapêutica de drogas anabolizantes está documentada na literatura médica como prejudicial à saúde e, na legislação brasileira, como infração penal ante à Lei das Drogas. Apesar dos alertas em diferentes recantos da mídia, cresce o uso destes medicamentos em meio à população brasileira. Entre os usuários, a maioria deles jovens praticantes de musculação, é possível perceber que muitos não apenas usam tais drogas com o propósito de obter ganho muscular, mas também desenvolvem conhecimentos cada vez mais sofisticados, e de várias ordens, sobre os diferentes efeitos dos anabolizantes no corpo humano visando seu melhor uso. Dada à relevância social deste tema e da relação direta com o campo da Educação Física, o presente relatório de pesquisa versa acerca do empreendimento de uma investigação strito sensu que buscou compreender o processo de aquisição, elaboração e compartilhamento dos conhecimentos acerca do uso de anabolizantes entre estudantes de graduação em Educação Física. O marco teórico que subsidiou este estudo contempla, principalmente, as discussões sobre as formulações de Nikolas Rose acerca das biopolíticas contemporâneas (políticas da própria vida), em articulação com os conceitos de enhancement corporal e expertise, além de também versar acerca da teoria da biossociabilidade de Paul Rabinow e da bioascese de Francisco Ortega. A parte mais densa do material empírico foi obtida a partir de entrevistas episódicas, entretanto, sites da Internet também serviram como fontes de informação complementar no processo de identificação sobre como ocorre a organização e sistematização do aprendizado em ambiente virtual. Os entrevistados descreveram o aprendizado sobre a utilização de medicamentos anabolizantes como algo considerado “proibido” frente aos elementos éticos e jurídicos e envolto em um clima de clandestinidade na formação inicial. A partir das entrevistas foi possível identificar que o aprendizado sobre a utilização dos medicamentos anabolizantes é uma temática que apenas tangencia o percurso curricular formal dos acadêmicos de um curso de Educação Física. Também foi possível identificar, a partir do material empírico, que além da dimensão formal de aprendizagem na Educação Física, estes estudantes encontram, fora da graduação, as seguintes dimensões de aprendizagem sobre o tema: as academias de musculação, os fóruns virtuais da Internet e os coaches, considerados os guias da construção corporal por meio do uso do anabolizante. Há também uma última dimensão de aprendizagem que consiste no momento em que os sujeitos têm sua expertise reconhecida pelos pares do grupo quando, então, tornam-se coaches, passando a aplicar os conhecimentos sobre as modificações corporais não apenas em si mesmos, mas também em outras pessoas. / The non-therapeutic use of anabolic drugs is documented in the medical literature as harmful to health and, in Brazilian legislation, as a criminal offense. In spite of warnings in different media spaces, there is an increased use of these drugs among the Brazilian population. Among the users, most of them young bodybuilders, we observed that many not only use these drugs in order to develop muscle hypertrophy, but also acquire increasingly sophisticated knowledge, from several orders, about the different effects of anabolic drugs on the human body aiming at a safer use. Taking into account the social importance of this theme and its direct relation with the Physical Education area, this study aimed to understand the process of acquisition, development and sharing of knowledge about the use of anabolic steroids among undergraduate students of Physical Education. The theoretical framework that supports this study includes mainly discussions on the formulation by Nikolas Rose about contemporary biopolitics of life, in conjunction with de concepts of body enhancement and expertise, and also discusses about the biosociality theory by Paul Rabinow and the bioasceticism by Francisco Ortega. The densest element of the empirical material was obtained from episodic interviews; however, websites also served as data sources in order to identify how learning is organized on the internet. Interview participants described learning about the use of anabolic drugs as something considered "forbidden" in face of ethical and legal elements, and surrounded by a clandestine environment in initial training. From the interviews, we could identify that learning about the use of anabolic steroids is an issue that only touches the formative trajectory of the undergraduate students of Physical Education. We also identified, from the empirical data, that, besides the formal dimension of learning in Physical Education, these students find, outside the undergraduate course, the following learning dimensions about the theme: gyms, virtual forums, and the coaches. The coaches are the last level of learning about the use of anabolic steroids. In this stage, the subjects have their expertise recognized by their peers.

Constructed Wetlands are used in many parts of the world for the treatment of wastewater from diverse sources. They are effective, low cost and sustainable alternative to most conventional wastewater treatment processes. They are engineered to mimic many of the same processes that occur in natural wetlands but within a more controlled environment. The need for proper design of constructed wetlands for secondary and tertiary wastewater treatment is of utmost importance in meeting today's stringent water quality standards. Subsequently, numerous design tools have been proposed for the assessment of constructed wetland performance. Currently, applied modeling approaches include regression models, mass loading versus outflow concentration analysis, Monod type analytical models and first-order removal kinetic models. The principal objective of this research was to estimate the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) removal using both the plug flow and complete-mix first order kinetic models. Results obtained by these models were then validated by comparing with published data from the Arcata constructed wetland. This study also investigated the sensitivity of effluent BOD quality to variation in influent concentration, temperature and hydraulic retention time. Analysis of the results revealed that variations in the field conditions influenced the removal rate of BOD in each zone of the wetland. The design reaction rate coefficient for each zone varied and was corrected for using the Arrhenius expression. The BOD removal performance of the Arcata wetland and any wetland operated under similar conditions was found to be better modeled by the plug flow model at zero background concentration. The study also found the BOD removal to be much influenced by the influent concentration and minimally influenced by temperature and hydraulic retention time.

Les systèmes ERP ont été largement étudiés au cours des dernières décennies, mais ils échouent souvent à offrir les avantages prévus initialement attendus. L'une des raisons est le manque de compréhension comment la personnalisation influence l’acceptation de l’utilisateur ERP par manque d'ajustement du système-à-business, ce qui peut conduire à des résultats négatifs de business. Pour certaines raisons, beaucoup ont fait valoir qu'une mise en oeuvre de ‘vanille’, à savoir sans personnalisation, est la «meilleure» façon de mettre en œuvre des systèmes ERP. Cependant, grâce à la recherche quantitative sur la base de sondage sur le Web, cette thèse a révélé que, en Chine, la personnalisation est une condition nécessaire dans l'acceptation de l'ERP et la réussite du projet. Étant donné d’une variété de risques dans le projet ERP, financier, technique, fonctionnel et politique, les fournisseurs et les consultants sont prêts à aider le chef de projet pour respecter le budget et le temps cible plutôt que de récolter plus d'avantages pour la performance des entreprises. Ainsi, la personnalisation habituellement avait été évitée, et la personnalisation insuffisante est plus fréquente que la personnalisation excessive. Nous avons proposé 15 hypothèses et 11 ont été soutenus, et la conclusion générale que, le niveau de personnalisation a une influence positive considérable sur l'intention comportementale, plus le niveau de personnalisation est élevé, plus l'intention comportementale (BI) à utiliser le système est élevée. C’est une instruction pour les entreprises dans lesquelles le bon niveau de personnalisation (CL) devrait être réalisé au lieu d'éviter la personnalisation. Et seulement la personnalisation importante stratégique plus élevée devrait être inclue dans le projet quand il y a la limitation dans le budget et le temps. Nous avons également confirmé que la facilité de personnalisation est un facteur important dans le choix de la solution ERP correcte. En tant que modérateur, différents rôles ont différentes perceptions sur la personnalisation, les utilisateurs normaux ont une espérance plus forte dans la personnalisation, il est donc essentiel d'expliquer aux utilisateurs, quelle personnalisation est stratégique, et quelle personnalisation est à des fins de cohérence et pourrait compromettre le bénéfice réel de l'ERP système. S'il ne convient pas de faire la personnalisation dans la phase de mise en oeuvre du projet, un plan pour la personnalisation future du système doit être préparé et il améliorera finalement le succès du système à long terme. / ERP systems have been widely studied during the past decades, yet they often fail to deliver the intended benefits originally expected. One notable reason is the lack of understanding how the customization influence the ERP user acceptance when there is lack of system-to-business fit, which can lead to negative business outcomes. For some reasons, many have argued that a "vanilla" implementation, i.e. without customization, is the "best" way to implement ERP systems. However, through quantitative research based on web survey, this dissertation revealed that, in China, customization is a must in ERP acceptance and project success. Because of the various risks in ERP project, financial, technical, functional and political, vendors and consultants are keen on helping the project manager to meet the budget and time target rather than to reap more benefit for business performance. Thus, customization usually had been avoided, and insufficient customization are more common than over customization. We proposed 15 hypothesis and 11 were supported, and the general conclusion that, customization level has significant positive influence on behavioral intention, the higher customization done, the higher behavioral intention (BI) to use the system. It is an instruction for companies that, right level of customization (CL) should be achieved instead of avoiding customization. And only higher strategic important customization should be included in the project when there is limitation in budget and time. We also confirmed that ease of customization is an important factor in selecting the right ERP solution. As a moderator, different role have different perception on customization, normal users have stronger expectancy in customization, so it is critical to explain to the users, which customization is strategic, and which one is for consistency purpose and could jeopardize the real benefit of ERP system. If it is not appropriate to do the customization in the project implementation phase, a plan for future system customization should be prepared and it will ultimately improve the system long term success.