Les avancées technologiques concernant la microscopie ont permis la création d'une grande variété de systèmes optiques dédiés à l'investigation du comportement dynamique des cellules in vivo. En neuroscience, le dé réside dans l'observation des interactions entre des neurones marqués d'un fluorophore qui sont situés à différentes profondeurs dans le tissu. Afin d'y arriver, il est nécessaire de balayer l'échantillon sur plusieurs plans transverses pour couvrir entièrement son volume. Puisque cette procédure diminue la résolution temporelle, il a été proposé d'utiliser un axicon pour augmenter la profondeur de champ du microscope et réduire le nombre de balayages à effectuer. Cependant, l'axicon est di cile à fabriquer et possède généralement des défauts sur la pointe du cône, dégradant ainsi la qualité de la composante. En vue de remplacer l'axicon par une autre composante optique dont la fabrication n'entraîne pas de défaut, il a été envisagé d'utiliser une lentille à gradient d'indice couplée à une lentille simple (GRIN-axicon). Des simulations ont montré que le GRIN-axicon a le potentiel de produire un faisceau Bessel de bonne qualité. Toutefois, les tests expérimentaux ont été très brefs et il est nécessaire d'investiguer davantage le comportement de cette nouvelle composante en laboratoire. L'objectif de ce projet de maîtrise est donc de concevoir, fabriquer et caractériser un GRIN-axicon pour une application en microscopie multiphotonique. Comme objectif secondaire, on souhaite approfondir la théorie reliée à cette nouvelle composante. / Technological advances in microscopy have led to the creation of a wide variety of optical systems dedicated to the investigation of the dynamic behavior of cells in vivo. In neuroscience, the challenge lies in the observation of interactions between labeled neurons located at different depths in the tissue. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to scan the sample on several transverse planes to fully cover its volume. Since this procedure decreases the temporal resolution, it has been proposed to use an axicon to increase the depth of field of the microscope and reduce the number of scans to be performed. However, the axicon is di cult to manufacture and usually has defects on the tip of the cone, thus degrading the quality of the component. In order to replace the axicon by another optical component easier to manufacture, the use of a graded index lens coupled to a single lens (GRIN-axicon) was considered. Simulations have shown that the GRIN-axicon has the potential to produce a good quality Bessel beam. However, experimental tests have been very limited and it is necessary to further investigate the behaviour of this new component in the laboratory. The objective of this master's project is therefore to design, manufacture and characterize a GRIN-axicon for application in multiphoton microscopy. As a secondary objective, we wish to deepen the theory related to this new component.

Determining the mechanical properties of living cells accurately and repeatably is critical to understanding developmental, disease, and repair biology. The cellular environment is composed of fibrous proteins of a mix of diameters organized in random and aligned configurations. In the past two decades, several methods, including modified atomic force microscopy (AFM) and micro-pipette aspiration have been developed to measure cellular viscoelastic properties at single-cell resolution. We inquired if the fibrous environment affected cellular mechanobiology. Using our non-electrospinning Spinneret based Tunable Engineered Parameters (STEP) fiber manufacturing platform, we developed fused nanonets to measure single-cell forces and viscoelasticity. Using computer-controlled probes, we stretched single cells attached to two-fiber and three-fiber systems precisely and recorded the relaxation response of cells. The viscoelastic properties were determined by fitting the data to the standard linear viscoelastic solid model (SLS), which includes a spring (k0) in parallel with a spring (km)-damper (cm) series. In cases in which cells are seeded on two fibers, we tested hMSCs and BJ-5TA cells, and the viscoelastic components measurements k0, km, and cm are 26.16 ± 3.38 nN/µm, 5.81 ± 0.81 nN/µm, and 41.15 ± 5.97 nN-s/µm, respectively for hMSCs, while the k0, km, and cm, measurements of BJ-5TA cells are 20.02 ± 2.89 nN/µm, 4.62 ± 0.75 nN/µm, and 45.46 ± 6.00 nN-s/µm respectively. Transitioning to the three-fiber system resulted in an overall increase in native contractility of the cells while allowing us to understand how the viscoelastic response was distributed with an increasing number of fibers. Viscoelastic experiments were done twice. First, we pulled on the outermost fiber similar to the two-fiber case. The cell was then allowed to rest for two hours, sufficient time to regain its pre-stretching contractility. The cell was then excited by pulling on the middle fiber. The experimental results of cell seeding on three fibers proved that the viscoelastic property measurements depend on the excitation position. Overall, we present new knowledge on the cellular viscoelasticity of cells attached to ECM-mimicking fibers. / Master of Science / Investigating living cell mechanical properties including the viscoelastic properties of single living cell is critical to understanding developmental, disease, and repair biology. With the advancement of micrometer scale technologies, researchers are able to excite individual living cells. Current methods are mostly based on perturbing cells attached to flat 2D surfaces with limited physiological relevance. Since the native environment of cells is fibrous in nature, we inquired if cellular viscoelasticity could be measured of cells attached to suspended fibers. Using our non-electrospinning Spinneret based Tunable Engineered Parameters (STEP) fiber manufacturing platform, we developed fused nanonets to measure single-cell forces and viscoelasticity. Our suspended, aligned nanonet provides a unique way for us to pull on individual living cells using computercontrolled probes. By controlling the aligned fiber spacing, we are able to determine how many fibers the cells were seeded on. We first measured the viscoelastic properties of human mesenchymal stem cells(hMSCs) and human fibroblast BJ-5TA cells seeded on two fibers. The standard linear solid (SLS) model, which includes a spring in parallel with a spring-damper series, was used to quantitatively analyze the viscoelastic properties of cells. By giving the excitation on one fiber and measuring the cell forces on the other fiber, we calculated the corresponding spring constants and damping coefficients of the model. Then we investigated the viscoelastic properties of hMSCs seeded on three fibers by giving the excitation on the outermost fiber and then the middle fiber. Between the two excitations, the cell was allowed to relax for two hours and regain contractility. Our results confirm that the viscoelastic properties measurements depend on the excitation position. Overall, we present a new fiber-based force measurement system capable of determining the viscoelastic response of cells repeatably.

Ce projet visait à 1) déterminer, chez des personnes en santé et des personnes ayant subi un accident vasculaire cérébral (AVC), la fidélité test-retest des paramètres associés aux stimulations magnétiques transcrâniennes (TMS) et 2) décrire la modulation de l’excitabilité corticospinale reliée au tibial antérieur (TA) à l’aide des TMS ainsi que sa relation avec des mesures cliniques de récupération locomotrice. Les paramètres démontrant une fidélité acceptable chez les deux groupes de participants étaient le seuil moteur, le plateau et la valeur maximale des réponses motrices évoquées et la période de silence maximale. Une réorganisation cérébrale a été observée au stade aigu post-AVC: durant la période de réadaptation active, l’hyperexcitablilité de l’hémisphère non lésé s’est résorbée et l’excitabilité de l’hémisphère lésé a augmentée, suggérant un meilleur contrôle contralatéral du TA parétique. Parallèlement, une augmentation de la vitesse de marche a été documentée suggérant un lien entre le contrôle contralatéral et la récupération fonctionnelle. / The project aimed to 1) determine, in healthy subjects and persons with chronic stroke, the test-retest reliability of outcome measures related to transcranial magnetic stimulations (TMS) and 2) describe, by means of TMS, the modulation of the corticospinal excitability of the tibialis anterior (TA) as well as test its relationship with clinical measures of locomotor recovery. The TMS outcome measures presenting acceptable reliability level in both groups of participants were the motor threshold, the plateau and maximal values of the motor evoked potentials and the maximal silent period. Cerebral reorganization was observed in the acute stage post-stroke: during the active rehabilitation period, the non lesioned hemisphere’s hyperexcitability decreased and there was a gradual increase of the lesioned hemisphere’s excitability, suggesting a greater control of the paretic TA via the contralateral tracts. A parallel increase in gait speed was also documented thus suggesting a link between a contralateral control and functional recovery.

The response of a parametrically-excited system to a deterministic nonstationary excitation is studied. The system, which has a cubic nonlinearity, has one focus and two saddle points and can be used as a simple model of a ship in the head or follower seas. The method of multiple scales is applied to the governing equation to derive equations for the amplitude and phase of the response. These equations are used to find the stationary response of the system to stationary excitation. The stability of the stationary response is examined. The stability of stationary periodic solutions to the original governing equation is examined through a Floquet analysis. The response to a nonstationary excitation having (a) a frequency that varies linearly with time, or (b) an amplitude that varies linearly with time, is studied. The response is computed from digital computer integration of the equations found from the method of multiple scales and of the original governing equation. The response to nonstationary excitation has several unique characteristics, including penetration, jump-up, oscillation, and convergence to the stationary solution. The agreement between solutions found from the original governing equation and the method-of-multiple-scales equations is good. For some sweeps of the excitation frequency or amplitude, the response to nonstationary excitation found from the original governing equation exhibits behavior which is analogous to symmetry-breaking bifurcations, period-doubling bifurcations, chaos, and unboundedness in the stationary solution. The maximum response amplitude and the excitation frequency or amplitude at which the response goes unbounded is found as a function of sweep rate. The effect of initial conditions and noise on the response to nonstationary excitation is considered. The results of the digital-computer simulations are verified with an analog computer. / Master of Science

For decades, the pavement engineering community has continued to drive improvements in accuracy and repeatability of terrain measurement systems. Traditional terrain measurement systems are tailored for a measuring a specific scale and resolution and hence application scope. These systems tend to focus on surface roughness alone and reject either fine macrotexture or large-scale global features. This work proposes a novel improvement to the terrain measurement system, by increasing the capability to measure the terrain surface at a variety of scales. By increasing the scales of measurement, desired aspects of the terrain profile can be accurately obtained for a wide variety of applications without having to omit large-scale features or macrotexture. In addition to increasing the capabilities of the traditional terrain measurement system, methods for addressing and minimizing sources of error within the system are developed. Major sources of error in terrain measurement systems, which compromise the accuracy and repeatability of the resulting measured terrain, include scanning laser uncertainty, inertial navigation system (INS) uncertainty and drift, triggering and time synchronization, system misalignment, and post-processing errors. These errors are addressed, and an improved Vehicle Terrain Measurement System (VTMS) is proposed. A triggering and time synchronization system is developed and insight into the development of this system for a terrain measurement system is gained. All three scanning lasers are individually assessed for linearity, with sample profiles analyzed for agreement. The improved VTMS represents a significant development in terrain measurement systems. / Master of Science

The emergence of high-fidelity vehicle and tire models has raised the requirements for terrain measurement capabilities. Inaccuracies that were once tolerable for measurement of general terrain roughness are no longer acceptable for these new applications. The techniques in this work seek to improve the quality of terrain measurement in addition to providing an objective way to describe the accuracy of these measurements. The first portion of this work develops an accuracy verification procedure for terrain measurement systems. This procedure involves a static test to assess the limitations of the profiler's laser height sensor, and a corresponding dynamic test to evaluate the limitations of the positioning sensors. Even with a well calibrated system, inertial errors will accumulate. The second portion of this work develops techniques to address these inertial errors in the data post-processing phase. A general correction technique is developed for any terrain type and a more computationally efficient technique is developed for smooth surfaces. For basic ride and handling simulations, 3D terrain surfaces are computationally impractical, as the models used for these simulations only require point excitation. Current road profilers acquiring these 2D data use single-point lasers that capture localized disturbances that would be mechanically filtered by the tire and suspension in the physical vehicle system. The final chapter in this work develops a method to extract a 2D terrain profile from a 3D terrain surface. By considering all of the information in the tire contact patch, the filtering properties of the tire are approximately emulated. / Master of Science

The somatosensory corticothalamic (CT) circuit processes ascending sensory signals, and disruption to the balance of excitation and inhibition (E/I) within CT circuitry leads to absence seizures, sleep disorders, and attention deficits. E/I balance may be restored by independently modulating excitatory CT input to the ventral posteromedial (VPM) thalamus and inhibitory input to the VPM through the CT-thalamic reticular nucleus (nRT)-VPM pathway. This work revealed novel N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) nucleus-specific and frequency-dependent functional diversity in the somatosensory CT circuit. Specifically, these findings illustrate the different effects of NMDAR negative modulation in the nRT and the VPM, which offers a method to preferentially decrease high frequency excitatory CT input to the VPM while having no significant effect on nRT activity. These results demonstrate the potential of utilizing NMDAR selective modulators to decrease overall excitation within the somatosensory CT circuit. Further investigation is required to elucidate the precise mechanisms underlying this phenomenon, including where NMDARs are localized at CT synapses and the effect of positive NMDAR modulators on nRT and VPM activity. / Master of Science / The sensory gating mechanism helps our brain to select essential sensory information to process. Impairment of this sensory gating has been reported in epilepsy, schizophrenia, and autism. The somatosensory corticothalamic (CT) circuit oversea the sensory gating process by adjusting how much excitation and inhibition signals are integrated into the thalamus. Disruption of the balance of excitation and inhibition (E/I) within CT circuitry leads to the absence seizures, sleep disorders, and attention deficits. Our work revealed one of the glutamate receptors N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), has nucleus-specific and frequency-dependent functional diversity in the somatosensory CT circuit. By targeting the different NMDAR subunits in the circuit, we were able to preferentially decrease high-frequency excitatory input to the thalamus while having no significant effect on inhibitory input. These results offer the potential to utilize NMDAR selective modulators to decrease overall excitation within the somatosensory CT circuit, which is useful to restore the disrupted E/I balance in the thalamus from a variety of neurological diseases. Further investigation is required to elucidate the precise mechanisms underlying this phenomenon.

A special class of nonstationary processes with periodically varying statistics, called cyclostationary (CS), is investigated. These processes are encountered in many engineering problems involving rotating machinery such as turbines, propellers, helicopter rotors, and diesel engines. We analyze a cyclostationary process model in order to show its advantages compared to a traditional stationary process model and present a methodology for calculating the statistics of the response of a linear system subjected to CS excitations. We demonstrate that a CS model estimates the statistics of the response of a linear dynamic system subjected to CS excitations more accurately by considering (1) a vehicle traveling on a rough road and (2) a propeller rotating in the wake of a ship in the presence of turbulence. In the case of the vehicle, the road consists of concrete plates of fixed length. We model the road excitation using a CS process and calculate the standard deviation (root mean square) of the vehicle response. In the case of the ship propeller, we calculate the hydrodynamic forces acting on the propeller using the vortex panel method and the vortex theory of propeller. Considering the randomness in the axial and the tangential components of velocity, we calculate the mean and the covariance of the forces. This analysis shows that the hydrodynamic forces acting on the propeller are CS processes. Then we perform finite element analysis of the propeller and calculate the mean and the standard deviation of the blade response. We do the parametric analysis to demonstrate the effects of some physical quantities such as the standard deviation, the correlation coefficient, the decorrelation time, and the scale of turbulence of the axial and the tangential components of the wake velocity on the standard deviation of the blade deflection. We found that the CS model yields the time-wise variation of the statistics of the excitation and the response (e.g., the root mean square) and their peaks correctly. This is important information for the calculation of probability of failure of the propeller. A traditional stationary model cannot provide this information. / Master of Science

Active Magnetic Bearings (AMB) are a relatively recent innovation in bearing technology. Unlike conventional bearings, which rely on mechanical forces originating from fluid films or physical contact to support bearing loads, AMB systems utilize magnetic fields to levitate and support a shaft in an air-gap within the bearing stator. This design has many benefits over conventional bearings. The potential capabilities that AMB systems offer are allowing this new technology to be considered for use in state-of-the-art applications. For example, AMB systems are being considered for use in jet engines, submarine propulsion systems, energy storage flywheels, hybrid electric vehicles and a multitude of high performance space applications. Many of the benefits that AMB systems have over conventional bearings makes them ideal for use in these types of vehicular applications. However, these applications present a greater challenge to the AMB system designer because the AMB-rotor system may be subjected to external vibrations originating from the vehicle's motion and operation. Therefore these AMB systems must be designed to handle the aggregate vibration of both the internal rotor dynamic vibrations and the external vibrations that these applications will produce. This paper will focus on the effects of direct base excitation to an AMB/rotor system because base excitation is highly possible to occur in vehicular applications. This type of excitation has been known to de-stabilize AMB/rotor systems therefore this aspect of AMB system operation needs to be examined. The goal of this research was to design, build and test a test rig that has the ability to excite an AMB system with large amplitude base excitation. Results obtained from this test rig will be compared to predictions obtained from linear models commonly used for AMB analysis and determine the limits of these models. / Master of Science

A modeling approach suitable for simulating solid-state-controlled machine systems, including component failures within either the electronics or machine(s), is presented in detail. The capability of modeling unbalanced-machine operation is included in the modeling approach. The approach is directly amenable to computer implementation. Computer implementation of the modeling approach was performed and the simulated results were compared with actual oscillograms, obtained from the performance tests of an Electric Vehicle Propulsion Unit, in order to verify the proposed modeling approach. Excellent correlation between the simulated waveforms and the oscillograms existed in all the simulated cases. The modeling approach was used also to simulate the electrical behavior of a brushless-excitation system used for large turbine generators. The simulations consisted of normal steady-state operation as well as a scenario of fault conditions occurring within the rotating rectifier assembly of the brushless exciter. The simulated results are displayed and a discussion of intrinsic features of these results needed to identify the specific fault is presented. Fault detection schemes are warranted for such expensive systems. Actual voltage and/or current waveforms could be telemetered to an controller for fault detection and classification. The elements of this modeling approach which allow inexpensive computer simulation of such systems, that can contain nonlinearities and/or spontaneous faults in any of its components, are listed as follows: 1. The capability of automatically generating the systems' governing state equations, from a minimal set of topological data and component values, at any point within the simulation run; 2. Inclusion of unbalanced machine operation is a result of having no topological restrictions placed upon the mutual coupling. 3. Using piece-wise linear I-V characteristics of the solid-state switching components decreases the computation time needed for a given simulation run since iteration for the status of the equivalent resistance values for each switch is only required at their threshold (I-V) points. 4. Employment of an implicit (predictor-corrector) integration algorithm designed specifically for solving stiff differential equations, typically associated with solid-state controlled machine systems, allows realistic modeling of the solid-state switches' equivalent resistance values. Also, implicit algorithms (like the one employed in this work) result in a drastic reduction of computer execution time and an increase in accuracy, when compared to explicit algorithms, systems. for simulating these types of stiff systems. / Ph. D.