Bibliography: leaves 149-152.

Aujourd'hui, la proportion des personnes âgées devient importante par rapport à l'ensemble de la population, et les capacités d'admission dans les hôpitaux sont limitées. En conséquence, plusieurs systèmes de télévigilance médicale ont été développés, mais il existe peu de solutions commerciales. Ces systèmes se concentrent soit sur la mise en oeuvre d'une architecture générique pour l'intégration des systèmes d'information médicale, soit sur l'amélioration de la vie quotidienne des patients en utilisant divers dispositifs automatiques avec alarme, soit sur l'offre de services de soins aux patients souffrant de certaines maladies comme l'asthme, le diabète, les problèmes cardiaques ou pulmonaires, ou la maladie d'Alzheimer. Dans ce contexte, un système automatique pour la télévigilance médicale à domicile est une solution pour faire face à ces problèmes et ainsi permettre aux personnes âgées de vivre en toute sécurité et en toute indépendance à leur domicile. Dans cette thèse, qui s'inscrit dans le cadre de la télévigilance médicale, un nouveau système de télévigilance médicale à plusieurs modalités nommé EMUTEM (Environnement Multimodale pour la Télévigilance Médicale) est présenté. Il combine et synchronise plusieurs modalités ou capteurs, grâce à une technique de fusion de données multimodale basée sur la logique floue. Ce système peut assurer une surveillance continue de la santé des personnes âgées. L'originalité de ce système avec la nouvelle approche de fusion est sa flexibilité à combiner plusieurs modalités de télévigilance médicale. Il offre un grand bénéfice aux personnes âgées en surveillant en permanence leur état de santé et en détectant d'éventuelles situations de détresse.

L'énergie éolienne est une des composantes d'une politique énergétique permettant de réaliser un développement durable. Ces dernières années, des parcs éoliens offshore ont été installés. Ces parcs bénéficient d'un vent plus fort et plus régulier en mer que sur terre. Pour un choix judicieux des lieux d'implantation des parcs éoliens, il est nécessaire de disposer d'une cartographie du potentiel éolien. Ces cartes doivent être à haute résolution spatiale pour détecter les variations du potentiel à l'échelle d'un parc éolien. La cartographie du potentiel éolien se fait au travers de la description de la variation spatiale des paramètres statistiques caractérisant la climatologie du vent. Pour une estimation précise de ces paramètres statistiques, il est nécessaire d'avoir des mesures de vitesse et de direction du vent à haute résolution temporelle. Cependant, aucune source de données, actuelle, n'allie la haute résolution spatiale et la haute résolution temporelle. On propose une méthode de fusion de données permettant de tirer profit de la haute résolution spatiale de certains instruments de télédétection (les radars à ouverture synthétiques) et de la haute résolution temporelle d'autres instruments de télédétection (les radars diffusomètres). La méthode de fusion est appliquée à un cas d'étude et les résultats sont évalués. Les résultats montrent la pertinence de la fusion de données pour la cartographie du potentiel éolien offshore.

Interbody fusion cages are increasingly used in the treatment of spinal disease and injury in order to stabilize movement and promote arthrodesis of the vertebral bodies, but the micro-mechanics of the interaction between the cage and the adjacent host bone is not fully understood. This information has bearing on post-surgical therapy protocols, prediction of long-term bone tissue changes, and optimization of cage design. In order to gain insight into this problem, functional microCT imaging was used to directly evaluate implant micromotion and full-field vertebral body strains in an animal model implemented with various configurations of BAK interbody cages. It is believed that variations in cage design will produce variable implant success, functional fusion will be related to the extent of implant fixation, and specific strain fields will be associated with fused and unfused samples. We found that samples ranged from completely unfused (implant motion) to fully fused with organized trabecular bone (no motion). Strains concentrated at the implant interface in unfused samples, while fully fused samples exhibited uniformly distributed strains. / Graduation date: 2004

Fusion reactions with radioactive neutron-rich projectiles have been the subject of much recent theoretical and experimental interest. Predictions of enhancement of the cross section due to the use of a neutron-rich projectile may have implications for synthesis of heavy nuclei. In this work, the fusion-fission excitation functions were measured for the [superscript 32,38]S + �������Ta reactions. The radioactive �����S beam was produced by projectile fragmentation. In the ����S-induced reaction, an incomplete fusion component was observed at high energies, with average momentum transfer corresponding to escape of an alpha particle. Angular distribution data were used to estimate the quasifission component of the stable-beam reaction. The excitation functions were analyzed using classical and coupled-channels methods; the deduced interaction barriers were 130.7 �� 0.3 MeV and 124.8 �� 0.3 MeV for the ����S- and �����S-induced reactions, respectively. No evidence of any additional mechanism beyond a simple shift in the Coulomb barrier was observed. Taking into account the difference in reaction Q-values, the net lowering of the compound nucleus excitation energy at the barrier is about 12 MeV due to the use of the radioactive neutron-rich projectile; this could significantly affect survival probabilities of heavy nuclei. / Graduation date: 2000

Thesis (M.S. in Electrical Engineering)--Naval Postgraduate School, September 1997. / Thesis Advisor(s): Murali Tummala. "September 1997." Includes bibliographical references (p. 61-62). Also available in print.

The advent and development of the electric bass as an instrument was examined in relation to its application to the genre of jazz and related styles. The evolving role of the bass in the early stages of the development of the jazz genre was considered. The work of pioneering acoustic bassists such as Jimmy Blanton emancipated the bass from its traditional, subordinate and supportive function. Bassists began to explore harmonically elaborate solos in a similar fashion to horn players. Electric bassists are able to expand on the harmonic aspects of the instrument partly due to the playability afforded by the electric bass as opposed to the acoustic bass. Leo Fender’s 1951 Precision bass was a significant development, though it was preceded by earlier attempts to create various electric amplified basses. Jaco Pastorius and Stanley Clarke were key figures in the history of the electric bass, and were influenced by traditional jazz music. In turn, they influenced the development of jazz and related styles such as fusion. Modern electric bass virtuosos such as Steve Bailey and Victor Wooten have effectively incorporated traditional jazz influences into their compositions and performances. Jazz and related styles of music continue to evolve, influenced by pedagogical practices and electric bass instruction in academic settings.

This thesis work is motivated by the potential and promise of image fusion technologies in the multi sensor image fusion system and applications. With specific focus on pixel level image fusion, the process after the image registration is processed, we develop graphic user interface for multi-sensor image fusion software using Microsoft visual studio and Microsoft Foundation Class library. In this thesis, we proposed and presented some image fusion algorithms with low computational cost, based upon spatial mixture analysis. The segment weighted average image fusion combines several low spatial resolution data source from different sensors to create high resolution and large size of fused image. This research includes developing a segment-based step, based upon stepwise divide and combine process. In the second stage of the process, the linear interpolation optimization is used to sharpen the image resolution. Implementation of these image fusion algorithms are completed based on the graphic user interface we developed. Multiple sensor image fusion is easily accommodated by the algorithm, and the results are demonstrated at multiple scales. By using quantitative estimation such as mutual information, we obtain the experiment quantifiable results. We also use the image morphing technique to generate fused image sequence, to simulate the results of image fusion. While deploying our pixel level image fusion algorithm approaches, we observe several challenges from the popular image fusion methods. While high computational cost and complex processing steps of image fusion algorithms provide accurate fused results, they also makes it hard to become deployed in system and applications that require real-time feedback, high flexibility and low computation ability

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Drexel University, 2005. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-114).

In this thesis we mainly focus on the study of the turbulent transport of impurity particles in the plasma due to the electrostatic drift wave microinstabilities. In a fusion reactor, the helium produced as a result of the fusion process is an internal source of impurity. Moreover, impurities are released from the material surfaces surrounding the plasma by a variety of processes: by radiation from plasma, or as a result of sputtering, arcing and evaporation. Impurities in tokamak plasmas introduce a variety of problems. The most immediate effect is the radiated power loss (radiative cooling). Another effect is that the impurity ions produce many electrons and in view of the operating limits on density and pressure, this has the effect of replacing fuel ions. For example, at a given electron density each fully ionized carbon ion (used in the wall materials in the form of graphite) replaces six fuel ions, so that a 7% concentration of fully ionized carbon in the plasma core, would reduce the fusion power to one half of the value in a pure plasma. Therefore, for all tokamaks it become an immediate and continuing task to reduce impurities to acceptably low concentrations. However, the presence of impurities, with control, can be beneficial for the plasma performance and reduction of strong plasma heat loads on the plasma facing walls. The radiative cooling effect which was mentioned above can be used at the edge of the plasma in order to distribute the plasma heat more evenly on the whole surface of the vessel walls and therefore, reduce significantly plasma heat bursts on the small regions on the divertor or limiter tiles. The experiments at TEXTOR show that the presence of the impurities at the plasma edge can also improve the performance and reduce the turbulent transport across the magnetic field lines. The observed behavior was explained trough the proposed mechanism of suppression of the most important plasma drift wave microinstability in this region, namely, the Ion Temperature Gradient mode (ITG mode) by the impurities. The impurity's positive impact on the plasma performance offered a possibility to better harness the fusion power, however, it is vital for a fusion reactor to have feedback controls in order to keep impurities at the plasma edge and limit their accumulation in the plasma core where the fusion reactions are happening. In order to have control over the impurity transport we first need to understand different mechanisms responsible for its transport. One of the least understood areas of the impurity transport and indeed any plasma particle or heat transport in general, is the turbulent transport. Extensive efforts of the fusion plasma community are focused on the subject of turbulent transport. Motivated by the fact that impurity transport is an important issue for the whole community and it is an area which needs fundamental research, we focused our attention on the development of turbulent transport models for impurities and their examination against experiments. In a collaboration effort together with colleagues (theoreticians as well as experimentalist) from different research institutes, we tried to find, through our models, physical mechanisms responsible for experimental observations. Although our main focus in this thesis has been on the impurity transport, we also tried a fresh challenge, and started looking at the problem of drift wave turbulent transport in a different framework all together. Experimental observation of the edge turbulence in the fusion devices show that in the Scrape of Layer (SOL: the layer between last closed magnetic surface and machine walls) plasma is characterized with non-Gaussian statistics and non-Maxwellian Probability Distribution Function (PDF). It has been recognized that the nature of cross-field transport trough the SOL is dominated by turbulence with a significant ballistic or non-local component and it is not simply a diffusive process. There are studies of the SOL turbulent transport using the 2-D fluid descriptions or based on probabilistic models using the Levy statistics (fractional derivatives in space). However, these models are base on the fluid assumptions which is in contradiction with the non-Maxwellian plasmas observed. Therefore, we tried to make a more fundamental study by looking at the effect of the non-Maxwellian plasma on the turbulent transport using a gyro-kinetic formalism. We considered the application of fractional kinetics to plasma physics. This approach, classical indeed, is new in its application. Our aim was to study the effects of a non-Gaussian statistics on the characteristic of the drift waves in fusion plasmas. In this thesis we mainly focus on the study of the turbulent transport of impurity particles in the plasma due to the electrostatic drift wave microinstabilities. In a fusion reactor, the helium produced as a result of the fusion process is an internal source of impurity. Moreover, impurities are released from the material surfaces surrounding the plasma by a variety of processes: by radiation from plasma, or as a result of sputtering, arcing and evaporation. Impurities in tokamak plasmas introduce a variety of problems. The most immediate effect is the radiated power loss (radiative cooling). Another effect is that the impurity ions produce many electrons and in view of the operating limits on density and pressure, this has the effect of replacing fuel ions. For example, at a given electron density, $n_{e}$, each fully ionized carbon ion (used in the wall materials in the form of graphite) replaces six fuel ions, so that a 7\% concentration of fully ionized carbon in the plasma core, would reduce the fusion power to one half of the value in a pure plasma. Therefore, for all tokamaks it become an immediate and continuing task to reduce impurities to acceptably low concentrations. However, the presence of impurities, with control, can be beneficial for the plasma performance and reduction of strong plasma heat loads on the plasma facing walls. The radiative cooling effect which was mentioned above can be used at the edge of the plasma in order to distribute the plasma heat more evenly on the whole surface of the vessel walls and therefore, reduce significantly plasma heat bursts on the small regions on the divertor or limiter tiles. The experiments at TEXTOR show that the presence of the impurities at the plasma edge can also improve the performance and reduce the turbulent transport across the magnetic field lines. The observed behavior was explained trough the proposed mechanism of suppression of the most important plasma drift wave microinstability in this region, namely, the Ion Temperature Gradient mode (ITG mode) by the impurities. The impurity's positive impact on the plasma performance offered a possibility to better harness the fusion power, however, it is vital for a fusion reactor to have feedback controls in order to keep impurities at the plasma edge and limit their accumulation in the plasma core where the fusion reactions are happening. In order to have control over the impurity transport we first need to understand different mechanisms responsible for its transport. One of the least understood areas of the impurity transport and indeed any plasma particle or heat transport in general, is the turbulent transport. Extensive efforts of the fusion plasma community are focused on the subject of turbulent transport. Motivated by the fact that impurity transport is an important issue for the whole community and it is an area which needs fundamental research, we focused our attention on the development of turbulent transport models for impurities and their examination against experiments. In a collaboration effort together with colleagues (theoreticians as well as experimentalist) from different research institutes, we tried to find, through our models, physical mechanisms responsible for experimental observations. Although our main focus in this thesis has been on the impurity transport, we also tried a fresh challenge, and started looking at the problem of drift wave turbulent transport in a different framework all together. Experimental observation of the edge turbulence in the fusion devices show that in the Scrape of Layer (SOL: the layer between last closed magnetic surface and machine walls) plasma is characterized with non-Gaussian statistics and non-Maxwellian Probability Distribution Function (PDF). It has been recognized that the nature of cross-field transport trough the SOL is dominated by turbulence with a significant ballistic or non-local component and it is not simply a diffusive process. There are studies of the SOL turbulent transport using the 2-D fluid descriptions or based on probabilistic models using the Levy statistics (fractional derivatives in space). However, these models are base on the fluid assumptions which is in contradiction with the non-Maxwellian plasmas observed. Therefore, we tried to make a more fundamental study by looking at the effect of the non-Maxwellian plasma on the turbulent transport using a gyro-kinetic formalism. We considered the application of fractional kinetics to plasma physics. This approach, classical indeed, is new in its application. Our aim was to study the effects of a non-Gaussian statistics on the characteristic of the drift waves in fusion plasmas. Ce travail de thèse porte sur le transport turbulent d'impuretés dans les plasmas de fusion par confinement magnétique. C'est une question de la plus haute importance pour le développement de la fusion comme source d'énergie. En effet, une accumulation d'impuretés au coeur du plasma impliquerait des pertes d'énergie par radiation, conduisant par refroidissement à l'extinction des réactions de fusion. Il est par contre prévu d'injecter des impuretés dans le bord du plasma, afin d'extraire la chaleur par rayonnement sans endommager les éléments de la première paroi. Ces contraintes contradictoires nécessitent un contrôle précis du transport d'impuretés, afin de minimiser la concentration d'impuretés au coeur du plasma tout en la maximisant au bord. Une très bonne connaissance de la physique sous-jacente au transport est donc indispensable. L'effet de la turbulence, principal mécanisme de transport, sur les impuretés est alors une question centrale. Dans cette thèse, un code numérique, AFC-FL, a été développé sur la base d'une approche ``fluide' linéaire pour la turbulence d'ondes de dérive. Il calcule les taux de croissance qui caractérisent la rapidité de l'amorçage des instabilités. L'analyse de stabilité est complétée par l'évaluation des taux de croissance en présence d'un gradient de densité, un cisaillement magnétique ou un nombre arbitraire de différentes espèces d'impureté. Les formules complètes du flux turbulent d'impuretés pour ces taux de croissance calculés des instabilités des ondes de dérive ont été dérivées. Un modèle de transport anormal qui nous permet d'étudier la dépendence du transport en fonction de la charge d'impureté a été développé. Ce modèle prend en compte les effets collisionnels entre les ions, l'impureté et les particules principales de plasma. Une telle dépendence du transport anormal en fonction de la charge de l'impureté est observée dans les expériences et il a été montré que les résultats obtenus sont en bon accord avec les observations expérimentales. Nous avons également étudié l'effet des impuretés sur le confinement de l'énergie dans les plasmas du tokamak JET. La modélisation de transport a été exécutée pour des plasmas avec injection de néon dans la périphérie du tokamak. Cette technique est utilisée afin d'extraire la chaleur par rayonnement sans endommager la paroi et pour réduire certaines instabilités (ELM). Des simulations du code RITM ont été comparées à des mesures effectuées lors d'expériences au JET. Il a été montré que l'injection de néon mène toujours à une dégradation du confinement par rapport aux décharges sans néon. Cependant, l'augmentation de la charge effective, en raison du presence du néon peut diminuer le taux de croissance d'autres instabilité (ITG) et amèliorer le confinement du coeur du plasma. Ce confinement amélioré du coeur peut alors compenser la dégradation au bord et le confinement global du plasma peut s'améliorer.