Notre objectif est d’étudier les modalités d’accouchement au sein de la lignée humaine. Pour cela, nous utilisons deux approches complémentaires : la simulation numérique de l’accouchement et l’analyse discriminante des modalités d’accouchement au sein d’un échantillon obstétrical. Dans un premier temps, nous construisons des maillages de bassins et de crânes de foetus fossiles grâce à une méthode d’interpolation : le krigeage. Les groupes fossiles considérés sont les Australopithèques, les premiers représentants du genre Homo (PRGH) et les représentants du genre Homo au Pléistocène moyen et supérieur (RPMS). Les dimensions des crânes juvéniles sont utilisées pour estimer « à rebours » les dimensions néonatales à l’aide de courbes de croissance humaine et de chimpanzé. Nous réalisons une simulation numérique de l’accouchement à partir des maillages de ces dyades « virtuelles ». Puis nous réalisons des analyses discriminantes avec un jeu de données issu de mesures réalisées sur le pelviscanner de femmes et sur les mesures du crâne de leur nouveau-né afin de séparer les modalités d’accouchement grâce aux variables foeto-pelviennes. Ces mêmes variables foeto-pelviennes sont mesurées chez les dyades fossiles afin d’identifier, par les analyses discriminantes, leurs modalités d’accouchement les plus probables. Nos résultats suggèrent un accouchement eutocique sans rotation intra-pelvienne chez les Australopithèques, eutocique avec rotation intrapelvienne chez les PRGH, dystocique ou eutocique chez les RPMS, l’accouchement eutocique est caractérisé par une rotation et une incurvation de la trajectoire de descente. / The purpose of this thesis is to estimate delivery outcomes for extinct hominids. We therefore use two complementary methods : numerical simulation of childbirth and discriminant analysis of delivery outcomes from an obstetrical sample. First, we use kriging to construct meshes of pelves and neonatal skulls. Fossil hominid specimens included in the study are Australopithecines, early Homo (EH) and middle to early Pleistocene Homo (MEPH). We estimate fetal cranial dimensions with chimpanzee or human cranial growth curve that we reversly use and apply on juveniles skull measurements. “Virtual” dyads are formed from pelves and neonatal skulls. Then, we simulate childbirth of these « virtual » dyads. Different levels of laxity of the sacro-iliac junction and different positions of the fetal head are considered. Finally, we use an obstetrical sample: delivery outcome is noted, CT-scans are used to obtain maternal pelvic measurements and diameters of the fetal head were also measured after delivery. A discriminant analysis is performed using this obstetrical sample to separate delivery outcomes thanks to fetal-pelvic measurements. Fossil dyads were subsequently added in the discriminant analysis to assess delivery outcomes to which they belong. Results suggest small fetal-pelvic constraint for Austalopithecines. This constraint is moderate for EH. Fetal-pelvic constraint is more important for MEPH. We suggest that rotational birth appears with EH. The curved trajectory of the fetal head appears with MEPH. Emergence of rotational birth and curved trajectory of fetal head are probably explained by two major increases in brain size during late and middle Pleistocene.

A produção agrícola tem crescido nos últimos anos impulsionada pelo aumento populacional e por avanços tecnológicos. Esse crescimento pode ocasionar impactos ambientais importantes, inclusive a degradação do solo, se não forem realizados o correto planejamento agrícola e manejo do solo, a fim de assegurar uma produção competitiva e sustentável. Para isto, a descrição da variabilidade espacial do solo é necessária, sendo realizada convencionalmente através de coleta e análise de amostras. Entretanto, estes métodos convencionais de levantamento da variabilidade do solo possuem custos elevados e demandam bastante tempo e mãode- obra para serem realizados. Com o aumento da quantidade de informação necessária os custos para descrição da variabilidade espacial do solo podem tornarse um obstáculo, se somente metodologias convencionais são aplicadas. Portanto, métodos alternativos tornam-se necessários para auxiliar no levantamento de atributos do solo em escala adequada ao manejo agrícola. Para isto, são propostas metodologias de espectroscopia de reflectância no Vis-NIR-SWIR, as quais empregam o comportamento espectral do solo de 400 nm a 2500 nm para realizar a quantificação de seus atributos. Isto é possível, pois a informação espectral possui relação direta com os constituintes do solo. Assim, no presente estudo é avaliado o uso de imagens aéreas hiperespectrais na quantificação de atributos do solo, através do método PLSR, e mapeamento destes atributos, empregando krigagem. O desempenho das predições feitas com dados do sensor aéreo é comparado ao obtido com espectros coletados em laboratório. Foi também avaliado, através de experimentos de campo, com diferentes doses de calcário em duas áreas diferentes (textura arenosa e média), o uso de informações espectrais coletadas no campo, em movimento, e em laboratório, com amostras úmidas, para a quantificação de atributos e da necessidade de calagem, pelo método PLSR. Foram obtidos resultados satisfatórios através dos dados do sensor aéreo, principalmente, para a quantificação dos teores de argila, areia e CTC (R2 de 0,73, 0,73 e 0,80, respectivamente). Com relação aos dados obtidos por sensoriamento próximo no campo, os melhores resultados foram obtidos para a área de textura média, com R2 de 0,33, 0,38 e 0,61 para a predição da CTC, V% e da necessidade de calagem, respectivamente. / Agricultural production has increased in the last years stimulated by the population growth and technological advances. This can cause significant environmental impacts including soil degradation if suitable agricultural planning and soil management are not applied in order to ensure a competitive and sustainable production. For this purpose, the soil variability assessment is needed and it is conventionally performed through soil sampling and analysis. However, conventional methods have high costs and require considerable time and labor. When the amount of information needed increases, costs to describe soil spatial variability may become an obstacle if only conventional methodologies are applied. Therefore, alternative methods can help to depict soil properties variability on a scale suitable to soil management. So, Vis-NIR-SWIR reflectance spectroscopy (from 400 nm to 2500 nm) is proposed as a mean to predict soil properties. This is possible because spectral information has a direct relationship with soil constituents and characteristics. Therefore, in this study hyperspectral airborne imagery is evaluated as an information source to be used in soil properties quantification, via the PLSR method, and mapping, using kriging. The performance of the models derived from airborne imagery data was compared with the results obtained by models calculated from laboratory sensor data. The use of spectral information collected in the field (on-thego) was evaluated too using a field experiment in witch different rates of lime were applied. The experiment was allocated in two fields with different soil textures (one with about 100 g kg-1 of clay and other with about 320 g kg-1 of clay). The soil properties prediction based on the on-the-go spectral measurements were compared to predictions made using spectra collect in the laboratory and the PLSR method was used to calculate models. Satisfactory results were obtained with airborne sensor data, especially for clay, sand and CTC quantification (R2 of 0.73, 0.73 and 0.80, respectively). Regarding the on-the-go proximal sensing, better predictions were obtained for the clayey area, with R2 of 0.33, 0.38 and 0.61 for predictions of CEC, base saturation of the soil CEC (V%) and lime requirement, respectively.

MSCAGR / Department of Soil Science / Soil hydraulic and hydraulic-related physical properties are key to soil productivity and these properties are widely studied. Nevertheless, their spatial variability is least understood. Two sites were selected for this study (University of Venda Experimental farm and Roodeplaat, Agricultural Research Council farm). The objectives of this study were to determine the spatial variability of soil water content, water infiltration and hydraulic conductivity on selected soils. Field measurements were done on a 20 m × 20 m. Soil hydraulic and hydraulic-related physical properties were studied at two depths, 0 – 0.2 m top soil and 0.2 – 0.4 m sub soil. The field was irrigated to saturation and let to drain freely for two days. The soil was quickly secured in water cans to avoid further loss of water by evaporation and taken to the laboratory for analysis. Data was analysed using ordinary kriging method in ArcMap® software version 10.4 to generate spatial variability maps and semi variograms. The University of Venda Experimental farm had lesser spatial variability with coefficient of variation ranging from 9.6 to 33.4%. The spatial variability of soil was very low confirmed by contour maps depicting slightly homogeneity. Whereas, the soil hydro-physical properties displayed greater spatial variability at Roodeplaat, Agricultural Research Council Experimental farm. The empirical variograms of spherical model fits were also assuming weak spatial dependence with a curve variogram. The coefficient of variation ranged from 10.5 to 51.9%. Therefore, the greater variability at Roodeplaat, Agricultural Research Council Experimental farm indicated that coarse soil texture under conventional tillage has a greater influence on the spatial variability of the soil hydro-physical properties. / NRF

This thesis describes and compares methods for statistical modeling of spatio- temporal data. Methods are extended by examples and numerical studies on real world data. Basic point of interest is statistical analysis of spatial data with unknown correlation structure and known position in space. Further analysis is focused on spatial data with temporal component - spatio-temporal data. Fi- nally, extremal values and their occurrences are discussed. The main aspiration of my thesis is to provide statistical tools for spatio-temporal data and analysis of extremal values of prediction. 1

Es wird die Versuchsplanung für die Approximation zufälliger Funktionen untersucht, wobei sowohl deterministische Spline-, stochastisch-deterministische Krigingverfahren als auch Regressionsverfahren jeweils unter Verwendung von Ableitungssamples betrachtet werden. Dabei wird das mathematische Gerüst für den Beweis einer allgemeinen Äquivalenz zwischen Kriging- und Splineverfahren entwickelt. Für den in den praktischen Anwendungen wichtigen Fall der Verwendung endlich vieler nichthermitescher Samples wird ein Versuchsplanungsverfahren für zufällige Funktionen mit asymptotisch verschwindender Korrelation entwickelt. Ferner wird der Einfluss von Ableitungen auf die Varianz von (lokalen) Regressionsschätzern untersucht. Schließlich wird ein Verfahren zur Versuchsplanung vorgestellt, das durch Regularisierung mittels gestörter Kovarianzmatrizen Prinzipien der klassischen Versuchsplanung im korrelierten Fall nachahmt.

Für die geodätische Überwachung dreidimensionaler Objekte fehlen in der Regel Informationen zur vollständigen Beschreibung der räumlichen Deformation. Um dieses Informationsdefizit zu beheben, können geotechnische Beobachtungen genutzt werden. In der Dissertation wird die Integration dieser Relativmessungen durch ein erweitertes Krigingverfahren gelöst. Dazu werden für den Signal- und Trendanteil der Beobachtungen die nötigen Kovarianz- und Trendmatrizen hergeleitet. Darüberhinaus wird durch die Darstellung der Beobachtungen als lineare Funktionale des Verschiebungsfeldes die Möglichkeit eröffnet, nicht nur das Verschiebungsfeld zu schätzen sondern auch beliebige lineare Funktionale des Verschiebungsfeldes. Das hergeleitete Verfahren wird an zwei praktischen Beispielen demonstriert.

Gegenstand der Arbeit ist die Untersuchung der Anwendbarkeit stochastisch-deterministischer Modelle für die räumliche und zeitliche Vorhersage der Ozonkonzentrationen in Sachsen. Zu diesem Zweck werden die Messwerte des sächsischen Landesmessnetzes von 1995 bis 1999 einer eingehenden statistischen Analyse (deskriptive Analyse, geostatistische Analyse, Zeitreihenanalyse) unterzogen. Bei diesen Analysen werden Repräsentativitätsunterschiede der einzelnen Stationen (städtisch/ländlich) deutlich, die bei Verwendung aller Daten zu einem sehr hohen Nuggeteffekt führen. Um ein realistischeres Bild des Nuggeteffektes zu erhalten, wurde die jeweils am stärksten verkehrsbeeinflusste Station in derselben Stadt aus der Variogrammberechnung ausgeschlossen. Durch die Forschungsarbeit wird gezeigt, dass die Ozonwerte auch nach der Eliminierung räumlicher und zeitlicher Trends eine ausreichende räumliche Autokorrelation besitzen. Schließlich werden geostatistische und zeitreihenanalytische Modelle für die räumliche und zeitliche Vorhersage der sächsischen Ozondaten entwickelt und ihre Genauigkeit überprüft.

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The implementation and application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial analyses have become standard practice in many archaeological projects. In this study, we demonstrate how GIS can play a crucial role in the study of taphonomy, i.e., understanding the processes that underpinned the creation of archaeological deposits, in this case the distribution of artifacts across an archeological site. The Stelida Naxos Archeological Project (SNAP) is focused on the exploration of a Paleolithic-Mesolithic stone tool quarry site located on the island of Naxos, Greece. An extensive pedestrian survey was conducted during the 2013 and 2014 archeological field seasons. An abundance of lithic material was collected across the surface, with some diagnostic pieces dating to more than 250 Kya. Spatial statistical analysis (Empirical Bayesian Kriging) was conducted on the survey data to generate predictive distribution maps for the site. This study then determined the contextual integrity of the surface artifact distributions through a study of geomorphic processes. A digital surface model (DSM) of the site was produced using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) aerial photography and Structure from Motion (SfM) terrain modeling. The DSM employed to develop a Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model and hydrological flow models. The model results provide important insights into the site geomorphological processes and allow categorization of the diagnostic surface material locations based on their contextual integrity. The GIS analysis demonstrates that the surface artifact distribution has been significantly altered by post-depositional geomorphic processes, resulting in an overall low contextual integrity of surface artifacts. Conversely, the study identified a few areas with high contextual integrity, loci that represent prime locations for excavation. The results from this study will not only be used to inform and guide further development of the archeological project (as well as representing significant new data in its own right), but also contributes to current debates in survey archaeology, and in mapping and prospection more generally. This project demonstrates the benefit of using spatial analysis as a tool for planning of pedestrian surveys and for predictive mapping of artifact distributions prior to archaeological excavations. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

No description available.