Heart valve disease (HVD) or a damaged valve can severely compromise the heart's ability to pump efficiently. Balloon valvuloplasty is preferred on neonates with aortic valve stenosis. Even though this procedure decreases the gradient pressure across the aortic valve, restenosis is observed soon after balloon intervention. Tissue engineering heart valves (TEHV), using bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) and biodegradable scaffolds, have been investigated as an alternative to current non-viable prosthesis. By observing the changes in hemodynamics following balloon aortic valvuloplasty, we could uncover a potential cause for rapid restenosis after balloon intervention. Subsequently, a tissue engineering treatment strategy based on BMSC mechanobiology could be defined. Understanding and identifying the mechanisms by which cytoskeletal changes may lead to cellular differentiation of a valvular phenotype is a first critical step in enhancing the promotion of a robust valvular phenotype from BMSCs.

L’objectif de cette thèse est de décrire le réseau cérébral et la dynamique neuronale qui pourraient servir de support aux aversions alimentaires de type olfactives. Nous avons réalisé des enregistrements multisites de potentiel de champ locaux chez le rat vigile engagé dans cet apprentissage, en proposant deux modes de présentation de l’indice olfactif : à proximité de l’eau de boisson (distal) ou ingéré (distal-proximal). Après apprentissage, la présentation du seul indice distal induit l’émergence d’une activité oscillatoire de forte amplitude dans la bande de fréquence beta (15-40 Hz). Finement corrélée au comportement d’aversion de l’animal, cette activité est proposée comme la signature du réseau de structures fonctionnellement impliquées dans la reconnaissance de l’odeur en tant que signal. Nous montrons que ce réseau peut être plus ou moins étendu selon la façon dont le stimulus a été perçu lors du conditionnement: dans certaines aires (bulbe olfactif, cortex piriforme, amygdale basolatérale, cortex orbitofrontal) la modulation en puissance de l’activité beta se fait indépendamment du mode de conditionnement; dans d’autres aires (cortex insulaire, cortex infralimbique) ces changements ont lieu si et seulement si l’odeur a été ingérée. Complétés par l’étude des interactions fonctionnelles entre ces différentes structures dans la bande de fréquence considérée, ces résultats nous permettent de mieux comprendre comment un stimulus peut être représenté en mémoire dans un réseau cérébral en fonction de l’expérience que l’animal en a fait. / The goal of this thesis is to describe the dynamic of the neural network involved in food aversion based on olfactory cue. We performed multisite recordings of local field potential in the behaving rat engaged in such aversion learning and offered two modes of presentation of the olfactory cue: either close to drinking water (distal) or ingested (distal-proximal). After learning, the presentation of the distal cue alone induced the emergence of a powerful oscillation in the beta frequency band (15-40 Hz). Finely correlated with the aversive behavior of the animal, this activity has been proposed as the signature of the neural network functionally involved in odor signal recognition. We showed that this network may be more or less extended depending on how the stimulus has been experienced during conditioning: in some areas (olfactory bulb, piriform cortex, basolateral amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex), modulation of beta power were observed whatever the mode of odor presentation; in other areas (insular and infralimbic cortices) these changes took place only if the odor cue has been ingested. Associated to the analysis of transient oscillatory synchronizations between these different structures, these results allowed us to better understand how a stimulus could be represented in memory by a cerebral network depending on the way the animal had experienced it.

Comment le cerveau intègre-t-il toutes les informations sensorielles qu'il reçoit en une perception cohérente de l'environnement ? Cette intrigante et importante question en neuroscience n’est pas élucidée et a inspiré ce travail de thèse. Plus précisément, mon objectif a été d’étudier les modifications cérébrales induites par l’apprentissage d’une association entre un son et une odeur. Inhabituelle chez l’homme, hormis dans l’alimentation, cette association est pourtant fréquente chez l’animal, pour la détection de prédateurs par exemple. Mais sons et odeurs permettent surtout d'étudier les mécanismes cérébraux nécessaires à l'association entre deux sens très différents : le système auditif traite l’information en temps réel tandis que le système olfactif est lent et rythmé par la respiration. Ce travail de thèse était centré autour de la question suivante : comment le cerveau traite-t-il les interactions multisensorielles audio-olfactives ? En enregistrant l’activité de potentiel de champs local de plusieurs structures cérébrales chez des rats en train d’apprendre cette association, nous avons pu mettre en évidence un potentiel rôle des oscillations neuronales béta (15-35 Hz), dans le traitement et la mise en mémoire des différentes informations sensorielles. Ces oscillations représenteraient un lien fonctionnel entre aires cérébrales distantes, permettant l’intégration et l’association d'informations de natures très différentes. / Multisensory interactions are constantly present in our everyday life and allow a unified representation of environment. Cross modal integration is often studied in multisensory associative brain regions, but recent findings suggest that most of the brain could be multisensory. But at this time, we still don’t know how the brain deals with information from different sensory systems. In this project, we want to understand whether the establishment of neuronal oscillations can functionally connect sensory regions and take part of the multisensory integration, and how this connection is built up by learning. For this, we examine changes in the cortical network involved in the acquisition of a multisensory association between a sound and an odor in rats through the analysis of the local field potentials’ oscillations The originality of the project is to sample a large network of brain structures including primary sensory cortex (primary auditory cortex, olfactory bulb) and multimodal areas towards which converge these two senses: the piriform and perirhinal cortices. We have developed a behavioral GO/NO GO test in which the rat must combine simultaneous auditory and olfactory informations to succeed. Data and brain signals obtained in this task suggest that the power of oscillations in beta frequency band within the olfactory areas and the coherences of oscillations between these areas are modified by the multisensory learning.

The present study intended to examine the neural basis of audiovisual integration, hypothetically achieved by synchronized gamma-band oscillations (30--80 Hz) that have been suggested to integrate stimulus features and top--down information. To that end, we studied the impact of visual symbolic information on early auditory sensory processing of upcoming sounds. In particular, we used a symbol-to-sound--matching paradigm in which simple score-like patterns predict corresponding sound patterns. Occasionally, a single sound is incongruent with the corresponding element of the visual pattern. In response to expected sounds congruent with the corresponding visual symbol, a power increase of phase-locked (evoked) activity in the 40-Hz band was observed peaking 42-ms poststimulus onset. Thus, for the first time, we demonstrated that the comparison process between a neural model, the expectation, and the current sensory input is implemented at very early levels of auditory processing. Subsequently, expected congruent sounds elicited a broadband power increase of non--phase-locked (induced)activity peaking 152-ms poststimulus onset, which might reflect the formation of a unitary event representation including both visual and auditory aspects of the stimulation. Gamma-band responses were not present for unexpected incongruent sounds. A model explaining the anticipatory activation of cortical auditory representations and the match of experience against expectation is presented

The field of coupled resonant systems is a rich research area with enumerable real-world applications, including the fields of neural computing and pattern recognition, energy harvesting, and even modeling the behavior of certain types of biological systems. This work is primarily focused on the study of the behaviors of two subsets of this field: large networks of globally coupled resonators (which, in this work, refers to passive, damped resonant elements which require external stimulus) and smaller networks of oscillators (referring to active devices capable of self-sustained motion), which are coupled through a network of light-sensitive resistive elements. In the case of the former, we begin by developing an analytical and experimental framework to examine the behaviors of this system under various conditions, such as different coupling modalities and element-level parametric mistunings. Once a proper understanding of the dynamics of these systems has been established, we go on to develop the system into a single-input, single-output, multi-analyte volatile organic compound sensor. For the study of oscillator networks, we begin by building a device which utilizes a network of Colpitts oscillators, coupled through a series of color-filtered CdSe photocells. We then establish that through the analysis of particular emergent behaviors (most notably, frequency locking within the network), this type of system may show promise as a threshold color sensor. By exploiting these behaviors, this type of system may find applications in neuromorphic computing (particularly in optical pattern recognition).

No abstract provided. / Thesis / Master of Engineering (MEngr) / Scope and contents: This thesis describes the behaviour of iron ore-water suspensions under turbulent flow conditions. This work is divided into two parts. Part I deals with the regimes of transport under steady state flow conditions in circular and horizontal ducts. The heterogeneous flow regime is extensively analyzed; a sequential discrimination of models with an oriented design of experiments have permitted the determination of the best model to correlate hydraulic gradients for these suspensions. A critical discussion on the limit deposit conditions is also included. Part II describes the behaviour of clear water under oscillatory flow conditions. The study demonstrates that the quasi-steady state hypothesis, i.e., fully developed flow assumption, applied to pulsatile turbulent flow under the conditions studied. Observations on the behaviour of iron ore-water suspensions under pulsatile flow are also included. The experiments were carried out using a new air-pulsing technique.

No description available.

No description available.

NOx-sensorn är grundläggande i det moderna efterbehandlingssystemet och dess pålitlighet är avgörande för att kunna leva upp till rådande emissionslagkrav. Livslängden samt sensorns beteende i slutet av denna varierar betydligt. Om en NOx sensor med oberäkneligt beteende inte upptäcks av fordonets styrsystemet kan det orsaka omfattande verkstadsbesök eller i värsta fall brott mot emissionslagkrav. Examensarbetet involverar identifiering av olika sensorfellägen, tidiga tecken till dessa fellägen, förstå och identifiera förhållanden mellan olika sensorparametrar och analysera sensorbeteendet vid sensorlivslängdens slutskede. NOx sensorn är en relativt ny sensor och fordonsindustrin har ännu inte en fullständig förståelse för dess beteende. Litteraturstudien täcker olika fellägena så som fastnat värde, förskjutet värde, förstärkning av värdet, felaktiga svängningar samt långsam respons. Även effekterna av åldrande i NOx sensorn beskrivs. Litteraturstudien diskuterar också diagnoser av sensorer i allmänhet samt diagnoser specifikt för NOx sensorer. Uppsatsarbetet involverar också en experimentell studie där NOx sensorer utsätts för statiska och fluktuerande gasflöden i en motortestbädd. Fellägen i NOx sensorer kan observeras i parametrarna för NOx-värde och oxidationsnivå. I den version av NOx sensorn som användes observerades det också att parametrarna felaktig NOx och felaktig O2 visar samma felkod samtidigt. Dock är inte parametrarna för felaktig NOx och felaktig O2 relaterade till parametrarna för värmningsstatus, felaktig värmare och värmeelementets temperatur. Sensorns status gällande ogiltiga NOx-mätningar är större än eller lika med antalet ogiltiga O2-mätningar. Resultatet gäller framför allt sensormodell Continental 2.8 NOx sensorer. Även logik för en monitor gällande felaktiga svängningar utvecklas baserat på standardavvikelse och NOx statusparametern för ogiltig mätning. / The NOx sensor is essential in the modern after-treatment system and the reliability of the sensor is crucial for any emission-based legislation. The life span of a sensor varies a lot as well as the behaviour previous to its end of life. If a NOx sensor with erratic behaviour is not discovered by the control system it may cause extensive workshop effort or in worst case exceed legal requirements. The thesis work involves identifying different sensor failure modes, precursors to these failure modes, understanding and identifying relationships between different sensor parameters, and analysing the sensor behaviour especially towards the end of life. The NOx sensor is a relatively new sensor and the vehicle industry does not yet have a complete understanding of its behaviour. The literature study covers the different failure modes namely stuck, offset, gain, oscillations, and slow response and their causes along with the effects of ageing in NOx sensors. It also discusses the diagnosis of faulty sensors in general and faulty NOx sensors. The thesis work also involves an experimental study where the NOx sensors are subjected to static and transient gas flow tests in an engine testbed. Failure modes in NOx sensors are observable in NOx concentration and actual oxidation measurement parameters. It was also observed in the version of the NOx sensor used that Error NOx and Error O2 parameters show the same fault code at the same time. Although, the Error NOx and Error O2 parameters are not related to the heater parameters, Heater status, Error heater, and Temperature of heating element. The number of invalid flags set in NOx status is greater than or equal to the number of invalid flags in O2 status. The mentioned parameters are concerning Continental 2.8 NOx sensors. The logic for the oscillatory fault monitor is developed based on standard deviation and an invalid flag check on the NOx status parameter.

Cardiovascular diseases are among the leading causes of deaths worldwide, but the fluid mechanics of many of these conditions and the devices used to treat them are only partially understood. This goal of this dissertation was to develop new experimental techniques that would enable translational research into two of these conditions. The first set of experiments examined <i>in-vitro</i> the changes in Wall Shear Stress (WSS) and Oscillatory Shear Index (OSI) caused by the implantation of coronary stents into the arteries of the heart using Particle Image Velocimetry. These experiments featured one-to-one scaling, commercial stents, and realistic flow and pressure waveforms, and are believed to be the most physiologically accurate stent experiments to date. This work revealed distinct differences in WSS and OSI between the different stent designs tested, and showed that changes in implantation configuration also affected these hemodynamic parameters. Also, the production of vortices near the stent struts during flow reversal was noted, and an inverse correlation between WSS and OSI was described. The second set of experiments investigated Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction (LVDD) using phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging (pcMRI). Using this technique, ten patients with and without LVDD were scanned and a 2D portrait of blood flow through their heart was obtained. To augment this data, pressure fields were calculated from the velocity data using an omni-directional pressure integration scheme coupled with a proper-orthogonal decomposition-based smoothing. This technique was selected from a variety of methods from the literature based on an extensive error analysis and comparison. With this coupled information, it was observed that healthy patients exhibited different flow patterns than diseased patients, and had stronger pressure differences during early filling. In particular, the ratio of early filling pressure to late filling pressure was a statistically significant predictor of diastolic dysfunction. Based on these observations, a novel hypothesis was presented that related the motion of the heart walls to the observed flow patterns and pressure gradients, which may explain the differences observed clinically between healthy and diseased patients. / Ph. D.