Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Einstein's field equations are a system of ten partial differential equations. For a special class of spacetimes known as Gowdy spacetimes, the number of equations is reduced due to additional structure of two dimensional isometry groups with mutually orthogonal Killing vectors. In this thesis, we focus on a particular model of Gowdy spacetimes known as the polarized T3 model, and provide an explicit solution to Einstein's equations.

This thesis mainly deals with questions concerning the convergence of some sequences of elliptic and parabolic linear and non-linear operators by means of G-convergence and homogenization. In particular, we study operators with oscillations in several spatial and temporal scales. Our main tools are multiscale techniques, developed from the method of two-scale convergence and adapted to the problems studied. For certain classes of parabolic equations we distinguish different cases of homogenization for different relations between the frequencies of oscillations in space and time by means of different sets of local problems. The features and fundamental character of two-scale convergence are discussed and some of its key properties are investigated. Moreover, results are presented concerning cases when the G-limit can be identified for some linear elliptic and parabolic problems where no periodicity assumptions are made.

A patient-specific model of the liver can supply accurate volume measurements for oncologists and lesion locations and liver visualisation for surgeons. Our work seeks to enable an automatic computational tool for liver quantification. To create this model, the liver shape must be segmented from 3D CT images. In doing so, we can quantify liver volume and restrict the region of interest to ease the task of tumour and vascular segmentation. The main objective of liver segmentation developed into a mission to fluently describe liver shape a priori in level-set methods. This thesis looks at the utility of an implicit shape representation based on the Poisson equation to describe highly variable shapes, with application to image segmentation. Our first contribution is analyses on four implicit shape representations based on the heat equation, the signed distance function, Poisson’s equation, and the logarithm of odds. For four separate shape case studies, we summarise the class of shapes through their shape representation using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Each shape class is highly variable across a population, but have a characteristic structure. We quantitatively compare the implicit shape representations, within each class, by evaluating its compactness, and in the last case, also completeness. To the best of our knowledge, this study is novel in comparing several shape representations through a single dimension reduction method. Our second contribution is a hybrid region-based level set segmentation that simultaneously infers liver shape given the image data, integrates the Poisson-based shape function prior into the segmentation, and evolves the level set according to the image data. We test our algorithm on exemplary 2D liver axial slices. We compare results for each image to results from (a) level-set segmentation without a shape prior and (b) level-set segmentation with a shape prior based on the Signed Distance Transform (SDT). In both priors, shapes are projected from shape space through the sample population mean and its modes of variation (the minimum number of principal components to comprise at least 95% of the cumulative variance). We compare results on four individual cases using the Dice coefficient and the Hausdorff distance. This thesis introduces an implicit shape representation based on Poisson’s equation in the field of medical image segmentation, showing its influence on shape space summary and projection. We analyse the shape space for compactness, showing that it is more compact in each of our case studies by at least two-fold and as much as three-fold. For 3D liver shapes, we show that it is more complete than the other three implicit shape representations. We utilise its description efficiency for use in 2D liver image segmentation, implementing the first shape function prior based on the Poisson equation. We show a qualitative and quantitative improvement over segmentation results without any shape prior and comparable results to segmentation with a SDT shape prior.

The propulsion mechanics driving the movement of living cells constitutes one of the most incredible engineering works of nature. Active cell motility via the controlled movement of a flagellum beating is among the phylogentically oldest forms of motility, and has been retained in higher level organisms for spermatozoa transport. Despite this ubiquity and importance, the details of how each structural component within the flagellum is orchestrated to generate bending waves, or even the elastic material response from the sperm flagellum, is far from fully understood. By using microbiomechanical modelling and simulation, we develop bio-inspired mathematical models to allow the exploration of sperm motility and the material response of the sperm flagellum. We successfully construct a simple biomathematical model for the human sperm movement by taking into account the sperm cell and its interaction with surrounding fluid, through resistive-force theory, in addition to the geometrically non-linear response of the flagellum elastic structure. When the surrounding fluid is viscous enough, the model predicts that the sperm flagellum may buckle, leading to profound changes in both the waveforms and the swimming cell trajectories. Furthermore, we show that the tapering of the ultrastructural components found in mammalian spermatozoa is essential for sperm migration in high viscosity medium. By reinforcing the flagellum in regions where high tension is expected this flagellar accessory complex is able to prevent tension-driven elastic instabilities that compromise the spermatozoa progressive motility. We equally construct a mathematical model to describe the structural effect of passive link proteins found in flagellar axonemes, providing, for the first time, an explicit mathematical demonstration of the counterbend phenomenon as a generic property of the axoneme, or any cross-linked filament bundle. Furthermore, we analyse the differences between the elastic cross-link shear and pure material shear resistance. We show that pure material shearing effects from Cosserat rod theory or, equivalently, Timoshenko beam theory or are fundamentally different from elastic cross-link induced shear found in filament bundles, such as the axoneme. Finally, we demonstrate that mechanics and modelling can be utilised to evaluate bulk material properties, such as bending stiffness, shear modulus and interfilament sliding resistance from flagellar axonemes its constituent elements, such as microtubules.

In this thesis, first we study the unique classical solution of quasi-linear second order parabolic partial differential equations (PDEs). For this, we study the existence and uniqueness of the $L^2_{\rho}( \mathbb{R}^{d}; \mathbb{R}^{d}) \otimes L^2_{\rho}( \mathbb{R}^{d}; \mathbb{R}^{k})\otimes L^2_{\rho}( \mathbb{R}^{d}; \mathbb{R}^{k\times d})$ valued solution of forward backward stochastic differential equations (FBSDEs) with finite horizon, the regularity property of the solution of FBSDEs and the connection between the solution of FBSDEs and the solution of quasi-linear parabolic PDEs. Then we establish their connection in the Sobolev weak sense, in order to give the weak solution of the quasi-linear parabolic PDEs. Finally, we study the unique weak solution of quasi-linear second order elliptic PDEs through the stationary solution of the FBSDEs with infinite horizon.

Cette thèse est consacrée à l'étude de systèmes d'équations aux dérivées partielles paraboliques issus de modèles de cinétique chimique, de dynamique des populations et de la théorie de l'électromigration. On s'intéresse à des questions d'existence de solutions globales en temps, à l'unicité de solutions faibles, ainsi qu'à la limite de réaction rapide dans un système de réaction-diffusion. Dans un premier chapitre, on étudie deux systèmes aux diffusions croisées. On commence par s'intéresser à un modèle de dynamique des populations, où les effets croisés dans les interactions entre les différentes espèces sont modélisés par des opérateurs non locaux. Pour toute dimension d'espace, on prouve l'existence et l'unicité de solutions globales régulières. On s'intéresse ensuite à un système aux diffusions croisées qui apparait comme la limite de réaction rapide d'un système classique associé à la réaction chimique C1+C2=C3. On prouve alors la convergence lorsque k tend vers l'infini de la solution du système avec une vitesse de réaction finie k vers une solution globale du système limite. Le second chapitre contient de nouveaux résultats d'existence globale pour des systèmes de réaction-diffusion. Pour des réseaux de réactions chimiques élémentaires du type Ci+Cj=Ck qui suivent la loi d'Action de Masse, on montre l'existence et l'unicité de solutions globales fortes, pour des dimensions en espace N<6 dans le cas semi-linéaire et N<4 dans le cas quasi-linéaire. On montre aussi l'existence de solutions globales faibles pour une classe de systèmes paraboliques quasi-linéaires dont les non-linéarités sont au plus quadratiques et dont les données initiales sont seulement supposées positives et intégrables. Dans le dernier chapitre, on généralise un résultat d'existence globale de solutions fortes pour des systèmes de réaction-diffusion dont les non-linéarités ont une structure "triangulaire", pour lesquels on prend désormais en compte des termes d'advection et des coefficients de diffusion dépendant du temps et de la variable d'espace. Ce résultat est ensuite utilisé dans un argument de point fixe de Leray-Schauder pour prouver l'existence en toute dimension de solutions globales à un problème d'électromigration-diffusion. / This thesis is devoted to the study of parabolic systems of partial differential equations arising in mass action kinetics chemistry, population dynamics and electromigration theory. We are interested in the existence of global solutions, uniqueness of weak solutions, and in the fast-reaction limit in a reaction-diffusion system. In the first chapter, we study two cross-diffusion systems. We are first interested in a population dynamics model, where cross effects in the interactions between the different species are modeled by non-local operators. We prove the well-posedness of the corresponding system for any space dimension. We are then interested in a cross-diffusion system which arises as the fast-reaction limit system in a classical system for the chemical reaction C1+C2=C3. We prove the convergence when k goes to infinity of the solution of the system with finite reaction speed k to a global solution of the limit system. The second chapter contains new global existence results for some reaction-diffusion systems. For networks of elementary chemical reactions of the type Ci+Cj=Ck and under Mass Action Kinetics assumption, we prove the existence and uniqueness of global strong solutions, for space dimensions N<6 in the semi-linear case, and N<4 in the quasi-linear case. We also prove the existence of global weak solutions for a class of parabolic quasi-linear systems with at most quadratic non-linearities and with initial data that are only assumed to be nonnegative and integrable. In the last chapter, we generalize a global well-posedness result for reaction-diffusion systems whose nonlinearities have a "triangular" structure, for which we now take into account advection terms and time and space dependent diffusion coefficients. The latter result is then used in a Leray-Schauder fixed point argument to prove the existence of global solutions in a diffusion-electromigration system.

Dans cette thèse, on considère des problèmes issus de l'analyse d'EDP stochastiques paraboliques non-dégénérées et dégénérées, de lois de conservation hyperboliques stochastiques, et d'EDS avec coefficients continus. Dans une première partie, on s'intéresse à des EDPS paraboliques dégénérées- on adapte les notions de formulation et de solutions cinétiques, puis on établit l'existence, l'unicité ainsi que la dépendance continu en la condition initiale. Comme résultat préliminaire, on obtient la régularité des solutions dans le cas non-dégénéré, sous l'hypothèse que les coefficients sont suffisamment réguliers et ont des dérivées bornées. Dans une deuxième partie, on considère des lois de conservation hyperboliques avec un forçage stochastique, et on étudie leur approximation au sens de Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook. En particulier, on décrit les lois de conservation comme limites hydrodynamiques du modèle BGK stochastique lorsque le paramètre d'échelle microscopique tend vers 0. Dans une troisième partie, on donne une preuve nouvelle et élémentaire du théorème classique de Skorokhod, concernant l'existence de solutions faibles d'EDS à coefficients continus, sous une condition de type Lyapunov appropriée. / In this thesis, we address several problems arising in the study of nondegenerate and degenerate parabolic SPDEs, stochastic hyperbolic conservation laws and SDEs with continues coefficients. In the first part, we are interested in degenerate parabolic SPDEs, adapt the notion of kinetic formulation and kinetic solution and establish existence, uniqueness as well as continuous dependence on initial data. As a preliminary result we obtain regularity of solutions in the nondegenerate case under the hypothesis that all the coefficients are sufficiently smooth and have bounded derivatives. In the second part, we consider hyperbolic conservation laws with stochastic forcing and study their approximations in the sense of Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook. In particular, we describe the conservation laws as a hydrodynamic limit of the stochastic BGK model as the microscopic scale vanishes. In the last part, we provide a new and fairly elementary proof of Skorkhod's classical theorem on existence of weak solutions to SDEs with continuous coefficients satisfying a suitable Lyapunov condition.

In this dissertation, the evolution of a pressure wave driven by a harmonic signal on the boundary during gas combustion is studied. The problem is modeled by a nonlinear, hyperbolic partial differential equation. Steady-state behavior is investigated using the perturbation method to ensure that enough time has passed for any transient effects to have dissipated. The zeroth, first and second-order perturbation solutions are obtained and their moduli are plotted against frequency. It is seen that the first and second-order corrections have unique maxima that shift to the right as the frequency decreases and to the left as the frequency increases. Dispersion relations are determined and their limiting behavior investigated in the low and high frequency regimes. It is seen that for low frequencies, the medium assumes a diffusive-like nature. However, for high frequencies the medium behaves similarly to one exhibiting relaxation. The phase speed is determined and its limiting behavior examined. For low frequencies, the phase speed is approximately equal to sqrt[ω/(n+1)] and for high frequencies, it behaves as 1/(n+1), where n is the mode number. Additionally, a maximum allowable value of the perturbation parameter, ε = 0.8, is determined that ensures boundedness of the solution. The location of the peak of the first-order correction, xmax, as a function of frequency is determined and is seen to approach the limiting value of 0.828/sqrt(ω) as the frequency tends to zero and the constant value of 2 ln 2 as the frequency tends to infinity. Analytic expressions are obtained for the approximate general perturbation solution in the low and high-frequency regimes and are plotted together with the perturbation solution in the corresponding frequency regimes, where the agreement is seen to be excellent. Finally, the solution obtained from the perturbation method is compared with the long-time solution obtained by the finite-difference scheme; again, ensuring that the transient effects have dissipated. Since the finite-difference scheme requires a right boundary, its location is chosen so that the wave dissipates in amplitude enough so that any reflections from the boundary will be negligible. The perturbation solution and the finite-difference solution are found to be in excellent agreement. Thus, the validity of the perturbation method is established.

Ce travail est consacré à l'étude du comportement en temps grand d'équations aux dérivées partielles de type parabolique. Plus particulièrement, on s'intéresse à des équations non linéaires de type diffusion, qui interviennent dans de nombreux modèles issus de la physique (par exemple l'équation des milieux poreux) ou de la biologie (par exemple le modèle de Patlak-Keller-Segel pour la chimiotaxie). Dans les chapitres I et II on s'intéresse à une amélioration de l'inégalité de Sobolev à travers son inégalité duale, l'inégalité de Hardy-Littlewood-Sobolev, dans le cadre du laplacien ordinaire et du laplacien fractionnaire, respectivement. Le chapitre III est un passage en revue de l'inégalité d'Onofri, qui joue le rôle de l'inégalité de Sobolev pour la dimension deux. De nouveaux résultats sont apportés, dont certains sont étendus aux variétés riemanniennes au chapitre IV. Enfin, le chapitre V traite des états stationnaires de deux modèles paraboliques, utilisés pour l'étude du déplacement de foules et la modélisation en biologie (chimiotaxie). / This work is dedicated to the study of the large time behaviour of some parabolic type partial differential equations. More specifically, we look into non linear diffusion equations that appear in a number of models arising in physics (e.g. the porous medium equation) or biology (e.g. the Patlak-Keller-Segel model for chemotaxis)Chapters I and II deal with an improved Sobolev inequality by means of its dual, the Hardy-Littlewood-Sobolev inequality, in the framework of the standard and fractional Laplacian, respectively. Chapter III is a review of the Onofri inequality,which acts as the Sobolev inequality for dimension two. New results are provided, and some of them are extended to Riemannian manifolds in Chapter IV. Finally, Chapter V deals with the stationary states of two parabolic models, used for thestudy of crowd motion and modeling in biologie (chemotaxis).