This report evaluates possibilities to combine volumetric ultrasound (us) data together with the recent work published on advanced skin rendering techniques. We focus mainly on how to filter us data and localize surfaces within us data. We also evaluate recent skin rendering techniques in order to have a good understanding of what is needed from the us for rendering realistic skin. us data is acquired using sonography and have a low signal-to-noise ratio by nature, this makes it harder to extract surfaces compared to other medical data acquisition methods such as ct and mr. This report present an algorithm which implements a variational classification technique to emphasize surfaces within us and using a rbf network to fit an implicit function to these surfaces. Using this approach presented we have successfully extract smooth meshes from the noisy us data.

Neurography is the most objective and reliable measure of the peripheral nerve function, and it is used to diagnose both local and generalized neuropathies. Neurography can measure both motor and sensory nerve functions. The principle for sensory neurgraphy is to stimulate over the nerve and record proximal or distal from the stimulated electrode. At the Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University Hospital Uppsala, a problem has been identified, in that young adult patients tend to show unexpected abnormal neurography values in relation to the expected, indicated by the reference limits, without clinical correlates. This concerns foremost the sensory amplitudes in median and ulnar nerves. The hypothesis is that the requirement of young adults’ amplitudes is too high. A reference material better including more subjects in this age group may solve the problem. Sensory nerve conduction studies were performed in 33 subjects, aged 15-30. The nerve functions were tested on median, ulnar and radial nerves. Surface electrodes were used for both recording and stimulation. The result shows that the presently used reference material for some nerves indeed has too high requirement for young adults. After increasing the reference material for younger age groups, the new reference limits has been changed and this should cause fewer false positive findings.

Dans ce travail de recherche doctorale, l’IRM des poumons à temps d'écho courts dite UTE (Ultra-short EchoTime) a été utilisée pour détecter le signal RMN du tissu pulmonaire afin de caractériser et étudier des modèlesexpérimentaux de maladies pulmonaires chez les rongeurs (rats et souris). En particulier, la technique radialeUTE a été appliquée pour détecter des biomarqueurs dans des modèles de broncho-pneumopathie chroniqueobstructive (BPCO) induite expérimentalement chez les rongeurs. La détection du signal RMN en provenancedu parenchyme pulmonaire a fourni de précieux indicateurs de la maladie associés à l'élargissement des alvéolespulmonaires et aux processus inflammatoires. De plus, la simplicité de mise en oeuvre de cette technique(absence de synchronisation cardiaque et pulmonaire) permet de réduire les temps d’acquisition et apparait bienadaptée aux études longitudinales. La mesure répétée du centre de l’espace-k à chaque temps de répétition de laséquence a été utilisée pour développer une méthode de post-synchronisation reposant sur la détection desmouvements cardio-respiratoires, et permettant de produire des images sans artefacts de mouvement. / In this work, ultra-short echo time (UTE) MR imaging of the lungs is presented as a way of detecting pulmonaryMRI signal, thus providing an opportunity to develop new imaging tools for the investigation of experimentalmodels of lung diseases in rodents. The UTE imaging technique (TE=450 μs) was implemented on a 4.7 Tscanner and applied to detect indicators of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) inducedexperimentally in rodents. The improved signal detection from the lung parenchyma provided valuable markersof disease associated with airspace enlargement and inflammation. When used to investigate of inflammationspecificity, this technique had advantages when delineating regions of early cellular infiltration into the site ofinflammation. In the case of edematous signal quantification, the UTE technique was explored to improve thereliability of the volumetric measurements. This technique was demonstrated to be of use when easy protocolimplementation (relatively high throughput and low-cost experiments) and longitudinal studies (limitedinterference with physiopathology) are of concern. The repetitive probing of the k-space center with a temporalresolution of the sequence's repetition time achieved with this technique was used to develop a self-gatingmethod which relies on the tracking of cardio-respiratory motions, yielding images free from motion artifacts.

Les Jupiters chauds sont des exoplanètes si proches de leur étoile que leur atmosphère peut perdre du gaz par échappement hydrodynamique. Les géantes gazeuses qui transitent sont un excellent moyen de comprendre ce processus, mais il faut étudier d'autres types de planètes pour déterminer son impact sur la population exoplanétaire. Cette thèse propose d'utiliser la spectroscopie du transit pour observer l'atmosphère de plusieurs planètes, étudier leurs propriétés et caractériser l'échappement hydrodynamique. Des raies de l'ultraviolet observées avec le télescope Hubble sont analysées avec le modèle numérique de la haute atmosphère que nous avons développé. Grâce à la raie Ly-? nous mettons en évidence les interactions énergétiques et dynamiques entre l'atmosphère des Jupiters chauds HD209458b et HD189733b et leurs étoiles. Nous étudions la dépendance de l'échappement à l'environnement d'une planète et à ses propriétés physiques, en observant une super-Terre et un Jupiter tiède dans le système 55Cnc. Grâce à des observations de HD209458b nous montrons que les raies du magnésium permettent de sonder la région de formation de l'échappement. Nous étudions le potentiel de la spectroscopie du transit dans le proche UV pour détecter de nouveaux cas d'échappement. Ce mécanisme est favorisé par la proximité d'une planète à son étoile, ce qui rend d'autant plus important la compréhension des processus de formation et de migration, qui peuvent être étudiés par l'alignement d'un système planétaire. Grâce à des mesures des spectrographes HARPS-N et SOPHIE nous étudions les alignements de 55Cnc e et du candidat Kepler KOI-12.01, dont nous cherchons aussi à valider la nature planétaire. / Hot Jupiters are exoplanets so close to their star that their atmosphere can lose gas because of hydrodynamic escape. Transiting gaseous giants are an excellent way to understand this mechanism, but it is necessary to study other types of planets to determine its impact on the exoplanetary population. This thesis aims at using transit spectroscopy to observe the atmosphere of several exoplanets, to study their properties and to contribute to the characterization of hydrodynamic escape. UV lines observed with the Hubble telescope are analyzed with the numerical model of upper atmospheres we developed. Using the Ly-? line we identify energetic and dynamical interactions between the atmospheres of the hot Jupiters HD209458b and HD189733b and their stars. We study the dependence of the escape on the environment of a planet and on its physical properties, through the observation of a super-Earth and a warm Jupiter in the 55 Cnc system. Using observations of HD209458b, we show that magnesium lines are a window on the region of formation of hydrodynamic escape. We study the potential of transit spectroscopy in the near-UV to detect new cases of atmospheric escape. This mechanism is fostered by the proximity of a planet to its star, which makes it even more important to understand the formation and migration processes that can be traced in the alignment of a planetary system. Using measures from the spectrographs HARPS-N and SOPHIE we study the alignments of 55 Cnc e and the Kepler candidate KOI 12.01, whose planetary nature we also seek to validate.

Nous étudions la migration radiale des étoiles, et testons son impact sur l’évolution chimique de la Voie Lactée. Pour cela nous utilisons une simulation N-corps+SPH (Gadget-3) de galaxie fortement barrée, afin d’étudier la migration radiale induite par la barre. Nous examinons un nouveau mécanisme de migration radiale: une fraction des étoiles piégées à la corotation de la barre, se déplacent avec le rayon de corotation lorsque celui-ci va vers l’extérieur (quand la vitesse de rotation de la barre diminue, du fait de son évolution séculaire). Nous montrons que ce mécanisme affecte principalement les régions externes du disque, à condition que la corotation atteigne ces régions. Nous montrons également que ce mécanisme n’a pas d’effets dans la Voie Lactée, car les estimations observationnelles des caractéristiques de la barre, indiquent que la corotation est loin des zones externes. Nous analysons également la migration radiale dans cette simulation, afin de construire un modèle empirique de diffusion stellaire dans le disque, et nous incluons ce modèle dans un code semi-analytique d’évolution chimique de galaxie. Nous testons la validité de cette approche en vérifiant que les galaxies simulées N-corps+SPH et semi-analytique ont des propriétés morphologiques et chimiques similaires. Nous appliquons ensuite notre modèle à la Voie Lactée, en adaptant les paramètres du modèle. Puis, nous comparons les résultats obtenus avec un grand nombre d’observations concernant le voisinage solaire (relation âge-métallicité, distribution de métallicité, relation a/Fe vs Fe/H et la bimodalité disque mince - disque épais) , et les gradients radiaux d’abondance. / We study the radial migration of stars, and test its impact on the chemical evolution of the Milky Way. For this we use a simulation-body + SPH (Gadget-3) strongly barred galaxy to study the radial migration induced by the bar. We examine a new mechanism of radial migration: a fraction of stars trapped at corotation with the bar, move with the corotation radius when it goes outwards (when the rotational speed of the bar decreases, because of its secular evolution). We show that this mechanism affects mainly the outer regions of the disc, provided that the corotation reaches these regions. We also show that the mechanism has no effects in the Milky Way, as the observational estimates of the characteristics of the bar indicates that the corotation is not in the outer regions. We also analyze the radial migration in this simulation to construct an empirical model of diffusion in the stellar disk, and we include this model in a semi-analytic code of chemical evolution of galaxy. We test the validity of this approach by ensuring that the galaxies simulated with N-body + SPH and semi-analytic have similar morphological and chemical properties. We then apply our model to the Milky Way, by adapting the model parameters. Then, we compare the results obtained with a large number of observations on the solar neighborhood (age-metallicity relation, metallicity distribution, relationship O/Fe vs. Fe/H and bimodality thin disk - thick disk), and radial gradients of abundances.

Lorqu'une étoile a des compagnons planétaires, elle décrit un mouvement quasi épicycloïdal autour du centre de masse du système. Si l'orientation du plan de l'orbite le permet, un observateur situé sur la Terre peut détecter la composante de ce mouvement sur la ligne de visée grâce à l'effet Doppler. Il mesure ainsi la ``vitesse radiale de l'étoile''. Si cette vitesse présente des variations périodiques suffisamment claires, la présence de planètes peut être inférée et leurs orbites contraintes. Une des difficultés de l'analyse de telles mesures est qu'une combinaison de signaux de plusieurs planètes et de divers bruits peut être confondue avec l'effet d'une planète en réalité inexistante. Après avoir présenté les effets à prendre en compte pour analyser des données de vitesses radiales, nous abordons ce problème. Pour limiter son occurrence, nous utilisons un algorithme de poursuite de base modifié, dont on démontre l'efficacité sur des signaux réels et simulés. Nous abordons ensuite le problème de l'estimation des paramètres orbitaux pour un système donné ainsi que leur distribution pour une population de planètes. On s'intéresse en particulier à l'excentricité, dont on montre qu'elle est d'autant plus surestimée que le modèle du signal est mauvais. Nous proposons des solutions pour une estimation robuste des paramètres orbitaux. / When a star is orbited by planetary companions, it describes a nearly epicyclic motion around the center of mass of the system. When the orientation of the orbital plane is appropriate, an observer on Earth can measure the velocity of the star along the line of sight by Doppler effect. If this ``radial velocity'' presents clear enough periodic variations, the presence of planets can be inferred and their orbit can be constrained. Detection and estimation of orbits is made difficult by the photon noise, the unpredictable variations of luminosity of the star as well as instrumental faults. In particular, signals from several planets can add coherently with the noises and mimic the effect of a planet absent from the system. After listing the relevant effects to make inference on exoplanets from radial velocity data, we tackle this problem. To limit its rate of occurrence, we use a modified basis pursuit algorithm, allowing to search for several signals simultaneously. The efficiency of the method is demonstrated on real and simulated signals. We then address the problem of orbital parameters estimation for a given system, as well as the estimation of their distribution on a planet population. We look in detail at the eccentricity, and show that its overestimation increases as the model moves away from the correct one. We suggest methods for robust inference of orbital parameters.

There is a growing demand for miniature, high-precision components and devices with micro-scale features for applications in biomedical systems, aerospace structures, and energy storage/conversion systems. Mechanical micromachining has become a leading approach to address this demand. In micromachining, a micro-scale cutting tool, such as a micro-endmill with a diameter as small as 10 um, is rotated by an ultra-high-speed (UHS) spindle (speeds greater than 60,000 rpm, reaching up to 500,000 rpm) to mechanically remove the material from a workpiece. Although micromachining resembles the traditional computer numerically controlled (CNC) machining processes, the micron-scale cutting tools, ultra-high-speed (UHS) spindles, and considerably tighter tolerance requirements bring unique challenges to micromachining.

In this thesis, we study the relationship between radial projections, and orthogonal and minimal projections in l_4^3. Specifically, we calculate the norm of the maximum radial projection and we prove that the hyperplane constant, with respect to the radial projection, is not achieved by a minimal projection in this space. We will also show our numerical results, obtained using computer software, and use them to approximate the norms of the radial, orthogonal, and minimal projections in l_4^3. Specifically, we show, numerically, that the maximum minimal projection is attained for ker{1,1,1} as well as compute the norms for the maximum radial and orthogonal projections.

Since the 1950-ies, the dominating silvicultural system in Sweden has included establishment and management of even-aged stands, including final felling. Alternative systems such as continuous cover forestry are increasingly catching interest due the lower impact on stand structure and biodiversity advantages for shade-tolerant species. However it is unknown especially to southern Sweden how trees in a continuous cover forestry system react to common silvicultural measures such as thinning. Therefore the effect of different levels of thinning on the radial growth of larger trees was measured and compared to the ingrowth and proportion of live crown at a site in Östergötland. Unlike previous findings the radial growth was higher in the treatment that had been slightly thinned than in the one that had been heavily thinned. The ability to react with increased radial growth after thinning was not depending on the thinning regime but on the tree’s reaction to a previous thinning. Only trees that had not reacted to the previous thinning increased in radial growth. The radial growth varied more within a treatment than between treatments, which points at the difficulty to allocate growth to specific trees.

Abstract This thesis describes the development of pressure sensor arrays and a range of methods suitable for the long-term measurement of heart rate and blood pressure determination using a cuff and a pressure sensor array on the radial artery. This study also reviews the historical background of noninvasive blood pressure measurement methods, summarizes the accuracies achieved and explains the requirements for common national and international standards of accuracy. Two prototype series of pressure transducer arrays based on electro-mechanical film (EMFi) were designed and tested. By offering high (∼TΩ) resistance, EMFi is an excellent material for low-current long-term measurement applications. About 50 transducer arrays were built using different configurations and electrode materials to sense low-frequency pressure pulsations on the radial artery in the wrist. In addition to uniform quality, essential requirements included an adequate linear response in the desired temperature range. Transducer sensitivity was tested as a function of temperature in the range of 25–45 °C at varying static and alternating pressures. The average sensitivity of the EMFi used in the transducers proved adequate (∼2.2 mV/mmHg and ∼7 mV/mmHg for normal and high sensitive films) for the intended purpose. The thesis also evaluates blood pressure measurements by the electronic palpation method (EP) and compares the achieved accuracy to that of the oscillometric method (OSC) using average intra-arterial (IA) blood pressure as a reference. All of these three measurements were made simultaneously for each person. In one test group, measurements were conducted on healthy volunteers in sitting and supine position during increasing and decreasing cuff pressure. Another group, comprising elderly cardiac patients, was measured only in the supine position during cuff inflation. The results showed that the EP method was approximately as accurate as the OSC method with the healthy subjects and slightly more accurate with the cardiac patient group. The advantage of the EP method is that also the wave shape and velocity of arterial pressure pulses is available for further analysis, including the assessment of arterial stiffness.