L'objet de cette thèse est le développement et l'étude des algorithmes de planification de mouvement pour les systèmes hautement dimensionnés que sont les robots humanoïdes et les acteurs virtuels. Plusieurs adaptations des méthodes génériques de planification de mouvement randomisées sont proposées et discutées. Une première contribution concerne l'utilisation de techniques de réduction de dimension linéaire pour accélérer les algorithmes d'échantillonnage. Cette méthode permet d'identifier en ligne quand un processus de planification passe par un passage étroit de l'espace des configurations et adapte l'exploration en fonction. Cet algorithme convient particulièrement bien aux problèmes difficiles de la planification de mouvement pour l'animation graphique. La deuxième contribution est le développement d'algorithmes randomisés de planification sous contraintes. Il s'agit d'une intégration d'outils de cinématique inverse hiérarchisée aux algorithmes de planification de mouvement randomisés. On illustre cette méthode sur différents problèmes de manipulation pour robots humanoïdes. Cette contribution est généralisée à la planification de mouvements corps-complet nécessitant de la marche. La dernière contribution présentée dans cette thèse est l'utilisation des méthodes précédentes pour résoudre des tâches de manipulation complexes par un robot humanoïde. Nous présentons en particulier un formalisme destiné à représenter les informations propres à l'objet manipulé utilisables par un planificateur de mouvement. Ce formalisme est présenté sous le nom d'« objets documentés». / This thesis deals with the development and analysis of motion planning algorithms for high dimensional systems: humanoid robots and digital actors. Several adaptations of generic randomized motion planning methods are proposed and discussed. A first contribution concerns the use of linear dimensionality reduction techniques to speed up sampling algorithms. This method identifies on line when a planning process goes through a narrow passage of some configuration space, and adapts the exploration accordingly. This algorithm is particularly suited to difficult problems of motion planning for computer animation. The second contribution is the development of randomized algorithms for motion planning under constraints. It consists in the integration of prioritized inverse kinematics tools within randomized motion planning. We demonstrate the use of this method on different manipulation planning problems for humanoid robots. This contribution is generalized to whole-body motion planning with locomotion. The last contribution of this thesis is the use of previous methods to solve complex manipulation tasks by humanoid robots. More specifically, we present a formalism that represents information specific to a manipulated object usable by a motion planner. This formalism is presented under the name of "documented object".

Master of Science / Department of Statistics / Perla Reyes / Heterodera glycines, or the soybean cyst nematode (SCN), is a parasite that targets and damages the roots of soybean plants. It is the most yield-limiting pathogen of soybean in the U.S. and the reliable detection and accurate estimation of population densities is crucial to research and management of this pathogen. A study was performed to understand the effects of crop rotation on the prevalence of SCN. Standard sampling procedures in the plant pathology community dictate taking soil samples from potentially infected fields, processing them and counting the number of eggs in one 1 mL subsample via microscope. Suspecting the traditional procedure may lead to invalid results, false negatives in particular, the researcher created and implemented a sampling procedure based on his knowledge of sampling methods and constraints of sampling in the field. Using the data collected, we will discuss the strengths and limitations of the procedure in estimating the population density of SCN in the field. In addition, a simulation study informed by the data will be conducted to determine a sampling strategy that will yield accurate results while still considering the conditions in the field. Knowledge on how the different stages of the sampling procedure for SCN affect the accurate detection of the pathogen would extend to experimental designs and sampling methodologies for other soil dwelling organisms.

Dry abrasive blasting is a surface preparation process used in shipyards for cleaning the surfaces of the metal plates to be used in various components of the ship. Commonly used abrasives include sand, steel grit, mineral abrasives, metallic abrasives, and synthetic abrasives. The basic objective of this study was to understand the environmental performance of two abrasives, Steel Grit and Specialty Sand. The project was funded by the Gulf Coast Region Maritime technology Center (GCRMTC) and USEPA. It simulated actual blasting operations conducted at shipyards under enclosed, controlled conditions on plates similar to steel plates commonly blasted at shipyards. The emissions were measured using EPA Source Test Method to quantify particulate emissions. Steel Grit was observed to be more productive, less consuming, and more environmentally friendly compared to Specialty Sand. The findings obtained in this study will be valuable in reducing costs, improving productivity, and protecting the environment.

A central problem in the bioinformatics is to find the binding sites for regulatory motifs. This is a challenging problem that leads us to a platform to apply a variety of data mining methods. In the efforts described here, a combined motif discovery method that uses mutual information and Gibbs sampling was developed. A new scoring schema was introduced with mutual information and joint information content involved. Simulated tempering was embedded into classic Gibbs sampling to avoid local optima. This method was applied to the 18 pieces DNA sequences containing CRP binding sites validated by Stormo and the results were compared with Bioprospector. Based on the results, the new scoring schema can get over the defect that the basic model PWM only contains single positioin information. Simulated tempering proved to be an adaptive adjustment of the search strategy and showed a much increased resistance to local optima.

M.Sc. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

<p>This work focuses on the construction and application of coded apertures to compressive X-ray tomography. Coded apertures can be made in a number of ways, each method having an impact on system background and signal contrast. Methods of constructing coded apertures for structuring X-ray illumination and scatter are compared and analyzed. Apertures can create structured X-ray bundles that investigate specific sets of object voxels. The tailored bundles of rays form a code (or pattern) and are later estimated through computational inversion. Structured illumination can be used to subsample object voxels and make inversion feasible for low dose computed tomography (CT) systems, or it can be used to reduce background in limited angle CT systems. </p><p>On the detection side, coded apertures modulate X-ray scatter signals to determine the position and radiance of scatter points. By forming object dependent projections in measurement space, coded apertures multiplex modulated scatter signals onto a detector. The multiplexed signals can be inverted with knowledge of the code pattern and system geometry. This work shows two systems capable of determining object position and type in a 2D plane, by illuminating objects with an X-ray `fan beam,' using coded apertures and compressive measurements. Scatter tomography can help identify materials in security and medicine that may be ambiguous with transmission tomography alone.</p> / Dissertation

Traditional occupational hygiene assessment of occupational exposures to organic gases and vapours rely on low flow (<200 ml/min) NIOSH sorbent tubes. This work investigates 3M charcoal filter media (JK50 and JK40, 3M, Inc.) for collection and analysis of organic vapours across 0.1-5 l/min. To enable this work, a custom exposure facility was constructed and validated within which organic analyte gas/vapour concentrations could be introduced at known concentrations while controlling environmental variables such as temperature and humidity and other variables. This facility enabled experiments designed to investigate collection and desorption efficiencies across a range of sample flow rates, temperature and humidity conditions for both NIOSH sorbent tubes (e.g. SKC tube) and 3M charcoal filter media. As a result of the investigations described in this thesis, the following conclusions are drawn. Performance of the 3M charcoal filter media for collection and desorption efficiencies for loading, storage time, humidity and breakthrough at low flow rates (<0.5 l/min) were found comparable to the SKC sorbent tube. It is concluded that 3M charcoal media (JK50 and JK40) are suitable for sampling and analyses of hydrocarbons at flow rates <0.5 l/min. The collection efficiencies of the 3M charcoal filter media were investigated at high flow rates (>0.5l/min) for the same parameters, i.e., loading, temperature and humidity. It is concluded that 3M charcoal filter media can be used with confidence in sampling and analysis of airborne hydrocarbons up to 5 l/min. The Wheeler-Jonas model was found to satisfactorily predict the adsorption kinetics of the 3M charcoal filter media at different loading values of hydrocarbons. It was therefore concluded that the model can be applied to determine the suitable amount of 3M charcoal filter media prior to sampling for a given loading.

Predation is a key factor in evolutionary dynamics. It disrupts the potential of fossilisation in prey items and is poorly recorded in the fossil record; failed predation in conical marine gastropods is recorded in scars. Quantifying the scar distribution and collection and taphonomic biases present in the fossil record of the gastropod Neptunea contraria, of the Red Crag Formation, Gelasian, Pleistocene, UK is necessary to approach this dynamic. Neptunea contraria is highly abundant in the Red Crag Formation which is easily accessed. The size and scarring on a large number (450+) of individuals was collected, recorded and measured from pre-existing and new material. The size distribution of Neptunea contraria is non-normal and is enriched in larger individuals, the scar distribution – expected to be Poisson – is not so. Taphonomic and Collection bias had a large influence over the size and scar distributions of Neptunea contraria. Material from the same localities shows very different size distributions. The lack of Poisson distribution suggests different rates of unsuccessful predation over life history of Neptunea contraria, assuming the data is valid. / Predation anses vara en viktig faktor inom ekologi och evolution men till vilken grad har effekterna av predation förändrats genom geologisk tid? Det centrala fokuset i denna studie ligger i att frambringa en förståelse av både population- och predationsfördelningen bland marina snäckor av arten Neptunea contraria av Pleistocen ålder från Red Crag-formationen, East Anglia, Storbritannien.Framgångsrik predation resulterar i förstörelsen av snigeln och dess livshistoria registreras i deras skal. Misslyckad predation bevaras i skalen bland individer som överlevt genom ärrbildningar. Det finns ett okänt samband mellan misslyckad och framgångsrik predation.Samlingen av fossilt material från Sedgwick-museet i Cambridge, Storbritannien, ligger till grund för denna studie. Detta material är ofullständigt (d.v.s. material saknas) och noterbart fragmenterat vilket orsakats av nedbrytande processer, därav tafonomi. Denna studie belyser flertalet källor som ger upphov till ett ofullständigt fossilt register, därav processer direkt relaterade till fossilisering och antropogen insamling. Genom att jämföra flertalet uppsättningar av fossilt material som insamlats av olika personer så kan graden av bias i förhållande till insamlingen undersökas. Resultatet av denna studie visar att samlingen av fossila sniglar som för närvarande finns på Sedgwick-museet är ofullständig. Detta är ett tillstånd som uppkommit delvis på grund av inkomplett insamling.Fördelningen av ärr orsakade av misslyckad predation förväntades följa en poissonfördelning. Denna förutsägelse motsägs sannerligen av nuvarande data. Troligtvis har detta förorsakats av en låg ”miss-lyckad predationsfrekvens”, vilket antyder att graden av predation inte är konstant.Sniglar av en större storlek saknar ärr på den övre delen av sina skal, vilket tyder på att frekvensen av misslyckad predation var låg i de juvenila stadierna. (

Nous étudions le problème d'unicité, de l'interpolation faible et de la convergence de la série d'interpolation de Lagrange dans les espaces de Fock pondérés par des poids radiaux. Nous étudions aussi les suites d'échatillonnage, d'interpolation et les bases de Riesz dans les petit espaces de Fock. / We study the uniqueness sets, the weak interpolation sets, and convergence of the Lagrange interpolation series in radial weighted Fock spaces. We study also sampling, interpolation and Riesz bases in small radial weighted Fock spaces

Analysis of several acceptance sampling procedures is performed and improvement of the procedures is sug- gested in this thesis. The issue of an efficient calculation of exact (P1, P2) single sampling plans for sampling by variables and exact LTPD and AOQL single sampling plans for sampling by variables when the rejected lots are inspected is addressed. The calculation of the plans is done using exact formula for operating characteristic of acceptance sampling plan and the new plans have better characteristics compared to the plans computed in a usual way using just approximately valid formula for operating characteristic. The tables of plans calculated according to procedures suggested in this thesis are provided for a couple of input parameters combinations. Tools designed for working with acceptance sampling plans, tools for analysis and calculation of acceptance sampling plans is one of the outputs of this thesis. R language and environment for statistical computations was chosen for implementation. The tools are satisfactorily efficient and may be easily used even for acceptance sampling plans tables computation. Newly defined functions in R are supplied including their source code and basic documentation so that acceptance sampling plans can be computed as demanded in case that the particular input parameters set is out of the scope covered in the tables of plans provided here.