Mokola virus (MOKV), a rabies-related lyssavirus, represents one of 17 recognized species within the Lyssavirus genus, all of which are capable of causing the fatal encephalitic rabies disease. MOKV is exclusively endemic to Africa with only 30 sporadic cases reported since its discovery more than 50 years ago. The reservoir host for MOKV remains unknown, however, several hypotheses have been formulated. Small non-volant mammals (i.e. shrews, sengis and rodents) have been suggested as possible reservoir hosts with previous MOKV isolations from shrews (Crocidura spp.) and a single rodent (Lophuromys sikapusi) providing support of the first lyssavirus species that has an association with small non-volant mammals. To investigate further, nucleic acid- and serological surveillance were conducted in small non-volant mammals from Southern Africa (specifically South Africa and Mozambique). Nucleic acid surveillance with a pan-lyssavirus qRT-PCR assay of 355 brain samples did not identify any new MOKV infections. Serological surveillance using a micro-neutralization test of 287 serum samples identified 37 samples that were positive for the presence of MOKV virus neutralizing antibodies. These positive serum samples indicate previous MOKV exposure and were all collected from Bushveld gerbils (Gerbilliscus leucogaster) in both South Africa (n=36) and Mozambique (n=1). From all of the Bushveld gerbils that were tested, an overall MOKV seropositivity of 87.80% is observed for the gerbils that were caught at Meletse in Limpopo. Since MOKV have been shown to cross-react in serological assay with closely-related lyssaviruses, the seropositivity observed could have been due to exposure of another phylogroup II lyssavirus. Serological evidence of MOKV in this rodent species was previously observed in a study conducted in Zimbabwe in 1988, which raises their profile as a potential MOKV host candidate. Experimental pathogenicity studies support this notion due to significant amounts of MOKV found in their salivary glands that could be sufficient for transmission. To gain further insight of the phylogeny and genetic diversity of MOKV, complete genome sequences of three historic MOKV isolates from South Africa (MOKV 700/70, 229/97, and 12/458) were generated. Future studies are needed to expand surveillance, detection and characterization of lyssaviruses. / Dissertation (MSc (Medical Virology))--University of Pretoria, 2020. / The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Global Disease Detection (GDD) Programme (Corporate Agreement Number: 5 NU2GGH001874-02-00). / The South African Research Chair in Infectious Diseases of Animals (Zoonoses) from the National Research Foundation (NRF) of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), Prof. Wanda Markotter (UID98339), as well as additional grants awarded to Prof. Markotter by the NRF (UID92524, UID85756 & UID91496). / Medical Virology / MSc (Medical Virology) / Restricted

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In the post-9/11 world, new and improved surveillance and information-gathering technologies have become a high-priority problem to be solved. Surveillance systems are often needed in areas too hostile or dangerous for a direct human presence. The field of robotics is being looked to for an autonomous mobile surveillance system. One major problem is the control and coordination of multiple cooperating robots. Researchers have looked to the distributed control strategies found in nature in the form of social insects as an inspiration for new control schemes. Swarm intelligence research centers around the interactions of such systems and how they can be applied to contemporary problems. In this thesis, a surveillance system of mobile autonomous robots based on the principles of swarm intelligence is presented. / Master of Science

Titre de l'écran-titre (visionné le 12 février 2024) / Dans le paysage numérique actuel, la prévention des cyberattaques est devenue extrêmement cruciale. Cela est particulièrement vrai pour les systèmes critiques pour la sécurité, où la protection contre ces menaces est d'une importance primordiale. Pour répondre à cette préoccupation, MITRE Corporation a développé ATT&CK, un vaste cadre comprenant des matrices de données. Ce cadre a pour but d'évaluer l'état de préparation d'une entreprise en matière de sécurité et d'identifier les vulnérabilités qui peuvent exister au sein de son infrastructure. En tirant parti des capacités de MITRE ATT&CK, y compris ses tactiques et techniques, en conjonction avec l'outil LDA4CPS, nous avons conçu une nouvelle approche pour identifier les vulnérabilités les plus critiques dans un système sensible. De plus, nous avons également conçu une solution pour relever les défis associés à ces vulnérabilités. L'utilisation de LDA4CPS nous permet de résoudre efficacement le graphe AND-OR, offrant ainsi une résolution pratique. De plus, l'inclusion des atténuations MITRE ATT&CK fournit à l'équipe bleue (côté défensif) une meilleure connaissance de la situation et une compréhension plus approfondie des circonstances qui prévalent. Par conséquent, l'intégration de LDA4CPS et de MITRE ATT&CK fournit aux organisations des informations précieuses et des mesures pratiques pour renforcer leur posture de sécurité, renforçant ainsi leur capacité à lutter contre les cybermenaces. / In today's digital landscape, the prevention of cyber attacks has become exceptionally crucial. This is especially true for safety-critical systems, where safeguarding against these threats is of paramount importance. To address this concern, the MITRE Corporation has developed ATT&CK, an extensive framework comprising data matrices. This framework serves the purpose of assessing a company's security preparedness and pinpointing vulnerabilities that may exist within its infrastructure. By leveraging the capabilities of MITRE ATT&CK, including its tactics and techniques, in conjunction with the LDA4CPS tool, we have devised a novel approach to identify the most critical vulnerabilities in a susceptible system. Furthermore, we have also devised a solution to tackle the challenges associated with these vulnerabilities. Employing LDA4CPS enables us to effectively solve the AND-OR graph, thereby offering a practical resolution. Moreover, the inclusion of MITRE ATT&CK mitigations provides the blue team (defensive side) with enhanced situational awareness and a deeper understanding of the prevailing circumstances. Consequently, the integration of LDA4CPS and MITRE ATT&CK equips organizations with valuable insights and practical measures to bolster their security posture, thus reinforcing their ability to combat cyber threats.

A Vigilância à Saúde se constitui como Modelo Assistencial com potencial para a reorganização dos processos de trabalho, a partir da análise de problemas de saúde de grupos sociais de determinado território, valendo-se da intersetorialidade e da participação popular. Neste sentido, o presente estudo teve como objetivo, geral, identificar e analisar a estruturação das ações de vigilância no âmbito da Atenção Básica à Saúde em uma região de saúde. Para tanto, foram entrevistados gerentes de Unidades Básicas de Saúde, da Supervisão de Vigilância Epidemiológica e trabalhadores responsáveis pela Vigilância Epidemiológica de Unidades Básicas de Saúde da Supervisão Técnica de Saúde do Butantã, no Município de São Paulo, totalizando 14 sujeitos. As entrevistas, realizadas no período de fevereiro a abril de 2006, foram gravadas e transcritas na íntegra, sendo resguardadas as devidas precauções éticas. O material foi analisado segundo técnica apropriada de análise de discurso, no marco teórico materialista histórico e dialético dos conceitos de processos de trabalho e saúde-doença. A vigilância epidemiológica constituiu-se como a prática predominante, incluindo seus instrumentos de trabalho tradicionais. Os principais agentes desse trabalho são a enfermeira, que mais se detém no gerenciamento das ações; os auxiliares de enfermagem, voltados para a intervenção sobre os processos de adoecimento; e os agentes comunitários de saúde em ações no âmbito extra-muros. O trabalho se apresentou fragmentado, com ações pontuais, restritas ao evento (a doença ou o surto), sem alcançar a prevenção da saúde e com tendência à alienação do trabalhador. Por outro lado, verificou-se, principalmente, que os profissionais interpretavam a vigilância à saúde de duas formas: pela ampliação do objeto da vigilância epidemiológica e integrando-se a assistência à informação em saúde; e como prática que organiza o serviço, considerando-se a unidade dialética indivíduo/coletivo que habita o território adstcrito à Unidade Básica de Saúde. Esta ultima ainda contempla a participação da população na detecção de problemas e no planejamento das ações, assim como a intersetorialidade, para alcançar a promoção da saúde. A contradição entre o conteúdo dos depoimentos e a prática da vigilância à saúde foi evidente em todas unidades investigadas. Foram identificados como limitantes para a implementação da vigilância à saúde, a precariedade de estrutura para o trabalho, incluindo a insuficiência quantitativa de recursos humanos, assim como em relação à qualificação profissional apropriada; a precariedade de recursos materiais e físicos; além da falta de incentivo político-gerencial e de participação da população para operar as ações de vigilância no sentido ampliado. Conclui-se que, no nível local, reside um potencial para transformar a organização do trabalho em saúde, atendendo-se às necessidades de saúde da população, através do Modelo da Vigilância à Saúde, a partir do trabalho em equipe e da integração da assistência à informação em saúde. Para tanto, é imprescindível a participação ativa e aliada dos trabalhadores e usuários de saúde, bem como a implantação da Educação Permanente em Saúde no âmbito das Supervisões Técnicas de Saúde para se alavancar e acompanhar esse processo / The Health Surveillance is constituted as an Assistance Model with potential to reorganize work processes, from the analysis of health problems of social groups in a specific territory, using the intersectoriality and the population participation. In this sense, the present study aimed, in general, to identify and analyze the structure of surveillance actions in the scope of Basic Health Attention in a determined region for health care. For doing so, managers of Health Basic Units, Epidemiologic Surveillance Supervision and workers responsible for Epidemiologic of Health Care Units from the Health Technical Supervision of Butantã were interviewed in the city of Sao Paulo, making up 14 subjects. The interviews were made between February and April 2006, recorded and completely transcript, keeping the ethical precautions. The material was analyzed according to appropriate technique of discourse analysis, in the historic materialist theoretical mark and dialectic of concepts of health-disease and the processes of work. The epidemiological surveillance is seen as predominant practice, including its instruments of traditional work. The main agents in this work are the nurses, who mostly manage these acts; the nursing auxiliaries, turned to the intervention on the sickening process; and the health community agents in actions of outreach scope. Their work was found fragmented, with punctual actions restricted to the event (the illness or outbreak), without achieving health prevention and tended to alienate the worker. On the other hand, it was verified, mainly, that providers interpreted health surveillance in two ways: by the amplification of the object of epidemiologic surveillance and integrate it to assistance of health information, and a practice that organizes the service, considering itself as an individual/collective dialectics unit that resides the territory enlisted in the Basic health Unit. The latter still contemplates the participation of the population in detecting the problems and planning the actions, as well as intersectoriality to attain health promotion. The contradiction between statement content and the practice of health surveillance was evident in all the units searched. The precariousness of work structure, including the quantitative insufficiency of human resources, as well as related to the appropriateness of professional qualification; the precariousness of physical and material resources were all identified as barriers to implement health surveillance; besides the lack of management-political funding and the participation of the population to develop surveillance actions in a broad sense. It can be concluded that, in a local level, there is a potential to change the organization of health work, meeting the health needs of the population through a Health Surveillance Model, by teamwork and the integration of assistance in health information. For doing that, it’s imperative the active and allied participation of health workers and their users, as well as the implementation of Permanent Education in Health in the scope of Health Technical Supervisions to get it on and follow up this process

Surveillance is the act of collecting, analysing, and acting upon information about specific objects, data, or individuals. Recent advances have allowed for the automation of a large part of this process. Of particular interest is the use of computer algorithms to analyse surveillance data. We refer to surveillance that uses this form of analysis as *algorithmic surveillance*. The rapid growth of algorithmic surveillance has left many important questions unasked. Counter-surveillance is the task of making surveillance difficult. To do this, it subverts various components of the surveillance process. Much like surveillance, counter-surveillance has many applications. It is used to critically assess and validate surveillance practices. As well, counter-surveillance serves to protect privacy, civil liberties, and against abuses of surveillance. Unfortunately, counter-surveillance techniques are often considered to be of little constructive use. As such, they are underdeveloped. At present, no counter-surveillance techniques exist that are able to adequately address algorithmic surveillance. In order to develop counter-surveillance methods against algorithmic surveillance, the *process* of surveillance must first be understood. Understanding this process ensures that the necessary components of algorithmic surveillance will be identified and subverted. As such, our research begins by developing a model of the surveillance process. This model consists of three distinct stages: the collection of information, the analysis of that information, and a response to what has been discovered (the action). From our analysis of the structure of surveillance we show that counter-surveillance techniques prior to now primarily address the collection and action stages of the surveillance process. We argue that the neglect of the analysis stage creates significant problems when attempting to subvert algorithmic surveillance, which relies heavily upon a complex analysis of data. As such, we go on to demonstrate how algorithmic analysis may be subverted. To do this, we develop techniques that are able to subvert three common algorithmic analysis techniques: classification, cluster analysis, and association rules. Each of these attacks against algorithmic analysis works surprisingly well and demonstrate significant flaws in current approaches to algorithmic surveillance. / Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-18 10:42:21.025

A Vigilância à Saúde se constitui como Modelo Assistencial com potencial para a reorganização dos processos de trabalho, a partir da análise de problemas de saúde de grupos sociais de determinado território, valendo-se da intersetorialidade e da participação popular. Neste sentido, o presente estudo teve como objetivo, geral, identificar e analisar a estruturação das ações de vigilância no âmbito da Atenção Básica à Saúde em uma região de saúde. Para tanto, foram entrevistados gerentes de Unidades Básicas de Saúde, da Supervisão de Vigilância Epidemiológica e trabalhadores responsáveis pela Vigilância Epidemiológica de Unidades Básicas de Saúde da Supervisão Técnica de Saúde do Butantã, no Município de São Paulo, totalizando 14 sujeitos. As entrevistas, realizadas no período de fevereiro a abril de 2006, foram gravadas e transcritas na íntegra, sendo resguardadas as devidas precauções éticas. O material foi analisado segundo técnica apropriada de análise de discurso, no marco teórico materialista histórico e dialético dos conceitos de processos de trabalho e saúde-doença. A vigilância epidemiológica constituiu-se como a prática predominante, incluindo seus instrumentos de trabalho tradicionais. Os principais agentes desse trabalho são a enfermeira, que mais se detém no gerenciamento das ações; os auxiliares de enfermagem, voltados para a intervenção sobre os processos de adoecimento; e os agentes comunitários de saúde em ações no âmbito extra-muros. O trabalho se apresentou fragmentado, com ações pontuais, restritas ao evento (a doença ou o surto), sem alcançar a prevenção da saúde e com tendência à alienação do trabalhador. Por outro lado, verificou-se, principalmente, que os profissionais interpretavam a vigilância à saúde de duas formas: pela ampliação do objeto da vigilância epidemiológica e integrando-se a assistência à informação em saúde; e como prática que organiza o serviço, considerando-se a unidade dialética indivíduo/coletivo que habita o território adstcrito à Unidade Básica de Saúde. Esta ultima ainda contempla a participação da população na detecção de problemas e no planejamento das ações, assim como a intersetorialidade, para alcançar a promoção da saúde. A contradição entre o conteúdo dos depoimentos e a prática da vigilância à saúde foi evidente em todas unidades investigadas. Foram identificados como limitantes para a implementação da vigilância à saúde, a precariedade de estrutura para o trabalho, incluindo a insuficiência quantitativa de recursos humanos, assim como em relação à qualificação profissional apropriada; a precariedade de recursos materiais e físicos; além da falta de incentivo político-gerencial e de participação da população para operar as ações de vigilância no sentido ampliado. Conclui-se que, no nível local, reside um potencial para transformar a organização do trabalho em saúde, atendendo-se às necessidades de saúde da população, através do Modelo da Vigilância à Saúde, a partir do trabalho em equipe e da integração da assistência à informação em saúde. Para tanto, é imprescindível a participação ativa e aliada dos trabalhadores e usuários de saúde, bem como a implantação da Educação Permanente em Saúde no âmbito das Supervisões Técnicas de Saúde para se alavancar e acompanhar esse processo / The Health Surveillance is constituted as an Assistance Model with potential to reorganize work processes, from the analysis of health problems of social groups in a specific territory, using the intersectoriality and the population participation. In this sense, the present study aimed, in general, to identify and analyze the structure of surveillance actions in the scope of Basic Health Attention in a determined region for health care. For doing so, managers of Health Basic Units, Epidemiologic Surveillance Supervision and workers responsible for Epidemiologic of Health Care Units from the Health Technical Supervision of Butantã were interviewed in the city of Sao Paulo, making up 14 subjects. The interviews were made between February and April 2006, recorded and completely transcript, keeping the ethical precautions. The material was analyzed according to appropriate technique of discourse analysis, in the historic materialist theoretical mark and dialectic of concepts of health-disease and the processes of work. The epidemiological surveillance is seen as predominant practice, including its instruments of traditional work. The main agents in this work are the nurses, who mostly manage these acts; the nursing auxiliaries, turned to the intervention on the sickening process; and the health community agents in actions of outreach scope. Their work was found fragmented, with punctual actions restricted to the event (the illness or outbreak), without achieving health prevention and tended to alienate the worker. On the other hand, it was verified, mainly, that providers interpreted health surveillance in two ways: by the amplification of the object of epidemiologic surveillance and integrate it to assistance of health information, and a practice that organizes the service, considering itself as an individual/collective dialectics unit that resides the territory enlisted in the Basic health Unit. The latter still contemplates the participation of the population in detecting the problems and planning the actions, as well as intersectoriality to attain health promotion. The contradiction between statement content and the practice of health surveillance was evident in all the units searched. The precariousness of work structure, including the quantitative insufficiency of human resources, as well as related to the appropriateness of professional qualification; the precariousness of physical and material resources were all identified as barriers to implement health surveillance; besides the lack of management-political funding and the participation of the population to develop surveillance actions in a broad sense. It can be concluded that, in a local level, there is a potential to change the organization of health work, meeting the health needs of the population through a Health Surveillance Model, by teamwork and the integration of assistance in health information. For doing that, it’s imperative the active and allied participation of health workers and their users, as well as the implementation of Permanent Education in Health in the scope of Health Technical Supervisions to get it on and follow up this process

A real-time Vehicle Make and Model Recognition (VMMR) system is a significant component of security applications in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). A highly accurate and real-time VMMR system significantly reduces the overhead cost of resources otherwise required. In this thesis, we present a VMMR system that provides very high classification rates and is robust to challenges like low illumination, occlusions, partial and non-frontal views. These challenges are encountered in realistic environments and high security areas like parking lots and public spaces (e.g., malls, stadiums, and airports). The VMMR problem is a multi-class classification problem with a peculiar set of issues and challenges like multiplicity, inter- and intra-make ambiguity among various vehicles makes and models, which need to be solved in an efficient and reliable manner to achieve a highly robust VMMR system. To reliably overcome the ambiguity challenges, a global features representation approach based on the Bag-of-Features paradigm is proposed. We extract key features from different make-model classes in an optimized dictionary, through two different dictionary building strategies. We represent different samples from each class with respect to the learned dictionary. We also present two classification schemes based on multi-class Support Vector Machines (SVMs): (1) Single multi-class SVM and (2) Attribute Bagging-based Ensemble of multi-class SVMs. These classification schemes allow simultaneous learning of the differences between global representations of different classes and the similarities between different shapes or generations within a same make-model class, to further overcome the multiplicity challenges for real-time application. Extensive experiments conducted using our approaches yield superior results for images that were occluded, under low illumination, partial camera views, or even non-frontal views, available in a recently published real-world VMMR dataset. The approaches presented herewith provide a highly accurate VMMR system for real-time applications in realistic environments.

Cette thèse de doctorat s'inscrit dans le cadre de projets CRIAQ (Consortium de recherche et d'innovation en aérospatiale du Québec) orientés vers le développement d'approches embarquées pour la détection de défauts dans des structures aéronautiques. L'originalité de cette thèse repose sur le développement et la validation d'une nouvelle méthode de détection, quantification et localisation d'une entaille dans une structure de joint à recouvrement par la propagation d'ondes vibratoires. La première partie expose l'état des connaissances sur l'identification d'un défaut dans le contexte du Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), ainsi que la modélisation de joint à recouvrements. Le chapitre 3 développe le modèle de propagation d'onde d'un joint à recouvrement endommagé par une entaille pour une onde de flexion dans la plage des moyennes fréquences (10-50 kHz). À cette fin, un modèle de transmission de ligne (TLM) est réalisé pour représenter un joint unidimensionnel (1D). Ce modèle 1D est ensuite adapté à un joint bi-dimensionnel (2D) en faisant l'hypothèse d'un front d'onde plan incident et perpendiculaire au joint. Une méthode d'identification paramétrique est ensuite développée pour permettre à la fois la calibration du modèle du joint à recouvrement sain, la détection puis la caractérisation de l'entaille située sur le joint.Cette méthode est couplée à un algorithme qui permet une recherche exhaustive de tout l'espace paramétrique.Cette technique permet d'extraire une zone d'incertitude reliée aux paramètres du modèle optimal. Une étude de sensibilité est également réalisée sur l'identification. Plusieurs résultats de mesure sur des joints à recouvrements 1D et 2D sont réalisées permettant ainsi l'étude de la répétabilité des résultats et la variabilité de différents cas d'endommagement. Les résultats de cette étude démontrent d'abord que la méthode de détection proposée est très efficace et permet de suivre la progression d'endommagement. De très bons résultats de quantification et de localisation d'entailles ont été obtenus dans les divers joints testés (1D et 2D). Il est prévu que l'utilisation d'ondes de Lamb permettraient d'étendre la plage de validité de la méthode pour de plus petits dommages. Ces travaux visent d'abord la surveillance in-situ des structures de joint à recouvrements, mais d'autres types de défauts. (comme les disbond) et. de structures complexes sont également envisageables.