The environment is made up of composition of small particles. Hence, particle simulation is an important tool in many scientific and engineering research fields to simulate the real life processes of the environment. Because of the enormous amount of data in such simulations, data management, storage and processing are very challenging tasks. Spatial Distance Histogram (SDH) is one of the most popular queries being used in this field. In this thesis, we are interested in investigating the performance of improvement of an existing algorithm for computing SDH. The algorithm already being used is using a conceptual data structure called density map which is implemented via a quad tree index. An algorithm having density maps implemented via binary tree is proposed in this thesis. After carrying out many experiments and analysis of the data, we figure out that although the binary tree approach seems efficient in earlier stage, it is same as the quad tree approach in terms of time complexity. However, it provides an improvement in computing time by a constant factor for some data inputs. The second part of this thesis is dedicated to an approach that can potentially reduce the computational time to a great extent by taking advantage of regions where data points are uniformly distributed.

This study defines the optimum route planning for Electric Transmission Lines by Multicriteria Decision Analysis which is based on Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Determination of the optimum route is performed by using both the spatial and Euclidean distances between two points located on the Earth&rsquo / s surface. The criteria needed to be taken into account to define the route of the Electrical Transmission Lines were evaluated with help of the experts who are doing this business in the available system and for this study the decision about the usage of needed data such as landuse map, landuse capability map, geology map, road map, zone plan and digital elevation models is also made with their knowledge. A Matlab code, which computes the optimum distance between two transformers by using real distance (spatial distance) method and by considering materials mentioned above is written. The results are compared with the ones found from the Euclidian distance, which is the common distance finding method in the available commercial GIS softwares. The spatial resolution effect in finding the spatial distance is also analyzed. The routes obtained by two different distance computation methods are compared with the existing route. The economical expectations in finding the optimum route are also discussed.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Psychology / Patrick A. Knight / Today the geographic distance between workers is increasing. The purpose of this study was to investigate the distributed work environment by specifically focusing on leader behavior and its impact on subordinate outcomes. This study asked if the traditional core set of leadership behaviors is effective in distributed work environments, and how those behaviors impact employee outcomes such as commitment and satisfaction with supervision. Several fundamental and explored questions included: Do essential management behaviors such as consideration and initiating structure materialize differently in face-to-face versus remote situations, what type of leadership will have the most positive impact on employee's perceptions of satisfaction with supervision and organizational commitment, and does this differ according to the amount of face time between the manager and employee? Correlational data results did not support the hypotheses that face to face interaction scores were positively correlated with affective commitment, or satisfaction with supervision. Face to face interaction was not negatively correlated with continuance commitment. Non-remote employees reported significantly higher levels of satisfaction with supervision than remote employees. There was a significant difference between remote and non remote employees with non remote employees reporting higher levels of career advancement than remote employees. There was a stronger relationship between initiating structure and satisfaction with supervision when spatial distance was high. It appears that spatial distance acted as an enhancer. Two scales, company support for remote management and remote management specific behaviors, were analyzed to obtain preliminary data for future research.

The purpose of my dissertation is to examine whether competition among audit partners affects audit quality. While prior research on audit market competition focuses on audit firm-level or office-level analyses, I argue that audit partners, as the primary decision makers in providing audit services, are likely to engage in competitive actions in the audit market. Further, I use spatial distance among audit partners to measure partner-level competition. I conjecture that spatial distance could better reflect the dynamics of audit market competition than the Herfindahl index, the traditional proxy for competition used in most extant studies. Drawing on the spatial economics theory and the social comparison theory, I hypothesize a negative association between competition measured by spatial distance and the quality level delivered by the incumbent audit partner. Using newly available data of U.S. audit partners, this study provides evidence that audit quality is higher (lower) when the spatial distance between the incumbent partner and the closest competing partner is larger (smaller). In addition, the results reveal that the effects of competition measured by spatial distance on audit quality is mainly a partner-level phenomenon rather than an office-level one. Overall, this study highlights the importance of studying competitive dynamics among audit partners.

Fruits and flowers house microbial communities that are unique from the rest of the plant. While a great deal is known about a handful of symbiotic microbes associated with roots and leaves, the microbial communities of fruits and flowers have received considerably less attention. Fruits are reproductive tissues that house, protect, and facilitate the dispersal of seeds, and thus they are directly tied to plant reproductive success. Fruit and flower microbial communities may, therefore, also impact plant fitness. This dissertation examines how fruit bacterial communities, as determined using the 16S rRNA gene marker, are shaped across spatial and environmental gradients and the role of pollinators in shaping floral bacterial communities among natural populations of Solanum carolinense. There have been limited studies on how spatial distance influences bacterial communities found in and on fruit tissue and the role of pollinators in shaping floral bacterial communities. The first study addresses how bacterial communities in fruit change across similar environmental conditions at fine spatial scales (2 to 450 m). Overall, no differences were found in observed richness or bacterial community composition. Next, the role that generalist pollinators might play in shaping these communities was tested using pollinator exclusion cages. Here we found that generalist pollinators do not play a large role in shaping floral bacterial communities in Solanum carolinense. Comparing bacterial community diversity between caged and uncaged flowers, via PCoA we found no significant clustering of samples. In contrast, significant clustering was detected between flowers and bee pollen baskets. Together these results suggested that environmental factors may be more important in shaping floral bacterial communities. To test this, we sampled 9 populations along a 337 km latitudinal transect and again used the 16S rRNA gene to characterize bacterial communities. We did not identify a significant correlation between distance and bacterial community composition in either the total nor endophytic community in the fruit. Results from these studies suggest that while there is some evidence for environmental effects shaping fruit and flower communities, other factors such as host selection (e.g., secondary compounds in fruit) also likely play an important role in shaping bacterial communities. / Doctor of Philosophy / Fruit and flowers are directly tied to plant reproduction, yet little is known about the bacterial communities associated with these important organs, especially compared to other plant tissues. This dissertation aims to address gaps in our knowledge regarding how spatial distance and pollinators influence fruit and floral bacterial communities. Specifically, how does bacterial community composition (what bacteria taxa are present or not and how abundant the bacterial taxa are) change based on spatial distance. Studies were conducted at both fine (under 0.5 km) and broad (337 km) scales to determine if a pattern was observed between increasing distance and how distinct the bacterial community composition is. There was no significant correlation between spatial distance and bacterial community composition at fine spatial distances, however there were high levels of dissimilarity in the bacterial communities sampled across fine spatial scales. This led to the investigation of pollinators, which directly interact with flowers and may act as a source of bacterial community transmission in the flower and fruit bacterial communities as they move around the landscape. To address the role that pollinators play in shaping bacterial communities in the fruits an exclusion cage study was used to prevent pollinators from interacting with a subset of flowers. Pollen baskets (pollen that was collected by the pollinator and is found on the legs of pollinator) were also collected from pollinators to determine what bacteria may be present on the pollinator. Pollen baskets may also represent what bacteria may have been picked up by the pollinator at the site. It was observed that caged and uncaged samples were similar to one another, which suggest that pollinators were not adding new bacteria nor changing the bacterial composition in the flowers. Yet, the pollen baskets (from the pollinator) were unique from the caged and uncaged floral samples. To further investigate what factors may be at play in shaping the fruit bacterial community the transect was expanded to 337 km to determine if there was an observable relationship between spatial distance and bacterial community composition. The relationship between spatial distance and bacterial community composition was not significant in either the endophytic (internal bacterial community) or the total fruit bacterial community (which represented external and internal bacterial communities). Similar to the fine spatial scale study, there were high levels of dissimilarity in the bacterial community that was observed across sites. Results from these studies may suggest that there are other factors that play a larger role in shaping bacterial communities in fruit and flower tissue. These could include the host plant and the production of secondary compounds, which in some cases can act as antimicrobial compounds, and enhance or inhibit the growth of specific bacterial taxa. Environmental factors such as wind and rainfall may have influenced the bacterial community composition. It is likely that environmental factors play a role in shaping floral and fruit bacterial communities. However, it is still unclear what factors shape fruit and floral bacterial communities are. This study provides the foundation for future studies to address additional factors that shape fruit and flower bacterial communities.

No presente modelo em NetLogo, implementou-se um código onde patches genotipicamente homogêneos, reproduzem-se no mapa composto de 64 x 64 células. Buscam parceiros entre si, seguindo algumas orientações. O par reprodutivo deve estar dentro de uma determinada distância genética (G) e espacial (S). Estes parâmetros definem qual a máxima divergência genotípica permitida para a reprodução (G) e qual a distância espacial máxima entre dois possíveis parceiros reprodutivos (S). Além destes, o sliderM determina a probabilidade de ocorrer mutação nos genótipos resultantes das reproduções e A a amplitude, i.e., a quantidade de mudança sofrida pelo genótipo do agente. A princípio, geneticamente homogêneos, todos os indivíduos podem potencialmente formar pares. Contudo, com ocorrência de trocas genéticas e mutações, na formação da prole, aumenta-se a diversidade genética e há isolamento reprodutivo entre indivíduos. Obteu-se especiação dos agentes, ocorrência de corredor de fluxo gênico e mapa robusto de combinação de parâmetros. / In the present model in NetLogo, we implemented a code where genotypically homogeneous patches, reproduce in a map consisting of 64 x 64 cells. Seek partners among themselves by following some guidelines. The breeding pair must be within a certain genetic (G) and spatial (S) distance. These parameters define the maximum genotypic divergence which allowed for reproduction (G) and that maximum spatial distance between two potential reproductive partners (S). In addition, the slider M determines the probability of mutation in resulting genotypes and A the amplitude, i.e., the amount of change experienced by the genotype of the agent. Primarily, genetically homogeneous, all individuals can potentially form pairs. However, with the occurrence of genetic changes and mutations in the offspring formation, the genetic diversity increases and there is reproductive isolation between individuals. There were agents speciation, occurrence of genic flow pathway and robust map of matching parameters.

No presente modelo em NetLogo, implementou-se um código onde patches genotipicamente homogêneos, reproduzem-se no mapa composto de 64 x 64 células. Buscam parceiros entre si, seguindo algumas orientações. O par reprodutivo deve estar dentro de uma determinada distância genética (G) e espacial (S). Estes parâmetros definem qual a máxima divergência genotípica permitida para a reprodução (G) e qual a distância espacial máxima entre dois possíveis parceiros reprodutivos (S). Além destes, o sliderM determina a probabilidade de ocorrer mutação nos genótipos resultantes das reproduções e A a amplitude, i.e., a quantidade de mudança sofrida pelo genótipo do agente. A princípio, geneticamente homogêneos, todos os indivíduos podem potencialmente formar pares. Contudo, com ocorrência de trocas genéticas e mutações, na formação da prole, aumenta-se a diversidade genética e há isolamento reprodutivo entre indivíduos. Obteu-se especiação dos agentes, ocorrência de corredor de fluxo gênico e mapa robusto de combinação de parâmetros. / In the present model in NetLogo, we implemented a code where genotypically homogeneous patches, reproduce in a map consisting of 64 x 64 cells. Seek partners among themselves by following some guidelines. The breeding pair must be within a certain genetic (G) and spatial (S) distance. These parameters define the maximum genotypic divergence which allowed for reproduction (G) and that maximum spatial distance between two potential reproductive partners (S). In addition, the slider M determines the probability of mutation in resulting genotypes and A the amplitude, i.e., the amount of change experienced by the genotype of the agent. Primarily, genetically homogeneous, all individuals can potentially form pairs. However, with the occurrence of genetic changes and mutations in the offspring formation, the genetic diversity increases and there is reproductive isolation between individuals. There were agents speciation, occurrence of genic flow pathway and robust map of matching parameters.

Cette thèse vise à comprendre et à apporter des solutions à la problématique de la baisse du nombre de praticiens ruraux qui touche les vétérinaires en France depuis une trentaine d'années. La population des étudiants vétérinaires est au centre de cette recherche afin d’analyser ce qui les conduit ou non à choisir la pratique rurale. En dépassant les critères socio-démographiques (féminisation, origine urbaine…), le travail se focalise sur les représentations sociales que les étudiants construisent de leur métier et de son environnement spatial tout au long du cursus de formation vétérinaire. Pour cela, l’approche méthodologique utilise des évocations hiérarchisées (n=116), une enquête à grande échelle (n=1508), et une méthodologie originale : des entretiens avec cartes mentales (n=72). Les résultats montrent que les étudiants font évoluer leurs représentations tout au long du parcours mais que de nombreux biais existent. Ceux-ci proviennent en partie du cursus d'enseignement. Ces biais génèrent alors des freins à l'installation en milieu rural qu'il faut surmonter. La seconde partie de la thèse traite donc de la construction et du test d’un dispositif pédagogique sur un échantillon d’étudiants (n=24) dans le cursus vétérinaire, le « jeu de territoire ». Celui-ci permet aux étudiants de mieux appréhender la diversité de la vie de vétérinaire en milieu rural et offre alors une première clé actionnable pour favoriser l’installation en pratique rurale. L’ensemble des résultats produits montrent ainsi que le cursus doit être mobilisé comme une transition, notamment psychosociale, vers le monde professionnel, permettant l’acquisition de nouveaux savoirs en lien avec le territoire d’activité, et dépassant le cadre académique traditionnel. / This thesis aims to understand and provide solutions to the problem of the declining number of rural practitioners that has been affecting veterinarians in France for thirty years. The population of veterinary students is the focus of this research to analyze what led them or not to choose rural practice. To overcome socio-demographic criteria (feminization, urban origin ...), this work focuses on social representations that students build about their future work and its space environment during the curriculum. In this way, a methodological triangulation uses hierarchical evocations (n = 116), a large-scale survey (n = 1508), and an original methodology: interviews with mental maps (n = 72). The results show that students’ representations evolve throughout the course but many biases exist. These come in part from the teaching curriculum. These biases generate barriers to rural facility which may be overcome. The second part of the thesis therefore deals with the construction and the test of a pedagogical tool on a sample of students (n = 24) in the veterinary curriculum, the "territory game". It allows students to better understand the diversity of veterinary rural life and then offers a first operable key to encourage the installation in rural practice. All of these results show that the curriculum must be mobilized as a psychosocial transition, towards the professional world and must allow the acquisition of new knowledge related to the activity territories, beyond the traditional academic setting.

Cette thèse défend l’intérêt d’appliquer une démarche d’analyse exploratoire de données spatiales pour examiner un phénomène complexe irréductible, dans un contexte limité en données : le paludisme-infection à Dakar. Chaque partie du système pathogène du paludisme est nécessaire mais non suffisante au fonctionnement du système. Il n’y a paludisme-infection que lorsque les trois composantes sont en contact : le parasite, le vecteur et l’hôte humain. La recherche des lieux où ces contacts peuvent s’opérer facilement est donc primordiale dans la lutte contre le paludisme et l’amélioration des programmes visant à la diminution voire l’élimination de la maladie. L’analyse exploratoire, encore très peu appliquée dans les pays dits du Sud, se définit ainsi comme une démarche de recherche mais aussi comme un moyen d’apporter des réponses aux besoins sanitaires. Elle pousse à l’observation, sous différents angles, des déterminants sociaux qui sont impliqués dans la réalisation du phénomène, tout comme à l’examen des interactions existantes entre eux. Nous avons récolté des informations quantitatives variées, en lien direct et indirect avec l’étude du paludisme. Interprétation d’images satellites, données censitaires, résultats d’enquêtes sociales et sanitaires ont été intégrées dans un système d’information géographique pour décrire la ville et ses habitants. Le croisement de ces sources a permis d’étudier les faces spatiales du risque épidémique palustre. Le recours à des analyses statistiques et géostatistiques, bivariées et multivariées, a permis de souligner que le risque d’infection des populations dépendait fortement d’une distance, que l’on a qualifié de sociale. / This thesis applies an Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) approach to study a complex phenomenon in a data scarce environment: malaria infection in Dakar. Each component of the malaria pathogenic system is necessary but not sufficient to result in an infection when acting in isolation. For malaria infection to occur, three components need to interact: the parasite, the vector, and the human host. The identification of areas where these three components can easily interact is therefore essential in the fight against malaria and the improvement of programs for the prevention and control or elimination of the disease. ESDA, still rarely applied in developing countries, is thus defined as a research approach but also as a way to provide answers to global health challenges. It leads to observation, from different angles, on the social and spatial determinants of malaria infection, as well as the examination of existing interactions between its three components. Several streams of quantitative information were collected, both directly and indirectly related to the study of malaria. More specifically, multi-temporal satellite imagery, census data, and results from social and health surveys have been integrated into a Geographic Information System (GIS) to describe the city and its inhabitants. Combining these datasets has enabled to study the spatial variability of the risk of malaria infection.

Les adultes conspécifiques (ou évolutivement proches) réduisent le recrutement des graines/plantules à leur proximité, à cause d’une forte pression de prédation par des ennemis spécialistes ou peu mobiles (Hypothèse de Janzen-Connell). Cependant, l’importance de l’effet Janzen-Connell reste controversé, suggérant que les interactions entre adultes et plantules ne se restreignent pas aux adultes conspécifiques proches, ni aux ennemis spécialistes : les adultes hétérospécifiques, la taille des adultes et la représentation de leur lignée dans la canopée pourraient aussi contrôler le recrutement des plantules. De plus, les effets des adultes sur les graines/plantules pourraient être médiés par des ennemis généralistes et très mobiles, par des champignons mutualistes et par certaines conditions micro-environnementales. Nous avons étudié les effets des arbres adultes sur le recrutement des graines/plantules de chêne, via les ennemis mobiles, les champignons mutualistes et enfin les conditions micro-environnementales. Nos résultats démontrent que : (i) un adulte conspécifique empêche le recrutement des plantules à proximité, via une accumulation des décomposeurs spécialistes qui augmentent la qualité nutritionnelle des plantules, attirant ainsi les ennemis. De plus, un adulte de grande taille attire des herbivores mollusques ; (ii) un adulte hétérospécifique favorise le recrutement des plantules à sa proximité, en réduisant l’herbivorie et en améliorant le microenvironnement ; (iii) une canopée évolutivement proche favorise le recrutement des graines et plantules, en rassasiant les prédateurs de graines et en augmentant le soutien par les mycorhizes, respectivement. Ainsi, nos résultats permettent d’identifier les structures forestières optimales pour le recrutement du chêne. De plus, nos résultats suggèrent que le recrutement maintient les chênes proches de leurs espèces apparentées et donc dans leur niche ancestrale. / Conspecific (or closely related) adults reduce seed/seedling recruitment in their proximity, due to high pressure from specialized or little mobile enemies (Janzen-Connell Hypothesis). However, the importance of the Janzen-Connell effect remains controversial, suggesting that interactions between adults and seedlings are not restricted to close conspecific adults, nor to specialized enemies: heterospecific adults, size of adults and dominance of their lineage in the canopy may also control seed/seedling recruitment. Moreover, effects of adults on seeds/seedlings may be mediated by generalist or mobile enemies, fungal mutualists, and microenvironmental conditions. We studied the effect of adult trees on recruitment of oak seeds/seedlings, via mobile enemies, fungal mutualists, and finally microenvironmental conditions. Our results demonstrated that (i) a conspecific adult impedes recruitment of proximate seedlings by accumulating specialist decomposers that favor nutritional quality of seedlings and thereby attract herbivores. Moreover, a large adult attracts mollusk herbivores; (ii) a heterospecific adult favors recruitment of proximate seedlings, by reducing herbivory and improving the micro-environment; (iii) a closely related canopy favors seeds and seedlings recruitment, by oversaturating seed predators and increasing mycorrhizal support, respectively. Hence, our results permit to identify forest structures that are optimal for oak recruitment. Moreover, our results suggest that recruitment maintain oaks close to related species, in their ancestral niche.