Ce travail de thèse s’inscrit dans le cadre du projet ISS/FSL/FASES dont l’objectif est de comprendre les mécanismes de vieillissement des émulsions en microgravité. Ce manuscrit est dédié à l’étude au sol des émulsions de ce projet et notamment de celles stabilisées par des mélanges tensioactifs/nanoparticules. Ces émulsions sont diluées et constituées d’une phase continue d’huile de paraffine et d’une phase dispersée aqueuse contenant un tensioactif et des nanoparticules. Leur étude et leur caractérisation est réalisée par microscopie tomographique optique et cryo-microscopie électronique à balayage. Une étude préalable de la phase dispersée permet de démontrer que les proportions respectives en tensioactif et nanoparticules modifient les propriétés rhéologiques et microscopiques de ces mélanges. Ces modifications permettent de caractériser le couplage entre les molécules tensioactives et les nanoparticules. Lorsque cette phase dispersée est émulsifiée dans l’huile de paraffine, une transition dans la morphologie des gouttes peut être mise en évidence. Les gouttes de phase dispersée présentent une topologie dépendante du ratio des concentrations en tensioactif et nanoparticules : de sphérique (pour les grandes valeurs de ce ratio) elles deviennent polymorphes (pour les petites valeurs). L’observation de ces émulsions en cryo-microscopie électronique à balayage permet de visualiser des microstructures de nanoparticules et d’expliquer l’origine de la déformation des gouttes. / This thesis is part of the ISS/FSL/FASES project which aims at understanding emulsion ageing mechanisms in microgravity. This manuscript is dedicated to the ground study of these emulsions, and particularly to those stabilized by surfactant/nanoparticles mixtures. These emulsions are diluted and composed of a paraffin oil continuous phase and an aqueous dispersed phase composed of the surfactant/particle mixtures. Emulsion characterization is performed with optical tomographic microscopy and cryo-scanning electron microscopy. A preliminary investigation of the dispersed phase shows that the proportion of surfactant and nanoparticles changes the rheological and microscopic properties of these mixtures. These changes allow the characterization of the coupling between surfactant molecules and nanoparticles. When these mixtures are emulsified in paraffin oil, a transition in the droplets morphology is evidenced. Indeed, dispersed phase droplets exhibit different shapes depending on the ratio of surfactant and nanoparticle concentrations: from spherical (for high ratios) they become polymorphous (for small ratios). Observations of these emulsions with cryo-scanning electron microscopy show the existence of nanoparticles microstructures that helps the understanding of the origin of droplets deformation.

L'optique adaptative (OA) permet de corriger en temps réel les déformations du front d'onde induites par la turbulence atmosphérique. Cependant, cette technique aujourd'hui mature connaît une limitation fondamentale : l'anisoplanétisme. Pour y pallier, différents concepts d'OA grand champ ont été développés. La turbulence est alors mesurée dans plusieurs directions afin de l'estimer tomographiquement. Ces systèmes soulèvent des problématiques spécifiques, telles que leurs processus d'étalonnage et leur contrôle temps réel au moyen de lois de commande tomographiques. Mes travaux de recherche ont consisté à modifier et optimiser le banc OA grand champ de l'Onera pour ensuite y implanter et comparer différentes loi de commande tomographiques envisagées pour les futurs instruments. Pour cela, une caractérisation et une implantation de nouveaux composants ont été effectuées, et j'ai développé une procédure d'identification de paramètres système dans un objectif double: alignement du banc et optimisation de lois de commande. Quatre lois de commande, explorant la diversité des solutions proposées, sont ensuite étudiées, du simple reconstructeur moindre carré à la commande optimale linéaire quadratique gaussienne, en passant par des approches de type pseudo boucle ouverte ou miroir déformable virtuel. Pour chacune, une optimisation des facteurs de réglage est effectuée, et une performance en fonction du champ est établie, ce pour plusieurs valeurs de rapport signal à bruit. Les résultats expérimentaux sont mis en regard avec les résultats obtenus par simulation, et les lois de commande sont comparées ensuite en terme de performance, robustesse et simplicité de mise en œuvre. / Adaptive Optics (AO) provides a real-time correction of the atmospheric turbulence effects. This technique is now well mastered; nonetheless it is limited by the anisoplanatism effect. Wide Field AO concepts have been developed to overcome this limitation. Turbulence is probed in several directions in order to perform a tomographic reconstruction of the turbulent volume. These complex systems raise critical challenges such as tomographic control and calibrations.My PhD work is focused on implementation and comparison of different tomographic control schemes developed in the perspective of future systems, after an optimisation of the Onera wide field AO bench. Calibration and integration of new components have been performed, and I have developed a method to identify system parameters with a twofold goal: bench alignment and control laws optimisation. Four control schemes have been studied, exploring the proposed solutions, from the simplest least-square to the optimal linear quadratic gaussian solutions including virtual deformable mirror and pseudo open loop approaches. In each case, an optimisation of tuning factors is performed and low and high noise conditions are explored, for several different fields of views. Experimental results are compared to numerical ones and control laws are analyzed in term of performance, robustness and implementation simplicity.

Nous proposons dans le cadre de cette thèse une nouvelle approche permettant de s'affranchir de l'atténuation mammaire en tomographie par émission monophotonique (TEMP) de perfusion myocardique. Elle est constituée de deux parties : - la première consiste à rendre les projections acquises consistantes. - la deuxième consiste à pondérer ces même les projections corrigées durant la reconstruction. Nous avons effectué l'étude de validité de nos méthodes sur quelques exemples de simulation TEMP de perfusion myocardique simulant l'atténuation mammaire et sur quelques exemples d'études patients réelles notamment : des cas d'atténuation mammaire, d'infarctus inférieure, d'infarctus apical, d'infarctus antérieur, d'ischémie antérieure et inférieure. Les résultats semblent encourageants. Il s'agit dans le proche avenir de mener une étude de validation chez les patients versus un gold standard (coronarographie, coroscanner) / We propose in this thesis a new approach to correct the breast attenuation in SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging. It consists of two parts: -The first is to make the acquired projections consistent with each other. - The second is to weight the corrected attenuated projection during the reconstruction. We conducted a validation of our methods on some examples of myocardial perfusion SPECT imaging simulating the breast attenuation and some examples of real patient studies including: breast attenuation, anterior myocardial infarction, inferior myocardial infarction, anterior myocardial ischemia and inferior myocardial ischemia. The obtained results are encouraging. At this step, it is interesting in the near future to conduct a validation study in patients versus a gold standard (angiography, coroscan).Key words: SPECT, tomographic reconstruction, breast attenuation, Iterative reconstruction, attenuation correction, myocardial perfusion imaging, nuclear medicine

Alguns trabalhos sobre a resposta do tecido ósseo ao Cianocrilato podem ser encontrados na literatura, embora nenhum deles avalie a resposta histológica, micro-tomográfica e biomolecular na fixação de enxertos ósseos onlay com o N-Butil-2-Cianocrilato (IndermilTM). O objetivo do estudo proposto foi comparar o processo de incorporação, remodelação, revascularização e manutenção do volume de enxertos fixados com parafuso ou adesivo, além de mapear os eventos biomoleculares nos quais os enxertos ósseos onlay possam estar envolvidos. Oitenta e oito coelhos adultos foram envolvidos nesse estudo. Dois blocos ósseos provenientes da calvária dos coelhos foram transplantados para a mandíbula, em que de cada lado do leito receptor o osso autógeno foi fixado com parafuso de osteossíntese de forma aposicional, lag screw, cianoacrilato ou parafuso e cianoacrilato. O sacrifício dos animais ocorreu após 3, 7, 20 e 40 dias do procedimento cirúrgico inicial, quando então os animais foram submetidos às análises micro-tomográficas, histológicas e biomoleculares. Cortes histológicos das áreas enxertadas foram preparados para se avaliar o reparo dos enxertos ósseos no sítio receptor. Os resultados biomoleculares mostraram que o método de fixação utilizando o composto N-Butil-2-Cianocrilato (NB-Cn) apresentou um maior potencial anti-inflamatório, revascularizador e de formação óssea, bem como, uma menor reabsorção óssea. Na avaliação histológica, observou-se que embora o NB-Cn tenha impedido a formação de novo osso na área onde foi aplicado, a estabilidade promovida pela cola permitiu que a revascularização e incorporação do enxerto ocorresse de forma semelhante aos demais grupos. Esses resultados indicam que o NB-Cn se comportou de forma semelhante ao parafuso como material de osteossínte. / Some experimental studies on the bone tissue responses to cyanoacrylate can be found in the literature, none of them evaluate the histological response, micro-tomographic and biomolecular on fixation of onlay bone grafts with N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (IndermilTM). The aim of the proposed study was to compare the process of incorporation, remodeling, and volume maintenance of grafts set with screw or adhesive and map biomolecular events in which onlay bone grafts may be involved. Eighty-eight adult rabbits were submitted to calvaria onlay bone graft on both sides of the mandible. The grafts were fixated on each side of mandible by a fixation screw appositionally, lag screw, cyanoacrilate or both. The animals were sacrificed on 3rd, 7th, 20th and 40th day after the initial surgical procedure, then they were subjected to micro-computed tomography, histological and biomolecular analysis. Histological sections of the grafted areas were prepared to evaluate the healing of bone grafts in the receptor site. The biomolecular analysis showed that fixation method using N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (NB-Cn) presented a greater potential on anti-inflammatory, revascularization and bone formation properties, as well as reduced bone resorption. Histological evaluation observed that although the NB-Cn has prevented the formation of new bone in the area where it was applied, the stability achieved by Nb-Cn allowed revascularization and graft incorporation just like other groups. These results indicate that NB- Cn behaved similarly to the screw as osteosynthesys material.

A hiperplasia do processo coronóide é uma afecção que causa uma limitada mobilidade mandibular e conseqüente limitação de abertura da boca. Não apresenta sintomatologia dolorosa, e tem progressão lenta, levando o paciente a procurar por tratamento somente se a limitação de abertura for severa a ponto de prejudicar as funções mastigatórias normais. Muitos casos levam clínicos a tratarem o paciente como portador de disfunção da articulação têmporo mandibular (DTM). Este trabalho se propõe a avaliar a tomografia computadorizada (TC) como método para auxiliar na elaboração do diagnóstico e no planejamento cirúrgico desta anomalia, estudando a presença da hiperplasia do processo coronóide pela observação de imagens obtidas por meio da Tomografia Computadorizada Helicoidal, considerando as imagens volumétricas multiplanar e 3D, e as suas associações. Foram utilizadas imagens de arquivo dos exames de tomografia computadorizada helicoidal de 152 pacientes que apresentavam sinais e sintomas de Disfunção Têmporo Mandibular (DTM) encaminhados para a Unidade de Diagnóstico Dento-Maxilo-Facial da Clínica Félix Boada, na cidade de Caracas - Venezuela, para exame tomográfico da ATM. Dos 152 pacientes, foram selecionados 20 casos, que eram de portadores de sinais e/ou sintomas de Disfunção Têmporo Mandibular, mas que, ao exame realizado, constatou-se a presença da hiperplasia do processo coronóide. Os dados dos 20 pacientes foram comparados, de maneira a identificar as possíveis diferenças entre as opiniões de 5 cirurgiões dentistas radiologistas e de 5 cirurgiões dentistas buco-maxilo-faciais. Utilizou-se a técnica da Análise de Médias (Analysis of Means - ANOM), que calcula uma média geral entre os 5 observadores de cada especialidade, e um intervalo que indica quais observadores tiveram opiniões semelhantes e quais tiveram opiniões diversas. Depois foi feita a comparação entre os dois grupos, utilizando o teste das proporções. Em conclusão, os observadores acharam as imagens MPR mais esclarecedoras que as reconstruções volumétricas 3D, na maioria dos casos de hiperplasia do processo coronóide, quando esses recursos foram avaliados separadamente. Contudo, acharam imprescindível a utilização de ambas as imagens, em associação ou não, indicando-as para o estudo da hiperplasia do processo coronóide. A hipomobilidade foi observada na articulação temporomandibular, no lado acometido pela hiperplasia do processo coronóide, em 55,2% dos casos / The Coronoid Process Hyperplasia is an affection that causes a limited mandibular mobility and a consequent limitation in mouth opening. It doesn’t present any painful symptomatology and has a slow progression, leading the patient to look for treatment only when the opening limitation is severe to the point of impairing regular masticatory functions. Many cases lead clinicians to treat the patient as he had a temporomandibular dysfunction. This work proposed an evaluation of the CT as an auxiliary method in the elaboration of the diagnosis and in the surgical planning of that anomaly by studying the presence of the Coronoid Process Hyperplasia through the observation of images obtained by means of the Helicoidal Computerized Tomography, considering the volumetric multiplane and 3D images and their associations. Filed images of Helicoidal Computerized Tomography were used, belonging to the examination of 152 patients who presented symptoms of temporomandibular dysfunction and were all directed to the Dento-Maxillo-Facial Diagnosis Unit of the Clinica Felix Boada in the city of Caracas – Venezuela for TMA tomographic examination. Of the 152 patients 20 were selected who showed signs or symptoms of TMA dysfunction and Coronoid Process Hyperplasia was detected. Data of the 20 patients were compared in order to identify possible differences among the opinions of 5 radiologist specialists and 5 buco-maxillo -facial specialists. The Analysis of Means – ANOM was used to calculate a general average among the 5 specialists in each specialty and a gap that opinions and which ones had different opinions. Afterwards the comparison between the 2 groups was made using the Proportion Test. The observers concluded that the MPR images were more clarifying than the 3D images in most of the cases of coronoid process hyperplasia, especially when those resources were evaluated separately. Although they found vital the utilization of both images in association or not and indicated them to the study of the Coronoid Process Hyperplasia. Hypo mobility was observed in the TMA in the affected side in 55,2% of the cases

Alguns trabalhos sobre a resposta do tecido ósseo ao Cianocrilato podem ser encontrados na literatura, embora nenhum deles avalie a resposta histológica e a fixação de enxertos ósseos onlay com o N-Butil-2-Cianocrilato (Indermil™). O objetivo do estudo proposto foi (1) analisar a manutenção do volume de enxertos ósseos onlay fixados à mandíbula de coelhos usando N-Butil-2-Cianocrilato (NB-Cn) ou parafuso de titânio, assim como avaliar (2) a remodelação e incorporação desses enxertos ao leito receptor e também (3) observar a diferença do nível de expressão da proteína tartarato-resistente ácido fosfatase (Trap) envolvida na absorção dos mesmos na presença do NB-Cn e do parafuso de titânio. Dezoito coelhos adultos foram envolvidos nesse estudo. Dois blocos ósseos provenientes da calvária dos coelhos foram transplantados para a mandíbula, em que de um lado do leito receptor o osso autógeno foi fixado com parafuso de osteossíntese (Grupo I - controle), e do outro lado com NB-Cn (Grupo II). Após o procedimento cirúrgico, os animais foram submetidos a exame tomográfico. O sacrifício dos animais ocorreu após 1 (n=9) e 6 (n=9) semanas do procedimento cirúrgico inicial, quando então os animais foram submetidos à nova tomografia. As imagens de tomografia foram usadas para estimativa da manutenção do volume dos enxertos. Cortes histológicos das áreas enxertadas foram preparados para se avaliar o reparo dos enxertos ósseos no sítio receptor e o nível de expressão da proteína Trap. Os resultados tomográficos mostraram melhor manutenção do volume dos enxertos fixados com NB-Cn (p≤0,05) em comparação àqueles fixados com parafuso, em ambos os tempos experimentais. Na avaliação imunohistoquímica, observou-se que a marcação da proteína Trap no período de 6 semanas foi significativamente maior em comparação ao tempo de 1 semana, sem apresentar diferença significante entre os grupos. A análise histológica revelou que embora o NB-Cn tenha provocado a destruição do periósteo, a estabilidade promovida pela cola permitiu que a revascularização e incorporação do enxerto ocorresse de forma semelhante ao grupo controle. Esses resultados indicam que o NB-Cn se comportou de forma superior ao parafuso como material de osteossínte. No entanto, estudos adicionais são necessários para se investigar a toxicidade deste composto quando utilizado como meio de fixação óssea. / Some experimental studies on the bone tissue responses to cyanoacrylate can be found in the literature, although neither evaluating the histological response and the fixation of onlay bone grafts with Indermil™. The aim of the proposed study is (1) to analyze the bone grafts volume maintenance fixed to the mandible of rabbits using Indermil™ or titanium screw, as well as (2) assess the healing of onlay grafts to the recipient bed and (3) the differences of level expression of Trap protein involved in reabsortion of these bone grafts using Indermil™ or an osteosynthesis screw. Eighteen adult New Zealand White rabbits were submitted to calvaria onlay bone grafts on both sides of the mandible. On one side the onlay bone graft were fixated with Indermil™, and on the other side bone graft with an osteosynthesis screw. The wounds were then closed, and a computed tomography was realized immediately after this procedure. The animals were killed after 1 (n=9) and 6 weeks (n=9), then the animals were submitted to another computed tomography (CT). The CT images were used to estimate the bone grafts volume maintenance. Histological sections of the grafted areas were prepared to evaluate the healing of bone grafts in the receptor site and the expression level of Trap protein. The CT scan showed better volume maintenance of the bone grafts fixed with Indermil™ (p≤0.05) compared to those fixed with screws, in both the experimental times. The immunohistochemical evaluation showed that the protein Trap expression in 6-week period was significantly higher compared to the 1-week period, without showing significant difference between the groups. Histological analysis revealed that although the Indermil™ has caused the destruction of the periosteum, the stability provided by the glue allowed that the bone graft revascularization and incorporation has occurred in a similar manner to the control group. These results indicate that the Indermi™ behaved than the screw as osteosynthesys material. However, further studies are needed to investigate the toxicity of this compound when used as a means of bone fixation.

Existe na indústria o interesse em utilizar as informações da tomografia computadorizada a fim de conhecer o interior (i) dos objetos industriais fabricados ou (ii) das máquinas e seus meios de produção. Nestes casos, a tomografia tem como finalidade (a) controlar a qualidade do produto final e (b) otimizar a produção, contribuindo na fase piloto dos projetos e na análise da qualidade dos meios sem interromper a produção. O contínuo controle de qualidade dos meios de produção é a chave mestra para garantir a qualidade e a competitividade dos produtos. O Centro de Tecnologia das Radiações (CTR), do Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP) vem desenvolvendo esta tecnologia para fins de análises de processos industriais há algum tempo. Atualmente, o laboratório tem desenvolvido três gerações de tomógrafos: (i) primeira geração; (ii) terceira geração; e (iii) tomógrafo Instant Non-Scanning. Os algoritmos de reconstrução de imagens tomográficas tem uma importância relevante para o funcionamento ideal desta tecnologia. Nesta tese, foram desenvolvidos e analisados os algoritmos de reconstrução de imagens tomográficas para serem implementados aos protocolos experimentais dos tomógrafos. Os métodos de reconstrução de imagem analítico e iterativo foram desenvolvidos utilizando o software Matlab® r2013b. Os algoritmos iterativos apresentaram imagens com melhor resolução espacial comparado com as obtidas pelo método analítico. Entretanto as imagens por método analítico apresentaram menos ruídos. O tempo para obtenção de imagem pelo método iterativo é relativamente elevado, e aumenta conforme aumenta a matriz de pixels da imagem. Já o método analítico fornece imagens instantâneas. Para as reconstruções de imagens utilizando o tomógrafo Instant Non-Scanning, as imagens pelo método analítico não apresentaram qualidade de imagem satisfatória comparada aos métodos iterativos. / There is an interest in the industry to use the CT information in order to know the interior (i) of the manufactured industrial objects or (ii) the machines and their means of production. In these cases, the purpose of the tomography systems is to (a) control the quality of the final product and (b) to optimize production, contributing to the pilot phase of the projects and to analyze the quality of the means without interrupting he line production. Continuous quality assurance of the means of production is the key to ensuring product quality and competitiveness. The Radiation Technology Center of the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (IPEN/CNEN-SP) has been developing this technology for the purpose of industrial analysis. Currently the laboratory has developed three generations of tomography systems: (i) first generation; (ii) third generation; and (iii) Instant Non-Scanning tomography. The algorithms for the reconstruction of tomographic images are of relevant importance for the optimal functioning of this technology. In this PhD thesis, the reconstruction algorithms of tomographic images were developed and analyzed to be implemented to the tomography systems developed. The analytical and iterative image reconstruction methods were developed using the software Matlab® r2013b. The iterative algorithms presented images with better spatial resolution compared to those obtained by the analytical method; however the images of the analytical method presented be less image noisy. The time to obtain the image by the iterative method is high, and increases as the image matrix increases, while the analytical method provides fast images. For images reconstructions using the Instant Non-Scanning tomography system, the images by the analytical method did not present satisfactory image quality compared to the iterative methods.

Existe na indústria o interesse em utilizar as informações da tomografia computadorizada a fim de conhecer o interior (i) dos objetos industriais fabricados ou (ii) das máquinas e seus meios de produção. Nestes casos, a tomografia tem como finalidade (a) controlar a qualidade do produto final e (b) otimizar a produção, contribuindo na fase piloto dos projetos e na análise da qualidade dos meios sem interromper a produção. O contínuo controle de qualidade dos meios de produção é a chave mestra para garantir a qualidade e a competitividade dos produtos. O Centro de Tecnologia das Radiações (CTR), do Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP) vem desenvolvendo esta tecnologia para fins de análises de processos industriais há algum tempo. Atualmente, o laboratório tem desenvolvido três gerações de tomógrafos: (i) primeira geração; (ii) terceira geração; e (iii) tomógrafo Instant Non-Scanning. Os algoritmos de reconstrução de imagens tomográficas tem uma importância relevante para o funcionamento ideal desta tecnologia. Nesta tese, foram desenvolvidos e analisados os algoritmos de reconstrução de imagens tomográficas para serem implementados aos protocolos experimentais dos tomógrafos. Os métodos de reconstrução de imagem analítico e iterativo foram desenvolvidos utilizando o software Matlab® r2013b. Os algoritmos iterativos apresentaram imagens com melhor resolução espacial comparado com as obtidas pelo método analítico. Entretanto as imagens por método analítico apresentaram menos ruídos. O tempo para obtenção de imagem pelo método iterativo é relativamente elevado, e aumenta conforme aumenta a matriz de pixels da imagem. Já o método analítico fornece imagens instantâneas. Para as reconstruções de imagens utilizando o tomógrafo Instant Non-Scanning, as imagens pelo método analítico não apresentaram qualidade de imagem satisfatória comparada aos métodos iterativos. / There is an interest in the industry to use the CT information in order to know the interior (i) of the manufactured industrial objects or (ii) the machines and their means of production. In these cases, the purpose of the tomography systems is to (a) control the quality of the final product and (b) to optimize production, contributing to the pilot phase of the projects and to analyze the quality of the means without interrupting he line production. Continuous quality assurance of the means of production is the key to ensuring product quality and competitiveness. The Radiation Technology Center of the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (IPEN/CNEN-SP) has been developing this technology for the purpose of industrial analysis. Currently the laboratory has developed three generations of tomography systems: (i) first generation; (ii) third generation; and (iii) Instant Non-Scanning tomography. The algorithms for the reconstruction of tomographic images are of relevant importance for the optimal functioning of this technology. In this PhD thesis, the reconstruction algorithms of tomographic images were developed and analyzed to be implemented to the tomography systems developed. The analytical and iterative image reconstruction methods were developed using the software Matlab® r2013b. The iterative algorithms presented images with better spatial resolution compared to those obtained by the analytical method; however the images of the analytical method presented be less image noisy. The time to obtain the image by the iterative method is high, and increases as the image matrix increases, while the analytical method provides fast images. For images reconstructions using the Instant Non-Scanning tomography system, the images by the analytical method did not present satisfactory image quality compared to the iterative methods.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-21T19:26:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Jocenei Antonio Oliveira.pdf: 2309316 bytes, checksum: 8527d62e93fbe03d332c4ffaa65aedda (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-06-10 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Soil water retention properties can be described by so-called soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) or retention curve (WRC). This curve expresses the relationship between matric potential and soil moisture based on weight or volume. Through the attainment and subsequent analytical interpolation of the WRC, it’s possible the indirect estimative of the pore-size distribution (PSD) curve of any porous system. Sometimes, obtaining the WRC may be a time-consuming process or involve the use of equipment not available in some laboratories. Thus the development of an alternative method to obtain the WRC and after the PSD becomes desirable, since these are properties of extreme importance to characterize porous media. The main objective of this study is to create and adapt methodology for obtaining PSD using computer simulation in tomographic images with micrometer resolution. In this study, there were used samples of sand and glass beads of different grain sizes for the generation of the PSD curve using a Haines’ funnel on balance. After WRC achievement, these were adjusted through an analytical model and then there were built experimental PSD curve. PSD were also determined by adaptation of a computer program using tomographic images of these samples. The results of obtained WRC associated with geometric models to predict the entry point of air have only revealed the idea about how may occur drying of the samples, showing only morphological considerations are not sufficient to describe this situation. The investigated porous systems homogeneity was able to be visualized by comparing the PSD curves in terms of their widths. / Propriedades de retenção da água no solo podem ser descritas pela chamada curva característica de água no solo ou curva de retenção (CR). Esta curva exprime a relação entre potencial mátrico e a umidade do solo à base de massa ou volume. Mediante o levantamento da CR e posterior interpolação analítica, pode-se estimar indiretamente a curva de distribuição de poros (CDP) de um sistema poroso qualquer. Algumas vezes, a obtenção da CR pode ser um processo demorado ou envolver a utilização de equipamentos não disponíveis em alguns laboratórios. Desta forma, o desenvolvimento de uma metodologia alternativa para a obtenção da CR e posteriormente da CDP se faz desejável, uma vez que se trata de propriedade de extrema importância para a caracterização de um meio poroso. O objetivo principal deste trabalho é criar e adaptar metodologia para a obtenção de CDPs utilizando simulação computacional em imagens tomográficas com resolução micrométrica. No presente estudo, foram utilizadas amostras de areias e esferas de vidro de diferentes granulometrias para o levantamento das CRs usando um funil de Haines adaptado. Depois de obtidas as CRs, essas foram ajustadas através do modelo de ajuste de van Genuchten e obtidas as CDPs (primeira derivada da CR). Também foram obtidas CDPs mediante a adaptação de um programa computacional que utiliza informações de imagens tomográficas dessas amostras. Os resultados das CDPs levantadas pelos dois métodos mostram alguma concordância. Verificou-se, no entanto, que apenas considerações sobre a morfologia dos poros não são suficientes para descrever a forma com que as amostras são drenadas.

Cette thèse porte sur le développement de la PIV tomographique (tomo-PIV) pour la mesure d’écoulements turbulents (Elsinga et al 2006). Cette méthode se fonde sur la reconstruction tomographique d’une distribution volumique d’intensité de particules traceuses, à partir de projections enregistrées par des caméras. Les distributions volumiques sont corrélées, fournissant ainsi un champ de déplacement 3D.Les principales avancées de la recherche sur cette technique sont présentées ainsi que les points bloquants. Les efforts ont principalement été portés sur la reconstruction tomographique. La principale difficulté est le bruit tomographique (particules fantômes) qui croît exponentiellement lorsqu’une forte densité de traceur est requise pour obtenir une résolution spatiale fine de la mesure, particulièrement pour les écoulements turbulents.Afin de mieux appréhender ce bruit de reconstruction, nous avons étudié numériquement les facteurs expérimentaux nuisant à la qualité de la reconstruction. Des considérations géométriques ont permis de quantifier l’impact de «particules ajoutées», qui se trouvent dans le volume de l’union mais pas dans le volume de l’intersection entre la zone laser et les champs de vue des caméras. La diminution du ratio signal-à-bruit dans les images, due à la diffusion de Mie et l’astigmatisme des optiques, a pour principal effet la perte de vraies particules dans la reconstruction.Étudier les conditions optiques de la tomo-PIV nous a permis de proposer une approche alternative à la reconstruction tomographique classique, qui vise à reconstruire une particule presque sur un unique voxel, plutôt que comme un agrégat de voxels de taille étendue, en se fondant sur une représentation particulaire des images. Nous nommons cette méthode Reconstruction Volumique de Particules (PVR). Après avoir été incorporée à un algorithme de reconstruction (SMART), il est possible d’élargir la représentation particulaire de PVR, afin d’obtenir des blobs de 2/3 voxels de diamètre requis par les algorithmes de corrélation de 3D-PIV. Des simulations numériques sur un large spectre de conditions génératrices, ont montré qu’utiliser PVR-SMART permettait des gains de performance par rapport à un algorithme classique comme tomo-SMART (Atkinson 2009).L’aspect vélocimétrie par corrélation de la méthode a aussi été pris en compte avec une extension sur GPU à la 3D (FOLKI-3D) de l’algorithme FOLKI-PIV (Champagnat et al. 2011). Le déplacement y est cherché en minimisant itérativement une fonctionnelle, du type des moindres carrés, par déformation de volume. Les tests synthétiques confirment que la réponse fréquentielle d’espace est semblable à celle d’autres algorithmes classiques itératifs de déformation de volume. Les simulations numériques de reconstruction tomographique ont permis de caractériser la robustesse de l’algorithme au bruit spécifique de la tomographie. Nous avons montré que FOLKI-3D était plus robuste aux particules fantômes cohérentes que les algorithmes classiques de déformation volumique. De plus, des gains de performance ont été observés en utilisant des schémas d’ordre élevé pour différents types de bruit.L’application de PVR-SMART sur des données expérimentales a été effectuée sur un jet d’air turbulent. Différentes densités de particules ont été utilisées pour comparer les performance de PVR-SMART avec tomo-SMART sur la région proche buse du jet. Avec le pré-traitement d’image utilisé, nous avons montré que les champs de vitesse de PVR-SMART étaient près de 50 % moins bruités que ceux de tomo-SMART. L’analyse sur les champs de vitesse comporte l’étude de quantités statistiques, de peak-locking, de divergence, du tenseur des gradients ainsi que de structures cohérentes.Enfin, nous concluons avec une synthèse des résultats obtenus au cours de cette étude, en envisageant de nouvelles perspectives de recherche dans le contexte de la PIV tomographique. / This research dissertation focuses on the developments of tomographic PIV (tomo-PIV) for the measurement of turbulent flows (Elsinga et al. 2006). It is based on the tomographic reconstruction of a volumic intensity distribution of tracer particles from projections recorded on cameras. The corresponding volumic distributions are correlated to obtain 3D displacement fields.The present work surveys the state of advancement of the research conducted on this technique and the main issues it has been confronted with so far. The main research focus was on tomographic reconstruction. Indeed, its main limitation is the appearance of ghost particles, ie reconstruction noise, which occurs when high tracer concentrations are required for high spatial resolution measurements.For a thorough understanding of tomographic noise, we carried out a numerical study of experimental factors impacting the quality of tomographic reconstruction. Geometric considerations quantified the impact of "added particles" lying in the Union volume but not in the Intersection volume, between the camera fields of view and the illumination area. This phenomenon was shown to create ghost particles. The decrease in signal-to-noise ratio in the image was investigated, considering Mie scattering and defocusing effects. Particle image defocusing mainly results in the loss of real particles in reconstruction. Mie scattering’s main impact is also the loss of real particles due to the polydisperse nature of the seeding.This study of imaging conditions for tomo-PIV led us to propose an alternative approach to classical tomographic reconstruction. It seeks to recover nearly single voxel particles rather than blobs of extended size using a particle-based representation of image data. We term this approach Particle Volume Reconstruction (PVR). PVR underlies a more physical, sparse volumic representation of point particles, which lives halfway between infinitely small particles, and voxel blobs commonly used in tomo-PIV. From that representation, it is possible to smooth it to 2 voxel diameter blobs for a 3D-PIV use of PVR incorporated in a SMART algorithm. Numerical simulations showed that PVR-SMART outperforms tomo-SMART (Atkinson et al. 2009) on a variety generating conditions and a variety of metrics on volume reconstruction and displacement estimation, especially in the case of seeding density greater than 0.06 ppp.We introduce a cross-correlation technique for 3D-PIV (FOLKI-3D) as an extension to 3D of the FOLKI-PIV algorithm (Champagnat et al. 2011). The displacement is searched as the minimizer of a sum of squared differences, solved iteratively by using volume deformation. Numerical tests confirmed that spatial frequency response is similar to that of standard iterative deformation algorithms. Numerical simulations of tomographic reconstruction characterized the robustness of the algorithm to specific tomographic noise. FOLKI-3D was found more robust to coherent ghosts than standard deformation algorithms, while gains in accuracy of the high-order deformation scheme were obtained for various signal noises.The application of PVR-SMART on experimental data was performed on a turbulent air jet. Several seeding density conditions were used to compare the performance of tomo-SMART and PVR-SMART on the near field region of the jet. With the given image pre-processing, PVR-SMART was found to yield velocity fields that are about 50 % less noisy than tomo-SMART. The velocity field comparison included velocity field statistical properties, peak-locking study, flow divergence analysis, velocity gradient tensor and coherent structures exploration.Finally, conclusions are drawn from the main results of this dissertation and lead to potential research perspectives of our work with respect to the future of tomographic PIV.