L'impact anthropique sur les écosystèmes coralliens est aujourd'hui largement documenté, que ce soit sur la biodiversité qu'ils hébergent, leur diversité fonctionnelle, les services écosystémiques qu'ils procurent ou leur capacité de résilience. Parmi les groupes trophiques, les prédateurs apicaux en général et les requins en particulier, sont particulièrement sensibles aux perturbations d’origine humaine du fait de leurs traits d'histoire de vie conservateurs (e.g. croissance lente, maturité sexuelle tardive, faible fécondité). D'après certaines estimations, les populations de requins ont décliné de plus de 90% à l'échelle globale. Afin d'assurer le maintien de leurs populations et de leur rôle fonctionnel dans la communauté, il est nécessaire de mettre en place des mesures de gestion adaptées. Les objectifs de cette thèse sont de 1) faire le bilan des populations de requins de Nouvelle-Calédonie ; 2) déterminer l'efficacité des vidéos stéréoscopiques appâtées (S-BRUVS) pour recenser les requins en les comparant aux comptages en plongées (UVC) et évaluer leur possible amélioration ; 3) évaluer l'impact de la proximité humaine sur la diversité, l'abondance et le comportement des requins récifaux et 4) déterminer l'efficacité des mesures de gestion en place pour protéger ces espèces emblématiques. Les résultats des deux méthodes de recensement montrent un important déclin d'environ 90% des abondances de requins récifaux le long d'un gradient anthropique complet en Nouvelle-Calédonie alors que la pêche des requins est historiquement absente dans cet archipel. Une importante altération comportementale du requin gris de récif (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) face à la nouveauté d'un appât a été mise en évidence. Les individus se tiennent plus éloigné du dispositif, interagissent moins avec l'appât et mettent plus de temps pour le mordre avec l'augmentation de la proximité humaine. Cette dernière est le principal moteur de ce déclin d’abondance (46 à 71%) et de l'altération comportementale vers des individus plus craintifs (50 à 80%). Globalement, les aires marines protégées de Nouvelle-Calédonie ne sont pas efficaces pour la protection des requins. Néanmoins, la réserve intégrale Merlet héberge des populations de requins proche du niveau de récifs isolés de l’archipel et protège une partie du comportement. Les résultats de ce travail révèlent 1) l'importance et le caractère unique des récifs coralliens isolés ; 2) qu'en absence de pêche la proximité humaine conditionne l'abondance et le comportement des requins de récifs avec des conséquences écologiques potentielles sur l'ensemble du réseau trophique ; 3) que l'efficacité des AMPs réside dans leur capacité à exclure la présence humaine sur une surface suffisamment grande. / Anthropogenic impacts on coral reefs are largely documented through changes in functional diversity, ecosystem services or resilience. Among trophic groups, apex predators in general and sharks in particular are the most sensitive to disturbance due to conservative life history traits (e.g. slow growth, late sexual maturity, low fecundity). By some estimates, shark populations have declined by >90% worldwide. To ensure the sustainability of their populations and their functional role in the reef community, appropriate management measures must be implemented. The aims of this thesis are 1) to assess reef shark populations in New Caledonia; 2) to evaluate the efficiency of stereo baited remote underwater video systems (S-BRUVS) in surveying shark distribution comparing them to underwater visual censuses (UVC) and to evaluate their potential improvements ; 3) to evaluate the impact of human proximity on diversity, abundance and behaviour of reef sharks and 4) to determine the efficiency of management measures currently in place in New Caledonia to protect reef shark populations. The results of S-BRUVS and UVC were congruent and revealed a dramatic decline of shark abundance of ~90% along the anthropogenic gradient in a country where shark fishing is historically absent. An important behavioural alteration of the grey reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) towards bait was highlighted. Individuals remained farther from the device, exhibited more cautious approaches, interacted less with the bait and took longer to bite it as human proximity increased. Human proximity was the main driver of the abundance decline (46 to 71%) and the behavioural alteration towards shier individuals (50 to 80%). Globally, MPAs in New Caledonia are not effective in protecting reef sharks. However, the oldest and most restrictive MPA (Merlet) hosts shark abundance close to that of some remote reefs of the archipelago and partially protect the behaviour of individuals. These results 1) emphasize the unique role of remote coral reefs as the last refuges for sharks ; 2) reveal that in absence of shark fishing, human proximity condition shark abundance and behaviour with potential ecological consequences and 3) indicate that the MPAs efficiency to ensure the protection of reef sharks is effected by their ability to exclude human presence over a sufficiently large area.

As climate change continues, climactic extremes are predicted to become more frequent and intense, in some cases resulting in dramatic changes to ecosystems. The effects of climate change on ecosystems will be mediated, in part, by biotic interactions in those ecosystems. However, there is still considerable uncertainty about where and how such biotic interactions will be important in the context of ecosystem disturbance and climactic extremes. Here, I review the role of consumers in seagrass ecosystems and investigate the ecological impacts of an extreme climactic event (marine heat wave) and subsequent widespread seagrass die-off in Shark Bay, Western Australia. Specifically, I compare seagrass cover, shark catch rates, and encounter rates of air breathing fauna in multiple habitat types before and after the seagrass die-off to describe post-disturbance dynamics of the seagrass community, shifts in consumer abundances, and changes in risk-sensitive habitat use patterns by a variety of mesoconsumers at risk of predation from tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier). Finally, I conducted a 16 month field experiment to assess whether xi loss of top predators, and predicted shifts in dugong foraging, could destabilize remaining seagrass. I found that the previously dominant temperate seagrass Amphibolis antarctica is stable, but not increasing. Conversely, an early-successional tropical seagrass, Halodule uninervis, is expanding. Following the die-off, the densities of several consumer species (cormorants, green turtles, sea snakes, and dugongs) declined, while others (Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, loggerhead sea turtles, tiger sharks) remained stable. Stable tiger shark abundances following the seagrass die-off suggest that the seascape of fear remains intact in this system. However, several consumers (dolphins, cormorants) began to use dangerous but profitable seagrass banks more often following seagrass decline, suggesting a relaxation of anti-predator behavior. Experimental results suggest that a loss of tiger sharks would result in a behaviorally mediated trophic cascade (BMTC) in degraded seagrass beds, further destabilizing them and potentially resulting in a phase shift. My work shows that climactic extremes can have strong but variable impacts on ecosystems mediated in part by species identity, and that maintenance of top predator populations may by important to ecological resilience in the face of climate change.

The master thesis deals with determination of selected biochemicals (lignin, carotenoids, water) content in Norway spruce needles using laboratory and imaging spectroscopy. The first part of thesis summarizes literature dealing with methods of estimating lignin and other biochemicals content. Three types of data are used in this thesis: 1. spectra measured by contact probe and ASD FieldSpec 4 Wide Res spectroradiometer, 2. spectra measured by integrating sphere and spectroradiometer and 3. aerial hyperspectral image data acquired by APEX sensor. The most useful transformation methods - first derivative and continuum removal are applied to the spectrum. Further the linear relationship between measured spectrum and content of biochemicals is analysed. Stepwise multiple linear regression is applied to select suitable wavelengths for modeling of biochemicals content in spruce needles. The model is also calculated and applied on the level of image hyperspectral data. Maps of lignin content in Norway spruce are the final output of these part of this. Next part of the thesis compares spectra measured by contact probe and spectra measured by integrating sphere. Diffrerence between the studied areas based on biochemicals content in spruce needles and several chemical elements in the soil and based on...

Killer whales are the oceans’ apex predator and are known to have important effects on ecosystems. At Subantarctic Marion Island, southern Indian Ocean, they have only been studied opportunistically, resulting in limited knowledge of their ecosystem impact here. This dissertation describes the prey and seasonal abundance, estimates the population size and assesses the predatory impact of killer whales on seals and penguins at Marion Island, using dedicated and opportunistic shore-based observations and photographic identification, from 2006 to 2009. During 823 sightings of killer whales at Marion Island (2006 to 2009) 48 predation events were recorded; in only 10 cases could prey be identified. Killer whales fed on fur seals, elephant seals and penguins. Constant effort (dedicated) observations (259 hours, 2008 to 2009) showed that killer whale abundance, which peaked in September to December with a secondary peak in April to May, is linked to the abundance of seals and penguins. Mark-recapture analyses were performed using nearly 10 000 photographs taken from 2006 to 2009. Following careful quality control criteria 37 individuals were identified and a population size of 42 (95% CI = 35-50) individuals estimated using the open population POPAN parameterization in the software program MARK. The analytical approach is more rigorous than that used in any previous population size assessment at Marion Island. Finally, the above data were integrated to assess whether top-down control of seal and penguin populations at Marion Island is generally plausible using a simple process of elimination. Based on published data I predicted the energetic ingestion requirements of adult male and female killer whales as 1 394 MJ.day-1 and 1 028 MJ.day-1, respectively. Expanding these requirements to the 37 killer whales photographically identified at Marion Island, the population requires 40 600MJ.day-1. Based on available energy density and mass data, I predicted the energy content of available seal and penguin prey and calculated the rates at which killer whales would consume these prey in various scenarios. Penguins and Subantarctic fur seals are relatively insensitive to killer whale predation owing to their large population sizes (10 000s to 100 000s), conversely, the smaller populations (100s to 1 000s) of Antarctic fur seals and southern elephant seals are sensitive to predation, particularly the latter as they have a high energy content (approximately 2 000 to 9 000 MJ). Populations of these seals are currently increasing or stable and I conclude that presently killer whale predation is not driving population declines, although they clearly have the potential for regulation of these smaller populations. Thus, if population sizes were reduced by bottom-up processes, if killer whale diet shifted, or if prey availability changed, top-down control by killer whales could become significant. This study provides baseline information for the informed management and conservation of killer whales at Marion Island, identifies avenues for further research, and provides a foundation for the continuation of structured and dedicated killer whale research at Marion Island. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Zoology and Entomology / unrestricted

No / The ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars rover will be launched in 2018. The primary aim of the mission will be to find evidence of extinct or extant life by extracting samples from the subsurface of Mars. The rover will incorporate a drill that is capable of extracting cores from depths of up to 2 m, a Sample Preparation and Distribution System (SPDS) that will crush the core into small grains and a suite of analytical instruments. A key component of the analytical suite will be the Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) that will be used to probe the molecular and mineralogical composition of the samples. In this work we consider the capability of the proposed Raman spectrometer to detect reduced carbon (possibly associated with evidence for extinct life) and to identify the level of thermal alteration/maturity. The Raman analysis of 21 natural samples of shale (originating from regions exhibiting different levels of thermal maturity) is described and it is shown that reduced carbon levels as low as 0.08% can be readily detected. It is also demonstrated that the Raman spectra obtained with the instrument can be used to distinguish between samples exhibiting high and low levels of thermal maturity and that reduced carbon can be detected in samples exposed to significant levels of oxidation (as expected on the surface of Mars). (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The most commonly known macro scale probing devices are simply comprised of metallic leads used for measuring electrical signals. On the other hand, micromachined probing devices are realized using microfabrication techniques and are capable of providing very fine, micro/nano scale interaction with matter; along with a broad range of applications made possible by incorporating MEMS sensing and actuation techniques. Micromachined probes consist of a well-defined tip structure that determines the interaction space, and a transduction mechanism that could be used for sensing a change, imparting external stimuli or manipulating matter. Several micromachined probes intended for biological and nanotechnology applications were fabricated, characterized and tested. Probes were developed under two major categories. The first category consists of Micro Electromagnetic Probes for biological applications such as single cell, particle, droplet manipulation and neuron stimulation applications; whereas the second category targets novel Scanning Probe topologies suitable for direct nanopatterning, variable resolution scanning probe/dip-pen nanolithography, and biomechanics applications. The functionality and versatility of micromachined probes for a broad range of micro and nanotechnology applications is successfully demonstrated throughout the five different probes/applications that were studied. It is believed that, the unique advantages of precise positioning capability, confinement of interaction as determined by the probe tip geometry, and special sensor/actuator mechanisms incorporated through MEMS technologies will render micromachined probes as indispensable tools for microsystems and nanotechnology studies.

Ventricular premature beats are ectopic changes in the ECG signal. Detection of ventricular extrasystoles on 12leads ECG was created in MATLAB. At first my work involves whether the ventricular premature beats comes from the right or the left ventricle. Another algorithm evaluates the incidence outflow tract of the chamber. If the previous algorithm shows signs of indecision, another algorithm is used for detection of ventricular extrasystoles at another location in the left ventricle. The last step is to narrow the area of detection which makes it easier to find the place of origin.

The nuclear industry has long relied upon bounding parametric analyses in predicting the safety margins of reactor designs undergoing design-basis accidents. These methods have been known to return highly-conservative results, limiting the operating conditions of the reactor. The Best-Estimate Plus Uncertainty (BEPU) method using a modernized version of the Code-Scaling, Applicability, and Uncertainty (CSAU) methodology has been applied to more accurately predict the safety margins of the Oregon State University Advanced Plant Experiment (APEX) facility experiencing a Loss-of-Feedwater Accident (LOFA). The statistical advantages of the Bayesian paradigm of probability was utilized to incorporate prior knowledge when determining the analysis required to justify the safety margins. RELAP5 Mod 3.3 was used to accurately predict the thermal-hydraulics of a primary Feed-and-Bleed response to the accident using assumptions to accompany the lumped-parameter calculation approach. A novel coupling of thermal-hydraulic and statistical software was accomplished using the Symbolic Nuclear Analysis Package (SNAP). Uncertainty in Peak Cladding Temperature (PCT) was calculated at the 95/95 probability/confidence levels under a series of four separate sensitivity studies. / Graduation date: 2013

O controle da extrusão apical durante a reintervenção endodôntica é essencial para o sucesso do novo tratamento. Nesse contexto, o presente estudo teve como objetivo comparar a quantidade de material sólido extruído na desobturação de canais radiculares variando-se a técnica de esvaziamento e o limite de obturação. Foram utilizados 40 incisivos inferiores previamente tratados divididos em dois grupos de acordo com o limite de obturação estabelecido. Cada grupo foi subdividido em dois subgrupos levando-se em conta a técnica de desobturação empregada; manual (subgrupos A1 e B1) e mecânico-rotatória com limas de Ni-Ti (Quantec LX) (subgrupos A2 e B2). O material sólido extruído foi coletado por meio do sistema de filtração Millipore, levado à secagem em dessecador de sílica e pesado em balança analítica de precisão. Os resultados obtidos foram submetidos a ANOVA para dois fatores de variação sendo em seguida empregado o Teste de Tukey (&#945; = 5%). A técnica de desobturação mecânico-rotatória produziu menor extrusão (0,66mg) que a manual (1,11mg), havendo diferença estatística significante entre elas (p < 0,05). Os canais preenchidos até o vértice radiográfico apresentaram maior quantidade de extrusão (1,38mg) do que os obturados 1 mm aquém do forame (0,39mg), observando-se diferença estatística significante entre eles (p < 0,05). A menor quantidade extrusão foi observada no subgrupo A2 (0,20mg), em que foi empregada a técnica rotatória de desobturação em canais obturados 1mm aquém do forame apical, sendo constatada diferença estatisticamente significante deste subgrupo com os demais (p < 0,05). A extrusão de material sólido durante a desobturação de canais radiculares é influenciado pela técnica empregada e pelo limite apical de obturação. / The apical extrusion control during the endodontic retreatment is essential for the success of the new treatment. The purpose of this study was to compare the quantity of solid apically extruded material during filling removal according the gutta-percha removal technique and root filling limit. Forty mandibular incisors with a single straight canal were selected. The canals were previously endodontically treated and then divided into two groups according the filling level. Each group was subdivided in two groups considering the retreatment technique: stainless steel hand files (subgroups A1 and B1) versus niquel-titanium rotatory instruments (subgroups A2 and B2). The extruded solid material was collected by Millipore filtration system, dried in silica desiccators and weighed in an eletrobalance. The results were analyzed using ANOVA with two variation factors and Tukey Test (&#945; = 5%). The niquel-titanium rotatory instruments produced less extrusion (0,66mg) than the stainless steel hand files (1,11mg), with significant statistical difference between them (p < 0,05). The canals filled until the radiographic apex showed larger amount of extruded material (1,38mg) than those filled 1 mm beyond the foramen (0,39mg). It was observed significant statistical difference between them (p < 0,05). The smaller extruded debris amount was observed in subgroup A2 (0,20mg), in which one the rotary technique was used to remove the gutta-percha of canals filled 1mm beyond the apical foramen. It was verified significant statistical difference of this subgroup with the other ones (p < 0,05). The extrusion of solid material during the gutta-percha removal is influenced by the technique as well as the apical filling limit.

O controle da extrusão apical durante a reintervenção endodôntica é essencial para o sucesso do novo tratamento. Nesse contexto, o presente estudo teve como objetivo comparar a quantidade de material sólido extruído na desobturação de canais radiculares variando-se a técnica de esvaziamento e o limite de obturação. Foram utilizados 40 incisivos inferiores previamente tratados divididos em dois grupos de acordo com o limite de obturação estabelecido. Cada grupo foi subdividido em dois subgrupos levando-se em conta a técnica de desobturação empregada; manual (subgrupos A1 e B1) e mecânico-rotatória com limas de Ni-Ti (Quantec LX) (subgrupos A2 e B2). O material sólido extruído foi coletado por meio do sistema de filtração Millipore, levado à secagem em dessecador de sílica e pesado em balança analítica de precisão. Os resultados obtidos foram submetidos a ANOVA para dois fatores de variação sendo em seguida empregado o Teste de Tukey (&#945; = 5%). A técnica de desobturação mecânico-rotatória produziu menor extrusão (0,66mg) que a manual (1,11mg), havendo diferença estatística significante entre elas (p < 0,05). Os canais preenchidos até o vértice radiográfico apresentaram maior quantidade de extrusão (1,38mg) do que os obturados 1 mm aquém do forame (0,39mg), observando-se diferença estatística significante entre eles (p < 0,05). A menor quantidade extrusão foi observada no subgrupo A2 (0,20mg), em que foi empregada a técnica rotatória de desobturação em canais obturados 1mm aquém do forame apical, sendo constatada diferença estatisticamente significante deste subgrupo com os demais (p < 0,05). A extrusão de material sólido durante a desobturação de canais radiculares é influenciado pela técnica empregada e pelo limite apical de obturação. / The apical extrusion control during the endodontic retreatment is essential for the success of the new treatment. The purpose of this study was to compare the quantity of solid apically extruded material during filling removal according the gutta-percha removal technique and root filling limit. Forty mandibular incisors with a single straight canal were selected. The canals were previously endodontically treated and then divided into two groups according the filling level. Each group was subdivided in two groups considering the retreatment technique: stainless steel hand files (subgroups A1 and B1) versus niquel-titanium rotatory instruments (subgroups A2 and B2). The extruded solid material was collected by Millipore filtration system, dried in silica desiccators and weighed in an eletrobalance. The results were analyzed using ANOVA with two variation factors and Tukey Test (&#945; = 5%). The niquel-titanium rotatory instruments produced less extrusion (0,66mg) than the stainless steel hand files (1,11mg), with significant statistical difference between them (p < 0,05). The canals filled until the radiographic apex showed larger amount of extruded material (1,38mg) than those filled 1 mm beyond the foramen (0,39mg). It was observed significant statistical difference between them (p < 0,05). The smaller extruded debris amount was observed in subgroup A2 (0,20mg), in which one the rotary technique was used to remove the gutta-percha of canals filled 1mm beyond the apical foramen. It was verified significant statistical difference of this subgroup with the other ones (p < 0,05). The extrusion of solid material during the gutta-percha removal is influenced by the technique as well as the apical filling limit.