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This thesis explores two sets of issues in contemporary epistemology. The first part explores issues surrounding the category of basic knowledge (or justification) – that is, at a first-pass, knowledge (or justification) which is immediate, in the sense that one’s justification for the known proposition doesn’t rest on any justification for believing other propositions. The second part investigates issues surrounding knowledge-closure and various conditions – namely, conclusive reasons, sensitivity, and safety – which some philosophers have claimed are necessary for knowledge. Each part of the thesis is substantial (there are five chapters in the first part and four in the second), and the two sets of issues – while evidently of independent interest – are interrelated in several ways. In broad outline, part one of the thesis concludes that, even if (in the worst case) the first-pass category of basic knowledge delineated above is not ultimately tenable (on account of credible arguments against it considered in chapter 5), there is a distinct category of knowledge, aptly called ‘basic’, which is, plausibly, tenable. Part two of the thesis, meanwhile, begins by attempting to render the conclusive reasons and sensitivity conditions – conditions the adoption of which involves rejection of knowledge-closure – in as plausible a form as possible. And a rejection of knowledge-closure has implications for the viability of the first-pass category of basic knowledge delineated above, in particular. Part two closes by exploring the safety condition: a start is made at defending a novel safety condition; and a possible application of the safety condition to the legal domain is considered. The Conclusion, which includes a prospectus for further work, ties the safety condition on knowledge (chapters 8 and 9) back to the notion of failure of transmission of epistemic warrant (an absolutely central notion in part one).

Dans le cadre de la robotique mobile, des progrès significatifs ont été obtenus au cours des trois dernières décennies pour la cartographie et la localisation. La plupart des projets de recherche traitent du problème de SLAM métrique. Les techniques alors développées sont sensibles aux erreurs liées à la dérive ce qui restreint leur utilisation à des environnements de petite échelle. Dans des environnements de grande taille, l’utilisation de cartes topologiques, qui sont indépendantes de l’information métrique, se présentent comme une alternative aux approches métriques.Cette thèse porte principalement sur le problème de la construction de cartes topologiques pour la navigation de robots mobiles dans des environnements urbains de grande taille, en utilisant des caméras omnidirectionnelles. La principale contribution de cette thèse est la résolution efficace et avec précision du problème de fermeture de boucles, problème qui est au coeur de tout algorithme de cartographie topologique. Le cadre de cartographie topologique éparse / hiérarchique proposé allie une approche de partionnement de séquence d’images (ISP) par regroupement des images visuellement similaires dans un noeud avec une approche de détection de fermeture de boucles permettant de connecter ces noeux. Le graphe topologique alors obtenu représente l’environnement du robot. L’algorithme de fermeture de boucle hiérarchique développé permet d’extraire dans un premier temps les noeuds semblables puis, dans un second temps, l’image la plus similaire. Cette détection de fermeture de boucles hiérarchique est rendue efficace par le stockage du contenu des cartes éparses sous la forme d’une structure de données d’indexation appelée fichier inversé hiérarchique (HIF). Nous proposons de combiner le score de pondération TFIDF avec des contraintes spatiales et la fréquence des amers détectés pour obtenir une meilleur robustesse de la fermeture de boucles. Les résultats en terme de densité et précision des cartes obtenues et d’efficacité sont évaluées et comparées aux résultats obtenus avec des approches de l’état de l’art sur des séquences d’images omnidirectionnelles acquises en milieu extérieur. Au niveau de la précision des détections de boucles, des résultats similaires ont été observés vis-à-vis des autres approches mais sans étape de vérification utilisant la géométrie épipolaire. Bien qu’efficace, l’approche basée sur HIF présente des inconvénients comme la faible densité des cartes et le faible taux de détection des boucles. Une seconde technique de fermeture de boucle a alors été développée pour combler ces lacunes. Le problème de la faible densité des cartes est causé par un sur-partionnement de la séquence d’images. Celui-ci est résolu en utilisant des vecteurs de descripteurs agrégés localement (VLAD) lors de l’étape de ISP. Une mesure de similarité basée sur une contrainte spatiale spécifique à la structure des images omnidirectionnelles a également été développée. Des résultats plus précis sont obtenus, même en présence de peu d’appariements. Les taux de réussite sont meilleurs qu’avec FABMAP 2.0, la méthode la plus utilisée actuellement, sans étape supplémentaire de vérification géométrique.L’environnement est souvent supposé invariant au cours du temps : la carte de l’environnement est construite lors d’une phase d’apprentissage puis n’est pas modifiée ensuite. Une gestion de la mémoire à long terme est nécessaire pour prendre en compte les modifications dans l’environnement au cours du temps. La deuxième contribution de cette thèse est la formulation d’une approche de gestion de la mémoire visuelle à long terme qui peut être utilisée dans le cadre de cartes visuelles topologiques et métriques. Les premiers résultats obtenus sont encourageants. (...) / Over the last three decades, research in mobile robotic mapping and localization has seen significant progress. However, most of the research projects these problems into the SLAM framework while trying to map and localize metrically. As metrical mapping techniques are vulnerable to errors caused by drift, their ability to produce consistent maps is limited to small scale environments. Consequently, topological mapping approaches which are independent of metrical information stand as an alternative to metrical approaches in large scale environments. This thesis mainly deals with the loop closure problem which is the crux of any topological mapping algorithm. Our main aim is to solve the loop closure problem efficiently and accurately using an omnidirectional imaging sensor. Sparse topological maps can be built by representing groups of visually similar images of a sequence as nodes of a topological graph. We propose a sparse / hierarchical topological mapping framework which uses Image Sequence Partitioning (ISP) to group visually similar images of a sequence as nodes which are then connected on occurrence of loop closures to form a topological graph. A hierarchical loop closure algorithm that can first retrieve the similar nodes and then perform an image similarity analysis on the retrieved nodes is used. An indexing data structure called Hierarchical Inverted File (HIF) is proposed to store the sparse maps to facilitate an efficient hierarchical loop closure. TFIDF weighting is combined with spatial and frequency constraints on the detected features for improved loop closure robustness. Sparsity, efficiency and accuracy of the resulting maps are evaluated and compared to that of the other two existing techniques on publicly available outdoor omni-directional image sequences. Modest loop closure recall rates have been observed without using the epi-polar geometry verification step common in other approaches. Although efficient, the HIF based approach has certain disadvantages like low sparsity of maps and low recall rate of loop closure. To address these shortcomings, another loop closure technique using spatial constraint based similarity measure on omnidirectional images has been proposed. The low sparsity of maps caused by over-partitioning of the input sequence has been overcome by using Vector of Locally Aggregated Descriptors (VLAD) for ISP. Poor resolution of the omnidirectional images causes fewer feature matches in image pairs resulting in reduced recall rates. A spatial constraint exploiting the omnidirectional image structure is used for feature matching which gives accurate results even with fewer feature matches. Recall rates better than the contemporary FABMAP 2.0 approach have been observed without the additional geometric verification. The second contribution of this thesis is the formulation of a visual memory management approach suitable for long term operability of mobile robots. The formulated approach is suitable for both topological and metrical visual maps. Initial results which demonstrate the capabilities of this approach have been provided. Finally, a detailed description of the acquisition and construction of our multi-sensor dataset is provided. The aim of this dataset is to serve the researchers working in the mobile robotics and vision communities for evaluating applications like visual SLAM, mapping and visual odometry. This is the first dataset with omnidirectional images acquired on a car-like vehicle driven along a trajectory with multiple loops. The dataset consists of 6 sequences with data from 11 sensors including 7 cameras, stretching 18 kilometers in a semi-urban environmental setting with complete and precise ground-truth.

Many amphibian populations are rapidly disappearing throughout the world. An important issue for ecologists is why some amphibian species are more susceptible to decline than others. Here I present five experiments that compare the performance of an endangered (Rana sevosa) and a common (Rana sphenocephala) frog in changing habitats, to determine why these two species differ in their persistence. I include additional studies investigating the habitat requirements and behavior of R. sevosa. I found that habitat change in the form of canopy closure over breeding ponds negatively affects both species, making them smaller as tadpoles and at metamorphosis. The magnitude of size differences was greater for R. sevosa and this species was less likely to survive in closed canopy ponds. Larval survival was not affected in R. sphenocephala and this is likely a key reason for the persistence of this species in habitats where R. sevosa has been extirpated. The introduction of fish to breeding ponds would also differentially affect the two species. R. sevosa did not display behavioral defenses to the threat of fish predation while R. sphenocephala did. R. sevosa displayed a preference for certain characteristics in its habitat including open canopy ponds, grassy terrestrial habitats and an abundance of burrows. An association with the chemical cues of burrow making organisms suggests that these organisms may be important for R. sevosa. Therefore, specialized habitat requirements and behaviors which may be contributing to its decline. I found some evidence of asymmetric competition in the larval stage with R. sevosa negatively affecting R. sphenocephala. It does not appear that larval competition with R. sphenocephala has contributed to the decline of R. sevosa. The primary difference between the two species was in responses to habitat change. R. sevosa appears to be rigid in its habitat requirements and behavior and its inability to respond and adapt to change is a key component of its rarity. By contrast R. sphenocephala showed an ability to cope with habitat changes. Conservation of R. sevosa will require suitable management of the aquatic and terrestrial habitats, primarily through the instigation of an appropriate fire regime.

During this thesis work a coupled thermo-mechanical finite element model (FEM) was builtto simulate hot rolling in the blooming mill at Sandvik Materials Technology (SMT) inSandviken. The blooming mill is the first in a long line of processes that continuously or ingotcast ingots are subjected to before becoming finished products. The aim of this thesis work was twofold. The first was to create a parameterized finiteelement (FE) model of the blooming mill. The commercial FE software package MSCMarc/Mentat was used to create this model and the programing language Python was used toparameterize it. Second, two different pass schedules (A and B) were studied and comparedusing the model. The two pass series were evaluated with focus on their ability to healcentreline porosity, i.e. to close voids in the centre of the ingot. This evaluation was made by studying the hydrostatic stress (σm), the von Mises stress (σeq)and the plastic strain (εp) in the centre of the ingot. From these parameters the stress triaxiality(Tx) and the hydrostatic integration parameter (Gm) were calculated for each pass in bothseries using two different transportation times (30 and 150 s) from the furnace. The relationbetween Gm and an analytical parameter (Δ) was also studied. This parameter is the ratiobetween the mean height of the ingot and the contact length between the rolls and the ingot,which is useful as a rule of thumb to determine the homogeneity or penetration of strain for aspecific pass. The pass series designed with fewer passes (B), many with greater reduction, was shown toachieve better void closure theoretically. It was also shown that a temperature gradient, whichis the result of a longer holding time between the furnace and the blooming mill leads toimproved void closure.

O objetivo desta tese é questionar a interpretação da relação entre educação e renda do trabalho como sendo fundamentalmente aquela entre investimento e retorno. Argumenta-se que a renda pode ser enquadrada numa abordagem sociológica relacional e mostra-se de que modo as desigualdades de renda se configuram como um tipo específico e irredutível de desigualdade social. Restringindo o foco às desigualdades da renda auferida na esfera do trabalho, procura-se compreender como a educação veio a se tornar o principal componente explicativo em grande parte das perspectivas contemporâneas. A narrativa atualmente mais importante associa os seus efeitos a retornos de investimentos produtivos e lê o movimento dos indicadores empíricos como expressão de sua variação. Argumenta-se que essa leitura não é necessária, do ponto de vista lógico, nem tem consistência teórica ou empírica. Ainda assim, há grande insistência em compreender a educação como investimento será preciso compreender as bases desse fenômeno. Veremos que esse modo de associar educação e renda resolveria, do ponto de vista da teoria econômica, certos enigmas sobre o crescimento da produtividade agregada; além disso, configurou-se como importante explicação não apenas analítica, mas também moral sobre a origem da desigualdade entre indivíduos, descartando perspectivas inatistas e racistas. Argumenta-se que não é necessário compreender a educação como investimento que traz benefícios pessoais para se valer dos ganhos analíticos trazidos por essas soluções. Além disso, mostra-se que os métodos de cálculo dos retornos mantêm ligação frouxa com a perspectiva dos investimentos e poderiam facilmente ser compatíveis com quaisquer processos de vantagens cumulativas ao longo do tempo. Por fim, arriscam-se, por meio de um ensaio, os primeiros passos para uma compreensão sociológica e histórica da relação entre renda do trabalho e educação a partir da perspectiva dos fechamentos e das prerrogativas sociais exclusivas. / The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the interpretation of the relationship between education and labor income as that between investment and return. It is argued that income can be framed in a relational sociological approach and that it shows that income inequalities can be defined as a specific and irreducible type of social inequality. Focusing on income inequalities in the sphere of work, it is sought to understand how education has become the main explanatory component in most contemporary perspectives. Today\'s most important narrative associates the educational effects with \"returns\" of productive investments and reads the movement of empirical indicators as an expression of its variation. It is argued that this interpretation is not necessary, from the logical point of view, and that it lacks theoretical or empirical consistency. Nevertheless, since there is a great insistence on understanding education as an investment - it is necessary to understand the basis of this phenomenon. We will see that this way of associating education and income would solve, from the point of view of the economic theory, certain puzzles about aggregate productivity growth; Moreover, it was an important - not only analytical, but also moral[ - explanation of the origin of inequality between individuals, in opposition to inattentive and racist perspectives. It is argued that it is not necessary to understand education as an investment that brings personal benefits in order to profit from the analytical gains brought by these solutions. In addition, it is shown that the methods used for calculating the \"returns\" are loosely connected with the investment perspective and could easily be compatible with any processes of cumulative advantages over time. Finally, the first steps towards a sociological and historical understanding of the relationship between labor income and education from the perspective of closures and exclusive social prerogatives are put to the test.

Premolars are the most commonly extracted teeth to provide space to correct crowding and excessive labial protrusion. After treatment, the extraction spaces have to remain closed. Nevertheless, several studies have shown that there is a tendency for some relapse even in patients finished with an adequate occlusion. The objective of this study was to compare the stability of extraction space closure of the first and second premolars. A sample 72 patients´ dental casts were divided into two groups. Group 1, comprised 29 patients (116 extraction spaces) were treated with first premolar extractions at a mean initial age of 13.78 years and group 2, comprised 43 patients (100 extraction spaces) were treated with second premolar extractions at a mean initial age of 15.20 years. The dental casts obtained at pretrement, posttreament and a between 3 to 4 years postretention were digitized using a 3- dimensional scanner (R700; 3Shape,Copenhagen, Denmark). Chi-Square tests were used to compare the numbers of open and closed extraction spaces after treatment and at long-term posttreatment. T tests were used to compare the amount of spaces at posttreatment and at the long-term posttreatment stages. These tests were also performed in subgroups with completely closed extraction sites at posttreatment. The groups showed similar numbers of extraction sites reopening. First and second premolar extraction space closure present a similar tendency for reopening. Considering only the cases that showed completely closed extraction spaces in the final dental models, extraction space reopening was larger in the first premolar extraction group in the maxillary arch. / Os pré-molares são os dentes mais comumente extraídos para corrigir o apinhamento dentário e à protrusão labial excessiva. Após o tratamento, os espaços das extrações deveriam permanecer fechados. Contudo, muitos estudos demostraram que existe uma tendência à reabertura dos espaços de extrações em pacientes finalizados com uma oclusão adequada. O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar a estabilidade dos espaços de extrações de primeiro e segundo prémolares. A Amostra deste estudo foi composta por 72 modelos dentários dividido em dois grupos. O Grupo 1 composto por 29 pacientes (116 espaços de extração) foram tratados com extrações dos primeiros pré-molares com idade media inicial de 13,78 anos e o grupo 2 composto por 43 pacientes (100 espaços de extração) foram tratados com extrações dos segundos pré-molares com idade media inicial de 15.20 anos. Os modelos dentários obtidos no pré-tratamento, pós-tratamento e 3 a 4 anos de controle e foram digitalizados mediante um scanner 3Shape R700 3D (3Shape A/S, Copenhagen, Dinamarca). Os testes t e do Qui-Quadrado, foram utilizados para comparar o número de espaços de extração abertos e fechados após o tratamento e pós-tratamento em longo prazo. Os resultados demostraram números similares de reabertura do espaço de extração entre os grupos. Concluiu-se que considerando apenas os casos que mostraram espaços de extração completamente fechados no final do tratamento, a quantidade de reabertura dos espaços de extrações dos primeiros pré-molares ocorre mais frequentemente que dos segundos pré-molares no arco superior.

Entender os mecanismos de defesa das plantas de crisântemo em resposta à deficiência hídrica é importante no processo produtivo desta cultura. O objetivo neste trabalho foi determinar a resposta da transpiração e do crescimento foliar, de cultivares de crisântemo (Dendranthema grandiflora Tzvelev.), ao conteúdo de água disponível em substrato, representado pela fração de água transpirável em substrato (FATS). Foram realizados dois experimentos, no setor de floricultura do Colégio Politécnico da UFSM, utilizando-se o delineamento inteiramente casualizado, sendo um no fim da primavera de 2011, com aplicação dos tratamentos a partir de 09/12/2011 - e um no inverno de 2012, com aplicação dos tratamentos a partir de 07/07/2012. As plantas foram cultivadas em vasos de 2,8 litros, preenchidos com substrato e dispostos no interior de uma casa de vegetação com controle de temperatura. As cultivares de crisântemo utilizadas foram a Cherry White (de vaso), Repin Bronze (de corte), Apple Valley (de vaso) e Calábria (de corte). A FATS, a transpiração e o crescimento foliar foram determinados diariamente durante o período de imposição da deficiência hídrica em cada experimento. A FATS crítica no crisântemo que começa a afetar a transpiração, indicativo do início do fechamento estomático, é de 0,63 para a cultivar Cherry White; 0,60 para a cultivar Repin Bronze; 0,53 para a cultivar Apple Valley; e 0,51, para a cultivar Calábria. A redução do crescimento foliar inicia com um valor de FATS crítica de 0,67 para a cultivar Cherry White; 0,69 para a cultivar Repin Bronze; 0,59 para a cultivar Apple Valley e 0,54, para a cultivar Calábria. As cultivares Cherry White e Repin Bronze apresentam maior tolerância ao déficit hídrico do que as cultivares Apple Valley e Calábria. O crescimento foliar começa ser reduzido com um valor de FATS crítica maior do que o valor de FATS crítica em que a transpiração começa a ser reduzida. A deficiência hídrica afeta negativamente as variáveis de crescimento e de desenvolvimento de cultivares de crisântemo. / Understand the defense mechanisms of plants of chrysanthemum in response to water stress is important in the production process of this crop. The objective of this study was to determine the response of the plant to transpiration and leaf growth of chrysanthemum cultivars (Dendranthema grandiflora Tzvelev.), related to the available water content in the substrate, represented by the fraction of transpirable substrate water (FTSW). Two Greenhouse experiments were conducted in the flower sector of the Polytechnic College UFSM, using a completely randomized design. One started end of spring of 2011, with application of treatments on 09/12/2011 and the second in winter 2012, with application of treatments on 07/07/2012. Plants were grown in 2.8 liter pots filled with substrate and arranged inside a greenhouse with temperature control. The chrysanthemum cultivars were Cherry White (potted), Repin Bronze (for cut), Apple Valley (potted) and Calabria (for cut). The FTSW, transpiration and leaf growth were determined daily during the period of imposition of water deficit in each experiment. The threshold FTSW for Chrysanthemum that begins to affect transpiration, is an indicative of early stomatal closure and was 0.63 for the cultivar Cherry White, 0.60 for Repin Bronze, 0.53 for Apple Valley and 0.51, for Calabria. Leaf growth began to be reduced at a threshold FTSW of 0.67 for Cherry White, 0.69 for Repin Bronze, 0.59 for Apple Valley and 0.54, for Calabria. Cultivars Cherry White and Bronze Repin proved to be more tolerant to water deficit than the cultivars Apple Valley and Calábria. The reduced leaf growth starts with a threshold FTSW value larger than the threshold FTSW value related to reduced transpirations. The water deficit negatively affected the variables of growth and development of the chrysanthemum cultivars.

A retração dos dentes anteriores por meio de técnicas ortodônticas é indicada quando existe a vestibularização excessiva dos incisivos, evidente nos casos de classe I de Angle com biprotrusão dento-alveolar, classe II de Angle divisão 1ª, ou classe III de Angle de origem dentária - comprometendo a função oral e a estética facial. Existem diversas mecânicas para se realizar tal movimento. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar, por meio da fotoelasticidade, como se distribuem as tensões geradas, por diferentes tipos de mecânicas de retração, ao longo das raízes dos dentes anteroinferiores. Um modelo fotoelástico foi confeccionado em resina epóxi flexível, simulando um arco com os primeiros pré-molares extraídos, pronto para se iniciar a retração anteroinferior. Foram preparados sessenta arcos de retração, sendo quinze para cada tipo de mecânica avaliada: deslize, alça de Bull modificada, alça T e arco de dupla chave. A força de ativação da retração foi padronizada em 240 gramas para cada lado do arco - sendo sempre aferida com dinamômetro ortodôntico. Estratégias para o controle vertical do segmento anterior foram realizadas durante a ativação de retração, tais como efeito Gable e ganchos longos na mecânica de deslize. O comportamento das tensões foi observado no modelo fotoelástico, com o polariscópio circular na configuração de campo escuro, e fotografado sob três perspectivas: frontal, oclusal e oblíqua. Na frontal foram observados os incisivos, e comparadas as tensões entre as mecânicas, entre os terços radiculares e entre estes dentes. Na oclusal foram comparadas as tensões entre as mecânicas e entre os seis dentes anteriores. Na oblíqua foram comparadas as tensões entre as mecânicas e entre os terços radiculares do canino esquerdo. As fotografias foram analisadas e as ordens de franjas fotoelásticas anotadas em planilhas. A repetibilidade do método foi feita pela análise de kappa. A análise estatística foi realizada pelo teste de Kruskal-Wallis complementado pelo teste de Dunn. Os resultados mostraram que na perspectiva frontal não foram observadas diferenças estatisticamente significantes entre as quatro mecânicas de retração, avaliadas ao longo das raízes dos incisivos; entretanto, a mecânica de alça de Bull modificada apresentou discreta tendência em apresentar maiores tensões; em uma mesma mecânica, as maiores magnitudes de tensões concentraram-se nas regiões cervicais e de maneira homogênea ao longo dos quatro incisivos. Na perspectiva oclusal, a mecânica da alça de Bull modificada apresentou maiores tensões, seguida da mecânica com alça T, arco dupla chave e deslize; em uma mesma mecânica, as tensões concentraram-se nos caninos em relação aos incisivos. Na perspectiva oblíqua, a alça de Bull modificada gerou maiores tensões nas regiões cervicais do canino, sendo que nas regiões apicais não houve diferenças de tensões entre as quatro mecânicas; em uma mesma mecânica, existiu a formação de maiores tensões nas regiões cervicais. Ao se comparar as mecânicas, observou-se que a técnica do deslize apresentou as menores tensões e a alça de Bull modificada as maiores tensões nas regiões estudadas. / The orthodontic retraction of the anterior teeth is indicated when the patient have a malocclusion with excessive vestibularization of the incisors, evident in cases of Angle class I with biprotrusion, Angle class II first division, or Angle class III with dental origin; compromising oral function and facial aesthetics. Several mechanics are indicated to perform this movement. The objective of this study was to analyze, using photoelasticity, how strains generated by different types of retraction mechanics are distributed along the roots of the anteroinferior teeth. A photoelastic model was made of flexible epoxy resin, simulating an arch with the first premolars extracted, ready to initiate the anteroinferior retraction. Sixty retraction arches were prepared, fifteen for each type of mechanics evaluated: slide, teardrop loop, T loop and double-key loop. The activation force of retraction was standardized in 240 grams for each side of the arch, always measured with orthodontic dynamometer. Strategies were performed for vertical control of the anterior segment during the activation of retraction, such as Gable bend and long hooks in sliding mechanics. The behavior of the strains was observed in the photoelastic model with a circular polariscope in the dark field configuration, and photographed in three perspectives: frontal, occlusal and oblique. In the frontal perspective the incisors were observed, and the strains were compared among the mechanics, among the root thirds and among these teeth. In the occlusal perspective, the strains were compared among the mechanics and among the six anterior teeth. From the oblique perspective, tensions were compared among mechanics and among root thirds of the left canine. The photographs were analyzed and the photoelastic fringe orders were annotated in spreadsheets. The repeatability of the method was done by kappa analysis. Statistical analysis was performed by the Kruskal-Wallis test complemented by the Dunn test. The results showed that in the frontal perspective there were no statistically significant differences among the four retraction mechanics evaluated along the roots of the incisors; however, the teardrop loop mechanics showed a slight tendency to present higher strains; in the same mechanics the largest magnitudes of strains were concentrated in the cervical regions and homogeneously along the four incisors. In the occlusal perspective, the teardrop loop mechanics presented greater strains, followed by T loop, double key loop and sliding; in the same mechanics, the strains were concentrated in the canines in relation to the incisors. From the oblique perspective, the teardrop loop mechanics generated greater strains in the cervical regions of the canine, and in the apical regions there were no differences in strains among the four mechanics; in the same mechanics there was the formation of greater strains in the cervical regions. When comparing the mechanics, it was observed that the sliding presents the lower strains and the teardrop loop the greater tensions in the studied regions.

La phagocytose est un mécanisme cellulaire essentiel de l’organisme. Elle joue un rôle à la fois dans le maintien de l’homéostasie tissulaire mais également dans le système immunitaire. Ce processus, réalisé par des cellules phagocytaires, telles que les cellules dendritiques, les polymorphonucléaires neutrophiles ou les macrophages, permet l’ingestion et l’élimination quotidienne de particules de grandes tailles (>0,5 µm) : bactéries, champignons ou débris cellulaires. Il est induit par de nombreux récepteurs phagocytaires tels que les récepteurs aux fragments cristallisables des immunoglobulines (FcR) et les récepteurs au complément (CR3). Ceux-ci induisent des cascades de signalisation différentes mais aboutissant, toutes deux, à un remodelage du cytosquelette d’actine et de la membrane plasmique. Il y alors formation d’une coupe phagocytaire entourant et enfermant la particule à internaliser dans un compartiment clos appelé phagosome. Alors que de nombreuses études ont permis de disséquer l’organisation des coupes phagocytaires induites par les FcR, le mécanisme de fermeture des phagosomes n’était pas élucidé. Par ailleurs, les mécanismes moléculaires impliqués dans la formation des phagosomes suite à l’engagement des CR3 sont moins bien décrits. Au cours de ce travail, nous avons analysé le rôle de la dynamine 2, une GTPase impliquée dans les mécanismes de fission des vésicules d’endocytose, au cours de la formation et de la fermeture des phagosomes. Nous avons utilisé un système expérimental original utilisant la microscopie à ondes évanescentes pour montrer, que la dynamine 2 est recrutée avec l’actine dans les coupes phagocytaires en formation et qu’elle s’accumule au site de fermeture des phagosomes dans des macrophages vivants. L’inhibition de son activité GTPase induit une inhibition de l’efficacité de phagocytose et un défaut de la dynamique de l’actine lors de l’extension des coupes phagocytaires. De façon surprenante, la dépolymérisation de l’actine conduit à un défaut de recrutement de la dynamine 2 au site de la phagocytose mettant en évidence une régulation croisée entre la dynamine 2 et l’actine. Enfin cette étude a montré que la dynamine 2 joue un rôle critique dans la scission du phagosome. Dans un second temps, nous avons initié l’étude des mécanismes impliqués dans la régulation de l’activité du récepteur au complément CR3. L’activation de ce récepteur phagocytaire, qui fait partie de la famille des intégrines, requiert un ancrage à l’actine nécessaire à la signalisation vers la polymérisation d’actine et à la formation des coupes phagocytaires. L’ensemble de ces résultats contribue à une meilleure connaissance des mécanismes moléculaires fins impliqués dans la phagocytose. / Phagocytosis is an important cellular mechanism. It plays a role in both the maintenance of tissue homeostasis and in the immune system. This process, performed by phagocytic cells, including dendritic cells, polymorphonuclear neutrophils or macrophages, enables daily ingestion and elimination of large particles (> 0.5 microns) e.g. bacteria, fungi or cellular debris. It is induced by many phagocytic receptors such as the receptors for crystallizable fragments of immunoglobulins (FcR) and complement receptor (CR3). These receptors induce different signaling cascades but ultimately lead to a remodelling of the actin cytoskeleton and the plasma membrane. Next there is the formation of a phagocytic cup which surrounds and encloses the ingested particle in a closed compartment called the phagosome. While many studies have dissected the phagocytic cup organization induced by the FcR, the mechanism of phagosome closure was not understood. Furthermore, the molecular mechanisms involved in phagosome formation following CR3 engagement are less well described. In this work, we analyzed the role of dynamin 2, a GTPase involved in fission mechanisms of endocytosis vesicles, and in the formation and closure of phagosomes. We used an original experimental system using the total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM) to show that dynamin 2 is recruited with actin during phagocytic cup formation and accumulates at the site of phagosome closure in living macrophages. The inhibition of its GTPase activity induced an inhibition of phagocytosis and a defect in actin dynamics during pseudopod extension. Surprisingly, the depolymerization of actin lead to a defective recruitment of dynamin 2 at the phagocytic site showing there is a cross-regulation between dynamin 2 and actin. Finally, this study showed that dynamin 2 plays a critical role in the scission of the phagosome. Secondly, we initiated the study of the mechanisms involved in regulating the activity of the complement receptor CR3. Enabling this phagocytic receptor, part of the integrin family, requires anchoring actin which is necessary for signaling to the actin polymerization and the formation of phagocytic cups. All these results contribute to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in phagocytosis purposes.