<p>This Master’s thesis studies the possibility of using image processing as a tool to facilitate vine management, in particular shoot counting and assessment of the grapevine canopy. Both are areas where manual inspection is done today. The thesis presents methods of capturing images and segmenting different parts of a vine. It also presents and evaluates different approaches on how shoot counting can be done. Within canopy assessment, the emphasis is on methods to estimate canopy density. Other possible assessment areas are also discussed, such as canopy colour and measurement of canopy gaps and fruit exposure. An example of a vine assessment system is given.</p>

Gegenstand dieser Diplomarbeit ist die Untersuchung der Dynamik in dünnen Polymerfilmen anhand von einzelnen Molekülen. Zu diesem Zweck wurden dünne Filme (kleiner 100nm) hergestellt und mittels Einzelmoleküldetektion und zeitaufgelöster Einzelphotonenzählung analysiert, was eine orts- und zeitaufgelöste Untersuchung einzelner Farbstoffmoleküle ermöglicht. Ziel war es, festzustellen ob, und auf welchem Weg, die Dynamik der Umgebung in Fluktuationen der Fluoreszenzlebensdauer einzelner Moleküle sichtbar wird. Neben der Evaluierung der Untersuchungsmethoden wurden in dieser Arbeit zwei Arten von Sensormolekülen - DiD und Malachit Grün - näher untersucht. / The subject of this diploma thesis is the analysis of dynamics in thin polymer films using single molecules. Thin polymer films (less than 100nm) were produced and analysed by Single Molecule Detection (SMD) and Time Correlated Single Photon Counting (TCSPC). This allows a spatial and time resolved investigation of the single dye molecule. The aim was to ascertain if, and in which way, the dynamics of the environment are reflected by fluctuations of the fluorescence lifetime of the single molecule. In addition to evaluating the investigation methods two kinds of molecules - DiD and Malachite Green - were also analysed.

This PhD thesis presents a study of structure-composition correlations of bioactive glasses (BGs) by employing solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Silicate-based Na2O−CaO−SiO2−P2O5 BGs are utilized clinically and are extensively investigated for bone regeneration purposes. Once implanted in the human body, they facilitate bone regeneration by partially dissolving in the body fluids, followed by the formation of a biomimetic surface-layer of calcium hydroxy-carbonate apatite (HCA). Eventually, the implanted BG totally integrates with the bone. The bioactivity of melt-prepared BGs depends on their composition and structure, primarily on the phosphorus content and the average silicate-network connectivity (NC). We explored these composition-structure relationships for a set of BGs for which the NC and phosphorus contents were varied independently. The short-range structural features of the glasses were explored using 29Si and 31P magic-angle-spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy. 31P MAS NMR revealed that the orthophosphate content is directly proportional to the total P content of the glass, with a linear correlation observed between the orthophosphate content and the silicate network connectivity. The bearings of the results for future BG design are discussed. By using multiple-quantum coherence-based 31P NMR experiments, the spatial distribution of orthophosphate groups was probed in the melt prepared BGs, as well as in two mesoporous bioactive glasses prepared by an evaporation-induced self-assembly technique. The results evidence randomly distributed orthophosphate groups in the melt-prepared BGs, whereas the pore-walls of the mesoporous bioactive glasses constitute nanometer-sized clusters of calcium phosphate. The distribution of Na+ ions among the phosphate/silicate groups were studied by heteronuclear dipolar-based 23Na−31P NMR experiments, verifying that sodium is dispersed nearly randomly in the glasses. The phosphorus and proton environments in biomimetically grown HCA were investigated by using 1H and 31P MAS NMR experiments. Our studies revealed that the biomimetic HCA shared many local structural features with synthetic and well-ordered hydroxy-apatite. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 4: Accepted.</p>

Abstract   Aims and objectives. To examine whether an intervention with carbohydrate- counting at onset of type 1 diabetes in children, has had any effect on metabolic indicators such as HbA1c , BMI-sds and total daily insulin / kg, 2 months and 1 year after onset by age and gender .Background. The pediatric department at the university hospital of Norrland in Umeå (NUS), has since several years a higher average HbA1c among children 0-17 years, compare with pediatric departments in the rest of Sweden.  Therefore, in autumn 2011, an intervention was made to teach children with diabetes and their parents to count carbohydrates from the onset of diabetes. Using this method they can regulate their insulin doses depending on the amount of carbohydrates they are eating. Design. This is an empirical registry study done on the basis of a quantitative method. It is retrospective controlled non- randomized with comparison group .Methods. The study included 46 children aged 0-17 years diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Those who fell ill in 2009 (n=22) did not learn to use carbohydrate counting and served as a control group. The intervention group were diagnosed 2011-2012, (n=24), began using carbohydrate counting at the onset of diabetes.Results. The study shows with significant security that carbohydrate counting lowers HbA1c two months and one year after onset of type 1 diabetes. No significant difference was found in BMI-sds. The study shows no significant difference in HbA1c between the sexes.Conclusion.  Carbohydrate-counting from onset of diabetes gives a significant reduction of HbA1c without affecting BMI-sds significantly.Relevance to clinical practice. It is important that health professionals continue to teach and support families in carbohydrate counting from the onset of diabetes.Keywords. children, HbA1c, BMI- sds , type 1 diabetes , carbohydrate counting

Les contraintes arithmétiques sont largement utilisées dans les langages formels comme les expressions, les grammaires d'arbres et les chemins réguliers. Ces contraintes sont utilisées dans les modéles de contenu des types (XML Schemas) pour imposer des bornes sur le nombre d'occurrences de nœuds. Dans les langages de requêtes (XPath, XQuery), ces contraintes permettent de sélectionner les nœuds ayant un nombre limité de nœuds accessibles par une expression de chemin donnée. Les types et chemins étendus avec les contraintes de comptage constituent le prolongement naturel de leurs homologues sans comptage déjà considérés comme des constructions fondamentales dans les langages de programmation et les systèmes de type pour XML. Un des défis majeurs en programmation XML consiste à développer des techniques automatisées permettant d'assurer statiquement un typage correct et des optimisations de programmes manipulant les données XML. À cette fin, il est nécessaire de résoudre certaines tâches de raisonnement qui impliquent des constructions telles que les types et les expressions XPath avec des contraintes de comptage. Dans un futur proche, les compilateurs de programmes XML devront résoudre des problèmes de base tels que le sous-typage afin de s'assurer au moment de la compilation qu'un programme ne pourra jamais générer de documents non valides à l'exécution. Cette thèse étudie les logiques capables d'exprimer des contraintes de comptage sur les structures d'arbres. Il a été montré récemment que le mu-calcul sur les graphes, lorsqu'il est étendu à des contraintes de comptage portant exclusivement sur les nœuds successeurs immédiats est indécidable. Dans cette thèse, nous montrons que, sur les arbres finis, la logique avec contraintes de comptage est décidable en temps exponentiel. En outre, cette logique fournit des opérateurs de comptage selon des chemins plus généraux. En effet, la logique peut exprimer des contraintes numériques sur le nombre de nœuds descendants ou même ascendants. Nous présentons également des traductions linéaires d'expressions XPath et de types XML comportant des contraintes de comptage dans la logique. / Arithmetical constraints are widely used in formal languages like regular expressions, tree grammars and paths. In XML they are used to impose bounds on the number of occurrences described by content models of schema languages (XML Schema, RelaxNG). In query languages (XPath, XQuery), they allow selecting nodes that have a bounded number of nodes reachable by a given path expression. Counting types and paths are thus natural extensions of their countless counterparts already regarded as the core constructs in XML languages and type systems. One of the biggest challenges in XML is to develop automated techniques for ensuring static-type safety and optimization techniques. To this end, there is a need to solve some basic reasoning tasks that involve constructions such as counting XML schemas and XPath expressions. Every compiler of XML programs will have to routinely solve problems such as type and path type- checking, for ensuring at compile time that invalid documents can never arise as the output of XML processing code. This thesis studies efficient reasoning frameworks able to express counting constraints on tree structures. It was recently shown that the mu-calculus, when extended with counting constraints on immediate successor nodes is undecid able over graphs. Here we show that, when interpreted over finite trees, the logic with counting constraints is decidable in single exponential time. Furthermore, this logic allows more general counting operators. For example, the logic can pose numerical constraints on number of ancestors or descendants. We also present linear translations of counting XPath expressions and XML schemas into the logic.

Este trabalho apresenta um novo método para o rastreamento e contagem de veículos em vídeos de tráfego urbano. Usando técnicas de processamento de imagens e de agrupamentos de partículas, o método proposto usa coerência de movimento e coerência espacial para agrupar partículas, de modo que cada grupo represente veículos nas sequências de vídeo. Uma máscara contendo os objetos do primeiro plano é criada usando os métodos Gaussian Mixture Model e Motion Energy Images para determinar os locais onde as partículas devem ser geradas, e as regiões convexas dos agrupamentos são então analisadas para verificar se correspondem a um veículo. Esta análise leva em consideração a forma convexa dos grupos de partículas (objetos) e a máscara de foreground para realizar a fusão ou divisão dos agrupamentos obtidos. Depois que um veículo é identificado, ele é rastreado utilizando similaridade de histogramas de cor em janelas centradas nas partículas dos agrupamentos. A contagem de veículos acontece em laços virtuais definidos pelo usuário, através da interseção dos veículos rastreados com os laços virtuais. Testes foram realizados utilizando seis diferentes vídeos de tráfego, em um total de 80000 quadros. Os resultados foram comparados com métodos semelhantes disponíveis na literatura, fornecendo, resultados equivalentes ou superiores. / This work presents a new method for tracking and counting vehicles in traffic videos. Using techniques of image processing and particle clustering, the proposed method uses motion coherence and spatial adjacency to group particles so that each group represents vehicles in the video sequences. A foreground mask is created using Gaussian Mixture Model and Motion Energy Images to determine the locations where the particles must be generated, and the convex shapes of detecting groups are then analyzed for the potential detection of vehicles. This analysis takes into consideration the convex shape of the particle groups (objects) and the foreground mask to merge or split the obtained groupings. After a vehicle is identified, it is tracked using the similarity of color histograms on windows centered at the particle locations. The vehicle count takes place on userdefined virtual loops, through the intersections of tracked vehicles with the virtual loops. Tests were conducted using six different traffic videos, on a total of 80.000 frames. The results were compared with similar methods available in the literature, providing results equivalent or superior.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Segundo a American Diabetes Association, é importante a ênfase no controle glicêmico com o objetivo de prevenir complicações microvasculares em diabéticos, e a adoção de um plano alimentar saudável é fundamental no tratamento destes pacientes. O método de contagem de carboidratos é uma estratégia nutricional, é um método usado por indivíduos diabéticos, que associa o total de carboidratos ingerido nas refeições com a dose de insulina utilizada, com o objetivo de manter a glicemia dentro dos limites convenientes. O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar se a intervenção nutricional, utilizando o método de contagem de carboidratos, influencia o controle glicêmico de pacientes com diabetes mellitus tipo 1 (DM1). Foram avaliados 157 DM1, 96 constituíram o grupo intervenção com dieta prescrita e com o uso do método de contagem de carboidratos e 61 pacientes DM1 constituíram o grupo controle com dieta prescrita e sem contagem de carboidratos. Os diabéticos foram monitorados por um período de seis meses. Na primeira visita foram submetidos a um questionário de caracterização dos indivíduos, avaliação antropométrica, bioquímica, clínica e dietética. Houve diferença significativa entre o registro alimentar preenchido durante 3 dias e a dieta prescrita, nos gramas de proteína consumidos por dia 50,39 + 29,27 e 22,01 + 3,05 (p= 0,02), como também no índice glicêmico (IG) do almoço 43,00 + 24,89 e 7,83 + 1,88 (p=0,02), e do jantar 50,09 + 35,09 e 7,56 + 2,57 (p=0,00). Em relação a avaliação antropométrica houve aumento não significativo em ambos os grupos, no Índice de Massa Corporal calculado e nos parâmetros antropométricos (circunferência abdominal, circunferência de quadril e relação cintura-quadril). Na avaliação dos parâmetros bioquímicos, observa-se diminuição significativa, somente no grupo intervenção, da hemoglobina glicada (A1C) de 9,8 + 2,26 para 9,1 + 2,16 (p= 0,023) após 6 meses. As correlações entre os dados antropométricos e a A1C, e entre os diferentes tipos de ácidos graxos da dieta proposta e parâmetros bioquímicos colesterol, triglicerídeos, HDLc e LDLc plasmáticos foram consideradas de baixa intensidade. Diante dos resultados concluiu-se que a intervenção por meio do método de contagem de carboidratos proporcionou uma melhora significativa no controle glicêmico dos pacientes estudados. / According to the American Diabetes Association, is important to focus on glycemic control in order to prevent microvascular complications in patients with type 1 diabetes, and the adoption of a plan healthy food is crucial in treating these patients. The method of carbohydrate counting is a nutritional strategy, it is a method used by diabetic individuals, which combines the total carbohydrate intake at meals with the dose of insulin used, with the goal of maintaining blood glucose within the limits appropriate. The aim of this study was to assess whether the nutrition intervention, using the method of carbohydrate couting, influences the glycemic control of patients with diabetes mellitus type 1 (DM1). We evaluated 157 DM1, 96 constituted the intervention group with diet and the use of the method of carbohydrate counting and 61 DM1 patients formed the control group with diet and without the method of carbohydrate counting. The patients were monitored for six months. In the first visit were submitted to a questionnaire, anthropometric, biochemical, clinical and dietary evaluations. Significant difference between the food record completed for 3 days and prescribed diet, in grams of protein consumed per day 50.39 + 29.27 and 22.01 + 3.05 (p = 0.02), on the glycemic index (GI) of lunch 43.00 + 24.89 and 7.83 + 1.88 (p = 0.02), and dinner 50.09 + 35.09 and 7.56 + 2.57 (p = 0.00). For anthropometric assessment increase was not significant in both groups, the body mass index and anthropometric parameters (waist circumference, hip circumference and the waist-hip ratio). In the assessment of biochemical parameters, there is a significant decrease, only in the intervention group, the glycated hemoglobin (A1C) from 9.8 + 2.26 to 9,1 + 2.16 (p = 0.023) after 6 months. The correlations between the anthropometric data and A1C, and between different types of fatty acids in the diet proposal and biochemical parameters cholesterol, triglycerides, HDLc and LDLc plasma were of low intensity. The results concluded that intervention by the method of carbohydrate counting has provided a significant improvement in glycemic control of patients.

Cette étude évalue le potentiel, comme détecteur de rayons X, des capteurs à pixel CMOS conçus pour la trajectométrie des particules chargée. Nous démontrons l’intérêt de la construction d’une image par comptage de photons uniques pour la définition de celle-ci. Un dispositif exploitant une source X est développé pour mesurer la résolution spatiale sur l’impact des photons. Une simulation complète sous GEANT4 montre que le système permet d’estimer cette résolution avec une incertitude de 2 µm. L’application du protocole caractérise la détection directe des rayons X de basse énergie (< 10 keV) par un capteur CMOS avec une résolution de 52 lp/mm. Une méthode de détection indirecte, couplant un cristal de CsI(Tl) finement segmenté au capteur CMOS, est employée pour les énergies supérieures à 10 keV. La résolution spatiale dans ces conditions atteint 15 lp/mm. Une simulation détaillée explique cette performance limitée par les caractéristiques d’émission de lumière du cristal employé. / This work investigates the potential application of CMOS pixel sensors, designed for particle tracking, for the detection of X rays. We explain how the image definition can be improved exploiting the single photon counting technique. An experimental system, based on an X ray source, is developed to measure the single point resolution of photons. Thanks to a full GEANT4 simulation of the device, the evaluation uncertainty is predicted to be 2 µm. We apply our method to the direct detection of low energy (< 10 keV) X rays by a CMOS pixel to measure a spatial resolution of 52 lp/mm. For higher energies, an hybrid device, coupling a CSi(Tl) highly segmented crystal with a CMOS sensor, is used. The spatial resolution reaches in this case 15 lp/mm. A detailed simulation study demonstrated that this limited performance is related to the characteristics of the light emitted by the crystal.

Orientador: Ana Lúcia Barretto Penna / Banca: Susana Marta Isay Saad / Banca: Roberto da Silva / Resumo: O parmesão é um queijo típico italiano e possui como características peculiares o baixo teor de umidade, a textura granular e o sabor picante. Seu processamento é sempre lembrado pelo longo período de maturação e durante esta etapa ocorrem numerosas reações bioquímicas de degradação de seus componentes pelas enzimas oriundas do leite e do coalho e daquelas produzidas pelas bactérias, causando mudanças na textura e sabor desse produto. A autólise espontânea de microrganismos termófilos, como Lactobacillus helveticus, é uma característica tecnológica importante para a escolha de culturas com potencial de aplicação na fabricação de queijos de massa dura como o Parmesão. Desta forma o objetivo do presente trabalho é avaliar, durante a maturação do queijo Parmesão, o desempenho autolítico de culturas de Lb. helveticus autóctones, previamente isoladas de soro fermento. Foram utilizadas as culturas autóctones de Lb. helveticus, E5 com perfil autolítico elevado e A e D1 com perfil autolítico intermediário. A cultura comercial Cc1 (Lh-B02, Chr. Hansen) com perfil autolítico elevado foi utilizada como controle. A atividade das enzimas intracelulares LDH e PepX, bem como a viabilidade foram realizadas durante 48 horas de crescimento das culturas. Após a elaboração dos queijos com as diferentes culturas, mensalmente, foi determinada a contagem de lactobacilos termófilos, a atividade das enzimas LDH e PepX, a evolução dos teores de acidez, tirosina, triptofano e índice de maturação no queijo Parmesão ao longo de 180 dias de maturação. A maior liberação das enzimas LDH e PepX in vitro foi observada na cultura comercial Cc1 e autóctone E5 e comportamento semelhante entre as análises de CDM e cultivo em placa foi observado apenas para a cultura autóctone A e cultivo comercial Cc1. A maior população de lactobacilos termófilos nos queijos experimentais... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The Parmesan is a typical Italian cheese and has peculiar characteristics such as low moisture level, a granular texture and spicy flavor. Its processing involves long period of ripening and during this stage there are many biochemical reactions produced by enzymes from the raw milk, rennet and those produced by bacteria, resulting in changes in texture and taste of this product. The spontaneous autolysis of thermophilous microorganisms, such as Lactobacillus helveticus, is an important technological feature for the choice of cultures with potential application in the production of hard cheeses, such as Parmesan. The objective of this study was to assess the autolytic performance of cultures of autochthonous Lb. helveticus, previously isolated from natural whey starter during the ripening of Parmesan cheese. Autochthonous cultures of Lb. helveticus, E5 with high autolytic profile and A and D1 with intermediary autolytic profile were used. The commercial culture Cc1 (Lh-B02, Chr. Hansen) with high autolitic profile was used as control. The activity of in situ intracellular enzymes LDH and PepX, and the cell viability after 48 hours of growth were determined. Every month during the 180 days of ripening the population of thermophilous lactobacilli, the activity of enzymes LDH and PepX, the acidity, tyrosine, tryptophan contents and the index of ripening on Parmesan cheese were determined. The highest release in vitro of the LDH and PepX enzymes was observed in the commercial culture Cc1 and autocthonous E5 and similar culture A and the commercial culture Cc1. The highest population of thermophilous lactobacilli in the experimental cheeses was observed at the 30 days of ripening. In all cheeses samples it was observed in the cheeses produced with cultures with higher autolytic profile. There was a significant increase in acidity, tyrosine and tryptophan contents and IR in all samples... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:23:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009-02-17Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:50:10Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 azevedo_ac_me_sjrp.pdf: 656743 bytes, checksum: a6e979d66c4af6a14eac14b66178875e (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O parmesão é um queijo típico italiano e possui como características peculiares o baixo teor de umidade, a textura granular e o sabor picante. Seu processamento é sempre lembrado pelo longo período de maturação e durante esta etapa ocorrem numerosas reações bioquímicas de degradação de seus componentes pelas enzimas oriundas do leite e do coalho e daquelas produzidas pelas bactérias, causando mudanças na textura e sabor desse produto. A autólise espontânea de microrganismos termófilos, como Lactobacillus helveticus, é uma característica tecnológica importante para a escolha de culturas com potencial de aplicação na fabricação de queijos de massa dura como o Parmesão. Desta forma o objetivo do presente trabalho é avaliar, durante a maturação do queijo Parmesão, o desempenho autolítico de culturas de Lb. helveticus autóctones, previamente isoladas de soro fermento. Foram utilizadas as culturas autóctones de Lb. helveticus, E5 com perfil autolítico elevado e A e D1 com perfil autolítico intermediário. A cultura comercial Cc1 (Lh-B02, Chr. Hansen) com perfil autolítico elevado foi utilizada como controle. A atividade das enzimas intracelulares LDH e PepX, bem como a viabilidade foram realizadas durante 48 horas de crescimento das culturas. Após a elaboração dos queijos com as diferentes culturas, mensalmente, foi determinada a contagem de lactobacilos termófilos, a atividade das enzimas LDH e PepX, a evolução dos teores de acidez, tirosina, triptofano e índice de maturação no queijo Parmesão ao longo de 180 dias de maturação. A maior liberação das enzimas LDH e PepX in vitro foi observada na cultura comercial Cc1 e autóctone E5 e comportamento semelhante entre as análises de CDM e cultivo em placa foi observado apenas para a cultura autóctone A e cultivo comercial Cc1. A maior população de lactobacilos termófilos nos queijos experimentais... / The Parmesan is a typical Italian cheese and has peculiar characteristics such as low moisture level, a granular texture and spicy flavor. Its processing involves long period of ripening and during this stage there are many biochemical reactions produced by enzymes from the raw milk, rennet and those produced by bacteria, resulting in changes in texture and taste of this product. The spontaneous autolysis of thermophilous microorganisms, such as Lactobacillus helveticus, is an important technological feature for the choice of cultures with potential application in the production of hard cheeses, such as Parmesan. The objective of this study was to assess the autolytic performance of cultures of autochthonous Lb. helveticus, previously isolated from natural whey starter during the ripening of Parmesan cheese. Autochthonous cultures of Lb. helveticus, E5 with high autolytic profile and A and D1 with intermediary autolytic profile were used. The commercial culture Cc1 (Lh-B02, Chr. Hansen) with high autolitic profile was used as control. The activity of in situ intracellular enzymes LDH and PepX, and the cell viability after 48 hours of growth were determined. Every month during the 180 days of ripening the population of thermophilous lactobacilli, the activity of enzymes LDH and PepX, the acidity, tyrosine, tryptophan contents and the index of ripening on Parmesan cheese were determined. The highest release in vitro of the LDH and PepX enzymes was observed in the commercial culture Cc1 and autocthonous E5 and similar culture A and the commercial culture Cc1. The highest population of thermophilous lactobacilli in the experimental cheeses was observed at the 30 days of ripening. In all cheeses samples it was observed in the cheeses produced with cultures with higher autolytic profile. There was a significant increase in acidity, tyrosine and tryptophan contents and IR in all samples... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)