Les espèces végétales, et en particulier les espèces d'arbres, forment un cadre de choix pour un processus de reconnaissance automatique basé sur l'analyse d'images. Les critères permettant de les identifier sont en effet le plus souvent des éléments morphologiques visuels, bien décrits et référencés par la botanique, qui laissent à penser qu'une reconnaissance par la forme est envisageable. Les feuilles constituent dans ce contexte les organes végétaux discriminants les plus faciles à appréhender, et sont de ce fait les plus communément employés pour ce problème qui connaît actuellement un véritable engouement. L'identification automatique pose toutefois un certain nombre de problèmes complexes, que ce soit dans le traitement des images ou dans la difficulté même de la classification en espèces, qui en font une application de pointe en reconnaissance de formes.Cette thèse place le problème de l'identification des espèces d'arbres à partir d'images de leurs feuilles dans le contexte d'une application pour smartphones destinée au grand public. Les images sur lesquelles nous travaillons sont donc potentiellement complexes et leur acquisition peu supervisée. Nous proposons alors des méthodes d'analyse d'images dédiées, permettant la segmentation et l'interprétation des feuilles d'arbres, en se basant sur une modélisation originale de leurs formes, et sur des approches basées modèles déformables. L'introduction de connaissances a priori sur la forme des objets améliore ainsi de façon significative la qualité et la robustesse de l'information extraite de l'image. Le traitement se déroulant sur l'appareil, nous avons développé ces algorithmes en prenant en compte les contraintes matérielles liées à leur utilisation.Nous introduisons également une description spécifique des formes des feuilles, inspirée par les caractéristiques déterminantes recensées dans les ouvrages botaniques. Ces différents descripteurs fournissent des informations de haut niveau qui sont fusionnées en fin de processus pour identifier les espèces, tout en permettant une interprétation sémantique intéressante dans le cadre de l'interaction avec un utilisateur néophyte. Les performances obtenues en termes de classification, sur près de 100 espèces d'arbres, se situent par ailleurs au niveau de l'état de l'art dans le domaine, et démontrent une robustesse particulière sur les images prises en environnement naturel. Enfin, nous avons intégré l'implémentation de notre système de reconnaissance dans l'application Folia pour iPhone, qui constitue une validation de nos approches et méthodes dans un cadre réel. / Plant species, and especially tree species, constitute a well adapted target for an automatic recognition process based on image analysis. The criteria that make their identification possible are indeed often morphological visual elements, which are well described and referenced by botany. This leads to think that a recognition through shape is worth considering. Leaves stand out in this context as the most accessible discriminative plant organs, and are subsequently the most often used for this problem recently receiving a particular attention. Automatic identification however gives rise to a fair amount of complex problems, linked with the processing of images, or in the difficult nature of the species classification itself, which make it an advanced application for pattern recognition.This thesis considers the problem of tree species identification from leaf images within the framework of a smartphone application intended for a non-specialist audience. The images on which we expect to work are then potentially very complex scenes and their acquisition rather unsupervised. We consequently propose dedicated methods for image analysis, in order to segment and interpret tree leaves, using an original shape modelling and deformable templates. The introduction on prior knowledge on the shape of objects enhances significatively the quality and the robustness of the information we extract from the image. All processing being carried out on the mobile device, we developed those algorithms with concern towards the material constraints of their exploitation. We also introduce a very specific description of leaf shapes, inspired by the determining characteristics listed in botanical references. These different descriptors constitute independent sources of high-level information that are fused at the end of the process to identify species, while providing the user with a possible semantic interpretation. The classification performance demonstrated over approximately 100 tree species are competitive with state-of-the-art methods of the domain, and show a particular robustness to difficult natural background images. Finally, we integrated the implementation of our recognition system into the \textbf{Folia} application for iPhone, which constitutes a validation of our approaches and methods in a real-world use.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-15T11:46:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 816279 bytes, checksum: 28c5081e37dbd539abb463a0ed89b87c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-07-27 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / In this paper we studied surfaces with constant mean curvature and surfaces with constant Gaussian curvature in the Sol space which are invariant under the action of two one-parameter subgroups of isometries of the ambient space. Furthermore, we classify the surfaces that satisfy a relationship of type k1 = mk2, where k1 and k2 are the principal curvatures of the surface and m ∈ R. / O presente trabalho aborda um estudo das superfícies com curvatura média constante e das superfícies com curvatura Gaussiana constante no espaço Sol que são invariantes sob a ação de dois grupos a 1-parâmetro de isometrias do espaço ambiente. Além disso, classificamos as superfícies que satisfazem uma relação do tipo k1 = mk2, onde k1 e k2 são as curvaturas principais da superfície e m ∈ R.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / FundaÃÃo de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Amazonas / Esta tese està composta de quatro partes distintas. Na primeira parte, vamos dar uma nova caracterizaÃÃo da esfera euclidiana como a Ãnica variedade Riemanniana compacta com curvatura escalar constante e admitindo um campo de vetores conforme nÃo trivial que à tambÃm Ricci conforme. Na segunda parte, provaremos algumas propriedades dos quase sÃlitons de Ricci, as quais permitem estabelecer condiÃÃes de rigidez desses objetos, bem como caracterizar as estruturas de quase sÃlitons de Ricci gradiente na esfera euclidiana. ImersÃes isomÃtricas tambÃm serÃo consideradas; classificaremos os quase sÃlitons de Ricci imersos em formas espaciais, atravÃs de uma condiÃÃo algÃbrica sobre a funÃÃo sÃliton. AlÃm disso, vamos caracterizar, atravÃs de uma condiÃÃo sobre o operador de umbilicidade, as hipersuperfÃcies n-dimensionais de uma forma espacial, com curvatura mÃdia constante, tendo duas curvaturas principais distintas e com multiplicidades p e n - p. Na terceira parte, provaremos um resultado de rigidez e algumas fÃrmulas integrais para uma mÃtrica m-quasi-Einstein generalizada compacta. Na Ãltima parte, vamos apresentar uma relaÃÃo entre a curvatura gaussiana e o Ãngulo de contato de superfÃcies imersas na esfera euclidiana tridimensional,a qual permite concluir que a superfÃcie à plana, se o Ãngulo de contato for constante. AlÃm disso, deduziremos que o toro de Clifford à a Ãnica superfÃcie compacta com curvatura mÃdia constante tendo tal propriedade. / This thesis is composed of four distinct parts. In the first part, we shall give a new characterization of the Euclidean sphere as the only compact Riemannian manifold with constant scalar curvature carrying a conformal vector eld non-trivial which is also Ricci conformal. In the second part, we shall prove some properties of almost Ricci solitons, which allow us to establish conditions for rigidity of these objects, as well as characterize the structures of gradient almost Ricci soliton in Euclidean sphere. Isometric immersions also will be considered, we shall classify almost Ricci solitons immersed in space forms, through algebraic condition on soliton function. Furthermore, we characterize under a condition of the umbilicity operator, n-dimensional hypersurfaces in a space form with constant mean curvature, admitting two distinct principal curvatures with multiplicities p and n - p. In the third part, we prove a result of rigidity and some integral formulae for a compact generalized m-quasi-Einstein metric. In the last part, we present a relation between the Gaussian curvature and the contact angle of surfaces immersed in Euclidean three-dimensional sphere, which allows us to conclude that such a surface is at provided its contact angle is constant. Moreover, we deduce that Clifford tori are the unique compact surfaces with constant mean curvature having such property.

No description available.

Almost contact metric submersions constitute a class of Riemannian submersions whose total space is an almost contact metric manifold. Regarding the base space, two types are studied. Submersions of type I are those whose base space is an almost contact metric manifold while, when the base space is an almost Hermitian manifold, then the submersion is said to be of type II. After recalling the known notions and fundamental properties to be used in the sequel, relationships between the structure of the fibres with that of the total space are established. When the fibres are almost Hermitian manifolds, which occur in the case of a type I submersions, we determine the classes of submersions whose fibres are Kählerian, almost Kählerian, nearly Kählerian, quasi Kählerian, locally conformal (almost) Kählerian, Gi-manifolds and so on. This can be viewed as a classification of submersions of type I based upon the structure of the fibres. Concerning the fibres of a type II submersions, which are almost contact metric manifolds, we discuss how they inherit the structure of the total space. Considering the curvature property on the total space, we determine its corresponding on the fibres in the case of a type I submersions. For instance, the cosymplectic curvature property on the total space corresponds to the Kähler identity on the fibres. Similar results are obtained for Sasakian and Kenmotsu curvature properties. After producing the classes of submersions with minimal, superminimal or umbilical fibres, their impacts on the total or the base space are established. The minimality of the fibres facilitates the transference of the structure from the total to the base space. Similarly, the superminimality of the fibres facilitates the transference of the structure from the base to the total space. Also, it is shown to be a way to study the integrability of the horizontal distribution. Totally contact umbilicity of the fibres leads to the asymptotic directions on the total space. Submersions of contact CR-submanifolds of quasi-K-cosymplectic and quasi-Kenmotsu manifolds are studied. Certain distributions of the under consideration submersions induce the CR-product on the total space. / Mathematical Sciences / D. Phil. (Mathematics)

This work is devoted to understanding the formation of supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) on curved surfaces as a function of lipid properties such as headgroup charge/charge density and alkyl chain length, and nanoparticle properties such as size and surface characteristics. In particular, the formation of SLBs on curved surfaces was studied by varying the size of the underlying substrate SiO2 nanoparticles with size range from 5-100 nm. Curvature-dependent shift in the phase transition behavior of these supported lipid bilayers was observed for the first time. We found that the phase transition temperature, Tm of the SLBs first decreased with decreasing the size of the underlying support, reached a minimum, and then increased when the size of the particles became comparable with the dimensions of the lipid bilayer thickness; the Tm was above that of the multilamellar vesicles (MLVs) of the same lipids. The increase in Tm indicated a stiffening of the supported bilayer, which was confirmed by Raman spectroscopic data. Moreover, Raman data showed better lipid packing and increased lateral order and trans conformation for the SLBs with increasing the curvature of the underlying support and decrease of the gauche kinks for the terminal methyl groups at the center of the bilayer. These results were consistent with a model in which the high free volume and increased outer headgroup spacing of lipids on highly curved surfaces induced interdigitation in the supported lipids. These results also support the symmetric lipid exchange studies of the SLBs as a function of the curvature, which was found to be slower on surfaces with higher curvature. Further, the effect of surface properties on the formation of SLBs was studied by changing the silanol density on the surface of SiO2 via thermal/chemical treatment and monitoring fusion of zwitterionic lipids onto silica (SiO2) nanoparticles. Our findings showed that the formation of SLBs was faster on the surfaces with lower silanol density and concomitantly less bound water compared to surfaces with higher silanol density and more bound water. Since the two SiO2 nanoparticles were similar in other respects, in particular their size and charge (ionization), as determined by zeta potential measurements, differences in electrostatic interactions between the neutral DMPC and SiO2 could not account for the difference. Therefore the slower rate of SLB formation of DMPC onto SiO2 nanoparticles with higher silanol densities and more bound water was attributed to greater hydration repulsion of the more hydrated nanoparticles. Lastly, we have investigated the effect and modulation of the surface charge of vesicles on the formation of SLBs by using different ratios of zwitterionic and cationic DMPC/DMTAP lipids. Through these studies we discovered a procedure by which assemblies of supported lipid bilayer nanoparticles, composed of DMPC/DMTAP (50/50) lipids on SiO2, can be collected and released from bilayer sacks as a function of the phase transition of these lipids. The lipids in these sacks and SLBs could be exchanged by lipids with lower Tm via lipid transfer. / Chemistry

Within the timber industry the processing of sawn wood boards must be done in the right way to ensure that the product fulfills the requirements. Correct processing is crucial for wooden structures consisting of these will live up to their expectations. How the mounting of the board in wooden structures is performed to obtain satisfactory results is depending on how it is physically cupped. Due to this a curvature measuring device is used in the timber industry to detect how a sawn board is physically cupped. After detection, a proper processing can be performed to give a satisfactory product. The Swedish company Nolyx AB currently uses a curvature measuring device consisting of a smart camera with the task of taking a digital picture of the board end grain to determine its cupping. The smart camera currently has deficiencies that this work will investigate. The deficiencies are that the smart camera’s processing of images with certain properties do not give satisfactory results. The algorithms lack the robustness needed to cope with the variations of the item that might arise in the process. The desire of this study is that the smart cameras correctness in terms of variations in the object will increase, leading to financial gains for the company Nolyx AB and increased utilization of raw material for their customers. The result of this work is an algorithm that incrementally extracts and identifies the growth rings in the end grain of the board. The correctness of the image processing in this study is 82%, which is 22% higher compared to the smart camera. / Inom träindustrin måste bearbetning av sågade träbrädor ske på rätt sätt för att produkten skall uppfylla kraven. En korrekt bearbetning är avgörande för att träkonstruktioner bestående av dessa ska leva upp till sina förväntningar. Hur monteringen av brädan vid byggnation av träkonstruktioner utförs för att erhålla tillfredställande resultat beror på hur den fysiskt är kupad. På grund av detta används kupmätare inom träindustrin för att detektera brädans fysiska kupning. Efter detektering kan en korrekt bearbetning utföras vilket ger en tillfredsställande produkt. Företaget Nolyx AB använder idag en kupmätare som består av en smartkamera vars uppgift är att ta en digital bild av brädans ändträ för att avgöra dess kupning. Kupmätaren har idag brister som detta arbete skall angripa. Nämligen att smartkamerans behandling av bilder med vissa egenskaper inte ger tillfredsställande resultat. Algoritmerna saknar den robusthet som krävs för att klara de variationer på objektet som kan uppkomma i processen. Önskan med denna studie är att smartkamerans felfrihet vad gäller variationer i objektet ska öka, vilket leder till ekonomiska vinster för företaget Nolyx AB och ökat utnyttjande av råvaran för sina kunder. Resultatet av det här arbetet är en algoritm som stegvis extraherar och identifierar årsringarnas struktur. Felfriheten för bildbehandlingen i denna studie är 82 % vilket är 22 % högre jämfört med smartkameran.

In this study, the cooling of a simulated blade under increasing pitch between holes was examined. The change in non-dimensional surface temperature, phi, was measured experimentally to quantify this performance loss. This critical quantification of the sensitivity of cooling to pitch between holes has not been studied previously. A range of blowing ratios and angles of attack were tested. Data are presented in terms of the laterally averaged phi, and in terms of the minimum phi, arguably more important from a design perspective. Increasing the pitch 13% produced no measureable change using either parameter. An increase of 26% in pitch produced only a 4% loss in lateral averages, while some hot points dropped by 10%. These small changes are due to compensating effects of increased internal and through-hole convective cooling. A limit to these effects was shown when increasing pitch 53%. While performance loss in the average was still relatively small at 15%, the minimum phi decreased by 27%. Heat flux gauges were used to gather data on the internal and external surface. The internal impingement used in this study represents a more accurate representation of internal cooling for an actual engine part than has been previously studied, providing a starting point for exploring the differences between engine configurations and those generally investigated in the literature. External heat flux measurements were used to measure the ratio of heat flux with and without film cooling. These results call into question the use of the net heat flux reduction parameter, which is commonly used to quantify overall film cooling performance. / text

Turbulent premixed propane/air and methane/air flames were studied using planar Rayleigh scattering and particle image velocimetry on a stabilized Bunsen type burner. The fuel-air equivalence ratio was varied from Φ=0.7 to 1.0 for propane flames, and from Φ=0.6 to 1.0 for methane flames. The non-dimensional turbulence intensity, u'/SL (ratio of fluctuation velocity to laminar burning velocity), covered the range from 3 to 24, equivalent to conditions of corrugated flamelets and thin reaction zones regimes. Temperature gradients decreased with the increasing u'/SL and levelled off beyond u'/SL > 10 for both propane and methane flames. Flame front thickness increased slightly as u'/SL increased for both mixtures, although the thickness increase was more noticeable for propane flames, which meant the thermal flame front structure was being thickened. A zone of higher temperature was observed on the average temperature profile in the preheat zone of the flame front as well as some instantaneous temperature profiles at the highest u'/SL. Curvature probability density functions were similar to the Gaussian distribution at all u'/SL for both mixtures and for all the flame sections. The mean curvature values decreased as a function of u'/SL and approached zero. Flame front thickness was smaller when evaluated at flame front locations with zero curvature than that with curvature. Temperature gradients and FSD were larger when the flame curvature was zero. The combined thickness and FSD data suggest that the curvature effect is more dominant than that of the stretch by turbulent eddies during flame propagation. Integrated flame surface density for both propane and methane flames exhibited no dependance on u'/SL regardless of the FSD method used for evaluation. This observation implies that flame surface area may not be the dominant factor in increasing the turbulent burning velocity and the flamelet assumption may not be valid under the conditions studied. Dκ term, the product of diffusivity evaluated at conditions studied and the flame front curvature, was a magnitude smaller than or the same magnitude as the laminar burning velocity.

Lipid bilayers are key components of biomembranes; they are self-assembled two-dimensional structures, primarily serving as barriers to the leakage of cell's contents. Lipid bilayers are typically charged in aqueous solution and may electrostatically interact with each other and with their environment. In this work, we investigate electrostatics of charged lipid bilayers with the main focus on the binding and bending of the bilayers. We first present a theoretical approach to charge-correlation attractions between like-charged lipid bilayers with neutralizing counterions assumed to be localized to the bilayer surface. In particular, we study the effect of nonzero ionic sizes on the attraction by treating the bilayer charges (both backbone charges and localized counterions) as forming a two-dimensional ionic fluid of hard spheres of the same diameter <i>D</i>. Using a two-dimensional Debye-H??ckel approach to this system, we examine how ion sizes influence the attraction. We find that the attraction gets stronger as surface charge densities or counterion valency increase, consistent with long-standing observations. Our results also indicate non-trivial dependence of the attraction on separations <i>h</i>: The attraction is enhanced by ion sizes for <i>h</i> ranges of physical interest, while it crosses over to the known <i>D</i>-independent universal behavior as <i>h</i> &rarr; &infin;; it remains finite as <i>h</i> &rarr; 0, as expected for a system of finite-sized ions. We also study the preferred curvature of an asymmetrically charged bilayer, in which the inner leaflet is negatively charged, while the outer one is neutral. In particular, we calculate the relaxed area difference &Delta; <i>A</i>₀ and the spontaneous curvature <i>C</i>₀ of the bilayer. We find &Delta; <i>A</i>₀ and <i>C</i>₀ are determined by the balance of a few distinct contributions: net charge repulsions, charge correlations, and the entropy associated with counterion release from the bilayer. The entropic effect is dominant for weakly charged surfaces in the presence of monovalent counterions only and tends to expand the inner leaflet, leading to negative &Delta; <i>A</i>₀ and <i>C</i>₀. In the presence of even a small concentration of divalent counterions, however, charge correlations counterbalance the entropic effect and shrink the inner leaflet, leading to positive &Delta; <i>A</i>₀ and <i>C</i>₀. We outline biological implications of our results.