Panther Fusion® system är ett fullständigt automatiserat in vitro diagnostiksystem som har högt flöde av prov-till-resultat och tillåter utförandet av in vitro diagnostiska tester genom användning av realtids Polymerase Chain Reaction (realtids-PCR). Syftet med detta projekt är att validera om det finns möjlighet att använda ett kit från Amplidiag på Panther fusion open access för att diagnostisera vankomycin resistenta enterokocker (VRE) samt att utvärdera analys direkt på E-swab prover istället för anrikningsbuljong. Det är viktigt att kunna detektera vanA-och vanB-generna i prover för att VRE hyser dessa gener. Sensitivitet och effektivitet av Panther fusion open access undersöktes genom att analysera proverna parallellt med Bio-Rad CFX384/96-PCR som är rutinmetoden för VRE-diagnostik på Klinisk mikrobiologi i Lund. Specificitet av en tidigare publicerad PCR-mix (PCR-mix) som kan detektera vanA och vanB i prover jämfördes med Amplidiag assay mix 2 som används i rutinmetoden. För att kunna utvärdera skillnaden av specificiteten och känsligheten mellan E-swab och anrikningsbuljong utfördes analysen på både E-swab och anrikningsbulong med både Panther fusion open access och Bio-Rad CFX384/96-PCR. MgCl2- koncentration optimerades till 3,0 mM. Sensitivitet och effektivitet av Panther fusion open access var högre med PCR-mix än Amplidiag assay mix 2 och uppvisade optimalt linjäritet. Specificitetstest av PCR-mixen visade att den bara kunde detektera vanA och vanB. Resultaten av spikade VRE-negativa patientprover (E-swab) visade sig vara orimliga då flera av proverna och kontrollerna gav resultat för båda generna. För att ersätta VRE-diagnostik på Bio-Rad CFX384/96 med Panther fusion open access behöver ytterligare experiment genomföras direkt på E-swab och vankomycine variabla enterokocker (VVE)-prover på Panther fusion open access. / Panther Fusion® system is a fully automated in vitro diagnostic system that has a high flow of sample-to-results and allows the performance of in vitro diagnostics tests using real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (real-time PCR). The purpose of this project is to validate whether it is possible to use a kit from Amplidiag on Panther fusion open access to diagnose vancomycin resistant enterococcus (VRE). In addition, this project aims to evaluate and analyze E-swab samples directly instead of enrichment broth. It is important to be able to detect VanA and VanB genes in samples because VRE harbors these genes. Sensitivity and efficiency of Panther fusion open access were tested by analyzing the samples simultaneously with Bio-Rad CFX384/96 which is the routine method for VRE diagnostic at Clinical Microbiology in Lund. Specificity of a previously published PCR-mix (PCR-mix) that can detect VanA and VanB genes in samples was compared with Amplidiag assay mix 2 used in the routine method. In order to evaluate the difference in specificity and sensitivity between E-swab and enrichment broth, the analysis was performed on both E-swab and enrichment broth with both Panther fusion open access and Bio-Rad CFX384/96-PCR. MgCl2 concentration was optimized to 3,0 mM. Both sensitivity and efficiency of Panther fusion open access were higher with PCR-mix than those with Amplidiag assay mix 2 and it showed optimal linearity. Specificity test of PCR-mix detected only VanA and VanB genes. The results of inoculated the negative VRE-patient samples (E-swab) indicated that they were unreasonable because some of the samples and controls gave results of both genes. Replacement of the VRE-diagnostic method on Bio-Rad CFX384/96 with Panther fusion open access requires performing additional experiments directly on E-swab and vancomycin variable enterococcus (VVE) samples using Panther fusion open access.

No description available.

Digital Elevation Models (DEM) are typically created through a variety of multi-step processes that are generally labour intensive. This thesis explores the trade-offs involved in automating these processes in order to produce a DEM at various resolutions, while minimizing artifacts and highlighting areas where artifacts or uncertainty may have been introduced. The iDEM system is a prototype design to automate the creation of customized DEM complete with a detailed audit-trail of metadata history. Originally conceived as a solution to creating DEM for tsunami modelling, iDEM is applicable to modelling any spherical surface. The proposed framework is highly generalizable in that it leverages existing applications in a plug-and-play manner, essentially integrating them into a new system. The creation of DEM in our prototype design utilizes an amalgamation of three existing fusion methods that allow tessellation without edge distortion and propagates data uncertainty for every DEM generated. The challenge of integrating data in different formats is tackled by automatically generating customized DEM based on the selection of any module providing data fusion techniques applied to the best measurements available. / Graduate

No description available.

Les systèmes de fusion d'informations sont principalement composés, d'outils mathématiques permettant de réaliser la représentation et la combinaison des données. L'objectif de ces systèmes peut s'exprimer comme un problème de décision sur la vérité ou la vraisemblance d'une proposition étant donné une ou plusieurs informations issues de différentes sources. Les systèmes de fusion cherchent à exploiter au mieux les propriétés des sources de données en tenant compte de l'imperfection de l'information (imprécis, incomplet, ambigu, incertain, etc.) ainsi que l'aspect redondant, complémentaire et conflictuel des informations. Le système de fusion concerné par cette thèse a la capacité d'intégrer dans ses traitements de la connaissance experte. On le nomme système de fusion coopératif. Puisque ce système cherche à intégrer pleinement les experts dans son fonctionnement, il est important de mettre à disposition des utilisateurs des informations aidant à mieux comprendre la fusion réalisée. De tels systèmes disposent de nombreux paramètres à régler et ces derniers ont un impact important sur la qualité des résultats obtenus. Une des grandes problématiques liées à ces systèmes de fusion d'informations porte sur l'évaluation de leurs performances. L'évaluation doit permettre d'améliorer la qualité de la fusion, d'améliorer l'interaction expert/système et d'aider à mieux ajuster les paramètres du système. En général, l'évaluation de tels systèmes est réalisée en fin de chaîne par une évaluation globale du résultat. Mais, celle-ci ne permet pas de savoir précisément l'endroit de la chaîne qui nécessite une intervention. Une autre difficulté réside dans le fait qu'une vérité terrain complète sur le résultat n'est pas toujours disponible, ce qui complique la tâche d'évaluation de performances de ce type de systèmes. Le contexte applicatif de ce travail est l'interprétation d'images tridimensionnelles (images tomographiques, images sismiques, images synthétiques, ...). Dans ce contexte une évaluation locale des systèmes de fusion d'informations, a été mise en place. L'approche a montré son intérêt dans l'ajustement efficace des paramètres et dans la coopération avec l'expert. / Information fusion systems are mainly composed from mathematical tools allowing to realize data representation and combination. The aim of these systems can be expressed as a decision problem on the truth or plausibility of a proposition based on several information coming from different sources. Fusion try to manage the characteristics of the sources taking into account the information imperfection (inaccurate, incomplete, ambiguous, uncertain, etc.) and the redundant aspect, the complement and the conflictual aspect of information. Fusion systems concerned by this thesis have the ability to integrate the expert knowledge in their treatments. They are called cooperative fusion systems. Since these systems are trying to associate experts, it is important to provide to the users some informations that help them to better understand the fusion process. Such systems have many parameters that must be adjusted. These parameters have an important impact on the quality of the obtained results. One of the major problems associated to information fusion systems concerns the evaluation of their performance. A pertinent evaluation will allow to improve the quality of the fusion, to improve expert/system interaction and to better adjust the parameters of the system. Generally, the evaluation of such systems is made in the ouput of the processing chain by a global evaluation of the results. But it does not allow to know the precise subpart of the treatement chain that requires an adjustment of its parameters. Another difficulty releases in the fact that a complete ground truth of the result is not always available, which complicates the performance evaluation task. The application context of this work is the interpretation of 3D images (tomographic images, seismic images, synthetic images, ...). In this context, a local evaluation of the information fusion systems has been implemented. The approach has shown its interest in the efficient adjustment of parameters and the cooperation with expert.

Nous présentons une étude de la cohomologie à coefficients tordus de la réalisation géométrique des systèmes de liaison. Plus précisément, si (S, Ƒ, ℒ) est un groupe fini p-local, nous travaillons sur la cohomologie H*(\ℒ\, M) de la réalisation géométrique de ℒ, avec un Z(p)[π₁(\ℒ\)]-module M en coefficients, et ses liens avec les éléments Fᶜ-stables H* (Ƒᶜ, M) ⊆ H*(S, M) à travers l’inclusion de BS dans \ℒ\. Après avoir donné la définition des éléments Ƒᶜ-stables, nous étudions l’endomorphisme de H*(S, M) induit par un (S, S)-bi-ensemble Ƒᶜ-caractéristique et nous montrons que sous certaine hypothèse et si l’action est nilpotent, alors on a un isomorphisme naturel H*(\ℒ\, M) ≌ H* (Ƒᶜ,M). Ensuite, nous regardons les actions p-résolubles à travers la notion de sous-groupe p-local d’index premier à p ou une puissance de p. Nous montrons que si l’action de π₁(\ℒ\) sur M se factorise par un p'-groupe alors on a aussi un isomorphisme naturel. Pour une action p-résoluble plus général, nous obtenons un résultat dans le cas des systèmes réalisables. Ces résultats nous conduisent à la conjecture qu’on a un isomorphisme naturel pour tout groupe fini p-local et toute action p-résoluble. Nous donnons quelque outils pour étudier cette conjecture. Nous travaillons sur les produits de groupes finis p-locaux avec la formule de Kunneth et les systèmes de liaison que se décomposent bien vis-à-vis de la suite exacte longue de Mayer-Vietoris. Finalement, nous étudions les sous-groupes essentiels d’un produit couronné par Cp. Nous finissons par des exemples qui soulignent, qu’en général, on ne peut espérer un isomorphisme entre H*(\ℒ\, M) et H*(Ƒᶜ, M). / The aim of this work is to study the cohomology with twisted coefficients of the geometric realization of linking systems. More precisely, if (S, Ƒ, ℒ) is a p-local finite group, we work on the cohomology H*(\ℒ\, M) of the geometric realization of ℒ with coefficients in a Z(p)[π₁(\ℒ\)]-module M and its links with the Ƒᶜ-stables H*(Ƒᶜ, M) ⊆ H*(S, M) trough the inclusion of BS in \ℒ\. After we give the definition of Ƒᶜ-stable elements , we study the endomorphism of H*(S, M) induced by an Fc-characteristic (S, S)-biset and we show that, if the action is nilpotent- and we assume an hypothesis, we have a natural isomorphism H*(\ℒ\, M) ≌ H* (Fᶜ;M). Secondly, we look at p-solvable actions of π₁(\ℒ\) on M through the notion of p-local subgroups of index a power of p or prime to p. If the action factors through a p'-group, we show that there si also a natural isomorphism. We then work on extending this to any-p-solvable action and we get some positive answer then the p-local finite groupis realizable. Theses leads to the conjecture that it is true for any-p-local finite group and any-p-solvable actions. We also give some tools to study this conjecture on examples. We look at products of p-local finite groups with Kunneth Formula and linking system which can be decomposed in a way which behaves well with Mayer-Vietoris long exact sequence. Finally, we study essential subgroups of wreath productsby Cp. We finish with some examples which illustrate that, in general, we cannot hope an isomorphism between H*(\ℒ\, M) and H*(Ƒᶜ, M).

The September 11 terrorist attacks pointed out the lack of information sharing between law enforcement agencies as a potential threat to sound law enforcement in the United States. Therefore, many law enforcement agencies as well as the federal government have been initiating information sharing systems among law enforcement agencies to eradicate the information sharing problem. One of the systems established by Homeland Security is the North Central Texas Fusion Center (NCTFC). This study evaluates the NCTFC by utilizing user acceptance methodology. The unified theory of acceptance and the use of technology is used as a theoretical framework for this study. Within the study, user acceptance literature is examined and various models and theories are discussed. Furthermore, a brief information regarding the intelligence work done by law enforcement agencies are explained. In addition to the NCTFC, several major law enforcement information systems are introduced. The data for this study comes from the users of the NCTFC across the north central Texas region. Surveys and interviews are used to triangulate data. It is found in this study that performance expectancy and effort expectancy are important indicators of system use. Furthermore, outreach and needs assessment are important factors in establishing systems. The results of the study offer valuable input for NCTFC administrators, law enforcement officials, and future researchers.