Hjärtats pumpförmåga är en av de olika funktioner som bedöms vid en transthorakal ekokardiografisk (TTE) undersökning. För bedömning av vänsterkammarfunktion finns ett antal olika parametrar som utmärker sig, däremot är känsligheten och specificiteten för de olika parametrarna varierande. Syftet med denna studie var att utföra en jämförelse av konventionella metoder för mätning av vänsterkammarfunktionen med fokus på AV-planets förflyttning och myokardiets kontraktilitet som tyder på ett välfungerande myokard. Bildinsamlingen för projektet har skett i det kliniska flöde av patienter som sedan tidigare är insamlat i anslutning till rutinmässiga undersökningar. De bilder som behövdes för projektet erhölls hos 25 patienter som har genomgått en klinisk undersökning vid Hjärtmottagningen, eko-lab, Skånes Universitetssjukhus, Lund.  Studien baserades på en jämförelse mellan olika konventionella metoder för mätning av systolisk vänsterkammarfunktion; global longitudinell strain (GLS), Mitral Annular Plane Systolic Excursion (MAPSE) och Tissue Motion Annular Displacement (TMAD). Resultatet av jämförelsen mellan parametrarna visade statistiskt signifikanta skillnader mellan GLS och TMAD (p <0,001) samt mellan GLS och MAPSE (p <0,001). Däremot erhölls ingen signifikant skillnad mellan ΔTMAD (medelvärde av TMAD i två- och fyrkammar-vy) och ΔMAPSE (medelvärde av MAPSE i två- och fyrkammar-vy). Korrelationsanalysen mellan strain och TMAD (i både fyr-och tvåkammar-vy) samt strain och MAPSE (i fyr-och tvåkammar-vy) påvisade en korrelation. Det erhölls även en stark korrelation mellan ΔTMAD och ΔMAPSE.

Bakgrund: Ekokardiografi har en betydande roll i diagnostisering av vänster kammare. Genom undersökning av segmentell och global longitudinell strain samt strain rate kan regional och global kinetik bedömas. Vid kontraktion och relaxation deformeras myokardiet varvid segmentell strain mäter deformationen av respektive segment uttryckt i procent medan strain rate mäter hastigheten av deformationen. Genom summering av medelvärdet från alla segment erhålls global longitudinell strain. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att jämföra ultraljudbaserade segmentell och global strain samt strain rate i vänster kammare. Jämförelse har gjorts mellan mätningar utförd av erfaren biomedicinsk analytiker samt mindre erfarna biomedicinska analytikerstudenter. Metod: Kvantitativ studie där 10 testpersoner undersökts ekokardiografiskt. Bildtagningen och mätresultaten insamlades med Siemens Acuson SC2000. Sammanställning av insamlade mätvärden gjordes på Microsoft Excel och Microsoft Word i diagram och tabeller. För jämförelse av strain segmentellt och globalt samt strain rate har analysmetoden Related-Samples Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test använts. Resultat: Resultatet visade enbart en statistisk signifikant skillnad (p <0,05) vid segmentell strain i basala segmenten i apikala projektioner mellan erfaren biomedicinsk analytiker och student 1. Konklusion: Datamaterialet är inte tillräckligt för att kunna generalisera resultatet till en större population. Det behövs fortsatta studier inom området för att dra en mer säkerställd slutsats. / Background: Echocardiography has a major role for assessment of the left ventricle. By using segmental and global longitudinal strain and strain rate both regional and global kinetics can be assessed. Segmental strain measures deformation of the myocardium as strain rate measures the velocity of the deformation. By summing the average from all segments, global longitudinal strain is obtained. Purpose:  To compare heart ultrasound-based segmental and global strain and strain rate in the left ventricle. Comparisons have been made between experienced biomedical laboratory scientist and less experienced biomedical laboratory scientist’s students. Method: Quantitative study were 10 test subjects have been examined echocardiographically. Imaging and measurements were collected with Siemens Acuson SC2000. Compilation of collected measurements were made on Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word in charts and tables. For comparison of segmental and global strain and strain rate the analysis method Related-Samples Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test were used. Result: The result shows only one statistically significant difference (p <0.05) of segmental strain in the basal segments of apical projections between experienced biomedical laboratory scientist and student 1.  Conclusion: The data material is not enough to generalize the result to a larger population. Further studies are needed to draw a more secure conclusion.

ヾ本研究之目的有三：１．說明如何利用驗證性因素分析法來克服探索性因素分析法 所無法解決的困難。２．說明如何將模式之限制設定更加一般化，以適合模式之不同 假設。３．利用矩陣語言設計程式，說明當研究者汲有套裝程式可用或已有的套裝程 式無法滿足研究上的需要時，可以矩陣語言加以克服。ゝ本研究之文獻回顧包括兩個 部分：１．估計方法之文獻回顧，旨在說明多群因素分析法和工具變項因素分析法的 估計程序和其優缺點。２．反覆算法之文獻回顧，說明可用於或曾用於驗證性因素分 析法之反覆算法及其優缺點。ゞ研究方法：本研究以類似非線性迴歸中之普通最小平 方法、一般化最小平方法和最大概似法導出配適函數，依此，再利用反覆算法估計參 數及參數之標準差。々研究內容：本研究之主要內有五，１．比較驗證性因素分析法 和探索性因素分析法在設定假設上的不同。２．說明如何確認模式。３．說明如何在 不設定限制和設定限制下估計參數及參數標準差。４．如何建構檢定統計量以檢定模 式之配適結果。５．利用ＯＬＳ、ＧＬＳ、ＭＬ三種方法來做實證。ぁ研究結果：本 研究之結果主要有四，１．不論利用ＯＬＳ、ＧＬＳ或ＭＬ來估計模式參數時，皆需 要大樣本較合適。２．利用ＯＬＳ、ＧＬＳ和ＭＬ來估計模式參數時，皆要基於常態 性的假設。３．模式利用等式和不等式來設定參數的限制，使得模式更加一般化。４ ．利用矩陣語言所設計的程式可用於實證上。

Submitted by Automa??o e Estat?stica (sst@bczm.ufrn.br) on 2016-05-10T23:18:28Z No. of bitstreams: 1 KionaraSarabellaTuribioESilva_DISSERT.pdf: 1524779 bytes, checksum: a034505b357fab3aef4e1f83a7bbc3d6 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Arlan Eloi Leite Silva (eloihistoriador@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-05-18T19:54:55Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 KionaraSarabellaTuribioESilva_DISSERT.pdf: 1524779 bytes, checksum: a034505b357fab3aef4e1f83a7bbc3d6 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-18T19:54:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 KionaraSarabellaTuribioESilva_DISSERT.pdf: 1524779 bytes, checksum: a034505b357fab3aef4e1f83a7bbc3d6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-06-15 / O bioma Caatinga, ecossistema de clima semi?rido localizado no nordeste do Brasil, apresenta forte sazonalidade com baixo regime de precipita??o. Esta regi?o possui as proje??es de mudan?as clim?ticas mais alarmantes do pa?s, com o aumento temperatura do ar e a redu??o da pluviosidade com tend?ncias mais fortes que as previs?es m?dias globais. As mudan?as clim?ticas no bioma podem acarretar na diminui??o da cobertura vegetal e altera??o de sua distribui??o, bem como do funcionamento ecossist?mico. Desta forma, influencia fortemente na diversidade de esp?cies. Nesse contexto, a proposta desse estudo ? modelar a din?mica da vegeta??o em fun??o das condi??es ambientais (pluviosidade e temperatura), bem como predizer as consequ?ncias das mudan?as clim?ticas, baseadas nesses determinantes ambientais para o verdor da vegeta??o. O ?ndice de vegeta??o EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index) foi usado para estimar o verdor da vegeta??o no bioma. A fim de considerar a forte autocorrrela??o temporal e espacial, bem como a heterogeneidade presente nos dados, v?rios modelos GLS (Generalized Least Squares) foram desenvolvidos e comparados para se obter o melhor modelo. Tal modelo refletiu a influ?ncias das condi??es ambientais na previs?o do verdor da vegeta??o no futuro. Diante da aplica??o dos novos cen?rios de mudan?as clim?ticas no modelo, a modifica??o dos determinantes ambientais, pluviosidade e temperatura, influenciou negativamente no verdor da vegeta??o no bioma Caatinga. Esse modelo foi usado para criar imagens de vegeta??o potencial nos per?odos presente e futuro do bioma Caatinga considerando que at? 2040 haver? uma diminui??o de 20% da precipita??o e um aumento de 1?C na temperatura; at? 2070 haver? uma diminui??o de 35% na precipita??o e um aumento de 2,5?C na temperatura; e at? o final do s?culo o percentual de diminui??o das chuvas alcan?ar? 50% e a temperatura ter? um aumento de at? 4,5?C. Os resultados desse estudo sugerem que o funcionamento do ecossistema ser? afetado com a diminui??o de 5,9% do verdor da vegeta??o at? 2040, 14,2% at? 2070 e 24,3 % at? o final do s?culo. A vegeta??o da Caatinga em ?reas de baixa altitude (maior parte do bioma) ser? mais afetada pelas mudan?as clim?ticas. / The Caatinga biome, a semi-arid climate ecosystem found in northeast Brazil, presents low rainfall regime and strong seasonality. It has the most alarming climate change projections within the country, with air temperature rising and rainfall reduction with stronger trends than the global average predictions. Climate change can present detrimental results in this biome, reducing vegetation cover and changing its distribution, as well as altering all ecosystem functioning and finally influencing species diversity. In this context, the purpose of this study is to model the environmental conditions (rainfall and temperature) that influence the Caatinga biome productivity and to predict the consequences of environmental conditions in the vegetation dynamics under future climate change scenarios. Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) was used to estimate vegetation greenness (presence and density) in the area. Considering the strong spatial and temporal autocorrelation as well as the heterogeneity of the data, various GLS models were developed and compared to obtain the best model that would reflect rainfall and temperature influence on vegetation greenness. Applying new climate change scenarios in the model, environmental determinants modification, rainfall and temperature, negatively influenced vegetation greenness in the Caatinga biome. This model was used to create potential vegetation maps for current and future of Caatinga cover considering 20% decrease in precipitation and 1 ?C increase in temperature until 2040, 35% decrease in precipitation and 2.5 ?C increase in temperature in the period 2041-2070 and 50% decrease in precipitation and 4.5 ?C increase in temperature in the period 2071-2100. The results suggest that the ecosystem functioning will be affected on the future scenario of climate change with a decrease of 5.9% of the vegetation greenness until 2040, 14.2% until 2070 and 24.3% by the end of the century. The Caatinga vegetation in lower altitude areas (most of the biome) will be more affected by climatic changes.

L’objectif de cette étude est d’évaluer l’impact de la surliquidité sur la rentabilité des banques au Cameroun. Les analyses sont axées sur la rentabilité globale mesurée par le rendement de l’actif (ROA) et la rentabilité des capitaux propres (ROE) et sur les marges d’intermédiation (MI). La partie empirique a été conduite sur un échantillon de 10 banques (4 locales et 6 étrangères) observées sur la période 2001-2010. Afin d’évaluer cet impact, nous utilisons la méthode de régression des moindres carrés généralisés (MCG) appliquée aux données de panel. Les résultats des estimations montrent que la surliquidité influence négativement la rentabilité des banques. En outre, cet impact négatif est plus marqué pour les banques locales avec les MI, et pour les banques étrangères avec la ROA et la ROE. Les banques doivent ainsi adapter leurs activités aux besoins de la clientèle et aux contraintes environnementales. / The objective of this study is to assess the impact of excess liquidity on the profitability of banks in Cameroon. The analyzes are focused on the overall profitability as measured by return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE), and intermediation margins (IM). The empirical part was conducted on a sample of 10 banks observed over the period 2001-2010 (4 local banks and 6 foreign banks). To assess this impact, we use the method of Generalized Least Squares (GLS) regression applied to panel data. The estimation results show that the excess liquidity negatively impact the profitability of banks. In addition, this negative impact is stronger for local banks with IM, and foreign banks with ROA and ROE. Banks must adapt their activities to the needs of customers and environmental constraints.

There has been a long discussion about macroeconomic variables influencing the level of aggregate credit risk in the economy. While literature provides both empirical evidence and theoretical explana- tion of the influence of the business cycle on credit risk, the effect of other macroeconomic variables has not been explored sufficiently. In addition, recent literature suggests the existence of a latent risk factor behind aggregate credit risk, which is regularly interpreted as the latent default cycle. This thesis provides in its first part a discussion of potential aggregate credit risk drivers, which have been previously suggested in literature. We verify using a linear regression model whether the effect of these macroeconomic variables is also apparent in the Czech Republic. Results seem to be stable for both different model specifications and different clients segments and are in line with previous studies. The second part of this thesis explicitly models the latent factor that is assumed behind aggregate credit risk by adding an unobserved component to the already existing model constructed earlier in this thesis. The unobserved component can be estimated by applying Kalman filter. We subsequently discuss the sources of the latent component and whether it can be interpreted as the default cycle. The...

mRNA localisation is a widely used mechanism for achieving temporal-spatial restriction of protein expression and is essential during development to establish cell polarity. mRNA localisation is particularly well studied in the Drosophila egg chamber where gurken mRNA is localised to the dorsal-anterior corner of the oocyte in a Dynein-dependent process that establishes the anterior-posterior and dorsal-ventral axes of the future embryo. An RNA stem-loop called the gurken localisation signal is necessary and sufficient to drive gurken localisation through interactions with a specific complement of protein factors. However, the exact RNA sequence and structural features required to promote each stage of gurken localisation are unknown. Using a live-cell injection assay I have dissected regions of the mRNA signal that are responsible for driving gurken transport and anchoring through their association with Egalitarian, Me31B and Squid proteins. I show the structure of an AU-rich stem and a purine stack are essential for gurken transport, and demonstrate that the size of the internal loop between these stems is important. These features of the localisation signal are essential for recruitment of Egalitarian, which links the mRNA to the Dynein transport machinery. I also show that these mRNA sequence and structural elements are present in several other Dynein-transported mRNAs. The bulge at the distal end of the gurken localisation signal is important for anchoring grk at the dorsal-anterior of the oocyte, possibly through Squid binding, and the proximal third of the signal is essential for recruitment of the translation component Me31B. These studies indicate that the role of the gurken localisation signal in controlling gurken transport, anchoring and translation can be mapped to distinct regions of the signal and provide insights into how the signal carries out these numerous functions at a molecular level. Determining the molecular interactions involved in mRNA localisation improves our understanding of how specificity is generated to direct different mRNAs to distinct regions of the cell to restrict protein expression.

El brillo solar varía en escalas de tiempo de minutos a décadas. En particular, la variabilidad fotométrica observada puede relacionarse directamente con el período de rotación. Nuestro conocimiento de este vínculo permite extrapolaciones desde el Sol a otras estrellas. Incluso después de los exitosos estudios estelares logrados por las misiones Kepler o TESS, todavía hay una falta de información en los registros fotométricos de los períodos de rotación de estrellas similares al Sol. Los perfiles de curvas de luz no periódicas, la amplitud de modulación baja (los generados por la aparición aleatoria de características magnéticas y su rápida evolución, en comparación con la escala de tiempo de rotación) son las principales razones poco confiable estimación de la periodicidad en el Sol y sus análogos estelares. Esto indica que las estrellas con un perfil de brillo solar similar también podrían enfrentar un problema de detectabilidad del período de rotación. Lo que implica que solo una fracción de los sistemas similares a los solares se han analizado adecuadamente. Propongo en esta Tesis que una señal clara y optimizada del período de rotación puede ser determinada de manera confiable a partir del perfil del gradiente en el espectro de potencia (GPS) de las series de tiempo de brillo, también denominadas curvas de luz. El GPS es un método novedoso destinado a determinar los períodos de rotación de estrellas como el Sol (es decir, con un perfil de variabilidad de brillo similar). Adicionalmente, el método nos da valiosa información sobre la relación entre fáculas y manchas, lo que, en consecuencia, podría ayudarnos a interpretar la superficie estelar. Este trabajo se basa en el análisis de series de tiempo fotométricas de alta calidad adquiridas por el telescopio Kepler, mediciones de alta estabilidad y alta precisión de la misión SOHO / VIRGO y modelos detallados de variaciones de brillo solar. El método GPS se propone, se desarrolla y prueba con éxito en esta tesis.

My dissertation is primarily divided into two parts. The first deals with the preparation, functionalization, and characterization of carbon surfaces prepared by direct current magnetron sputtering (DCMS) and high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) as substrates for bioarrays. Part two discusses applications of XPS peak fitting in surface chemical analysis. Chapter 1, the introduction, includes (i) a discussion of the construction of bioarrays and the preparation of sputtered surfaces, e.g., by DCMS and HiPIMS, and also functionalization (bioconjugate) chemistry with special emphasis on the importance of covalent functionalization of surfaces, and (ii) a discussion of the surface characterization techniques and accompanying analysis methods I have primarily used, which include X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), near-ambient pressure XPS (NAP-XPS), XPS peak fitting, and contact angle goniometry (wetting). Chapter 2 discusses the preparation, characterization, and functionalization of DCMS and HiPIMS carbon surfaces for bioarrays. Here, two functionalization chemistries are explored, where the activity of DCMS and HiPIMS carbon towards amidation and amination is compared. Chapter 3 focuses on the use of Gaussian-Lorentzian sum (GLS) and Gaussian-Lorentzian product (GLP) line shapes in the context of peak fitting XPS narrow scans. This discussion includes a comparison of the GLS and GLP line shapes with the Voigt function. Chapters 4 and 5 discuss the applications of XPS peak fitting in materials characterization. Chapter 4 talks about XPS data analysis in the context of the chemical vapor deposition of various aminosilanes and their effect on peptide stability and purity. Chapters 5 describes the surface chemical analysis of various materials by NAP-XPS, including accompanying data analysis and/or peak fitting. The materials probed here cannot be analyzed at ultra-high vacuum by conventional XPS, hence, they are analyzed by NAP-XPS. Chapter 5 is divided into 5 sections. Section 5.1.1 discusses the characterization and analysis of a solution of bovine serum albumin (BSA) by peak fitting the C 1s and O 1s peak envelopes. Section 5.1.2 discusses the analysis of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) at different pressures. Here, the effect of increasing background pressure and X-ray illumination time on the equivalent widths of the F 1s narrows scans is shown. Environmental charge compensation is also discussed here. Section 5.1.3 includes the analysis of poly(γ-benzyl L-glutamate) (PBLG), where the C 1s and O 1s peak envelopes were peak fitted to determine/confirm the structure and composition of this polymer. Section 5.1.4 contains an analysis and comparison of three different human hair samples: (i) untreated, (ii) colored, and (iii) bleached. Here, a comparison of the Si 2p, S 2p, and C 1s peaks illustrates the effects of the different treatments. Section 5.1.5 shows the characterization and analysis of liquid and solid phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Chapter 6 presents conclusion of my work and discusses future work.

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal. / In this thesis, we deal with three particular issues in the literature on nonstationary time series. The first essay deals with various unit root tests in the context of structural change. The second paper studies some residual based tests in order to identify cointegration. Finally, in the third essay, we analyze several tests in order to identify additive outliers in nonstationary time series. The first paper analyzes the hypothesis that some time series can be characterized as stationary with a broken trend. We extend the class of M-tests and ADF test for a unit root to the case where a change in the trend function is allowed to occur at an unknown time. These tests (MGLS, ADFGLS) adopt the Generalized Least Squares (GLS) detrending approach to eliminate the set of deterministic components present in the model. We consider two models in the context of the structural change literature. The first model allows for a change in slope and the other for a change in slope as well as intercept. We derive the asymptotic distribution of the tests as well as that of the feasible point optimal test (PF-Ls) which allows us to find the power envelope. The asymptotic critical values of the tests are tabulated and we compute the non-centrality parameter used for the local GLS detrending that permits the tests to have 50% asymptotic power at that value. Two methods to select the break point are analyzed. A first method estimates the break point that yields the minimal value of the statistic. In the second method, the break point is selected such that the absolute value of the t-statistic on the change in slope is maximized. We show that the MGLS and PTGLS tests have an asymptotic power function close to the power envelope. An extensive simulation study analyzes the size and power of the tests in finite samples under various methods to select the truncation lag for the autoregressive spectral density estimator. In an empirical application, we consider two U.S. macroeconomic annual series widely used in the unit root literature: real wages and common stock prices. Our results suggest a rejection of the unit root hypothesis. In other words, we find that these series can be considered as trend stationary with a broken trend. Given the fact that using the GLS detrending approach allows us to attain gains in the power of the unit root tests, a natural extension is to propose this approach to the context of tests based on residuals to identify cointegration. This is the objective of the second paper in the thesis. In fact, we propose residual based tests for cointegration using local GLS detrending to eliminate separately the deterministic components in the series. We consider two cases, one where only a constant is included and one where a constant and a time trend are included. The limiting distributions of various residuals based tests are derived for a general quasi-differencing parameter and critical values are tabulated for values of c = 0 irrespective of the nature of the deterministic components and also for other values as proposed in the unit root literature. Simulations show that GLS detrending yields tests with higher power. Furthermore, using c = -7.0 or c = -13.5 as the quasi-differencing parameter, based on the two cases analyzed, is preferable. The third paper is an extension of a recently proposed method to detect outliers which explicitly imposes the null hypothesis of a unit root. it works in an iterative fashion to select multiple outliers in a given series. We show, via simulation, that under the null hypothesis of no outliers, it has the right size in finite samples to detect a single outlier but when applied in an iterative fashion to select multiple outliers, it exhibits severe size distortions towards finding an excessive number of outliers. We show that this iterative method is incorrect and derive the appropriate limiting distribution of the test at each step of the search. Whether corrected or not, we also show that the outliers need to be very large for the method to have any decent power. We propose an alternative method based on first-differenced data that has considerably more power. The issues are illustrated using two US/Finland real exchange rate series.