La présente thèse de doctorat en informatique propose un modèle pour une recherche d'information intelligente possibiliste des documents Web et son implémentation. Ce modèle est à base de deux Réseaux Petits Mondes Hiérarchiques (RPMH) et d'un Réseau Possibiliste (RP) : Le premier RPMH consiste à structurer les documents retrouvés en zones denses de pages Web thématiquement liées les unes aux autres. Nous faisons ainsi apparaître des nuages denses de pages qui traitent d'un sujet et des sujets connexes (assez similaires sémantiquement) et qui répondent toutes fortement à une requête. Le second RPMH est celui qui consiste à ne pas prendre les mots-clés tels quels mais à considérer une requête comme multiple en ce sens qu'on ne cherche pas seulement le mot-clé dans les pages Web mais aussi les substantifs qui lui sont sémantiquement proches. Les Réseaux Possibilistes combinent les deux RPMH afin d'organiser les documents recherchés selon les préférences de l'utilisateur. En effet, l'originalité du modèle proposé se décline selon les trois volets suivants qui synthétisent nos contributions. Le premier volet s'intéresse au processus itératif de la reformulation sémantique de requêtes. Cette technique est à base de relations de dépendance entre les termes de la requête. Nous évaluons notamment les proximités des mots du dictionnaire français « Le Grand Robert » par rapport aux termes de la requête. Ces proximités sont calculées par le biais de notre approche de recherche des composantes de sens dans un RPMH de dictionnaire de mots par application d'une méthode basée sur le dénombrement des circuits dans le réseau. En fait, l'utilisateur du système proposé choisit le nombre de mots sémantiquement proches qu'il désire ajouter à chaque terme de sa requête originelle pour construire sa requête reformulée sémantiquement. Cette dernière représente la première partie de son profil qu'il propose au système. La seconde partie de son profil est constituée des choix des coefficients de pertinence possibilistes affectés aux entités logiques des documents de la collection. Ainsi, notre système tient compte des profils dynamiques des utilisateurs au fur et à mesure que ces derniers utilisent le système. Ce dernier est caractérisé par son intelligence, son adaptativité, sa flexibilité et sa dynamicité. Le second volet consiste à proposer des relations de dépendance entre les documents recherchés dans un cadre ordinal. Ces relations de dépendance entre ces documents traduisent les liens sémantiques ou statistiques évaluant les distributions des termes communs à des paires ou ensembles de documents. Afin de quantifier ces relations, nous nous sommes basés sur les calculs des proximités entres ces documents par application d'une méthode de dénombrement de circuits dans le RPMH de pages Web. En effet, les documents peuvent ainsi être regroupés dans des classes communes (groupes de documents thématiquement proches). Le troisième volet concerne la définition des relations de dépendance, entre les termes de la requête et les documents recherchés, dans un cadre qualitatif. Les valeurs affectées à ces relations traduisent des ordres partiels de préférence. En fait, la théorie des possibilités offre deux cadres de travail : le cadre qualitatif ou ordinal et le cadre quantitatif. Nous avons proposé notre modèle dans un cadre ordinal. Ainsi, des préférences entre les termes de la requête se sont ajoutées à notre modèle de base. Ces préférences permettent de restituer des documents classés par préférence de pertinence. Nous avons mesuré aussi l'apport de ces facteurs de préférence dans l'augmentation des scores de pertinence des documents contenant ces termes dans le but de pénaliser les scores de pertinence des documents ne les contenant pas. Pour la mise en place de ce modèle nous avons choisi les systèmes multi-agents. L'avantage de l'architecture que nous proposons est qu'elle offre un cadre pour une collaboration entre les différents acteurs et la mise en œuvre de toutes les fonctionnalités du système de recherche d'information (SRI). L'architecture s'accorde parfaitement avec le caractère intelligent possibiliste et permet de bénéficier des capacités de synergie inhérente entre les différentes composantes du modèle proposé. Dans le présent travail, nous avons donc pu mettre en exergue à travers les expérimentations effectuées l'intérêt de faire combiner les deux RPMH via un réseau possibiliste dans un SRI, ce qui permet d'enrichir le niveau d'exploration d'une collection. Ce dernier n'est pas limité aux documents mais l'étend en considérant les requêtes. En effet, la phase de reformulation sémantique de requête permet à l'utilisateur de profiter des autres documents correspondants aux termes sémantiquement proches des termes de la requête originelle. Ces documents peuvent exister dans d'autres classes des thèmes. En conséquence, une reclassification proposée par le système s'avère pertinente afin d'adapter les résultats d'une requête aux nouveaux besoins des utilisateurs. / This Ph.D. thesis proposes a new model for a multiagent possibilistic Web information retrieval and its implementation. This model is based on two Hierarchical Small-Worlds (HSW) Networks and a Possibilistic Networks (PN): The first HSW consists in structuring the founded documents in dense zones of Web pages which strongly depend on each other. We thus reveal dense clouds of pages which "speak" more or less about the same subject and related subjects (semantically similar) and which all strongly answer user's query. The second HSW consists in considering the query as multiple in the sense that we don't seek only the keyword in the Web pages but also its semantically close substantives. The PN generates the mixing of these two HSW in order to organize the searched documents according to user's preferences. Indeed, the originality of the suggested model is declined according to three following shutters' which synthesize our contributions. The first shutter is interested in the iterative process of query semantic reformulation. This technique is based on relationship dependence between query's terms. We evaluate in particular the semantics proximities between the words of the French dictionary "Le Grand Robert" and query's terms. These proximities are calculated via our approach of research of the semantics components in the HSW of dictionary of words by application of our method of enumeration of circuits in the HSW of dictionary. In fact, the user of the suggested system chooses the number of close words that he desire to add to each word of his initial query to build his semantically reformulated query. This one represents the first part of user's profile which he proposes to the system. The second part of its profile makes up of its choices of the coefficients of relevance possibilistic of the logical entities of the documents of the collection. Thus, our system takes account of the dynamic profiles of its users progressively they use the system, which proves its intelligence, its adaptability, its flexibility and its dynamicity. The second shutter consists in proposing relationship dependence between documents of the collection within an ordinal framework. These relationships dependence between these documents represent the semantic or statistical links evaluating the distributions of the general terms to pairs or sets of documents.  In order to quantify these relationships, we are based on the calculations of the proximities between these documents by application of a method enumerating of circuits in the HSW of Web pages. Indeed, the documents can thus be clustered in common classes (groups of close documents). The third shutter is related to the definition of the relationships dependence between query's terms and documents of the collection, within a qualitative framework. The assigned values to these relations translate preferably partial orders. In fact, possibilistic theory offers two working frameworks:  the qualitative or ordinal framework and the numerical framework.  We proposed our model within an ordinal framework. Thus, we add to our basic model preferences between query's terms. These preferences make it possible to restore documents classified by relevance's preference. We also measured the contribution of these preferably factors in the increase of the relevance's scores of  documents containing these terms with an aim of penalizing the relevance's scores of the documents not containing them. For the installation of this model we chose multiagent systems. The advantage of the proposed architecture is that it offers a framework for collaboration between the various actors and the implementation of all the functionalities of the information retrieval system. Architecture agrees perfectly with the possibilistic intelligent character and makes it possible to profit from the capacities of inherent synergy in the suggested model. We thus could put forward, through the carried out experiments, the goal of combining the two HSW via a possibilistic network in an information retrieval system, which makes it possible to enrich the exploration level of a collection. This exploration is not only limited to the documents but it extends by considering also the query. Indeed, the semantic query reformulation phase makes it possible to benefit user from other documents which contain some close terms of the initial query. These documents can exist in other topics classes. Consequently, a reclassification suggested by the system proves its relevance in order to adapt query's results to new user's needs.

This thesis deals with the internal control concept according to the COSO Integrated Framework for Internal Controls. Internal control definition, objectives and components are reviewed and commented. The emphasis is put on the auditor's understanding the entity's internal control and his responsibility to identify and assess the risk of material misstatement in the financial statements.

L’utilisation de molécules issues d’une synthèse maîtrisée est une approche très intéressante pour les biologistes car elle met à leur disposition des molécules bien caractérisées et d’une grande pureté. Dans un premier temps, nous avons synthétisé des triglycérides structurés. Ce sont des molécules lipidiques dans lesquelles les acides gras d’intérêt sont estérifiés sur le squelette glycérol en position connue. Les acides gras introduits appartiennent à la série oméga 3 (acides linolénique (ALA), eicosapentaènoique (EPA) et docosahexaènoique (DHA). Ils sont estérifiés spécifiquement en position interne ou externes car la biodisponibilité des lipides alimentaires, apportés sous forme de triglycérides, varie en fonction de la position de l’acide gras sur le squelette glycérol. L’utilisation de ces lipides structurés a été validée par des études de biodisponibilité, in vivo, chez le rat, qui ont montré que l’ALA était très bien assimilé quelle que soit sa position sur le glycérol. Dans un deuxième temps, nous avons synthétisé un acide a-linolénique fluorescent, sous forme d’ester méthylique, pour obtenir in fine un TG fluorescent. Celui-ci nous permettra suivre, par imagerie, le devenir de l’ALA dans des cellules en culture, modèles de la barrière intestinale. Les différentes molécules synthétisées sont apparues comme un outil fondamental permettant de mieux connaître le devenir métabolique des triglycérides dans l’organisme. / Biologists are very interested in the use of molecules obtained by a well-controlled synthesis because such molecules are well characterized and of high purity. First, we synthesized pure structured triglycerides in other words lipid molecules in which fatty acids are esterified onto a known position of the glycerol backbone. The introduced polyunsaturated fatty acids belong to the omega 3 series (linolenic (LNA),eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA acids). As the bioavailability of lipids depends upon their position on the glycerol skeleton , we prepared triglycerides esterified with omega 3 fatty acids either qt one of the external positions or at the internal one. The use of these structured lipids was validated byr in vivo studies on rats that showed a good assimilation of LNA whatever its position was. Secondly, we synthesized an ? linolenic acid as methyl ester labeled with a fluorophore To obtain in fine a fluorescent triglyceride. This last one will be use for the spatio-temporal follow-up, in culture cell, of the LNA. The synthesized molecules are a promising tool to better understand the triglycerides’ metabolism in the human being.

Background: Prior to the early 1990s, most counselor preparation programs did not have multicultural competencies. Therefore, a call was made for the use of multicultural competencies in counselor preparation programs. Yet, the popularization of multicultural competencies of this time in education had a Eurocentric bent, a kind of colorblindness More recently, scholars confirmed that these Eurocentric multicultural competencies had become the primary template from which counselor preparation programs taught culturally responsive and relevant pedagogy. Therefore, a call was made for the use of critical race theory (CRT) in counselor preparation programs to challenge and change Eurocentric cultural competence. Purpose: This study explored the presence of CRT and culturally relevant pedagogy in an educational counseling master’s program preparing community college counselors. Methodology: This content analysis explored an educational counseling master’s program. Various data collection methods employed included program document analysis, and semi-structured interviews of program faculty/counselor-educators, program student-counselors/alumni. Conclusion: The main findings of this content analysis are that although not explicit, and albeit limited, evidence of CRT themes were inferred in some way in the program’s content; while culturally relevant pedagogy was evident within the variety of counseling techniques employed.

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<p>  </p> <p>Transportation access is an important indicator of the quality of life and if it is inequitable, it will limit the work, leisure, and other essential opportunities for people and worsen the access for the disadvantaged groups. In the U.S., increased auto-dependency and the lack of other feasible alternative transportation modes exacerbate the negative impacts of this inequity, especially for the people without automobiles. The transportation equity in terms of the number of feasible transportation mode alternatives to serve a trip (i.e. mobility option equity) has not been extensively evaluated in the literature. Existing studies mainly analyzed the access to transportation infrastructures (e.g., bus stops, bike lanes, shared bike stations) based on the proximity at the zonal level. However, having access to a certain trip mode based on proximity does not necessarily add to the mobility option equity. First, mismatch may exist between the infrastructure and an individual’s travel demand. For example, if someone lives closely to a bus station but the bus route that can be accessed does not align with this person’s trip destination, they will not be able to use bus as a feasible mode for this trip. Second, existing accessibility-based studies often lack consideration of the trip feasibility (in terms of cost, quality, and safety) of using transportation infrastructures at the route level. For example, if a walking trip route is generated without considering the existence of sidewalks, the individual might have to walk on a unsafe busy road. In this case they will not be able to walk to satisfy their travel demand. Therefore, better transportation equity metrics concerning the feasibility of using transportation infrastructures to serve individuals’ travel demands are needed. </p> <p>To address this gap, this thesis defined the “travel-demand-relevant access” (mobility-need-relevant access) metric to evaluate transportation access in the context of individual travel demands and route-level infrastructure constraints and developed a framework to use GPS data to quantify the proposed metric for transportation equity analysis. Assessing which transportation modes are feasible alternatives to serve a trip, requires trip-level disaggregated travel demand data and detailed transportation infrastructure information. The recent development of information and communication technologies and open data efforts provide unprecedented opportunities for such trip-level analysis. With these developments it is now possible to evaluate the feasibility of a mode both the cost- and quality-based measures. The cost-based method estimates the monetary and time cost of using each mobility option and compares it with prominent trip mode (car) to examine “forced car use” concerning the travel demand. The quality-based method comprises accessibility and mobility-based performance measures to evaluate the feasibility of a certain trip mode regarding the ease of use and safety with relation to the infrastructure characteristics. The mobility options/alternatives deemed feasible with these two methods were used in the equity analysis, where the travel-demand-relevant access on the spatial and sociodemographic level was evaluated. </p> <p>The proposed framework was applied to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Area (MPA) as a case study. The key insights of this study can be listed as (1) it is important to consider travel-demand-relevant access to evaluate transportation equity because we found that 40% of the trips that were identified as accessible by public transit are not feasible when travel-demand-relevant access is considered; (2) suburban areas on average have 12% less mobility options available compared with  the urban core which forces high car ownership in these areas; amd (3) people with non-college educational attainment, households with more crowded rooms, and larger families are the negatively impacted disadvantaged groups while census block groups with high composition of white middle-class suburban families have the lowest number of options (1.5 on average) available. </p> <p>The suburban populations with a low number of mobility options (with a vehicle) are not necessarily at a disadvantage in terms of mobility option equity, since suburban areas are by design made to be car dependent. However, the lower number of feasible mobility options in these areas possesses a risk for the future if the consequences are not evaluated carefully. In terms of urban migration, if out-migration from the urban core to suburban areas keeps increasing as the pandemic trend suggests, the forced car ownership in suburban areas could increase and create/worsen transport deserts. This increase in vehicle ownership contradicts equity and environmental goals regarding transportation. If we observe an increase in the suburban to urban core migration trend, it can force disadvantaged groups to move into suburban areas because of gentrification and increasing prices. These disadvantaged groups could suffer from the limited amount of mobility options in suburban areas, since their access to opportunities would decrease. </p>

The primary goal of this work is to answer this question: if Artificial Intelligences (AI) are proper subjects of moral consideration, then should we develop such AI – that is, AI worthy of moral consideration of its own accord? To answer the above question, it is necessary to provide a systematic overview of whether AI are, or could be, subjects of moral consideration. By combining P. Wang’s definition of AI with AK.M. Andersson’s “The Relevant Similarity Theory”, I aim to identify conditions under which an AI could be demarcated as a proper subject of moral consideration. As a comparison, I also combine Wang’s definition with M.C. Nussbaum’s “Capability Theory”. The proposed theories have two strengths in common – namely that they each are good and contemporary examples of two influential families of views in ethics, and that they, together, represent a fairly wide spectrum of ethical theory. Using the insights gained I first develop an argument showing that beings classifiable as AI under Wang’s definition of intelligence would be correctly demarcated as proper subjects of moral consideration, regardless of preference of the two moral theories. I then develop an argument answering my primary question as such: if AI are proper subjects of moral consideration, then we should not develop AI further. / <p>HT 2021</p>

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