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Due to the tremendous increase in the amount of data efficiently managed by current database systems, optimization is still one of the most challenging issues in database research. Today’s query optimizer determine the most efficient composition of physical operators to execute a given SQL query, whereas the underlying hardware consists of a multi-core CPU. However, hardware systems are more and more shifting towards heterogeneity, combining a multi-core CPU with various computing units, e.g., GPU or FPGA cores. In order to efficiently utilize the provided performance capability of such heterogeneous hardware, the assignment of physical operators to computing units gains importance. In this paper, we propose a heterogeneity-aware physical operator placement strategy (HOP) for in-memory columnar database systems in a heterogeneous environment. Our placement approach takes operators from the physical query execution plan as an input and assigns them to computing units using a cost model at runtime. To enable this runtime decision, our cost model uses the characteristics of the computing units, execution properties of the operators, as well as runtime data to estimate execution costs for each unit. We evaluated our approach on full TPC-H queries within a prototype database engine. As we are going to show, the placement in a heterogeneous hardware system has a high influence on query performance.

Les chercheurs ont développé plusieurs instruments afin de mesurer les interactions mère-enfant avec un certain succès, l'utilisation d'échelles étant plus efficace que la codification de comportements. Par contre, peu d'études se sont attardées à développer un instrument adapté aux pères. L'objectif de cette recherche est donc de valider le Tri-de-cartes des Comportements Maternels auprès de pères. La consultation d'experts permet d'obtenir des normes spécifiques pour les pères. Selon les juges, les énoncés du Tri-de-cartes des Comportements Maternels sont adéquats pour évaluer la sensibilité paternelle. Dans un deuxième temps, des visites à domicile sont effectuées afin d'établir la fidélité et la validité de l'instrument. Le Tri-de-cartes de Comportements Paternels possède une excellente fiabilité inter-juges et une stabilité test-retest modérée. Certaines limites sont soulignées et discutées quant à la validité convergente de l'instrument avec des questionnaires.

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No / Measuring the quality of care for people using neuro-rehabilitation services is a complex area requiring reliable methods that account for variable communication abilities/cognitive functioning. Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) is an observational method widely used in dementia care to improve person-centred care, which may be usefully applied to neuro-rehabilitation settings. Evaluation is vital to determine the tool's acceptability in this setting. To explore the views of staff/patients regarding whether the use of DCM is acceptable in a neuro-rehabilitation setting. METHOD: DCM was conducted on an acute neuro-rehabilitation ward. Q-methodology, a technique for extracting subjective opinions, was used with 23 staff and 10 patients on the ward to evaluate the acceptability of DCM. RESULTS: Factor analysis was performed separately for staff and patient Q-sorts. Each found a "consensus" factor where all participants indicated positive acceptability for the use of DCM. Further exploratory factors indicated that some staff/patients had additional views/concerns that were not captured by the first consensus factor. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this preliminary study are promising and indicate that DCM is potentially an acceptable tool to use in acute neuro-rehabilitation. Further research is needed to explore the acceptability of this tool more widely across neuro-rehabilitation settings. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: Person-centred care is widely acknowledged as being important in all care settings, including neurorehabilitation. Dementia Care Mapping was deemed to be an acceptable approach for improving the quality of person-centred care on the basis of the views of staff and patients in a neurorehabilitation ward. Dementia Care Mapping, with adaptations for neurorehabilitation settings, successfully provides an acceptable framework for measuring and improving the quality of person-centred care in this setting.

L'objet de cette thèse est d'analyser le jury comme institution politique et d'explorer ses rapports éventuels avec le régime démocratique. L'approche se veut pluridisciplinaire, mobilisant histoire, sociologie et science politique ; et la démarche adoptée est autant macro-sociale, avec la recherche d'une corrélation entre le recours aux jurés pour juger des crimes et l'existence d'un régime démocratique, que micro-sociale, à travers l'analyse d'une juridiction, la cour d'assises française, et de ses acteurs. La thèse tente de répondre à la question relative à l'existence des liens entre jury et démocratie, de deux façons. D'une part en interrogeant trois réformes dont a été l'objet cette cour :1941, l'introduction des magistrats dans la salle où délibéraient seuls les jurés ; 1978, le recrutement des jurés par tirage au sort ; et 2000/2002, la possibilité offerte au condamné comme au parquet de faire appel des verdicts. Deux de ces réformes améliorent la teneur démocratique tandis que la troisième (1941) réduit le pouvoir autonome des jurés. D'autre part, en offrant la parole à ses acteurs, magistrats et jurés. Bien que placé dans un contexte infériorisant, le juré peut toutefois se retrouver transformé et grandi par une expérience qui fait de lui un citoyen actif portant un regard nouveau sur la justice, le crime et le criminel. Plus défenseurs des jurés que les jurés eux-mêmes, les magistrats disposent de pouvoirs nettement plus importants que ceux des jurés, si bien qu'ils compromettent l'un des principes de base de la démocratie : un homme égale une femme égale une voix.

La division cellulaire asymétrique (DCA) consiste en une division pendant laquelle des déterminants cellulaires sont distribués préférentiellement dans une des deux cellules filles. Par l’action de ces déterminants, la DCA générera donc deux cellules filles différentes. Ainsi, la DCA est importante pour générer la diversité cellulaire et pour maintenir l’homéostasie de certaines cellules souches. Pour induire une répartition asymétrique des déterminants cellulaires, le positionnement du fuseau mitotique doit être très bien contrôlé. Fréquemment ceci génère deux cellules filles de tailles différentes, car le fuseau mitotique n’est pas centré pendant la mitose, ce qui induit un positionnement asymétrique du sillon de clivage. Bien qu’un complexe impliquant des GTPases hétérotrimériques et des protéines liant les microtubules au cortex ait été impliqué directement dans le positionnement du fuseau mitotique, le mécanisme exact induisant le positionnement asymétrique du fuseau durant la DCA n'est pas encore compris. Des études récentes suggèrent qu’une régulation asymétrique du cytosquelette d’actine pourrait être responsable de ce positionnement asymétrique du faisceau mitotique. Donc, nous émettons l'hypothèse que des contractions asymétriques d’actine pendant la division cellulaire pourraient déplacer le fuseau mitotique et le sillon de clivage pour créer une asymétrie cellulaire. Nos résultats préliminaires ont démontré que le blebbing cortical, qui est une indication de tension corticale et de contraction, se produit préférentiellement dans la moitié antérieure de cellule précurseur d’organes sensoriels (SOP) pendant le stage de télophase. Nos données soutiennent l'idée que les petites GTPases de la famille Rho pourraient être impliqués dans la régulation du fuseau mitotique et ainsi contrôler la DCA des SOP. Les paramètres expérimentaux développés pour cette thèse, pour étudier la régulation de l’orientation et le positionnement du fuseau mitotique, ouvrirons de nouvelles avenues pour contrôler ce processus, ce qui pourrait être utile pour freiner la progression de cellules cancéreuses. Les résultats préliminaires de ce projet proposeront une manière dont les petites GTPases de la famille Rho peuvent être impliqués dans le contrôle de la division cellulaire asymétrique in vivo dans les SOP. Les modèles théoriques qui sont expliqués dans cette étude pourront servir à améliorer les méthodes quantitatives de biologie cellulaire de la DCA. / Asymmetric cell division (ACD) consists in a cellular division during which specific cell fate determinants are distributed preferentially in one daughter cell, which then differentiate from its sibling. Hence, ACD is important to generate cell diversity and is used to regulate stem cells homeostasis. For proper asymmetric distribution of cell fate determinants, the positioning of the mitotic spindle has to be tightly controlled. Frequently, this induces a cell size asymmetry, since the spindle is then not centered during mitosis, leading to an asymmetric positioning of the cleavage furrow. Although small small GTPases have been shown to act directly on the spindle, the exact mechanism controlling spindle positioning during ACD is not understood. Recent studies suggest that an independent, yet uncharacterized pathway is involved in spindle positioning, which is likely to involve an asymmetric regulation of the actin cytoskeleton. Indeed, actin enables spindle anchoring to the cortex. Hence we hypothesize that asymmetric actin contractions during cytokinesis might displace the mitotic spindle and the cleavage furrow, leading to cell size asymmetry. Interestingly, from our preliminary results we observed that cortical blebbing, which is a read-out of cortical tension/contraction, preferentially occurs on the anterior side of the dividing sensory organ precursor (SOP) cells at telophase. Our preliminary data support the idea that Rho small GTPases might be implicated in regulation of the mitotic spindle hence controlling asymmetric cell division of SOP cells. The experimental settings developed for this thesis, for studying regulation of the mitotic spindle orientation and positioning will serve as proof of concept of how geneticist and biochemist experts could design ways to control such process by different means in cancerous cells. The preliminary results from this project open novel insights on how the Rho small GTPases might be implicated in controlling asymmetric cell division hence their dynamics in vivo of such process during SOP development. Furthermore, the assays and the theoretical model developed in this study can be used as background that could serve to design improved quantitative experimental methods for cell biology synchronizing sub-networks of ACD mechanism.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T18:10:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 mestrado.pdf: 355799 bytes, checksum: 2eddd4ba116ae5953b4240649b3b5476 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-10-17 / The research The chronicle in the newspaper: a reading of Caio Fernando Abreu has the objective to understand and to clarify the possibilities of the chronicle as journalistic and literary sort, through the study of the chronicles of the brazilian Caio Fernando Abreu (1948 - 1996), published in the newspapers O Estado de S. Paulo and Zero Hora (Porto Alegre, RS), and congregated in the book Little epiphanys (Sulina). The choice of the author if must to the predominantly literary and confessional style that it prints to its texts and that they place it in the same aesthetic tradition of Clarice Lispector, chronicler of the Jornal do Brasil in years 70. Such style contrasts excessively with the journalistic language, evidencing the origin of the chronicle: french feuilleton, sort that inaugurated the relation between media and fiction in Latin America. In Brazil, the chronicle prospered as sort of the journalism and literature, typical ambiguity of the hybridism of sorts that is fruit of the tradition of the Latin American rupture. Characterized, generally, for light texts, mood and coloquial language associates to the daily one, the chronicle have in Caio Fernando Abreu a singular author, whose introspective look standes out the condition human being. If on the other hand, it incorporates the daily one in its narratives, for another one develops inners monologues replete of sensations and feelings, very distants of the characteristic mood and the slightness of the sort. To the one in them to lean over on its chronicles, our objective was to catch variations of the sort and, at the same time, to inside investigate the function played for the chronicle inside the newspaper, in that if it relates to the formation of public-reader for the proper printed publication and, parallel, for literature. For in such a way, we appeal to the literary, communication and the journalism theories explored by authors as Antonio Candido, Walter Benjamin, Leyla Perrone-Moisés, Roman Jakobson, Muniz Sodré and Maria Helena Ferrari. / A pesquisa A crônica no jornal: uma leitura de Caio Fernando Abreu tem o objetivo de entender e esclarecer as possibilidades da crônica como gênero jornalístico e literário, através do estudo das crônicas do gaúcho Caio Fernando Abreu (1948 1996), publicadas nos jornais O Estado de S. Paulo e Zero Hora (Porto Alegre) e reunidas no livro Pequenas epifanias (ed. Sulina). A escolha do autor se deve ao estilo predominantemente literário, intimista e confessional que ele imprime aos seus textos e que o colocam na mesma tradição estética de Clarice Lispector, cronista do Jornal do Brasil nos anos 70. Tal estilo contrasta sobremaneira com a linguagem jornalística, evidenciando a origem da crônica: o folhetim francês, gênero que inaugurou a relação entre mídia e ficção na América Latina. No Brasil, a crônica prosperou como gênero do jornalismo e da literatura, ambigüidade típica do hibridismo de gêneros que é fruto da tradição da ruptura latino-americana. Caracterizada, geralmente, por textos leves, humor e linguagem coloquial associados ao cotidiano, a crônica tem em Caio Fernando Abreu um autor singular, cujo olhar introspectivo ressalta a condição humana. Se por um lado, ele incorpora o cotidiano em suas narrativas, por outro desenvolve monólogos interiores repletos de sensações e sentimentos, bem distantes do humor e da leveza característicos do gênero. Ao nos debruçarmos sobre as suas crônicas, nosso objetivo foi o de captar as nuances do gênero e, ao mesmo tempo, perscrutar a função desempenhada pela crônica dentro do jornal, no que se refere à formação de público-leitor para o próprio veículo e, paralelamente, para a literatura. Para tanto, recorremos às teorias literárias, da comunicação e do jornalismo exploradas por autores como Antonio Candido, Walter Benjamin, Leyla Perrone-Moisés, Roman Jakobson, Muniz Sodré e Maria Helena Ferrari.

Στην παρούσα διατριβή παρουσιάζονται παράλληλοι αλγόριθμοι και εφαρμογές σε πολυπύρηνες μονάδες επεξεργασίας γραφικών. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, εξετάζονται οι μέθοδοι σχεδίασης ενός παράλληλου αλγορίθμου για την επίλυση τόσο απλών και κοινών προβλημάτων, όπως η ταξινόμηση, όσο και υπολογιστικά απαιτητικών προβλημάτων, έτσι ώστε να εκμεταλλευτούμε πλήρως την τεράστια υπολογιστική δύναμη που προσφέρουν οι σύγχρονες μονάδες επεξεργασίας γραφικών. Πρώτο πρόβλημα που εξετάστηκε είναι η ταξινόμηση, η οποία είναι ένα από τα πιο συνηθισμένα προβλήματα στην επιστήμη των υπολογιστών. Υπάρχει σαν εσωτερικό πρόβλημα σε πολλές εφαρμογές, επομένως πετυχαίνοντας πιο γρήγορη ταξινόμηση πετυχαίνουμε πιο καλή απόδοση γενικότερα. Στο Κεφάλαιο 3 περιγράφονται όλα τα βήματα σχεδιασμού για την εκτέλεση ενός αλγορίθμου ταξινόμησης για ακεραίους, της count sort, σε μια μονάδα επεξεργασίας γραφικών. Σημαντική επίδραση στην απόδοση είχε η αποφυγή του συγχρονισμού των νημάτων στο τελευταίο βήμα του αλγορίθμου. Στη συνέχεια παρουσιάζονται εφαρμογές παράλληλων αλγορίθμων σε υπολογιστικά απαιτητικά προβλήματα. Στο Κεφάλαιο 4, εξετάζεται το πρόβλημα χρονοπρογραμματισμού εξετάσεων Πανεπιστημίων, το οποίο είναι ένα πρόβλημα συνδυαστικής βελτιστοποίησης. Για την επίλυσή του χρησιμοποιείται ένας υβριδικός εξελικτικός αλγόριθμος, ο οποίος εκτελείται εξ' ολοκλήρου στην μονάδα επεξεργασίας γραφικών. Η τεράστια υπολογιστική δύναμη της GPU και ο παράλληλος προγραμματισμός δίνουν τη δυνατότητα χρήσης μεγάλων πληθυσμών έτσι ώστε να εξερευνήσουμε καλύτερα τον χώρο λύσεων και να πάρουμε καλύτερα ποιοτικά αποτελέσματα. Στο επόμενο κεφάλαιο γίνεται επίλυση του προβλήματος σχεδιασμού κίνησης για υποθαλάσσια οχήματα με βραχίονα. Εξετάζεται το πρόβλημα τόσο του ολικού σχεδιασμού όσο και του τοπικού. Στην πρώτη περίπτωση είναι σημαντική η καλή λύση και η ακρίβεια και ο παράλληλος αλγόριθμος που χρησιμοποιείται για την αναπαράσταση του περιβάλλοντος εργασίας σε μια Bump-επιφάνεια βοηθάει προς αυτή την κατεύθυνση. Στη δεύτερη περίπτωση, το πρόβλημα είναι πρόβλημα πραγματικού χρόνου και μας ενδιαφέρει η ταχύτητα εύρεσης της επόμενης θέσης του οχήματος. Ο παράλληλος προγραμματισμός και η GPU βοηθούν σημαντικά σε αυτό. Τελευταία εφαρμογή που εξετάστηκε είναι η μελέτη ενός συστήματος ημιφθοριωμένων αλκανίων με την μοριακή προσομοίωση Monte Carlo. Η παραλληλοποίηση ενός μέρους, του πιο χρονοβόρου, του αλγορίθμου έδωσε τη δυνατότητα εξέτασης ενός πολύ μεγαλύτερου συστήματος σε αποδεκτό χρόνο. Σε γενικές γραμμές, γίνεται φανερό ότι ο παράλληλος προγραμματισμός και οι σύγχρονες πολυπύρηνες αρχιτεκτονικές, όπως οι μονάδες επεξεργασίας γραφικών, δίνουν νέες δυνατότητες στην αντιμετώπιση καθημερινών προβλημάτων, προβλημάτων πραγματικού χρόνου και προβλημάτων συνδυαστικής βελτιστοποίησης. / In this thesis, parallel algorithms and applications in manycore graphics processing units are presented. More specifically, we examine methods of designing a parallel algorithm for solving both simple and common problems such as sorting, and computationally demanding problems, so as to fully exploit the enormous computing power of modern graphics processing units (GPUs). First problem considered is sorting, which is one of the most common problems in computer science. It exists as an internal problem in many applications. Therefore, sorting faster, results in better performance in general. Chapter 3 describes all design options for the implementation of a sorting algorithm for integers, count sort, on a graphics processing unit. The elimination of thread synchronization in the last step of the algorithm had a significant effect on the performance. Chapter 4 addresses the examination timetabling problem for Universities, which is a combinatorial optimization problem. A hybrid evolutionary algorithm, which runs entirely on GPU, was used to solve the problem. The tremendous computing power of GPU and parallel programming enable the use of large populations in order to explore better the solution space and get better quality results. In the next chapter, the problem of motion planning for underwater vehicle manipulator systems is examined. In the gross motion planning problem, it is important to achieve a good solution with high accuracy. The parallel algorithm used for the representation of the working environment in a Bump-surface is a step towards this direction. In the local motion planning problem, which is a real-time problem, the time needed to find the next configuration of the vehicle is crucial. Parallel programming and the GPU greatly assist in this online problem. Last application considered is the atomistic Monte Carlo simulation of semifluorinated alkanes. The parallelization of part of the algorithm, the most time-consuming, enabled the study of a much larger system in an acceptable execution time. In general, it becomes obvious that parallel programming and new novel manycore architectures, such as graphics processing units, give new capabilities for solving everyday problems, real time and combinatorial optimization problems.

This master thesis deals with the analysis of the current possibilities for object tracking in the image, based on which is designed a procedure for creating a system capable of tracking an object of interest. Part of this work is designing virtual reality for the needs of implementation of the tracking system, which is finally deployed and tested on a real prototype of unmanned vehicle.