Les coulisses de la Toile : étude sur les demarches de conception de sites web

À l’ère du web 2.0, l’usage des sites web se multiplie et génère de nouveaux enjeux. La satisfaction en rapport à l’interactivité, facteur d’efficacité des sites, détermine la popularité, et donc la visibilité de ceux-ci sur la Toile. Par conséquent, dans cette étude, nous considérons que les utilisateurs ont un rôle à jouer lors du processus de conception de ces derniers. Certes, autant en théorie que dans la pratique, les concepteurs semblent bel et bien tenir compte des utilisateurs; toutefois, ils ne les intègrent pas comme participants actifs dans leurs démarches. Cette étude vise au moyen d’une recherche documentaire et d’observations sur le terrain à comprendre les principales catégories et morphologies des sites web ainsi que les usages qui en découlent. Une analyse des diverses démarches de conception et des perceptions et attentes des internautes est réalisée sur la base de ces résultats. Pour répondre à ces objectifs, cette analyse cible deux catégories de sites réalisés par des professionnels et par des amateurs. Celle-ci nous permet de démontrer que les résultats de chacune de ces démarches, exprimés à travers les interfaces graphiques des sites, diffèrent au niveau de la qualité perceptible. Cette étude souligne également l’importance d’un traitement efficace de la communication graphique des éléments des sites web, afin de structurer la lecture et transmettre au final un message clair et compréhensible aux internautes. Dans le but consolider nos propositions, nous faisons référence à deux théories de communication graphique, la Gestalt et la sémiotique, l’une s’intéressant à la perception visuelle, l’autre à l’interprétation des signes. Celles-ci se sont révélées pertinentes pour analyser la qualité et l’efficacité des éléments de contenus. Notre étude révèle que les participants ne sont pas satisfaits des deux sites testés car l’utilisabilité du site conçu par des professionnels est trop complexe et l’interface du site conçu par un amateur manque de professionnalisme et de cohérence. Ces résultats soulignent la pertinence d’une approche centrée sur l’utilisateur pour la conception de sites web, car elle permet d’identifier et de résoudre des erreurs de conception. Nos résultats permettent également de souligner que les professionnels ayant un savoir technique et théorique se démarquent des amateurs au niveau des intervenants, des outils et des limites. Des pistes de solution, via des critères de design centré sur l’utilisateur, sont proposées à la fin de cette étude dans le but d’optimiser la qualité et l’efficacité des interfaces graphiques web.

Evolving Distributed Algorithms with Genetic Programming

Distributed systems are one of the most vital components of the economy. The most prominent example is probably the internet, a constituent element of our knowledge society. During the recent years, the number of novel network types has steadily increased. Amongst others, sensor networks, distributed systems composed of tiny computational devices with scarce resources, have emerged. The further development and heterogeneous connection of such systems imposes new requirements on the software development process. Mobile and wireless networks, for instance, have to organize themselves autonomously and must be able to react to changes in the environment and to failing nodes alike. Researching new approaches for the design of distributed algorithms may lead to methods with which these requirements can be met efficiently. In this thesis, one such method is developed, tested, and discussed in respect of its practical utility. Our new design approach for distributed algorithms is based on Genetic Programming, a member of the family of evolutionary algorithms. Evolutionary algorithms are metaheuristic optimization methods which copy principles from natural evolution. They use a population of solution candidates which they try to refine step by step in order to attain optimal values for predefined objective functions. The synthesis of an algorithm with our approach starts with an analysis step in which the wanted global behavior of the distributed system is specified. From this specification, objective functions are derived which steer a Genetic Programming process where the solution candidates are distributed programs. The objective functions rate how close these programs approximate the goal behavior in multiple randomized network simulations. The evolutionary process step by step selects the most promising solution candidates and modifies and combines them with mutation and crossover operators. This way, a description of the global behavior of a distributed system is translated automatically to programs which, if executed locally on the nodes of the system, exhibit this behavior. In our work, we test six different ways for representing distributed programs, comprising adaptations and extensions of well-known Genetic Programming methods (SGP, eSGP, and LGP), one bio-inspired approach (Fraglets), and two new program representations called Rule-based Genetic Programming (RBGP, eRBGP) designed by us. We breed programs in these representations for three well-known example problems in distributed systems: election algorithms, the distributed mutual exclusion at a critical section, and the distributed computation of the greatest common divisor of a set of numbers. Synthesizing distributed programs the evolutionary way does not necessarily lead to the envisaged results. In a detailed analysis, we discuss the problematic features which make this form of Genetic Programming particularly hard. The two Rule-based Genetic Programming approaches have been developed especially in order to mitigate these difficulties. In our experiments, at least one of them (eRBGP) turned out to be a very efficient approach and in most cases, was superior to the other representations.

Evidencia actual sobre características demográficas en mastitis granulomatosa idiopática

Introducción: La mastitis granulomatosa idiopática es una enfermedad crónica benigna, rara y de etiología desconocida; tiende a confundirse con otras enfermedades debido a síntomas similares. Este estudio pretende identificar y cuantificar las características demográficas, los antecedentes ginecoobstétricos relevantes y las manifestaciones clínicas prediagnósticas de esta enfermedad Metodología: Se realizó una revisión sistemática con análisis agrupado de datos tipo meta análisis. Se utilizó una estrategia de búsqueda en PubMed. Todos los estudios relacionados con la definición, manifestaciones clínicas, diagnóstico, tratamiento y pronóstico de la mastitis granulomatosa idiopática fueron elegibles. Las variables de interés fueron edad, país, antecedente de contracepción hormonal, tiempo de evolución, tiempo desde el último embarazo, diagnóstico inicial, y manifestaciones clínicas previas a la consulta. No hubo restricción en fechas de publicación. Resultados: Fueron incluidas 641 mujeres con diagnóstico de MGI reportadas en 68 publicaciones que cumplieron los criterios de selección. La edad media fue 35.9 años, 14.1% de ellas estaba embarazada o lactando, el antecedente de consumo de anticonceptivos hormonales fue 21% y el tiempo promedio desde el último parto fue de 3.9 años. La afectación ocurre principalmente en mama izquierda y en cuadrante superoexterno. El cáncer de mama y el absceso mamario son diagnósticos diferenciales en la consulta. Discusión: El diagnóstico de MGI es un reto para el ginecólogo desde la consulta inicial. Debido a que sus manifestaciones clínicas no son específicas, su diagnóstico parece apuntar a la necesidad de un proceso de descarte de otras patologías más frecuentes e incluso de peor pronóstico. Palabras clave mastitis granulomatosa idiopática

A study on effect of built forms on urban wind environment by using CFD simulations

This paper presents a numerical study of urban air-flow for a group of five buildings that is located at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. The airflow around these buildings has been simulated by using ANSYS CFD software package. In this study, the association between certain architectural forms: a street canyon, a semi-closure, and a courtyard-like space in a low-rise building complex, and the wind environment were investigated. The analysis of CFD results has provided detailed information on the wind patterns of these urban built forms. The numerical results have been compared with the experimental measurements within the building complex. The observed characteristics of urban wind pattern with respect to the built structures are presented as a guideline. This information is needed for the design and/or performance assessments of systems such as passive and low energy design approach, a natural or hybrid ventilation, and passive cooling. Also, the knowledge of urban wind patterns allows us to develop better design options for the application of renewable energy technologies within urban environment.

Modal coupling in linear control systems using robust eigenstructure assignment

Eigenvalue assignment methods are used widely in the design of control and state-estimation systems. The corresponding eigenvectors can be selected to ensure robustness. For specific applications, eigenstructure assignment can also be applied to achieve more general performance criteria. In this paper a new output feedback design approach using robust eigenstructure assignment to achieve prescribed mode input and output coupling is described. A minimisation technique is developed to improve both the mode coupling and the robustness of the system, whilst allowing the precision of the eigenvalue placement to be relaxed. An application to the design of an automatic flight control system is demonstrated.

Geotechnical systems that evolve with ecological processes

Geotechnical systems, such as landfills, mine tailings storage facilities (TSFs), slopes, and levees, are required to perform safely throughout their service life, which can span from decades for levees to “in perpetuity” for TSFs. The conventional design practice by geotechnical engineers for these systems utilizes the as-built material properties to predict its performance throughout the required service life. The implicit assumption in this design methodology is that the soil properties are stable through time. This is counter to long-term field observations of these systems, particularly where ecological processes such as plant, animal, biological, and geochemical activity are present. Plant roots can densify soil and/or increase hydraulic conductivity, burrowing animals can increase seepage, biological activity can strengthen soil, geochemical processes can increase stiffness, etc. The engineering soil properties naturally change as a stable ecological system is gradually established following initial construction, and these changes alter system performance. This paper presents an integrated perspective and new approach to this issue, considering ecological, geotechnical, and mining demands and constraints. A series of data sets and case histories are utilized to examine these issues and to propose a more integrated design approach, and consideration is given to future opportunities to manage engineered landscapes as ecological systems. We conclude that soil scientists and restoration ecologists must be engaged in initial project design and geotechnical engineers must be active in long-term management during the facility’s service life. For near-surface geotechnical structures in particular, this requires an interdisciplinary perspective and the embracing of soil as a living ecological system rather than an inert construction material.

Multilevel Training of Binary Morphological Operators

The design of binary morphological operators that are translation-invariant and locally defined by a finite neighborhood window corresponds to the problem of designing Boolean functions. As in any supervised classification problem, morphological operators designed from a training sample also suffer from overfitting. Large neighborhood tends to lead to performance degradation of the designed operator. This work proposes a multilevel design approach to deal with the issue of designing large neighborhood-based operators. The main idea is inspired by stacked generalization (a multilevel classifier design approach) and consists of, at each training level, combining the outcomes of the previous level operators. The final operator is a multilevel operator that ultimately depends on a larger neighborhood than of the individual operators that have been combined. Experimental results show that two-level operators obtained by combining operators designed on subwindows of a large window consistently outperform the single-level operators designed on the full window. They also show that iterating two-level operators is an effective multilevel approach to obtain better results.

Essays on monetary and banking theory

Esta tese de Doutorado é dedicada ao estudo de instabilidade financeira e dinâmica em Teoria Monet ária. E demonstrado que corridas banc árias são eliminadas sem custos no modelo padrão de teoria banc ária quando a popula ção não é pequena. É proposta uma extensão em que incerteza agregada é mais severa e o custo da estabilidade financeira é relevante. Finalmente, estabelece-se otimalidade de transições na distribui ção de moeda em economias em que oportunidades de trocas são escassas e heterogêneas. Em particular, otimalidade da inflação depende dos incentivos dinâmicos proporcionados por tais transi ções. O capí tulo 1 estabelece o resultado de estabilidade sem custos para economias grandes ao estudar os efeitos do tamanho populacional na an álise de corridas banc árias de Peck & Shell. No capí tulo 2, otimalidade de dinâmica é estudada no modelo de monet ário de Kiyotaki & Wright quando a sociedade é capaz de implementar uma polí tica inflacion ária. Apesar de adotar a abordagem de desenho de mecanismos, este capí tulo faz um paralelo com a an álise de Sargent & Wallace (1981) ao destacar efeitos de incentivos dinâmicos sobre a interação entre as polí ticas monet ária e fiscal. O cap ítulo 3 retoma o tema de estabilidade fi nanceira ao quanti car os custos envolvidos no desenho ótimo de um setor bancário à prova de corridas e ao propor uma estrutura informacional alternativa que possibilita bancos insolventes. A primeira an álise mostra que o esquema de estabilidade ótima exibe altas taxas de juros de longo prazo e a segunda que monitoramento imperfeito pode levar a corridas bancárias com insolvência.

WalkNRide: contextualising feedback in physical activity trackers

Increasing levels of sedentarism and obesity, along with advances in sensor technologies have instigated a market for wearable activity trackers, electronic devices that sense users’ physical activity levels with the goals of self-monitoring and behaviour change. Nowadays, activity trackers are one of the most desirable technologies, making up for a market of over $230 million in 2013. However, despite the spike of users’ interest, activity trackers have been shown to lose their appeal over time, with a recent survey suggesting that one out of three users discard the tracker in the course of the first six months of use. The question we pose is: how can we design activity tracker so that users’ interests is sustained over the long term? Our design approach focuses on contextualising physical activity. We do this through sensing users’ locations and activities (such as being still, walking or commuting through a car, bus or other means) and thus providing innovative ways of presenting feedback on users. This thesis presents the design and evaluation of WalkNRide, a physical activity tracker for Google Android. Through a longitudinal field study of WalkNRide, we attempt to inquire into the factors that drive the adoption (or non-adoption) of the tool as well as the ways in which the use of the tool contributes towards habit formation.

Efeitos da eletroestimulação do músculo vasto medial oblíquo em portadores de síndrome da dor patelofemoral: uma análise eletromiográfica

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Ensino e orientação para projeto de conversores CC-CC através de aplicativos em java

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Novel active and passive anti-vibration mountings

This paper investigates a novel design approach for a vibration isolator for use in space structures. The approach used can particularly be applicable for aerospace structures that support high precision instrumentation such as satellite payloads. The isolator is a space-frame structure that is folded in on itself to act as a mechanical filter over a defined frequency range. The absence of viscoelastic elements in such a mounting makes the design suitable for use in a vacuum and in high temperature or harsh environments with no risk of drift in alignment of the structure. The design uses a genetic algorithm based geometric optimisation routine to maximise passive vibration isolation, and this is hybridised with a geometric feasibility search. To complement the passive isolation system, an active system is incorporated in the design to add damping. Experimental work to validate the feasibility of the approach is also presented, with the active/passive structure achieving transmissibility of about 19 dB over a range of 1-250 Hz. It is shown here that the use of these novel anti-vibration mountings has no or little consequent weight and cost penalties whilst maintaining their effectiveness with the vibration levels. The approach should pave the way for the design of anti-vibration mountings that can be used between most pieces of equipment and their supporting structure. Crown Copyright (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On designing linear tunable high-Q OTA-C filters with low sensitivity

This paper discusses a design approach for a high-Q low-sensitivity OTA-C biquad bandpass section. An optimal relationship is established between transconductances defining the differencebeta - gamma in the Q-factor denominator, setting the Q-sensitivity to tuning voltages around unity. A 30-MHz filter was designed based on a 0.35 mum CMOS process and V-DD=3.3 V. A range of circuit simulation supports the theoretical analysis. Q-factor spans from 20.5 to 60, while ensuring filter stability along the tuning range. Although a triode-operating OTA is used, the procedure can be extended to other types of transconductor.

Transforming open mining pits into fish farms: Moving towards sustainability

The legacy of mining activities has typically been land 'returned to wildlife', or, at some sites, degraded to such an extent that it is unsuitable for any alternate use. Progress towards sustainability is made when value is added in terms of the ecological, social and economic well-being of the community. In keeping with the principles of sustainable development, the innovative use of flooded open pits and tailings impoundments as commercial, recreational or ornamental fish farms should be considered in some locations, as it could make a significant contribution to the social equity, economic vitality and environmental integrity of mining communities. This article highlights the growing significance of aquaculture and explores the benefits and barriers to transforming flooded pits and impoundments into aquaculture operations. Among other benefits, aquaculture may provide a much-needed source of revenue, employment and, in some cases, food to communities impacted by mine closure. Further, aquaculture in a controlled closed environment may be more acceptable to critics of fish farming who are concerned about fish escapes and viral transmissions to wild populations. Despite the potential benefits, aquaculture in flooded pits and impoundments is not without its complications - it requires a site-specific design approach that must consider issues ranging from metals uptake by fish, to the long-term viability of the aquatic system as fish habitat, to the overall contribution of aquaculture to sustainability. © 2004 United Nations. Published by Blackwell Publishing.

On designing linearly tunable high-Q OTA-C filters with low sensitivity

This paper discusses a design approach for a high-Q low-sensitivity OTA-C biquad bandpass section. An optimal relationship is established between transconductances defining the differenceβ - γ in the Q-factor denominator, setting the Q-sensitivity to tuning voltages around unity. A 30-MHz filter was designed based on a 0.35μn CMOS process and VDD=3.3V. A range of circuit simulation supports the theoretical analysis. Q-factor spans from 20.5 to 60, while ensuring filter stability along the tuning range. Although a Mode-operating OTA is used, the procedure can be extended to other types of transconductor.