IIS : an intelligent interaction system that provides e-service, based on interaction and case-based reasoning

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

A model for the modular evolution of rna addressing open questions on the origin of life

A main unsolved problem in the RNA world scenario for the origin of life is how a template-dependent RNA polymerase ribozyme emerged from short RNA oligomers generated by random polymerization of ribonucleotides (Joyce and Orgel 2006). Current estimates establish a minimum size about 165 nt long for such a ribozyme (Johnston et al. 2001), a length three to four times that of the longest RNA oligomers obtained by random polymerization on clay mineral surfaces (Huang and Ferris 2003, 2006). To overcome this gap, we have developed a stepwise model of ligation-based, modular evolution of RNA (Briones et al. 2009) whose main conceptual steps are summarized in Figure 1. This scenario has two main advantages with respect to previous hypotheses put forward for the origin of the RNA world: i) short RNA....

Integrated System Technologies for Modular Trapped Ion Quantum Information Processing

Although trapped ion technology is well-suited for quantum information science, scalability of the system remains one of the main challenges. One of the challenges associated with scaling the ion trap quantum computer is the ability to individually manipulate the increasing number of qubits. Using micro-mirrors fabricated with micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, laser beams are focused on individual ions in a linear chain and steer the focal point in two dimensions. Multiple single qubit gates are demonstrated on trapped 171Yb+ qubits and the gate performance is characterized using quantum state tomography. The system features negligible crosstalk to neighboring ions (< 3e-4), and switching speeds comparable to typical single qubit gate times (< 2 us). In a separate experiment, photons scattered from the 171Yb+ ion are coupled into an optical fiber with 63% efficiency using a high numerical aperture lens (0.6 NA). The coupled photons are directed to superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPD), which provide a higher detector efficiency (69%) compared to traditional photomultiplier tubes (35%). The total system photon collection efficiency is increased from 2.2% to 3.4%, which allows for fast state detection of the qubit. For a detection beam intensity of 11 mW/cm2, the average detection time is 23.7 us with 99.885(7)% detection fidelity. The technologies demonstrated in this thesis can be integrated to form a single quantum register with all of the necessary resources to perform local gates as well as high fidelity readout and provide a photon link to other systems.

IIS : an intelligent interaction system that provides e-service, based on interaction and case-based reasoning

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Prudent female allocation by modular hermaphrodites: female investment is promoted by the opportunity to outcross in cyclostome bryozoans

Many sessile, suspension-feeding marine invertebrates mate by spermcasting: aquatic sperm are spawned and gathered by conspecific individuals to fertilize eggs that are generally retained during development. In two phylogenetically distant examples, a cheilostome bryozoan and an aplousobranch ascidian, the receipt of allosperm has previously been shown to alter sex allocation by triggering female investment in eggs and brooding. Here we report experiments demonstrating that two species of cyclostome bryozoan also show restrained female investment in the absence of mating opportunity. In Tubulipora plumosa, the production of female zooids and progeny is much reduced in reproductive isolation. In Filicrisia geniculata, development of distinctive female zooids (gonozooids) begins but halts in the absence of mating opportunity, and no completed gonozooids or progeny result. Reduced female investment in the absence of a mate thus occurs in at least two orders of Bryozoa, but significant differences in detail exist and the evolutionary history within the phylum of the mechanism(s) by which female investment is initiated might be complex. The broadening taxonomic spectrum of examples where female investment appears restrained until allosperm becomes available may signify a general adaptive strategy among outcrossing modular animals, analogous to similarly adaptive sex allocation typical of many flowering plants.

Prudent female allocation by modular hermaphrodites: female investment is promoted by the opportunity to outcross in cyclostome bryozoans

Many sessile, suspension-feeding marine invertebrates mate by spermcasting: aquatic sperm are spawned and gathered by conspecific individuals to fertilize eggs that are generally retained during development. In two phylogenetically distant examples, a cheilostome bryozoan and an aplousobranch ascidian, the receipt of allosperm has previously been shown to alter sex allocation by triggering female investment in eggs and brooding. Here we report experiments demonstrating that two species of cyclostome bryozoan also show restrained female investment in the absence of mating opportunity. In Tubulipora plumosa, the production of female zooids and progeny is much reduced in reproductive isolation. In Filicrisia geniculata, development of distinctive female zooids (gonozooids) begins but halts in the absence of mating opportunity, and no completed gonozooids or progeny result. Reduced female investment in the absence of a mate thus occurs in at least two orders of Bryozoa, but significant differences in detail exist and the evolutionary history within the phylum of the mechanism(s) by which female investment is initiated might be complex. The broadening taxonomic spectrum of examples where female investment appears restrained until allosperm becomes available may signify a general adaptive strategy among outcrossing modular animals, analogous to similarly adaptive sex allocation typical of many flowering plants.

Ethical reasoning through simulation: a phenomenological analysis of student experience

Background
Medical students transitioning into professional practice feel underprepared to deal with the emotional complexities of real-life ethical situations. Simulation-based learning (SBL) may provide a safe environment for students to probe the boundaries of ethical encounters. Published studies of ethics simulation have not generated sufficiently deep accounts of student experience to inform pedagogy. The aim of this study was to understand students’ lived experiences as they engaged with the emotional challenges of managing clinical ethical dilemmas within a SBL environment.

Methods
This qualitative study was underpinned by an interpretivist epistemology. Eight senior medical students participated in an interprofessional ward-based SBL activity incorporating a series of ethically challenging encounters. Each student wore digital video glasses to capture point-of-view (PoV) film footage. Students were interviewed immediately after the simulation and the PoV footage played back to them. Interviews were transcribed verbatim. An interpretative phenomenological approach, using an established template analysis approach, was used to iteratively analyse the data.

Results
Four main themes emerged from the analysis: (1) ‘Authentic on all levels?’, (2)‘Letting the emotions flow’, (3) ‘Ethical alarm bells’ and (4) ‘Voices of children and ghosts’. Students recognised many explicit ethical dilemmas during the SBL activity but had difficulty navigating more subtle ethical and professional boundaries. In emotionally complex situations, instances of moral compromise were observed (such as telling an untruth). Some participants felt unable to raise concerns or challenge unethical behaviour within the scenarios due to prior negative undergraduate experiences.

Conclusions
This study provided deep insights into medical students’ immersive and embodied experiences of ethical reasoning during an authentic SBL activity. By layering on the human dimensions of ethical decision-making, students can understand their personal responses to emotion, complexity and interprofessional working. This could assist them in framing and observing appropriate ethical and professional boundaries and help smooth the transition into clinical practice.

Hierarchical Task Network Planning with Common-Sense Reasoning for Multiple-People Behaviour Analysis

Safety on public transport is a major concern for the relevant authorities. We
address this issue by proposing an automated surveillance platform which combines data from video, infrared and pressure sensors. Data homogenisation and integration is achieved by a distributed architecture based on communication middleware that resolves interconnection issues, thereby enabling data modelling. A common-sense knowledge base models and encodes knowledge about public-transport platforms and the actions and activities of passengers. Trajectory data from passengers is modelled as a time-series of human activities. Common-sense knowledge and rules are then applied to detect inconsistencies or errors in the data interpretation. Lastly, the rationality that characterises human behaviour is also captured here through a bottom-up Hierarchical Task Network planner that, along with common-sense, corrects misinterpretations to explain passenger behaviour. The system is validated using a simulated bus saloon scenario as a case-study. Eighteen video sequences were recorded with up to six passengers. Four metrics were used to evaluate performance. The system, with an accuracy greater than 90% for each of the four metrics, was found to outperform a rule-base system and a system containing planning alone.

Modular approach to select bacteriophages targeting Pseudomonas aeruginosa for their application to children suffering with cystic fibrosis

This review discusses the potential application of bacterial viruses (phage therapy) towards the eradication of antibiotic resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in children with cystic fibrosis (CF). In this regard, several potential relationships between bacteria and their bacteriophages are considered. The most important aspect that must be addressed with respect to phage therapy of bacterial infections in the lungs of CF patients is in ensuring the continuity of treatment in light of the continual occurrence of resistant bacteria. This depends on the ability to rapidly select phages exhibiting an enhanced spectrum of lytic activity among several well-studied phage groups of proven safety. We propose a modular based approach, utilizing both mono-species and hetero-species phage mixtures. With an approach involving the visual recognition of characteristics exhibited by phages of well studied phage groups on lawns of the standard P. aeruginosa PAO1 strain, the simple and rapid enhancement of the lytic spectrum of cocktails is permitted, allowing the development of tailored preparations for patients capable of circumventing problems associated with phage resistant bacterial mutants.

Mathematical methods for the configuration of transportation systems with a focus on continuous and modular matrix conveyors

The lack of flexibility in logistic systems currently on the market leads to the development of new innovative transportation systems. In order to find the optimal configuration of such a system depending on the current goal functions, for example minimization of transport times and maximization of the throughput, various mathematical methods of multi-criteria optimization are applicable. In this work, the concept of a complex transportation system is presented. Furthermore, the question of finding the optimal configuration of such a system through mathematical methods of optimization is considered.

Modular catalyst: from the tiling of a water plane to the design of a floating structure

La tesi nasce dalla volontà di agire sull’area della Darsena di Ravenna, strategica in quanto via d’acqua navigabile che congiunge il mare con il centro città ma dal potenziale ancora poco sfruttato. Il progetto è studiato per essere inserito come catalizzatore urbano, creando spazi di interazione attraverso elementi modulari galleggianti e riconfigurabili per adattarsi a programmi d’uso flessibili; tali elementi si aggregano formando un sistema che ristruttura lo spazio dell’attuale banchina, cambiandone la percezione da barriera a waterfront urbano. La necessità di ottenere una struttura con capacità di crescita e flessibilità programmatica sfocia in un approccio modulare seguendo il principio massima variazione/minimo numero di elementi i cui principi aggregativi si basano sulla tassellazione “Cairo”. Vengono studiate le possibilità di incorporare variazione ed eterogeneità all’interno del sistema senza comprometterne la modularità fino ad integrare percorsi multilivello. La definizione delle morfologie delle parti che compongono i moduli si basano sullo studio dei principi di galleggiamento, stabilità e yacht design: a partire dalla forma dello scafo adatta ai principi di tiling definiti in precedenza, tutte le parti che compongono le varie tipologie di modulo sono progettate cercando continuità e integrazione tettonica (geometrica, strutturale, funzionale e percettiva). Vengono proposte soluzioni integrate sia per le problematiche tipiche delle strutture galleggianti sia per l’inserimento di attività all’interno della soluzione architettonica. Vengono prototipati di una serie di moduli, scelti in modo da dimostrare i principi di ricombinazione, continuità, modularità e tiling.

Probabilistic Graphical Modelling for Software Product Lines: A Frameweork for Modeling and Reasoning under Uncertainty

This work provides a holistic investigation into the realm of feature modeling within software product lines. The work presented identifies limitations and challenges within the current feature modeling approaches. Those limitations include, but not limited to, the dearth of satisfactory cognitive presentation, inconveniency in scalable systems, inflexibility in adapting changes, nonexistence of predictability of models behavior, as well as the lack of probabilistic quantification of model’s implications and decision support for reasoning under uncertainty. The work in this thesis addresses these challenges by proposing a series of solutions. The first solution is the construction of a Bayesian Belief Feature Model, which is a novel modeling approach capable of quantifying the uncertainty measures in model parameters by a means of incorporating probabilistic modeling with a conventional modeling approach. The Bayesian Belief feature model presents a new enhanced feature modeling approach in terms of truth quantification and visual expressiveness. The second solution takes into consideration the unclear support for the reasoning under the uncertainty process, and the challenging constraint satisfaction problem in software product lines. This has been done through the development of a mathematical reasoner, which was designed to satisfy the model constraints by considering probability weight for all involved parameters and quantify the actual implications of the problem constraints. The developed Uncertain Constraint Satisfaction Problem approach has been tested and validated through a set of designated experiments. Profoundly stating, the main contributions of this thesis include the following: • Develop a framework for probabilistic graphical modeling to build the purported Bayesian belief feature model. • Extend the model to enhance visual expressiveness throughout the integration of colour degree variation; in which the colour varies with respect to the predefined probabilistic weights. • Enhance the constraints satisfaction problem by the uncertainty measuring of the parameters truth assumption. • Validate the developed approach against different experimental settings to determine its functionality and performance.