Pairwise likelihood estimation for multivariate mixed Poisson models generated by Gamma intensities

Estimating the parameters of multivariate mixed Poisson models is an important problem in image processing applications, especially for active imaging or astronomy. The classical maximum likelihood approach cannot be used for these models since the corresponding masses cannot be expressed in a simple closed form. This paper studies a maximum pairwise likelihood approach to estimate the parameters of multivariate mixed Poisson models when the mixing distribution is a multivariate Gamma distribution. The consistency and asymptotic normality of this estimator are derived. Simulations conducted on synthetic data illustrate these results and show that the proposed estimator outperforms classical estimators based on the method of moments. An application to change detection in low-flux images is also investigated

Une médicamentation intensive des soins au Québec (1975 à 2005)

Nous analysons dans cet article la croissance des dépenses publiques et privées de santé au Québec. Plus spécifiquement, nous dégageons les grandes tendances des dépenses de santé associées aux médicaments de façon à comprendre la transformation qui a cours depuis plusieurs années, au chapitre de la prise en charge clinique de la maladie et des patients. L’effort consiste à mettre en lumière en quoi la société québécoise est de plus en plus modelée par une logique de prise en charge qui repose sur une médicamentation intensive et systémique, de fait une sur-médication, des services de soins offerts à la population québécoise.This paper presents an analysis of the growth in public and private health-related spending in Québec. More specifically, it identifies the major spending trends in health care, connected with medication, so as to understand the transformation that has been under way for a number of years, in the area of clinical treatment of illness and of patients. The focus is placed on showing how Québec society is increasingly adopting a treatment model based on intensive and systematic use of medication, in fact over-medication, in the health services provided to the Québec population

Le climat des relations du travail à Montréal et à Toronto

Cet article compare le climat des relations du travail des régions métropolitaines de Montréal et de Toronto pour le secteur privé de leur activité économique.This paper compares different indicators of strike activity in the Montréal and Toronto Metropolitan areas. It is found that both the incidence and the duration of strikes are higher in Montréal than Toronto. For example, man days lost are higher in Montréal for the whole period 1970-1979, except 1974. They are also higher for each and for every large private industrial sectors, manufacturing industry included, without exception. It appears, in addition, that the duration of strikes which occur during the collective agreement are 4 times longer in Montréal than Toronto for the manufacturing sector, and 9 times longer for the transportation, communications and public utilities' sectors. These results clearly point to the relative difficulties of Montréal in terms of its current industrial relation's climate.While it is the contention of the authors that such a result might have been temporarily produced by the unions' intention to obtain wage parity with Toronto, as well as the previous wage policies of the Québec public sector, it remains that such a climate offered a net relative disadvantage for firm and industry localization in the Montréal Metropolitan area

Mechanical and barrier properties of MOCVD processed alumina coatings on Ti6Al4V titanium alloy

This study focuses on the implementation of different aluminum oxide coatings processed by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition from aluminum tri-isopropoxide on commercial Ti6Al4V titanium alloy to improve its high temperature corrosion resistance. Films grown at 350 °C and at 480 °C are amorphous and correspond to formulas AlOOH, and Al2O3, respectively. Those deposited at 700 °C are composed of γ-Al2O3 nanocrystals dispersed in a matrix of amorphous alumina. Their mechanical properties and adhesion to the substrates were investigated by indentation, scratch and micro tensile tests. Hardness and rigidity of the films increase with increasing deposition temperature. The hardness of the coatings prepared at 350 °C and 480 °C is 5.8 ± 0.7 GPa and 10.8 ± 0.8 GPa respectively. Their Young's modulus is 92 ± 8 GPa (350 °C) and 155 ± 6 GPa (480 °C). Scratch tests cause adhesive failures of the films grown at 350 °C and 480 °C whereas cohesive failure is observed for the nanocrystalline one, grown at 700 °C. Micro tensile tests show a more progressive cracking of the latter films than on the amorphous ones. The films allow maintaining good mechanical properties after corrosion with NaCl deposit during 100 h at 450 °C. After corrosion test only the film deposited at 700 °C yields an elongation at break comparable to that of the as processed samples without corrosion. The as established processing–structure–properties relation paves the way to engineer MOCVD aluminum oxide complex coatings which meet the specifications of the high temperature corrosion protection of titanium alloys with regard to the targeted applications

RT-SLAM: A Generic and Real-Time Visual SLAM Implementation

This article presents a new open-source C++ implementation to solve the SLAM problem, which is focused on genericity, versatility and high execution speed. It is based on an original object oriented architecture, that allows the combination of numerous sensors and landmark types, and the integration of various approaches proposed in the literature. The system capacities are illustrated by the presentation of an inertial/vision SLAM approach, for which several improvements over existing methods have been introduced, and that copes with very high dynamic motions. Results with a hand-held camera are presented.Comment: 10 page

Functional characterization of human thyroid tissue with immunohistochemistry

Immunohistochemistry provides insights in the expression of functional proteins and of their localization in normal thyroid tissue and in thyroid diseases. In hyperfunctional thyroid tissues, staining for sodium/iodide symporter (NIS), pendrin, thyroid peroxidase (TPO), and thyroglobulin (Tg) is increased. In hypofunctioning thyroid tissues, NIS staining is markedly decreased; in benign hypofunctioning adenomas, the expression of the other functional proteins is unmodified or slightly decreased, whereas their expression is profoundly decreased or absent in differentiated thyroid carcinoma

Le Prince en son « miroir ». Littérature et politique sous les premiers Valois

La dizaine d’études du Colloque international de Dunkerque d’octobre 2009 fait l’objet principal du fasc. 3-4/2010 de la revue Le Moyen Âge (Univ. de Liège) éditée par De Boeck (t. CXVI). Elles sont placées sous le signe spéculaire et politique du « miroir », terme couramment employé à l’époque médiévale et à la Renaissance pour désigner un traité d’éthique gouvernementale. Ces contributions se situent en droite ligne d’un précédent recueil sur le même thème, Le Prince au miroir de la littéra..