Die Arbeit ruht auf zwei Säulen: Die eine besteht in der Aufbereitung, Erprobung und konsequenten Anwendung von Methoden der Skaleninvarianzanalyse, die andere in einem breiten Fundus an experimentellen Daten für aushärtbare Aluminiumknetlegierungen in der Form dünner Bleche, die unter gleichartigen, streng kontrollierten Bedingungen gewonnen worden sind. Als methodische Weiterentwicklungen sind die Fundierung des Umgangs mit der algebraischen Korrelation zwischen Vorfaktor und Exponent einer beliebigen Potenzgleichung, die Übertragung des Ansatzes der finiten Skaleninvarianz auf die Ermüdungsrißausbreitung sowie die Kombination der Idee eines geschwindigkeitsbestimmenden Schrittes mit der Dimensionsanalyse der umgebungsabhängigen Ermüdungsrißausbreitung bis hin zur Kartierung der geschwindigkeitsbestimmenden Schritte zu nennen. Auf experimenteller Seite wurde eine Datensammlung mit gemessenen Streubändern für die Ermüdungsrißausbreitung und das Verfestigungsverhalten von 39 Orientierungen bzw. Auslagerungszuständen von Aluminiumlegierungen aufgebaut. Diese Sammlung wird durch ausgewählte Messungen der Ermüdungsrißausbreitung im schwellenwertnahen Bereich, Restfestigkeitsversuche, Rißschließmessungen, Rauheitsmessungen an Bruchflächen, frequenzabhängige Messungen zum Umgebungseinfluß sowie Untersuchungen an drei Stählen und einer Magnesiumlegierung sinnvoll ergänzt. Auf der Basis der Meßdaten und der Analysemethoden wurde der Werkstoffeinfluß auf die Ermüdungsrißausbreitung in dünnen Blechen aus Aluminiumknetlegierungen bei Belastung mit konstanter Amplitude im Gültigkeitsbereich der linear-elastischen Bruchmechanik untersucht. Dabei wurden folgende Größen als wesentliche Einflußfaktoren identifiziert: - für die Gruppenzugehörigkeit: der Kohärenz- und Ordnungsgrad der festigkeitsbestimmenden Ausscheidungen und die resultierende Gleitverteilung, - für den gemeinsamen Vorfaktor der Legierungen der Gruppe 1: die elastischen Eigenschaften und das Spannungsverhältnis (Translation der Paris-Geraden), - für die Exponenten der Legierungen der Gruppe 1: 0,2%-Dehngrenze, athermischer Verfestigungsparameter, Probendicke und Kc-Wert als dimensionsloses Potenzprodukt (Rotation der Paris-Geraden), - für die Legierungen der Gruppe 2: das Ausmaß der Rißablenkung und eine bleibende Mode-II-Komponente der Rißöffnungsverschiebung, - für den Umgebungseinfluß der Legierung 6013 T6: Frequenz und Schwingbreite des Spannungsintensitätsfaktors. Die Diskussion umfaßt den wertenden Vergleich der experimentellen Ergebnisse mit Befunden und Modellen aus der Literatur, Erklärungsansätze für die Ursachen der Einflußnahme der wesentlichen Parameter sowie einen Modellansatz für die Legierungen der Gruppe 1 auf der Basis einer Mischungsregel. Dabei hatte sich erwiesen, daß keines der aus der Literatur bekannten Modelle alle Befunde richtig wiedergibt. Einige der ausgearbeiteten Erklärungsansätze bedürfen der zukünftigen Vertiefung. / The work is based upon two essentials: the first one is the preparation and application of techniques of scale invariance analysis, the second one consists in a database of experimental results for heat-treatable thin-sheet wrought aluminium alloys obtained under uniform conditions. Progress with respect to methodology was achieved regarding, first, the algebraic correlation between sets of coefficients and exponents of any power law, second, the transfer of the concept of finite scale invariance to the phenomenon of fatigue crack growth (FCG), and third, the combination of the ideas of a rate-controlling step and dimensional analysis of environmental-assisted FCG including the mapping of rate-controlling steps. In the experimental part, a database containing both measured scatterbands of FCG and strengthening characteristics for several orientations and aging conditions of aluminium alloys amounting to a total of 39 different material conditions was established. This database was supplemented with results of selected measurements of near-threshold FCG rates, residual strength, crack closure, roughness of fatigue cracks, and frequency-dependent environmental-assisted FCG as well as investigations of three plain-carbon steels and a magnesium alloy. Based on these prerequisites, the influence of the material on the FCG behaviour of thin-sheet wrought aluminium alloys under constant-amplitude loading was investigated within the limits of validity of linear-elastic fracture mechanics. The following influence factors were identified to be essential: The assignment of alloys to one out of two groups is mainly determined by the degrees of coherency and order of the strength-controlling precipitates and the resulting type of slip distribution. The normalized-Paris-law coefficient for the first group is mainly dependent on the modulus of elasticity and the stress ratio. The Paris-law exponents for the first group are dominated by a dimensionless power monomial of the 0.2% proof stress, the athermal strengthening coefficient, sheet thickeness and the critical stress intensity factor. The retardation of the FCG rates of alloys of the second group relative to the first group is mainly determined by the amount of crack deflection and by a residual mode-II component of crack opening displacement. Finally, the environment-assisted FCG for aluminium alloy 6013 T6 reveals a coupled dependence on loading frequency and cyclic stress intensity factor. The discussion covers the evaluation of the results in relation to observations and models from the literature, the explanation of the modes of operation of the major influence factors and a model based on a mixing rule for the alloys of the first group. It turned out that there is not any model that reflects all of the observations simultaneously. Some of the ideas presented require to be worked out in more detail.

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

The lack of direct evidence for physics beyond the SM at the LHC has led some to reevaluate the need for such physics to solve the hierarchy problem. Instead, the notion that the SM, or something like it, is valid up to the Planck scale and that technical naturalness is sufficient for solving the hierarchy problem has been suggested. This thesis examines minimal extensions of the SM that address its phenomenological and theoretical shortcomings while avoiding new physics between the electroweak and Planck scales that introduces a hierarchy problem. This thesis first studies two issues with the vMSM - an extension of the SM by three right-handed neutrinos - and their possible solutions. The first issue is the tension between dark matter production in the nuMSM and constraints from the Lyman-alpha forest data. To avoid this tension, the vMSM is extended by a Higgs singlet Φ and neutrino dark matter is produced through the decays of Φ rather than through left-right neutrino mixing. It is shown that the hierarchical parameters of this model can arise from symmetries broken at or near the Planck scale for two specific examples: one in which Φ stabilizes the electroweak vacuum and one in which Φ is a light inflaton. The second issue pertains to Higgs ξ-inflation. In the vMSM, a large non-minimal coupling ξ of the Higgs to gravity gives inflation but leads to a possible violation of perturbative unitarity below the inflationary scale. A study of Higgs ξ-inflation with M_h ≃ 125-126 GeV, for which the Higgs self-coupling λ runs to small values near the Planck scale, is carried out. It is shown that small λ can significantly reduce ξ required for inflation, but ξ cannot be small enough to address the possible unitarity issue. For small λ, a new region of Higgs ξ-inflation with a large tensor-to-scalar ratio r that is consistent with BICEP2 is discovered. This thesis then studies the technical naturalness and cosmology of a model that addresses the strong CP problem. It is shown that a classically scale invariant DFSZ invisible aξon model with a Peccei-Quinn scalar S, whose couplings to the SM are ultra-weak, can solve the strong CP problem and generate electroweak symmetry breaking via the Coleman-Weinberg mechanism. The ultra-weak couplings of S are natural due to an underlying approξmate shift symmetry. The model contains a light pseudo-Goldstone dilaton that can be consistent with cosmological bounds while the aξon can be the dark matter of the universe. Finally, a summary of the thesis is presented and future research topics are suggested.

The importance of simultaneous consideration of forms and functions in youth measures of aggressive behavior is well established. Competing models have presented these highly interrelated constructs as either independent (e.g., reactive or overt) or paired factors (e.g., reactive and overt). The current study examines these models in the context of assessing the viability of a new self-report measure, the Peer Conflict Scale – 20 Item Version. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on PCS 20 responses from 1,048 school-age youth living in the Gulf Coast region. Both models significantly improved upon one or two-factor alternatives, and demonstrated partial invariance across gender and grade. The models showed comparable levels of fit to the data, though some loadings for the independent factors model were non-significant. Results encourage use of the PCS 20 across research settings and developmental contexts, while also demonstrating the viability of a paired factors model of aggression.

Dans cette thèse nous étudions les théorèmes limites dans l’analyse statistique dessystèmes dynamiques. Le premier chapitre est consacré aux notions des bases des systèmesdynamiques ainsi que la théorie ergodique. Dans le deuxième chapitre nous introduisonsun cadre fonctionnel abstrait pour lequel la version quenched du théorème de la limitecentrale (TLC) en dimension 1 pour les systèmes dynamiques uniformément dilatantsest satisfaite sous une condition de validité nécessaire et suffisante. Le troisième chapitreest consacré au principe d’invariance presque sûr (PIPS) pour les application aléatoiresdilatantes par morceaux. Nous présentons certaines hypothèses sous lesquelles le (PIPS)est vérifié en utilisant la méthode d’approximation des martingales de Cuny et Merlèvede.Nous étudions aussi le théorème de Sprindzuk et ses conséquences. Nous établissons dansle chapitre quatre la décroissance des corrélations pour les systèmes dynamiques aléatoiresuniformément dilatants par la méthode de couplage en dimension 1. Nous terminons cetravail par une présentation des concepts de base de la théorie des mesures et probabilitéset une présentation de l’espace des fonctions à variation bornée. / In this thesis we study the limit theorems in the statistical analysis of dynamicalsystems. The first chapter is devoted to the basic notions in dynamical systems as well asthe ergodic theory. In the second chapter we introduce an abstract functional frameworkunder which the quenched version of the central limit theorem (CLT) in dimension 1for uniformly expanding dynamic systems is satisfied under a necessary and sufficientcondition validity. The third chapter is devoted to the almost sure invariance principle(ASIP) for random piecewise expanding maps. We present some hypotheses under whichthe (ASIP) is verified using the method of approximation of the martingales of Cuny andMerlèvede. We also study the Sprindzuk theorem and its consequences. In chapter four,we define the decay of correlations for the random dynamical systems uniformly expandingby the coupling method in dimension 1. We finish this work with a presentation of thebasic concepts of the theory of measures and probabilities and a presentation of the spaceof functions with bounded variation.

Este trabalho apresenta uma extensão do princípio de invariância para sistemas chaveados contínuos no tempo. Esta extensão fornece estimativas de atratores e suas respectivas áreas de atração para sistemas chaveados compostos por um número finito de subsistemas, a qual é obtida através de uma função auxiliar comum e múltiplas funções auxiliares que desempenham o mesmo papel que as funções de Lyapunov. As principais características desses novos resultados, são que a derivada da função auxiliar ou das múltiplas funções auxiliares podem assumir valores positivos em alguns conjuntos e também são usados para analisar o comportamento assintótico da solução do sistema chaveado. Resultados para sistemas chaveados com subsistemas com incertezas paramétricas também foram obtidos. Neste caso, as estimativas dos atratores e suas respectivas áreas de atração independem do parâmetro incerto. Analisando as propriedades da função auxiliar comum ao longo de um sistema formado pela combinação convexa de todos os subsistemas, os resultados passam a fornecer estimativas de atratores e suas áreas de atração mesmo na presença de subsistemas que não são ultimamente limitados. Este último resultado pode não evitar o chaveamento rápido, então surge o problema da existência da solução. Esta dificuldade pôde ser superada com o uso da teoria de sistemas descontínuos para garantir que sua solução seja definida para todo tempo mesmo que o chaveamento rápido ocorra. Portanto, uma escolha apropriada da lei de chaveamento possibilita o uso da solução de Krasovskii para garantir a existência da solução para todo tempo. Ainda, representando cada subsistema por um modelo fuzzy T-S, o comportamento assintótico da solução do sistema chaveado pôde ser estudado apenas verificando propriedades de alguns conjuntos do espaço de estado e a factibilidade de um conjunto de desigualdades matriciais lineares. / This work presents an extension of the invariance principle for continuous time switched systems. This extension is useful to obtain estimates of the attractor and basin of attraction for switched systems composed by a finite number of subsystems, which are obtained by using a common auxiliary function or multiple auxiliary functions which play the same hole as the Lyapunov function. The main feature of these new results are that the common auxiliary function or the multiple auxiliary functions can be positive in some sets and are used to analyze the asymptotic behavior of the switching solution. Results for switched systems with parametric uncertainties were also obtained. The estimates of the attractor and basin of attraction does not depend on the uncertain parameter. Analysing the auxiliary function along the solutions of the convex combination of the subsystems, estimates of the attractor and basin of attraction for switched systems with subsystems which are not necessarily ultimately bounded were given. This last result can not avoid the fast switching, then the switched solution may not exist for all time. This difficulty was overcome with the use of the theory of discontinuous systems to guarantee the existence of the switching system solution for all time. Furthemore, using a T-S fuzzy model approach, the asymptotic behavior of the switched solution could be analyzed only by checking properties of some sets and the feasibility of a set of linear matrix inequalities.

The study of conformal symmetry is motivated through an example in statistical mechanics and then rigorously developed in quantum field theories in general spatial dimensions. In particular, primary fields are introduced as the fundamental objects of such theories and then studied in the formalism of radial quantization. The implications of conformal invariance on the functional form of correlation functions are studied in detail. Conformal blocks are defined and various approaches to their analytical and numerical calculation are presented with a special emphasis on the one-dimensional case. Building on these preliminaries, a modern formulation of the conformal bootstrap program and its various extensions are discussed. Examples are given in which bounds on the scaling dimensions in a one-dimensional theory are derived numerically. Using these results I motivate the technique of using the extremal functional bootstrap which I then develop in more detail. Many technical details are discussed and examples shown. After a brief discussion of conformal field theories with a boundary I apply numerical methods to find constraints on the spectrum of the 3D Ising model. Another application is presented in which I study the 4-point function on the boundary of a particular theory in Anti-de-Sitter space in order to approximate the mass spectrum of the theory. / O estudo da simetria conforme é motivado através de um exemplo em mecânica estatística e em seguida rigorosamente desenvolvido em teorias de campos quânticos em dimensões espaciais gerais. Em particular, os campos primários são introduzidos como os objetos fundamentais de tais teorias e então estudados através do formalismo de quantização radial. As implicações da invariância conforme na forma funcional das funções de correlação são estudadas em detalhe. Blocos conformes são definidos e várias abordagens para seu cálculo analítico e numérico são apresentadas com uma ênfase especial no caso unidimensional. Com base nessas preliminares, uma formulação moderna do programa de bootstrap conforme e suas várias extensões são discutidas. Exemplos são dados em que limites nas dimensões de escala em uma teoria unidimensional são derivados numericamente. Usando esses resultados, motivei a técnica de usar o bootstrap funcional extremo, que depois desenvolvo em mais detalhes. Diversos detalhes técnicos são discutidos e exemplos são apresentados. Após uma breve discussão das teorias de campo conformes com fronteiras, eu aplico métodos numéricos para encontrar restrições no espectro do modelo de Ising em 3D. Outra aplicação é apresentada em que eu estudo a função de 4 pontos na fronteira de uma teoria particular no espaço Anti-de-Sitter, a fim de aproximar o espectro de massa da teoria.

La thèse est dédiée à l'analyse et à la conception de la commande tolérante aux défauts (fault tolerant control - FTC) en se fondant sur des méthodes ensemblistes. Nous étudions l'apparition des défauts pour les systèmes multi-capteurs, et les modes de détection, ainsi que la conception de lois de commande qui assurent la stabilité en boucle fermée. L'utilisation des ensembles invariants/contractifs permet la caractérisation des signaux résiduels, qui sont utilisés par la suite dans le processus de détection et d'isolement des défauts. La décision est fondée sur le positionnement par rapport à des hyperplans de séparation avec des importantes réductions de temps de calcul. Un mécanisme dual mis en œuvre par un bloc de récupération, permet la certification de la récupération des capteurs précédemment affectés par ces défauts.Dans une perspective théorique, nous soulignons les conditions qui permettent l'inclusion du bloc FDI (fault detection and isolation) et sa raison d'être dans la conception des lois de commande. Cela conduit par exemple à la synthèse des gains de retour d'état statique, par résolution de problèmes d'optimisation efficace (linéaire/convexe).Selon les paramètres choisis pour le réglage, la conception de la FTC peut être complétée par un superviseur de référence ou d'une loi de commande prédictive, qui adapte la trajectoire d'état et l'action de commande par retour d'état, afin d'assurer l'identification et la détection des défauts. Les questions spécifiques à l'utilisation de méthodes ensemblistes sont détaillées et des améliorations diverses sont proposées, par exemple : la construction des ensembles invariants, des formulations moins complexes des problèmes de type Mixed Integer Programming (MIP), l'analyse de la stabilité des systèmes commutés (notion de ``dwell-time''). / The scope of the thesis is the analysis and design of fault tolerant control (FTC) schemes through the use of set-theoretic methods. In the framework of multisensor schemes, the faults appearance and the modalities to accurately detect them are investigated as well as the design of control laws which assure the closed-loop stability. By using invariant/contractive sets to describe the residual signals, a fault detection and isolation (FDI) mechanism with reduced computational demands is implemented based on set-separation. A dual mechanism, implemented by a recovery block, which certificates previously fault-affected sensors is also studied. From a broader theoretical perspective, we point to the conditions which allow the inclusion of {FDI} objectives in the control law design. This leads to static feedback gains synthesis by means of numerically attractive optimization problems. Depending on the parameters selected for tuning, is shown that the FTC design can be completed by a reference governor or a predictive control scheme which adapts the state trajectory and the feedback control action in order to assure {FDI}. When necessary, the specific issues originated by the use of set-theoretic methods are detailed and various improvements are proposed towards: invariant set construction, mixed integer programming (MIP), stability for switched systems (dwell-time notions).

Ces travaux de recherche portent sur la commande et la planification de trajectoires pour la navigation de véhicules autonomes. Ils se situent dans le cadre d'un projet très ambitieux lancé par le laboratoire Heudiasyc sur la conduite autonome à grande vitesses (vitesse longitudinale supérieure à 5m/s ~= 18 km/h). Pour proposer des solutions à cette problématique, après avoir réalisé une large recherche bibliographique sur la commande et la planification des trajectoires des véhicules autonomes, plusieurs contributions ont été présentées. En ce qui concerne la commande des véhicules autonomes, un contrôleur latéral par mode glissant d'ordre supérieur a été proposé. Compte tenu de la ressemblance implicite entre le mode glissant et le principe d'immersion et d'invariance (I&I), deux contrôleurs utilisant le principe d'immersion et d'invariance ont été proposés par la suite pour améliorer les performances par rapport au mode glissant. Le développement de ces nouveaux contrôleurs nous a permis de garantir une stabilité robuste pour tous les gains positifs des contrôleurs I&I. Ce résultat nous a conduit à étudier les propriétés intrinsèques du système. Une étude des propriétés de passivité du système a révélé des caractéristiques de passivité intéressantes. Par la suite, nous avons développé un contrôleur robuste basé sur la passivité. Concernant la navigation, nous avons développé deux algorithmes de navigation basés sur la méthode des tentacules. Ceci dans le but d'améliorer la méthode de base. Les résultats de la simulation montrent que les algorithmes donnent de bons résultats vis-à-vis des objectifs attendus d'évitement d'obstacles et de suivi de la trajectoire globale de référence. Les algorithmes de commande et de planification de trajectoires développés ont été validés en simulation hors-ligne avec des données réelles après avoir été testés sur un simulateur réaliste. / My research focuses on trajectory planning and control of autonomous vehicles. This work is a part of an extremely ambitious project launched by the Heudiasyc laboratory about autonomous driving at high speed (longitudinal speed greater to 5m/s ~= 18 km/h). With regard to the control of autonomous vehicles at high speed, a lateral controler using higher-order sliding mode control is proposed. Given the implicit similarity between the sliding mode and the principle of immersion and invariance, two controllers using the principle of immersion and invariance have been subsequently proposed in order to improve the performance with respect to the sliding mode. The development of these new controllers shows very strong robust stability which leads us to study the intrinsic properties of the system. A study of the passivity properties of the system is also crried out, showing some interesting characteristics of the system. Hence, a robust passivity-based controller has been developed. Regarding the navigation, we have developed two navigation algorithms based on the tentacles method. Subsequently, a feasibility study of trajectory generation strategies for high speed driving is conducted. The outcome of the simulation proved that the algorithms gave out good results with respect to the expected ogjectives of obstacle avoidance and global reference path following. Control and motion planning algorithms developed were validated offline by simulation with real data. They have been also tested on a realistic simulator.

Les performances d’un système de reconnaissance de formes dépendent en bonne partie de la qualité de l’image segmentée. Malgré les progrès effectués, une segmentation complète (c’est-à-dire avec des contours entiers) ne peut pas être toujours atteinte. Dans un premier temps, nous nous plaçons dans le cas où seulement certaines parties de la forme entière sont disponibles. D’abord, afin d’assurer l’invariance des parties de formes aux transformations géométriques, nous développons une méthode d’optimisation de l’analyse procustéenne qui consiste à retrouver les points extrémités optimaux qui minimisent la distance de Procutse. Ensuite, nous proposons une approche de reconnaissance de parties de formes et une approche de reconnaissance de formes partielles. Ces deux approches, basées-contour, sont fondées sur un recalage robuste entre les parties de formes. La méthode de recalage proposée consiste à optimiser une mesure de similarité basée sur les géodésiques dans l’espace de formes. Ainsi, nous exploitons le résidu du recalage pour définir une nouvelle métrique pour la reconnaissance de parties de formes. Puis, nous décrivons une stratégie de combinaison avec cette même métrique pour la reconnaissance de formes partielles. Par la suite, nous proposons d’utiliser la distance géodésique proposée pour la reconnaissance des parties de formes dans la définition d’une métrique globale pour la reconnaissance de formes entières. Les tests de reconnaissance (classification et recherche) sont effectués sur des parties requêtes et des formes entières de la base d’images MPEG-7, puis sur des images réelles segmentées. Les résultats expérimentaux montrent la supériorité de nos méthodes par rapport aux autres méthodes de l’état de l’art. / The quality of the segmentation process directly affects the performance of the shape recognition. Despite the progress that has been made, it is often unreachable to segment the entire object (i.e. closed contour). In fact, only some parts/fragments of objects can be detected. We first develop a new alignment method based on Procrustes analysis in order to ensure invariance of shape parts to geometric transformations (translation, rotation and scale factor). The proposed method consists in finding optimal extremities which minimize the Procrustes distance. Then, we propose a shape part recognition approach and a partial shape recognition approach. These two contour-based approaches are based on matching between shape parts to compare. This matching process consists in establishing a robust registration between shape parts based on geodesics in the shape space. Thus, we exploit the registration residual to define a novel distance for shape part recognition. Later, for partial shape recognition, we describe a geodesics-based combining strategy with the same distance. As well, we propose to use the geodesics distance proposed for shape part recognition to define a global distance for entire shape recognition. Experiments are carried out on parts of shapes and entire shapes of theMPEG-7 database, then on parts issued from segmented real images. The obtained results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed recognition schemes. The proposed approaches are shown to significantly outperform previous works for classification and retrieval applications.