Le projet d’acte juridique, comme diverses figures, apparaît dans des textes de loi, la jurisprudence et le langage des praticiens sans pour autant recevoir une quelconque définition. Usuel, son sens semble aller de soi, sans qu’il s’avère nécessaire d’y prêter une plus grande attention. De prime abord, ce constat peut trouver une explication dans l’idée selon laquelle il ne serait pas digne d’intérêt, puisqu’il n’est pas un acte juridique. Pour autant, il n’en est rien. En diverses occasions, le projet se voit attacher des effets de droit applicables aux parties ou à des tiers. Il constitue ainsi un fait juridique original, en tant que manifestation de volonté pré-acte juridique ne pouvant être assimilée à aucune autre notion. Par conséquent, il existe en l’occurrence un décalage évident entre le droit savant et la pratique du droit dont une voie toute tracée émerge. Dans un premier temps, cette thèse a vocation à définir une notion de projet d’acte juridique, actuellement en gestation. Dans un second temps, elle a pour objet d’identifier le régime juridique qui lui est propre. Par ce biais, il s’agit plus généralement de montrer en quoi le concept de projet, emblématique et transversal dans notre société moderne, reçoit une traduction particulière en droit / Although the draft contract (projet d’acte juridique), similarly to other terms, is quoted in legal texts, case law and in practitioners’ language, its definition is still missing. Commonly used, its meaning seems self-evident, leading unnecessary to pay attention to it. Initially, this may be explained because it is unworthy of interest, since it is not a contract. However, it is not the case. In many instances, the draft contract has legal effects concerning either parties or third parties. It thus constitutes a unique legal fact, as a precontractual manifestation of will that cannot be confused with any other concept. Consequently, there is an obvious gap between scholarly law and the practice. Then, the path is drawn. This thesis aims first at defining a concept of draft contract, already in the process of being drawn up, and secondly at identifying its own legal system. In this way, the idea is to show how the project concept, considered as iconic and transversal in our modern society, is translated in a specific manner in law

La mise en glissement d’une interface de contact est un phénomène dont la dynamique spatiotemporelle est encore mal comprise. Dans cette thèse, nous avons développé et mis en oeuvre un dispositif expérimental original permettant de visualiser in situ les phénomènes locaux en jeu lors de la mise en glissement d’interfaces rugueuses élastomères, avec une bonne résolution temporelle. Nous avons mis en évidence une forte réduction de l’aire de contact réelle au sein d’une interface de contact sous cisaillement, et ce bien avant le début du glissement macroscopique. Cette réduction influence la valeur de la force de frottement statique de l’interface. Nous avons montré que le paramètre qui quantifie l’amplitude de la réduction vérifie une loi d’échelle valable largement, allant des monocontacts millimétriques jusqu’aux jonctions micrométriques impliquées dans les interfaces rugueuses. Nous avons ensuite montré que la contrainte de cisaillement critique de mise en glissement d’une interface n’est pas une constante pour un couple de matériaux en contact. En effet, en changeant systématiquement l’épaisseur d’un revêtement élastique sur l’un des corps en contact, on peut varier cette contrainte d’un facteur trois. Cet effet est interprété semi-quantitativement via un modèle couplant dissipation à l’interface et dans le volume des matériaux. Nous avons enfin montré que la dynamique spatio-temporelle de mise en glissement est influencée par le couple appliqué à l’interface par la force de frottement, lorsque celle-ci n’est pas exercée dans le plan de l’interface. En particulier, via une mesure du champ de déplacement par corrélation d’images, nous avons réalisé la première comparaison quantitative avec un modèle récent décrivant cet effet de couple. / The onset of sliding of a contact interface is a phenomenon the space-time dynamics of which are still poorly understood. In this thesis, we have developed and implemented an original experimental device allowing us to visualize in situ the local phenomena involved during the onset of sliding of rough elastomer interfaces, with a good temporal resolution. We have shown a strong reduction of the real contact area within a sheared contact interface, well before the beginning of macroscopic sliding. This reduction affects the value of the static friction force of the interface. We have shown that the parameter that quantifies the amplitude of the reduction obeys a well-defined scaling law ranging from millimetric mono-contacts to the micrometric junctions involved in rough interfaces. We have then shown that the shear strength of an interface is not a constant for a couple of materials in contact. Indeed, by systematically changing the thickness of an elastic coating on one of the bodies in contact, we could vary the value of the shear strength by a factor three. This effect is interpreted semi-quantitatively via a model incorporating dissipation both at the interface and in the bulk of the materials. We have finally shown that the space-time dynamics of the onset of sliding is influenced by the torque applied to the interface by the friction force, when the latter is not exerted in the plane of the interface. In particular, via a digital image correlation-based measurement, we performed the first quantitative comparison with a recent model describing this torque effect.

Ku Wah Kwan. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 61-64). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter 1 --- Basic 3-Dimensional Contact Geometry --- p.5 / Chapter 1.1 --- Introduction --- p.5 / Chapter 1.2 --- Contact Structure --- p.7 / Chapter 1.3 --- Darboux's Theorem --- p.11 / Chapter 1.4 --- Characteristic Foliation --- p.13 / Chapter 1.5 --- More About S3 with The Standard Contact Structure --- p.16 / Chapter 2 --- Legendrian Knots --- p.18 / Chapter 2.1 --- Basic Definition --- p.18 / Chapter 2.2 --- Front Projection --- p.19 / Chapter 2.3 --- Classical Legendrian Knot Invariants --- p.22 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Thurston-Bennequin Invariant --- p.22 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Rotation Number --- p.23 / Chapter 2.4 --- Stabilization --- p.24 / Chapter 3 --- Convex Surface Theory --- p.26 / Chapter 3.1 --- Contact Vector Field --- p.26 / Chapter 3.2 --- Convex Surfaces --- p.29 / Chapter 3.3 --- Flexibility of Characteristic Foliation --- p.34 / Chapter 3.4 --- Bennequin Inequality --- p.36 / Chapter 3.5 --- Bypass --- p.38 / Chapter 3.5.1 --- Modification of Dividing Curves through Bypass --- p.39 / Chapter 3.5.2 --- Relation of Bypass and Stabilizing Disk --- p.40 / Chapter 3.5.3 --- Finding Bypass --- p.40 / Chapter 3.6 --- Tight Contact Structures on Solid Tori --- p.41 / Chapter 4 --- Classification Results --- p.42 / Chapter 4.1 --- Unknot --- p.43 / Chapter 4.2 --- Positive Torus Knot --- p.45 / Chapter 5 --- Transverse Knots --- p.50 / Chapter 5.1 --- Basic Definition --- p.50 / Chapter 5.2 --- Self-linking Number --- p.54 / Chapter 5.3 --- Relation between Transverse Knot and Legendrian Knot --- p.55 / Chapter 5.4 --- Classification of Unknot and Torus Knot --- p.57 / Chapter 6 --- Recent Development --- p.60 / Bibliography --- p.61

Local authorities have experienced significant cuts in income whilst grappling with increased demand, an aging population and welfare reform. This pressing imperative has driven local authorities to challenge their sense of self and in doing so consider the participative role that customers can and do play. This study sought to examine practitioner perspectives of customers, their role, impact and constraining and enabling factors within the design and delivery of local government contact centre services. There is limited empirical research on practitioner perspectives of the role of customers within a local government environment. There are multiple terms used to describe the concept of customer but an absence of established approaches to examine the role that customers play within socially constructed phenomenon within local government demonstrating a gap in current academic thought. Whilst the rationale for involving customers in local governance is debated, the application of theory in to practice is limited thereby further constraining the opportunity for local authorities to leverage potential benefits afforded through participative approaches to the design and delivery of contact centre services. An interpretivist stance was adopted with qualitative techniques employed within the research. Using a priori codes developed through the review of extant literature, thematic analysis of forty-four customer service strategies spanning single tier, upper tier and metropolitan local authorities was undertaken. Themes were further developed through analysis of transcripts from seventeen semistructured interviews with managers responsible for the design and delivery of local government contact centre services. This research highlighted the differing and often contradictory practitioner perceptions of the concept of customer and the role that customers play in the design and delivery of local government services. Whilst organisations espoused a desire to progress participative principles due to the potential benefits afforded through such approaches, the extent to which these were operationalised by practitioners was limited and this coupled with a perceived sense of passivity on the part of customers resulted in little or no positive impact on current service performance. As extant literature and research is limited on the role of customers within local government, this study expands current academic thought providing particular insight on the practitioner perspective. The research findings provide a robust foundation on which theorists and practitioners in particular can formulate participative strategies and associated policies thereby providing meaningful opportunities for customers to co-design and co-deliver local government services and through which potential benefits, financial and non-financial, can be realised.

Le bruit de crissement émis par les véhicules guidés sur rail dans les courbes serrées (rayon inférieur à 200 m) est caractérisé par un niveau de pression acoustique élevé et un spectre de raies à moyennes et hautes fréquences. La littérature est riche en modèles de simulation du crissement en courbe. Cependant, le mécanisme d'instabilité est toujours controversé. De plus, les modèles de crissement en courbe existants sont souvent simplifiés (lois de pseudo-glissement analytiques ou hypothèse de massif semi-infini élastique).Le premier objectif de la thèse est de contribuer à la compréhension du mécanisme de génération. Pour ce faire, une analyse de stabilité du contact de roulement roue/rail dans le cas du glissement latéral total est réalisée en utilisant un modèle de contact ponctuel et des bases modales roue et rail. On constate que même avec une hypothèse de coefficient de frottement de Coulomb constant, la flexibilité verticale dynamique du rail joue notamment un rôle important dans l'occurrence d'instabilité sans "décroissance du coefficient de frottement" ni sans "couplage de modes". Le second objectif de la thèse est de développer un modèle élément finis complet de contact roue/rail pour calculer des solutions de référence. Des techniques numériques appropriées sont développées pour résoudre les équations discrètes non linéaires. Ces méthodes sont ensuite appliquées à un modèle réaliste de contact roue/rail en courbe. On constate que la discrétisation de la zone de contact ne modifie pas les mécanismes d'instabilité mais les taux de divergence des modes instables en raison du couplage plus fort entre les degrés de liberté de contact normaux. / Squeal noise of railbound vehicles emitted in tight curves (radius lower than 200m) is characterized by high sound pressure levels at pure medium and high frequencies. State-of-the-art abounds with models trying to simulate curve squeal. However the instability mechanisms are still controversial. In addition, existing curve squeal models are often simplified (analytical frictional contact laws or elastic half-space assumption). The first aim of the thesis is to contribute to a clarification of the possible generation mechanisms. For this purpose, a stability analysis of wheel/rail rolling contact in the case of lateral full sliding is performed by using a point-contact model and wheel/rail modal bases. It is found that, even with a constant Coulomb friction coefficient, the rail vertical flexibility is notably found to play an important role on the instability occurrence without "falling friction" nor without "mode-coupling". The second aim of the thesis is to develop a full Finite Element model of wheel/rail contact in order to compute reference solutions and especially to verify the effects of the simplifications carried out in the point-contact model. Appropriate numerical techniques are used in order to solve the nonlinear discrete equations. In order to reduce the computational effort, reduction strategies are proposed for both domains. The methods are then applied in a realistic wheel/rail model in curve. It is found that the discretization of the contact zone does not substantially modify the instability mechanisms but the divergence rates of the unstable modes due to a stronger coupling between the normal contact degrees of freedom.

No description available.

The aim of this research was to develop an instrument that fills a niche in geophysical instrumentation for a tool that is fast, non-contact or minimal contact, and specifically optimised for discrete, near-surface, electrically resistive targets in resistive and conductive environments. This aim was sought to be achieved through the development of a new Capacitive Array Resistivity with Inductive Source (CARIS) system. Two CARIS systems were produced and thoroughly tested. A first prototype instrument CARIS-1, operating at 100KHz, was developed for proof of concept in the laboratory and initial field testing. A second prototype CARIS-2, operating at 5kHz, was developed for further fielding testing and trial mapping experiments. Several major conclusions have been reached through the development and testing of the CARIS systems. Firstly, the CARIS system can clearly detect objects in a conductive homogeneous liquid, with high repeatability of data. This result reinforced the concept of the CARIS method, and established the stability of the instrumentation in laboratory environments. The approach was validated by close correlation between measurements and modelling. Secondly, the CARIS system is able to measure responses to near-surface conductivity variation in field conditions with high repeatability. Data collected also showed spatial consistency with GPR, Resistivity and mapped culture. It was determined that properties of the near surface, such as moisture content and soil consolidation, can significantly affect the electrical homogeneity of the medium and thus the uniformity of the background reading. The CARIS systems thus had a limitation that they proved to be quite sensitive to variations of this nature. Thirdly, foll owing from the second conclusion, although the aim of the CARIS system was to detect the presence of discrete buried objects, CARIS proved to be more responsive to the effects of the burial process rather than the objects themselves. It was concluded therefore that the method of excavation, burial, and refill material were of high significance in CARIS interpretation. This conclusion was reinforced by the results of theoretical modelling which showed that shallow boundaries of small conductivity contrast could quite easily produce more significant anomalies than target objects which are deeper and have higher contrast.

Physical holding is an intense form of physical contact that can be initiated by a therapist during the course of therapy. The purpose of this research is to investigate clients' accounts of what happened in an endeavour to develop a coherent explanation for what occurred in the holding experience. Former clients who experienced sustained physical holding during their therapy describe these experiences and discuss the effects and meanings.The main effects of physical holding were the identifying and experiencing of feelings, and the remembering and re-experiencing of past events.The emerging plot in a therapy incorporating sustained physical holding is emotional healing through emotional contact, regression and a mothering experience.Guided by these elements, an account of Emotionally Focussed Psychotherapy is elaborated to provide an explanation of how clients heal from past infant and childhood traumas through the process of being loved, cared for and nurtured in a mothering experience that is both real and symbolic in a verbal psychotherapy. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) (Psychology)

Contact Lens Acute Red Eye (CLARE) and Infiltrative Keratitis (IK) are inflammatory responses of the eye associated with extended wear of soft contact lenses. Bacterial colonization of contact lenses with Gram-negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important risk factor for the development of these adverse responses. Strategies that control the bacterial colonization of contact lenses may help prevent the occurrence of adverse responses. This thesis aimed to develop an animal model of CLARE/IK to test this hypothesis and to test the effectiveness of contact lenses containing antimicrobial compounds, namely silver and furanone compounds, in controlling corneal inflammation caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A guinea pig model of contact lens wear was developed for the study and it was observed that the ocular responses to contact lens wear in the guinea pig were similar to those seen in human eyes wearing contact lenses. Also, three different models for CLARE/IK were developed and tested in the guinea pig eye. The pathological features of CLARE/IK in the guinea pig were virtually identical to those observed in human eyes. Bacterial contamination of contact lenses was confirmed to be a major risk factor for the development of CLARE/IK. Contact lenses containing nano-particles of silver demonstrated very good antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa in-vitro. The silver lenses were able to control the development of CLARE/IK responses in one of the models for CLARE/IK. Silver lenses might be most effective if used to prevent the establishment of a biofilm of bacteria on a lens such as might occur during storage in a contact lens case. Contact lenses were coated with different concentrations of the furanone compounds by physical adsorption and demonstrated good antibacterial activity at higher concentrations. However these concentrations were cytotoxic in-vitro and lower concentrations of furanones did not possess adequate antibacterial activity to control CLARE/IK responses in-vivo. This thesis has successfully demonstrated that guinea pigs can be used to test the effects of extended wear of contact lenses and developed models to test the pathogenesis of adverse responses such as CLARE/IK. The CLARE/IK models developed could be used to further our understanding of the pathogenesis of these inflammatory conditions and explore the activity of other antimicrobials.

Studies of nonresident fathers have largely neglected the influence of their personality on their contact and involvement with children. The present two-stage study, using quantitative and qualitative data collection methods, undertook to investigate the extent to which selected personality characteristics influenced nonresident fathers� continued engagement with children. The study initially collected demographic and personal data from two hundred and sixty nonresident fathers throughout Australia. This first stage of data collection focussed on fathers� experience of the separation and their subsequent frequency and level of contact and their level of involvement with children. It included several multi-item variables, which measured nonresident fathers� relationships with former partners and children, their adjustment to their new parental role, their role satisfaction and role strain. It also included measures of fatherhood salience, nonresident fathers� parental authority within the separated family, their satisfaction with that authority, their attitude to child support and their perception of resident mothers� attitude to contact. It also administered abridged Sensitivity and Impulsivity scales devised by Eysenck (1969). At the second stage of the study, one hundred and thirty-five of these fathers participated in an interview. One hundred and twenty of them completed a personality questionnaire, which measured scores on the four folk scales of Responsibility, Socialization, Self-control and Good Impression, taken from the California Psychological Inventory. The study found Socialization was the only selected personality characteristic to be significantly associated with nonresident fathers� engagement with children. All four folk scales were positively correlated with nonresident fathers� role adjustment, which was significantly associated with nonresident fathers� contact and was part of the model best predicting their involvement with children. Results showed that nonresident fathers� scores on the Sensitivity measure were negatively associated with role adjustment. Most nonresident fathers in the study had frequent contact with children but limited involvement with them. They reported having little scope to share in parental decision making or to be involved in children�s schooling. The study found fatherhood salience, role adjustment, parental authority and attitude to child support to be positively associated with engagement. It showed interparental hostility, interparental conflict and nonresident fathers� role strain to be negatively correlated with engagement. The study also found that dissatisfaction with parental authority within the separated family, role strain and a negative attitude to child support were associated with ongoing interparental hostility. Qualitative data confirmed nonresident fathers� common experience of being marginalised within the family. They also revealed that many participants went to great lengths to maintain some parental relevancy for their children, despite social and legal systems tending to impede them from meeting parental responsibilities and caring for their children.