La spore bactérienne est une forme microbienne multicouche extrêmement résistante aux perturbations environnementales. Cette résistance est notamment liée à sa structure unique qui est particulièrement peu perméable et compacte. Ce travail de thèse a pour but d’identifier et de caractériser les structures sporales impliquées dans ces propriétés. Des méthodes d’investigations globales comme la RMN ou l’anisotropie de fluorescence ont permis de montrer que le cortex des spores de Bacillus subtilis est modifié par la température, pour des valeurs proches de celle de l’activation de la germination. Ceci aura pour conséquence de modifier l’accès à la membrane interne. Un outil d’étude à l’échelle de la spore, l’imagerie en temps de vie de fluorescence (FLIM) couplé à l’utilisation d’un rotor moléculaire, a également été mis au point. Cet outil a permis de mettre en évidence que la membrane interne de B. subtilis possède une très forte viscosité, environ deux fois plus importante que celle de la membrane d’une cellule végétative. Cette viscosité n’est modifiée par la température qu’au-delà de 65 °C, correspondant également à l’activation de la germination. Une perturbation connue pour modifier l’intégrité de la structure de la spore a également été étudiée : l’éthanol couplé à une température importante (65 ou 70°C). Ce traitement est responsable d’une perméabilisation et d’une inactivation des spores. L’éthanol conduit notamment à l’altération de la membrane interne, dont la viscosité et la perméabilité sont modifiées. Ces résultats apportent de nouvelles données pour la compréhension des mécanismes responsables de l’inactivation des spores. Ils permettent d’envisager des applications, pour lesquelles une maitrise des modifications structurales est nécessaire, comme la microencapsulation. / The bacterial spore is a multilayer microbial form which is extremely resistant to environmental perturbations. This resistance is especially due to its unique structure which is particularly compact and weakly permeable. This work aims to identify and characterize the spore structures involved in these properties. Overall investigation methods, such as NMR and fluorescence anisotropy, have shown that the cortex of Bacillus subtilis spores is modified by temperature for level similar to that of the activation of germination. This will result in changes to the access to the inner membrane. A tool at the spore’s scale, the fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) in conjunction with the use of a molecular rotor, has been set up. This tool allowed demonstrating that inner membrane of B. subtilis has a very high viscosity, about two times greater than that of the membrane of a vegetative cell. This viscosity is changed by temperature near 65 °C, which corresponds to activation of germination. A stress known to modify the structural integrity of the spore has also been studied: ethanol combined with significant temperature (65 ou 70 °C). This treatment is responsible for inactivation of spores in parallel with their permeabilization. Ethanol especially leads to alteration of the inner membrane for which the viscosity and permeability are changed. These results provide new understanding of mechanisms implicated in spores’ destruction. They allow considering some new applications, for which it is necessary to control structural changing, for example microencapsulation.

Battery powered wireless sensors are widely used in industrial and regulatory monitoring applications. This is primarily due to the ease of installation and the ability to monitor areas that are difficult to access. Additionally, they can be left unattended for long periods of time. However, there are many challenges to successful deployments of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). In this thesis we draw attention to two major challenges. Firstly, with a view to extending network range, modern WSNs use mesh network topologies, where data is sent either directly or by relaying data from node-to-node en route to the central base station. The additional load of relaying other nodes’ data is expensive in terms of energy consumption, and depending on the routes taken some nodes may be heavily loaded. Hence, it is crucial to locate routes that achieve energy efficiency in the network and extend the time before the first node exhausts its battery, thus improving the network lifetime. Secondly, WSNs operate in a dynamic radio environment. With changing conditions, such as modified buildings or the passage of people, links may fail and data will be lost as a consequence. Therefore in addition to finding energy efficient routes, it is important to locate combinations of routes that are robust to the failure of radio links. Dealing with these challenges presents a routing optimisation problem with multiple objectives: find good routes to ensure energy efficiency, extend network lifetime and improve robustness. This is however an NP-hard problem, and thus polynomial time algorithms to solve this problem are unavailable. Therefore we propose hybrid evolutionary approaches to approximate the optimal trade-offs between these objectives. In our approach, we use novel search space pruning methods for network graphs, based on k-shortest paths, partially and edge disjoint paths, and graph reduction to combat the combinatorial explosion in search space size and consequently conduct rapid optimisation. The proposed methods can successfully approximate optimal Pareto fronts. The estimated fronts contain a wide range of robust and energy efficient routes. The fronts typically also include solutions with a network lifetime close to the optimal lifetime if the number of routes per nodes were unconstrained. These methods are demonstrated in a real network deployed at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK.

L'influence de l'épaisseur et de la durée de vie des porteurs sur l'efficacité de la mise en résonance d'une membrane clipsée de silicium excitée par effet photo-thermo-acoustique a été étudiée. Pour cela, nous avons modélisé les phénomènes physiques spécifiques aux semi conducteurs mis en jeu afin de connaître leur influence sur la vibration créée pour augmenter l'efficacité de la conversion photo-acoustique. Un modèle analytique du mode d'encastrement de la membrane a également été développé. Puis, un banc expérimental utilisant une diode laser pour l'excitation lumineuse et un vibromètre optique pour la détection des déplacements induits a été conçu pour obtenir la réponse en fréquence de membranes de différentes épaisseurs (de 100 à 3000µm) et durées de vie de porteurs (de 1 à 45µs). Ces essais ont montré un décalage vers les basses fréquences d'environ 1kHz de la fréquence du premier mode de résonance et une faible valeur du facteur de qualité de l'ordre de la dizaine dus au choix de l'encastrement par serrage des wafers de silicium à l'aide de joints toriques en nitrile dans l'air. Cette étude a permis de montrer que, dans nos conditions expérimentales, le facteur de qualité était optimal pour une valeur particulière de l'épaisseur de membrane de l'ordre de 300µm par l'effet combiné de la pression extérieure de l'air ambiant et des pertes dans ce type d'encastrement. L'augmentation de la durée de vie des porteurs n'a pas d'effet sur le facteur de qualité alors qu'il semble faire augmenter légèrement l'amplitude de la résonance. / The influence of mechanical housing conditions and electronic properties of clamped silicon wafers in resonance configuration induced by photo-thermal-acoustic effect is studied. First, we have modelised the specific physical phenomena involved in semiconductors in order to increase the efficiency of the photo-acoustic conversion. A simplified model of clamped membrane has also been developed. Next,, an experimental set up to observe this phenomenon and to obtain the frequency response of the membrane has been built to test numerous silicon wafers with thickness from 100 to 3000µm and carrier life time between 1and 45µs. These tests showed a shift to lower frequency of about 1 kHz of the first resonance mode frequency and a low quality factor value of the order of ten due to our choice of soft clamping of silicon wafers using Nitrile O-ring in air. With our experimental conditions, the quality factor was found optimal for a thickness value of about 300µm due to the combined effects of mounting and air losses. The increase of carrier lifetime does not change the quality factor but seems to slightly increase the resonance amplitude.

The number of potential applications for wireless sensor networks is immense. These networks may consist of large numbers of low cost, low power, disposable sensor nodes that can be deployed inside or close to phenomena to be monitored. The nature of these networks necessitates specific design requirements, of which energy efficiency is paramount. The limited available energy of sensor nodes is mainly drained during communication and computational processing. An energy efficient routing protocol can limit the number of message transmissions and the computational complexity of finding routing paths. Many routing protocols have been proposed for wireless sensor networks. Most of them are computationally complex, require a large number of messages to be transmitted or require that sensor nodes possess certain hardware capabilities in order to function. The objective of this dissertation was to develop a Simple Energy Efficient Routing (SEER) protocol for wireless sensor networks that is computationally simple, reduces the number of transmitted messages and does not impose any hardware prerequisites. The new routing protocol, which was developed during this research, uses a flat network structure for scalability and source initiated communication along with event-driven reporting to reduce the number of message transmissions. Computational simplicity is achieved by using a simple method for routing path selection. The SEER protocol selects the next hop for a message by choosing a neighbour that has a smaller or equal hop count to the current node. If multiple neighbours satisfy this requirement, the neighbour with the highest remaining energy is chosen as the next hop. Each node in the network has a table containing the hop count and remaining energy of each of its neighbours. Periodic messages sent through the network update these neighbour tables. SEER uses a novel approach to select the next hop of a message during routing. The protocol increases the lifetime of the network dramatically, compared to other similar routing protocols. This improvement is directly related to the reduction in the number of transmissions made by each node. The simplicity of the protocol reduces the required computational processing compared to other protocols, and at the same time makes this one of the few available protocols that does not impose hardware requirements on nodes in order to function. / Dissertation (MEng (Computer Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering / unrestricted

The pursuit for improved engine efficiency is driving the demand for accurate temperature measurement inside turbine engines. Accurate measurement can allow engines to be operated closer to their design limits to improve thermal efficiency. It can enable engineers to verify mechanical integrity, provide better prediction of component life, validate CFD and other design tools and aid the development for leaner more efficient engines. Unfortunately, experimentally measuring surface temperatures under harsh rotating conditions is challenging. This EngD study conducted by Ashiq Hussain Khalid at the University of Manchester and Rolls-Royce plc, reviews the rationale of using phosphor thermometry over existing methods, including thermocouples, pyrometry and thermal paints/melts, which lack detail, accuracy, or are too expensive for continuous testing. Although phosphor thermometry exhibits desirable characteristics, the high temperature and fast rotating engine environment presents some challenges that would need to be addressed before a successful measurement system can be implemented. Examples of such issues include: rising blackbody radiation, restricted optical access, fibre optic constraints and limited time period to collect data. These factors will impose measurement limits and greatly influence the design philosophy of the system, including phosphor choice, phosphor lifetime characteristics, bonding technique, excitation/detection methodologies and probe design. Taking these into consideration, the research focuses on the development of phosphor thermometry systems for use in development gas turbine engines, with measurement solutions for specific engine components. The high pressure turbine blade was given research priority. A number of phosphors including YAG:Tb, YAG:Tm. Y2O3:Eu and Mg3F2GeO4:Mn were investigated and characterised in terms of intensity and lifetime decay, with increasing temperature up to 1500oC. Spectral analysis and absolute intensity measurements established emission peaks and permitted comparative quantitative analysis to optimise system setup. The intensity of phosphor emission relative to Planck's blackbody radiation was also performed. YAG:Tm under 355nm illumination was found to exhibit the highest emission intensity at high temperatures, and because its spectral emission peak at 458nm was the lowest, its advantage in terms of blackbody radiation was further amplified. For rotating components, an upper temperature limit is reached based on the emission intensity at rising blackbody radiation levels and the system's ability to detect fast decays. A lower limit is reached based on the quenching temperature, probe design and rotational velocity. There are different methods to correct the distorted decay waveform as it traverses through the acceptance cone of the fibre. A phosphor selection criterion, taking into consideration these limitations, was successfully applied for various rotating engine components. The optical layout was setup and tested on stationary and rotating cases under laboratory conditions using similar design constraints, including fibre choice, maximum permissible lens size and target distances. A series of tests validated design methodologies and assumptions to enable testing on full scale rotating engine components. Mg3F2GeO4:Mn, using 355nm illumination, was found to be the most suitable phosphor for the HP drive cone. The estimated performance under the expected rotational speeds was found to be 624-812°C with a standard uncertainty of ±0.99%. YAG:Tm, illuminated with 355nm, was found to be the most promising phosphor for high pressure turbine blade measurements. The performance under the expected rotational speeds was found to be 1117-1375°C with a standard uncertainty of ±0.97%. This is better than other competing technologies that are currently available for temperature measurement of rotating turbine blades.

Using experimentally measured temperature-process-dependent model parameters, the failure analysis and life prediction were conducted for Atmospheric Plasma Sprayed Thermal Barrier Coatings (APS-TBCs) and electron beam physical vapor deposition thermal barrier coatings (EB-PVD TBCs) with Pt-modified -NiAl bond coats deposited on Ni-base single crystal superalloys. For APS-TBC system, a residual stress model for the top coat of APS-TBC was proposed and then applied to life prediction. The capability of the life model was demonstrated using temperature-dependent model parameters. Using existing life data, a comparison of fitting approaches of life model parameters was performed. The role of the residual stresses distributed at each individual coating layer was explored and their interplay on the coating’s delamination was analyzed. For EB-PVD TBCs, based on failure mechanism analysis, two newly analytical stress models from the valley position of top coat and ridge of bond coat were proposed describing stress levels generated as consequence of the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch between each layers. The thermal stress within TGO was evaluated based on composite material theory, where effective parameters were calculated. The lifetime prediction of EB-PVD TBCs was conducted given that the failure analysis and life model were applied to two failure modes A and B identified experimentally for thermal cyclic process. The global wavelength related to interface rumpling and its radius curvature were identified as essential parameters in life evaluation, and the life results for failure mode A were verified by existing burner rig test data. For failure mode B, the crack growth rate along the topcoat/TGO interface was calculated using the experimentally measured average interfacial fracture toughness.

Pour augmenter la durée de vie des réseaux de capteurs sans fil, une solution est d'améliorer l'efficacité énergétique des protocoles de communication. Le regroupement des nœuds du réseau de capteurs sans fil en cluster est l'une des meilleures méthodes. Cette thèse présente propose plusieurs améliorations en modifiant les paramètres du protocole de référence LEACH. Pour améliorer la distribution énergétique des "cluster-heads", nous proposons deux protocoles de clustering centralisés k-LEACH et sa version optimisée k-LEACH-VAR. Un algorithme distribué, appelé e-LEACH, est également proposé pour réduire l'échange d'information périodique entre les nœuds et la station de base lors de l'élection des "cluster-heads". Par ailleurs, le concept l'équilibrage énergétique est introduit dans les métriques d'élection pour éviter les surcharges des nœuds. Ensuite, nous présentons une version décentralisée de k-LEACH qui, en plus des objectifs précédents, intègre la consommation d'énergie globale du réseau. Ce protocole, appelé, k-LEACH-C2D, vise également à favoriser la scalabilité du réseau. Pour renforcer ce dernier et l'autonomie des réseaux, les deux protocoles de routage "multi-hop" probabiliste, dénotés FRSM et CB-RSM construisent des chemins élémentaires entre les "cluster-heads" et la station de base. Le protocole CB-RSM forme une hiérarchie des "cluster-heads" pendant la phase de formation des clusters, en mettant un accent sur l'auto-ordonnancement et l'auto-organisation entre les "cluster-heads" pour rendre les réseaux le plus "scalable". Ces différents protocoles reposent sur l'idée de base que les nœuds ayant l'énergie résiduelle la plus élevée et la plus faible variance de consommation de l'énergie deviennent "cluster-head". Nous constantans le rôle central de la consommation du nœud dans nos différentes propositions. Ce point fera l'objet de la dernière partie de cette thèse. Nous proposons une méthodologie pour caractériser expérimentalement la consommation d'un nœud. Les objectifs visent à mieux appréhender la consommation pour différentes séquences d'état du nœud. Enfin, nous proposons un modèle global de la consommation du nœud. / To increase the lifetime of wireless sensor networks, a solution is to improve the energy efficiency of the communication's protocol. The grouping of nodes in the wireless sensor network clustering is one of the best methods. This thesis proposes several improvements by changing the settings of the reference protocol LEACH. To improve the energy distribution of "cluster-heads", we propose two centralized clustering protocols LEACH and k-optimized version k-LEACH-VAR. A distributed algorithm, called e-LEACH, is proposed to reduce the periodic exchange of information between the nodes and the base station during the election of "cluster-heads". Moreover, the concept of energy balance is introduced in metric election to avoid overloading nodes. Then we presented a decentralized version of k-LEACH, which in addition to the previous objectives, integrates the overall energy consumption of the network. This protocol, called k-LEACH-C2D, also aims to promote the scalability of the network. To reinforce the autonomy and networks, both routing protocols "multi-hop" probability, denoted CB-RSM and FRSM build elementary paths between the "cluster-heads" and elected the base station. The protocol, CB-RSM, forms a hierarchy of "cluster-heads" during the training phase clusters, with an emphasis on self-scheduling and self-organization between "cluster-heads" to make the networks more scalable. These protocols are based on the basic idea that the nodes have the highest residual energy and lower variance of energy consumption become "cluster-head". We see the central role of consumption of the node in our proposals. This point will be the last part of this thesis. We propose a methodology to characterize experimentally the consumption of a node. The objectives are to better understand the consumption for different sequences of the node status. In the end, we propose a global model of the consumption of the node.

Contexte: Le cancer de l'ovaire est le cancer gynécologique le plus meurtrier chez les Canadiennes. Compte tenu de son mauvais pronostic et de ses méthodes de dépistage précoce limitées, il est nécessaire de mener des recherches pour identifier les facteurs susceptibles d'empêcher le cancer de l'ovaire de se développer. L’alcool est un facteur de risque pour de nombreux cancers, mais sa relation avec le cancer de l’ovaire demeure floue. Nous avons décidé d’étudier la relation entre la consommation d'alcool au cours de la vie et le risque de cancer de l'ovaire. Méthodes: Dans une étude cas-témoins basée sur la population à Montréal (2011-2016), 497 cas et 904 témoins ont rapporté leur consommation au cours de leur vie de vin rouge, de vin blanc, de bière et de spiritueux, ainsi que d'autres variables. Pour la consommation totale d'alcool et pour chaque type d'alcool spécifique, les rapports de cotes ajustés (OR) et les intervalles de confiance (IC) à 95% pour l'association avec le risque de cancer de l'ovaire ont été estimés à l'aide de la régression logistique inconditionnelle. Résultats: Le lien entre la consommation totale d'alcool au cours de la vie et le risque de cancer de l'ovaire explicitait une relation en forme de U: comparées à celles qui n'ont jamais bu, l’OR (IC à 95%) était de 0,72 (0,52-0,99) pour les participantes qui buvaient >0 à <1 consommation par semaine, de 0,83 (0,61-1,15) pour 1 à <3 consommations/semaine et de 0,98 (0,72-1,33) pour ³3 consommations/semaine. Une relation en forme de U a été suggérée pour la consommation de bière et de spiritueux au cours de la vie, mais les OR étaient plus proches de la valeur nulle. Les analyses par comportement tumoral ont suggéré que la consommation totale d'alcool au cours de la vie était associée à un risque réduit de cancer de l'ovaire invasif, mais à un risque accru de cancer de l'ovaire limite. Une tendance similaire a été observée pour la consommation de bière, mais pas pour les spiritueux, le vin rouge ou le vin blanc. Conclusion: La consommation d'alcool pourrait être associée de manière non linéaire au cancer de l'ovaire et cette association pourrait varier en fonction du comportement tumoral. / Background: Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecological cancer among Canadian women. Given its poor prognosis and limited methods of early detection, research is necessary to identify factors that may prevent ovarian cancer from occurring in the first place. Alcohol is a risk factor for many cancer sites, but its relationship with ovarian cancer remains unclear. We investigated the relation between lifetime alcohol consumption and ovarian cancer risk. Methods: In a population-based case-control study in Montreal (2011-2016), 497 cases and 904 controls reported their lifetime consumption of red wine, white wine, beer and spirits and other variables. For total alcohol intake and each specific alcohol type, adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association with ovarian cancer risk were estimated using unconditional logistic regression. Results: The association between lifetime total alcohol intake and ovarian cancer risk was U-shaped: compared to lifetime never drinkers, the OR (95% CI) was 0.72 (0.52-0.99) for drinking >0 to <1 drink/week, 0.83 (0.61-1.15) for 1-<3 drinks/week and 0.98 (0.72-1.33) for 3+ drinks/week. A Ushaped relationship was suggested with lifetime consumption of beer and spirits but ORs were nearer the null value. Analyses by tumour behaviour suggested that lifetime total alcohol intake was associated with a reduced risk of invasive ovarian cancer but an increased risk of borderline ovarian cancer. A similar pattern was observed for intake of beer, but not spirits, red or white wine. Conclusion: Alcohol consumption may be non-linearly associated with ovarian cancer and the association may vary by tumour behaviour.

Dans les applications de puissance, les systèmes de stockage d'énergie électrique tels que les supercondensateurs sont fortement sollicités. Compte tenu des limitations existantes lors de l'utilisation d'un seul composant, un système de stockage d'énergie électrique (module) est constitué d'une association d'éléments (cellules) permettant de s'adapter aux besoins de l'application visée. Afin d'assurer la sécurité de l'équipement et de son utilisateur, un système de gestion d'énergie, qui a pour rôle de surveiller et de contrôler continuellement les cellules, est associé au module de stockage. Le but des travaux de thèse est l'amélioration de la durée de vie des systèmes de stockage d'énergie. Cet objectif est réalisé grâce au contrôle des circuits d'équilibrage, éléments du système de gestion d'énergie, et déjà présents sur ces modules de stockage. Différentes méthodes de contrôle sont donc présentées, analysées et comparées afin d'évaluer l'état de santé des supercondensateurs surveillés. Une nouvelle approche d'équilibrage se basant sur le niveau de dégradation estimée est exposée. Elle permet d'équilibrer les vitesses de vieillissement des cellules et ainsi de prolonger la durée de vie de l'ensemble du système. Certains principes des résultats obtenus sont transposables aux batteries / Energy storage system such as supercapacitors are widely used in high power applications. However, due to single cell voltage limitation, an energy storage system (module) is often employed. It contains a chain structure of identical elements and ensures voltage adaptation to the corresponding application requirements. Energy management systems are associated to energy storage systems in order to assure user and equipment security. Their main role is to monitor and control energy storage systems elements continuously. The work presented aims to enhance the lifetime of energy storage systems. It relies on establishing balancing circuits on the terminals of the storage system elements. These control circuits are energy management system devices. Thus, various control approaches are discussed, analyzed and compared. They aim to estimate the supercapacitor's state of health. In addition, a new approach of balancing circuits is proposed. It is based on estimating the level of degradation of the elements. Thus, It allows aging speed equalization between module elements and storage system lifetime maximization. Some main results of the work could be generalized to batteries

The GERDA experiment searches for the neutrinoless double beta (0𝜈𝛽𝛽) decay of Ge-76. The observation of this decay would prove the Majorana character of the neutrino, i.e. that it is its own antiparticle. This would clarify the question which neutrino mass ordering is realized in nature and give a hint of the effective Majorana neutrino mass. Furthermore, the existence of the 0𝜈𝛽𝛽 decay would imply the violation of lepton number conservation which is a key feature in some theories explaining the asymmetry of matter and antimatter in the universe. The effective Majorana neutrino mass is connected with the half life of the 0𝜈𝛽𝛽 decay via a nuclear matrix element (NME), which is predicted by various theoretical models that are afflicted by large uncertainties. The accuracy of the different NMEs and their internal model assumptions can be increased by considering experimental investigations. While the NMEs for the 0𝜈𝛽𝛽 decay and the neutrino accompanied double beta (2𝜈𝛽𝛽) decay are numerically different, they rely on similar model assumptions. Thus, experimental constraints can be given by the 2𝜈𝛽𝛽 decay into the ground state, which has been already measured by GERDA with unprecedented precision for Ge-76, but also by the investigation of the 2𝜈𝛽𝛽 decay into excited states, which has not yet been observed for Ge-76. GERDA operates enriched germanium detectors in liquid argon (LAr) which serves as an additional background veto using the scintillation light that is created when energy is deposited in LAr. The signal signature of the decay into excited states can be enhanced with the application of the LAr veto, however, for that the efficiency of the LAr veto needs to be determined. One of the key parameters of the LAr efficiency is the attenuation of the scintillation light in LAr, which is dependent on the impurity composition and concentration in LAr. Therefore, the attenuation length of the scintillation light in LAr has been measured in GERDA with a dedicated setup in the course of this work. The analysis of the acquired data required intense computer simulations in order to describe the background for the measurement sufficiently. This also involved the measurement of the steel reflectivity in the visible and the UV region, where LAr scintillates. Therewith, the search for excited states has been performed in this work for the data accumulated in GERDA Phase I, Phase II and Phase II+ including the LAr veto for the latter two data sets. New limits have been set on the investigated excited states decay modes and some of the corresponding theoretical half life predictions could be disfavored, i.e. the underlying NMEs models can be constrained. The successor experiment LEGEND will continue searching for the 0𝜈𝛽𝛽 decay of Ge-76 using more germanium detectors together with an improved LAr veto. The investigation of the decay of Ge-76 into excited states will also be further pursued in LEGEND.