Organiser le secteur du transport pour offrir des solutions de déplacement efficaces est aujourd'hui un enjeu capital pour nos sociétés. La flexibilité, tendant à augmenter la qualité de service, constitue un des leviers pour améliorer les transports. Diverses formes de flexibilité apparaissent en effet dans l'offre actuelle. Dans cette thèse, nous appréhendons plus particulièrement des services opérant dans deux contextes sociétaux distincts :• d'une part, dans un pays industrialisé (la France) où le recours aux transports publics reste minoritaire car la dépendance à l'automobile est toujours très forte ;• d'autre part, dans un pays en voie de développement (le Sénégal) possédant des moyens financiers limités, mais où l'usage des transports collectifs est généralisé, impliquant une grande diversité des modes et une atomisation de l'offre.Nous proposons ainsi d'analyser et de comparer le fonctionnement des transports informels et artisanaux sénégalais (tels que les taxis collectifs) avec celui des systèmes considérés comme plus modernes en France, pour lesquels les capacités d'auto-organisation des individus ont été progressivement remplacées par des systèmes d’information et de communication de haut niveau technologique et logistique. Ces innovations semblent apporter plus d'immédiateté au transport flexible, mais nécessitent en contrepartie un encadrement fort de la part des autorités publiques générant des contraintes réglementaires et spatiales. À l'opposé, les services spontanés et dérégulés qui sont proposés au Sénégal bénéficient d'une plus grande souplesse, au détriment de la sécurité des passagers.L'objectif de la thèse est d'analyser ces services, les modéliser et les simuler afin d'évaluer les apports de la flexibilité. D'un point de vue méthodologique, notre recherche est basée sur un ensemble de modèles inspirés des transports observés en France et au Sénégal, puis implémentés en Systèmes Multi-Agents (SMA) dans l'environnement Netlogo. Certains modèles sont issus d'une analyse fonctionnelle de terrain et d'autres sont plus théoriques. Par l'analyse du comportement d'agents réalisant ces services en concurrence et/ou en coopération, nous identifions d'abord des seuils et des conditions de mise en œuvre en termes d'efficacité et de couverture spatiale. En simulant les modèles sur plusieurs configurations spatiales, nous explorons ensuite leur fonctionnement et nous analysons les atouts et les faiblesse de chacun. Nous les simulons ensuite simultanément pour évaluer leur capacité de complémentarité. Cela nous permet in fine de confronter des systèmes de transports analogues à ceux observés dans les deux contextes sociétaux et d'établir une grille de comparaison en fonction des niveaux de flexibilité identifiés.. / Organizing and developing efficient urban transportation services is a key issues for actual society. The flexibility appear as an important criteria to improve the services quality and to offer attractive transportation solutions. Different forms and levels of flexibility exist in the actual supply-side. For this research we focus on flexible transports operating in two society contexts:• in an industrial country (France) where the using rate of public transportation services islow because the automobile dependency is still high;• in a developing country (Senegal), where the financial resources are limited and theutilisation of public transports is generalized, leading to a diversity of services and anatomic supply-side. More precisely, we compare the functioning of senegalese para-transit services (as collectivetaxis) with french technological systems (as Demand Responsive Transport (DRT)). In France, auto-organization skills and collective behaviours have been replaced by the utilisation of highlevel information, communication and logistic systems. These innovations bring more immediacy and spontaneity in public transports, but it needs a strong supervision from authorities, causes regulatory ans spatial constraints of servicing. In contrast, in Senegal deregulated services benefit to more spontaneity and suppleness to the detriment of the passengers security.The objective of the thesis is to analyse, model and simulate these services to evaluate thecontributions of the flexibility. Regarding the methodology, our study is based on a group ofmodels inspired by transportation systems observed in France and Senegal and implemented inMulti-Agent Systems (MAS), in the NetLogo environnement. Some models are derived from a functional analysis and others are more theoretical. By analysing behaviours of agents performing these services in concurrency or incooperation, we highlight some thresholds and optimal conditions of coverage. Simulations invarious spatial configurations allow to explore model functioning and to analyse their strengthsand limitations. Then, we simulate models in parallel (two models by simulation) to evaluate their complementarity. We compare these combined models, all of them representing transportation services observed in two different contexts. Finally, we build a comparison matrix of clues according to the model performance and flexibility levels. To conclude, this research leads to a valuable reflection on how could be designed flexible transport services in the future.

Cette thèse traite le sujet du micro-actionnement multistable employant des radiations optiques pour atteindre les différentes positions offertes par le micro-actionneur. Dans le cadre des travaux réalisés, un mécanisme bistable reposant sur un principe de doubles poutres préformées situées en position antagoniste est proposé, et, sur cette brique élémentaire, un micro-actionneur quadristable a été conçu. Afin de valider le principe de fonctionnement de micro-actionneur, des procédés de fabrication Laser (sur le matériau « médium - MDF») puis DRIE (sur un wafer SOI de silicium) ont été utilisés. Sur le prototype en silicium, permettant une réduction des courses du rang interne et du rang externe du micro-actionneur, celles-ci ont été fixées à 300 µm et 200 µm respectivement. L’actionnement à distance de ce micro-actionneur a été prouvé en utilisant le chauffage laser d’un élément actif en Nitinol structuré par un dépôt de SiO2, ceci générant un effet « deux sens » de l’élément actif permettant d’annuler la charge sur les poutres du micro-actionneur une fois celui-ci déclenché puis en position stable. L’utilisation d’un banc expérimental incluant une membrane MEMS de balayage laser a permis de démontrer la quadristabilité du micro-actionneur sur 90 000 cycles. Afin de réduire davantage la course de ce micro-actionneur, des concepts de dispositifs de réduction de course ont été développés pour démontrer, à partir de prototypes fabriqué en MDF par usinage laser, la capacité à atteindre une course de 1 µm. Enfin, à la suite de ces travaux de réduction de course, un concept de nano-actionneur multistable a été proposé. Ce nano-actionneur est composé de quatre modules bistables liés et disposés en parallèle pour offrir 16 positions discrètes sur une course rectiligne. Les simulations de cet actionneur montrent la possibilité d’atteindre les 15 positions espacées de 10 nm sur une course de 150 nm. / In this work, a bistable mechanism based on antagonistic pre-shaped double beams was proposed. Employing the proposed bistable mechanism, a quadristable micro-actuator was designed. ln order to validate the quadristability of the device, a meso-scaled prototype was fabricated from MDF by laser cutting. After the quadristability was experimentally confirmed, a quadristable micro-actuator was realized on SOl wafer using DRIE technique. Strokes for inner row and outer row were reduced to 300 µm and 200 µm respectively. For the actuation of the quadristable micro-actuator,laser heated SMA elements with deposited Si02 layer were used to realize the optical wireless actuation. With the help of a laser beam steering micro-mirror, both inner row and outer row were successfully actuated. ln order to further reduce the stroke, a bistable actuator with stroke reducing structure was designed and a prototype eut from MDF was tested. Bistability was validated and a stroke of 1µm was experimentally achieved. Based on this bistable module, a multistable nano-actuator, which contains four parallel coupled bistable modules,was designed and simulated. The simulated result have indicated that it was capable of outputs 16 discrete stable positions available from 0 nm to 150 nm with a step of 10 nm between two stable positions.

The ability to adjust structural response to external loading and ensure structural safety and serviceability is a characteristic of Smart Systems. The key to achieving this is through the development and implementation of smart materials. An example of a smart material is a Shape Memory Alloy (SMA). Reinforced concrete structures are designed to sustain severe damage and permanent displacement during strong earthquakes, while maintaining their integrity, and safeguarding against loss of life. The design philosophy of dissipating the energy of major earthquakes leads to significant strains in the steel reinforcement and, consequently, damage in the plastic hinge zones. Most of the steel strain is permanent, thus leading to large residual deformations that can render the structure unserviceable after the earthquake. Alternative reinforcing materials such as superelastic SMAs offer strain recovery upon unloading, which may result in improved post-earthquake recovery. Shape Memory Alloys have the ability to dissipate energy through repeated cycling without significant degradation or permanent deformation. Superelastic SMAs possess stable hysteretic behavior over a certain range of temperature, where its shape is recoverable upon removal of load. Alternatively, Martensite SMAs also possess the ability to recover its shape through heating. Both types of SMA demonstrate promise in civil infrastructure applications, specifically in seismic-resistant design and retrofit of structures. The primary objective of this research is to investigate experimentally the performance of concrete beams and shear walls reinforced with superelastic SMAs in plastic hinge regions. Furthermore, this research program involves complementary numerical studies and the development of a proposed hysteretic constitutive model for superelastic SMAs applicable for nonlinear finite element analysis. The model considers the unique characteristics of the cyclic response of superelastic materials.

The diploma thesis is focused on an experimental design of low-noise asphalt mixtures. The theoretical part describes the problems of noise and methods for noise measurements. There are also specified the characteristics of various low-noise asphalt mixtures. The practical part addresses the experimental design of SMA 8 LA. Subsequently, the mixture is exposed to functional testing and the results are afterwards compared with the conventional type of stone mastix asphalt SMA 8 S. The second part is focused primarily on an experimental mixture design of a specific asphalt mixture type - coated macadam. There is especially solved the issue ofbinder drainage and the proportion of cracked grains during the compaction. The advantage of this mixture is the lower price demands cause by lower binder content and a smaller amount of fine aggregate. This mixture should be used as a base layer for low-loaded (traffic) roads. In the conclusion are thereafter evaluated the knowledge and the experience with the testing and designing of individual mixtures gained during the testing.

Multi-temporal remotely sensed data (MSS, TM and ETM+)were used for monitoring and mapping the desertification processes in North Kordofan State, Sudan.A liear mixture model (LMM) was adopted to analyse and the desertification proccesses by using the image endmembers. interpretation of ancillary data and field observation was adopted to verfiy the role of human impacts in the temporal changes in the study area. The findings of the study proved the powerfull of remotely sensed data in monitoring and mapping the desertification processes and come out with valuable recommendations which could contribute positively in reducing desert encroachment in the area.

Many industries including the medical, aerospace, and automobile industries have increasingly adopted the use of shape memory alloys (SMAs) for a plethora of applications due to their unique thermomechanical properties. From the commercially available SMAs in the market, binary NiTi SMAs have shown the most desirable properties. However, SMA properties can be significantly affected by the fabrication process. One of the most familiar applications of NiTi SMAs is in the design of actuating devices where the shape memory effect properties are highly advantageous. Spring NiTi SMA actuators are among the most commonly used and are generally made by torsion loading a straight wire. Consequently, stress concentrations are formed causing a reduction in recovery force. Other methods for producing springs and other NiTi SMA components is the fast emerging manufacturing method of additive manufacturing (AM). AM often uses metal powders to produce the near-net shape components. A major challenge for SMAs, in particular, is their well-known composition sensitivity. Therefore, it is critical to control composition in NiTi SMAs. In this thesis, a novel method for processing NiTi SMAs for pre-alloyed NiTi SMA powders and springs is presented. A low pressure and low temperature hydriding-pulverization-dehydriding method is used for preparing the pre-alloyed NiTi SMA powders with well-controlled compositions, size, and size distributions from wires. By hydrogen charging as-drawn martensitic NiTi SMA wires in a heated H3PO4 solution, pulverizing, and dehydriding, pre-alloyed NiTi powders of various well-controlled sizes are produced. In addition, a low pressure and low temperature hydriding-dehydriding method is used for producing NiTi SMA helixes from wires. The helix pattern in the pre-alloyed NiTi SMA wires was obtained by hydrogen charging NiTi SMA 500 μm diameter wires at different time intervals, followed by dehydriding to remove the hydrogen. The wires, powders, and resulting helixes were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The relationship between the wire diameter, powder particle size, and helix geometry as a function of hydrogen charging time is investigated. Lastly, the recovery behavior due to the shape memory effect is also investigated after dehydriding.

This essay is a reflection on various layers which inform my artistic practice, and particularly expands on the background and research for my short film The Spirit, The Lamp & The Permanent Inhabitant. It's an attempt to describe how certain parts of my Gotlandic background influence and inspire my artistic practice, and also to show how reading, writing and critical reflection are important parts of my process. The essay pays tribute to an oral storytelling tradition that can be found on the island Gotland, Sweden, but is also an examination into how tourism has affected human relationships, and speculatively, the relationship between humans and ancient spirits.

À partir des enquêtes, le trafic n’est pas une donnée, mais il est plutôt construit à partir d’hypothèses portant sur les relations entre des origines et des destinations. En vue de reconstruire un trafic routier plus proche de la mesure, et sur un ensemble de tronçons routiers plus important, il apparait alors intéressant de partir de données de comptages issues de capteurs urbains. Notre postulat de départ part de ce constat. L’insertion de ces données d’observations du trafic routier fournit l’opportunité d’expérimenter les potentiels d’exploitations des capteurs pour estimer les niveaux de Pollution Atmosphérique Automobile (PAA) à l’échelle intraurbaine. Cependant, il est alors nécessaire de modifier la nature de la mesure en vue d’extraire une information sur la circulation routière, ce qui a été envisagé ici à travers la construction d’un modèle de simulation multi-agents. D’une manière plus générale, en partant de la donnée, c’est une démarche de construction de la connaissance sur les émissions de PAA qui est abordée tout au long de ce travail. La mise en œuvre de la démarche de modélisation SCAUP (Simulation multi-agents à partir de Capteurs Urbains pour la Pollution atmosphérique automobile) a été réalisée en trois temps : 1. En se focalisant sur les dispositifs de quantification du trafic routier à travers les capteurs urbains ; 2. En proposant une démarche de modélisation et de simulation de ces données pour le trafic routier ; 3. En se rattachant aux référentiels nationaux utilisés par les AASQA pour le calcul des émissions de PAA. L’ensemble se lie et s’intègre au sein d’une matrice technique qui constitue la colonne vertébrale de ce manuscrit à travers trois dispositifs interdépendants : la quantification, la modélisation et l’évaluation. Ce travail s’inscrit dans une démarche expérimentale de simulation du trafic routier pour le calcul des émissions de PAA. Parrainé par l’AASQA locale ATMOSF’AIR BOURGOGNE, il s’inscrit aussi dans une optique de recherche appliquée en appui de ces organismes en charge de la surveillance de la qualité de l’air. À l’heure où le big data entre dans de nouveaux questionnements quant aux capacités des chercheurs à en extraire une connaissance, nous proposons une démarche géographique en vue de replacer la donnée au centre d’une démarche de simulation originale du trafic routier (data-driven). / Based on surveys, traffic is constructed from assumptions about the relationship between origins and destinations. In order to rebuild a road traffic wich would be closer to observation and on a wider set of road sections, it appears interesting to use counting data from urban sensors : this is our starting point of view. The insertion of these in-situ dataset in the road traffic measurement provides the opportunity to experience the potential of sensors to estimate Traffic Air Pollution (TAP) levels at the intraurban scale. However, this requires to change the nature of these estimation, here through the construction of a model of multi-agents simulation, in order to extract more information on the road traffic. More generally, this work can be seen as a a knowledge building approach on TAP emisssions which is discussed throughout this work. The implementation of the SCAUP (multi-agent simulation from Urban sensors for traffic air pollution) approach was developped in three stages: 1. Focusing on the quantification of road traffic devices through urban sensors; 2. Proposing a modeling approach for road traffic data simulation ; 3. Using as a reference the national framework used by AASQA to calculate RTA emissions. All is integrated within a technical matrix that forms the spine of the manuscript through three interrelated systems: quantification, modeling and evaluation. This work is part of an experimental approach dedicated to the calculation of TAP emissions based on traffic simulations. Sponsored by the ATMOSF’AIR BOURGOGNE local AASQA, this work could also be used in an operational mode for these organizations in charge of the air quality monitoring. At a time when the big data enters into new questions about the ability of researchers to extract knowledge, we propose a geographical approach that enables to replace the data in the center of an original road traffic simulation approach (data- driven).

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a devastating recessive neurological disorder thought to be affecting primarily the motor neurons. As such, paralysis, motor weakness and death ensue. While SMA is most commonly seen in infants and children, it can span all ages. Its genetic etiology revolves around the homozygous deletion or mutation of the SMN1 gene, whose product (SMN protein) has critical and ubiquitous roles in mRNA splicing, amongst various other functions in mRNA metabolism. As such, SMN depletion in other non-neuronal cells type is likely to have physiological repercussions, and perhaps modulate the SMA phenotype. Herein, we identify the molecular pathways of atrophy in skeletal and cardiac muscle of two mouse models of SMA and their therapeutic modulation via the histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A. We also identify dramatic changes in immune organs in mouse models of SMA, which could impact susceptibility to infections. Furthermore, we establish the presence of important defects in fatty acid homeostasis in the liver and plasma seen in both mouse models and SMA patients. Finally, we provide the first mild mouse model of SMA that reliably reproduces canonical features of SMA, permitting aging studies. This model presents with a prominent myopathic phenotype prior to motor neuron death, without extra-neuronal involvement during the course of its lifespan. Overall, our work shows multiple potentially clinically relevant defects in extra-neuronal organs, provides ways to abrogate them and provides a framework to study them over the course of aging.

No description available.