Diese Arbeit untersucht ein einachsiges Materialmodell nach Downing zur Beschreibungdes zyklischen Spannungs-Dehnungsverhalten von Grauguss. Das Modell unterteilt die Gesamtantwort in eine symmetrisch elastisch-plastische Komponente der Metallmatrix und in zwei nichtlinear elastische Anteile, die das Verhalten der Graphitphase im Inneren und an der Oberfläche beschreiben. Das statische und transiente Materialverhalten wurde experimentell quantitativ bestimmt. Auf der Grundlage der Versuchsergebnissen wird das Modell für GJL-200 und GJL-300 überprüft und parametrisiert. Ein Algorithmus zur rechentechnischen Implementierung wird vorgeschlagen und die Simulationsergebnisse mit den Versuchsdaten verglichen. Abschließend wurde das Modell um den Einfluss der Schädigung durch Mikrorisswachstum erweitert und den Versuchsdaten gegenübergestellt. / This thesis investigates an uniaxial model by Downing for cyclic stress-strain response of gray cast iron. The model seperates overall material response into a symmetrical elastic/plastic bulk response and two nonlinear elastic components to account for the behaviour of the graphite phase. Based on experimental data the model is validate and parameterized for GJL-200 and GJL-300. An algorithm suitable for computerization is presented and simulation results are compared to experimental data. Finally the model is extended to include damage due to the effects of micro crack growth and compared to experimental data.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a neurosurgical intervention now established for the treatment of movement disorders. For the treatment of chronic pain refractory to medical therapies, several prospective case series have been reported, but few centres worldwide have published findings from patients treated during the last decade using current standards of technology. This thesis seeks to survey the current clinical status of DBS for pain, investigate its mechanisms and their interactions with autonomic function, its clinical limitations and ablative alternatives. Presented first is a review of the current status of analgesic DBS including contemporary clinical studies. The historical background, scientific rationale, patient selection and assessment methods, surgical techniques and results are described. The clinical outcomes of DBS of the sensory thalamus and periventricular / periaqueductal grey (PAVG) matter in two centres are presented including results from several pain and quality of life measures. A series of translational investigations in human subjects receiving DBS for pain elucidating mechanisms of analgesic DBS and its effects upon autonomic function are then presented. Single photon emission tomography comparing PAVG, VP thalamus and dual target stimulation is described. Somatosensory and local field potential (LFP) recordings suggesting PAVG somatotopy are shown. ABPM results demonstrating changes with PAVG DBS are given and Portapres studies into heart rate variability changes with ventral PAVG DBS are detailed. Investigations using naloxone are then shown to hypothesise separate dorsal opioidergic and ventral parasympathetic analgesic streams in the PAVG. Finally, cingulotomy in lung cancer to relieve pain and dyspnoea results are discussed in the context of altering pain and autonomic function by functional neurosurgery. Pain and autonomic interactions and mechanisms in deep brain surgery for pain are then discussed alongside its limitations with proposals made for optimising treatment and improving outcomes.

Thesis (MScEng)-- Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The objective of this research was to obtain clean drinkable water from treated sewage effluent by using a solar-powered distillation cycle. Technologies and concepts were borrowed from the solar desalination industry to propose a unique circular distillation cell design. From the design, a specific mathematical correlation was developed to predict the distillate mass flow rate by using only evaporation and condensation temperature as inputs. This model was incorporated into a simulation model built using Transient System Simulation software. Long-term simulations were carried out to determine the operating capabilities of the design. A prototype was successfully constructed and operated. Experimental results indicated good agreement with the mass flow rate mathematical correlation. Water quality levels were tested against the South African National Standard 241 national drinking water quality standard. Four quality parameters are outside acceptable levels. Evidence suggested that acceptable quality levels could be reached. The circular distillation cell design is a major contribution made by this research. Another contribution is the simulation model capable of predicting an output for different locations. Finally, the proposed prototype is potentially a very valuable device contributing towards the reduction of consumer demand in terms of water and energy as well as the household load on the wastewater treatment system. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie tesis is om te beskryf hoe behandelde rioolwater deur middel van ’n son aangedrewe distillasiesisteem gesuiwer kan word om drinkbare water as eindproduk te lewer. Die nodige tegnologieë en konsepte is oorgeneem uit kommersiële sonaangedrewe ontsoutingsisteme om met ’n unieke ontwerp voorendag te kom wat uit ’n sirkelvormige natuurlike konveksie distillasiesel bestaan. Met behulp van hierdie ontwerp is ’n wiskundige korrelasie ontwikkel om die gesuiwerde water se massavloei te bepaal. Slegs die verdampings- en kondensasietemperature word as insetwaardes gebruik om die massavloei te bereken. ’n Simulasiemodel is met behulp van die Transient System Simulation programmatuur gebou. Die wiskundige korrelasie is by die simulasiemodel geïnkorporeer om langtermynsimulasies te kan uitvoer. Voorts is ’n demonstrasiemodel suksesvol gebou en aangedryf. Eksperimentele resultate toon goeie ooreenstemming met die simulasieresultate. Die gesuiwerde water se gehalte is met die nationale SANS 241 drinkwaterstandaard as maatstaf getoets. Slegs vier gehalteparameters val buite die aanvaarbare vlakke, hoewel dit blyk dat hierdie elemente wel tot aanvaarbare vlakke verlaag kan word. Hierdie navorsing se grootstet bydrae is die ontwerp van die unieke sirkelvormige distillasiesel. ’n Bykomende bydra is die aanpasbaarheid van die simulasiemodel sodat dit produksievermoë op verskillende plekke kan voorspel. Die demonstrasiemodel is ’n potensieel waardevolle ontwerp wat kan bydra tot die verlaging in verbruikersaanvraag na water en energie. ’n Ontwerp van hierdie aard kan die las wat huishoudings op suiweringaanlegte vir rioolwater plaas, verlig.

Στα κυψελωτά δίκτυα κινητών επικοινωνιών, η διαρκής κίνηση των κινητών συσκευών δημιουργεί την ανάγκη ύπαρξης μηχανισμών οι οποίοι θα διασφαλίζουν το αδιάλειπτο της επικοινωνίας «εν κινήσει». Αυτό ακριβώς επιτυγχάνεται με την εφαρμογή μηχανισμών μεταπομπής, οι οποίοι, με τρόπο διάφανο προς την κινητή συσκευή, συνδέονται δυναμικά με το καταλληλότερο σημείο εκπομπής τηλεπικοινωνιακού σήματος (Σταθμός Βάσης) που εκπέμπει στην ευρύτερη περιοχή. Στην παρούσα μελέτη παρουσιάζονται και αναλύονται οι υπάρχουσες κατηγορίες μεταπομπής, ενώ δίνεται ιδιαίτερη έμφαση σε αυτές που είναι εφαρμόσιμες στα δίκτυα τρίτης γενιάς (3G). Μία από τις σημαντικότερες κατηγοριοποιήσεις των τύπων μεταπομπής είναι αυτή σε σκληρού τύπου (hard) και μαλακού τύπου (soft ή softer). Σημαντικό πλεονέκτημα του μαλακού τύπου μεταπομπής είναι η διασφάλιση της ανεξαρτησίας καναλιών (channel diversity) η οποία τελικά οδηγεί σε αλγορίθμους μεταπομπής που καταναλώνουν μικρότερες ποσότητες ενέργειας. Από την άλλη στις μεταπομπές μαλακού τύπου γίνεται χρήση περισσότερων πόρων του δικτύου και υπάρχει μεγαλύτερη πολυπλοκότητα. Στην παρούσα μελέτη μελετώνται οι τεχνικές οι οποίες χρησιμοποιούνται για να ληφθεί η απόφαση εκτέλεσης μεταπομπής. Βασικές κατηγορίες αλγορίθμων απόφασης μεταπομπής είναι αυτοί που στηρίζονται στη στάθμη της ισχύος του λαμβανόμενου σήματος, αυτοί που στηρίζονται σε fuzzy logic και οι αλγόριθμοι προτεραιότητας. Στο πλαίσιο της παρούσας εργασίας μελετάται και αναλύεται κριτικά η σχετική βιβλιογραφική έρευνα που έχει διενεργηθεί και εξακολουθεί να διεξάγεται σχετικά με την εφαρμογή αλγορίθμων μεταπομπής, με έμφαση στις τεχνικές μεταπομπής που βρίσκουν εφαρμογή σε συστήματα CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access). Επιπλέον, υλοποιείται και προσομοιάζεται, ένα μοντέλο το οποίο συνδυάζει τεχνικές «Γκρι Προβλέψεων» (Grey Prediction) με κλασσικούς μηχανισμούς μεταπομπής με στόχο τη βελτιστοποίηση του πλήθους των εκτελούμενων μεταπομπών, ελαχιστοποιώντας ταυτόχρονα την πιθανότητα απόρριψης κλήσεων (call blocking probability). Η ταυτόχρονη χρήση και αξιοποίηση και των τριών εργαλείων (Matlab, Simulink και Stateflow) απλοποιεί την υλοποίηση και ταυτόχρονα διευκολύνει την αξιολόγηση των παραγόμενων αποτελεσμάτων. Ο βασικός δείκτης επίδοσης με τον οποίο αξιολογείται ο αλγόριθμος που υλοποιείται, είναι το πλήθος των μεταπομπών που εκτελούνται, ενώ οι εκτελεσθείσες προσομοιώσεις στηρίζονται σε τιμές των παραμέτρων που έχουν προταθεί στο (Saeed Changiz Rezaei, Hossein Khalaj, 2005), συνδυασμένες με διάφορες τιμές Υστέρησης (Hysteresis). Προκύπτει ότι καθώς αυξάνεται η τιμή της Υστέρησης, ο αριθμός των μεταπομπών που εκτελούνται μειώνεται, όπως άλλωστε αναμενόταν. Τέλος, θα πρέπει να επισημανθεί ότι, η πολύ μεγάλη συχνότητα δειγματοληψιών του εν λόγω μοντέλου σε συνδυασμό με την ομαλότητα κίνησης της κινητής συσκευής και την καλή προβλεπτική ικανότητα του Αλγορίθμου Grey Prediction, οδηγεί στον υπολογισμό μιας πολύ ομαλής ακολουθίας διαδοχικών τιμών ισχύος των λαμβανόμενων σημάτων και τελικά σε ελαχιστοποίηση του αριθμού των μεταπομπών που διενεργούνται. / In cellular mobile networks, the continuous movement of mobile devices creates the need for mechanisms that are necessary to ensure continuity of communication. This is exactly what is achieved by applying handover mechanisms, which connect the mobile device, dynamically and transparently with appropriate emission point (base station) in the region. In the present work, existing categories of handover, with a particular emphasis on those applicable to third-generation networks (3G), are studied and analyzed. One of the major classifications of handovers is that in hard and soft or softer handovers. An important advantage of soft handover is that it ensures the channel diversity which ultimately leads to handover algorithms that consume less energy. On the other hand, in the case of soft handover more network resources are required and greater complexity of the algorithms makes implementation harder. In this study, we studied the techniques used to decide if a handover should be executed in a mobile communication system. There are three basic categories of handover decision algorithms, i.e. those that are based on the level of the received signal power, the algorithms that are based on fuzzy logic and finally the priority algorithms. In the present study, we analyze critically the relevant literature on handover algorithms, emphasizing on those that can be applied in CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) systems. In addition, we implement and simulate a model which combines "Grey Prediction" techniques with classical handover mechanisms to optimize the number of handovers performed while minimizing the call blocking probability. The simultaneous use and exploitation of three tools (Matlab, Simulink and Stateflow) simplifies the implementation and at the same time facilitates evaluation of the results. The key performance indicator used to evaluate algorithm’s performance is the number of handovers performed. Performed simulations are based on values of the parameters proposed in (Saeed Changiz Rezaei, Hossein Khalaj, 2005), combined with various values of Hysteresis. It is evident when looking at the simulation results, that the number of handovers performed decreases, as hysteresis increases. Finally, it should be noted that the very high sampling frequency of the model, combined with the smoothness of the mobile device motion and the good predictive ability of the Grey Prediction Algorithm, leads to the calculation of a very smooth sequence of consecutive values of the received signals and thus to the minimization of the number of handovers performed.

Recent research using stable isotope analysis has shown a dependence on migrating or breeding populations of vertebrates as vectors for the transfer of marine-derived nutrients within coastal ecosystems. Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada supports numerous species of plants, a variety of seabird colonies (including common [Sterna hirundo] and Arctic [Sterna paradisaea] terns), the world’s largest grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) breeding colony, and a self-sustaining population of wild (feral) horses (Equus ferus caballus). I hypothesize that nitrogen cycling within this island ecosystem is highly influenced by the input of nutrients from seals and seabirds (‘biogenic vectors’), affecting primary production and potentially stabilizing higher trophic levels (i.e., horses). To examine this relation I developed a spatially-explicit isoscape for Sable Island through stable isotope analysis of nitrogen (δ15N) in samples (n = 282) of marram grass (Ammophila breviligulata). I incorporated significant variables (i.e., distance to vector colony and distance to shoreline, r2 = 0.41) into the final parsimonious interpolation model using universal co-kriging techniques. The greatest 15N enrichment occurred within the tips and along the perimeter of the island, coinciding with greater densities of grey seals, while the lowest values occurred within the centre of the island. I then identified individual contributions of seal-, tern- and horse-mediated transfer of marine-derived nutrients inland. Marram grass exhibited higher δ15N within seal (μ = 7.5‰) and tern (μ = 5‰) colonies, while horses and biogeochemical processes (i.e., volatilization, ammonification, etc.) most likely contributed to the homogeneity within the centre of the island (μ = 3.6‰). Due to the higher densities, wider distribution, and greater 15N enrichment of marram tissues, grey seals appear to be the most important vector species while seabirds have a more localized effect. The greater availability of N within vector colonies supplemented the local vegetation community, contributing to greater vegetation cover within colony boundaries. This relation had secondary effects on the horse population, which showed correspondingly higher horse δ15N values within the tips of the island (δ15N + 1.6‰) due to consumption of 15N enriched forage. I conclude that biogenic vector species promote nutrient transfer by establishing nutrient gateways which indirectly cause cascading effects throughout the food web.

This thesis examines fatty acid (FA) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) dynamics in a marine top predator, the grey seal (Halichoerus grypus,) and their transfer during lactation from mother to offspring. It examines regional and annual variations in FA composition and PCB loads, and also how the physical and chemical characteristics of these molecules (e.g. their polarity and size) can affect the rates of accumulation, mobilization and transfer of specific FAs or PCBs. Two UK grey seal colonies (North Rona (NR) and Isle of May (IOM) were studied during three consecutive years (1996-1998 and 2004-2006). Lactating grey seals and their pups were repeatedly captured during the lactation period and sampled for blubber, serum and milk and analysed for FAs and PCBs. Overall, the two colonies were clearly distinguished from each other, suggesting that the main prey species had different FA composition, and possibly that the seals from these colonies had different diets . These differences are probably a direct consequence of differences in prey community structure in the two regions where seals from these two colonies are thought to feed. Within each colony, annual differences could be detected between some years but not between others. During 1996-98, IOM seals showed a clear change in their FA profiles while NR seals did not. In contrast, during 2004-2006 NR seals showed a clear change while IOM seals did not. The changes observed in IOM during 1996-1998 are consistent with the large-scale regime shift that occurred in the North Sea during the 1990‟s. The relative proportions of each FA that were mobilized from blubber and transferred to the milk during lactation were very similar between colonies, and could be explained to a large degree by their physico-chemical properties. For a given carbon chain length the mobilization increased with increasing number of double bonds; and for a given number of double bonds the mobilization decrease with increasing carbon chain length. However, the mobilization also appeared to be influenced by the specific nutritional requirements of the growing pups. For instance, FAs that are considered essential for pup development or efficient energy storage (e.g. saturated FAs) were more highly mobilised than expected. This selectivity was also reflected in the FA composition of the different body compartments (maternal blubber and milk, pup blubber) that persisted throughout lactation. These changes were also similar between the colonies. Colonies could also be clearly distinguished by their blubber PCB profiles. IOM seals had higher total concentrations on average than NR seals (1327.9 vs. 680.2 ng/g lipid in 2005 and 1199.7 vs. 819.0 ng/g lipid in 2006). IOM seals also had higher total amounts in both years (79.2 vs. 38.0 mg in 2005 and 61.7 vs. 53.4 mg in 2006). One of the main differences between colonies was that females from IOM had higher concentrations of highly chlorinated congeners than NR seals. PCB concentrations in blubber increased towards the end of lactation. Serum and milk PCB concentrations also increased rapidly, especially for the highly chlorinated congeners. These results were consistent with other studies showing the increase in concentrations as a result of lipid loss. Serum concentrations stayed constant during the first part of lactation and increased at late lactation. This was also observed in milk PCB concentrations. The changes in the PCB profiles in the three body compartments were very similar between colonies. However IOM seals always had higher total concentrations of PCBs in all of the body compartments. The concentrations of individual congeners relative to PCB-153 showed that blubber contained higher proportions of the highly chlorinated PCBs relative to other tissues. There were no clear changes in these proportions in blubber during lactation, but the relative proportions of highly chlorinated PCB In serum and milk increased throughout lactation while the less chlorinated PCBs stayed constant. The highly chlorinated PCBs were found in lower concentration in the milk compared to the less chlorinated compounds suggesting a selective release from blubber to blood and a selective transfer of PCBs to the milk.

Over the past decades technological developments have both changed and increased human in influence on the marine environment. We now have greater potential than ever before to introduce disturbance and deplete marine resources. Two of the issues currently under public scrutiny are the exploitation of fish stocks worldwide and levels of anthropogenic noise in the marine environment. The aim of this thesis is to investigate and develop novel analyses and simulations to provide additional insight into some of the challenges facing the marine ecosystem today. These methodologies will improve the management of these risks to marine ecosystems. This thesis first addresses the issue of competition between humans and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) for marine resources, providing compelling evidence that a substantial proportion of the sandeels consumed by grey seals in the North Sea are in fact H. lanceolatus, which is not commercially exploited, rather than the commercially important A. marinus. In addition, we present quantitative results regarding sources of bias when estimating the total biomass of sandeels consumed by grey seals. Secondly, we investigate spatially adaptive 2-dimensional smoothing to improve the prediction of both the presence and density of marine species, information that is often key in the management of marine ecosystems. Particularly, we demonstrate the benefits of such methods in the prediction of sandeel occurrence. Lastly this thesis provides a quantitative assessment of the protocols for real-time monitoring of marine mammal presence, which require that acoustic operations cease when an animal is detected within a certain distance (i.e. the "monitoring zone") of the sound source. We assess monitoring zones of different sizes with regards to their effectiveness in reducing the risks of temporary and permanent damage to the animals' hearing, and demonstrate that a monitoring zone of 2 km is generally recommendable.

Hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (OH-PBDEs) are naturally produced in aquatic ecosystems e.g. by algae. Many OH-PBDEs have been observed to be highly bioactive and to cause adverse effects through several pathways, e.g. via disrupting oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). The levels of some OH-PBDEs have increased in Baltic biota over the past decades. This may be associated with the nutrient enrichment of the Baltic Sea, which has favored growth of some of the OH-PBDE producers. Ceramium tenuicorne has been suggested to be a producer of OH-PBDEs in the Baltic Sea, which is supported by the results presented in this thesis. The levels of OH-PBDEs were observed to fluctuate greatly in C. tenuicorne over the summer season, and to correlate with the levels of pigments in the algae. However, the observed congener pattern in C. tenuicorne questioned theories regarding the mechanism of their biosynthesis. The results indicate a much more selective pathway for biosynthesis than previously suggested for the production of OH-PBDEs. One of the most abundant OH-PBDEs in C. tenuicorne, 6-OH-BDE137, has previously been observed to be toxic to bacteria, fungi, and crustaceans. Furthermore, Baltic gammarids seemed to change their feeding preferences towards less grazing on C. tenuicorne during the production peek of OH-PBDEs in the alga. This suggests that OH-PBDEs may serve as allelochemical defense agents for C. tenuicorne. The transport and fate of OH-PBDEs through a Baltic food chain was also studied, including C. tenuicorne, Gammarus spp., three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), and perch (Perca fluviatilis). A small portion of the OH-PBDEs were observed to be methylated in the alga, or by associated bacteria. The methylated OH-PBDEs biomagnified in the food chain up to perch, in which they were converted back to the OH-PBDEs via demethylation. The OH-PBDEs and their methylated counterparts were also partially debrominated in the food chain, which resulted in high concentration of 6-OH-BDE47 in the perch. This congener is the most toxic OH-PBDE with regards to OXPHOS disruption. Another biotransformation of OH-PBDEs was identified in Baltic Sea blue mussels (Mytilus edulis). High concentrations of OH-PBDEs were conjugated with lipophilic moieties, e.g. fatty acids. This increases the residence time of the OH-PBDEs in the mussels. Mussels have been suggested to conjugate steroids with fatty acids as a means to regulate hormone levels. The conjugation of OH-PBDEs to fatty acids may occur due to intrusion into this pathway. Methods were developed to include quantification of conjugated OH-PBDEs in the analysis of mussels. OH-PBDEs were also quantified in blood from Baltic Sea grey seals (Halichoerus grypus). Seals originating from the Baltic proper were observed to be more highly exposed to 6-OH-BDE47 than seals from the Gulf of Bothnia. However, the levels of OH-PBDEs were generally low. A major effort was invested into securing these results, including development of a new analytical method. Blood obtained from dead seals is a difficult matrix for quantification of OH-PBDEs, and previous attempts using an established method yielded unsatisfactory results. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

This thesis is concerned with the neurocircuitry that underpins the cardiovascular response to exercise, which has thus far remained incompletely understood. Small animal studies have provided clues, but with the advent of functional neurosurgery, it has now been made possible to translate these findings to humans. Chapter One reviews the background to the studies in this thesis. Our current understanding of the cardiovascular response to exercise is considered, followed by a discussion on the anatomy and function of various brain nuclei. In particular, the rationale for targeting the periaqueductal grey (PAG) and the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is reviewed. Chapter Two reviews the use of deep brain stimulation (DBS), in which deep brain stimulating electrodes are implanted into various brain nuclei in humans, in order to treat chronic pain and movement disorders. This technique not only permits direct electrical stimulation of the human brain, but also gives the opportunity to record the neural activity from different brain regions during a variety of cardiovascular experiments. This chapter also gives a detailed methodological description of the experimental techniques performed in the studies in this thesis. Chapter Three identifies the cardiovascular neurocircuitry involved in the exercise pressor reflex in humans using functional neurosurgery. It shows for the first time in humans that the exercise pressor reflex is associated with significantly increased neural activity in the dorsal PAG. The other sites investigated, which had previously been identified as cardiovascular active in both animals and humans, seem not to have a role in the integration of this reflex. Chapter Four investigates whether changes in exercise intensity affect the neurocircuitry involved in the exercise pressor reflex. It demonstrates that the neural activity in the PAG is graded to increases in exercise intensity and corresponding increases in arterial blood pressure. This chapter also provides evidence to suggest that neural activity in the STN corresponds to the cardiovascular changes evoked by the remote ischaemic preconditioning stimulus in humans. Chapter Five identifies the cardiovascular neurocircuitry involved during changes in central command during isometric exercise at constant muscle tension using muscle vibration. It shows that, in humans, central command is associated with significantly decreased neural activity in the STN. Furthermore, the STN is graded to the perception of the exercise task, i.e. the degree of central command. The other sites investigated appear not to have as significant a role in the integration of central command during the light exercise task that was undertaken. Chapter Six studies the changes in muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) during stimulation of various brain nuclei in humans. Regrettably, the results presented in this chapter are not convincing enough to support the hypothesis that stimulation of particular subcortical structures corresponds to changes in MSNA. However, the cardiovascular changes that were recorded during stimulation of the different subcortical structures are congruous with previous studies in both animals and humans. Chapter Seven presents a brief summary of the findings in this thesis.

La recherche scientifique biomédicale dans le domaine des cellules souches et plus largement de la médecine régénérative offre aujourd’hui des promesses d’applications thérapeutiques révolutionnaires pour de nombreuses maladies. Pourtant, il semble que pour certains, ces avancées pourraient servir d’autres desseins, notamment en ce qui concerne l’amélioration biologique de l’humain vers des objectifs de contrôle voire d’inversion du processus de vieillissement. Beaucoup de ceux qui tiennent à ces idées appartiennent à un mouvement, dit transhumaniste, où ils s’accordent sur des idées et valeurs communes concernant l’avenir de l’humain. Plus que cela, certains de ces acteurs transhumanistes prennent activement part à la recherche scientifique et orientent celle-ci vers les valeurs qu’ils soutiennent, touchant ainsi aux frontières de disciplines scientifiques établies et à la démarcation entre science et pseudoscience. En s’appuyant sur les concepts de recherche confinée / recherche de plein air, de forum hybride et de travail aux frontières, la présente recherche explore la place que les chercheurs transhumanistes occupent dans la recherche scientifique institutionnelle et se questionne sur la façon et les moyens qu’ils mettent en oeuvre pour y prendre part. À partir de la constitution et de l’analyse d’un corpus documentaire transhumaniste sur les cellules souches, mais aussi en décrivant le réseau auquel les chercheurs transhumanistes appartiennent, l’étude apporte une perspective nouvelle sur le mouvement transhumaniste. Les résultats obtenus montrent que les chercheurs transhumanistes ne se cantonnent pas à produire des discours et des représentations de leurs idées et de leurs valeurs, mais participent activement à la réalisation de celles-ci en menant eux-mêmes des recherches et en infiltrant la recherche scientifique institutionnelle. / Biomedical research in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine promise a wide array of revolutionary therapeutic applications for many diseases. Yet for some those advances could serve other purposes, particularly in regards to the biological improvement of humans, means of control and even the reversing of aging process. Many of those who share these ideas belong to a movement called transhumanism. Some of these actors are actively involved in scientific research and steer it in accord with their personal values. Up to a point were they reach the outer limits of science into what we can only describe as pseudoscience. Based on the concepts of confined research / research in the wild, hybrid forum and boundary work, this master thesis explores the role of transhumanist researchers involved in institutional scientific research by questioning their ways and means. For this analysis, we produced a transhumanist documentary corpus on stem cells and studied the relations of transhumanist researchers as a network. This study provides a new perspective on the transhumanist movement. We agrue that transhumanist researchers are not confined to the representations of their ideas and values through discourse, but actively partake in the achievement of transhumanist’s objectives by conducting research within institutional scientific research structures.