People use both their hands together cooperatively in many everyday activities. The modern computer interface fails to take advantage of this basic human ability, with the exception of the keyboard. However, the keyboard is limited in that it does not afford continuous spatial input. The computer mouse is perfectly suited for the point and click tasks that are the major method of manipulation within graphical user interfaces, but standard computers have a single mouse. A single mouse does not afford spatial coordination between the two hands within the graphical user interface. Although the advent of the Universal Serial Bus has made it possible to easily plug in many peripheral devices, including a second mouse, modern operating systems work on the assumption of a single spatial input stream. Thus, if a second mouse is plugged into a Macintosh computer, a Windows computer or a UNIX computer, the two mice control the same cursor. <br /><br /> Previous work in two-handed or bimanual interaction techniques has often followed the asymmetric interaction guidelines set out by Yves Guiard's Kinematic Chain Model. In asymmetric interaction, the hands are assigned different tasks, based on hand dominance. I show that there is an interesting class of desktop user interface tasks which can be classified as symmetric. A symmetric task is one in which the two hands contribute equally to the completion of a unified task. I show that dual-mouse symmetric interaction techniques outperform traditional single-mouse techniques as well as dual-mouse asymmetric techniques for these symmetric tasks. I also show that users prefer the symmetric interaction techniques for these naturally symmetric tasks.

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Purpose: The aim of the research is to investigate what successful booksellers provide in store that increase interaction and thereby enhance perceived value for the customers. Approach: The study is based on a combination of using both quantitative and qualitative data, collected through questionnaire and through face-to-face interviews. A deductive approach has constituted the paper as the theoretical framework was constructed upon already existing theories. Findings: The investigated booksellers are working with all of the three interaction facilitators; servicescape, shopping event as well as employee competence to create interaction in store that thereafter through relating, communicating and knowing increase the customer perceived value. The success behind the booksellers is based on their niche and personal approach that is thoroughly implemented in their offerings, which will create a community feeling. The personal relationship with the customers gives a structural support for the communication that in the end increase the knowledge. However, the knowledge renewal was more vital for the employees in order to provide personal service. Practical implications: Brick-and-mortar stores should fully acknowledge the importance of interacting with customers, by implementing servicescape, shopping event and employee competence with a personal touch. It is important to be as physical as possible and use the store as a social meeting place. The store should create a unique atmosphere, where like-minded customers socialize. The employee competence is vital for the brick-and-mortar stores in order to provide personal service. Theoretical implications: Grönroos and Voima’s (2012) Value creation sphere-model was extended by integrating Ballantyne and Varey’s (2006) triangulated value-enable-model into the joint sphere of Grönroos and Voima’s (2012) model. Since both of the models were tested empirically the paper supplies empirical evidence for both of the theoretical models.

The current study aims to fill a deficiency in the literature on the effects of watching television, particularly “happy” and “not happy” shows, on social needs. Participants will first take a survey to report their loneliness and need for social interaction. Then, they will be randomly assigned into one of four television-viewing conditions (two involving the participants watching “happy” shows and two involving participants watching “not happy” shows). After viewing three episodes, participants will be re-tested on their loneliness and need for social interaction. It is hypothesized that after watching television, participants will report feeling less lonely and less likely to seek out social interaction with a larger effect for those watching happier shows than those watching less happy shows. If the study shows a reduction in loneliness and desire for social interaction after watching television, it could suggest that television is an outlet to offer those who are lonely or lacking in social support and can ease some of their discomfort and sadness.

Within a distributed system, autonomous agents may find it necessary to cooperate in order to achieve their objectives. Interaction protocols provide standard frameworks within which to conduct common classes of interaction, but they are only useful when the agents using them have a common interpretation of the constraints imposed by those protocols. In open systems, where there are no system-wide objectives and components are contributed from a variety of sources, this is difficult to ensure. An agent within a sufficiently complex environment will find it necessary to draw inferences from information sources of varying integrity and completeness. Given flawed or incomplete information, it may be necessary for an agent to resort to nonmonotonic reasoning in order to be able to make concrete decisions within limited windows of opportunity. This can be expected to create inconsistencies in the joint beliefs of agents which can only be repaired by dialogue between peers. To verify and repair all possible sources of inconsistency is impractical for any sizable body of inference however—any belief revision must therefore be subject to prioritisation. In this thesis, we introduce a mechanism by which agents can perform opportunistic argumentation during dialogue in order to perform distributed belief revision. An interaction portrayal uses the protocol for a given interaction to identify the logical constraints which must be resolved during the interaction as it unfolds. It then compares and reconciles the expectations of agents prior to the resolution of those constraints by generating and maintaining a system of arguments. The composition and scope of arguments is restricted in order to minimise the information exchange whilst still trying to ensure that all available admissible viewpoints are adequately represented immediately prior to any decision. This serves both to make interaction more robust (by allowing agents to make decisions based on the distributed wisdom of its peer group without being explicitly directed by a protocol) and to reconcile beliefs in a prioritised fashion (by focusing only on those beliefs which directly influence the outcome of an interaction as determined by its protocol).

Le paludisme est une cause majeure de morbidité et de mortalité, plus particulièrement en Afrique sub-saharienne. De très nombreuses observations sont en faveur de l'existence de facteurs génétiques contrôlant le devenir de l'infection palustre. Il est très probable que certains variants génétiques de gènes candidats du paludisme affectent la résistance du paludisme à travers leur effet sur la réponse immunitaire acquise. Afin de vérifier cette hypothèse, nous avons étudié, dans une population vivant au Burkina Faso, des variants génétiques de HBB, IL4, IL12B, TNF, LTA, FCGR2A et NCR3 dont l'association avec des phénotypes liés à la résistance au paludisme a été publiée; nous avons évalué leur influence sur les niveaux d'IgG dirigés contre les antigènes de Plasmodium falciparum en utilisant un test d'association basé sur les familles. Ainsi, nous avons détecté, l'effet de l'hémoglobine C, FCGR2A-H131, le TNF-857T, et TNF1304A sur les niveaux des sous-classes d'IgG anti-P. falciparum. Ces résultats constituent une base utile pour des études ultérieures du contrôle génétique de la réponse immunitaire chez des individus vivant dans une zone d'endémie. Un autre projet a porté sur l'étude fonctionnelle du polymorphisme NCR3-412, dont nous avions montré l'association avec les accès palustres simples. Nos résultats basés sur des techniques moléculaires montrent l'effet de ce polymorphisme situé dans le promoteur sur la liaison de protéines nucléaires. / Malaria is the major cause of morbidity and mortality especially in the Sub-Saharan Africa. There is a growing body of evidence for genetic factors controlling the outcome of malaria infection. It is thought that some genetic variants of malaria candidate genes affect malaria resistance through their effect on the acquired immune response. In order to verify this hypothesis, we worked on genetic variants of HBB, IL4, IL12B, TNF, LTA, FCGR2A and NCR3, which have been associated with malaria resistance phenotypes, to determine their influence on levels of anti-P. falciparum IgG in urban population of Burkina Faso. Using family-based association analysis, we detected the effect of Hemoglobin C, FCGR2A-H131, TNF-857T, and TNF1304A on the levels of anti-P. falciparum IgG. This study can pave the way towards further comprehension of genetic control of an individual's immune response against malaria. Another project focused on functional study of polymorphism NCR3-412, which has already been associated to mild malaria. We investigated the functional effect of this polymorphism located in the promoter by using molecular techniques and showed the effect of this polymorphism on the binding of nuclear proteins.

Le contrôle de caméra virtuelle est aujourd'hui un composant essentiel dans beaucoup d'applications d'infographie. Malgré cette importance, les approches actuelles restent limitées en terme d'expressivité, d'interactivité et de performances. Typiquement, les éléments de style ou de genre cinématographique sont difficiles à modéliser et à simuler dû à l'incapacité des systèmes actuels de calculer simultanément des points de vues, des trajectoires et d'effectuer le montage. Deuxièmement, elles n'explorent pas assez le potentiel créatif offert par le couplage potentiel d'un humain et d'un système intelligent pour assister les utilisateurs dans une tâche complexe de construction de séquences cinématographiques. Enfin, la plupart des approches existantes se basent sur des techniques d'optimisation dans un espace de recherche 6D, qui s'avèrent coûteuses et donc inadaptées à un contexte interactif. Dans cette thèse, nous proposons tout d'abord un cadre unique intégrant les quatre aspects clés de la cinématographie (le calcul de point de vue, la planification de trajectoires, le montage et la visibilité). Ce cadre expressif permet de simuler certaines dimensions de style cinématographique. Nous proposons ensuite une méthodologie permettant de combiner les capacités d'un système automatique avec une interaction utilisateur. Enfin, nous présentons un modèle de contrôle de caméra efficace qui réduit l'espace de recherche de 6D à 3D. Ce modèle a le potentiel pour remplacer un certain nombre de formulations existantes. / Virtual camera control is nowadays an essential component in many computer graphics applications. Despite its importance, current approaches remain limited in their expressiveness, interactive nature and performances. Typically, elements of directorial style and genre cannot be easily modeled nor simulated due to the lack of simultaneous control in viewpoint computation, camera path planning and editing. Second, there is a lack in exploring the creative potential behind the coupling of a human with an intelligent system to assist users in the complex task of designing cinematographic sequences. Finally, most techniques are based on computationally expensive optimization techniques performed in a 6D search space, which prevents their application to real-time contexts. In this thesis, we first propose a unifying approach which handles four key aspects of cinematography (viewpoint computation, camera path planning, editing and visibility computation) in an expressive model which accounts for some elements of directorial style. We then propose a workflow allowing to combine automated intelligence with user interaction. We finally present a novel and efficient approach to virtual camera control which reduces the search space from 6D to 3D and has the potential to replace a number of existing formulations.

Ce travail de thèse s’articule autour de la problématique de l’évolution de la première fréquence propre d’une éolienne en mer au cours de sa durée d’exploitation. Ce type de structure élancée est soumis à des chargements cycliques et dynamiques tels que le vent, les vagues, les courants marins, la rotation des pales. Ces chargements ont des fréquences de sollicitation proches de la première fréquence propre de l’éolienne, celle-ci s’inscrivant dans un intervalle restreint entre la fréquence du rotor et celle des pales. Afin d’éviter tout phénomène de résonance, il convient d’évaluer précisément à la fois la première fréquence propre de l’éolienne juste après son installation ainsi que son évolution au cours de son exploitation. Ces deux problématiques ont été considérées dans cette étude.Dans ce contexte, un travail expérimental a été réalisé autour de deux modèles physiques 1g d’éolienne en mer fondée sur monopieu et installée dans un massif de sable de Fontainebleau. En se basant sur une modélisation de la fondation à l’aide d’un ensemble de ressorts, latéral et de torsion, une série d’essais a été réalisée afin d’évaluer à la fois la raideur de ces ressorts, mais aussi la fréquence propre du modèle physique considéré. Cette méthode a été comparée à des méthodes existantes et a aussi permis le développement de méthodes originales. Réaliser les essais sur deux modèles à échelle différente (1/60 et 1/120) a permis d’adapter les résultats obtenus aux cas d’une éolienne à échelle 1. Enfin, dans le cadre de l’étude de l’évolution de la structure au cours de son exploitation, des essais de sollicitations cycliques ont été réalisés. Une étude paramétrique se concentrant sur l’influence de la fréquence de la sollicitation et de la force globale appliquée a été proposée. Les résultats obtenus permettent d’analyser le comportement des modèles réduits, soumis à un maximum d’un million de cycles, en se concentrant sur l’évolution du déplacement, de la rotation et de la fréquence propre de ces structures. Ces résultats sont comparés aux limites imposées pour l’état limite de service d’une éolienne grandeur réelle / This PhD thesis deals with the main issue which is the evolution of the first natural frequency of an offshore wind turbine. These slender structures are submitted to cyclic and dynamic loads such as wind, waves, currents, and the blade rotations. The frequencies related to these loads are close to the first natural frequency of the turbine, which lay in a narrow interval between the frequencies of the rotor and the blades. In order to avoid any resonance phenomenon, one needs a precise evaluation of not only the natural frequency of the wind turbine after its installation but also its evolution during the operation of the turbine. These two issues are considered in this work.In this context, an experimental work was developed considering two 1g physical models of an offshore wind turbine with a monopile foundation installed in Fontainebleau sand. Based on the modelling of the foundation as a set of lateral and rotational springs, an experimental program was developed in order to evaluate the stiffness of these springs and the natural frequency of the scaled models. This method was first compared to the existing methods and has allowed to develop some original methods to evaluate the natural frequency of the considered scaled model. The tests, conducted on two physical models with different scales (1/60 and 1/120), also allowed us to adapt the obtained results to a real offshore wind turbine. As a part of the study of the turbine’s evolution during its operation, cyclic load tests were conducted. A parametric study is proposed with a focus on the influence of the load’s frequency and its amplitude. The obtained results allowed us to analyze the behavior of the scaled models submitted up to one million cycles considering, mainly, the evolution of the displacement, the rotation, and the natural frequency of the structures. These results were then compared to the limits imposed by the serviceability limit state of a real offshore wind turbine

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Les systèmes écologiques sont complexes car composés d'une multitude d'éléments en interaction. Ces interactions, entre espèces par exemple, forment des réseaux qui présentent des propriétés structurelles déterminantes pour la réponse du système écologique entier aux perturbations.Pour mieux identifier cette réponse, il est donc important de cartographier les interactions présentes dans les communautés écologiques et de comprendre leurs variations dans le temps et l'espace.Dans ce travail, nous avons utilisé les communautés de plantes comme systèmes écologiques modèles afin (i) d'identifier à partir de patrons spatiaux certains motifs présents dans les réseaux d'interaction écologiques (les boucles de rétroaction) et (ii) de cartographier les réseaux d'interactions (tels que mesurés par les associations spatiales entre plantes)le long de gradients de stress. Pour ce faire, nous avons utilisé deux jeux de données documentant des communautés de plantes de clairières subalpines (Etats-Unis) et méditerranéennes (La Crau, France). Nos résultats montrent que les boucles de rétroaction peuvent être inferées à partir des patrons spatiaux présents dans les communautés de plantes, permettant ainsi d'identifier des communautés pouvant répondre de manière abrupte aux perturbations. Les interactions entre plantes (déduites de leurs associations spatiales) dépendent fortement du stress appliqué à la communauté, et présentent une résilience faible aux évènements de perturbation.Ce travail montre que les interactions entre plantes peuvent être cartographiées in situ à partir des associations spatiales. Il ouvre la voie vers une meilleure compréhension et capacité d'anticipation de la réponse des communautés écologiques face aux perturbations. / Ecological systems are not simple but composed of many different elements(species, for example) interacting with each other. These networks ofinteractions exhibit structural properties that determine ecological systems’ability to absorb and recover from perturbations. Mappinginteractions along with their changes in time and space is therefore key tounderstand and predict empirical communities' response to global changes.In this thesis, we used plant communities as model systems (i) to explore howspatial patterns may help identify feedbacks loops which make communities morefragile to upcoming changes and (ii) to map species interactions in empiricalcommunities and describe how they change along stress gradients and recover fromperturbations. To do so, we used two datasets documenting plant communities insubalpine meadows (USA) and Mediterranean grasslands (France).Our results show that feedback loops can be inferred to some extent from thespatial patterns of plant communities and hence help identify communities thatmay respond more abruptly to perturbations. Going to a more detailed level ofdescription, plant-plant interactions (as measured through spatial associations)were shown to respond strongly and consistently to stress but exhibited a weakresilience to disturbances.This work shows that plant-plant interactions -- which are linked to the response of the community to perturbations -- can be uncovered using spatial patterns. It paves the way towards a better understanding and a better anticipation capacity of how ecological communities might reorganize when subject to disturbances.