Les interférons de Type I (IFN) sont des cytokines produites par les cellules en réponse à une infection virale. Les IFNs ont des effets pleïotropiques et parfois paradoxaux, protecteur ou néfaste pour l’immunité Innée ou adaptative. Certains facteurs intrinsèques (type cellulaire) peuvent expliquer une partie ces discordances. Mon travail de thèse s’est intéressé à l‘effet du microenvironnement cytokinique sur la réponse IFN. En utilisant des analyses à large échelle, nous avons étudié la réponse IFN dans 4 contextes de polarisation des lymphocytes T auxiliaires (Th). Nous avons identifié 1/ un programme de transcription conservé et 2/ une réponse IFN flexible, modulant spécifiquement les principales fonctions des Th (cytokines, chemokines) en fonction du contexte polarisant. La réponse antivirale apparait aussi flexible avec une moins bonne protection des Th2 et Th17 contre l’infection par HIV-1et HIV-2. Nos résultats suggèrent que l’environnement cytokinique contrôle en partie la réponse IFN et peut ainsi moduler cette dernière dans différents contextes physiopathologiques. / Type I IFN (IFN) are innate cytokines produced by host cells during viral infection. Ithas pleiotropic and sometimes opposing, protective or detrimental effects, on both innateand adaptive immunity that remain poorly understood. Parts of IFN response may be explain by intrinsic effect (cell-­‐specificity). My thesis was focused on the effect of the microenvironment, as present during T Helper cell differentiation, on IFN response. Using a systems level approach, we studied IFN responses during Four Human T Helper cell differentiation. We identified 1/ a conserved IFN-­‐induced transcriptional program comprising mostly antiviral genes 2/ a flexible IFN response, leading to a different pattern of chemokine and cytokine induction by IFN in distinct Th environments. Antiviral response was also flexible with a lesser protection to HIV-1 and HIV-2 infection in Th2 and Th17 contexts. Our in vitro results suggested that environmental control might shape the effects of IFN in different physiopathological contexts.

La thèse s'inscrit dans la perspective de l'explosion du trafic de données générée par l'augmentation du nombre d'utilisateurs ainsi que la croissance du débit qui doivent être prises en compte dans la définition des futures générations de communications radiocellulaires. Une solution est la technologie «large-scale MIMO » (systèmes MIMO de grande dimension) qui pose plusieurs défis. La conception des nouveaux algorithmes de détection de faible complexité est indispensable vu que les algorithmes classiques ne sont plus adaptés à cette configuration à cause de leurs mauvaises performances de détection ou de leur complexité trop élevée fonction du nombre d'antennes. Une première contribution de la thèse est un algorithme basé sur la technique de l'acquisition comprimée en exploitant les propriétés des signaux à alphabet fini. Appliqué à des systèmes MIMO de grande dimension, déterminés et sous-déterminés, cet algorithme réalise des performances (qualité de détection, complexité) prometteuses et supérieures comparé aux algorithmes de l'état de l'art. Une étude théorique approfondie a été menée pour déterminer les conditions optimales de fonctionnement et la distribution statistique des sorties. Une seconde contribution est l'intégration de l'algorithme original dans un récepteur itératif en différenciant les cas codé (code correcteur d'erreurs présent) et non codé. Un autre défi pour tenir les promesses des systèmes large scale MIMO (efficacité spectrale élevée) est l'estimation de canal. Une troisième contribution de la thèse est la proposition d'algorithmes d'estimation semi-aveugles qui fonctionnent avec une taille minimale des séquences d'apprentissage (égale au nombre d'utilisateurs) et atteignent des performances très proches de la borne théorique. / The thesis is part of the prospect of the explosion of data traffic generated by the increase of the number of users as well as the growth of the bit rate which must be taken into account in the definition of future generations of radio-cellular communications. A solution is the large-scale MIMO technology (MIMO systems oflarge size) which poses several challenges. The design of the new low complexity detection algorithms is indispensable since the conventional algorithms are no longer adapted to this configuration because of their poor detection performance or their too high complexity depending on the number of antennas. A first contribution of the thesis is an algorithm based on the technique of compressed sensing by exploiting the propertiesof the signals with finite alphabet. Applied to large-scale, determined and under-determined MIMO systems, this algorithm achieves promising and superior performance (quality ofdetection, complexity) compared to state-ofthe-art algorithms. A thorough theoretical study was conducted to determine the optimal operating conditions and the statistical distribution of outputs. A second contribution is the integration of the original algorithm into an iterative receiver by differentiating the coded and uncoded cases. Another challenge to keeping the promise of large- scale MIMO systems (high spectral efficiency) is channel estimation. A third contribution of the thesis is the proposal of semi-blind channel estimation algorithms that work with a minimum size of pilot sequences (equal to the number of users) and reach performances very close to the theoretical bound.

A Large Scale Robot Colony (LSRC) is a complex artifact comprising of a significant population of both mobile and static robots. LSRC research is in its literary infancy and it is therefore necessary to rely upon external fields for the appropriate framework, Multi Agent Systems (MAS) and Large Scale Systems (LSS). At the intersection of MAS, LSS and LSRC exist near identical issues, problems and solutions. If attention is paid to coherence then solution portability is possible. The issue of Self-Reliability is poorly addressed by the MAS research field. Disparity between the real world and simulation is another area of concern. Despite these deficiencies, MAS and LSS are perceived as the most appropriate frameworks. MAS research focuses on three prime areas, cognitive science, management and interaction. LSRC is focused on Self-Sustainability, Self-Management and Self-Organization. While LSS research was not primarily intended for populations of mobile robots, it does address key issues of LSRC, such as effective sustainability and management. Implementation of LSRC that is based upon the optimal solution for any one or two of the three aspects will be inferior to a coherent solution based upon all three. LSRC’s are complex organizations with significant populations of both static and mobile robots. The increase in population size and the requirement to address the issue of Self-Reliance give rise to new issues. It is no longer sufficient to speak only in terms of robot intelligence, architecture, interaction or team behaviour, even though these are still valid topics. Issues such as population sustainability and management have greater significance within LSRC. As the size of a robot populations increases, minor uneconomical decisions and actions inhibit the performance of the population. Interaction must be made economical within the context of the LSRC. Sustainability of the population becomes significant as it enables stable performance and extended operational lifespan. Management becomes significant as a mechanism to direct the population so as to achieve near optimal performance. The Self-Sustainability, Self-Management and Self-Organization of LSRC are vastly more complex than in team robotics. Performance of the overall population becomes more significant than individual or team achievement. This thesis is a presentation of the Cooperative Autonomous Robot Colony (CARC) architecture. The CARC architecture is novel in that it offers a coherent baseline solution to the issue of mobile robot Self-Reliance. This research uses decomposition as a mechanism to reduce problem complexity. Self-Reliance is decomposed into Self-Sustainability, Self-Management, and Self-Organization. A solution to the issue of Self-Reliance will comprise of conflicting sub-solutions. A product of this research is a set of guidelines that manages the conflict of sub-solutions and maintains a coherent solution. In addressing the issue of Self-Reliance, it became apparent that Economies of Scale, played an important role. The effects of Economies of Scale directed the research towards LSRC’s. LSRC’s demonstrated improved efficiency and greater capability to achieve the requirements of Self-Reliance. LSRC’s implemented with the CARC architecture would extend human capability, enabling large scale operations to be performed in an economical manner, within real world and real time environments, including those of a remote and hostile nature. The theory and architecture are supported using published literature, experiments, observations and mathematical projections. Contributions of this work are focused upon the three pillars of Self-Reliance addressed by CARC: Self-Sustainability, Self-Management and Self-Organization. The chapter on Self-Sustainability explains and justifies the relevance of this issue, what it is, why it is important and how it can be achieved. Self-Sustainability enables robots to continue to operate beyond disabling events by addressing failure and routine maintenance. Mathematical projections are used to compare populations of non-sustained and sustained robots. Computer modeling experiments are used to demonstrate the feasibility of Self-Sustainability, including extended operational life, the maintenance of optimal work flow and graceful physical degradation (GPD). A detailed explanation is presented of Sustainability Functions, Colony Sites, Static Robot Roles, Static Robot Failure Options, and Polymorphism. The chapter on Self-Management explores LSS research as a mechanism to exert influence over a LSRC. An experimental reactive management strategy is demonstrated. This strategy while limited does indicate promising potential directions for future research including the Man in the Loop (MITL) strategy highly desired by NASA JPL for off world command and control of a significant robot colony (Huntsberger, et. al., 2000). Experiments on Communication evaluate both Broadcast Conveyance (BC) and Message Passing Conveyance (MPC). These experiments demonstrate the potential of Message Passing as a low cost system for LSRC communication. Analysis of Metrics indicates that a Performance Based Feedback Method (PBFM) and a Task Achievement Method (TAM) are both necessary and sufficient to monitor a LSRC. The chapter on Self-Organization describes a number of experiments, algorithms and protocols on Reasoning Robotics, a minor variant of Reactive Robotics. Reasoning Robotics utilizes an Event Driven Architecture (EDA) rather than a Stimulus Driven Architecture (SDA) common to Reactive Robotics. Enhanced robot performance is demonstrated by a combination of EDA and environmental modification enabling stigmergy. These experiments cover Intersection Navigation with contingency for Multilane Intersections, a Radio Packet Controller (RPC) algorithm, Active and Passive Beacons including a communication protocol, mobile robot navigation using Migration Decision Functions (MDF’s), including MDF positional errors. The central issue addressed by this thesis is the production of Self-Reliance guidelines for LSRC’s. Self-Reliance is perceived as a critical issue in advancing the useful and productive applications for LSRC’s. LSRC’s are complex with many issues in related fields of MAS and LSS. Decomposition of Self-Reliance into Self-Sustainability, Self-Management and Self-Organization were used to aid in problem understanding. It was found that Self-Sustainability extends the operational life of individual robots and the LSRC. Self-Management enables the exertion of human influence over the LSRC, such that the ratio of humans to robots is reduced but not eliminated. Self-Organization achieves and enhances performance through a routine and reliable LSRC environment. The product of this research was the novel CARC architecture, which consists of a set of Self-Reliance guidelines and algorithms. The Self-Reliance guidelines manage conflict between optimal solutions and provide a framework for LSRC design. This research was supported by literature, experiments, observations and mathematical projections.

Ph.D. / Electrical Engineering / Nanometer-scale devices have attracted great attention as the ultimate evolution of silicon integrated circuit technology. However, fabrication of nanometer-scale silicon based devices has met great difficulty because it places severe constraints on process technology. This is especially true for SiGe/Si heterostructures because they are particularly sensitive to strain relaxation and/or process induced defects. Recently developed Pulsed Laser Induced Epitaxy (PLIE) offers a promising approach for the fabrication of nanometer- scale SiGe/Si devices. It possesses the advantage of ultra-short time, low thermal budget and full compatibility with current silicon technology. The selective nature of the process allows epitaxial growth of high quality, localized SiGe layers in silicon. In this thesis, a process to fabricate SiGe nanowires in silicon using PLIE is described. In particular, Ge nanowires with a cross-section of ~6 x 60 nm² are first formed using a lift-off process on the silicon substrate with e-beam lithography, followed by a thin low-temperature oxide deposition. Defect-free SiGe nanowires with a cross-section of ~25 x 95 nm² are then produced by impinging the laser beam on the sample. We thus demonstrate PLIE is a suitable fabrication technique for SiGe/Si nanostructures. Fabrication of Ge nanowires is also studied using Focused Ion Beam (FIB) micromachining techniques. Based on the SiGe nanowire process, we propose two advanced device structures, a quantum wire MOSFET and a lateral SiGe Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor (HBT). MEDICI simulation of the lateral SiGe HBT demonstrates high performance of the device. In order to characterize the SiGe nanowires using cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, an advanced versatile focused ion beam assisted sample preparation technique using a multi-layer stack scheme for localized surface structures is developed and described in this thesis.

I denna studie lyfter vi fram VD relativa ersättning i förhållande till resterande koncernledning. Studiens syfte är att analysera effekterna av en stark VD genom att undersöka sambandet mellan VD:s andel ersättning och företagets resultat vad gäller värde och lönsamhet. Studien bygger på teorier som agentteorin, stewardshipteorin, tournamentteorin och cateringteorin. För att besvara frågan om samband existerar har en kvantitativ metod använts. Data har sedan analyserats med hjälp av regressionsanalyser för att identifiera samband. Studien inkluderar företag listade på Stockholmbörsens Large Cap lista. Resultatet visar på ett positivt samband mellan VD:s andel ersättning i förhållande till resterande koncernledning och företagets lönsamhet mätt i avkastningen på totalt kapital. Inget signifikant samband mellan VD:s relativa ersättning och företagets värde påträffas. Dessa resultat indikerar att det inte förekommer agentproblem mellan VD och ägarna i dessa företag. En stor andel ersättning till VD kan ge högre lönsamhet vilket kan stödja tournament- och stewardshipteorin. / This study aims to highlight the CEO:s relative importance in relation to the other top executives. The study aims to analyse the impact of a strong CEO by examine the relationship between the CEO:s relative compensation and the company's performance. The study is based on the principal agent theory, stewardship theory, tournament theory and catering theory. A quantitative method is used to analyse the relationship between a strong CEO and company´s performance. The data is analysed by a multiple regression to identify associations. The population consist of companies listed on the Stockholms OMX Large Cap list. We find a positive relation between the CEO:s relative compensation and the company´s profitability by return on assets. No significant correlation between CEO:s relative compensation and the company´s performance by market to book is detected. The result indicate that no agency problem exist between the CEO and these companies, but a large proportion of compensation to CEO can provide greater profitability and can support the tournament and stewardship theory.

No description available.

Classical approaches to evaluate the stability of large woody debris (LWD) introduced in streams for habitat restoration or flood management purposes are usually based on inappropriate assumptions and hydraulic equations. Results suggest that the physics of small cylindrical elements located in large channels cannot be transferred to the case of a large roughness elements placed in small channels. The introduction of LWD in a small channel can generate a significant modification of the upstream hydraulic conditions. This modification has direct implications on the stability of the LWD. Experiments were performed in a controlled environment: a small stream section was represented by a low roughness rectangular flume and LWD were modeled with smooth PVC cylinders. Direct force measurements were performed with a load cell and results were used to identify an equation that evaluates the drag force acting on a large cylindrical element place in a rectangular channel. This equation does not depend on a drag coefficient. Water depths were also measured during the experiments and results were used to develop an approach that evaluates the upstream hydraulic impacts of a large cylinder introduced in a rectangular channel. The effect of the variation of the unit discharge (discharge per unit of width), cylinder size, cylinder elevation from the channel bed, and downstream hydraulic conditions, could be related to the upstream hydraulic conditions with relative success. Dimensionless parameters were developed to increase the versatility of the approach. The application of this approach to field cases is expected to require adjustments, mainly because of the roughness of natural environments differs from the smoothness of the controlled environment described in this work.

LACOME, the Large Collaborative Meeting Environment, is a collaboration system that allows multiple users to simultaneously publish their computer desktops (workspace) and/or windows on a large shared display via a network connection. Once published, windows or even full desktops can be moved, resized, and iconified; optionally, users can even interact with the content of other users. LACOME was originally designed and developed at The University of British Columbia; we extend the system to consider privacy and security concerns. We conducted a series of focus groups to obtain feedback on the initial design of the system. Based on our findings, we developed high level design requirements for future iterations of LACOME; these include the need for addressing privacy and security concerns when moving from the use of LACOME in a co-located setting to the overarching goal of its use in a mixed presence environment. We implemented new features that provide enhanced awareness of users’ shared workspaces and the interactions of others with them. We also developed an access control framework in the system that allows users to assign permissions on an ad-hoc basis. We undertook an initial evaluation of the LACOME system to evaluate the overall system and the changes that we made to it.

The flow characteristics in compound channels with and without vegetation on the floodplain were investigated experimentally and numerically in this thesis. Detailed measurements of velocity and boundary shear stress, using a Pitot tube and an acoustic Doppler velocimeter together with a Preston tube, were undertaken to understand the flow characteristics in compound channels. Eight no-rod cases, two emergent-rod cases and two submerged-rod cases were tested. Unsteady large eddies that occur in the shear layer were explored numerically with Large Eddy Simulation (LES) to identify its generation and its effects on the flow behaviors. Mean flow parameters were predicted using the quasi-2D model by considering the shear effect. Usirgg the data of depth-averaged velocity and boundary shear stress, the contributions of shear-generated turbulence and bed-generated turbulence to the Reynolds shear stress were identified, the apparent shear stress was calculated using the modified method of Shiono and Knight (1991) and the depth-averaged secondary current force was then obtained. Large eddies were important to the lateral momentum exchange in shallow non-vegetated compound channels and even in deep vegetated compound channels. In the compound channel with one-line rods at the floodplain edge, the secondary current forces were of opposite signs in the main channel and on the floodplain and the bed shear stress was smaller than the standard two-dimensional value of yHSo due to the vegetation effect, where y,H,So are the specific weight of water, water depth and bed slope respectively. In vegetated compound channels, the velocity patterns were different to those and the discharges were smaller than those in non-vegetated compound channels under similar relative water depth conditions. The anisotropy of turbulence was the main contribution to the generation of secondary currents in non-vegetated and vegetated compound channels, but the Reynolds stress term was more important in the vegetated compound channels. Results of cross spectra showed the mechanisms of the turbulent shear generation near the main channel-floodplain junction are due to large eddies in the non-vegetated compound channel and owing to wakes in the vegetated compound channel. LES results indicated that large eddies caused significant spatial and temporal fluctuations of velocity and water level in the compound channel and the instantaneousv alues of these flow parameters were significantly higher than the mean values. In vegetated compound channels, the flow moved from the main channel to the floodplain and from the floodplain to the main channel alternately. The characteristic frequencies of the large eddy were less than 1Hz which was consistent with the experimental data. The capability of the quasi-2D model to predict the 2D mean flow parameters in compound channels were assessed under different flow conditions and also improved by using the mean wall velocity as the boundary condition and appropriate values of the lateral gradient of the secondary current force. In the vegetated compound channels, new approaches were proposed to treat the drag force in the cases of oneline emergent rods at the floodplain edge and submerged rods on the floodplain.

Classical approaches to evaluate the stability of large woody debris (LWD) introduced in streams for habitat restoration or flood management purposes are usually based on inappropriate assumptions and hydraulic equations. Results suggest that the physics of small cylindrical elements located in large channels cannot be transferred to the case of a large roughness elements placed in small channels. The introduction of LWD in a small channel can generate a significant modification of the upstream hydraulic conditions. This modification has direct implications on the stability of the LWD. Experiments were performed in a controlled environment: a small stream section was represented by a low roughness rectangular flume and LWD were modeled with smooth PVC cylinders. Direct force measurements were performed with a load cell and results were used to identify an equation that evaluates the drag force acting on a large cylindrical element place in a rectangular channel. This equation does not depend on a drag coefficient. Water depths were also measured during the experiments and results were used to develop an approach that evaluates the upstream hydraulic impacts of a large cylinder introduced in a rectangular channel. The effect of the variation of the unit discharge (discharge per unit of width), cylinder size, cylinder elevation from the channel bed, and downstream hydraulic conditions, could be related to the upstream hydraulic conditions with relative success. Dimensionless parameters were developed to increase the versatility of the approach. The application of this approach to field cases is expected to require adjustments, mainly because of the roughness of natural environments differs from the smoothness of the controlled environment described in this work.