No presente trabalho construímos novos exemplos de hipersuperfícies mínimas, completas e H-equivariantes de espaços simétricos. Para tal, usamos o método da geometria diferencial equivariante (Hsiang-Lawson). Dividimos nosso estudo em duas partes, a saber, espaços simétricos G/K de tipo não compacto e compacto. No primeiro caso são estudadas ações polares de subgrupos H adaptados à decomposição de Iwasawa G=KAN. No segundo caso usamos a classificação (Podesta-Thobergsson) dos subgrupos H de Spin(9) que atuam com cohomogeneidade dois sobre o plano projetivo octoniônico F_4/Spin(9). / In the present work we construct new examples of complete minimal H-equivariant hypersurfaces of symmetric spaces G/K. For that, we use the equivariant differential geometry method (Hsiang-Lawson). We divide our research in two parts, namely, symmetric spaces of non-compact and compact type. In the first case we study polar actions of subgroups H adapted to the Iwasawa decomposition G=KAN. In the second case we use the classification (Podesta-Thobergsson) of the subgroups H of Spin(9) which act with cohomogeneity two on the octonionc projective plane F_4/Spin(9).

L’oxyde de zinc est un matériau prometteur pour la réalisation de composants optoélectroniques dans la gamme des émetteurs UV. Pour cela il faut développer des hétéro-structures tel que des puits quantiques ZnO/(Zn, Mg)O afin de mieux contrôler les propriétés d’émissions. Ce travail porte sur la caractérisation de telles structures crûes sur le plan A, surface non polaire, de ZnO massif. A partir de mesures de spectroscopie optiques (réflectivité, photoluminescence en excitation continue et photoluminescence résolue en temps) nous avons déterminé les différents phénomènes physiques mis en jeux lors de la recombinaison radiative des porteurs dans ces puits quantiques. Dans un premier temps, nous avons étudié en détail l’émission des photons par les barrières de (Zn, Mg)O. Grace à l’étude en température nous avons montré que l’émission optique de la barrière correspond à la recombinaison de paires électron trou en interactions (excitons) qui sont à basses températures localisées dans des fluctuations de potentiel. Sous l’effet de la température ils se délocalisent et se recombinent comme des exciton libres. L’étude détaillée des déclins temporels de photoluminescence nous à permis de démontrer que nous avions affaire à deux états excitoniques différents qui présentent des dynamiques de recombinaisons différentes. Un modèle est proposé pour rendre compte des différentes observations. La partie principale de ce travail porte sur le comportement des excitons dans le puits quantique. Le résultat majeur de cette étude est la démonstration expérimentale que dans ce cas des complexes excitoniques, ici des trions chargé négativement (exciton en interaction avec un électron libre), se forment à basse température et sont responsable de la luminescence observée. De plus, en variant la densité d’excitation nous avons montré que se former également des bi-excitons (pseudo particule formée de deux exciton en interactions). Le comportement en température de la photoluminescence obtenue dans différente conditions d’excitation à permis de démontrer que sous l’effet de l’énergie thermique les complexes excitoniques se dissociés pour créer des excitons libres. Des mesures en fonction de la polarisation de la lumière émise et de la température ont permis également d’étudier l’état C de l’exciton dans le puits. Les dynamiques de recombinaison des différents complexes excitoniques sont examinées en fonction de la température. / The zinc oxide is a promising material for the realization of optoelectronic devices in the blue-UV range. For this, it is necessary to develop hetero-structures such as ZnO / (Zn, Mg) O quantum wells in order to have better control of the properties of emissions. This work concerns the characterization of such structures grown on the A-plane (non-polar surface) of bulk ZnO. From optical spectroscopies measurements (reflectivity, continuous wave and time-resolved photoluminescence) we determined the various physical phenomena involve during the radiative recombination of the carriers in these quantum wells. At first, we studied in detail the emission of photons by the barriers of (Zn, Mg) O. Thanks to the study in temperature we showed that the optical emission of the barrier corresponds to the recombination of electron hole pairs in interactions (excitons), which are at low temperatures localized in the fluctuations of the potential. Under the influence of the temperature they delocalize and recombine as free exciton. From the detailed study of the temporal decays of photoluminescence we can demonstrate that we deal with two different excitonic states, which present different dynamics of recombination. A model is proposed that explain the various observations. The main part of this work concerns the behavior of the excitons in the quantum well. The major result is the experimental demonstration that excitonics complexes are formed at low temperature, negatively charged trion (exciton in interaction with a free electron), in this system and they are responsible for the observed luminescence. Furthermore, by varying the density of excitation we showed that biexcitons are also form (pseudo-particles formed by two excitons in interactions). The behavior in temperature of the photoluminescence obtained in different conditions of excitation demonstrates that under the influence of the thermal energy the exitonic complexes are broken to create free excitons. Measures according to the polarization of the emitted light and the temperature also allowed studying the C state of the exciton in the quantum well. The dynamics of recombination of the various excitonics complexes are examined according to the temperature.

A fritura é um procedimento que confere aos alimentos características sensoriais de cor, aroma, textura e sabor diferentes. Neste processo a matéria graxa é exposta a agentes de deterioração que promovem a quebra dos triglicerídeos, a oxidação e a polimerização em função do tempo de uso, provocando perdas sensoriais e nutricionais nos alimentos fritos e no próprio óleo. A falta de regulamentação no Brasil que defina o ponto de descarte dos óleos de fritura faz com que este seja realizado de forma subjetiva. O presente trabalho teve o objetivo de avaliar óleo de soja em fritura de mandioca em toletes em diferentes períodos e correlacionar resultados de análise sensorial aos analíticos para determinar o ponto de descarte. As operações de fritura com óleo de soja refinado foram realizadas a 170ºC por períodos de 1h06min, 2h, 3h05min, 6h54min e 15h40min. As determinações analíticas realizadas nos óleos foram de ácidos graxos livres (em porcentagem de ácido oléico), teor de compostos polares totais (CPT), absortividade em 232nm e 270nm, período de indução (PI) em Rancimat e composição em ácidos graxos. Nas mandiocas cozidas e fritas foram determinados a umidade e o teor lipídico. Os índices de deterioração indicaram incidência maior de deterioração com o aumento do uso do óleo na fritura. Verificou-se que nos períodos de 1h06min, 2h e 3h05min não houve alterações hidrolíticas, mas sim oxidativas, detectadas pelas análises de CPT e absortividade no UV. Concomitantemente, ocorreu a diminuição da resistência à oxidação, verificado por menores PI´s nos períodos mais longos de fritura. A composição em ácidos graxos dos óleos de fritura não apresentou alteração significativa. A umidade da mandioca apresentou-se cada vez menor com os períodos mais longos de fritura. A análise sensorial foi conduzida em três fases: seleção de provadores, em duas etapas, treinamento e avaliação final para as características de cor, aroma, viscosidade e sabor. Para fins de treinamento e seleção dos provadores, óleo termoxidado foi produzido por aquecimento a 170ºC por 15 e 32 horas. Os resultados da fase de seleção demonstraram que os candidatos a provadores conseguiram diferenciar os óleos com base no CPT dos óleos puro e termoxidado nas duas etapas envolvidas. Já durante o treinamento, o óleo com 15h40min de fritura foi indicado para descarte pela característica aroma. Na fase final, foi a característica de sabor que determinou a indicação de descarte, coincidindo com a indicação analítica de maior estado de deterioração oxidativo do óleo. / Food frying is a procedure which enhances food sensory characteristics of color, texture and flavor. In this process fat is exposed to deterioration agents that promote breakdown of triglycerides, oxidation and polymerization, leading to losses in sensory and nutritional quality of the fried food and in the oil itself. The lack of regulations that determine the extent of frying oil use in Brazil subjects it to a personal judgment. The aim of the present study was to evaluate analytically and sensorially cassava fried in soybean oil for different periods of time and correlate these results in order to determine the point of disposal. Frying operations were conducted with RBD soybean oil at 170 °C for periods of 1h06min, 2h, 3h05min, 6h54min and 15h40min. Oil was analytically characterized by free fatty acids (as percentage of oleic acid), total polar compounds content (TPC), absorptivity at 232nm and 270nm, induction period (IP) from Rancimat and fatty acid composition. Moisture and fat content were determined in the fried and cooked cassava from all periods of heating. Results indicated increase of analytical indexes with longer frying periods. Oils from 1h06min, 2h and 3h05min frying periods showed no hydrolytic changes, however oxidation occurred detected by increases in CPT and UV absorptivity. At the same time, resistance to oxidation decreased as shown from lower IP´s at each increase in oil use. The fatty acid composition was not significantly affected by the periods of frying. Cassava moisture reduced with the longer periods of frying. Sensory analysis was performed in three phases: selection of panelists in two steps, training and final evaluation of color, odor, viscosity and taste characteristics. For these analysis, soybean oil was termoxidized by heating under 170°C for 15 and 32 hours. The results of the selection phase of candidates showed that the panelists were able to differentiate pure from thermoxidized oil based on their TPC. Even during training, panelists indicated the odor of oil from 15h40min to be discarded. In the final phase, taste was the characteristic that led to significant indication of disposal of this same oil, reassuring analytical results of high oxidative status.

Avec le développement des concepts de la chimie verte, il est devenu nécessaire de remplacer les métaux toxiques par des composés plus respectueux de l’environnement. Donneurs d’hydrogène pour des réactions radicalaires, les hydrures de trialkylétain sont encore très utilisés. Les NHC-boranes se sont révélés de bons remplaçants pour les réactions de désoxygénation. Cependant, les réactions de déshalogénation effectuées avec des NHC-boranes sont moins efficaces et il a fallu avoir recours au concept de catalyse à polarité inversée. Ces travaux ont été le point de départ de cette thèse où la synthèse de nouveaux NHC-boranes possédant une liaison B-S ou B-N est développée. L’étude des propriétés de ces nouveaux complexes a été effectuée et des applications en chimie organique et en science des polymères ont été trouvées. Par ailleurs, en vue d’étudier les effets polaires sur la formation et la réactivité des radicaux boryles, une nouvelle famille de carbène-boranes a été synthétisée. / Along with the development of green chemistry, it became necessary to avoid toxic metallic complexes in organic reactions and replace them by more sustainable compounds. An hydrogen donors for radical reactions, trialkylstannanes are still widely used. NHC-boranes seem to be good substitutes for deoxygenation reactions. However, dehalogenation reactions are less effective and polar reversal catalysis was used. This work was the starting point of this Ph.D thesis where the synthesis of new NHC-boranes bearing a B-S or B-N bound is developed. The study of the properties of these new complexes was performed and applications in organic chemistry as well as in polymer science were found. Besides, to study polar effects on the formation and on the reactivity of boryl radicals, a new family of carbene-boranes was synthesized.

Cirrus clouds play an important role in radiative transfer, and thus have impact on the energy balance of the atmosphere and the climate of the Earth. Furthermore, they occur often and cover large areas globally at any time. Nevertheless, cirrus clouds are poorly studied, especially in the polar regions. Cirrus clouds are present in a large amount of the 14 years of data produced by the lidar at the Swedish Institude of Space Physics (IRF), but has not been studied to a large extent. A lidar is an active remote sensing instrument using a laser. This master's thesis develops and improves programs for analysis of cirrus clouds from this lidar data. It also performs analysis of six case studies chosen from the available data, and statistics of these six cases. The parameters calculated for each date are the cloud top, base and mean altitude, the geometrical thickness, the depolarisation ratio, the backscatter ratio (BSR), the backscatter coefficient, the extinction coefficient, the optical thickness and the number of cloud layers. No clear correlation between the optical thickness and the cloud top, base or mean altitude was found. There seems to be a weak correlation between increased optical thickness and increased geometrical thickness, which is not unreasonable. The mean cloud layer top altitude was 11.82 km and the mean cloud base was 10.36 km. The mean optical thickness for a cloud layer was 1.46 km, and the average of the cloud layer mean altitude was 11.09 km. It should be noted that the statistical analysis is based on only six cases with a total observation time of no more than 37 hours. A far larger dataset is needed in order to obtain any statistically signicant conclusions. The effect of averaging is studied, and it is concluded that averaging over altitude reduced the noise and facilitated the interpolation more than averaging over time did. Different approaches to obtain the molecular backscatter coefficient are compared, as well as the effect on the simulated molecular signal. Two of these approaches calculate the molecular backscatter coeffcient with input of the temperature and pressure either as continuously measured ground vales from the weather station at IRF or as radiosonde profiles for a specific time. In the other two, the molecular backscatter coeffcient is obtained from ECMWF data and from the standard atmosphere. Differences in the range 12-35% between the methods are found. Different approaches to calculate the backscatter ratio (BSR) are also compared. At cirrus altitudes, the decrease in the signal due to the molecular cloudfree part of the atmosphere is still strong, and finding the top and base separately by comparison with the standard deviation of the signal is proven a better method than interpolating between the point where the signal starts to increase and the point where it reaches the same signal value again. Height-normalising the signal provides a more robust method. For thin cirrus, the signal is not significantly attenuated above the cloud layer, and it is found that a method based on the ratios between the measured signal and the simulated molecular signal at cloud top and base did not produce reliable results for the optical thickness. In addition to analysing data and data processing methods, new data processing tools in MATLAB have been developed and existing functions have been improved. These will be valuable for continued studies with the IRF lidar, for cirrus as well as PSCs and thick and/or low-altitude clouds.

The purpose of lactation is for nutrient provision and also importantly for protection from various environmental stressors. Milk polar lipids reduce cholesterol, protect against bacterial infection, reduce inflammation and help maintain gut integrity. Dynamic interactions within dietary fat, lipid metabolism, gut permeability and inflammatory cytokines remain unclear in the context of obesity and systemic inflammation. A rat model and three mouse models were developed to test the hypotheses that dietary milk polar lipids may affect lipid metabolism and intestinal integrity and may protect against systemic inflammation in the context of stressful diet, systemic inflammation, and obesity. The milk polar lipids isolates had complex effects on lipid metabolism and associated gene expression in the rat model. There were complex dynamics in lipid metabolism, gut permeability and systemic inflammation at different time points in all mouse models. The milk phospholipids increased gut permeability in genetic and diet-induced obesity and during the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) -induced inflammation. The phospholipids increased the plasma LPS level in genetic obesity and during the LPS stress. The phospholipids reduced liver mass and liver lipids in genetic obesity and during the LPS-induced inflammation. The phospholipids increased the body fat in the diet-induced obesity model. The milk gangliosides did not significantly affect gut permeability, systemic inflammation, and lipid metabolism in all three mouse models. Current estimate by the Centers for Disease Control is that about 1/3 Americans are obese (body mass index, BMI ≥ 30) and 1/3 Americans are overweight (25 ≤ BMI < 30). More than 25% of Americans today have a fatty liver which could lead to further health problems. The data from this dissertation shed light on the complicated interrelationships between gut permeability, systemic inflammation, and lipid metabolism in obesity. The results contribute to our understanding of the bioactivities of milk polar lipids and provide scientific evidence for the role of milk polar lipids rich materials in affecting biological functions. The study of the influence of milk polar lipids on gut barrier integrity adds new information on understanding the mechanisms of gut leakiness and recovery. The investigation of the impact of milk polar lipids on lipid metabolism reveals new perspectives for the development of diet-induced obesity.

L'expérience NEIGE (NEtlander Ionosphere and Geodesy Experiment) permettra d'obtenir des informations sur la structure interne de la planète Mars ainsi que sur son atmosphère grâce à l'observation de ses paramètres de rotation (précession, nutation, longueur du jour, mouvement du pôle). Pour quantifier la précision sur ces paramètres grâce à NEIGE, une formulation analytique de l'observable Doppler entre les landers et un orbiteur a été développée, basée sur une orbite Keplerienne précessante sous l'effet de l'aplatissement de la planète et sur un développement au premier ordre en série de Taylor par rapport aux petits paramètres caractérisant les variations de l'orientation de Mars. Cette formulation permet de comprendre simplement le jeu relatif des différents paramètres et permet également de modéliser leurs corrélations. Dans les conditions nominales de l'expérience, les paramètres liés au mouvement du pôle et aux variations saisonnières de l'angle de rotation sont retrouvés avec une précision meilleure que 3 milli-secondes d'arcs. L'incertitude sur le taux de précession ainsi que sur les paramètres liés à l'exitence d'un possible noyau liquide visible dans l'observable Doppler grâce à une amplification (résonance) des nutations, a également été étudiée. Nous montrons qu'à partir des mesures NEIGE, il sera possible de déduire des informations sur la structure interne de Mars, comme l'état liquide ou solide du noyau, son moment d'inertie et son aplatissement. D'autres paramètres ont été pris en compte dans notre étude, notamment les positions des landers, les éléments orbitaux du satellite et les amplitudes des variations du terme d'aplatissement. La modélisation utilisée permet de tester différentes configurations de mission comme le changement d'orbites, de position et nombre de landers ou l'influence du bruit de mesures, afin d'identifier les conditions minimisant les incertitudes sur les paramètres de rotation. Les incertitudes obtenues grâce aux simulations numériques réalisées avec un logiciel d'orbitographie développé par le CNES et celles obtenues par la méthode analytique sont cohérentes. En comparant ces résultats avec ceux des observables Range et Doppler lander-Terre (représentant les mesures réalisées pendant les missions Viking et Pathfinder), on remarque que l'observable Dopple lander-orbiteur est plus efficace pour détecter de petits mouvements en surface grâce à l'effet amplificateur du Doppler quand la distance entre l'observateur et le lander est petite.

The Lagrangian dynamics of two-dimensional incompressible fluid flows is considered, with emphasis on transport processes in atmospheric and oceanic flows. The dynamical-systems-based approach is adopted; the Lagrangian motion in such systems is studied with the aid of Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser (KAM) theory, and results relating to stable and unstable manifolds and lobe dynamics. Some nontrivial extensions of well-known results are discussed, and some extensions of the theory are developed. In problems for which the flow field consists of a steady background on which a time-dependent perturbation is superimposed, it is shown that transport barriers arise naturally and play a critical role in transport processes. Theoretical results are applied to the study of transport in measured and simulated oceanographic and atmospheric flows. Two particular problems are considered. First, we study the Lagrangian dynamics of the zonal jet at the perimeter of the Antarctic Stratospheric Polar Vortex during late winter/early spring within which lies the "ozone hole". In this system, a robust transport barrier is found near the core of a zonal jet under typical conditions, which is responsible for trapping of the ozone-depleted air within the ozone hole. The existence of such a barrier is predicted theoretically and tested numerically with use of a dynamically-motivated analytically-prescribed model. The second, oceanographic, application considered is the study of the surface transport in the Adriatic Sea. The surface flow in the Adriatic is characterized by a robust threegyre background circulation pattern. Motivated by this observation, the Lagrangian dynamics of a perturbed three-gyre system is studied, with emphasis on intergyre transport and the role of transport barriers. It is shown that a qualitative change in transport properties, accompanied by a qualitative change in the structure of stable and unstable manifolds occurs in the perturbed three-gyre system when the perturbation strength exceeds a certain threshold. This behavior is predicted theoretically, simulated numerically with use of an analytically prescribed model, and shown to be consistent with a fully observationally-based model.

The purpose of lactation is for nutrient provision and also importantly for protection from various environmental stressors. Milk polar lipids reduce cholesterol, protect against bacterial infection, reduce inflammation and help maintain gut integrity. Dynamic interactions within dietary fat, lipid metabolism, gut permeability and inflammatory cytokines remain unclear in the context of obesity and systemic inflammation. A rat model and three mouse models were developed to test the hypotheses that dietary milk polar lipids may affect lipid metabolism and intestinal integrity and may protect against systemic inflammation in the context of stressful diet, systemic inflammation, and obesity. The milk polar lipids isolates had complex effects on lipid metabolism and associated gene expression in the rat model. There were complex dynamics in lipid metabolism, gut permeability and systemic inflammation at different time points in all mouse models. The milk phospholipids increased gut permeability in genetic and diet-induced obesity and during the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) -induced inflammation. The phospholipids increased the plasma LPS level in genetic obesity and during the LPS stress. The phospholipids reduced liver mass and liver lipids in genetic obesity and during the LPS-induced inflammation. The phospholipids increased the body fat in the diet-induced obesity model. The milk gangliosides did not significantly affect gut permeability, systemic inflammation, and lipid metabolism in all three mouse models. Current estimate by the Centers for Disease Control is that about 1/3 Americans are obese (body mass index, BMI ≥ 30) and 1/3 Americans are overweight (25 ≤ BMI < 30). More than 25% of Americans today have a fatty liver which could lead to further health problems. The data from this dissertation shed light on the complicated interrelationships between gut permeability, systemic inflammation, and lipid metabolism in obesity. The results contribute to our understanding of the bioactivities of milk polar lipids and provide scientific evidence for the role of milk polar lipids rich materials in affecting biological functions. The study of the influence of milk polar lipids on gut barrier integrity adds new information on understanding the mechanisms of gut leakiness and recovery. The investigation of the impact of milk polar lipids on lipid metabolism reveals new perspectives for the development of diet-induced obesity.

Increasing concerns over future anthropogenic effects on climate change as a result of increasing greenhouse gases generate concomitant efforts to better characterize recent climate in order to more accurately predict climate in the future. To this end, a multiproxy study of climate variability in western Ireland from lacustrine sediment was undertaken. The interpretation of paleoclimate records derived from lacustrine carbonate minerals is difficult without a good understanding of the mechanisms that generate variation in isotope values of modern surface waters. Variation in surface waters are ultimately incorporated into lacustrine sediment records conflated by temperature. Therefore, a study of the spatial distribution of ä¹⁸O and äD values of lake and river waters from 144 locations in Ireland has been conducted to provide insight into the behavior of lakes and rivers in Ireland, including source, recycling and loss through evapotranspiration. A 7.6 m sediment core was recovered from Lough Inchiquin that provides evidence for rapid and long-term climate change from the Late Glacial to the Holocene. This was determined using carbon and oxygen isotope analyses of lacustrine calcite as well as carbon from bulk organic sediment fractions. Several significant climate perturbations were identified in the ä¹⁸O_calcite record such as the Oldest Dryas, Younger Dryas, and the 8.2 ka cold event. A previously undescribed climate anomaly between 7,300 to 6,700 cal. yr B.P. characterized by low ä¹⁸O</span>_calcite values with high frequency variability. Variations in carbon isotopes of calcite and bulk organics from the Late Glacial to the Holocene are significant in magnitude (~12) and have similar trends that record temporal shifts in the relative contributions of carbon from the weathering of limestone versus the weathering of terrestrial organic matter. ä¹³C_calcite and ä¹³C_org suggest a rapid recovery of terrestrial vegetation following the Younger Dryas. Change in Ää¹³C_{calcite - org} documents a rapid increase in exogenous fluxes of carbon into the lake at ~9 ka.