An important characteristic of influenza A is its ability to escape host immunity through antigenic drift. A novel influenza A strain that causes a pandemic confers full immunity to infected individuals, yet because of antigenic drift, these individuals have decreased immunity to drifted strains. We compute the required decrease in immunity so that a recurrence is possible. Models for influenza A must make assumptions on the host contact structure on which the disease spreads. By computing the reproduction number, we show that the classical random mixing assumption predicts an unrealistically large decrease of immunity before a recurrence is possible. We improve over the classical random mixing assumption by incorporating a contact network structure. A complication of contact networks is correlations induced by the initial pandemic. Thus, we provide a novel analytic derivation of such correlations and show that contact networks may require a dramatically smaller drop in immunity before recurrence. Hence, the key new insight is that on contact networks the establishment of a new strain is possible for much higher immunity levels of previously infected individuals than predicted by the commonly used random mixing assumption. This suggests that stable contacts like classmates, coworkers and family members are a crucial path for the spread of influenza in human population. / Graduate

Nos travaux de thèse prolongent une série d'études consacrées aux effets du contact visuel sur la gestion des ressources attentionnelles. Six expériences testent l'effet distracteur d'un contact visuel bref ou prolongé dans un dispositif adapté de la tâche de Stroop (« Stroop Eyes » ; cf. Conty, Gimmig, Belletier, George, & Huguet, 2010) impliquant de façon concomitante des distracteurs sémantiques (mots incongruents) et des distracteurs sociaux (yeux ouverts en modalité de regard direct ou dévié, et yeux clos). L'objectif principal est d'évaluer le coût du contact visuel (enclenché par le regard direct) en matière de ressources exécutives, ce coût étant éventuellement impliqué dans les pathologies du lien social (autisme et schizophrénie). Des analyses classiques et distributionnelles des temps de réponse indiquent en particulier que le regard direct 1) est traité de manière automatique quelle que soit sa durée d'apparition, 2) consomme des ressources exécutives, et 3) facilite le traitement du regard dévié. Ces résultats renforcent les modèles du contact visuel suggérant un module cérébral spécifiquement dédié à la détection du regard direct et une influence de cette détection sur des processus cognitifs opérant en parallèle ou de manière consécutive. Les domaines d'application sont vastes puisque l'humain exécute souvent ses activités en présence d'autres susceptibles de l'observer. Par ailleurs, les liens entre contacts visuels et ressources exécutives mis en évidence dans nos travaux suggèrent des pistes pour remédier à certaines des difficultés des personnes souffrant d'une pathologie du lien social. / Our thesis extends a serie of studies on the effects of eye contact on the management of attentional resources. Six experiments tested the distracting effects of a brief versus sustained eye contact with an adaptation of the Stroop task (referred to as "Stroop Eyes" ; cf Conty, Gimmig, Belletier, George, & Huguet, 2010) involving concomitantly semantic distractors (incongruent words) and social distractors (direct gaze vs. averted gaze, and closed eyes). The main objective was to evaluate the cost of eye contact (initiated by direct gaze) on executive resources, this cost being possibly involved in pathologies such as autism and schizophrenia. Classic response time analyses and distributional response time analyses indicate that direct gaze 1) is processed automatically whatever its duration, 2) consumes executive resources, and 3) facilitates the processing of averted gaze. These results strengthen the models suggesting a modular (brain) network dedicated to the detection of direct gaze and related modulations of cognitive processes operating in parallel or consecutively. As humans perform the majority of their activities while being watched by others, the fields of application are vast. Furthermore, the links between eye contact and executive resources highlighted in our work suggests ways to address the management of people with specific social disabilities.

This master's thesis aims to develop a contact information sofware management system. This system is designed to support gathering, integration, synchronization and redistribution of contact information. The basis for the desing is research of theoretical sources, which puts the problem of contact information management into broader context. Based on information gathered in the research part this thesis chooses a suitable software development methodology to follow during the design phase. Before the actual design is started, the theoretical requirements are put to test against user requirements collected through interviews and a survey. The development follows the Software Development Lide Cycle model and results in a coarse-grained design. The major contributions of this thesis are primarily setting the problem of contact information management into broader context, which is poorly covered in literature and research, and performing user requirements analysis by a survey and interviews (which is something that has not been publicly done before).

No description available.

La foudre est un phénomène naturel aléatoire impactant un avion de transport civil en moyenne une fois toutes les 1500 heures de vol. Les forts courants et impulsionnels pouvant parcourir la structure d'un aéronef peuvent induire des contraintes physiques aux conséquences sérieuses en ce qui concerne la sûreté. En particulier, quand un assemblage est parcouru par un courant de type foudre, des champs électriques ainsi des densités d'effet Joule importants peuvent engendrer différents phénomènes de décharge. Le risque d'étincelage est particulièrement critique au niveau des réservoirs de carburant, et différentes technologies de protection et procédures de certification sont employées pour maitriser ce risque. Les résultats expérimentaux laissent penser que la formation de ces décharges est due aux résistances électriques localisées aux interfaces entre les différentes pièces des assemblages. Le but de cette thèse a été de modéliser les phénomènes qui se produisent à une échelle microscopique au niveau de telles résistances de contact soumises à de forts courants impulsionnels de type foudre. / Lightning is a natural hazardous event that strikes a civil aircraft on average once per 1500 hours of flight. The corresponding high and impulsive currents that may flow along the structure of the aircraft can generate physical constraints with major consequences regarding safety. In particular, when a fastened assembly is crossed by a lightning current, important electric fields and Joule power densities may give birth to a variety of discharge phenomena. The sparking risk is particularly critical in fuel tanks, and different lightning protection technologies and certification procedures are employed to face it. The ignition of discharges is believed to be mostly due to the local electrical resistance at the interfaces between the parts of the assemblies. The aim of this thesis was to model to phenomena that occur at a microscopic scale of such contact resistances subject to high and impulsive currents.

Thesis (M.A.(Clinical Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2015. / The effect of Cumulative Mild Head Injury (CMHI) in contact sports, such as rugby, is seen increasingly at school level where more and more injuries are reported. Research on CMHI in contact sport is needed specifically amongst previously disadvantaged groups where little or no research has taken place. The research is thus intended to seek a better understanding of CMHI in the contact sport of rugby specifically amongst amateur players. A quantitative research approach was utilised with a quasi-experimental research design. A sample of 18 student rugby players and 18 volleyball (non-contact sport) controls was used. In terms of mean performances the tests did not reveal a consistent pattern of deficits which is typically associated with the effects of Cumulative Mild Head Injuries. There were significant results however, in terms of variability that suggests potential deficits in attention among the rugby group. The results are therefore indicative of a poorer overall cognitive profile for the rugby playing group. It is concluded that the increased variability may be displayed in individuals who suffer CMHI at an earlier age.

Silicon photovoltaic (PV) is a promising solution for energy shortage and environmental pollution. We are experiencing an era when PV is exponentially increasing. Global cumulative installation had reached 380 GW in 2017. Among which, silicon-based PV productions share more than 90% market. Performance of the first two-generation commercial popular silicon solar cells - Al-BSF and PERC - are limited by metal/Si contacts, where interface defects significantly reduce the open-circuit voltage. In this context, full-area passivation concepts are proposed for c-Si solar cells, with expectation to enhance the efficiency via reducing carrier recombination loss at the contact regions. In this thesis, poly silicon on oxide (POLO) passivating contact is developed for high efficiency c-Si solar cells. We unveiled the working mechanisms of POLO cells and then optimized the device performance based on our conclusion. We use boiling nitric acid to oxidize c-Si surface, which is of significance to determine the POLO working mechanisms. Phosphorus and boron doped silicon films are deposited by plasma enhanced vapor deposition (PECVD) or low-pressure vapor deposition (LPCVD) followed by high temperature (>800°C) annealing. SiOx structural evolution process under different annealing temperature was observed and the corresponding effects on passivation have been elucidated. The carrier transport mechanisms in the POLO contact annealed at high temperature, e.g. 800°C  900°C, were explored. We unveil that carrier transport in POLO structure is a combination of tunneling and pinhole transport, but dominant at varied temperature regions. Phosphorus-doped n-type POLO contact is optimized by several parameters, such as doping concentration, film thickness, annealing temperature, film deposition temperature, film relaxation time during annealing process, etc. We successfully obtained minority carrier lifetime over 10ms and contact resistivity lower than 30 mΩ·cm2. Boron-doped p-type POLO contact is also optimized by changing the doping concentration and annealing temperature. Finally, further hydrogen passivation is applied to enhance p-type POLO contact passivation, achieving an iVoc>690 mV, J0 <5 fA/cm2 and contact resistivity 1.3 mΩ·cm2. With the optimized n-type and p-type POLO contacts, an efficiency over 18% is achieved on n-type c-Si solar cells with a flat front surface.

The following study explored the secondary transfer effect (STE) through minimal, online intergroup contact, with a positive and negative dimension of contact through acceptance from outgroup and the rejection from ingroup peers. An experiment was conducted where the participants played an economic game with fictional players. The manipulation in the experimental condition involved minimal contact in the form of rejection from two (fictional) ingroup members combined with acceptance from one (fictional) outgroup member. This was compared to a control condition, in which participants received no feedback nor contact with other players. The dependent variable comprised measures of prejudice against three groups: immigrants, Muslims and old people. Results showed significantly lower prejudice towards immigrants in the experimental condition compared to the control condition, which is consistent with previous research and contact theory. Secondary transfer effects did occur, but not towards the expected groups.

The major objective of this study is to correlate the rocking foundation performance parameters with their capacity parameters and earthquake demand parameters using the results obtained from 142 centrifuge and shaking table experiments. It is found that seismic energy dissipation and permanent settlement of rocking foundations correlate well with rocking coefficient and Arias intensity of the earthquake, whereas the maximum moment and peak rotation of the foundation correlate well with peak ground acceleration. A numerical model, using the contact interface model available in OpenSees, is developed to simulate the performance of rocking foundations, and it is validated using experimental results. Though the numerical model predicts the moment capacity, seismic energy dissipation, and tipping-over stability of rocking foundations reasonably well, the model appears to overpredict the settlement of foundations. Furthermore, a parametric study showed that settlement reduces as initial vertical stiffness increases and is directly proportional to peak ground displacement.

Les interactions entre individus sont un socle vital pour l’organisation des colonies d’abeilles, en particulier lors du recrutement pour le butinage. Outre la communication de la localisation d’une source de nourriture par la fameuse danse, les abeilles recrutées apprennent les caractéristiques de l’odeur des fleurs butinées au cours de transferts de nectar (trophallaxie). Les mécanismes de cet apprentissage ne sont pas encore éclaircis car il est parfois effectif sans aucun transfert de nectar, suggérant que d’autres mécanismes, comme par exemple d’apprentissage social, sont impliqués. Nous avons reproduit cette interaction en laboratoire, suivant un protocole basé sur le conditionnement olfactif appétitif de la réponse d’extension du proboscis (REP). Ici, un composé odorant initialement neutre (Stimulus conditionnel) était associé à un contact avec une congénère (Stimulus Inconditionnel social), sans récompense sucrée. Nos expériences montrent que ce simple contact social entre congénères peut constituer un renforcement pour les abeilles. A la suite de cette association, celles-ci montrent donc des REP à l’odeur préalablement associée au contact social. Nos expériences montrent de plus que des contacts antennaires entre les abeilles sont indispensables à l’efficacité de cet apprentissage social, représentant un indice social tactile. Nous avons alors développé un dispositif permettant d’enregistrer les mouvements des antennes de manière précise et à haute vitesse (90 hz) et étudié les différents facteurs modulant les mouvements antennaires des abeilles. Les abeilles montrent des réponses contrastées et reproductibles à des odeurs de valeurs biologiques différentes. De plus, le couplage de ces enregistrements à des expériences de conditionnement associatif montre que ces réponses antennaires sont plastiques et modifiées par l’expérience des individus. Ce travail a permis de mettre en lumière un nouveau type d’apprentissage social chez les insectes et d’approfondir l’étude des mouvements antennaires comme indicateurs de l’état motivationnel, attentionnel et physiologique des abeilles ainsi que de la valence des stimuli perçus. / In honeybees, interactions between individuals are cornerstones for the organization of the colony, especially during recruitment for foraging. Besides learning the location of a food source thanks to the well-known dance, the recruited bees learn the characteristics of odors of foraged flowers through nectar transfer (trophallaxis). The underlying mechanisms are still unclear because this learning can occur without any nectar transfer, suggesting that other, probably social, learning mechanisms are involved. We reproduced this interaction in the lab, using a protocol based on the appetitive olfactory conditioning of the proboscis extension response (PER). Here, an initially neutral odorant (conditioned stimulus) was associated with a contact with a nestmate (social unconditioned stimulus), without any sugar reward. Our experiments show that this simple social contact between workers can act as a reinforcement for bees. As a result, they show PER to the odor previously associated with a social contact. We further demonstrate that antenna contacts are essential for the effectiveness of this social learning, representing a tactile social cue. We thus developed a system allowing to record bees’ antennal movements accurately and at high frequency (90 hz). We then determined the factors modulating bees’ antennal movements. First, we show that bees display contrasted and reproducible responses to odors of different biological values. Second, the coupling of these recordings with associative conditioning experiments shows that these antennal responses are plastic and modified by individual experience. This work has shed light on a new type of social learning in insects and has furthered our understanding of antennal movements as indicators of the motivational, attentional and physiological state of bees and of the valence of perceived stimuli.