Over the twentieth century advanced economies have seen an economic and social development process which was build upon the consolidation of a strong middle class. Yet, recent decades have seen an increase in wealth and income inequality, reaching levels not seen since before the Second World War. This thesis explore some of the these issues in two parts. The focus of the first part of the thesis is on the role of education and technology in the rise of the middle class. By means of an overlapping generations model with endogenous growth, I study the conditions that enable a society to transit from underdevelopment to development. The model in place reproduces a Kuznets curve, which is deemed an important empirical feature of the history of advanced economies. The second part focuses on the fall of the middle class, by studying the effect of technology and skills in job polarisation - i.e. the fall in employment in middle-skill occupations. The approach is both theoretical and empirical. A sorting model based on tasks is developed and adapted to study polarisation. Central to this model are the distributions of skills that workers have. Thus, a complete chapter is dedicated to characterise these ability distributions, using longitudinal data from the UK for 1991-2008 in an econometric model based on the so-called Mincer equation. The estimated distributions - positive skewed - are used to calibrate the sorting model. Then, this model is used to identify the nature of the technological process affecting the UK economy over the selected period of study. Simple counterfactual exercises shed light on the strong effect of technical progress on both polarisation and inequality. In contrast, the role of change in skills is negligible. The overall conclusion is that the nature of technological change is essential in defining distributional outcomes: whilst technology can enable the rise to a strong middle class, it can also undermine it.

In the indoor environment, multipath fading causes the received signal amplitude to fluctuate rapidly over space and frequency. Multiple-in multiple-out (MIMO) systems overcome this phenomenon through the use of multiple antennas on transmitters and receivers. This establishes multiple independent MIMO sub-channels between antenna pairs, which allows a theoretical increase in capacity which is linear with the number of antennas, while requiring no additional power or bandwidth expenditure. The capacity increase is reliant upon MIMO sub-channels being well decorrelated. Decorrelation may be achieved by separating antennas in space. On devices where space is limited, an alternative approach is to use antennas with orthogonal polarisations, which may be positioned closer together. Existing literature states that the performance of polarisation MIMO systems is typically inferior to that of spatial MIMO systems under diversity applications, but can be superior in multiplexing applications. These statements are based on the analysis of a statistical channel model, using channel conditions assumed to be typical of an ideal polarisation MIMO system. There is little existing literature which examines how close these assumptions are to a practical polarisation MIMO channel, or whether the above statements remain true of practical systems. This thesis presents a novel end-to-end, predominantly deterministic approach to the modelling of polarisation MIMO systems. A bespoke MIMO channel model is used to estimate capacity and error rate under diversity and spatial multiplexing applications in the indoor environment. The parameters of the channel model are obtained deterministically from a ray launching propagation model, using antenna patterns of orthogonally polarised small antenna systems positioned in the indoor environment. The individual differences in the channel gains and K-factors of each sub-channel are accounted for. Correlation is accounted for using a full correlation matrix, rather than the Kronecker model. Particular attention is paid to mutual coupling of closely spaced antennas. Using this analysis, it is shown that for practical antennas and systems conditions of the polarisation MIMO channel may differ from those assumed in literature. The effect of this in terms of channel capacity and system bit error rate is directly determined and presented. Performance of polarisation MIMO systems, using co-located and spatially separate orthogonally polarised antennas, is compared to that of spatial MIMO systems, which use co-polar antennas with limited spatial separation. Additionally, comparison is made between compact polarisation MIMO systems which use orthogonal linear polarised antennas and those using orthogonal circular polarised antennas. Further analysis examines the significant effect of objects in the antenna near-field regions. The effects of the presence of a metal case on antenna performance are presented, before its impact on the channel conditions and ultimately the resultant MIMO performance is shown.

Ce travail est motivé par l’utilisation dans de nombreux dispositifs électrochimiques des mélanges de liquides ioniques (LIs) à base du cation 1-butyl-3-méthylimidazolium (C4mim+) couplés à des anions perfluorés (BF4−, PF6−, TFO−, TFSI−), avec d’autre part des solvants aprotiques polaires tels que l'acétonitrile (AN), la γ-butyrolactone (γ-BL), le carbonate de propylène (PC). Nous avons réalisé des simulations de dynamique moléculaire afin de caractériser la structure locale de ces mélanges. Les variations de la structure microscopique en fonction de la composition du mélange ont été calculées via l’utilisation d’un arsenal de fonctions statistiques avancées, basé sur la structure locale. Celle-ci est largement déterminée par la distribution radiale et orientationelle des plus proches voisins à un ion ou une molécule de référence. Dans un premier temps, la structure locale dans les LIs purs et dans les solvants moléculaires a été analysée. Pour l'ensemble des LIs, il a été établi que les interactions de liaison H de type C-H···X impliquant les atomes d’hydrogène H2,4,5 du cycle imidazolium et les atomes électronégatifs de l’anion sont faibles et peuvent être classés dans l’ordre suivant TFO-, BF4-, PF6-, TFSI-. Pour le solvant pur, nos résultats montrent que les interactions dipôle-dipôle jouent un rôle important dans la structure locale des solvants étudiés, alors que les interactions liaison H dans le PC et le γ-BL sont faibles.Les résultats montrent que dans tous les mélanges LI/solvant moléculaire étudiés, la distribution de l'anion autour du cation n'est pas fortement affectée lorsque la fraction molaire du LI, xIL, varie entre 0,3 et 1,0. Mais pour les valeurs de xIL inférieures à 0,3 les interactions entre cation et anion sont fortement diminuées. Ces résultats corroborent les données publiées sur le comportement du déplacement chimique du proton H² en fonction de xIL. Nos résultats soulignent aussi l'importance des interactions anion-solvant dans la description de la structure locale des mélanges LI/solvant moléculaire. / Mixtures of imidazolium ionic liquids (ILs) with perfluorinated anions and dipolar aprotic solvent are promising candidates for electrolytic components used in different electrochemical applications. Current state of technologies requires detailed information on the influence of the mixture composition on the physical and chemical properties of the mixture. This thesis presents a molecular dynamics simulation analysis of the local structure organization of the mixtures of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium (C4mim+) ILs with perfluorinated anions (BF4‒, PF6‒, TFO‒, TFSI‒) and dipolar aprotic solvents such as acetonitrile (AN), γ-butyrolactone (GBL) and propylene carbonate (PC). As a first step, the local structure in the neat ILs and molecular solvents has been analyzed. For the set of ILs it was established that H-bonding interactions at the H2 site is strongly enhanced compared to the H4-5 sites in the case of asymmetric and/or strongly basic anions like TFO− or TFSI−. The cation-cation contacts via the aggregation of the butyl chains is much stronger and less anion-dependent than the π+-π+ stacking of the imidazolium rings. For the pure solvent our results show that although the dominant dipole-dipole orientation between a reference molecule and first neighbor is the antiparallel one, while for the subsequent neighbors the antiparallel orientation is gradually weakened in favor of the parallel one. More distant neighbors tend to be parallel to the reference molecule. A deep analysis of the local structure made it possible to identify the presence of weak hydrogen bonds in the selected dipolar solvents. For the mixtures of imidazolium-based ILs the results show that in all the studied IL/molecular solvent mixtures, the distribution of the anion around the cation is not drastically affected in the range of xIL between 1.0 and 0.3 and for further decrease of xIL noticeable changes in the distance characteristics describing the cation and anion hydrogen bonding interactions, occur. These changes are associated with the expected weakening of the cation and anion interactions. These results are in good agreement with the behavior of the 2H chemical shift as a function of xIL. Furthermore, our results point out to the importance of the anion-solvent interactions in describing the local structure in these mixtures.

The Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung (GSI) facility in Darmstadt, Germany, will be upgraded to accommodate a new generation of physics experiments. The future accelerator facility will be called FAIR and one of the experimentsat the site will be PANDA, which aims at performing hadron physics investigations by colliding anti-protons with protons. The licentiate thesis consistsof three sections related to PANDA. The first contains energy resolutionstudies of PbWO4 crystals, the second light yield uniformity studies of PbWO4 crystals and the third reconstruction of the lambda-bar-polarisation in the PANDA experiment. Two measurements of the energy resolution were performed at MAX-Lab in Lund, Sweden, with an array of 3x3 PbWO4 crystals using a tagged photon beam with energies between 19 and 56 MeV. For the April measurement, the crystals were cooled down to -15 degrees C and for the September measurement down to -25 degrees C. The measured relative energy resolution, <img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?%5Csigma" />/E, is decreasing from approximately 12% at 20 MeV to 7% at 55 MeV. In the standard energy resolution expression <img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?%5Csigma" />/E = a/<img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?%5Csqrt%5B%5D%7BE%7D" /> <img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?%5Coplus" /> b/E <img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?%5Coplus" /> c, the three parameters a, b and c seem to be strongly correlated and thus difficult to determine independently over this relative small energy range. The value of a was therefore fixed to that one would expect from Poisson statistics of the light collection yield (50 phe/MeV) and the results from fits were <img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?%5Csigma" />/E=0.45%/<img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?%5Csqrt%5B%5D%7BE_%7BGeV%7D%7D" /> <img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?%5Coplus" />0.18%/EGeV <img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?%5Coplus" />8.63% and <img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?%5Csigma" />/E = 0.45%/<img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?%5Csqrt%5B%5D%7BE_%7BGeV%7D%7D" /><img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?%5Coplus" />0.21%/EGeV <img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?%5Coplus" />6.12% for the April and September measurements, respectively. The data from the September measurement was also combined with previous data from MAMI for higher energies, ranging from approximately 64 to 715 MeV. The global fit over the whole range of energies gave an energy resolution expression of <img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?%5Csigma" />/E = 1.6%/<img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?%5Csqrt%5B%5D%7BE_%7BGeV%7D%7D" /> <img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?%5Coplus" />0.095%/EGeV <img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?%5Coplus" />2.1%. Light yield uniformity studies of five PbWO4 crystals, three tapered and two non-tapered ones, have also been performed. The tapered crystals delivered a light output which increased with increasing distance from the Photo Multiplier Tube (PM tube). Black tape was put on different sides of one tapered crystals, far from the PM tube to try to get a more constant uniformity prole. It was seen that the light output profile depends on the position of the tape. Generally, the steep increase in light output at large distances from the PM tube could be damped. The third part of the thesis concerns the reconstruction of the lambdabar polarisation in the reaction <img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?pbar+p%20%5Crightarrow%20lambdabar%20+%20lambda" />. Events were generated using a modied generator from the PS185 experiment at LEAR. With a 100% polarisation perpendicular to the scattering plane, a polarisation of (99±1.8)% was reconstructed. Slight non-zero polarisations along the axis determined by the outgoing hyperon as well as the axis in the scattering plane, were also reconstructed. These were (4.1±2.1)% and (2.6±2.0)% respectively. From this investigation it was shown that the detector efficiency was not homogeneous and that slow pions are difficult to reconstruct.

In the purview of efficient communication in MANETs for enhanced data rates and reliable routing of information, this thesis deals with dual polarised directional antenna based communication. This thesis proposes a dual polarised directional communication based cross-layer solution to mitigate the problems of interference, exposed nodes, directional exposed nodes, and deafness, and to achieve efficient routing of information. At the physical layer of network protocol stack, this thesis proposes the use of dual polarised directional antenna for the mitigation of interference. Use of dual polarised directional communication at the physical layer calls for appropriate modifications in the functionality of MAC and network layers. At the MAC layer, the DPDA-MAC protocol proposed in this thesis achieves mitigation of the problems of exposed nodes, directional exposed nodes and deafness, by using dual polarised directional antenna at physical layer. At network layer, the DPDA-MRP protocol presented in this thesis facilitates the discovery of multiple routes between the source and destination nodes to route information in accordance with the desired dual polarised directional communication. To achieve efficient dual polarised directional communication and routing of information, it is essential to maintain well populated Neighbour Table (NT) and Routing Table (RT). This thesis proposes a novel Corruption Detection Pulse (CDP) based technique to handle corruption of broadcast packets such as Link ID and RREQ arising due to hidden node problem. Since the nodes participating in the formation of MANETs have limited battery energy, the protocols proposed in this thesis are featured with a provision for dynamic power control to achieve energy efficient communication. Nodes maintain Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) information in the NT, which along with the information of node location is used in the formulation of decision logic of dynamic power control. Through numerous simulation studies, this thesis demonstrates the benefits of dual polarised directional communication to enhance the performance of MANET. The design principles, benefits and conceptual constraints of proposed DPDA-MAC protocol are analysed with SPDA-MAC and CSMA/CA, while those for DPDA-MRP are analysed with SPDA-MRP and DSR through performance metrics of throughput, Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR) and per hop delay. The thesis also analyses the impact of variations of channel capacity, node density, rate of packet transmission and mobility of nodes on the performance of the proposed and conventional protocols invoked in MANETs.

Epigenetic regulation of gene expression plays a pivotal role in the orchestration of immune responses. In particular, they have been implicated in the generation of in vitro cytokine-driven T cell polarization and therefore may determine the vigor, quality and/or longevity of such responses in vivo. Chemical allergens form two categories: skin sensitizing chemicals associated with allergic contact dermatitis, such as 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) that result in type 1/type 17 responses in mice, and chemicals that cause sensitization of the respiratory tract and occupational asthma, for example trimellitic anhydride (TMA) that induces preferential type 2 responses in mice. To explore the regulation and maintenance of these divergent responses generated by polarised T cell populations in vivo, BALB/c strain mice were exposed topically DNCB and TMA. DNA from draining lymph nodes (LN) was processed for methylated DNA (5mC) immunoprecipitation (MeDIP) followed by hybridization to a whole-genome DNA promoter array. A higher number of DNCB-associated differently methylated regions (DMR) were identified and there was significant crossover between allergen treatments. Promoter-associated DMR, unique to either DNCB or TMA, were generally hypomethylated. Pathway analyses highlighted a number of immune related pathways, including chemokine and cytokine signalling. A number of these DMR were hypothesised to be candidate biomarkers of chemical allergy. To confirm this, novel analysis of hydroxymethylated (5hmC) DNA in the in vivo allergen-activated LN was compared to analysis of 5mC to identify LN specific DMR. The Gmpr DMR is suggested as a possible biomarker for contact allergen-induced immune responses and the Nwc DMR was characteristic of TMA treatment, highlighting its possible utility as a biomarker for responses induced by chemical respiratory allergens. These data not only represent novel analysis of 5hmC in response to chemical allergy in vivo, but also provide a possible basis for differentiation between classes of chemical allergens. Finally, a combined population of effector/effector memory T cells (TEff/TEM) was isolated from the CD4+ and CD8+ populations of allergen-activated draining lymph nodes (LN). Levels of 5mC and 5hmC at T cell lineage cytokine prompters was determined and analysed by comparison with concurrently sorted naïve T cells. In CD8+ TEff/TEM from DNCB-stimulated LN, increased expression of Ifng and Gzmb correlated with a reduction 5mC at their respective promoters. There were also reduced levels of 5mC at an Ifng enhancer. In contrast, TMA-simulated CD4+ TEff/TEM were characterised by high levels of Il4 expression which were associated with a decrease in promoter 5mC and an increase in 5hmC, as well as increased 5hmC at an Il4 enhancer region. These data demonstrate that exposure to chemical allergens results in characteristic DNA methylation patterns indicative of epigenetic regulation of divergent T cell populations in vivo. Furthermore, it highlights a particularly important role for DNA hydroxymethylation at the Th2 locus. In conclusion, exposure to chemical allergens results in divergent patterns of 5mC and 5hmC. These provide possible biomarkers for the different classes of chemical allergens and represent an insight into the importance of 5mC and 5hmC in the control of polarised T cell responses in vivo.

In this Thesis, we present work on the diffuse Galactic emission in the 23−43 GHz frequency range. We studied the polarised emission, which is dominated by synchrotron radiation at these frequencies. We also present work on the anomalous microwave emission (AME), both in total intensity and polarisation. These observations are useful to quantify the CMB foreground contribution and give us information about the ISM of our Galaxy. Polarisation observations are affected by a positive bias, particularly important in regions with low signal-to-noise ratio. We present a method to correct the bias in the case where the uncertainties in the Q, U Stokes parameters are not symmetric. We show that this method successfully corrects the polarisation maps, with a residual bias smaller than the random uncertainties on the maps, outperforming the methods that are previously described in the literature. We use the de-biasing method to set upper limits for the polarisation of AME in the ρ Ophiuchi and Perseus molecular clouds. In both clouds the AME polarisation fraction is found to be less than 2% at 23 GHz and33 GHz. We use data from the WMAP satellite at 23, 33 and 41 GHz to study the diffuse polarised emission over the entire sky. This emission is due to synchrotron radiation and it originates mostly from filamentary structures with well-ordered magnetic fields. We identify new filaments and studied their observational properties, such as polarisation spectral indices, polarisation fraction and Faraday rotation. We explore the link between the large scale filaments and the local ISM, using the model of an expanding shell in the vicinity of the Sun. We also quantify the level of contamination added by the diffuse filaments to the CMB E- and B-mode power spectra. The Q/U Imaging ExperimenT (QUIET) observed the polarised sky at 43 and 95 GHz, in order to measure the CMB spectra. We describe the instrument, the observations and data processing, focusing on two regions of the Galactic plane. We study the foreground contamination in a region of the sky. We also discuss some properties of the diffuse synchrotron emission observed on the Galactic plane by QUIET. Using interferometric observations at 31 GHz, we studied AME in the translucent cloud LDN 1780. Interferometric data at 31 GHz and different ancillary data were used. We study the connection between the radio emission and the interstellar dust present in the cloud. The spinning dust hypothesis for the origin of AME is tested and we conclude that it can explain the radio properties observed in this cloud.

Dans le contexte énergétique actuel, les piles à combustible à oxyde solide sont très prometteuses comme source d’énergie alternative pour la production d’électricité. Quelques verrous restent cependant à lever pour améliorer leur durabilité, notamment en termes de matériaux d’électrode. Ce travail de thèse s’est intéressé à la caractérisation de nouveaux matériaux d’anode et de cathode. La substitution partielle du titane par du vanadium dans le titanate de lanthane La4Ti2O10 de structure cuspidine a permis de conduire à des matériaux d’anode prometteurs. Des résistances spécifiques surfaciques (ASR, Area Specific Resistance) de l’ordre de 0,2 W.cm2 ont été obtenues à 750°C sous hydrogène. Au niveau de la cathode, nos recherches ont porté sur deux types de cobaltites : une pérovskite de formulation Ba1-xCo0,9Fe0,2Nb0,1O3-d avec x = 0 et 0,1 et un matériau innovant Ba2Co9O14. Dans les deux cas, après optimisation de la microstructure des électrodes, les ASR sont inférieure à 0,1 W.cm2 à 700°C. / In the current energy context, solid oxide fuel cells hold great promise as an alternative energy source for electricity generation. However, bottlenecks remain to improve their sustainability, particularly in terms of electrode materials. This work focused on the characterization of new anode and cathode materials. The partial substitution of titanium by vanadium in the lanthanum titanate La4Ti2O10 of cuspidine structure has led to promising anode materials with Aera Specific Resistance (ASR) of the order of 0.2 W.cm2 at 750 ° C under hydrogen. At the cathode, our research has focused on two types of cobaltites: a perovskite Ba1-xCo0,9Fe0,2Nb0,1O3-d with x = 0 and 0.1 and an innovative material Ba2Co9O14. In either case, after optimization of the microstructure of the electrodes, ASR less than 0.1 W.cm2 at 700 ° C were obtained.

La méiose ovocytaire comprend une succession de deux divisions cellulaires, sans phase intermédiaire de réplication de l'ADN, permettant l'haploïdisation du gamète femelle en vue de la fusion des génomes parentaux lors de la fécondation. Le caractère fortement asymétrique de ces divisions permet l'expulsion du matériel génétique surnuméraire, dans de petits globules polaires, tout en conservant l'essentiel des ressources cytoplasmiques qui seront nécessaires au développement précoce de l'embryon. De nombreuses études réalisées sur l'ovocyte de souris ont mis en évidence les capacités intrinsèques du gamète à rompre sa symétrie en positionnant son fuseau de manière excentrée à proximité du cortex. En se positionnant de la sorte le fuseau induit, via un gradient de Ran-GTP porté par les chromosomes, une polarisation du cortex ovocytaire qui permettra de restreindre le site d'émission des futurs globules polaires. Cette polarisation se caractérise notamment par une forte accumulation de filaments d'actines dépendante du facteur de nucléation Arp2/3. Nos travaux nous ont permis de mettre en évidence le rôle de Cdc42-GTP, via l'activation de N-WASP, comme intermédiaire entre le gradient de Ran-GTP et la polymérisation polarisée des filaments d'actine. Nous nous sommes également intéressés à la localisation des protéines ERM (Ezrin Radixin Moesin), connues pour favoriser la formation des microvillosités membranaires. Dans l'ovocyte, les microvillosités et les ERM sont toutes deux exclues du cortex polarisé et nous avons pu démontrer le rôle de Ran-GTP dans ce processus. Enfin, nous avons étudié la localisation du réseau d'acto-myosine cortical lors de la deuxième division méiotique qui nécessite la rotation du fuseau de l'ovocyte de souris. Nos résultats révèlent l'existence de deux sous-populations de myosine 2 corticale, l'une dépendante de la chromatine (Ran-GTP/Cdc42-GTP) et l'autre dépendante du fuseau central (Ect2/RhoA). / Oocyte meiosis is accomplished through two successive rounds of cellular divisions, without DNA replication, allowing for gamete haploidization necessary for parental genome fusion after fertilization. These divisions are highly asymmetric and allow extra-DNA expulsion, in small polar bodies, while retaining most of the cytoplasmic resources needed for early embryo development. Studies in mouse oocyte have demonstrated the capabilities of the gamete to autonomously break his symmetry by positioning the spindle near the cortex. By doing so, the spindle is able to induce a cortical polarization that is dependent on a Ran-GTP gradient emanating from the chromosomes. This polarization will be necessary for delimiting extrusion sites of the future polar bodies. A polarized accumulation of Arp2/3 actin filaments is one of the most evident features of oocyte polarization. We have shown that polarization of Cdc42-GTP, trough N-WASP activation, is an essential intermediate between Ran-GTP and the polarized polymerization of actin filaments. We also investigated ERM (Ezrin Radixin Moesin) proteins localization that are known to promote microvilli assembly. According to our data, microvilli and ERM are excluded from the polarized cortex in a Ran-GTP dependent manner. Finally, we studied cortical acto-myosin dynamics during the second meiotic division which requires spindle rotation. We demonstrated the existence of two cortical myosin 2 sub-populations which depend either on chromosomes (Ran-GTP/Cdc42-GTP) or on the central spindle (Ect2/RhoA).

The issue of Euroscepticism has been racking the European Union for many years, and the United Kingdom’s exit from the block came as a shock for many. Carried by a campaign on social media, the Leave campaign’s success has highlighted a number of issues that risk not only the EU, but democratic society itself. Focusing on public opinion formation on the EU and political polarisation, this paper explores the question of how a political entrepreneur can polarise a society in a desired fashion. Based on a content analysis performed on 1,100 tweets posted by the Leave campaign, the study attempts to map out topical and polarising tendencies of the campaign, together with a propensity to employ misinformation. The results show a focus on certain topics pertaining to public opinion formation on the EU and a tendency to tweet on them in a polarising manner across the board. Finally, false claims were found throughout the dataset, propelling an argument that there is a relationship between misinformation and polarisation which risks further polarising a given polity.