This dissertation comprises three parts and is presented in two chapters. Chapter 1 concerns Arthrobacter, a bacterium with an intriguing growth cycle. Whereas most bacteria exist as either a rod or coccus, this bacterium shares the rod/coccus lifestyle. It therefore seemed important to examine the growth regulatory pathways from the rod and coccus. The committed step, that catalyzed by aspartate transcarbamoylase (ATCase), in the pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway was chosen. The ATCase in Arthrobacter is like the well known Pseudomonas enzyme except that it has an active dihydroorotase (DHOase) associated. Included in Chapter 1 is the description of a microorganism, Burkholderia cepacia, whose ATCase has characteristics that are at once reminiscent of bacteria, mammals, and fungi. It differs in size or aggregation based on environmental conditions. In addition, it has an active DHOase associated with the ATCase, like Arthrobacter. B. cepacia is important both medically and for bioremediation. Since B. cepacia is resistant to most antibiotics, its unique ATCase is a prime target for inhibition. Whereas the first chapter deals with the de novo pathway to making pyrimidines, which is found mainly in the lag and log phase, Chapter 2 addresses the salvage pathway, which comes more into play during the stationary phase. This section focuses on the isolation, identification, and grouping of a number of natural soil bacteria from various soil locations. These organisms are important agriculturally, medically, and industrially. Addition of these soil isolates to poor soils has been found to improve the soil. In a previous study by D.A. Beck, the salvage schemes for a number of laboratory strains of microorganisms were determined. Nine separate classes of salvage were designated by determining the salvage enzymes present. In this study emphasis has been placed on soil bacteria, which had not previously been analyzed. A number of species of soil bacteria were identified using the MIDI. The salvage enzymes were then determined for these organisms and a comparison of these isolates to the previous study was performed in order to group the new organisms into 19 salvage schemes, that is 10 more than in the previous study.

The fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) bars have been widely used in pre-stressing applications and reinforcing of the civil structures. High strength-to-weight ratio and high resistance to the corrosion make the FRP bars a good replacement for steel reinforcing bars in civil engineering applications. According to the CAN/CSA-S806-12 standard, the maximum recommended stress in FRP bars under service loads should not exceed 25% and 65% of the ultimate strength for glass FRP (GFRP) and carbon FRP (CFRP), respectively. These stress values are set to prevent creep failure in FRP bars. However, for in-service applications, there are few physical indicators that these values have been reached or exceeded. In this work analysis of acoustic emission (AE) signals is used. Two new techniques based on pattern recognition and frequency entropy of the isolated acoustic emission (AE) signal are presented for monitoring damage progression and prediction of failure in FRPs. / May 2017

The thesis "The Wölfling Case. Resignation of Leopold Ferdinand of Tuscany from the Archduke's Position and His Life as an Ordinary Citizen" discusses the events associated with the departure of Archduke Leopold Ferdinand (1868-1935) from the Habsburg-Lorraine House. The thesis deals with the Imperial Austrian Family Statute, individual cases of resignation to the rank of Archduke, as well as the issue of violation of family norms in the Habsburg-Lorraine family. The focus is on events surrounding the escape of Archduke Leopold Ferdinand from the court and his subsequent resignation from the Archduke rank. Attention is paid to the cause of this, as well as the dramatic negotiations surrounding his final resignation from the imperial court and family. The thesis also charts the career of the former Archduke (since 1903 Leopold Wölfling) in the position of an ordinary citizen.

Les structures de type gridshell élastique permettent de réaliser des enveloppes courbes par la déformation réversible d’une grille structurelle régulière initialement plane. Cette capacité à “former la forme” de façon efficiente prend tout son sens dans le contexte actuel où, d’une part la forme s’impose comme une composante prédominante de l’architecture moderne, et d’autre partl’enveloppe s’affirme comme le lieu névralgique de la performance des bâtiments. Fruit des recherches de l’architecte et ingénieur allemand Frei Otto dans les années 1960, elles ont été rendues populaires par la construction de la Multihalle de Mannheim en 1975. Cependant, en dépit de leur potentiel, très peu de projets de ce type ont vu le jour suite à cette réalisation emblématique qui en a pourtant démontré la faisabilité à grande échelle. Et pour cause, les moyens engagés à l’époque ne sauraient assurer la reproductibilité de cette expérience dans un contexte plus classique de projet, notamment sur le plan économique. Par ailleurs, les techniques et les méthodes développées alors sont pour la plus part tombées en désuétude ou reposent sur des disciplines scientifiques qui ont considérablement évoluées. Des matériaux nouveaux, composites, ont vu le jour. Ils repoussent les limitations intrinsèques des matériaux usuels tel que le bois et offrent des performances techniques bien plus intéressantes pour ce type d’application. Enfin, notons que le cadre réglementaire a lui aussi profondément muté, apportant une certaine rigidité vis-à-vis de la pénétration des innovations. Ainsi la conception des gridshells se pose-t-elle en des termes nouveaux aux architectes et ingénieurs actuels et se heurte à l’inadéquation des outils et méthodes existant. Dans cette thèse, qui marque une étape importante dans une aventure de recherche personnelle initiée en 2010, nous tentons d’embrasser la question de la conception des gridshells élastiques dans toute sa complexité, en abordant aussi bien les aspects théoriques que techniques et constructifs. Dans une première partie, nous livrons une revue approfondie de cette thématique et nous présentons de façon détaillée l’une de nos principales réalisation, la cathédrale éphémère de Créteil, construite en 2013 et toujours en service. Dans une seconde partie, nous développons un élément de poutre discret original avec un nombre minimal de degrés de liberté adapté à la modélisation de la flexion et de la torsion dans les gridshells constitués de poutres de section anisotrope. Enrichi d’un noeud fantôme, il permet de modéliser plus finement les phénomènes physiques au niveau des connexions et des appuis. Son implémentation numérique est présentée et validée sur quelques cas tests. Bien que cet élément ait été développé spécifiquement pour l’étude des gridshells élastiques, il pourra avantageusement être utilisé dans tout type de problème où la nécessité d’un calcul interactif avec des tiges élastiques prenant en compte les couplages flexion-torsion s’avère nécessaire / An elastic gridshell is a freeform structure, generally doubly curved, but formed out through the reversible deformation of a regular an initially flat structural grid. Building curved shapes that way seems to offer the best of both worlds : shell structures are amongst the most performant mechanically speaking while planar and orthogonal constructions are much more efficient and economic to produce than curved ones. This ability to “form a form” efficiently is of peculiar importance in the current context where morphology is a predominant component of modern architecture, and envelopes appear to be the neuralgic point for building performances. The concept was invented by Frei Otto, a German architect and structural engineer who devoted many years of research to gridshells. In 1975 he designed the Multihalle of Mannheim, a 7500 m2 wooden shell which demonstrated the feasibility of this technology and made it famous to a wide audience. However, despite their potential, very few projects of this kind were built after this major realization. And for good reason, the ressources committed at that time cannot guarantee the replicability of this experiment for more standard projects, especially on the economic level. Moreover, the technics and methods developed by Otto’s team in the 1960s have mostly fall into disuse or are based on disciplines that have considerably evolved. New materials, such as composite materials, have recently emerged. They go beyond the limitations of conventional materials such as timber and offer at all levels much better technical performances for this kind of application. Finally, it should be noted that the regulatory framework has also deeply changed, bringing a certain rigidity to the penetration of innovations in the building industry. Therefore, the design of gridshells arises in new terms for current architects and engineers and comes up against the inadequacy of existing tools and methods. In this thesis, which marks an important step in a personal research adventure initiated in 2010, we try to embrace the issue of the design of elastic gridshells in all its complexity, addressing both theoretical, technical and constructive aspects. In a first part, we deliver a thorough review of this topic and we present in detail one of our main achievements, the ephemeral cathedral of Créteil, built in 2013 and still in service. In a second part, we develop an original discrete beam element with a minimal number of degrees of freedom adapted to the modeling of bending and torsion inside gridshell members with anisotropic cross-section. Enriched with a ghost node, it allows to model more accurately physical phenomena that occur at connections or at supports. Its numerical implementation is presented and validated through several test cases. Although this element has been developed specifically for the study of elastic gridshells, it can advantageously be used in any type of problem where the need for an interactive computation with elastic rods taking into account flexion-torsion couplings is required

Detta examensarbete inom integrerad produktutveckling utfördes vid Högskolan i Skövde i samarbete med Ericsindustrier i Töreboda. Rapporten beskriver metodiken samt processen som utförts i projektet för att uppnå samtliga målsättningar. Syftet bestämdes till en omkonstruktion av en justerskruv placerad i en expanderbar duschstång. Denna duschstång anses vara en viktig del av Ericsindustriers produktsortiment. Grunden till behovet av en omkonstruktion ansågs vara antalet komponenter samt komponenternas montering. Detta krävde att komponentantalet minimerades genom DFx-principer där samma material eftersträvades genom produkten. Försämrad kvalité och hållfasthet definierades som kritiska områden då Ericsindustrier önskade att upprätthålla likvärdig kundnöjdhet samt att produkten skulle hålla för minst 200 N efter omkonstruktionen. Projektets struktur följde en femstegsmodell där designprocessen inleddes med en förstudie. Fokus låg på informationsinsamling, observationer samt kartläggning av nuläget. Genereringsfasen genomsyrades av metodik för att utforska lösningsrymden. Detta innefattade bland annat brainstorming, morfologisk matris samt skissning. I projektet har prototyper haft en stor inverkan då de har fungerat både som generering samt utvärdering av lösningar. De har även agerat som kommunikation till företag samt användare genom hela processen. Iterationer har präglat hela processen för att uppnå en produktutveckling. För att upprätthålla en användarcentrerad design innefattade projektet flertalet användartester. Fötterna till duschstången samt de två rören som bildar själva duschstången identifierades till separata problem. Dessa problem har diskuterats med företaget. Konceptval utfördes efter önskemål från företaget, tester, DFxprinciper samt diskussioner tills det mynnade ut i ett slutgiltigt koncept. Detta koncept uppfyllde de utsatta kraven samt behoven. Konceptet ansågs vara en prisvärd, högkvalitativ samt miljövänlig produkt. / This bachelor degree project in integrated product development was carried out at the University of Skövde in collaboration with Ericsindustrier in Töreboda. The report describes the methodology and the process that has been carried out in the project to achieve all the stated objectives. The scope was determined to be a redesign of an adjusting screw placed in an expandable shower rod. The shower rod is considered an important part of Ericsindustrier's product range. The reason for the need of a reconstruction was the number of components and the components assembly. The component number was required to be minimized by using DFx principles where the same material was sought throughout the product. Decreased quality and lower durability were defined as critical areas since Ericsindustrier wanted to maintain customer satisfaction and the product must hold for at least 200 N after the redesign. A five-stage model formed the basis of the project structure where the design process began with a preliminary study. The focus was on information gathering, observations and mapping of the current situation. The generation phase was imbued with methodology to explore solution space. This included, among other things, brainstorming, morphological matrix and sketching. In the project, prototypes had a great impact as they functioned as both generation and evaluation of solutions. They have also acted as communication with companies and users throughout the process. Iterations have characterized the whole process to achieve a product development. In order to maintain a user-centred design, the project included several user tests. The feet of the shower rod and the two pipes that form the shower rod itself were identified as separate problems. These issues have been discussed with the company. Concept selection was carried out according to the wishes of the company, tests, DFx principles and discussions until it ended in a final concept. This concept met the required requirements and needs. Therefore, it was an affordable, high quality and environmentally friendly product.

<p>Taksonomija&nbsp; i&nbsp; sistematika&nbsp; su&nbsp; okosnica&nbsp; nauke&nbsp; o biodiverzitetu,&nbsp; obzirom&nbsp; da&nbsp; su&nbsp; osnova&nbsp; za identifikaciju&nbsp; i&nbsp; razdvajanje&nbsp; jedinstvenih filogenetskih&nbsp; entiteta&nbsp; (vrsta),&nbsp; ali&nbsp; i&nbsp; vi&scaron;ih taksonomskih&nbsp; kategorija.&nbsp; Rod&nbsp;<em> Merodon&nbsp;</em> Meigen,1803&nbsp; pripada&nbsp; familiji&nbsp; Syrphidae,&nbsp; podfamiliji Eristalinae,&nbsp; tribusu&nbsp; Merodontini.&nbsp; Vodeći&nbsp; je&nbsp; rod osolikih muva po bogatstvu vrstama u Evropi (124 vrsta).&nbsp; Sirfide&nbsp; predstavljaju&nbsp; veoma&nbsp; važnu&nbsp; grupu<br />organizama&nbsp; i&nbsp; njihov&nbsp; značaj&nbsp; u&nbsp; prirodi&nbsp; je&nbsp; vi&scaron;estruk (polinacija,&nbsp; regulatori&nbsp; brojnosti&nbsp; &scaron;tetnih&nbsp; insekata bioindikatori&nbsp; stani&scaron;ta,&nbsp; razlagači&nbsp; materija&nbsp; u raspadanju&nbsp; itd).&nbsp; Iako&nbsp; su&nbsp; se&nbsp; istraživanjima&nbsp; roda Merodon&nbsp; bavili&nbsp; brojni&nbsp; autori,&nbsp; dosada&scaron;nje filogenetske&nbsp; analize&nbsp; nisu&nbsp; u&nbsp; potpunosti&nbsp; rasvetlile njegovu sistematsku poziciju, kao i položaj taksona na&nbsp; filogenetskom&nbsp; stablu.&nbsp; U&nbsp; cilju&nbsp; &scaron;to&nbsp; boljeg razumevanja sistematike i filogenije roda&nbsp; <em>Merodon</em>, neophodno&nbsp; je&nbsp; analizirati&nbsp; genske&nbsp; regione&nbsp; koji evoluiraju različitim mutacionim stopama, kao i &scaron;to veći&nbsp; broj&nbsp; filogenetski&nbsp; informativnih&nbsp; morfolo&scaron;kih karaktera. U&nbsp; ovom&nbsp; radu&nbsp; su&nbsp; u&nbsp; cilju&nbsp; istraživanja sistematike&nbsp; roda&nbsp; <em>Merodon&nbsp; </em>analizirani&nbsp; molekularni (mtDNK, 18S rRNK, 28S rRNK) i 250 morfolo&scaron;kih<br />karaktera&nbsp; (pomoću&nbsp; binokularne&nbsp; lupe&nbsp; i&nbsp; Skening elektronskog&nbsp; mikroskopa),&nbsp; pojedinačno&nbsp; i kombinovano&nbsp; a&nbsp; upotrebom&nbsp; metoda&nbsp; za&nbsp; filogenetsku analizu-&nbsp; <em>maximum&nbsp; parsimony</em>&nbsp; (MP)&nbsp; i&nbsp;<em> maximumlikelihood (</em>ML). Analizirano je ukupno 329 jedinki. Pokazalo&nbsp; se&nbsp; da&nbsp; je&nbsp; u&nbsp; ovakvom&nbsp; tipu&nbsp; istraživanja neophodan&nbsp; integrativni&nbsp; pristup,&nbsp; odnosno kombinacija&nbsp; &scaron;to&nbsp; vi&scaron;e&nbsp; karaktera&nbsp; poreklom&nbsp; iz različitih&nbsp; izvora.&nbsp; Na&nbsp; osnovu&nbsp; ML&nbsp; stabla&nbsp; svih&nbsp; gena tribus&nbsp; Merodontini&nbsp; je&nbsp; monofiletski&nbsp; gde&nbsp; se&nbsp; vrsta<br /><em>Nausigaster&nbsp; meridionalis</em>&nbsp; pojavljuje&nbsp; kao&nbsp; sestrinska ostalim rodovima tribusa (<em>Azpeytia, Platynochaetus, Megatrigon,&nbsp; Eumerus&nbsp;&nbsp; tricolor&nbsp;</em> kladi&nbsp; i&nbsp; ostalim vrstama&nbsp; roda&nbsp;<em> Eumerus</em>).&nbsp; Rod&nbsp; <em>Eumerus&nbsp;</em> je parafiletski&nbsp; i&nbsp; sastoji&nbsp; se&nbsp; iz&nbsp; dve&nbsp; monofiletske&nbsp; linije: <em>Eumerus&nbsp; tricolor&nbsp;</em> klade&nbsp; (potencijalnog&nbsp; roda)&nbsp; i ostalih&nbsp; vrsta&nbsp; roda&nbsp; Eumerus.&nbsp; Rod&nbsp; Merodon&nbsp; je monofiletski&nbsp; prema&nbsp; analizama&nbsp; kombinovane matrice&nbsp;&nbsp; molekularnih&nbsp; i&nbsp; morfolo&scaron;kih&nbsp; podataka,&nbsp; 5&#39; kraja&nbsp; mtDNK&nbsp; COI&nbsp; i&nbsp; analize&nbsp; matrice&nbsp; morfolo&scaron;kih karaktera.&nbsp; U&nbsp; okviru&nbsp; roda&nbsp; <em>Merodon</em>&nbsp; detektovano&nbsp; je ukupno&nbsp; pet&nbsp; klada&nbsp; (<em>aureus,&nbsp; albifrons,&nbsp; desuturinus, natans&nbsp; i&nbsp; avidus</em>),&nbsp; odnosno&nbsp; četiri&nbsp; glavne&nbsp; evolutivne linije,&nbsp; potencijalna&nbsp; podroda:&nbsp; aureus,&nbsp; albifrons&nbsp; + desuturinus,&nbsp; natans&nbsp; i&nbsp; avidus.&nbsp; Mitohondrijalni&nbsp; geni pokazali su se veoma informativnim u sagledavanju<br />filogenetskih odnosa i izdvajanja većine klada, kao i grupa&nbsp; vrsta,&nbsp; &scaron;to&nbsp; ukazuje&nbsp; na&nbsp; veću&nbsp; varijabilnost sekvenci&nbsp; COI&nbsp; gena&nbsp; u&nbsp; odnosu&nbsp; na&nbsp; nuklearne&nbsp; gene. Nuklearni&nbsp; geni&nbsp; samostalno&nbsp; nisu&nbsp; doprineli rasvetljavanju&nbsp; filogenetskih&nbsp; odnosa&nbsp; između&nbsp; klada<br />(28S&nbsp; rRNK&nbsp; izdvaja&nbsp; samo&nbsp; natans&nbsp; kladu)&nbsp; u&nbsp; okviru roda&nbsp;<em> Merodon</em>,&nbsp; ali&nbsp; su&nbsp; izdvojili&nbsp; tribus<em>&nbsp; Merodontini,</em>kao&nbsp; i&nbsp;<em> Eumerus&nbsp; tricolor&nbsp; </em>liniju.&nbsp; Nuklearni&nbsp; geni&nbsp; su izdvojili&nbsp; i&nbsp; pojedine&nbsp; grupe&nbsp; vrsta&nbsp; u&nbsp; okviru&nbsp; roda <em>Merodon</em>,&nbsp; &scaron;to&nbsp; govori&nbsp; u&nbsp; prilog&nbsp; tome&nbsp; da&nbsp; nuklearni geni mogu biti informativni kako na vi&scaron;im, tako i na nižim&nbsp; taksonomskim&nbsp; nivoima.&nbsp; Mala&nbsp; varijabilnost nuklearnog&nbsp; gena&nbsp; u&nbsp; okviru&nbsp; roda&nbsp; Merodon,&nbsp; naročito<br />slučaju&nbsp; 18S&nbsp; rRNK,&nbsp; govori&nbsp; o&nbsp; njegovoj konzervativnosti.&nbsp; Utvrđeno&nbsp; je&nbsp; da&nbsp; morfolo&scaron;ki<br />karakteri genitalija mužjaka nose važan filogenetski signal&nbsp; za&nbsp; izdvajanje&nbsp; klada&nbsp; i&nbsp; grupa&nbsp; vrsta&nbsp; te&nbsp; upravo kombinacija&nbsp; različitih&nbsp; morfolo&scaron;kih&nbsp; struktura&nbsp; i njihova uloga sa različitim stepenom selekcije koja deluje&nbsp; na&nbsp; njih,&nbsp; uslovljava&nbsp; i&nbsp; njihovu&nbsp; evolucionu diverzifikaciju.&nbsp; Ipak,&nbsp; analize&nbsp; molekularnog&nbsp; i morfolo&scaron;kog&nbsp; seta&nbsp; karaktera&nbsp; pojedinačno&nbsp; nisu&nbsp; u potpunosti&nbsp; rasvetlili&nbsp; filogenetske&nbsp; odnose&nbsp; u&nbsp; okviru<br />roda&nbsp;<em> Merodon</em>,&nbsp; &scaron;to&nbsp; opravdava&nbsp; potrebu&nbsp; za kombinovanom analizom.&nbsp;</p> / <p>Taxonomy&nbsp; and&nbsp; systematics&nbsp; provide&nbsp; the&nbsp; framework&nbsp; for&nbsp; biodiversity&nbsp; research, since&nbsp; they represent a foundation for identification&nbsp; and&nbsp; delimitation&nbsp; of&nbsp; phylogenetic&nbsp; units&nbsp; (species), as well as higher taxonomic ranks. Genus<em>&nbsp; Merodon&nbsp; </em>Meigen,&nbsp; 1803&nbsp; belongs&nbsp; to family&nbsp; Syrphidae,&nbsp; subfamily&nbsp; Eristalinae, tribus&nbsp; Merodontini.&nbsp; Hoverflies&nbsp; play&nbsp; crucial&nbsp; ecological&nbsp; roles&nbsp; (pollination,&nbsp; decomposition&nbsp; and&nbsp; recycling&nbsp; of&nbsp; a&nbsp; vast&nbsp; range&nbsp; of&nbsp; materials, bioindicators&nbsp; etc).&nbsp; Despite&nbsp; the&nbsp; fact&nbsp; that genus<em>&nbsp; Merodon</em>&nbsp; is&nbsp; the&nbsp; species&nbsp; richest hoverfly&nbsp; genus&nbsp; in&nbsp; Europe&nbsp; (124&nbsp; described&nbsp; species so far), only few authors have dealt with&nbsp; its&nbsp; systematics&nbsp; and&nbsp; phylogenetic&nbsp; relationships&nbsp; of&nbsp; this&nbsp; large&nbsp; phytophagous genus. In order to understand the systematics and&nbsp; phylogeny&nbsp; of&nbsp; genus&nbsp; Merodon,&nbsp; it&nbsp; is&nbsp; necessary to analyze comprehensive number of&nbsp; gene&nbsp; regions&nbsp; known&nbsp; to&nbsp; evolve&nbsp; with various&nbsp; mutational&nbsp; rates,&nbsp; and&nbsp; as&nbsp; many&nbsp; feasible,&nbsp; phylogenetically&nbsp; important&nbsp; morphological&nbsp; characters.&nbsp; In&nbsp; this&nbsp; thesis, molecular (mtDNA, 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA)and&nbsp; 250&nbsp; morphological&nbsp; characters&nbsp; (with&nbsp; the aid&nbsp; of&nbsp; binocular&nbsp; and&nbsp; scanning&nbsp; electron microscope)&nbsp; were&nbsp; analyzed,&nbsp; separately&nbsp; and combined,&nbsp; with&nbsp; phylogenetic&nbsp; methods <em>maximum&nbsp; parsimony&nbsp; </em>(MP)&nbsp; and&nbsp; <em>maximum likelihood</em>&nbsp; (ML).&nbsp; In&nbsp; total&nbsp; 329&nbsp; specimens were&nbsp; analyzed.&nbsp; It&nbsp; has&nbsp; been&nbsp; proven&nbsp; that&nbsp; in these types of research integrative approach is crucial, as it considers a large&nbsp; amount of data from various sources. In ML analysis of all&nbsp; genes&nbsp; tribus&nbsp; Merodontini&nbsp; is monophyletic,&nbsp; with&nbsp; Nausigaster meridionalis&nbsp; grouping&nbsp; as&nbsp; a&nbsp; sister&nbsp; to&nbsp; the remaining&nbsp; Merodontini&nbsp; (<em>Azpeytia, Platynochaetus,&nbsp; Megatrigon,&nbsp; Eumerus&nbsp; </em>and <em>Eumerus&nbsp; tricolor&nbsp;</em> lineage). Genus&nbsp;<em> Eumerus </em>is&nbsp; paraphyletic,&nbsp; and&nbsp; within&nbsp; this&nbsp; genus&nbsp; two main&nbsp; monophyletic&nbsp; lineages&nbsp; can&nbsp; be identified:&nbsp;<em> Eumerus&nbsp; tricolor&nbsp; </em>clade&nbsp; (putative genera)&nbsp; and&nbsp; the&nbsp; remaining&nbsp; taxa&nbsp; of&nbsp; genus Eumerus.&nbsp; Genus&nbsp; <em>Merodon</em>&nbsp; monophyly&nbsp; is confirmed,&nbsp; based&nbsp; on&nbsp; all&nbsp; data&nbsp; analysis&nbsp; 5&#39; mtDNA&nbsp; COI&nbsp; and&nbsp; morphological&nbsp; dataset. Within&nbsp; genus&nbsp; <em>Merodon</em>&nbsp; five&nbsp; monophyletic clades&nbsp; can&nbsp; be&nbsp; identified&nbsp; (<em>aureus,&nbsp; albifrons, desuturinus,&nbsp; natans&nbsp; and&nbsp; avidus</em>),&nbsp; or&nbsp; four evolutionary&nbsp; lineages,&nbsp; putative&nbsp; subgenera: aureus,&nbsp; albifrons&nbsp; +&nbsp; desuturinus,&nbsp; natans&nbsp; and avidus.&nbsp; Mitochondrial DNA is proved to be very&nbsp; informative&nbsp; in&nbsp; resolving&nbsp; systematic position&nbsp; of&nbsp; clades,&nbsp; species&nbsp; groups&nbsp; and&nbsp; taxa, which confirms the higher variability of COI mtDNA&nbsp; sequences&nbsp; compared&nbsp; to&nbsp; nuclear genes. Nuclear genes alone didn&#39;t resolve the systematic&nbsp; position&nbsp; and&nbsp; phylogenetic relationships&nbsp; between&nbsp; most&nbsp; clades&nbsp; (28S rRNA&nbsp; identified&nbsp; only&nbsp; natans&nbsp; clade)&nbsp; within genus&nbsp; <em>Merodon,</em>&nbsp; but&nbsp; these&nbsp; genes&nbsp; confirmed the&nbsp; monophyly&nbsp; of&nbsp; tribus&nbsp; Merodontini&nbsp; and putative&nbsp; genera&nbsp; <em>Eumerus&nbsp; tricolo</em>r.&nbsp; Nuclear genes&nbsp; were&nbsp; also&nbsp; informative&nbsp; for&nbsp; some species&nbsp; groups,&nbsp; which&nbsp; implies&nbsp; that&nbsp; nuclear genes&nbsp; could&nbsp; be&nbsp; beneficial&nbsp; in&nbsp;&nbsp; resolving systematic position of both lower and higher taxonomic ranks. Low&nbsp; variability of nuclear genes within genus <em>Merodon</em>, especially 18SrRNA,&nbsp; proves&nbsp; the&nbsp; fact&nbsp; that&nbsp; they&nbsp; are&nbsp; conservative&nbsp; genes.&nbsp; Morphological&nbsp; characters&nbsp; of&nbsp; male&nbsp; genitalia&nbsp; carry&nbsp; the strongest&nbsp; phylogenetic&nbsp; signal,&nbsp; since&nbsp; they show a great evolutionary divergence in the shape&nbsp; and&nbsp; structural&nbsp; complexity,&nbsp; as&nbsp; a&nbsp; result of&nbsp; sexual&nbsp; selection.&nbsp; As&nbsp; molecular&nbsp; nor morphological&nbsp; characters&nbsp; alone&nbsp; couldn&#39;t fully&nbsp; resolve&nbsp; the&nbsp; phylogenetic&nbsp; relationships&nbsp; within genus&nbsp; <em>Merodon</em>,&nbsp; all data&nbsp; approach is proven&nbsp; to&nbsp; be&nbsp; necessary&nbsp; in&nbsp; this&nbsp; type&nbsp; of&nbsp; research.<br />&nbsp;</p>

Ce mémoire présente une analyse de la réponse tribologique d’un contact cylindre/plan soumis à des sollicitations de fretting sous chargement complexe, à savoir une sollicitation normale de force sinusoïdale et une sollicitation tangentielle de déplacement sinusoïdal, toutes deux possiblement sujettes à des fluctuations d'amplitude, de fréquence et de déphasage entre sollicitations. On s'intéresse plus particulièrement à l’usure des guides de grappe en 304L par les crayons en 316L nitrurés, induite par les vibrations de l’écoulement du fluide primaire dans les réacteurs nucléaires.L’étude expérimentale menée dans un environnement non représentatif mais très simple, à savoir un milieu sec et à l'ambiante, montre une usure non négligeable des deux contre-corps ce qui révèle les propriétés fragiles du tube nitruré dans cet environnement. Une très forte dépendance des faciès d’usure avec l’amplitude de glissement est notée. Seule la cinétique d’usure du tube nitruré est influencée par l'évolution de la charge normale. Aussi, une description analytique de l’énergie de frottement est développée, en prenant compte de l’ensemble des paramètres de chargement.En solution aqueuse lithium-bore, choix de milieu un peu plus représentatif mais en restant néanmoins à l'ambiante, seul le plan en acier 304L s’use, le cylindre en acier 316L nitruré n’étant pas sujet à de l'usure détectable. Un couplage avec des phénomènes corrosifs est proposé. En fretting simple, le confinement du contact augmente localement la valeur du pH et l’analyse de l’influence de la fréquence de fretting suggère que seule la couche passive est usée entre chaque glissement. Sous chargement complexe, la fluctuation de la charge normale permet une meilleure accessibilité de la solution dans l’interface frottée, augmentant localement les effets tribocorrosifs. Une loi d’usure multiplicative prenant en compte les différents effets de fluctuation des sollicitations est introduite et sa stabilité est vérifiée.Un modèle de calculs par éléments finis permet de simuler les profils d’usure en fretting simple et aussi en présence de force normale variable. En fretting simple, les résultats de simulation d'essais où seul le plan 304L s'use sont satisfaisants. En revanche, la non-superposition des profils expérimentaux et numériques lorsque la force normale fluctue confirme la présence de phénomènes physiques dans l'interface non encore représentés dans l'outil numérique. / This PhD thesis presents an analysis of the fretting wear of a cylinder/plane contact subject to complex loading conditions, namely a normal sinusoidal force solicitation and a tangential sinusoidal displacement, both possibly subject to fluctuations in amplitude, frequency and phase shift between signals. The purpose of this work is to study the wear of 304L cluster guides by nitrided 316L rods due to flow-induced vibrations of primary fluid in nuclear reactors.Firstly, the experimental study conducted in a dry and ambient temperature - a non-representative but very simple environment - shows significant wear of both counter-bodies, which reveals the fragile properties of the nitrided tube in this environment. A very strong dependence of the fretting scar morphology with the sliding amplitude is noted. Only the wear kinetics of the nitrided tube is influenced by the evolution of the normal load. Also, an analytical description of friction energy is developed, taking into account all loading parameters.In a second hand, in aqueous lithium-boron solution, a slightly more representative choice of medium but still remaining in the ambient, only the 304L steel plane wears out, the 316L nitrided steel cylinder is not subject to detectable wear. A coupling with corrosive phenomena is proposed. In simple fretting, contact confinement locally increases the pH value. Moreover, the analysis of the influence of the fretting frequency suggests that only the passive layer is worn between each slip. Under complex loading, the fluctuation of the normal load allows a better accessibility of the solution in the rubbed interface, increasing locally the tribocorrosive effects. A multiplicative wear law taking into account the various effects of normal force fluctuation is introduced and its stability is checked.Finally a finite element calculation model is used to simulate wear profiles in simple fretting and also in the presence of variable normal force. Only cases where the plan wears out (lithium-boron environment) have been simulated. In simple fretting, test simulation results are satisfactory. On the other hand, the non-superposition of the experimental and numerical profiles when the normal force fluctuates, confirms the presence of physical phenomena in the interface which are not yet represented in the numerical tool.

Chromosomal replication is a source of spontaneous DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). In E. coli, DSBs are repaired by homologous recombination using an undamaged sister template. During repair, the RecA protein polymerizes on single-stranded DNA generated at the site of the DSB and catalyses the search for sequence homologies on the undamaged sister template. This study utilized fluorescence microscopy to investigate the spatial and temporal dynamics of the RecA protein at the site of a replication-dependent DSB generated at the lacZ locus of the E. coli chromosome. The DSB was generated by SbcCD-mediated cleavage of a hairpin DNA structure formed on the lagging strand template of the replication fork by a long palindromic sequence. The tandem insertion of a recA-mCherry gene with the endogenous recA gene at the natural chromosomal locus produced no detectable effect on cell viability in the presence of DSB formation. During repair, the fluorescently-labelled RecA protein formed a transient focus, which was inferred to be the RecA nucleoprotein filament at the site of the replication-dependent DSB. The duration of the RecA focus at the site of the DSB was modestly reduced in a ΔdinI mutant and modestly increased in a ΔuvrD or ΔrecX mutant. Most cells underwent a period of extended cohesion of the sister lacZ loci after disappearance of the RecA focus. Segregation of the sister lacZ loci was followed by cell division, with each daughter cell obtaining a copy of the fluorescently-labelled lacZ locus. The RecA focus at the site of the DSB was observed predominantly between the mid-cell and the 1⁄4 position. In the absence of DSB formation, the lacZ locus exhibited dynamic movement between the mid-cell and the 1⁄4 position until the onset of segregation. Formation of the DSB and initiation of repair occurred at the spatial localization for replication of the lacZ locus while the downstream repair events occurred very close to the mid-cell. Genomic analysis of RecA-DNA interactions by ChIP-seq was used to demonstrate that the RecA focus at the lacZ locus was generated by the repair of the palindrome-induced DSB and not the repair of one-ended DSBs emanating from stalled replication forks at the repressor-bound operator arrays. This study has shown that the repair of a replication-dependent DSB occurs exclusively during the period of cohesion of the sister loci and the repair is efficiently completed prior to segregation of the two sister loci.

Este trabalho visa analisar a influência das taxas de resfriamento e temperatura no último passe de laminação a quente de fio máquina de um aço DIN 41Cr4 sobre a microestrutura obtida após a laminação e a sua correlação com aquela resultante do tratamento térmico de esferoidização. Foi avaliado a influência da microestrutura prévia de laminação nos tempos e taxa de resfriamento do tratamento térmico necessários para garantir adequada microestrutura do aço DIN 41Cr4. Foram aplicados conceitos de laminação termomecânica através da variação dos parâmetros: temperatura no último passe de laminação (acabador) e após o último passe de laminação (formador de espiras); velocidade das esteiras do “cooling conveyor” e consequente tempo de permanência das espiras sobre a região de ventiladores e alguns parâmetros no ciclo de tratamento térmico: tempo em patamar e taxa de resfriamento durante a produção de fio máquina redondo de bitolas entre 15,88mm e 16,15mm. A avaliação da resposta às variações impostas ao processo foi realizada através de análises metalográficas de microestrutura no material laminado e no material esferoidizado (grau de esferoidização), descarbonetação e de ensaios de propriedades mecânicas como dureza e tração. A partir dos resultados buscou-se determinar a influência dos parâmetros de laminação na microestrutura do material laminado e a influência desta na resposta ao tratamento térmico de esferoidização. Foram analisadas oito diferentes condições e os resultados mostraram que maiores taxas de resfriamento resultam em microestruturas mais refinadas proporcionando uma simplificação no tratamento térmico, atendendo as propriedades desejáveis no produto final (fio máquina redondo esferoidizado). / This work aims to analyze the influence of the cooling rate, the temperature of the finishing pass and at the coil-forming during hot rolling of DIN 41Cr4 steel wire rod on the microstructure and its influence on plateau times and cooling rate during the spheroidizing heat treatment. For this study thermomechanical rolling concepts were applied through the variation of some hot rolling parameters such as: temperature at the finishing pass and at the coils-former, the cooling conveyor belts velocity and some parameters in the heat treatment cycle: soak temperature and cooling rate during the production of round wire rod with 15,88 mm and 16,15 mm diameter. The evaluation response to changes imposed on the process was evaluated by metallographic analysis of microstructure in hot rolled and spheroidized material (spheroidizing degree), hardness, decarburization and tensile test. Eight rolling conditions and cooling rates were analyzed and results showed that higher cooling rates result in finer microstructures allowing a reduction in heat treatment time to achieve the desirable properties in the final product (spheroidized round wire rod).

Les réacteurs de 4ème génération ont pour objectif l’avènement d’un nucléaire durable susceptible de soutenir la transition énergétique. Anticipant un possible retard, dû à des difficultés techniques et économiques, des solutions innovantes inspirées des technologies actuelles (REP) sont à l’étude. Ces réacteurs à haute conversion nécessitent le développement d’outils académiques simples et robustes adaptés aux phases de la conception et capables :- D’évaluer les performances du combustible (burnup). Cet aspect est géré par l’environnement C++ SMURE (Serpent/MCNP Utility for Reactor Evolution), ici adapté et complété pour modéliser l’évolution du combustible à l’échelle de l’assemblage comme à l’échelle du cœur.- D’évaluer les performances de sûreté, ce qui nécessite le couplage entre la neutronique, ici approximée par la théorie de la diffusion et résolue par la NDM (Nodal Drift Method), et la thermohydraulique dont le traitement est simplifié dans le code BATH (Basic Approach to ThermalHydraulics). Le couplage NDM/BATH a fait l’objet d’une validation sur un benchmark d’éjection de grappe.Nos outils et méthodes de conception sont appliqués au dimensionnement de SMR sous-modérés à eau légère fonctionnant soit au Th/U soit au Th/Pu. Outre les critères usuels de conception (i.e. facteur de forme), il s’est avéré nécessaire, pour la crédibilité du concept, de spécifier la gestion de la réactivité, ce qui a mené au développement d’une méthodologie d’optimisation des poisons consommables. L’analyse de sûreté a permis de poser de nouveaux critères de conception, notamment sur le niveau maximal de sous-modération permettant d’éviter la crise d’ébullition nucléée. Cela a également mis en lumière les implications sur la sûreté de certains choix de conception comme le fonctionnement avec un inventaire réduit en bore soluble. / The Generation IV of nuclear reactors aims at making the nuclear energy a sustainable power source, able to contribute efficiently to the energetic transition. To anticipate the delay of this Gen. IV, innovative retro-fitted nuclear reactors with high level of conversion are studied. The conception of such reactors needs the development of a flexible and robust academical tool box in order to:- Evaluate fuel performance. This is done by means of SMURE (Serpent/MCNP Utility for Reactor Evolution), the dedicated CNRS C++ framework, which is adapted to perform burnup calculation both at assembly scale and at core scale.- Evaluate safety performance. This implies coupled transient simulation between neutronics and thermohydraulics. Neutronics is handled by the Nodal Drift Method (NDM) which solves the diffusion equations while thermohydraulics is simplified and computed by the code Basic Approach to ThermalHydraulics (BATH). This coupling between NDM/BATH has been validated on a Rod Ejection Accident (REA) benchmark.Ours tools and methods are applied on the design of sub-moderated water-cooled SMR cores using either Th/U or Th/Pu fuel. In addition to basic conception criteria such as the form factor, the reactivity management has been investigated in details, which has led to the development of a new methodology for optimal used of burnable poisons. The safety analysis against REA highlights new conceptions limits, in particular on the maximal sub-moderating ratio in order to avoid nucleate boiling. It also reveals the consequences on the reactor safety of some design choices such as low soluble boron inventory.