URhGe is the first ferromagnet discovered that shows superconductivity at ambient pressure. It shows a rich temperature-magnetic field phase diagram with a re-emergence of superconductivity at high magnetic field where the moments rotate. This suggests that the quantum fluctuations associated with the moment rotation may provide the pairing interaction for superconductivity. The objective of this thesis was to study these critical fluctuations with inelastic neutron scattering and heat capacity measurements, using the latter to test the bulk nature of the superconductivity and determine the types of gap nodes to help test this hypothesis. To perform the heat capacity measurements, it was necessary to develop an apparatus that measures milligram samples in the temperature range 50-1000 mK, and magnetic field range 0-12 T. The field exerts a mechanical force upon the sample, which causes it to rotate, perturbing the system destructively. The apparatus developed in this thesis overcomes this diffculty by holding the sample with tensioned kevlar wires. Testing was done by making measurements on UPt3, a well characterised superconductor. It was then used to measure URhGe in zero magnetic field. The extension to measurements in high magnetic field were not performed however, due to the structural integrity of the apparatus being weak - this was in an attempt to reduce the thermodynamic signature of the background. After many iterations of apparatus design and build, the device was proved not appropriate for high fields. A discussion of the zero-field data, as well as the design and build process, is given. The Curie temperature of URhGe is suppressed with magnetic field (applied along the b-axis), reaching zero temperature at the moment rotation transition referred to above. Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) was measured at both zero and finite fields to detect the evolution and relaxation of the critical fluctuations. The scattering is inelastic and the SANS measurement integrates over energy. Nevertheless it was possible to compare models with different dynamical dependences for the magnetic relaxation. In field, however, the magnitude of the fluctuations was strongly reduced, falling below the detection limit at half the critical field. Comparing Landau damping to various forms of non-Landau damping, a result was found that agrees with that for the ferromagnetic superconductors UGe2 and UCoGe, but the lack of critical scattering at field is found to be in contradiction with NMR measurements, which is discussed. UAu2 is a new material on the heavy fermion landscape. The crystal structure found suggests some frustrated magnetism, culminating in a Neél temperature of 43 K and a further transition at 400 mK; this suggests some new quantum criticality not seen before, and so heat capacity measurements were performed with the already-tested apparatus to see if, as the resistivity measurements suggest, a Fermi-liquid state is found. Results revealed differences between annealed and non-annealed samples in their thermodynamic signature, and the behaviour expected for antiferromagnetic spin-fluctuations is found to continue to temperatures below 150 mK, suggesting the existence of a quantum critical point. The validity of these results along with implications are discussed.

As estruturas metálicas espaciais de cobertura apresentam aspectos diferenciados de projeto. Existem diversos arranjos geométricos possíveis para estas estruturas, cuja escolha está associada, entre outros fatores, às formas e dimensões do contorno, aos pontos de apoio e aos sistemas de conexões empregadas. Neste trabalho, foi analisado o projeto destas estruturas, abordando aspectos históricos, os sistemas de ligação, o comportamento estrutural, as particularidades de projeto, e realizando uma análise numérica de diferentes arranjos geométricos. Foram analisados 27 arranjos geométricos quadrados (66 m x 66 m) e 6 arranjos geométricos retangulares (186 m x 66 m), todos os vãos centrais de 60 m, e com variações na quantidade e posicionamento dos apoios, na disposição das barras do reticulado, na altura e nas dimensões dos módulos. Adotou-se o modelo de treliça ideal em análise elástica linear (teoria de primeira ordem). Com os resultados dos processamentos, realizou-se uma comparação entre os modelos, abrangendo os seguintes aspectos: quantidade de nós e barras, consumo de material, deslocamentos máximos, reações de apoio máximas e esforços internos máximos. O fator que causou maior influência no comportamento dos arranjos analisados foi a disposição dos apoios. / The roofing space steel structures have differentiated aspects of design. There are many types of arrangements to these structures, and the choice is associate, among other factors, with the shapes e dimensions of the boundary, with the points of support and with the connection systems employed. In this work was analysed the design of these structures, including the historical aspects, the connection systems, the structural behaviour, the particulars aspects of the design, and a numerical analysis of differents arrangements. Twenty seven square structures (66 m x 66 m) and six rectangular structures (186 m x 66 m) were analysed, all them with 60 m span, and variations in the amount and position of supports, in the member arrangement, in the depth and in the node spacing. These structures were analysed adopting the ideal truss model with elastic linear behaviour. With the results were made a comparison between the arrangements that reports these aspects: amount of nodes and members, material consumption, displacements, support reactions and internal forces. The factor that caused the biggest influence in the behaviour of the space structures analysed was the amount and position of supports.

Appuyée sur une enquête ethnographique d’orientation sociologique dans sept écoles primaires parisiennes socialement contrastées, cette thèse s’efforce d’expliquer la permanence du phénomène de reproduction sociale malgré les profondes transformations intervenues dans l’école primaire depuis les années 1960. L’école est en effet désormais « ouverte » à des activités diverses encadrées par des acteurs variés porteurs de logiques parfois divergentes. Pour soutenir l’analyse, la notion de « curriculum transparent » est introduite, qui désigne la façon dont cette école mosaïque attend des enfants qu’ils interprètent les prescriptions pour les transformer en activité. Il est alors possible de souligner la place centrale que deux opérations occupent. La première est la synthèse d’expériences hétérogènes qui permet aux enfants de tirer des enseignements de l’activité réalisée dans des contextes très différents. La seconde consiste en la traduction d’une logique en une autre et rend le dialogue entre ces différentes activités possible. Certains enfants parviennent ainsi à percevoir l’ancrage disciplinaire de projets thématiques ou les apprentissages que recèlent les activités ludiques, générant une solidarité qui donne sens à la division du travail scolaire. Mais d’autres cloisonnent les différentes logiques, tendent à privilégier en classe les tâches sur l’activité et ne semblent envisager aucun bénéfice scolaire des activités réalisées en dehors de la classe. Le portrait est alors esquissé d’une école qui, malgré la volonté officielle affichée, renonce à « affilier » une partie des enfants, entretenant le risque contemporain de délitement de la cohésion sociale. / This thesis is based on a sociological survey with an ethnological methodology carried out within a sample of seven Parisian primary schools socially diversified. It aims at explaining the persistence of a social reproduction scheme in spite of numerous changes that occurred in primary schools since the 50’s. School is indeed now « open » to heterogeneous activities taken in charge by various stakeholders sometimes led by different logics. The concept of “transparent curriculum” is brought up to sustain the analysis. It refers to the way this “mosaic school” expects children to convert the prescriptions into activities. At this point, two processes are at stake: first is the synthesis of heterogeneous experiences that allows children to take benefit of an activity performed within very different contexts. Other consists in translating one logic into another, thus enabling the comparison between these activities. On the one hand, some children manage to perceive the discipline’s roots of thematic projects or the hidden knowledge at work in recreational activities, thus generating a “solidarity” that makes sense in the school division of work. On the other hand, other children keep the different logics apart, tending to focus, in the classroom, on tasks rather than on activities and acting as if there were no scholar benefit to be taken from the activities outside the classroom. The thesis thus gives a picture of a school which, in spite of its official will, gives up with part of the children, keeping up the contemporary risk of a social cohesion breakdown.

This dissertation examines the factors influencing a state’s decision to adopt a local government investment pool (LGIP), the institutional arrangements used in managing them, and the effect of the institutional types on LGIP performance. The dissertation extends the policy adoption theory with insights from investment theory to demonstrate that management credibility influences the likelihood of a state’s LGIP adoption. The study finds that the quality of financial management, the quality of professional leadership, proximate state neighbors who have previously adopted an LGIP, and economic factors determine a state’s proclivity to policy adoption. The dissertation also describes the institutional arrangements used in managing LGIPs and develops typologies based on their institutional arrangements. The dissertation compares LGIPs depending on the risk aversion of their institutional arrangements. The research extends the risk-return tradeoff in investment theory to LGIP institutional arrangements. The empirical findings show that LGIP institutional arrangement that has greater risk report higher performance. The dissertation also finds that competition in the LGIP market due to multiple vendors, and periods of economic recession account for higher performance because of higher risk-taking behaviors associated with them. This dissertation promotes public funds investment laws that emphasize prudent management of government finances and guides managers of the public purse on the types of institutional choices that optimize returns with minimal risk.

Abuse of painkiller drugs and non-medical use of drugs among young adults continues to be a public health crisis in the United States. Living arrangements and source of treatment referral were considered as the social context that could contribute to increased admissions to treatment for drug abuse. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between, independent living arrangement, the principal source of referral, and abuse of opioid, heroin, and cocaine. Steered by the conceptual framework of the biopsychosocial model, this study used the data from the 2015 Treatment Episode Data Set: Admissions managed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to test the hypotheses regarding a predictive relationship between independent living arrangement, the principal source of treatment referral, and admissions to treatment for abuse of opioid, heroin, and cocaine. The results showed a significant association between the source of treatment referrals and independent living arrangement, and the increased odds of admissions for prescription opioids use disorder, heroin use disorder, and cocaine use disorder among adults aged 18-34 living in the United States. The implication for positive social change included a need for a targeted treatment and other intervention programs for young adults' users with associated higher-risk treatment referral categories and exposed to neighborhoods factors and health-risk behaviors in reducing the crisis of drug abuse in the United States.

En France, après 40 ans de Lois sur l'eau, si la qualité de l'eau potable distribuée aux usagers s'est globalement améliorée, grâce aux solutions curatives et palliatives, la qualité des eaux brutes servant à sa production n'a cessé de se dégrader. Dans le contexte règlementaire de la Directive Cadre Européenne (DCE) qui impose à l'horizon 2015 le bon état des eaux, la gestion de la ressource en eau destinée à l'alimentation humaine doit aujourd'hui intégrer des injonctions réglementaires (sanitaires, environnementales, gestionnaires), des impératifs structurels (sécurisation des approvisionnements), ainsi que des enjeux économiques (rationalisation des infrastructures, mutualisation des coûts), politiques (institutionnels, locaux) et sociaux (solidarité, prix de l'eau acceptable). Face à ces injonctions, deux logiques de gestion concurrentes se dégagent: une logique subsidiaire de bassin versant qui vise à positionner les Agences de l'eau comme plaques tournantes de la planification et du financement des politiques de l'eau, et une logique de consolidation du rôle des Départements. Ces logiques s'insèrent dans un processus de mise en interdépendance et en co-responsabilité croissantes de multiples acteurs (publics, privés) dans le pilotage des politiques de santé et d'environnement, de l'Europe au local. Nous faisons l'hypothèse que l'hétérogénéité – des injonctions, des enjeux et des modalités d'articulation des logiques de gestion – dessine une recomposition de la gouvernance de l'eau potable qu'il s'agit de décrire et d'analyser. Le dispositif de recherche sociologique s'appuie sur une lecture multi-niveaux (national, régional, départemental et local) de la gouvernance de la qualité de l'eau potable qui émerge depuis les années 2000 (DCE), et sur l'analyse de six configurations : les débats législatifs de la LEMA (2006), un processus de départementalisation de la gestion AEP, un processus de recomposition des services AEP en situation de crise sanitaire, et l'implémentation de trois dispositifs de préservation de l'eau potable (réglementaire, expérimental et intégré).

La tesi di dottorato su “La tutela dei soci e dei creditori nella fusione concordataria” si compone di tre capitoli. Nel primo, il lavoro muove dalla constatazione della (apparente) marginalità dell’istituto oggetto di indagine, rispetto al quale scarsa è stata finora l’attenzione dedicata dalla letteratura italiana ed alquanto esigua risulta la casistica giurisprudenziale. Viene, quindi, individuata nella carenza di coordinamento normativo tra la disciplina (ed i procedimenti) di diritto societario e diritto concorsuale la causa della trascurabile diffusione pratica dell’istituto e la conseguente necessità di un lavoro di ricostruzione interpretativa tutt’altro che agevole. La revisione critica dell’istituto muove – quindi ed inevitabilmente – dalla valutazione dell’ammissibilità di una fusione concordataria nell’ambito di concordati aventi finalità tanto conservative, quanto liquidative; e ciò considerando sia la possibile applicazione analogica dell’art. 2499 c.c., che in tema di trasformazione consente la realizzazione dell’operazione solo in quanto compatibile con le finalità e lo stato della procedura; sia la modalità in cui le altre (principali) esperienze giuridiche hanno affrontato le problematiche connesse alla fusione come strumento di soluzione concordata della crisi. Tale questione viene positivamente risolta, da un lato, sottolineando l’importanza sistematica e l’innegabile valore innovativo degli artt. 124 e 160 l. fall., per la parte in cui disciplinano la vasta gamma di soluzioni di cui il soggetto proponente dispone nella redazione dell’offerta concordataria: e ciò, in particolare, se si considera che le procedure di auto-regolamentazione della crisi o dell’insolvenza rappresentano soluzioni alternative al procedimento fallimentare e, quindi, derogatorie dello stesso; dall’altro lato, ponendo l’accento sulle soluzioni, tutte tendenzialmente positive, accolte dagli altri ordinamenti giuridici in ordine alla possibilità di contemplare un’operazione di fusione come modalità esecutiva di un piano di regolazione della crisi o dell’insolvenza. Il lavoro passa - nel secondo capitolo - ad individuare gli interessi coinvolti dall’operazione e ne trae spunto al fine della preventiva indicazione dei problemi posti dalla fusione concordataria. Si distinguono, al riguardo, due differenti serie di interessi: quello dei soci della società in procedura, e quello dei suoi creditori sociali. Quanto ai primi, il pregiudizio alla loro posizione è riconducibile alla risalente controversia sulla conservazione della qualità di socio, alla luce della inevitabile riduzione del valore (quantomeno) contabile del patrimonio dell’impresa in procedura. Viene innanzitutto valutata l’ipotesi in cui il valore contabile del capitale risulti azzerato, con la conseguente ammissibilità dell’operazione di fusione solo nel caso in cui il valore reale del patrimonio risulti più elevato di quello contabile e quindi idoneo a consentire la compenetrazione (non solo patrimoniale, ma anche) delle relative compagini sociali; quindi, viene esaminata la diversa circostanza in cui - sebbene il patrimonio dell’ente in concordato conservi un valore anche contabile positivo - alcuni soci si ritrovino a possedere, all’indomani della concentrazione e per effetto della determinazione di un determinato concambio, una partecipazione inferiore al minimo convertibile, venendo così di fatto “esclusi” dall’ente incorporante o risultante dall’operazione. In entrambe le vicende, viene poi affrontata (e risolta positivamente) l’ammissibilità di una decisione maggioritaria dei soci, pure da taluno revocata in dubbio in favore del principio unanimistico, là dove venga leso il diritto di ciascuno alla conservazione della status soci: e ciò, sia in considerazione della previsione legislativa che limita il conguaglio in denaro al dieci per cento delle partecipazioni assegnate, con ciò indirettamente escludendo la possibilità di conguagli totalmente compensativi della posizione di singoli soci, cui non venga riservata alcuna partecipazione nella società post-fusione; sia considerando che la congruità del concambio, la conformità alle regole previste a protezione dei diritti (informativi) dei soci e, in ogni caso, la presenza di contesti in cui sono esperibili i rimedi societari destinati (dal legislatore) assicurano il “ristoro” per eventuali pregiudizi sofferti dai titolari di quote minime di partecipazione al capitale. Quanto al rischio cui sono esposti i creditori della società in concordato, l’analisi viene condotta su due differenti “binari”: i creditori che concorrono all’approvazione del piano restano infatti esposti al rischio che la proposta in cui hanno riposto (con l’approvazione) speranza di soddisfazione subisca una battuta d’arresto a causa della mancata approvazione assembleare del progetto di fusione; i creditori contrari alla proposta di concordato corrono invece il rischio che le decisioni maggioritarie di approvazione della proposta possano (eventualmente) pregiudicare i propri interessi, privi (in assenza di classi) di qualsiasi rimedio endo-concorsuale ed esposti al mancato riconoscimento del rimedio oppositivo previsto – in ambito squisitamente societario – dall’art. 2503 c.c. Una volta individuati gli eventuali pregiudizi cui sono esposti i soci ed i creditori della società in concordato, vengono ricostruiti i rimedi tesi alla tutela delle rispettive posizioni; e proprio a tale profilo è dedicato il terzo capitolo, suddiviso in due sezioni. Nella prima, ci si sofferma sulla questione se la perdita della qualità di socio possa essere in qualche modo evitata o, ricorrendo determinate condizioni, se tale pregiudizio possa trovare adeguato ristoro: viene, quindi, dapprima accreditata la tesi – sostenuta dalla prevalente dottrina – secondo cui la sussistenza di un danno derivante dalla perdita della qualità di socio potrà ravvisarsi solo qualora, all’esito del vaglio giudiziale, venga riscontrata l’incongruità del rapporto di cambio prescelto ovvero, più in generale, un abuso del potere deliberativo della maggioranza. In questo contesto, due sono i principali strumenti predisposti dal legislatore a difesa della posizione dei soci di minoranza; il primo, di stampo “precauzionale”, relativo all’esercizio consapevole del diritto di voto da parte della maggioranza del capitale, e correlato alla disciplina degli adempimenti pubblicitari fissati dagli artt. 2501-ter, comma 3, c.c. e 2502-septies, comma 1, c.c.; il secondo, invece, tipicamente societario, attinente all’impugnativa della delibera (consiliare ovvero assembleare) di approvazione del progetto ex artt. 2373 e 2391 c.c. e, dopo l’iscrizione camerale dell’atto, all’azione di risarcimento ex art. 2504-quater, comma 2, c.c. Movendo dalla constatazione che il ventaglio di rimedi previsto dal diritto societario può apparire soluzione poco attenta alla posizione dei soci di minoranza anche qualora l’operazione di fusione sia del tutto estranea agli scopi concordatari – dal che i tentativi dottrinali di consentire al socio di minoranza l’esercizio dell’azione di risarcimento in forma specifica e per equivalente, da ingiustificato arricchimento ovvero da responsabilità da voto – viene valutata la possibilità che, allorquando la fusione rappresenti lo strumento di attuazione di una soluzione concordata della crisi, la figura dei soci possa assumere tutt’altro rilievo, fino quasi ad assimilarsi a quella dei creditori; ciò, naturalmente, nei limiti in cui la posizione degli stessi venga coinvolta o addirittura “compromessa” dal processo concordatario, dal quale l’attuale disciplina concorsuale li esclude completamente. Sebbene tale “riqualificazione” sembri inattuabile in ambito nazionale, viene valutato (e criticato) un recente disegno di legge del Governo federale tedesco (Gesetzentwurf der Bundesregierung), che riserva la tutela della posizione dei soci ai soli rimedi concorsuali, disattivando – una volta ammessa la società al concordato – quelli previsti in via generale dalla disciplina societaria. Nella seconda sezione viene esaminata la modalità di tutela dei creditori che approvano il concordato e, successivamente, la protezione dei creditori contrari alla proposta. Quanto ai primi, più che ricorrere a ricostruzioni dottrinali (in particolare, tedesche) tese a ridurre il potere deliberativo dei soci, si affronta la possibilità di affidare la tutela delle aspettative dei creditori sociali al coordinamento del procedimento decisionale previsto in ambito societario con l’iter procedurale del concordato. Risulta infatti evidente che il pericolo che il diniego assembleare leda gli interessi del ceto creditorio si manifesta solo nel caso in cui l’adozione delle delibere societarie richieste per l’attuazione della fusione venga rinviata alla fase esecutiva del concordato, assegnando così all’offerta concordataria un valore meramente programmatico. E - si osserva - tali “inconvenienti” potrebbero essere evitati avviando il procedimento assembleare contestualmente ovvero nel corso della procedura concordataria, condizionandone peraltro l’esito finale al perfezionamento definitivo del concordato. Passando alla modalità di tutela dei creditori che non concorrono all’approvazione della proposta, viene prospettata la possibilità che la difficoltosa conciliazione delle regole che disciplinano l’approvazione a maggioranza del concordato (artt. 128, comma 1°, e 177, comma 1°, l. fall.) e la normativa societaria che, in tema di fusione, riconosce invece ai creditori il diritto individuale di opposizione (art. 2503 c.c.), venga risolta mediante il disconoscimento di tale diritto, affidando la tutela del ceto creditorio ai soli rimedi previsti in ambito concorsuale. Non diversamente degli obbligazionisti, i creditori concorsuali costituiscono infatti una sorta di “comunità accidentale”, dal momento che è loro vietato di agire individualmente nei confronti del patrimonio sociale ed è prevista un’organizzazione di gruppo (i.e. concorsuale) tesa a risolvere gli eventuali conflitti di interessi tra gli stessi creditori. Dal che l’applicazione a questi ultimi dello stesso regime (di esclusione dal diritto di opposizione) riservato espressamente agli obbligazionisti dall’art. 2503-bis c.c. Tale soluzione viene, infine, confortata da ulteriori considerazioni concernenti, da un lato, la modalità di espressione della volontà dei creditori concorsuali nelle forme della mera partecipazione alla volontà del gruppo e, dall’altro, il combinato disposto degli artt. 2503, comma 1, c.c., e 128, comma 1°, e 177, comma 1°, l. fall., ai sensi del quale il consenso dei creditori anteriori all’iscrizione camerale del progetto di fusione deve considerarsi prestato qualora l’offerta concordataria (implicante la fusione) risulti approvata dai creditori che rappresentano la maggioranza dei crediti. / The doctoral thesis, about “The protection of shareholders and creditors in the merger as a means of insolvency arrangement”, consists of three chapters. In the first one, the work moves from the observation of the low use of the transaction under investigation, to which the Italian scholars and case law have devoted little attention. The lack of coordination between the regulatory framework (and processes) company law and insolvency law is identified as the main reason of the limited practice of the institution and the consequent need for an interpretative work of reconstruction. The critical review of the institute moves by evaluating the eligibility of a merger as a means of an insolvency arrangement with both conservation and the claims settlement purposes; and this is realized through the possible application by analogy of article 2499 c.c., which in terms of transformation allows the transaction only to the extent compatible with the purposes and status of the procedure; or through the implementation of solutions made in the other (main) foreign experiences. This issue is resolved positively, on the one hand, by emphasizing the importance of systematic and innovative articles 124 and 160 l. fall., to the extent they deal with the wide range of solutions in which the proponent can choose; on the other hand, focusing on solutions, all basically positive, accepted by other jurisdictions in order to contemplate the possibility of a merger as a way of an executive plan of adjustment of the crisis or insolvency. The work goes on - in the second chapter - to identify the interests involved in the transaction distinguishing them, in this regard, in two different sets: the shareholders of the company in the procedure, and that of its creditors. As for the former, the prejudice to their position is due to the controversy over the dating of membership retention, in the light of the inevitable reduction in the value (at least) of the company's assets in the accounting procedure. It’s first evaluated the situation in which the value of the capital is zero, resulting in eligibility for the merger only if the real value of the assets is more than that amount; then, it evaluates the different circumstances in which - even though the entity's shareholders agreed to retain a positive value even accounting - some members are found to possess, after the merger and because of the determination of a particular exchange, a share less than the minimum convertible, thus in effect being “excluded” by the surviving or resulting company. In both events, it is then addressed (and answered in the affirmative) the eligibility of a majority decision of members, also called into question by some in favor of the unanimity, where it is breached the right of everyone to the conservation status of the members: and this, both because of the legislative provision limiting the cash compensation to ten percent of the shares allocated, thereby indirectly excluding the possibility of fully compensatory adjustments of the position of some members; whereas both the fairness of the exchange, in compliance with the rules laid down for the protection of rights (information) of the shareholders and, in any case, the presence of contexts in which the general remedies for corporate can be used. As for the risk faced by creditors, the analysis is conducted on two different “tracks”: the creditors that contribute to the approval of the plan are in fact exposed to the risk that the proposal they put (with the approval) satisfaction hopes suffer a setback, due to the failure to approve the merger by shareholders; and the creditors against the proposal agreed, which are instead exposed to the risk that the majority approval decisions of the proposal would (eventually) affect their interests. In the third chapter, divided into two sections, the remedies are identified to claim protection of their positions. In the first, we focus on whether the loss of membership can be somehow avoided or, under certain conditions, if such injury can find suitable refreshment: it’s endorsed the first argument - supported by the prevailing doctrine – in which the existence of an injury resulting from the loss of membership will be seen in it, only if - the outcome of judicial scrutiny found in the incongruity of the chosen exchange rate or, more generally, an abuse of the decision-making power of the majority. In this context, there are two main instruments prepared by the legislature to defend the position of minority shareholders: the first mold “precautionary” for the aware of the right to vote by the majority of the capital, and related to the discipline the advertising requirements set by the articles 2501-ter, paragraph 3, c.c. and 2502-septies, paragraph 1, c.c., and the second, however, typically corporate, relating to appeals of the resolution (i.e. council meeting) to approve the project under articles 2373 and 2391 c.c. and, after signing the Chamber of the act, action for damages pursuant to art. 2504-quater, paragraph 2, Civil Code. Moving from the observation that the range of remedies provided for company law solution may appear inattentive to the position of minority shareholders even if the merger is entirely foreign to the arrangement purposes - the doctrine is evaluated the possibility that when the merger represents the tool for implementing a mutually agreed solution of the crisis, the figure of the partners can be assimilated to that of creditors, and this, of course, to the extent in which they are involved with “compromised” by the insolvency process. Although this “retraining” seems impractical at the national level, it is evaluated (and criticized) a recent bill of the German Federal Government (Bundesregierung Gesetzentwurf), which reserves to protect the position of shareholders in insolvency remedies just by turning off - once admitted the company agreed to - those generally provided by corporate regulations. The second section examines the mode of protection of creditors who approved the agreement and, subsequently, the protection of creditors against the proposal. As for the former, rather than resorting to reconstructions of doctrine (especially the German one) aimed at reducing the decision-making power of shareholders, we face the possibility of entrusting the protection of creditors ' expectations for the coordination of the decision-making procedure provided for the company with the procedural course of the arrangement. It is clear that the danger of the creditors occurs only if the adoption of corporate resolutions required to implement the merger may be delayed until the execution phase of the agreement, thus giving to the arrangement a merely programmatic rule. And these “problems” could be avoided by starting the process at the same meeting or during the insolvency procedure, however, influencing the final outcome to the improvement of the final agreement. Turning to the ways of protecting creditors which do not contribute to the approval of the proposal, the difficult reconciliation of the rules governing the approval of a majority arrangement agreed (art. 128, paragraph 1, and 177, paragraph 1, l. fall.) and that, in terms of a merger, recognizes the individual right of creditors to oppose (art. 2503 cc), can be settled by their failure to recognize this right, entrusting the protection class of creditors only remedies provided for in the field of competition. Like bondholders, creditors bankruptcy constitute in fact a sort of “community accidental”, since they are forbidden to go it alone against the assets of an organization and is expected to group (i.e. competition) aims to resolve any conflicts of interests between the creditors themselves.

In the present fierce global competition, poor responsiveness, low flexibility to meet the uncertainty of demand, and the low efficiency of traditional assembly lines are adequate motives to persuade manufacturers to adopt highly flexible production tools such as cross-trained workers who move along the assembly line while carrying out their planned jobs at different stations [1]. Cross-trained workers can be applied in various models in assembly lines. A novel model which taken into consideration in many industries nowadays is called the linear walking worker assembly line and employs workers who travel along the line and fully assemble the product from beginning to end [2]. However, these flexible assembly lines consistently endure imbalance in their stations which causes a significant loss in the efficiency of the lines. The operational time variability is one of the main sources of this imbalance [3] and is the focus of this study which investigated the possibility of decreasing the mentioned loss by arranging workers with different variability in a special order in walking worker assembly lines. The problem motivation comes from the literature of unbalanced lines which is focused on bowl phenomenon. Hillier and Boling [4] indicated that unbalancing a line in a bowl shape could reach the optimal production rate and called it bowl phenomenon.  This study chose a conceptual design proposed by a local automotive company as a case study and a discrete event simulation study as the research method to inspect the questions and hypotheses of this research.  The results showed an improvement of about 2.4% in the throughput due to arranging workers in a specific order, which is significant compared to the fixed line one which had 1 to 2 percent improvement. In addition, analysis of the results concluded that having the most improvement requires grouping all low skill workers together. However, the pattern of imbalance is significantly effective in this improvement concerning validity and magnitude.

Fréquemment, des usagers se retrouvent confrontés à des espaces-transitoires tels que les couloirs de gares. Ces derniers présentent souvent des contraintes temporelles et spatiales qu’il serait possible de transformer en outil optimalisant l’usage. Nous avons voulu vérifier cette hypothèse en observant le degré d’adéquation entre l’offre (les aménagements) et la demande (les usages réels) dans le cas précis de la gare du midi à Bruxelles, Belgique. Nous avons récolté des indices spatiaux, temporels et comportementaux qui nous ont permis d’identifier les conditions de l’usage et, au moyen d’observations directes, de comprendre les usages réellement pratiqués. Afin de documenter le rapport entre usager et espace-temps, nous avons établit une typologie des usages qui met en évidence des figures d’interactions possibles entre ces deux composantes. Nos résultats nous ont permis d’élaborer une conclusion sous la forme d’un modèle nommé « triangle des interrelations » dans le but d’offrir un outil permettant aux professionnels d’anticiper au mieux l’impact des aménagements. / Users are frequently facing transitory spaces, such as station corridors, that are often constrained temporally and spatially, while they could be better adapted to their use. To check this hypothesis, we observe the adequacy between the offer (the space arrangement) and the demand (the real uses) in the context of the Belgian Brussels South Station. We have collected spatial, temporal and behavioral clues that conducted us to characterise conditions of use. Moreover, by the mean of direct observations, we understood the uses as they are really practised. Aiming to illustrate the relation between users and space-time, we have developed a typology of the usages that exhibits possible interaction patterns between these two variables. As a conclusion of our results, we draw up a model named “interrelations triangle” that allow professionals to better understand the incidence of their space arrangements.

La bactérie Pseudomonas aeruginosa est un pathogène opportuniste responsable de graves infections chez les personnes affaiblies immunitairement. Présentant des souches résistantes aux antibiotiques, une nouvelle approche thérapeutique est en cours de développement avec pour objectif l'inhibition des facteurs de virulence de la bactérie. Lors de son processus d'infection, le pathogène utilise les lectines pour reconnaître et se lier de manière spécifique aux glycoconjugués des cellules-hôtes en formant une interaction lectine/glycoconjugué. Plus particulièrement, la lectine PA-IL, spécifique du galactose, a été étudiée. A l'aide de glycomimétique, il semble possible de bloquer l'action de la lectine en créant une interaction lectine/glycomimétique. Pour développer cette approche, de nombreux glycocluster sont donc été élaborés et leur affinité avec la lectine PA-IL a été évaluée par plusieurs méthodes de caractérisation (SPR, HIA, ELLA, puce à sucre,...).Dans ce projet de thèse, nous avons cherché à visualiser par microscopie à force atomique (AFM) l'arrangement des complexes lectine PA-IL/glycocluster formés pour trois glycoclusters différents. Nous avons ainsi pu montrer l'influence du cœur du glycocluster et des bras-espaceurs sur l'arrangement des complexes. Suivant le glycocluster, l'arrangement prend la forme de filaments 1D,de structures dentelées avec des bras sinueux ou encore de larges structures compactes. Dans le cas des filaments, la résolution de nos images AFM nous a permis d'identifier les lectines à l'intérieur même de la structure filaire. Nous avons aussi démontré, en observant les lectines seules, l'existence d'une interaction lectine/lectine. De plus, des expériences ont été menées pour déterminer les conditions expérimentales appropriées à leur observation à l'air et en milieu liquide.