La peau assure la protection de l’organisme contre les agressions extérieures. Pourtant, la peau n’est pas à l’abri des effets inéluctables du vieillissement chronologique. En effet, ce processus a pour conséquence d’altérer la structure des différentes couches cutanées au point d’en affecter leurs caractéristiques fonctionnelles. Ce travail de thèse a pour but de caractériser les modifications moléculaires et structurales de la peau au cours du vieillissement chronologique à l’aide de méthodes non-invasives que sont les spectroscopies optiques vibrationnelles. Ainsi avons-nous pu mettre en évidence des altérations structurales du réseau de collagène dans des échantillons de peaux d’âges différents à l’aide d’une approche basée sur l’imagerie IR-TF (Infrarouge à Transformée de Fourier) en mode polarisé. Par la suite, nous avons démontré l’influence des molécules d’eau sur les changements d’orientation des fibres de collagène avec l’âge en adoptant une méthodologie basée sur la substitution, thermodynamiquement favorable, des molécules d’eau liée au collagène (H2O) par des molécules d’eau deutérée (D2O). Lors d’études réalisées in vivo, nous avons établi des corrélations entre les propriétés physiques (mécanique et statut d’hydratation) et les informations moléculaires du stratum corneum (SC) en traitant les données Raman et biométriques par la méthode des moindres carrés partiels (PLS). En s’appuyant sur la complémentarité des techniques biophysiques employées, ces différentes études ont permis d’illustrer le potentiel des spectroscopies vibrationnelles pour évaluer le vieillissement cutané et en déterminer certaines bases moléculaires. / The skin protects the body against external aggressions. However, the skin is not immune to the inevitable effects of the chronological aging. Indeed, this process leads to several structural alterations of the different cutaneous layers to the point of affecting their functional characteristics. This thesis work aims to assess the molecular and structural changes of the skin during chronological aging by using non-invasive methods such as optical vibrational spectroscopies. To do this, we highlighted the structural modifications of the collagen network in different-aged skin samples by using an approach based on FT-IR imaging (Fourier Transform Infrared) in polarized mode. Subsequently, we demonstrated the influence of water molecules on the changes of collagen fibers with age by adopting a methodology based on the substitution, thermodynamically favorable, of the collagen-bound water molecules (H2O) by deuterated water molecules (D2O). In in vivo studies, we have established correlations between physical and molecular properties of the stratum corneum (SC) by analyzing the Raman and biometric measurements with the Partial Least Squares (PLS) processing. Based on the complementarity of the biophysical techniques employed, these studies permitted to evaluate the impact of the chronological aging on the skin and could open some interesting prospects in both cosmetology and dermatology.

Esta tese estuda a adivinhação nas sete tragédias supérstites de Ésquilo entendendo-se a adivinhação não no sentido estrito de revelação de fatos futuros, mas no sentido mais amplo de um diálogo que se estabelece entre as instâncias divina e humana valendo-se de formas e recursos variados. Assim, a análise e interpretação destas tragédias priorizam os diversos aspectos deste diálogo divinatório para mostrar a adivinhação como fundamento da construção de estratégias dramáticas na tragédia esquiliana, por informar e definir tanto a peculiaridade desta poética quanto sua visão do mundo. / This thesis studies divination in the seven surviving tragedies of Aeschylus. Divination is taken here not in the strict sense of revelation of future events, but in the broader sense of a dialogue that is established between divine and human levels through a variety of forms and resources. Thus, the analysis and interpretation of these tragedies prioritises the different aspects of this divinatory dialogue, in order to show that divination is the basis for constructing the dramatic strategies in the tragedies of Aeschylus, since it informs and defines both the particular features of this poetics and its view of the world.

Cette thèse travaille principalement sur trois sujets. Le premier concentre sur le clustering en ligne dans lequel nous présentons un nouvel algorithme stochastique adaptatif pour regrouper des ensembles de données en ligne. Cet algorithme repose sur l'approche quasi-bayésienne, avec une estimation dynamique (i.e., dépendant du temps) du nombre de clusters. Nous prouvons que cet algorithme atteint une borne de regret de l'ordre et que cette borne est asymptotiquement minimax sous la contrainte sur le nombre de clusters. Nous proposons aussi une implémentation par RJMCMC. Le deuxième sujet est lié à l'apprentissage séquentiel des courbes principales qui cherche à résumer une séquence des données par une courbe continue. Pour ce faire, nous présentons une procédure basée sur une approche maximum a posteriori pour le quasi-posteriori de Gibbs. Nous montrons que la borne de regret de cet algorithme et celui de sa version adaptative est sous-linéaire en l'horizon temporel T. En outre, nous proposons une implémentation par un algorithme glouton local qui intègre des éléments de sleeping experts et de bandit à plusieurs bras. Le troisième concerne les travaux qui visent à accomplir des tâches pratiques au sein d'iAdvize, l'entreprise qui soutient cette thèse. Il inclut l'analyse des sentiments pour les messages textuels et l'implémentation de chatbot dans lesquels la première est réalisé par les méthodes classiques dans la fouille de textes et les statistiques et la seconde repose sur le traitement du langage naturel et les réseaux de neurones artificiels. / This thesis works mainly on three subjects. The first one is online clustering in which we introduce a new and adaptive stochastic algorithm to cluster online dataset. It relies on a quasi-Bayesian approach, with a dynamic (i.e., time-dependent) estimation of the (unknown and changing) number of clusters. We prove that this algorithm has a regret bound of the order of and is asymptotically minimax under the constraint on the number of clusters. A RJMCMC-flavored implementation is also proposed. The second subject is related to the sequential learning of principal curves which seeks to represent a sequence of data by a continuous polygonal curve. To this aim, we introduce a procedure based on the MAP of Gibbs-posterior that can give polygonal lines whose number of segments can be chosen automatically. We also show that our procedure is supported by regret bounds with sublinear remainder terms. In addition, a greedy local search implementation that incorporates both sleeping experts and multi-armed bandit ingredients is presented. The third one concerns about the work which aims to fulfilling practical tasks within iAdvize, the company which supports this thesis. It includes sentiment analysis for textual messages by using methods in both text mining and statistics, and implementation of chatbot based on nature language processing and neural networks.

Embarqué sous le radôme du missile, les autodirecteurs existants utilisent une rotation mécanique du plan d’antenne pour balayer le faisceau en direction d’une cible. Les recherches actuelles examinent le remplacement des composantes mécaniques de rotation de l’antenne par un nouveau réseau d’antennes 3D conformes à balayage électronique. Les antennes 3D conformes pourraient offrir des avantages significatifs, tels qu’un balayage plus rapide et une meilleure couverture angulaire mais qui pourraient aussi offrir de nouveaux challenges résultant d’un diagramme de rayonnement plus complexes en 3D qu’en 2D. Le nouvel autodirecteur s’affranchit du système mécanique de rotation ce qui libère de l’espace pour le design d’une nouvelle antenne 3D conforme. Pour tirer le meilleur parti de cet espace, différentes formes de réseaux sont étudiées, ainsi l’impact de la position, de l’orientation et de la conformation des éléments est établi sur les performances de l’antenne, en termes de directivité, ellipticité et de polarisation. Pour faciliter cette étude de réseaux 3D conformes, un programme Matlab a été développé, il permet de générer rapidement le diagramme de rayonnement en polarisation d’un réseau donné dans toutes les directions. L’une des tâches de l’autodirecteur consiste à estimer la position d’une cible donnée afin de corriger la trajectoire du missile. Ainsi, l’impact de la forme du réseau sur l’erreur entre la direction d’arrivée mesurée de l’écho de la cible et sa vraie valeur est analysé. La borne inférieure de Cramer-Rao est utilisée pour calculer l’erreur minimum théorique. Ce modèle suppose que chaque élément est alimenté séparément et permet ainsi d’évaluer le potentiel des réseaux 3D conformes actifs.Finalement, l’estimateur du monopulse en phase est étudié pour des réseaux 3D conformes dont les quadrants n’auraient pas les mêmes caractéristiques. Un nouvel estimateur, plus adapté à des quadrants non identiques, est aussi proposé. / Embedded below the radome of a missile, existing RF-seekers use a mechanical rotating antenna to steer the radiating beam in the direction of a target. Latest research is looking at replacing the mechanical antenna components of the RF-seeker with a novel 3D conformal antenna array that can steer the beam electronically. 3D antennas may offer significant advantages, such as faster beam steering and better coverage but, at the same time, introduce new challenges resulting from a much more complex radiation pattern than that of 2D antennas. Thanks to the mechanical system removal, the new RF-seeker has a wider available space for the design of a new 3D conformal antenna. To take best benefits of this space, different array shapes are studied, hence the impact of the position, orientation and conformation of the elements is assessed on the antenna performance in terms of directivity, ellipticity and polarisation. To facilitate this study of 3D conformal arrays, a Matlab program has been developed to compute the polarisation pattern of a given array in all directions. One of the task of the RF-seeker consists in estimating the position of a given target to correct the missile trajectory accordingly. Thus, the impact of the array shape on the error between the measured direction of arrival of the target echo and its true value is addressed. The Cramer-Rao lower bound is used to evaluate the theoretical minimum error. The model assumes that each element receives independently and allows therefore to analyse the potential of active 3D conformal arrays. Finally, the phase monopulse estimator is studied for 3Dconformal arrays whose quadrants do not have the same characteristics. A new estimator more adapted to non-identical quadrants is also proposed.

In Fred Chappell’s Kirkman tetralogy, narrator Jess Kirkman synthesizes a multiplicity of perspectives for understanding the nature of truth. Blurring the distinction between art and life, Jess's narrative structure mirrors the imaginative reconstruction of experience; the novels are largely non-chronological emotive interactions with and reflections of his most salient memories and imaginings. Synthesizing an impressive cacophony of voices, Jess's stories both describe and apply the wisdom and tales Jess acquires from and with his family members. Each story informs the prior and the next, and the rhizomatic interaction between language, narrative, and reader explores Jess's numerous identities and understandings as narratives venture through space, time, and imagination.

L'analyse des conditions physico-chimiques régnant dans le milieu interstellaire(ISM) nécessité de connaître les constantes de vitesse de collision inélastique qui ont lieu plus fréquemment dans l'ISM. Nous avons à cettefin calculées les surfaces d'énergie potentielles ainsi que les états liés descomplexes CS-H2, HCN-H2, HCN-He et C3-He. Nous avons déterminé pour la collision CS-H2 les sections efficaces et les taux d'excitation collisionnels pour les premiers niveaux rotationnels. Des observations récentes suggérentque l'excitation des modes de pliage des molécules triatomiques doit êtreprise en compte dans les modèles astrochimiques. Nous présentons doncdeux nouvelles approches théoriques permettant d'effectuer un traitementClose Coupling des collisions inélastiques d'un atome avec une molécule triatomique. Le couplage entre les mouvements de rotation et de pliage de la molécule est traité soit exactement dans le cadre de l'approximation du rigid bender (RBCC) ou de façon approximée en moyennant le potentiel d'interaction atome-molècule sur le mode de pliage de la molécule (RBAA). La méthode RBCC est appliquée à l'étude des collisions HCN-He et C3-He pour lesquelles les sections efficaces de transition entre niveaux rotationnels appartenant à des modes de pliage différents sont obtenues. Les résultats sont comparés avec ceux fournis par l'opproximation du rotateur rigide linéaire. Dans le cas de la collision HCN-He ils sont aussi comparés avec ceux obtenus en utilisant l'approche RBAA. Nous montrons que les sections efficaces de transitions entre des niveaux rotationels appartenant à des niveaux de bending différents doivent être calculées au niveau RBCC. / Tha analysis of the physico-chemical conditons taking place in the interstellar medium (ISM) requires to know the inclastic rate coefficents of the detected interstellar molecules in collisions with the moste common colliders int the ISM. We have comuted the four dimensional potential energy surfaces, and the bound levels for the CS-H2, HCN-H2, HCN-He and C3 -He complexes. For the collisions of Cs with H2, we also determined the rst inelastic cross section and rate coefficeients<; Several recent observations suggest that the vibrational excitation of triatomic molecules in the ISM at least in the bending motion needs to be considered in the collision mechanismes. We present a nex theorical method to treat atom-rigid bender ineslastic collisions at close the coupling level (RBCC). The coupling between rotation and bending is treated exactly within the rigid bender approximation and we obtain the cross section for the rotational transition between levels belonging to dierent bending levels. This approach is applied to the study of HCN-He and C3-He. The results are compared with those obtained whenconsidering the molecules to be linear rigid rotors. In the case of HCN-He,they are also compared with the cross sections determined using the interactionpotential averaged over the bending wavefunction. We demonstratethat the cross sections involving vibrational transitions should be computedusing the RBCC method. For HCN-He, the linear rigid approach is foundto offer a good description of pure rotational transitions while for C3-Hethis method is shown to overestimate the cross section for collision energieshigher than the first excited bending threshold.

Cognitive radio is a recent novel approach for the realization of intelligent and sophisticated wireless systems. Although the research and development on cognitive radio is still in the stage of infancy, there are significant interests and efforts towards realization of cognitive radio. Cognitive radio systems are envisioned to support context awareness and related systems. The context can be spectrum, environment, location, waveform, power and other radio resources. Significant amount of the studies related to cognitive radio in the literature focuses on the spectrum awareness since it is one of the most crucial features of cognitive radio systems. However, the rest of the features of cognitive radio such as location and environment awareness have not been investigated thoroughly. For instance, location aware systems are widespread and the demand for more advanced ones are growing. Therefore, the main objective of this dissertation is to develop an underlying location awareness architecture for cognitive radio systems, which is described as location awareness engine, in order to support goal driven and autonomous location aware systems. A cognitive radio conceptual model with location awareness engine and cycle is developed by inspiring from the location awareness features of human being and bat echolocation systems. Additionally, the functionalities of the engine are identified and presented. Upon providing the functionalities of location awareness engine, the focus is given to the development of cognitive positioning systems. Furthermore, range accuracy adaptation, which is a cognitive behavior of bats, is developed for cognitive positioning systems. In what follows, two main approaches are investigated in order to improve the performance of range accuracy adaptation method. The first approach is based on idea of improving the spectrum availability through hybrid underlay and overlay dynamic spectrum access method. On the other hand, the second approach emphasizes on spectrum utilization, where we study performance of range accuracy adaptation from both theoretical and practical perspectives considering whole spectrum utilization approach. Furthermore, we introduced a new spectrum utilization technique that is referred as dispersed spectrum utilization. The performance analysis of dispersed spectrum utilization approach is studied considering time delay estimation problem in cognitive positioning systems. Afterward, the performance of whole and dispersed spectrum utilization approaches are compared in the context of cognitive positioning systems. Finally, some representative advanced location aware systems for cognitive radio networks are presented in order to demonstrate some potential applications of the proposed location awareness engine in cognitive radio systems.

Infection of barley (Hordeum vulgare) leaves with the rust fungus, Puccinia hordei, causes changes in the host protein synthesis. This thesis analyses these changes in the barley cultivar Triumph following inoculation of 7-day-old leaves with either a virulent or an avirulent race of P. hordei. The initial approach was to isolate membrane-bound polysomes from infected leaves, translate them in vitro and analyse the translation products. These products include the integral membrane proteins which were expected to be involved in the response of the host to the pathogen. A method based on differential centrifugation in the presence of a ribonuclease-inhibiting buffer was developed for separating membrane-bound polysomes from the rest of the cytoplasmic polysomes. Membrane-bound polysomes were found to comprise one fifth of the total polysomes in the leaves. Analysis of the translation products of membrane-bound polysomes by SDS-PAGE showed them to be of higher average molecular weight than those from free polysomes. Comparison of polypeptides produced by membrane-bound polysomes from healthy and inoculated plants showed some differences however the low yield of membrane-bound polysomes made it difficult to obtain conclusive results. Thus it was decided to isolate total polysomes by including 1% Triton X-100 in the extraction buffer. Polysomes were extracted from 12 to 72 h after inoculation. Infection caused a decline in yield of polysomes during this period when compared with healthy leaves of the same age. Polysomes isolated 16 h after inoculation with the virulent race were 20% less efficient at translation than polysomes from control leaves. In contrast polysome isolated from leaves inoculated with the avirulent race were 20% more efficient. Analysis of the labelled translation products by SDS-PAGE and fluorography showed relative increases in the synthesis of some proteins by 16 h after inoculation with either race when compared to products from healthy leaves. Protein synthesis in the infected plants was further analysed by in vivo labelling and one- and two-dimensional PAGE. The fluorographs revealed increased synthesis of a group of proteins from 58 to 116 kDa starting 12 h after inoculation with either race of P. hordei; confirming the results from the polysome translations. Two polypeptides with molecular weights of about 66 kDa were found to increase following infection only with the virulent race. By three days after inoculation with either fungal race the most obvious change in protein synthesis was a marked decrease in the synthesis of the two most prominent polypeptides with molecular weights of 15 and 51 kDa which were considered to be the subunits of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase. The elicitor hypothesis, in attempting to explain cultivar-specific resistance in plants, postulates that resistance is controlled by the interaction of specific fungal elicitors and plant receptors and that this interaction which only occurs between resistant hosts and avirulent pathogens triggers specific gene expression leading to resistance. This hypothesis does not fit the situation in the barley-P. hordei interaction as protein synthesis showed similar changes following infection with either a virulent or an avirulent race.

Cette thèse porte sur le calcul des états liés et de diffusion de systèmes à deux corps dans une formulation explicitement covariante de la dynamique sur le front de lumière. Nous traitons dans ce cadre deux particules scalaires en interaction à l'approximation "ladder" (modèle de Wick-Cutkosky massif). Les états liés sont calculés (onde S et P) par une décomposition angulaire du potentiel. Nous montrons que la restriction de cette décomposition à sa première composante suffit pour décrire correctement le système, ce qui revient à approximer le potentiel par sa moyenne sur toutes les directions du front de lumière. Ce résultat facilite le traitement des états de diffusion. Nous calculons donc des déphasages élastiques (onde S et P). Or notre potentiel relativiste prend en compte l'ouverture d'un canal inélastique au-delà du seuil de création. Nous calculons donc des déphasages correspondant à l'émision d'un boson, qui violent cependant l'unitarité de la matrice S. La prise en compte la self-énergie permet de résoudre ce problème comme nous montrons par un calcul perturbatif. L'ajout de la self-énergie permet d'obtenir des déphasages inélastique respectant l'unitarité de S. Nous montrons aussi que la self-énergie modifie considérablement les conditions d'existence d'états liés. Nous considérons aussi le cas des deux fermions en interaction par un échange scalaire ou pseudo-scalaire (état $J^\pi=0^+$). Les états liés sont traités par une décomposition angulaire, mais la propriété de moyenne n'apparaît pas pour le couplage pseudo-scalaire. Elle apparaît pour le couplage scalaire, ce qui nous permet de calculer des déphasages élastiques et inélastiques à l'approximation ladder. Abstract : This thesis concerns the two-body scattering and bound states in an explicitly covariant formulation of the light-front dynamics. We consider, in this framework, two scalar particles in interaction at the "ladder" approximation (massive Wick-Cutkosky model). S and P-waves bound states are calculated by an angular decomposition of the potential. We show that the first term of the decomposition gives already a very good description of the system, what is equivalent to take an averaged potential over the light-front directions. This results simplifies the treatment of the scattering states. We obtain the elastics phase shifts (S and P waves). Yet our relativistic potential take into account the first inelastic threshold, what corresponds to the one boson emission. These phase shifts do not respects the S-matrix unitarity. We show by a perturbative calculation that the addition of self-energy contributions permits to solve this problem. Adding this term, allows to obtain an inelastic phase-shift respecting S-matrix unitarity. We show also that the self-energy contribution strongly modifies the conditions of existence of a bound state. We consider also two fermions interacting by a scalar or pseudoscalar exchange ($J^\pi=0^+$ state). The bound states are calculated by the angular decomposition method, that works well here but fails in the pseudoscalar coupling. The average method is finally used to calculate the scattering states in the ladder approximation fo the scalar coupling.

Abstract: This work is concerned with the development and the implementation of a global optimization method for solving nonlinear nonconvex problems with continuous or mixed integer variables, related to power systems analysis. The proposed method relaxes the problem under study into a linear outer approximation problem by using the concept of special ordered sets. The obtained problem is then successively refined by a branch-and-bound strategy. In this way, the convergence to a global optimum is guaranteed, provided the discrete variables or those appearing nonlinearly in the original problem are bounded. Our method, conceived to solve a specific kind of problem, has been developed in a general framework in such a way that it can be easily extended to solve a large class of problems. We first derive the method theoretically and next present numerical results, fixing some choices inherent to the method to make it as optimal as possible. / Résumé: Ce travail a pour objet la conception et l'implémentation d'une méthode d'optimisation globale pour la résolution de problèmes non linéaires et non convexes, continus ou avec variables mixtes (entières et continues), issus de l'analyse des réseaux électriques. La méthode proposée relâche le problème traité en un problème d'approximation externe linéaire en se basant sur le concept d ensembles spécialement ordonnés. Le problème obtenu est alors successivement raffiné grâce à une stratégie de branch-and-bound. La convergence vers un optimum global est ainsi assurée, pour autant que les variables discrètes ou apparaissant non linéairement dans le problème de départ soient bornées. Notre méthode, mise au point pour résoudre un type de problème bien particulier, a été conçue dans un cadre général permettant une extension aisée à la résolution d'une grande variété de problèmes. Nous développons tout d'abord la méthode théoriquement et présentons ensuite des résultats numériques dont le but est de fixer certains choix inhérents à la méthode afin de la rendre la plus optimale possible.