Le travail présenté dans ce mémoire consiste à adapter la méthode de corrélation d'images numériques (CIN) pour la gestion des discontinuités du milieu et de la transformation. Le cadre d'utilisation des méthodes optiques de mesure i.e. celui de la mécanique des milieux continus, impose une continuité matérielle : i) du domaine et ii) de la transformation. Pour traiter les discontinuités en question, on peut reconsidérer la continuité (milieu et transformation) par morceaux. Dans le cadre de la CIN, cela se traduit par la possibilité d'adapter localement la forme et la taille des fenêtres de corrélation à la zone d'intérêt et à sa cinématique. Pour ce faire, il est possible d'utiliser des masques : un masque-objet pour traiter les discontinuités du milieu et un masque-discontinuité pour traiter les discontinuités de la transformation. Cependant, avant l'implémentation des masques dans la procédure de corrélation, plusieurs essais expérimentaux de déplacement sur des modèles comportant les deux types de discontinuité, ont été conduits. Ces essais ont permis de prouver l'influence des discontinuités sur la dégradation de la précision de mesure par CIN. Ensuite, des essais de traction ont été menés sur une éprouvette en polycarbonate conduisant à un mode I d'ouverture ou de fermeture de fissure. Après l'implémentation des masques dans le logiciel de corrélation Correla, le calcul des champs de déplacement et de déformation a été opéré avec succès à la surface de cette éprouvette, démontrant ainsi l'efficacité de la CIN adaptée. / The development of the digital image correlation method (DIC) for the management of discontinuities of the material and the transformation is discussed in this thesis. As we know, the framework for the use of the optical measurement methods i.e. of continuum mechanics requires a continuity of: i) domain and ii) transformation. To treat those discontinuities, we can consider a piecewise continuity (material and transformation). In the case of DIC method, this can be done by adapting locally the shape and size of the correlation subsets to the zone of interest and its kinematics. A novel way to do it, is by using masks: an object mask to process material discontinuities and a discontinuity mask to process transformation discontinuities. However before the implementation of masks in the correlation process, several experimental displacement tests on models reproducing the two types of discontinuity at small scale were performed. Those tests proved the influence of discontinuities on the degradation of the measurement accuracy by DIC. Then, tensile tests were conducted on a polycarbonate made specimen knowing a mode I opening or closing crack. After implementing masks in the correlation software Correla, the calculation of displacement and deformation fields was successfully performed on the surface of this specimen for all its edges, demonstrating the effectiveness of the adapted DIC.

La plupart des bâtiments de moyenne et grande hauteur en béton armé sont munis de murs de refend ductiles afin résister aux charges latérales dues au vent et aux séismes. Les murs de refend ductiles sont conçus selon des règles conception stricts. Ces murs sont généralement conçus de façon à forcer la formation d’une rotule plastique à leur base dans l’éventualité d’un séismemajeur. Lors de la conception d’un mur, l’enveloppe des moments fléchissants ainsi que l’enveloppe des efforts tranchants dans la portion du mur situé au-dessus de la rotule plastique sont basés sur la résistance probable en flexion du mur dans la région de la rotule plastique. Plusieurs études sur les murs de refend conçus selon cette philosophie de conception on fait le constat que l’effort tranchant maximum dans un mur peut être sous-estimé lors d’un séisme, et que des rotules plastiques peuvent également se former à d’autres endroits qu’à la base du mur, ce qui constitue un mécanisme de ruine indésirable. Ces effets sont principalement attribuables à la contribution des modes supérieures à la réponse dynamique globale des bâtiments lors d’un séisme. L’effet des modes supérieurs est particulièrement important dans les bâtiments élancés de grande hauteur ayant une période propre de vibration longue. L’essai pseudo-dynamique avec sous-structure est uneméthode efficace et économique d’évaluer expérimentalement l’effet des modes supérieurs sur le comportement sismique des murs de refend dans les bâtiments. Lors de tels essais, comme la masse du bâtiment est modélisée numériquement, ceci permet de tester des structures à de relativement grandes échelles sans avoir à combattremécaniquement les forces d’inerties générées lors d’un séisme. Dans le cadre de la présente étude, la portion constituant la base d’un mur de refend correspondant à la zone de rotule plastique faisant partie d’un bâtiment de huit étages à l’échelle 1/2,75 a été testé. Les dimensions générales de la portion de mur testée étaient de 1800 mm de longueur, par 2200 mm de hauteur par 160 mm d’épaisseur. Le mur étudié a été conçu selon l’édition 2015 du Code National du Bâtiment du Canada (CNBC 2015) ainsi que selon la norme CSA A23.3-14 (Calcul des ouvrages en béton), où le facteur d’amplification de l’effort tranchant causé par l’effet des modes supérieurs n’a pas été pris en compte. Lors des essais pseudo-dynamiques avec sous-structure, une nouvelle méthode de contrôle à trois degrés de liberté convenant à des spécimens d’essai très rigides axialement a été développée et validée. Une procédure novatrice de redémarrage d’un essai interrompu en cours de route a également été développée et validée. Lors des essais, le bâtiment de huit étages incluant la portion de mur dans le laboratoire a été soumis à trois séismes. Le premier séisme était de très faible intensité, l’intensité du deuxième séisme correspondait au séisme de conception, et le troisième séisme correspondait au séisme de conception dont l’intensité a été doublé. Durant les deux séismes de forte intensité, le mur testé s’est comporté de manière ductile et des fissures de cisaillement et de flexion importantes ont été observées. Même si l’effort tranchant maximum mesuré durant le séisme de conception a atteint 2,16 fois la valeur de conception du mur, et 3,01 fois la valeur de conception du mur dans le cas du séisme amplifié, aucun mécanisme de ruine n’a été observé. Suite aux essais pseudo-dynamiques avec sous-structure, un essai par poussée progressive a également été effectué. Les résultats des essais pseudo-dynamiques avec sous-structure portent à croire que la valeur de l’effort tranchant de conception d’un mur selon la norme CSA A23.3-14 est sous-estimé. De plus, l’essai poussée progressive a permis de démontrer que lemur était beaucoup plus résistant qu’anticipé, puisque l’effort tranchant avait été sous-estimé lors de la conception. L’essai par poussée progressive a également permis de démontrer que le mur peut atteindre des niveaux de ductilité en déplacement supérieur à celui prévu par la norme CSA A23.3-14. / Abstract: Most mid- and high-rise reinforced concrete (RC) buildings rely on RC structural walls as their seismic force resisting system. Ductile RC structural walls (commonly called shear walls) designed according to modern building codes are typically detailed to undergo plastic hinging at their base. Both the design moment envelope for the remaining portion of the wall and the design shear forces are evaluated based on the probable flexural resistance of the wall in the plastic hinge region. Several analytical studies have shown that so-designed structural walls can be subjected to shear forces in excess of the design values. Plastic hinging can also develop in the upper portion of the walls. These effects are mainly attributed to higher mode response and, hence, are more severe in taller or slender walls with long fundamental periods. Considering the literature, there is a significant uncertainty regarding the behavior of the structural walls under the higher mode of vibrations excited under earthquake excitations. Hybrid testing is an effective experimentalmethod to study the natural behaviour of structures such as shear walls. The hybrid testing method enables the simulation of the seismic response of large structural elements like RC shear walls without the need to include large masses typically encountered in multi-storey buildings. In this study a barbell shaped RC shear wall specimen of 1800mm in length including a 300mm × 300mm boundary element at each end that is 2200mm in height, and 160mm thick was investigated. A test specimen corresponding to the base plastic hinge zone of an 8-storey shear wall was tested in a laboratory evolvement whilst the reminder of the building structure was modeled numerically. The reference wall was scaled down by a factor of 1/2.75 to obtain dimensions of the test specimen. The RC wall was designed in accordance with the 2015 edition of the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC 2015) and the Canadian Standard Association A23.3-14 code. The amplification of the base design shear force accounting for the inelastic effects of higher modes specified by the CSAA23.3-14 standard was not taken into account in order to evaluate the amplification experimentally. In order to investigate the response of ductile RC walls under earthquake ground motions and track the effect of the higher vibration modes on the shear force demand, three earthquakes with different intensities were applied on the hybrid model successively. The RC wall exhibited a ductile behaviour under the ground motions and flexural and shear cracks developed all over the height of the wall. In spite of amplifying the shear force demand by a factor of 2.16 under the design level earthquake and 3.01 under a high intensity earthquake, no shear failure was observed. The test results indicated that the amplification of the design shear forces at the base of ductile RC shear walls are underestimated by the CSAA23.3-14 standard. A new method for controlling three degrees of freedomin hybrid simulation of the earthquake response of stiff specimens was developed and verified in this study. Also, an innovative procedure to restore an interrupted hybrid test was programmed and verified. The hybrid tests were followed by a push-over test under a lateral force distribution equal to the square root of sum of the squares of the first five modes in order to evaluate the displacement ductility of the RC wall. Findings of the final push-over test showed that the tested ductile RC wall can withstand higher displacement ductilities than the presented levels in the NBCC 2015.

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul - FAPERGS / The efficient use of pasture is associated to knowledge of the interactions between plant and herbivore, which includes the study of different plant characteristics resulting of had been grazed, which are defined by the grazing management, and the grazing strategies of the herbivore. A meta-analysis was made through a data base including eight experiments with the objective of studying and analyse the feeding behavior, displacement patterns, feeding stations use and meals dynamic of beef heifers (n=658) in cool season pastures. Data was stratified in: with or without energy supplement, phenological stages of grass (Vegetative, Pre-flowering, Flowering), shifts and hourly evaluations. The grazing time decreases and other activities time increases when beef heifers receive energy supplement at the level of 0.8% of body weight, keeping rumination time similar. The energy supplement fed for grazing heifers causes them to remain 12 min less at each feeding station. Supplemented heifers consumed 17.0% less forage and 22.2% less leaf blades than exclusively grazing heifers. Average daily gain of supplemented heifers is correlated positively with bite mass and number of steps between feeding stations. The heifers modify their ingestive behavior, bite rate, meal duration and interval between meals, forage selection patterns and number of steps per minute in the phenological stages of grass and evaluation shifts as a mechanism to keep bite mass similar. The grazing activity was concentrated in the afternoon shift, independent of the feeding system and the phenological stages, and in the night shift the longest rumination event occurs. The forage intake rate is independent of supplement intake and pasture phenological stages. / O uso eficiente do pasto está associado ao conhecimento da interação entre planta e animal, que compreende o estudo da relação de diferentes características da planta, resultantes da ação do pastejo definidas pelo manejo imposto, e do animal, relativas às suas estratégias de pastejo. Foi realizada a análise conjunta de dados provenientes de oito experimentos, com o objetivo de caracterizar o comportamento ingestivo, padrões de deslocamento, uso de estações alimentares e a dinâmica de refeições de novilhas de corte (n = 658), em pastejo de forrageiras de estação fria e recebendo suplemento energético. Os dados foram estratificados em: com e sem o uso de suplemento, estádios fenológicos do pasto (Vegetativo, Pré-florescimento, Florescimento), turnos e horário de avaliação. O tempo de pastejo diminui e o de outras atividades aumenta quando novilhas de corte recebem suplemento energético em nível de 0,8% do peso corporal, mantendo semelhante o tempo de ruminação. O fornecimento de suplemento energético para novilhas em pastejo faz com que essas permaneçam 12 min. a menos em cada refeição alimentar. Novilhas recebendo suplemento consumiram 17,0% a menos de forragem e 22,2% a menos de lâminas foliares que as novilhas exclusivamente em pastejo. O ganho médio diário das novilhas suplementadas está correlacionado de forma positiva com a massa de bocado e o número de passos entre estação alimentar. As novilhas modificam seu comportamento ingestivo, taxa de bocado, duração das refeições e intervalo entre refeições, padrões de seleção da forragem e número de passos por minuto nos estádios fenológicos avaliados e turnos de avaliação como mecanismo para manter semelhante a massa de bocado. A atividade de pastejo foi concentrada no turno da tarde, independente do sistema alimentar e dos estádios fenológicos avaliados, e no turno da noite acontece o evento mais longo de ruminação. A taxa de ingestão de forragem é semelhante, independente do consumo de suplemento e dos estádios fenológicos dos pastos.

Cette recherche espère apporter quelques éléments nouveaux à la réflexion critique sur les migrations forcées intra-muros. Ce phénomène a été défini par la Cour Constitutionnelle comme une émergence sociale, et, par la littérature internationale et nationale, comme un problème des droits de l’homme et de droit international humanitaire. Notre étude concerne le rôle de la Cour Constitutionnelle face au déplacement colombien en tant que régulatrice des politiques publiques: il s’agit de démontrer que le juge constitutionnel colombien joue un rôle sui-generis, par rapport au traditionnel travail mis en place par le juge constitutionnel dans les systèmes de Western Legal Tradition. L’idée principale de ce travail est celle de souligner son hyper activisme, dans le cadre d’une démocratie qui fait face à un conflit armé interne. Cette compétence, qui avec le temps s’est consolidée dans la pratique constitutionnelle colombienne, peut être expliquée au travers du manque de volonté politique des autres pouvoirs de l’Etat pour mettre en place des politiques publiques dans certains domaines, davantage dans le domaine économique que dans celui des droits sociaux. Cette expérience pourrait envisager une nouvelle conception de démocratie à niveau global, dans laquelle la Cour Constitutionnelle fait pression sur les autres pouvoirs publics afin d’avancer, de facto, sur le plan de la protection des droits fondamentaux des victimes des violations des droits, et pourrait être un modèle pour d’autres pays qui vivent le drame du déplacement forcé. / The thesis’ aim is to focus on the subject of internally displaced persons, IDPs, in Colombia. In particular, this paper seeks to underline the special role played by the Constitutional Court in defending the fundamental rights of IDPs, both as a judge and a public political actor. Colombia has the second highest number of IDPs in the world, making it a crucial social problem for human rights and humanitarian law. The Colombian constitutional judge declared the « estado de cosas inconstitucional » vis-à-vis the IDPs situation: this refers to the fact that internal displacement is a dramatic situation that needs the intervention of many public institutions to be solved. In this thesis I’ll state that Colombian Constitutional court became, de facto, a sort of public policies maker, in order to guarantee the rights to be effective. In particular, since 2004 it is becoming a real policy maker, editing a log of follow-up decisions to the T! -025 sentence, including specific orders to the local and national authorities, to protect the IDPs’ rights. In particular, the Constitutional court stated a « special constitutional protection » for victims of displacement including children, women, afro Colombian community, indigenous communities, and disabled people. We consider Colombia a relevant case of study, with both a well-developed legal system of protection of IDPs and a sui generis Constitutional judge hyperactivisme that may be considered as a model for others countries dealing with an internal conflict, but relying on a firm institutional framework.

Teeth trauma has become one of the most serious physical problems that people are suffering from in the past years. Early diagnosis and management are desperately needed to improve tooth survival, functionality and avoid the tooth loss. However, the diagnosis of cracked tooth could be challenging due to the small size of the crack. Therefore, a mechanics understanding of the tooth fracture is demanding from the perspective of developing a framework for failure prediction in clinical research and bio-mimetic restorative materials. This study focuses on characterising the anisotropic fracture behaviour and the crack shielding mechanisms in elephant dentin. This is often used as a structural analogue for human dentin due to the similarities in microstructure and chemical composition, in order to avoid the test-piece size restrictions, given the larger size of ivory than human teeth. Compact tension test-pieces were extracted from different locations on the ivory tusk so as to have different crack growth directions relative to the microstructure to inspect the fracture anisotropies. The fracture toughness as a function of the crack extension was assessed in terms of fracture resistance curves (R-curve). The accumulative crack-tip strain fields were also measured for the first time in dentin using digital image correlation technique (DIC) to investigate the capability of crack-tip elastic/plastic deformation before material failure. Investigation of crack morphologies, the interaction between crack and the microstructures, the fracture surfaces using both 2-D and 3-D techniques could provide with insights into extrinsic shielding mechanisms. Surface and volume crack opening displacement (COD) were measured for the first time optically and by X-ray computed tomography to investigate the effect of extrinsic crack-tip shielding. The displacement fields around the crack-tip obtained by DIC were fitted using Westergaard’s analytical solution to extract the effective stress intensity factor, by comparing this to the applied load, the efficiency of the crack-tip shielding could be evaluated. A novel cohesive element model (traction-separation law) was then established based on the COD results to simulate the physical process of crack-tip shielding. It is the first time the cohesive model has been adapted to studying the direct crack behaviour measured by in-situ experiment to predict the crack growth. This model was then validated using the crack-tip strain field and R-curve obtained from the experiment measurement.

Les actionneurs numériques sont composés d'une partie mobile pouvant se déplacer entre des positions discrètes précisément connues et répétables. Contrairement aux actionneurs analogiques classiques, le pilotage d'actionneurs numériques est réalisé très simplement à l'aide d'une commande impulsionnelle et en boucle ouverte. De ce fait, aucun capteur n'est nécessaire ce qui facilite leur intégration dans des systèmes hôtes. La qualité de fabrication de ces actionneurs est cependant primordiale car une éventuelle erreur ne peut pas être corrigée par la commande. Les travaux présentés porteront sur un réseau composé de 25 actionneurs numériques disposant chacun de quatre positions discrètes avec un plateau glissant. L'application visée est la réalisation d'un système de convoyage planaire dans laquelle les actionneurs permettent de déplacer un plateau selon les deux directions du plan. Les résultats de la simulation sont comparés avec les résultats expérimentaux. En suite, un réseau composé de quatre actionneurs numériques avec un plateau structuré est étudié. La conception du réseau d'actionneurs puis la stratégie de pilotage permettant de réaliser le déplacement du plateau structuré seront tout d'abord présentées. Un prototype de réseau d'actionneurs et des résultats expérimentaux de convoyage selon une direction sera ensuite détaillé et l'influence d'erreurs de fabrication sur le fonctionnement du réseau sera mise en évidence. / The open loop control is widely used by the digital systems to facilitate the integration in complex systems because no sensor is needed. The research is based on digital actuator which is composed of a mobile part and a fixed part. The actuator moves between the discrete positions. The discrete displacement consumes low energy, which is controlled by impulse only needed to switch the actuator between the discrete positions. However, the stroke of digital actuator is fixed at the manufacturing. So the digital actuators array is used to obtain variable strokes. A digital actuators array used here with a structured plate is applied as a 2D planar conveyance. Firstly, an actuators array composed of 25 elementary actuators with a flat plate is studied. The simulated results are compared with the experimental results. Then another actuators array composed of four elementary actuators with a structured plate is designed. The design and the plate displacement are firstly presented. Then the prototype of the conveyance is fabricated with laser cutting machine and 3D printer. The experiment is then tested in one direction to study the plate displacement. The open loop control is simple by using current impulse. The operation can be well functioned which is observed during the experiment. The experimental results are compared with the theoretical results.

Que ce soit dans une rue commerçante, un supermarché ou un aéroport, les phénomènes de foule sont incontournables et nous affecte au quotidien. Elle constitue un système complexe dont la dynamique collective, résultant des interactions individuelles, est difficile à appréhender et a toujours intrigué les scientifiques de différents domaines. Grâce au progrès technologique, il est aujourd'hui possible de modéliser les mouvements de foule et de les reproduire en simulation. Les simulations de mouvement de foule permettent aux chercheurs de plusieurs disciplines, comme les sciences sociales ou la biomécanique, de mieux étudier et comprendre les mouvements des piétons et leurs interactions. Quant aux sciences de la sécurité et du transport, ils y voient des applications concrètes comme le développement de modèles de foule capables de simuler l'évacuation d'un lieu public de moyenne ou de forte affluence, afin que les futures constructions ou aménagements publics puissent offrir une qualité de sécurité et de service optimale pour les usagers. Dans le cadre de cette thèse, nous avons travaillé sur le perfectionnement du modèle discret proposé et développé par l'équipe dynamique du laboratoire Navier. Dans ce modèle, les actions et les décisions de chaque piéton sont traitées individuellement. Trois aspects du modèle ont été traités dans cette thèse. Le premier concerne la navigation des piétons vers leurs destinations. Dans notre modèle, un piéton est représenté par une particule ayant une direction et une allure souhaitées. Cette direction est obtenue par la résolution d'une équation eikonale. La solution de cette équation permet d'obtenir un champ de vitesses qui attribue à chaque piéton, en fonction de sa position, une direction vers sa destination. La résolution de l'équation une fois ou à une période quelconque donne la stratégie du chemin le plus court ou le plus rapide respectivement. Les effets des deux stratégies sur la dynamique collective de la foule sont comparés. Le deuxième consiste à gérer le comportement des piétons. Après avoir choisi son chemin, un piéton doit interagir avec l'environnement (obstacles, topologie, ...) et les autres piétons. Nous avons réussi à intégrer trois types de comportement dans notre modèle: (i) la poussée en utilisant une approche originale, basée sur la théorie des collisions des corps rigides dans un cadre thermodynamique rigoureux, (ii) le passage agressif (forcer son chemin) modélisé par une force sociale répulsive et (iii) l'évitement ``normal'' en adoptant une approche cognitive basée sur deux heuristiques. Les performances des trois méthodes ont été comparées pour plusieurs critères. Le dernier aspect concerne la validation et la vérification du modèle. Nous avons réalisé une étude de sensibilité et validé le modèle qualitativement et quantitativement. À l'aide d'un plan d'expérience numérique nous avons réussi à identifier les paramètres d'entrée ayant les effets principaux sur les résultats du modèle. De plus, nous avons trouvé les différentes interactions entre ces paramètres. En ce qui concerne la validation qualitative, nous avons réussi à reproduire plusieurs phénomènes d'auto-organisation. Enfin, nous avons testé la capacité de notre modèle à reproduire des résultats expérimentaux issus de la littérature. Nous avons choisi le cas du goulot d'étranglement. Les résultats du modèle et ceux de l'expérience ont été comparés. Ce modèle de foule a également été appliqué à l'acheminement des piétons dans la gare de Noisy-Champs. L'objectif de cette application est d'estimer le temps de stationnement des trains dans la gare / Crowds are present almost everywhere and affect several aspects of our lives. They are considered to be on of the most complex systems whose dynamics, resulting from individual interactions and giving rise to fascinating phenomena, is very difficult to understand and have always intrigued experts from various domains. The technological advancement, especially in computer performance, has allowed to model and simulate pedestrian movement. Research from different disciplines, such as social sciences and bio-mechanics, who are interested in studying crowd movement and pedestrian interactions were able to better examine and understand the dynamics of the crowd. Professionals from architects and transport planners to fire engineers and security advisors are also interested in crowd models that would help them to optimize the design and operation of a facility. In this thesis, we have worked on the imporvement of a discrete crowd model developed by the researchers from the dynamics group in Navier laboratory. In this model, the actions and decisions taken by each individual are treated. In its previous version, the model was used to simulate urgent evacuations. Three main aspects of the model were addressed in this thesis. The first one concerns pedestrian navigation towards a final destination. In our model, a pedestrian is represented by a disk having a willingness to head to a certain destination with a desired direction and a desired speed. A desired direction is attributed to each pedestrian, depending on his position from the exit, from a floor field that is obtained by solving the eikonal equation. Solving this equation a single time at the beginning of the simulation or several times at during the simulation allows us to obtain the shortest path or the fastest path strategy respectively. The influence of the two strategies on the collective dynamics of the crowds is compared. The second one consists of managing pedestrian-pedestrian interactions. After having chosen his/her direction according to one of the available strategies, a pedestrian is bound to interact with other pedestrians present on the chosen path. We have integrated three pedestrian behaviors in our model: (i) pushing by using an original approach based on the theory of rigid body collisions in a rigorous thermodynamics context, (ii) forcing one's way by introducing a social repulsive force and (iii) "normal" avoidance by using a cognitive approach based on two heuristics. The three methods are compared for different criteria. The last aspect is the validation and verification of the model. We have performed a sensibility study and validated the model qualitatively and quantitatively. Using a numerical experimental plan, we identified the input parameters that are the most statistically significant and estimated the effects of their interactions. Concerning qualitative validation, we showed that our model is able to reproduce several self-organization phenomena such as lane formation. Finally, our model was validated quantitatively for the case of a bottleneck. The experimental results are very close to the ones obtained from simulations. The model was also applied to pedestrian movement in the Noisy-Champs train station. The objective of the study was to estimate the train dwell time. The simulation results were similar to the observations

The southern Mozambique/ South Africa borderland is a landscape epitomised by fluctuation, contradiction and constant transformation. It is a world betwixt-and-between Mozambique and South Africa. The international border, imposed on the landscape more than a century ago, gives life to a new world that stretches across and away from it. The inhabitants of this transitional zone constantly shape and reshape their own identities vis-à-vis people on the opposite and same side of the border. This border, which was delineated in 1875, was to separate the influence spheres of Portugal and Britain in south-east Africa. On the ground it divided the once strong and unified Mabudu-Tembe (Tembe-Thonga) chiefdom. At first the border was only a line on a map. With time, however, it became infused with social and cultural meaning as the dividing line between two new worlds. This was exacerbated by Portuguese and British colonial administration on opposite sides of the border, Apartheid in South Africa and socialist modernisation and war and displacement in Mozambique. All these events and factors created cultural fragmentation and disunion between the northern and southern sides of the borderland. By the end of the Mozambican War in 1992 the northern side of the borderland was populated by displaced refugees, demobilised soldiers and bandits, as well as returnees from neighbouring countries. Many of these people did not have any ancestral ties to the land nor kinship ties to its earlier inhabitants. Whereas a common Thonga identity had previously united people on both sides of the border, South African policies of Apartheid increasingly promoted the Zulu language and culture on the southern side of the border. The end of warfare in Mozambique and of Apartheid in South Africa facilitated contact across the border. Social contact between the inhabitants of the borderland is furthermore fostered by various economic opportunities offered by the border, such as cross-border trade and smuggling. The increase in social and economic contact has in turn dissolved differences between the inhabitants of the borderland and promoted homogeneity and unity across the political divide. Fragmentation and homogeneity characterises daily life in the borderland. Inhabitants of the frontier-zone play these forces off against each other, now emphasising the differences across the border, later emphasising the similarities. The borderland is a world of multiple identities, where ethnicity, citizenship and identity, already fluid and contextual concepts in their own rights, become even more so as people constantly define and redefine themselves in this transitional environment. / Thesis (DPhil (Anthropology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Anthropology and Archaeology / unrestricted

TITLE: The Transfer of German speaking communities from the village Lučany nad Nisou AUTHOR: Bc. Tereza Buriánková DEPARTMENT: Institute of Czech history SUPERVISOR: PhDr. Jan Randák, Ph.D. ABSTRACT: This diploma thesis is dealing with the expulsion of German speaking citizens from Lučany nad Nisou municipality after the year 1945. It focuses not only on mapping the expulsion process, the various stages and legislation that allowed it, but also on possible conflict of nationalities and acts of individual or group violence. Last part provides an outlook on the issue of certain contemporary stereotypes and describes the co-existence of Czech and German communities with newcomers as well as with original inhabitants. The thesis research is based mainly on archive documents of central and local provenance, secondary literature and contemporary press. KEYWORDS: Transfer, displacement, expulsion, Czech German, Transfer of German, Germany, Lučany nad Nisou, German speaking communities, individual and collective violence

This dissertation examines the effect of environmental discourse and disaster risk reduction mapping in the favela Santa Marta, an urban informal settlement in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. With the world’s largest urban forest within the metro area, Rio de Janeiro is unusual for a metropolis of more than ten million people in the rapidly urbanizing country of Brazil. The government of Rio de Janeiro has attempted to control favela settlements since the early 20th century, but beginning in the 1990s the prefecture began delimiting favela settlements with environmentally protected areas called ecolimits. According to the state’s calculations, in the 2000s favelas began to rapidly expand into the urban forest, which is protected by the ecolimits and national parks. In 2009, the state built a wall around Santa Marta, justified by concerns about expansion into the adjacent forest. The state then labeled Santa Marta the model favela after infrastructure improvements there and the installation of the first Pacification Police Unit, a new form of community policing begun in 2008 for favelas. The focus of my study is the particular ways that the government has framed its resettlement efforts in Santa Marta and how favela residents responded. I employ the concept of biopolitics assemblage to critically investigate the state’s and international institutions’ discursive and material practices of disaster risk management in Santa Marta. I collected data using a mixed methods approach during 15 months of fieldwork. Through archival research, I document the history of favela control tactics and trace the roots of disaster risk management in Rio de Janeiro to a World Bank financed disaster response project initiated in 1988. Using ethnographic methods, I documented residents’ responses to and understandings of the government’s resettlement project for Santa Marta. My results indicate that the state has discursively shifted the problem of favelas from a social question to an environmental one, while residents continue to frame favela conditions as a social justice issue and challenge the state’s assessment of environmental risk.