La demande croissante de dispositifs photoniques dans la gamme térahertz (THz) a conduit au développement des Lasers à Cascade Quantique (LCQ). Réalisés en 1994 dans l'infrarouge moyen, ces lasers unipolaires à semiconducteurs comptent désormais parmi les sources les plus prometteuses pour l'émission THz. Néanmoins, de nombreux phénomènes de pertes optiques limitent leurs performances et l'optimisation de ces dispositifs demeure d'actualité. Parmi les sources de pertes, l'absorption par porteurs libres, qui résulte de transitions intra- et inter-sousbande obliques activées par toute source de désordre brisant l'invariance par translation dans le plan des couches, doit être précisément modélisée. Ce processus est bien documenté pour les matériaux massifs où le modèle semi-classique de Drude peut être appliqué. En revanche, pour les LCQ, celui-ci prédit des coefficients d'absorption supérieurs aux réels gains laser. Ce travail de thèse expose un modèle quantique de l'absorption par porteurs libres dans les structures à cascade quantique suivant deux approches théoriques différentes : un développement perturbatif au premier ordre du potentiel de désordre et une diagonalisation numérique du Hamiltonien du système désordonné. Ces travaux montrent que l'absorption par porteurs libres est très faible et diffère radicalement du résultat semi-classique. Ils font également l'analyse des différentes contributions au spectre d'absorption ainsi que la possibilité d'ajuster la forme et la largeur de raie par ingénierie de dopage. D'importants effets de localisation spatiale des états électroniques par le désordre et leur influence sur les taux de diffusion ont également été étudiés. / The demand to produce reliable THz detectors and emitters has lead to a signicant improvement of the Quantum Cascade Lasers (QCLs). First demonstrated in 1994 in the mid-infrared range, these unipolar semiconductor lasers are one of the most promising photonic sources for THz emission. Nevertheless, various optical loss phenomena limit their performances and the improvement of these devices is intensively researched. Among the possible loss sources, the Free Carrier Absorption (FCA), that arises from intra- and inter-subband oblique transitions activated by any disorder source destroying the translational invariance in the layer plane, has to be accurately modeled. FCA is well documented for bulk materials where the semiclassical Drude model can be used. For QCLs, this model predicts FCA coefficients that are comparable or larger than the actual QCL gains. This work presents a quantum modeling of FCA in quantum cascade structures following two theoretical approaches : a perturbative expansion at the first order in the disorder potential and a numerical diagonalization of Hamiltonian in presence of disorder. These calculations show that FCA is very small in QCLs and radically differs from the semiclassical Drude result. Moreover, they point out the different contributions to the absorption spectrum and the possibility of ajusting the absorption linewidth and lineshape by dopant engineering. Important disorder-induced localization effects have been identified as well as their non negligible influence on the electronic scattering rates.

This study investigated and distinguished between two different aspects of trust (i.e. inter-personal and inter-organisationl) in business relationships. Reviewing the extant literature, a model of business relationships was developed, bridging social exchange theory and transaction cost economics, in addition to using some ideas from the resource-based view. This model was built on an overall framework consisting of three main groups of business relationship characteristics, (1) attitudes (inter-personal and inter-organisational trust) (2) behaviours (commitment, information sharing and relationship-specific investments) and (3) outcomes (financial and non-economic (soft) performance). The overall framework suggested that the attitudinal characteristics affect behavioural characteristics, which consequently affect relationship outcomes. Furthermore, the role of the other party’s opportunistic behaviour as an antecedent of trust aspects was suggested in the model. In line with the overall framework, a basic model was developed with sixteen hypotheses. The model was extended considering dependence as a moderator, and suggesting two additional hypotheses.A questionnaire was designed to measure the characteristics in the model. Data collected from 331 informants (i.e. middle or senior managers knowledgeable about supplier relationships) was used to empirically test the model, using structural equation modeling. The analysis was performed testing the model fit and its underlying hypotheses, additionally using a control variable (the relationship length) and multiple-group analysis (controlling for the size of the company). Inter-personal trust and inter-organisational trust were found to be two distinct constructs (by means of implementing several techniques testing discriminant validity). The results supported the impact of inter-personal trust on inter-organisational trust, inter-personal trust impacting on commitment and information sharing while inter-organisational trust impacting on commitment, information sharing and relationship-specific investments (all in a positive way). The positive effect of behavioural characteristics on relationship outcomes was supported, commitment and relationship-specific investment influencing both financial and non-economic performance, while information sharing influencing non-economic performance. Relationship-specific investments impact positively on commitment, and financial performance impacts positively on non-economic performance. The moderating effects were supported; the positive effect of inter-organisational trust on relationship-specific investments and the positive effect of relationship-specific investments on commitment decrease as dependence increases. The negative effect of the other party’s opportunistic behaviour on trust dimensions was found, while its expected negative effect on relationship-specific investments was not supported in the whole sample. A mixture modeling approach was performed to explore this result. The negative effect was supported in a number of responses, as expected. However, surprisingly a positive effect was also found in a group of responses that were characterised by having relatively longer relationships with the supplier and observing a higher degree of opportunistic behaviour. Additionally relationship-specific investments had a stronger effect on its consequences within this group. Potential explanations for the findings with regard to this group were introduced. The research contributions and implications were also discussed.

Les amibes libres sont des protozoaires retrouvés dans de nombreux environnements où ils ingèrent par phagocytose des bactéries, des champignons, des virus ou d'autres protozoaires. Le modèle d'étude principal de cette thèse, divisée en deux grandes parties, a été Acanthamoeba castellanii. La première partie de la thèse a concerné l'étude de la préférence trophique des amibes, en présence de différents micro-organismes. Parmi ceux-ci, deux bactéries, Klebsiella pneumoniae et Staphylococcus aureus, se sont montrées les plus attractives pour les protozoaires étudiés. Des extraits bactériens ont été fractionnés et leur étude a permis de mettre en évidence la nature protéique des composés chimioattractifs impliqués dans ce dialogue intergenre. Certaines données de la littérature ont rapporté les similitudes entre A. castellanii et d'autres cellules phagocytaires que sont les macrophages. La seconde partie de la thèse a permis de comparer les activités de phagocytose d'A. castellanii et de la lignée macrophagique Thp-1 vis-à-vis de quatre micro-organismes : le champignon filamenteux Aspergillus fumigatus, les bactéries Klebsiella pneumoniae et Staphylococcus aureus, et un Adénovirus sérotype B3. L'influence des deux types de cellules phagocytaires sur la croissance des micro-organismes a également été étudiée. Ces travaux ont permis de mettre en évidence des différences de comportements des amibes libres par rapport aux macrophages vis-à-vis de micro-organismes pathogènes, montrant qu'il n'est pas toujours possible d'extrapoler les résultats d'études amibes libres/micro-organismes aux relations macrophages/micro-organismes. / Free living amoebae (FLA) are protoza found in various environments where they can feed by phagocytosis on bacteria, fungi, viruses or other protozoa. Acanthamoebae castellanii was used as the main model in this thesis, divided in two parts. The first part of the thesis relied on the trophic preference of amoebae, in presence of different microorganisms. Amongst them, two bacteria, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus, appeared as the most attractive for the studied protozoa. Bacterial extracts have been fractionned and their study has shown the protein nature of the chemoattractants involved in this interspecies crosstalk.Literature data have reported similarities between A. castellanii and other phagocytic cells such as macrophages. The second part of the thesis allowed us to compare phagocytic activities of A. castellanii and Thp-1 macrophagic cells towards four microorganisms: the filamentous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus, the bacteria Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus and an Adenovirus B3 serotype. The influence of the two phagocytic cells on the microorganisms' growth has also been investigated. This has evidenced the behavior differences between FLA and macrophages towards pathogenic microorganisms, showing that results obtained by studying amoebae and microorganisms relationships could not be extrapolated in all cases to the relationships between macrophages and microorganisms.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2015-12-16T11:40:36Z No. of bitstreams: 1 thiagoribeirofurtadodemendonca.pdf: 2671419 bytes, checksum: 9751de9437139252fdb339ca32b4f21d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2015-12-16T11:57:40Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 thiagoribeirofurtadodemendonca.pdf: 2671419 bytes, checksum: 9751de9437139252fdb339ca32b4f21d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-12-16T11:57:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 thiagoribeirofurtadodemendonca.pdf: 2671419 bytes, checksum: 9751de9437139252fdb339ca32b4f21d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-07-13 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Em face ao aumento da demanda por energia elétrica e maior confiabilidade em seu fornecimento, diversas metodologias de controle e proteção da rede elétrica estão sendo desenvolvidas. Para isso é de fundamental importância a utilização de técnicas de processamento de sinais que permitam a extração de forma precisa e rápida dos parâmetros da rede elétrica. O advento de novas tecnologias permitiu a modernização dos sistemas de geração, transmissão e distribuição de energia elétrica, melhorando a eficiência energética e confiabilidade. Por outro lado, observou-se a proliferação na indústria de novas cargas, em sua maioria de natureza não linear, responsáveis pela geração de componentes harmônicos e inter-harmônicos que distorcem o sinal do sistema elétrico (tensão e corrente), dificultando a estimação de parâmetros importantes. Com o intuito de continuar provendo energia de forma segura e confiável, alguns pré-requisitos devem ser atendidos, tais como a baixa distorção harmônica, amplitude estável, baixa oscilação da frequência fundamental, entre outros. Hoje em dia, devido ao maior nível de cargas e equipamentos não lineares conectados a rede, rastrear estes parâmetros de qualidade de energia não é uma tarefa fácil. Para isso, novas técnicas de processamento de sinais devem ser combinadas às teorias de sistemas de potência como forma de estimar e acompanhar as mudanças destes parâmetros. Nesse contexto, diversos algoritmos vêm sendo implementados, cada um com suas especificidades e desempenho. O presente trabalho propõe o desenvolvimento de um novo filtro baseado no filtro Hanning, que é capaz de eliminar harmônicos e atenuar inter-harmônicos com maior eficiência além de ser mais estável quando se considera a implementação em ponto fixo. Este filtro foi combinado com um algoritmo capaz de ajustar seus coeficientes de acordo com a estimação da frequência fundamental de forma a garantir amostragem síncrona, ou seja, a frequência de amostragem será sempre múltipla inteira da frequência atual. Dessa forma, a estimação de amplitude e reconstrução de componentes são feitas com maior precisão mesmo quando se considera a natureza variante da frequência fundamental do sinal bem como a maior quantidade de harmônicos e inter-harmônicos presentes, retratando com maior fidelidade o sinal real do sistema de potência. Os resultados mostram-se superiores às técnicas já existentes, considerando sinais com frequências fora da nominal bem como com grande quantidade de componentes harmônicos e inter-harmônicos, atingindo uma melhoria de 74% em relação ao MAF e de quase 90% em relação ao Hanning convencional. / Due to the growing demand for energy provided in a more reliable way, several control, protection and monitoring methodologies are been developed. For this reason it is of great importance the utilization of appropriate signal processing techniques that allow a precise and fast extraction of parameters from the electrical grid. The advent of new technologies has enabled the modernization of the electric energy generation, transmission and distribution systems, improving its efficiency and service reliability. On the other hand, it was noted a widespread in the application of non-linear loads, responsible for generating harmonics and inter-harmonics components that distorts the electrical signal (voltage and current), hindering the estimation process of useful parameters. With the aim to keep providing energy in a safe and reliable way, some prerequisites must be taken into account, such as the low harmonic distortion, stable amplitude, low oscillation of the fundamental frequency among others. Nowadays, due to the widespread use of nonlinear loads and equipment coupled to the grid, tracking these power quality parameters is not an easy task. That is why novel approaches and techniques of signal processing must be combined with knowledge of power systems theory as a form to estimate and keep track of these measurements. Within this context several algorithms are been developed, each one with its specificity and performance. The present work proposes the development of a new filter, based on the Hanning filter, capable of eliminating harmonics and attenuate with more efficiency the inter-harmonic components besides being more stable for fixed point implementation. This filter is combined with an algorithm that enable the adjustment of its coefficients according to the frequency estimation, assuring a synchronous sampling process, that is, the sampling rate will always be an integer multiple of the actual system frequency. In this way, the amplitude estimation and component reconstruction are performed with better accuracy even when considering the time-varying nature of the fundamental frequency of the signal and the high amount of distortion due to harmonics and inter-harmonics, depicting with greater fidelity the true signal of power system. Results have shown better performance than the already known techniques, considering signal with off-nominal frequency as well as high level of harmonic and inter-harmonic distortion, reaching 74% of improvement in relation with MAF and almost 90% in relation of conventional Hanning.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2015-12-16T12:34:13Z No. of bitstreams: 1 andredinizdeoliveira.pdf: 3666386 bytes, checksum: 0179545867fe6173fdae7f0b67dff2d3 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2015-12-16T15:15:19Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 andredinizdeoliveira.pdf: 3666386 bytes, checksum: 0179545867fe6173fdae7f0b67dff2d3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-12-16T15:15:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 andredinizdeoliveira.pdf: 3666386 bytes, checksum: 0179545867fe6173fdae7f0b67dff2d3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-05-27 / Esta tese propõe dois métodos de estimação fasorial do componente fundamental. O pri-meiro estima o fasor na presença de componentes harmônicos, decaimento CC exponen-cial e ruído. O segundo estima o fasor na presença de componentes harmônicos, inter-harmônicos, inter-harmônicos variantes no tempo, decaimento CC exponencial e ruído. Todos os componentes de sinais utilizados são modelados e, para facilitar o entendimento dos métodos que serão propostos, os componentes são divididos em dois grupos: compo-nentes gerais e componentes extras. Alguns algoritmos de estimação existentes na litera-tura são estudados e dois são escolhidos para compor as proposições: DFT com suas va-riações e métodos de subespaços. O primeiro método sintetiza e implementa uma janela seguida da aplicação de uma DTFT para eliminar os componentes fundamental e harmô-nicos do sinal. O resultado é utilizado para estimar a influência do decaimento CC expo-nencial no componente fundamental. Esta influência é subtraída de uma estimação faso-rial via DFT para obter o componente fundamental correto. O segundo método utiliza esta mesma estrutura, entretanto insere um método de subespaço para calcular a frequência e constante de tempo dos componentes extras. Essa união cria um algoritmo distinto dos encontrados na literatura e nomeado de DTFT ESPRIT. A partir da possibilidade dos novos cálculos, o método consegue estimar o componente fundamental na presença de inter-harmônicos e inter-harmônicos variantes no tempo, além de harmônicos, decai-mento CC exponencial e ruído. / This thesis proposes two methods to estimate the phasor of the fundamental frequency component. The first one estimates the phasor in the presence of harmonic, decaying DC, and noise. The second one estimates the phasor in the presence of harmonics, inter-har-monics, time-varying inter-harmonics, decaying DC, and noise. All the signal compo-nents to be used are modeled and divided in two groups (general components and extra componentes) to better understand the proposed methods. The existing estimation algo-rithms in the literature are studied and described. Two algorithms are chosen as part of the new propositions: DFT and its variations and subspaces methods. The first method synthesizes and implements a DTFT window to eliminate the fundamental frequency and harmonic components of the signal. The result is used to estimate the influence of the decaying DC in the fundamental frequency component. This influence is subtracted from a phasor estimation via DFT in order to get the correct fundamental component. The second method has the same structure, however uses a subspace method for computing the frequency and time constant of the extra components. This combination creates a new algorithm named DTFT ESPRIT. From the new variable computing, the method is able to estimate the fundamental frequency component in the presence of different types of components as well as harmonics, decaying DC, and noise: inter-harmonics and time-varying inter-harmonics.

Ces travaux de thèse ont pour but l’étude théorique et la caractérisation d’interactions non-covalentes par des méthodes QCT (Quantum Chemical Topology), qui sont des outils interprétatifs de chimie quantique. Plusieurs interactions furent étudiées du point de vue de la densité électronique (calculs DFT), notamment des interactions intramoléculaires entre atomes halogènes ainsi que des liaisons halogène inter- et intramoléculaires. L’analyse topologique QTAIM complétée par la décomposition énergétique IQA (Interacting Quantum Atoms) nous a permis de dévoiler la nature physique des interactions étudiées, i.e. la part d’interaction électrostatique et la part d’échange (covalence). Il a été montré que l’échange tient un rôle majeur dans la stabilisation de telles interactions et permet de rationnaliser les différentes topologies observées en terme de compétition entre canaux d’échange primaires et secondaires. Aussi, la formation et la rupture d’une liaison hydrogène au cours de transferts de protons a été étudiée grâce à la décomposition de grandeurs globales (de DFTConceptuelle) en contributions monoatomiques ; le schéma de décomposition proposé se base sur la partition QTAIM et la décomposition énergétique IQA. Cette approche permet de suivre l’évolution, le long d’un chemin réactionnel, de la contribution de chaque atome à la réactivité du système. Une nouvelle façon de caractériser les barrières d’énergie potentielle et les états de transition a ainsi été proposée. / This work aims to theoretically investigate and characterize non-covalent interactions by means of Quantum Chemical Topology (QCT) methods, which are quantum chemistry interpretative tools. Several interactions were studied from the point of view of the electron density (DFT calculations), including intramolecular interactions between halogen atoms as well as inter- and intramolecular halogen bonds. The QTAIM topological analysis complemented by the Interacting Quantum Atoms (IQA) energy decomposition revealed the physical nature of those interactions, i. e. the part of electrostatics and the part of exchange (covalency). It has been shown that exchange plays a significant role in stabilizing such interactions and enables rationalizing the different topologies observed in terms of competition between primary and secondary exchange channels. Also, the formation and breaking of a hydrogen bond during proton transfer reactions has been analyzed by utilizing an atomic decomposition of global quantities (from Conceptual DFT), the new decompositionscheme being based on the QTAIM partition and the IQA energy decomposition. This approach allows following the contribution of every atom to the reactivity of the whole system along a reaction path, introducing a new way of characterizing energy barriers and transition.

Le lointain infrarouge (16 µm < λ < 30 µm) est un domaine important pour des applications telles que la détection de large molécules organiques (dont les empreintes d'absorption tombe dans cette gamme de longueur d'onde) et pour la radio-astronomie (oscillateurs locaux pour la détection hétérodyne). Malheureusement, cette fenêtre de transparence atmosphérique, communément appelé la 4eme fenêtre de transparence, est un domaine quasi inexploré.Les LCQ sont des sources de lumière cohérentes, couvrant une gamme allant du moyen infrarouge jusqu'au THz, basées sur l'ingénierie de structures de bandes de matériaux semi-conducteurs. Ils démontrent d'excellentes performances dans le domaine du proche infrarouge mais leur efficacité diminue dans la 4ème fenêtre et au-delà.L'un des buts de cette thèse est le développement d'une nouvelle génération de LCQ capable de couvrir cette zone spectral avec de bonnes performances, en terme de puissance de sortie du dispositif et de température maximale d'opération. Un point clé dans cette optique est l'utilisation d'un nouveau système de matériaux pour ces longueurs d'onde : l'InAs/AlSb. L'avantage de cette solution réside dans sa très faible masse effective : 0,023 m0 (comparée à 0,043 m0 dans les puits d'InGaAs), qui permet d’obtenir un gain plus élevé, résultant dans l'amélioration significative des performances.Une autre approche fondamentalement différente réside dans le régime de couplage fort. L'utilisation d'un temps caractéristique ultra-rapide, associé aux oscillations de Rabi, peut permettre dans un premier temps de réaliser des sources électroluminescentes avec un meilleur rendement quantique (comparé à une transition inter-sous-bandes nue). Les pseudos particules qui découlent du régime de couplage fort dans les transitions inter-sous-bandes (appelés polaritons inter-sous-bandes) peuvent sous certaines limites se comporter comme des bosons. On entrevoit alors la possibilité de réaliser des sources cohérentes basées sur la relaxation d'un condensat polaritonique. / The far infrared (16 µm < λ < 30 µm) is an important area for applications such as detecting wide organic molecules (whose absorption fingerprints falls in this wavelength range) and for radio-astronomy (local oscillator for the heterodyne detection). Unfortunately, the atmospheric transparency window, commonly called the 4th transparency window is almost unexplored.QCL are coherent light sources, covering a range from infrared to THz, based on the engineering of band structures of semiconductors. They have excellent performances in the mid infrared but their effectiveness diminishes in the 4th window and beyond.One aim of this thesis is the development of a new generation of QCL able to cover this spectral region with good performance in terms of output power and maximum operating temperature. A key point in this context is the use of a new material system for these wavelengths: InAs / AlSb. The advantage of this solution is its very small effective mass : 0.023 m0 (compared to 0.043 m0 in the InGaAs wells), which provides a higher gain, resulting in significant performances improvement.Another fundamentally different approach lies in the strong coupling regime. Using an ultra-fast characteristic time associated with Rabi oscillations, can allow the realization of emitting sources with improved quantum efficiency (compared to an bare inter-subband transition). pseudo particles arising from the strong coupling regime in the inter-subband transitions (called polaritons inter-sub-bands) may under certain limits behave as bosons. One then sees the possibility of coherent sources based on the relaxation of a polariton condensate.

La taille finale des organismes dépend de la vitesse et de la durée de croissance. Ces paramètres sont contrôlés par différentes hormones. La production d'hormone stéroïdienne détermine la fin de la période de croissance en déclenchant la maturité sexuelle, alors que la vitesse de croissance est régulée par la voie de signalisation de l’insuline/IGF (IIS). La vitesse de croissance des organismes est influencée par la nutrition. En effet, des défauts de croissance sont observés chez les individus souffrant de carence protéique chronique. La nutrition contrôle la croissance grâce à la voie de signalisation de l’insuline/IGF. Cependant, le mécanisme par lequel la nutrition contrôle la voie IIS est complexe et reste à élucider. Afin d’explorer cette régulation, le laboratoire utilise Drosophila melanogaster comme modèle d’étude. Chez la drosophile, il existe 8 insulin-like peptides (Dilps). Parmi eux, Dilp2 est la principale insuline promouvant la croissance systémique. Elle est produite par des neurones spécialisés appelés les Insulin Producing Cells (IPC), homologues des cellules béta du pancréas. La sécrétion de Dilp2 dans l’hémolymphe, équivalent du sang chez les vertébrés, est précisément ajustée en fonction de la nutrition. Cette régulation implique une communication inter-organe avec le corps gras, homologue du foie et du tissu adipeux blanc. Selon les conditions nutritionnelles, plusieurs signaux dérivés du corps gras (FDS) sont sécrétés et contrôlent la sécrétion de Dilp2. Ces FDS agissent directement ou indirectement sur les IPCs, via des relais neuronaux. Mon projet de thèse avait pour but de découvrir et d’étudier de nouvelles cibles neuronales contrôlant l’activité sécrétrice des IPCs, et par conséquent la croissance systémique, en fonction de la nutrition. J’ai identifié une paire de neurones inhibiteurs des IPCs, que l’on a nommé IPC-Connecting Neurons (ICN). Actifs en carence en acides aminés, ils inhibent la sécrétion des Dilps. J’ai montré que la signalisation EGFR réprime l’activité de ces neurones en condition nourrie, ce qui augmente la sécrétion des Dilps et par conséquent la taille des individus. Cette activation est due à un nouveau ligand d’EGFR : Growth Blocking Peptide (GBP). J’ai montré que ce ligand de type EGF possède des propriétés particulières puisqu’il agit de façon endocrinienne. En effet, en condition nourrie, GBP est sécrété par le corps gras dans l’hémolymphe, et atteint les ICN afin d’activer la signalisation EGFR. En conclusion, nous proposons que GBP produit par le corps gras en condition nourrie active la voie EGFR dans les neurones ICN, lève l’inhibition exercée sur les IPCs et stimule la sécrétion des Dilps. Cependant, les mécanismes moléculaires par lequel le couple GBP/EGFR inhibe l’activité neuronale des ICNs reste à élucider. Ce travail a permis d’identifier un nouveau mode de régulation de la sécrétion des insulines et de la croissance des organismes en fonction de la disponibilité et de la qualité nutritionnelle. / Body growth is tightly regulated by nutrient availability. Upon nutritional shortage, animals harmoniously reduce their body size by modulating the activity of the insulin/IGF signaling pathway (IIS). To understand how nutrition controls the IIS, we used Drosophila melanogaster as a model. Drosophila has a conserved IIS with 8 insulin-like peptides (Dilps), a unique insulin receptor and a conserved downstream signaling cascade. Among the Dilps, Dilp2 is the main growth-promoting factor. Dilp2 is produced by specialized neurons located in the brain, the Insulin-Producing-Cells (IPCs), functionally related to vertebrate beta cells. Dilp2 secretion is precisely adjusted in response to nutrition: it is released in the hemolymph under normal nutrient condition, but not upon dietary amino acid scarcity. This regulation requires several inter-organ cross-talks between the producing neurons and the fat body, which is the equivalent of the vertebrate white adipose tissue and liver. Depending on diet composition, several fat-derived signals (FDS) are secreted into the hemolymph and control Dilp2 secretion from the IPCs. These FDS act either directly or indirectly through a neuronal relay, to control the IPCs secretory activity. The aim of my PhD project was to better understand these regulations and to discover new neuronal relay controlling the IPCs secretory activity and body growth, according to nutrition. I identified a pair of neurons harboring synaptic connections with the IPCs (IPC-connecting neurons, ICNs). I determined that the ICNs activity is maximal upon amino acids shortage and is required to exert a blockage of the neighbouring IPCs. Moreover, in rich nutrient conditions, EGFR signaling prevents activation of the ICNs, allowing Dilp2 release from the IPCs. GBP1 and 2 are EGF-like peptides produced by the fat body in response to amino acids, and they can modify insulin release. However, the neural circuitries at play are unknown. I demonstrated that GBPs are atypical ligands for the EGF receptor (EGFR), with endocrine function. Using ex-vivo brain culture, I showed that the presence of the fat body-derived GBP1 in the hemolymph activates EGFR signaling in the ICNs and alleviates their inhibitory input on the IPCs, allowing Dilp2 release and therefore body growth. In conclusion, I identified a novel neural circuitry responding to fat-derived EGF-like GBPs, coupling dietary amino acids to the release of insulin-like peptides and systemic growth.

Precise Point Positioning (PPP) ermöglicht eine präzise Positionsbestimmung mittels globaler Satellitennavigationssysteme (Global Navigation Satellite System, GNSS) ohne die direkte Verwendung der Beobachtungsdaten von regionalen Referenzstationen. Die wesentlichste Einschränkung von PPP im Vergleich zu differenziellen Auswertetechniken (Real-Time Kinematic, RTK) ist die deutlich längere Konvergenzzeit. Voraussetzung für die Verkürzung der Konvergenzzeit ist die Festsetzung der geschätzten Mehrdeutigkeiten auf ganzzahlige Werte. Die Mehrdeutigkeitslösung verlangt ein robustes funktionales Modell und beruht auf einem zweistufigen Mehrdeutigkeitsfestsetzungsverfahren, welches frei von ionosphärischen Einflüssen 1. Ordnung ist. Die sowohl auf Code- als auch auf Phasenbeobachtungen basierende Melbourne-Wübbena-Linearkombination erlaubt hierbei eine einfache Festsetzung der Widelane-Mehrdeutigkeiten. Infolgedessen kann zur Berechnung der ionosphären-freien Linearkombination die im Vergleich zur Wellenlänge der ionosphären-freien Linearkombination deutlich größere Narrowlane-Wellenlänge verwendet werden. Zur Stabilisierung des im Normalfall lediglich auf den Beobachtungsdaten des amerikanischen Global Positioning System (GPS) beruhenden funktionalen Modells können die Beobachtungsdaten des russischen GLObal’naya NAvigatsioannaya Sputnikovaya Sistema (GLONASS) beitragen. Aufgrund der Technik, die GLONASS zur Identifizierung der einzelnen Satelliten einsetzt (Frequency Division Multiple Access, FDMA), unterscheiden sich die Frequenzen der einzelnen Satelliten. Die leicht unterschiedlichen Frequenzen erschweren die Modellierung und Korrektion der instrumentell bedingten Signalverzögerungen (z. B. Fractional-Cycle Biases (FCB)). Vor diesem Hintergrund kann das konventionelle Mehrdeutigkeitsfestsetzungsverfahren nur bedingt für GLONASS verwendet werden. Die Untersuchung der instrumentell bedingten GLONASS-Signalverzögerungen sowie die Entwicklung einer alternativen Methode zur Festsetzung der GLONASS-Mehrdeutigkeiten mit dem Ziel einer kombinierten GPS/GLONASS-Mehrdeutigkeitslösung sind die Schwerpunkte der vorliegenden Arbeit. Die entwickelte alternative Mehrdeutigkeitsfestsetzungsstrategie baut auf der puren Widelane-Linearkombination auf, weshalb globale Ionosphärenmodelle unabdingbar sind. Sie eignet sich sowohl für GLONASS als auch für GPS und zeigt gleichwertige Ergebnisse für beide GNSS, wenngleich im Vergleich zur konventionellen Methode mit geringeren Mehrdeutigkeitsfestsetzungsquoten zu rechnen ist. / Precise Point Positioning (PPP) allows for accurate Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) based positioning without the immediate need for observations collected by regional station networks. The fundamental drawback of PPP in comparison to differential techniques such as Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) is a significant increase in convergence time. Among a plurality of different measures aiming for a reduction of convergence time, fixing the estimated carrier phase ambiguities to integer values is the key technique for success. The ambiguity resolution asks for a robust functional model and rests upon a two-stage method ruling out first-order ionospheric effects. In this context the Melbourne-Wübbena linear combination of dual-frequency carrier phase and code measurements leverages a simple resolution of widelane ambiguities. As a consequence the in comparison to the wavelength of the ionosphere-free linear combination significantly longer narrowlane wavelength can be used to form the ionosphere-free linear combination. By default the applied functional model is solely based on observations of the Global Positioning System (GPS). However measurements from the GLObal’naya NAvigatsioannaya Sputnikovaya Sistema (GLONASS) can contribute to improve the model’s stability significantly. Due to the technique used by GLONASS to distinguish individual satellites (Frequency Division Multiple Access, FDMA), the signals broadcast by those satellites differ in their frequencies. The resulting slightly different frequencies constitute a barricade for both modelling and correcting any device-dependent signal delays, e.g. fractional-cycle biases (FCB). These facts limit the applicability of the conventional ambiguity-fixing approach when it comes to GLONASS signals. The present work puts a focus both on investigating the device-dependent GLONASS signal delays and on developing an alternative method for fixing GLONASS ambiguities with the ultimate objective of a combined GPS/GLONASS ambiguity resolution. The alternative ambiguity resolution strategy is based on the pure widelane linear combination, for which reason ionospheric corrections are indispensable. The procedure is applicable for GLONASS in the first instance but reveals equivalent results for both GPS and GLONASS. The disadvantage relative to the conventional approach is the reduced ambiguity fixing success rate.

(Deutsch) Diese Arbeit versucht sich unter Einbeziehung interkultureller Quellen im Dialog mit Julio Cortázars Erzählung "der Verfolger" [el perseguidor] an einer Verfolgung der Jagd. Sie hofft, mit dem Begriff der Jagd und seiner Ausdifferenzierung in verschiedene Modi fundamentale Bewegungsrichtungen der menschlichen Existenz zu beschreiben. Die menschliche Existenz kommt dabei als spannungsreiches Zwischen ("inter") von sinngetragener medialisierter Bezogenheit und außer-sinnhafter realer Faktizität in den Blick. Im Verlaufe der Arbeit werden anhand ausgewählter Szenen der Erzählung nicht nur die Spannung des Zwischen selbst, sondern auch seine Pole zum Gegenstand des philosophischen Fragens gemacht. Schlüsselworte: Jagd, Cortázar, Zwischen (inter), Sinn, außer-Sinn, Reales, Leib, absolutes Nichts