Les travaux rassemblés dans cette thèse concernent l'analyse des structures électroniques de dichalcogénures de platine et de palladium, composés solides présentant pour certains des anomalies structurales. Une étude préalable à pression ambiante est réalisée sur la famille PtQ2 (Q = O, S, Se et Te). Les quatre composés adoptent un type CdI2 polymère avec un rapport c/a très faible. A l'aide de calculs quantiques (méthodes DFT et EHTB), les phénomènes responsables sont identifiés. Un transfert électronique des anions chalcogénures vers le platine entraîne la diminution du paramètre c, tandis que des facteurs orbitalaires et géométriques provoquent l'augmentation du paramètre a. Un accent particulier est mis sur l'étude de PtO2, seul oxyde lamellaire stable. Des calculs quantiques montrent que c'est le décompte électronique qui gouverne l'arrangement structural. Le remplissage partiel des bandes d(Pt) et sp(Te) pour PtTe2 pose la question de l'équilibre des charges réel dans les chalcogénures. Pour y répondre, l'outil haute pression a été utilisé dans les cas de PtTe2, PdTe2 et PdSe2. Une analyse des distances, couplée avec des calculs DFT, montre que les formulations Pt3+(Te-1,5)2 et Pd2+(Te-1)2 semblent convenir à pression ambiante. Une très forte combinaison entre orbitales p(Q) et d(M) est constatée, empêchant l'établissement clair d'un équilibre des charges. Des expériences de synthèse et de caractérisation structurale par diffraction des rayons X mettent en évidence l'absence de transition de phase pour ces ditellurures. Dans le cas de PtTe2, l'application de pression ne conduit pas à un transfert de charges mais à un réarrangement électronique. Le composé PdSe2 subit quant à lui une transition de phase vers le type pyrite par diminution des distances Pd-Se interfeuillet. Encore une fois, il n'y a pas de transfert électronique mais un réarrangement correspondant à une distorsion Jahn-Teller coopérative. L'influence de la température est ensuite étudiée et montre des réarrangements structuraux très importants dans le type pyrite.

Fiske förekommer runt om i hela världen, men det utförs av många olika anledningar. Det kan vara ett yrke, en hobby eller ett sätt att få mat på bordet. Men oavsett syftet kan beten gå sönder, fastna eller lossna. I Norden tappar vi uppskattningsvis 28 miljoner beten varje år. Att beten lossnar är inte något som alla kan påverka eller undvika. Något som däremot går att ändra är vilka beten vi faktiskt använder oss av och vilka material de består av. Det finns en mängd olika fiskeutövare som skulle kunna dra nytta av ny forskning inom området och det är på tiden att vi anammar ett mer hållbart sportfiske. Studien undersöker hur ett ekologiskt hållbart fiskedrag i form av en jigg kan framtas genom en materialcentrerad designprocess. Med hjälp av materialdriven design och användarcentrerad design undersöks möjligheterna att ersätta syntetiska plaster med bioplaster, i ett mjukt plastbete. Designmetoder användes för att granska och bekräfta problemet med förlorade fiskedrag. Marknadsanalyser, deltagande observationer och intervjuer utfördes med verksamma inom sport- och hobbyfiske. Metoderna gav en bredare uppfattning av problemet och vilka förbättringsmöjligheter som fanns. Olika prototyper skissades och framtogs genom bioplaster. För att säkerställa att produkten lever upp till användarnas krav, genomgick prototyperna olika tester, samt utvärderas. Studien ger ett kunskapsbidrag om vilka material som fungerar och vilka som inte fungerar vid tillverkning av mjuka plastdrag. Den visar dessutom hur massproducerade formar skulle kunna uppmana hobbyfiskare att tillverka sina egna drag. Det framgår också hur man från grunden kan framställa egna fiskedrag genom ett DIY-projekt. Studien resulterar även i två bionedbrytbara produkter. En produkt för abborrefiske och en för gäddfiske. / Fishing occurs throughout the entire planet, but it occurs for different reasons. It could be a profession, a hobby or a livelihood. Regardless, the bait can break, get stuck or get loose. In the North we lose around 28 million baits every year. The fact that lures is not something that everyone can influence or avoid. However, something that can be changed, is which lures we use and which materials they are made of. There are a variety of anglers who could benefit from new research in this field, and it is about time we embrace a more sustainable sport fishing. This study examines how an ecologically sustainable fishing lure in the shape of a jig, can be produced through a material centered design process. With material driven design and user centered design, this study investigates the possibilities of replacing synthetic plastics with bioplastics in a soft plastic bait. Several design methods were used to research and confirm the problem of lost fishing lures. Market analyses, participant observations and interviews were done with people active in sport- and hobby fishing. These methods gave a broader perception of the problem and which opportunities there are. Different prototypes were sketched and then made by bioplastics. The prototypes were evaluated through different tests, to ensure that the products will live up to the requirements presented by the users. This study provides knowledge about which materials work, and which do not when manufacturing soft plastic features. It also shows how mass-produced molds could encourage hobby anglers to make their own lures. It’s also shown how you can make your own fishing lures from scratch, through a DIY project. The study also results in two biodegradable products. One product for perch fishing and one for pike fishing.

Sportfiskarna söker ständigt efter nyheter inom branschen. Konkurrensen är tuff bland företag inom branschen och det gäller att ständigt kunna erbjuda det senaste. En innovativ produkt som kan skapa uppmärksamhet hos fisken är en eftertraktad nyhet. Examensarbetets genomförande sker med en projektplan innehållande en tidplan, riskhantering, organisation och filhantering. Projektets faser består av planering, förstudie, produktspecificering, konceptgenerering, konceptval, konstruktion, formgivning, prototyp samt en patentansökan. Med hänsyn taget till en kravspecifikation, som upprättades under förstudien där brukarens behov och önskemål samt krav från samarbetspartnern definieras, genererades det slutgiltiga konceptet. Förstudien fokus har främst legat på brukaren, för att definiera vad han eller hon vill ha. Förstudien visar att brukaren i första hand vill ha något innovativt och enkelt.  Vid idégenerering användes verktyg som 6-3-5, skissande av hela koncept samt brainstorming. Dessa verktyg användes vid konceptgenerering, men även under arbetet med patentansökan. Den förstnämnda användes för att generera olika möjligheter för hur och vad som konceptet ska lösa. Den andra användes för att identifiera vad experter inom sportfiskebranschen anser vara ett lyckat fiskedrag. Det tredje verktyget användes för att finna potentiella lösningar vid en specifik frågeställning. Efter sortering av konceptet kvarstod nio unika kombinationer. Det slutgiltiga konceptet består av ett fiskedragshuvud (jigghuvud) med implementerad modul som blinkar vid kontakt med vatten. Detta slutgiltiga val beslutades tillsammans med samarbetspartnern. En patentansökan fick projektplanen och rapporten korrigeras till version 2.0.  Genom projektet har skisser använts frekvent för att testa idéer och kombinationer. Prototyper av det valda konceptet gjordes för att erhålla ytterligare information om konstruktion och funktion. / The fishermen are constantly looking for something new. As a company, specialized in this profession, it is necessary to be able to offer the newest thing within fishing. A new kind of fishing lure that creates attention among the fish is an innovative new and welcomed product among fishermen’s. The thesis work is carried out as a project with a project plan containing a time chart, risk management, organization and file management. The phases of the project consist of planning, research, product specification, concept generation, evaluation, construction, design and patent application. The concept was developed with a product specification in mind. This specification is a list of the users needs and preferences, as well as requirements from the cooperation partner. The research focused on the users need, to determine what the customer really wants. The result from the research was that the user wants something innovative and easy to use. Idea generation utilized tools like 6-3-5, generating entire concepts as well as brainstorming. These tools were used in concept generation, but also during the work with the patent applications. The first mentioned tool was used to generate possibilities for how and what the product will do. The second mentioned tool was used to identify what those within this profession think would be a successful fishing lure. The third tool was used to find potential solutions for a specific issue. Evaluation of the ideas resulted in nine different kinds of concepts. The final concept consists of a fishing lure head (jig head) with implemented module that illuminates when in contact with water. This final decision was made after presentation and discussion with the partner. With a patent application, the project plan and the report were corrected to version 2.0. Sketches were frequently used to through the project to test ideas and combinations. Prototypes of the chosen concept were made to obtain additional information on design and function.

Objectifs: L’objectif principal de ce mémoire consiste à comprendre les caractéristiques des carrières criminelles d’individus connus de la police pour avoir perpétré une infraction de leurre d’enfants sur Internet. Aussi, par une analyse typologique à l’aide des antécédents criminels, il sera possible d’établir une typologie d’individus ayant leurré des enfants sur Internet. Également, il sera question de vérifier s’il y a un lien entre les caractéristiques des antécédents criminels de ces individus sur la perpétration de l’agression sexuelle hors ligne. Méthodologie: Provenant de données officielles de la communauté policière du Québec, l’échantillon comprend les parcours de criminels ayant perpétré une infraction de leurre d’enfants sur Internet. Des analyses descriptives en lien avec les différents paramètres de la carrière criminelle seront effectuées. Ensuite, des tests de moyenne et une analyse de régression Cox permettront de vérifier la présence ou non d’un lien statistique entre les caractéristiques des antécédents criminels des individus connus de la police pour leurre d’enfants sur Internet et le passage à l’acte physique. Résultats: Les analyses ont montré que la majorité des sujets n’avaient aucun antécédent judiciaire. Pour la plupart, le leurre d’enfants est le crime le plus grave perpétré au cours de leur carrière criminelle. Trois catégories d’individus ont été décelées : les amateurs, les spécialistes et les généralistes. Ce sont les individus polymorphes ayant une carrière criminelle plus grave et plus longue qui sont portés à agresser sexuellement avant le leurre. Cependant, ce sont des individus spécialisés ayant une importante proportion de délits sexuels dans leurs antécédents criminels qui ont plus de chance d’agresser sexuellement suite à l’exploitation sexuelle sur Internet. / Objectives: The aim of this paper is to understand the criminal career characteristics of people who are known from the police to have committed child luring on the Internet. Using a taxonomic analysis created with the criminal history of these individuals, it will be possible to establish a typology of people who have lured children online. Ultimately, the variance in characteristics of the criminal background on the commission of offline sexual abuse will also be verified. Methodology: Drawing from official data of Quebec’s police community, the sample includes criminal careers of people having committed the offense of luring children over the Internet. Some descriptive analyses related to the different parameters of the criminal history will be included. Moreover, a mean test and a Cox regression analysis will verify the significance and the predictability of acting out prior and after the act of luring children online based on criminal background. Results: Analyses have shown that the majority of subjects have no criminal record. For many of them, children luring is the most serious crime committed in their criminal career. Three categories of individuals have been identified: amateurs, specialists and generalists. Those who are tempted to commit sexual abuse before luring are the polymorphic subjects with a more serious criminal history. However, those who are considered specialists with a significant proportion of sexual offenses in their career are more likely to commit sexual assault following sexual exploitation on Internet.

The overall objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that insects can vector F. tumidum conidia to infect gorse plants with the aim of developing an alternative approach to mycoherbicide delivery to control weeds. Four potential insect species (Apion ulicis, Cydia ulicetana, Epiphyas postvittana and Sericothrips staphylinus) were assessed for their ability to vector F. tumidum conidia. To achieve this, the external microflora (bacteria and fungi) and the size and location of fungal spores on the cuticle of these insect species were determined. In addition, the ability of the insects to pick up and deposit F. tumidum conidia on agar was studied. Based on the results from these experiments, E. postvittana was selected for more detailed experiments to determine transmission of F. tumidum to infect potted gorse plants. The factors promoting pathogenicity of F. tumidum against gorse and the pathogen loading required to infect and kill the weed were also determined. The external microflora of the four insect species were recovered by washing and plating techniques and identified by morphology and polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and sequencing of internally transcribed spacer (ITS) and 16S rDNA. A culture-independent technique (direct PCR) was also used to assess fungal diversity by direct amplification of ITS sequences from the washings of the insects. All insect species carried Alternaria, Cladosporium, Nectria, Penicillium, Phoma, Pseudozyma spp. and entomopathogens. Ninety four per cent of the 178 cloned amplicons had ITS sequences similarity to Nectria mauritiicola. E. postvittana carried the largest fungal spores (mean surface area of 125.9 µm²) and the most fungal CFU/insect. About 70% of the fungi isolated from the insects were also present on the host plant (gorse) and the understorey grass. The mean size of fungal spores recovered from the insect species correlated strongly with their body length (R² = 85%). Methylobacterium aquaticum and Pseudomonas lutea were common on all four insect species. Pseudomonas fluorescens was the most abundant bacterial species. In the pathogenicity trials, the effectiveness of F. tumidum in reducing root and shoot biomass of 16 and 8 wk old gorse plants was significantly increased with wounding of the plants. Older plants (32 wk old) which were wounded and inoculated were significantly shorter, more infected and developed more tip dieback (80%) than plants which were not wounded (32%). This indicates that damage caused by phytophagous insect species present on gorse through feeding and oviposition may enhance infection by F. tumidum. Wounding may release nutrients (e.g. Mg and Zn) essential for conidia germination and germ tube elongation and also provide easier access for germ tube penetration. Conidial germination and germ tube length were increased by 50 and 877%, respectively when incubated in 0.2% of gorse extract solution for 24 h compared with incubation in water. Inoculum suspensions amended with 0.2% of gorse extract caused more infection and significantly reduced biomass production of 24 wk old gorse plants than suspensions without gorse extract. A minimum number of about 900 viable conidia/infection site of F. tumidum were required to infect gorse leaves. However, incorporation of amendments (which can injure the leaf cuticle) or provision of nutrients (i.e. gorse extract or glucose) in the formulation might decrease the number of conidia required for lesion formation. Scanning electron micrographs showed that germ tube penetration of gorse tissue was limited to open stomata which partly explain the large number of conidia required for infection. The flowers and leaves were more susceptible to F. tumidum infection than the spines, stems and pods. An experiment to determine the number of infection sites required to cause plant mortality showed that the entire plant needs to be inoculated in order for the pathogen to kill 10 wk old plants as F. tumidum is a non systemic pathogen. The number of infection sites correlated strongly with disease severity (R² = 99.3%). At least 50% of the plant was required to be inoculated to cause a significant reduction in shoot dry weight. F. tumidum, applied as soil inoculant using inoculated wheat grains in three separate experiments, significantly suppressed gorse seedling emergence and biomass production. In experiments to determine the loading capacity of the insect species, E. postvittana, the largest insect species studied, carried significantly more (68) and deposited significantly more (29) F. tumidum conidia than the other species. Each E. postvittana, loaded with 5,000 conidia of F. tumidum, transmitted approximately 310 conidia onto gorse plants but this did not cause any infection or affect plant growth as determined by shoot fresh weight and shoot height. E. postvittana on its own did not cause any significant damage to gorse and did not enhance F. tumidum infection. It also failed to spread the pathogen from infected plants to the healthy ones. There was no evidence of synergism between the two agents and damage caused by the combination of both E. postvittana and F. tumidum was equivalent to that caused by F. tumidum alone. This study has shown that E. postvittana has the greatest capacity to vector F. tumidum since it naturally carried the largest and the most fungal spores (429 CFU/insect). Moreover, it naturally carried Fusarium spp. such as F. lateritium, F. tricinctum and Gibberella pulicaris (anamorph Fusarium sambucinum) and was capable of carrying and depositing most F. tumidum conidia on agar. Coupled with the availability of pheromone for attracting the male insects, E. postvittana may be a suitable insect vector for delivering F. tumidum conidia on gorse using this novel biocontrol strategy. Although it is a polyphagous insect, and may visit non-target plants, F. tumidum is a very specific pathogen of gorse, broom and a few closely related plant species. Hence, using this insect species to vector F. tumidum in a biological control programme, should not pose a significant threat to plants of economic importance. However, successful control of gorse using this "lure-load-infect" concept would depend, to a large extent on the virulence of the pathogen as insects, due to the large size of F. tumidum macroconidia, can carry only a small number of it.

Submitted by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-09-19T12:30:06Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Nathalia Ximenes Gonçalves - 2017.pdf: 11960098 bytes, checksum: a70e468c7f0aec1f54681daa44779319 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-09-19T12:30:25Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Nathalia Ximenes Gonçalves - 2017.pdf: 11960098 bytes, checksum: a70e468c7f0aec1f54681daa44779319 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-19T12:30:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Nathalia Ximenes Gonçalves - 2017.pdf: 11960098 bytes, checksum: a70e468c7f0aec1f54681daa44779319 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-08-18 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The sensory drive theory predicts that signals, sensory systems, and signaling behavior should coevolve. Variation in the sensory systems of prey and predators may explain the diversity of color signals, such as color polymorphism. The spider Gasteracantha cancriformis (Araneidae) possesses several conspicuous color morphs. The aim of the present study was to assess whether the color polymorphism of G. cancriformis may be maintained by pressure from multiple signal receivers, such as prey and predators with distinct color vision systems. In orb-web spiders, the prey attraction hypothesis states that conspicuous colors are prey lures that increase spider foraging success via flower mimicry. However, in highly defended species, conspicuous colors could also be a warning signal to predators. We used color vision modelling to estimate chromatic and achromatic contrast of G. cancriformis morphs as perceived by potential prey and predator taxa. To assess the role of prey, we conducted a prey capture experiment in the field, in which webs were assigned to four treatments: yellow, red, and black models, or no model. For each treatment, we counted the number of prey trapped on the webs and the calculated webs damaged area. To assess the role of predators on the evolution of conspicuous color patterns and polymorphism, we conducted a second field experiment, allocating yellow, red and black spider models in nylon threads along the vegetation, and observed the number of attack markings for each of them. Our results revealed that individual prey and predator taxa perceive the conspicuousness of morphs differently. Therefore, the multiple prey and multiple predator hypotheses may explain the evolution of color polymorphism in G. cancriformis. The results of prey capture experiment did not corroborate the prey attraction hypothesis nor the prey specific adaptation of color polymorphism. On the predation experiment, we found that black spider models presented more markings, which indicates that yellow and red models were less preferred, possibly suggesting that spider coloration may play a role on predator avoidance. Our results, however, do not corroborate the hypothesis that multiple predators influence polymorphism evolution. Color polymorphism in this species is possibly a multi-functional attribute, where some morphs benefits from aposematism, whereas others may alternative fitness advantages. Non-adaptive explanation should also be considered in future experiments of the evolution and maintenance of color polymorphisms. / A teoria de “sensory drive” prediz que sinais, sistemas sensoriais e comportamentos de sinalização devem coevoluir. Variação no sistema sensorial de presas ou predadores pode explicar a diversidade de colorações existentes e polimorfismos de cores. A aranha de teia orbicular Gasteracantha cancriformis apresenta padrões de coloração conspícuos e polimorfismo de cor. A evolução e manutenção de tal variação cromática pode ser influenciada por presas e predadorescom sistemas visuais diferentes, já que um mesmo morfo é percebido distintamente por potenciais presas e predadores. A coloração conspícua, entretanto, não se assemelha à coloração de flores. Tampouco influencia na captura de presas, visto que modelos dessa aranhas apresentaram números similares de presas nas teias. Portanto, ao contrário de outras aranhas de teia orbicular, para as quais a coloração chamativa é atribuída ao mimetismo floral, para G. cancriformis, esta hipótese não é corroborada. Os morfos amarelo e vermelho apresentam coloração típica de organismos aposemáticos e são conspícuos para a visão de uma ave. O morfo vermelho apesar de não ser conspícuo na visão de vespas, ainda assim poderia estar protegido de predação por camuflagem. Dessa forma, esses morfos poderiam ser mantidos na população devido à pressão de diferentes predadores, morfos vermelhos sinalizariam impalatabilidade para aves, enquanto morfos amarelos, para vespas. Porém, essas diferenças não foram observadas experimentalmente. Em campo, modelos pretos de aranha apresentaram mais marcas de predação do que modelos amarelos e vermelhos, também sugerindo que em G. cancriformis a coloração chamativa pode ser um sinal de advertência para predadores. Porém, a multiplicidade de predadores por si só não explica a variação cromática em populações dessa espécie de aranha. Consequentemente, o polimorfismo de cor em G. cancriformis pode ser uma característica multi-funcional, onde morfos não aposemáticos seriam mantidos nas populações devido a outras funções adaptativas, como camuflagem ou termorregulação.

California red scale (CRS), Aonidella aurantii, is an increasingly injurious insect pest for the California citrus industry due to insecticide resistance, changing weather patterns, and shifting trade regulations. The presence of the insect on fruit, damages the rind of the fruit and high populations can cause dieback of branches as well as lower yields. Pheromone mating disruption of CRS has the potential to alleviate population control concerns and reduce insecticide use. The efficacy of the pheromone mating disruption technique for pest management of CRS was determined using the products CheckMate® CRS and Semios CRS Plus. CheckMate® CRS was evaluated over two years in eight 8.1-ha blocks and two 16.2-ha blocks, and in each block half the acreage was untreated and half treated. Semios CRS Plus was evaluated over one year in four 8.1-ha blocks and one 16.2-ha block, and in each block half the acreage was untreated and half treated. Disruption efficacy was determined by male flight trap counts, leaf and twig infestation percentages, and fruit infestation at the end of the season. For CheckMate® CRS® a large reduction in male flight trap catches were recorded in all blocks over both years. Statistically significant lower leaf and twig infestations were observed between for the CheckMate® CRS compared to the control areas in all 10 blocks over the 2018 and 2019 seasons for both the August and November sampling. Statistically significant reductions in the % of fruit infested with 10 or more scales were observed for the CheckMate® CRS treatment compared to the control in 9 of the 10 blocks with 7 of 10 blocks having 90% to 97% reduction. No significant reductions in male flight trap catches or the August leaf and twig infestation were observed for Semios CRS Plus. Due to a lack of efficacy in the August leaf and twig sample in 2018 the trials were canceled and not replicated in 2019. The results of the study indicated pheromone mating disruption using CheckMate® CRS, can be an effective method to reduce California red scale populations.