Cette thèse a pour thème le processus physique de ralentissement de la lumière induit par amplification paramétrique vectorielle dans les fibres optiques biréfringentes. Notre première étude porte sur la lumière lente induite par amplification paramétrique vectorielle dans les fibres fortement biréfringentes. Contrairement au processus scalaire, nous montrons théoriquement que le processus vectoriel offre la possibilité de créer des bandes de gain paramétrique étroites et éloignées de la pompe, permettant de générer des retards optiques très importants, un ordre de grandeur supérieurs à ceux obtenus en amplification paramétrique scalaire. Des résultats analytiques et issus de simulations numériques dans le cas de dispersion normale ainsi que dans le cas de dispersion anormale sont présentés. Ensuite, nous discutons des principales limitations au retard optique (élargissement de l’impulsion pompe notamment) et nous étudions l’influence positive de l’effet Raman sur le retard optique. Notre seconde étude est consacrée à la lumière lente induite par amplification paramétrique dans les fibres faiblement biréfringentes. Nous traitons l’ensemble des configurations possibles d’instabilité de polarisation selon l’état initial de polarisation de l’impulsion pompe et du régime de dispersion. Nous démontrons clairement que la configuration correspondant à une impulsion pompe polarisée suivant l’axe lent de la fibre et une impulsion signal polarisée suivant l’axe rapide en régime de dispersion normale donne des retards optiques les plus important / This thesis aims to the physical process of slow light induced by vector parametric amplification in highly and weakly birefringent optical fibers. Our first study concerns slow light induced by parametric amplification in highly birefringent fibers. Unlike the scalar process, we theoretically demonstrate that large optical delays can be in principle generated in birefringent fibers, one order of magnitude higher than for the scalar case. Both analytical and numerical results in the case of anomalous dispersion are presented. We further discuss the main limitations for slow light optical delays (signal pulse broadening, pump pulse depletion). The influence of the Raman gain is also studied both analytically and numerically. The second study focuses on slow light induced by parametric amplification in weakly birefringent fibers. We consider all possible configurations of polarization modulation instability, depending on the polarization axis of the pump pulse and on the dispersion regime, and we derive the slow-light optical delays. We clearly demonstrate that the configuration corresponding to a pump pulse polarized in the slow axis of the fiber and a signal pulse polarized on the fast axis, in the normal dispersion regime, gives the largest optical delays.

Tumour necrosis factor-stimulated gene-6 (TSG-6) is a protein expressed in a wide range of cell types and tissues, predominantly in response to inflammatory stimuli. The expression of TSG-6 is believed to be associated with the protection of tissues from the damaging effects of inflammation. In animal models treatment with TSG-6 protein has been found to reduce inflammatory damage in myocardial infarction, corneal injury and arthritis. Endogenous TSG-6 production has been suggested to play a protective role in inflammatory arthritis and has been implicated in bone homeostasis. The expression of TSG-6 is also essential in the process of cumulus matrix formation that occurs around the oocyte in the periovulatory period and is necessary for successful ovulation and fertilisation. In many cases the mechanism underlying a particular TSG-6 function is not fully understood. TSG-6 has numerous binding partners including the serum glycoprotein inter-alpha-inhibitor (IαI), the growth factor bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) and the extracellular matrix protein fibronectin, as well as glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) such as hyaluronan and heparan sulphate (HS). The TSG-6 protein is mostly composed of contiguous Link and CUB domains, with the majority of ligand binding sites identified within the Link module. The CUB domain of TSG-6 has been less extensively studied. Here biophysical techniques have been used to investigate the TSG-6 interactome including both the Link module and CUB domain. Intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy was used to establish the metal-ion binding properties of the CUB domain, which was established to have a high affinity Ca2+-binding site. Using surface plasmon resonance (SPR), a novel metal-ion dependent interaction was found for the CUB domain of TSG-6 and the heavy chains (HCs) of IαI. Investigation using mutants of both the CUB domain of TSG-6 and HC of IαI established that the metal-ion binding sites within each protein are involved in the interaction. SPR analysis was also used to define the affinities and binding sites for TSG-6 interactions with fibronectin and BMP-2. High affinity interactions between TSG-6 ligands were also revealed (e.g. BMP-2 and HC, fibronectin and HC) and their binding sites defined. The discovery of the novel interactions between these TSG-6 ligands suggests crosstalk within the TSG-6 interactome, with the potential for ternary complex formation or indeed hierarchical orders of binding. Thus work was undertaken to develop a passivated lipid bilayer platform for use with surface sensitive techniques. This platform was used to investigate the hierarchy of protein and GAG interactions using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) and dual polarisation interferometry (DPI). The investigation revealed a novel role for the Link module of TSG-6 in heparin condensation, potentially via protein dimerisation and/or oligomerisation which could affect heparin/HS functions within the extracellular matrix (ECM). Thus the biophysical analysis of TSG-6 presented here has identified novel interactions and functions of TSG-6 which may provide mechanisms for the protective functioning of TSG-6 in inflammation and its ECM structuring role in ovulation.

No description available.

En combinant des techniques de microscopie et de spectroscopie, il est possible de réaliser des images résolues spectralement. Ces images apportent des réponses à de nombreux problèmes en chimie, biologie, et médecine. La diffusion Raman cohérente (CRS) s'est révélée capable de surpasser la diffusion Raman spontanée dans l'analyse chimique d'échantillons, en offrant une meilleure résolution spatiale et un temps d'acquisition plus faible. La vitesse d'acquisition de l'information spectrale demeure toutefois un facteur limitant en imagerie CRS, et de nombreuses recherches se concentrent sur le développement de nouvelles méthodes d'acquisition. Le présent travail s'inscrit dans cette démarche. En combinant la diffusion Raman stimulée (une branche de la CRS), la focalisation spectrale d'impulsions optiques, ainsi qu'une ligne à délai acousto-optique, nous réalisons les premières mesures à de telles vitesses d'acquisition. Le cadre théorique, technologique, ainsi que l’ingénierie nécessaire pour parvenir à ce résultat sont détaillés. Cette technique d'acquisition rapide est illustrée par le suivi de réaction chimique, le contrôle qualité pharmaceutique, en biologie, et en histologie / Combining microscopy and spectroscopy, one can achieve spectrally resolved imaging, and provide a solution to various chemical, biological, or medical challenges. Coherent Raman scattering (CRS) has proven extremely valuable in providing chemical information, with a higher resolution and shorter acquisition time than spontaneous Raman scattering. The acquisition rate of the spectral information from a sample remains the limiting factor of CRS imaging, and several experimental schemes are being investigated to push the technology toward higher imaging frame rates. This work develops one such scheme. Combining stimulated Raman scattering (a CRS technique), spectral focusing with chirped pulses, and a fast acousto-optic delay line, we achieved unprecedented spectral acquisition rates. The theoretical, technological, and engineering frameworks enabling such acquisition are described in details. The application to pharmaceutical quality control, time resolved chemical transformations, biology, and histology are demonstrated

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The extracellular matrix (ECM) provides a structural and signaling platform for cells that comprise various organs, playing a critical role in tissue maintenance, injury, and repair. Hyaluronan (also known as hyaluronic acid, HA) is a ubiquitous ECM polysaccharide consisting of a repeating disaccharide backbone that can be covalently modified by the heavy chains (HC) of the serum protein inter-alpha-inhibitor (IαI) during inflammation. Known as the only covalent modification of HA, the HC linking of HA is exclusively mediated by the inflammation-induced secreted enzyme TNFα-stimulated gene-6 (TSG-6). Mice deficient for HC-HA formation, due to the lack of either TSG-6 or IαI, display reduced survival during systemic lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endotoxic shock and its associated acute lung injury. We therefore hypothesized that HC-HA should play an important protective role against acute lung injury induced by intratracheal LPS or Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) gram-negative bacteria. We also identified that lung instillation of LPS or PA caused rapid induction of lung parenchymal HC-HA that was largely cleared during resolution of injury, indicative of a high rate of HA turnover and remodeling during reversible lung injury. However, using TSG-6 knockout mice, we determined that HC-HA exerted minimal protective effects against intratracheal LPS or PA-induced acute lung injury. To better address the differential roles of HC-HA during systemic versus localized intratracheal exposure to LPS, we characterized and compared the induction of HC-HA in plasma and lung in these two models. While lung parenchymal HC-HA formed in both injury models, intravascular HC-HA and TSG-6 were exclusively induced during systemic LPS exposure and were associated with improved outcomes, including decreased number of circulating neutrophils and plasma TNFα levels. Our results suggest that LPS induces HC-HA formation in various tissues depending on the route of exposure and that the specific intravascular induction of HCHA during systemic LPS exposure may have a protective role during endotoxic shock.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第20338号 / 工博第4275号 / 新制||工||1662(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院工学研究科社会基盤工学専攻 / (主査)教授 石田 毅, 教授 林 為人, 准教授 奈良 禎太 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM

Particulate composites are widely used in many aerospace applications such as protective coatings, adhesives, or structural members of a body and their mechanical properties and behavior have gained increasing significance. The addition of modifiers such as alumina generally leads to improved mechanical properties. This addition also enables the non-invasive study of the load transfer between the particle and the matrix. Understanding the load transfer between the particulate and the matrix material is the first step to understanding the behavior and mechanical properties of the composite as a whole. In this work, samples with an isolated alumina particle embedded in an epoxy matrix were created to replicate the ideal assumptions for many particulate mechanics models. In separate experiments, both photo stimulated luminescent spectroscopy (PSLS) and synchrotron radiation were used to collect the spectral emission and diffraction rings, respectively, from the mechanically loaded samples. The PSLS data and XRD data are shown to be in qualitative agreement that as particle size is increased, the load transferred to the particle also increased for the range of particle sizes tested. This trend of increasing load transfer with increasing particle size is compared with the classical Eshelby model. Results from this work provide experimental insight into the load transfer properties of particulate composites and can serve to experimentally validate the theoretical load transfer models that currently exist.

A total of 17 samples were collected for OSL dating from a Swift Creek archaeological site, known as Harrison Ring, which lies on the Tyndall Air force peninsula in northwest Florida. High-resolution vertical sampling conducted at 10 cm intervals from the surface was performed in order to determine the timing of occupation at the site, and to look for patterns in radiation dosimetry and post-depositional disturbance that can compromise OSL results. We find OSL ages determined using both 0.5 mm aliquots and single grains at the archaeological levels (approximately 1751 ± 339 years ago) to be consistent with the timing of early Swift Creek cultures on the Florida Gulf Coast. The ages we report are both consistent with radiocarbon dates taken at Harrison Ring, and those taken at other Swift Creek sites on the Gulf Coast. In general, we find OSL equivalent doses that show high overdispersion and skewness that we attribute to beta-microdosimetry and possible bioturbation in the profiles. We also present results from a test with a novel dosimetric technique employing Al2O3:C chips. By using Al2O3:C dosimeters, we find that large variability in beta dose rates exist in the sedimentary profile at Harrison Ring. By testing a combination of dosimetric techniques in a site with a well-constrained age, we find that the best agreement with independent age control exists when calculating ages using a beta dose rate from NAA/DNC and gamma dose rate from Al2O3:C dosimetry. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

The aim of this study, which is part of a research project called LÄRK at the University of Kristianstad, is to further examine how a group of pre-service teachers reason about relational competence, as well as examining their opinions regarding the importance of relational competence in the teaching profession. Furthermore, the study aims to investigate whether the project has had some kind of long term impact on the students’ ideas with regards to their way of reasoning about their pedagogical practice in stimulated recall interviews and how their understanding of their own relational competence may have been influenced by the process. The results show that the students have the conviction that relational competence is of great importance to the teaching profession and that good relationships based on trust and confidence are fundamental to learning. The results that have emerged also indicate that the students developed increased knowledge of relational competence and what distinguishes a teacher with relational competence. It is suggested that the students find it easier to apply a more general theoretical understanding of relational competence rather than engaging in a self-reflective analysis of their behavior in the recorded film sequences from VFU. It is likely that the project’s three educational sessions did not generate sufficient progression for students to develop a glimpse of the competencies that underlie the definition of relational competence. Although such an assumption supports the idea that relational competence should be initiated in an early stage in teacher education, the result indicates that more research is needed on the competence and how it should be implemented in teacher education.

No description available.