Abstract. Since the introduction of interpolants to the field of symbolic model checking, interpolation-based methods have been successfully used in both hardware and software model checking. Recently, variable assignments have been introduced to the computation of interpolants. In the context of abstract reachability graphs, variable assignment can be used not only to prevent out-of-scope variables from appearing in interpolants, but also to reduce the size of the interpolant significantly. We further extend the framework for computing interpolants under variable assignment, prove the correctness of the system and show that it has potential to further decrease the size of the computed interpolants. At the end we analyze under which conditions the computed interpolants will still have the path interpolation property, a desired property in many interpolation-based techniques. 1

Manifestation extérieure des secrets mouvements de l’âme, l’émotion possède un caractère universel, mais les sociétés fondent pour partie leur cohérence sur des pratiques communes de l’affectivité qui peuvent l’emporter sur cette expérience individuelle. Le prince, dont le corps et le geste concentrent les regards, n’échappe pas aux injonctions d’un habitus idéal dans lequel les émotions jouent un rôle essentiel, entre valorisation et transgression. Cette étude a l’ambition de montrer en quoi celles-ci sont convoquées en renfort de la communication politique. L’espace des Pays-Bas bourguignons des deux derniers siècles du Moyen Âge a été retenu, et l’on a voulu délimiter le contexte culturel à l’origine d’un discours de l’émotion pour le gouvernant, en retenant un corpus de sources diversifié. Une réflexion préalable sur la dimension protéiforme du corps et sur le portrait émotionnel du prince idéal permet de mettre en évidence une affectivité et une expressivité particulières pour celui-ci. Ces caractères sont des préalables pour l’usage privilégié de la colère, omniprésente dans les sources, dont la représentation sert l’exercice de la justice mais peut également conduire à des passages à l’acte préjudiciables pour la dignité et la majesté. Entre la joie des manifestations festives et les souffrances qui semblent consubstantielles à l’exercice du pouvoir, les auteurs esquissent un portrait du prince d’émotion bourguignon difficilement réductible à nos catégories modernes, ce dont rend bien compte la polysémie des larmes. Au-delà des stratégies narratives, il est cependant possible de proposer des pistes pour élucider la nature des émotions proposées ainsi que leur insertion dans un discours global sur le pouvoir. / As an outward manifestation of the soul’s secret moves, emotion has a universal dimension. However, societies establish part of their consistency upon a common practice of feelings which may override individual experience. The ruler, whose body and gesture are the centre of every attention, cannot elude injunctions of an ideal habitus in which emotions play a substantial part, between promotion and transgression. This study emphasizes the extent to which emotions support political communication. The Burgundian Low Countries in the Late Middle Ages have been examined, and the cultural context in which emotion as a ruling practice emerged has been outlined, thanks to a diversified corpus of sources. In a first part, the study of the body’s protean dimension reveals that the ruler’s ideal image embodies specific feelings and expressiveness. These characteristics prelude to a privileged use of an omnipresent anger in sources, to which the exercise of power and justice owe more than a little. Yet, this emotion is also likely to drive the ruler to a detrimental acting out for his dignity and majesty. Between joy demonstrated in the context of a culture of feasts, and pain which seems to be consubstantial to power, emerges the portrait of the emotional prince of Burgundy which can not be outlined with modern categories of language, as shown by the ambiguity of tears. Beyond narrative strategies, it is yet possible to propose some perspectives of interpretation to elucidate the nature of proposed emotions and the way they may be integrated in a general ideology of power.

The New Orleans Police Department history dates back to the 1800’s. Since its inception, the department has been pledged by misconduct, low morale, and low public opinion. This research used Akers Social Structure, and Social learning theory or SSSL to understand the socialization process of the department and determine if the process could attribute for misconduct, the blue wall of silence, and the thin blue line. A case study was conducted in which twenty former NOPD officers on the department from 1979 to 2004 were interviewed. They were only identified by race, gender, and the number of years on the police department. The interviews were transcribed coded and two themes emerged: “Journey to Blue” and “Cop’s Eyes.” Journey to Blue, was the transformation process to become a police officer. The steps involved the hiring process, the police academy, field training officers (FTO), mentors, and the early years on the department. Cop’s Eyes was the process of seeing the world as a police officer. It was determined training, experience, and social integrity were integral parts of being able to see the world as a cop. Cop’s Eyes became the way an officer sees the world both on and off-duty, they were not able to turn it on or off. Further, it was determined, socialization changes throughout decades, socialization influences policy violations, and officers rarely if ever see corruption. The academy was the beginning of the development of cop’s eyes, and field training officers were the primary source of socialization both good and bad. Future research would involve duplicating and comparative analysis of twenty former NOPD officers who were involved in misconduct.

The aim of this study is to describe and analyse how young men who have participated in a riot describe their life-situations regarding to their relations to the police, their neighbourhood, employment, the background to the riots and how they use hip-hop as a resistance to subordination. The study is conducted through three semi-structured qualitative group interviews and to some extent field studies. The theoretical points of departure are Slavoj Zizeks theory of violence, which is divided into subjective, symbolic and systemic violence, and subcultural theory. The results of the study show that the young men in their daily life are exposed to by both systemic and symbolic violence, feel secure within their neighbourhood and find themselves harassed by the police. A major finding is that the riot primarily can be understood as an act to get society conscious of their situations, while they found themselves marginalised, lacking employment and youth club. Another finding is that the hip-hop-group “Kartellen” describes how the young men experience their life-situations and that they e.g. are used as a “resistance through ritual” and to get society aware of their life conditions.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering / James E. DeVault / Prakash Krishnaswami / Most state-of-the-art systems are multidisciplinary in nature and encompass a wide range of components from domains such as electronics, mechanics, hydraulics, etc. Design considerations and design parameters of the system can come from any or a combination of these domains. The traditional optimization approach for multidisciplinary systems utilizes sequential optimization, wherein each subsystem is optimized in isolation in a predetermined order, assuming that the designs of the other subsystems remain fixed. This often leads to system designs that are suboptimal. In recent years emphasis has been placed on development of an integrated scheme for analysis and design of multidisciplinary systems. An important aspect is the software architecture required to support such a scheme. This dissertation presents MIXEDMODELS (Multidisciplinary Integrated eXtensible Engine for Driving Metamodeling, Optimization and DEsign of Large-scale Systems) - a unified analysis and design tool for multidisciplinary systems that is based on a procedural, symbolic-numeric architecture. This architecture offers great modeling flexibility at the component level, allowing any engineer to add components in his/her domain of expertise to the platform in a modular fashion. The symbolic engine in the MIXEDMODELS platform synthesizes the system governing equations as a unified set of nonlinear differential-algebraic equations (DAEs). These equations are differentiated with respect to design variables to obtain an additional set of DAEs that describe the sensitivity coefficients of the system state variables. This combined set of DAEs is solved numerically to obtain the solution for the state variables and the state sensitivity coefficients of the system. Finally, knowing the system performance functions, their design sensitivity coefficients can be calculated by using the values of the state variables and state sensitivity coefficients obtained from the DAEs. For ease in error control and software implementation, sensitivity analysis formulation described in this work uses direct differentiation approach as opposed to the adjoint variable approach. The MIXEDMODELS capabilities are demonstrated through several numerical examples and the results indicate that the MIXEDMODELS formulation and architecture is effective in terms of accuracy, modeling convenience, computational efficiency, and the ability to simulate the behavior of a general class of multidisciplinary systems.

M.Sc. / In this thesis we study some of the propertie of a clas called automatic structures. Automatic structures are structures that can be encoded (in some defined way) into a set of regular languages. This encoding allows one to prove many interesting properties about automatic structures, including decidabilty results.

Depuis le XIXe siècle en France, l’opposition entre agrément et utilitaire détermine nos représentations du jardin. Ainsi, le potager s’inscrirait avant tout dans une logique de production, à l’opposé du plaisir créatif et distingué propre au jardin d’agrément. L’observation de nombreux jardins vivriers et des manières de faire de leurs jardiniers, montre que ces jardins sont chargés d’intentions et de symboles dépassant la seule préoccupation de produire de la nourriture. C’est le cas des jardins éloignés du domicile, tels les jardins collectifs, familiaux ou partagés, mais aussi d’autres jardins, vivriers en Papouasie et en Amazonie, transitoires à New York. L’intimité du jardin, la mémoire du lieu, le « contact » avec la terre, l’autoproduction de nourriture, la dimension collective et l’exposition au regard des autres sont sources d’un fort investissement symbolique, suscitant des formes particulières d’appropriation, de sociabilité et d’expression ; unefaçon de concrétiser sa présence au monde, sa relation au temps, à « l’environnement », aux autres et à soi-même. Sans doute le mythe paradisiaque se construit-il sur ces aspects, dont se saisissent aussi les philosophes et les poètes. Cette recherche a également pour objet de souligner le hiatus entre la conception des jardins proposés par les collectivités publiques et les pratiques quotidiennes des jardiniers / Since the 19th century, the image we have of gardens has depended on the purpose of whether it is for pleasure or utility. Thus gardening would be aimed, above all at producing, in opposition to growing his own garden for fancy. The study of numerous food gardens and their gardeners ’way of doing shows that these places are full of will and symbols far beyond the mere preoccupation of growing food. This is the case of those gardens away from home such as collective, family orcommunal gardens, but also others such as food gardens in Papua New Guinea and Amazonia, or transitory gardens in New York. The intimacy of a garden, the memory of the place, the “relationship” with the soil, the growing of one’s own food, the collective dimension and the exposure to people’s eyes are incentives for a strong and symbolic commitment. This generates approbation, sociability and expression; a way of making his presence real to the world, his relationship with time, the environment, the others and with himself. The heavenly myth may be built on these aspects which are seized by philosophers and poets as well. This study aims also at highlighting the hiatus between the conception of the gardens proposed by the councils and the gardeners’ daily practices.

Cette thèse est consacrée à l'étude des différents problèmes liés aux structures des cubes , en théorie ergodique et en dynamique topologique. Elle est composée de six chapitres. La présentation générale nous permet de présenter certains résultats généraux en théorie ergodique et dynamique topologique. Ces résultats, qui sont associés d'une certaine façon aux structures des cubes, sont la motivation principale de cette thèse. Nous commençons par les structures de cube introduites en théorie ergodique par Host et Kra (2005) pour prouver la convergence dans $L^2 $ de moyennes ergodiques multiples. Ensuite, nous présentons la notion correspondante en dynamique topologique. Cette théorie, développée par Host, Kra et Maass (2010), offre des outils pour comprendre la structure topologique des systèmes dynamiques topologiques. En dernier lieu, nous présentons les principales implications et extensions dérivées de l'étude de ces structures. Ceci nous permet de motiver les nouveaux objets introduits dans la présente thèse, afin d'expliquer l'objet de notre contribution. Dans le Chapitre 1, nous nous attachons au contexte général en théorie ergodique et dynamique topologique, en mettant l'accent sur l'étude de certains facteurs spéciaux. Les Chapitres 2, 3, 4 et 5 nous permettent de développer les contributions de cette thèse. Chaque chapitre est consacré à un thème particulier et aux questions qui s'y rapportent, en théorie ergodique ou en dynamique topologique, et est associé à un article scientifique. Les structures de cube mentionnées plus haut sont toutes définies pour un espace muni d'une unique transformation. Dans le Chapitre 2, nous introduisons une nouvelle structure de cube liée à l'action de deux transformations S et T qui commutent sur un espace métrique compact X. Nous étudions les propriétés topologiques et dynamiques de cette structure et nous l'utilisons pour caractériser les systèmes qui sont des produits ou des facteurs de produits. Nous présentons également plusieurs applications, comme la construction des facteurs spéciaux. Le Chapitre 3 utilise la nouvelle structure de cube définie dans le Chapitre 2 dans une question de théorie ergodique mesurée. Nous montrons la convergence ponctuelle d'une moyenne cubique dans un système muni deux transformations qui commutent. Dans le Chapitre 4, nous étudions le semigroupe enveloppant d'une classe très importante des systèmes dynamiques, les nilsystèmes. Nous utilisons les structures des cubes pour montrer des liens entre propriétés algébriques du semigroupe enveloppant et les propriétés topologiques et dynamiques du système. En particulier, nous caractérisons les nilsystèmes d'ordre 2 par une propriété portant sur leur semigroupe enveloppant. Dans le Chapitre 5, nous étudions les groupes d'automorphismes des espaces symboliques unidimensionnels et bidimensionnels. Nous considérons en premier lieu des systèmes symboliques de faible complexité et utilisons des facteurs spéciaux, dont certains liés aux structures de cube, pour étudier le groupe de leurs automorphismes. Notre résultat principal indique que, pour un système minimal de complexité sous-linéaire, le groupe d'automorphismes est engendré par l'action du shift et un ensemble fini. Par ailleurs, en utilisant les facteurs associés aux structures de cube introduites dans le Chapitre 2, nous étudions le groupe d'automorphismes d'un système de pavages représentatif. La bibliographie, commune à l'ensemble de la thèse, se trouve en fin document / This thesis is devoted to the study of different problems in ergodic theory and topological dynamics related to og cube structures fg. It consists of six chapters. In the General Presentation we review some general results in ergodic theory and topological dynamics associated in some way to cubes structures which motivates this thesis. We start by the cube structures introduced in ergodic theory by Host and Kra (2005) to prove the convergence in $L^2$ of multiple ergodic averages. Then we present its extension to topological dynamics developed by Host, Kra and Maass (2010), which gives tools to understand the topological structure of topological dynamical systems. Finally we present the main implications and extensions derived of studying these structures, we motivate the new objects introduced in the thesis and sketch out our contributions. In Chapter 1 we give a general background in ergodic theory and topological dynamics given emphasis to the treatment of special factors. % We give basic definitions and describe special factors associated to a From Chapter 2 to Chapter 5 we develop the contributions of this thesis. Each one is devoted to a different topic and related questions, both in ergodic theory and topological dynamics. Each one is associated to a scientific article. In Chapter 2 we introduce a novel cube structure to study the actions of two commuting transformations $S$ and $T$ on a compact metric space $X$. In the same chapter we study the topological and dynamical properties of such structure and we use it to characterize products systems and their factors. We also provide some applications, like the construction of special factors. In the same topic, in Chapter 3 we use the new cube structure to prove the pointwise convergence of a cubic average in a system with two commuting transformations. In Chapter 4, we study the enveloping semigroup of a very important class of dynamical systems, the nilsystems. We use cube structures to show connexions between algebraic properties of the enveloping semigroup and the geometry and dynamics of the system. In particular, we characterize nilsystems of order 2 by its enveloping semigroup. In Chapter 5 we study automorphism groups of one-dimensional and two-dimensional symbolic spaces. First, we consider low complexity symbolic systems and use special factors, some related to the introduced cube structures, to study the group of automorphisms. Our main result states that for minimal systems with sublinear complexity such groups are spanned by the shift action and a finite set. Also, using factors associated to the cube structures introduced in Chapter 2 we study the automorphism group of a representative tiling system. The bibliography is defer to the end of this document

Ce travail de recherche met à l'épreuve l'hypothèse de la mystification entendue comme stratégie communicationnelle manifestée par des tendances spécifiques où la dialectique entre obscurcissant et révélant jouent un rôle fondamental dans la production des formes symboliques. Dans ce cadre, le concept de mystification comme paradigme de sens est en rapport avec un modèle de communication qui se manifeste partout où s'impose la médiation entre le sacré et le profane ainsi que le maintien de l'ordre symbolique. Les médias non seulement qu'ils utilisent la mystification comme une stratégie, mais ils fonctionnent dans le paradigme de la mystification notamment quand il s'agit d'intervenir pour préserver l'ordre social par une production des formes symboliques spécifiques. Pour identifier les thèmes récurrents qui apparaissent dans les représentations médiatiques internationaux, des thèmes qui fournissent des indications sur les tendances qui sont spécifiques pour le paradigme de la mystification, l'analyse empirique aborde la production et la transmission des formes symboliques concernant les représentations médiatiques dans le contexte de l'attaque terroriste contre journal Charlie Hebdo du 7 Janvier 2015. / The present research work advances the following hypothesis – mystification is acommunicational strategy manifested through specific trends where the dialectic between obscuring and revealing plays a fundamental role in the production of the symbolic forms. It is therefore proposed that the concept of the mystification paradigm requires a communication model that manifests itself wherever the mediation between sacred and profane and maintaining the symbolic order are required. Media not only use this model as a strategy but function in the mystification paradigm especially when it is supposed to intervene for preserving the social order through a specific production of symbolic forms. To identify recurring themes that arise in the media representations generated by the international press, themes that provides indicators of particular trends that are specific in the mystification paradigm, an empirical analysis of this production and transmision of the symbolic forms has been employed in the special context of the terrorist attack against the journal Charlie Hebdo on January 7, 2015.

Sur la base d’enquêtes de terrain menées en France auprès de travailleurs du service eau potable et assainissement, cette thèse explore la façon dont se tissent au cœur du travail les relations à soi, aux autres et à la nature pour en déceler les distorsions respectives. L’idée centrale est que c’est par la médiation de cette triple relation à soi, aux autres et à la nature que se construit une subjectivité au travail. C’est aussi par cette triple médiation qu’une subjectivité peut manquer à se construire et à inscrire l’histoire de ses pratiques dans un monde. Une double origine de ces distorsions a été identifiée. Premièrement, le cadre normalisant de l’organisation productive qui étouffe la puissance normative du travailleur et sa possibilité de tisser réflexivement des liens signifiants avec les autres et son environnement, et ultimement, avec soi. Secondement, autour des eaux, eau potable, eaux usées, se sont solidifiées des pratiques dépréciées et des représentations dépréciatives. Ces deux composantes expliquent la forme que prend la relégation des travailleurs des eaux et leur sentiment d’injustice. L’expérience de l’injustice décelée dans ce parcours des existences au travail, renforce la portée éthique et politique de cette enquête. La thèse examine finalement la possibilité d’ouvrir un espace de délibération où s’articuleraient de telles expériences. L’appropriation significative du travail est la condition de leur expression et celle de pratiques subversives par lesquelles torsion peut être faite aux structures polarisantes dont les travailleurs héritent. / Based on field investigations conducted in France among workers in the sanitation and drinking-water services, this dissertation studies how relationships to self, others and nature develop at work, but also how the relations between these three elements may become distorted. The principal argument is that at the core of work subjectivity is built throughout the mediation of this triple relationship between self, other, and nature. Moreover, throughout this triple mediation, subjectivity can fail to construct itself and thus to engrave the story of its practices in a world. A double source of distortions were identified. First, the normalizing frame of the productive organization, which stifles the normative power of the worker, as well as the individual’s opportunity reflexively to develop significant bonds with others, the environment, and finally the self. Second, water has significances which are articulated within a structure of domination. These two components explain how the workers are marginalised, as well as the feeling of injustice that results from this marginalisation. The experience of injustice, revealed in the course of existences at work, reinforces the ethical and political impact of this investigation. The dissertation finally examines how a deliberative space can open up where such experiences could articulate and express themselves. The appropriation of work as meaningful is the condition of this expression, but also of subversive practices through which polarizing structures, inherited by the workers, can potentially be transformed.