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L’expansion de l’organisation de la production des biens et services sous forme de réseau, découlant de la recherche de flexibilité face à une concurrence économique accrue, soulève des enjeux importants pour les relations industrielles. Notre thèse s’intéresse au processus de précarisation des emplois dans les segments externalisés des réseaux de production. Elle se base sur trois études de cas portant sur les réseaux de services publics et privés d’aide à domicile au Québec. Les études en droit critique ont montré que le droit du travail, fondé sur le modèle de l’entreprise intégrée et de la relation d’emploi bipartite, ne parvient pas à identifier comme employeurs certaines organisations dont l’action a pourtant un effet déterminant sur les conditions de travail dans les réseaux. Notre thèse visait donc à mettre en lumière la réalité empirique des relations de pouvoir qui traversent les réseaux et leurs effets et ce à partir d’un modèle analytique transdisciplinaire intégrant les dimensions juridiques et sociologiques. Les résultats nous amènent d’abord à constater que l’employeur juridique des travailleuses employées par les prestataires privés intégrés aux réseaux – une majorité de femmes – est le plus souvent une agence de location de personnel, une entreprise d’économie sociale ou même l’usager-ère des services d’aide à domicile. Cet employeur est rarement identifié aux organismes publics, donc sous l’égide de l’État, qui exercent un pouvoir prépondérant dans ces réseaux. Le décalage entre la régulation juridique du travail et la réalité empirique du pouvoir intra-réseau entraîne une précarisation de la protection sociale et des conditions de travail de ces travailleuses. Ainsi, la faible protection de leurs droits de représentation et de négociation collectives facilite l’imposition de la « disponibilité permanente juste-à-temps », combinant les logiques du lean et du travail domestique, ainsi qu’une déqualification sexuée et racialisée de leurs emplois par rapport à la situation dans le secteur public. Notre étude montre néanmoins que certaines pratiques innovatrices d’action collective réticulaire ont pu influencer la dynamique de pouvoir, en particulier celles portées par des associations locales de personnes handicapées recourant aux services et par un syndicat de travailleuses d’agence. / The increasing trend towards organizing the production of goods and services into networks as a result of the quest for flexibility in the face of fierce economic competition raises critical issues for industrial relations. Our thesis examines the precarization of jobs in the externalized segments of production networks. It is based on three case studies focusing on the networks of public and private homecare services in Quebec. Critical law studies have shown that labour law, based on the model of the integrated firm and the binary employment relationship, fails to identify as employers some organizations whose action nevertheless has a decisive impact on working conditions in these networks. Our thesis thus aimed to shed light on the empirical reality of the power relations prevailing throughout the networks and their effects, using an interdisciplinary analytical model that integrates the legal and sociological dimensions. Results indicate that the legal employer of workers – most of them women – employed by private service providers integrated into the networks is most often an employment agency, a social economy enterprise or the individual using the homecare services. This employer is rarely identified as being among the public organizations which, under the aegis of state, exercise predominant power over these networks. The gap between the legal regulation of labour and the empirical reality of intra-network power leads to a precarization of the social protection and working conditions of these women workers. Thus, the weak protection of their rights to collective representation and collective bargaining facilitates the imposition of “just-in-time permanent availability”, combining lean management logic with domestic work logic, and leads to a gendered and racialized deskilling of their jobs compared to the situation prevailing in the public sector. Our study nevertheless shows that some innovative practices involving reticular collective action – in particular practices implemented by local associations of disabled persons using the services and by a union of female agency workers – have had an influence on these power dynamics.

Ce travail de thèse concerne l'analyse structurelle des maillages triangulaires surfaciques, ainsi que leur traitement en vue de l'amélioration de leur qualité (remaillage) ou de leur simplification. Dans la littérature, le repositionnement des sommets d'un maillage est soit traité de manière locale, soit de manière globale mais sans un contrôle local de l'erreur géométrique introduite, i.e. les solutions actuelles ne sont pas globales ou introduisent de l'erreur géométrique non-contrôlée. Les techniques d'approximation de maillage les plus prometteuses se basent sur une décomposition en primitives géométriques simples (plans, cylindres, sphères etc.), mais elles n'arrivent généralement pas à trouver la décomposition optimale, celle qui optimise à la fois l'erreur géométrique de l'approximation par les primitives choisies, et le nombre et le type de ces primitives simples. Pour traiter les défauts des approches de remaillage existantes, nous proposons une méthode basée sur un modèle global, à savoir une modélisation graphique probabiliste, intégrant des contraintes souples basées sur la géométrie (l'erreur de l'approximation), la qualité du maillage et le nombre de sommets du maillage. De même, pour améliorer la décomposition en primitives simples, une modélisation graphique probabiliste a été choisie. Les modèles graphiques de cette thèse sont des champs aléatoires de Markov, ces derniers permettant de trouver une configuration optimale à l'aide de la minimisation globale d'une fonction objectif. Nous avons proposé trois contributions dans cette thèse autour des maillages triangulaires 2-variétés : (i) une méthode d'extraction statistiquement robuste des arêtes caractéristiques applicable aux objets mécaniques, (ii) un algorithme de segmentation en régions approximables par des primitives géométriques simples qui est robuste à la présence de données aberrantes et au bruit dans la position des sommets, (iii) et finalement un algorithme d'optimisation de maillages qui cherche le meilleur compromis entre l'amélioration de la qualité des triangles, la qualité de la valence des sommets, le nombre de sommets et la fidélité géométrique à la surface initiale. / The work in this thesis concerns structural analysis of 2-manifold triangular meshes, and their processing towards quality enhancement (remeshing) or simplification. In existing work, the repositioning of mesh vertices necessary for remeshing is either done locally or globally, but in the latter case without local control on the introduced geometrical error. Therefore, current results are either not globally optimal or introduce unwanted geometrical error. Other promising remeshing and approximation techniques are based on a decomposition into simple geometrical primitives (planes, cylinders, spheres etc.), but they generally fail to find the best decomposition, i.e. the one which jointly optimizes the residual geometrical error as well as the number and type of selected simple primitives. To tackle the weaknesses of existing remeshing approaches, we propose a method based on a global model, namely a probabilistic graphical model integrating soft constraints based on geometry (approximation error), mesh quality and the number of mesh vertices. In the same manner, for segmentation purposes and in order to improve algorithms delivering decompositions into simple primitives, a probabilistic graphical modeling has been chosen. The graphical models used in this work are Markov Random Fields, which allow to find an optimal configuration by a global minimization of an objective function. We have proposed three contributions in this thesis about 2-manifold triangular meshes : (i) a statistically robust method for feature edge extraction for mechanical objects, (ii) an algorithm for the segmentation into regions which are approximated by simple primitives, which is robust to outliers and to the presence of noise in the vertex positions, (iii) and lastly an algorithm for mesh optimization which jointly optimizes triangle quality, the quality of vertex valences, the number of vertices, as well as the geometrical fidelity to the initial surface.

A presente tese aborda dois problemas distintos e independentes: triangularização de sistemas não-lineares com duas entradas e controle de sistemas sem arrasto que evoluem no grupo especial unitário SU(n). Em relação ao primeiro, estabeleceu-se, através da generalização de resultados bem conhecidos, condições geométricas para que um sistema com duas entradas seja descrito por uma forma triangular específica após uma mudança de coordenadas e uma realimentação de estado estática regular. Para o segundo problema, desenvolveu-se uma estratégia de controle que força o estado do sistema a rastrear assintoticamente uma trajetória de referência periódica que passa por um estado objetivo arbitrário. O método de controle proposto utiliza os resultados de convergência de tipo- Lyapunov que foram estabelecidos pela presente pesquisa e que tiveram como inspiração uma versão periódica do princípio da invariância de LaSalle. Apresentou-se, ainda, os resultados de simulação obtidos com a aplicação da técnica de controle desenvolvida a um sistema quântico consistindo de duas partículas de spin-1/2, com o objetivo de gerar a porta lógica quântica C-NOT. / This thesis treats two distinct and independent problems: triangularization of nonlinear systems with two inputs and control of driftless systems which evolve on the special unitary group SU(n). Concerning the first, one has established, by means of the generalization of well-known results, geometric conditions for a system with two inputs to be described by a specific triangular form after a change of coordinates and a regular static state feedback. For the second problem, one has developed a control strategy that forces the state of the system to track in an asymptotic manner a periodic reference trajectory which passes by an arbitrary goal state. The proposed control method uses Lyapunovlike convergence results that were established in this research and which were inspired in a periodic version of LaSalles invariance principle. Furthermore, one has shown the simulation results obtained from the application of the developed control technique to a quantum system consisting of two spin-1/2 particles, with the aim of generating the C-NOT quantum logic gate.

L’expansion de l’organisation de la production des biens et services sous forme de réseau, découlant de la recherche de flexibilité face à une concurrence économique accrue, soulève des enjeux importants pour les relations industrielles. Notre thèse s’intéresse au processus de précarisation des emplois dans les segments externalisés des réseaux de production. Elle se base sur trois études de cas portant sur les réseaux de services publics et privés d’aide à domicile au Québec. Les études en droit critique ont montré que le droit du travail, fondé sur le modèle de l’entreprise intégrée et de la relation d’emploi bipartite, ne parvient pas à identifier comme employeurs certaines organisations dont l’action a pourtant un effet déterminant sur les conditions de travail dans les réseaux. Notre thèse visait donc à mettre en lumière la réalité empirique des relations de pouvoir qui traversent les réseaux et leurs effets et ce à partir d’un modèle analytique transdisciplinaire intégrant les dimensions juridiques et sociologiques. Les résultats nous amènent d’abord à constater que l’employeur juridique des travailleuses employées par les prestataires privés intégrés aux réseaux – une majorité de femmes – est le plus souvent une agence de location de personnel, une entreprise d’économie sociale ou même l’usager-ère des services d’aide à domicile. Cet employeur est rarement identifié aux organismes publics, donc sous l’égide de l’État, qui exercent un pouvoir prépondérant dans ces réseaux. Le décalage entre la régulation juridique du travail et la réalité empirique du pouvoir intra-réseau entraîne une précarisation de la protection sociale et des conditions de travail de ces travailleuses. Ainsi, la faible protection de leurs droits de représentation et de négociation collectives facilite l’imposition de la « disponibilité permanente juste-à-temps », combinant les logiques du lean et du travail domestique, ainsi qu’une déqualification sexuée et racialisée de leurs emplois par rapport à la situation dans le secteur public. Notre étude montre néanmoins que certaines pratiques innovatrices d’action collective réticulaire ont pu influencer la dynamique de pouvoir, en particulier celles portées par des associations locales de personnes handicapées recourant aux services et par un syndicat de travailleuses d’agence. / The increasing trend towards organizing the production of goods and services into networks as a result of the quest for flexibility in the face of fierce economic competition raises critical issues for industrial relations. Our thesis examines the precarization of jobs in the externalized segments of production networks. It is based on three case studies focusing on the networks of public and private homecare services in Quebec. Critical law studies have shown that labour law, based on the model of the integrated firm and the binary employment relationship, fails to identify as employers some organizations whose action nevertheless has a decisive impact on working conditions in these networks. Our thesis thus aimed to shed light on the empirical reality of the power relations prevailing throughout the networks and their effects, using an interdisciplinary analytical model that integrates the legal and sociological dimensions. Results indicate that the legal employer of workers – most of them women – employed by private service providers integrated into the networks is most often an employment agency, a social economy enterprise or the individual using the homecare services. This employer is rarely identified as being among the public organizations which, under the aegis of state, exercise predominant power over these networks. The gap between the legal regulation of labour and the empirical reality of intra-network power leads to a precarization of the social protection and working conditions of these women workers. Thus, the weak protection of their rights to collective representation and collective bargaining facilitates the imposition of “just-in-time permanent availability”, combining lean management logic with domestic work logic, and leads to a gendered and racialized deskilling of their jobs compared to the situation prevailing in the public sector. Our study nevertheless shows that some innovative practices involving reticular collective action – in particular practices implemented by local associations of disabled persons using the services and by a union of female agency workers – have had an influence on these power dynamics.

A presente tese aborda dois problemas distintos e independentes: triangularização de sistemas não-lineares com duas entradas e controle de sistemas sem arrasto que evoluem no grupo especial unitário SU(n). Em relação ao primeiro, estabeleceu-se, através da generalização de resultados bem conhecidos, condições geométricas para que um sistema com duas entradas seja descrito por uma forma triangular específica após uma mudança de coordenadas e uma realimentação de estado estática regular. Para o segundo problema, desenvolveu-se uma estratégia de controle que força o estado do sistema a rastrear assintoticamente uma trajetória de referência periódica que passa por um estado objetivo arbitrário. O método de controle proposto utiliza os resultados de convergência de tipo- Lyapunov que foram estabelecidos pela presente pesquisa e que tiveram como inspiração uma versão periódica do princípio da invariância de LaSalle. Apresentou-se, ainda, os resultados de simulação obtidos com a aplicação da técnica de controle desenvolvida a um sistema quântico consistindo de duas partículas de spin-1/2, com o objetivo de gerar a porta lógica quântica C-NOT. / This thesis treats two distinct and independent problems: triangularization of nonlinear systems with two inputs and control of driftless systems which evolve on the special unitary group SU(n). Concerning the first, one has established, by means of the generalization of well-known results, geometric conditions for a system with two inputs to be described by a specific triangular form after a change of coordinates and a regular static state feedback. For the second problem, one has developed a control strategy that forces the state of the system to track in an asymptotic manner a periodic reference trajectory which passes by an arbitrary goal state. The proposed control method uses Lyapunovlike convergence results that were established in this research and which were inspired in a periodic version of LaSalles invariance principle. Furthermore, one has shown the simulation results obtained from the application of the developed control technique to a quantum system consisting of two spin-1/2 particles, with the aim of generating the C-NOT quantum logic gate.

Cette thèse vise à la conception de nouveaux algorithmes rapides en calcul numérique via les matrices de Toeplitz. Tout d'abord, nous avons introduit un algorithme rapide sur le calcul de l'inverse d'une matrice triangulaire de Toeplitz en se basant sur des notions d'interpolation polynomiale. Cet algorithme nécessitant uniquement deux FFT(2n) est manifestement efficace par rapport à ses prédécésseurs. ensuite, nous avons introduit un algorithme rapide pour la résolution d'un système linéaire de Toeplitz bande. Cette approche est basée sur l'extension de la matrice donnée par plusieurs lignes en dessus, de plusieurs colonnes à droite et d'attribuer des zéros et des constantes non nulles dans chacune de ces lignes et de ces colonnes de telle façon que la matrice augmentée à la structure d'une matrice triangulaire inférieure de Toeplitz. La stabilité de l'algorithme a été discutée et son efficacité a été aussi justifiée. Finalement, nous avons abordé la résolution d'un système de Toeplitz bandes par blocs bandes de Toeplitz. Ceci étant primordial pour établir la connexion de nos algorithmes à des applications en restauration d'images, un domaine phare en mathématiques appliquées. / This thesis aims to design new fast algorithms for numerical computation via the Toeplitz matrices. First, we introduced a fast algorithm to compute the inverse of a triangular Toeplitz matrix with real and/or complex numbers based on polynomial interpolation techniques. This algorithm requires only two FFT (2n) is clearly effective compared to predecessors. A numerical accuracy and error analysis is also considered. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of our method. In addition, we introduced a fast algorithm for solving a linear banded Toeplitz system. This new approach is based on extending the given matrix with several rows on the top and several columns on the right and to assign zeros and some nonzero constants in each of these rows and columns in such a way that the augmented matrix has a lower triangular Toeplitz structure. Stability of the algorithm is discussed and its performance is showed by numerical experiments. This is essential to connect our algorithms to applications such as image restoration applications, a key area in applied mathematics.

Nous nous intéressons dans cette thèse, à l'étude de certaines méthodes numériques de type krylov dans le cas symplectique, en utilisant la technique de blocs. Ces méthodes, contrairement aux méthodes classiques, permettent à la matrice réduite de conserver la structure Hamiltonienne ou anti-Hamiltonienne ou encore symplectique d'une matrice donnée. Parmi ces méthodes, nous nous sommes intéressés à la méthodes d'Arnoldi symplectique par bloc que nous appelons aussi bloc J-Arnoldi. Notre but essentiel est d’étudier cette méthode de façon théorique et numérique, sur la nouvelle structure du K-module libre ℝ²nx²s avec K = ℝ²sx²s où s ≪ n désigne la taille des blocs utilisés. Un deuxième objectif est de chercher une approximation de l'epérateur exp(A)V, nous étudions en particulier le cas où A est une matrice réelle Hamiltonnienne et anti-symétrique de taille 2n x 2n et V est une matrice rectangulaire ortho-symplectique de taille 2n x 2s sur le sous-espace de Krylov par blocs Km(A,V) = blockspan {V,AV,...,Am-1V}, en conservant la structure de la matrice V. Cette approximation permet de résoudre plusieurs problèmes issus des équations différentielles dépendants d'un paramètre (EDP) et des systèmes d'équations différentielles ordinaires (EDO). Nous présentons également une méthode de Lanczos symplectique par bloc, que nous nommons bloc J-Lanczos. Cette méthode permet de réduire une matrice structurée sous la forme J-tridiagonale par bloc. Nous proposons des algorithmes basés sur deux types de normalisation : la factorisation S R et la factorisation Rj R. Dans une dernière partie, nous proposons un algorithme qui généralise la méthode de Greville afin de déterminer la pseudo inverse de Moore-Penros bloc de lignes par bloc de lignes d'une matrice rectangulaire de manière itérative. Nous proposons un algorithme qui utilise la technique de bloc. Pour toutes ces méthodes, nous proposons des exemples numériques qui montrent l'efficacité de nos approches. / We study, in this thesis, some numerical block Krylov subspace methods. These methods preserve geometric properties of the reduced matrix (Hamiltonian or skew-Hamiltonian or symplectic). Among these methods, we interest on block symplectic Arnoldi, namely block J-Arnoldi algorithm. Our main goal is to study this method, theoretically and numerically, on using ℝ²nx²s as free module on (ℝ²sx²s, +, x) with s ≪ n the size of block. A second aim is to study the approximation of exp (A)V, where A is a real Hamiltonian and skew-symmetric matrix of size 2n x 2n and V a rectangular matrix of size 2n x 2s on block Krylov subspace Km (A, V) = blockspan {V, AV,...Am-1V}, that preserve the structure of the initial matrix. this approximation is required in many applications. For example, this approximation is important for solving systems of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) or time-dependant partial differential equations (PDEs). We also present a block symplectic structure preserving Lanczos method, namely block J-Lanczos algorithm. Our approach is based on a block J-tridiagonalization procedure of a structured matrix. We propose algorithms based on two normalization methods : the SR factorization and the Rj R factorization. In the last part, we proposea generalized algorithm of Greville method for iteratively computing the Moore-Penrose inverse of a rectangular real matrix. our purpose is to give a block version of Greville's method. All methods are completed by many numerical examples.

The use of temporary employment services as a means to achieve flexibility in die labour market led to various complications due to a lack of proper regulation. The atypical formation of the triangular employment relationship, limited rights and less favourable employment conditions of the temporary employees, multiple authority figures and their liabilities under various circumstances and the impact thereof on such employee’ collective bargaining rights caused legal uncertainty in the absence of sufficient legislation to govern it. Temporary employment agencies developed certain methods in order to evade the restrictive labour legislation and employer duties imposed on them, namely by making use of automatic termination clauses (resolutive conditions) and by categorising the temporary employee as an independent contractor. Last mentioned would effectively exclude the temporary employee from labour legislation and the protection it provides. In reaction to abovementioned problems, trade unions have been objecting to the use of temporary employment agencies and went as far as demanding the total ban thereof. This raised the question in the South African Government whether said agencies should indeed be banned. The other option is a less restrictive approach and entails the attempt to regulate these agencies by amending the current labour legislation in order to accommodate temporary employment services. In light of the fact that various proposals to amend the current South African labour legislation (especially with regard to temporary employment services) have been published in the Government Gazette, it can be deduced that the social partners ultimately chose to regulate temporary employment agencies rather than ban them altogether. From an early stage the International Labour Organisation (ILO) provided rules and regulations for the management of employment agencies in general by way of conventions and recommendations. In 1997, in order to give effect to the labour standards identified by it, the ILO brought the Private Employment Agencies Convention into existence. This document could be applied to all temporary employment agencies on an international level. This document provides for administrative regulations, the duties of the agency and the client as well as the rights of the temporary employees concerned. The ILO recommends that all of its member states incorporate the principles contained within this document in their own legislation. Temporary employment services are also used in other legal systems. For purposes of this study, the English law (United Kingdom (UK)) and the Namibian law will be scrutinised. Similar issues to those recognised in the South African law have been identified in these countries. However, each has approached said problems in different ways. The Namibian Government banned the conducting and provision of these services by way of legislation in 2007. The constitutionality of the ban has however been questioned by the Supreme Court of Namibia, after which it had been found to infringe upon the fundamental freedom to carry on any business, trade or occupation. The ban was struck down as unconstitutional. The Namibian Government has since promulgated new legislation in which it removed the ban and replaced it with numerous amendments providing for the regulation of temporary employment services. Since 1973 the UK has been promulgating various instruments for the thorough regulation of temporary employment agencies. These instruments provide for the management of temporary employment agencies and the rights of the employees involved. The relevant legislative instruments have been updated regularly with the purpose of ensuring that the needs of all the parties concerned are met. The UK, as a member state of the European Union (EU), (which has also been providing for the regulation of temporary employment services in various directives), promulgated legislation specifically with the aim to give effect to the principles in the mentioned directives. By way of doctrines and the creation of a third category ―worker‖ the UK has been attempting to prevent any loopholes in their legal system with regard to temporary employment services and the rights of the employees involved. The aim of this study is to investigate all the important complications experienced with temporary employment agencies in order to indicate the impact the atypical circumstances have on the rights of the temporary employees. The degree to which, if at all, the South African law complies with the preferred labour standards identified by the ILO will be pointed out. A comparative study will be conducted, first by ascertaining in detail how the comparable issues in the UK and Namibian law are dealt with, and second by identifying which aspects in these legal systems could be of value to the South African law. Finally the potential effectiveness of the proposed amendments to the South African labour legislation will be analysed, during which recommendations for the unresolved issues will be provided. The recommendations are mainly aimed at achieving sufficient rights and legal certainty for the temporary employees associated with temporary employment agencies. / Thesis (PhD (Law))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.