Listening to ab(pre)scence: a derridean approach to the analysis of sound-image relations in early cinema

My thesis is an investigation into the period of history surrounding the introduction of synchronised sound to film. The intention is in part to redress the current position that sound practice and theory holds in film today, but also to discover a method for understanding film as an audiovisual medium; ontologically necessitating an interplay between sound and image. Prioritising sound is not the intention of this thesis, as to do so would negate the ability to understand film as both sound and image. Theoretical concepts from the deconstructionist philosopher, Jacques Derrida, are appropriated to create a new model that can be used for film analysis. This model attempts to treat film as audiovisual, and uncover specifically, a way in which sound and image can be understood and examined together, resulting in a proliferation of available readings and meanings from the film text. Two ‘transitional’ films from 1927, The Jazz Singer, and Sunrise, along with synchronised sound tests from the 1890s onwards, are used as case studies to which the deconstructionist model of analysis is applied. Once the films are removed from their technological and historical positions in film history, the analysis uncovers new meanings and readings. Archival magazines and journals are reviewed to provide additional insights into the period of transition to synchronised sound. The knowledge uncovered here helps to contribute to a greater understanding of the period and, combined with a Derridean analysis, the research also offers insight that is valuable to the understanding of film today

Deterministic creation, pinning, and manipulation of quantized vortices in a Bose-Einstein condensate

We experimentally and numerically demonstrate deterministic creation and manipulation of a pair of oppositely charged singly quantized vortices in a highly oblate Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). Two identical blue-detuned, focused Gaussian laser beams that pierce the BEC serve as repulsive obstacles for the superfluid atomic gas; by controlling the positions of the beams within the plane of the BEC, superfluid flow is deterministically established around each beam such that two vortices of opposite circulation are generated by the motion of the beams, with each vortex pinned to the \emph{in situ} position of a laser beam. We study the vortex creation process, and show that the vortices can be moved about within the BEC by translating the positions of the laser beams. This technique can serve as a building block in future experimental techniques to create, on-demand, deterministic arrangements of few or many vortices within a BEC for precise studies of vortex dynamics and vortex interactions.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure

Partially autoionizing states of atomic oxygen

The Rydberg states 3d' (3Po)2,1,0 and 3s'' (3Po)2,1,0 and the inner shell transition 2s 2p5 (3Po)2,1,0, which are forbidden to autoionize on the basis of LS coupling, were observed in emission spectroscopy and in autoionization spectra produced in the photoelectron spectrum of atomic oxygen

Pulsing corals: A story of scale and mixing

Effective methods of fluid transport vary across scale. A commonly used dimensionless number for quantifying the effective scale of fluid transport is the Reynolds number, Re, which gives the ratio of inertial to viscous forces. What may work well for one Re regime may not produce significant flows for another. These differences in scale have implications for many organisms, ranging from the mechanics of how organisms move through their fluid environment to how hearts pump at various stages in development. Some organisms, such as soft pulsing corals, actively contract their tentacles to generate mixing currents that enhance photosynthesis. Their unique morphology and intermediate scale where both viscous and inertial forces are significant make them a unique model organism for understanding fluid mixing. In this paper, 3D fluid-structure interaction simulations of a pulsing soft coral are used to quantify fluid transport and fluid mixing across a wide range of Re. The results show that net transport is negligible for $Re<10$, and continuous upward flow is produced for $Re\geq 10$.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure

Globalization and the Future of Trade Unionism: In the Nigeria Public Service in Perspective

Trade unionism is part of workplace activities. It also guarantees industrial harmony if properly practiced. Trade unionism is one of the rights of workers to enable them channel whatever grievances they may have from time to time.  However, the era of globalization tends to impact negatively on trade unionism especially in the Nigerian public service.  Some of the jobs hitherto performed by civil servants have been given out to private organizations while others have been privatized.  Job lose have been the order of the day as a result of this.  The welfare of Nigerian civil servants is not quite guaranteed due to globalization.  The paper sees globalisation as focusing its attention on private businesses while it frowns at public businesses. In order to curb the negative effects of globalization on trade unionism in the Nigerian civil service, the paper recommends, amongst others, that the umbrella bodies of all trade unions in Nigeria should sensitise their members to align themselves to the dictates of globalization while new skills should be acquired so as to adapt to the new realities. Keywords: civil service, globalization, jobs, trade unionism, workers. DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/9-1-0

Book Review of Place-Based Education in the Global Age: Local Diversity David Gruenewald & Greg Smith (Eds.), NY: Lawrence Er Iba um

Book Review of Place-Based Education in the Global Age: Local Diversity David Gruenewald & Greg Smith (Eds.), NY: Lawrence ErIbau

Excited ionic and neutral fragments produced by dissociation of the N2(+)* H band

N I and N II fluorescent radiation was observed when N2 was irradiated by undispersed synchrotron radiation with an upper energy limit of approximately 200 eV. The excited fragments originate from dissociation of a band of excited ionic states of N2 lying between 34.7 and 44 eV

Unconventional pairing in bipolaronic theories

Various mechanisms have been put forward for cuprate superconductivity, which fit largely into two camps: spin-fluctuation and electron-phonon (el-ph) mechanisms. However, in spite of a large effort, electron-phonon interactions are not fully understood away from clearly defined limits. To this end, we use a numerically exact algorithm to simulate the binding of bipolarons. We present the results of a continuous-time quantum Monte-Carlo (CTQMC) algorithm on a tight-binding lattice, for bipolarons with arbitrary interaction range in the presence of strong coulomb repulsion. The algorithm is sufficiently efficient that we can discuss properties of bipolarons with various pairing symmetries. We investigate the effective mass and binding energies of singlet and triplet real-space bipolarons for the first time, and discuss the extensions necessary to investigate $d$-symmetric pairs.Comment: Submitted to M2S-HTSC VIII, Dresden 2006, 2 page