Her voice has life: the myth of echo in psychoanalysis and deconstruction, and the acoustic vision of a new subjectivity

Taking seriously Ovid’s claim that Echo’s voice has life, this thesis examines the use of the myth of Echo and Narcissus, as presented in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, in 20th century literature, philosophy, and psychoanalysis, especially as to how it pertains to the creation of the human subject. I argue in favor of John Hollander’s restoration of the trope of metalepsis, and show how that trope is connected to a variety of topics, including, but not limited to, the imagery of echo in Mark Z. Danielewski’s novel House of Leaves; how the myth relates to the Freudian notions of primary and secondary narcissism; Jacques Lacan’s attempts to incorporate psychoanalysis into the history of philosophy, vis-à-vis Hegel’s dialectical method; the relation between subjectivity and love in both Freud and Jacques Derrida’s works; and how echo operates within the discourse of écriture feminine. Finally, I end the thesis with a critical reading of the film It’s All Gone, Pete Tong, and a brief discussion on treatment of the female voice today

Effect of dipolar interactions on cavity magnon-polaritons

The strong photon-magnon coupling between an electromagnetic cavity and two yttrium iron garnet (YIG) spheres has been investigated in the context of a strong mutual dipolar interaction between the spheres. A decrease in the coupling strength between the YIG spheres and the electromagnetic cavity is observed, along with an increase of the total magnetic losses, as the distance between the spheres is decreased. A model of inhomogeneous broadening of the ferromagnetic resonance linewidth, partly mitigated by the dipolar narrowing effect, reproduces the reduction in the coupling strength observed experimentally. These findings have important implications for the understanding of strongly coupled photon-magnon system involving densely packed magnetic objects, such as ferromagnetic nanowires arrays, in which the total coupling strength with an electromagnetic cavity might become limited due to mutual dipolar interactions.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Estimation of Seed Bank and Seed Viability of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence Aster, Symphyotrichum laurentianum, (Fernald) Nesom

The Gulf of St. Lawrence Aster, Symphyotrichum laurentianum, is a member of the family Asteraceae and is listed as “threatened” by COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada). This rare and vulnerable halophyte grows in only a few locations in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and the Magdalen Islands, Quebec. As an annual, S. laurentianum relies exclusively on its seeds to survive to the next generation. The goal of this study was to estimate the quantity of viable S. laurentianum seeds in the persistent and transient seed banks at selected sites in Prince Edward Island. Overall, the number of seeds in the transient and persistent seed banks is low. The greatest concentration of seeds was found near the surface of the soil. In addition, only a small proportion of those seeds tested positive for viability based on Tetrazolium staining. Of the seeds in the persistent and transient seed banks combined, 53% were viable whereas only 2% of the seeds in the persistent seed bank were viable. Population surveys were also completed at the five known sites (both extinct and extant) in Prince Edward Island National Park. All sites showed signs of decline based on population estimates dating back to 1993. The Covehead Pond site showed the greatest decline: from 250-300 individuals in 1993 to only 10 individuals in 2002. The population at Dune Slack also showed a dramatic decrease from approximately 65 000 in 1999, to 2 200 individuals in 2002. Monitoring of this plant and the development of a management plan for the species are critical to its survival

Shoot and compound leaf comparisons in eudicots: dynamic morphology as an alternative approach

Recent developmental studies suggest that the compound leaf is a more or less incompletely developed shoot. Instead of considering leaves and shoots as non - homologous, this interpretation draws a continuum between leaves and shoots. This study considers the plant as a hierarchical series of units on which similar developmental processes are at work, and where each level (shoot, compound leaf, leaflet) is 'repeated' by the next higher level. Measurements related to the expression of developmental processes operating on leaves at the shoot level and on leaflets at the compound leaf level were used to determine if similar processes are at work at these different levels during early stages of organogenesis. Plants with compound leaves showing acropetal leaflet inception, representing a total 16 species from 10 eudicot families, were studied. Based on several types of quantitative analyses, there appears to be a continuum between so-called leaflets, compound leaves, and shoots in the species studied. This perspective, qualified as dynamic morphology, parallels the classical interpretation and is an alternative to it

Causalité mentale et réductionnisme chez Jaegwon Kim.

Dans ses plus récents écrits, Jaegwon Kim soutient que seule une approche réductionniste est en mesure de rendre compte de la causalité mentale tout en respectant nos convictions physicalistes. Ce faisant, il va à rencontre de la tendance actuelle en philosophie analytique de l’esprit représentée par le physicalisme non-réductif. Je tente ici d’évaluer si Kim réussit à faire du réductionnisme une approche valable et intéressante. Pour ce faire, je présente en détail et commente l’argument de Kim servant à réfuter le physicalisme non réductif, de même que les deux modèles de réduction qu’il a élaborés. Je conclus que Kim réussit à réfuter le physicalisme non-réductif, mais que le réductionnisme qu’il propose ne présente qu’un intérêt limité puisqu’il laisse de côté les qualia. Aucune solution satisfaisante ne semble donc pouvoir être apportée au problème de la causalité mentale

Propriétés magnétiques de nanoagrégats ferromagnétiques encastrés dans une épicouche semi-conductrice

RÉSUMÉ : L’introduction du ferromagnétisme dans la technologie actuelle des couches minces semiconductrices est un défi qui suscite beaucoup de recherche à l’heure actuelle. Ceci ouvrirait la voie à la conception et le développement de nouveaux dispositifs intégrés ayant des fonctionnalités nouvelles ou améliorées. Jusqu’à maintenant, un effort considérable a été déployé pour obtenir des semi-conducteurs ferromagnétiques dilués ayant une température de Curie plus élevée que celle de la pièce. Toutefois, la température de Curie la plus élevée obtenue à ce jour dans un semi-conducteur magnétique dilué est de 185 K. L’une des alternatives les plus prometteuses est d’introduire des nanoagrégats ferromagnétiques dans une épicouche semiconductrice. Ce type de matériau granulaire semi-conducteur et ferromagnétique (SC:FM) a l’avantage que sa température de Curie dépend de la nature des agrégats. Des effets magnétooptiques et galvanomagnétiques géants ont notamment été observés dans les matériaux granulaires SC:FM, ce qui pourrait mener à la réalisation de dispositifs comme des isolateurs optiques ou des senseurs magnétiques. De tels effets sont directement reliés aux propriétés magnétiques intrinsèques des nanoagrégats et à la structure cristallographique et géométrique des matériaux granulaires SC:FM. Dans ce contexte, cette thèse est dédiée à la compréhension des propriétés magnétiques de nanoagrégats ferromagnétiques encastrés dans une épicouche semi-conductrice. Au cours de ce travail, nous avons développé une méthodologie combinant des mesures expérimentales et un modèle théorique afin d’expliquer le comportement magnétique des matériaux granulaires SC:FM `a l’étude. Des mesures de spectroscopie de résonance ferromagnétique (FMR) et de magnétométrie ont été effectuées en fonction de plusieurs paramètres tels que l’angle et l’intensité du champ magnétique appliqué, la température et la fréquence du champ magnétique d’excitation dans le cas de la FMR. Un modèle phénoménologique basé sur la contribution magnétique à l’energie libre de Helmholtz a été utilisé pour modéliser les résultats expérimentaux. Le matériau granulaire composé de nanoagrégats de phosphure de manganèse encastrés dans une épicouche de phosphure de gallium (GaP:MnP) a été choisi comme système `a l’étude. Ceci est justifié par le fait que le GaP possède une bande interdite très large, ce qui fait du GaP:MnP un composé prometteur pour le développement de dispositifs magnéto-optiques dans le spectre du visible. Les épicouches de GaP:MnP sont crues sur des substrats de GaP par épitaxie en phase vapeur aux organométalliques. D’après les mesures de microscopie électronique en transmission (TEM), les nanoagrégats possèdent un diamètre entre 15 et 35 nm et occupent approximativement entre 3 et 7% du volume total de----------ABSTRACT : The possibility to integrate ferromagnetic materials in present semiconductor technology could lead to the design and development of integrated devices with new functionalities. Up to now, much work was addressed to meet this challenge by trying to fabricate dilute magnetic semiconductors which are ferromagnetic at room temperature. However, the highest Curie temperature obtained so far in a dilute magnetic semiconductor is 185 K, which is not enough for room temperature applications. A promising approach to achieve room temperature ferromagnetism is to introduce ferromagnetic nanoclusters in a semiconducting epilayer. The advantage of this granular hybrid semiconductor:ferromagnetic (SC:FM) material is that its Curie temperature depends on the nature of the nanoclusters. Moreover, giant magnetooptical and galvanomagnetic effects were observed in granular hybrid SC:FM epilayers, which could lead to the development of integrated optical isolators or magnetic sensors. These effects are directly related to the clusters intrinsic magnetic properties and to the crystal structure and geometrical properties of these granular SC:FM epilayers. Understanding the magnetic properties of granular SC:FM epilayers is a necessary step to develop devices based on these effects. The goal of this thesis is to understand the overall magnetic properties of granular SC:FM epilayers and explain their origin. In this work, experimental measurements were analysed using a phenomenological model in order to explain the magnetic behaviour of the studied SC:FM epilayers. Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and magnetometry measurements were obtained while changing different parameters such as the direction and intensity of the applied magnetic field, the sample temperature or the frequency of the alternating magnetic field in the case of FMR measurements. The phenomenological model used to analyse the experimental data is based on the Helmholtz free energy. Manganese phosphide nanoclusters embedded in a gallium phosphide epilayer (GaP:MnP) was chosen because gallium phosphide has a wide band gap, which makes this compound especially appealing for the development of integrated magneto-optical devices in the visible spectrum. These epilayers are obtained by metal organic vapour phase epitaxy. The nanoclusters have a diameter ranging between 15 and 35 nm and occupy approximatively 3 to 7 % of the epilayer according to transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images depending on the growth parameters. Moreover, X-ray diffraction indicates that the nanoclusters have prefered crystallographical orientations in the GaP epilayer. Angle dependant FMR measurements show that GaP:MnP epilayers have a strong ma

Role of Primary Care Optometrists in the Assessment and Management of Patients with Traumatic Brain Injuries in Canada

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) results from a strong blow or jolt to the head that disrupts the normal function of the brain.1 The severity of a TBI can range from mild to severe, depending on the patient’s mental status, con-sciousness level and amnesia following the injury. The annual incidence of TBI in North America and Europe is conservatively estimated to be ap-proximately 600/100,000.2,3 This translates to at least 200,000 TBI cases in Canada every year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Canadian Institute for Health Information, the leading cause of TBIs that result in hospital admission is falls (35%-45%), followed by motor vehicle accidents (17%-36%), collision-related events (struck by or against) (10-17%) and assaults (9-10%).4,5 Head injuries are more common in the 0- to 19-year age group, followed by those who are aged 60+. Males are more highly represented in every age group than females. However, it should be noted that the demographics of patients who present in an op-tometrist’s office may differ from those based on hospital admissions [...

Reduction of the Impedance Created by the Insulated Vacuum Flanges in the PS Booster

The original vacuum flange assembly in the PS Booster (PSB) was designed to present insulation at low frequency and conduction to the beam image current above 2 MHz. However, in order to satisfy the needs for the LHC, the RF harmonic in the PSB had to be changed from h=5 to h=1, leading to a reduction of the lowest accelerating frequency to 600 kHz. The RF component of the beam was therefore passing through the main resonance of these flanges giving a total (integrated around the ring) longitudinal coupling impedance of 1000 W at 750 kHz, taking into account some additional RF bypasses. The voltage generated by the beam current was coupling to various electronic devices which therefore had to be equipped with common-mode rejection circuits. After some non-essential insulated flanges had been replaced by conducting ones during the 1998-99 shutdown, the total impedance was lowered to about 200 ohms (still higher than the maximum value for h=5 which was 130 ohms). This was one of the improvements that made it possible to reach a new intensity record in September 1999. New RF decoupling flanges introduced in 2000 to further reduce the impedance are described here, together with the results obtained

Concepts of Static vs. Dynamic Current Transfer Length in 2G HTS coated conductors with a Current Flow Diverter Architecture

This paper uses both experimental and numerical approaches to revisit the concept of current transfer length (CTL) in second-generation high-temperature superconductor coated conductors with a current flow diverter (CFD) architecture. The CFD architecture has been implemented on eight commercial coated conductors samples from THEVA. In order to measure the 2-D current distribution in the silver stabilizer layer of the samples, we first used a custom-made array of 120 voltage taps to measure the surface potential distribution. Then, the so-called "static" CTL ($\lambda_s$) was extracted using a semi-analytical model that fitted well the experimental data. As defined in this paper, the static CTL on a 2-D domain is a generalization of the definition commonly used in literature. In addition, we used a 3-D finite element model to simulate the normal zone propagation in our CFD samples, in order to quantify their "dynamic" CTL ($\lambda_d$), a new concept introduced in this paper and defined as the CTL observed during the propagation of a quenched region. The results show that, for a CFD architecture, $\lambda_d$ is always larger than $\lambda_s$, whereas $\lambda_d = \lambda_s$ when the interfacial resistance between the stabilizer and the superconductor layers is the same everywhere. We proved that the cause of these different behaviors is related to the shape of the normal zone, which is curved for the CFD architecture, and rectangular otherwise. Finally, we showed that the NZPV is proportional to $\lambda_d$, not with $\lambda_s$, which suggests that the dynamic CTL $\lambda_d$ is the most general definition of the CTL and should always be used when current crowding and non-uniform heat generation occurs around a normal zone.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figure