Specularity in Late Nineteenth-Century French Literature and Art

In the mid-to-late 1800s, French writers and artists resolved to shed their Romantic skins in favor of new self-conscious husks --to borrow Baudelaire\u27s poetic term--that is to say: Naturalism, Realism, Impressionism and Symbolism. Some of the older reformers found themselves in an awkward, transitional stage contrary to the younger vanguardists who bore no allegiance to the past. The first group included Baudelaire, Flaubert, Courbet, Manet, Degas and Pissarro while the latter listed among its most successful members: Zola, Mallarmé, Huysmans, Morisot, Monet, Renoir and Cézanne. This thesis argues that specularity--a sort of mirror mimesis--was part of the fertile, artistic exchange between these representative writers and artists who shaped nineteenth century French literature and plastic arts during a period of turbulent social and political change. It is important not to conventionalize specular-mimesis into an automatic looking glass response between literature and art. Its primary function in this thesis is to single out, investigate and inter-relate literary and artistic chefs-d\u27oeuvre which, at times, bear remarkably similar hallmarks, for one reason or another. Given that cultivated conversation was highly esteemed by the Parisian bourgeoisie and held to be an elegant art form by salon and soirée intellectuals, four Dialogues constitute the internal structure of this paper. Each Dialogue is preceded by its own Cadre which serves to introduce and familiarize the reader, using a mise-en-scene framework, with background information that supports the discourse

Understanding the wear behaviour of non-doped and Si,O-doped diamond-like carbon films

Two diamond-like carbon coatings have been examined, both prior to, and post tribotesting. Physical–chemical characterisation allows the elucidation of both the physical and tribochemical mechanisms underpinning the respective wear behaviours. The wear of the undoped a-C:H DLC coating is far lower than that of the Si,O-doped DLC. Both coatings show formation of protective tribofilms with tribochemically-relevant elements derived from the lubricant additives; however the tribofilms on the two coatings exhibit key differences, with one containing pyrophosphate. The undoped a-C:H DLC coating shows an increase in non-planar sp2 carbon content during wear testing which appears to be at the expense of sp3-hybridised carbon. In comparison, the Si,O-doped DLC undergoes comparatively little change in carbon hybridisation state

Photocurrent study of all-printed photodetectors on paper made of different transition metal dichalcogenide nanosheets

We have inkjet-printed in-plane 'metal-semiconductor-metal' type photodetectors on paper, one of the cheapest flexible substrates, which is also recyclable and foldable, in contrast to traditional plastic substrates. The photodetectors are made by using graphene as electrodes and various transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) as photoactive component. In particular, we have tested MoS2, WS2, MoSe2 and MoTe2. Large differences in responsivity and sensitivity were observed for all of the TMDs measured, with MoS2 showing the highest sensitivity and MoTe2 producing the largest response. However, photodetectors made of MoTe2 show large decreases in responsivity after one week of exposure to air. The wavelength dependence of the responsivity in MoS2 based devices was further analyzed using a supercontinuum photocurrent spectroscopy setup, with the results suggesting a bolometric or photoelectric origin of the signal. We also report some simple approaches to enhance the device performance and tune the energy range at which the maximum in responsivity or sensitivity is observed

Validation of Messenger Ribonucleic Acid Markers Differentiating Among Human Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Subgroups in an Ovine Model of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Phenotypes

BACKGROUND: The discovery of biological subphenotypes in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) might offer a new approach to ARDS in general and possibly targeted treatment, but little is known about the underlying biology yet. To validate our recently described ovine ARDS phenotypes model, we compared a subset of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) markers in leukocytes as reported before to display differential expression between human ARDS subphenotypes to the expression in lung tissue in our ovine ARDS phenotypes model (phenotype 1 (Ph1): hypoinflammatory; phenotype 2 (Ph2): hyperinflammatory). METHODS: We studied 23 anesthetized sheep on mechanical ventilation with observation times between 6 and 24 h. They were randomly allocated to the two phenotypes (n = 14 to Ph1 and n = 9 to Ph2). At study end, lung tissue was harvested and preserved in RNAlater. After tissue homogenization in TRIzol, total RNA was extracted and custom capture and reporter probes designed by NanoString Technologies were used to measure the expression of 14 genes of interest and the 6 housekeeping genes on a nCounter SPRINT profiler. RESULTS: Among the 14 mRNA markers, in all animals over all time points, 13 markers showed the same trend in ovine Ph2/Ph1 as previously reported in the MARS cohort: matrix metalloproteinase 8, olfactomedin 4, resistin, G protein-coupled receptor 84, lipocalin 2, ankyrin repeat domain 22, CD177 molecule, and transcobalamin 1 expression was higher in Ph2 and membrane metalloendopeptidase, adhesion G protein-coupled receptor E3, transforming growth factor beta induced, histidine ammonia-lyase, and sulfatase 2 expression was higher in Ph1. These expression patterns could be found when different sources of mRNA – such as blood leukocytes and lung tissue – were compared. CONCLUSION: In human and ovine ARDS subgroups, similar activated pathways might be involved (e.g., oxidative phosphorylation, NF-κB pathway) that result in specific phenotypes

Longitudinal Changes in Visual Acuity in Keratoconus

purpose. The present investigation aimed to identify factors that predict reduced visual acuity in keratoconus from a prospective, longitudinal study. methods. This report from the Collaborative Longitudinal Evaluation of Keratoconus (CLEK) Study used 7 years of follow-up data from 953 CLEK subjects who did not have penetrating keratoplasty in either eye at baseline and who provided enough data to compute the slope of the change over time in high- or low-contrast best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). Outcome measures included these slopes and whether the number of letters correctly read decreased by 10 letters or more in at least one eye in 7 years. results. Mean age of the subjects at the first follow-up visit was 40.2 ± 11.0 years (mean ± SD). Overall, 44.4% were female, and 71.9% were white. The slope of the change in high- and low-contrast BCVA (−0.29 ± 1.5 and −0.58 ± 1.7 letters correct/year, respectively) translated into expected 7-year decreases of 2.03 high- and 4.06 low-contrast letters correct. High- and low-contrast visual acuity decreases of 10 or more letters correct occurred in 19.0% and 30.8% of subjects, respectively. Independent predictors of reduced high- and low-contrast BCVA included better baseline acuity, steeper first definite apical clearance lens (FDACL), and fundus abnormalities. Each diopter of steeper baseline FDACL predicted an increased deterioration of 0.49 high- and 0.63 low-contrast letters correct. conclusions. CLEK Study subjects with keratoconus exhibited a slow but clear decrease in BCVA during follow-up, with low-contrast acuity deteriorating more rapidly than high-contrast. Better baseline BCVA, steeper FDACL, and fundus abnormalities were predictive of greater acuity loss with time

Transformation and endurance of Indigenous hunting: Kadazandusun-Murut bearded pig hunting practices amidst oil palm expansion and urbanization in Sabah, Malaysia

Land-use change and political–economic shifts have shaped hunting patterns globally, even as traditional hunting practices endure across many local socio-cultural contexts. The widespread expansion of oil palm cultivation, and associated urbanization, alters land-use patterns, ecological processes, economic relationships, access to land and social practices. In particular, we focus on the socio-ecological dynamics between Kadazandusun-Murut (KDM) hunters in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, and bearded pigs (Sus barbatus; Malay: ‘babi hutan’), the favoured game animal for non-Muslim communities throughout much of Borneo. We conducted 38 semi-structured interviews spanning over 50 hr with bearded pig hunters, asking them about contemporary hunting practices and motivations, changes in hunting practices, changes in pig behaviour, and patterns of animal protein consumption in village and urban contexts. Amidst widespread land-use change, primarily driven by oil palm expansion, respondents reported substantially different characteristics of hunting in oil palm plantations as compared to hunting in forests. Additionally, 17 of 38 hunters—including 71% (10/14) of hunters who started hunting before 1985, compared to 26% (6/23) of hunters who started hunting in 1985 or later—mentioned that bearded pigs are behaving in a more skittish or fearful way as compared to the past. Our respondents also reported reductions in hunting frequency and wild meat consumption in urban contexts as compared to rural contexts. However, despite these substantial changes in hunting and dietary practices, numerous KDM hunting motivations, hunting techniques and socio-cultural traditions have endured over the last several decades. For some, bearded pig meat remains deeply tied to food provision, gifting and sharing customs, and cultural components of celebrations and feasts. Oil palm has cultivated new hunting practices that differ from those in forests, and has potentially contributed to altered bearded pig behaviour due to increased hunting accessibility. Together, oil palm and urbanization are helping reshape the KDM-bearded pig socio-ecological system. In light of these reshaped connections, we recommend location-specific management approaches that ensure fair access to the dietary and social benefits of bearded pig hunting while preserving the critical conservation needs of bearded pig populations and habitat. These twin goals are particularly urgent given the confirmed outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF), and mass deaths of domestic pigs and wild bearded pigs, in Sabah and Kalimantan in 2021

Redemption: A Performance Journey

After an injury severely limited the author’s ability to play guitar, he searched for a way to continue performing. In Redemption, the author explores different iterations of the artist’s relationship to technology through live performance. This will include both live instruments and electronics as sound sources, as well as a visual component. The author uses different configurations of live electronics, prerecorded loops, live instruments, and live recorded loops throughout the performance. Using Ableton Live, the author has found a new path to performing original music, bringing all of his skills together into one live performance.https://remix.berklee.edu/graduate-studies-production-technology/1422/thumbnail.jp