Existential Reactions to Modernity: An Analysis of Lovecraft\u27s Nihilistic Cosmicism & Dostoevsky\u27s Christian Existentialism

Literary representations of existentialism demonstrate the movement’s efficacy as a tool for ideological and personal exploration, particularly as it pertains to issues of identity-formation, the Other, and rising concerns about modernized life. Despite their differences in genre, location, and time period, both H.P. Lovecraft and Fyodor Dostoevsky in their fiction greatly emphasize facets of existentialism as a response to their cultural concerns about modernity. They highlight complex relationships between socio-political concerns, philosophy, and literature in their different uses of existentialist themes. This study places both Dostoevsky’s Christian existentialism and Lovecraft’s nihilistic cosmicism within the existing spectrum of existential thought. The first chapter considers three of Lovecraft’s novellas from The Cthulhu Mythos to argue that Lovecraft’s deep concerns about Otherness demonstrate the overlap between his nihilistic cosmicism, and the notion of existential anxiety as described by Heidegger. The second chapter explores the Christian existentialism in Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground as the intersection of an ascetic Christian tradition, and the Russian philosophical concept of sobornost—which emphasizes ideas similar to Kierkegaard’s views. The final chapter places both authors and their individual concerns about modernity in conversation with one another, to highlight the fluidity of the philosophical movement as a response to modernity

Compact silicon diffractive sensor: design, fabrication, and functional demonstration

The primary objective of the presented research is to develop a class of integrated compact silicon diffractive sensors (CSDS) based on in-plane diffraction gratings. This class of sensors uses a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate to limit costs, exploit established fabrication processes, enable integration of supporting electronics, and use the well-understood telecommunications wavelength of 1.55µm. Sensing is achieved by combining constant-diffraction-efficiency and highly-angularly-selective in-plane resonance-domain diffraction gratings. Detection is based on the diffraction efficiency of the highly angularly selective grating. In this research, the design processes for the constant-diffraction-efficiency and the highly angularly selective gratings are detailed. Grating designs are optimized with rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) and simulated with finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) analysis. Fabrication results are presented for the CSDS gratings. An inductively coupled plasma (ICP) Bosch etch process enables grating fabrication to within one percent of designed values with nearly vertical sidewalls. Experimental results are presented for individual CSDS gratings, the prototype sensor, and a prototype linear sensor array. The results agree well with simulation. The linear sensor array prototype demonstrates the intrinsic splitting mechanism and forms the basis of a 2-D sensor array. Finally, a toluene sensor was functionally demonstrated. The proof-of-concept device includes a polymer immobilization layer and microfluidic delivery of toluene. Toluene concentrations as low as 100ppm are measured, corresponding to a refractive index change of 3x10⁻⁴ RIU.PhDCommittee Chair: Gaylord, Thomas; Committee Member: Bakir, Muhannad; Committee Member: Chatterjee, Abhijit; Committee Member: Davis, Donald; Committee Member: First, Philli

Optimum parallel-face slanted surface-relief gratings

© 2007 Optical Society of America. The definitive version of this paper is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/AO.46.003674DOI: 10.1364/AO.46.003674Using a combination of rigorous coupled-wave analysis and simulated annealing, parallel-face slanted surface-relief gratings (PFSSRGs) are optimized. For substrate-mode optical interconnects, profiles are presented for both polymer and silicon PFSSRGs for both TE and TM polarizations at normal incidence with grating periods designed to give a 45° output angle in the negative-first forward-diffracted order. The resulting diffraction efficiencies range from 70% to 99%, with a majority of the optimized profiles yielding over 90%. Optimized polymer profiles for TE and TM polarizations exhibit similar high diffraction efficiencies, but the TM profiles generally require greater groove depths. Silicon profiles optimized for TM polarization have greater diffraction efficiencies than those for TE polarization. Profiles that can feasibly be fabricated are identified, and sensitivities to groove depth, filling factor, slant angle, and incident angle are shown to be modest

Compact silicon diffractive sensor: design, fabrication, and prototype

© 2012 Optical Society of AmericaThe definitive version of this paper is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/AO.51.004325DOI:10.1364/AO.51.004325An in-plane constant-efficiency variable-diffraction-angle grating and an in-plane high-angular-selectivity grating are combined to enable a new compact silicon diffractive sensor. This sensor is fabricated in silicon-on-insulator and uses telecommunications wavelengths. A single sensor element has a micron-scale device size and uses intensity-based (as opposed to spectral-based) detection for increased integrability. In-plane diffraction gratings provide an intrinsic splitting mechanism to enable a two-dimensional sensor array. Detection of the relative values of diffracted and transmitted intensities is independent of attenuation and is thus robust. The sensor prototype measures refractive index changes of 10 ⁻⁴ . Simulations indicate that this sensor configuration may be capable of measuring refractive index changes three or four orders of magnitude smaller. The characteristics of this sensor type make it promising for lab-on-a-chip application

The Bucknell Civil Rights Project

The Bucknell Civil Rights Project is an archive of Bucknell’s records from the Civil Rights era. It provides documentation of civil rights issues at Bucknell; Bucknell’s NAACP chapter and scholarship opportunities for Black students; information on African American speakers that visited the University; materials on exchange programs Bucknell participated in with historically Black universities; the University’s ongoing effort to increase diversity; and the difficulties that Black students attending predominantly white universities during this time period often faced.Griot students are combing Bucknell’s archives for additional material and collaborating with the Digital Scholarship team to enhance the display of this information