The influence of industrialism on French imaginative literature, prose, 1830-70

The state of knowledge concerning the reflection of the Industrial Revolution in French prose is at best imperfect for the subject is one that has not hitherto been investigated. Yet the effect produced by this revolution on the writers between 1830 and 1870 was not only not negligible but in many cases left a deep mark on them. After outlining the industrial progress achieved together with its social consequences, an examination is made of the reactions of the outstanding sociologists and economists to le machinisme. Next an attempt is made to show how la Bourgeoisie, with its respect for riches and social prominence, its deep preoccupation with economic interests and material prosperity would be inimical to the prolongation of the Romantic Movement. To further emphasise the role Industry was assuming in Society attention is drawn to the importance of the many Industrial Exhibitions held before l870. Then follows an investigation into the transformation of the Press by the introduction of publicity and the appearance of the roman feuilleton as being the first manifestation of the influence of Industry in literature. From the newspapers to the stage: the vaudevillistes and playwrights bear witness to the predominance of la Question d'argent and to the invasion of the Press by les hommes d'affaires

Dataflow development of medium-grained parallel software

PhD ThesisIn the 1980s, multiple-processor computers (multiprocessors) based on conven- tional processing elements emerged as a popular solution to the continuing demand for ever-greater computing power. These machines offer a general-purpose parallel processing platform on which the size of program units which can be efficiently executed in parallel - the "grain size" - is smaller than that offered by distributed computing environments, though greater than that of some more specialised architectures. However, programming to exploit this medium-grained parallelism remains difficult. Concurrent execution is inherently complex, yet there is a lack of programming tools to support parallel programming activities such as program design, implementation, debugging, performance tuning and so on. In helping to manage complexity in sequential programming, visual tools have often been used to great effect, which suggests one approach towards the goal of making parallel programming less difficult. This thesis examines the possibilities which the dataflow paradigm has to offer as the basis for a set of visual parallel programming tools, and presents a dataflow notation designed as a framework for medium-grained parallel programming. The implementation of this notation as a programming language is discussed, and its suitability for the medium-grained level is examinedScience and Engineering Research Council of Great Britain EC ERASMUS schem

The Life History of an Animal Cell

Chronicles the life cycle of an animal’s cell, including physical features of the cell, formation of new cells and cell divisions

SAPIEN3 Comb Stitch Improvement for Edwards Lifesciences

The complete senior project report was submitted to the project advisor and sponsor. The results of this project are of a confidential nature and will not be published at this time

A (3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) and Glutaraldehyde Functionalized Cellulose Surface for Immunoassays

The detection of biomolecules is critical for clinical diagnostics but requires specialty labor and high cost. The use of microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (µPADs) for bioassays is simpler and cheaper but has low sensitivity. Improved immobilization of antibodies onto cellulose is demonstrated through surface functionalization with APTES and glutaraldehyde. The nature of this immobilization is explored through Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR spectroscopy) and various washing procedures. The application of this novel immobilization technique is explored through antibodies conjugated with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) in an indirect immunoassay for Rabbit Immunoglobulin G (Rabbit IgG). Compared to the unfunctionalized surface, the functionalized surface improves immobilization of antibodies and has comparable sensitivity in a fluorescent immunoassay.Keywords: Microfluidics, paper-based analytical devices, immunoassay, surface chemistr

The effects of arousal on apical amplification and conscious state

Neocortical pyramidal cells can integrate two classes of input separately and use one to modulate response to the other. Their tuft dendrites are electrotonically separated from basal dendrites and soma by the apical dendrite, and apical hyperpolarization-activated currents (Ih) further isolate subthreshold integration of tuft inputs. When apical depolarization exceeds a threshold, however, it can enhance response to the basal inputs that specify the cell’s selective sensitivity. This process is referred to as apical amplification (AA). We review evidence suggesting that, by regulating Ihin the apical compartments, adrenergic arousal controls the coupling between apical and somatic integration zones thus modifying cognitive capabilities closely associated with consciousness. Evidence relating AA to schizophrenia, sleep, and anesthesia is reviewed, and we assess theories that emphasize the relevance of AA to consciousness. Implications for theories of neocortical computation that emphasize context-sensitive modulation are summarized. We conclude that the findings concerning AA and its regulation by arousal offer a new perspective on states of consciousness, the function and evolution of neocortex, and psychopathology. Many issues worthy of closer examination arise

Using the ISS as a Testbed to Prepare for the Next Generation of Space-Based Telescopes

The ISS provides a unique opportunity to develop the technologies and operational capabilities necessary to assemble future large space telescopes that may be used to investigate planetary systems around neighboring stars. Assembling telescopes in space is a paradigm-shifting approach to space astronomy. Using the ISS as a testbed will reduce the technical risks of implementing this major scientific facility, such as laser metrology and wavefront sensing and control (WFSC). The Optical Testbed and Integration on ISS eXperiment (OpTIIX) will demonstrate the robotic assembly of major components, including the primary and secondary mirrors, to mechanical tolerances using existing ISS infrastructure, and the alignment of the optical elements to a diffraction-limited optical system in space. Assembling the optical system and removing and replacing components via existing ISS capabilities, such as the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) or the ISS flight crew, allows for future experimentation and repair, if necessary. First flight on ISS for OpTIIX, a small 1.5 meter optical telescope, is planned for 2015. In addition to demonstration of key risk-retiring technologies, the OpTIIX program includes a public outreach program to show the broad value of ISS utilization