Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Superflat'

This thesis is an examination of the concept and the term "superflat" as it is elaborated by the Japanese artist Murakami Takashi in his writings, in the exhibition he curated under the same name, and in his own art.
Its aim is to contextualize Murakami's project on one hand in terms of a similar attempt to define a Japanese national aesthetic in the early 20 th century, and on the other in terms of the 1990's tendency to return to Edo Japan to find the "origins" of Japan's postmodernity.
Murakami's own art is then turned to in order to both elaborate on and test the aesthetic of Japanese art he calls the superflat. This examination of Murakami's art permits the formulation of an aesthetics of Japanese contemporary art and animation even as it will afford an understanding of the "cultural logic" of the digital age that informs Murakami's argument.
Questions important to this project are: Is the articulation of a local aesthetics possible in this globalizing age? What are the aesthetic traits of the digital age? How should the superflat---as both idea and project---be interpreted?

This thesis investigates the impact of Superflat theory and practice of the artist and curator, Takashi Murakami. The thesis aims to analyse how contemporary transnational artistic activity functions via the work of Murakami and Superflat artists, including Chiho Aoshima and Aya Takano. From the blockbuster group exhibition, Super Flat, curated by Murakami, which debuted in the United States in 2001 at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, to the 2007-2009 ©MURAKAMI retrospective traveling from Los Angeles to Brooklyn then Frankfurt to Bilbao, the synthesis of ideas is showing the way to unprecedented directions in contemporary art. This investigation also links Murakami’s work to that of American Pop artists Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons and explores how Superflat art functions within and contributes to the already distorted area between parallel structures, such as high and low, fine art and commercial production, or East and West. When peeling back the layers of Superflat, there is a rich, beautiful and violent history. Recognising the fusion of tradition and technology, my research explores how Superflat artists are achieving international success by engaging in multiple outlets of creative expression and collaboration in the continuing context of globalisation and a consumer-driven art market. Images of anxiety and destruction are disguised as playful and marketable characters, and three-dimensional animation figures become cultural icons. Superflat explores the simulated, sensuous, colourful and obsessive “realities” that we inhabit on a global scale and captures a twenty-first century aesthetic. With reference to the representation of violence and disaster in art and popular culture, contemporary Japan’s construction of national identity and the postwar “Americanization” of Japan, this thesis examines how the layering of ideas via cross-cultural exchange produces a new form of hybrid and hyper Pop art.

This thesis maps Takashi Murakami's Theory of Superflat Art and his associated artistic practices and works. The study situates Murakami and Superflat within the context of globalising culture. The thesis interrogates Murakami's art and the theory of superflat within the historical, social, and cultural contexts of their production-consumption in Japan, the United States, and Europe. The thesis identifies Superflat art and Murakami's work as actively participating in, and expressing, the cultural conditions associated with the 'global postmodern' and globalisation processes. The thesis employs a Cultural Studies theoretical and heuristic framework, utilising a range of contemporary critical theorisations on postmodern art, Japanese cultural identity and globalisation. This framework and approach are adopted in order to draw attention to ways in which Murakami and Superflat articulate and represent the fundamental contentions and dialogues that characterise contem porary globalisation processes. The tensions that are articulated in relation to the discursive construction of the concepts of art/commodity, modern/postmodern and global/local cultural identities. Importantly, this research demonstrates the ways in which Murakami both participates in, and challenges, the conceptual distinctions indexed within the concepts of 'art' as an aesthetic expression and 'commodity' as an object of symbolic exchange in the global marketplace. It interprets Superflat as an 'expressivity' that challenges binary demarcations being constructed between art and commercial culture, and between the aesthetic-cultural identities of Japan and the West. This thesis problematises the meaning of Murakami's concept and aesthetic of Superflat art by drawing attention to these contestations within Murakami's works and Superflat which are generated as they circulate globally. The thesis argues that Murakami strategically presents his work and Superflat art as an expression of Japanese identity which paradoxically also expresses the fluid imaginings of cultural identity available through contemporary global exchanges. This deliberate territorialising and deterritorialising impulse does not resolve the contentions emerging in globalisation, but rather amplifies them, exposing the key debates on the formation of cultural identity as an oppositional expression and as a commodity in global markets. The concept of 'strategic essentialism' is used as a theoretical lens in order to understand Murakami and Superflat's activation of these global processes. This research contributes a valuable case study to the understanding of cultural production as a strategic negotiation and expression of the flows of capital and culture in globalisation.

Dissertation: This thesis explores contemporary art’s role in the rejuvenation of mythic storytelling, which enables societal cohesion and progress. I investigate Joseph Campbell’s concept of mythic dissociation and outline the industrial, academic, and ideological factors that have stifled myth in modernity. Synthesising the mythological scholarship of Campbell and Alexander Eliot with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami’s Superflat Theory, I examine the unique position the contemporary artist now holds in digital-age society as cultivator of myth. I posit that Superflat’s emphasis on narrative interpretation, viewer agency, and opposition to formal, temporal, and stylistic limitations allows for artwork that executes the functions of myth put forward by Campbell and Eliot. I provide evidence of key, practical methodology that allows for contemporary mythic artwork. Ultimately this thesis advocates for the restoration of mythic narrative to its crucial societal role as a mechanism for social harmony via the production and dissemination of mythic art. Studio Work: My body of work entitled Song of @Merica consists of mixed media artworks that depict a modern mythic saga. The exhibition was installed at the University of Sydney in December 2021. I created works on canvas, plastic, and paper using a variety of materials including acrylic paint, oil pastels, ink, pencil, and watercolour. Aesthetically, my artwork connects to abstract expressionist and surrealist lineages, but my technique also derives from screenwriting, adjoining metaphorical and narrative elements to colour, contour, material, and text. Conceptually integral, my use of nonlinear narrative, repurposed materials, as well as the mixing of media, language, and reappropriated cultural references, illustrates the effectiveness of Takashi Murakami’s Superflat Theory, which explodes defined aesthetic and temporal boundaries, enabling myth to be conveyed fully and accessible to all.

This work describes the efforts with two ultra low temperature experiments with superfluid 3He as medium of interest. The experiments are mostly performed at temperatures below 200uK, in the regime where superfluid quasiparticle excitations are ballistic. Recently, a novel experimental tool has been built in Lancaster - a superconducting goalpost-shaped wire that can be moved trough the superfluid in oscillatory as well as in uniform linear motion. An object moving with high enough velocity that the excitation spectrum becomes gapless can create excitations at no energy cost and initiate the breakdown of the condensate - this limit is the well-known Landau velocity. In superfluid 3He, flow around an oscillating body displays a very clear onset of such dissipation. However, with this experiment it was found that for a uniform linear motion there is no discontinuity whatsoever in the dissipation as the Landau critical velocity is passed and exceeded, entering a supercritical flow regime. This regime allows for studying the dynamics of the Andreev bound states on the surface of the wire. This work presents a recent experimental estimation of the relaxation time of the bound states and a description of the relaxation mechanism. Next, the work describes the design and initial testing of a new experiment. Here a layer of solid 3He formed on the surface of a large aerogel sample submersed in superfluid 3He will be cooled down to below 100uK in a double nuclear demagnetisation process. NMR on the solid 3He will be used to search for a possible magnetic phase transition as well as to study superfluid 3He virtually free of quasiparticle excitations. The work reports progress to the present state of the experiment and discusses setbacks due to a large unexpected heating which appeared during the demagnetisation of the copper stage.

Pour quelles raisons la poésie ne trouve-t-elle pas, à l'école élémentaire, la place qu'elle devrait occuper selon les directives des instructions officielles, ni celle qu'elle mérite, au vu des multiples domaines culturels et éducatifs que sa fréquentation permet d'explorer ? L'analyse des textes officiels d'une part, des discours de praticiens d'autre part, permet de mettre en évidence une contradiction de fond entre les objectifs de l'institution scolaire (conservation, reproduction, transmission d'un patrimoine culturel et social) et l'essence même de la poésie qui est transgression, subversion, nouveauté. La mise en perspective de la poésie et de l'école, analysée par les actuels penseurs de l'éducation, montre que ces contradictions se situent sur deux plans : celui de la forme (linguistique, sémiologique, grammaticale, lexicale) ; celui du fond (souci d'efficacité, primat de la raison et de la pensée convergente, recherche de clarté, de transparence, de logique, d'univocité du côté de l'école, gratuité apparente, imagination, rêve, pensée divergente, hermétisme, complexité, polysémie du côté de la poésie). D'une façon simplifiée, la culture humaniste à laquelle la poésie est attachée se heurte à la culture scientifique qui s'impose comme la culture scolairement dominante. Mais, paradoxalement, l'école aurait tout intérêt a faire une plus large place à la poésie, pour les raisons mêmes qui font qu 'elle a tendance à la rejeter. Parce qu 'elle autorise l'émergence d'une parole singulière, qu'elle ouvre ainsi la porte à l'affectif, parce qu'elle est moment de rupture, de re-création, parce qu'elle rompt momentanément avec l'habitude et qu'alors elle autorise la distanciation préalable à tout apprentissage, la poésie est cheminement vers le droit à la différence, à la reconnaissance, à la citoyenneté. La poésie participe à une éducation vers un humanisme essentiel. La poésie à l'école, c'est l'indispensable superflu.

Do superfast broadband and tailored interventions improve use of eHealth and reduce health related travel? Introduction – eHealth has been shown to have promising health outcomes in numerous areas, however many people remain digitally excluded and therefore suffer an inequality in health service provision. Lack of internet infrastructure, personal skills, and service provision have been identified as potential barriers to eHealth but as yet there is no good evidence of the significance of these barriers and the impact of interventions to improve them. This PhD aimed to assess impact on eHealth uptake of three interventions (i) superfast broadband, (ii) a tailored booklet to help participants improve personal internet skills and support, (iii) GP interventions to improve health service provision of eHealth. A subsidiary aim was to assess the impact on miles travelled. Methods - In a cluster quasi-randomised factorial controlled trial, 1388 households from 78 postcodes were sampled in 2013 from the 20088 Cornish postcodes and allocated to the 8 (2X2X2) arms of the study. A unique sampling method was used to prevent contamination between arms. Comparison of ‘eHealth readiness’ and ‘miles travelled’ from baseline to 18-month follow-up between the 8 arms of the study was used to assess the impact of interventions. Interventions were tailored based on responses from the initial baseline survey and designed using aspects of the theory of diffusion of innovations. An overall eHealth Readiness score (0-10) was obtained from a validated self-completed questionnaire combining four sub-scales (Personal, Provision, Support, Economic). The standard deviation of the eHealth Readiness score represents a measure of eHealth inequalities. Findings – No significant differences were shown between each intervention arm of the study, either singly or in combination (all p > .05). eHealth Readiness significantly improved over the 18-month trial period (M=4.36 vs M=4.59, t(235)=4.18 p < .001, CI=0.13-0.35). This increase is evidenced by increases in Personal and Provision scores (t(255)=3.191 p=.002, t(258)=3.410 p=.001). There was no change in eHealth inequality. The proportion of internet users, mobile use and happiness with internet speed also increased. Average travel to GPs did not significantly differ between baseline and follow-up (12.3 vs 13.0, t(251)=.44, p=.66). No correlation was shown between eHealth Readiness and total travel miles to GP practices. Discussion – Individuals within Cornwall became more ready to adopt eHealth services over the 18 months of study, increasing in both their personal ability to use eHealth and their methods of access. This increase did not cause a larger digital divide. However, this increase could not be attributed to any of the three interventions. Further research should focus on making use of the improvement of infrastructure within Cornwall and seek to implement eHealth services. The eHealth readiness of Cornwall should be assessed in a longitudinal study to understand the effects of time of the superfast rollout. Qualitative studies should take place on persons of interest to help design more effective interventions with the aim to achieve a societal drive to sustainable use and adoption of eHealth.  Contribution to knowledge – Previously internet infrastructure has been acknowledged as a barrier to eHealth. This PhD was the first to analyse the impact of a high-speed internet rollout alongside other interventions on eHealth readiness. The methods in this study were unique and provide the basis for further work, both in the creation of a sampling method to reduce contamination between cluster interventions and as the first time a measure of eHealth readiness and eHealth inequality has been used to assess the effectiveness of eHealth interventions.

Despite interest from policymakers and the telecommunications sector to deliver superfast broadband to the whole of the UK, rural areas remain underserved, decreasing their ability to benefit from broadband-enabled services. Public intervention, primarily structured as national subsidies, is active across the UK to respond to this rural market failure. Complementing such practices are local-level strategies framed as community-led broadband initiatives. Their inclusion within wider superfast broadband installation strategies has not yet been examined. This doctoral research examines two of these initiatives, their structure and impact on the community to develop an understanding of their potential as replicable rural broadband delivery mechanisms. I analyse both the process of installing superfast broadband technology from community-led perspective and the subsequent engagement with superfast broadband through a qualitative longitudinal approach. A conceptual framework of 'social resilience' is developed as a contemporary analytical tool for examining these individual and community processes. The findings reveal an inherent complexity to rural community-led broadband provision. Community-led broadband reflects a 'localism' development approach, and this process has strengthened local rural identity. Following the adoption of superfast broadband, rural users experienced a growth in digital knowledge and individual resilience. However, the initiatives themselves are often discussed as 'separate from', or incompatible with, the telecommunications industry, as well as sitting outside the scope of current government interventions. In doing so, barriers to external networking and extra-local partnerships are built, limiting the opportunities for community-led broadband networks to become a substantive part of rural broadband delivery across the UK. Throughout the thesis, an understanding of these various tensions, impacting the success, use and replicability of rural community-led broadband, is developed and community-led broadband is shown to be another example of uneven rural development. I conclude by making recommendations for future digital policy interventions in the UK.

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Secretaria da Educação do Estado de São Paulo
This research has as main objective the analysis of projects 2 and Karlskrona Superchannel of collective Superflex, Denmark, and projects Frivolity and Folly and Fripperies and Trimmings, of the group De Geuzen, the Netherlands, in the light of the theory of relational aesthetics of Nicolas Bourriaud. From the 1990s, Bourriaud set the parameters for contemporary artistic production that is based on and is embodied from social exchanges. Given this theoretical framework, the relevance of the research lies in the fact that focus on productions that use digital cyberspace and language as means of dissemination and transmission of artistic proposals - language and tools then viewed with reservation by Bourriaud. The problem of research, ultimately theoretical, lies precisely in this tension between the internal relational aesthetics of the French philosopher and the chosen corpus. Established relational groups, such as De Geuzen and Superflex, advocate the use of technological devices and declare that, in some art propositions, technology and the Internet facilitate and potentialize objectives of social exchange. Both groups focus more on the network relations provided by the Internet than the technology it encloses. They both make use of the digital language as relational/communicational tools. Thus, it is clear that, unlike what Bourriaud thought, it is not the fact that these groups use the technology that they lose their relational character. For the demonstration of this reflexive perspective, this work has considered alongside the research, the theories of Lemos, Lovejoy, Lévy, Trivinho, Virilio and Baudrillard on cyberculture, and the reflections of Musso, Parente, Prado, and Miltrop Latour, among others, on the networks. The theory of society as a network, designed by Castells and for which contributed Mafessoli, had significant importance in this research. Other important findings were made by direct research on the groups websites and through personal analysis of their works and access to documents submitted by them in symposia and electronic publications. In addition to the corpus of the study, art expressions that use technology and social exchange, as the foundation of production, were also presented, such as the propositions of tactical media and locative media as well as experiments in social networks
A presente pesquisa tem como principal objetivo a análise dos projetos Karlskrona 2 e Superchannel, do coletivo Superflex, da Dinamarca, e os projetos Frivolity and Folly e Fripperies and Trimmings, do grupo De Geuzen, da Holanda, à luz da teoria da estética relacional de Nicolas Bourriaud. A partir dos anos 1990, Bourriaud estabeleceu parâmetros para a produção artística contemporânea que se calcava nas e se corporificava a partir das trocas sociais. Dado esse referencial teórico, a relevância da pesquisa reside no fato de centrar-se em produções que utilizam o ciberespaço e a linguagem digital como meios de divulgação e transmissão de propostas artísticas ferramentas e linguagem até então vistas com ressalva por Bourriaud. O problema da pesquisa, teórico em última análise, reside justamente nessa tensão interna entre a estética relacional do filósofo francês e o corpus escolhido. Grupos relacionais consagrados, como o De Geuzen e o Superflex, defendem o uso dos aparatos tecnológicos e declaram que, em algumas propostas artísticas, a tecnologia e a internet facilitam e potencializam objetivos de intercâmbio social. Ambos os grupos focam mais as relações em rede que a internet proporciona do que as tecnologias que ela encerra. Utilizam as linguagens digitais como ferramentas relacional-comunicacionais. Dessa forma, fica claro que, diferentemente do que pensava Bourriaud, não é pelo fato de esses grupos utilizarem a tecnologia que eles perdem o seu caráter relacional. Para a demonstração dessa perspectiva reflexiva, foram consideradas, durante a pesquisa, as teorias de Lemos, Lovejoy, Lévy, Trivinho, Virílio e Baudrillard sobre a cibercultura, bem como as reflexões de Musso, Parente, Prado, Latour e Miltrop, entre outros, a respeito das redes. A teoria da sociedade em rede, concebida por Castells e para a qual contribuiu Mafessoli, teve importância relevante no trabalho. Outras constatações importantes foram realizadas mediante pesquisa direta em páginas eletrônicas dos grupos, bem como por meio de análise pessoal das obras e de acesso a documentos apresentados pelos grupos em simpósios e publicações eletrônicas. Em complementação ao corpus do estudo, manifestações artísticas que utilizam, como base fundamental de produção, a tecnologia e as trocas sociais também foram apresentadas, como, por exemplo, as propostas de mídia tática e mídia locativa e as experimentações em redes sociais

"We are the revolution?" begins by introducing the type of art practices being studied, collectively referred to here as ‗creative social action,‘ and explaining the nature of their revolutionary intentions. It then shows that such art practices are in need of a critical framework; specifically, a means of examining their contribution to sustainable social changes. Having established that creative social action lacks an apposite or robust critical framework, and that such a framework is an essential tool, the study sets out to address this. Initially the study surveys a significant number of practices in order to identify core threads of creative social action. Through this, three threads of particular significance are identified; utopianism, participation and value-orientation. These threads are then examined in depth through recent critical writings on each, which takes the research into several different disciplinary territories and alternative concepts of revolution, as a slow, creative, permanent and almost imperceptible process. Subsequently, aspects of these writings and concepts are synthesised to provide an evaluative approach that is original in its transdisciplinarity and its depth of vision. The study uses its newly formed evaluative tools to unpack three carefully chosen cases of creative social action; Skart, Superflex and La Fiambrera. Accordingly, the utopianism, participatory strategies and value-orientation of these cases are explored in depth. Through this, and further development of an alternative concept of revolution, the study shows that in this sense the practices in question appear to be revolutionary. By developing a comprehensive critical understanding of creative social action, and its relationship with radical social change, the study makes a significant contribution to the field. By not providing definitive answers regarding creative social action‘s contribution to revolutionary changes, the study makes an equally significant contribution. In examining the transformative potential of these practices, the study draws attention to the need to value qualities such as complexity and flexibility, and shows that focusing on tendencies rather than absolutes, and generating furtherquestions rather than arriving at neat answers, is not a weakness but a revolutionary force.

[EN] "Luxury" has always been a cause for debate throughout history. It was criticized by Plato and Aristotle and limited during the times of the old Roman Empire. However, luxury has now become a natural part of our lives. The change in the meaning of luxury represents the step from the ancient world to the modern world, and the step from feudalism to capitalism, becoming associated to new values: 01_ The value of the private sphere and the individual. The step from the ancient world to the modern world also entails the step from public luxury to private luxury. 02_ The emotional value of luxury. Our desires and imagination lead us towards new desires. As the value of something which is intangible. 03_ The value of the superfluous. This would be a luxury which does not provide any added value. 04_ The material value. The material value is closely linked to the emotional value of luxury, as it isn't so much about the cost of the material, but about the shapes and sensations which are obtained with it. 05_ The value of refinement. The qualitative value of luxury, which leads towards the evolution of societies. 06_ The value of innovation. Throughout history luxury has been the promoter of innovations. Technique has played a vital role in architecture, giving rise to new spatial possibilities. The thesis looks into the values associated to luxury, identifying them in the architecture of Adolf Loos aiming to represent a modern vision of luxury. The similarities in the biographies of Adolf Loos and Peter Zumthor (central European architects, both sons of artisan fathers, influences by their time spent in the United States,...) justify the choice the latter as a modern reference in the research, which establishes a link between said vision from the early 20th century and the architecture of the early 21st century. This proves how these values remain current even today, although logically their transfer to architecture is different. Lastly comparing this modern vision of luxury with contemporary visions of luxury by means of different conversation. The aim is to move away from the prejudice associated to luxury to prove how architecture can go beyond what is necessary with the aim of improving the living conditions of the inhabitant.
[ES] El "lujo" ha sido siempre motivo de debate a largo de la historia. Ya fue criticado por Platón y Aristóteles y limitado en la antigua Roma. En el presente, el lujo se ha integrado de forma natural en nuestras vidas. El cambio del significado del lujo representa el paso del mundo clásico al mundo moderno, y el paso del feudalismo al capitalismo1, asociándole nuevos valores: 01_ El valor de la esfera privada y el individuo. El paso del mundo clásico al mundo moderno implica también el paso del lujo público al lujo privado. 02_ El valor emocional del lujo. Los deseos e imaginaciones llevan a nuevos deseos. Se trata del valor de lo intangible. 03_ El valor de lo superfluo. Se trata de aquel lujo que no aporta ningún valor añadido. 04_ El valor material. El valor material está íntimamente ligado al valor emocional del lujo, pues no se trata tanto del coste del material, sino en las formas y sensaciones que con él se consiguen. 05_ El valor del refinamiento. Se trata del valor cualitativo del lujo, que lleva a evolucionar a las sociedades. 06_ El valor de la innovación. El lujo ha sido a lo largo de la historia impulsor de innovaciones. La técnica ha jugado un papel vital, dando lugar a nuevas posibilidades espaciales. La Tesis investiga los valores asociados al lujo, identificándolos en la arquitectura de Adolf Loos para mostrar una visión moderna del lujo. Las similitudes en las biografías de Adolf Loos y Peter Zumthor (arquitectos de Europa Central, ambos hijos de padres artesanos, influenciados por sus vivencias en Estados Unidos,¿) justifican la elección de este último como un referente contemporáneo en la investigación, que establece un nexo entre dicha visión de principios del siglo XX y la arquitectura de principios del siglo XXI. Así se demuestra como dichos valores permanecen vigentes hoy en día, aunque lógicamente su traslación a la arquitectura sea diferente. Finalmente se contrasta esta visión moderna del lujo con las visiones contemporáneas del lujo mediante diferentes conversaciones. Se trata de alejarse de los prejuicios sobre el lujo para demostrar como la arquitectura puede ir más allá de lo necesario con el fin de mejorar las condiciones de vida del habitante.
[CAT] El "luxe" ha estat sempre motiu de debat al llarg de la història. Ja fou criticat per Plató i per Aristòtil i limitat a l'antiga Roma. En el present, el luxe s'ha integrat de forma natural en les nostres vides. El canvi de significat del luxe representa el pas del món clàssic al món modern, i el pas del feudalisme al capitalisme , associant-li nou valors: 01_ El valor de l'esfera privada i l'individu. El pas del món clàssic al món modern implica també el pas del luxe públic al luxe privat. 02_ El valor emocional del luxe. Els desitjos i imaginacions porten a nous desitjos. Es tracta del valor de l'intangible. 03_ El valor del superflu. Es tracta d'aquell luxe que no aporta cap valor afegit. 04_ El valor material. El valor material està íntimament lligat al valor emocional del luxe, doncs, no es tracta tant del cost del material, sinó en les formes i sensacions que amb ell s'aconsegueixen. 05_ El valor del refinament. Es tracta del valor qualitatiu del luxe, que porta a evolucionar a les societats. 06_ El valor de la innovació. El luxe ha estat al llarg de la història impulsor d'innovacions. La tècnica ha jugat un paper vital, donant lloc a noves possibilitats espacials. La Tesi investiga els valors associats al luxe, identificant-los en l'arquitectura d'Adolf Loos per a mostrar una visió moderna del luxe. Les similituds en les biografies d'Adolf Loos i Peter Zumthor (arquitectes d'Europa Central, tots dos fills de pares artesans, influenciats per les seves vivències als Estats Units, ...) justifiquen l'elecció d'aquest últim com un referent contemporani en la recerca, que estableix un nexe entre aquesta visió de principis del segle XX i l'arquitectura del segle XXI. Així es demostra com aquests valors romanen vigents avui en dia, encara que lògicament la seva translació a l'arquitectura sigui diferent. Finalment es contrasta aquesta visió moderna del luxe amb diferents versions contemporànies del luxe mitjançant diferents converses. Es tracta d'allunyar-se dels prejudicis sobre el luxe per a demostrar com l'arquitectura pot anar més enllà del necessari amb la finalitat de millorar les condicions de vida de l'habitant.
Bruns Banegas, S. (2015). Adolf Loos.Visiones del lujo en la arquitectura [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/55503
TESIS
Premiado

Fran Ross's only novel, Oreo, explores the nature of multiethnic American identities through an empowered female character that embarks on a Theseus-like journey. Ross devotes significant portions of the novel to the introduction of Oreo's family and individual character, in order to carefully outline her interracial and multiethnic upbringing as an African-Jewish American girl. In order to understand Oreo's political and aesthetic sensibilities, this thesis explores the cinematic representations of interracial relationships during the time that Oreo was written, and argues that Fran Ross's main character is in direct conversation with the predominant 70s black movie and political culture of blaxploitation and Black nationalism. Blaxploitation cinema's rise during the early 70s was facilitated by a burgeoning literary genre depicting an urban black experience aligned with Black nationalist ideologies, to which Fran Ross responds with her interracial protagonist. While not all Black nationalist leaders and supporters felt that blaxploitation movies furthered the revolution, the politics of the movement were still present in the movies, especially in regard to interracial relationships. Black nationalist ideologies regarding interracial relationships positioned sexual relationships between black people and white people as counter-revolutionary, because they did not result in the propagation of the black race, and were reminiscent of the rapes that occurred during the slave period and beyond. In contrast with these cinematic depictions, Oreo is a desexualized, witty, and athletic mixed raced female, who challenges the stereotypes of black cinematic culture and the politics of Black nationalism. As Oreo was written at the end of the blaxploitation genre's height (1974), its politics appear to be in direct dialogue with the representation of blackness in the movie genre. Ross even goes as far as rewriting scenes and stereotypes from blaxploitation movies, positioning Oreo as a critique of the Blaxploitation genre, and the genre's Black nationalist political agenda surrounding interracial relationships.

This research develops efficient solution methods for linear systems with scalar and multi-level Toeplitz structure. Toeplitz systems are common in one-dimensional signal-processing applications, and typically correspond to temporal- or spatial-invariance in the underlying physical phenomenon. Over time, a number of algorithms have been developed to solve these systems economically by exploiting their structure. These developments began with the Levinson-Durbin recursion, a classical fast method for solving Toeplitz systems that has become a standard algorithm in signal processing. Over time, more advanced routines known as superfast algorithms were introduced that are capable of solving Toeplitz systems with even lower asymptotic complexity. For multi-dimensional signals, temporally- and spatially-invariant systems have linear-algebraic descriptions characterized by multi-level Toeplitz matrices, which exhibit Toeplitz structure on multiple levels. These matrices lack the same algebraic properties and structural simplicity of their scalar analogs. As a result, it has proven exceedingly difficult to extend the existing scalar Toeplitz algorithms for their treatment. This research presents algorithms to solve scalar and two-level Toeplitz systems through a constructive approach, using methods devised for specialized cases to build more general solution methods. These methods extend known scalar Toeplitz inversion results to more general scalar least-squares problems and to multi-level Toeplitz problems. The resulting algorithms have the potential to provide substantial computational gains for a large class of problems in signal processing, such as image deconvolution, non-uniform resampling, and the reconstruction of spatial volumes from non-uniform Fourier samples.

O presente trabalho trata sobre a influência do teor de enxofre, em quatro aços com uma composição química similar (famílias ABNT 1045 e ABNT 1145), na microestrutura, nas propriedades estáticas, dinâmicas e nos processos de usinagem. Para esta análise foi feita uma caracterização microestrutural de cada material para determinar parâmetros tais como a fração de inclusões de sulfeto de manganês (MnS) e a fração volumétrica de perlita. Também foi feita uma caracterização mecânica que consistiu em ensaios estáticos mediante o ensaio de tração e dureza, e um ensaio dinâmico utilizando a barra de Hopkinson, com o objetivo de observar o comportamento das inclusões e do próprio material quando deformado com altas e baixas taxas de deformação. Para a caracterização durante a usinagem destes aços foram feitos ensaios de torneamento para avaliar as forças de corte e de avanço em velocidades de corte de 190, 110, 45 e 15 m/min. A rugosidade dos corpos-de-prova também foi medida. Os resultados obtidos nos ensaios de torneamento e da caracterização microestrutural foram analisados estatisticamente para observar variações do comportamento das forças de usinagem de cada aço sob diferentes condições de velocidade de corte, e tentar correlacionar esse comportamento com a microestrutura do material. Observou-se que o aço 1045-A apresentou forças de usinagem (força de corte e força de avanço) superiores que os demais aços, já o aço que apresentou menores forças de usinagem foi o aço 1145-B. Isto é apenas uma tendência, devido que não houve diferença estatística que avaliasse esse comportamento. Também se observou que a rugosidade é um parâmetro que depende mais da velocidade de corte que da distribuição e/ou morfologia das inclusões. Evidenciou-se a formação de aresta postiça de corte (APC) numa faixa de velocidades (15-50 m/min), o que influenciou na rugosidade para estas condições de velocidades. Verificou-se que o comportamento das inclusões em baixas taxas de deformação é de caráter frágil, entanto que em altas taxas seu comportamento é plástico e deforma junto com a matriz.
This work deals with the sulfur influence on the microstructure and on the static, dynamic and machining behavior of four steels with similar chemical composition. (ABNT 1045 and ABNT 1145). Microstructure characterization of the materials was performed in order to obtain the area fraction of the phases of perlite and sulfide inclusions. A mechanical characterization of the materials was also performed, consisting in a set of static (tension and hardness test) and dynamic tests (Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar Test) with the objective of observing the deformation behavior of the sulfide inclusions at low and high strain rates. Various machining tests were carried out at different cutting speeds, namely 190, 110, 45 e 15 m min-1, for obtaining the cutting forces during de machining process. After the machining tests, the roughness of the steels was also measured. Later on, the results of the different experiments were analyzed with statistical tools and then compared to establish a correlation between the cutting forces and microstructure. The higher cutting forces were registered for the 1045-A steel and the lower for the 1145-B steel. However, this was considered merely a trend given that no statistical difference was found to support any conclusion. It was also observed a stronger roughness dependency on the cutting speed than in the distribution and/or morphology of the inclusions. The steels were observed to form a built-up edge (BUE) in a range of cutting velocities of 15-50 m/min. This phenomenon affected the roughness for these cutting velocities. The behavior of the sulfide inclusions was observed to be brittle under low strain rates. On the other hand, under high strain rates, a plastic deformation behavior was observed with inclusions participating in the plastic flow of the metal matrix.

Esta investigación se propone ofrecer el análisis de la representación literaria de uno de los rasgos caracterológicos que mejor define la esencia de la condición humana moderna: la escisión. Abordaremos su estudio a través del examen de una nutrida serie de personajes, protagonistas de diversas ficciones narrativas adscritas a distintas corrientes modernistas tanto en el ámbito literario europeo como, sobre todo, en el español, que configuran el arquetipo literario del héroe escindido.
This research proposes to offer the analysis of the literary representation of one of the characteristic features that best defines the essence of the modern human condition: the split. We will approach his study through the examination of a large series of characters, protagonists of various narrative fictions attached to different modernist currents both in the European literary field and, above all, in Spanish, which make up the literary archetype of the split hero.

abstract: Flash memories are critical for embedded devices to operate properly but are susceptible to radiation effects, which make flash memory a key factor to improve the reliability of circuitry. This thesis describes the simulation techniques used to analyze and predict total ionizing dose (TID) effects on 90-nm technology Silicon Storage Technology (SST) SuperFlash Generation 3 devices. Silvaco Atlas is used for both device level design and simulation purposes. The simulations consist of no radiation and radiation modeling. The no radiation modeling details the cell structure development and characterizes basic operations (read, erase and program) of a flash memory cell. The program time is observed to be approximately 10 μs while the erase time is approximately 0.1 ms. The radiation modeling uses the fixed oxide charge method to analyze the TID effects on the same flash memory cell. After irradiation, a threshold voltage shift of the flash memory cell is observed. The threshold voltages of a programmed cell and an erased cell are reduced at an average rate of 0.025 V/krad. The use of simulation techniques allows designers to better understand the TID response of a SST flash memory cell and to predict cell level TID effects without performing the costly in-situ irradiation experiments. The simulation and experimental results agree qualitatively. In particular, simulation results reveal that ‘0’ to ‘1’ errors but not ‘1’ to ‘0’ retention errors occur; likewise, ‘0’ to ‘1’ errors dominate experimental testing, which also includes circuitry effects that can cause ‘1’ to ‘0’ failures. Both simulation and experimental results reveal flash memory cell TID resilience to about 200 krad.
Dissertation/Thesis
Masters Thesis Electrical Engineering 2016

The work described here had as its goal the development of new techniques for very rapid synthesis of longer peptides. Current methods are often time-consuming and sometimes completely ineffective due to the incursion of peptide aggregation which may interfere with chain extension. Attention was directed to the three main problems in current methodologies: inefficient protecting groups, inefficient coupling reagents and problems due to peptide aggregation. ^ A new protecting group, more effective than the common Fmoc residue, was adopted for the present studies. An unforeseen by-product of these studies was the accidental observation that Bsmoc amino acids are more reactive than Fmoc amino acids as acylating agents as shown in competition experiments. This effect should increase the efficiency of the former for longer peptides. ^ As coupling reagent, O-HATU was adopted as the best of the currently available activators and in addition a new reagent, t-Bu-Dtp-OAt, was developed and shown to be equal in effectiveness to O-HATU. ^ The third problem, aggregation, was given the greatest amount of attention in these studies. While carrying out the first Bsmoc-based syntheses of longer peptides we identified the presence of some by-products of the same molecular weight as the target peptide. These were identified as depsipeptides which were formed at threonine positions during the final TFA treatment which removed the peptide from the resin during solid phase synthesis. The structures of these materials were proved by authentic syntheses and curiously these synthesis occurred very efficiently, showing no aggregation problems. Then the depsipeptide was converted to the desired peptide via a basic buffer. Fortunately this effect also led to greater solubility for the ester sequence thus making purification easier. Once this new technique or modifications involving the new N-dicyclopropylmethyl backbone protectant had been identified it was applied to the superfast synthesis of several difficult sequences, e.g. the JR 10-mer, the JR 26-mer, Crambin (16-46), Crambin (1-46) and the extremely difficult Aβ(1-43) amyloid peptide. ^

碩士
國立清華大學
電機工程學系
98
The rapidly increasing complexity of the system-level design makes the design trend shifting from the RTL to the ESL. SystemC is one of the most important languages at ESL. However, SystemC does not support the power estimation which is a critical issue for the system-level design. In this paper, we present our ESL power estimation tool, called PowerDepot, which enhances SystemC with the capability for power estimation. The power models must be used in order to perform power estimation at ESL. However, embedding the power models into the ESL platform often encounters the abstraction, observability, and mapping issues which are introduced by the gap between ESL and other abstraction levels. The embedding procedure requiring the modifications to the original functions of the ESL modules is not only error-prone but also tedious. PowerDepot provides a solution which utilizes the pre-defined macros for the quick insertion of power models. We apply our methodology on the PAC Duo ESL platform, and the average error of the results is less than 2% with small simulation overhead. Besides, the results could be analyzed for architecture analysis.

碩士
長庚大學
光電工程研究所
93
LED illumination is applied to in the market more and more extensive. There are signal indicator lamps, the flashlight, the flash, the indicator lamp on the automobile, LCD display backlight source, lamps and decorating lanterns, etc… The luminance of white light LED already reaches 20~40 lm/W which is comparable to incandescent lamp bulb at present. White light LED has a great deal of advantage traditional light source compared to, but to be popularized in illumination depends primarily on its light efficiency and cost. This research is mainly to utilize secondary optics, to improve light efficiency and consistency in order to apply to LED lighting system. In the design process, utilize the first basic formula to compute geometrical of system optics, and then optimize this system optics software. After optimizing the result data were constructed in the simulation of optics of software, to observe and analyze its simulation result.

University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Science.
The emergence of antibiotic resistance is a global problem. Many studies show that sub-lethal concentration of antibiotic exposure or transit exposure to antibiotics can induce the formation of persistence or tolerance; whereas, cyclic exposure (usually 8-17 days) of antibiotics promotes the accumulation of bacterial adaptive mutations in persisters towards the subsequent evolution of resistance. However, the antibiotics induce mutagenesis that damage bacterial DNA has been poorly understood. Notably, the induction of SOS response has always been believed to aid bacterial propagation defense against antibiotic lethality, which requires the activation of SOS-promoting 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘈. A recent study implicated the essential role of RecA in the evolution of resistance to fluoroquinolones antibiotics, but it is unclear whether this is a conserved mechanism of resistance in response to different antibiotic classes. RecA has been considered as a drug target to suppress the induction of SOS response towards the evolution of resistance caused by the broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone antibiotics. Here, we report that single exposure of β-lactam antibiotics can trigger a superfast evolution of resistance in 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘈 deletion 𝘌. 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘪 strain, independent to the SOS response. This type of single exposure causes gene mutations on an uncharacterized gene 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘙, and its encoded protein may be involved in DNA recombination. Moreover, single or intermittent treatment of β-lactam antibiotics fails to induce the resistance in the 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘙 deletion 𝘌. 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘪 strain. This work highlights the antagonistic role among DNA recombinases in the emergence of antibiotic resistance, and demonstrates that loss of 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘈 increases the rate of resistance to β-lactam antibiotics, but PinR is likely to be a novel drug target.

碩士
國立政治大學
傳播學院碩士在職專班
98
Abstract Chunghwa Telecom MOD is the most popular IPTV provider in Taiwan, which now has around 680,000 subscribers. In addition to providing video on demand services, Chunghwa Telecom MOD is also aggressively expanding other value-added-services (VAS). Using Chunghwa Telecom MOD's "Superfate" service as an example, this study tried to examine the relationships between “usage motivation”, “service quality”, “customer satisfaction”, and “customer loyalty”. Furthermore, we tried to investigate which of the following factors (e.g., usage motivation and service quality) has the greatest impact on “customer satisfaction”. We hope that the research outcome could provide some directions for other VAS developers of IPTV industry. Using both quantitative statistical analysis and qualitative in-depth interviews. We extensively surveyed different consumer groups of Chunghwa Telecom MOD's "Superfate" service in order to understand consumer profile and user behavior. At the same time, we also conducted in-depth interviews Based upon research outcomes from consumer surveys and key industry players interviews, we provide several recommendations to the "Superfate" service as follow: 1.Different age groups have different demands on fortune telling content. To make this service more user-friendly, we should customize the front page according to the record of the customers' most-frequently-visit fortune-telling categories. 2.Based on the usage records of each user, we can easily identify the associated services each customer might need. We can effectively increase customer satisfaction level by forming strategic alliance with other value-added-services, e.g. personal finance, match-making, wedding-planning, and health care related services. 3.Demographic variables (e.g., age, gender, occupation, and income) do not have a significantly different impact on usage motivation, service quality, customer loyalty, and satisfaction. Educational level is the exception. Our results imply that demographic differences do not significantly influence customers' preference on fortune-telling. 4.Service quality has a stronger influence on satisfaction level than usage motivation. The better the service quality, the more satisfied the users are. 5.Service quality has a strong influence on the level of customer satisfaction. Moreover, the reliability of the service, or the accuracy of the fortune-telling result, can greatly impact customers' perception of service quality. 6.Users are more willing to reuse this service when they feel their privacy is protected. Meanwhile, the user is more willing to recommend this service to others when they feel the fortune-telling results could help them approach the positive luck and avoid the negative fate. Keywords：Multimedia On Demand(MOD)、IPTV、value-added-services、Superfate、usage motivation、service quality、customer satisfaction、customer loyalty、TV questionnaire survey

L’objectif de l’étude conduite à Ouagadougou était d’évaluer l’état nutritionnel et les habitudes de vie des écoliers ainsi que leurs pratiques alimentaires et certains déterminants, afin d’orienter puis plus tard d’évaluer une intervention nutritionnelle. L’étude a inclus 799 écoliers du cours moyen (âge moyen : 11,7 ± 1,4a) fréquentant 12 écoles privées ou publiques, urbaines ou péri-urbaines. Le poids, la taille, la tension artérielle et l’hémoglobine ont été mesurés et la thyroïde évaluée par palpation. Les lipides sanguins, la glycémie et le rétinol sérique ont été mesurés dans un sous-échantillon (N=208). Un questionnaire complété en classe portait sur la fréquence de consommation d’aliments « santé » (fruits, légumes, viande, poisson, légumineuses) et «superflus » (gâteaux, biscuits, bonbons, glaces, soda), les déterminants du comportement alimentaire ainsi que les pratiques d’hygiène et d’activité physique. Les signes carentiels étaient : une faible rétinolémie, l’anémie, la maigreur, le retard de croissance et le goitre. Les facteurs de risque cardio-métabolique (RCM) consistaient en une tension artérielle élevée, le surpoids/obésité, l’hyperglycémie et la dyslipidémie. Au moins une carence était présente chez 57% des participants. L’anémie (40,4%) et la carence en vitamine A (CVA) (38,7%) étaient fortement prévalentes. Le retard de croissance touchait 8,8% et la maigreur 13,7% des enfants. L’anémie (p=0,001) et la CVA (p<0.001) étaient significativement plus élevées dans les écoles publiques que privées. Aucun cas de goitre n’a été détecté. Le surpoids/obésité était rare (2,3%) . La maigreur et le retard de croissance étaient significativement plus élevés en milieu périurbain. Au moins un facteur de RCM était présent chez 36% des écoliers dont le principal était un taux de cholestérol-HDL-(HDL-C) bas (19,3%), suivi du cholestérol total et du LDL-C élevés (11,6% chacun) et la pression systolique élevée (9,7%). Le sexe féminin était indépendamment et positivement associé aux taux de lipides sanguins dont paradoxalement le HDL-C. L’IMC était indépendamment associé à une tension élevée. On observait que le double fardeau de la malnutrition (DFM) affectait 27,5% des participants. Le score de fréquence de consommation des aliments superflus était plus élevé que celui des aliments santé (p=0,001). Pendant la semaine précédant l’étude, 25 % des enfants n’avaient pas consommé de fruits, 20% pas de viande, 20% pas de légumineuses alors que 18,3% consommaient des glaces tous les jours. Les écoliers du privé consommaient plus fréquemment autant les aliments santé que superflus que ceux des écoles publiques. Les écoliers du milieu urbain avaient un score plus élevé de consommation des aliments superflus que ceux du milieu péri-urbain. La consommation des aliments santé ou superflus était essentiellement expliquée par le contrôle perçu, la disponibilité des produits ainsi que l’influence de la mère pour les aliments santé et l’influence des pairs pour les aliments superflus parmi les explications explorées. Cette étude a montré que les signes de carence nutritionnelle sont répandus et prédominent encore chez les écoliers du milieu urbain, mais aussi que la fréquence des marqueurs de risque cardiométabolique n’est pas négligeable. Des mesures préventives devraient être entreprises pour contrer tant les problèmes de carences que de surcharge.
The aim of this study carried out in Ouagadougou was to assess the nutritional status of schoolchildren and to assess their lifestyle practices as well as their food habits and determinants, for the guidance and evaluation of a nutrition intervention. The cross-sectional survey included 799 schoolchildren in 5th grade (mean age 11.7 ± 1.4y) attending 12 private or public, urban or peri-urban schools. Weight, height, blood pressure and haemoglobin were measured and thyroid palpation was performed. Fasting serum lipids, glycaemia and serum retinol were measured in a sub-sample (N=208). A questionnaire was filled in classroom to assess consumption frequency of ‘healthy’ foods (fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, legumes) and ‘unhealthy’ items (cakes, cookies, candies, ice, soda) and underlying factors as well as hygiene and physical activity practices. Deficiencies signs were: low serum retinol, anaemia, thinness, stunting and goitre whereas cardiometabolic risk factors (CRF) signs consisted of elevated blood pressure (BP), overweight/obesity, hyperglycaemia, and dysglyceamia. At least one malnutrition sign was found in 57% pupils. Anaemia (40.4 %) and vitamin A deficiency (VAD) (38.7 %) were highly prevalent. Stunting affected 8.8% of children while thinness affected 13.7 % of them. Anaemia (p = 0.001) and DVA (p < 0.001) were significantly higher in public than private schools. Goitre was not detected. Overweight/obesity was rare (2.3 %). Thinness and stunting were significantly higher in peri-urban compared to urban schools. At least one CRF was found in 36% schoolchildren. The main risk factors were low HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) (19.3%) followed by high total cholesterol, high LDL-cholesterol (11.6% each) and elevated systolic blood pressure (9.7%). Being a girl was independently associated with increased serum lipids including HDL-C paradoxically. Body Mass Index was independently associated with increased BP. It was found that the double burden of malnutrition (DBM) affected 27.5% children. Consumption scores of unhealthy food were significantly higher than healthy foods’ (p= 0.001). During the week prior to the survey, 25% of children had eaten no fruit, 20% no meat, 20% no legume, while 18.3% ate ice pop every day. Compared to public-school pupils, those from private schools consumed both healthy and unhealthy items more frequently. Urban school children had significantly higher unhealthy food scores compared to peri-urban schools. Children’s healthy and unhealthy food consumption was primarily explained by perceived control and availability for both types of foods, and maternal reinforcement for healthy foods and peers’ reinforcement for consumption of unhealthy items among the investigated explanations. This study showed that malnutrition is widely prevalent in schoolchildren in cities, concurrently with a sizeable prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors. Preventive measures should be tailored to prevent both dietary inadequacies and excess.
Ce travail financé par l'ACDI a été réalisé au Laboratoire TRANSNUT de l'Université de Montréal (Canada)en collaboration avec le Laboratoire National de Santé Publique (Burkina Faso) et HKI-Burkina Faso.