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That painting is understood as being visual cannot really be contested. Even when Duchamp introduced his disavowal of painting and the schema of the chessboard to indicate an anti-retinal strategy, the implication of visual imaginary was still in place. Indeed the link between knowing and seeing is not only at the root of metaphysical (the desire to know is the desire to see -Aristotle) thinking itself, but persists even within the disavowal of it within Late Modernity. Currently, its presence does still persist and continues to fuel its relevance. This research develops as a speculation on the relation between an ontological understanding of the image and the ornamental. In contrast to the usual understanding of ornament, the ornamental is elaborated as a force and process for the proliferation of forms out of forms. The arabesque is the structuring principle of this research and the figure it presents. The revelatory force of the arabesque lies not in giving a schema of visual revelation, but it is touching upon a force that transforms and changes, the very 'plasticity' (C. Malabou) inherent in every being and image. Through the recollection of the arabesque, the ornamental is invoked as a principle of drift and thrift in becoming. As a double, paradoxical device the arabesque enables a play between oblique and transparent things, between what can be said or known and what cannot be said, what remains unknown - and whatever lies in between. As a figure of thought, it sets out a play of plastic and graphic imminence. Characteristic for the Islamic culture, the arabesque is more a mode or an idea than a form or pattern, and it was formative for this culture from its very early ways of manifestation. The idea of the arabesque is in and for itself, a 'motor of thought' (C. Malabou). The tension between representation and presentation, between symbolic, iconographic or legible meaning and a-signifying, pre-linguistic or ornamental meaning is at the heart of understanding the image, which is a mode of being that is encountered in different ways. Through the ornamental as a force of mediation (O. Grabar) this understanding is infiltrated with an ethical dimension. The route taken is one of conceptual risk, of invention and the fantastic. Method itself is addressed as something to be found - and not as something already given or pre-established. This research in painting inflects painting from within, from its relation to presence and the image. Caught in this by its inflammatory auto-affection, painting explodes and de-forms, it trans-forms itself - it consciously receives and, simultaneously, gives form. The research itself is manifested as a concatenation of heterogeneous elements that belong to different registers such as written texts, show installation, and different technologies.

Drawing on a variety of primary and archaeological sources, this study attempts to recreate the political history and the social and economic character of the Balqa' region during the Umayyad period. The Balqa' was a provincial area of Transjordan, which had long been part of the classical world heavily influenced by the Arab tribes of the Syrian desert. After the Arab conquest the Balqa' took on a new role as the home or some of the ruling Umayyad elite. But a process of economic, demographic and urban decline had already begun in the middle of sixth century. Even the ethnic and religious composition of the Balqa's population remained stable; the region was primarily inhabited by Christian Arabs during both the late Byzantine and the Umayyad periods. In passing from Byzantine to Umayyad control the Balqa' underwent a process of transformation, especially in regards to political matters. But the more important trend was one of continuity, even the transfer of political power from the Byzantine bureaucracy to Arab notables was but the culmination of a trend which had begun with the rise of the Ghassanids in the previous century.

This study "The Emirate of Damascus During the Early Crusading Period 488-549/1095-1154 deals with this Emirate which was established in 488/1095, after the defeat and the murder of Taj al-Dawla Tutush near Rayy in 488/1095 by his nephew Sultan Berkiyaruq Ibn Sult-an Malik-Sh5h. The dominions of Ti al-Dawla, mainly in Syria and the Jazira divided between his elder sons King Fakhr al-Mullik Ridwan in Aleppo and King Shams al-Muliik Ducfaq in Damascus. The Kingdom of Damascus comprized south Syria and some parts of the Jazira such as al- Rahba and Mayyafäriqin. Zahir al-Din Tughtekln, who was Atabek of King Duclaq, became the de facto ruler of Damascus during the reign of King Duqaq 488-497/1095-1104. After the death of Duqaq, Tughtekin was to be the real Amir of Damascus, and his dynasty was to gain control of the Emirate until its fall at the hands of Niir al-Din Mahmild of Aleppo in 549/1154. In this thesis, the following matters are discussed: 1. The conditions which led to the foundation of this Emirate. 2. The role of Tughtekin in establishing his authority in the Emirate. 3. The foreign policy of the Emirate, and the factors which shaped this policy. 4. The effects (on the Emirate) of the coming of the Crusaders particularly those of Jerusalem. S. Internal rivalries in the Emirate, and their influence on the stability of the Emirate and its external relations. 6. The policy of alliances adopted by the Emirate and the factors which affected this. 7. The influence of the growing power of Zangi of Aleppo and Mosul (521-541/1127-1146) on Damascus and why he did not succeed in annexing Damascus to his united front in Syria and the Jazira aimed at challenging the power of the Crusaders. 8. The reasons which helped Mir al-Din Mahmüd Ibn Zangi of Aleppo to annex Damascus to his state in 549/1154. 9. The importance of the military power of Damascus and Its role in protecting the Emirate. Finally a concluding section sums up the achievement of the Emirate of Damascus in maintaining its Independence during the period and the role of the Emirate in the Counter-Crusade.

Cette thèse mène une enquête sur la parution d'un certain nombre de décors à sujet littéraire dans des demeures aristocratiques pendant la période qui va du règne de Henri IV jusqu'aux débuts de la Régence d'Anne d'Autriche, notamment pendant les années 1620 et 1630. La littérature critique a déjà montré l'importance de certains sujets tirés des œuvres littéraires dans les commandes de Henri IV et de Marie de Médicis : la "Franciade", les "Éthiopiques," "Jérusalem Délivrée". le "Pastor Fido". Il s'agit. pour la plupart, de sujets qui jouiront ensuite d'une fortune particulière chez la noblesse. soit la plus proche à la couronne que la plus "dégagée" et éloignée de la cour. Pendant les mêmes années, avec "L 'Astrée", le "Don Quichotte" et bien d'autres, le roman commençait à s’imposer en genre autonome, destiné à devenir un véritable lieu de représentation mais aussi de formation e de réflexion de société et de la culture de l'Europe moderne. En effet aussi les héros épiques. qui s'imposaient en peinture mais même sur scène - en protagonistes des ballets de cour, des tragédies et des tragicomédies - étaient de plus en plus lus interprétés sous une lumière romanesque, Les arts figuratifs participaient donc. de leur façon, à cette évolution. qui représente l'un des nœuds fondamentales de notre histoire culturelle. En partant du cas spécifique des décors à sujet littéraire. la restitution des différentes commandes. des différentes façon de "lire" ces récit littéraires e de les mettre en images. ainsi que les rapports entre mécénat artistique. mécénat littéraire et. plus en général, les liens entre culture et peinture. sont donc but ultime de ce travail. / This thesis investigates a number of pictorial decorations with literary subject in French aristocratic houses during the period from the reign of Henry IV to the beginning of the regency of Anne of Austria, especially during the 1620's and 1630·s. Critical literature has shown the important reference to the literature in pictorial patronage of Henry IV and Marie de 'Medici: from the Franciade to the Ethiopiques, from the Jérusalem Dclivercd, to the Pastor Fido. In a larger part, those subjects enjoyed a great fortune also in aristocratic patronage of crown ministers as weil as of some rebel "frondeur". During the same years, with the publication of Honoré dUrfé's .Astrée, Cervantes ' Don Quixote and many others, the novel began to impose itself as autonomous genre, to becorne an important instrument of representation but also a way of training and reflection on society and culture of modern Europe. Indeed as the epic heroes. who appeared in painting but even on stage - as protagonists of court ballets, tragedies and tragicomedies - were increasingly read and interprete in a "novel' light. So, figurative arts were involved - in their way - to this development, which is one of the nodal points of our cultural history. Starting from the specific case sets a literary subject, the ultirnate goals of this work are the analysis of the different cornmands, the different way to "read" these "histories" and to translate them in images, and the relationships between artistic patronage. literarv patronage and, in general, the links between culture and painting.

La corrida a motivé de nombreuses oeuvres d’artistes d’horizons et d’époques distincts, notamment depuis la période romantique. Aujourd’hui, la tauromachie est aussi bien associée à un sujet désuet, telle l’espagnolade, qu’à l’oeuvre majeure d’artistes aussi emblématiques que Goya ou Picasso. Mais la corrida est également la représentation de la violence, d’une pratique souvent perçue comme barbare, en même temps qu’une iconographie riche de sens par laquelle des artistes ont évoqué les maux de leur époque et tendu à l’homme le miroir de ses passions. Cet aspect naît avec l’oeuvre taurine de Goya – père de la représentation moderne de la tauromachie –, où le sujet devient grave, dramatique, dépouillé de ses détails anecdotiques, un sujet dont la portée devient parfois politique. C’est toute cette complexité, cette richesse et cette pluralité des regards portés sur la représentation artistique de la corrida que cette étude met en lumière. De la tauromachie en peinture : usages et imaginaires de Goya à Albarracín s’organise en trois temps. D’abord, l’étude de l’image de la corrida prise pour elle-même, ainsi que l’analyse des éléments qui en déterminent la réception. Ensuite, la mise en perspective historique des oeuvres dédiées à la tauromachie. Enfin, l’analyse des mythes auxquels l’image de la corrida peut être rattachée, et la définition de la poétique aux origines de nombre de ses représentations – où la corrida ne vise plus au local, mais à l’universel. L’appréhension de ses différentes strates et de la façon dont elles s’imbriquent, permet de comprendre l’intérêt des artistes pour la corrida. Dès lors, celle-ci acquiert dans la pratique artistique, par la poétique qui la meut, une dimension à la fois historique et universelle, lui faisant aborder les interrogations propres à la condition humaine. / The corrida has inspired numerous works of art by artists from different times and horizons, in particular from the romantic period onwards. Today tauromachy or bullfighting is both associated with out-of-date subjects such as the españolada (clichés about Spain or Spanish subjects) and major artworks by emblematic artists such as Goya or Picasso. But the corrida is also a representation of violence, a practice often considered to be barbarous ; at the same time it has been a rich iconography by which artists have portrayed the evils of their time and held out a mirror in which men could see their passions. This aspect began with Goya’s bullfighting works (Goya is considered the father of the modern representation of tauromachy). In the latter, the subject became serious, dramatic, stripped of its anecdotal details, a subject which sometimes had political ramifications. This study reveals the complexity, the richness and the plurality of representations of the art of bullfighting. Of tauromachy in painting : uses, customs and imaginary from Goya to Albarracin is divided up into three movements. Firstly, a study of the image of the corrida taken in and of itself, as well as an analysis of the elements which determine how it is perceived. Secondly, works dedicated to tauromachy are put into historical perspective. Lastly, an analysis of the myths the image of the corrida can be associated with, and the definition of the poetics at the origin of a number of these representations, in which the corrida no longer aims at the local but the universal. Understanding these different strata and the way they are involved in one another, allows us to understand why artists were interested in the art of bullfighting. From this point onwards, through art and the poetics which motivate these works, the corrida takes on both a historical and a universal dimension, which allows it to address questions belonging to the human condition.

Inconel X-750 is a Ni-rich super-alloy with high strength and creep resistance. In CANDU reactors, it is used as tight fitting fuel channel annulus spacers (in the form of a spring). Unlike other reactor designs, the CANDU reactor has a high thermal neutron flux spectra, which, combined with the higher thermal neutron cross section of 58Ni results in an enhancement of the radiation damage and the internal production of helium and hydrogen. In recent years, it has been observed these spacers are losing ductility and strength following irradiation. The mechanical property evolution of these components is dependent on the irradiation temperature and dose. The primary degradation mechanism remains unclear, and thus provides the focus of this investigation. Inconel X-750 irradiated to these extreme conditions have never been examined prior to this research. The microstructural characterization included in this dissertation include: fractography, microstructural evolution and mechanical property evolution. The discussion of the microstructural evolution is focused on the characterization of helium bubbles. The bubbles form homogeneously in the matrix and aligned along sinks such as dislocations, grain boundaries and precipitates. Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) has been used to probe individual nano-sized bubbles to provide insights into the helium density, helium-to-vacancy ratio, and pressures through the use of a hard sphere equation of state (HSEOS). In addition to understanding the influence of irradiation on helium bubbles, the evolution of secondary strengthening precipitates, gamma prime, are of interest as these precipitates play an important role on the strength and creep resistance of the unirradiated material. The stability of these precipitates with irradiation is thus an important factor to consider with respect to the microstructural degradation. The microstructure is linked to the mechanical properties via microhardness testing on adjacent material. A major contribution to this field is an approach to utilize a focused ion beam (FIB) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to perform high ii resolution failure analysis of an intergranular fracture surface. Although this technique is not altogether revolutionary, the application of this approach towards post irradiation examination of heavily irradiated Inconel X-750 is unique. This approach provides direct evidence of likely degradation mechanisms, and provides insights for future post irradiation failure analysis for other applicable nuclear components. Working with ex-service material creates some complications with respect to known and unknown variables making it difficult to assess all factors responsible for material degradation. To compliment the program, a controlled proton irradiation program has been performed to gain additional insights into in the effects of irradiation on the microstructure and mechanical property evolution of Inconel X-750, due to the inability to perform controlled experiments with in-service reactor components. In addition to providing a detailed analysis of a CANDU component’s degradation, this study provides comprehensive information on irradiation damage processes applicable to other reactor core components. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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Die Bildanalyse beschäftigt sich mit der Tafel des Jüngsten Gerichts im Schloss Weesenstein. Welche Provenienz läßt sich für das Gemälde nachweisen? Auf welchen ehemaligen Präsentationszusammenhang weisen die verwendeten Motive, Figuren und Textinhalte? Der Beitrag bietet ebenfalls diverse kulturhistorische Zusammenhänge, die sich aus den Motiven herleiten lassen.