Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

L'œuvre à l'étude dans cet essai est la nouvelle intitulée Premier Amour de Samuel Beckett. À travers l'analyse de deux mises en scène de l’acte d'inscription présentes dans cette courte fiction, ce mémoire traite de la question que nous posent les inscriptions lorsque nous les lisons et lorsque nous les inscrivons. Il se divise donc en deux chapitres : le premier déploie l'étude de l'inscription linguistique en tant qu'inscription visible et lisible; le second se concentre sur l'inscription en tant qu'elle est marquée par le concept de legs. En caractérisant et en comparant ces deux inscriptions, d’une part funéraire (l'épitaphe que compose le narrateur pour lui-même suite à la mort de son père) et d’autre part amoureuse (le nom que trace le narrateur au moment où il « tombe amoureux »), ce mémoire expose comment Premier Amour peut être envisagé comme un premier pas dans une compréhension générale de la constitution écrite d'un « legs littéraire ». Surtout, il explicite comment s’orchestre l'imbrication conceptuelle de l’inscription et du legs qu'elle véhicule et présuppose, puisque cette imbrication est inhérente à la compréhension de notre monde et de la littérature. En conclusion, cette étude mène à considérer le rapport conflictuel entre la contemporanéité rêvant d’un monde sans inscriptions et l’inévitabilité de l’inscription. / This dissertation deals with the representations of the act of inscribing in Samuel Beckett’s short story Premier Amour with a particular focus on two specific inscriptions – namely firstly, the funeral (the epitaph the narrator composes for himself after his father’s death) and secondly, the beloved (the name he inscribes once he “falls in love”). By looking at these, the dissertation investigates the notions of both reading and writing. The dissertation is divided into two chapters: the first, which looks at the inscription as something visible and legible; and the second, which focuses on inscribing as an act which has a legacy. By using and comparing these two approaches, this dissertation demonstrates how Premier Amour can be seen as a first step towards a general comprehension of a written “literary legacy”. Specifically, the dissertation shows the linguistic construction of the conceptual interlacing of the inscriptions and the legacy it conveys and presupposes, as this interlacing is inherent to our understanding of the literary and the human world. By means of a conclusion, this dissertation considers the conflicting relationship between, on the one hand, the contemporaneousness which dreams of a world without inscription, and on the other hand, the inevitability of inscription.

Fidgeting and otherwise constant movements in individuals can be beneficial in those who suffer from Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or Generalized Anxiety Disorder as well as others. However this constant movement can also be a distraction to others as well as protrude an air of no self confidence. It is the drawbacks from these actions that we wish to address. By developing an intelligent system that can detect these motions and alert the user, it will allow the wearer of the device to self correct. It is in this self control that one may exhibit more confidence or simply reduce the level of irritation experienced by those in the immediate vicinity. We have designed and built a low cost, mobile, lightweight, untethered, wearable prototype device. It will detect these actions and deliver user selectable biofeedback through a light emitting diode, buzzer, vibromotor or an electric shock to allow for self control. / by Scott A. Barnard. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

La joyeuse confusion qui règne en matière de libéralités s'explique par l'inadaptation des règles du régime juridique, élaboré en 1804 dans un esprit de défiance. Les libéralités ne pouvaient être que suspectes dans un système reposant sur l'échange intéressé. Progressivement, l'on a admis que ces actes à titre gratuit pouvaient être intéressés et l'on a même reconnu que la transmission anticipée du patrimoine était nécessaire en raison de l'allongement de la durée de vie, de sorte que ceux-ci ne sont, non seulement, plus suspects, mais encouragés. Le décalage existant alors entre la rigueur du régime juridique et la faveur pour les libéralités conduit le législateur et la jurisprudence à recourir à de nombreuses fictions juridiques. Celles-ci leur permettent tantôt d'exclure l'application du régime, tantôt de l'appliquer pour parvenir aux solutions qui leur semblent les plus équitables. Si le procédé est évidemment louable, il engendre une décadence de la notion de libéralité et ne permet plus de la définir, sauf à répondre qu'elle dépend de la règle appliquer. Un tel dépérissement des certitudes est dangereux, tant la qualification de libéralité engendre encore des conséquences civiles et fiscales redoutables. Il conduit à repenser la notion de libéralité. Dans un contexte de libéralisation du droit des libéralités, il y a donc lieu d'adopter une notion unitaire et conceptuelle de libéralité, composée de deux éléments matériel et intentionnel cumulatifs. / The joyful confusion that reigns in terms of liberalities is explained by the inadequacy of the rules of the legal regime, developed in 1804 in a spirit of mistrust. Liberalities were necessarily suspicious in a system derived from self-­interested exchange. Gradually, it was recognized that these gratuitous acts could be interested and it was even recognized that the early transmission of assets was necessary because of the longer life span, so that they were no longer suspect but encouraged. The gap then existing between the rigour of the legal regime and the favour for liberalities led the legislator and the case law to resort to numerous legal fictions. These fictions allowed judges to sometimes apply the legal regime for liberalities and other times, exclude it, only to reach solutions that seem most equitable to them. If the process is obviously commendable, it begets decline of the notion of liberality. There is no longer a clear definition of what a liberality is, if not by saying that it depends on the rule. The characterization of liberality still has formidable civil and fiscal consequences. So, the notion of liberality needs to be redesigned. ln a context of liberalization of the law of liberalities, it is therefore necessary to adopt a unitary and conceptual notion of liberality, made of two cumulative elements : material and intentional.

Thesis. 1977. B.S.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Includes bibliographical references. / B.S.

Thesis. 1976. M.S.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. / Microfiche copy available in Archives and Engineering. / Bibliography: leaves 95-97. / by David R. Lampe. / M.S.

Thesis (B.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; and (B.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, 1977. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Bibliography: leaves 60-62. / B.S.

Human balance and locomotion control is highly complex and not well understood. To understand how the nervous system controls balance and locomotion works, we test how the body responds to controlled perturbations, the results are analyzed, and control models are developed. However, to recreate this system of control there is a need for a robot with human-like kinematics. Unfortunately, such a robotic testbed does not exist despite the numerous applications such a design would have in mobile robotics, healthcare, and prosthetics. This thesis presents a robotic testbed model of human lower legs. By using MRI and CT scans, I designed joints that require lower force for actuation, are more wear resistant, and are less prone to catastrophic failure than a traditional revolute (or pinned) joints. The result of using this process is the design, construction, and performance analysis of a biologically inspired knee joint for use in bipedal robotics. For the knee joint, the design copies the condylar surfaces of the distal end of the femur and utilizes the same crossed four-bar linkage design the human knee uses. The joint includes a changing center of rotation, a screw-home mechanism, and patella; these are characteristics of the knee that are desirable to copy for bipedal robotics. The design was calculated to have an average sliding to rolling ratio of 0.079, a maximum moment arm of 2.7 inches and a range of motion of 151 degrees. This should reduce joint wear and have kinematics similar to the human knee. I also designed and constructed novel, adjustably-damped hip and ankle joints that use braided pneumatic actuators. These joints provide a wide range of motion and exhibit the same change in stiffness that human joints exhibit as flexion increases, increasing stability, adaptability, and controllability. The theoretical behaviors of the joints make them desirable for use in mobile robotics and should provide a lightweight yet mechanically strong connection that is resistant to unexpected perturbations and catastrophic failure. The joints also bridge the gap between completely soft robotics and completely rigid robotics. These joints will give researchers the ability to test different control schemes and will help to determine how human balance is achieved. They will also lead to robots that are lighter and have lower power requirements while increasing the adaptability of the robot. When applying these design principles to joints used for prosthetics, we reduce the discomfort of the wearer and reduce the effort needed to move. Both of which are serious issues for individuals who need to wear a prosthetic device.

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Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2015-08-11T03:26:20Z : No. of bitstreams: 5 Publico-165a.pdf: 463473 bytes, checksum: cae240c8ee591f50351d96ca3258bfba (MD5) Publico-165b.pdf: 155628 bytes, checksum: 1115706461101400dcec7e30309c015b (MD5) Publico-165c.pdf: 1838976 bytes, checksum: 98bc6262f927468869ae5e34cde1918a (MD5) Publico-165d.pdf: 1269518 bytes, checksum: f1bbb32c8edea554dfa6517033d47653 (MD5) Publico-165e.pdf: 1520227 bytes, checksum: 275186328f675001df3bba84180ce117 (MD5) / Contexto: A síndrome das pernas inquietas (SPI) é uma desordem caracterizada por uma angustiante necessidade de movê-las e, às vezes, mover também outras partes do corpo, geralmente acompanhada de desconforto ou dor. O tratamento desta síndrome com agonistas dopaminérgicos tem sido reconhecido como terapêutica de primeira linha, porque parece eficaz com base em princípios fisiopatológicos; vários grupos farmacológicos compreendem seu tratamento. Objetivos: Avaliar se intervenções farmacológicas são eficazes e seguras para o tratamento da SPI. Método: Revisão Sistemática Cochrane de estudos randomizados ou quasirandomizados sobre agentes farmacológicos utilizados no tratamento da SPI. Foram avaliados os seguintes desfechos para cada fármaco: alívio dos sintomas medido pela escala de gravidade para a síndrome das pernas inquietas (IRLSSG Rating Scale), eventos adversos, parâmetros polissonográficos, melhora subjetiva, qualidade de vida, impressão clínica global, impressão global do paciente, escala de sonolência de Epworth MSLT: Múltiplos Testes de Latência do Sono; PLMI: índice dos Movimentos Periódicos dos Membros. A autora desta tese avaliou os estudos recuperados nas buscas, utilizando critérios que envolviam os métodos randômicos, de cegamento e sigilo de alocação. As divergências foram resolvidas em reunião de consenso. Resultados: As buscas manual e eletrônica encontraram 1.026 estudos. Foram incluídos 94 ensaios clínicos que atendiam aos critérios de inclusão (estudos randomizados ou quasi-randomizados). A análise dos dados considerados em conjunto permitiu concluir que as intervenções farmacológicas foram efetivas para os agonistas dopaminérgicos. Dentre as drogas de segunda linha, apenas a clonidina mostrou-se efetiva. A qualidade dos estudos foi adequada para os ensaios clínicos envolvendo os agonistas dopaminérgicos, parcialmente adequada para levodopa e anticonvulsivantes e pouco adequada para os demais fármacos estudados. Conclusões: Há evidências de que os agonistas dopaminérgicos são eficazes e seguros para o tratamento da SPI a curto prazo, mas não há evidência científica de que os demais fármacos são efetivos nesta doença. / Background: The restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a disorder characterized by a distressing need to move the legs and sometimes other parts of the body. Usually accompanied by a marked sense of discomfort or pain in the leg or other body part affected. The treatment of restless legs syndrome with dopamine agonists has been recognized as the main first-line treatment because it seems to be effective based on pathophysiologic principles. Although, several pharmacological drugs are envolved in the treatment of RLS. Objectives: To assess whether pharmacological interventions are effective and safe for the treatment of RLS. Methods: Systematic Cochrane Review of randomized studies or quasi-randomized on pharmacological agents used to treat RLS. The following outcomes were assessed for each drug: relief of symptoms measured by the restless legs syndrome ranting scale (IRLSSG Rating Scale), adverse events, polysomnographic parameters, subjective improvement, quality of life and clinical global impression, overall impression of the patient , the scale of Epiworth MSLT: Multiple Sleep Latency Test; PLM periodic limb movments and others. The authors evaluated the studies retrieved in searches using criteria involving the method of randomization, blinding and the method of allocation concelment. Disagreements were resolved by consensus. Results: The electronic and manual search found 1,026 studies. Were included 94 studies that met the clinical criteria for inclusion (randomized studies or quasi-randomized). The analysis of data, taken together, indicated that the pharmacological interventions were effective for dopamine agonists. Among the second-line drugs, only clonidine was shown to be effective. The quality of studies was suitable for clinical trials involving the dopamine agonists, partially adequated to levodopa and anticonvulsants, and unsuited for the other drugs studied. Conclusions: There is evidence that dopamine agonists are effective and safe for the treatment of RLS in the short term, there is no scientific evidence that all drugs are effective in this disease. / TEDE / BV UNIFESP: Teses e dissertações

D’une importance majeure, la phase de décollage reste, à ce jour, une étape très mal connue du vol de l’insecte. Dans ce contexte, l’objectif de ce travail de thèse était d’identifier les différents mécanismes impliqués dans la production des forces lors du décollage chez Pieris rapae. En examinant la cinématique des ailes et du corps de l’insecte lors de l’initiation du vol, nous avons pu mettre en évidence le rôle majeur des mouvements combinés de l’abdomen, du thorax et enfin du plan de battement dans le mécanisme de redirection des forces régissant cette phase transitoire. Dans un second temps, via une combinaison d’approches numériques et expérimentales, nous avons également montré que les pattes participeraient activement à la manœuvre, générant d’importantes forces verticales responsables de l’accélération initiale de l’insecte. Une étude de la morphologie fonctionnelle de l’insecte a finalement permis de mettre en évidence les différents muscles potentiellement impliqués lors de cette phase du vol. / Despite being of major importance in insect flight, the mechanisms underlying take-off stage remain elusive. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the different mechanisms involved in force production during Pieris rapaes cabbage butterflies take-off. Detailed wings and body motions kinematics unraveled the crucial role of combined motions of the abdomen and thorax together with the angle of the stroke plane, to ensure the forces reorientation governing the transient flight initiation phase. In a second approach, legs extension active contribution to force production during take-off is suggested using a combination of numerical and experimental approaches. Finally, results are discussed from the insect morphology perspective, highlighting the principal muscles potentially involved during flight initiation.