This thesis examines Hieronymus Bosch's Table Top of the Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things. Instead of using an iconographical analysis, the thesis investigates the relationship between Bosch's art and the Devotio Moderna, which has been speculated by many Bosch scholars. For this reason, a close study was done to examine the Devotio Moderna and its influence on Bosch's painting. Particular interest is paid to the seven day prayers of the Devotio Moderna, the subjects depicted in Bosch's painting, how Bosch's painting blesses its viewer during the time of one's prayer, and how the use of gaze ties all of these ideas together.

Organic frameworks with rigid backbones, such as acenaphthene, are highly suitable for the study of interatomic interactions. The short “natural” peri-distance (2.44 Å) and the rigidity of the aromatic system causes considerable steric strain between peri-substituted heteroatoms. As a consequence, substitution at both peri-positions leads to in- and out-of-plane distortions, which often result in buckling of the ring system. In order to relax this geometric strain, weak bonding interactions can also exist between the peri-substituents. This thesis focuses on the synthesis, structural characterisation and investigation of a range of sterically crowded peri-substituted acenaphthene compounds. This involves the study of the acenaphthene geometry, through X-ray crystallography when different peri-substituents occupy the close 5,6-positions; our main focus is to study weak non-bonded interactions that can occur across the peri-gap, for example weakly attractive three-centre four-electron (3c-4e) type interactions which are known to prevail in such compounds under the appropriate conditions. Repulsion within these systems, resulting from the steric crowding of the peri-space is also investigated, employing changes in bond lengths, bay-region angle splay, displacement of atoms from the mean plane and central acenaphthene torsion angles to help quantify the degree of acenaphthene distortion, which are all conveniently probed by the peri-distance. To this end we have synthesised a range of novel sterically crowded mixed bromo-tin acenaphthene derivatives (Chapter 3), chalcogen-tin acenaphthene molecules (Chapter 4), phosphorus–tin derivatives (Chapter 5) and a series of homologous tin-tin acenaphthenes (Chapter 6). All the compounds studied in this thesis were characterised by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography in an effort to gain a greater understanding of the deformation that occurs when disparate functionalities are located in close proximity and explore the potential for weak non-covalent intramolecular interactions to occur.

La gazéification de la biomasse a été étudiée dans les conditions d'un réacteur à flux entraîné, à savoir à vitesse de chauffage et à température élevées. Des expériences ont été réalisées dans un four à chute entre 800°C et 1400°C, à partir de particules de bois de taille 0,35 mm et 0,80 mm, dans une atmosphère inerte (100% molaire de N2), ou contenant de la vapeur d’eau (25% molaire). Les expériences ont également été simulées grâce à un modèle 1D avec des résultats positifs, ce qui a permis de mieux comprendre les phénomènes mis en jeu. Les solides obtenus (suies et char) ont été analysés et caractérisés. Des rendements élevés en gaz et goudrons, et un faible rendement en char ont été mesurés. Par conséquent, l'évolution de la phase volatile est déterminante pour les rendements des produits finaux. Au-dessus de 1000°C, la formation de suies devient importante. Les suies sont formées à partir de C2H2 et de HAP. En présence de vapeur d’eau, le rendement en suies est nettement moins élevé, ce qui s’explique essentiellement par le vaporeformage des précurseurs de suie, mais aussi par leur gazéification. La réaction de water-gas shift joue un rôle important dans la distribution des gaz majoritaires. La gazéification du char a été mise en évidence à 1200°C et 1400°C sous atmosphère humide. L'ensemble de ces réactions conduit à un gaz riche en H2, CO et CO2. L'équilibre thermodynamique est presque atteint à 1400°C avec une concentration de 25% molaire de H2O dans l’atmosphère. La graphitisation et la désactivation du char porté à haute température ont été mises en évidence expérimentalement. Néanmoins, ces phénomènes ont une influence négligeable sur l’évolution du rendement en char lors des expériences en four à chute. Enfin, la taille des particules n’a presque aucune influence sur les résultats expérimentaux. / Biomass gasification was studied in the conditions of an entrained flow reactor, namely at high heating rate and temperature. Experiments in a drop tube reactor were performed between 800°C and 1400°C, with wood particles of 0.35 mm and 0.80 mm size, under inert and steam containing - 25 mol% of H2O - atmospheres. These experiments were also simulated with a 1D model which gave good predictions. The collected solids, soot and char, were analyzed and characterized. This study highlights the importance of gas phase reactions on the yields of the final products, mainly gaseous compounds, in these conditions. These reactions are hydrocarbons cracking, reforming and polymerization, leading to soot formation, and water-gas shift. Char graphitization and deactivation were experimentally demonstrated. However, these phenomena have a negligible influence on char evolution in the drop tube reactor. Finally, the particle size was shown to have almost no influence on experimental results.

The thesis introduces a logic which combines intuitionistic implication with de Morgan negation in a way which conservatively extends both classical and intuitionistic logic. This logic is the intuitionistic counterpart of the four-valued Belnap-Dunn logic. In relation to this logic, we study de Morgan algebras and their expansions, in particular their expansion with a constant representing inconsistency. We prove a duality for such algebras extending the Priestley duality. We also introduce a weak notion of modal algebra and prove a duality for such algebras. We then define analytic sequent calculi for various logics of de Morgan negation. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

Les nanomatériaux suscitent depuis quelques décennies de plus en plus d’intérêt tant sur le plan des études fondamentales que sur celui des applications. Parmi ces nouveaux matériaux, les nanotubes de carbone ont attiré beaucoup d’attention au sein de la communauté scientifique à cause de leurs propriétés physiques remarquables. Les travaux présentés dans cette thèse, concernent l’élaboration et la caractérisation de composites solides à base de nanotubes de carbone. Le choix des matériaux s’est porté sur une matrice solide à base de Bromure de Potassium (KBr) et des nanotubes de carbone mono et multifeuillets (SWNT, MWNT). L’étude de ces composites concerne deux aspects : dans un premier temps, l’effet de la charge et de la nature des nanotubes de carbone sur les propriétés électriques et thermiques ont été étudiés. L’étude des propriétés thermiques a été réalisée à l’aide d’une technique photothermique, la photoacoustique, qui présente un grand avantage pour ce type de composites. L’évolution des propriétés thermiques en fonction de la charge a montré un comportement atypique, une augmentation puis une diminution, avec un maximum autour de 2% de charge en nanotubes. Un modèle physique permettant de décrire cette évolution a été proposé. Concernant les propriétés électriques, cette étude a permis de mettre en évidence le phénomène de percolation et d’en déterminer le seuil. Dans un deuxième temps, l’étude a porté sur l’influence du gaz environnant sur les propriétés thermiques et électriques, et sur l’éventuelle utilisation de ces composites comme capteurs de gaz. La caractérisation thermique en présence d’éthanol n’a pas permis de mettre en évidence un changement notable des propriétés thermiques des composites. En revanche, la caractérisation électrique a montré une bonne réponse à ce gaz. L’évolution de la sensibilité en fonction de la charge en nanotubes dans les composites a montré une augmentation pour des charges inférieures à 4% et une stabilisation au-delà. L’influence d’autre gaz comme le dioxyde d’azote et le toluène a été aussi étudié. La réponse électrique au dioxyde d’azote a montré une forte interaction du gaz avec les composites. La réponse au toluène n’a pas montré d’influence de ce gaz sur les propriétés électriques des composites à base de SWNT, cependant, dans le cas des composites à base de MWNT, une réponse électrique comparable à celle de l’éthanol a été observée. / In the recent decades, nanomaterials arouse a growing interest both in their fundamental studies and in their applications. Among these new materials, carbon nanotubes have attracted much attention within the scientific community because of their remarkable physical properties.The work presented in this thesis, involve the preparation and characterization of solid composites based on carbon nanotubes. A solid matrix containing potassium bromide (KBr) and carbon nanotubes, single and multiwalled (SWNT, MWNT) was chosen. The study of these composites involves two aspects: initially, the effect of the loading fraction and the nature of carbon nanotubes on the electrical and thermal properties were investigated. The study of thermal properties was carried out by a photothermal technique, the photoacoustic, which offers great advantages for this type of composites. The evolution of thermal properties according to the loading fraction of nanotubes showed an atypical behavior, an increase followed by a decrease, with a maximum around 2% of nanotubes loading fraction. A physical model describing this evolution has been proposed. Regarding the electrical properties, this study has highlighted the phenomenon of percolation and allowed the determination of the percolation threshold. In a second step, the study focused on the influence of surrounding gas on the thermal and electrical properties, and the possible use of these composites as gas sensors. The thermal characterization with ethanol did not reveal a significant change in thermal properties of composites. However, the electrical characterization showed a good response to this gas. The evolution of the sensitivity depending on the nanotubes loading fraction in the composites showed an increase for loads below 4% and a stabilization beyond this value. The influence of other gases such as nitrogen dioxide and toluene were also studied. The electrical response to nitrogen dioxide showed a strong interaction of the gas with composites. The response to toluene did not show any influence of this gas on the electrical properties of SWNT-based composites, however, in the case of MWNT-based composite, an electrical response similar to that of ethanol was observed.

In this thesis I focus on dismissivism in metaphysics. Some philosophers argue that at least some metaphysical disputes are not substantial, and as a consequence should be dismissed. In this work I restrict my attention to metaphysics and focus on debates about existence and grounding. In particular I am interested in finding out whether there is a difference between the possible options available for dismissing debates about what there is and the possible options available for dismissing debates about what grounds what. I will delve into this in two different steps. First of all I explore the possibility to dismiss debates about what there is, and as a case study I analyse the debate between three-dimensionalism and four-dimensionalism. Secondly I delve into whether it is possible to dismiss debates about what grounds what, thanks to the discussion of another case study, i.e. the debate between tropes ontologies and universals ontologies. It is worth exploring the nature of dismissivism, because it bears on the future of philosophy. If philosophy has to have a future, we have to make sure that at least some disagreements within it are substantial. My conclusions will be that metaphysical debates about what there is can be dismissed for a variety of reasons (semantic, epistemic, ...). I also argue there is no general formula to find out whether a specific debate should be dismissed. On the other hand I argue that debates about what grounds what should be dismissed. I offer two distinct arguments in favour of my claim. Firstly, I argue that disputants are having a verbal dispute when they talk about what grounds what, and thus their disagreement is non genuine. Secondly, I argue that the notion of grounding is underspecified, because it cannot be properly distinguished from causation.

[pt] O advento do uso maciço de computadores em provas matemáticas, ocorrido ao final da década de setenta com a solução de um famoso problema matemático – a prova do Teorema das Quatro Cores – ocasionou disputas filosóficas que ainda hoje demandam esclarecimentos. O objetivo principal da tese consiste em elaborar alguns dos referidos esclarecimentos desde uma perspectiva motivada pela filosofia da matemática de Ludwig Wittgenstein, especialmente no que diz respeito à distinção continuamente manuseada e depurada pelo filósofo ao longo do desenvolvimento de seu pensamento entre provas e experimentos. Após apresentar as principais ideias da prova do Teorema das Quatro Cores em termos históricos, algumas distinções conceituais metodologicamente significativas são elaboradas. A seguir o trabalho analisa, a partir da concepção funcional de a priori de Arthur Pap, o argumento da introdução da experimentação nas matemáticas de Thomas Tymoczko. A leitura das controvérias filosóficas que se seguiram ao argumento de Tymoczko é então apresentada, aplicando-se as distinções conceituais anteriormente elaboradas. Por fim algumas ideias wittgensteinianas sobre da disitinção entre provas e experimentos são exploradas em conexão com a noção de sinopticidade de provas, considerando menos os papéis específicos de tais noções na filosofia da matemática de Wittgenstein, do que investigando as vantagens de suas possíveis aplicações no esclarecimento de tópicos críticos das referidas disputas. / [en] The massive use of computers in mathematical proofs, which started in the end of the seventies trough the solution of one famous mathematical problem – the Four-Color Theorem – entailed philosophical disputes still in need of elucidation. The central aim of this thesis consists in elaborating some of these elucidations from a point of view motivated by Ludwig Wittgenstein’s philosophy of mathematics, mainly in what concerns the distinction between proofs and experiments, which was continuously used and elaborated by the philosopher in the course of the development of his thought. After the presentation of the main ideas involved in the proof of the Four-Color Theorem from a historical perspective, some methodological conceptual distinctions are elaborated. The thesis then shifts to an analysis of the introduction of experiment in mathematics argument, by Thomas Tymoczko, from the point of view of Arthur Pap’s conception of functional a priori. An interpretation of the controversies that followed that argument is developed trough the application of the conceptual distinctions previously elaborated. At last, some wittgensteinian ideas about the distinction between proofs and experiments are explored in connection with the notion of surveyability of proofs, concerned less with its specific roles in Wittgenstein’s philosophy of mathematics than with investigating the advantages of its possible applications in the elucidation of some critical points in the referred controversies.

This study has looked into what translation techniques Tulachandra and Barang have used in their English translation of Thai personal pronouns in Pramoj’s novel Four Reigns. Thai uses different personal pronouns to different people to signify social status, gender and intimacy, which may be challenging for the English translations to achieve. With the limited material available, the personal pronouns sadet, khun, mae, pho and various kinship terms and titles were explored. The results showed that the most frequent translation technique was equivalence, that is, the translating of Thai pronouns into the English I or you. The borrowing technique was also used from time to time. Due to language and cultural differences between Thai and English, it is not possible for the translations to achieve a hundred percent accuracy in terms of underlying meaning of the personal pronouns. The translators did, however, make an effort in keeping the special traits of the pronouns by adding a proper noun into the sentence.

Desenvolvemos um modelo teórico para tratar a mistura de várias ondas em meios absorvedores saturáveis, considerando a auto-difração de duas ondas incidentes numa grade de população, a qual é induzida no meio não-linear. O modelo foi investigado através de resultados experimentais observados em rubi (Al2O3:Cr3+), alexandrita (BeAl2O4:Cr3+) e GdAlO3: Cr3+. Demonstramos, pela primeira vez, transferência de energia por mistura não degenerada de duas ondas (NDTWM) em alexandrita e GdAlO3: Cr3+. Neste ultimo, também observamos a difração de primeira ordem do feixe forte e medimos a variação de sua intensidade com relação a velocidade de deslocamento da grade. No GdAlO3: Cr3+, medimos o espectro de absorção do estado excitado e o espectro da parte real do índice de refração não-linear em quatro linhas do laser de argônio e na região de 560-620 nm de um laser de corante operando com rodamina 6G. Os resultados indicam uma interação entre pares de cromo no estado excitado, seguida da absorção de um fóton, a qual pode explicar a variação da parte imaginaria n2 com a intensidade, conforme observado experimentalmente. Nós tentamos observar bi-estabilidade óptica em GdAlO3: Cr3+ mas não tivemos êxito, provavelmente por causa de efeitos transversais e também pelo aumento da absorção com a intensidade. Por outro lado, observamos um regime multi-estável numa cavidade Fabry-Perot vazia, onde o meio não-linear é o material usado na fabricação dos espelhos, que no caso foi o ZrO2. Também observamos comportamento multi-estável em filtros de inconel, causado pelo acoplamento termo-óptico entre o filtro e a radiação laser. / We have developed a new approach to deal with multi-wave mixing in saturable absorbing media, by considering the self diffraction of two incident waves in a population grating which is created by them in the nonlinear medium. Wehave also made experimental work on ruby (Al2O3:Cr3+), alexandrite (BeAl2O4:Cr3+) and GdAlO3: Cr3+ in order to compare with our theoretical model. We have demonstrated energy transfer by nearly degenerated two wave mixing (NDTWM) in alexandrite and GdAlO3: Cr3+ for the first time. We measured the intensity of the first order diffracted intense beam as a function of the frequency shift between the incident beams in GdAlO3: Cr3+. For this crystal, we have obtained the spectra of the excited state absorption and the real part of the nonlinear index at four wavelengths of an argon laser and in the range 560-620 nm of a rodamine 6G dye laser. These kinds of spectra had never been reported before in that material. The result seems to support our proposal of an excited chromium pair interaction with an additional photon absorption which can explain the observed variation of the imaginary part of the nonlinear Kerr index with the intensity. We tried to observe optical bistability in GdAlO3: Cr3+ but we were unsuccessful, probably due to strong transverse effects and increasing absorption with the intensity. However we observed multistable regime in empty Fabry-Perot cavities in which the mirrors were made of thin films of ZrO2 deposition. A multistable thermo-optical behavior in inconel filters was also observed.

Os estados emaranhados da luz são de grande importância para protocolos de comunicação quântica. Uma das principais fontes que vem sendo estudada no Laboratório de Manipulação Coerente de Átomos e Luz - LMCAL é o oscilador paramétrico ótico (OPO) no qual, através de processos paramétricos não lineares de segunda e terceira ordem (x(2) e x(3)), são produzidos feixes intensos que apresentam correlações quânticas. Recentemente, o LMCAL vem explorando o processo de mistura de quatro ondas (fenômeno derivado da susceptibilidade de terceira ordem x(3)) como fonte geradora de feixes emaranhados. Inicialmente, foi realizado a partir de células de rubídio e agora, em colaboração com o grupo de pesquisa da Profa. Michal Lipson da Universidade de Columbia, em chips de nitreto de silício (Si3N4); permitindo assim possibilidades de modulação ultra-rápida, confinamento de luz em volumes muito reduzidos, além da ótica não-linear do OPO. O presente projeto visa estudar as propriedades quânticas da luz nos OPOs em chips de silício, permitindo que sistemas muito eficientes em informação clássica possam ser usados também para implementação de protocolos de informação quântica. / Entangled States of light beams are of great importance for quantum communication protocols. One of the most relevant source of such states which is being studied at the Laboratory of Coherent Manipulation of Atoms and Light - LMCAL (in portuguese) is the Optical Parametric Oscillator (OPO) which through second and third order nonlinear parametric processes (x(2) and x(3)) produces intense fields that have quantum correlations. Recently, LMCAL is exploring four-wave mixing (FWM), a third-order nonlinear parametric process, as a source of entangled beams. Initially, on rubidium cells and now, in collaboration with Prof. Michal Lipson from the Columbia University, on silicon nitride (Si3N4) chips; opening a new avenue for ultrafast modulation, light confinement in reduced light volumes, as well as the nonlinear optics of the OPO. This project is intended to study quantum properties of light of on-chip OPOs in order to achieve the integration of these highly efficient devices for implementations of quantum information protocols.