Au cours d’une longue carrière, Michel Saint-Denis a développé un système de pratiques pédagogiques pour le training de l’acteur qui contribue à la formation des nouvelles générations d’acteurs anglophones et francophones. La recherche menée pour cette thèse a donc coïncidé avec une enquête sur la genèse et les transformations de cette pédagogie de l’acteur, organisée en un ensemble d’enseignements, au sein des écoles d’art dramatique fondées par Saint-Denis, à partir du London Theatre Studio. Sa formation auprès de Jacques Copeau méritait sans doute un examen approfondi et détaillé, car les techniques pour acteurs assimilées à l’École du Vieux-Colombier et avec les Copiaus en Bourgogne ont contribué à la composition des principes pédagogiques et conceptuels au sein desquels son training a été construit. L’œuvre de Saint-Denis apparaît exemplaire, justement parce qu’à son arrivée en Angleterre dans les années 1930, tout d’abord en tant que directeur de la Compagnie des Quinze puis en tant que pédagogue d’acteurs, il se propose comme porteur de nouvelles pratiques au sein d’une culture théâtrale dans laquelle la formation de l’acteur - telle que considérée par Copeau et ses héritiers élèves - n’était pas envisagée. Cette thèse vise donc à retracer le training de l’acteur par Saint-Denis en tant que méthode pédagogique, et donc la normalisation des pratiques développées par Copeau au sein de l’École du Vieux-Colombier et avec les Copiaus, et leur inclusion dans le contexte théâtral anglophone. Saint- Denis a été le premier à traduire les chemins de recherche pédagogique de Copeau en une méthode figée et définie. / The transmission of acting training is a complex and often controversial topic within theatre studies. Within this scholarly discourse, Michel Saint-Denis’s actor pedagogy, often neglected by theatre historians, is an exemplary case study for two main reasons: Saint-Denis (Jacques Copeau’s nephew, student and one of his major heirs) was the first who translated the acting practices rediscovered in the École du Vieux-Colombier and by the Copiaus group into a fixed and defined method; he led and adapted Copeau’s teachings in the anglophone theatrical world. This dissertation explores the first institutional context created by Saint-Denis, that also constitutes the prototype of his pedagogy: the London Theatre Studio, founded in 1935 and active until the outbreak of World War II. What I wish to investigate is the transition from an entirely experimental practice – that is, the research undertaken by Copeau with his pupils at the École du Vieux Colombier and in Burgundy – to a proper method. This system was conceived for being transmitted, and therefore systematized, in a fixed and strictly normative structure – In other words, standardised. Saint-Denis appears to be the custodian of Copeau’s legacy, responsible for translating a combination of experimental workshops into a structured method and for their further development in acting schools programs. Furthermore, upon his relocation from France to England, Saint-Denis becomes the link between two different theatre cultures. / La principale finalità di questo lavoro di ricerca è quella di apportare un contributo allo studio dell’allenamento attoriale, secondo una prospettiva storica. La pedagogia dell’attore di Michel Saint-Denis, che ha dedicato gran parte della sua vita all’acting training, è spesso ignorata dagli storici del teatro, nonostante rappresenti, invece, un caso di studio esemplare. Nipote, allievo e tra i principali eredi di Jacques Copeau, è stato il primo a tradurre le pratiche riscoperte e sviluppate all’École du Vieux-Colombier e dai Copiaus, di cui aveva fatto esperienza diretta, in un metodo fisso e definito, e ha traghettato e adattato gli insegnamenti di Copeau nel mondo teatrale anglofono. Ripercorrendo e approfondendo il suo percorso di apprendistato, lo studio effettua un lavoro di ricostruzione e analisi del primo contesto istituzionale creato da Saint-Denis, che costituisce il prototipo della sua pedagogia: il London Theatre Studio, fondato nel 1935 e attivo fino all’inizio della Seconda guerra mondiale. Ciò che ci interessa indagare è il passaggio da un insieme di pratiche sperimentali – ovvero le ricerche effettuate dal Patron con gli allievi dell’École du Vieux Colombier e con i Copiaus in Borgogna – a un metodo pensato per essere trasmesso e dunque sistematizzato in una struttura normativa fissa, rigida. Della cultura attoriale che discende da Copeau, Saint-Denis sembra essere il custode: il primo a tradurre un insieme di pratiche sperimentali in un metodo fisso, inserito in un’istituzione formativa convenzionale. Ma non solo: con il trasferimento in Inghilterra, Saint-Denis diviene anello di congiunzione tra due culture teatrali tra loro diversissime.

A área de estudos econométricos visando prever o comportamento dos mercados financeiros aparece cada vez mais como uma área de pesquisas dinâmica e abrangente. Dentro deste universo, podemos de maneira geral separar os modelos desenvolvidos em paramétricos e não paramétricos. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo investigar técnicas não-paramétricas derivadas do CUSUM, ferramenta gráfica que se utiliza do conceito de soma acumulada originalmente desenvolvida para controles de produção e de qualidade. As técnicas são utilizadas na modelagem de uma série cambial (USD/EUR) de alta frequência com diversos pontos de negociação dentro de um mesmo dia / The area of econometric studies to predict the behavior of financial markets increasingly proves itself as a dynamic and comprehensive research area. Within this universe, we can generally separate the models developed in parametric and non-parametric. The present work aims to investigate non-parametric techniques derived from CUSUM, a graphical tool that uses the cumulative sum concept originally developed for production and quality controls. The techniques are used in the modeling of a high frequency exchange series (USD/EUR) with several trading points within the same day

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A área de estudos econométricos visando prever o comportamento dos mercados financeiros aparece cada vez mais como uma área de pesquisas dinâmica e abrangente. Dentro deste universo, podemos de maneira geral separar os modelos desenvolvidos em paramétricos e não paramétricos. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo investigar técnicas não-paramétricas derivadas do CUSUM, ferramenta gráfica que se utiliza do conceito de soma acumulada originalmente desenvolvida para controles de produção e de qualidade. As técnicas são utilizadas na modelagem de uma série cambial (USD/EUR) de alta frequência com diversos pontos de negociação dentro de um mesmo dia / The area of econometric studies to predict the behavior of financial markets increasingly proves itself as a dynamic and comprehensive research area. Within this universe, we can generally separate the models developed in parametric and non-parametric. The present work aims to investigate non-parametric techniques derived from CUSUM, a graphical tool that uses the cumulative sum concept originally developed for production and quality controls. The techniques are used in the modeling of a high frequency exchange series (USD/EUR) with several trading points within the same day

A rapid, mask-less deposition technique for writing metal tracks has been developed. The technique was based on laser-induced chemical vapour deposition. The novelty in the technique was the usage of pulsed ultrafast lasers instead of continuous wave lasers in pyrolytic dissociation of the chemical precursor. The motivation of the study was that (1) ultrafast laser pulses have smaller heat affected zones thus the deposition resolution would be higher, (2) the ultrashort pulses are absorbed in most materials (including those transparent to the continuous wave light at the same wavelength) thus the deposition would be compatible with a large range of materials, and (3) the development of higher frequency repetition rate ultrafast lasers would enable higher deposition rates. A deposition system was set-up for the study to investigate the ultrafast laser deposition of tungsten from tungsten hexacarbonyl chemical vapour precursors. A 405 nm laser diode was used for continuous wave deposition experiments that were optimized to achieve the lowest track resistivity. These results were used for comparison with the ultrafast laser track deposition. The usage of the 405 nm laser diode was itself novel and beneficial due to the low capital and running cost, high wall plug efficiency, high device lifetime, and shallower optical penetration depth in silicon substrates compared to green argon ion lasers which were commonly used by other investigators. The lowest as-deposited track resistivity achieved in the continuous wave laser experiments on silicon dioxide coated silicon was 93±27 µΩ cm (16.6 times bulk tungsten resistivity). This deposition was done with a laser output power of 350 mW, scan speed of 10 µm/s, deposition pressure of 0.5 mBar, substrate temperature of 100 °C and laser spot size of approximately 7 µm. The laser power, scan speed, deposition pressure and substrate temperature were all optimized in this study. By annealing the deposited track with hydrogen at 650 °C for 30 mins, removal of the deposition outside the laser spot was achieved and the overall track resistivity dropped to 66±7 µΩ cm (11.7 times bulk tungsten resistivity). For ultrafast laser deposition of tungsten, spot dwell experiments showed that a thin film of tungsten was first deposited followed by quasi-periodic structures perpendicular to the linear polarization of the laser beam. The wavelength of the periodic structures was approximately half the laser wavelength (λ/2) and was thought to be formed due to interference between the incident laser and scattered surface waves similar to that in laser-induced surface periodic structures. Deposition of the quasi-periodic structures was possible on stainless steel, silicon dioxide coated silicon wafers, borosilicate glass and polyimide films. The thin-films were deposited when the laser was scanned at higher laser speeds such that the number of pulses per spot was lower (η≤11,000) and using a larger focal spot diameter of 33 µm. The lowest track resistivity for the thin-film tracks on silicon dioxide coated silicon wafers was 37±4 µΩ cm (6.7 times bulk tungsten resistivity). This value was achieved without post-deposition annealing and was lower than the annealed track deposited using the continuous wave laser. The ultrafast tungsten thin-film direct write technique was tested for writing metal contacts to single layer graphene on silicon dioxide coated silicon substrates. Without the precursor, the exposure of the graphene to the laser at the deposition parameters damaged the graphene without removing it. This was evidenced by the increase in the Raman D peak of the exposed graphene compared to pristine. The damage threshold was estimated to be 53±7 mJ/cm2 for a scanning speed of 500 µm/s. The deposition threshold of thin-film tungsten on graphene at that speed was lower at 38±8 mJ/cm2. However, no graphene was found when the deposited thin-film tungsten was dissolved in 30 wt% H2O2 that was tested to have no effect on the graphene for the dissolution time of one hour. The graphene likely reacted with the deposited tungsten to form tungsten carbide which was reported to dissolve in H2O2. Tungsten carbide was also found on the tungsten tracks deposited on reduced graphene oxide samples. The contact resistance between tungsten and graphene was measured by both transfer length and four-point probe method with an average value of 4.3±0.4 kΩ µm. This value was higher than reported values using noble metals such as palladium (2.8±0.4 kΩ µm), but lower than reported values using other metals that creates carbides such as nickel (9.3±1.0 kΩ µm). This study opened many potential paths for future work. The main issue to address in the tungsten ultrafast deposition was the deposition outside the laser spot. This prevented uniform deposition in successive tracks close to one another. The ultrafast deposition technique also needs verification using other precursors to understand the precursor requirements for this process. An interesting future study would be a combination with a sulphur source for the direct write of tungsten disulphide, a transition metal dichalcogenide that has a two-dimensional structure similar to graphene. This material has a bandgap and is sought after for applications in high-end electronics, spintronics, optoelectronics, energy harvesting, flexible electronics, DNA sequencing and personalized medicine. Initial tests using sulphur micro-flakes on silicon and stainless-steel substrates exposed to the tungsten precursor and ultrafast laser pulses produced multilayer tungsten disulphide as verified in Raman measurements.

Every year in the United States, an estimated 1.6 to 3.8 million people sustain sports-related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), with an appreciable number of these injuries coming from the sport of softball. Several studies have analyzed the impact performance of catcher’s masks within the context of baseball; however, virtually no studies have been performed on fielder’s masks within the context of softball. Thus, the main objective of the present work was to evaluate the protective capabilities of softball fielder’s masks. To better understand the injury mechanisms and frequency associated with softball head/facial injuries, epidemiological data from a national database was reviewed first. Results displayed “struck-by-ball” as the most frequent injury mechanism (74.3%) for all head/facial injuries with a large majority occurring to defensive players (83.7%). With further motivation, the present work focused on testing the impact attenuation and facial protection capabilities of fielder’s masks from softball impacts. Testing with an instrumented Hybrid III headform was conducted at two speeds and four impact locations for several protective conditions: six fielder’s masks, one catcher’s mask, and unprotected (no mask). The results showed that most fielder’s masks reduced head accelerations, but not to the standard of catcher’s masks. On average, they reduced peak linear and angular acceleration from 40-mph impacts by 36-49% and 14-45%, respectively, while for 60-mph impacts they were reduced by 25-42% and 13-46%, respectively. Plastic-frame fielder’s masks were observed to allow facial contact when struck at the nose region at high speed. Observed differences in impact attenuation across fielder’s mask designs further suggested influence from specific design features such as foam padding and frame properties. Overall, the results clearly demonstrate that head/facial injuries may be mitigated through the broader use of masks, while further optimization of impact attenuation for fielder’s masks is pursued.

Ce travail se propose d’étudier la représentation du masque et l’influence de ce concept dans l’œuvre d’Amélie Nothomb, notamment pour lever le voile sur la monstruosité supposée de son écriture. Après avoir décrit le champ littéraire belge francophone et les différents courants littéraires dans lesquels semble évoluer la romancière, il s’intéresse tout d’abord aux masques utilisés par ses personnages pour tromper leur entourage et se tromper eux-mêmes, ainsi qu’à la vision du monde conjointement proposée au lecteur. Dans un second temps, il présente le masque comme une constance de la voix nothombienne, qu’elle se manifeste au travers de l’écriture thématique et stylistique de la romancière ou des émissaires constitués par ses personnages littéraires ou son personnage public. Enfin, il examine l’esthétique proprement caricaturale et grotesque des masques nothombiens, apte à faire basculer l’intrigue dans un cycle de type carnavalesque. / This thesis proposes to examine the representation of the mask and the influence of this concept in Amélie Nothomb’s work, in particular to throw light on the unproven monstrousness of her writing. Before the description of the Belgian French languaged literature and the different literary currents in which the novelist seems to belong to, it takes an interest in masks used by her characters to deceive their surroundings or deceive themselves, and in the world vision that is proposed to the reader. Secondly it describes mask as a permanent feature of the Amélie Nothomb’s voice, in the novelist’s thematic and stylistic writing or in her public or literary characters. Then, it examines the caricatural and grotesque aesthetic of the Amélie Nothomb’s masks, which can make the story beginning a carnival cycle.

A video sequence often contains a number of objects. For each object, the motion of its projection on the video frames is affected by its movement in 3-D space, as well as the movement of the camera. Video object segmentation refers to the task of delineating and distinguishing different objects that exist in a series of video frames. Segmentation of moving objects from a two-dimensional video is difficult due to the lack of depth information at the boundaries between different objects. As the motion incoherency of a region is intrinsically linked to the presence of such boundaries and vice versa, a failure to recognise a discontinuity in the motion field, or the use of an incorrect motion, often leads directly to errors in the segmentation result. In addition, many defects in a segmentation mask are also located in the vicinity of moving object boundaries, due to the unreliability of motion estimation in these regions. The approach to segmentation in this work comprises of three stages. In the first part, a phase-based method is devised for detection of moving object boundaries. This detection scheme is based on the characteristics of a phase-matched difference image, and is shown to be sensitive to even small disruptions to a coherent motion field. In the second part, a spatio-temporal approach for object segmentation is introduced, which involves a spatial segmentation in the detected boundary region, followed by a motion-based region-merging operation using three temporally adjacent video frames. In the third stage, a multiple-frame approach for stabilisation of object masks is introduced to alleviate the defects which may have existed earlier in a local segmentation, and to improve upon the temporal consistency of object boundaries in the segmentation masks along a sequence. The feasibility of the proposed work is demonstrated at each stage through examples carried out on a number of real video sequences. In the presence of another object motion, the phase-based boundary detection method is shown to be much more sensitive than direct measures such as sum-of-squared error on a motion-compensated difference image. The three-frame segmentation scheme also compares favourably with a recently proposed method initiated from a non-selective spatial segmentation. In addition, improvements in the quality of the object masks after the stabilisation stage are also observed both quantitatively and visually. The final segmentation result is then used in an experimental object-based video compression framework, which also shows improvements in efficiency over a contemporary video coding method.

This dissertation begins with a discussion of the rediscovery and rehabilitation of masks as tools of performance and pedagogy in Western theatre over the past century, considering the work of various theorists, directors, teachers and performers in whose work the mask occupies a significant position. Discussion then focuses on the development of the neutral mask as an object and as a paradigm of pedagogy for the actor over the past eighty years and undertakes a comparative investigation of the concept of neutrality as a performant state. The discussion takes in the teaching of Jacques Copeau, Etienne Decroux and Jacques Lecoq, and extends to the theories of Eugenio Barba, considering the possible parallels between Barba's 'pre-expressive' state and the state of neutrality which the mask assists to develop in the actor. The dissertation further proposes that the term 'performative liminality' is an appropriate term to adopt for this performant state, and makes this proposal with reference to the theories of anthropologist Victor Turner regarding the liminal state. The practice-as-research component of the project sought to investigate and document the various uses of the neutral mask and its application to the creative processes of the actor, and aimed to provide qualitative analysis and evaluation of the neutral mask when used in a developmental workshop environment. The dissertation contains a full account of the practice component of the project and details the processes used to investigate the neutral mask, offering analysis drawn from the inside experiences of the actors and the outside observations of the researcher. Within that analysis is a consideration of the neutral mask as a tool for developing the scenic presence of the actor. / Masters Thesis

獸面紋又稱做饕餮紋，其盛行於商代至西周早期，但早在夏代青銅器上就已發現這種紋飾，饕餮是古人想像出來的怪獸，進而再融合自然界中各種猛獸的特徵而成。一般形象是以鼻樑為中線，兩側成對稱排列，有大眼和頭上兩個大角，以及一個沒有下唇的大嘴。非相片寫實電腦繪圖技術(Non-photorealistic Rendering)不同於傳統的電腦圖學技術，著重於產生各式各樣不同於光學物理的繪圖效果。最重要的是如何分析各種藝術的結構和技巧，進而加以統整之後，建立系統性的演算法，將其重現於數位空間。本論文便是針對中國古代所流傳下來的獸面紋圖樣的設計創作去做分析，從而發展出一套系統，讓使用者輸入一張任意的動物圖像，將此圖像標示出特徵部位後再與我們收集的獸面紋樣資料庫做簡單的比對和變更，自動的產生繪製出具有中國古代獸面紋圖樣特徵的結果。 / Animal-mask decoration, also known as the taotie pattern, is an art stylization commonly found on bronze vessels from the Shang Dynasty to the early Western Zhou Dynasty. Taotie is an imagined gluttonous monster, which is composited with the characteristics of various wild animals. The general layout of taotie is a symmetrical face with pair of large eyes and horns, and a big mouth without lower lip. Non-photorealistic computer graphics (NPR) technology tries to produce all kinds of effects different from the optical physics, and focuses on analyzing and integrating the principle of the various arts and skills to establish a systematic method to reproduce the stylization. This thesis tries to analyze the structure of the traditional animal-mask decoration, and building a system to transfer the stylization. The User can input an animal photograph and manually select few feature points. Then the proposed algorithm will automatically extract the feature and find the correspondence in the example Database to create the new animal-mask decoration with the feature in the input photograph.