The mirror appears frequently in funerary contexts in the Greek colonies Locri Epizefiri and Metaponto and this thesis endeavours to rebuild the contexts of these mirrors using the approach of contextual archaeology. To explore the mirror’s contemporary function and meaning within the burial record and to discern why mirrors appear within a funerary setting, a chain of contexts is followed from the archaeological material to iconographical analysis, to comparative archaeological data, widening the contextual circles step by step. In the first part, the appearance of the graves with mirrors in Locri Epiezefiri and Metaponto is examined. The result is then compared with the iconographical evidence and the comparative archaeological data. The thesis further examines the mirror’s female association and discusses how the colonies of Magna Graecia should be studied as a third culture in accordance with the middle ground. Based on the results from the analysis, the discussion argues for a connection between mirrors and the Orphic-Dionysiac-Pythagorean cult, especially pronounced in Magna Graecia during this period, but also possible ritualistic functions such as divination and the notion of “female knowledge”.

<p>Recent research on cognitive control has focused on the learning consequences of high selective attention demands in selective attention tasks. The current study extends these ideas by examining the influence of selective attention demands on remembering. In Experiment 1, participants read aloud the red word in a pair of red and green interleaved words. Half of the items were congruent (the interleaved words were the same), and the other half were incongruent (the interleaved words were different). Following the study phase, participants completed a recognition memory test with a remember/know classification. A mirror effect was observed in the recognition memory data, with better memory for incongruent than for congruent items. In Experiment 2, context was only partially reinstated at test, and again better memory for incongruent compared to congruent items was observed. However, the processes supporting recognition decisions varied depending on context reinstatement, with only full context reinstatement resulting in differences in recollection for congruent and incongruent items. These results demonstrate that selective attention process demands associated with incongruent items affect episodic learning.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

A map combines scientific facts with aesthetic perceptions. This study argues that scaling is universal in mapping reality and evoking a sense of beauty. Scaling laws are used to reveal the underlying structures and dynamics of spatial features. Complex systems, such as living cities involve various interacting entities at all scales. Each individual coherently interacts and overlaps with others to create an unbreakable entity. Scaling structures are also known as fractals. Fractal geometry is used to depict a complex system. Natural objects, such as trees, contain a similar geometry (branches) at all scales. This study attempts to effectively visualize the scaling pattern of geographic space. In this regard, the head/tail breaks classification is applied to visualize the scaling pattern of spatial features. A scaling pattern underlies a geographic space. Visualizing the scaling structure using the head/tail breaks classification can further evoke a sense of beauty. This kind of beauty is on the structural level and was identified by Christopher Alexander, who asserted that beauty is not a personal experience but objectively exists in any space. Alexander developed the theory of centers to broaden the concepts of life and beauty.  A structure with a scaling property (with recursive centers) has high quality of life, and a scaling pattern has positive effects on individual’s psychological and physical well-being. To verify the concept of objective beauty, human beings are used as measuring instruments to examine the assumptions. This study adopts the mirror-of-the-self test to examine human reactions to 23 pairs of images, including photographs of buildings and two types of map. The idea is that participants sense the quality of life by comparing a pair of objects and selecting the object that presents a better picture of themselves. Once individuals feel the self in a picture, they are able to detect real beauty. In this manner, individuals can detect real beauty and life that deeply connect to their inner hearts. The tests were conducted through personal interviews and Internet surveys with the public and with professionals, and 392 samples were collected. The study results show that more than 60% of the individuals selected images with a scaling pattern. These results are in accordance with Alexander’s assumption. In particular, more than 65% individuals selected maps that depict scaling forms. Moreover, this study conducted a training test with a particular group of individuals, after which more than 70% of individuals selected scaling maps. The results reveal that scaling laws are applicable for creating maps and evoking a sense of beauty.

Space satellite technology is heading in the direction of ultra-large, lightweight structures deployable on orbit. Minimal structural mass translates into minimal launch costs, while increased satellite bus size translates into significant bandwidth improvement for both radar and optical applications. However, from a structural standpoint, these two goals are in direct conflict with one another, as large, flexible structures possess terrible dynamic properties and minimal effective bandwidth. Since the next level of research will require active dynamic analysis, vibration control, and shape morphing control of these satellites, a better-suited name for this technology is Super Precise Intelligent Deployables for Engineered Reconnaissance, or SPIDER. Unlike wisps of cobweb caught in the wind, SPIDER technology will dictate the functionality and versatility of the satellite much like an arachnid weaving its own web. In the present work, a rigorous mathematical framework based on distributed parameter system theory is presented in describing the dynamics of augmented membranous structures. In particular, Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and thin plate theory are used to describe the integration of piezoelectric material with membranes. In both the one and two dimensional problems, experimental validation is provided to support the developed models. Next, the linear quadratic regulator (LQR) control problem is defined from a distributed parameter systems approach, and from this formulation, the functional gains of the respective system are gleaned. The functional gains provide an intelligent mapping when designing an observer-based control system as they pinpoint important sensory information (both type and spatial location) within the structure. Further, an experimental investigation into the dynamics of membranes stretched over shallow, air-filled cavities is presented. The presence of the air-filled cavity in close proximity to the membrane creates a distributed spring and damping effect, thus creating desirable system dynamics from an optical or radar application perspective. Finally, in conjunction with the use of a pressurized cavity with a membrane optic, a novel basis is presented for describing incoming wavefront aberrations. The new basis, coined the clamped Zernike polynomials, provides a mapping for distributed spatial actuation of a membrane mirror that is amiable to the clamped boundary conditions of the mechanical lens. Consequently, based on the work presented here and being carried out in cooperation with the Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate (AFRL / DE), it is envisioned that a 1 m adaptive membrane optic is on the verge of becoming a reality. / Ph. D.

This thesis is devoted to a study of applications of gauged linear sigma models. First, by constructing (0,2) analogues of Hori-Vafa mirrors, we have given and checked proposals for (0,2) mirrors to projective spaces, toric del Pezzo and Hirzebruch surfaces with tangent bundle deformations, checking not only correlation functions but also e.g. that mirrors to del Pezzos are related by blowdowns in the fashion one would expect. Also, we applied the recent proposal for mirrors of non-Abelian (2,2) supersymmetric two-dimensional gauge theories to examples of two-dimensional A-twisted gauge theories with exceptional gauge groups G_2 and E_8. We explicitly computed the proposed mirror Landau-Ginzburg orbifold and derived the Coulomb ring relations (the analogue of quantum cohomology ring relations). We also studied pure gauge theories, and provided evidence (at the level of these topologicalfield-theory-type computations) that each pure gauge theory (with simply-connected gauge group) flows in the IR to a free theory of as many twisted chiral multiplets as the rank of the gauge group. Last, we have constructed hybrid Landau-Ginzburg models that RG flow to a new family of non-compact Calabi-Yau threefolds, constructed as fiber products of genus g curves and noncompact Kahler threefolds. We only considered curves given as branched double covers of P^1. Our construction utilizes nonperturbative constructions of the genus g curves, and so provides a new set of exotic UV theories that should RG flow to sigma models on Calabi-Yau manifolds, in which the Calabi-Yau is not realized simply as the critical locus of a superpotential. / Doctor of Philosophy / This thesis is devoted to a study of vacua of supersymmetric string theory (superstring theory) by gauged linear sigma models. String theory is best known as the candidate to unify Einstein’s general relativity and quantum field theory. We are interested in theories with a symmetry exchanging bosons and fermions, known as supersymmetry. The study of superstring vacua makes it possible to connect string theory to the real world, and describe the Standard model as a low energy effective theory. Gauged linear sigma models are one of the most successful models to study superstring vacua by, for example, providing insights into the global structure of their moduli spaces. We will use gauged linear sigma models to study mirror symmetry and its heterotic generalization “(0, 2) mirror symmetry.” They are both world-sheet dualities relating different interpretations of the same (internal) superstring vacua. Mirror symmetry is a very powerful duality which exchanges classical and quantum effects. By studying mirror symmetry and (0, 2) mirror symmetry, we gain more knowledge of the properties of superstring vacua.

This study explores the representation of femininity in The Handmaid's Tale and compares it with Black Mirror using theoretical perspectives such as performativity theory, and sociocultural feminism. The focus is on how gender and identity are constructed within popular culture, particularly in a dystopian context. The study analyzes women's roles, resistance to the system, the link between reproduction and power, and the use of clothing and body language. Through theoretical lenses, the essay reveals the complexity of gender construction and its relationship to societal norms and power structures. The findings contribute to understanding how popular culture shapes perceptions of femininity and gender.

付記する学位プログラム名: 京都大学卓越大学院プログラム「メディカルイノベーション大学院プログラム」 / 京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(薬科学) / 甲第25227号 / 薬科博第189号 / 新制||薬科||21(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院薬学研究科医薬創成情報科学専攻 / (主査)教授 大野 浩章, 教授 二木 史朗, 教授 掛谷 秀昭 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

Une surface K3 est une surface X complexe compacte projective lisse qui a fibré canonique trivial et h0;1(X) = 0. Dans cette thèse on s'intéresse à deux problèmes pour ces surfaces. D'abord on considère des surfaces K3 obtenues comme recouvrement double de P2 ramifié le long d'une sextique. On classifie les fibrations elliptiques sur ces surfaces et leur groupe de Mordell-Weil, c'est-à-dire le groupe des sections. Vu que une section de 2-torsion définit une involution de la surface (dite involution de van Geemen-Sarti), alors en classifiant les fibrations et les section de 2-torsion on obtient une classification complète des involutions de van Geemen-Sarti sur ce type de surfaces K3. On montre aussi comment calculer l'équation de la fibration et on étudie le quotient par l'involution de van Geemen-Sarti. Ensuite on montre la construction de Berglund-Hübsch-Chiodo-Ruan (BHCR): il s'agit d'une construction miroir qui part d'un polynôme dans un espace projectif à poids et d'un groupe d'automorphismes (avec certaines propriétés) et qui donne, en toute dimension, des paires de variétés Calabi-Yau. Ces deux variétés sont l'une miroir de l'autre en sense classique. On classifie toutes les paires de surfaces K3 obtenues avec cette construction qui aient en plus un automorphisme non{symplectique d'ordre premier p > 3. Pour les surfaces K3 une autre notion de symétrie miroir a été introduite par Dolgachev et Nikulin : la symétrie pour K3 polarisées (LPK3). On montre dans la thèse comment polariser les surfaces obtenues avec la construction BHCR et on preuve que deux surfaces miroir au sense BHCR, dûment polarisées, appartiennent à deux familles miroir LPK3. / A K3 surface is a complex compact projective surface X which is smooth and such that its canonical bundle is trivial and h0;1(X) = 0. In this thesis we study two different topics about K3 surfaces. First we consider K3 surfaces obtained as double covering of P2 branched on a sextic curve. For these surfaces we classify elliptic fibrations and their Mordell-Weil group, i.e. the group of sections. A 2-torsion section induces a symplectic involution of the surface, called van Geemen-Sarti involution. The classification of elliptic fibrations and 2-torsion sections allows us to classify all van Geemen-Sarti involutions on the class of K3 surfaces we are considering. Moreover, we give details in order to obtain equations for the elliptic fibrations and their quotient by the van Geemen-Sarti involutions. Then we focus on the mirror construction of Berglund-Hübsch-Chiodo-Ruan (BHCR). This construction starts from a polynomial in a weighted projective space together with a group of diagonal automorphisms (with some properties) and gives a pair of Calabi-Yau varieties which are mirror in the classical sense. The construction works for any dimension. We use this construction to obtain pairs of K3 surfaces which carry a non-symplectic automorphism of prime order p > 3. Dolgachev and Nikulin proposed another notion of mirror symmetry for K3 surfaces: the mirror symmetry for lattice polarized K3 surfaces (LPK3). In this thesis we show how to polarize the K3 surfaces obtained from the BHCR construction and we prove that these surfaces belong to LPK3 mirror families.

This thesis describes a concentrating solar power using a Stirling engine. The problems encountered during construction and operation. I focus mainly on problems derating dusting and icing. The second part of this work is the experimental design of the stand with long-term measurement of dusting depending on the reflectivity of mirrors and their degradation under various conditions. First measurement is stated and estimation of long-term results.

Apprendre de nouvelles habiletés motrices est fondamental à l'expérience humaine et à l'exécution des activités quotidiennes. L'apprentissage moteur peut être défini comme un ensemble de processus associés à la pratique ou à l'expérience menant à la capacité d'exécuter une nouvelle habileté motrice. À l'origine de ces mécanismes d'apprentissage, un contrôle moteur précis et une intégration sensorimotrice adéquate sont essentiels. De plus, la capacité d'identifier une séquence dans des évènements sériels et de reproduire avec précision la série de mouvements détectés est également importante en ce qui concerne l'apprentissage des séquences motrices présentes dans de nombreux comportements humains. Si l'un de ces processus élémentaires est compromis par une pathologie, on peut s'attendre à observer des difficultés à apprendre différentes habiletés motrices. Les études qui composent la présente thèse avaient pour objectif principal de caractériser les capacités d'apprentissage moteur dans deux populations cliniques présentant une anomalie sensorielle ou motrice avec la tâche de temps de réaction sérielle (TTRS). Dans l'article 1, les conséquences de la surdité sur l'apprentissage moteur ont été étudiées. Peu d'études ont examiné les capacités motrices chez les sourds profonds et ces quelques études ont suggéré la présence de déficits en dextérité manuelle et des retards dans la production de mouvements. Avant la publication de cet article, la capacité d'apprendre des séquences motrices complexes n'avait pas été explorée dans une population adulte sourde. L'apprentissage non-spécifique et spécifique à la séquence à la TTRS a été analysé en fonction des caractéristiques individuelles liées à la perte auditive. Les résultats ont révélé des différences significatives entre les groupes dans l'apprentissage spécifique à la séquence, les sujets sourds étant moins efficaces que les contrôles à acquérir les connaissances spécifiques à la séquence. Nous avons interprété les résultats à la lumière de la plasticité intermodale et de l'hypothèse d'échafaudage auditif. Dans l'article 2, l'apprentissage moteur, le transfert intermanuel d'une habileté motrice nouvellement acquise et la modulation du débordement moteur électrophysiologique (mouvements miroirs physiologiques; MMp) ont été évalués dans une grande famille de quatre générations avec des mutations du gène Deleted in Colorectal Cancer (DCC) et des mouvements miroirs congénitaux (MMC). Les MMC sont des contractions musculaires involontaires de l'autre côté du corps survenant lors d'un mouvement unilatéral volontaire. Ils ont été associés à une mutation dans le gène DCC, entraînant des voies cortico-spinales anormales et une inhibition interhémisphérique réduite (IIH). Comparativement aux membres de la famille sans MMC et aux contrôles sains non-apparentés, les MMp des individus avec MMC ont été significativement augmentés après l'exécution de la TTRS. L'apprentissage moteur et le transfert intermanuel ne différaient pas entre les groupes. Cependant, lorsque les participants avec la mutation DCC, avec ou sans MMC, étaient spécifiquement comparés aux participants sans la mutation DCC, l'apprentissage non-spécifique d'une séquence motrice était significativement réduit chez les personnes atteintes de la mutation DCC. Ces données suggèrent qu'une augmentation de l'activité miroir physiologique chez les patients atteints de MMC est associée à une réduction de l'IIH. De plus, les diminutions d'apprentissage moteur non-spécifique chez les porteurs de la mutation DCC pourraient être liés aux altérations de l'activité cérébelleuse et de la connectivité rapportées antérieurement. En résumé, les études comprises dans la présente thèse ont approfondi nos connaissances des capacités d'apprentissage moteur dans les contextes de déficits sensoriels ou moteurs. / Learning new motor skills is essential to the human experience and to the performance of everyday activities. Motor learning can be defined as a set of processes associated with practice or experience leading to the ability to skillfully perform a new motor skill. At the root of these learning mechanisms, precise motor control and adequate sensorimotor integration are critical. Additionally, the ability to identify a sequence in serial events and accurately reproduce the series of detected movements is also important with regards to learning motor sequences that are present in many human behaviors. If any of these fundamental processes are compromised by any pathology, one can expect to observe difficulties in learning different motor skills. The studies that compose the present thesis had as a main objective to characterize the motor learning abilities in two clinical populations presenting a sensory or motor abnormality with the serial reaction time task (SRTT). In article 1, the consequences of hearing impairment on motor learning were investigated. Few studies have examined motor capacities in the profoundly deaf and these studies have suggested the presence of deficits in manual dexterity and delays in movement production. Before the publication of this article, the ability to learn complex sequential motor patterns had not been explored in a deaf adult population. Non-specific and sequence-specific learning on the SRTT were analyzed in relation to individual features related to the hearing loss. The results revealed significant differences between groups in sequence-specific learning, with deaf subjects being less efficient than controls in acquiring sequence-specific knowledge. We interpreted the results in light of cross-modal plasticity and the auditory scaffolding hypothesis. In article 2, motor learning, intermanual transfer of a newly acquired motor skill and activity-dependent modulation of electrophysiological motor overflow (physiological mirror movements; pMM) were assessed in a large, four-generational family with a Deleted in Colorectal Cancer (DCC) gene mutation and congenital mirror movements (CMM). CMM are involuntary muscle contractions in the opposite side of the body occurring during voluntary unilateral movement. They have been associated with a frameshift mutation in the DCC gene, resulting in abnormal corticospinal tracts and reduced interhemispheric inhibition (IHI). Compared with family members without CMM and unrelated healthy controls, pMM were significantly increased in CMM individuals following execution of the SRTT. Motor learning and intermanual transfer did not differ between groups. However, when participants with the DCC mutation, with or without CMM, were compared with participants without the DCC mutation, non-specific learning of a motor sequence was significantly reduced in individuals with the DCC mutation. These data suggest that increased physiological mirroring in CMM patients is associated with reduced IHI. Furthermore, impairments in non-specific motor learning in DCC mutation carriers may be related to the reported alterations in cerebellar activity and connectivity. In summary, the studies comprised in the present thesis significantly increase our knowledge of motor learning abilities in the contexts of sensory or motor deficits.