Near-field light confinement on scanning probe is the backbone technology for near-field imaging with subwavelength resolution that overcomes the diffraction limit by exploiting the properties of evanescent waves. The fusion of the photonics and the latest nanofabrication technology creates emerging frontier for near-field light confinement research with new design approach. The propagation of light can now be controlled by periodical structure at subwavelength scale with low loss in the artificially synthesized dielectric material. New light propagation patterns can now be implemented in subwavelength structure, such as directional free space light focus grating coupler, photonic bandgap material like photonic crystal by permitting light propagation at certain wavelength while prohibiting light outside of bandgap, and nano-slot light resonator for increased light-matter interaction at nanometer scale. Advances in this research area will have tremendous impact on electromagnetic modeling and biomedical technology for probe based subwavelength optical detection. My doctoral research focused on investigating highly efficient, nanofabrication compatible directional light coupling structure and near-field subwavelength light focus through photonic crystal material. The distinct significance of this research was placed on exploitation of the embedded metallic grating coupler of high free space directivity and subwavelength light processing circuit of enhanced near-field transmission rate, the two most dominating basic elements of the scanning optical imaging system. First, I designed a compact elliptical grating coupler based on embedded noble metal such as gold or silver that efficiently interconnects free space with dielectric rectangular waveguide. The dense system integration capability shows the application potential for on-chip interfacing subwavelength light processing circuits and near-field fluorescent biosensors with far-field detection of superb radiation directivity and coupling efficiency. Second, a novel all-dielectric light confinement probe designed by slotted photonic crystal waveguide provides a light confinement mechanism on the lateral plane. The resonating nano-cavities and the λ/4 nano-slot are used to enlarge the light throughput while as the nano-slot waveguide provides single subwavelength center lobe. The impetus of this research is the growing interests by near-field imaging researchers to obtain a low loss visible light confinement probe designs through mass production. / text

Les mariages exogames, la mobilité de la population, la mondialisation, le bilinguisme social et l’éducation bilingue favorisent le développement du multilinguisme en Occident. La majorité de la recherche sur ce phénomène se réalise dans le cadre du bilinguisme et celui de l’acquisition d’une langue seconde. Pour les fins de cette étude, une personne qui a une connaissance de deux langues – même imparfaite – sera considérée comme étant bilingue. Une personne multilingue a une connaissance de trois langues ou plus. La recherche sur le multilinguisme n’en est qu’à ses débuts, mais elle est notamment parvenue à identifier des caractéristiques distinctes que partagent les personnes multilingues. Certains conçoivent le multilinguisme comme étant une extension du bilinguisme et considèrent que, quoique plus complexes, ses opérations lexicales restent les mêmes. D’autres estiment que la quantité de langues est un facteur qui suffit à créer une façon d’être distincte – un point de départ différent – pour une personne multilingue. L’une des questions importantes que l’on se pose dans le domaine du lexique multilingue est jusqu’à quel point le traitement lexical des langues d’un individu se fait de façon séparée ou conjointe. Cette étude se veut une contribution aux travaux de Peter Ecke, qui a étudié de façon extensive la nature des interactions translinguistiques chez les personnes bilingues et multilingues en utilisant les tests du dans un état « bout de la langue » (BDLL). Notre étude analyse le fonctionnement du vocabulaire de la L3 chez des adolescents ayant le profil suivant : L1 anglais, L2 français à un niveau débutant-intermédiare et L3 à un niveau débutant, acquis dans un contexte scolaire. En utilisant un outil d’élicitation de type BDLLL, nous tenterons d’identifier les caractéristiques des associations de mots alors que le sujet avait un mot sur le bout de la langue ou qu’il faisait une erreur lexicale, tout en étudiant la relation entre les lexiques de la L1, de la L2 et de la L3. Nos résultats indiquent que dans la recherche et l’identification de mots de la L3, lors d’instants où le sujet cherche ses mots ou fait une erreur lexicale, l’identification de l’aspect sémantique fonctionne, alors que l’identification de l’aspect formel échoue. Pour ce qui est des influences translinguistiques, la plupart des sujets cherchaient d’abord dans la L3 et passaient ensuite à une recherche dans la L2. L’influence de L1 s’est avérée faible. Nous attribuons la cause de l’influence translinguistique à la psychotypologie, la compétence, et la récence. In the western world, multilingualism is a growing phenomenon as a result of exogamous marriages, population mobility, globalization, social bilingualism and bilingual education. Most of the research in the field of multilingualism is carried out within the framework of research into bilingualism and second language acquisition. For the purposes of our study a bilingual speaker has knowledge, however imperfect, of two languages. A multilingual speaker has knowledge of three or more languages. Research into multilingualism is still in its early stages but has come far enough for researchers to identify distinct characteristics of the multilingual speaker. Some conclude that multilingualism is an extension of bilingualism, in that lexical operations are the same but more complex. Others believe that the quantity of languages alone creates a distinct state of being - a different starting place - for the multilingual speaker. One key question in the field of the multilingual lexicon to what degree is the lexical processing of the individual’s languages is separate or integrated. This study is a contribution to the research of Peter Ecke who has extensively studied the nature of cross-linguistic interaction in bilingual and multilingual speakers using tip of the tongue (TOT) tests. Our study analysed the processing of L3 vocabulary in adolescents with the following profile: L1 English, L2 French at a low-intermediate level and L3 Spanish at the beginner level in a school setting. Using a TOT elicitation tool, we sought to identify specific characteristics of word associates in TOT states and in lexical errors, as well as the relationship between the L1, L2 and L3 lexicons. Our results indicate that in the search and retrieval of L3 words in TOT states and in lexical errors, the retrieval of the semantic aspect succeeds while the retrieval of the form aspect fails. With regard to the source of cross-linguistic influence, most subjects searched initially within the L3 and failing that, proceeded to a search within the L2. L1 influence was weak. We attribute the cause of cross-linguistic influence to psychotypology, proficiency and recency. / Thesis (Master, French) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-26 21:28:27.802

Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) tip-based nanofabrication (TBN) is a technique that directly creates a variety of nanostructures on a substrate using the nanoscale probe tips. SPM TBN possesses superior resolution and flexibility: nanostructures with feature size under 5 nm have been achieved via SPM TBN, which is beyond what the state-of-the art optical-based lithography technique can provide. However, the inherent serial nature of SPM TBN makes it a low throughput process. Multi-probe SPM systems have therefore been developed to increase the nanofabrication efficiency. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) are two most commonly used SPM TBN techniques. Most of prior work has focused on contact-mode AFM-based TBN. This work, using CMOS MEMS technology as the design and fabrication platform, develops an active conductive probe array that aims to perform parallel surface imaging and nanofabrication in non-contact STM mode. The CMOS-MEMS process provides a monolithic integration of MEMS devices with CMOS electronics that can facilitate future automation and parallel probe operation. The CMOS-MEMS probe adopts a micro-cantilever structure and applies bimorph electrothermal actuation to control the vertical displacement of the probe tips. The cantilever is designed to be stiff, with a spring constant of 36 N/m that is larger than the force gradient of the cantilever tip-sample interaction forces in the working distance regime of STM in order to avoid the tip-to-sample “snap-in” and ensure the stability of the STM feedback system. A modified Spindt tip process, compatible with post-CMOS MEMS processing, is developed to batch fabricate Ni/Pt composite tips on CMOS-MEMS probe arrays that are used as STM end-effectors. The integrated Ni/Pt tips on the MEMS probes have a tip radius down to 50 vii nm. The Spindt tip demonstrates the capability of both imaging and nanowire fabrication in STM mode. A hierarchical dual-servo STM system is constructed for the parallel STM imaging using two CMOS-MEMS probes. The system consists of a piezoelectric actuator-driven servo and an electrothermal actuator-driven servo to control the vertical displacement of two probe tips and maintain a constant current between the tips and the sample. Both servos use a proportionalintegral controller. The dual-servo STM system is capable of parallel STM image acquisition using CMOS MEMS probe arrays. An on-chip electrothermal proximity sensor pair and probes with embedded microgoniometers are designed to assist the alignment between the CMOS-MEMS probe array and the examined sample surface. The electrothermal proximity sensor pair is used to measure the separation and the non-parallelism between the probe chip and the sample. The electrothermal proximity sensor has a positioning accuracy of around 1 μm. An electrothermal microgoniometer platform is developed to hold a one-dimensional array of active CMOS-MEMS probes and serves to provide the in situ fine adjustment of relative height among these probes. The micro-goniometer has a maximum tilt of 1.2°, which is sufficient to compensate the probe chip-sample misalignment and the possible height difference among array probes introduced by process variations.

Tip growth is the primary form of growth in hyphal organisms and some plant cells. Tip growth in hyphae is highly dependent on F-actin, which acts to regulate and support growth. One of the models suggested for tip growth, the amebae model of tip growth, suggests that F-actin may also be the primary source of protrusive force for tip growth in some conditions, and that proteins with a similar function to animal integrins would be present an involved in tip growth (Heath and Steinberg 1999). In this thesis we examine the role of F-actin in the growth of the oomycete Phytophthora cinnamomi and the effects on growth of the F-actin disrupting compound Latrunculin B. We demonstrate that F-actin plays a critical role in the tip growth of Phytophthora cinnamomi with it's disruption causing rapid cessation in directional growth, followed by significant subapical swelling. Further more we examine Phytophthora cinnamomi for the presence of an B4 integrin like protein that has been previously reported in the oomycete Achlya bisexualis (Chitcholtan & Garrill 2005) and show that the B4 integrin like protein is not present in Phytophthora cinnamomi. These experiments help further our understanding of tip growth in Phytophthora cinnamomi an economically important plant pathogen.

This thesis investigates whether there are alternative mechanisms of tip growth in invasive and non-invasive hyphae of the fungus Neurospora crassa. The cytoskeleton protein actin is thought to play a pivotal role in hyphal tip growth, performing a multitude of tasks, one of which may be the provision of a resistive force to counter turgor pressure. An Actin depleted zone (ADZ) was the dominant feature of invasive hyphal tips, which was largely absent from non-invasive hyphae. The Spitzenkörper was slightly larger in invasive hyphae but this size difference alone was thought insufficient to account for the exclusion of filamentous actin (F-actin) from the tip. The actin nucleating protein formin was found at sites where actin nucleation is occurring, while cofilin, a protein that severs F-actin, was found to localise where F-actin disassembly was likely to be occurring. It is suggested that these proteins are likely to play a role in controlling a dynamic cytoskeleton, rearrangements of which are required for the two modes of growth. Invasive hyphae were found to generate a higher turgor than non-invasive hyphae. These results suggest that the F-actin rearrangements facilitated by cofilin give an ADZ that may play a role in invasive hyphal tip growth; possibly through a reduction of tip resistance; thus enabling the provision of a greater protrusive force by turgor.

The current study investigated the effectiveness of a task clarification meeting and consistent task specific feedback on the completion of customer service tasks by servers at a local sit-down restaurant. The current study also investigated whether customers tip based on social convention (i.e., adjust a tip based on bill percentage according to the quality of customer service received) and whether customer service quality ratings were related to task completion and tip percentage. A list of tasks that should be completed during the course of table-service was developed into a survey through meetings with a restaurant manager. In experiment 1, task completion, tip percentage, and customer service quality data were collected by customers and completed surveys were left on the table as feedback for participants to find. The task clarification meeting and task specific customer feedback increased task completion for two of the three participants, tips were not related to task completion, task completion was moderately and significantly related to customer service quality, and customer service quality was not significantly related to tip percentage. In experiment 2, data were collected by the lead experimenter and completed surveys were vocally and visually reviewed by the experimenter with the server. The task clarification meeting and task specific experimenter feedback increased task completion for all three participants and tips were not related to task completion. Implications of the data as they relate to previous research on feedback and pay-for-performance schedules are discussed.

abstract: Dexterous manipulation is a representative task that involves sensorimotor integration underlying a fine control of movements. Over the past 30 years, research has provided significant insight, including the control mechanisms of force coordination during manipulation tasks. Successful dexterous manipulation is thought to rely on the ability to integrate the sense of digit position with motor commands responsible for generating digit forces and placement. However, the mechanisms underlying the phenomenon of digit position-force coordination are not well understood. This dissertation addresses this question through three experiments that are based on psychophysics and object lifting tasks. It was found in psychophysics tasks that sensed relative digit position was accurately reproduced when sensorimotor transformations occurred with larger vertical fingertip separations, within the same hand, and at the same hand posture. The results from a follow-up experiment conducted in the same digit position-matching task while generating forces in different directions reveal a biased relative digit position toward the direction of force production. Specifically, subjects reproduced the thumb CoP higher than the index finger CoP when vertical digit forces were directed upward and downward, respectively, and vice versa. It was also found in lifting tasks that the ability to discriminate the relative digit position prior to lifting an object and modulate digit forces to minimize object roll as a function of digit position are robust regardless of whether motor commands for positioning the digits on the object are involved. These results indicate that the erroneous sensorimotor transformations of relative digit position reported here must be compensated during dexterous manipulation by other mechanisms, e.g., visual feedback of fingertip position. Furthermore, predicted sensory consequences derived from the efference copy of voluntary motor commands to generate vertical digit forces may override haptic sensory feedback for the estimation of relative digit position. Lastly, the sensorimotor transformations from haptic feedback to digit force modulation to position appear to be facilitated by motor commands for active digit placement in manipulation. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Kinesiology 2014

Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2016-12-01T14:03:53Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação Klayde Versão 9 - revisão final.pdf: 9120386 bytes, checksum: d27cc83b0c7db013e2bf497f74e2a430 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-01T14:03:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação Klayde Versão 9 - revisão final.pdf: 9120386 bytes, checksum: d27cc83b0c7db013e2bf497f74e2a430 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-05-05 / CNPQ / A colapsibilidade dos solos é um fenômeno típico de solos porosos, quando saturados apresentam variação de volume, podendo provocar danos significativos nas obras de engenharia, comprometendo total ou parcialmente estas obras. A ocorrência de solos colapsíveis é observado em vários municípios do Estado de Pernambuco, e em particular no Município de Petrolina. A investigação geotécnica e o entendimento de como se processa o fenômeno é imprescindível para a elaboração de projetos e a diminuição de possíveis danos às construções assentadas sobre esse tipo de solo. O objetivo desse trabalho é avaliar a variação de volume e de resistência de ponta com e sem inundação em solo compactado. A variação de volume devido à inundação foi avaliada utilizando ensaios edométricos simples e duplo e a resistência de ponta por meio de penetrômetro estático, em solo de um Conjunto Habitacional do Programa Minha Casa, Minha Vida, localizado no Município de Petrolina-PE, nos graus de compactação de 80%, 85%, 90% e 95% e nas umidades natural (0,22%), 4,00% e 7,00%. O solo é essencialmente arenoso com mais de 90% de sua composição de areia, fração argilosa < 8% e praticamente sem presença de silte. O solo é mau graduado (CU < 5%), não liquido e não plástico, se enquadra no grupo SM (Areia Siltosa) na classificação do SUCS o valor máximo do potencial de colapso atingido nos ensaios edométricos simples foi de 13,41% na tensão de 640 kPa no solo com GC 80% e umidade de 4,00% e o valor mínimo foi de 0,24,00% na tensão de 10 kPa, GC 95% e umidade de 7,00%. Os valores dos potenciais de colapso (CP) diminuem com o acréscimo de umidade inicial e grau de compactação. A sua resistência de ponta cresce com o aumento do grau de compactação, umidade e profundidade, atingindo valor de 19,17 MPa para GC = 95% e umidade 7,00%. Há perda de resistência de ponta durante o processo de inundação que depende da umidade inicial e grau de compactação e há acréscimo, no solo saturado após o colapso. A variação de volume e a resistência de ponta devido à variação de inundação são influenciadas pelo grau de compactação e umidade inicial do solo. / The collapsibility soil is a typical phenomenon of porous soil when saturated present volume variation, which can cause significant damage to the engineering works, committing all or part of these works. The occurrence of collapsible soils is observed in several municipalities in the state of Pernambuco, and in particular in the city of Petrolina. Geotechnical investigation and understanding of how processes if the phenomenon is essential for the development of the project and the reduction of possible damage to buildings settled on this type of soil. The aim of this study is to evaluate the change in volume and tip resistance with flooding in compacted soil. The volume change due to flooding was assessed using single and double oedometric tests and tip resistance through static penetrometer in soil of a housing program of the Minha Casa, Minha Vida, located in the city of Petrolina, in degrees compretion of 80%, 85%, 90% and 95% and the natural moisture (0.22%), 4.00% and 7.00%. The soil is mainly sandy with more than 90% of its sand composition, clay fraction < 8% and virtually no presence of silt. The soil is poorly Graduate (CU <5%), not liquid and not plastic, falls within the SM group (silty sand) in classification SUCS. collapsing the maximum value of the potential in achieving simple oedometric assays was 13.41% at 640 kPa in the ground stress to GC 80% moisture and 4.00% and the minimum value was 0, 24,00% at 10 kPa pressure, GC 95% and humidity of 7.00%. The values of the collapse potential (CP) decrease with the initial moisture increase and degree of compaction. Its tip resistance increases with increasing the degree of compaction, humidity and depth, reaching a value of 19.17 MPa GC = 95% moisture and 7.00%. There is loss of peak strength during the flooding process that depends on the initial moisture content and degree of compaction and there is an increase in the saturated soil after collapse. The volume change and the tip resistance due to flood variations are influenced by the degree of compaction and soil initial moisture.

Fundações por estacas escavadas com trado mecânico têm sido largamente empregadas para cargas de pequeno e médio porte. Como o processo executivo não consegue evitar a deterioração das propriedades do solo in situ no fundo da escavação, a única parcela confiável de resistência é aquela referente ao atrito lateral. No entanto, a ponta dessas estacas, muitas vezes, atinge estratos com resistência relativamente elevada e não consegue aproveitar as qualidades do estrato. O presente trabalho visou o estudo do comportamento desse tipo de estaca no perfil geotécnico típico da cidade de Londrina, através da execução de provas de carga dinâmica em 16 estacas de 0,25 m de diâmetro e 12 m de comprimento, sendo três estacas tradicionais e 13 estacas com ponta modificada. Foram feitas, também, provas de carga estática em duas estacas tradicionais, inspeção das pontas de todas as estacas e determinação dos parâmetros de resistência do solo. Os resultados mostraram que todas as modificações pesquisadas permitiram a utilização da carga estrutural nominal das estacas e que a mais eficiente foi a do tipo que promoveu a melhoria do solo na ponta com a adição de um estabilizante de solo. / Auger pile foundations have been widely employed for light to medium loads. As the executive process can’t avoid the degradation of the bottom excavation in situ soil properties, the only reliable resistance is a lateral friction parcel. However, these tip piles, many times, reaches relatively resistant strata and can’t take advantage from these strata qualities. The present paper seems study the performance of this kind of piles in typical geotechnical profile of Londrina, by dynamic load tests on 16 piles with diameter equal 0,25 m and length of 12 m, when three traditional piles and on thirteen kinds with tip modification. Were made, also, static load tests on three traditional piles, tip investigation on all piles and soil resistance parameters determination. The results shaw that all modifications researched was able to use the nominal structural load of piles and that the more efficient of them was the soil improvement by soil stabilizer addition.

Interspeech posture (ISP) is a term used to define the position of a person’s articulators when they are preparing to speak. Research suggests that ISP may be representative of a speaker’s phonological knowledge in a particular language, as determined empirically with ultrasound measures of the tongue in English-French bilinguals (Wilson & Gick, 2014). It is possible, therefore, that measuring ISP could be a diagnostic tool for determining phonological knowledge in bilingual speakers. However, more information on ISP in typical adult bilingual speakers is needed before diagnostic claims can be made. For example, ISP is believed to be language specific, and the typical ISP for each language must be determined. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to extend the research by Wilson and Gick (2014) to investigate ISP in Spanish-English speaking adults. To this end, 13 bilingual Spanish-English adults were asked to produce 30 sentences while speaking in monolingual and bilingual modes. While they were speaking, ultrasound images of the oral cavity were obtained by placing a probe sub-mentally and analyzing the position of the tongue using Articulate Assistant Advanced 2.0 software (Articulate Instruments, 2012). Tongue and palate contour measurements were made by using a curved tongue spline that was manually drawn and semi-automatically fit to each speaker’s tongue/palate contour. ISP was measured using the participant’s tongue tip height along a reference angle from the probe to the alveolar ridge. Additionally, monolingual English speaking adults were asked to rate the accentedness of each bilingual’s speech in English as a behavioral correlate of language proficiency. Overall results of this study were non-significant; bilingual Spanish-English speakers utilized similar postures in monolingual Spanish and English modes, and in bilingual mode, in contrast with the findings of Wilson and Gick (2014). Accentedness ratings in English v indicated that the bilingual speakers were relatively uniform in their lack of accentedness. Although overall results from this study differ from those of Wilson and Gick (2014) a subset of their participants- speakers that were rated as having non-native accents- had similar results in that they also showed no difference in ISP. Related ISP’s across languages may be due to participants having native sounding English but non-native Spanish. Due to contrasting findings from Wilson and Gick (2014), further investigation with accented speakers is needed to determine if distinct ISPs exist for bilingual Spanish-English speakers.