The Spanish voiced alveolar multiple vibrant consonant /r/, or trill, is often regarded as one of the most difficult sounds in the Spanish phonological inventory for second language (L2) learners. Trills are particularly difficult segments because of their exacting articulatory requirements for production. The highly restricted gestural and aerodynamic configuration required to successfully produce trills could lead to non-native trills automatically being native-like once acquired by learners, unlike other segments which generally show measurably gradient approximation of native values over time. This study employed two experiments to investigate the characteristics of L2 acquisition of Spanish /r/ by adult native speakers of English. The first experiment broadly surveyed the frequency of trill production at four levels of proficiency and among a comparison group of native speakers of Mexican Spanish when trills were the target segments in words. This experiment was designed to show the rate of trill frequency at different learner-levels and to compare it with the rate at which native speakers produce trills. A pattern of increasing ability to produce trills as proficiency level increased was found, as was a pattern of substitution of the alveolar tap as an intermediate strategy among learners who had ceased to transfer American English <italic>r</italic> but who had not yet acquired the ability to produce trills consistently. The second experiment investigated the aerodynamic properties of successfully produced trills to see if the trills of learners who had acquired the ability to produce trills displayed different physical properties from native speakers' trills. Patterns of both "categorical" and "gradient" acquisition were found. On the several measures studied, non-native trills showed patterns of acquisition in which their trills either were immediately native-like, acquired with non-native-like properties which fossilized with no further improvement, or showed gradient improvement in the direction of nativeness as proficiency level increased.

While studying at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, I noticed a significant issue: the town lacked a central hub to unite people of all ages, including students, families, and the elderly. Blacksburg needed to transcend its reputation as solely a college town, and that became the main focus of my thesis. My goal was to explore effective ways of connecting people and boosting the town's economy. Drawing from my experience growing up in a European town, I realized that Blacksburg didn't have a dedicated space for its residents. The streets were dominated by vehicles, making it difficult for pedestrians to navigate. Main St., the busiest road in town, connected the south and north but was consistently congested, especially at night when students were out and about. To address this issue, I chose to intervene near the lively downtown area. Draper St., which runs parallel to Main St. and serves as the border between Blacksburg and Virginia Tech campus, seemed ideal. While Draper St. currently accommodated both vehicles and pedestrians, it didn't experience significant traffic. I decided to remove vehicular traffic from a four-block stretch, from College Avenue to Washington St. This section housed important landmarks like the Black House and the iconic Benny pizza place. The Farmer's Market, where locals sold fresh local produce twice a week, was also located here, along with popular social spots like Rivermill and Milk Parlor. To make space for new structures like a greenhouse, hotel, apartment complex, and retail spaces, I planned to eliminate some parking lots. The urban intervention would have only one intersection, where Draper St. meets Roanoke St., allowing for shared use by vehicles and pedestrians. This intersection would also serve as a drop-off point for Farmer's Market vendors. I firmly believe that this project has immense potential to benefit Blacksburg, not just financially but also by enriching its cultural fabric. / Master of Architecture / While at Grad school in Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA), I realized the lack of a connecting point between all the group ages including students, families and elderly people. Blacksburg should be more than a college town, and this is the main point of my thesis. How to connect people in a successful way as well as helping the town's economy. Based on my experience growing up in a European town, I realized there is no place in Blacksburg fully dedicated to people. All the streets share vehicular and pedestrian circulation. Main St. is the busiest in town, but it is also the principal axis connecting south and north Blacksburg. This road always has traffic, and it is not safe for pedestrians, especially at night when the students come out. This intervention should be close to downtown where activities take place. For this reason, I chose Draper St. which is directly parallel to Main St, acting as the borderline between Blacksburg and Virginia Tech campus. This street is currently design for cars and people, but it does not have a lot of traffic, so I decided to remove the vehicular circulation along 4 blocks, from College Avenue to Washington St. This portion has some important buildings such as the Black House, and the iconic Benny pizza place. There is also a very important location on this street, the Farmer Market where they sell fresh local products every Wednesday and Saturday. Rivermill and Milk Parlor are some popular social places on this street. There are some parking lots which I am getting rid of to add other structures like a green house, a hotel, an apartment complex and retail among others. This urban scale intervention will only have one intersection at Draper St. and Roanoke St. where cars will share road with pedestrians. This will also allow for a place to drop off the products for the Farmer Market. In my opinion this project will bring a lot of benefits to the town of Blacksburg, not only financially but also culturally.

Les systèmes haptiques, ou systèmes de simulation de textures, sont aujourd'hui en plein essor et représentent le prochain challenge pour les appareils mobiles. L'une des solutions les plus prometteuses est celle à base de réduction de friction par vibrations ultrasoniques. L'objectif de cette thèse est de développer une solution haptique répondant au critère d’intégration de la téléphonie mobile en termes d’intégration et de consommation électrique. Plus précisément, il est de proposer une solution à base de couches minces piézoélectriques déposées sur une plaque transparente de la taille d’un écran de smartphone. Après avoir identifié les phénomènes de perception tactile, nous avons établi les spécifications du cahier des charges permettant obtenir un stimulateur haptique. Un modèle théorique de vibration, basé sur la réflexion des ondes de Lamb, nous a permis de déterminer les modes de vibration répondant à ce cahier des charges pour une plaque de la taille d’un smartphone d'écran 5 pouces libre de toutes contraintes. Des transducteurs piézoélectriques en nitrure d’aluminium sont utilisés pour la mise en vibration du système haptique. Déposés sur une face de la plaque, leur position et leur dimensionnement ont été optimisés grâce à des simulations par éléments finis. Le dispositif tactile final sera conçu de façon à laisser un espace central transparent de 4 pouces de diagonal permettant l’ajout d’un écran LCD. Le prototype ainsi déterminé, il est fabriqué grâce à des techniques de dépôt et de gravure en salle blanche. Le dispositif réalisé est caractérisé électriquement et mécaniquement. On détermine alors la puissance nécessaire pour la mise en vibration de la plaque avec des amplitudes correspondant au cahier des charges. Une optimisation de l’électronique de commande permet de réduire la puissance d’actionnement de ce système. Des transducteurs, utilisés en capteurs, sont caractérisés. Ces derniers seront utilisés pour asservir le système dans le cas d’un appui simulant le doigt sur la plaque. / Haptic rendering systems, or textural recreated systems, are nowaday in constant expension and represent the next challenge for the mobile devices. One of the promising solution is based on the friction reduction generated by ultrasonic waves. The aim of this PhD is to develop an haptic rendering solution taking into account the issues of integration into mobile devices in terms of power consumption. More precisely, a solution based on piezoelectric thin films deposited onto a smartphone-sized transparent plate is proposed. Understanding the tactile perception phenomenons, the physical specifications are established in order to obtain an haptic stimulator. A theoretical model based on the Lamb wave reflections determined the vibration modes corresponding to the specifications for a constrain-free 5-inch smartphone size plate.The plate is put into vibration by Aluminum Nitrite thin-film piezoelectric transducers. Processed on one side of the plate, their dimension and position have been optimized thanks to finite element simulations. The final tactile prototype is designed allowing a 4-inch clear centrale space for positioning a futur LCD screen. After this design, the prototype is fabricated with cleanroom processes. The device is then electrically and mechanically characterized. The minimum power necessary to put in vibration the plate is determined, with the minimum specified vibration amplitude. The electronic for the actuation is optimized in order to reduce the power consumption of the system. Transducers, used as sensors, are characterized in order to create a feedback loop. A user case is finally studied to compensate the influence of the finger.

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Mesure de la variation du travail de sortie et de la conductivité électrique en fonction de la température entre 25 et 360°C, de la pression d'oxygène ou de la pression d'oxyde de soufre. Etude du potentiel de surface. Etude de l'adsorption de SO₂ en présence d'oxygène. Les phénomènes étudiés peuvent être appliqués à la réalisation de capteurs sélectifs. Un appareillage a été réalisé pour l'étude du travail de sortie.

This thesis examines the existence of posthumanism in the dramas of Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe, and William Shakespeare – the three most prominent playwrights of the early modern period. Posthumanist theory, which gives scholars the opportunity to look at past works in a new and unique way, attempts to re-locate the human in the diverse creatures and objects in the world we inhabit. By applying posthumanist theory to older works, we can better understand the early modern period and its writers as well as their relevance to the present. Their plays’ messages serve as warnings that work to guide humanity in the right direction if we are willing to listen. Current events show us the dangers of continuing down the path of our present course. In short, by looking to the past I hope to chart the course of posthumanist interpretation on literature and our own species in the future.

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La critique de la romancière américaine Amy Tan se concentre principalement sur la dimension humaine de ses romans, négligeant la dimension matérielle de l’existence qui occupe une place prépondérante dans ses romans. Sous l’influence d’une conception anthropocentrique qui privilégie l’être humain ou le sujet, la critique s’est concentrée essentiellement sur la relation mère / fille, sur l’importance du langage et de la mémoire et sur les conflits entre les cultures chinoise et américaine. Néanmoins, dans le contexte de ce qu’il est convenu d’appeler le “retour aux choses” et l’accent nouveau mis sur le “non humain”, mouvement qui s’est mis en place dans la critique des années 1990, je porte mon attention sur les choses, plus particulièrement sur les interactions entre humains et non-humains dans ses romans. Sous la double influence des cultures chinoise et américaine, Tan dépasse l’opposition binaire, qui caractérise la tradition occidentale, selon laquelle le sujet est supérieur à l’objet. Les humains et les non-humains ainsi que les entités naturelles et spirituelles sont tous des choses-Qi dans l’univers textuel. En mettant en dialogue la réflexion occidentale contemporaine sur les choses avec les philosophies chinoises, notamment le taoïsme, cette thèse examine les caractéristiques des choses-Qi et leurs interactions de nature à provoquer un retour écologique à l’harmonie entre les humains et les non-humains, entre le microcosme et le macrocosme dans l’ordre textuel. / Comments on Amy Tan's novels mainly focus on what we associate with human culture, ignoring the material dimensions of existence that figure prominently in her novels. Influenced by the anthropocentric idea that the human being/the subject is superior to things/the object, critics mainly focus on the mother-daughter relation, the importance of language and memory and the conflicts of Chinese and American culture. However, in the context of the so-called “return to things,” “back to things,” and “turn to the non-human” which has become visible in the humanities since the 1990s, I concentrate on things, specifically on the interactions between humans and nonhumans in her novels. Under the influence of both American and Chinese culture, Tan breaks with the western tradition of binary opposition in which the subject is superior to the object. Qi-things include natural and man-made things, human beings, and even spiritual things and things in the textual world. Bringing the twenty-first century western revision of things into dialogue with Chinese philosophies, especially Taoism, this dissertation discusses the traits of Qi-things and how they interact with each other to foster an ecological return to harmony within the textual world that reconciles humans and non-humans, microcosm and macrocosm.

Reproduction de : Thèse de doctorat : Génie civil : Lille 1 : 2006. / N° d'ordre (Lille 1) : 3951. Résumé. Titre provenant de la page de titre du document numérisé. Bibliogr. p. 125-127. Liste des publications.