[pt] A artista suíça-brasileira Mira Schendel (Zurique, 1919 – São Paulo, 1988) chegou ao Brasil no pós-guerra, em 1949, e aqui começou a pintar. Embora mantivesse vínculos inegáveis com os demais movimentos artísticos da segunda metade do século XX, Mira criou uma linguagem plástica própria e produziu uma estética entre que não permite ser reduzida a nenhum dos ismos de seu tempo. O objetivo da tese Mira Schendel. A rede da obra é investigar as escolhas formais e as preocupações expressivas de Mira a partir de um conjunto representativo de trabalhos, buscando apreender a singularidade das questões artísticas e plásticas implícitas nessas obras particulares. Desde a realização das 2000 Monotipias, entre 1964-66, sua pesquisa ramifica-se em séries que se desenvolvem a partir do desdobramento de algumas questões matriciais: o transparente e o opaco, a potencialização do vazio, a corporeidade do mundo, as ambiguidades do signo, o tempo. Artista prolixa, destacava-se pelo experimentalismo espontâneo. Sempre pesquisando os processos da forma, utilizou materiais inusitados que estabeleciam entre si relações bastante singulares e criou uma quantidade assombrosa de trabalhos que declaram a falência da hierarquia entre pintura, desenho, escultura ou instalação. Recortou, furou, amassou e, literalmente, amarrou os seus suportes. Desenhava com a unha, no avesso do papel. Esses gestos inesperados acabaram por explodir, em definitivo, a representação ilusionista e produziram um pensamento novo, incrivelmente livre, sobre a pintura e o espaço pictórico. / [en] Swiss-brazilian artist Mira Schendel (Zurich 1919 - São Paulo 1988) arrived in Brazil after the war, in 1949, and here she began to paint. Although she maintained undeniable connexions with the other artistic movements of the second half of the twentieth century, Mira created a language of her own and produced an aesthetic of the in between, which cannot be reduced to any of the isms of her time. The purpose of the dissertation Mira Schendel: the work of art s net is to investigate Mira s formal choices and expressive concerns as from a representative set of her works, seeking to apprehend the singularity of the artistic and plastic issues implicit in these particular works. Since the 2000 Monotypes, made between 1964-66, her research has been based on series that develop from the unfolding of some matrix issues: the transparent and the opaque, the potentialization of the void, the corporeality of the world, the ambiguities of the sign, time. A prolix artist, she stood out because of her spontaneous experimentalism. Always researching the processes of form, she used unusual materials that established very singular connections; she created an astonishing amount of works that declare the failure of the hierarchy between painting, drawing, sculpture or installation. She cut, punched, kneaded, and literally tied up her supports. She drew with her fingernail on the back of the paper. These unexpected gestures definitely invalidated the illusionist representation and produced a new way of thinking, incredibly free, about painting and pictorial space.

Over the past two decades, much has been learned about the atmospheric structure of the pulsating Mira-type variable stars from computer modeling and the analysis of ultraviolet and visible wavelength spectra. This talk reports on the first set of infrared spectra taken of these stars under high dispersion with the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) onboard the Spitzer Space Telescope. A sample of 25 galactic Miras was observed in the 10-37 micron spectral regime anywhere from two to several times during their pulsation cycle. Many of the stars observed show marked changes in overall flux levels as a function of phase. We are able to identify many strong emission lines from neutral and singly ionized metals and emission features due to silicate and carbon dusts and molecular constituents. This work was financially supported through a NASA Spitzer grant for Program GO 50717.

Abstract available through American Astronomical Society.

L'interférométrie des tavelures permet de restaurer des images à la limite de résolution angulaire (quelques dizaines de millisecondes d'arc dans le visible) des plus grands télescopes terrestres malgré les effets de la turbulence atmosphérique. Je présente différentes méthodes de l'interférométrie des tavelures (méthodes de Labeyrie, de Knox et Thompson, du bispectre et de l'holographie auto-référencée) pour mettre en évidence la rigueur nécessaire à leur exploitation. L'application en astronomie visible de ces méthodes nécessite un détecteur à comptage de photons. J'explique comment je compense le défaut dit du "trou du comptage" de photons en intégrant des intercorrélations. Je propose une approche robuste pour résoudre le problème de la restauration d'image à partir de mesures très bruitées et/ou lacunaires. Je montre que cette approche générale peut être adaptée à la nature des mesures, en particulier à celles de l'interférométrie des tavelures. Cela me permet de dériver ou d'améliorer un certain nombre d'algorithmes : déconvolution, déconvolution en aveugle, restauration d'image en interférométrie des tavelures, etc. Ces algorithmes me permettent d'obtenir des résultats fiables et d'intérêt astrophysique : la découverte en Halpha de la base du jet émanant de T-Tau, la première mise en évidence du mouvement orbital d'une étoile double pré-séquence principale pour DF-Tau, la détection dans le visible du compagnon dit "infrarouge" de ZCMa et le sondage de l'atmosphère étendue de chi-Cygni dans les bandes du TiO.

Optical interferometry is a technique by which the diameters and indeed the direct pulsations of stars are routinely being measured. As a follow-on to a 7 year interferometric campaign to measure the pulsations of over 100 mira variables, our team has been using the Spitzer Space Telescope to obtain 95 mid-infrared spectra of 25 miras during their pulsations over one year while simultaneously ascertaining their near-infrared diameters using the Palomar Testbed Interferometer. These data will then be combined with modeling from NLTE and radiative transfer codes to place hard constraints on our understanding of these stars and their circumstellar environments. We present some initial results from this work and discuss the next steps toward fully characterizing the atmosphere, molecular photosphere and dust production in mira variables.

Thesis (MDram (Drama))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this thesis is to study the themes of identity and belonging in the films of Mira Nair. Three films form the basis of this study namely Salaam Bombay!, Mississippi Masala and Monsoon Wedding. The approach is thematic, i.e using the film to explore different socio-political themes of identity rather than looking at the methodology she uses as a filmmaker. The analysis of each of the three films looks at a particular form of identity namely national, cultural or personal identity, and makes reference to Nair’s own comments on the films as well as academic articles on the films, her work and issues such as identity, nostalgia, home, belonging, marginalization, immigrants, street children and the like, in order to interrogate Nair’s exploration of the particular ideas within these films. It examines the films as if it were a work of literature, and looks at how it deals with these issues within a filmic context. What symbols does she use to show us we are dealing with cultural identity? Which character is symbolic of the modernist movement? Finally it examines the potential effect of these films on the society from which they derive, and comes to some conclusions about the effect these films may have in challenging, shaping and/or influencing ideas about nostalgia, home, identity, and so on. The discussions of the films show that she has been superbly able to exploit all the advantages of her chosen medium to bring her remarkable visual inventiveness and artistry into play in order to communicate this to an international audience and to make them think about the issues at hand. The filmmaker is finally established not only as simply a creator of film, but ultimately as a thinker and poet. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie tesis is om die temas van identiteit en ‘n gevoel van behoort in die films van Mira Nair te bestudeer. Drie films vorm die basis van die studie naamlik Salaam Bombay!, Mississippi Masala en Monsoon Wedding. Die aanslag is tematies van aard, m.a.w. dit gebruik die films om die verskillende sosio-ekonomise temas van identiteit te identifiseer en ontleed, eerder as om die metodologie van haar as filmmaker te bestudeer. Die analise van elke van die drie films kyk na ‘n spesifieke vorm van identiteit, naamlik nasionale, kulturele of persoonlike identiteit en maak verwysing na kommentaar deur Nair haarself, sowel as akademiese artikels oor die films, haar werk en kwessies van identiteit, nostalgie, die konsep van ‘n tuiste, ‘n gevoel van behoort, marginalisasie, immigrante, straat kinders en dies meer. Die doel is om sodoende Nair se idees oor identiteit binne hierdie films te bevraagteken en ontleed. Die tesis ondersoek die films asof dit ‘n literere werk is, en neem in ag die maniere waarop dit na hierdie kwessies kyk binne ‘n filmiese konteks. Daar word byvoorbeeld gekyk na watter simbole sy gebruik wanneer sy verwys na kulturele identiteit. Watter karakter is die simbool vir die modernistiese beweging, ens. Uitendelik bevraagteken die tesis the potensiële effek van hierdie films op die omgewing en omstandighede waaruit dit ontstaan het, en kom tot sekere gevolgtrekkings met betrekking tot die mate waarin hierdie films kwessies van tuiste, nostalgie, identiteit ens beinvloed en/of vorm en bevraagteken. Die besprekings dui daarop dat sy baie bevoeg is om al die voordele van haar verkose medium tesame met haar indrukwekkende visuele verbeelding te gebruik om aan ‘n internasionale gehoor die kwessies te kommunikeer en hul te dwing om aktief te dink oor die kwessies aan hand. Uiteindelik word die filmmaker Nair nie slegs as ‘n skepper van film beskryf nie, maar ook as ‘n denker en digter.

Les performances d'une optique adaptative (OA) avec étoile laser, sur des télescopes de 3.6~m et 8~m de diamètre sont évaluées. L'utilisation d'une étoile laser permet d'améliorer significativement la couverture du ciel (pourcentage du ciel observable): 99~\% du ciel est accessible avec une étoile laser (contre 10~\% avec une étoile naturelle (à 2.2~$\mu$m, latitude et longitude galactique moyenne et un rapport de Strehl de 0.2)). Le nombre de quasars observables avec un rapport de Strehl de plus de 0.2 passe de 357 à 6803. Les performances de l'OA avec étoile laser chutent vers les courtes longueurs d'onde ($<1 \mu$m), à cause de l'effet de cône. Cependant l'étude tridimensionnelle de la turbulence atmosphérique permet de résoudre ce problème. Quatre étoiles laser permettent d'obtenir une bonne correction dans le visible sur un télescope de 8~m (Strehl de 80~\%). Le champ de vue corrigé peut être significativement élargi (100'') avec un Strehl de 30~\%. Des modes élevés de la surface d'onde (tilt, forme particulière de défocalisation et d'astigmatisme) doivent être mesurés à partir d'une étoile naturelle. L'anisoplanétisme appara\^(\i)t dans le champ corrigé, à cause du nombre fini de miroirs déformables utilisés. Les performances d'une OA fonctionnant dans le visible, avec plusieurs étoiles laser (et naturelles) sont estimées sur un télescope de 100~m de diamètre. Il n'y a pas de limitation physique qui empêche d'atteindre, avec une bonne couverture du ciel, une résolution d'une milli-seconde d'arc dans le visible. Le dernier chapitre est consacré à l'étude d'étoiles Mira, avec une OA et un spectrographe intégral de champ, pour localiser par imagerie des ondes de choc dans leur atmosphère.

This descriptive, statistical survey research design sought to identify factors that motivate individuals to stay crime free after serving time in prison. The purpose of this research study was to examine the factors that played a significant role in recidivism.

The influence of Mohandas K. Gandhi on social and environmental movements in post-colonial India has been widely acknowledged. Yet, the contributions of two European associates of Gandhi, Madeleine Slade and Catherine Mary Heilemann, better known in India as Mira Behn and Sarala Behn, have not received the due attention of the academic community. This dissertation is an examination of the philosophy and social activism of Mira Behn and Sarala Behn and their roles in the evolution of Gandhian philosophy of socioeconomic reconstruction and environmental conservation in the present Indian state of Uttarakhand. Instead of just being acolytes of Gandhi, I argue that these women developed ideas and practices that drew upon from an extensive intellectual terrain that cannot be limited to Gandhi’s work. I delineate the directions in which Gandhian thought and experiments in rural development work evolved through the lives, activism, and written contributions of these two women. Particularly, I examine their influence on social and environmental movements, such as the Chipko and the Anti-Tehri Dam movements, and their roles in promoting grassroots social development and environmental sustainability in the mountain communities of Uttarakhand. Mira Behn and Sarala Behn’s integrative philosophical worldviews present epistemological, sociopolitical, ethical, and metaphysical principles and practices that have local and global significance for understanding interfaith dialog, social justice, and environmental sustainability and thus constitute a useful contribution to the theory and practice of human emancipation in our times.

Mira de Amescua (1867), drama escrito en tres actos y en verso, original de José de Velilla y Rodríguez, tiene por protagonista al distinguido poeta homónimo: un soltero maduro y marcado por el amor hacia una condesa, de la que fue paje durante su juventud, y por la que, debido a su inferior condición social, había sido menospreciado. Así, el drama de Velilla demuestra la penumbra en la que permaneció, durante más de dos siglos, la figura de uno de los principales ingenios del siglo XVII. Celebrado en vida por las principales figuras de su tiempo –como lo fueron Lope, Cervantes y Calderón– Antonio Mira de Amescua llegó al siglo XX convertido en un poeta menor y relegado (adscrito, a veces, como satélite del prolífico Lope; otras, como del fulgurante Calderón) para conseguir, a finales de dicho siglo, la rehabilitación que tanto urgía a su figura y obra, gracias a los esfuerzos de estudiosos de distintas partes del mundo. Quizá el mismo don Antonio hubiese entendido la arbitrariedad de estos reveses, pues la fortuna voltaria fue uno de los temas recurrentes de sus comedias. Asimismo, si la conjetura sobre el retrato (un clérigo de unos treinta años, amante de los libros y preocupado por el paso del tiempo), guardado en la Hispanic Society of America en Nueva York, se llegase a comprobar, contaríamos ya con una viva imagen de este genio. A pesar de esto, nuestro conocimiento de su obra no se acerca al nivel del que gozan, actualmente, varios de sus contemporáneos, incluso dejando de lado a los más relevantes de ellos (Lope, Tirso y Calderón).