Narrativization of actuality : convergence of form and genre in film and television

The thesis concerns the treatment of actuality in film and television, particularly the narrativization of actuality images, and the context of their placement within audio/visual texts. Several instances of the convergence of media form and genre are analyzed, and the conventions of classificatory systems and boundaries that pertain to film and television representations are reconsidered in light of changes in the conventions of genre. The distinction between, and convergence of fictional and non-fictional conventions of narrative are therefore central to the thesis, as are the related issues of viewer response, the nature of subjectivity in the viewer, the connectivity of text and culture, and the relations of actuality to the text. The thesis traces the narrativization of actuality through textual, formal and genre boundaries, adopting a ‘line of flight or deterritorialization’ that enables the thesis to ‘change in nature and connect with other multiplicities.’This line of flight passes through the conventional separation of genre groupings and texts, and, similarly, has been applied in the thesis as a rationale for the diminution of theoretical boundaries. A multiperpectival approach is applied to the permeability of, or transcendent relations of the analysis to the boundaries between genres, between texts and culture, and between actuality and virtual representation. In the thesis there is also a theoretical deterritorialization that consents to a pluralism of theory, which is an approach demonstrated by Deleuze and Guattari in A Thousand Plateaus. The model of multi-perspectivalism adopted in the thesis engages in establishing connections and similarities between theories, rather than emphasizing contradictory and exclusive practices. The Foucauldian notion of the rules of formation in discourse, Nichols’ theories of documentary representation of reality, Bordwell’s schematic interpretation, and several other positions are critiqued, as the line of flight embarked upon in the thesis intersects with, and passes through both textual and theoretical boundaries. The thesis consists of two parts: firstly, a location of theoretical perspective, in which the issues of theory pertaining to actuality and narrative are explicated, and the methodological approach of the thesis is defined. The second part commences with an analysis of the most familiar instances of actuality in film and television, with particular attention to documentary forms. It then engages in the analysis of films that represent actuality but which, in the process of narrativization, display a convergence of genre conventions. The films selected for analysis include Steven Speilberg's Schindler's List, (1993) Oliver Stone's JFK, (1991) and Robert Zemeckis' Forrest Gump, (1994) and Contact, (1996). Hence the thesis is concerned with the application of a pluralist theoretical approach, with, however, an emphasis on the Deleuzo-Guattarian notions of rhizome and assemblage. Within this theoretical frame, the connections between actuality and the audio/visual text are explicated, and the formation of text as ‘a rhizome with the world’, is analyzed across a range of examples.

The influence of surface forces on thin film drainage between a fluid drop and a flat solid

An experiment is described in which a mica surface is driven towards a mercury drop immersed in aqueous electrolyte. Under appropriate conditions, hydrodynamic pressure in the aqueous film creates a classical dimple in the mercury drop. The use of optical interferometry and video recording to monitor the shape of the drop and the thickness of the aqueous film with sub-nanometre resolution yields a high density of precise data showing the formation and evolution of the dimple as the film drains. Variation of electrical potential applied to the mercury phase allows control of the surface forces acting between the drop and the mica surface, so that the effect of surface forces on the film drainage process is highlighted. It is found that the film thickness at the centre of the dimple and the lateral extent of the dimple are not significantly affected by surface forces. On the other hand, the minimum film thickness at the edge of the dimple is sensitive even to weak surface forces. Since this minimum film thickness is a major determinant of the film drainage rate, it is shown that surface forces have an important effect on the overall drainage process.

Forces due to structure in a thin liquid crystal film

Measurements of the force as a function of distance between two solids separated by a liquid crystal film give information on the structure of the film. We report such measurements for two molecularly smooth surfaces of mica separated by the nematic liquid crystal 4'-n-pentyl 4-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) in both the planar and homeotropic orientations at room temperature. The force is determined by measuring the deflection of a spring supporting one of the mica pieces, while an optical technique is used to measure the film thickness to an accuracy of ± (0.1-0.2) nm. The technique also allows the refractive indices of the nematic to be measured, and hence a determination of the average density and order parameter of the liquid crystal film as a function of its thickness. Three distinct forces were measured, each reflecting a type of ordering of the liquid crystal near the mica surfaces. The first one results from elastic déformation in the liquid crystal ; it was only observed in a twisted planar sample where the 5CB molecules are oriented in different directions at the two mica surfaces. The second, measured in both the planar and homeotropic orientations, is attributed to an enhanced order parameter near the surfaces. Both of these are monotonic repulsive forces measurable below 80 nm. Finally, there is a short-range force which oscillates as a function of thickness, up to about six molecular layers, between attraction and repulsion. This results from ordering of the molecules in layers adjacent to the smooth solid surface. It is observed in both the planar and homeotropic orientations, and also in isotropic liquids.

Oxygen reduction reaction activity of La-based perovskite oxides in alkaline medium : a thin-film rotating ring-disk electrode study

In this work, LaMO₃ and LaNi_0.5M_0.5O₃ (M = Ni, Co, Fe, Mn and Cr) perovskite oxide electrocatalysts were synthesized by a combined ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-citrate complexation technique and subsequent calcinations at 1000 °C in air. Their powder X-ray diffraction patterns demonstrate the formation of a specific crystalline structure for each composition. The catalytic property of these materials toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was studied in alkaline potassium hydroxide solution using the rotating disk and rotating ring-disk electrode techniques. Carbon is considered to be a crucial additive component because its addition into perovskite oxide leads to optimized ORR current density. For LaMO₃ (M = Ni, Co, Fe, Mn and Cr)), in terms of the ORR current densities, the performance is enhanced in the order of LaCrO₃, LaFeO₃, LaNiO₃, LaMnO₃, and LaCoO3. For LaNi_0.5M_0.5O₃, the ORR current performance is enhanced in the order of LaNi_0.5Fe_0.5O₃, LaNi_0.5Co_0.5O₃, LaNi_0.5Cr_0.5O₃, and LaNi_0.5Mn_0.5O₃. Overall, LaCoO₃ demonstrates the best performance. Most notably, substituting half of the nickel with cobalt, iron, manganese, or chromium translates the ORR to a more positive onset potential, suggesting the beneficial catalytic effect of two transition metal cations with Mn as the most promising candidate. Koutecky–Levich analysis on the ORR current densities of all compositions indicates that the four-electron pathway is favored on these oxides, which are consistent with hydroperoxide ion formation of <2%.

Self-assembly of monolayered lipid membranes for surface-coating of a nanoconfined Bombyx mori silk fibroin film

Regenerated Bombyx mori (B. mori) silk fibroin is a type of widely used biomaterial. The β-sheet structure of it after methanol treatment provides water-insolubility and mechanical stability while on the other side leads to a hydrophobic surface which is less preferred by biological systems. In this work we prepare a novel type of nanoconfined silk fibroin film with a thickness below 100 nm. The film has a flat while hydrophobic surface because of its β-sheet structure due to the z-direction confinement during formation. Different types of lipid monolayers, DOPC, DPPC and MO, are assembled on the silk film surface. The lipid coating, especially the DPPC membrane, provides a much smoother and more hydrophilic surface due to the gel phase tails of the lipids, in comparison with the DOPC and MO ones which are in a liquid phase and have a much stronger interfacial association between silk film surface and lipid tails. Such a lipid coating preserves the biocompatibility and cellular affinity of the silk film which promises potential applications as surface coatings for materials for biological use.

Formation of dynamic duolayer systems at the air/water interface by using non-ionic hydrophilic polymers

The inclusion of a water-soluble polymer, poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP), into a surface active film composition before application to the water surface leads to the formation of a dynamic duolayer; a novel surface film system. This duolayer shows improved surface viscosity over the monolayer compound alone, while the addition of polymer maintains other film properties such as evaporation control and equilibrium spreading pressure. Brewster Angle Microscopy shows that the duolayer film undergoes a different formation mechanism upon film compression, and the resultant surface pressure/area isotherm is different at lower surface pressures indicating the PVP is present on the water surface at these pressures and squeezed out to the water subphase at higher pressures. The addition of water-soluble polymers to form a dynamic duolayer provides a unique way to produce defect-free and tightly packed films while polymer is associated with the film. This finding provides new knowledge for the design of surface films with improved properties with potential applications in many areas.