El cuarto propio de Eileen Gray. "Tempe à pailla" 1932-1934: síntesis Crítica de un Aprendizaje Arquitectónico

En esta tesis se estudia la vivienda “Tempe à pailla” (1932-1934) construida por Eileen Gray para uso propio, en la localidad francesa de Castellar. La expresión “cuarto propio” en el título del trabajo identifica este proyecto con la búsqueda de un lugar para la autoexperimentación. “Tempe à pailla” es el resultado de una enseñanza autodidacta adquirida por Eileen Gray gracias a la convivencia con los protagonistas del movimiento moderno, en el marco de la Francia de entreguerras. Las experiencias artesanales de E. Gray previas a la arquitectura y los instrumentos de aprendizaje permiten comprender el desarrollo de una mente crítica que cuestiona continuamente lo observado. Por ello, para demostrar la influencia de los postulados de los movimientos contemporáneos en la evolución de sus creaciones, y como preámbulo al análisis de “Tempe à pailla” se realiza un recorrido por las técnicas experimentadas y se analizan dos de sus primeros ejercicios de proyecto: “Vivienda de tres plantas” (1923) y “Maison pour un ingénieur” (1926). La enseñanza adquirida en torno a la herramienta del dibujo analítico y técnico, junto a su investigación en el campo de lo pictórico trasladada al mobiliario realizado en laca, o al diseño y tejido de tapices, constituyen un conjunto de prácticas que desembocan, primero en el acondicionamiento de interiores, para ensayar novedosas composiciones espaciales entre sus objetos y, por último, en el proyecto de arquitectura como disciplina capaz de conjugar todo lo experimentado anteriormente. El binomio Intuición más Método, en todos estos itinerarios prácticos de Eileen Gray, combinado con una mirada atenta hacia las obras, exposiciones, lecturas y revistas especializadas de su tiempo, amalgaman una personalidad compleja que investigó progresivamente, primero en el ámbito de la domesticidad, y en su etapa de madurez en torno a los mínimos de habitar y a los espacios colectivos. El propósito de esta tesis es descubrir cómo los aspectos sociales, artísticos y arquitectónicos del contexto, entrelazados con la propia subjetividad crítica de la arquitecto conforman los fundamentos de esta vivienda y condicionan las decisiones de una mente que proyecta copiando, reelaborando y descartando entre lo conocido y lo aprendido. La elección de esta casa como protagonista de la investigación persigue, en primer lugar, descubrir su relación con los discursos del momento, constituyéndose en objeto arquitectónico paradigmático de un diálogo continuado y abierto. Y en segundo lugar, establecer una síntesis valorativa de la coherencia o la falta de ella en las decisiones objetivas del proyecto, confrontándolas con otros ejemplos. Para alcanzar estos dos objetivos se ha diseccionado la casa desde cinco perspectivas: su vínculo con la preexistencia del lugar, su organización en planta alejada de cualquier tipo normalizado, su vocabulario como reflejo de la modernidad, las relaciones espacio-temporales conseguidas y la sinergia establecida entre el equipamiento doméstico y la arquitectura. Este desarrollo ha hecho posible situar “Tempe á pailla” como un punto de inflexión en la arquitectura de Eileen Gray, y un ejemplo donde fue capaz de anticipar las futuras revisiones del movimiento moderno en aspectos como: la adecuación y empatía de lo construido con el lugar de emplazamiento, el rechazo a las connotaciones del concepto de “machine d’habiter” y la búsqueda de un confort enfatizado por la percepción, la experiencia e incluso los efectos psicológicos del interior doméstico. La relectura de esta casa, enmarcada dentro de la trayectoria práctica de su autora, invita a fijar la mirada en un inexcusable aprendizaje, previo a lo arquitectónico, que aúne la TEORÍA y la PLÁSTICA del momento con ensayos materializados en la PRÁCTICA, demostrando que, para madurar el conocimiento y proyectar con criterio crítico, es imprescindible el factor TIEMPO. ABSTRACT This thesis examines the housing “Tempe à pailla” (1932-1934) built by Eileen Gray for her own use, in the French village of Castellar. The expression “own room” in the title of the work identifies this project as the searching for a place for self experimentation. “Tempe à pailla” is the result of a self-directed learning acquired by the authoress due to coexistence with the protagonists of the modern movement, within the framework of the interwar France. Gray’s craft experiences previous to the architecture along the learning tools allow us to understand the development of a critical mind that questions continuously what she observes. Therefore to demonstrate the influence of the postulates of the contemporary movements in the evolution of her creations, and as a preamble to analysis of “Tempe à pailla”, this thesis makes a tour, along the techniques that she experienced, and studies two of her first exercises of project: “Three-storey housing”(1923) and “Maison pour an ingénieur” (1926). Lesson learned around the analytical tool of architectural drawing, together her research in the field of painting transferred to furniture made in lacquer, or to the design and fabric of tapestries, they constitute a set of craft experiences that lead, first in the conditioning of interiors, rehearsing novel spatial compositions among her objects and finally in the architectural project as a discipline capable of combining everything she learnt previously The binomial Intuition plus Method in all of these practicals Eileen Gray’s itineraries, combined with her look toward the works, exhibitions, readings and journals of her time, become together a complex personality that progressively innovates firstly in the context of domesticity and, in her stage of maturity, on the minimum living and collective spaces. The purpose of this thesis is to discover how the social, artistic and architectural aspects of the context, interlaced with the own critical subjectivity of the architect shape the foundations of this housing and determine the decisions of a mind that projects copying, re-elaborating and rejecting among the aspects known and learned. The choice of this house as the protagonist of the thesis aims, first to discover the relationship with the speeches of her time, becoming a paradigmatic architectural object of a continued and open dialogue. And secondly, to establish a evaluative synthesis of the consistency or lack of it in the project decisions, confronting them with others appropriate examples. To achieve these two objectives the house has been dissected from five perspectives: Its link with the preexistence of the place, its organization on floor away any standard type, its vocabulary as a reflection of modernity reached spatial-temporal relations and the synergy established between the domestic equipment and architecture. The development has made possible to place “Tempe à pailla” as a turning point in the architecture of Eileen Gray, and an example where she was able to anticipate future revisions of the modern movement in aspects such as: adaptation and empathy of the architecture with the site, the rejection of the connotations of the concept of “machine d’habiter” and the pursuit of comfort emphasized by the perception, the experience and even the psychological effects of the domestic interior. The re-reading of this singular and reduced House, framed within the practical trajectory of her authoress, invites to gaze inexcusable learning prior to the architecture, which combines the THEORY and the PLASTIC with trials materialized in PRACTICE, demonstrating that the essential factor to mature knowledge and planning with critical criteria, is the TIME.

As climate changes, so do glaciers

Understanding abrupt climate changes requires detailed spatial/temporal records of such changes, and to make these records, we need rapidly responding, geographically widespread climate trackers. Glacial systems are such trackers, and recent additions to the stratigraphic record show overall synchronous response of glacial systems to climate change reflecting global atmosphere conditions.

Stability and sensitivity analysis of Be-CoDiS, an epidemiological model to predict the spread of human diseases between countries. Validation with data from the 2014-16 West African Ebola Virus Disease epidemic.

Ebola virus disease is a lethal human and primate disease that requires a particular attention from the international health authorities due to important recent outbreaks in some Western African countries and isolated cases in European and North-America continents. Regarding the emergency of this situation, various decision tools, such as mathematical models, were developed to assist the authorities to focus their efforts in important factors to eradicate Ebola. In a previous work, we have proposed an original deterministic spatial-temporal model, called Be-CoDiS (Between-Countries Disease Spread), to study the evolution of human diseases within and between countries by taking into consideration the movement of people between geographical areas. This model was validated by considering numerical experiments regarding the 2014-16 West African Ebola Virus Disease epidemic. In this article, we propose to perform a stability analysis of Be-CoDiS. Our first objective is to study the equilibrium states of simplified versions of this model, limited to the cases of one an two countries, and to determine their basic reproduction ratios. Then, in order to give some recommendations for the allocation of resources used to control the disease, we perform a sensitivity analysis of those basic reproduction ratios regarding the model parameters. Finally, we validate the obtained results by considering numerical experiments based on data from the 2014-16 West African Ebola Virus Disease epidemic.

TextMess 2.0: las tecnologías del lenguaje humano ante los nuevos retos de la comunicación digital

El objetivo general de este proyecto se centra en el estudio, desarrollo y experimentación de diferentes técnicas y sistemas basados en Tecnologías del Lenguaje Humano (TLH) para el desarrollo de la próxima generación de sistemas de procesamiento inteligente de la información digital (modelado, recuperación, tratamiento, comprensión y descubrimiento) afrontando los actuales retos de la comunicación digital. En este nuevo escenario, los sistemas deben incorporar capacidades de razonamiento que descubrirán la subjetividad de la información en todos sus contextos (espacial, temporal y emocional) analizando las diferentes dimensiones de uso (multilingualidad, multimodalidad y registro).

RetinaStudio: A bioinspired framework to encode visual information

The retina is a very complex neural structure, which performs spatial, temporal, and chromatic processing on visual information and converts it into a compact ‘digital’ format composed of neural impulses. This paper presents a new compiler-based framework able to describe, simulate and validate custom retina models. The framework is compatible with the most usual neural recording and analysis tools, taking advantage of the interoperability with these kinds of applications. Furthermore it is possible to compile the code to generate accelerated versions of the visual processing models compatible with COTS microprocessors, FPGAs or GPUs. The whole system represents an ongoing work to design and develop a functional visual neuroprosthesis. Several case studies are described to assess the effectiveness and usefulness of the framework.

Biopacemaker acceleration without increased synchronization by chronic exposure to phorbol myristate acetate

L'activité électrique du coeur est initiée par la génération spontanée de potentiels d'action venant des cellules pacemaker du noeud sinusal (SN). Toute dysfonction au niveau de cette région entraîne une instabilité électrique du coeur. La majorité des patients souffrant d'un noeud sinusal déficient nécessitent l'implantation chirurgicale d'un pacemaker électronique; cependant, les limitations de cette approche incitent à la recherche d'une alternative thérapeutique. La base moléculaire des courants ioniques jouant un rôle crucial dans l'activité du noeud sinusal sont de plus en plus connues. Une composante importante de l'activité des cellules pacemakers semble être le canal HCN, responsable du courant pacemaker If. Le facteur T-box 3 (Tbx3), un facteur de transcription conservé durant le processus de l'évolution, est nécessaire au développement du système de conduction cardiaque. De précédentes études ont démontré que dans différentes lignées cellulaires le Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) active l'expression du gène codant Tbx3 via des réactions en cascade partant de la protéine kinase C (PKC). L'objectif principal de cette étude est de tester si le PMA peut augmenter la fréquence et la synchronisation de l'activité spontanée du pacemaker biologique en culture. Plus précisément, nous avons étudié les effets de l'exposition chronique au PMA sur l'expression du facteur de transcription Tbx3, sur HCN4 et l'activité spontanée chez des monocouches de culture de myocytes ventriculaires de rats néonataux (MVRN). Nos résultats démontrent que le PMA augmente significativement le facteur transcription de Tbx3 et l'expression ARNm de HCN4, favorisant ainsi l'augmentation du rythme et de la stabilité de l'activité autonome. De plus, une diminution significative de la vitesse de conduction a été relevée et est attribuée à la diminution du couplage intercellulaire. La diminution de la vitesse de conduction pourrait expliquer l'effet négatif du PMA sur la synchronisation de l'activité autonome du pacemaker biologique. Ces résultats ont été confirmés par un modèle mathématique multicellulaire suggérant que des fréquences et résistances intercellulaires plus élevée pourraient induire une activité plus stable et moins synchrone. Cette étude amène de nouvelles connaissances très importantes destinées à la production d'un pacemaker biologique efficient et robuste.

Magnetostratigraphy and biostratigraphy of ODP Leg 105 sites and DSDP Hole 12-112

During Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 105, three sites (Sites 645 through 647) were drilled in Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea to examine the tectonic evolution and the climatic and oceanic histories of this region. Biostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic results vary at each site, while stratigraphic resolution depends on the limited abundance of marker species and the completeness of the paleomagnetic record. Because of the paucity of planktonic microfossils and the poor paleomagnetic record signatures, stratigraphic determinations at Site 645 often rely on defining minimum temporal constraints on specific samples or stratigraphic intervals. The completed stratigraphy indicates that the sedimentary sequence recovered at Site 645 is early Miocene to Holocene in age. The magnetostratigraphy and biostratigraphies are better defined at Sites 646 and 647 in the Labrador Sea. Site 646 generally contains a well-developed magnetostratigraphy and calcareous microfossil biostratigraphy. This biostratigraphy is based on calcareous nannofossils and planktonic foraminifers typical of the North Atlantic Ocean. Siliceous microfossils are also present at Site 646, but they are restricted to upper Pliocene through Holocene sediments. The stratigraphic sequence recovered at Site 646 is late Miocene to Holocene in age. Based primarily on the calcareous nannofossil stratigraphy, the sequence recovered at Site 647 consists of lower Eocene to lower Oligocene, lower Miocene, upper Miocene, and upper Pliocene through Holocene sediments. Three hiatuses are present in this sequence: the older hiatus separates lower Oligocene sediments from lower Miocene sediments, another hiatus separates lower Miocene sediments from upper Miocene sediments, and the youngest one separates upper Miocene from upper Pliocene sediments. A magnetostratigraphy is defined for the interval from the Gauss/Matuyama boundary through the Brunhes (Clement et al., this volume). Both planktonic foraminifers and siliceous microfossils have restricted occurrences. Planktonic foraminifers occur in Pliocene and younger sediments, and siliceous microfossils are present in lower Miocene and lower Oligocene sediments. The near-continuous Eocene through lower Oligocene sequence recovered at Site 647 allows the calcareous nannofossils and diatom stratigraphies at this site to act as a Paleogene stratigraphic framework. This framework can be compared with the stratigraphy previously completed for DSDP Site 112.

Quantifying ice-shelf basal melt and ice-stream dynamics using high-resolution DEM and GPS time series

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Comics Explosion: Representations of Persecution in Graphic Narrative, 1995-2015

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-06

The displacement and strain field of three-dimensional rheologic model of earthquake preparation

Based on the three-dimensional elastic inclusion model proposed by Dobrovolskii, we developed a rheological inclusion model to study earthquake preparation processes. By using the Corresponding Principle in the theory of rheologic mechanics, we derived the analytic expressions of viscoelastic displacement U(r, t) , V(r, t) and W(r, t), normal strains epsilon(xx) (r, t), epsilon(yy) (r, t) and epsilon(zz) (r, t) and the bulk strain theta (r, t) at an arbitrary point (x, y, z) in three directions of X axis, Y axis and Z axis produced by a three-dimensional inclusion in the semi-infinite rheologic medium defined by the standard linear rheologic model. Subsequent to the spatial-temporal variation of bulk strain being computed on the ground produced by such a spherical rheologic inclusion, interesting results are obtained, suggesting that the bulk strain produced by a hard inclusion change with time according to three stages (alpha, beta, gamma) with different characteristics, similar to that of geodetic deformation observations, but different with the results of a soft inclusion. These theoretical results can be used to explain the characteristics of spatial-temporal evolution, patterns, quadrant-distribution of earthquake precursors, the changeability, spontaneity and complexity of short-term and imminent-term precursors. It offers a theoretical base to build physical models for earthquake precursors and to predict the earthquakes.

Bifurcating trajectory of non-diffractive electromagnetic airy pulse

The explicit expression for spatial-temporal Airy pulse is derived from the Maxwell's equations in paraxial approximation. The trajectory of the pulse in the time-space coordinates is analysed. The existence of a bifurcation point that separates regions with qualitatively different features of the pulse propagation is demonstrated. At this point the velocity of the pulse becomes infinite and the orientation of it changes to the opposite.

Visual performance of the human eye with soft hydrophilic contact lenses

The recording of visual acuity using the Snellen letter chart is only a limited measure of the visual performance of an eye wearing a refractive aid. Qualitative in addition to quantitative information is required to establish such a parameter: spatial, temporal and photometric aspects must all be incorporated into the test procedure. The literature relating to the correction of ametropia by refractive aids was reviewed. Selected aspects of a comparison between the correction provided by spectacles and contact lenses were considered. Special attention was directed to soft hydrophilic contact lenses. Despite technological advances which have produced physiologically acceptable soft lenses, there still remain associated with this recent form of refractive aid unpredictable visual factors. Several techniques for vision assessment were described, and previous studies of visual performance were discussed. To facilitate the investigation of visual performance in a clinical environment, a new semi-automated system was described: this utilized the presentation of broken ring test stimuli on a television screen. The research project comprised two stages. Initial work was concerned with the validation of the television system, including the optimization of its several operational variables. The second phase involved the utilization of the system in an investigation of visual performance aspects of the first month of regular daily soft contact lens wear by experimentally-naive subjects. On the basis of the results of this work an ‘homoeostatic’ model has been proposed to represent the strategy which an observer adopts in order to optimize his visual performance with soft contact lenses.

Obstacles and solutions to maximising urban biodiversity throughout the lifecycles of major developments in England

Thus far, achieving net biodiversity gains through major urban developments has been neither common nor straightforward - despite the presence of incentives, regulatory contexts, and ubiquitous practical guidance tools. A diverse set of obstructions, occurring within different spatial, temporal and actor hierarchies, are experienced by practitioners and render the realisation of maximised biodiversity, a rarity. This research aims to illuminate why this is so, and what needs to be changed to rectify the situation. To determine meaningful findings and conclusions, capable of assisting applied contexts and accommodating a diverse range of influences, a ‘systems approach’ was adopted. This approach led to the use of a multi-strategy research methodology, to identify the key obstructions and solutions to protecting and enhancing biodiversity - incorporating the following methods: action research, a questionnaire to local government ecologists, interviews and personal communications with leading players, and literature reviews. Nevertheless, ‘case studies’ are the predominant research method, the focus being a ‘nested’ case study looking at strategic issues of the largest regeneration area in Europe ‘the Thames Gateway’, and the largest individual mixeduse mega-development in the UK (at the time of planning consent) ‘Eastern Quarry 2’ - set within the Gateway. A further key case study, focussing on the Central Riverside development in Sheffield, identifies the merits of competition and partnership. The nested cases, theories and findings show that the strategic scale - generally relating to governance and prioritisation - impacts heavily upon individual development sites. It also enables the identification of various processes, mechanisms and issues at play on the individual development sites, which primarily relate to project management, planning processes, skills and transdisciplinary working, innovative urban biodiversity design capabilities, incentives, organisational cultures, and socio-ecological resilience. From these findings a way forward is mapped, spanning aspects from strategic governance to detailed project management.

Contradictory reasoning network:an EEG and FMRI study

Contradiction is a cornerstone of human rationality, essential for everyday life and communication. We investigated electroencephalographic (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in separate recording sessions during contradictory judgments, using a logical structure based on categorical propositions of the Aristotelian Square of Opposition (ASoO). The use of ASoO propositions, while controlling for potential linguistic or semantic confounds, enabled us to observe the spatial temporal unfolding of this contradictory reasoning. The processing started with the inversion of the logical operators corresponding to right middle frontal gyrus (rMFG-BA11) activation, followed by identification of contradictory statement associated with in the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG-BA47) activation. Right medial frontal gyrus (rMeFG, BA10) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC, BA32) contributed to the later stages of process. We observed a correlation between the delayed latency of rBA11 response and the reaction time delay during inductive vs. deductive reasoning. This supports the notion that rBA11 is crucial for manipulating the logical operators. Slower processing time and stronger brain responses for inductive logic suggested that examples are easier to process than general principles and are more likely to simplify communication. © 2014 Porcaro et al.

Are few-mode fibres a practical solution to the capacity crunch?

In this paper, we compare the nonlinear Shannon capacity of few-mode fibre systems operating with spatial-temporal digital signal processing to the nonlinear Shannon capacity of single-mode fibre systems operating with spectral-temporal digital signal processing. Combining these results with estimates of digital signal processing complexity for each option offers valuable insights to system designers.