“Searching for the ghost of Tom Joad”: resurrecting Steinbeck’s gaze

This dissertation involves a close reading of Springsteen’s lyrics in relation to the thematic concerns of the Tom Joad album. Enquiring into the sometimes multiple levels of significance that these lyrics can be seen to express, in order to show the manner in which Springsteen mirrors the broader thematic concerns of Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath’ s novel but also adapts and reinterprets these themes for his own time. In this sense, I will try to underline the ways in which, for Springsteen’s vision of his country in the 1990’s, the presence of troublesome issues from decades before is one that can, in certain ways, still be seen, felt and experienced. It is in this manner that the ghost of Tom Joad is summoned

Searching patterns in painting images with computer vision techniques

This paper presents a pattern recognition method focused on paintings images. The purpose is construct a system able to recognize authors or art styles based on common elements of his work (here called patterns). The method is based on comparing images that contain the same or similar patterns. It uses different computer vision techniques, like SIFT and SURF, to describe the patterns in descriptors, K-Means to classify and simplify these descriptors, and RANSAC to determine and detect good results. The method are good to find patterns of known images but not so good if they are not.

Searching for and positioning of contextualized learning objects

Learning object economies are marketplaces for the sharing and reuse of learning objects (LO). There are many motivations for stimulating the development of the LO economy. The main reason is the possibility of providing the right content, at the right time, to the right learner according to adequate quality standards in the context of a lifelong learning process; in fact, this is also the main objective of education. However, some barriers to the development of a LO economy, such as the granularity and editability of LO, must be overcome. Furthermore, some enablers, such as learning design generation and standards usage, must be promoted in order to enhance LO economy. For this article, we introduced the integration of distributed learning object repositories (DLOR) as sources of LO that could be placed in adaptive learning designs to assist teachers’ design work. Two main issues presented as a result: how to access distributed LO, and where to place the LO in the learning design. To address these issues, we introduced two processes: LORSE, a distributed LO searching process, and LOOK, a micro context-based positioning process, respectively. Using these processes, the teachers were able to reuse LO from different sources to semi-automatically generate an adaptive learning design without leaving their virtual environment. A layered evaluation yielded good results for the process of placing learning objects from controlled learning object repositories into a learning design, and permitting educators to define different open issues that must be covered when they use uncontrolled learning object repositories for this purpose. We verified the satisfaction users had with our solution

Improving Searching and Browsing Capabilities of Learning Object Repositories

Learning object repositories are a basic piece of virtual learning environments used for content management. Nevertheless, learning objects have special characteristics that make traditional solutions for content management ine ective. In particular, browsing and searching for learning objects cannot be based on the typical authoritative meta-data used for describing content, such as author, title or publicationdate, among others. We propose to build a social layer on top of a learning object repository, providing nal users with additional services fordescribing, rating and curating learning objects from a teaching perspective. All these interactions among users, services and resources can be captured and further analyzed, so both browsing and searching can be personalized according to user pro le and the educational context, helping users to nd the most valuable resources for their learning process. In this paper we propose to use reputation schemes and collaborative filtering techniques for improving the user interface of a DSpace based learning object repository.

Identifying quantitative operation principles in metabolic pathways: a systematic method for searching feasible enzyme activity patterns leading to cellular adaptive responses

Background: Optimization methods allow designing changes in a system so that specific goals are attained. These techniques are fundamental for metabolic engineering. However, they are not directly applicable for investigating the evolution of metabolic adaptation to environmental changes. Although biological systems have evolved by natural selection and result in well-adapted systems, we can hardly expect that actual metabolic processes are at the theoretical optimum that could result from an optimization analysis. More likely, natural systems are to be found in a feasible region compatible with global physiological requirements. Results: We first present a new method for globally optimizing nonlinear models of metabolic pathways that are based on the Generalized Mass Action (GMA) representation. The optimization task is posed as a nonconvex nonlinear programming (NLP) problem that is solved by an outer- approximation algorithm. This method relies on solving iteratively reduced NLP slave subproblems and mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) master problems that provide valid upper and lower bounds, respectively, on the global solution to the original NLP. The capabilities of this method are illustrated through its application to the anaerobic fermentation pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We next introduce a method to identify the feasibility parametric regions that allow a system to meet a set of physiological constraints that can be represented in mathematical terms through algebraic equations. This technique is based on applying the outer-approximation based algorithm iteratively over a reduced search space in order to identify regions that contain feasible solutions to the problem and discard others in which no feasible solution exists. As an example, we characterize the feasible enzyme activity changes that are compatible with an appropriate adaptive response of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to heat shock Conclusion: Our results show the utility of the suggested approach for investigating the evolution of adaptive responses to environmental changes. The proposed method can be used in other important applications such as the evaluation of parameter changes that are compatible with health and disease states.

Are traffic violators criminals? Searching for answers in experiences of European countries

The connection between road traffic safety and criminal behavior has recently become a topic of interest in the literature, although little emphasis placed on the relationship with road accidents. Evidence worldwide shows that people who commit other offences characteristic of antisocial attitudes, are more prone to suffer road traffic accidents and infringe traffic laws. Here we examine the records of the 28 current member states of the European Union over the period 1999 - 2010. Our aim is to test the hypothesis that crime rates (and specifically, motor vehicle-related crimes) may be considered as predictors of fatal road traffic accidents. If they may, this could justify, at least prima facie, the tendency in several countries to consider traffic offences as crimes in their penal codes and to toughen the punishment imposed on those who commit them. We also analyze the effect of the severity of the legal system applied to traffic offences. Our results reveal that road traffic fatality rates are higher in countries whose inhabitants have more aggressive behavior, while the rates are lower in countries with more severe penal systems.

Are traffic violators criminals? Searching for answers in experiences of European countries

The connection between road traffic safety and criminal behavior has recently become a topic of interest in the literature, although little emphasis placed on the relationship with road accidents. Evidence worldwide shows that people who commit other offences characteristic of antisocial attitudes, are more prone to suffer road traffic accidents and infringe traffic laws. Here we examine the records of the 28 current member states of the European Union over the period 1999 - 2010. Our aim is to test the hypothesis that crime rates (and specifically, motor vehicle-related crimes) may be considered as predictors of fatal road traffic accidents. If they may, this could justify, at least prima facie, the tendency in several countries to consider traffic offences as crimes in their penal codes and to toughen the punishment imposed on those who commit them. We also analyze the effect of the severity of the legal system applied to traffic offences. Our results reveal that road traffic fatality rates are higher in countries whose inhabitants have more aggressive behavior, while the rates are lower in countries with more severe penal systems.

Searching for consensus in ahp-group decision making. A bayesian perspective

This paper sets out to identify the initial positions of the different decisionmakers who intervene in a group decision making process with a reducednumber of actors, and to establish possible consensus paths between theseactors. As a methodological support, it employs one of the most widely-knownmulticriteria decision techniques, namely, the Analytic Hierarchy Process(AHP). Assuming that the judgements elicited by the decision makers follow theso-called multiplicative model (Crawford and Williams, 1985; Altuzarra et al.,1997; Laininen and Hämäläinen, 2003) with log-normal errors and unknownvariance, a Bayesian approach is used in the estimation of the relative prioritiesof the alternatives being compared. These priorities, estimated by way of themedian of the posterior distribution and normalised in a distributive manner(priorities add up to one), are a clear example of compositional data that will beused in the search for consensus between the actors involved in the resolution ofthe problem through the use of Multidimensional Scaling tools

Numerical Dominance of the Argentine Ant vs Native Ants and Consequences on Soil Resource Searching in Mediterranean Cork-Oak Forests (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

This study is focused on the dominance exerted by the invasive Argentine ant over native ants in a coastal Mediterranean area. Theimpact of this invasive ant on native ant assemblages and its consequences on total ant biomass and on the intensity of habitat explorationwere evaluated. Foraging ants were observed and their trajectories recorded during 5-minute periods in two study zones, one invaded andthe other non-invaded. Ant species detected, ant worker abundance, ant biomass and the intensity of soil surface searching done by antswere compared between the two zones. The Argentine ant invasion provoked a drastic reduction of the ant species richness. Apparentlyonly one native ant species is able to coexist with the Argentine ant, the cryptic Plagiolepis pygmaea. Ant worker abundance was also modified after the invasion: the number of Argentine ant workers detected, which represented 92% of the invaded zone, was two times higher than the number of native ant workers detected in the non-invaded zone. The total ant biomass was inversely affected, becoming four times lower in the invaded zone highly dominated by Linepithema humile. The higher number of Argentine ant workers and their fast tempo of activity implied an alteration of the intensity of soil surface searching: scanning by the Argentine ants in the invaded zone was higher than that done by the native ants in the non-invaded zone, and the estimated time for a complete soil surface scan was 64 minutes in the invaded zone and 108 minutes in the non-invaded zone. Consequently, resources will be discovered faster by ants in the invaded zone than in the non-invaded zone. The increase of the mean temperature and the decrease of the relative humidity from May to August reduced the ant activity in the two study zones but this reduction was greater in the invaded zone

Programa vellesa, activitat física i dependència (Vafid): justificació i bases per a la sistematització

El present estudi es centra en els programes d’activitat física adreçats a persones grans en situació de dependència, que es esenvolupen en grup i que utilitzen el moviment actiu com a principal eina de treball. Es tracta d’una recerca que, per una banda, estudia i analitza les bases teòriques que avalen la importància i la necessitat de l’aplicació d’aquest tipus de programes. Per l’altra, justifica i defineix, amb detall, les línies directrius que han de guiar el seu desenvolupament i la seva aplicació en l’àmbit d’institucions d’atenció a les persones grans (residències, centres de dia i centres sòciosanitaris). El marc conceptual (capítol II) es construeix a partir d’una àmplia recerca bibliogràfica sobre les quatre dimensions d’anàlisi clau (l’envelliment, la dependència, l’atenció a les persones grans i l’activitat física) que fonamenta i justifica la proposta de programa que es fa en la segona part (capítol III). En aquesta es defineixen els referents, les finalitats, els objectius, els recursos que es poden utilitzar, les indicacions bàsiques per a organitzar el treball, els aspectes metodològics essencials per a l’aplicació del programa i les condicions necessàries per a poder-lo implementar. El resultat de tot el procés de recerca i estudi permet dir que, a nivell teòric, l’activitat física és una eina útil, eficaç i amb moltes possibilitats cara a l’atenció a les persones grans en situació de dependència. Que els esmentats programes han de ser fruit d’un procés de planificació, han de considerar les diferents dimensions de l’ésser en interacció constant, han de ser aplicats donant més importància al procés que al producte i que els recursos disponibles s’han d’utilitzar d’acord amb aquests plantejaments. En les línies de futur per a aquesta recerca, es planteja la seva continuació a partir de l’aplicació del programa VAFiD en diferents grups i la seva avaluació (seguint el model d’avaluació responent de Robert Stake) per determinar-ne la coherència i la qualitat.

Indexació de continguts televisius: anàlisi de so

Aquest és un projecte sobre la indexació de continguts televisius; és a dir, el procés d’etiquetatge de programes televisius per facilitar cerques segons diferents paràmetres. El món de la televisió està immers en un procés d'evolució i canvis gràcies a l'entrada de la televisió digital. Aquesta nova forma d'entendre la televisió obrirà un gran ventall de possibilitats i permetrà la interacció entre usuaris i emissora. El primer pas de la gestió de continguts consisteix en la indexació dels programes segons el contingut. Aquest és el nostre objectiu. Indexar els continguts televisius de manera automàtica mitjançant la intelligència artificial.

Systematic Construction of Goal-Oriented COTS Taxonomies

Informe de investigación realizado a partir de una estancia en el Department of Computer and Information Science de la Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Noruega, entre setiembre i diciembre de 2006. El uso de componentes de software llamados Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) en el desarrollo de sistemas basados en componentes implica varios retos. Uno de ellos es la falta de información disponible y adecuada para dar soporte al proceso de selección de componentes a ser integrados. Para lidiar con estos problemas, se esta desarrollando un trabajo de tesis que propone un método llamado GOThIC (Goal-Oriented Taxonomy and reuse Infrastructure Construction). El método está orientado a construir una infrastructura de reuse para facilitar la búsqueda y reuse de componentes COTS. La estancia en la NTNU, reportada en este documento, tuvo como objetivo primordial las mejora del método y la obtención de datos empíricos para darle soporte. Algunos de los principales resultados fueron la obtención de datos empíricos fundamentando la utilización del método en ámbitos industriales de selección de componentes COTS, así como una nueva estrategia para conseguir de forma factible e incremental, la federación y reuso de los diferentes esfuerzos existentes para encontrar, seleccionar y mantener componentes COTS y Open Source (OSS) -comúnmente llamados componentes Off-The-Shelf (OTS) - en forma estructurada.

Olympic Games as showcase

In the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, besides the country-versus-country typical showdown in the backdrop of Olympics, and the economic and political impulses for the host city, there was a third factor complicating the celebration: rivalry between the Catalan hosts and the Spanish state. By guiding the development of and eventual Olympic projection of national identity, Catalan and Spanish politicians hoped to create a resounding rallying point around which they could unite disparate individuals. The text is made up of: an introduction, five paragraphs on the different political perspective, conclusions, a commentary on the tallying of score and a note section with bibliographical references.

Cultura i Societat en la guerra del Francès

Des de que començà aquest projecte, el grup de recerca ha intentat aprofundir el coneixement de la Catalunya de la Guerra del Francès (1808 -1814) a partir d’una òptica britànica. El grup pretenia així desenvolupar la relació que es va establir entre els catalans i els britànics al llarg de tota la guerra, des dels primers contactes permesos per la presència de la flota britànica en la costa catalana fins a la intervenció de forces britàniques en territori català. D’aquesta manera, i primerament, el grup inicià la consulta de les bases de dades i catàlegs catalans i britànics per a completar el nostre llistat de referències arxivístiques i bibliogràfiques. El segon pas van ésser les tres estades d’investigació que entre el 2006 i el 2007 es van fer a Anglaterra, principalment a Londres. La investigació es realitzà a la British Library, al Institute of Historical Research of the School of Advanced Studies de la University of London, al National Maritime Museum i als National Archives of the United Kingdom. A continuació, el grup analitzà la informació recollida de la lectura de fonts primàries i bibliogràfiques en aquests centres de recerca. Finalment, el grup creu que la intensa relació que es va establir entre les dues parts, reflecteix la importància que les autoritats britàniques van donar a Catalunya, i que el seu aïllament amb el centre polític del bàndol patriota va permetre que desenvolupés les seves pròpies dinàmiques i cronologies, encara que s’integraven en el desenvolupament general de la guerra.