"Per aurem intrat Christus in Mariam". Aproximación iconográfica a la "conceptio per aurem" en la pintura italiana del Trecento desde fuentes patrísticas y teológicas

La tesis mariológica de la conceptio per aurem, según la cual la Virgen María habría concebido a Jesucristo por el oído en el momento de escuchar del ángel el mensaje celestial anunciándole que, sin perder su virginidad, sería madre del Hijo de Dios encarnado, ha merecido hasta ahora muy pocos estudios académicos rigurosamente fundados en fuentes primarias. De hecho, en la literatura especializada son muy escasas las referencias a tal teoría y, cuando algún estudioso la evoca, casi siempre se contenta con aludir a ella, sin aportar pruebas documentales. Sin embargo, tal como lo revelan las nueve pinturas italianas aquí analizadas, esa teoría fue ilustrada mediante sutiles metáforas visuales en muchas obras pictóricas medievales, las cuales se inspiraron en una sólida tradición literaria. Además una pléyade de Padres de la Iglesia y teólogos medievales testimonia, mediante afirmaciones explícitas, que semejante teoría gozó de notable aceptación entre los maestros del pensamiento cristiano. Basándose en numerosos textos patrísticos y teológicos, este artículo intenta dos objetivos esenciales: exponer, ante todo, las distintas formulaciones teóricas propuestas por esos pensadores; y además, tratar de poner en luz los significados dogmáticos que subyacen bajo esa sorprendente tesis.

Contextual anomaly detection in crowded surveillance scenes

This work addresses the problem of detecting human behavioural anomalies in crowded surveillance environments. We focus in particular on the problem of detecting subtle anomalies in a behaviourally heterogeneous surveillance scene. To reach this goal we implement a novel unsupervised context-aware process. We propose and evaluate a method of utilising social context and scene context to improve behaviour analysis. We find that in a crowded scene the application of Mutual Information based social context permits the ability to prevent self-justifying groups and propagate anomalies in a social network, granting a greater anomaly detection capability. Scene context uniformly improves the detection of anomalies in both datasets. The strength of our contextual features is demonstrated by the detection of subtly abnormal behaviours, which otherwise remain indistinguishable from normal behaviour.

Black-White Wage Gap Among Restaurant Servers: A Replication, Extension, and Exploration of Consumer Racial Discrimination in Tipping

There is a rich history of social science research centering on racial inequalities that continue to be observed across various markets (e.g., labor, housing, and credit markets) and social milieus. Existing research on racial discrimination in consumer markets, however, is relatively scarce and that which has been done has disproportionately focused on consumers as the victims of race-based mistreatment. As such, we know relatively little about how consumers contribute to inequalities in their roles as perpetrators of racial discrimination. In response, in this paper we elaborate on a line of research that is only in its’ infancy stages of development and yet is ripe with opportunities to advance the literature on consumer racial discrimination and racial earnings inequities among tip dependent employees in the United States. Specifically, we analyze data derived from a large exit survey of restaurant consumers (n=378) in an attempt to replicate, extend, and further explore the recently documented effect of service providers’ race on restaurant consumers’ tipping decisions. Our results indicate that both White and Black restaurant customers discriminate against Black servers by tipping them less than their White coworkers. Importantly, we find no evidence that this Black tip penalty is the result of interracial differences in service skills possessed by Black and White servers. We conclude by delineating directions for future research in this neglected but salient area study.

The Effects of a Group-Based Approach to Parent-Mediated Early Behavioral Intervention for Very Young Children with or At-Risk for Autism

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-08

Estrutura e dinâmica de populações de Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (Linnaeus, 1766) (Rodentia) em duas áreas urbanas no norte do Paraná, Brasil

This study aimed to evaluate the population ecology of Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (Linnaeus, 1766) in two urban areas in the north of Paraná, an open and other protected by assessing the effects of these two different types of environments on the structure and dynamics of the population and its implications for conservation of the species. The monitoring of the populations were performed monthly between June 2014 and March 2015 in Jaboti Lake Park (Apucarana / PR) and Conservation Unit Parque Arthur Thomas (Londrina / PR). To conduct the survey population data was used the methodology of total census (direct counting of individuals).They were evaluated ecological parameters of the populations of capybaras, such as ecological density, abundance, age distribution and birth rate, as well as performed the analysis of the landscape. It was applied to analysis of variance (ANOVA) to test the differences between the averages of the abundance of each age group per year of observation, as well as the differences between the average ecological density over the years of observation. The standard relationship between the use of classes and land use in the landscape and the ecological parameters of the capybara populations was evaluated by Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The trend of variation of average abundance over time to Thomas Arthur Park revealed abrupt decrease of the population in a short period of time (2014 16 ± 9, 14 ± 1 and 2015 7±1) as well as ecological density in 2015 (0.05 ind./ha). On the other hand, the Jaboti Lake Park, showed an increase in absolute abundance, with marked recovery of the population in the same period (2014 38±8,30 and 2015 45±1,73) and coming up with an ecological density in 2015 (2 ind ./ha). The birth rate found Lake Park Jaboti was superior to Arthur Thomas Park, which had a negative rate between 2012 and 2015. The use and land cover analysis showed significant differences from the point of view of the relative contribution of landscape elements in the spatial heterogeneity. Arthur Thomas Park shows areas of dense vegetation and urban areas relatively higher than those observed in Jaboti Lake Park that revealed relatively higher proportions of the areas of agriculture / field and exposed soil. Thus, the present study revealed that the local population structure is directly related to the spatial characteristics of both studied landscapes, as can be seen by the greater abundance and density seen in Jaboti Lake Park compared to Arthur Thomas Park in recent years of study.

Identification and characterisation of telomere regulatory and signalling pathways after induction of telomere dysfunction

Telomeres are DNA-protein complexes which cap the ends of eukaryotic linear chromosomes. In normal somatic cells telomeres shorten and become dysfunctional during ageing due to the DNA end replication problem. This leads to activation of signalling pathways that lead to cellular senescence and apoptosis. However, cancer cells typically bypass this barrier to immortalisation in order to proliferate indefinitely. Therefore enhancing our understanding of telomere dysfunction and pathways involved in regulation of the process is essential. However, the pathways involved are highly complex and involve interaction between a wide range of biological processes. Therefore understanding how telomerase dysfunction is regulated is a challenging task and requires a systems biology approach. In this study I have developed a novel methodology for visualisation and analysis of gene lists focusing on the network level rather than individual or small lists of genes. Application of this methodology to an expression data set and a gene methylation data set allowed me to enhance my understanding of the biology underlying a senescence inducing drug and the process of immortalisation respectively. I then used the methodology to compare the effect of genetic background on induction of telomere uncapping. Telomere uncapping was induced in HCT116 WT, p21-/- and p53-/- cells using a viral vector expressing a mutant variant of hTR, the telomerase RNA template. p21-/- cells showed enhanced sensitivity to telomere uncapping. Analysis of a candidate pathway, Mismatch Repair, revealed a role for the process in response to telomere uncapping and that induction of the pathway was p21 dependent. The methodology was then applied to analysis of the telomerase inhibitor GRN163L and synergistic effects of hypoglycaemia with this drug. HCT116 cells were resistant to GRN163L treatment. However, under hypoglycaemic conditions the dose required for ablation of telomerase activity was reduced significantly and telomere shortening was enhanced. Overall this new methodology has allowed our group and collaborators to identify new biology and improve our understanding of processes regulating telomere dysfunction.

Transformada wavelet aplicada a análise automática de oscilografias de curta duração em unidades geradoras

The focus of this work is the automatic analysis of disturbance records for electrical power generating units. The main proposition is a method based on wavelet transform applied to short-term disturbance records (waveform records). The goal of the method is to detect the time instants of recorded disturbances and extract meaningful information that characterize the faults. The result is a set of representative information of the monitored signals in power generators. This information can be further classified by an expert system (or other classification method) in order to classify the faults and other abnormal operating conditions. The large amount of data produced by digital fault recorders during faults justify the research of methods to assist the analysts in their task of analysing the disturbances. The literature review pointed out the state of the art and possible applications for oscillography records. The review of the COMTRADE standard and wavelet transform underlines the choice of the method for solving the problem. The conducted tests lead to the determination of the best mother wavelet for the segmentation process. The application of the proposed method to five case studies with real oscillographic records confirmed the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed scheme. With this research, the post-operation analysis of occurrences is improved and as a direct result is the reduction of the time that generators are offline.

Reproductive decisions of couples living with HIV in Malawi: What can we learn for future policy and research studies?

Background The rapid scale-up of free antiretroviral therapy has lead to decline in adult mortality at the population level and reduction of vertical transmission. Consequently, some couples living with HIV are maintaining their reproductive decisions; marrying and having children. This paper analyses policies and guidelines on HIV, AIDS and sexual and reproductive health in Malawi for content on marriage and childbearing for couples living with HIV. Methods A qualitative study using interpretive policy analysis approach was conducted from July to December 2010 in two phases. First, data on access to HIV, AIDS and sexual and reproductive health services were collected using in-depth interviews with twenty couples purposively sampled in matrilineal Chiradzulu and patrilineal Chikhwawa communities. Secondly, data were collected from Malawi policies and guidelines on HIV, AIDS and sexual and reproductive health. The documents were reviewed for content on marriage and childbearing for couples living with HIV. Data were analysed using framework approach for applied policy analysis. Results Four categories emerged from each phase. From the study, we extracted health workers attitudes, weak linkage between HIV, AIDS and sexual and reproductive health services, contradictory messages between media and the hospitals and lack of information as factors directly related to guidelines and policies. Analysis of guidelines and policies showed nonprescriptiveness on issues of HIV, AIDS and reproduction: they do not reflect the social cultural experiences of couples living with HIV. In addition, there is; lack of clinical guidelines, external influence on adoption of the policies and guidelines and weak linkages between HIV and AIDS and sexual and reproductive health services. Conclusion This synthesis along with more detailed findings which are reported in other published articles, provide a strong basis for updating the policies and development of easy-to-follow guidelines in order to effectively provide services to couples living with HIV in Malawi.

Sexualidade na Adolescência: Relatório de Estágio

Este relatório centra-se no tema da Sexualidade na Adolescência, tema pertinente em Enfermagem Comunitária e no Plano Nacional de Saúde. A promoção da sáude e o desenvolvimento de projectos, é uma das principais competências do Enfermeiro especialista em Enfermagem Comunitária. O principal objectivo deste relatório é apresentar, descrever e analizar as actividades desenvolvidas durante o estágio. Utilizando a metodologia do planeamento em saúde realizou-se um diagnóstico de situação numa escola da cidade de Portalegre, identificando-se necessidades de adolescentes, sendo estas a base o estágio. O estágio teve como objectivo contribuir para a implementação de actividades presentes no Plano Nacional de Saúde, intervindo nas seguintes áreas: sexualidade e afectos; métodos contraceptivos; prevenção de ist’s e mitos acerca da sexualidade. Definiram-se áreas prioritárias e, posteriormente, selecionaram-se estratégias. Foram planeadas e realizadas sessões de educação para a saúde em duas escolas da cidade de Portalegre. Estas foram desenvolvidas em sala de aula utilizando-se métodos desmonstrativos/interactivos e distribuindo-se de folhetos. Após as sessões aplicou-se um questionário de avaliação das actividades, cuja análise revelou a sua efectividade. Sumariamente, a maioria dos adolescentes reconhece a importância das sessões informativas sobre sexualidade, admitindo-se melhor informados acerca desta temática. Para o autor, o estágio contribuiu para o desenvolvimento pessoal e profissional enquanto prestador de cuidados e professional de Enfermagem

Análise de agrupamentos dos dados de DFA oriundos de perfis elétricos de indução de poços de petróleo

The main objective of this study is to apply recently developed methods of physical-statistic to time series analysis, particularly in electrical induction s profiles of oil wells data, to study the petrophysical similarity of those wells in a spatial distribution. For this, we used the DFA method in order to know if we can or not use this technique to characterize spatially the fields. After obtain the DFA values for all wells, we applied clustering analysis. To do these tests we used the non-hierarchical method called K-means. Usually based on the Euclidean distance, the K-means consists in dividing the elements of a data matrix N in k groups, so that the similarities among elements belonging to different groups are the smallest possible. In order to test if a dataset generated by the K-means method or randomly generated datasets form spatial patterns, we created the parameter Ω (index of neighborhood). High values of Ω reveals more aggregated data and low values of Ω show scattered data or data without spatial correlation. Thus we concluded that data from the DFA of 54 wells are grouped and can be used to characterize spatial fields. Applying contour level technique we confirm the results obtained by the K-means, confirming that DFA is effective to perform spatial analysis

Effects of inconsistencies in eyewitness testimony on mock-juror decisionmaking

In attempting to impeach eyewitnesses, attorney's often highlight inconsistencies in the eyewitness's recall. This study examined the differential impact of types of inconsistent testimony on mock-juror decisions. Each of 100 community members and 200 undergraduates viewed one of four versions of a videotaped trial in which the primary evidence against the defendant was the testimony of the eyewitness. I manipulated the types of inconsistent statements given by the eyewitness in the four versions: (1) consistent testimony, (2) information given on-the-stand but not given during the pre-trial investigation, (3) contradictions between on-the-stand and pre-trial statements, and (4) contradictions made on the witness stand. Subjects exposed to any form of inconsistent testimony were less likely to convict and found the defendant less culpable and the eyewitness less effective. These effects were larger for contradictions than for information given on the stand but not during pre-trial investigations.