Naturaleza, ética, y arquitectura: Autenticidad y criterios éticos que integran el desarrollo de una arquitectura más sostenible = Nature, ethics and architecture: Authenticity and ethics criteria that integrate the development of a more sustainable architecture

La ecología no solamente ha puesto de manifiesto problemas ambientales, sino que ha confirmado la necesidad de una nueva armonía entre los propios seres humanos y de éstos con la naturaleza y con todos los seres que la habitan. Es necesario un nuevo contrato que determine nuestras relaciones con la Naturaleza (Serrs1), y una nueva Ética para nuestras vidas (Guattari2). La ética medioambiental nos ha dado una visión universal y supra-generacional de la gestión de la naturaleza y como consecuencia, una nueva forma de construir nuestra ‘segunda’ Naturaleza, que es la arquitectura. ¿Qué es lo esencial que esta nueva ética exige para la arquitectura? Este es un momento crucial para reconsiderar los objetivos de la arquitectura, porque lo ‘eco’ está produciendo grandes cambios. ¿Implica esta era post-ecológica una particular ética, es decir, referida a sus fines y medios? ¿Porqué, para qué, para quién, cómo debemos hacer la arquitectura de nuestro tiempo? Es momento de afrontar críticamente el discurso de la eco-arquitectura, e incluso de repensar los propios límites de la arquitectura. El desarrollo actual del conocimiento medioambiental es esencialmente técnico y utilitario, pero ¿es el reto solamente técnico?¿Es suficiente la suma de lo medioambiental-social-económico-cultural para definirla? ¿Hay claves que nos puedan dar la dimensión ética de esta aproximación técnica-empírica? ¿Sabemos lo que estamos haciendo cuando aplicamos este conocimiento? Y, sobre todo, ¿cuál es el sentido de lo que estamos haciendo? La tesis que se propone puede resumirse: De acuerdo con el actual conocimiento que tenemos de la Naturaleza, la Arquitectura de nuestro tiempo deber reconsiderar sus fines y medios, puesto que la ética medioambiental está definiendo nuevos objetivos. Para fundamentar y profundizar en esta afirmación la tesis analiza cómo son hoy día las relaciones entre Ética-Naturaleza-Arquitectura (Fig.1), lo que facilitará las claves de cuáles son los criterios éticos (en cuanto a fines y medios) que deben definir la arquitectura del tiempo de la ecología. ABSTRACT Ecology shows us not only environmental problems; it shows that we need a new balance and harmony between individuals, beings, communities and Nature. We need a new contract with Nature according to Serres576, and a new Ethics for our lives according to Guattari577. Environmental ethics have given us a universal and supra-generational vision of the management of our Nature and, as a consequence, a new way to construct our ‘second’ nature, which is architecture. What is essential for this new architecture that the new ethics demand? This is a critical moment to reconsider the object of architecture, because the ‘eco’ is making significant changes in it. Are there any specifically ethical concerns (ends and means) in the post-ecological era? Why, for what, for whom, how should we make architecture in our times? This is the time to approach the eco-architectural discourse critically and to question the current boundaries of architecture itself: Where is eco-architecture going? The current development of environmental knowledge is essentially technical and utilitarian, but it is its technical aspect the only challenge? Is the sum of environmental-social-economic aspects enough to define it? Are there any clues which can give an ethical sense to this technical-empirical approach? Do we know what we are doing when we apply this knowledge? And overall, what is the meaning of what we are doing? Exploring this subject, this thesis makes a statement: In accordance with the actual knowledge of Nature, Architecture of our time must reconsider its ends and means, since the environmental ethics is defining new objectives. To support that, the thesis analyzes what the relationships between Ethics –Nature- Architecture (Fig. 53) are like nowadays, this will provide the clues of which ethical criteria (ends and means) must architecture of an ecological era define.

Asking For Help: Vulnerability within Consultative Assessment A Couples Therapy Example.

In many different ways psychologists are challenged to evaluate their work and be accountable when therapy is not progressing. One time honored approach to addressing the lack of progress is to seek formal psychological assessment to gain a better diagnostic understanding as well as treatment recommendations. The perspective on the purpose of the assessment seems to have changed however. Historically, the presumption was that there was some kind of pathology that the clinician was not seeing, where currently the perspective seems to be shifting more towards a focus on what might not be working in the therapeutic process. This shift in focus has led to new styles of collaborative and consultative assessment such as Therapeutic Assessment. Therapeutic Assessment was developed by Stephen Finn and has shown a great deal of promise helping clients and therapists gain valuable insight and move toward meaningful life changes (1998). Amidst the promise of consultative assessment also lie potential challenges for the referring clinician. This paper will explore the nature of consultative relationships in the field of mental health and the current thoughts about the advantages and challenges of these relationships. Using a case study format, it will discuss and illustrate issues of professional vulnerability that can arise during these relationships and postulate that a similar vulnerability could be present during a consultative assessment. Recommendations are made for maximizing the success of this type of assessment, and ideas for future research are reviewed. Through the lens of a couples Therapeutic Assessment case, this paper will examine what it is about this unique kind of professional relationship that garners such powerful potential and pitfalls.

3D Visual Data-Driven Spatiotemporal Deformations for Non-Rigid Object Grasping Using Robot Hands

Sensing techniques are important for solving problems of uncertainty inherent to intelligent grasping tasks. The main goal here is to present a visual sensing system based on range imaging technology for robot manipulation of non-rigid objects. Our proposal provides a suitable visual perception system of complex grasping tasks to support a robot controller when other sensor systems, such as tactile and force, are not able to obtain useful data relevant to the grasping manipulation task. In particular, a new visual approach based on RGBD data was implemented to help a robot controller carry out intelligent manipulation tasks with flexible objects. The proposed method supervises the interaction between the grasped object and the robot hand in order to avoid poor contact between the fingertips and an object when there is neither force nor pressure data. This new approach is also used to measure changes to the shape of an object’s surfaces and so allows us to find deformations caused by inappropriate pressure being applied by the hand’s fingers. Test was carried out for grasping tasks involving several flexible household objects with a multi-fingered robot hand working in real time. Our approach generates pulses from the deformation detection method and sends an event message to the robot controller when surface deformation is detected. In comparison with other methods, the obtained results reveal that our visual pipeline does not use deformations models of objects and materials, as well as the approach works well both planar and 3D household objects in real time. In addition, our method does not depend on the pose of the robot hand because the location of the reference system is computed from a recognition process of a pattern located place at the robot forearm. The presented experiments demonstrate that the proposed method accomplishes a good monitoring of grasping task with several objects and different grasping configurations in indoor environments.

Dinoflagellate cyst abundances at DSDP Site 94-607 from the North Atlantic (Appendix B)

The climatic deterioration related to the onset of Northern Hemisphere glaciations (circa 2.52 Ma BP) must have lead to reorganization and relocation of species associations and may have enhanced species turnover. The present study investigates how this deterioration affects the dinoflagellate cyst and acritarch assemblages from two locations, DSDP Site 607 (North Atlantic) and the Singa section (southern Italy). The records from these locations cover the interval from 2.8 to 2.2 Ma with at least a 5 ka resolution and they have been correlated to the Milankovitch periodicities on a cycle to cycle basis by means of integrated high resolution stable isotope, calcium carbonate, foraminiferal, palynological and magnetostratigraphical datasets. In the present study this high resolution stratigraphic framework is used for a detailed correlation of events occurring in each of the depositional sequences. It also enables further assessment of the palaeoenvironmental preferences of some dinoflagellate cyst forms. Comparison of the two palynological records reveals a close correspondence in the timing of major assemblage changes and extinction events, confirming their Milankovitch cycle based correlation. A close link between periods of Northern Hemisphere cooling (at oxygen isotope stages 110, 104 and 100-96) and increased dinoflagellate cyst turnover appears to be present for both DSDP Site 607 and the Singa section. The turnover events can also be recognized in the records of planktic foraminifera and calcamous nannoplankton. Comparison of the Singa section with Site 607 and with other time equivalent marine palynological data sets, shows that some oceanic taxa respond similarly over a large area. The biostratigraphical implications are discussed. Notably the last occurrence of Invertocystu lucrymosa appears to be a valuable marker for isotope stage 110 in the Mediterranean and North Atlantic.

Geometry and Optimization of Relative Arbitrage

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

The price elasticity of the Euro to movements in foreign reserves through European Central Bank intevention

The Euro has been used as the largest weighting element in a basket of currencies for forex arrangements adopted by several Central European countries outside the European Union (EU). The paper uses a new time-series approach to examine the relationship between the Euro exchange rate and the level of foreign reserves. It employs Zero-no-zero (ZNZ) patterned vector error-correction (VECM) modelling to investigate Granger causal relations among foreign reserves, the European Monetary Union money supply and the Euro exchange rate. The findings confirm that foreign reserves may influence movements in the Euro's exchange rate. Further, ZNZ patterned VECM modelling with exogenous variables is used to estimate the amount of foreign reserves currently required in order to again achieve a targetted Euro exchange rate

A preliminary study into emergent behaviours in a lattice of interacting nonlinear resonators and oscillators

Future sensor arrays will be composed of interacting nonlinear components with complex behaviours with no known analytic solutions. This paper provides a preliminary insight into the expected behaviour through numerical and analytical analysis. Specically, the complex behaviour of a periodically driven nonlinear Duffing resonator coupled elastically to a van der Pol oscillator is investigated as a building block in a 2D lattice of such units with local connectivity. An analytic treatment of the 2-device unit is provided through a two-time-scales approach and the stability of the complex dynamic motion is analysed. The pattern formation characteristics of a 2D lattice composed of these units coupled together through nearest neighbour interactions is analysed numerically for parameters appropriate to a physical realisation through MEMS devices. The emergent patterns of global and cluster synchronisation are investigated with respect to system parameters and lattice size.

Trend analysis in scientometrics

The thesis investigates the properties of two trends or time series which formed a:part of the Co-Citation bibliometric model "X~Ray Crystallography and Protein Determination in 1978, 1980 and 1982". This model was one of several created for the 1983 ABRC Science Policy Study which aimed to test the utility of bibliometric models in a national science policy context. The outcome of the validation part of that study proved to be especially favourable concerning the utility of trend data, which purport to model the development of speciality areas in science over time. This assessment could have important implications for the use of such data in policy formulation. However one possible problem with the Science Policy Study's conclusions was that insufficient time was available in the study for an in-depth analysis of the data. The thesis aims to continue the validation begun in the ABRC study by providing a detailed.examination of the characteristics of the data contained in the Trends numbered 11 and 44 in the model. A novel methodology for the analysis of the properties of the trends with respect to their literature content is presented. This is followed by an assessment based on questionnaire and interview data, of the ability of Trend 44 to realistically model the historical development of the field of mobile genetic elements research over time, with respect to its scientific content and the activities of its community of researchers. The results of these various analyses are then used to evaluate the strenghts and weaknesses of a trend or time series approach to the modelling of the activities of scientifiic fields. A critical evaluation of the origins of the discovered strengths and weaknesses.in the assumptions underlying the techniques used to generate trends from co-citation data is provided. Possible improvements. to the modelling techniques are discussed.

A thermally wavelength-tunable photonic switch based on silicon microring resonator

Silicon photonics is a very promising technology for future low-cost high-bandwidth optical telecommunication applications down to the chip level. This is due to the high degree of integration, high optical bandwidth and large speed coupled with the development of a wide range of integrated optical functions. Silicon-based microring resonators are a key building block that can be used to realize many optical functions such as switching, multiplexing, demultiplaxing and detection of optical wave. The ability to tune the resonances of the microring resonators is highly desirable in many of their applications. In this work, the study and application of a thermally wavelength-tunable photonic switch based on silicon microring resonator is presented. Devices with 10μm diameter were systematically studied and used in the design. Its resonance wavelength was tuned by thermally induced refractive index change using a designed local micro-heater. While thermo-optic tuning has moderate speed compared with electro-optic and all-optic tuning, with silicon’s high thermo-optic coefficient, a much wider wavelength tunable range can be realized. The device design was verified and optimized by optical and thermal simulations. The fabrication and characterization of the device was also implemented. The microring resonator has a measured FSR of ∼18 nm, FWHM in the range 0.1-0.2 nm and Q around 10,000. A wide tunable range (>6.4 nm) was achieved with the switch, which enables dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) with a channel space of 0.2nm. The time response of the switch was tested on the order of 10 μs with a low power consumption of ∼11.9mW/nm. The measured results are in agreement with the simulations. Important applications using the tunable photonic switch were demonstrated in this work. 1×4 and 4×4 reconfigurable photonic switch were implemented by using multiple switches with a common bus waveguide. The results suggest the feasibility of on-chip DWDM for the development of large-scale integrated photonics. Using the tunable switch for output wavelength control, a fiber laser was demonstrated with Erbium-doped fiber amplifier as the gain media. For the first time, this approach integrated on-chip silicon photonic wavelength control.

Invasive exotic plant indicators for ecosystem restoration: An example from the Everglades restoration program

We have developed a comprehensive ecological indicator for invasive exotic plants, a human-influenced component of the Everglades that could threaten the success of the restoration initiative. Following development of a conceptual ecological model for invasive exotic species, presented as a companion paper in this special issue, we developed criteria to evaluate existing invasive exotic monitoring programs for use in developing invasive exotic performance measures. We then used data from the selected monitoring programs to define specific performance measures, using species presence and abundance as the basis of the indicator for invasive exotic plants. We then developed a series of questions used to evaluate region and/or individual species status with respect to invasion. Finally, we used an expert panel who had answered the questions for invasive exotic plants in the Everglades Lake Okeechobee model to develop a stoplight restoration report card to communicate invasive exotic plant status. The report card system provides a way to effectively evaluate and present indicator data to managers, policy makers, and the public using a uniform format among indicators. Collectively, the model, monitoring assessment, performance measures, and report card enable us to evaluate how invasive plants are impacting the restoration program and how effectively that impact is being managed. Applied through time, our approach also allows us to follow the progress of management actions to control the spread and reduce the impacts of invasive species and can be easily applied and adapted to other large-scale ecosystem projects.

A Thermally Wavelength-tunable Photonic Switch Based on Silicon Microring Resonator

Silicon photonics is a very promising technology for future low-cost high-bandwidth optical telecommunication applications down to the chip level. This is due to the high degree of integration, high optical bandwidth and large speed coupled with the development of a wide range of integrated optical functions. Silicon-based microring resonators are a key building block that can be used to realize many optical functions such as switching, multiplexing, demultiplaxing and detection of optical wave. The ability to tune the resonances of the microring resonators is highly desirable in many of their applications. In this work, the study and application of a thermally wavelength-tunable photonic switch based on silicon microring resonator is presented. Devices with 10µm diameter were systematically studied and used in the design. Its resonance wavelength was tuned by thermally induced refractive index change using a designed local micro-heater. While thermo-optic tuning has moderate speed compared with electro-optic and all-optic tuning, with silicon’s high thermo-optic coefficient, a much wider wavelength tunable range can be realized. The device design was verified and optimized by optical and thermal simulations. The fabrication and characterization of the device was also implemented. The microring resonator has a measured FSR of ~18 nm, FWHM in the range 0.1-0.2 nm and Q around 10,000. A wide tunable range (>6.4 nm) was achieved with the switch, which enables dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) with a channel space of 0.2nm. The time response of the switch was tested on the order of 10 us with a low power consumption of ~11.9mW/nm. The measured results are in agreement with the simulations. Important applications using the tunable photonic switch were demonstrated in this work. 1×4 and 4×4 reconfigurable photonic switch were implemented by using multiple switches with a common bus waveguide. The results suggest the feasibility of on-chip DWDM for the development of large-scale integrated photonics. Using the tunable switch for output wavelength control, a fiber laser was demonstrated with Erbium-doped fiber amplifier as the gain media. For the first time, this approach integrated on-chip silicon photonic wavelength control.

Late Pleistocene sedimentation in the Western Mediterranean Sea

Sediment cores from the Western Mediterranean Sea (WMS) have been analyzed for their bulk element composition, delta18O values of planktic foraminiferal tests, and 87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd ratios of their bulk lithogenic components. The investigated time interval comprises the last 215 kyr. Si/Al and Ti/Al ratios as well as radiogenic isotope compositions indicate changes in the provenance of the lithogenic components between glacial intervals and interglacial phases. Comparison with modern data indicates that detrital input from the northwestern and northeastern Sahara may have dominated during interglacial phases. In contrast, during glacial periods the accumulation rate of terrigenous sediment is high and changes in the sediment source areas are evident that may be related to changes in the prevailing atmospheric circulation over the basin and its source areas. A productivity reconstruction based on bio-mediated barium accumulation rates reveals increased surface productivity during glacial phases. Intervals time-equivalent to sapropel formation in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS) show no changes in surface productivity compared to the intervening intervals. Comparison of the productivity patterns between the WMS and EMS suggests a decoupling during Late Pleistocene sapropel formation and highlights the importance of more localized factors such as the freshwater drainage basin.

Expecting Too Much: European Union’s Minority Protection Hide-and-Seek

EU’s deference to the Member State approaches in minority protection can intensify the oppression of
the vulnerable groups, its insistence on non-discrimination on the basis of nationality in the minority regions with special rights in place can equally produce injustice. Its inability to protect EU-wide minorities, like the Roma, is equally problematic. Although a ‘value’, minority protection functions incoherently, if at all. It is time to approach the EU as a highly specific minority protection arena not to be confused with its component parts – the Member States. The reform of the Member State-centred thinking should start at the level of approaching the core issues. It should include the assessment of such questions as what is a minority in the EU’s context of a missing majority, what is the appropriate depth of EU’s intervention in the area of minority protection, i.e. how much room for manœuvre should reasonably be left with the Member States without disrupting the effectiveness of EU’s regulation, as well as the approach to defining what a success in minority protection should be, in the
EU context. The latter should be done, in particular, with due regard to the division of competences between the EU and the Member States in this and other relevant fields. This paper briefly explores a series of diverse casestudies – from migrant EU citizens, Baltic Russians, and sexual minorities to, most importantly, Roma rights to make the first attempt to test the proposed synergetic approach.

Dinâmica das pescas e gestão participativa do polvo vulgar (Octopus vulgaris) capturado pela frota de covos e alcatruzes no sul de Portugal

Tese de Doutoramento, Ciências do Mar, da Terra e do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade do Algarve, 2015

High-intensity interval training for improving health-related fitness in adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) may be a feasible and efficacious strategy for improving health-related fitness in young people. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the utility of HIIT to improve health-related fitness in adolescents and to identify potential moderators of training effects. METHODS: Studies were considered eligible if they: (1) examined adolescents (13-18 years); (2) examined health-related fitness outcomes; (3) involved an intervention of ≥4 weeks in duration; (4) included a control or moderate intensity comparison group; and (5) prescribed high-intensity activity for the HIIT condition. Meta-analyses were conducted to determine the effect of HIIT on health-related fitness components using Comprehensive Meta-analysis software and potential moderators were explored (ie, study duration, risk of bias and type of comparison group). RESULTS: The effects of HIIT on cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition were large, and medium, respectively. Study duration was a moderator for the effect of HIIT on body fat percentage. Intervention effects for waist circumference and muscular fitness were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: HIIT is a feasible and time-efficient approach for improving cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition in adolescent populations.