Art of Goya as a significant reflection of his time

This thesis examines the story of how Goya came to be the artist he was and of the times which made him what he was, and which he so well mirrored. Francisco Goya y Lucientes is a remarkable figure in the history of art. Rarely has an artist arisen from such a cultural vacuum; rarely has an artist done so much to establish a cultural reputation for his country; rarely has an artist reflected so accurately the spirit of his time; and rare is the artist who has such an important influence on all the significant art of the future.

Ensuring Multimodal Course Consistency

The growth of online, hybrid, and distance courses challenges institutions to maintain content consistency across multiple platforms. This report examines the policies, standards, and practices that guide course consistency initiatives.

Involving users to successfully meet the challenges of the digital library: a 30 year personal reflection

Trabalho apresentado na conferência Os Desafios das Bibliotecas Digitais realizado na Fundação Getulio Vargas em agosto 2014

Atividade multimodal no córtex sensorial primário de ratos.

The currently accepted model of sensory processing states that different senses are processed in parallel, and that the activity of specific cortical regions define the sensorial modality perceived by the subject. In this work we used chronic multielectrode extracellular recordings to investigate to which extent neurons in the visual and tactile primary cortices (V1 and S1) of anesthetized rats would respond to sensory modalities not traditionaly associated with these cortices. Visual stimulation yielded 87% of responsive neurons in V1, while 82% of S1 neurons responded to tactile stimulation. In the same stimulation sessions, we found 23% of V1 neurons responding to tactile stimuli and 22% of S1 neurons responding to visual stimuli. Our data supports an increasing body of evidence that indicates the existence multimodal processing in primary sensory cortices. Our data challenge the unimodal sensory processing paradigm, and suggest the need of a reinterpretation of the currently accepted model of cortical hierarchy.

Ultrasonic densitometer using a multiple reflection technique

This work presents recent improvements in a density measurement cell with a double-element transducer that can eliminate diffraction effects. A new mechanical design combined with the use of more appropriate materials has resulted in better parallelism between interfaces, more robust assembly, and chemical resistance. A novel method of signal processing, named energy method, is introduced to obtain the reflection coefficient, reducing sensitivity to noise and improving accuracy. The measurement cell operation is verified both theoretically, using an acoustic wave propagation model, and experimentally, using homogeneous liquids with different densities. The accuracy in the density measurement is 0.2% when compared with the measurements made with a pycnometer.

Viscosity measurement of Newtonian liquids using the complex reflection coefficient

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Saliva: reflection of the body

Saliva has become an important resource for evaluating physiological and pathological conditions in humans. The use of saliva has many advantages, including the simple and non-invasive method of collection and its easy, low-cost storage. With the addition of modern techniques and chemical instrumentation equipment, there has been an increase in its use for laboratory investigations, applicable for basic and clinical analyses in the fields of medicine and dentistry. The value of these methods for the diagnosis of oral and systemic diseases has been the subject of study by several researchers with the aim of increasing its use alongside complementary exams. (C) 2009 International Society for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Temporal correlator in YM32 and reflection-positivity violation

We consider numerical data for the lattice Landau gluon propagator obtained at very large lattice volumes in three-dimensional pure SU(2) Yang-Mills gauge theory (YM32). We find that the temporal correlator C(t) shows an oscillatory pattern and is negative for several values of t. This is an explicit violation of reflection positivity and can be related to gluon confinement. We also obtain a good fit for this quantity in the whole time interval using a sum of Stingl-like propagators.

Laüe back-reflection method for crystallographic orientation of a martensitic Cu-Zn-Al single crystal of the monoclinic system

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

A hydride generation flow system for determination of arsenic and selenium by total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

In this work, a preconcentration and separation system based on continuous flow hydride generation is proposed to improve the determination of As and Se by total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The generated hydrides are continuously separated from the liquid phase and collected in a chamber containing 250 mul of HCI/HNO3 1:1 (v/v) solution. Hydride generation conditions and collection of the hydrides were evaluated. Under optimised conditions, enrichment factors of 55 for As and 82 for Se were attained. Detection limits of 0.3 mug l(-1) for As and Se were obtained when 20 ml of sample was used. Analysis of a natural water standard reference material from National Institute of Standard and Technology (SRM-1640) was in agreement with the certified values at the 95% confidence level. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.