Geometry and topography in James Joyce's Ulysses and Finnegans Wake

Following the development of non-Euclidean geometries from the mid-nineteenth century onwards, Euclid’s system had come to be re-conceived as a language for describing reality rather than a set of transcendental laws. As Henri Poincaré famously put it, ‘[i]f several geometries are possible, is it certain that our geometry [...] is true?’. By examining Joyce’s linguistic play and conceptual engagement with ground-breaking geometric constructs in Ulysses and Finnegans Wake, this thesis explores how his topographical writing of place encapsulates a common crisis between geometric and linguistic modes of representation within the context of modernity. More specifically, it investigates how Joyce presents Euclidean geometry and its topographical applications as languages, rather than ideally objective systems, for describing visual reality; and how, conversely, he employs language figuratively to emulate the systems by which the world is commonly visualised. With reference to his early readings of Giordano Bruno, Henri Poincaré and other critics of the Euclidean tradition, it investigates how Joyce’s obsession with measuring and mapping space throughout his works enters into his more developed reflections on the codification of visual signs in Finnegans Wake. In particular, this thesis sheds new light on Joyce’s developing fascination with the ‘geometry of language’ practised by Bruno, whose massive influence on Joyce is often assumed to exist in Joyce studies yet is rarely explored in any great detail.

Managing and utilizing information flow for new products’ periodic account sales process

The goal was to understand, document and module how information is currently flown internally in the largest dairy organization in Finland. The organization has undergone radical changes in the past years due to economic sanctions between European Union and Russia. Therefore, organization’s ultimate goal would be to continue its growth through managing its sales process more efficiently. The thesis consists of a literature review and an empirical part. The literature review consists of knowledge management and process modeling theories. First, the knowledge management discusses how data, information and knowledge are exchanged in the process. Knowledge management models and processes are describing how knowledge is created, exchanged and can be managed in an organization. Secondly, the process modeling is responsible for visualizing information flow through discussion of modeling approaches and presenting different methods and techniques. Finally, process’ documentation procedure was presented. In the end, a constructive research approach was used in order to identify process’ related problems and bottlenecks. Therefore, possible solutions were presented based on this approach. The empirical part of the study is based on 37 interviews, organization’s internal data sources and theoretical framework. The acquired data and information were used to document and to module the sales process in question with a flowchart diagram. Results are conducted through construction of the flowchart diagram and analysis of the documentation. In fact, answers to research questions are derived from empirical and theoretical parts. In the end, 14 problems and two bottlenecks were identified in the process. The most important problems are related to approach and/or standardization for information sharing, insufficient information technology tool utilization and lack of systematization of documentation. The bottlenecks are caused by the alarming amount of changes to files after their deadlines.

Obstáculos à gestão do conhecimento nas escolas de gestão e economia do ensino superior público em Portugal

Este artigo identifica os obstáculos à gestão do conhecimento nas escolas de gestão e economia do ensino superior público em Portugal. Assume a gestão do conhecimento como um processo colectivo e interactivo que envolve a geração, codificação e transferência do conhecimento. No âmbito duma pesquisa sobre gestão do conhecimento no ensino superior em Portugal, procedeu-se à aplicação de um questionário junto de docentes das escolas de gestão e economia do ensino público, tendo-se obtido 142 respostas válidas para tratamento de dados. Os dados foram submetidos a uma análise descritiva e factorial tendo-se identificado os seguintes principais obstáculos à gestão do conhecimento: liderança e organização, comunicação, e recursos organizacionais.

O entre do carvão ao corpo - em - arte de ator-brincante

I propose with this paper a reflection on the experiences contained in the creation of the body- in-art (FERRACINI, 2006a, b) that originated the show Rosmaninhos... This process was developed within the coletivo UZUME teatro from João Pessoa PB, through recreations and resignifications of the corporeity and physicality contained in the steps, loas, aboios, songs and choreography observed in the manners that Mestre Zequinha plays in his group of Cavalo Marinho (Sea Horse), resident in the city of Bayeux - PB, and starting from the appropriation of the text Hamlet of William Shakespeare. The body-in-art is understood in this work as a vectorial body that dilates its daily functionality, recognizing a potential learning area capable to generate creative escape lines that destabilize the "subject centered in an individuality and identity" (FOUCAULT apud FERRACINI, 2006b, p.14), being open to the differentiation of itself, indicating the possible existence of an itself-other and of the exchange-in-art space. This process of construction of the body-in-art based on Master Zequinha s ways of playing the Cavalo Marinho was methodically guided by the appropriation of the coletivo UZUME teatro of the stages of Observation, Codification and Theatricalization contained in the technique of corporal mimeses proposed by the LUME Teatro (Campinas - SP). That use resulted in two phases: Active Observation and Composition of the body-in-art. Through the repetition of these aesthetic matrixes of the Cavalo Marinho, the actors discovered actions that when, codified and organized, can configure their body-in-art, which created a vectorial exchange-in-art space to what was found in the Cavalo Marinho party. This search proposed the means of potentiating the actors' work when it comes to a preparation that allowed to dilate the scenic presence and stimulated the production of actions, which culminated in the mounting of the show Rosmaninhos...

The modern state and the re-creation of the indigenous other: The case of the authentic Sami in Sweden and the white man's Indian in the United States of America

The present study comparatively examined the socio-political and economic transformation of the indigenous Sámi in Sweden and the Indian American in the United States of America occurring first as a consequence of colonization and later as a product of interaction with the modern territorial and industrial state, from approximately 1500 to 1900. ^ The first colonial encounters of the Europeans with these autochthonous populations ultimately created an imagery of the exotic Other and of the noble savage. Despite these disparaging representations, the cross-cultural settings in which these interactions took place also produced the hybrid communities and syncretic life that allowed levels of cultural accommodation, autonomous space, and indigenous agency to emerge. By the nineteenth century, however, the modern territorial and industrial state rearranges the dynamics and reaches of power across a redefined territorial sovereign space, consequently, remapping belongingness and identity. In this context, the status of indigenous peoples, as in the case of Sámi and of Indian Americans, began to change at par with industrialization and with modernity. At this point in time, indigenous populations became a hindrance to be dealt with the legal re-codification of Indigenousness into a vacuumed limbo of disenfranchisement. It is, thus, the modern territorial and industrial state that re-creates the exotic into an indigenous Other. ^ The present research showed how the initial interaction between indigenous and Europeans changed with the emergence of the modern state, demonstrating that the nineteenth century, with its fundamental impulses of industrialism and modernity, not only excluded and marginalized indigenous populations because they were considered unfit to join modern society, it also re-conceptualized indigenous identity into a constructed authenticity.^

La subrogation légale de l’assureur en vertu du Code civil : historique, développements et aspects procéduraux

En assurance de dommages, l’article 2474 C.c.Q. prévoit la possibilité pour l’assureur d’être légalement subrogé dans les droits de l’assuré contre l’auteur du préjudice, à concurrence des indemnités qu’il a payées. L’assureur ne pourra jamais être subrogé contre les personnes faisant partie de la maison de l’assuré. Dans un premier temps, le présent mémoire fait un survol historique du droit à la subrogation de l’assureur en vertu du Code civil. Depuis la codification de 1865, les principes relatifs à la subrogation de l’assureur ne sont pas demeurés statiques. Ils firent l’objet de plusieurs modifications législatives et de nombreuses controverses et développements jurisprudentiels. Dans un deuxième temps, un portrait global de l’état actuel du droit est dressé en ce qui concerne l’article 2474 C.c.Q., tant sur le plan des composantes du droit à la subrogation que de ses aspects procéduraux.

Evolution of classifiers for pitch estimation of piano music using cartesian genetic programming

Pitch Estimation, also known as Fundamental Frequency (F0) estimation, has been a popular research topic for many years, and is still investigated nowadays. The goal of Pitch Estimation is to find the pitch or fundamental frequency of a digital recording of a speech or musical notes. It plays an important role, because it is the key to identify which notes are being played and at what time. Pitch Estimation of real instruments is a very hard task to address. Each instrument has its own physical characteristics, which reflects in different spectral characteristics. Furthermore, the recording conditions can vary from studio to studio and background noises must be considered. This dissertation presents a novel approach to the problem of Pitch Estimation, using Cartesian Genetic Programming (CGP).We take advantage of evolutionary algorithms, in particular CGP, to explore and evolve complex mathematical functions that act as classifiers. These classifiers are used to identify piano notes pitches in an audio signal. To help us with the codification of the problem, we built a highly flexible CGP Toolbox, generic enough to encode different kind of programs. The encoded evolutionary algorithm is the one known as 1 + , and we can choose the value for . The toolbox is very simple to use. Settings such as the mutation probability, number of runs and generations are configurable. The cartesian representation of CGP can take multiple forms and it is able to encode function parameters. It is prepared to handle with different type of fitness functions: minimization of f(x) and maximization of f(x) and has a useful system of callbacks. We trained 61 classifiers corresponding to 61 piano notes. A training set of audio signals was used for each of the classifiers: half were signals with the same pitch as the classifier (true positive signals) and the other half were signals with different pitches (true negative signals). F-measure was used for the fitness function. Signals with the same pitch of the classifier that were correctly identified by the classifier, count as a true positives. Signals with the same pitch of the classifier that were not correctly identified by the classifier, count as a false negatives. Signals with different pitch of the classifier that were not identified by the classifier, count as a true negatives. Signals with different pitch of the classifier that were identified by the classifier, count as a false positives. Our first approach was to evolve classifiers for identifying artifical signals, created by mathematical functions: sine, sawtooth and square waves. Our function set is basically composed by filtering operations on vectors and by arithmetic operations with constants and vectors. All the classifiers correctly identified true positive signals and did not identify true negative signals. We then moved to real audio recordings. For testing the classifiers, we picked different audio signals from the ones used during the training phase. For a first approach, the obtained results were very promising, but could be improved. We have made slight changes to our approach and the number of false positives reduced 33%, compared to the first approach. We then applied the evolved classifiers to polyphonic audio signals, and the results indicate that our approach is a good starting point for addressing the problem of Pitch Estimation.

La subrogation légale de l’assureur en vertu du Code civil : historique, développements et aspects procéduraux

En assurance de dommages, l’article 2474 C.c.Q. prévoit la possibilité pour l’assureur d’être légalement subrogé dans les droits de l’assuré contre l’auteur du préjudice, à concurrence des indemnités qu’il a payées. L’assureur ne pourra jamais être subrogé contre les personnes faisant partie de la maison de l’assuré. Dans un premier temps, le présent mémoire fait un survol historique du droit à la subrogation de l’assureur en vertu du Code civil. Depuis la codification de 1865, les principes relatifs à la subrogation de l’assureur ne sont pas demeurés statiques. Ils firent l’objet de plusieurs modifications législatives et de nombreuses controverses et développements jurisprudentiels. Dans un deuxième temps, un portrait global de l’état actuel du droit est dressé en ce qui concerne l’article 2474 C.c.Q., tant sur le plan des composantes du droit à la subrogation que de ses aspects procéduraux.

L’interface politico-administrative au Québec : champ de bataille? Transmission stratégique de l’information dans les affaires d’État

En vertu de l’expertise qu’il détient, l’agent public contribue à la réflexion du politique. L’acteur public est en quelque sorte un outil d’aide à la décision. Le paradigme classique en théorie des organisations assume que le bureaucrate est un acteur programmé dont les actions sont guidées par la règlementation et la codification juridico-légale entourant sa pratique. Quant à elle, l’École de la nouvelle gestion publique suppose que l’agent public doit opérer librement selon les indicateurs de la sphère privée ; il doit viser l’efficacité au moindre coût et prioriser la culture du résultat. De plus, dans des conditions respectant l’environnement où se dessine le partage de renseignements, les chercheurs ne s’entendent pas sur le principe de l’allié qui postule conventionnellement que des préférences similaires favorisent la transmission optimale de l’information entre le politique et la fonction publique. Quel modèle prévaut au Québec ? Sous quelles formes s’opérationnalise-t-il en contexte de transfert ? La thèse d’une compatibilité préférentielle est-elle garante d’une translation informationnelle améliorée ? En usant du modèle canonique principal-agent, ce mémoire confronte la croyance répandue voulant que l’État québécois soit foncièrement webérien en adressant certaines des plus importantes conclusions théoriques dans la discipline. Les résultats démontrent que l’appareil d’État est issu d’un croisement entre les deux principaux paradigmes reconnus dans la littérature. Aussi, le mémoire fait état d’une similarité entre l’interprétation traditionnelle de l’ally principle et la réalité empirique retrouvée dans la relation entre le haut fonctionnaire et le législateur québécois. Ultimement, l’étude démontre que l’administrateur d’État est stratégique dans certaines situations qu’il sait instrumentaliser et où il peut occuper un espace discrétionnaire suffisant pour valoriser ses intérêts professionnels et ceux de son organisation.

Introduction du réseau de concepts comme stratégie d’apprentissage en soins infirmiers première session.

L’insertion dans un programme collégial, particulièrement celui des soins infirmiers, nécessite à l’individu d’utiliser efficacement, minimalement une stratégie d’apprentissage. Une proportion importante de la population étudiante présente des difficultés à trouver et à utiliser une telle stratégie favorisant cet apprentissage particulier. Pour résoudre ce défi, il est propice d’en expérimenter une et de questionner sa pertinence : L’utilisation du réseau de concepts comme stratégie semble-t-elle favoriser l’apprentissage, selon la perception des étudiantes et étudiants participants en soins infirmiers première session du Cégep Beauce-Appalaches? Le cadre de référence définit deux concepts importants de l’essai : « stratégie d’apprentissage » et « réseau de concepts. » Ce dernier est approfondi par rapport a) aux différentes appellations utilisées; b) aux utilités de celui-ci dans l’apprentissage et; c) au processus menant à la schématisation du réseau de concepts. Cela conduit aux objectifs spécifiques qui sont l’expérimentation, en milieu scolaire, du réseau de concepts comme stratégie d’apprentissage auprès d'étudiantes et étudiants inscrits au programme d’études soins infirmiers en première session du Cégep Beauce-Appalaches et la prise de connaissance de leurs perceptions par rapport à cette utilisation. Cette recherche-expérimentation appartient au pôle recherche. La méthodologie retenue est qualitative-interprétative et se réalise à l’aide d’un groupe-classe de 25 individus participants, d’une enseignante volontaire et du chercheur dans son rôle d’enseignant. L’expérimentation, en tenant compte de considérations éthiques et du processus menant à la schématisation du réseau de concepts, ainsi que l’utilisation d’outils de collecte des données élaborés et prétestés répondent aux objectifs spécifiques. Ces instruments de collectes des données sont des fiches évaluatives, un groupe de discussion et un journal de bord. Ils permettent l’identification des effets perçus de cette stratégie d’apprentissage, par les personnes participantes, lors de l’expérimentation. L’analyse des résultats s’effectue à partir de la codification des commentaires reçus dans les fiches évaluatives et à partir de rapports synthèses pour la section des énoncés utilisant l’échelle de Likert, ainsi que pour le journal de bord et pour le groupe de discussion. La présentation et l’interprétation des résultats obtenus permettent de dire qu’à de nombreuses reprises, les perceptions des participantes et participants, par rapport à l’utilisation du réseau de concepts, semblent favoriser l’apprentissage particulier requis dans le programme d’études soins infirmiers. La triangulation des résultats confirme que cette stratégie d’apprentissage semble favoriser a) la compréhension des relations entre les concepts principaux; b) la structuration des contenus pédagogiques pour l’étude; c) l’identification des concepts principaux; d) la compréhension de l’ensemble du contenu pédagogique concerné et; e) l’élaboration d’un résumé pédagogique. D’autre part, il est pertinent de mentionner que ces résultats correspondent aux écrits scientifiques constituant le cadre de référence de cet essai.

Symbolic dynamics generated by a hybrid chaotic systems

We consider piecewise defined differential dynamical systems which can be analysed through symbolic dynamics and transition matrices. We have a continuous regime, where the time flow is characterized by an ordinary differential equation (ODE) which has explicit solutions, and the singular regime, where the time flow is characterized by an appropriate transformation. The symbolic codification is given through the association of a symbol for each distinct regular system and singular system. The transition matrices are then determined as linear approximations to the symbolic dynamics. We analyse the dependence on initial conditions, parameter variation and the occurrence of global strange attractors.

O PAPEL DA COMUNICAÇÃO FACE A FACE NAS ORGANIZAÇÕES NO CONTEXTO DA SOCIEDADE MIDIATIZADA

Este estudo trata da comunicação face a face nas organizações sob diferentes abordagens teóricas. Considera a perspectiva da simultaneidade dos meios, já que as empresas utilizam diversos canais para dialogar com seus públicos de interesse. Leva em conta o fenômeno da midiatização, que reestrutura o modo como as pessoas se relacionam na sociedade contemporânea. O objetivo geral da pesquisa é sistematizar papeis potencialmente exercidos pela interação face a face e conhecer algumas circunstâncias que envolvem sua prática nas organizações. Por se tratar de uma tese teórica, a pesquisa bibliográfica se apresenta como um dos principais procedimentos metodológicos; análises de casos empíricos e um estudo de caso desenvolvido na Embrapa Pantanal constituem situações ilustrativas. Conclui-se que a comunicação face a face nas empresas ocorre de forma simultânea e combinada a outros canais de comunicação, porém, ela proporciona resultados práticos e filosóficos ainda pouco explorados. É rara a utilização estratégica de contatos presenciais como mecanismo para estabelecer relacionamentos, conhecer as reações alheias e ajustar a comunicação, aliar o discurso corporativo às práticas empresariais e avaliar o contexto onde se desenvolvem as interações, o que pode ser decisivo para a comunicação organizacional.

Che cosa significa emancipazione? Organizzazione sociale, norme giuridiche e potere paterno dalla Rivoluzione francese agli anni Quaranta dell'Ottocento

La tesi presenta un’analisi storico-concettuale del concetto di emancipazione in Francia tra la Rivoluzione francese e gli anni Quaranta dell’Ottocento a partire dalla centralità delle donne nel processo rivoluzionario e dal problema del potere paterno e dell’ordine della famiglia. Da questa prospettiva viene ricostruito il momento di affermazione del significato moderno del concetto: prima con l’Illuminismo e poi con la Rivoluzione francese si determina un progressivo allargamento semantico che farà posto a significati politico-sociali inediti e a una serie di soggetti imprevisti. La Rivoluzione presenta infatti sulla scena un soggetto collettivo, già maturo, che dà forma all’emancipazione rivoluzionaria. Quest’ultima richiede una specifica scienza in grado di arginare i suoi effetti politici più pericolosi senza tradirne le premesse formali. A questo risponde l’Idéologie come scienza sociale sul finire della Rivoluzione. Se le donne in questi anni si mobilitano a partire dall’emancipazione rivoluzionaria, esse rappresentano al tempo stesso un problema fondamentale per l’ordine rivoluzionario come mostra il dibattito sul potere paterno che fa luce sul passaggio, fondamentale per il concetto di emancipazione, dal potere di emancipare del padre a quello dello Stato emancipatore. Gli esiti di questo dibattito si trovano nel Codice civile e nella sua emancipazione codificata, che definisce i confini giuridici e formali dell’emancipazione rivoluzionaria e le sue gerarchie. In seguito, la tesi ricostruisce le trasformazioni del concetto all’indomani della Rivoluzione nella dottrina di Saint-Simon e dei suoi allievi. Questa sarà all’origine del discorso che si sviluppa in Francia tra gli anni Trenta e Quaranta sul problema dell’emancipazione della donna che trova espressione negli scritti delle donne saint-simoniane. La tesi si ferma alle porte degli anni Quaranta quando l’emancipazione nel suo significato moderno si stabilizza e diventa un vero e proprio concetto di movimento, espressione di processi di emancipazione che si erano preparati negli anni precedenti.

"Tradizione romanistica" e principi generali del diritto: Il dibattito italiano tra Otto e Novecento

Il presente lavoro verte sul ruolo svolto dal diritto romano e – più in generale – dalla “tradizione romanistica” all'interno del sistema giuridico nazionale posteriore alla codificazione civile del 1865. L'attenzione è rivolta principalmente all'art. 3 delle Disposizioni preliminari del Codice del 1865 con il suo riferimento ai 'principi generali del diritto' e, dunque, all'analogia iuris. La prima parte dello studio si concentra sull'analisi di alcune voci della scienza giuridica italiana tra Otto e Novecento, nei loro diversi approcci – laddove riscontrabili – rispetto allo studio e al recupero (in chiave moderna) del diritto romano. La seconda parte è invece dedicata all'esame della prassi giudiziaria e, più specificamente, delle Corti di Cassazione. In questa fase si persegue un duplice obiettivo: da un lato, verificare se, ed eventualmente in che misura, il diritto romano possa ancora svolgere un ruolo nella (moderna) giurisprudenza di legittimità; dall'altro, valutare la concreta possibilità, prospettata da una parte della scienza giuridica, di ricorrere in Cassazione per impugnare una sentenza asseritamente contraria ai principi generali del diritto sanciti dall'art. 3 co. 2 delle Preleggi. L'analisi prende dunque le mosse dal contenuto delle singole decisioni della Cassazione, per poi passare all'esegesi dei frammenti di volta in volta richiamati; infine, si concluderà con un'operazione di sintesi volta a valutare, per ciascun caso, la coerenza (giuridica) del ragionamento analogico.

La codificazione del danno ambientale. La sfida del diritto privato tra interessi individuali e interessi collettivi

La tesi ha ad oggetto la tutela dell’ambiente e il ruolo svolto dal diritto privato. In particolare, si affrontano gli aspetti che caratterizzano il danno all’ambiente e, ancor più nel dettaglio, si fa emergere la dimensione plurioffensiva. Si risolvono alcuni nodi e alcune problematiche che si manifestano in relazione alla legittimazione ad agire per danno all’ambiente e, di conseguenza, si focalizza l’attenzione sull’individuazione delle situazioni giuridiche soggettive ad esso correlate: termini come diritto soggettivo, interessi collettivi, interessi diffusi, legittimazione soggettiva e legittimazione oggettiva costituiscono il leitmotiv dell’indagine. Al fine di poter inquadrare sistematicamente il tema ambientale nella sfera del diritto privato, si analizzano i fondamenti del costituzionalismo e del diritto privato moderno, le ragioni dell’esistenza della dicotomia pubblico-privato e della separazione di interessi ad essa corrispondente. Quest’indagine, contenuta nel primo capitolo della tesi, è necessaria per cogliere le motivazioni della tendenziale estromissione (soprattutto nell’ambito delle categorie civilistiche) degli interessi superindividuali, degli interessi collettivi e dei corpi intermedi che ne sono portatori. Nel secondo capitolo si ripercorre, nell’intervallo temporale che va dagli anni ’70 sino alla fine degli anni ’90, l’evoluzione normativa e le principali teorie relative al danno all’ambiente. L’analisi di questi stessi temi, nel periodo intercorrente tra l’inizio del nuovo Millennio e i giorni nostri, è oggetto di indagine anche del terzo ed ultimo capitolo, in cui l’attenzione si sposta inevitabilmente sulla legislazione europea e sulla tutela multilivello dei diritti. Nelle conclusioni del lavoro, infine, ci si interroga sulla funzione giudiziaria e sulla separazione dei poteri nella gestione del problema ambientale, nonché sulla valenza attuale dei diritti soggettivi e dei diritti fondamentali dell’uomo nel costituzionalismo democratico. In questa sede, si illustra e si propone una dimensione istituzionale del diritto soggettivo, declinato in termini di partecipazione democratica.