Zastosowanie analizy skupień do określania ram czasowych ostatniego kryzysu finansowego

W artykule zastosowano metody analizy skupień z zakresu statystyki wielowymiarowej do badania okresu kryzysu finansowego lat 2007-2013. Zgodnie z tymi algorytmami grupowano spready pomiędzy stopami rynku międzybankowego a OIS. Przeprowadzono dyskusję nad możliwością zastosowania tej metody do generowania ram czasowych różnych okresów kryzysów finansowych. Analiza skupień umożliwiła poczynienie nowych obserwacji na temat kryzy subprime i występującego po nim kryzysu zadłużeniowego. Praca nawiązuje do wcześniejszej publikacji autorki. Uwzględnia inne dane, inny okres kryzysu i zmodyfikowaną metodologię – zamiast podziału próby na lata, podział na okresy równej długości. Dzięki temu nie skraca się znacząco szeregów i nie traci się dużej części informacji.

Borges, “Guayaquil” y la sombra del caudillo (Una historia de imprecisiones, silencios y davídicos coregas) [Estudios]

El autor revisa el cuento “Guayaquil”, de Jorge Luis Borges, incluido en El informe de Brodie, su motivo es la histórica reunión entre Bolívar y San Martín en dicha ciudad. Es interpretado a la luz de la novela Nostromo de Joseph Conrad, aludida en el relato, y que se refiere a los devaneos y traiciones de las élites criollas y sus caudillos. Robles sostiene que Borges presenta en “Guayaquil” su propia visión de la Historia: una construcción a base de perspectivas que se cruzan, de reordenamientos de datos y de imprecisiones, para Borges, en la lucha de poderes entre caudillos populares y refinados políticos pesarían más la voluntad y la decisión que las palabras. Finalmente, el autor revisa el efecto de una distinta organización de los cuentos del libro. El de la primera versión inglesa apuntaría a mostrar un ascenso en la representación de la barbarie (como tema de los textos), presente en las repúblicas latinoamericanas siglo y medio después de sus independencias.

Stops making sense: translational trade-offs and stop codon reassignment

Background Efficient gene expression involves a trade-off between (i) premature termination of protein synthesis; and (ii) readthrough, where the ribosome fails to dissociate at the terminal stop. Sense codons that are similar in sequence to stop codons are more susceptible to nonsense mutation, and are also likely to be more susceptible to transcriptional or translational errors causing premature termination. We therefore expect this trade-off to be influenced by the number of stop codons in the genetic code. Although genetic codes are highly constrained, stop codon number appears to be their most volatile feature. Results In the human genome, codons readily mutable to stops are underrepresented in coding sequences. We construct a simple mathematical model based on the relative likelihoods of premature termination and readthrough. When readthrough occurs, the resultant protein has a tail of amino acid residues incorrectly added to the C-terminus. Our results depend strongly on the number of stop codons in the genetic code. When the code has more stop codons, premature termination is relatively more likely, particularly for longer genes. When the code has fewer stop codons, the length of the tail added by readthrough will, on average, be longer, and thus more deleterious. Comparative analysis of taxa with a range of stop codon numbers suggests that genomes whose code includes more stop codons have shorter coding sequences. Conclusions We suggest that the differing trade-offs presented by alternative genetic codes may result in differences in genome structure. More speculatively, multiple stop codons may mitigate readthrough, counteracting the disadvantage of a higher rate of nonsense mutation. This could help explain the puzzling overrepresentation of stop codons in the canonical genetic code and most variants.

A note on an integration by parts formula for the generators of uniform translations on configuration space

An integration by parts formula is derived for the first order differential operator corresponding to the action of translations on the space of locally finite simple configurations of infinitely many points on Rd. As reference measures, tempered grand canonical Gibbs measures are considered corresponding to a non-constant non-smooth intensity (one-body potential) and translation invariant potentials fulfilling the usual conditions. It is proven that such Gibbs measures fulfill the intuitive integration by parts formula if and only if the action of the translation is not broken for this particular measure. The latter is automatically fulfilled in the high temperature and low intensity regime.

Digital image correlation analysis of the load transfer by implant-supported restorations

This study compared splinted and non-splinted implant-supported prosthesis with and without a distal proximal contact using a digital image correlation method. An epoxy resin model was made with acrylic resin replicas of a mandibular first premolar and second molar and with threaded implants replacing the second premolar and first molar. Splinted and non-splinted metal-ceramic screw-retained crowns were fabricated and loaded with and without the presence of the second molar. A single-camera measuring system was used to record the in-plane deformation on the model surface at a frequency of 1.0 Hz under a load from 0 to 250 N. The images were then analyzed with specialist software to determine the direct (horizontal) and shear strains along the model. Not splinting the crowns resulted in higher stress transfer to the supporting implants when the second molar replica was absent. The presence of a second molar and an effective interproximal contact contributed to lower stress transfer to the supporting structures even for non-splinted restorations. Shear strains were higher in the region between the molars when the second molar was absent, regardless of splinting. The opposite was found for the region between the implants, which had higher shear strain values when the second molar was present. When an effective distal contact is absent, non-splinted implant-supported restorations introduce higher direct strains to the supporting structures under loading. Shear strains appear to be dependent also on the region within the model, with different regions showing different trends in strain changes in the absence of an effective distal contact. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neuropsykiatriska funktionshindermaktprocesser, sociala konstruktioner, medikalisering, stämpling : representanter ur diagnosticeringsprocessens inställning och attityd

De neuropsykiatriska funktionshindren ökar. Efter att ha arbetat som resurs i skolan samt varit kontaktfamilj, väcktes mitt intresse för diagnosticeringsprocessen av neuropsykiatriska funktionshinder. Jag ville genom studien undersöka vilken inställning två representanter som finns med i diagnosticeringsprocessen har till denna och deras roll i denna process. Jag ville få en bred bild, som beskriver mina informanters inställning ur så många aspekter som möjligt och använde mig därför ett flertal olika teorier. Mina teoretiska grunder bygger på de generella begreppen; Maktprocesser, Sociala konstruktioner, Medikalisering samt stämpling. De teoretiker jag använder mig av är Foucault, Gillberg, Kärfve, Brante, Bourdieu, Johannisson, Conrad, Lemert, Scheff och Goldberg.Jag använder mig av kvalitativ metod där två nyckelinformanter intervjuades, en psykolog och en specialpedagog. Dessa personer kan inte representera sina yrkesprofessioner och min avsikt var inte att generalisera. Studien som jag gjort är relaterade till just mina informanter.Informanterna är till stor del medvetna om medikaliseringen, de ser både för- och nackdelar med diagnosticeringsprocessen och de ser också riskerna i diagnosticeringen som stämmer väl överens med mina teorier.

En analys av Joseph Conrads roman Heart of Darkness samt novell An outpost of progress

Denna studie är en analys av romanen Heart of Darkness (1902) och novellen An outpost ofprogress (1898) av Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) i syfte att undersöka berättelsernashuvudsakliga tematik ur en postkolonial infallsvinkel samt vad Conrads avsikt tycks ha varitmed porträtteringen av elfenbensagenten Kurtz. För att genomföra denna analys har jag gjorten närläsning av Heart of Darkness samt An outpost of progress och samtidigt tolkathändelseförloppen.Tolkningarna är delvis mina egna samt delvis baserat på tidigare forskning. Efter att hagenomfört dessa närläsningar är min slutsats att Conrads huvudsakliga avsikt var att skildaden mänskliga moralens förfall genom den ondskefulla girigheten. Det är denna girighet somhan definierar som det mörka i en människas hjärta. Genom framställningen av Kurtz visarhan exempel på detta samt hur farlig en skicklig retoriker kan vara.

“...como se fosse lógico”: considerações críticas da medicalização do corpo infantil pelo TDAH na perspectiva da sociedade normalizada.

Esta pesquisa insere-se no debate que considera estarmos vivendo na era da medicalização, dos transtornos ou das patologizações (CONRAD, 1992; ROSE, 2001; VICENTIN, 2010). Com efeito, nas últimas décadas, tem crescido o número de doenças mentais diagnosticadas em crianças, especificamente, que consideraríamos normais pela perspectiva de Canguilhem (2010), mas que o olhar médico-científico as considera portadoras de doenças mentais. Assim, discursos ou dispositivos de poder psiquiátricos são constituídos para transformar comportamentos diferentes em patologias de modo que possam agir sobre os corpos, autorizadamente. Dentre eles, está o Transtorno do Déficit de Atenção e Hiperatividade (TDAH), analisado como objeto empírico nesta pesquisa, que se constitui num campo discursivo mais amplo denominado medicalização (CONRAD, 1992; ROSE, 2001; FOUCAULT, 1988; ILLICH, 1975), composta por diversas instituições como: psiquiatria, indústrias farmacêuticas, escolas, família, leis, associações de portadores do transtorno e mídias não especializadas. Esta constituição ocorre pelo deslocamento analítico de um comportamento do âmbito sociocultural para o campo médico que passa a ser diagnosticado e tratado como se fosse patológico. Para levantar as informações a respeito do TDAH, analisamos as falas de 5 psiquiatras, obtida por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas, 114 reportagens do jornal Folha de São Paulo, publicadas no período compreendido entre 1997 e 2011, o site da Associação Brasileira de Déficit de Atenção (ABDA) e algumas de suas produções (congressos, materiais informativos e textos de seus membros) e, finalmente, os Projetos de Lei (PL’s) em tramitação nas casas legislativas da cidade e do estado de São Paulo e da Federação. Valendo-nos de importantes conceituações pertinentes à Genealogia do Poder e à Arqueologia do Saber (FOUCAULT, 2007; VEYNE, 2011), bem como à Teoria do Discurso (HOWARTH, 2000), procuramos compreender de que modo o discurso medicalizante produz efeitos de poder sobre os corpos, transformando a falta de atenção e o excesso de atividade da criança em transtorno mental. Percebemos que isto é feito, dentre outras finalidades, para ampliar a performance ou o desempenho dos indivíduos, exigido tanto pelas escolas quanto pela economia de nossa sociedade. Tal exigência constitui-se na sociedade denominada normalizada (FOUCAULT, 2006), de risco (BAUMAN, 2008; BECK, 2010) ou de controle (DELEUZE, 1992), em que os possíveis prejuízos para o indivíduo e para a sociedade devem ser contidos por meio do controle dos corpos. Para tanto, a ciência, baseada nos conhecimentos da genética e da neurologia, disseca o corpo em suas partes doentes, constituindo uma nova forma de sujeição (DELEUZE; GUATTARI, 1996), o anormal. A anormalidade se apresenta na fronteira entre os comportamentos esperados e os desviantes, na medida em que estes últimos surgem como embaraço à sociabilidade e, principalmente, à produtividade. Normalizar seria então a função tanto do poder disciplinar quanto do biopoder, poderes sobre a vida (FOUCAULT, 1988) que agem sobre os corpos e a população, respectivamente, sintetizados nesta pesquisa com o nome crítico de medicalização. Além disso, ao constituirmos este campo discursivo, percebemos que, embora haja resistências, a medicalização da criança por meio do TDAH no Brasil tem triunfado em suas pretensões, tendo, na promulgação das leis e na identificação do transtorno apropriada pelo senso comum, as derradeiras fronteiras do poder sobre os corpos.

Apocalypse now e o coração das trevas: o embate entre indivíduo e sociedade

O filme Apocalypse Now (1979), de Francis Ford Coppola, inspirado no romance O Coração das Trevas (1902), de Joseph Conrad, discute o conflito entre indivíduo e sociedade no contexto da Guerra do Vietnã, nos anos 60 e 70 do século XX. Este trabalho pretende mostrar, embasado pela Semiótica francesa, as estratégias utilizadas pelo diretor para explicitar essa oposição na linguagem cinematográfica e preservar a fidelidade temática em relação às questões abordadas pelo livro, passado durante o Imperialismo britânico na África, no século XIX.

Direct effects of colchicine on myocardial function - Studies in hypertrophied and failing spontaneously hypertensive rats

The aging spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) is a model in which the transition from chronic stable left ventricular hypertrophy to overt heart failure can be observed. Although the mechanisms for impaired function in hypertrophied and failing cardiac muscle from the SHR have been studied, none accounts fully for the myocardial contractile abnormalities. The cardiac cytoskeleton has been implicated as a possible cause for myocardial dysfunction. If an increase in microtubules contributes to dysfunction, then myocardial microtubule disruption by colchicine should promote an improvement in cardiac performance. We studied the active and passive properties of isolated left ventricular papillary muscles from 18- to 24-month-old SHR with evidence of heart failure (SHR-F, n=6), age-matched SHR without heart failure (SHR-NF, n=6), and age-matched normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY, n=5). Mechanical parameters were analyzed before and up to 90 minutes after the addition of colchicine (10(-5), 10(-4), and 10(-3) mol/L). In the baseline state, active tension (AT) developed by papillary muscles from the WKY group was greater than for SHR-NF and SHR-F groups (WKY 5.69+/-1.47 g/mm(2) [mean+/-SD], SHR-NF 3.41+/-1.05, SHR-F 2.87+/-0.26; SHR-NF and SHR-F P<0.05 versus WKY rats). The passive stiffness was greater in SHR-F than in the WKY and SHR-NF groups (central segment exponential stiffness constant, K-cs: SHR-F 70+/-25, SHR-NF 44+/-17, WKY 41+/-13 [mean+/-SD]; SHR-F P<0.05 versus; SHR-NF and WKY rats). AT did not improve after 10, 20, and 30 minutes of exposure to colchicine (10(-5), 10(-4), and 10(-3) mol/L) in any group. In the SHR-F group, AT and passive stiffness did not change after 30 to 90 minutes of colchicine exposure (10(-4) mol/L). In summary, the data in this study fail to demonstrate improvement of intrinsic muscle function in SHR with heart failure after colchicine. Thus, in the SHR there is no evidence that colchicine-induced cardiac microtubular depolymerization affects the active or passive properties of hypertrophied or failing left ventricular myocardium.

PENNSYLVANIAN HETEROCONCHIA (MOLLUSCA, BIVALVIA) FROM THE PIAUI FORMATION, PARNAIBA BASIN, BRAZIL

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Association of matrix metalloproteinase-8 gene variation with breast cancer prognosis

Animal and cell studies indicate an inhibitory effect of matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP8) on tumorigenesis and metastasis. We investigated whether MMP8 gene variation was associated with breast cancer metastasis and prognosis in humans. We first studied nine tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the MMP8 gene in 140 clinically and pathologically well-characterized breast cancer patients. Four of the SNPs were found to be associated with lymph node metastasis, the most pronounced being a promoter SNP (rs11225395) with its minor allele (T) associating with reduced susceptibility to lymph node metastasis (P = 0.02). This SNP was further evaluated for association with cancer relapse and survival among a cohort of similar to 1,100 breast cancer patients who had been followed for cancer recurrence and mortality for a median of 7.1 years. The T allele was associated with reduced cancer relapse and greater survival, particularly among patients with earlier stage cancer. Among patients of tumor-node-metastasis stage 0 to 11, the adjusted hazard ratio of disease-free survival was 0.7 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.5-0.9] for patients carrying T allele compared with those homozygous for the C allele (P = 0.02). In vitro experiments showed that the T allele had higher promoter activity than the C allele in breast cancer cells. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed binding of nuclear proteins to the DNA sequence at the SNP site of the T allele but not that of the C allele. The data suggest that MMP8 gene variation may influence breast cancer prognosis and support the notion that MMP8 has an inhibitory effect on cancer metastasis.