Comunicação e trabalho para mudanças na perspectiva sociotécnica

Este artigo é uma reflexão, a partir do campo da comunicação, sobre a presença das tecnologias de informação e de comunicação no mundo do trabalho. Para cumprir esse objetivo, problematiza-se a atividade humana como atividade de comunicação e de trabalho. As tecnologias são produtos dessa atividade, inseremse no contexto sociotécnico contemporâneo e revelam contradições e exclusões. A título de contribuição, apresentam-se relatos de profissionais do campo da comunicação sobre as mudanças no mundo do trabalho dos comunicadores

Atividade de comunicação e de trabalho

Este artigo discute o binômio comunicação e trabalho a partir da perspectiva da ergologia, ou seja, da atividade humana. Faz uma breve retrospectiva das teorias de comunicação, analisando como as correntes teóricas hegemônicas vêem de maneira limitada os processos de comunicação. E discute sobre os conceitos de comunicação e de trabalho, propondo uma abordagem de pesquisa que permita melhor compreender esse binômio.

Nuclear abnormalities in erythrocytes and morphometric indexes in the catfish Cathorops spixii (Ariidae) from different sites on the southeastern Brazilian coast

Nuclear abnormalities in erythrocytes (NAE) were taken as biomarkers in the catfish Cathorops spixii (Ariidae) sampled in an estuary little affected by human activity (Cananeia) and in three regions (Santos Channel: SC, Santos Bay: SB and Sao Vicente Channel: SVC) of the Santos-Sao Vicente estuary impacted by various anthropogenic activities. Increases in NAE were observed in fish from SC and SVC sampled in the summer period as compared with specimens from the Cananeia estuary. These results suggest the presence of genotoxic compounds in these regions. However, the absence of significant differences in micronuclei frequency reflects slight mutagenic effects in these individuals. It is possible that the lower NAE frequency in specimens from SB might be associated with the greater remobilization and dilution of chemicals in this region. The low frequency of NAE in C. spixii from the Cananeia estuary is in accordance with the slight anthropogenic influence in this system, and may be suggestive of the absence of genotoxic and mutagenic effects in these organisms.

Da vigilância para prevenção de acidentes de trabalho: contribuição da ergonomia da atividade

Os acidentes são fenômenos complexos, cuja determinação situa-se na organização do trabalho, dimensão invisível aos agentes de vigilância. O objetivo deste artigo é analisar e comparar o alcance das intervenções realizadas em uma empresa frigorífica, em 1997, baseada na checagem de normas de saúde e segurança, e em 2008, quando se incorpora a ergonomia da atividade. Foi realizado estudo de caso com análise documental referente à intervenção de 1997 e análise ergonômica do trabalho adotada em 2008. Em 1997 as ações de vigilância incidiram principalmente sobre os fatores de risco visíveis. Mesmo cumprindo as exigências, a empresa continuava, em 2008, com proporção de incidência anual de 26% de acidentes, o que motivou a busca da nova abordagem. Verificou-se, em 2008, que a gênese dos acidentes era provocada por um circulo vicioso: trabalho intenso; inadequação de meios técnicos; absenteísmo e rotatividade (84% ao ano) com recrutamento de inexperientes. Esse quadro é agravado por práticas autoritárias. A ergonomia da atividade contribuiu para compreender as causas organizacionais ultrapassando os aspectos normativos da vigilância tradicional, o que indica sua importância para tornar mais efetivas as ações de vigilância para a prevenção.

Daily rhythms of native Brazilians in summer and winter

Access to electricity, granting relative independence of human activity on the dark phase of the day, has been pointed out as an important cause for the absence of seasonal changes in the daily rhythms of humans living in urban areas. Featuring a population of adult Guarani natives living without access to electricity, the present naturalistic study was designed to explore possible effects of different natural photoperiods and temperature on human circadian rhythms. We compared time series of wrist temperature (WT) and motor activity in winter and summer, respectively, 01 24 individuals aged 18 to 80. Twenty-four-hour rhythms of WT showed lower amplitudes and higher mean levels in summer, with no significant seasonal differences in acrophase. In contrast, rest-activity (RA) rhythms exhibited a significantly later rest on-and offset in summer, but no seasonal changes in duration, amplitude and mean level. We furthermore identified a phase advance of both the WT acrophase and rest onset with increasing age of the individuals. We concluded that in our study the effect of different seasons was reflected in the amplitude and mean level of the WT rhythm, as well the onset of nighttime rest, which was delayed in summer. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Diversity and genetic structure in natural populations of Hancornia speciosa var. speciosa Gomes in northeastern Brazil

Hancornia speciosa Gomes is a fruit tree native from Brazil that belongs to Apocinaceae family, and is popularly known as Mangabeira. Its fruits are widely consumed raw or processed as fruit jam, juices and ice creams, which have made it a target of intense exploitation. The extractive activities and intense human activity on the environment of natural occurrence of H. speciosa has caused genetic erosion in the species and little is known about the ecology or genetic structure of natural populations. The objective of this research was the evaluation of the genetic diversity and genetic structure of H. speciosa var. speciosa. The genetic variability was assessed using 11 allozyme loci with a sample of 164 individuals distributed in six natural populations located in the States of Pernambuco and Alagoas, Northeastern Brazil. The results showed a high level of genetic diversity within the species (e= 0.36) seeing that the most of the genetic variability of H. speciosa var. speciosa is within its natural populations with low difference among populations ( or = 0.081). The inbreeding values within ( = -0.555) and among populations ( =-0.428) were low showing lacking of endogamy and a surplus of heterozygotes. The estimated gene flow ( m ) was high, ranging from 2.20 to 13.18, indicating to be enough to prevent the effects of genetic drift and genetic differentiation among populations. The multivariate analyses indicated that there is a relationship between genetic and geographical distances, which was confirmed by a spatial pattern analysis using Mantel test (r = 0.3598; p = 0.0920) with 1000 random permutations. The high genetic diversity index in these populations indicates potential for in situ genetic conservation.

Nuclear abnormalities in erythrocytes and morphometric indexes in the catfish Cathorops spixii (Ariidae) from different sites on the southeastern Brazilian coast

Nuclear abnormalities in erythrocytes (NAE) were taken as biomarkers in the catfish Cathorops spixii (Ariidae) sampled in an estuary little affected by human activity (Cananéia) and in three regions (Santos Channel: SC, Santos Bay: SB and São Vicente Channel: SVC) of the Santos-São Vicente estuary impacted by various anthropogenic activities. Increases in NAE were observed in fish from SC and SVC sampled in the summer period as compared with specimens from the Cananéia estuary. These results suggest the presence of genotoxic compounds in these regions. However, the absence of significant differences in micronuclei frequency reflects slight mutagenic effects in these individuals. It is possible that the lower NAE frequency in specimens from SB might be associated with the greater remobilization and dilution of chemicals in this region. The low frequency of NAE in C. spixii from the Cananéia estuary is in accordance with the slight anthropogenic influence in this system, and may be suggestive of the absence of genotoxic and mutagenic effects in these organisms.

Coastline changes and sedimentation related with the opening of an artificial channel: The Valo Grande Delta, SE Brazil

The role played by human activity in coastline changes indicates a general tendency of retreating coasts, especially deltaic environments, as a result of the recent trend of sea level rise as well as the blockage of the transfer of sediments towards the coast, especially due to the construction of dams. This is particularly important in deltaic environments which are suffering a dramatic loss of area in the last decades. In contrast, in this paper, we report the origin and evolution of an anthropogenic delta, the Valo Grande delta, on the south-eastern Brazilian coast, whose origin is related to the opening of an artificial channel and the diversion of the main flow of the Ribeira de Iguape River. The methodology included the analysis of coastline changes, bathymetry and coring, which was used to determine the sedimentation rates and grain-size changes over time. The results allowed us to recognize the different facies of the anthropogenic delta and to establish its lateral and vertical depositional trends. Despite not being very frequent, anthropogenic deltas represent a favorable environment for the record of natural and anthropogenic changes in historical times and, thus, deserve more attention from researchers of different subjects

Currents controlling sedimentation, deposits recording palaeo-hydrodynamics – lessons from the continental shelf-slope system off SE South America

The continental margin off SE South America hosts one of the world’s most energetic hydrodynamic regimes but also the second largest drainage system of the continent. Both, the ocean current system as well as the fluvial runoff are strongly controlled by the atmospheric circulation modes over the region. The distribution pattern of particular types of sediments on shelf and slope and the long-term built-up of depositional elements within the overall margin architecture are, thus, the product of both, seasonal to millennial variability as well as long-term environmental trends. This talk presents how the combination of different methodological approaches can be used to obtain a comprehensive picture of the variability of a shelf and upper-slope hydrodynamic system during Holocene times. The particular methods applied are: (a) Margin-wide stratigraphic information to elucidate the role of sea level for the oceanographic and sedimentary systems since the last glacial maximum; (b) Palaeoceanographic sediment proxies combined with palaeo-temperature indicating isotopes of bivalve shells to trace lateral shifts in the coastal oceanography (particularly of the shelf front) during the Holocene; (c) Neodymium isotopes to identify the shelf sediment transport routes resulting from the current regime; (d) Sedimentological/geochemical data to show the efficient mechanism of sand export from the shelf to the open ocean; (e) Diatom assemblages and sediment element distributions indicating palaeo-salinity and the changing marine influence to illustrate the Plata runoff history. Sea level has not only controlled the overall configuration of the shelf but also the position of the main sediment routes from the continent towards the ocean. The shelf front has shifted frequently since the last glacial times probably resulting from both, changes in the Westerly Winds intensity and in the shelf width itself. Remarkable is a southward shift of this front during the past two centuries possibly related to anthropogenic influences on the atmosphere. The oceanographic regime with its prominent hydrographic boundaries led to a clear separation of sedimentary provinces since shelf drowning. It is especially the shelf front which enhances shelf sediment export through a continuous high sand supply to the uppermost slope. Finally, the Plata River does not continuously provide sediment to the shelf but shows significant climate-related changes in discharge during the past centuries. Starting from these findings, three major fields of research should, in general, be further developed in future: (i) The immediate interaction of the hydrodynamic and sedimentary systems to close the gaps between deposit information and modern oceanographic dynamics; (ii) Material budget calculations for the marginal ocean system in terms of material fluxes, storage/retention capacities, and critical thresholds; (iii) The role of human activity on the atmospheric, oceanographic and solid material systems to unravel natural vs. anthropogenic effects and feedback mechanisms

The aplication of land use and nighttime lights on the development of high-resolution emission inventories for South America

In this paper, nighttime light data are suggested as a proxy for spatial distribution of vehicles running in urban and nearby areas. Nighttime lights focus on human activities, in contrast to traditional Earth observing systems that focus on natural systems. It is the human activity being visible in the form of brightness of nocturnal lights. Two available nighttime lights dataset were used in this work. The first one was provided by the U.S. Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Operational Linescan System (OLS), henceforth, DMSO-OLS. The second one is the NASA-NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite, henceforth, Suomi-NPP. To validate the new proposed methodology, hundreds of urban areas of South America were analyzed in a high degree of resolution. The results of this study showed that night-time lights are very well correlated with vehicle fleet, population, and impervious surfaces but with strong spatial variability. The results of this study suggest a better understanding of the human activities in the context of a vehicular-based city conception.

Ecosistema del turismo en red. Modelo de la abundancia e innovación en las Islas Canarias

Se han eliminado páginas en blanco

Centrifuge Modeling of Sandy Slopes

Slope failure occurs in many areas throughout the world and it becomes an important problem when it interferes with human activity, in which disasters provoke loss of life and property damage. In this research we investigate the slope failure through the centrifuge modeling, where a reduced-scale model, N times smaller than the full-scale (prototype), is used whereas the acceleration is increased by N times (compared with the gravity acceleration) to preserve the stress and the strain behavior. The aims of this research “Centrifuge modeling of sandy slopes” are in extreme synthesis: 1) test the reliability of the centrifuge modeling as a tool to investigate the behavior of a sandy slope failure; 2) understand how the failure mechanism is affected by changing the slope angle and obtain useful information for the design. In order to achieve this scope we arranged the work as follows: Chapter one: centrifuge modeling of slope failure. In this chapter we provide a general view about the context in which we are working on. Basically we explain what is a slope failure, how it happens and which are the tools available to investigate this phenomenon. Afterwards we introduce the technology used to study this topic, that is the geotechnical centrifuge. Chapter two: testing apparatus. In the first section of this chapter we describe all the procedures and facilities used to perform a test in the centrifuge. Then we explain the characteristics of the soil (Nevada sand), like the dry unit weight, water content, relative density, and its strength parameters (c,φ), which have been calculated in laboratory through the triaxial test. Chapter three: centrifuge tests. In this part of the document are presented all the results from the tests done in centrifuge. When we talk about results we refer to the acceleration at failure for each model tested and its failure surface. In our case study we tested models with the same soil and geometric characteristics but different angles. The angles tested in this research were: 60°, 75° and 90°. Chapter four: slope stability analysis. We introduce the features and the concept of the software: ReSSA (2.0). This software allows us to calculate the theoretical failure surfaces of the prototypes. Then we show in this section the comparisons between the experimental failure surfaces of the prototype, traced in the laboratory, and the one calculated by the software. Chapter five: conclusion. The conclusion of the research presents the results obtained in relation to the two main aims, mentioned above.

Tuzla City (BiH): an example of geohazard induced by salt extraction

Salt deposits characterize the subsurface of Tuzla (BiH) and made it famous since the ancient times. Archeological discoveries demonstrate the presence of a Neolithic pile-dwelling settlement related to the existence of saltwater springs that contributed to make the most of the area a swampy ground. Since the Roman times, the town is reported as “the City of Salt deposits and Springs”; "tuz" is the Turkish word for salt, as the Ottomans renamed the settlement in the 15th century following their conquest of the medieval Bosnia (Donia and Fine, 1994). Natural brine springs were located everywhere and salt has been evaporated by means of hot charcoals since pre-Roman times. The ancient use of salt was just a small exploitation compared to the massive salt production carried out during the 20th century by means of classical mine methodologies and especially wild brine pumping. In the past salt extraction was practised tapping natural brine springs, while the modern technique consists in about 100 boreholes with pumps tapped to the natural underground brine runs, at an average depth of 400-500 m. The mining operation changed the hydrogeological conditions enabling the downward flow of fresh water causing additional salt dissolution. This process induced severe ground subsidence during the last 60 years reaching up to 10 meters of sinking in the most affected area. Stress and strain of the overlying rocks induced the formation of numerous fractures over a conspicuous area (3 Km2). Consequently serious damages occurred to buildings and infrastructures such as water supply system, sewage networks and power lines. Downtown urban life was compromised by the destruction of more than 2000 buildings that collapsed or needed to be demolished causing the resettlement of about 15000 inhabitants (Tatić, 1979). Recently salt extraction activities have been strongly reduced, but the underground water system is returning to his natural conditions, threatening the flooding of the most collapsed area. During the last 60 years local government developed a monitoring system of the phenomenon, collecting several data about geodetic measurements, amount of brine pumped, piezometry, lithostratigraphy, extension of the salt body and geotechnical parameters. A database was created within a scientific cooperation between the municipality of Tuzla and the city of Rotterdam (D.O.O. Mining Institute Tuzla, 2000). The scientific investigation presented in this dissertation has been financially supported by a cooperation project between the Municipality of Tuzla, The University of Bologna (CIRSA) and the Province of Ravenna. The University of Tuzla (RGGF) gave an important scientific support in particular about the geological and hydrogeological features. Subsidence damage resulting from evaporite dissolution generates substantial losses throughout the world, but the causes are only well understood in a few areas (Gutierrez et al., 2008). The subject of this study is the collapsing phenomenon occurring in Tuzla area with the aim to identify and quantify the several factors involved in the system and their correlations. Tuzla subsidence phenomenon can be defined as geohazard, which represents the consequence of an adverse combination of geological processes and ground conditions precipitated by human activity with the potential to cause harm (Rosenbaum and Culshaw, 2003). Where an hazard induces a risk to a vulnerable element, a risk management process is required. The single factors involved in the subsidence of Tuzla can be considered as hazards. The final objective of this dissertation represents a preliminary risk assessment procedure and guidelines, developed in order to quantify the buildings vulnerability in relation to the overall geohazard that affect the town. The historical available database, never fully processed, have been analyzed by means of geographic information systems and mathematical interpolators (PART I). Modern geomatic applications have been implemented to deeply investigate the most relevant hazards (PART II). In order to monitor and quantify the actual subsidence rates, geodetic GPS technologies have been implemented and 4 survey campaigns have been carried out once a year. Subsidence related fractures system has been identified by means of field surveys and mathematical interpretations of the sinking surface, called curvature analysis. The comparison of mapped and predicted fractures leaded to a better comprehension of the problem. Results confirmed the reliability of fractures identification using curvature analysis applied to sinking data instead of topographic or seismic data. Urban changes evolution has been reconstructed analyzing topographic maps and satellite imageries, identifying the most damaged areas. This part of the investigation was very important for the quantification of buildings vulnerability.

Context detection and abstraction in smart environments

Context-aware computing is currently considered the most promising approach to overcome information overload and to speed up access to relevant information and services. Context-awareness may be derived from many sources, including user profile and preferences, network information, sensor analysis; usually context-awareness relies on the ability of computing devices to interact with the physical world, i.e. with the natural and artificial objects hosted within the "environment”. Ideally, context-aware applications should not be intrusive and should be able to react according to user’s context, with minimum user effort. Context is an application dependent multidimensional space and the location is an important part of it since the very beginning. Location can be used to guide applications, in providing information or functions that are most appropriate for a specific position. Hence location systems play a crucial role. There are several technologies and systems for computing location to a vary degree of accuracy and tailored for specific space model, i.e. indoors or outdoors, structured spaces or unstructured spaces. The research challenge faced by this thesis is related to pedestrian positioning in heterogeneous environments. Particularly, the focus will be on pedestrian identification, localization, orientation and activity recognition. This research was mainly carried out within the “mobile and ambient systems” workgroup of EPOCH, a 6FP NoE on the application of ICT to Cultural Heritage. Therefore applications in Cultural Heritage sites were the main target of the context-aware services discussed. Cultural Heritage sites are considered significant test-beds in Context-aware computing for many reasons. For example building a smart environment in museums or in protected sites is a challenging task, because localization and tracking are usually based on technologies that are difficult to hide or harmonize within the environment. Therefore it is expected that the experience made with this research may be useful also in domains other than Cultural Heritage. This work presents three different approaches to the pedestrian identification, positioning and tracking: Pedestrian navigation by means of a wearable inertial sensing platform assisted by the vision based tracking system for initial settings an real-time calibration; Pedestrian navigation by means of a wearable inertial sensing platform augmented with GPS measurements; Pedestrian identification and tracking, combining the vision based tracking system with WiFi localization. The proposed localization systems have been mainly used to enhance Cultural Heritage applications in providing information and services depending on the user’s actual context, in particular depending on the user’s location.

Percorsi di gender performance: fotografia tra arte e moda dagli anni Novanta ad oggi

My project explores and compares different forms of gender performance in contemporary art and visual culture according to a perspective centered on photography. Thanks to its attesting power this medium can work as a ready-made. In fact during the 20th century it played a key role in the cultural emancipation of the body which (using a Michel Foucault’s expression) has now become «the zero point of the world». Through performance the body proves to be a living material of expression and communication while photography ensures the recording of any ephemeral event that happens in time and space. My questioning approach considers the gender constructed imagery from the 1990s to the present in order to investigate how photography’s strong aura of realism promotes and allows fantasies of transformation. The contemporary fascination with gender (especially for art and fashion) represents a crucial issue in the global context of postmodernity and is manifested in a variety of visual media, from photography to video and film. Moreover the internet along with its digital transmission of images has deeply affected our world (from culture to everyday life) leading to a postmodern preference for performativity over the more traditional and linear forms of narrativity. As a consequence individual borders get redefined by the skin itself which (dissected through instant vision) turns into a ductile material of mutation and hybridation in the service of identity. My critical assumptions are taken from the most relevant changes occurred in philosophy during the last two decades as a result of the contributions by Jacques Lacan, Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, Gilles Deleuze who developed a cross-disciplinary and comparative approach to interpret the crisis of modernity. They have profoundly influenced feminist studies so that the category of gender has been reassessed in contrast with sex (as a biological connotation) and in relation to history, culture, society. The ideal starting point of my research is the year 1990. I chose it as the approximate historical moment when the intersection of race, class and gender were placed at the forefront of international artistic production concerned with identity, diversity and globalization. Such issues had been explored throughout the 1970s but it was only from the mid-1980s onward that they began to be articulated more consistently. Published in 1990, the book "Gender trouble: feminism and the subversion of identity" by Judith Butler marked an important breakthrough by linking gender to performance as well as investigating the intricate connections between theory and practice, embodiment and representation. It inspired subsequent research in a variety of disciplines, art history included. In the same year Teresa de Lauretis launched the definition of queer theory to challenge the academic perspective in gay and lesbian studies. In the meantime the rise of Third Wave Feminism in the US introduced a racially and sexually inclusive vision over the global situation in order to reflect on subjectivity, new technologies and popular culture in connection with gender representation. These conceptual tools have enabled prolific readings of contemporary cultural production whether fine arts or mass media. After discussing the appropriate framework of my project and taking into account the postmodern globalization of the visual, I have turned to photography to map gender representation both in art and in fashion. Therefore I have been creating an archive of images around specific topics. I decided to include fashion photography because in the 1990s this genre moved away from the paradigm of an idealized and classical beauty toward a new vernacular allied with lifestyles, art practices, pop and youth culture; as one might expect the dominant narrative modes in fashion photography are now mainly influenced by cinema and snapshot. These strategies originate story lines and interrupted narratives using models’ performance to convey a particular imagery where identity issues emerge as an essential part of fashion spectacle. Focusing on the intersections of gender identities with socially and culturally produced identities, my approach intends to underline how the fashion world has turned to current trends in art photography and in some case turned to the artists themselves. The growing fluidity of the categories that distinguish art from fashion photography represents a particularly fruitful moment of visual exchange. Varying over time the dialogue between these two fields has always been vital; nowadays it can be studied as a result of this close relationship between contemporary art world and consumer culture. Due to the saturation of postmodern imagery the feedback between art and fashion has become much more immediate and then increasingly significant for anyone who wants to investigate the construction of gender identity through performance. In addition to that a lot of magazines founded in the 1990s bridged the worlds of art and fashion because some of their designers and even editors were art-school graduates encouraging innovation. The inclusion of art within such magazines aimed at validating them as a form of art in themselves supporting a dynamic intersection for music, fashion, design and youth culture: an intersection that also contributed to create and spread different gender stereotypes. This general interest in fashion produced many exhibitions of and about fashion itself at major international venues such as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. Since then this celebrated success of fashion has been regarded as a typical element of postmodern culture. Owing to that I have also based my analysis on some important exhibitions dealing with gender performance like "Féminin-Masculin" at the Centre Pompidou of Paris (1995), "Rrose is a Rrose is a Rrose. Gender performance in photography" at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of New York (1997), "Global Feminisms" at the Brooklyn Museum (2007), "Female Trouble" at the Pinakothek der Moderne in München together with the workshops dedicated to "Performance: gender and identity" in June 2005 at the Tate Modern of London. Since 2003 in Italy we have had Gender Bender - an international festival held annually in Bologna - to explore the gender imagery stemming from contemporary culture. In few days this festival offers a series of events ranging from visual arts, performance, cinema, literature to conferences and music. Being aware that any method of research is neither race nor gender neutral I have traced these critical paths to question gender identity in a multicultural perspective taking account of the political implications too. In fact, if visibility may be equated with exposure, we can also read these images as points of intersection of visibility with social power. Since gender assignations rely so heavily on the visual, the postmodern dismantling of gender certainty through performance has wide-ranging effects that need to be analyzed. In some sense this practice can even contest the dominance of visual within postmodernism. My visual map in contemporary art and fashion photography includes artists like Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman, Hellen van Meene, Rineke Dijkstra, Ed Templeton, Ryan McGinley, Anne Daems, Miwa Yanagi, Tracey Moffat, Catherine Opie, Tomoko Sawada, Vanessa Beecroft, Yasumasa Morimura, Collier Schorr among others.