Verdi's Settings of Shakespeare : from Play to Liberetto to Opera

As a Senior Scholar pursuing the topic, Verdi's Settings of Shakespeare: From Play to Libretto to Opera, I have endeavoured to study a project relevant to my majors, Music and English. During first semester, I carefully analysed Shakespeare's plays, Macbeth, Othello and Falstaff. The highlight of my project was in January when I travelled to New York City and spent the day working with the Metropolitan Opera Guild. I was also able to see a performance of Verdi's Othello with Jon Vickers in the lead role. During the second semester, I studied the musical aspects of the compositions. I spent time analysing musical passages and relating them to the plays and the operas. I was also able to continue my study of Italian, which I find extremely beneficial while studying Verdi's libretti. On Monday, 13th May, 1974, I gave a lecture presentation of my project. At this time, I showed slides of Metropolitan productions of the operas, presented my own rendition of five arias (in costume) and talked about comparisions between the plays and the operas. I applied for a Rotary Fellowship to take my project to Europe and am presently waiting to hear the results. If I do receive the fellowship, I am planning to spend a year studying the plays and operas in England and Italy. Afterwards, I hope to publish a paper explaining my findings. The paper is divided into six sections. The first section is an introduction which explains the period of Romanticism and its relationship to Shakespeare and Verdi. The second section is devoted to discussing the librettist for Macbeth, Francesco Piave. Following this section the opera Macbeth is discussed. Arrigo Boito, the librettist for Otello and Falstaff is discussed in the fourth section. The last two sections deal with Otello and Falstaff. I have also included a number of musical selections to better explain certain passages. My project has been invaluable to me. My Senior Scholar project has allowed me the freedom of independent study as well as a means of tying my majors together.

Islamic law and international law: the terms of a relationship

The relationship between Islamic Law and other legal systems (basically western type domestic legal orders and international law) is often thought of in terms of compatibility or incompatibility. Concerning certain subject matters of choice, the compatibility of Islamic (legal) principles with the values embedded in legal systems that are regarded as characteristic of the Modern Age is tested by sets of questions: is democracy possible in Islam? Does Islam recognize human rights and are those rights equivalent to a more universal conception? Does Islam recognize or condone more extreme acts of violence and does it justify violence differently? Etc. Such questions and many more presuppose the existence of an ensemble of rules or principles which, as any other set of rules and principles, purport to regulate social behavior. This ensemble is generically referred to as Islamic Law. However, one set of questions is usually left unanswered: is Islamic Law a legal system? If it is a legal system, what are its specific characteristics? How does it work? Where does it apply? It is this paper`s argument that the relationship between Islamic Law and domestic and international law can only be understood if looked upon as a relationship between distinct legal systems or legal orders.

Models of complexity in Robert Coover's John's wife and the adventures of Lucky Pierre

This doctoral dissertation analyzes two novels by the American novelist Robert Coover as examples of hypertextual writing on the book bound page, as tokens of hyperfiction. The complexity displayed in the novels, John's Wife and The Adventures of Lucky Pierre, integrates the cultural elements that characterize the contemporary condition of capitalism and technologized practices that have fostered a different subjectivity evidenced in hypertextual writing and reading, the posthuman subjectivity. The models that account for the complexity of each novel are drawn from the concept of strange attractors in Chaos Theory and from the concept of rhizome in Nomadology. The transformations the characters undergo in the degree of their corporeality sets the plane on which to discuss turbulence and posthumanity. The notions of dynamic patterns and strange attractors, along with the concept of the Body without Organs and Rhizome are interpreted, leading to the revision of narratology and to analytical categories appropriate to the study of the novels. The reading exercised throughout this dissertation enacts Daniel Punday's corporeal reading. The changes in the characters' degree of materiality are associated with the stages of order, turbulence and chaos in the story, bearing on the constitution of subjectivity within and along the reading process. Coover's inscription of planes of consistency to counter linearity and accommodate hypertextual features to the paper supported narratives describes the characters' trajectory as rhizomatic. The study led to the conclusion that narrative today stands more as a regime in a rhizomatic relation with other regimes in cultural practice than as an exclusively literary form and genre. Besides this, posthuman subjectivity emerges as class identity, holding hypertextual novels as their literary form of choice.

Improvement of the oral praziquantel anthelmintic effect by cyclodextrin complexation

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

Computational analysis and physico-chemical characterization of an inclusion compound between praziquantel and methyl-beta-cyclodextrin for use as an alternative in the treatment of schistosomiasis

Schistosomiasis is still an endemic disease in many regions, with 250 million people infected with Schistosoma and about 500,000 deaths per year. Praziquantel (PZQ) is the drug of choice for schistosomiasis treatment, however it is classified as Class II in the Biopharmaceutics Classification System, as its low solubility hinders its performance in biological systems. The use of cyclodextrins is a useful tool to increase the solubility and bioavailability of drugs. The aim of this work was to prepare an inclusion compound of PZQ and methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (MeCD), perform its physico-chemical characterization, and explore its in vitro cytotoxicity. SEM showed a change of the morphological characteristics of PZQ:MeCD crystals, and IR data supported this finding, with changes after interaction with MeCD including effects on the C-H of the aromatic ring, observed at 758 cm(-1). Differential scanning calorimetry measurements revealed that complexation occurred in a 1:1 molar ratio, as evidenced by the lack of a PZQ transition temperature after inclusion into the MeCD cavity. In solution, the PZQ UV spectrum profile in the presence of MeCD was comparable to the PZQ spectrum in a hydrophobic solvent. Phase solubility diagrams showed that there was a 5.5-fold increase in PZQ solubility, and were indicative of a type A(L) isotherm, that was used to determine an association constant (K(a)) of 140.8 M(-1). No cytotoxicity of the PZQ:MeCD inclusion compound was observed in tests using 3T3 cells. The results suggest that the association of PZQ with MeCD could be a good alternative for the treatment of schistosomiasis.

O direito à saúde: a medida do dever do estado de fornecer Medicamentos de dispensação excepcional à sociedade sob a ótica do desenvolvimento

It is a fact that the fundamental rights of citizens are being recognized and guaranteed by the state over time, regardless of the belief that if these rights has always been part of the heritage of subjective individuals, or whether they will be aggregated during the course of human history. In that, emerged the rights of freedom of men and, subsequently, the rights to create a situation of equality between the humans, the so-called social rights. In turn, as these rights known as social, to be implemented, need a positive action by the state, more precisely by the state power whose function is to manage public money and create policies for implementation of fundamental rights. Given this, pay attention to the right to health, was created the Programa de Medicamentos de Dispensação Excepcional, which aims to provide high-cost medicines to citizens Brazilian carriers of serious diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Mal Hepatitis C. Also on the program, it provides a way which will be mandatory that the drugs will be offered in such situations, and does not include a means of updating the list predicted able to monitor the progress of medicine that have been in the interest of the program. Given that, at present it is necessary to mention the recognition of another fundamental right: the right to development, which is the right of access to positive actions being implemented by the State, which are nothing more than public policy, gender which the Programa de Medicamentos de Dispensação Excepcional is kind. Thus, through the search in legislation and doctrine in relation to the theme, this work has the aim to examine the extent of the state to provide exceptional dispensing of medicines. Specifically, if the State in attention to the right to development and the implementation of the right to health, can really list exhaustively the drugs to be provided by the State, and what are the elements guiding this choice and how to control the same

Use of direct and iterative solvers for estimation of SNP effects in genome-wide selection

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Autonomy Markers in Brazilian Adults With Intellectual Disabilities

The objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between autonomy markers in adult people with intellectual disabilities (ID) and variables such as intelligence quotient (IQ), early aging, and literacy. Participants were 47 adults with ID (33 men; aged 28-58 years with nonspecific etiology, 34 literate). All participants were trainees at the Center for Training of Capacity and Orientation for Employment at Associação de Pais e Amigos dos Excepcionais de São Paulo, São Paulo State, Brazil. They were divided into two age groups: younger (n = 27, mean age 31.85; +/- 2.23), and older (n = 38, mean age 41.84; +/- 5.54). They were administered intelligence scales twice, and answered questions related to social participation, community integration, and choice-making; the percentage of item responses leaning toward self-determination and freedom in choice-making was considered in defining the autonomy score. For both groups, IQ declined from the first to the second assessment. Autonomy scores were more determined by IQ classification than by literacy. Authors concluded that autonomy in people with ID is a multifactorial phenomenon associated with cognitive decline.

Preparation of polymeric micelles for use as carriers of tuberculostatic drugs

Purpose: This paper focuses on the characterization of polymeric micelle-forming tuberculostatic prodrugs and the antimycobacterial activity of these prodrugs.Method: By the condensation of hydroxymethylpyrazinamide, isoniazid and rifampin with free carboxyl groups on the copolymer poly(ethyleneglycol)-poly(aspartic acid), micelle-forming carrier-drug conjugates were obtained. These micelles were characterized by dynamic light scattering, to measure the micelle diameter; by acid-base titration, to determine the percentage of carboxylic groups occupied by the tuberculostatic; by Sudan III solubility tests, to estimate the critical micelle concentration (CMC); and visual control and spectrophotometric measurement, to determine the stability of micelles. These micelles were tested in vitro against several Mycobacterium strains.Results: As expected, the size and distribution of the micelle-forming tuberculostatic prodrugs found to be small (78.2nm, 84.2nm and 98.9 nm) while the level of the drug conjugated was high (65.02-85.7%). Furthermore, the micelles were stable in vitro, exhibiting a low level of CMC and stronger antimycobacterial activity than the original drugs.Conclusion: the results demonstrate that polymeric micelles can be used as efficient carriers for drugs, which alone, exhibit undesired pharmacokinetics, poor solubility, and low stability. The synthesized micelle-forming tuberculostatic prodrugs opens a perspective of alternative prodrugs that prolong action and decrease the toxicity of the tuberculostatic drugs of choice.

Solid dispersions with hydrogenated castor oil increase solubility, dissolution rate and intestinal absorption of praziquantel

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

O conceito de liberdade em o ser e o nada de Jean-Paul Sartre

This dissertation aims to address the concept of freedom from the perspective of the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre with reference to the main work Being and Nothingness. After presenting the concept of freedom we will try to show that it is related to the notion of responsibility, which will lead, ultimately, to define the Sartrean philosophy as a philosophy of action. In the first chapter we will present in passing the phenomenology of Edmund Husserl, philosopher from which Sartre will develop his concept of freedom. The Husserlian notion of consciousness (intentionality) is the way to develop his analysis of Sartre phenomenon of being. From this analysis Sartre submits their concepts of being in-itself and being for-itself. Being initself is defined as the things of the world devoid of consciousness, are the things that surround us. The In-itself has as its main brand positivity: it is what it is, is all that can be said about him. In turn being For-itself is the very being of man, which differs radically from the In-itself. The For-itself has as its main intentionality, ie, its ability to project outside itself in existence. That's when Sartre shows that this type of being realizes its existence on the basis of a constant nihilation. Here comes the notion of anything. Among the relations of the For-itself with the surrounding world stands a very special: relationship between consciousnesses. It is when we discuss the issue of another. Intersubjectivity, through sartrean analysis of look, show that the For-itself assumes a new existential dimension: the being-for others. That's when Sartre will emphasize his notion of conflict. The conflict in intersubjectivity would come from the fact that you want to take another- For-itself as an object. Given this we will analyze what Sartre called the concrete relations with others. The philosopher submit such relations in the form of ducts and conduits assimilation of ownership. In the first my-self to try to "get lost" in the consciousness of another, ownership of my conduct in-itself tries to "take ownership" of the subjectivity of the other and try to treat others as things, as objects. In this sense Sartre examines the experiences of love, masochism, indifference, desire and sadism. Following this route we will enter the land of freedom itself, which is the major theme of our work. Since Sartre defines the For-itself as a being that is projected to create your way of being, it can only define it as freedom. The freedom of the For-itself is taken in terms of autonomy of choice. Once the For-itself has no way of being a thing as being in-itself, it just may be picking up, that is, making your being. Here Sartre speaks of the anguish that would be the symptom of freedom itself. The fact that the For-itself have to choose on whether the call as one being distressed. However, in most cases the For-itself tries to escape from the anguish of freedom and takes refuge in bad faith. After setting the man (For-itself) as freedom Sartre defends that he is totally responsible for what he does of himself. Once the philosopher holds that man is not predetermined, ie, does not have an a priori essence, his philosophy has as its basic assumption the action. If Sartre argues that the For-itself must constantly choose your way of being, the action is the basis on which man will exercise his own freedom. In this sense we conclude the work with an approach to work Existentialism is a Humanism, which represent the entry of the philosopher on the practical aspects of life

Oral Rehabilitation After Surgical Removal of Pleomorphic Adenoma

Although tumors of minor salivary glands are rare, the pleomorphic adenoma is the most common pathology among the benign neoplasm and can be found with high prevalence in the junction between hard palate and soft palate. The treatment of choice for most of maxillary tumors is surgical through either a total or partial maxillectomy. However, surgical defects caused by such type of treatment lead to both clinical and psychologic disorders for the patient. The immediate oral rehabilitation using interim palate obturator after maxillectomy provides optimization on the healing process, recovers the stomatognathic functions after surgery, and avoids psychosocial sequelae for the patients. This clinical report aimed to present the rehabilitation with immediate palate obturator of a patient who underwent a partial maxillectomy due to a hard palate pleomorphic adenoma of minor salivary glands. We report the clinical importance of the prosthetic rehabilitation and the improvements on both quality of life and stomatognathic functions of this patient. It can be concluded that the immediate rehabilitation of the patient after partial maxillectomy by using an interim palate obturator was a great option and provided clinical benefits in the immediate postoperative period, improving the patient's quality of life, allowing the patient's reinsertion into society, and reducing the surgical treatment sequelae.

Alternative Treatment Modalities for Immature Intruded Permanent Incisors: Report of 2 Cases

Intrusion of permanent teeth is one of the most severe types of traumatic injuries. Different treatment strategies have been proposed, and the best approach for each case depends on the stage of root development, severity of the intrusive luxation, presence of alveolar fracture and number of intruded teeth. The purpose of this paper is to describe the treatment management of 2 cases of severely intruded immature permanent maxillary central incisors in 71/2- and 8-year-old children. In case 1, the traumatized tooth was treated by surgical repositioning, while in case 2 watchful waiting for spontaneous re-eruption was the treatment of choice. Treatment strategies were successful in both cases, as demonstrated by the continuation of root development, maintenance of pulp vitality, and absence of signs of per/apical pathosis during the follow-up period. Regardless of the treatment strategy, traumatically intruded teeth should undergo periodical clinical and radiographic surveillance on a long-term basis to allow early detection of possible complications. (Pediotr Dent 2009;31:340-5) Received March 11, 2008 vertical bar Last Revision June 25, 2008 vertical bar Revision Accepted July 16, 2008

Longitudinal clinical and radiographic evaluation of severely intruded permanent incisors in a pediatric population

Intrusion is defined as the axial dislodgment of the tooth into its socket and is considered one of the most severe types of dental trauma. This longitudinal outcome study was undertaken to evaluate clinically and radiographically severely intruded permanent incisors in a population of children and adolescents. All cases were treated between September 2003 and February 2008 in a dental trauma service. Clinical and radiographic data were collected from 12 patients (eight males and four females) that represented 15 permanent maxillary incisors. Mean age at the time of injury was 8 years and 9 months (range 7-14 years and 8 months). Mean time elapsed to follow-up was 26.6 months (range 10-51 months). The analysis of data showed that tooth intrusion was twice as frequent in males. The maxillary central incisors were the most commonly intruded teeth (93.3%), and falling at home was the main etiologic factor (60%). More than half of the cases (53.3%) were multiple intrusions, 73.3% of the intruded teeth had incomplete root formation and 66.6% of the teeth suffered other injuries concomitant to intrusion. Immediate surgical repositioning was the treatment of choice in 66.7% of the cases, while watchful waiting for the tooth to return to its pre-injury position was adopted in 33.3% of the cases. The teeth that suffered additional injuries to the intrusive luxation presented a fivefold increased relative risk of developing pulp necrosis. The immature teeth had six times more chances of presenting pulp canal obliteration that the mature teeth and a lower risk of developing root resorption. The most frequent post-injury complications were pulp necrosis (73.3%), marginal bone loss (60%), inflammatory root resorption (40%), pulp canal obliteration (26.7%) and replacement root resorption (20%). From the results of this study, it was not possible to determine whether the type immediate treatment had any influence on the appearance of sequelae like pulp necrosis and root resorption after intrusive luxation, but the existence of additional injuries and the stage of root development influenced the clinical case outcome in a negative and positive manner, respectively.

Response of human pulps capped with different self-etch adhesive systems

The aim of this study was to evaluate the response of human pulps capped with a calcium hydroxide hard-setting cement or with two-step self-etch adhesive systems. Pulp exposures were performed on the occlusal floor, and the bleeding control was performed with saline solution. The exposed pulp tissue was capped with Clearfil LB 2V (2V) or Clearfil SE Bond (SE) and restored with a composite resin. In control group, the pulpal wound was capped with Ca(OH)(2) cement and restored with Clearfil LB 2V or Clearfil SE Bond + composite resin. After 30 and 90 days, the teeth were extracted, processed for hematoxylin and eosin, and categorized in a histological score system. The pulpal response was worse for groups capped with the self-etch adhesive systems (2V and SE) in both periods of evaluation, when compared to their respective control groups at 90 days (p < 0.05). For both self-etch systems evaluated, the pulp tissue exhibited moderate to severe inflammatory cell infiltrate involving the coronal pulp with chronic abscesses. Dentin bridging was observed in a few specimens. For the calcium hydroxide groups, almost all specimens showed dentin bridge formation, with few scattered inflammatory cells and normal tissue below the pulp exposure site. Calcium hydroxide should be used as the material of choice for pulp capping, and the use of two-step self-etch adhesives for human pulp capping is contraindicated.