Higher Ground : Stevie Wonder och New Age

Syftet med min uppsats är att jämföra religiösa företeelser från tre av Stevie Wonders album med New Age för att på så sätt uttröna om Stevie Wonders texter påverkats av New Age- föreställningar. Jag hittar både skillnader och likheter när jag jämför det religiösa budskapet i Stevie Wonders texter med New Age. De New Age- företeelser som går att hitta i texterna är få i förhållande till New Age i sin helhet och det är svårt att avgöra vilka influenser som kommer ifrån Stevie Wonder, New Age eller den omgivande motståndsrörelsen. Det finns dock, enligt mig, absolut en koppling.

Kassettbandet: Den gåtfulla överlevaren får ett uppsving?

Sedan kassettbandet trängdes undan av CD:n under 90-talet har det fört en alltmer tynande tillvaro, fram tills att det relativt nyligen började uppstå små oberoende musikbolag som helt eller delvis släpper begränsade albumupplagor på kassett och en del rykten började gå att kassettbandet var på väg tillbaka. Även större band och skivbolag hakade på trenden och släppte större upplagor av vissa få utvalda album på just kassettband. Kan det vara möjligt att detta gamla och uträknade medium håller på att få en renässans i vår digitala guldålder? De förklaringsmodeller och teoretiska begrepp jag använt mig för att förklara detta fenomen är Nostalgi, Analogisering och Nätverkande. I ett stort antal artiklar och debatter ges olika svar och synpunkter på kassettbandets eventuella gåtfulla comeback och denna uppsats är tänkt att fungera som en slags kompassnål som pekar ut en riktning till följd av det material jag har tillgodogjort mig och redovisat i denna uppsats. Här återfinns också ett antal intervjuer med både privatpersoner och skivbutiker som fördjupar och resonerar kring orsak och verkan kring kassettfenomenet. De önskvärda hårda data och tillgänglig och tydlig statistik lyser med sin frånvaro då kassettband sällan återfinns på några listor eller mätningar eftersom de aldrig fick någon högre status trots sin enorma spridning, till skillnad mot vinylskivor och CD. Med denna uppsats görs ett försök att sammanställa en bild av denna övervintrade dinosaurie till audioformat och får, åtminstone delvis, en förklaring till sin egen överlevnad.

Beethoven’s Influence on Modern Musical Thought

Ludwig van Beethoven is undoubtedly one of the most important and influential composers of Western art music. From a young age, he exhibited considerable talent, independence, and willful nonconformity. Over the course of his life, these themes came through both in his compositions, and in his attitude towards social norms regarding music. Composing symphonies, sonatas, string quartets, concertos, and one opera, Beethoven shattered musical boundaries and set the stage for how musicians and listeners would think about music for the next 200 years, up to modern day. This afternoon I will explore various ways in which Beethoven’s conception of music continues to influence our thinking about music, even rock, through analysis of The Beatles’ “A Day in the Life,” off their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Allelopathic plants. 7. Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

Sunflower is an annual dicotyledonous plant, herbaceous, erect and native of North America. It is thermo- and photo-insensitive, hence, can be grown round the year in sub-tropical and tropical countries. Only two spp. H. annuus and H. tuberosum are cultivated for food, remaining spp. are ornamentals, weeds and wild plants. However, H. annuus is allelopathic and inhibit the growth and development of other plants thus reducing their productivity. Much information is available about the allelopathic effects of sunflower crop on following crops in crop rotations. Although it is harmful to all crops, but, is less harmful to crops of Graminae family than other families. It seems that the harmful effects of sunflower in crop rotations are due to release and accumulation of root exudates during crop growth in soil. Soil incorporation of its fresh (green manure) or dry biomass in soil is inhibitory to both crops and weed spp. Several allelochemicals have been characterized from the H. annuus, which inhibit the seed germination and seedling growth of A. albus, A. viridis, Agropyron repens (Elymus repens), Ambrosia artemsiifolia, Avena fatua, Celosia crustata, Chenopodium album, Chloris barbara, Cynodon dactylon, D. sanguinalis, Dactyloctenium ageyptium, Digitaria ciliaris, Echinochloa crus-galli, Flaveria australasica, Parthenium hysterophorus, Portulaca oleracea, Sida spinosa, Trianthema portulacastrum, Veronica perisca the inhibitory effects of this crop may be used for weed management with less herbicides for sustainable agriculture.

Segmentação Fuzzy de Texturas e Vídeos

The segmentation of an image aims to subdivide it into constituent regions or objects that have some relevant semantic content. This subdivision can also be applied to videos. However, in these cases, the objects appear in various frames that compose the videos. The task of segmenting an image becomes more complex when they are composed of objects that are defined by textural features, where the color information alone is not a good descriptor of the image. Fuzzy Segmentation is a region-growing segmentation algorithm that uses affinity functions in order to assign to each element in an image a grade of membership for each object (between 0 and 1). This work presents a modification of the Fuzzy Segmentation algorithm, for the purpose of improving the temporal and spatial complexity. The algorithm was adapted to segmenting color videos, treating them as 3D volume. In order to perform segmentation in videos, conventional color model or a hybrid model obtained by a method for choosing the best channels were used. The Fuzzy Segmentation algorithm was also applied to texture segmentation by using adaptive affinity functions defined for each object texture. Two types of affinity functions were used, one defined using the normal (or Gaussian) probability distribution and the other using the Skew Divergence. This latter, a Kullback-Leibler Divergence variation, is a measure of the difference between two probability distributions. Finally, the algorithm was tested in somes videos and also in texture mosaic images composed by images of the Brodatz album

Assessment of the Ability to Relate Anterior Tooth Form and Arrangement to Gender

Purpose: This study evaluated the assumption that there are morphological differences between the natural anterior dentition of men and women. The goal of the study was to determine the gender of patients based on the appearance of the anterior teeth in photographs. Materials and Methods: Laymen and observers from different specialties were asked to determine the gender of individuals based on the shape and arrangement of anterior teeth. Forty anterior dentition photographs of dental students of both genders (20 women, 20 men) between 18 and 26 years old were selected, coded, and randomly arranged in an album. The albums were delivered to five groups of observers: general practitioners (recently graduated dentists), prosthodontists, orthodontists, restorative dentists (specialists in cosmetic and restorative dentistry), and laymen (control group). The observers evaluated the photographs twice at 1-week intervals. Results: The average correctly identified values in women and men were 57.6% and 58.8%, respectively. There was no statistical difference between observers and between each group of professionals and the laymen group (p > 0.05). An intraobserver agreement was not observed between the evaluations (kappa =-0.01). Conclusion: The results of this limited study indicated that it was not possible to differentiate gender by viewing photographs of anterior teeth.

Do extrafloral nectaries present a defensive role against herbivores in two species of the family Bignoniaceae in a Neotropical savannas?

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

Influence of maxillary incisor edge asymmetries on the perception of smile esthetics among orthodontists and laypersons

Introduction: Our objective was to determine the perception of smile esthetics among orthodontists and laypeople with respect to asymmetries on the maxillary incisor edges in a frontal smile analysis. Methods: Two frontal close-up smile photos of 2 women, 1 white and 1 Afro-Brazilian, were selected for this study. Both smiles displayed healthy maxillary anterior dentitions. The images were digitally altered to create tooth wear on the maxillary left central and lateral incisors in 0.5-mm increments. The final images were randomly assembled into a photo album that was given to 120 judges, 60 orthodontists and 60 laypersons. Each rater was asked to evaluate the attractiveness of the images with visual analog scales. The data collected were statistically analyzed with 1-way analysis of variance with the Tukey post-hoc test and the unpaired Student t test. Results: The most attractive smiles in both types of smiles were those without asymmetries and the 0.5-mm wear in the lateral incisor. In general, tooth wear was considered unattractive by both groups of raters following a pattern: the more tooth wear, the more unattractive the smile; tooth wear in the central incisor was considered more unattractive than in the lateral incisor. For both group of raters, 0.5 mm of wear in the central incisor was considered unattractive, whereas the thresholds for lateral incisor discrepancies were 0.5 mm for orthodontists and 1.0 mm for laypersons. Conclusions: The result of this study corroborates the clinical assumption that symmetry between the maxillary central incisors is a paramount goal for esthetic treatments. Copyright © 2013 by the American Association of Orthodontists.

Specialized Seed Dispersal in Epiphytic Cacti and Convergence with Mistletoes

Mistletoes represent the best example of specialization in seed dispersal, with a reduced assemblage of dispersal agents. Specific dispersal requirements mediated by the specificity of seed deposition site have apparently led to the evolution of such close relationships between mistletoes and certain frugivores. Here, we provide evidences for another case of specialization involving epiphytic cacti in the genus Rhipsalis, and small Neotropical passerines Euphonia spp., which also act as the main seed dispersers of mistletoes in the family Viscaceae. With field observations, literature search, and observations on captive birds, we demonstrated that Rhipsalis have specific establishment requirements, and euphonias are the most effective dispersers of Rhipsalis seeds in both quantitative and qualitative aspects, potentially depositing seeds onto branches of host plants. We interpret the similar dispersal systems of Rhipsalis and Viscaceae mistletoes, which involve the same dispersal agents, similar fruit morphologies, and fruit chemistry as convergent adaptive strategies that enable seeds of both groups to reach adequate microsites for establishment in host branches. © 2013 by The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation.

O álbum na indústria fonográfica: contracultura e o Clube da Esquina em 1972

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Olhares que contam histórias: a fotografia como memórias e narrativas da família

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Assistência pré-natal na meningomielocele, onfalocele e gastrosquise utilizando imagens fotográficas: compreensão da malformação, ansiedade materna e apego mãe-filho

Pós-graduação em Ginecologia, Obstetrícia e Mastologia - FMB

A Criança na fotografia: o retrato da infância na primeira metade do século XX em Belém do Pará (1900 a 1950)

O presente estudo tem por objetivo analisar a infância na fotografia de crianças na cidade de Belém do Pará da primeira metade do século XX. Portanto, a pesquisa versa sobre a importância da fotografia enquanto documento histórico, que revela múltiplos significados; importando, sobretudo, o seu potencial enquanto linguagem representativa da infância e ou de uma concepção de infância construída no cenário da cidade de Belém do Pará, no período que compreende a primeira metade do século XX. A fotografia é uma fonte histórica, é uma imagem/documento. No caso de fotos para álbum de família, tem-se por registro da história familiar e sócio familiar, não necessariamente devem estar dentro de um álbum, mas apenas, que apresentem tais características, pois literalmente revelam os modos e as circunstancias em que a família ou parte dela é fotografada. Já as fotografias de crianças em revistas, são deslocamentos das fotos que geralmente eram produzidas para interesse da própria família para colocá-las em seus álbuns, entretanto, também eram utilizadas como forma de promoção familiar dentro de publicações avulsas nas revistas ou periódicos das primeiras décadas do século XX. Geralmente acompanhados de uma mensagem discursiva elevando o “nome” da família. A fotografia permite que quase toda pessoa (não só as mais abastadas) possa se transformar em objeto-imagem, ou numa série de imagens que retratam momentos de suas vidas. No caso, as imagens fotográficas encontradas nos álbuns dos festejos escolares são a prova disso: fotografias exclusivamente de crianças e para com fins comemorativos de alguns eventos anuais presentes nos lazeres infantis educacionais. A fotografia poderia ser tomada como um equivalente da memória individual e coletiva, com a imagem fixada de um tempo que, aparentemente, foi “recortado”. A fotografia de crianças em periódicos e álbum de família é um caminho para se compreender e conhecer a história social, cultural e educacional da infância na Amazônia, pois as imagens fotográficas podem revelar muitos índices a respeito de uma família e, por extensão, da sociedade: seus ritos, modos de vida, afetividade e ideais. O corpus da pesquisa é composto de fotografias de crianças arquivadas na Biblioteca Artur Viana. Para aprofundamento teórico sobre fotografia e imagem utilizaremos Dubois, Kossoy, Benjamin, Fabris, Leite, Mauad, Burke e Fischman. Quanto à leitura sobre infância destacamos Rizzini, Del Priori, Freitas, e Kulmman. No contexto da realidade da Amazônia privilegiamos os seguintes autores: Bezzera Neto e Sarges.

Leitura do álbum de postais de Carolina Attanasio (1913-1942)

A minha proposta neste texto é apresentar os procedimentos de leitura de álbum de postais que pertenceu a uma ítalo-brasileira, o qual contém cartões postais recebidos entre 1911 e 1942. Mostro que, além das imagens e dos textos que traz, esse álbum é acima de tudo uma construção da memória de si, no caso a memória de sua autora: Carolina Attanasio. Sua leitura permite ter acesso privilegiado à sensibilidade de um período, propiciando entender de forma mais aguda como se articula vida pessoal com acontecimentos mais gerais.

Vozes periféricas: expansão, imersão e diálogo na obra dos Racionais MC's

This paper presents a reflection on the work of the rap group from São Paulo Racionais MC's, highlighting points of dialogue between his last two studio albums: Sobrevivendo no inferno, 1997, and Nada como um dia após o outro, 2002. We found, in this discursive course, the presence of voices which intertwine and indicate a collectivized speech, seeking the identification between the slums and the group's rhetoric, but they also point out to an immersion into the subjectivity, to the problematization of the discourse itself, acting as a form of debugging of the social experience in the favela. We argue further that Sobrevivendo no inferno represents a turning point in the thinking of the quartet. Thus, themes and perspectives present, although embryonically, in the first focused album, point to dramas that take shape in the second one.