Estudo sobre a relação entre a atividade geomagnética e cintilações de sinais de GPS em Natal-RN (Brasil)

To identify the relationship between GPS scintillation in Natal-RN (Brazil) and geomagnetic disturbances of any intensities and variations, this work made analysis of the ionospheric behavior and magnetic indexes (Dst , AE and Bz of the interplanetary magnetic field) concerning to different periods of the solar cycle between 2000 and 2014. Part of the data of this research originated at the UFRN observatory, from a GEC Plessey board connected to an ANP -C 114 antenna, modified by Cornell University’s Space group Plasma Physics in order to operate the ScintMon, a GPS monitoring program. This study, therefore, found several cases of inhibited scintillations after the main phase of magnetic storms, a fact that, along with others, corroborated with categorization of Aarons (1991) and models of disturbed dynamo (according to Bonelli, 2008) and over-shielding penetration, defended by Kelley et al. (1979) and Abdu (2011) [4]. In addition to these findings, different morphologies were noted in such disruptions in the GPS signal in accordance with previous magnetic activities. It also found a moderate relationship (R2 = 0.52) between the Dst rate (concerning to specific time) and the average of S4 through a polynomial function. This finding therefore, corroborating Ilma et al. (2012) [17], is an important evidence that the scintillation GPS are not directly controlled by magnetic induction of storms. Completing this work, this relation did show itself as a way of partial predicting of scintillations.

Produção de sentidos sobre a militância política de mulheres vinculadas ao MST/RN

Studies show that the theme of gender relations within the MST (Rural Landless Workers Movement) has incorporated some feminist guidelines discussions in the set of its speeches and daily practices. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the production of meanings about the political militancy of women linked to MST in Rio Grande do Norte. The specific objectives sought to identify the continuities and ruptures related to the women's role in the family of the militant women and to investigate the militant’s discursive positioning about their work. The study is configured as a qualitative research, which six women militants linked to the MST at the RN participated. These women occupy the coordination and leadership functions in the movement. We will use a semi-structured interview, initially guided by triggering questions that included, among others, the dimensions: political militancy, family and work as an access tool to the phenomenon. The reports were analyzed from an initial categorization, based on the guiding principles: militancy, family and work, and were based on theoretical perspective of studies about the production of meaning, discursive practices, social psychology and gender studies. The meanings of militancy point to: contribution, hope, recognition, transformation, awareness and fight. The results show that there is always a positivation speech of life, achievements of a formation and about a new place as a woman at stake. These results come justified by the collective investment of struggle, not only for the access to land, but for social rights achievements too. Finally, the MST stands with a discursive agency that contributes to produce in these women not only the way of political participation: but a way to be exercised with collective subjects and their rights.

Produção de sentidos sobre a militância política de mulheres vinculadas ao MST/RN

Studies show that the theme of gender relations within the MST (Rural Landless Workers Movement) has incorporated some feminist guidelines discussions in the set of its speeches and daily practices. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the production of meanings about the political militancy of women linked to MST in Rio Grande do Norte. The specific objectives sought to identify the continuities and ruptures related to the women's role in the family of the militant women and to investigate the militant’s discursive positioning about their work. The study is configured as a qualitative research, which six women militants linked to the MST at the RN participated. These women occupy the coordination and leadership functions in the movement. We will use a semi-structured interview, initially guided by triggering questions that included, among others, the dimensions: political militancy, family and work as an access tool to the phenomenon. The reports were analyzed from an initial categorization, based on the guiding principles: militancy, family and work, and were based on theoretical perspective of studies about the production of meaning, discursive practices, social psychology and gender studies. The meanings of militancy point to: contribution, hope, recognition, transformation, awareness and fight. The results show that there is always a positivation speech of life, achievements of a formation and about a new place as a woman at stake. These results come justified by the collective investment of struggle, not only for the access to land, but for social rights achievements too. Finally, the MST stands with a discursive agency that contributes to produce in these women not only the way of political participation: but a way to be exercised with collective subjects and their rights.

Da arenga ao debate: o aprimoramento da competência argumentativa por estudantes do ensino médio

In order to understand the factors involved in the improvement process of argumentative competence by students of 2nd year of high school, we undertook a qualitative approach research and interventional nature, during which we adopted the conduct of participant observation in a school belonging to the state schools of Rio Grande do Norte, located on the outskirts of the city of Natal. The analyzed corpus consisted in the interim intervention and entails the answers to a semi-structured questionnaire, fourteen opinion articles and three regrados debates, produced by the students, in addition to video recordings of ten sessions and personal notes pertaining to another six, totaling sixteen sessions observed during the school year 2014. As the most important bibliographical references we study skills and reasoning from the perspective of discursive social interactionism. Analyzing the data we loan the principle of categorization, opting for critical-descriptive presentation and were revealed to us, via the classified evidences, that among the factors involved in the study process, it appears with more relevance to set up an effective intellectual community, which meets in constant interaction subjects, which alternate assuming the conditions of speakers and audience. The constitution of this community depends largely on the teaching mediation and is indispensable to the (re)design of the studied competence, in interactions with her the subjects afforded learn and develop their competence, reshaping the limits of their zone of proximal development.

Da arenga ao debate: o aprimoramento da competência argumentativa por estudantes do ensino médio

In order to understand the factors involved in the improvement process of argumentative competence by students of 2nd year of high school, we undertook a qualitative approach research and interventional nature, during which we adopted the conduct of participant observation in a school belonging to the state schools of Rio Grande do Norte, located on the outskirts of the city of Natal. The analyzed corpus consisted in the interim intervention and entails the answers to a semi-structured questionnaire, fourteen opinion articles and three regrados debates, produced by the students, in addition to video recordings of ten sessions and personal notes pertaining to another six, totaling sixteen sessions observed during the school year 2014. As the most important bibliographical references we study skills and reasoning from the perspective of discursive social interactionism. Analyzing the data we loan the principle of categorization, opting for critical-descriptive presentation and were revealed to us, via the classified evidences, that among the factors involved in the study process, it appears with more relevance to set up an effective intellectual community, which meets in constant interaction subjects, which alternate assuming the conditions of speakers and audience. The constitution of this community depends largely on the teaching mediation and is indispensable to the (re)design of the studied competence, in interactions with her the subjects afforded learn and develop their competence, reshaping the limits of their zone of proximal development.

Qual é a sua tribo? O uso do TAI online no desvelamento de conhecimentos sociais ocultos

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) has succeeded in accessing mental phenomena hardly exposed through self-report and explicit measures well known in the traditional studies on psychology. Although this measurement technique is among the most consistent in international publications, the few articles in Brazil have not deepened on theoretical issues that underlie the practice. This created a gap between the spread of this measure in the country and the production seen in international laboratories, both at quantitative and qualitative terms. In this context, the online labs implemented in several countries, including Brazil, created unique opportunities to overcome these disparities. Our work sought theoretical and conceptual clarification, contextualized to the historical development of the IAT and its online version, displaying affordably an unprecedented presentation of the virtual tool adapted to the Brazilian public. In a second step, we investigated empirically the data obtained by the Brazilian electronic portal "Countries", analyzing the degree of implicit and explicit nationalism of 2271 Brazilian subjects collected from early 2009 to late 2014. Our goal was to determine whether the data results obtained in a time of major sporting confrontation (FIFA World Cup 2010 and 2014) differ from periods when the tournament did not happen. Analyzes showed differences on the eve of the sporting confrontation, when the increase in the implicit nationalism was clearly superior, even with no effect by self-reports. In an independent analysis of a cultural context, there is an oscillation of explicit nationalism over the years, but not for the implicit action. In addition, it was found in women greater degree of implicit and explicit nationalism than in men, with both sexes presenting their preferences towards Brazil. In an end section, we suggest that nationalism may be a by-product of universal mental mechanisms that evolved to identify of the belonging group categorization, corroborating with the group favoritism. We propose that the intensification of the group preference on the eve of the competition has as its ancestral function strengthen the cohesion of the group in preparation to confrontational situations. We pointed out the need for studies on the differences between the sexes in matters relating to group membership belonging. It was expected largest nationalist attitudes in men reflecting the maintenance of cohesive groups in ancient societies. Thus, it appears a singular importance impart the traditional TAI studies with its online version for future investigations of human behavior in various areas of knowledge.

Qual é a sua tribo? O uso do TAI online no desvelamento de conhecimentos sociais ocultos

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) has succeeded in accessing mental phenomena hardly exposed through self-report and explicit measures well known in the traditional studies on psychology. Although this measurement technique is among the most consistent in international publications, the few articles in Brazil have not deepened on theoretical issues that underlie the practice. This created a gap between the spread of this measure in the country and the production seen in international laboratories, both at quantitative and qualitative terms. In this context, the online labs implemented in several countries, including Brazil, created unique opportunities to overcome these disparities. Our work sought theoretical and conceptual clarification, contextualized to the historical development of the IAT and its online version, displaying affordably an unprecedented presentation of the virtual tool adapted to the Brazilian public. In a second step, we investigated empirically the data obtained by the Brazilian electronic portal "Countries", analyzing the degree of implicit and explicit nationalism of 2271 Brazilian subjects collected from early 2009 to late 2014. Our goal was to determine whether the data results obtained in a time of major sporting confrontation (FIFA World Cup 2010 and 2014) differ from periods when the tournament did not happen. Analyzes showed differences on the eve of the sporting confrontation, when the increase in the implicit nationalism was clearly superior, even with no effect by self-reports. In an independent analysis of a cultural context, there is an oscillation of explicit nationalism over the years, but not for the implicit action. In addition, it was found in women greater degree of implicit and explicit nationalism than in men, with both sexes presenting their preferences towards Brazil. In an end section, we suggest that nationalism may be a by-product of universal mental mechanisms that evolved to identify of the belonging group categorization, corroborating with the group favoritism. We propose that the intensification of the group preference on the eve of the competition has as its ancestral function strengthen the cohesion of the group in preparation to confrontational situations. We pointed out the need for studies on the differences between the sexes in matters relating to group membership belonging. It was expected largest nationalist attitudes in men reflecting the maintenance of cohesive groups in ancient societies. Thus, it appears a singular importance impart the traditional TAI studies with its online version for future investigations of human behavior in various areas of knowledge.

The simultaneous extraction of multiple social categories from unfamiliar faces

The research was supported by an award from the Experimental Psychology Society's Small Grant scheme.

The simultaneous extraction of multiple social categories from unfamiliar faces

The research was supported by an award from the Experimental Psychology Society's Small Grant scheme.

QUALIDADE DE VIDA – UM ESTUDO REALIZADO COM DIRETORES DE ESCOLAS PÚBLICAS

A estrutura política e econômica brasileira promove uma sociedade marcada por desigualdades sociais, gerando indignações e diversos conflitos. Estresse, ansiedade, depressão, mal estar profissional, infraestrutura precária, alimentação inadequada, sedentarismo, (i)mobilidade urbana, fragilidade dos vínculos sociais, poluição, dentre outros, são fatores contemporâneos que afetam a qualidade de vida dos seres humanos. Este cenário merece atenção peculiar quando nos remetemos ao ambiente escolar. Este estudo teve por objetivo avaliar a qualidade de vida bem como identificar o grau de estresse percebido em diretores de Escolas Municipais de Educação Infantil (EMEIs) na Cidade de São Paulo. Participaram do estudo 86 Diretores de Escolas, correspondendo a 16,04% do total de diretores de EMEIs da Rede Municipal de Educação (RME). Os instrumentos utilizados foram: Questionário sociodemográfico, Instrumento de Avaliação de Qualidade de Vida-abreviado - WHOQOL-bref e a Escala de Estresse Percebido – PSS. Os resultados revelaram que, em média, 70,9% possuem uma excessiva rotina de trabalho, caracterizadas por: chegar mais cedo e/ou sair mais tarde do expediente normal; receber e/ou fazer ligações, mensagens, e-mails ou similares, relacionados à direção, fora do expediente de trabalho e levar serviços para casa e/ou se preocupar com questões relativas à direção, após encerrar o expediente. A maioria (60,05%) acredita que as condições de trabalho, enquanto Diretor de Escola influenciam negativamente na saúde pessoal. Tanto o índice geral da Qualidade de Vida quanto em relação aos domínios do WHOQOL-bref mostraram médias significativamente abaixo dos dados normativos brasileiros 12,7±3,1 (p<0,001). Quanto ao nível de estresse percebido, inicialmente analisamos as frequências referentes aos respectivos níveis. Os resultados mostraram que o nível de estresse percebido se situa entre 48,8% de “às vezes” para 41,9% de “quase sempre”. Este resultado se apresenta estatisticamente significativo (χ2 p<0,05). Com base neste estudo pudemos observar a escassez de estudos sobre QV e estresse com Diretores de Escolas e que a QV se apresentou significativamente baixa, bem como a percepção de estresse em quase metade da amostra estudada.

Spatial Relationships among Hydroacoustic, Hydrographic and Top Predator Patterns: Cetacean Distributions in the Mid-Atlantic Bight

Effective conservation and management of top predators requires a comprehensive understanding of their distributions and of the underlying biological and physical processes that affect these distributions. The Mid-Atlantic Bight shelf break system is a dynamic and productive region where at least 32 species of cetaceans have been recorded through various systematic and opportunistic marine mammal surveys from the 1970s through 2012. My dissertation characterizes the spatial distribution and habitat of cetaceans in the Mid-Atlantic Bight shelf break system by utilizing marine mammal line-transect survey data, synoptic multi-frequency active acoustic data, and fine-scale hydrographic data collected during the 2011 summer Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (AMAPPS) survey. Although studies describing cetacean habitat and distributions have been previously conducted in the Mid-Atlantic Bight, my research specifically focuses on the shelf break region to elucidate both the physical and biological processes that influence cetacean distribution patterns within this cetacean hotspot.

In Chapter One I review biologically important areas for cetaceans in the Atlantic waters of the United States. I describe the study area, the shelf break region of the Mid-Atlantic Bight, in terms of the general oceanography, productivity and biodiversity. According to recent habitat-based cetacean density models, the shelf break region is an area of high cetacean abundance and density, yet little research is directed at understanding the mechanisms that establish this region as a cetacean hotspot.

In Chapter Two I present the basic physical principles of sound in water and describe the methodology used to categorize opportunistically collected multi-frequency active acoustic data using frequency responses techniques. Frequency response classification methods are usually employed in conjunction with net-tow data, but the logistics of the 2011 AMAPPS survey did not allow for appropriate net-tow data to be collected. Biologically meaningful information can be extracted from acoustic scattering regions by comparing the frequency response curves of acoustic regions to theoretical curves of known scattering models. Using the five frequencies on the EK60 system (18, 38, 70, 120, and 200 kHz), three categories of scatterers were defined: fish-like (with swim bladder), nekton-like (e.g., euphausiids), and plankton-like (e.g., copepods). I also employed a multi-frequency acoustic categorization method using three frequencies (18, 38, and 120 kHz) that has been used in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank which is based the presence or absence of volume backscatter above a threshold. This method is more objective than the comparison of frequency response curves because it uses an established backscatter value for the threshold. By removing all data below the threshold, only strong scattering information is retained.

In Chapter Three I analyze the distribution of the categorized acoustic regions of interest during the daytime cross shelf transects. Over all transects, plankton-like acoustic regions of interest were detected most frequently, followed by fish-like acoustic regions and then nekton-like acoustic regions. Plankton-like detections were the only significantly different acoustic detections per kilometer, although nekton-like detections were only slightly not significant. Using the threshold categorization method by Jech and Michaels (2006) provides a more conservative and discrete detection of acoustic scatterers and allows me to retrieve backscatter values along transects in areas that have been categorized. This provides continuous data values that can be integrated at discrete spatial increments for wavelet analysis. Wavelet analysis indicates significant spatial scales of interest for fish-like and nekton-like acoustic backscatter range from one to four kilometers and vary among transects.

In Chapter Four I analyze the fine scale distribution of cetaceans in the shelf break system of the Mid-Atlantic Bight using corrected sightings per trackline region, classification trees, multidimensional scaling, and random forest analysis. I describe habitat for common dolphins, Risso’s dolphins and sperm whales. From the distribution of cetacean sightings, patterns of habitat start to emerge: within the shelf break region of the Mid-Atlantic Bight, common dolphins were sighted more prevalently over the shelf while sperm whales were more frequently found in the deep waters offshore and Risso’s dolphins were most prevalent at the shelf break. Multidimensional scaling presents clear environmental separation among common dolphins and Risso’s dolphins and sperm whales. The sperm whale random forest habitat model had the lowest misclassification error (0.30) and the Risso’s dolphin random forest habitat model had the greatest misclassification error (0.37). Shallow water depth (less than 148 meters) was the primary variable selected in the classification model for common dolphin habitat. Distance to surface density fronts and surface temperature fronts were the primary variables selected in the classification models to describe Risso’s dolphin habitat and sperm whale habitat respectively. When mapped back into geographic space, these three cetacean species occupy different fine-scale habitats within the dynamic Mid-Atlantic Bight shelf break system.

In Chapter Five I present a summary of the previous chapters and present potential analytical steps to address ecological questions pertaining the dynamic shelf break region. Taken together, the results of my dissertation demonstrate the use of opportunistically collected data in ecosystem studies; emphasize the need to incorporate middle trophic level data and oceanographic features into cetacean habitat models; and emphasize the importance of developing more mechanistic understanding of dynamic ecosystems.

EUSAAR size distribution analysis database

Two years of harmonized aerosol number size distribution data from 24 European field monitoring sites have been analysed. The results give a comprehensive overview of the European near surface aerosol particle number concentrations and number size distributions between 30 and 500 nm of dry particle diameter. Spatial and temporal distribution of aerosols in the particle sizes most important for climate applications are presented. We also analyse the annual, weekly and diurnal cycles of the aerosol number concentrations, provide log-normal fitting parameters for median number size distributions, and give guidance notes for data users. Emphasis is placed on the usability of results within the aerosol modelling community. We also show that the aerosol number concentrations of Aitken and accumulation mode particles (with 100 nm dry diameter as a cut-off between modes) are related, although there is significant variation in the ratios of the modal number concentrations. Different aerosol and station types are distinguished from this data and this methodology has potential for further categorization of stations aerosol number size distribution types. The European submicron aerosol was divided into characteristic types: Central European aerosol, characterized by single mode median size distributions, unimodal number concentration histograms and low variability in CCN-sized aerosol number concentrations; Nordic aerosol with low number concentrations, although showing pronounced seasonal variation of especially Aitken mode particles; Mountain sites (altitude over 1000 m a.s.l.) with a strong seasonal cycle in aerosol number concentrations, high variability, and very low median number concentrations. Southern and Western European regions had fewer stations, which decreases the regional coverage of these results. Aerosol number concentrations over the Britain and Ireland had very high variance and there are indications of mixed air masses from several source regions; the Mediterranean aerosol exhibit high seasonality, and a strong accumulation mode in the summer. The greatest concentrations were observed at the Ispra station in Northern Italy with high accumulation mode number concentrations in the winter. The aerosol number concentrations at the Arctic station Zeppelin in Ny-Ålesund in Svalbard have also a strong seasonal cycle, with greater concentrations of accumulation mode particles in winter, and dominating summer Aitken mode indicating more recently formed particles. Observed particles did not show any statistically significant regional work-week or weekday related variation in number concentrations studied. Analysis products are made for open-access to the research community, available in a freely accessible internet site. The results give to the modelling community a reliable, easy-to-use and freely available comparison dataset of aerosol size distributions.

Multilingualism and conceptual modelling

One of the leading motivations behind the multilingual semantic web is to make resources accessible digitally in an online global multilingual context. Consequently, it is fundamental for knowledge bases to find a way to manage multilingualism and thus be equipped with those procedures for its conceptual modelling. In this context, the goal of this paper is to discuss how common-sense knowledge and cultural knowledge are modelled in a multilingual framework. More particularly, multilingualism and conceptual modelling are dealt with from the perspective of FunGramKB, a lexico-conceptual knowledge base for natural language understanding. This project argues for a clear division between the lexical and the conceptual dimensions of knowledge. Moreover, the conceptual layer is organized into three modules, which result from a strong commitment towards capturing semantic knowledge (Ontology), procedural knowledge (Cognicon) and episodic knowledge (Onomasticon). Cultural mismatches are discussed and formally represented at the three conceptual levels of FunGramKB.

D6.3 – Semantic Content Annotation Support

The Semantic Annotation component is a software application that provides support for automated text classification, a process grounded in a cohesion-centered representation of discourse that facilitates topic extraction. The component enables the semantic meta-annotation of text resources, including automated classification, thus facilitating information retrieval within the RAGE ecosystem. It is available in the ReaderBench framework (http://readerbench.com/) which integrates advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques. The component makes use of Cohesion Network Analysis (CNA) in order to ensure an in-depth representation of discourse, useful for mining keywords and performing automated text categorization. Our component automatically classifies documents into the categories provided by the ACM Computing Classification System (http://dl.acm.org/ccs_flat.cfm), but also into the categories from a high level serious games categorization provisionally developed by RAGE. English and French languages are already covered by the provided web service, whereas the entire framework can be extended in order to support additional languages.

Streaming Italian horror cinema in the UK: Lovefilm Instant.

This article investigates the distribution of Italian horror cinema in the age of video streaming, analyzing its presence and categorization on the platform Lovefilm Instant UK, in order to investigate the importance of ‘niche’ in what is known as the long tail of online distribution and the online availability of exploitation films. I argue that looking at the streaming presence of Italian horror and comparing it to its prior distribution on home video formats (in particular VHS and DVD) we can grasp how distribution and access have shaped the understanding of the genre. In particular, I address the question of the categorization of the films made by the S-VOD services and the limits of streaming distribution, such as lack of persistency in availability and the need of enhanced curatorship.