Alchemy and Symbolism in the Work of Carlos Estevez

The purpose of this thesis was to explore how alchemy has influenced Carlos Estevez’s work through a study of the symbolic repertoire and the philosophical concepts associated with it in his art, particularly how these are expressed in his artworks and how alchemy has evolved thematically in his oeuvre. The study of alchemy influenced this artist so deeply that even pieces that were not primarily inspired by this philosophical system show traces of it, essentially by representing the concept of transformation, crucial to understanding the alchemical process. This thesis is based on Carl Gustav Jung’s idea of metaphysical transformation as one of the main aspects of alchemy, and on his theory of active imagination as a tool to represent thoughts through artworks. Alchemy transformed Estevez’s art, and by extension the way he approaches life, making him conscious of the importance of transmutation and alchemical concepts.

Three Essays on a Longitudinal Analysis of Business Start-ups using the Kauffman Firm Survey

This dissertation focused on the longitudinal analysis of business start-ups using three waves of data from the Kauffman Firm Survey. The first essay used the data from years 2004-2008, and examined the simultaneous relationship between a firm’s capital structure, human resource policies, and its impact on the level of innovation. The firm leverage was calculated as, debt divided by total financial resources. Index of employee well-being was determined by a set of nine dichotomous questions asked in the survey. A negative binomial fixed effects model was used to analyze the effect of employee well-being and leverage on the count data of patents and copyrights, which were used as a proxy for innovation. The paper demonstrated that employee well-being positively affects the firm's innovation, while a higher leverage ratio had a negative impact on the innovation. No significant relation was found between leverage and employee well-being. The second essay used the data from years 2004-2009, and inquired whether a higher entrepreneurial speed of learning is desirable, and whether there is a linkage between the speed of learning and growth rate of the firm. The change in the speed of learning was measured using a pooled OLS estimator in repeated cross-sections. There was evidence of a declining speed of learning over time, and it was concluded that a higher speed of learning is not necessarily a good thing, because speed of learning is contingent on the entrepreneur's initial knowledge, and the precision of the signals he receives from the market. Also, there was no reason to expect speed of learning to be related to the growth of the firm in one direction over another. The third essay used the data from years 2004-2010, and determined the timing of diversification activities by the business start-ups. It captured when a start-up diversified for the first time, and explored the association between an early diversification strategy adopted by a firm, and its survival rate. A semi-parametric Cox proportional hazard model was used to examine the survival pattern. The results demonstrated that firms diversifying at an early stage in their lives show a higher survival rate; however, this effect fades over time.

Spatial and Temporal Patterns in the Distribution, Behavior, and Activity of Fishes in Canals of the Everglades

Landscape characteristics, disturbances, and temporal variability influence predator-prey relationships, but are often overlooked in experimental studies. In the Everglades, seasonal disturbances force the spatial overlap of predators and prey, potentially increasing predation risk for prey. This study examined seasonal and diel patterns of fish use of canals and assessed predation risk for small fishes using an encounter rate model. I deployed an imaging sonar in Everglades canals to quantify density and swimming speeds of fishes, and detect anti-predator behaviors by small fishes. Generally, seasonal declines of marsh water-levels increased the density of large fishes in canals. Densities of small and large fishes were positively correlated and, as small-fish density increased, schooling frequency also increased. At night, schools disbanded and small fishes were observed congregating along the canal edge. The encounter rate model predicted highest predator-prey encounters during the day, but access to cover may reduce predation risk for small fishes.

Give Us This Day

GIVE US THIS DAY is a collection of poetry grounded in the lyrical tradition that speaks to the conflicting need for structure and the inherent desire to be free. It focuses on those moments of rupture, when the structure, whether physical, emotional, psychological or political, is broken. The title poem sets the tone for the collection, capturing the idea that today is all one can truly know. Throughout the five sections of the collection, one comes to understand a complex family story, where right and wrong is blurred in the reality of existence. The sections, representing various parts of the day, are a parallel to the individual stories, speaking to the idea that a single day contains both times of light and darkness, similar to a life. The collection takes place in several cityscapes from Moscow to Delhi, Washington, D.C. to Miami. There are correlations drawn between familial settings and political unrest and tension. Often the political atmosphere is alluded to and drawn into context through the use of intimate personal vignettes. In contrast to the urban noise, there is pervasive natural imagery of gardens and tropical locales which mimic the physical life cycle, climaxing in the blossom.

"To Hold the World in Contempt": The British Empire, War, and the Irish and Indian Nationalist Press, 1899-1914

The era between the close of the nineteenth century and the onset of the First World War witnessed a marked increase in radical agitation among Indian and Irish nationalists. The most outspoken political leaders of the day founded a series of widely circulated newspapers in India and Ireland, placing these editors in the enviable position of both reporting and creating the news. Nationalist journalists were in the vanguard of those pressing vocally for an independent India and Ireland, and together constituted an increasingly problematic contingent for the British Empire. The advanced-nationalist press in Ireland and the nationalist press in India took the lead in facilitating the exchange of provocative ideas—raising awareness of perceived imperial injustices, offering strategic advice, and cementing international solidarity. Irish and Indian press coverage of Britain’s imperial wars constituted one of the premier weapons in the nationalists’ arsenal, permitting them to build support for their ideology and forward their agenda in a manner both rapid and definitive. Directing their readers’ attention to conflicts overseas proved instructive in how the Empire dealt with those who resisted its policies, and also showcased how it conducted its affairs with its allies. As such, critical press coverage of the Boxer Rebellion, Boer War, Russo-Japanese War, and World War I bred disaffection for the Empire, while attempts by the Empire to suppress the critiques further alienated the public. This dissertation offers the first comparative analysis of the major nationalist press organs in India and Ireland, using the prism of war to illustrate the increasingly persuasive role of the press in promoting resistance to the Empire. It focuses on how the leading Indian and Irish editors not only fostered a nationalist agenda within their own countries, but also worked in concert to construct a global anti-imperialist platform. By highlighting the anti-imperial rhetoric of the nationalist press in India and Ireland and illuminating their strategies for attaining self-government, this study deepens understanding of the seeds of nationalism, making a contribution to comparative imperial scholarship, and demonstrating the power of the media to alter imperial dynamics and effect political change.

The Integration of Foreign Students in the Portuguese School of the 1st Cycle of Basic Education: the Case of a School Grouping in the Municipality of Viseu

The present study aims to understand whether the foreign students who have different nationalities but the Portuguese are integrated into the school of the 1st Cycle of Basic Education. With this purpose, a descriptive and phenomenological research was conducted, making use of documental analysis, as well as semi-structured interviews and sociometric tests. These two data collecting tools were applied to students attending from the 1st to the 4th school years, in three 1st Cycle of Basic Education schools, within a school grouping in Viseu. The data obtained through the interviews allow us to conclude that foreign students, in general, feel integrated both in the school and in the class they belong to. However, the analysis of the results of the sociometric tests reveals other data, allowing us to conclude that one of the students is neither integrated in the school, nor in the class he is part of.

Interpreting independence in Latin American cinema today: the digital option

Globalisation has transformed “independence” into, at best, “inter-dependence”. In Latin American film, this process has been experienced as a decline in the national productions, now usually co-productions, and a tendency towards the self-exoticising as films cater for a festival-circuit global audience; similarly, theatrical exhibition takes place in one of a handful of the global multiplex complexes. Moreover, narrative film itself has long been regarded as inherently “dependent”, on the conservative sectors that have provided its finance, with the word “independent” referring to authorial features only. However, the very same processes that have allowed for such an unprecedented corporate control of these film industries have also spawned a parallel network of local, regional and national filmmaking, distribution and exhibition through digital media. From the “Mi Cine” project in Mexico to the “Cine Piquetero” in Argentina, digital filmmaking is empowering viewers and restoring agency to local filmmakers. In this paper I argue for this understanding of “independence” in the contemporary cinematic spheres of Latin America: the re-appropriation, amidst the transnationalism of the day, of the democratising potential of cinema that Walter Benjamin once thought was inherent to the medium.

Exploring the relationship between patterns of physical activity, sedentary behaviour and cardiometabolic health in middle-aged Irish adults

Background and Study Rationale Being physically active is a major contributor to both physical and mental health. More specifically, being physically active lowers risk of coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, metabolic syndrome (MetS), diabetes, certain cancers and depression, and increases cognitive function and wellbeing. The physiological mechanisms that occur in response to physical activity and the impact of total physical activity and sedentary behaviour on cardiometabolic health have been extensively studied. In contrast, limited data evaluating the specific effects of daily and weekly patterns of physical behaviour on cardiometabolic health exist. Additionally, no other study has examined interrelated patterns and minute-by-minute accumulation of physical behaviour throughout the day across week days in middle-aged adults. Study Aims The overarching aims of this thesis are firstly to describe patterns of behaviour throughout the day and week, and secondly to explore associations between these patterns and cardiometabolic health in a middle-aged population. The specific objectives are to: 1 Compare agreement between the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) and GENEActiv accelerometer-derived moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA) activity and secondly to compare their associations with a range of cardiometabolic and inflammatory markers in middle-aged adults. 2 Determine a suitable monitoring frame needed to reliably capture weekly, accelerometer-measured, activity in our population. 3 Identify groups of participants who have similar weekly patterns of physical behaviour, and determine if underlying patterns of cardiometabolic profiles exist among these groups. 4 Explore the variation of physical behaviour throughout the day to identify whether daily patterns of physical behaviour vary by cardiometabolic health. Methods All results in this thesis are based on data from a subsample of the Mitchelstown Cohort; 475 (46.1% males; mean aged 59.7±5.5 years) middle-aged Irish adults. Subjective physical activity levels were assessed using the IPAQ-SF. Participants wore the wrist GENEActiv accelerometer for 7 consecutive days. Data was collected at 100Hz and summarised into a signal magnitude vector using 60s epochs. Each time interval was categorised based on validated cut-offs. Data on cardiometabolic and inflammatory markers was collected according to standard protocol. Cardiometabolic outcomes (obesity, diabetes, hypertension and MetS) were defined according to internationally recognised definitions by World Health Organisation (WHO) and Irish Diabetes Federation (IDF). Results The results of the first chapter suggest that the IPAQ-SF lacks the sensitivity to assess patterning of activity and guideline adherence and assessing the relationship with cardiometabolic and inflammatory markers. Furthermore, GENEActiv accelerometer-derived MVPA appears to be better at detecting relationships with cardiometabolic and inflammatory markers. The second chapter examined variations in day-to-day physical behaviour levels between- and within-subjects. The main findings were that Sunday differed from all other days in the week for sedentary behaviour and light activity and that a large within-subject variation across days of the week for vigorous activity exists. Our data indicate that six days of monitoring, four weekdays plus Saturday and Sunday, are required to reliably estimate weekly habitual activity in all activity intensities. In the next chapter, latent profile analysis of weekly, interrelated patterns of physical behaviour identified four distinct physical behaviour patterns; Sedentary Group (15.9%), Sedentary; Lower Activity Group (28%), Sedentary; Higher Activity Group (44.2%) and a Physically Active Group (11.9%). Overall the Sedentary Group had poorer outcomes, characterised by unfavourable cardiometabolic and inflammatory profiles. The remaining classes were characterised by healthier cardiometabolic profiles with lower sedentary behaviour levels. The final chapter, which aimed to compare daily cumulative patterns of minute-by-minute physical behaviour intensities across those with and without MetS, revealed significant differences in weekday and weekend day MVPA. In particular, those with MetS start accumulating MVPA later in the day and for a shorted day period. Conclusion In conclusion, the results of this thesis add to the evidence base regards an optimal monitoring period for physical behaviour measurement to accurately capture weekly physical behaviour patterns. In addition, the results highlight whether weekly and daily distribution of activity is associated with cardiometabolic health and inflammatory profiles. The key findings of this thesis demonstrate the importance of daily and weekly physical behaviour patterning of activity intensity in the context of cardiometabolic health risk. In addition, these findings highlight the importance of using physical behaviour patterns of free-living adults observed in a population-based study to inform and aid health promotion activity programmes and primary care prevention and treatment strategies and development of future tailored physical activity based interventions.

Melatonin for cardioprotection in ST elevation myocardial infarction: Are we ready for the challenge?

Melatonin, an endocrine product of the pineal gland, is formed predominantly during the nighttime. Light has an inhibitory effect on pineal melatonin secretion. Pineal melatonin release is synchronised by this daily light-dark cycle via a multisynaptic pathway between the eyes and the pineal gland. Light stimulates the retina to modulate the activity of the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the master biological clock.1 The suprachiasmatic nucleus controls pineal melatonin synthesis and the concentrations of melatonin in the sera of healthy subjects, which reach values of 10−10 to 10−9 mol/L during the night, with much lower concentrations being present during the day. Many publications have shown that melatonin has an important role in a variety of cardiovascular pathophysiologic processes: the indoleamine has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antihypertensive, antithrombotic and antilipaemic properties.

Annual Report 2-15 Office of the Chief Information Officer, January 2016

In 2015, the OCIO worked across a broad range of projects and key initiatives in alignment with these goals. As an IT organization supporting services consumed by every agency of the State of Iowa (State), our key enterprise initiatives are conducted in addition to the day-to-day support activities required to keep government IT services operational and secure. These initiatives maintain alignment with key efficiency goals established by Governor Branstad and with specific legislative mandates.

Comparative Behavior of Wild and Hatchery Reared White Sea Bream (Diplodus sargus) Released on Artificial Reefs Off the Algarve (Southern Portugal)

Three hatchery produced and reared (HPR) and five wild white sea bream (Diplodus sargus) were double tagged with Vemco V8SC-2L acoustic transmitters and Floy Tag T-bar anchor tags, and released on artificial reefs located near a natural reef off the southern coast of Portugal. Passive telemetry was used to monitor movements of the white sea bream over a nine week period from April to June 2007. Differences in behavior at release, habitat association (artificial vs. natural reef), and in daily movements were registered. Wild fish moved from one habitat to the other with increased preference for the artificial habitat during the day, whereas HPR fish showed no site fidelity or consistent daily movement pattern and left the release site soon after release. Comparison of Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP) showed a higher area usage by wild fish. This experiment shows that these artificial reefs are used on a daily basis by wild white sea bream but apparently are not optimal release locations for hatchery produced white sea bream.

Reticence or vigilance at the nest: a cruel bind for the endangered Black-capped Vireo

Breeding birds vocalize to find mates and establish and defend territories, but these same critical communications may also attract predators or brood parasites, placing birds in a cruel bind. Although vigilant birds may better maintain social relationships with mates and neighbors through frequent vocalizations, reticent birds may reduce risk to their nests by being relatively quiet and making infrequent vocalizations. Selection for vocalization patterns that minimize brood parasitism might be particularly strong for birds that are unable to fledge both their own young and the parasite. Temporal plasticity in the frequency of vocalizations near nests, however, may allow birds to balance trade-offs and optimize nest-defense strategies. The Black-capped Vireo (Vireo atricapilla) is an endangered songbird that faces intensive brood parasitism in areas where Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) are present. Vireo nests that produce cowbird fledglings always fail to fledge vireo young. We recorded vocalizations at vireo nests across three nesting stages (building, laying, and early incubation) and three periods of the day (morning, midday, and evening) and compared vocalization frequency with eventual depredation or parasitism fate as well as local cowbird density to test two hypotheses. The predator-attraction hypothesis predicts that predators will be attracted by frequent vocalizations, whereas cowbirds will parasitize nests with relatively quiet parents and less predation risk; thus, vireos will experience trade-offs between reticence and vigilance in mediating specific risks. The parasite-assessment hypothesis predicts that vireos will become more secretive as local cowbird densities increase. Vireo vocalization response to nest predation and parasitism risk interacted with nest stage, and we found little evidence of risk mediation through vocalizations except during the building stage. Vireos, however, did benefit overall by optimizing temporal patterns in vocalizations. Vireo nests were less likely to be depredated or parasitized if males vocalized most during laying and least during the middle of the day. Birds vocalized more during the midday and less during the laying period when local cowbird densities were higher, however, perhaps demonstrating limited plasticity in social communication.

Optimal Wind Bidding Strategies in Day-Ahead Markets

This paper presents a computer application for wind energy bidding in a day-ahead electricity market to better accommodate the variability of the energy source. The computer application is based in a stochastic linear mathematical programming problem. The goal is to obtain the optimal bidding strategy in order to maximize the revenue. Electricity prices and financial penalties for shortfall or surplus energy deliver are modeled. Finally, conclusions are drawn from an illustrative case study, using data from the day-ahead electricity market of the Iberian Peninsula.

Atmospheric electrical field measurements near a fresh water reservoir and the formation of the lake breeze

In order to access the effect of the lakes in the atmospheric electrical field, measurements have been carried out near a large man-made lake in southern Portugal, the Alqueva reservoir, during the ALqueva hydro-meteorological EXperiment 2014. The purpose of these conjoint experiments was to study the impact of the Alqueva reservoir on the atmosphere, in particular on the local atmospheric electric environment by comparing measurements taken in the proximity of the lake. Two stations 10 km apart were used, as they were located up- and down-wind of the lake (Amieira and Parque Solar, respectively), in reference to the dominant northwestern wind direction. The up-wind station shows lower atmospheric electric potential gradient (PG) values than the ones observed in the down-wind station between 12 and 20 UTC. The difference in the atmospheric electric PG between the up-wind and the down-wind station is ~30 V/m during the day. This differential occurs mainly during the development of a lake breeze, between 10 and 18 UTC, as a consequence of the surface temperature gradient between the surrounding land and the lake water. In the analysis presented, a correlation is found between the atmospheric electric PG differences and both wind speed and temperature gradients over the lake, thus supporting the influence of the lake breeze over the observed PG variation in the two stations. Two hypotheses are provided to explain this observation: (1) The air that flows from the lake into the land station is likely to increase the local electric conductivity through the removal of ground dust and the transport of cleaner air from higher altitudes with significant light ion concentrations. With such an increase in conductivity, it is expected to see a reduction of the atmospheric electric PG; (2) the resulting air flow over the land station carries negative ions formed by wave splashing in the lake's water surface, as a result of the so-called balloelectric effect. These negative ions will form a space-charge density (SCD) that can reduce the atmospheric electric PG. A formulation is derived here in order to estimate the local SCD.

Lake–atmosphere interactions at Alqueva reservoir: a case study in the summer of 2014

The study of lake–atmosphere interactions was the main purpose of a 2014 summer experiment at Alqueva reservoir in Portugal. Near-surface fluxes of momentum, heat and mass [water vapour (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2)] were obtained with the new Campbell Scientific’s IRGASON Integrated Open-Path CO2/H2O Gas Analyser and 3D Sonic Anemometer between 2 June and 2 October. On average, the reservoir was releasing energy in the form of sensible and latent heat flux during the study period. At the end of the 75 d, the total evaporation was estimated as 490.26 mm. A high correlation was found between the latent heat flux and the wind speed (R = 0.97). The temperature gradient between air and water was positive between 12 and 21 UTC, causing a negative sensible heat flux, and negative during the rest of the day, triggering a positive sensible heat flux. The reservoir acted as a sink of atmospheric CO2 with an average rate of −0.026 mg m−2 s−1. However, at a daily scale we found an unexpected uptake between 0 and 9 UTC and almost null flux between 13 and 19 UTC. Potential reasons for this result are further discussed. The net radiation was recorded for the same period and water column heat storage was estimated using water temperature profiles. The energy balance closure for the analysed period was 81%. In-water solar spectral downwelling irradiance profiles were measured with a new device allowing measurements independent of the solar zenith angle, which enabled the computation of the attenuation coefficient of light in the water column. The average attenuation coefficient for the photosynthetically active radiation spectral region varied from 0.849 ± 0.025 m−1 on 30 July to 1.459 ± 0.007 m−1 on 25 September.