Contemporary engagements within corridors of the past: temporal elasticity, graffiti, and the materiality of St. Rock Street, Barcelona

In a medieval Barcelonan side-street, urine, rubbish, and a bewildering array of graphic imagery splatters the narrowing walls between two major thoroughfares. A contemporary conflict between residents, unknown artists and others is played out using banners, bottles, stickers, posters, stencils, spray paint, and bodily substances. In this shadowed liminality, local and global debates are superimposed upon substructures constructed from disease, prostitution, and the Saint of the Plague. The continuing urban struggle constitutes temporal statements of dirt and purity, violence and humour, dominance and resistance, death and salvation. Like the renovated facades masking the crumbling remains of structures long neglected, the government’s literal whitewashing of the art is a temporal cover-up of a discursive symptom stretching from deeply embedded preconditions. However, from his niche in the angular bend of the alley bearing his name, the statue of St. Rock remains unblinkingly staring, raised above the contestations expressed below.

Fetal programming of pulmonary vascular dysfunction in mice: role of epigenetic mechanisms.

Insults during the fetal period predispose the offspring to systemic cardiovascular disease, but little is known about the pulmonary circulation and the underlying mechanisms. Maternal undernutrition during pregnancy may represent a model to investigate underlying mechanisms, because it is associated with systemic vascular dysfunction in the offspring in animals and humans. In rats, restrictive diet during pregnancy (RDP) increases oxidative stress in the placenta. Oxygen species are known to induce epigenetic alterations and may cross the placental barrier. We hypothesized that RDP in mice induces pulmonary vascular dysfunction in the offspring that is related to an epigenetic mechanism. To test this hypothesis, we assessed pulmonary vascular function and lung DNA methylation in offspring of RDP and in control mice at the end of a 2-wk exposure to hypoxia. We found that endothelium-dependent pulmonary artery vasodilation in vitro was impaired and hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy in vivo were exaggerated in offspring of RDP. This pulmonary vascular dysfunction was associated with altered lung DNA methylation. Administration of the histone deacetylase inhibitors butyrate and trichostatin A to offspring of RDP normalized pulmonary DNA methylation and vascular function. Finally, administration of the nitroxide Tempol to the mother during RDP prevented vascular dysfunction and dysmethylation in the offspring. These findings demonstrate that in mice undernutrition during gestation induces pulmonary vascular dysfunction in the offspring by an epigenetic mechanism. A similar mechanism may be involved in the fetal programming of vascular dysfunction in humans.

Narration und Diagrammatik. Eine Vorüberlegung und sieben Thesen

[Narrative and the Diagrammatic. Preliminary Thoughts and Seven Theses.] This article proposes a view of narrative that does not depend on the traditional perspective of temporal sequence but emphasizes the spatial structure of literary narrative. Contrary to the prevalent treatment of space in narrative theory, the notion of spatiality in this context refers not to the space that is represented by the narrative (e.g. the setting and other spatial elements of the fictional world) but to the space that represents it: first, the graphic surface of the text; second, the (quasi-)spatial mental representation of its content that is produced in the process of reception. It is argued that these conditions form the primary ontological mode of narrative, whereas the temporal development of a story is an aesthetic illusion that has been specifically stimulated by the narrative conventions of approximately the past three centuries and must thus be considered a secondary effect. The diagrammatic, as a way of both depicting data and perceiving relations through spatial representation, thus forms a more adequate methodological approach to understanding narrative structure than approaches that are implicitly derived from the 'grammar' of narrative in the structuralist sense and its sequential logic.

Interhemispheric coupling between the posterior sylvian regions impacts successful auditory temporal order judgment.

Accurate perception of the temporal order of sensory events is a prerequisite in numerous functions ranging from language comprehension to motor coordination. We investigated the spatio-temporal brain dynamics of auditory temporal order judgment (aTOJ) using electrical neuroimaging analyses of auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) recorded while participants completed a near-threshold task requiring spatial discrimination of left-right and right-left sound sequences. AEPs to sound pairs modulated topographically as a function of aTOJ accuracy over the 39-77ms post-stimulus period, indicating the engagement of distinct configurations of brain networks during early auditory processing stages. Source estimations revealed that accurate and inaccurate performance were linked to bilateral posterior sylvian regions activity (PSR). However, activity within left, but not right, PSR predicted behavioral performance suggesting that left PSR activity during early encoding phases of pairs of auditory spatial stimuli appears critical for the perception of their order of occurrence. Correlation analyses of source estimations further revealed that activity between left and right PSR was significantly correlated in the inaccurate but not accurate condition, indicating that aTOJ accuracy depends on the functional decoupling between homotopic PSR areas. These results support a model of temporal order processing wherein behaviorally relevant temporal information--i.e. a temporal 'stamp'--is extracted within the early stages of cortical processes within left PSR but critically modulated by inputs from right PSR. We discuss our results with regard to current models of temporal of temporal order processing, namely gating and latency mechanisms.

Revenue Logic inSoftware Business Context

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää ohjelmistotoimialan avaintekijöitä, jotka vaikuttavat yrityksen ansaintalogiikkaan sekä lisätä tietoisuutta ansaintalogiikan muodostumisesta pienissä ja keskisuurissa ohjelmistoyrityksissä. Tutkimuksen teoreettisessa osassa keskityttiin tarkastelemaan ansaintalogiikan, strategian ja liiketoimintamallin käsitteiden suhteita sekä arvioitiin toimialan osatekijöiden, hinnoitteluperiaatteiden ja ansaintamallien vaikutusta ansainnan muodostumiseen ohjelmistotoimialalla. Ohjelmistotuote ja - palveluliiketoimintaa koskien oli merkityksellistä tutkia tuotteistamisasteen ja arvoketjujen vaikutusta ansaintalogiikan muodostumisessa sekä esitellä erilaisia, tyypillisiä ohjelmistotoimialalla käytettäviä hinnoittelumenetelmiä. Työn empiirisessä osassa tarkasteltiin 23 suomalaisen ohjelmistoalan yrityksen ansaintalogiikkaa. Tiedot kerättiin haastatteluin ja analysoitiin laadullisen tutkimuksen keinoin. Tutkimustulokset korostivat ansaintalogiikan 'epämääräisyyttä' terminä mutta osoittivat, että ydinliiketoimintaan keskittyminen, tuote-, palvelu-, tai projektiliiketoiminnan osaaminen, tuotteistusaste ja kanavavalinnat ovat avaintekijöitä ansaintalogiikanmuodostumisessa. Ansaintalogiikan muodostamiseen liittyy paljon yrityksen sisäisiä ja ulkoisia haasteita sekä muutospaineita, eikä ohjelmistotoimialalla ole todennettavissa yhtä yleismaailmallista, menestyksen takaavaa ansaintalogiikkaa.

Python as a programming language for the introductory programming courses

Tämä kandidaatintyö tutkii tietotekniikan perusopetuksessa keskeisen aiheen,ohjelmoinnin, alkeisopetusta ja siihen liittyviä ongelmia. Työssä perehdytään ohjelmoinnin perusopetusmenetelmiin ja opetuksen lähestymistapoihin, sekä ratkaisuihin, joilla opetusta voidaan tehostaa. Näitä ratkaisuja työssä ovat mm. ohjelmointikielen valinta, käytettävän kehitysympäristön löytäminen sekä kurssia tukevien opetusapuvälineiden etsiminen. Lisäksi kurssin läpivientiin liittyvien toimintojen, kuten harjoitusten ja mahdollisten viikkotehtävien valinta kuuluu osaksitätä työtä. Työ itsessään lähestyy aihetta tutkimalla Pythonin soveltuvuutta ohjelmoinnin alkeisopetukseen mm. vertailemalla sitä muihin olemassa oleviin yleisiin opetuskieliin, kuten C, C++ tai Java. Se tarkastelee kielen hyviä ja huonoja puolia, sekä tutkii, voidaanko Pythonia hyödyntää luontevasti pääasiallisena opetuskielenä. Lisäksi työ perehtyy siihen, mitä kaikkea kurssilla tulisi opettaa, sekä siihen, kuinka kurssin läpivienti olisi tehokkainta toteuttaa ja minkälaiset tekniset puitteet kurssin toteuttamista varten olisi järkevää valita.

A mathematical study of fuzzy logic; an algebraic approach

Fuzzy set theory and Fuzzy logic is studied from a mathematical point of view. The main goal is to investigatecommon mathematical structures in various fuzzy logical inference systems and to establish a general mathematical basis for fuzzy logic when considered as multi-valued logic. The study is composed of six distinct publications. The first paper deals with Mattila'sLPC+Ch Calculus. THis fuzzy inference system is an attempt to introduce linguistic objects to mathematical logic without defining these objects mathematically.LPC+Ch Calculus is analyzed from algebraic point of view and it is demonstratedthat suitable factorization of the set of well formed formulae (in fact, Lindenbaum algebra) leads to a structure called ET-algebra and introduced in the beginning of the paper. On its basis, all the theorems presented by Mattila and many others can be proved in a simple way which is demonstrated in the Lemmas 1 and 2and Propositions 1-3. The conclusion critically discusses some other issues of LPC+Ch Calculus, specially that no formal semantics for it is given.In the second paper the characterization of solvability of the relational equation RoX=T, where R, X, T are fuzzy relations, X the unknown one, and o the minimum-induced composition by Sanchez, is extended to compositions induced by more general products in the general value lattice. Moreover, the procedure also applies to systemsof equations. In the third publication common features in various fuzzy logicalsystems are investigated. It turns out that adjoint couples and residuated lattices are very often present, though not always explicitly expressed. Some minor new results are also proved.The fourth study concerns Novak's paper, in which Novak introduced first-order fuzzy logic and proved, among other things, the semantico-syntactical completeness of this logic. He also demonstrated that the algebra of his logic is a generalized residuated lattice. In proving that the examination of Novak's logic can be reduced to the examination of locally finite MV-algebras.In the fifth paper a multi-valued sentential logic with values of truth in an injective MV-algebra is introduced and the axiomatizability of this logic is proved. The paper developes some ideas of Goguen and generalizes the results of Pavelka on the unit interval. Our proof for the completeness is purely algebraic. A corollary of the Completeness Theorem is that fuzzy logic on the unit interval is semantically complete if, and only if the algebra of the valuesof truth is a complete MV-algebra. The Compactness Theorem holds in our well-defined fuzzy sentential logic, while the Deduction Theorem and the Finiteness Theorem do not. Because of its generality and good-behaviour, MV-valued logic can be regarded as a mathematical basis of fuzzy reasoning. The last paper is a continuation of the fifth study. The semantics and syntax of fuzzy predicate logic with values of truth in ana injective MV-algerba are introduced, and a list of universally valid sentences is established. The system is proved to be semanticallycomplete. This proof is based on an idea utilizing some elementary properties of injective MV-algebras and MV-homomorphisms, and is purely algebraic.

Variabilitat temporal i espacial en l'acumulació del sediment fi al riu Isàbena (Conca del Segre)

En aquest treball s’ha estudiat la variabilitat temporal i espacial en l’acumulació de sediment fi a la llera del riu Isàbena (Conca de l’Ebre) al llarg d’un any (1 de Juny de 2007 al 31 de maig de 2008) així com la seva relació amb l’arribada de sediments a l’embassament de Barasona, amb el mètode directe de camp, en aquest cas el cilindre de resuspensió. Aquesta tècnica s’ha aplicat a quatre seccions ubicades al tram baix de l’Isàbena. Amb les dades obtingudes, s’ha analitzat la dinàmica de les acumulacions a les diferents estacions de l’any, tractant de trobar patrons característics.

The concept of temporal 'plus' epilepsy.

The concept of temporal 'plus' epilepsy (T+E) is not new, and a number of observations made by means of intracerebral electrodes have illustrated the complexity of neuronal circuits that involve the temporal lobe. The term T+E was used to unify and better individualize these specific forms of multilobar epilepsies, which are characterized by electroclinical features primarily suggestive of temporal lobe epilepsy, MRI findings that are either unremarkable or show signs of hippocampal sclerosis, and intracranial recordings which demonstrate that seizures arise from a complex epileptogenic network including a combination of brain regions located within the temporal lobe and over closed neighbouring structures such as the orbitofrontal cortex, the insulo-opercular region, and the temporo-parieto-occipital junction. We will review here how the term of T+E has emerged, what it means, and which practical consideration it raises.

Adding similarity-based reasoning capabilities to a Horn fragment of possibilistic logic with fuzzy constants

PLFC is a first-order possibilistic logic dealing with fuzzy constants and fuzzily restricted quantifiers. The refutation proof method in PLFC is mainly based on a generalized resolution rule which allows an implicit graded unification among fuzzy constants. However, unification for precise object constants is classical. In order to use PLFC for similarity-based reasoning, in this paper we extend a Horn-rule sublogic of PLFC with similarity-based unification of object constants. The Horn-rule sublogic of PLFC we consider deals only with disjunctive fuzzy constants and it is equipped with a simple and efficient version of PLFC proof method. At the semantic level, it is extended by equipping each sort with a fuzzy similarity relation, and at the syntactic level, by fuzzily “enlarging” each non-fuzzy object constant in the antecedent of a Horn-rule by means of a fuzzy similarity relation.