Win at all costs or lose gracefully in high-stakes competition? Gender differences in professional tennis

This article examines line-call challenges by male and female professional tennis players in major tournaments around the world. In terms of utilization rates, we find that the genders behave similarly. Nevertheless, we do detect some intriguing gender differences in these challenges. First, male players’ challenges are more likely to be provoked by those of their opponents. More importantly, at tiebreaks, females are more likely to reverse an umpire’s unfavorable call, while males make relatively more unsuccessful challenges. Furthermore, we find that men are a lot more likely to make “embarrassing” line-call challenges at tiebreaks and offenses (i.e., when the shot lands at the opponent’s side of the tennis court) than women. These significant gender differences suggest that women particularly diverge from men at crucial junctures of the match such as tiebreaks. Differences in factors such as risk aversion, overconfidence, pride, shame, and strategic signalling behavior might help us to explain these gender-difference findings in line call challenges.

A Morte e o além : iconografia da pintura mural religiosa da região central do Rio Grande do Sul (século XX)

Este trabalho analisa pinturas murais religiosas sobre temáticas relacionadas à morte e ao além, encontradas em igrejas católicas da região central do Rio Grande do Sul. Pinturas realizadas ao longo do século XX e selecionadas com base em amostragem reunida em arquivos fotográficos representativos de 192 municípios. A partir de uma abordagem iconológica, busca entender: como os modelos iconográficos europeus foram retomados pelo muralismo religioso regional. Para tanto, identifica a origem dos principais temas escatológicos representados, bem como algumas das fontes visuais utilizadas, compostas, sobretudo, por gravuras que reproduzem temas religiosos de obras dos séculos XV ao início do século XX. Entre as formas evitadas pelo muralismo rio-grandense destacam-se: alusões à nudez, poses com pouco dinamismo, e gestos considerados constrangedores para os padrões morais da região. Nas formas incluídas, destacam-se as poses com expressão gestual mais acentuada, vestes moralizantes e detalhes zoomórficos na figuração de demônios. Enquanto que o conjunto das formas preservadas aponta para um predomínio dos gestos representativos de emoções intensas. Com base nos estudos de Aby Warburg sobre a influência da empatia no resgate de configurações emotivas, e a partir do resultado das análises formais, foi estruturada a proposição principal desta pesquisa. Proposição que procura evidenciar uma relação entre a eficiência empática dos antigos gestos de ações passionais e a conseqüente preservação desses no muralismo religioso escatológico regional.

Os programas de governo no horário gratuito de propaganda eleitoral:um estudo das eleições governamentais no Rio Grande do Norte em 2006

In Brazil, the Free Political advertising time (HGPE) represents one of the main venues for the contest between political parties, revealing a tool that streamlines the electoral dispute and enables all sectors and social classes of important information about dispute over candidates. In HGPE, political groups have the opportunity to present their programs of government and discuss issues that relate to the demands of the population. This research sought to examine the role played by so-called "government programs" in the electoral race for governor of Rio Grande do Norte in 2006, which had as main candidates, two traditional characters of the political landscape in Natal: Wilma de Faria (PSB) and Garibaldi Alves Filho (PMDB). According to our analysis, discussion of government programs such candidates in HGPE had not meant to enlighten the voters about the political projects designed, not just the desire to build an image of seriousness and competence of candidates, but appeared as a means to meet the schedule imposed by the opponent and as a strategic resource to select a specific segment of the electorate.

Efeitos imediatos da eletroestimulação nervosa transcutânea e crioterapia na espasticidade e na atividade eletromiográfica de sujeitos hemiparéticos

Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is a term used to characterize an ischemic or hemorrhagic vascular injury, which has got as main clinic manifestations, the motor and reflex function disturbance. In the first stage there is flaccidity and loss of voluntary movements that afterwards is substituted by mass patterns and spasticity. The spasticity brings with itself functional deficits and can generate negative impacts in various motor patterns. The aim of this research was to investigate the hyperreflexia and identify the immediate effects of transcutaneous nervous stimulation (TENS) and cryotherapy in the spasticity and electromyographic activity of hemiparetic subjects. The study is characterized as an almost experimental type, in which were selected, to compose the sample, 16 patients of both sex with CVA sequel. These individuals were evaluated by collecting the amplitude peak to peak and H reflex latency, Motor response (M response) in solear muscle and the electromyography (EMG) of the injured and healthy legs anterior tibial muscles. In the injured limb the evaluations occurred in different days for cryotherapy, TENS and control, in two moments, before and after the interventions. The healthy limb was evaluated one single time to serve as baseline, for comparison with the injured limb. It was used an statistic analysis, the t paired student test to identify the H reflex differences, latency and EMG of the injured and healthy limbs and to compare the results before and after the recourses application. The ANOVA for related samples was used to identify the differences among the recourses used. It was attributed for the statistic tests a significance level of 5%. The amplitude peak to peak of normalized maximum H reflex through the maximum motor response (Hmax/Mmax), showed itself significantly increased in the injured limb (p=0.0245). The H reflex latency was presented reduced in the injured limb (p=0, 0375). The electromyographic activity was showed decreased in the injured limb (p< 0.0001). After the TENS there was a Hmáx/Mmáx ratio decrease (0.60±0.16 versus 0.49.±0.18; P = 0.0006). Nonetheless, Just after the cryotherapy application there was an increase of Hmáx/Mmáx ratio (0.58 ± 0,15 to 0.77 ± 0.13, P=0,0007) and increase of signal latency (30.41 ± 1.87 versus 33.24 ± 2.19; P=0.0001). The electromyographic activity wasn t altered significantly by any resource. It was met statistic significant differences when the Hmáx/Mmáx P<0.0001) ratio and H reflex latency (P<0.0001) were compared between the post TENS, cryotherapy and control. One can conclude that the TENS can be used to spasticity immediate reduction, and that the cryotherapy can increase the hyperreflexia state in spastic patients. Nonetheless, the spasticity decrease or increase didn t provoke lectromyographic activity change in the muscle that is opponent to the spastic one

Prior residence and body size influence interactions between black sea urchins

Body size and prior residence can modulate agonistic interaction in several animal species, but scientists know little about these relationships in echinoderms. In this study, we tested the effects of these traits on interactions in the black sea urchin (Echinometra lucunter). After a sea urchin was isolated for 24-h in a glass tank to establish prior residence, we introduced an intruder animal adjacent to the resident in the tank and observed interactions for 30 min. The intruder animal was larger, smaller, or size-matched to the resident. We found body size and prior residence concomitantly modulated interactions among black sea urchins, with prior residence as the major determinant. Black sea urchins mainly exhibited opponent inspection and fleeing responses during interaction to avoid fights, especially when a fight could be seriously disadvantageous (small intruder vs. large resident). (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Desempenho motor no esporte: das restrições do iniciante ao experiente

A set of constraints on the performance of motor skills is a determinant factor of success in many sport modalities that require from the athlete continuous adaptation to changes in the game context. Taking into account Newell's model of organism (or performer), task and environmental constraints in the acquisition of motor skills (NEWELL, 1986), the focus of this study is the set of changes that take place in motor behavior from the beginner to the high level athlete. In specific, the focus is toward changes in sports settings in which the ball is the center of the game, responsible for the relationship among athletes of the same team as well as between opponents, as in volleyball. The ball, in its trajectory, carries on a set of constraints to the player's behavior. To be able of imposing constraints on the opponent's behavior is so important as to know how to deal with a ball sent to you by the opponent in an unpredictable trajectory.

Vargas e Prestes: uma comparação entre o trabalhismo e o comunismo no Brasil

Este texto veio a constituir parte do segundo capítulo de nossa tese de Mestrado - O Ato Livre: considerações a respeito da política operária - Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas, Universidade de São Paulo. Nele, procuro mostrar a impressionante semelhança de pressupostos teóricos subjacentes tanto a um discurso que articula a concepção burguesa das relações sociais, criado para o controle da c/asse operária, quanto a seu suposto oponente, que articularia a concepção socialista e que, explicitamente, estaria desenvolvendo o ponto de vista marxista. Com esse objetivo, cotejo os discursos de Getúlio Vargas (pronunciados nos anos de 1946 e 1947) com os quase contemporâneos discursos de Luis Carlos Prestes (escritos em 1945). Concluo com uma breve reflexão a respeito da origem desses pressupostos no interior do movimento comunista internacional.

Industrial Robotics Applied to Education

This work describes a ludic proposal for programming learning of industrial robots to be developed by groups of engineering students. Two projects are presented: Tic-tac-toe Opponent Robot and Environmentalist Robot. The first project use competitive search techniques of the Artificial Intelligence, computational vision, electronic and pneumatic concepts for ability decision making for a robotic agent on the tic-tae-toe game. The second project consists of a game that contains a questions and answers database about environmental themes. An algorithm selects the group of questions to be answered by the player, analyses the answers and sends the result to a industrial robot through serial port. According with the player performance, the robot makes congratulation movements and giving a gift to the winner player. Otherwise, the robot makes movements, disapproving the player performance.

A representação do sertão na metrópole: a construção de um gênero musical (1929-1940)

Pós-graduação em História - FCHS

Historiografia literária e formação do cânone: Ana Miranda, Augusto dos Anjos e Olavo Bilac

Pós-graduação em Letras - IBILCE

As perspectivas políticas da criação do Estado de Carajás a partir do ponto de vista das representações parlamentares municipais

Este estudo trata da perspectiva de criação do Estado do Carajás sob o ponto de vista das representações parlamentares dos municípios das regiões sul e sudeste do Pará. As teorias sobre representação política e as críticas da teoria das elites nortearam a análise, visto que a temática da redivisão do território paraense tem inflamado os discursos de candidatos a cargos políticos, e durante a campanha do plebiscito de dezembro de 2011 o debate reverteu-se em animosidade entre as frentes pluripartidárias do sim e do não, pela alegação da frente oponente à emancipação, que a divisão tratava-se de um projeto político das elites locais. De base empírica, o levantamento de campo foi aplicado a vereadores dos 39 municípios da região. A pesquisa revelou que a mobilização política regionalista ancora-se na distância do poder decisório que deixaria a região fora da agenda governamental e enfatiza o esquecimento do poder público estadual. Os vereadores veem o novo estado como uma possibilidade de atender às demandas por políticas públicas e oportunidades de emprego e renda, mas percebem claramente uma oportunidade de crescimento de suas carreiras políticas e de aumentar a paridade na balança da representatividade do norte no Congresso Nacional.

Avaliação de oponentes en confrontos de tilápia-do-Nilo: interação entre sinais químicos e visuais

Pós-graduação em Aquicultura - FCAV

O leitor na reportagem de revista: um estudo das marcas da interação no gênero

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Ejes estratégicos de la seguridad hemisférica en los gobiernos de George W. Bush y Barack Obama

The paper approaches the U.S. perceptions about the sources of insecurity from Latin America, considered a low risk area and priority of its foreign policy. El análisis se concentra en la evaluación de las amenazas y desafíos a sus intereses estratégicos y las modalidades de actuación privilegiadas en la esfera regional, en que se verifican coincidencias entre las administraciones Demócratas y Republicanas en la adopción de un liderazgo con prerrogativas clasificatorias sobre los tipos de régimen político, con una agenda concebida como promoción de la convergencia hemisférica de democracias y economías liberales. The analysis focuses on assessing the threats and challenges to its strategic interests and privileged modes of action at the regional level, which verifies similarities between Republican and Democratic administrations in taking a leadership prerogatives qualifiers on the types political regime, with an agenda designed as promoting hemispheric convergence of liberal democracies and economies. En ese contexto, cabe destacar la prioridad atribuida a los países de la Alternativa Bolivariana para las Américas (ALBA) como eje opositor de sus políticas. In this context, include the priority given to the countries of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) as the linchpin of his political opponent.

Variable assessment of wing colouration in aerial contests of the red-winged damselfly Mnesarete pudica (Zygoptera, Calopterygidae)

Wing pigmentation is a trait that predicts the outcome of male contests in some damselflies. Thus, it is reasonable to suppose that males would have the ability to assess wing pigmentation and adjust investment in a fight according to the costs that the rival may potentially impose. Males of the damselfly Mnesarete pudica exhibit red-coloured wings and complex courtship behaviour and engage in striking male– male fights. In this study, we investigated male assessment behaviour during aerial contests. Theory suggests that the relationship between male resource-holding potential (RHP) and contest duration describes the kind of assessment adopted by males: self-assessment, opponent-only assessment or mutual assessment. A recent theory also suggests that weak and strong males exhibit variations in the assessment strategies adopted. We estimated male RHP through male body size and wing colouration (i.e. pigmentation, wing reflectance spectra and transmission spectra) and studied the relationship between male RHP and contest duration from videodocumented behavioural observations of naturally occurring individual contests in the field. The results showed that males with more opaque wings and larger red spots were more likely to win contests. The relationships between RHP and contest durations partly supported the self-assessment and the mutual assessment models. We then experimentally augmented the pigmented area of the wings, in order to evaluate whether strong and weak males assess rivals’ RHP through wing pigmentation. Our experimental manipulation, however, clearly demonstrated that strong males assess rivals’ wing pigmentation. We finally suggest that there is a variation in the assessment strategy adopted by males