Fighting the Strai(gh)tjacket: black women bonding in Loving Her and The Color Purple

O objetivo deste trabalho �� analisar como as rela����es l��sbicas s��o retratadas nas obras Loving Her e The Color Purple. Ao analisar as rela����es entre homens/mulheres e mulheres/mulheres, este estudo tamb��m rev�� e critica o golpe triplo sofrido por l��sbicas negras, por serem, ao mesmo tempo, mulheres, afro-americanas e homossexuais. Utilizando fatos hist��ricos para situar as obras em um contexto social, al��m da teoria do lesbian continuum afim de atestar a riqueza e diversidade do la��o afetivo entre mulheres, este trabalho vem por desmistificar as no����es simplistas em rela����o �� literatura l��sbica Afro-Americana, afugentando a sombra que pairava sobre o tabu e elevando a mulher negra, l��sbica ou n��o, a seu lugar de direito na sociedade

Sexual blinging of women : Alice Walker's african character tashi and issue of female genital cutting

This thesis provides a reading of the different forms of representation that can be attributed to the character Tashi, the protagonist of the novel Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992), written by the African American writer Alice Walker. Before this work Tashi had already appeared in two previous novels by Walker, first, in The Color Purple (1982) and then, as a mention, in The Temple of My Familiar (1989). With Tashi, the author introduces the issue of female circumcision, a ritual Tashi submits herself to at the beginning of her adult life. The focus of observation lies in the ways in which the author���s anger is transformed into a means of creative representation. Walker uses her novel Possessing the Secret of Joy openly as a political instrument so that the expression ���female mutilation��� (term used by the author) receives ample attention from the media and critics in general. The aim of this investigation is to evaluate to what extent Walker���s social engagement contributes to the development of her work and to what extent it undermines it. For the analysis of the different issues related to ���female genital cutting���, the term I use in this thesis, the works of feminist critics and writers such as Ellen Gruenbaum, Lightfoot-Klein, Nancy Hartsock, Linda Nicholson, Efrat Tse��lon and the Egyptian writer and doctor Nawal El Saadawi will be consulted. I hope that this thesis can contribute as an observation about Alice Walker���s use of her social engagement in the creation of her fictional world.

Effect of optical aberrations on the color appearance of small defocused lights

We investigated influences of optics and surround area on color appearance of defocused, small narrow band photopic lights (1��� arc diameter, ��max 510 - 628 nm) centered within a black annulus and surrounded by a white field. Participants included seven normal trichromats with L- or M-cone biased ratios. We controlled chromatic aberration with elements of a Powell achromatizing lens and corrected higher-order aberrations with an adaptive-optics system. Longitudinal chromatic aberrations, but not monochromatic aberrations, are involved in changing appearance of small lights with defocus. Surround field structure is important because color changes were not observed when lights were presented on a uniform white surround.

Exploring the color of transition metal ions in irregular coordination geometries: new colored inorganic oxides based on the spiroffite structure, Zn2-xMxTe3O8 (M = Co, Ni, Cu)

We describe the synthesis, crystal structures, and optical absorption spectra of transition metal substituted spiroffite derivatives, Zn2-xMxTe3O8 (M-II = Co, Ni, Cu; 0 < x <= 1.0). The oxides are readily synthesized by solid state reaction of stoichiometric mixtures of the constituent binaries at 620 degrees C. Reitveld refinement of the crystal structures from powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) data shows that the Zn/MO6 octahedra are strongly distorted, as in the parent Zn2Te3O8 structure, consisting of five relatively short Zn/M-II-O bonds (1.898-2.236 angstrom) and one longer Zn/M-II-O bond (2.356-2.519 angstrom). We have interpreted the unique colors and the optical absorption/diffuse reflectance spectra of Zn2-xMxTe3O8 in the visible, in terms of the observed/irregular coordination geometry of the Zn/M-II-O chromophores. We could not however prepare the fully substituted M2Te3O8 (M-II = Co, Ni, Cu) by the direct solid state reaction method. Density Functional Theory (DFT) modeling of the electronic structure of both the parent and the transition metal substituted derivatives provides new insights into the bonding and the role of transition metals toward the origin of color in these materials. We believe that transition metal substituted spiroffites Zn2-xMxTe3O8 reported here suggest new directions for the development of colored inorganic materials/pigments featuring irregular/distorted oxygen coordination polyhedra around transition metal ions.

Effects of annealing on the color, absorption spectra, and light yield of Ce : YAlO3 single crystal grown by the temperature gradient technique

YAlO3 single crystal doped with Ce3+ at concentration 1% was grown by the temperature gradient technique. The as-grown crystal was pink. After H-2 annealing or air annealing at 1400degreesC for 20 h, the crystal was turned into colorless. We concluded there were two kinds of color centers in the as-grown crystal. One is F+ center attributed to absorption band peaking at about 530 nm, the other is O- center attributed to absorption band peaking at about 390 nm. This color centers model can be applied in explaining the experiment phenomena including the color changes, the absorption spectra changes, and the light yield changes of Ce:YAP crystals before and after annealing. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.

Manipulating charge-transfer character with electron-withdrawing main-group moieties for the color tuning of iridium electrophosphors

A new and synthetically versatile strategy has been developed for the phosphorescence color tuning of cyclometalated iridium phosphors by simple tailoring of the phenyl ring of ppy (Hppy=2-phenylpyridine) with various main-group moieties in [Ir(ppy-X)(2)(acac)] (X=B(Mes)(2), SiPh3, GePh3, NPh2, POPh2, OPh, SPh, SO2Ph). This can be achieved by shifting the charge-transfer character from the pyridyl groups in some traditional iridium ppy-type complexes to the electron-withdrawing main-group moieties and these assignments were supported by theoretical calculations.

Phylloseptin-PBa���A Novel Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Peptide from the Skin Secretion of the Peruvian Purple-Sided Leaf Frog (Phyllomedusa Baltea) Which Exhibits Cancer Cell Cytotoxicity

Antimicrobial peptides from amphibian skin secretion display remarkable broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and are thus promising for the discovery of new antibiotics. In this study, we report a novel peptide belonging to the phylloseptin family of antimicrobial peptides, from the skin secretion of the purple-sided leaf frog, Phyllomedusa baltea, which was named Phylloseptin-PBa. Degenerate primers complementary to putative signal peptide sites of frog skin peptide precursor-encoding cDNAs were designed to interrogate a skin secretion-derived cDNA library from this frog. Subsequently, the peptide was isolated and identified using reverse phase HPLC and MS/MS fragmentation. The synthetic replicate was demonstrated to have activity against S. aureus, E. coli and C. albicans at concentrations of 8, 128 and 8 mg/L, respectively. In addition, it exhibited anti-proliferative activity against the human cancer cell lines, H460, PC3 and U251MG, but was less active against a normal human cell line (HMEC). Furthermore, a haemolysis assay was performed to assess mammalian cell cytotoxicity of Phylloseptin-PBa. This peptide contained a large proportion of ��-helical domain, which may explain its antimicrobial and anticancer activities.

Interdecadal enhancement of the Walker circulation over the Tropical Pacific in the late 1990s

The Walker circulation is one of the major components of the large-scale tropical atmospheric circulation and variations in its strength are critical to equatorial Pacific Ocean circulation. It has been argued in the literature that during the 20th century the Walker circulation weakened, and that this weakening was attributable to anthropogenic climate change. By using updated observations, we show that there has been a rapid interdecadal enhancement of the Walker circulation since the late 1990s. Associated with this enhancement is enhanced precipitation in the tropical western Pacific, anomalous westerlies in the upper troposphere, descent in the central and eastern tropical Pacific, and anomalous surface easterlies in the western and central tropical Pacific. The characteristics of associated oceanic changes are a strengthened thermocline slope and an enhanced zonal SST gradient across the tropical Pacific. Many characteristics of these changes are similar to those associated with the mid-1970s climate shift with an opposite sign. We also show that the interdecadal variability of the Walker circulation in the tropical Pacific is inversely correlated to the interdecadal variability of the zonal circulation in the tropical Atlantic. An enhancement of the Walker circulation in the tropical Pacific is associated with a weakening zonal circulation in the tropical Atlantic and vise versa, implying an inter-Atlantic-Pacific connection of the zonal overturning circulation variation. Whether these recent changes will be sustained is not yet clear, but our research highlights the importance of understanding the interdecadal variability, as well as the long-term trends, that influence tropical circulation.

The effect of the degree of hydrolysis of the PVA and the plasticizer concentration on the color, opacity, and thermal and mechanical properties of films based on PVA and gelatin blends

The objective of this work was to study the color, opacity, crystallinity, and the thermal and mechanical properties of films based on blends of gelatin and five different types of PVA [poly(vinyl alcohol)], with and without a plasticizer. The effect of the degree of hydrolysis of the PVA and the glycerol concentration on these properties was studied using colorimetry, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and tensile mechanical tests. All films were essentially colorless (Delta E* < 5) and with low opacity ( Y <= 2.1). The DSC results were typical of partially crystalline materials, showing some phase separation characterized by a glass transition (T(g) = 40-55 degrees C), related to the amorphous part of the material, followed by two endothermic peaks related to the melting (T(m) = 100-160 and 170-210 degrees C) of the crystallites. The XRD results confirmed the crystallinity of the films. The film produced with PVA Celvol((R)) 418 (DH = 91.8%) showed the highest tensile resistance (tensile strength = 38 MPa), for films without plasticizer. However, with glycerol, the above-mentioned PVA and the PVA Celvol((R)) 504 produced the least resistant films of all the PVA types. But, although the mechanical properties of the blended films depended on the type of PVA used, there was no direct relationship between these properties and the degree of hydrolysis of the PVA. The properties studied were more closely dependent on the glycerol concentration. Finally, the mechanical resistance of the films presented a linear relationship with the glass transition temperature of the films. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the color stability of two techniques for reproducing artificial irides after microwave polymerization

Funda����o de Amparo �� Pesquisa do Estado de S��o Paulo (FAPESP)

A new species of Tafalisca Walker, 1869 from the Iguacu National Park, Brazil (Grylloidea, Eneopteridae, Tafaliscinae)

The aim of this work was to describe a new cricket species from the Iguacu National Park, Southeastern Brazil. We characterize the genitalia and external morphology of Tafalisca paranaensis n. sp. and the genitalia of Tafalisca paulista Rehn, 1918 providing a comparison between these species.

The color of illumination affects the stress response of jundi�� (Rhamdia quelen, Quoy & Gaimard, Heptapteridae)

Este artigo traz os primeiros resultados sobre a resposta ao estresse em jundi�� (Rhamdia quelen) expostos a diferentes cores de luz. O jundi�� �� uma esp��cie para produ����o no sul da Am��rica do Sul - sendo assim apta a cultivo em qualquer regi��o de clima temperado e subtropical. Com o objetivo de desenvolver um manejo de luz para o jundi�� durante sua manuten����o em tanques internos e de entender a rela����o entre as cores de luz e o bem-estar da esp��cie, alevinos foram exposto por 10 dias �� luz branca, azul e verde. No 10&deg; dia de exposi����o ��s diferentes cores de luz, um estressor agudo foi imposto. Uma hora ap��s a aplica����o do estressor, os peixes foram amostrados e a resposta ao estresse medida por meio da determina����o da concentra����o s��rica de cortisol. Nossos resultados mostraram que a luz verde parece ser a pior alternativa para iluminar instala����es internas ou de transporte de jundi��s. Os resultados tamb��m sugerem que a cor da luz afeta a resposta ao estresse dos jundi��s, conhecimento que pode ser ��til no manejo da esp��cie.

The influence of temperature on the color of TiO2:Cr pigments

Coordena����o de Aperfei��oamento de Pessoal de N��vel Superior (CAPES)