Phantasms in music

Tese de mestrado, Teoria da Literatura, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Letras, 2009Esta tese é sobre a forma como a música pode ser descrita mimeticamente. Começando por discutir o tratamento contemporâneo deste tópico, comparo vários argumentos sobre música (em particular música e representação') e descrevo a razão porque estes são relevantes para a questão original da mimêsis. No segundo e terceiro capítulos, discuto ideias ou soluções (para o problema da música mimética' de Aristóteles) para os problemas colocados no primeiro capítulo, e relaciono estes com conceitos usados por Aristóteles nos seus escritos sobre música. O terceiro capítulo trata especificamente do tópico da phantasia e dou ênfase à importância da phantasia no argumento de Aristóteles sobre mimêsis e imitações em relação à música.This thesis attempts to describe how music can be called mimetic. Beginning with a discussion of current work on this topic, I compare various arguments on music (mainly music and representation') and why I find them to be relevant to this original question of mimêsis. In the second and third chapters, I build on ideas or solutions (for the mimetic music' problem originally taken from Aristotle) for problems posed in the first chapter and relate them to concepts Aristotle uses when writing about music. The third chapter specifically treats the topic of phantasia and I propose the importance of phantasia in Aristotle's argument of mimesis and imitations as related to music

Change in pulmonary mechanics and the effect on breathing pattern of high flow oxygen therapy in stable hypercapnic Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure (CHF) represents a major issue in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Non-invasive Ventilation (NIV) improves pulmonary gas exchange function with decrease in PaCO2 and rise in pH. Long-term NIV reduces mortality in these patients and time to first exacerbations, but adherence to ventilatory therapy is poor. High Flow Oxygen Therapy (HFOT) could counterbalance the effect of intrinsic Positive End Expiratory Pressure (PEEPi) and optimize Ventilation/Perfusion ratio through the modification of breathing pattern; then, HFOT could be an appealing alternative to home NIV. Therefore, in order to assess HFOT effects on respiratory work of breathing, compared to NIV as gold standard, we studied the consequences of these two form of non-invasive respiratory support on: inspiratory effort, as assessed by measuring transdiaphragmatic pressure; breathing pattern; gas exchange. Fourteen patients with hypercapnic stable COPD underwent five 30-min trials, in a random order: HFOT at two flow rates (20 L/min and 30 L/min), both with open and closed mouth, and NIV. After each trial, standard oxygen therapy was reinstituted for ten min. Compared with baseline, HFOT and NIV significantly improved breathing pattern, although to different extents, and reduced inspiratory effort; however, arterial carbon dioxide oxygen tension decreased but not significantly. These results indicate a possible role for HFOT in the long-term management of patients with hypercapnic stable COPD, because of no rise in PaCO2, and improved respiratory mechanic

Lamination of a biodegradable polymeric microchip

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, 2006.Includes bibliographical references (leaf 22).This work builds on the initial design of a polymer microchip for controlled-release drug delivery. Currently, the microchip employs a nonbiodegradable sealant layer, and the new design aims to fabricate it only of biodegradable parts. Experiments were conducted to evaluate two potential designs that are fabricated via lamination, and a final design was proposed based on the results. Design 1 sought to replace the sealant directly with a PLA backing layer, but the laminated backing layer was found to leak in 14C-dextran release experiments. Design 2 used a laminated film instead of the original injected membrane. The laminated film was optimized to a 200- [mu]m thick poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) 2A membrane, and the film-laminated microchip was shown to release 14C-dextran within a 40-day period. The final proposed design was based on Design 2, which demonstrated more potential as a future means of drug delivery.by Jina Kim.S.B

Transperineal ultrasound in women with rectal endometriosis: could sonographic parameters be correlated with bowel symptoms?

STUDY OBJECTIVE: to compare levator hiatal area and anorectal angle at rest and after maximal contraction, at transperineal 2D/3D/4D ultrasound between patients with rectal endometriosis and asymptomatic healthy women and, secondly, to find any association between sonographic findings and bowel symptoms. PATIENTS: 96 nulliparous patients with symptomatic rectal endometriosis scheduled for laparoscopic surgery (study group) were compared to 88 nulliparous asymptomatic healthy women (control group). Patients had never undergone surgery for deep endometriosis and had not assumed hormonal therapy before the enrollment. INTERVENTIONS: transperineal ultrasound for evaluation of levator hiatal area and anorectal angle was performed in all patients at rest. Data were analyzed offline with a dedicated software by an investigator blinded to clinical data. Bowel symptoms were collected using a validated questionnaire (Knowles-Eccersley-Scott-Symptom Questionnaire). Comparisons of mean values between controls and cases were performed. Correlations between sonographic parameters and KESS questionnaire’s items were analyzed using Spearman’s correlation. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Compared to the control group, patients with rectal endometriosis show a significantly narrower levator hiatal area at rest and after maximal contraction; patient with rectal endometriosis show a narrower anorectal angle at rest (109.8±10.8 grade versus 113.7±13.0 grade, p=0.03). In the study group we found a significant association between severity of dyschezia at KESS questionnaire and dimension of anorectal angle (p < 0.001). In the study group, Patients with constipation had a narrower anorectal angle compared to endometriotic patients without constipation . CONCLUSION: women with rectal endometriosis had a significantly narrower levator hiatal area and anorectal angle than healthy controls, suggesting pelvic floor hypertone. Pelvic floor dysfunctions in women with rectal endometriosis seem to be associated to bowel complaints, particularly dyschezia and constipation. Transperineal ultrasound may be a useful, inexpensive and non-invasive tool to detect pelvic floor dysfunctions in sympomatic patients affected by deep endometriosis

Airborne Infrared Target Tracking with the Nintendo Wii Remote Sensor

Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are the most common variety of UAS in use today and provide invaluable capabilities to both the military and civil services. Keeping the sensors centered on a point of interest for an extended period of time is a demanding task requiring the full attention and cooperation of the UAS pilot and sensor operator. There is great interest in developing technologies which allow an operator to designate a target and allow the aircraft to automatically maneuver and track the designated target without operator intervention. Presently, the barriers to entry for developing these technologies are high: expertise in aircraft dynamics and control as well as in real- time motion video analysis is required and the cost of the systems required to flight test these technologies is prohibitive. However, if the research intent is purely to develop a vehicle maneuvering controller then it is possible to obviate the video analysis problem entirely. This research presents a solution to the target tracking problem which reliably provides automatic target detection and tracking with low expense and computational overhead by making use of the infrared sensor from a Nintendo Wii Remote Controller

Definition of Clinical and Immunological Phenotypes of Graft Dysfunction in Heart Transplant Recipients: Prognostic Implications and Role of Antibody Mediated Rejection

Background Despite its clinical relevance, there is a lack of consensus regarding the definition of graft dysfunction (GD) in heart transplant (HT). Herein we aim to characterize clinical phenotypes of patients with GD, either acute or chronic, comparing their outcomes with stable patients. In addition, we explored the risk factors outcomes in GD patients. Methods The patients were divided in 3 groups: Group A - Patients who recently underwent HT ( 5 years). Primary Endpoints were: overall mortality, hospitalizations for cardiovascular events and hospitalization for all-causes. The Combined Endpoints was death or /and hospitalizations for cardiovascular events (CV hospitalization). Results We enrolled 134 consecutive HT patients. Patients with GD 32(24%) had significant higher prevalence of class NYHA >II, low EF, CAV, longer QRS and Qtc on the ECG (p<0.01) and donor specific antibodies (DSA) (all p<0.05), as compared with group A and C. Clinical presentation was highly heterogeneous: 6(19%) had acute presentation, 3 for acute rejection, and 3 for acute coronary syndromes; 21(66%) had chronic presentation: 17(53%) associated with CAV, and 4(13%) as chronic dysfunction after antibody-mediated rejection. During the 2y follow-up, GD patients showed higher mortality (P=0.01) and higher CVE hospitalization rate (54; P< 0.01) than patients in group A and C. Low EF, time from HT, and chronic clinical presentation (p<0.01) were risk factors for the combined endpoint Conclusions GD after HT is characterized by highly variable clinical presentation and is correlated with a particularly poor prognosis. CAV is the most frequent etiology, and DSA are more often found in patients with GD than in stable ones, but do not seem to influence outcome

Villanova University School of Law Commencement Program - Class of 1984

The Program for the Commencement Exercises of the 29th graduating class of the Villanova University School of Law in 198

Nanopartículas de quitosana/tripolifosfato como sistema de liberação para o herbicida Paraquat : preparo, caracterização, interação com substâncias húmicas e avaliação da atividade biológica

Orientador: Leonardo Fernandes FracetoTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de BiologiaResumo: Os defensivos agrícolas tornaram-se alguns dos mais importantes compostos utilizados no mundo e são os principais responsáveis pelo aumento da produção agrícola. O Paraquat, um herbicida não seletivo de contato utilizado em diversas culturas no mundo, apresenta alta toxicidade para os seres vivos e considerável persistência no solo, o que fez com que ele fosse banido em alguns países. Embora os defensivos agrícolas possuam uma importante função no aumento da produção de alimentos, através do controle de pragas, eles podem gerar sérios impactos ambientais, através da contaminação dos recursos hídricos e do solo. Com o crescimento da nanotecnologia, diversos mecanismos estão sendo estudados a fim de minimizar estes danos, tais como o desenvolvimento de sistemas de liberação modificada, utilizando polímeros biodegradáveis, o qual permite um aumento no desempenho/eficiência do produto. Estudos indicam que a matéria orgânica natural presente no solo, sedimento e água podem interagir com os defensivos agrícolas e nanopartículas e consequentemente modificar o destino destas substâncias no ambiente. A presente Tese tem como objetivo principal mostrar resultados do desenvolvimento e caracterização de nanopartículas poliméricas de quitosana/tripolifosfato para liberação modificada do herbicida Paraquat, bem como, estudar a estabilidade e a toxicidade deste sistema nanoparticulado com a presença ou ausência de matéria orgânica natural (na forma de substâncias húmicas). A atividade herbicida e a sorção do herbicida nanoparticulado no solo também foram avaliados. Nanopartículas de quitosana/tripolifosfato (com ou sem Paraquat) foram preparadas pelo método de gelificação iônica e apresentaram tamanho médio, índice de polidispersão e potencial zeta de ~ 300 nm, 0,250 e 45 mV, respectivamente. A eficiência de encapsulação do Paraquat foi de 62,6 ± 0,7 % e as nanopartículas apresentaram-se esféricas e com boa estabilidade coloidal. A cinética de liberação e o ensaio de sorção no solo mostraram que as nanopartículas retardaram a difusão e a liberação do herbicida e o modelo matemático que melhor descreveu a cinética de sorção foi o de pseudo-segunda ordem. Ensaios de citotoxicidade, genotoxicidade e ecotoxicidade indicaram que a associação do Paraquat às nanopartículas reduziram o efeito tóxico, uma vez que menos herbicida foi liberado para o ambiente em função do tempo, e ainda assim a atividade herbicida foi preservada ou aumentada. A presença de substâncias húmicas naturais não alterou os parâmetros físico-químicos estudados; entretanto, mostrou que pode reduzir a genotoxicidade e a ecotoxicidade do herbicida quando associado às nanopartículas, através de modificações na dinâmica do sistema. Este trabalho possui resultados inovadores e promissores que abrem novas discussões e perspectivas para o desenvolvimento de sistemas de liberação modificada para defensivos agrícolasAbstract: Agrochemicals have become one of the most important compounds used in the world and are the main responsible for the increase in agricultural production. Paraquat, a non-selective herbicide used in several crops in the world, has high toxicity to living beings and considerable persistence in the soil, which led to its banishment in some countries. Although agrochemicals have an important function in increasing food production by minimizing pests, they can cause serious environmental impacts through contamination of soil and water resources. With the nanotechnology growth, several mechanisms have been studied in order to minimize these damages, such as the development of modified release systems using biodegradable polymers, which allows an increase in performance/efficiency of the product. Studies indicate that the natural organic matter present in the soil, sediment and water can interact with agrochemicals and nanoparticles, and therefore, modify the destination of these substances in the environment. The purpose of the present Thesis is to show results of the development and characterization of chitosan/trypolyphosphate polymeric nanoparticles for modified release of the Paraquat herbicide, as well as to study the stability and toxicity of this nanoparticles with the presence or absence of natural organic matter (mainly in the form of humic substances). Herbicide activity and sorption of the nanoparticulate herbicide in the soil were also evaluated. Chitosan/Trypolyphosphate nanoparticles (with or without Paraquat) have been prepared by ionic gelation method and presented average size, polydispersity index and zeta potential of ~ 300 nm, 0.250 and 45 mV, respectively. The Paraquat encapsulation efficiency was 62.6 ± 0.7 % and the nanoparticles showed themselves spherical and good colloidal stability. The release kinetics and sorption test in the soil showed that the nanoparticles modified the diffusion and release of herbicide and the mathematical model that best described the sorption kinetics was pseudo-second order. Cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and ecotoxicity tests indicated that the association of Paraquat with the nanoparticles reduced the toxic effect, since less herbicide was released into the environment as function of time, but even so, the herbicidal activity was preserved or enhanced. The presence of humic substances in the medium altered the dynamic equilibrium of the herbicide in solution, and diminished the toxicity of the nanoparticle/paraquat system. This study has innovative and promising results that open new discussions and perspectives for the development of modified release systems for agrochemicalsDoutoradoBioquimicaDoutor em Biologia Funcional e Molecula

RHIZOSPHERE MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES AND CARBON PARTITIONING UNDER ZERO-TANNIN LENTIL GENOTYPES

The decomposition of soil organic carbon (C) is primarily mediated by soil microorganisms. By partitioning C through anabolic and catabolic processes, soil microorganisms control the flow of C through terrestrial ecosystems. As microorganisms metabolize organic compounds to satisfy heterotrophic demands for C and energy, C partitioning should be related to both the physiology of the active microbial population and the biochemical quality of substrate. Zero-tannin (ZT) lentils have been selectively bred, for alterations in the phenylpropanoid pathway, to remove tannins from their seed coats. Any modification in a plant biochemical pathway has the potential to alter the tissue chemistry across the entire plant. The objective of this research was to examine soil microbial responses to ZT lentil genotypes both during plant growth and after, and to investigate how differences in the biochemical quality of aboveground (AG) and belowground (BG) plant tissues of ZT versus conventional tannin (TAN) genotypes affected soil C partitioning. Lentil plants were exposed to 13CO2 during plant growth and harvested at flowering to coincide with peak rhizodeposition. Carbon isotope ratios in phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) of soil microorganisms revealed significant differences in microbial community structure and biomass between ZT and TAN genotypes. Further, microorganisms produced elevated levels of extracellular enzymes in the rhizosphere of ZT lentil genotypes. When AG and BG residues of each genotype harvested at maturity were incubated for a period of 107 days, microbial communities in microcosms incubated with BG residues produced proportionately more cell biomass per unit C degraded than microcosms incubated with AG residues. Further, unconstrained ordination by non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) of Bray–Curtis dissimilarity revealed significant differences in decomposer community structure between AG and BG tissues but not between ZT and TAN genotypes. Extracellular enzyme activities were generally highest in control soils followed by BG soils, though no difference in enzyme activities were observed between genotypes. The results of this research suggest that biochemically complex compounds have the potential to be stabilized within the soil matrix via microbial residues. Moreover, differences in polyphenol content between TAN and ZT genotypes did not significantly affect respiration rates or cumulative C loss and may be an indication that C:N ratios are more important than the chemical composition of C compounds in regulating decomposition processes; while in the rhizosphere, small scale changes have the potential to alter soil process and C dynamics

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF HOLLOW AND SOLID WHEAT STEMS

Harvesting wheat is carried out by cutting the stem and threshed. When the stem (straw) bends due to pest and weather, losses are incurred especially during harvesting. Solid stem wheat varieties have been bred to resist pest like wheat stem sawfly and lodging. Solid stem varieties may lead to higher straw strength and energy which consequently impacts harvesting and collection. Also, farmers are faced with the challenge of increased cost of transporting the straw outside the farm due to their high volume. Previous research investigations have been done on increasing the straw bulk density and have led to producing more dense straws (double-compressed bales, pellets, cube, and briquette) but the cost of processing them and their physical quality is still a challenge. There has been a report that it takes low capital producing bale than other dense products. This means that if the bulk density of bales can be further increased through compression, it will be more economical using the wheat straw in a dense bale form. The research project investigated the mechanical properties of stems of twelve varieties of wheat (solid and hollow stem) at different moisture levels and internode positions. Aside from the compression test that was carried out on single moisture (14% w.b), samples were conditioned to three moisture content levels (14, 18, and 22% w.b) before testing was carried out. Shearing, cutting, tensile, and compression tests were done using different tools mounted on the InstronTM universal tester while the texture analyzer and a three point tool were used for bending test. The shear box apparatus was employed in determining the coefficient of internal friction. The stem diameters were determined by individually imaging the stems to be tested. Compression and relaxation models were fitted to the compression test data to determine their applicability to wheat straw compression and relaxation experimental data, respectively. Different orientations of fibers were obtained across varieties for studies on stem imaging with varying stem areas. Data analysis revealed that moisture had significant effect on coefficient of internal friction while moisture and internode position had positive correlation on shearing, cutting, and tensile strength as well as shearing and cutting energy but a negative effect on bending strength and modulus of elasticity for all varieties (P< 0.05). The coefficient of internal friction ranged from 0.095-0.669. Average shearing, tensile, and cutting strength varied between 4.9-23.0 MPa, 14.3- 114.7 MPa, and 1.4- 10.2 MPa, respectively, while the average shearing and cutting energy ranged from 62.4-270.0 mJ and 27.0-133.3 mJ, respectively. Mean bending strength and modulus of elasticity varied between 43.9-4.2 MPa and 3.5-0.1 GPa, respectively. Different trends were found across varieties when the mechanical properties were compared with respect to the internode position. Solid stem varieties had much lower shearing, cutting, and tensile strength than hollow stem wheat varieties while there was no difference between both stem types in relation to coefficient of internal friction, shearing, and cutting energy as well as bending strength and modulus of elasticity. The compression and relaxation models fitted accurately to the compression and relaxation test data, respectively, for all wheat varieties. The k4 values obtained from fitting the Peleg and Moreyra model to the relaxation data were greater than one (k4 > 1). Average percentage relaxation and asymptotic modulus range from 38.6 to 42.4% and 10.57 to 11.49 MPa, respectively, with no difference between the average percentage relaxation and asymptotic modulus of solid and hollow stem varieties. Models developed relating moisture content to shearing strength and energy, cutting strength and energy, bending strength, modulus of elasticity, and coefficient of internal friction, respectively, had varying R2 values