Local Politics: Influencing the Unmovable The Case of Downsview Park

The objective of my research was to understand how the City of Toronto's local politicians influenced – and continue to influence – the Downsview Park development. Downsview Park is "Canada's National Urban Park" and has consistently made media headlines for all of the wrong reasons. After years of inaction, development is currently underway to construct a 1356 unit community of mixed housing, while the rest of the park remains largely vacant with some uses. I focused on understanding the local political influences that have shaped Downsview Park to what we see today. In order to establish my research objective, I began with a literature review of various secondary research sources. Media articles, video clips, academic journals and government documents were compiled and evaluated. During this process, I attended various public meetings and compiled notes of what was said, and who attended. In addition, my primary research consisted of semi-structured interviews as a means to collect personalized information from key stakeholders. This was done to fill in gaps that I could not fill from my secondary research. The goal of the interviews was to gain an impression of how each stakeholder interacted with one another. The results of my research revealed that, in theory, the local politicians have limited influence on how Downsview Park is shaped. The federal government (under the umbrella of Crown Corporations Parc Downsview Park and the Canada Lands Company) has the ability to implement and build any development project without going through municipal processes and policies. Local politicians have the ability to delay the process only if the Crown Corporations fail to comply with municipal policies. The interactions of the Federal Government with the local stakeholders has created a noteworthy relationship; residents, and the Downsview Lands Community Voice Association feel insignificant and polarized because they believe the Federal Government only sees dollars signs. This suggests that there is a significant disconnect between what local constituents desire and what the Federal Crown Corporations view as being responsible development. This research also provides insight into how neoliberal tendencies in them way Downsview Park operates infiltrate stakeholder interactions and development

the Jesuits and the formation of a Christian community in Brazil and Japan (16th-century)

UID/HIS/04666/2019 Copyright Year 2020The Society of Jesus was officially established in Rome in 1540. From the repercussion the group achieved, right in the next year some missionaries were sent to Lisbon by order of King John III. Being promptly incorporated into the Portuguese empire, in less than one decade the Jesuits founded a mission in the geographical edges of the Portuguese Patronage authority: Brazil and Japan. Even though their main goal was the evangelization among the non-European populations and their subsequent conversion, the conditions they encountered in these territories were completely different, making the possibility to create a genuine local Christendom more or less reachable. Considering the cases of the Jesuit mission in Brazil and in Japan during the XVI century, this article intends to work on some reflections the missionaries registered about the possibility to establish and consolidate a local Christendom. The reality showed different demands and struggles, making the creation of a Christian native community too far to be accomplished. For this purpose, it will be analysed letters and reports writing in both missions by its most important leaders - as José de Anchieta and Luis Fróis - during the first decades of their activity, corresponding to the second half of the XVI century.authorsversionpublishe

a comparative reappraisal of European encounters

UIDB/04666/2020 UIDP/04666/2020The early modern Portuguese empire presents a variety of case studies to explore the process of border making experienced in direct response to European activity and imperialism. Considering its scale and dispersion, the Portuguese empire shows both fluidity and rigidity of borders and the strategies of control and security taken in response to or within their establishments. The Portuguese factory of São Jorge da Mina, that was built in 1482, and Macao, one of the most important European harbours in Asia in the 1550s, offer valuable insights into early Portuguese/non-European relations. Both cases constitute a concession of a limited and well-defined land where the Portuguese could stay, with full control, resulting from agreement with the terms stipulated by the local authorities. Considering the asymmetries of historiography when treating the two cases, rather than a direct comparison, this article aims to bring some reflections on these experiences as paradigms of the limit of action of the early modern Portuguese empire.publishersversionpublishe

Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2018

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the Jesuits under the Portuguese Patronag's Authority from the Cases of Juan de Azpilicueta Navarro and Francis Xavier (16th century)

UID/HIS/04666/2013The Society of Jesus was founded in 1540 and right in 1549 the Order established a mission in the geographical limits of the Portuguese Patronage´s activity, Brazil and Japan. The information about other regions came to be gradually spread across Europe, flow in which the experience from Far East Asia, especially in Japan, was taken as an example to be followed by other missions within the Jesuit campaign. What this article aims is to reflect on some aspects of this dynamic from considering the cases of Juan de Azpilicueta in Brazil and Francis Xavier in Asia, missionaries who were relatives and pioneers of the Jesuit activity in the respective regions. To do so, it analyses some letters of their authorship as others in which both were mentioned. From their consanguineous relationship and the work that they promoted, it was described that Father Navarro worked in Brazil as if he was another Francis Xavier in the Orient. As the experience of Xavier came to be exalted by the whole Society of Jesus, and some of his characteristics were recognized in Navarro, this article starts from the idea that a way of proceeding was being endorsed by the Order, or at least by those who were working in the non-European territories. A Companhia de Jesus foi fundada no ano de 1540 e logo em 1549 a Ordem estabelecia uma missão nos limites geográficos da actividade do Padroado Português, no Brasil e no Japão. As informações sobre outras regiões começaram gradualmente a espalhar-se por toda a Europa, num fluxo em que a experiência no Extremo Oriente, especialmente no Japão, foi tomada como exemplo a ser seguido por outras missões da campanha jesuíta. O objetivo deste artigo é refletir sobre alguns aspectos dessa dinâmica, considerando os casos de Juan de Azpilicueta no Brasil e de Francisco Xavier na Ásia, missionários que eram parentes e pioneiros da atividade jesuíta nas respectivas regiões. Para isso, analisa-se algumas cartas de sua autoria como outras nas quais ambos surgem mencionados. Por causa do seu relacionamento consanguíneo e do trabalho que promoveram, o padre Navarro que trabalhava no Brasil foi descrito como se tratasse de um outro Francisco Xavier do Oriente. Como a experiência de Xavier foi exaltada por toda a Companhia de Jesus, e algumas das suas características foram reconhecidas em Navarro, este artigo parte da ideia de que um modo de proceder estava a ser suportada pela Ordem, ou, pelo menos, por aqueles que trabalhavam em territórios não europeus.publishersversionpublishe

Grãos de mostarda como fonte de compostos com propriedades antioxidantes : um estudo baseado nos processos de germinação, extração e identificação

Orientador: Ruann Janser Soares de CastroDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia de AlimentosResumo: Germinação é um processo econômico e natural que oferece novas oportunidades para a melhoria da qualidade nutricional e do potencial biológico de grãos. As transformações bioquímicas que acontecem durante esse processo em mostarda ainda não foram elucidadas pela literatura, mas sabe-se que as condições de germinação influenciam diretamente a composição final dos germinados. Os grãos de mostarda apresentam grande potencial bioativo, e, além de baratos, são mundialmente conhecidos e consumidos. Desta forma, o presente projeto teve como objetivos avaliar a influência dos parâmetros (luz, temperatura e tempo) na germinação de sementes de mostarda; determinar o solvente mais adequado (água, acetona e metanol) para obtenção de extratos com maior teor de compostos fenólicos e atividade antioxidante e avaliar as propriedades antioxidantes dos extratos obtidos utilizando os métodos FRAP, ORAC, ABTS e DPPH, além da determinação do teor de compostos fenólicos totais (TPC), flavonoides totais e taninos condensados, das frações solúveis e insolúveis de grãos de mostarda germinados e não germinados. Adicionalmente, foi realizada a identificação dos compostos fenólicos por cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência nos extratos de grãos de mostarda não germinados. As análises foram realizadas utilizando-se grãos de mostarda branca (Sinapsis alba) e preta (Brassica nigra). As condições de germinação que permitiram a produção de extratos com maior conteúdo de compostos fenólicos e melhores propriedades antioxidantes para mostarda branca foram: 72 h de germinação, temperatura de incubação de 25°C no escuro. Para as amostras de mostarda preta, a condição definida como mais adequada foi: 48 h de germinação a 25°C, com períodos alternados de luz e escuro. A combinação de solventes selecionada para a extração de compostos fenólicos com propriedades antioxidantes para ambas as variedades foi acetona e água (50% v:v), condição em que os resultados foram no mínimo 20 vezes maiores quando comparados com acetona pura. Em relação ao estudo comparativo entre os extratos de mostarda não germinada com a germinada nas condições escolhidas, observou-se melhoria nas propriedades antioxidantes dos grãos. As propriedades antioxidantes avaliadas pelos métodos FRAP, DPPH, ABTS e ORAC apresentaram aumento de 68%, 43%, 66% e 45%, respectivamente, para a fração solúvel de mostarda branca, e 29%, 3%, 160% e 42%, respectivamente, para a fração solúvel de mostarda preta após a germinação. As transformações entre a fração solúvel e insolúvel foram perceptíveis durante o processo. Enquanto a atividade antioxidante da fração solúvel e insolúvel da mostarda branca aumentou durante o processo, para a mostarda preta, o comportamento foi inverso: a 9 atividade antioxidante para fração solúvel aumentou e para a insolúvel diminuiu. Este contexto exemplifica a complexidade e as peculiaridades do processo germinativo, visto que as transformações que nele ocorrerem podem alterar significativamente o poder antioxidante dos extratos obtidos. A priori, apenas o ácido sinápico foi identificado em ambas as variedades de mostarda não germinadas. A complexidade do processo germinativo em mostarda ainda não foi totalmente elucidada, mas o presente trabalho mostrou algumas justificativas para as mudanças positivas encontradas. Além disso, diante dos resultados obtidos podemos concluir que o processo de germinação se apresenta como uma alternativa de consumo para os grãos de mostarda, que são, até então, largamente consumidos na forma de molhosAbstract: Germination is an economic and natural process that offers new opportunities to improve nutritional quality and biological potential of grains. The biochemical transformations that happen during this process in mustard grains were not elucidated by literature yet, but it is known that germination conditions influence directly the final composition of sprouts. Mustard grains present a bioactive potential, and besides being cheap, are consumed and known worldwide. Thus, the aim of this project was to evaluate the influence of parameters such as light, temperature and time, on germination of mustard seeds; determinate the most adequate solvent (water, acetone and methanol) to obtain extracts with the maximum of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity; and evaluate the antioxidant activity of the extracts by FRAP, ORAC, ABTS and DPPH, besides the determination of total phenolic compounds (TPC), flavonoids and total condensed tannins of soluble and insoluble fractions of non-germinated and germinated mustard grains. Additionally, it was made the identification of phenolic compounds by high performance liquid chromatography of non-germinated mustard grains. All analysis were made with white (Sinapsis alba) and black (Brassica nigra) mustard grains. Germination conditions that allowed the production of extracts with higher content of phenolic compounds for white mustard were: 72h of germination at 25°C at dark and for black mustard 48h at 25°C with altered periods of light and dark. The combination of solvents selected for extraction of phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity as acetone and water (50% v/v), condition with results at least 20-folds higher when compared with pure acetone. Regarding the comparison between non-germinated and germinated mustard in the chosen conditions, it was observed an improvement of antioxidant properties of the grain. The antioxidant properties evaluated by FRAP, DPPH, ABTS and ORAC methods showed an increase of 68%, 43%, 66% and 45%, respectively, for soluble fraction of white mustard and 29%, 3%, 160% and 42%, respectively, for soluble fraction of black mustard. The transformation of bound and soluble fraction was noted during the process. While antioxidant activity of soluble and bound fraction of white mustard increased during the process, for black mustard this behavior was inverse: the antioxidant activity in soluble fraction increased and insoluble fraction decreased. This context exemplifies the complexity and peculiarity of germinative process, since transformations can change significantly antioxidant power of the extracts. Initially, only sinapic acid was found in both mustard species without germination. The complexity of germinative process in mustard was not elucidate yet, but the present word shows some justifications of the positive changes observed. Besides that, we can conclude that germination process is an alternative of consumption of mustard grains, that are until now, largely consumed as saucesMestradoCiência de AlimentosMestra em Ciência de Alimentos134000/2017-0CNP

Risk management in solitary agricultural work: new technologies for handling emergency and falls from great heights (SHADE)

Solitary work and agricultural activities are the scenarios of a large number of severe injuries and deaths, also because first aid may be difficult to achieve in isolated locations. This work proposes a technology available on smartphones that allows triggering an emergency call when a fall from height or an unconsciousness state is detected. The results of several tests, which include different detection algorithms and scenarios, are reported in this work. Tests performed with the aid of a dummy have allowed developing a reliable algorithm for the detection of dangerous situations. This system is available as an Android application

Nonlinear control of multibody flexible mechanisms: A model-free approach

In this paper a novel nonlinear controller for position and vibration control of flexible-link mechanisms is introduced. The proposed control strategy is model-free and does not require the measurement of the elastic deformation of the mechanism, since the control relies only on the knowledge of the angular position of the actuator and on its time derivative, which can be measured simply with a quadrature encoder. The conditions for the closed-loop stability are evaluated using Lyapunov theory. The performance of the proposed technique is evaluated on a four-bar flexible-link mechanism. Superior vibration damping and more accurate trajectory tracking is obtained in comparison with a PD controller and a fractional order controller, which relies on the same set of measurement as the proposed nonlinear controller

múltiplas perspectivas sobre o contato entre europeus e japoneses durante os séculos XVI e XVII

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