The revolution will be tweeted : how the internet can stimulate the public exercise of freedoms

This article discusses how new technologies of communication, especially the Internet and, more specifically, social network services, can interfere in social interactions and in political relations. The main objective is to problematize the concept of public liberty and verify how the new technologies can promote the reoccupation of public spaces and the recovery of public life, in opposition to the tendency to valorize the private sphere, observed in the second half of the twentieth century. The theoretical benchmark adopted for the investigation is Hannah Arendt's theory about the exercise of fundamental political capacities in order to establish a public space of freedom, as presented in “On Revolution”. The “Praia da Estação” (“Station Beach”) case is chosen to test the hypothesis. In 2010 in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte, different individuals articulated a movement through blogs, Twitter and facebook, in order to protest against the Mayor’s act that banned the assembling of cultural events in one of the main public places of the city, the “Praça da Estação” (Station Square). By applying Arendt's concepts to the selected case, it is possible to demonstrate that the Internet can assume an important role against governmental arbitrariness and abuse of power, as it can stimulate the public exercise of fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of assembly and manifestation

Arms tracing: perspectives on control, traffic and use of illegal weapons in Colombia

The publication reports on an extensive research endeavour to screen small arms stockpiles that were seized from illicit non-state actors in Colombia in the course of the past 5 years. It determines the proportion of these arms that are of European Union origin and reconstructs these arms flows 'upstream', so as to assess whether and to what extent these arms have been subject to unauthorized re-exports by states that obtained the arms legally from European Union member states

Linguistic Interpretation of Mathematical Morphology

Mathematical Morphology is a theory based on geometry, algebra, topology and set theory, with strong application to digital image processing. This theory is characterized by two basic operators: dilation and erosion. In this work we redefine these operators based on compensatory fuzzy logic using a linguistic definition, compatible with previous definitions of Fuzzy Mathematical Morphology. A comparison to previous definitions is presented, assessing robustness against noise.Fil: Bouchet, Agustina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata; ArgentinaFil: Meschino, Gustavo. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata; ArgentinaFil: Brun, Marcel. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata; ArgentinaFil: Espin Andrade, Rafael. Instituto Superior Politécnico José Antonio Echeverría Cujae; CubaFil: Ballarin, Virginia. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata; Argentin

Lean Strategy Implementation Challenges

A Lean strategy is widely recognised for improving competitiveness in many manufacturing organisations. However, the majority of the organisations that attempt to implement Lean only on the shop floor do not completely succeed on it, as organisations face many critical factors like culture, training, and management support when implementing a new strategy. Hence, there is a need to address this topic of research. This research aims to investigate where potential breakdowns occur in the hierarchical levels within an organisation when trying to implement a Lean Strategy. The approach is based on findings from other authors and the variables of the study are linked with human behaviour. Moreover, the research contains data obtained from a questionnaire to analyse the perspective of two cases studies based in the Northeast of England and Mexico. This research consists of scheduled interviews applied to different hierarchical levels of the two organisations. The findings of the study will be used to improve the implementation of a Lean strategy in an organisation

Scaling laws in the dynamics of crime growth rate

The increasing number of crimes in areas with large concentrations of people have made cities one of the main sources of violence. Understanding characteristics of how crime rate expands and its relations with the cities size goes beyond an academic question, being a central issue for contemporary society. Here, we characterize and analyze quantitative aspects of murders in the period from 1980 to 2009 in Brazilian cities. We find that the distribution of the annual, biannual and triannual logarithmic homicide growth rates exhibit the same functional form for distinct scales, that is, a scale invariant behavior. We also identify asymptotic power-law decay relations between the standard deviations of these three growth rates and the initial size. Further, we discuss similarities with complex organizations.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physica

Como a flutuação dos níveis da água afetam as populações do bivalve invasor Corbicula fluminea (Müller, 1774) em um reservatório neotropical?

Corbicula fluminea is an invasive bivalve responsible for several environmental and financial problems around the globe. Despite the invasive potential of this species, it suffers certain restrictions in lentic environments due to natural phenomena that significantly affect its population structure (e.g. water column fluctuation and sunlight exposure). The present study addresses how temporal decline of the water level in a Neotropical reservoir and exposure to sunlight affect the population structure of C. fluminea. Samplings were carried out twice in the reservoir of Furnas Hydroelectric Power Station (HPS) (Minas Gerais, Brazil), in 2011 and 2012. Population density, spatial distribution and mean shell length of C. fluminea were estimated for each year after sampling in 51 quadrats (0.0625m2) placed on three transects at different distances along the reservoir margins (0, 10 and 20 m from a fixed-point). We observed a predominance of C. fluminea in both years, with a simultaneous gradual decrease in density and richness of native species in the sampling area. Significant differences in density of C. fluminea were registered at different distances from the margin, and are related to the temporal variability of physical conditions of the sediment and water in these environments. We also registered a trend toward an increase in the density and aggregation of C. fluminea as we moved away from the margin, due to the greater stability of these areas (>10 m). The mean shell length of C. fluminea showed significant difference between the distinct distances from the margin and during the years, as well as the interaction of these factors (Distances vs.Years). These results were associated with the reproductive and invasive capacity of this species. This study reveals that these temporal events (especially water column fluctuation) may cause alterations in density, spatial distribution and mean shell length of C. fluminea and the composition of the native malacofauna in Neotropical lentic environments.Corbicula fluminea é um bivalve invasor, responsável por inúmeros problemas ambientais e econômicos ao redor do mundo. Apesar de sua capacidade de invasão, a espécie sofre certas restrições devido a fenômenos naturais em ambientes lênticos, afetando significativamente sua estrutura populacional (e.g. flutuação do nível da água e a exposição á luz solar). O presente trabalho avaliou como o decréscimo temporal do nível da água de um reservatório neotropical e a exposição solar, afeta a estrutura populacional de C. fluminea. Duas amostragens foram realizadas no reservatório da Usina Hidrelétrica (UHE) de Furnas (Minas Gerais, Brasil), em 2011 e 2012. A densidade populacional, o comprimento médio e a distribuição espacial da espécie para cada ano foram estimados após amostragem em 51 quadrats (0,0625m2 ) dispostos em três transectos em diferentes distâncias das margens do reservatório (0, 10 e 20 m em relação a um ponto fixo). Observou-se o predomínio de C. fluminea em ambos os anos, coincidindo com o decréscimo da densidade e riqueza de espécies nativas nas áreas de amostragem. Foram registradas diferenças significativas na densidade de C. fluminea entre as distâncias da margem, sendo atribuídas principalmente á variabilidade temporal do substrato e da água desses ambientes. Registrou-se também uma tendência em aumento da densidade e agregação com o aumento da distância da margem, devido á maior estabilidade dessas áreas (>10 m). Houveram diferenças significativas no tamanho médio das conchas de C. fluminea entre ás distâncias da margem e durante os anos, assim como na interação desses fatores (Distâncias vs. Anos). Tais resultados foram associados á capacidade reprodutiva e invasiva da espécie. Esse estudo revelou que eventos temporais (principalmente, a flutuação do nível da água) em ambientes lênticos neotropicais provocam alterações na densidade, tamanho médio e distribuição de C. fluminea e na composição da malacofauna nativa.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Comparação de tamanhos de quadrats na amostragem do bivalve não-nativo Corbicula fluminea (Müller, 1774) (Bivalvia: Corbiculidae)

We aimed to designate which is the best quadrat area to be used in sampling of C. fluminea for determination of their population parameters. The quadrat of 0.0625 m2 showed the best cost efficiency and a lowest sampling effort, being recommended for study of C. fluminea in lentic environments.Nós indicamos qual é a melhor área de quadrat a ser utilizada na amostragem de C. fluminea para determinação de seus parâmetros populacionais. O quadrat de 0,0625 m2 apresentou o melhor custo-benefício e um menor esforço amostral, sendo recomendado para estudo de C. fluminea em ambientes lênticos.Fil: Paschoal, L. Universidade Federal do Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Andrade, D. Universidade Federal do Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Darrigran, Gustavo Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División de Zoología Invertebrados; Argentin