Divine Interference in Royal Affairs: New Perspectives on Lucina, the Roman Goddess of Birth and Shadow of the Virgin Mary in Catholic Early Modern Spain

Life is God-given and to give birth begs for divine help. This article seeks to present new perspectives on selected appearances and apparitions of Lu­cina, the Roman goddess of birth, with respect to birth in the Golden Age of Spain. Ovid, antique’s best-known author, paints Lucina as an ambiguous sorceress, vol­atilely answering prayers. Still, allegoric representations of Lucina relating to the Spanish rulers and high society are found in Spanish literature, art, architecture and medical tractates. The pagan gods are revived in Renaissance art and do not fit into Christian moral codes nor qualify as praiseworthy saints, but nevertheless main­tain a prevailing source of allegories and figurative images. Lucina’s appearances in Francisco Núñez’s obstetrical tractate Libro intitulado del parto humano, Pedro Ruiz de Camargo’s painting in the Arch of Santa María of Burgos and in Micheli Parrasio’s canvas Alegoría del nacimiento del infante don Fernando are described and interpreted. The goddess of birth appears with aspects of Juno, Venus and the Virgin Mary and is blamed when misfortune strikes

Vacuum instability in the Abelian Higgs model with strings

Using the effective potential approach for composite operators, we have analytically evaluated the truly nonperturbative vacuum energy density in the Abelian Higgs model of dual QCD ground state. This quantity is defined as integrating out of the truly nonperturbative part of the full gluon propagator over the deep infrared region (soft momentum region). Defined in this way it is manifestly gauge invariant.We have explicitly shown that the corresponding effective potential always has an imaginary part. This means that the vacuum of this model with string contributions is unstable against quantum corrections.Comment: 7 pages, no tables, no figures. Some clarifications are introduced as well as two more references have been added. To appear in Phys. Lett.

Coleonyx fasciatus

Number of Pages: 2Integrative BiologyGeological Science

Aristelliger barbouri

Number of Pages: 1Integrative BiologyGeological Science

Mudanças na respiração e no coeficiente Q10 de goiaba relacionadas à temperatura

Guava (Psidium guajava L.) is a tropical fruit that presents fast post-harvest ripening; therefore it is a very perishable product. Inappropriate storage temperature and retail practices can accelerate fruit quality loss. The objective of this study was to evaluate the respiratory activity (RA), the ethylene production (EP) and Q10 of guava fruit at different storage temperatures. 'Paluma' guava fruits were harvested at maturity stage 1 (dark-green skin) and stored at either 1, 11, 21, 31 or 41ºC; RA and EP were determined after 12, 36, 84 and 156 h of storage. RA and EP rates at 1 and 11ºC were the lowest - 0.16 and 0.43 mmol CO2 kg-1 h-1 and 0.003 and 0.019 µmol C2H4 kg-1 h-1, respectively. When guavas were stored at 21ºC, a gradual increase occurred in RA and EP, reaching 2.24 mmol CO2 kg-1 h-1 and 0.20 µmol C2H4 kg-1 h-1, after 156 h of storage. The highest RA and EP were recorded for guavas stored at 31ºC. In spite of high RA, guavas stored at 41ºC presented EP similar to guavas stored at 11ºC, an indicator of heat-stress injury. Considering the 1-11ºC range, the mean Q10 value was around 3.0; the Q10 value almost duplicated at 11-21ºC range (5.9). At 21-31ºC and 31-41ºC, Q10 was 1.5 and 0.8, respectively. Knowing Q10, respiratory variation and ripening behavior in response to different temperatures, fruit storage and retail conditions can be optimized to reduce quality losses.A goiaba (Psidium guajava L.) é um fruto tropical que apresenta rápido amadurecimento, o que a torna um produto muito perecível. Temperaturas inapropriadas durante o armazenamento e comercialização podem acelerar a perda da qualidade dos frutos. O objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar a atividade respiratória (AR), a produção de etileno (PE) e o coeficiente Q10 de goiabas em diferentes temperaturas de armazenamento. Goiabas do cultivar Paluma foram colhidas no estádio 1 de maturação (casca verde escura) e armazenadas a 1, 11, 21, 31 e 41ºC. A AR e a PE foram determinadas com 12, 36, 84 e 156 h de armazenamento. As taxas de AR e PE a 1 e 11ºC foram as menores, atingindo valores ao redor de 0,16 e 0,43 mmol CO2 kg-1 h-1 e 0,003 e 0,019 µmol C2H4 kg-1 h-1, respectivamente. Quando as goiabas foram armazenadas a 21ºC, observou-se aumento gradual em AR e PE, as quais alcançaram valores de 2,24 mmol CO2 kg-1 h-1 e 0,20 µmol C2H4 kg-1 h-1 após 156 h de armazenamento. As maiores AR e PE foram observadas em goiabas armazenadas a 31ºC. Apesar de alta AR, goiabas armazenadas a 41ºC tiveram baixa PE, similarmente àquelas armazenadas a 11ºC, indicando dano por alta temperatura. Na faixa de 1-11ºC, o valor médio de Q10 foi de 3,0, enquanto esse valor quase duplicou na faixa de 11-21ºC, atingindo 5,9. O Q10 decresceu nas faixas de 21-31ºC e 31-41ºC, apresentando valores de 1,5 e 0,8, respectivamente. Conhecendo-se a variação do Q10, da taxa respiratória e do comportamento do amadurecimento em resposta a diferentes temperaturas, as condições de armazenamento e comercialização dos frutos podem ser otimizadas para reduzir as perdas na qualidade

Kluge: Brutalität in Stein

From the short film, the minimum cinematographic expression, Kluge creates the necessary abstraction to recreate the historic reality of the city of Berlin by giving life to its principal buildings. In this article we will try to demonstrate how the city turns into origin, spectator and accomplice of reality, through Kluge’s search in the sensibility of the stone that conforms each building as an answer to gross reality. Brutalität in Stein humanizes the stone while it dehumanises man and his constructions, although none of them can avoid their own guiltiness in the real city.A partir del cortometraje, mínima expresión cinematográfica, Kluge crea la abstracción necesaria para mostrar la realidad histórica de la ciudad de Berlín dando vida a los principales edificios de la ciudad. Intentaremos demostrar cómo la ciudad se convierte en origen, espectador y cómplice de la realidad, a través de la búsqueda que hace Kluge en la sensibilidad de la piedra que conforma cada edificio como respuesta a una realidad bruta. Se humaniza a la piedra, mientras se deshumaniza al hombre y sus construcciones, aunque ninguno puede evitar su culpabilidad en la ciudad real

Analisis Gaya-gaya Hambatan Dinamis Pada Kendaraan

Pada penelitian ini akan dibuktikan dengan cara menganalisis gaya-gaya hambatan pada kendaraan pada berbagai tingkat kecepatan, kondisi jalan (material jalan, dan belokan) dan beban dari kendaraan. Berat kendaraan divariasikan pada tiga tingkat yaitu berat kosong, menengah dan penuh, sedangkan kecepatan divariasikan pada 5 kecepatan, 35 km/h, 50 km/h, 65 km/h, 80 km/h, dan 95 km/h, diperoleh gaya hambatan pada kendaraan yang paling tinggi terjadi pada hambatan belokan yaitu pada kecepatan 95 km/h dan berat kendaraan 1375 kg yaitu sebesar 66678,6988 kgf