Gazing at the family: archives, performance and Portuguese photography (1940-1975)

This practice-based PhD thesis investigates photographic family archives and makes critical interpretations of them using performance photography. The two family’s albums contain hundreds of photographs that belonged to my grandparents and represent a period in Portugal’s past (1940-1975) scarred by one of the longest dictatorships in history. The research carries out an ‘iconographic’ analysis of the photographs in the family albums and focuses specifically on images of (my) two grandmothers. As representatives of two women’s lives during this historical period, both women lived under the same dictatorial regime, but one on mainland Portugal and the other in the Portuguese overseas and colonial territories (India, 1951-61 and Mozambique 1962-75). With the end of the regime, these images have been passed down in the form of the identity of women in Portugal to this day, including my own. The key questions of the research thus deal with self-representation, performance and the use of family photographic archives as a method of investigating the processes of identity formation. The thesis draws on cultural theory, including the sociology of family photography, archive fever, cultural memory, postmemory, and representations of femininity and feminism, alongside practices of performance. Relevant authors include Marianne Hirsch, Annette Kuhn, Jacques Derrida, Okwui Enwezor, Anne Whitehead, Hal Foster, Stuart Hall, Joan Riviere and Amelia Jones. The research questions examine four key questions: (i) how can family archives be read as ‘documents’ in relation to social and historical regimes; (ii) how can family photographs be read along official imagery of the regime; (iii) how have other artists developed strategies for questions of inherited family images; and (iv) how can performance photography be used as a practice method for the critical interpretation of archives? These questions and approaches are contextualised by a study of photographic archives, self-portraiture and performance practices including strategies developed by Portuguese artists. A separate iconographic index of the family albums photographs was created to help identify certain specific repeated embodied elements, such as pose and gesture, which were subsequently re-performed for the camera. The different family albums reveal specific social and cultural differences: the specificity of their diverse settings results in distinct family images. The information contained within the archive images is re-written within the performance images. The practice aspect of the thesis has developed a precise performative method for interpreting and enacting the archives. The thesis contributes contribution to knowledge not only by relating specifically to the questions of family, photography and Portuguese history, but has also by developing a method that other photographers and artist can apply to their own performance and family archive work

Competitive Environments and Protective Behaviour

The class of two-person competition games is introduced and analyzed.For any game in this class the set of Nash equilibria is convex, equilibrium strategies are exchangeable, and all Nash equilibria lead to the same payoff vector. Competition games are compared to other competitive environments such as unilaterally competitive games and rivalry games.Moreover, protective behaviour within competitive environments is analyzed.For matrix games it is known that protective strategies pro¯les exactly correspond to proper equilibria.It is shown that this result can be extended to the class of unilaterally competitive games.competitive environments;unilaterally competitive games;rivalry games;competition games;protective strategies

Simvastatine resistence test in prostate cells

[Resumen] El cáncer de próstata es considerado uno de los problemas médicos más importantes a nivel mundial, con una incidencia y prevalencia crecientes en la población masculina mayor de 65 años. Su patogénesis refleja tanto componentes hereditarios como ambientales no modificables, por lo que las terapias quimiopreventivas se consideran una de las mejores opciones para paliar sus efectos. Las estatinas son fármacos comúnmente utilizados para el tratamiento de la hipercolesterolemia que han sido descritos como potenciales agentes neutralizantes del cáncer de próstata. Sin embargo, resultados conflictivos entre estudios experimentales y epidemiológicos sugieren la necesidad de nuevas investigaciones que confirmen sus verdaderos efectos. En el presente estudio, se llevó a cabo un tratamiento con simvastatina sobre células sanas de próstata, con el fin de determinar si la adición del fármaco afectaba a su crecimiento. Los resultados obtenidos sugieren que no existen diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre células no tratadas y las tratadas con simvastatina.[Abstract] Prostate cancer is considered one of the most important medical problems worldwide, with an increasing incidence and prevalence in the male population over the age of 65. Its pathogenesis reflects both non-modifiable hereditary and environmental components, so chemopreventive therapies are considered one of the best options to palliate its effects. Statins are drugs commonly used for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and they have been described as potential neutralizing agents of prostate cancer. However, conflicting results between experimental and epidemiological studies suggest the need for new research to confirm their effects. In the present study, a treatment with simvastatin was carried out on healthy prostate cells, in order to determine if the drug affected its growth. The results suggest that there are no statistically significant differences between untreated cells and those treated with simvastatin.[Resumo] O cancro de próstata é considerado un dos problemas médicos máis importantes a nivel mundial, cunha incidencia e prevalencia crecentes na poboación masculina maior de 65 anos. A súa patoxénese reflicte tanto compoñentes hereditarios como ambientais non modificables, polo que as terapias quimiopreventivas consideranse unha das mellores opcións para paliar os seus efectos. As estatinas son fármacos utilizados habitualmente para o tratamento da hipercolesterolemia que foron descritos como potenciais axentes neutralizantes do cancro de próstata. Non obstante, resultados conflitivos entre estudos experimentais e epidemiolóxicos suxiren a necesidade de novas investigacións que confirmen os seus verdadeiros efectos. No presente estudo, levouse a cabo un tratamento con simvastatina sobre células sanas de próstata, co fin de determinar se a adición do fármaco afectaba ao seu crecemento. Os resultados obtidos suxiren que no existen diferenzas estatísticamente significativas entre as células non tratadas e as tratadas con simvastatina.Traballo fin de grao (UDC.CIE). Bioloxía. Curso 2017/201