Literatura, Crítica Imanente e o Problema do Ponto de vista

Qual poderia ser um método para a teoria crítica que promova um avanço para além daquilo que se apresenta como “crítica ideológica”? A resposta sugerida aqui reside no próprio uso que o marxismo faz da crítica imanente. No entanto, com as notáveis exceções de Adorno e Lukács, a crítica imanente tem se preocupado pouco com o problema do ponto de vista em relação aos objetos culturais, e, em particular literários. O ensaio procura, então, especificar um ponto de vista crítico imanente à literatura, que permita a articulação de uma crítica dialética que evite aquilo que ele identifica como a “falácia da aplicação”. Demonstrando como qualquer teoria literária – seja ela marxista ou não – é necessariamente imanente ao texto, o artigo volta-se para a questão do método como um meio de se compreender a relação entre o texto literário como um “sujeito/objeto” e a totalidade social

Data set for influence of blends of diesel and renewable fuels on compression ignition engine emissions

The present data article is based on the research work which investigates the influence of blends of diesel and renewable fuels on compression ignition engine emissions. In this experimental work, a 2.4 L, turbocharged, direct injection compression ignition engine and water brake dynamometer were used. Different ternary blends were created by mixing diesel, biodiesel and ethanol together in accordance with a mixture design of experiments. The homogeneity of each ternary blend was qualitatively checked by observing the samples for 24 hours for visible separation. The engine was run over the WLTP drive cycle for each individual ternary blend and the exhaust emissions were recorded. NOVA 7466K and TESTO 350 gas analysers were used to record the exhaust emissions. A factory standard MAF sensor was used to record the inlet air mass flow and an aftermarket ECU was used to determine the fuel flow. The ternary blends were blended using standard laboratory measuring equipment

Effect of Exercise Training on Interleukin-6, Tumour Necrosis Factor Alpha and Functional Capacity in Heart Failure

Background. We pooled data from four studies, to establish whether exercise training programs were able to modulate systemic cytokine levels of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). A second aim was to establish if differences in ExT regimens are related to degree of change in cytokines and peak VO2. Methods. Data from four centres relating to training protocol, exercise capacity, and cytokine measures (TNF-alpha and IL-6) were pooled for analysis. Results. Data for 106 CHF patients were collated (98 men, age 62 ± 10 yrs, wt 79 ± 14 Kg). Patients were moderately impaired (peak VO2 16.9 ± 4.4 mls/kg/min), with moderate LV systolic dysfunction (EF 30 ± 6.9%), 78% (83) had ischaemic cardiomyopathy. After ExT, peak VO2 increased 1.4 ± 3.4 ml/kg/min (P < .001), serum TNF-alpha decreased 1.9 ± 8.6 pg/ml (P = .02) and IL-6 was not significantly changed (0.5 ± 5.4 pg/ml, P = .32) for the whole group. Baseline and post-training peak VO2 changes were not correlated with change in cytokine levels. Conclusions. Exercise training reduces levels TNF-alpha but not IL-6 in CHF. However, across a heterogenic patient group, change in peak VO2 was not correlated with alterations in cytokine levels. While greater exercise volume (hours) was superior in improving peak VO2, no particular characteristic of ExT regimes appeared superior in effecting change in serum cytokines

Subjective measures of workload and sleep in Australian Army recruits:Potential utility as monitoring tools

Introduction: Subjective measures may offer practitioners a relatively simple method to monitor recruit responses to basic military training (BMT). Yet, a lack of agreement between subjective and objective measures may presents a problem to practitioners wishing to implement subjective monitoring strategies. This study therefore aims to examine associations between subjective and objective measures of workload and sleep in Australian Army recruits. Materials and Methods: Thirty recruits provided daily rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and differential RPE (d-RPE) for breathlessness and leg muscle exertion each evening. Daily internal workloads determined via heart rate monitors were expressed as Edwards training impulse (TRIMP) and average heart rate. External workloads were determined via global positioning system (PlayerLoad™) and activity monitors (step count). Subjective sleep quality and duration was monitored in 29 different recruits via a customized questionnaire. Activity monitors assessed objective sleep measures. Linear mixed-models assessed associations between objective and subjective measures. Akaike Information Criterion assessed if the inclusion of d-RPE measures resulted in a more parsimonious model. Mean bias, typical error of the estimate (TEE) and withinsubject repeated measures correlations examined agreement between subjective and objective sleep duration. Results: Conditional R2 for associations between objective and subjective workloads ranged from 0.18 to 0.78, P \u3c 0.01, with strong associations between subjective measures of workload and TRIMP (0.65-0.78), average heart rate (0.57-0.73), and PlayerLoad™ (0.54-0.68). Including d-RPE lowered Akaike Information Criterion. The slope estimate between objective and subjective measures of sleep quality was not significant. A trivial relationship (r=0.12; CI -0.03, 0.27) was observed between objective and subjective sleep duration with subjective measures overestimating (mean bias 25 min) sleep duration (TEE 41 min). Conclusions: Daily RPE offers a proxy measure of internal workload in Australian Army recruits; however, the current subjective sleep questionnaire should not be considered a proxy measure of objective sleep measures

Impact of low NOx strategies on holistic emission reduction from a CI engine over transient conditions

The use of biofuels to replace fossil fuels as well as more stringent emission regulations for internal combustion engines cause a challenge for the engine manufacturers to build engines that can cope with a wide range of fuels, but still offer low exhaust emissions with no detriment to performance. In this work a test bed with a compression ignition engine has been used to measure emissions when using a ternary fuel blend between diesel, biodiesel and ethanol together with exhuast gas recirculation (EGR) and different fuel delivery techniques. EGR with biofuels have the potential to significantly reduce NOx over conventional diesel combustion. The fuel used, B2E9 achieves a 10% renewable content as set out in the UK government’s Renewable Energy Directive. Most studies reported in the literature evaluates emissions reduction technologies by only changing one factor-at-a-time at steady state conditions. This paper addresses these issues and presents a methodology utilising a Central Composite Design (CCD) analysis to optimise four engine parameters which include EGR percentage, main injection SOI, pilot injection SOI and pilot injection open duration over a transient drive cycle (WLTP) which makes the results more applicable to real world driving conditions. The optimisation of the CCD showed that NOx emissions decreases by 25% when the maximum exhaust gas recirculation is set to 45%, the main injection is retarded by 2 CADs, the pilot injection dwell time is set to 21 CADs and 24% of the fuel is delivered through the pilot injection. CO emissions increase by approximately 47% as a result of the decrease in NOx emissions

Characterising the Canine Oral Microbiome by Direct Sequencing of Reverse-Transcribed rRNA Molecules

PCR amplification and sequencing of phylogenetic markers, primarily Small Sub-Unit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) genes, has been the paradigm for defining the taxonomic composition of microbiomes. However, 'universal' SSU rRNA gene PCR primer sets are likely to miss much of the diversity therein. We sequenced a library comprising purified and reverse-transcribed SSU rRNA (RT-SSU rRNA) molecules from the canine oral microbiome and compared it to a general bacterial 16S rRNA gene PCR amplicon library generated from the same biological sample. In addition, we have developed BIONmeta, a novel, open-source, computer package for the processing and taxonomic classification of the randomly fragmented RT-SSU rRNA reads produced. Direct RT-SSU rRNA sequencing revealed that 16S rRNA molecules belonging to the bacterial phyla Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Spirochaetes, were most abundant in the canine oral microbiome (92.5% of total bacterial SSU rRNA). The direct rRNA sequencing approach detected greater taxonomic diversity (1 additional phylum, 2 classes, 1 order, 10 families and 61 genera) when compared with general bacterial 16S rRNA amplicons from the same sample, simultaneously provided SSU rRNA gene inventories of Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya, and detected significant numbers of sequences not recognised by 'universal' primer sets. Proteobacteria and Spirochaetes were found to be under-represented by PCR-based analysis of the microbiome, and this was due to primer mismatches and taxon-specific variations in amplification efficiency, validated by qPCR analysis of 16S rRNA amplicons from a mock community. This demonstrated the veracity of direct RT-SSU rRNA sequencing for molecular microbial ecology

Water security in times of climate change and intractability : Reconciling conflict by transforming security concerns into equity concerns

This paper considers how to achieve equitable water governance and the flow-on effects it has in terms of supporting sustainable development, drawing on case studies from the international climate change adaptation and governance project (CADWAGO). Water governance, like many other global issues, is becoming increasingly intractable (wicked) with climate change and is, by the international community, being linked to instances of threats to human security, thewar in the Sudanese Darfur and more recently the acts of terrorism perpetuated by ISIS. In this paper, we ask the question: how can situations characterized by water controversy (exacerbated by the uncertainties posed by climate change) be reconciled? The main argument is based on a critique of the way the water security discourse appropriates expert (normal) claims about human-biophysical relationships. When water challenges become increasingly securitized by the climate change discourse it becomes permissible to enact processes that legitimately transgress normative positions through post-normal actions. In contrast, the water equity discourse offers an alternative reading of wicked and post-normal water governance situations. We contend that by infusing norm critical considerations into the process of securitization, new sub-national constellations of agents will be empowered to enact changes; thereby bypassing vicious cycles of power brokering that characterize contemporary processes intended to address controversies