Semiotic process of the office configuration

Abstracts aceptados sin presentacion / Accepted abstracts without presentatio

Subjectively interpreted shape dimensions as privileged and orthogonal axes in mental shape space

The shape of an object is fundamental in object recognition but it is still an open issue to what extent shape differences are perceived analytically (i.e., by the dimensional structure of the shapes) or holistically (i.e., by the overall similarity of the shapes). The dimensional structure of a stimulus is available in a primary stage of processing for separable dimensions, although it can also be derived cognitively from a perceived stimulus consisting of integral dimensions. Contrary to most experimental paradigms, the present study asked participants explicitly to analyze shapes according to two dimensions. The dimensions of interest were aspect ratio and medial axis curvature, and a new procedure was used to measure the participants' interpretation of both dimensions (Part I, Experiment 1). The subjectively interpreted shape dimensions showed specific characteristics supporting the conclusion that they also constitute perceptual dimensions with objective behavioral characteristics (Part II): (1) the dimensions did not correlate in overall similarity measures (Experiment 2), (2) they were more separable in a speeded categorization task (Experiment 3), and (3) they were invariant across different complex 2-D shapes (Experiment 4). The implications of these findings for shape-based object processing are discussed

Le studio d’enregistrement comme lieu d’expérimentation, outil créatif et vecteur d’internationalisation : Stonetree Records et la paranda garifuna en Amérique centrale

La version intégrale de cette thèse est disponible uniquement pour consultation individuelle à la Bibliothèque de musique de l’Université de Montréal (www.bib.umontreal.ca/MU).Genre né de la rencontre (imposée par l’exil) au XIXe siècle entre les Garinagu et des populations hispaniques centraméricaines, la paranda connaît aujourd’hui un regain d’intérêt chez les acteurs de la production discographique garifuna. Depuis son apparition dans les studios d’enregistrement, elle a évolué vers une forme modernisée, faisant appel à des instruments électriques et des procédés de traitement du son caractéristiques des musiques « populaires ». Devenue en 2000 (avec la compilation Paranda; Africa in Central America, produite par Ivan Duran et distribuée par Warner/Elektra) une « musique du monde » sur le marché discographique international, cette nouvelle forme de paranda connaît un succès conséquent dans les palmarès de world music – popularité qui se déploie après coup chez les Garinagu centraméricains, qui redécouvrent un genre jusqu’alors quasiment disparu dans sa version villageoise. À partir de l’exemple de la « récupération », à des fins commerciales, d’un genre musical « traditionnel » par un label indépendant centraméricain, cette thèse montre comment un producteur de world music a su se servir du studio d’enregistrement comme d’un outil créatif susceptible de lui ouvrir les portes de l’internationalisation. Utilisant le studio comme laboratoire expérimental, Ivan Duran est ainsi parvenu à réaliser des disques qui – tout en atteignant un succès critique international – allaient lui permettre d’établir son label, Stonetree Records, en tant que standard pour l’ensemble de l’industrie musicale régionale. Afin de comprendre quels mécanismes sont activés (et selon quelles modalités) dans le cadre spatio-temporel spécifique au studio d’enregistrement, cette recherche doctorale prend pour principale étude de cas la réalisation de Laru Beya – dernier album du parandero Aurelio Martinez, réalisé par Ivan Duran et distribué internationalement. Les trois chapitres centraux sont donc consacrés à l’analyse sémiologique de ce disque, avec d’abord une étude 1) des stratégies créatrices en présence (à travers une ethnographie de sessions d’enregistrement, sur une plage du Honduras), puis 2) de l’objet musical tel qu’il a été commercialisé (l’« œuvre » en elle-même) et enfin 3) de différentes conduites d’écoute d’auditeurs-consommateurs garinagu ou non. Tandis que le premier chapitre de cette thèse propose une contextualisation de notre objet de recherche (allant « du village au studio »), le cinquième et dernier chapitre s’attache – après avoir élargi les résultats de notre étude de cas à d’autres phénomènes similaires – à évaluer l’impact des processus d’internationalisation sur la production musicale locale (opérant un retour « du studio au village »).Born from a critical encounter (imposed in exile) between Garifuna people and Spanish-speaking Central American populations, Paranda is currently experiencing a resurgence of interest among stakeholders of the garifuna record production. Since its arrival in the recording studios, it has evolved into a modernized form, using electric instruments and sound treatment techniques taken from popular music. In 2000 (with the release of Paranda; Africa in Central America, produced by Ivan Duran and distributed by Warner/Elektra), Paranda became a world music, thus experiencing a substantial success in world music charts – popularity that unfolds afterwards in Garifuna communities, rediscovering a musical genre that had virtually disappeared in the village. From the example of a “recuperation”, for commercial purposes, of a traditional musical genre by an independent Central American label, this dissertation shows how a world music producer has been able to use the recording studio as a creative tool that opened the doors of internationalization. Using the studio as an experimental lab, Ivan Duran succeeded in making records that, while reaching an international critical success, would also allow him to establish his own label, Stonetree Records, as a standard within the whole regional music industry. To understand which mechanisms are activated (and how) within the spatio-temporal framework defined by the recording studio, this doctoral research will focus on the production of Laru Beya – parandero Aurelio Martinez’s latest album, produced by Ivan Duran and internationally distributed. The three central chapters are devoted to the semiotic analysis of this record, with a study of 1) creative strategies developed in the studio (through an ethnography of recording sessions, which took place on a beach in Honduras), then 2) the musical object as it was marketed (the "work" itself) and finally 3) different listeners’ (Garifuna or not) reactions. While the first chapter of this dissertation provides a contextualization of our research object (from "the studio to the village"), the fifth and final chapter – after extending the results of our case study to other phenomena – focuses on assessing the impact of Paranda’s internationalization on local music production (going back from “the studio to the village”)

Passive immunization against Histomonas meleagridis does not protect turkeys from an experimental infection

Histomonosis or blackhead is a disease of gallinaceous birds, caused by the protozoan Histomonas meleagridis. As recent regulatory action has removed almost all drugs against this disease from the European market, the development of new prophylactics has become crucial. Identification of the protective immune mechanism would facilitate the choice and development of a vaccination strategy to prevent histomonosis. In this study, turkeys were either actively or passively immunized and were then challenged to assess the role of antibody-mediated immunity in the protection form this disease. Active immunization was performed either by experimental infection and treatment or by intramuscular injection with lysed H. meleagridis. Passive immunization was attempted by intraperitoneal administration of pooled, concentrated, neutralizing antisera from immunized donor animals to naive turkeys. A significantly higher IgG response was observed after infection and treatment than after intramuscular injection, which in turn was higher than the responses of placebo and control birds. While active immunization of turkeys by intramuscular injection of dead H. meleagridis antigens appeared not to be protective against histomonosis, immunization by infection and treatment did induce protection. However, no significant level of protection could be observed in the passively immunized birds. These results suggest that serum antibodies to H. meleagridis may not be a key component in the protection against this parasite. It is, however, possible that the concentration of antibodies at the mucosal site is insufficient. Therefore, further investigation on mucosal immune responses is necessary

Surfing or still drowning? Student nurses’ Internet skills

A study into student nurses’ ability to use the Internet was published in Nurse Education Today in 2004. This paper repeats the research with a cohort of students starting their pre-registration programme in a UK university in 2007. In 2004 students were reported as having poor Internet skills, and as not being frequent users of the Internet. In this study students were found to have significantly better ability to carry out basic tasks and significantly higher levels of Internet use. Their ability to apply these skills to more complex information literacy tasks however had not increased, with more than half of all students saying they found far too much irrelevant information when searching for specific information on the Internet. The earlier study found that skills and age were not related, which appears to still be the case. The need for these skills is increasing as education, lifelong learning, and patient information are all increasingly drawing on the developing Internet. Nurse education however is not integrating the skill and knowledge base essential to support this into pre-registration programmes, and the evidence suggests that this will not happen without active management

Winners and Losers in a Free Trade Area between The United States and MERCOSUR

This document considers an eventual Free Trade Area between the US and MERCOSUR with the objective of constructing two lists of products (HS 6 digits), one expansive (trade opportunities) and one defensive (trade perils), for each of the participants in the agreement. The theoretical model of reference is the Grossman and Helpman model of the politics of Free Trade Agreements. An original methodology for the opportunities and perils determination based on trade specialisation indexes and trade policy data has been developed. The economic size asymmetries have been introduced into the analysis through an empirical implementation of the regimes of protection typology provided by the theory (enhanced and reduced protection). The main conclusions are: i) agricultural producers in the US face a peril while agricultural producers in MERCOSUR could have opportunities (improvement in international prices); ii) there are no evident opportunities for US producers in the MERCOSUR (reduced size of the market) while producers of manufactures in the MERCOSUR face an evident peril in the regional market; and iii) MERCOSUR opportunities are concentrated in lighter manufactures.

La Apertura Comercial no Discriminatoria como uno de los Determinantes de la Regionalización del Comercio

This document lays out a highly stylized general equilibrium model of trade with imperfect competition, tariffs and transport costs, characterized by increasing returns to scale in production and a love for variety on the part of the consumers. This framework is used to analyze the effects of non-discriminatory trade liberalization - unilateral and multilateral - on the geographical pattern of trade flows. The theoretical results suggest that non-discriminatory trade policies should be considered among the potential determinants of trade regionalization. Non-discriminatory trade liberalization can promote regional trade by enhancing the effects of geographic factors on trade, even in the absence of regional-specific trade preferences.

L925I mutation in the Para-type sodium channel is associated with pyrethroid resistance in Triatoma infestans from the Gran Chaco region

Background: Chagas' disease is an important public health concern in Latin America. Despite intensive vector control efforts using pyrethroid insecticides, the elimination of Triatoma infestans has failed in the Gran Chaco, an ecoregion that extends over Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil. The voltage-gated sodium channel is the target site of pyrethroid insecticides. Point mutations in domain II region of the channel have been implicated in pyrethroid resistance of several insect species. Methods and Findings: In the present paper, we identify L925I, a new pyrethroid resistance-conferring mutation in T. infestans. This mutation has been found only in hemipterans. In T. infestans, L925I mutation occurs in a resistant population from the Gran Chaco region and is associated with inefficiency in the control campaigns. We also describe a method to detect L925I mutation in individuals from the field. Conclusions and Significance: The findings have important implications in the implementation of strategies for resistance management and in the rational design of campaigns for the control of Chagas' disease transmission.Fil: Capriotti, Natalia. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Centro Regional de Estudios Genómicos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Mougabure Cueto, Gastón Adolfo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas para la Defensa. Centro de Investigación de Plagas e Insecticidas; ArgentinaFil: Rivera Pomar, Rolando. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Centro Regional de Estudios Genómicos; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Departamento de Ciencias Básicas y Experimentales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Ons, Sheila. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Centro Regional de Estudios Genómicos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Employed and Unemployed Job Seekers and the Business Cycle

The job search literature suggests that on-the-job search reduces the probability of un employed people finding jobs. However, there is little evidence that employed and unemployed job seekers are similar or apply for the same jobs. We compare employed and unemployed job seekers in their individual characteristics, preferences over working hours, job-search strategies and employment histories, and identify how differences vary over the business cycle. We find systematic differences which persist over the business cycle. Our results are consistent with a segmented labour market in which employed and unemployed job seekers are unlikely to directly compete with each other for jobs