Sri Pāda: diversity and exclusion in a sacred site in Sri Lanka

This thesis is divided into two interconnected parts. The first part explores the major competing discourses that have been arisen during its political and religious history and the second part is mainly focussed on the style of religiosity and the social composition of pilgrims, and explores social factors in the practices of worship. One chapter deals with the style of "official" Buddhist religiosity found at this centre and two further chapters look at devotional and expressive forms of religiosity of pilgrims, which is oriented to the Buddha rather than the gods and as such is markedly different from that documented by anthropologists working in other parts of the island. The final chapter investigates links between devotional styles and the shifting socio¬ political contexts. The documentation of the prevailing styles ofreligiosity at Sri Pada enable me to show on one hand how such religiosity further undermines the broadly Weberian antinomies that have dominated the anthropology of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, and on other hand the intensity or scale of Buddhicization of the historically viewed 'sacred site'.The thesis is an ethnohistorical study of one major pilgrimage site in Sri Lanka, known as Sri Pada (Adam's Peak), where hundreds of thousands of pilgrims annually visit to worship the sacred footprint which is located in the mountain top temple. This sacred footprint has different sacred connotations for Sri Lanka's major religious groups (Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Catholic). However, this pilgrimage site, which was considered a multi-religious site until the turn of the twentieth century, has now been constructed or ordered into an ethnic majoritarian Buddhist space. My thesis, therefore, concentrates in part on the historical process which has led to the construction of the pilgrimage site as a Buddhist space, and then locates this process within the wider context of the rise of Sinhala Buddhist nationalism in Sri Lanka. My work highlights the powerful role pilgrimage can play in particular religious discourses and the manner it legitimates certain ways of envisaging power and relationships of domination at particular conjunctures, which is clearly apparent in the contemporary Sinhala Buddhist cultural nationalism in Sri Lanka

A importância da posição dos dedos da mão na natação

A posição relativa dos dedos durante o trajecto subaquático da mão em Natação é um dos temas em que parece não existir um consenso no que se refere à posição mais vantajosa a adoptar. Pode ser observada uma grande variabilidade de posições durante o treino e a competição

DC modulation noise in clustered particulate media

Mallinson’s theory of recording media noise is extended to ensembles where the particles have an easy axis distribution or are clustered. The effect of clusters is that there is a critical value of packing fraction at which noise in the demagnetised state switches to a minimum. Comparison is made with measurements of DC modulation noise in double layer MP tape

Modelling swimming hydrodynamics to enhance performance

Swimming assessment is one of the most complex but outstanding and fascinating topics in biomechanics. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methodology is one of the different methods that have been applied in swimming research to observe and understand water movements around the human body and its application to improve swimming performance. CFD has been applied attempting to understand deeply the biomechanical basis of swimming. Several studies have been conducted willing to analyze the propulsive forces produced by the propelling segments and the drag force resisting forward motion. CFD technique can be considered as an interesting new approach for evaluation of swimming hydrodynamic forces, according to recent evidences. In the near future, as in the present, CFD will provide valorous arguments for defining new swimming techniques or equipments

The hydrodynamic study of the swimming gliding: a two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis

Nowadays the underwater gliding after the starts and the turns plays a major role in the overall swimming performance. Hence, minimizing hydrodynamic drag during the underwater phases should be a main aim during swimming. Indeed, there are several postures that swimmers can assume during the underwater gliding, although experimental results were not conclusive concerning the best body position to accomplish this aim. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyse the effect in hydrodynamic drag forces of using different body positions during gliding through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methodology. For this purpose, two-dimensional models of the human body in steady flow conditions were studied. Two-dimensional virtual models had been created: (i) a prone position with the arms extended at the front of the body; (ii) a prone position with the arms placed alongside the trunk; (iii) a lateral position with the arms extended at the front and; (iv) a dorsal position with the arms extended at the front. The drag forces were computed between speeds of 1.6 m/s and 2 m/s in a two-dimensional Fluent® analysis. The positions with the arms extended at the front presented lower drag values than the position with the arms aside the trunk. The lateral position was the one in which the drag was lower and seems to be the one that should be adopted during the gliding after starts and turns

Results of the MRI substudy of the intravenous magnesium efficacy in stroke trial

<p><b>Background and Purpose:</b>Although magnesium is neuroprotective in animal stroke models, no clinical benefit was confirmed in the Intravenous Magnesium Efficacy in Stroke (IMAGES) trial of acute stroke patients. The Magnetic Resonance in IMAGES (MR IMAGES) substudy investigated the effects of magnesium on the imaging surrogate outcome of infarct growth.</p> <p><b>Methods:</b> IMAGES trial patients in participating centers were randomized to receive either intravenous magnesium or placebo within 12 hours of stroke onset. Infarct growth was defined as volume difference between baseline diffusion-weighted imaging and day 90 fluid-attenuated inversion recovery image lesions. Patients who died were imputed the largest infarct growth observed.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> Among the 90 patients included in the primary analysis, there was no difference in infarct growth (median absolute growth, P=0.639; median percentage growth, P=0.616; proportion with any growth, P=0.212) between the 46 treated with magnesium and 44 with placebo. Infarct growth correlated with NIHSS score change from baseline to day 90. There was a trend showing baseline serum glucose correlated with infarct growth with magnesium treatment, but not in the placebo group. The mismatch frequency was reduced from 73% to 47% by increasing the mismatch threshold from >20% to >100% of core volume.</p> <p><b>Conclusions:</b> Infarct growth, confirmed here as a surrogate for clinical progression, was similar between magnesium and placebo treatment, paralleling the main IMAGES trial clinical outcomes. Glucose was a covariate for infarct growth with magnesium treatment. A more stringent mismatch threshold to define penumbra more appropriately would have excluded half of the patients in this 12-hour time window stroke study.</p&gt

Freezing in random graph ferromagnets

Using T=0 Monte Carlo and simulated annealing simulation, we study the energy relaxation of ferromagnetic Ising and Potts models on random graphs. In addition to the expected exponential decay to a zero energy ground state, a range of connectivities for which there is power law relaxation and freezing to a metastable state is found. For some connectivities this freezing persists even using simulated annealing to find the ground state. The freezing is caused by dynamic frustration in the graphs, and is a feature of the local search-nature of the Monte Carlo dynamics used. The implications of the freezing on agent-based complex systems models are briefly considered.Comment: Published version: 1 reference deleted, 1 word added. 4 pages, 5 figure

Estudio de las condiciones para la producción de ésteres etílicos utilizando aceite de fritura desechado y catalizador KF/arcilla en un sistema continuo

The transesterification of residual frying oil (RFO) with pressurized ethanol was carried out in a continuous reactor containing KF/clay as a heterogeneous catalyst. In the experiments, different oil:ethanol mass ratios were evaluated at 275 and 300 ºC and 20 MPa. In the sequence, the operational stability of the catalyst was evaluated for 8 hours, as well as the conduct of the reaction in two steps (testing new and recycled catalyst). An esters yield of ~90% was achieve at 275 ºC, for15 min and at 1:1.5 oil:ethanol mass ratio. Under these conditions, the catalyst provided a stable yield in the first 3 hours of operation, and a total decrease of 29% after 8 hours. This result can be attributed mainly to the leaching of the K+ cations for the reactions in which the catalyst was exposed to long operating times. The two-step reaction served to increase the RFO conversion to esters, with low thermal decomposition.La transesterificación de aceite de fritura desechado (AFD) con etanol presurizado se llevó a cabo en un reactor continuo que contenía KF/arcilla como catalizador heterogéneo. En los experimentos, se evaluaron diferentes relaciones de cantidad de aceite:etanol a 275 y 300 ºC y 20 MPa. En la secuencia, se evaluó la estabilidad operativa del catalizador durante 8 horas, así como la conducta de la reacción en dos pasos (prueba de catalizador nuevo y reciclado). Se logró un rendimiento de ésteres de ~ 90% a 275 ºC, 15 min y una relación de aceite:etanol de 1:1,5. En estas condiciones, el catalizador proporcionó un rendimiento estable en las primeras 3 horas de funcionamiento y una disminución total del 29% después de 8 horas. Este resultado se puede atribuir principalmente a la lixiviación de los cationes K+ para las reacciones en las que el catalizador estuvo expuesto durante las condiciones de funcionamiento. La reacción de dos pasos permitió aumentar la conversión de AFD a ésteres, con baja descomposición térmica

Cluster stability as a new method to assess changes in performance and its determinant factors over a season in young swimmers

To apply a new method to identify, classify, and follow up young swimmers based on their performance and its determinant factors over a season and analyze the swimmers' stability over a competitive season with that method. Methods: Fifteen boys and 18 girls (11.8 +/- 0.7 y) part of a national talent-identification scheme were evaluated at 3 different moments of a competitive season. Performance (ie, official 100-m freestyle race time), arm span, chest perimeter, stroke length, swimming velocity, speed fluctuation, coefficient of active drag, propelling efficiency, and stroke index were selected as variables. Hierarchical and k-means cluster analysis were computed. Results: Data suggested a 3-cluster solution, splitting the swimmers according to their performance in all 3 moments. Cluster 1 was related to better performances (talented swimmers), cluster 2 to poor performances (nonproficient swimmers), and cluster 3 to average performance (proficient swimmers) in all moments. Stepwise discriminant analysis revealed that 100%, 94%, and 85% of original groups were correctly classified for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd evaluation moments, respectively (0.11 <= A <= 0.80; 5.64 <= chi(2) <= 63.40; 0.001 < P <= .68). Membership of clusters was moderately stable over the season (stability range 46.1-75% for the 2 clusters with most subjects). Conclusion.- Cluster stability is a feasible, comprehensive, and informative method to gain insight into changes in performance and its determinant factors in young swimmers. Talented swimmers were characterized by anthropometrics and kinematic featuresthe Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT) for the PhD scholarship (SFRH/ BD/76287/2011

Producción sin catalizador de ésteres etílicos de ácidos grasos (FAEE) a partir de aceite de pulpa de macauba

In this study, the production of fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE) from macauba pulp oil and pressurized ethanol was investigated. The experiments were conducted without the addition of catalyst, at 20 MPa, to determine the effect of temperature (200 to 300 °C) and the oil to ethanol mass ratio (1:1 and 1:2) on the FAEE content and different residence times (10 to 45 min). The effect of the addition of n-hexane to the oil (20 wt%) as a co-solvent was also evaluated. The use of high temperatures (275 and 300 °C) resulted in high FAEE content (∼90%). Increasing the amount of ethanol in the reaction medium contributed to the formation of esters only at operating temperatures of 200 to 250 °C. It was also observed that with the addition of co-solvent (in the oil) it was possible to obtain high amounts of FAEE in a shorter reaction time. In addition, a low content of unreacted compounds (∼8.0%) and the conversion of ∼90 and 99% of the free fatty acids and triglycerides were observed, respectively.En este estudio, se investigó la producción de ésteres etílicos de ácidos grasos (FAEE) a partir de aceite de pulpa de macauba y etanol presurizado. Los experimentos se realizaron, sin la adición de catalizador, a 20 MPa, para determinar el efecto de la temperatura (200 a 300 °C) y la relación de masa de aceite a etanol (1:1 y 1:2) en el contenido de FAEE, aplicando diferentes tiempos de residencia (10 a 45 min). También se evaluó el efecto de la adición de n-hexano al aceite (20% en peso) como co-disolvente. El uso de altas temperaturas (275 y 300 °C) dio como resultado un alto contenido de FAEE (∼90%). El aumento de la cantidad de etanol en el medio de reacción contribuyó a la formación de ésteres solo a temperaturas de funcionamiento de 200 a 250 °C. También se observó que con la adición de co-disolvente (en el aceite) era posible obtener altas cantidades de FAEE en un tiempo de reacción más corto. Además, se observó un bajo contenido de compuestos sin reaccionar (∼8,0%) y la conversión de ∼90 y 99% de ácidos grasos libres y triglicéridos, respectivamente