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Dialectical Polyptych: an interactive movie installation

Most of the known video games developed by important software companies usually establish an approach to the cinematic language in an attempt to create a perfect combination of narrative, visual technique and interaction. Unlike most video games, interactive film narratives normally involve an interruption in time whenever the spectator has to make choices. “Dialectical Polyptych” is an interactive movie included in a project called “Characters looking for a spectactor”, which aims to give the spectator on-the-fly control over film editing, thus exploiting the role of the spectator as an active subject in the presented narrative. This paper presents an installation based on a mobile device, which allows seamless real-time interactivity with the movie. Different finger touches in the screen allow the spectator to alternate between two parallel narratives, both producing a complementary narrative, and change the angle or shot within each narrative.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Forking Paths revisited: experimenting on interactive film

Based on the triad film-interactivity-experimentation, the applied research project The Forking Paths, developed at the Centre for Research in Arts and Communication (CIAC), endeavours to find alternative narrative forms in the field of Cinema and, more specifically, in the subfield of Interactive Cinema. The films in the project The Forking Paths invest in the interconnectivity between the film narrative and the viewer, who is given the possibility to be more active and engaged. At same time, the films undertake a research on the development of audio-visual language. The project is available at an online platform, which aims to foster the creation and web hosting of other Interactive Cinema projects in its different variables. This article focusses on the three films completed up to the moment: Haze, The Book of the Dead, and Waltz.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Economics of the Firm and Economic Growth. An hybrid theoretical framework of analysis

The characterization of individual firms is an essential step toward the study of the behaviour of industries and other more aggregated units of economics, and so to the analysis of economic growth processes. Hence, the main goal of this study is to achieve a critical discussion around the conceptualisation of the firm and its role in the dynamical process of economic growth. The approach to the main topic starts with the construction of a theoretical matrix of the economics of the firm, opening with the two major traditions of institutionalist thought in economics, and evolving then towards some considerations around the contractual and the evolutionary approaches. Another important theoretical stream that deals with organizations in economic and sociological terms also appears, the population ecology approach. After this overview, it is developed a cross-exam of distinct theoretical perspectives and the identification of possible flaws of the neoclassical theory. This confrontation, which goes throughout many imperative and controversial issues within economics such as the nature of the firm and the cognitive capacities of economic agents, results in a systematisation about the impact of this discussion on economic growth. The conclusions appear as crucial to develop further research aiming the construction of economic growth models based on a microeconomics that is closer to the reality of firms.Firm; Economic Growth; Institutionalism; Evolutionary theory; Contractual Theory; Ecology Population Theory.

Psychological Evaluation in Rosacea Patients: A Case- Control Study using Symptom Checklist -90 - Revised

Introdução: A rosácea, uma prevalente dermatose facial crónica, é classicamente considerada uma “psicodermatose” já que factores psicológicos são determinantes no seu desencadeamento ou evolução. Os doentes padecendo de rosácea foram descritos como imaturos, ansiosos, com reduzida auto-estima, com sentimentos de vergonha ou culpa, ou como “psiconeuróticos”, com configurações histéricas ou obsessivo-compulsivas.Objectivo: Neste estudo foi investigado o distress psicopatológico de doentes com rosácea, comparados com um grupo de dermopatas sofrendo de dermatoses agudas, acidentais, não conspícuas. Um objectivo adicional foi o de avaliar a influência determinada pelos dados demográficos e características clínicas sobre os resultados finais.Material e Métodos: Os participantes foram 53 doentes com rosácea e 190 outros dermopatas, com idades compreendidas entre os 18 e os 72 anos foram recrutados duma consulta externa hospitalar de Dermatologia. A rosácea foi clinicamente avaliada e classificada bem como registada a duração da doença. Foi aplicado a todos os doentes o questionário de auto-resposta SCL-90-R para avaliar o distress psicológico e registar as queixas emocionais e psico-vegetativas.Resultados: As análises estatísticas revelaram uma efectiva influência independente das variáveis rosácea, género, nível escolar/educacional e da Interacção rosácea/género nas variáveis psicométricas. Os doentes com Rosácea revelaram valores superiores aos da população do grupo controlo nas dimensões sensibilidade interpessoal (F[1,241]=3,57, p<0,01). No que concerne às diferenças entre géneros, as doentes com rosácea registaram valores superiores aos dos da população controlo nas dimensões ansiedade, depressão, sensibilidade interpessoal, obsessões e compulsões, ideação paranóide e somatização, ao contrário dos doentes do género masculino em que tal apenas se verificou na sensibilidade interpessoal. No que se refere aos efeitos da duração da doença, os doentes com rosácea com mais de 1 ano de duração registaram scores significativamente mais elevados de ideação paranóide do que os doentes com durações de doença inferiores a um ano (F[2,52]=3,79, p<0,05).Conclusões: Os doentes sofrendo de rosácea – em contraste com outros doentes com outras dermatoses – revelam um distress psicossocial significativo, o qual não se correlaciona no entanto com o sub-tipo clínico da dermatose.Background: Rosacea, a prevalent chronic facial skin condition, is classically referred to as a “psychodermatosis”, in that psychological factors are relevant both in its initiation and course. Rosacea patients have been described as immature, anxious, with diminished self-esteem and with feelings of guilt and shame, or as psychoneurotic, with hysterical or obsessive compulsive configurations.Objective: In this study we investigated the psychopathological distress experienced by rosacea patients, as compared to a group of dermatological patients suffering from acute, non-conspicuous, accidental dermatoses. One additional purpose was to assess the influence that demographic features and clinical factors had on final results.Patients/Methods: A total of 243 patients with rosacea, aged from 18 to 72 years’ old were enrolled from an outpatient dermatology clinic in a hospital setting. Rosacea was objectively rated and disease duration recorded. The SCL-90 (R) was used to assess participants psychological distress and to record emotional and psycho vegetative complaints.Results: Statistical analysis revealed a definite independent influence of the variables rosacea, gender, school level, and also of the interaction rosacea/gender on the psychometrical variables. Rosacea patients scored higher than controls with respect to interpersonal sensitivity (F[1,241]=3.57, p<0.01). Concerning gender differences, female patients scored always higher than controls in anxiety, depression, interpersonal sensitivity, obsession-compulsion, paranoid ideation and somatization, whereas male patients did so only for interpersonal sensitivity. As to the effects of disease duration, rosacea patients’ for more than one year revealed significantly higher scores of paranoid ideation than patients’ with less than one year duration (F[2,52]=3.79, p<0.05).Conclusions: Patients suffering from rosacea – as opposed to other dermatoses – do experience significant psychosocial distress, which was nevertheless found to be unrelated to disease clinical sub-type

Time-domain optimization of amplifiers based on distributed genetic algorithms

Thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the subject of Electrical and Computer EngineeringThe work presented in this thesis addresses the task of circuit optimization, helping the designer facing the high performance and high efficiency circuits demands of the market and technology evolution. A novel framework is introduced, based on time-domain analysis, genetic algorithm optimization, and distributed processing. The time-domain optimization methodology is based on the step response of the amplifier. The main advantage of this new time-domain methodology is that, when a given settling-error is reached within the desired settling-time, it is automatically guaranteed that the amplifier has enough open-loop gain, AOL, output-swing (OS), slew-rate (SR), closed loop bandwidth and closed loop stability. Thus, this simplification of the circuit‟s evaluation helps the optimization process to converge faster. The method used to calculate the step response expression of the circuit is based on the inverse Laplace transform applied to the transfer function, symbolically, multiplied by 1/s (which represents the unity input step). Furthermore, may be applied to transfer functions of circuits with unlimited number of zeros/poles, without approximation in order to keep accuracy. Thus, complex circuit, with several design/optimization degrees of freedom can also be considered. The expression of the step response, from the proposed methodology, is based on the DC bias operating point of the devices of the circuit. For this, complex and accurate device models (e.g. BSIM3v3) are integrated. During the optimization process, the time-domain evaluation of the amplifier is used by the genetic algorithm, in the classification of the genetic individuals. The time-domain evaluator is integrated into the developed optimization platform, as independent library, coded using C programming language. The genetic algorithms have demonstrated to be a good approach for optimization since they are flexible and independent from the optimization-objective. Different levels of abstraction can be optimized either system level or circuit level. Optimization of any new block is basically carried-out by simply providing additional configuration files, e.g. chromosome format, in text format; and the circuit library where the fitness value of each individual of the genetic algorithm is computed. Distributed processing is also employed to address the increasing processing time demanded by the complex circuit analysis, and the accurate models of the circuit devices. The communication by remote processing nodes is based on Message Passing interface (MPI). It is demonstrated that the distributed processing reduced the optimization run-time by more than one order of magnitude. Platform assessment is carried by several examples of two-stage amplifiers, which have been optimized and successfully used, embedded, in larger systems, such as data converters. A dedicated example of an inverter-based self-biased two-stage amplifier has been designed, laid-out and fabricated as a stand-alone circuit and experimentally evaluated. The measured results are a direct demonstration of the effectiveness of the proposed time-domain optimization methodology.Portuguese Foundation for the Science and Technology (FCT

Response of Glyptapanteles militaris (Walsh) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a Larval Parasitoid of the Armyworm, Mythimna unipuncta (Haworth) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), to Different Temperatures

The effect of four different temperatures (15, 20 25 and 30°C), on biological parameters of the Azorean population of Glyptapanteles militaris (Walsh) was studied, using Mythimna unipuncta (Haworth) as the host. Thirteen biological parameters of the were analyzed: percentage of hosts that died without producing parasitoids; percentage of larvae parasitized from which parasitoids emerged; percentage of hosts surviving to pupate after the parasitoid's sting; egg-larval development time; pupal period; total developmental time; adult longevity; total number of larvae per host; number of larval parasitoids that fail to emerge from each host; mean number of parasitoids that emerged from host larva but failed to spin a cocoon; mean number of cocoons per host; parasitoid sex-ratio; and finally emergence rate of adult parasitoid progeny. The percentage of hosts that died without producing parasitoids increased with increasing temperature. Developmental times significantly decreased with increasing temperature. The mean number of cocoons per host; mean number of parasitoids that emerged from each host larva but failed to spin a cocoon; and total number of larvae per host were higher when the temperature was lower. Parasitoid sex ratio and emergence rate of adult progeny were not affected by the temperatures tested

Distress in Portuguese Family Members Bereaved by Suicide: An Exploratory Study

The present study examined the impact of several sociodemographic and suicide related variables on the distress of family members bereaved by suicide. A sample of Portuguese family members bereaved by suicide (N=93) living in the Alentejo region completed a sociodemographic and suicide information questionnaire and the Brief Symptom Inventory. Forward Multiple Linear Regression Analysis demonstrated that several sociodemographic and suicide variables related with general distress, depression and anxiety. Results contribute to characterize family members bereaved by suicide and have implications for the implementation of postvention programmes