Micro-Macro Analysis of Complex Networks

Complex systems have attracted considerable interest because of their wide range of applications, and are often studied via a \u201cclassic\u201d approach: study a specific system, find a complex network behind it, and analyze the corresponding properties. This simple methodology has produced a great deal of interesting results, but relies on an often implicit underlying assumption: the level of detail on which the system is observed. However, in many situations, physical or abstract, the level of detail can be one out of many, and might also depend on intrinsic limitations in viewing the data with a different level of abstraction or precision. So, a fundamental question arises: do properties of a network depend on its level of observability, or are they invariant? If there is a dependence, then an apparently correct network modeling could in fact just be a bad approximation of the true behavior of a complex system. In order to answer this question, we propose a novel micro-macro analysis of complex systems that quantitatively describes how the structure of complex networks varies as a function of the detail level. To this extent, we have developed a new telescopic algorithm that abstracts from the local properties of a system and reconstructs the original structure according to a fuzziness level. This way we can study what happens when passing from a fine level of detail (\u201cmicro\u201d) to a different scale level (\u201cmacro\u201d), and analyze the corresponding behavior in this transition, obtaining a deeper spectrum analysis. The obtained results show that many important properties are not universally invariant with respect to the level of detail, but instead strongly depend on the specific level on which a network is observed. Therefore, caution should be taken in every situation where a complex network is considered, if its context allows for different levels of observability

Mastering the Devil: A Sociological Analysis of the Practice of a Catholic Exorcist

This study takes the documented growth in the ministry of exorcism within the Catholic Church as a significant challenge to some accounts of secularization. After clarifying how, according to Catholic doctrine, the devil can operate in people\u2019s lives, this study offers a sociological interpretation of exorcism. This interpretation is illustrated and tested by a sociological analysis of data collected, over a period of 10 years, by a well-established Catholic priest in Italy who himself was well trained and well grounded in philosophical analysis. This sociological case study offers fresh insights into the contemporary social significance of exorcism and provides challenges for future research. In the analysis of the data, it was discovered that only 5% of the initial consultations lead to a ritual of exorcism and that a rapprochement with rituals of deliverance is found for the large majority of the cases

Consulenza filosofica e soggettività

2008/2009Questo lavoro di ricerca s’interroga, da un lato, sul possibile ruolo e significato di un fenomeno come la “consulenza filosofica”, cioè di qualcosa che ha a che fare con una pratica specifica, nel quadro della nostra società contemporanea, rispetto alla quale è vista, prima ancora che come un possibile agente attivo di soggettivazione o cura, come un effetto o sintomo; dall’altro, sui possibili effetti di questa pratica, e più in generale di ogni pratica discorsiva come questa, a livello del soggetto che noi siamo (in termini di costituzione, risignificazione, condizionamento, emancipazione ecc.) e di quel quadro contestuale all’interno del quale, insieme alle condizioni di produzione e di possibilità del primo, si situano anche le condizioni di produzione e di possibilità di quella stessa pratica. In altre parole, questa ricerca s’interroga sul ruolo e sul significato della consulenza filosofica in relazione al suo contesto di emergenza e ai soggetti che costituiscono e si costituiscono all’interno di quel contesto, nonché su alcuni nodi che scaturiscono dal porre la questione (ma forse sarebbe meglio dire le questioni) in questi termini, cioè dal lato delle sue condizioni di produzione e di possibilità. Condizioni di produzione e di possibilità (e quindi nodi) che in questa prospettiva non riguardano solo il fenomeno consulenza filosofica, evidentemente, ma anche quegli stessi contesti e quelle stesse soggettività da cui essa in qualche modo scaturisce.XXI Cicl

Large liquidity expansion of super-hedging costs.

We consider a financial market with liquidity cost as in Cetin, Jarrow and Protter [3] where the supply function S"(s; ) depends on a parameter " 0 with S0(s; ) = s corresponding to the perfect liquid situation. Using the PDE characterization of Cetin, Soner and Touzi [6] of the super-hedging cost of an option written on such a stock, we provide a Taylor expansion of the super-hedging cost in powers of ". In particular, we explicitly compute the first term in the expansion for a European Call option and give bounds for the order of the expansion for a European Digital Option.Super-replication; liquidity; viscosity solutions; asymptotic expansions;

Susceptibility factors in paracetamol-induced acute liver failure

Paracetamol is a popular antipyretic and analgesic medication. It is a known hepatotoxin in overdose and is the commonest cause of acute liver failure in the UK. There is significant variability in inter-individual susceptibility to the hepatotoxic effects of paracetamol, which is incompletely understood. This thesis describes work done in murine models of paracetamol-induced acute liver failure with the aim of identifying causes of variable susceptibility and understanding the immune response to liver injury. A quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping approach was taken using a murine strain susceptible to paracetamol hepatotoxicity (C3H/HeH) crossed with a relatively resistant strain (C57BL/6). Novel QTLs on murine chromosome 17 and 18 were identified that associated with response to paracetamol. Within the loci a number of candidate genes were identified. A survey of 10 inbred mouse strains for their response to paracetamol was conducted and highlighted the large variability within each strain. It was hypothesised that this variability might be due to differences in intestinal microbiota. A study of the role of intestinal microbiota in paracetamol-induced liver failure was conducted, by comparing response in germ free (GF) mice and conventional (CV) controls. This demonstrated that the presence of intestinal microbiota influenced the sulphonation:glucuronidation ratio during paracetamol metabolism. Although the extent of liver injury as assessed by necrosis and liver enzyme elevation was the same in GF and CV mice, there was evidence of a protective effect of a sterile intestine. Finally a reverse genetics approach was taken to study the influence of the gene Slpi in the secondary immune response to liver injury. It was shown that absence of SLPI protected mice against peak liver injury. The work presented in this thesis highlights some potential sources of variability in response to paracetamol and a number of targets that with further research could have therapeutic potential.Open Acces

Catalogue of Free-Access Translation-Related Corpora

L'ús de corpus ha aportat noves perspectives al camp de la traducció durant els últims 10 anys. S'han emprat corpus en diferents àrees relacionades amb la traducció, tals com els estudis de traducció, la didàctica de la traducció i la pràctica de la traducció. Amb tantes aplicacions diferents i tants usuaris, resulta comprensible perquè cada corpus disponible a Internet en l'actualitat presenta característiques úniques, amb diferents tipus d'informació, eines o tipus de texts disponibles. En aquest catàleg s'han inclòs enllaços i sintetitzat dades sobre corpus monolingües i paral·lels que poden resultar útils tant en estudis de traducció com en la pràctica de la traducció.La utilización de corpus ha aportado nuevas perspectivas al campo de la traducción durante los últimos 10 años. Se han utilizado corpus en distintas áreas relacionadas con la traducción, como por ejemplo en los estudios sobre la traducción y, en concreto, la didáctica o la práctica de la traducción. Con tan distintas aplicaciones y tantos usuarios, resulta comprensible porqué cada corpus disponible en Internet a día de hoy presenta características únicas y ofrece distintos tipos de información, herramientas o tipos de texto. En este catálogo se han incluido hipervínculos y sintetizado datos sobre corpus monolingües y corpus paralelos que pueden resultar útiles tanto en estudios de traducción como en la práctica de la traducción.The use of corpora has brought new insights to the field of translation over the last 10 years. Corpora have been used in different translation-related areas, such as translation studies, translation teaching and translation practice. With so many different applications and target users it is understandable why each corpus available in the Internet today has its own unique features, with different types of information, tools or text types available. In this catalogue we have included hyperlinks and summarized information about monolingual corpora and parallel corpora that can be useful both in translation studies and translation practice

La figure d'Enée dans l'Ovide moralisé

Dans l'Ovide moralisé en vers du début du XIVe siècle, l'auteur retrace les aventures d'Enée, aux livre XIII et XIV. Contrairement à ce qu'il peut faire dans d'autres épisodes, il ne transforme pas la figure du héros antique, ne s'éloigne guère de sa source, les Métamorphoses d'Ovide. En particulier, il ne fait pas d'Enée une figure épique (il ne s'inspire pas de l'Enéide de Virgile) ni romanesque (il n'utilise pas le Roman d'Enéas du XIIe siècle). Son personnage est seulement le pius Aeneas de l'antiquité, sur lui ne pèse aucun des soupçons que le Moyen Âge a pu véhiculer (trahison, lâcheté, manque de virilité...). C'est parce que, dans son allégorèse, il fait d'Enée une figure du Christ. Le motif récurrent du feu symbolise aussi bien les flammes de l'enfer que la brûlure des péchés, et le diable est l'interprétation de plusieurs personnages de la fable, en particulier Turnus (qui, dans une lecture anagogique, figure aussi l'Antéchrist). Peut-être aussi le maître de flotte qui permet à ses navires de traverser tous les dangers de la mer n'a-t-il pas que la valeur spirituelle de celui qui dirige l'âme humaine à travers la mer des péchés : on peut également supposer que la figure d'Enée est un modèle pour les seigneurs des clercs qui copièrent le texte, à l'instar du roi Anius, à la foi roi et prêtre de Délos, qui, au livre XIII, accueille le héros troyen

Museus e coleções em perspectiva histórica: as primeiras décadas do Museu Julio de Castilhos (1903-1940)

SIAM. Series Iberoamericanas de Museología. Año 3, Vol.

Capacidade Absortiva de Empresas do Extremo Sul Catarinense, usuárias de um Sistema de Gestão Financeira

TCC (graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Centro de Ensino. Curso de Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação.Analisar a capacidade absortiva dos usuários das empresas que passaram pelo processo de implantação de um sistema de gestão financeira é um dos objetivos dessa pesquisa. Para tanto, é importante aprofundar os conhecimentos sobre o tema capacidade absortiva e sistemas de gestão financeira. A capacidade absortiva de acordo com os autores pesquisados e utilizados como referencial teórico apresentam alguns indicadores, para que seja mensurada a capacidade absortiva das empresas, que também são contemplados no presente trabalho. Adicionalmente ao referencial teórico, foi aplicada uma pesquisa em algumas empresas que passaram pela implantação do sistema de gestão financeira Bônus, com o objetivo de avaliar a capacidade absortiva dos usuários dessas organizações.Analyzing the absorptive capacity of users of companies that have undergone the process of implementing a financial management system is one of the objectives of this research. To do so it is important to deepen the knowledge on the subject absorbing capacity and financial management systems. The absorptive capacity according to the authors researched and used as theoretical reference present some indicators, so that the absorptive capacity of the companies, which are also contemplated in the present work, is measured. In addition to the theoretical reference, a research was applied in some companies that went through the implementation of the Bonus financial management system, in order to evaluate the absorptive capacity of the users of these organizations