16 research outputs found
Beyond the Mirror: Towards a feminised (cartographic) process of spatiality in moving-image & installation based art
No full textGoing against phalloculocentrism’s situation in a hom(m)o-sexual paradigm and structuration of the male gaze and moving towards a gyneacentric perspective, the thesis explores how a feminised process of reception and interaction with artworks might arise. My installation and moving-image practice-led research is driven by a central question: How might a feminised form of spatiality, based on a gyneacentric model, deform an audience’s phalloculocentric reading of an artwork?
The purpose of this thesis is to find a practice-led feminist method of producing an artwork that actively represents the feminine and de-centres an audience’s (male) gaze. By dislocating the eye from the lens of a camera, I propose to alter an audience’s usual cinematic experience of an image of the feminine through my artwork. This is developed through my proposition for composing an experience of her image through inter-relational exchanges in order to shift the register of reception from gazing to “touching”. I claim this could provide a potential for an embodied feminised process of spatiality and perception. A method of cartographically mapping the feminine through diagrams, photographs, drawings and video is developed in the preparation and installation of the central artwork that structures the thesis, (f)low visibility, in a nightclub. Feminist (installation and video) practitioners’, Martha Rosler, Louise Bourgeois, Mona Hatoum and Pipilotti Rist, approaches to representing the feminine are also investigated. The preparatory designs attempt to subvert the potential for a voyeuristic reception and/or exhibitionistic composition of the installation. This forms an investigation into how the reception and interaction with a feminised image might arise through a tactile process of exploration.
I propose that although (f)low visibility produced ungraspable feminised on-screen images it afforded embodied partially locatable inter-relational exchanges in its reception of her. Luce Irigaray’s and Donna Haraway’s theories of embodiment are developed and intertwined in my conclusion. I claim that interaction with and reception of monstrous cyborg images on-screen occurred through the navigation of a fantasy of intrauterine “touching” in (f)low visibility’s installation as a feminised process of spatiality
Relative influence of hypoxemia and anemia on the measurement of central venous oxygen saturation
No full textData-Driven Techniques for Printer Prognosis and Performance Improvement: Design and Critical Comparison
No full textIt is of key importance for modern printing systems to maintain high standards of efficiency, reliability and print quality. In this regard, the scope of this work is to investigate the applicability of data analysis and machine learning techniques to improve the performances of industrial printers manufactured at Océ Technologies. Two critical aspects of the considered printing process are analysed and multiple algorithms are developed. Temporary failure of printhead nozzles, a well-known issue in inkjet printing, is first addressed. Available data are used to real-time estimate the health status of each nozzle. This allows for a prompt identification of problematic scenarios and lays the foundations for the introduction of condition-based maintenance. The analysis is further enhanced by the application of machine learning. Gaussian process regression is used to predict the evolution of nozzle failures. The designed solutions show to be precious tools for nozzle prognostics, providing great accuracy and a high level of flexibility. Problematic nozzles can be restored by performing automatic cleaning actions. However, because of the costs and limited efficiency of these, their appropriateness is highly questionable. Such delicate matter is tackled by designing an autoregressive model that enables to define an advanced cleaning strategy. The presented method allows to decrease the cleaning costs up to 5-10%, leading to a considerable operational cost reduction. All the proposed solutions are thoroughly evaluated and compared, considering both their efficiency and implementation costs. Therefore they represent valuable proposals, ready to be factually implemented on an Océ printer.Mechanical Engineering | Systems and Contro
Prevalence of endotoxemia after surgery and its association with ICU length of stay
No full textINTRODUCTION: The aim of this observational study was to investigate the prevalence of endotoxemia after surgery and its association with ICU length of stay. METHODS: 102 patients admitted to a university ICU after surgery were recruited. Within four hours of admission, functional data were collected and APACHE II severity score calculated. Arterial blood samples were taken and endotoxemia was measured by chemiluminescence (Endotoxin Activity (EA)). Patients were stratified according to their endotoxin levels (low, intermediate and high) and according to their surgical procedures. Differences between endotoxin levels were assessed by ANOVA, accepting P < 0.05 as significant. Data are expressed as mean +/- SD. RESULTS: EA levels were low in 68 (66%) patients, intermediate in 17 (17%) and high in 17 (17%). Age (61 +/- 17 years) and APACHE II score 8.3 +/- 3.7 (P = 0.542) were not significantly different in the three EA groups. Functional parameters on admission were similar between EA groups: white blood cells 11093 +/- 4605 cells/mm3 (P = 0.385), heart rate 76 +/- 16 bpm (P = 0.898), mean arterial pressure 88.8 +/- 13.6 mmHg (P = 0.576), lactate 1.18 +/- 0.77 mmol/L (P = 0.370), PaO2/FiO2 383 +/- 109 mmHg (P = 0.474). Patients with high levels of EA were characterized by longer length of stay in the ICU: 1.9 +/- 3.0 days in the low EA group, 1.8 +/- 1.4 days in intermediate and 5.2 +/- 7.8 days in high group (P = 0.038). CONCLUSIONS: 17% of our patients were characterized by high levels of endotoxemia as assessed by EA assay, despite their low level of complexity on admission. High levels of endotoxin were associated with a longer ICU length of stay
Anesthetics considerations in peritonitis
No full textPeritonitis remains an illness with a significant mortality rate in surgery. Age, male sex, and the inability to control the source are associated with greater mortality. Anesthesia and perioperative medicine should aim to stop the increase in metabolic debt in the pre-surgical phase and to provide metabolic steering during surgery. Early goal directed therapy (EGDT) is still the mandatory cornerstone of management, presented here in several different versions, depending on the monitoring system available in the local clinical environment. The discharge from the operating room to a proper clinical setting must be based on a suitable scoring system, such as APACHE II (acute physiology and chronic health evaluation). Clinical surveillance, when the patient is on the ward, has to be governed for a period using a nursing score like the modified early warning score. Antimicrobial therapy, as well as appropriate timing of administration is both important. Analgesia, locoregional whenever possible, is also an important tool for preventing complications, which occur mainly during the postoperative period, and most frequently in the first month.</jats:p
Persistent pain following common outpatient surgeries in children: A multicenter study in Italy
No full textNarrativas dos movimentos de uma tese: apresentar as entrevistadas e narrar o narrado
No full textO presente artigo é uma síntese revisitada de um capítulo de uma tese de doutorado o qual apresenta as entrevistadas da pesquisa na perspectiva de uma abordagem com narrativas de si e (auto)biografias. O grupo é composto por vinte mulheres, todas estudantes de um Curso de Graduação em Pedagogia e com a grande maioria que já atua como professora da educação infantil ou das séries iniciais do ensino fundamental. Como um trabalho que dialoga a partir do campo dos Estudos Culturais em Educação e da Pesquisa Biográfica, destaco autores como Arfuch (2010), Délory-Momberger (2012), Souza (2014), Abrahão (2014 ), dentre outros, para compor o embasamento teórico. As entrevistadas são apresentadas através de suas narrativas das memórias musicais de diferentes fases da vida, com lembranças de sons, melodias, discos e cantores. No momento da análise dos dados que emergiram com as entrevistas e as autobiografias musicais foram organizados mapas com dados de cada entrevistada, no sentido de poder conhecer as trilhas sonoras de cada etapa de suas vidas e as articulações destas com as práticas pedagógico musicais.
Abstract
This is a revisited synthesis of a chapter of a PhD thesis which introduces the research interviews in the perspective of an approach with self narratives and autobiogaphies. The group i, being the vast majority already working as college teachers or teachers in the initial series of elementar school. As a study that inserts itself in the field of Cultural studies in education and Biographic research, authors as Josso (2004), Arfuch (2010), Délory-Momberger (2006), Souza (2014), Maffioletti, and Abrahão (2016) are pointed among others as the theoretical basis. The interviewed subjects are presented through its narratives of musical memories in the diferente phases of their lives, with remembrances of sounds, melodiees, recorded material, and singers. In the moment of data analysis based upon the interviews and musical autobiographies, those were as maps of each interviewed teacher, in order to the author to get the knowledge and the meaning of the sound tracks of each step of their lives and the interaction of them with their praactice of musical pedagogy.
Key words self narratives; musical memories; autobiographical researc
The SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics' resources: focus on curated databases
No full textThe SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (www.isb-sib.ch) provides world-class bioinformatics databases, software tools, services and training to the international life science community in academia and industry. These solutions allow life scientists to turn the exponentially growing amount of data into knowledge. Here, we provide an overview of SIB's resources and competence areas, with a strong focus on curated databases and SIB's most popular and widely used resources. In particular, SIB's Bioinformatics resource portal ExPASy features over 150 resources, including UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot, ENZYME, PROSITE, neXtProt, STRING, UniCarbKB, SugarBindDB, SwissRegulon, EPD, arrayMap, Bgee, SWISS-MODEL Repository, OMA, OrthoDB and other databases, which are briefly described in this article
Morbidity and mortality after anesthesia in early life in Italy. A subgroup analysis of the NECTARINE Trial
No full textBackground: Recent literature on neonatal anesthesia focuses on the importance of keeping physiology within the ranges of normality to improve the long-term neurological outcome. The Neonate and Children audit of Anesthesia pRactice IN Europe (NECTARINE) showed a derangement of one or more than one physiological parameters during anesthesia needing a medical intervention in 35.2% of 6592 anesthesia procedure performed in infants up to 60 weeks postmenstrual age. Methods: Subanalysis of the Italian NECTARINE cohort providing a snapshot of anesthesia management, incidence of clinical events requiring intervention during anesthesia, and morbidity and mortality at 30 and 90 days. Secondary aim was to compare outcomes between Italy and Europe. Results: Twenty-three Italian centers recruited 501 patients (63% male, 37% female) undergoing 611 procedures (441 surgical and 170 non-surgical) with a mean gestational age at birth of 38 weeks. Events requiring a medical intervention during anesthesia occurred in 177 cases (28.9%), lower than those reported in Europe (35.3%). The majority of events concerned episodes of cardiovascular instability, most commonly due to hypotension. The incidence of mortality at 30 days was 2.7%, consistent with the European incidence. Conclusions: Anesthetizing neonates is challenging. It is crucial that neonatal anesthesia practice is performed in specialized centers to maximize the potential positive outcome. We recommend a certification of quality for Institutions providing care for very young patients
Optimal allocation model of forest fire detection towers in protected areas based on fire occurrence risk: Where and how to act?
No full textForest fire detection towers are crucial in supporting rapid firefighting actions in conservation units and thus reducing environmental, social, and economic damages. Thus, the aim was to evaluate scenarios for optimal allocation of forest fire detection towers, according to the risk of occurrence, in the Caparaó National Park, Brazil. Thus, by geotechnological analysis, the area’s most susceptible to forest fires and the optimal locations for installation of detection and monitoring for these events were delimited. To run the proposed models, biological, physical, socioeconomic, and meteorological variables were used. From the application of the methodologies, it was observed that 76.70% of the study area was covered by low, moderate, and shallow fire risk classes, while high and very high-risk classes were concentrated in the buffer zone. The scenario with 45 towers was considered the most advantageous, given that they presented viewing levels above 70% and a lower cost per hectare viewed than the scenario with 48 towers. Results showed no critical risks of fire occurrence within the Conservation Unit, but preventive measures are still needed to avoid fire spread, particularly near the buffer zone. The study's methodologies can be applied in other areas to improve forest fire prevention and control efforts.The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the pdf file of the accepted manuscript may differ slightly from what is displayed on the item page. The information in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript reflects the original submission by the author
