105 research outputs found
Breeding phaseolus vulgaris (common bean) for resistance to the major pest bruchids Zabrotes subfasciatus and Acanthoscelides obtectus. Biochemical bases for seed resistance in wild lines
No full textPhaseolus vulgaris (common bean) is an important source of protein for human and animal consumption. Economic losses post-harvest in storage are primarily due to the bruchid beetles Acanthoscelides obtectus (Bean Weevil) and Zabrotes subfasciatus (Mexican Bean Weevil). Wild-lines exhibiting resistance to these two species have been found and the mechanisms of resistance to each species are investigated. The mechanisms of resistance to the two species are found to be multiple, and different for each species. In the case of Z. subfasciatus, the presence of a novel storage protein and absence of the conventional storage protein constitutes the primary mechanism. The novel protein ("arcelin") is antimetabolic when included in artificial diets. In vitro digestibility studies indicate that it is indigestible to Z. subfasciatus larval gut proteases, and since arcelin constitutes the major protein of the seed the larvae starve. Arcelin has a similar amino- acid sequence to PHA. Also present is WBAI, a highly specific inhibitor of larval amylase of the two bruchid pests Z. subfasciatus and Callosobruchus maculatus, whilst having virtually no inhibitory activity on the mammalian amylase, nor on other insect, bacterial nor fungal enzymes. WBAI is similar in gross structure to the conventional amylase inhibitor obtainable from RKB (commercial P. vulgaris), and both are also immunologically similar to PHA. Both of these mechanisms are suitable for incorporation into commercial seed, and the former has already been tested, using meal from seeds, in feeding trials using rats, confirming absence of mammalian toxicity. Resistance to A. obtectus damage is accompanied by reduced starch content, and high content of an acidic polysaccharide (whose structure has not been elucidated). No protein cause for resistance was found. Inheritance of resistance to A. obtectus is recessive. Since the factor responsible for resistance is not a primary gene product and is expressed recessively, this factor is unsuitable for incorporation into breeding lines to be used for developing commercial cultivars
The Political Communication of Hugo Chávez: The Evolution of Aló Presidente
No full textAló Presidente was a weekly television programme anchored and produced by Hugo Chávez during his presidency in Venezuela. The show, a version of a phone-in, was broadcast live on national television at 11am on Sundays and lasted on average six hours. It followed the presidential agenda to a new location every week, where Hugo Chávez would inaugurate factories, read Latin American poetry, interview Fidel Castro, and sing llanero songs. This thesis investigates the role that Aló Presidente played in the making of the “Bolivarian Revolution”, Hugo Chávez’s political project. Through a critical reading of the transcripts of the show, it explores the 378 episodes, or 1656 hours, that aired between 1999 and 2012. Aló Presidente was the cornerstone of Chávez’s political communication, replacing press conferences and interviews. Chávez was known for his continuous presence on radio and television and his daily presidential addresses. However, only on the Sunday show could the audience phone the president and share their ideas, emotions and everyday life concerns. This thesis reviews the narratives that underlined the relationship between the audience/electorate and the host/president on Aló Presidente. It is argued that Aló Presidente played a fundamental role in articulating the identity of a public that shared the values and ideas of Chávez’s hegemonic project. Moreover, it is argued that the show Aló Presidente and the ideological process called the “Bolivarian Revolution” can be read as two co-related arms of a same project, and that they informed and defined each other throughout Chávez’s presidency. In this context, this thesis assesses the evolution of the programme in light of the political events taking place in Venezuela during that time. Aló Presidente is thus seen as a repository, or “black box”, of the discourses that articulated the Bolivarian identity and constructed the legitimacy of Hugo Chávez as the leader of a populist movement in Venezuela. Finally, the core of this thesis is that the co-relation between the show and the hegemonic project evolved over time to strengthen the authoritarian tendencies of Hugo Chávez’s regime. Following the activities of Aló Presidente over 13 years, the investigation charts that evolution in three different stages: 1) participation, 2) education, and 3) obedience, arguing that what started as a seemingly participatory space, progressively became a platform that presented Hugo Chávez’s figure as the ideologue of a populist movement, and ultimately secured his position as the indisputable leader and sole authority of Venezuela’s “Bolivarian Revolution”
The later orchestral works of William Walton: a critical and analytical re-evaluation
No full textAlthough the British twentieth-century composer William Walton enJoys a continuing presence in the international canon, the body of scholarship that seriously engages with his life and work is small. The post-war music, which includes the Cello Concerto (1956), Second Symphony (1961), Variations on a Theme of Hindemith (1963), Improvisations on
an Impromptu of Benjamin Britten (1969), and the film score for Battle of Britain (1969), has been particularly underrepresented in critical and analytical writing. In this thesis, I give detailed analyses of these scores, alongside an investigation of the contemporary critical
climate and reception history of these works.
I argue that the series of significant lifestyle changes that Walton underwent in the years immediately following the Second World War - including exchanging the busy musical life of London and a series of affairs with high-profile figures for the 'dolce far niente' of an isolated Italian island and a stable marriage - are suggestive of a broad shift in the composer's social and cultural values with consequent changes in musical attitudes and compositional tendencies. Walton's later music is differentiated from the pre-war works by the presence of octatonic, twelve-note, hexatonic and other non-diatonic harmonic constructions in the foreground, and a change from teleological to network-based or rotational background structures. My analyses adopt a deliberately eclectic range of analytical strategies, combining aspects of set-class approaches alongside tools from the tonal tradition. This methodological pluralism reflects my argument that the vitality of these scores derives from a tension between modernist and traditional tendencies. I argue that
Walton appropriates a wide range of influences, including to some extent that of the European avant garde, in contradistinction to the assertion prominent in contemporary
reception literature that his music had stagnated into a single outmoded and rarefied style.
I conclude that although Walton's post-war music was indeed conservative in comparison to that of several of his younger contemporaries, his music engages, through opposition and assimilation, with many of the most characteristic trends of twentieth-century concert
music. Nevertheless, I argue that the temptation to label Walton as a 'modernist' should be avoided; his works should be judged on their own terms and not according to the
regressive--progressive axis prominent in much of the contemporary reception literature. These scores may not have been progressive, but they have a distinctive sound-world and an invigorating vitality that makes them exceptionally engaging both as works of art and
objects of study
Teatro, narcotráfico y violencia. Acerca del drama Contrabando de Víctor Hugo Rascón Banda
No full textIn the present work, we studied the play Contrabando (1991) by Mexican author Víctor Hugo Rascón Banda, whose central theme is the phenomenon of drug trafficking. The illegal trade of narcotics inscribes the characters in a universe marked by violence and this acquires varying degrees of presence. Accordingly, we analyze the mode of representation of the violent actions associated with drug trafficking in the drama. We follow, mainly, the theoretical postulates of Benjamin (Para una crítica de l violencia y otros ensayos) and Reguillo (“La narcomáquina”), on violence and drug trafficking, and articulate these contributions with the dramatological model, designed by José Luis García Barrientos (Cómo se comenta una obra de teatro), for the commentary of a play.En el presente trabajo, estudiamos la obra teatral Contrabando (1991) del autor mexicano Víctor Hugo Rascón Banda, cuyo tema central es el fenómeno del narcotráfico. El comercio ilegal de estupefacientes inscribe a los personajes en un universo signado por la violencia y esta adquiere diversos grados de presencia. De acuerdo con ello, nos proponemos analizar en el drama el modo de representación de las acciones violentas asociadas al narcotráfico. Seguimos, principalmente, los postulados teóricos de Benjamin (Para una crítica de la violencia y otros ensayos) y Reguillo (“La narcomáquina”), sobre la violencia y el tráfico de drogas, respectivamente, y articulamos estos aportes con el modelo dramatológico, diseñado por José Luis García Barrientos (Cómo se comenta una obra de teatro), para el comentario de una obra teatral
Teatro, narcotráfico y violencia. Acerca del drama Contrabando de Víctor Hugo Rascón Banda
No full textIn the present work, we studied the play Contrabando (1991) by Mexican author Víctor Hugo Rascón Banda, whose central theme is the phenomenon of drug trafficking. The illegal trade of narcotics inscribes the characters in a universe marked by violence and this acquires varying degrees of presence. Accordingly, we analyze the mode of representation of the violent actions associated with drug trafficking in the drama. We follow, mainly, the theoretical postulates of Benjamin (Para una crítica de l violencia y otros ensayos) and Reguillo (“La narcomáquina”), on violence and drug trafficking, and articulate these contributions with the dramatological model, designed by José Luis García Barrientos (Cómo se comenta una obra de teatro), for the commentary of a play.En el presente trabajo, estudiamos la obra teatral Contrabando (1991) del autor mexicano Víctor Hugo Rascón Banda, cuyo tema central es el fenómeno del narcotráfico. El comercio ilegal de estupefacientes inscribe a los personajes en un universo signado por la violencia y esta adquiere diversos grados de presencia. De acuerdo con ello, nos proponemos analizar en el drama el modo de representación de las acciones violentas asociadas al narcotráfico. Seguimos, principalmente, los postulados teóricos de Benjamin (Para una crítica de la violencia y otros ensayos) y Reguillo (“La narcomáquina”), sobre la violencia y el tráfico de drogas, respectivamente, y articulamos estos aportes con el modelo dramatológico, diseñado por José Luis García Barrientos (Cómo se comenta una obra de teatro), para el comentario de una obra teatral
The margin and the mainstream : positioning Harry Partch's theories within the broader discourse of musical aesthetics
No full textBibliography: leaves 102-106.The dissertation examines the broader musical value of microtonal composer Harry Partch's musical theories by locating his critique of abstract music within mainstream compositional theory and aesthetics. This contextualisation aims to deconstruct Partch's iconoclastic image so as to understand his contribution within a wider realm of critical discourse. The work of composers that follow in Partch's footsteps becomes important in this context, especially that of his one-time student Ben Johnston whose own microtonal aesthetic is firmly rooted in European aesthetics from Debussy to Schoenberg. By a study of Johnston's utilisation of Partch's theory of just intonation the dissertation attempts to arrive at a more inclusive compositional theory, one which continues to address those aspects of Partch's theories that serve as a valid and constructive critique of traditional musical values. Taking Adorno's view that musical critique must deal with the problem of reification at the level of musical materials, the author proposes a reading of Partch's corporeal philosophy that is applicable beyond the confines of narrative musical drama. By creating a distinction between historical models of organisation and 'second nature' forms of musical presentation, it is suggested that critique does not necessarily prefigure alienation from the mainstream, but can rather be situated within musical discourse in such a way that a new image of the latter's forms results. On a practical level, the dissertation explores the validity of expanded just intonation as a means of achieving this immanent critique, both in the realm of compositional theory and, implicitly, in that of analytical theory, concluding with the description of a tuning system with the capacity to synthesise the range of compositional theories explored
Entre lit3ratura e mat3mática: uma leitura [alegórica] de O filho de mil homens, de Valter Hugo Mãe
No full textTese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Comunicação e Expressão, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Literatura, 2023.Esta tese se propõe a realizar um estudo envolvendo literatura e matemática. Para estabelecer essa aproximação, o romance O filho de mil homens (2012), de Valter Hugo Mãe será lido a partir do conceito de alegoria, proposto por Walter Benjamin e João Adolfo Hansen. Assim, esta pesquisa pretende (I) realizar uma leitura do romance O filho de mil homens; (II) apontar uma possível alegoria matemática, como recurso interpretativo, presente no livro em questão, sem aplicar algoritmos do cálculo, apenas observando seus deslocamentos pelo romance (relacionando a outros romances do autor); e (III) reforçar a manifestação da ciência nas artes, desmistificando a dicotomia enraizada de rejeição, do impossível encontro entre elas. Em resumo, a hipótese que levanto nesta tese é: de que algumas menções matemáticas, em relevo no romance O filho de mil homens, de Valter Hugo Mãe, alegorizam a constituição de uma nova família a partir de restos (matemáticos) de outras famílias. As menções à matemática são alegóricas. São a representação da dificuldade (da matemática e da vida das personagens).Abstract: This thesis proposes to carry out a study involving literature and mathematics. To establish this approach, the novel O filho de mil homens (2012), by Valter Hugo Mãe will be read from the concept of allegory, proposed by Walter Benjamin and João Adolfo Hansen. Thus, this research intends (I) to perform a reading of the novel O filho de mil homens; (II) to point out a possible mathematical allegory, as an interpretative resource, present in the book in question, without applying calculation algorithms, just observing their displacements by the novel (relating to other novels of the author); and (III) reinforce the manifestation of science in the arts, deconstructing the rooted dichotomy of rejection, the impossible encounter between them. In summary, the hypothesis I raise in this thesis is: that some mathematical mentions, in relief in the novel O filho de mil homens, by Valter Hugo Mãe, allegorize the constitution of a new family from the (mathematical) remains of other families. The references to mathematics are allegorical. They are the representation of difficulty (mathematics and the life of the characters)
Interactive Data Comics
No full textThis paper investigates how to make data comics interactive. Data comics are an effective and versatile means for visual communication, leveraging the power of sequential narration and combined textual and visual content, while providing an overview of the storyline through panels assembled in expressive layouts. While a powerful static storytelling medium that works well on paper support, adding interactivity to data comics can enable non-linear storytelling, personalization, levels of details, explanations, and potentially enriched user experiences. This paper introduces a set of operations tailored to support data comics narrative goals that go beyond the traditional linear, immutable storyline curated by a story author. The goals and operations include adding and removing panels into pre-defined layouts to support branching, change of perspective, or access to detail-on-demand, as well as providing and modifying data, and interacting with data representation, to support personalization and reader-defined data focus. We propose a lightweight specification language, COMICSCRIPT, for designers to add such interactivity to static comics. To assess the viability of our authoring process, we recruited six professional illustrators, designers and data comics enthusiasts and asked them to craft an interactive comic, allowing us to understand authoring workflow and potential of our approach. We present examples of interactive comics in a gallery. This initial step towards understanding the design space of interactive comics can inform the design of creation tools and experiences for interactive storytelling. Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Human Information Communication Desig
AuthCrowd: Author Name Disambiguation and Entity Matching using Crowdsourcing
No full textDespite decades of research and development in
named entity resolution, dealing with name ambiguity is still a
a challenging issue for much bibliometric-enhanced information
retrieval (IR) tasks. As new bibliographic datasets are created as
a result of the upward growth of publication records worldwide,
more problems arise when considering the effects of errors
resulting from missing data fields, duplicate entities, misspellings,
extra characters, etc. As these concerns tend to be of large-scale,
both the general consistency and the quality of electronic data are
largely affected. This paper presents an approach to handle these
name ambiguity problems through the use of crowdsourcing as a
complementary means to traditional unsupervised approaches.
To this end, we present “AuthCrowd”, a crowdsourcing system
with the ability to decompose named entity disambiguation and
entity matching tasks. Experimental results on a real-world
dataset of publicly available papers published in peer-reviewed
venues demonstrate the potential of our proposed approach for
improving author name disambiguation. The findings further
highlight the importance of adopting hybrid crowd-algorithm
collaboration strategies, especially for handling complexity and
quantifying bias when working with large amounts of data
The uses of silence : a twentieth-century preoccupation in the light of fictional examples, 1900-1950
No full textA striking feature of twentieth-century Western cultural history was a
preoccupation with silence. This thesis is a survey of the phenomenon across a
broad range of literary and theoretical discourses actively engaged in the period
in exploring and exploiting silence's expressive and philosophical potential. Its
focus, and unifying principle, is the dynamic resourcefulness of the motif-the
diversity of its uses and significations. The meaning of silence shifts according to
its context and the discourse deploying it. By analysing an array of novels and
theoretical formulations-by writers as diverse as James, Chopin, Conrad, H. D.,
Forster, Lawrence, Faulkner, and Wittgenstein, Benjamin, Blanchot, Hassan,
Macherey, Irigaray, Spivak, Derrida-the mobility of silence as a construct is
exposed.
Silence is identified in the fiction of the period 1900-1950, and its
implications are assessed in the light of the various ways in which its uses were
understood and interpreted by twentieth-century theorists. Theory provides a
heuristic device for the comprehension of the fiction selected for scrutiny whilst
further highlighting the extent of the past century's dedication to the motif.
Fiction and theory are regarded as two different manifestations of a fascination
with silence: fiction dramatizes a commitment to the motif which comes to be
formally registered in theoretical discourse as the century progresses.
After an introductory chapter outlining the expanse of the phenomenon to
be studied, the thesis is divided into two parts illustrating the discrete
implications attaching to the motif: 'Social Silences' and 'Ontological Silences'.
The project questions whether the multiplicity of silence's usage may work to
depotentiate its signifying power; in particular, whether its role in abstract
'ontological' formulations diminishes its force for emancipatory 'social'
discourses. In conclusion, by means of the synchronic organization of the thesis,
silence's import is shown to lie in its resourcefulness rather than in any intrinsic
characteristic it might be thought to possess
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