Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Activist Art Action'

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Antioch University, 2009.
Title from PDF t.p. (viewed March 25, 2010). Advisor: Jon Wergin, Ph.D. "A dissertation submitted to the Ph.D. in Leadership and Change program of Antioch University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2009."--from the title page. Includes bibliographical references (p. 238-245).

If community is defined as a group of teachers, learners, and others who collaborate to achieve common goals, art education that is based on the interests and needs of that community can be identified as community-based art education (CBAE). CBAE programs often have goals that are congruent with educational theory or pedagogy for social justice. In this study five CBAE programs were examined for purposes, goals, instructional methods, and curriculum in order to determine how pedagogy for social justice could be applied to art education in community-based settings. The five CBAE programs were evaluated with a rubric integrating social justice into community-based art education. That information was used to create a set of best instruction practices for teaching for social justice in CBAE, as well as curriculum recommendations.

This research investigated the mechanism of action in bacteria of 3,4-methylenedioxy-β-nitropropene (BDM-I), a very broad spectrum antimicrobial lead compound in development as an anti-infective drug. The thesis proposes that BDM-I inhibits bacterial protein tyrosine phosphatases, a novel mechanism of action for an antimicrobial agent and a new target in microorganisms. This very open investigation was directed by considerable biological information on the effects of BDM-I in microorganisms and animals which provided insights into possible and improbable cellular targets. The biological effects of BDM-I were investigated using biochemical and cell-based assays, transmission electron microscopy and whole genome DNA microarray analysis. The specific experiments and order of execution were largely dependent on information gained as the project progressed. BDM-I was shown not to target the metabolic pathways of the major classes of antibacterial drugs, which supports a novel mechanism of action. Investigation of several species-specific effects suggested that cell signalling pathways were a possible target. Based on the structure of BDM-I and review of the scientific literature on cell signalling in bacteria, the hypothesis that BDM-I acted by inhibition of protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTP) was supported by demonstrating inhibition of human and bacterial PTP's in an enzyme assay. This mechanism was consistent with other demonstrated effects: inhibition of the intracellular pathogen, Chlamydia trachomatis; inhibition of swarming in Proteus spp. and inhibition of pigment production in Serratia marcescens; and with kill kinetics in bacteria and yeast. A pilot global genome analysis of BDM-I treated Bacillus subtilis did not detect differential expression of PTP genes but has provided many avenues for further investigation. This research further supports the development of BDM-I as a broad spectrum anti-infective drug.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2007
Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment for the degree of Master of Social Work. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-132).

Recycling and solid waste management are a serious problem in the Russian North. The necessary infrastructure, as well as the awareness of the citizens is missing to resolve this problem efficiently. Artists and environmental activists have therefore looked for a way to make people aware of the need for recycling and initiate social change in this regard. The medium that has been chosen by activists and artists alike is art. By involving people in creating an art object or by presenting art to them, the activists and artists hope to initiate awareness concerning our consumption patterns and, like this, show them that recycling is one of many solutions. This thesis should demonstrate how intertwined the connections between the different groups of people, but also with the (art) objects are. This is done by drawing on the actor-network-theory by Bruno Latour as an analytical tool to understand these connections. Key component in this theory, as well as the artist-activist- collective is reassembling. By constantly reassembling people into new projects, as well as household items into art objects, the collective manages to remain visible to the public and to be flexible enough to react to changing needs.

This thesis empirically examines how lobby groups and activists respond to innovative forms of public participation. The study centres on processes that foster a particular kind of deliberative governance including citizens’ juries, consensus conferences and planning cells. These deliberative designs bring together a panel of randomly selected lay citizens to deliberate on a specific policy issue for a few days, with the aim of providing decision makers with a set of recommendations. While policy makers worldwide are attracted to these novel participatory processes, little consideration has been given to how well they work alongside more adversarial and interest-based politics. This doctoral research project examines this interface by studying what these processes mean to different kinds of policy actors such as corporations, advocacy groups, government agencies, experts and professionals. These entities are collectively referred to in this thesis as ‘interest organisations’ because in some way they are seeking a specific policy outcome from the state – even government-based groups.¶ The empirical research in this thesis is based on comparative case studies of four deliberative design projects in Australia and Germany. The Australian cases include a citizens’ jury on waste management legislation and a consensus conference on gene technology in the food chain. The German case studies include a planning cells project on consumer protection in Bavaria, and a national consensus conference on genetic diagnostics. Together the cases capture a diversity of complex and contested policy issues facing post-industrialised societies. In each case study, I examine how relevant interest organisations responded to the deliberative forum, and then interpret these responses in view of the context and features of the case.¶ The picture emerging from the in-depth case studies is that interest organisations respond to deliberative designs in a variety of ways. Some choose to participate actively, others passively decline, and a few resort to strategic tactics to undermine citizens’ deliberations. The empirical research reveals that though responses are variable, most interest organisations are challenged by several features of the deliberative design model including: 1) that deliberators are citizens with no knowledge or association with the issue; 2) that experts and interest representatives are required to present their arguments before a citizens’ panel; and 3) that policy discussions occur under deliberative conditions which can expose the illegitimate use of power.¶ Despite these challenges, the paradox is that many interest organisations do decide to engage in lay citizen deliberations. The empirical research indicates that groups and experts value deliberative designs if they present an opportunity for public relations, customer feedback, or advocacy. Moreover, the research finds that when policy actors intensively engage with ‘ordinary’ citizens, their technocratic and elite ideas about public participation can shift in a more inclusive and deliberative direction.¶ The thesis finds that, on the whole, weaker interest organisations are more willing to engage with lay citizens than stronger organisations because they welcome the chance to influence public debate and decision makers. It appears that powerful groups will only engage in a deliberative forum under certain policy conditions, for example, when the dominant policy paradigm is unstable and contested, when public discussion on the issue is emerging, when policy networks are interdependent and heterogeneous, and when the broader social and political system supports public accountability, consensus and deliberation. Given that these kinds of policy conditions do not always exist, I conclude that tensions between interest organisations and deliberative governance will be common. In order to create more cooperative and productive interfaces, I recommend that interest organisations be better supported and integrated into citizens’ deliberations, and that steps be taken to safeguard forums from strategic attempts to undermine their legitimacy.¶ The thesis also sends out three key messages to democratic theorists. First, the empirical research shows that different kinds of groups and actors in civil society vary in their willingness and capacity to participate to public deliberation. Second, the deliberative design model demonstrates that partisan actors, such as interest organisations, will engage in public deliberation when they can participate as strategic deliberators. In this role partisans are not expected to relinquish their agendas, but present them as testimonies before a group of deliberators. Third, the empirical research in this thesis should bring home to theorists that deliberative forums are closely linked to the discursive context within which they operate.

Yes
Background: A large majority of primary school pupils fail to achieve 30-min of daily, in-school moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The aim of this study was to investigate MVPA accumulation and subject frequency during academic lesson segments and the broader segmented school day. Methods: 122 children (42.6% boys; 9.9 ± 0.3 years) from six primary schools in North East England, wore uniaxial accelerometers for eight consecutive days. Subject frequency was assessed by teacher diaries. Multilevel models (children nested within schools) examined significant predictors of MVPA across each school-day segment (lesson one, break, lesson two, lunch, lesson three). Results: Pupils averaged 18.33 ± 8.34 min of in-school MVPA, and 90.2% failed to achieve the in-school 30-min MVPA threshold. Across all school-day segments, MVPA accumulation was typically influenced at the individual level. Lessons one and two—dominated by maths and English—were less active than lesson three. Break and lunch were the most active segments. Conclusion: This study breaks new ground, revealing that MVPA accumulation and subject frequency varies greatly during different academic lessons. Morning lessons were dominated by the inactive delivery of maths and English, whereas afternoon lessons involved a greater array of subject delivery that resulted in marginally higher levels of MVPA.
This research was funded by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.

La recherche porte sur les relations entre les acteurs politiques et l’art subversif et leur positionnement face à des thèmes récurrents tels l’antisémitisme, l’oubli du passé, la condition de la femme, l’écologie. Partant des théories existantes sur les rapports entre l’art engagé et le politique, il s’agit d’étudier les œuvres de quatre artistes représentatifs à la fois de l’évolution des positions politiques et des techniques nouvelles à travers l’histoire de 1945 à nos jours, dans la IIe République d’Autriche : le sculpteur Alfred Hrdlicka, le peintre et architecte Friedensreich Hundertwasser, l’actionniste viennois Günter Brus, la féministe Valie Export. Ces artistes bousculent l’ordre établi à travers leur art agressif et leurs écrits. Le but est de définir la nature et le degré de leur protestation et de déterminer dans quelle mesure ils ont participé au débat démocratique et à la modernisation de la société autrichienne ainsi qu’à la construction identitaire de l’Autriche après 1945
The research relates to the relation between the political actors and subversive art and their respective position on dominant themes such as anti-Semitism, the denial of the Nazi past, the status of women, ecology. From existing theories on relations between engaged art and politics, it is a question of studying the works of art of four artists representative on both policy statements and newer technologies through history from 1945 up to now, in the Second Republic of Austria : the sculptor Alfred Hrdlicka, the painter and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser, the Viennese actionist Günter Brus, the feminist Valie Export. Each one, in his own way, shakes up the established order through his aggressive art and writings. The aim is to specify the type and level of protest of these artists and to assess to what extent they have participated in the democratic debate and modernisation within Austrian society as well as in the identity building of Austria after 1945

Dallas is a unique city whose history has been overshadowed by its elite. The War on Poverty in Dallas, Texas, has been largely overlooked in the historical collective. This thesis examines the War on Poverty, more specifically, Community Action Programs (Dallas County Community Action Committee) and its origin and decline. It also exams race within the federal program and the push for federal funding among the African American and Mexican American communities. The thesis concludes with findings of the politicization of the Mexican American community and the struggle with African Americans for political equality.

The numerous surveillance videos recorded by a single stationary wide-angle-view camera persuade the use of a moving point as the representation of each small-size object in wide video scene. The sequence of the positions of each moving point can be used to generate a trajectory containing both spatial and temporal information of object's movement. In this study, we investigate how the relationship between two trajectories can be used to recognize multi-agent interactions. For this purpose, we present a simple set of qualitative atomic disjoint trajectory-segment relations which can be utilized to represent the relationships between two trajectories. Given a pair of adjacent concurrent trajectories, we segment the trajectory pair to get the ordered sequence of related trajectory-segments. Each pair of corresponding trajectory-segments then is assigned a token associated with the trajectory-segment relation, which leads to the generation of a string called a pairwise trajectory-segment relationship sequence. From a group of pairwise trajectory-segment relationship sequences, we utilize an unsupervised learning algorithm, particularly the k-medians clustering, to detect interesting patterns that can be used to classify lower-level multi-agent activities. We evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach by comparing the activity classes predicted by our method to the actual classes from the ground-truth set obtained using the crowdsourcing technique. The results show that the relationships between a pair of trajectories can signify the low-level multi-agent activities.

Feminism is often blamed for having made the 'wrong decisions' on issues such as work and care. This thesis argues that such judgements are based on a misperception of how social movements exercise collective agency. While feminist historiography and social movement studies offer some insights, neither directly address the question of to what extent the directions taken by social movements can be shaped by high level strategic decision-making. In answering this question, the research was informed by philosophical pragmatism and by feminist theories of responsibility and reason. The prevailing 'movement CEO' image of decision-making was rejected in favour of an approach directed to interpreting the past actions of the women’s movement without neglecting its decentralised and collective nature. ¶ I began by investigating the degree of strategy in Australian women’s movement activism on work and care issues in two periods: the interwar years (1919–1938) and in the 1970s and 1980s. These periods were chosen because they are often taken to illustrate failures in feminist decision-making. The second-wave movement is said to have failed women by over-emphasising access to paid work at the expense of women’s caring roles while the feminists of the early twentieth century are said to have locked women into mothering roles by relying on maternalist arguments. The historical research drew on primary sources including the records created by organisations and individuals involved in the movement, together with oral history interviews. The historical studies found little evidence of capacity for, or orientation towards, high level strategic decision-making in terms of the political and discursive risks identified in later criticisms of feminism. The studies supplement existing historical accounts by illuminating the nature of organisational processes within the movement and the reasoning used by participants. ¶ I then developed a positive alternative to existing rational actor models of decision making, which avoids the assumption that movements as such engage in strategic decision-making but still allows for the possibility of purposive collective action. This 'organisation-direction' model proposes that collective intentions may be formed in the more densely-organised nodes of a movement field and may pull the movement in certain directions without imposing high-level strategic decisions. Non instrumental elements such as emotion and movement knowledge are irreducible parts of reasoned action, which only sometimes involves assessing risks and opportunities. Movement goals and means are generated in the course of practical engagement rather than through a linear process of decision-making. The thesis contributes to the social movement literature that emphasises the constitutive role of non-instrumental elements of action by showing how these are linked to goal-oriented organisation. The thesis responds to the growing emphasis on strategic choices in social movements by exploring the nature and limits of strategy instead of assuming its usefulness as an interpretive device.

[Truncated abstract] The mammalian cochlea receives an efferent innervation which originates in the superior olive. Known collectively as the olivocochlear system, this efferent innervation can be divided into lateral and medial systems. While the function of the lateral efferent system in the cochlea is still unknown, previous studies have identified both excitatory and inhibitory changes in sound-evoked and spontaneous cochlear responses attributable to the lateral efferent system. One of the neurotransmitters in the lateral efferents is the catecholamine dopamine, which in the central nervous system is known to exert inhibitory and excitatory effects by activating different receptor subtypes. The first experiments in this thesis were designed to determine if activation or blockade of different dopamine receptor subtypes in the cochlea could lead to both excitatory and inhibitory changes in sound-evoked and spontaneous cochlear responses. Adult guinea pigs were anaesthetised (Nembutal and Hypnorm) and highly specific D1/5 (SKF 38393, SKF 81297, SCH 23390), D2 ((+) PHNO, L 741, 626) and D3 (PD 128907, U 99194A) receptor agonists and antagonists were perfused through the cochlea for 15 minutes. Sound-evoked (compound action potential, summating potential, cochlear microphonic) and spontaneous cochlear responses were recorded before and after perfusion. Remarkably, activating or blocking D1/5 or D2 receptor subtypes resulted in the suppression of CAP amplitudes. These findings are paradoxical as the agonist data suggest that the D1/5 and D2 receptor subtypes are inhibitory, but the antagonist perfusions suggest that these receptors are excitatory. We propose that the presence of an agonist induces a process of receptor desensitisation which would elicit changes akin to receptor antagonism. If this is indeed the case then our agonist findings are spurious and require further interpretation. ... The suppression of the cochlear microphonic suggests that dopamine receptor influence is not confined to the primary afferent dendrite may also include the active process of the outer hair cells. The D1/5 and D2 antagonist data also suggests that dopamine receptors are activated by intrinsic dopamine. Therefore, we attempted to investigate the effects of putative dopamine depletion of the cochlea and found that application of the dopaminergic neurotoxin MPTP causes changes in both neural and hair cell responses which have not been reported before. However, we also demonstrated that tyrosine hydroxylase positive nerve fibres are still present in MPTP treated cochleae which suggests that dopamine is still present in these cochleae. Furthermore, we observed significant electrophysiological changes in these same cochleae when these were exposed to a D2 receptor antagonist which again supports the presence of intrinsic dopamine in these 'depleted cochleae'. These data suggest that the currently accepted method of acute dopamine depletion using MPTP is insufficient and different methods must be developed in the future.

This thesis elaborates theory on the understanding of meaning making processes at the micro level through which political activists come to understand, interpret and give meaning to their experiences. It argues that though framing theory offers insights into the strategic and instrumental use of contested meaning making processes in mounting actions, it is not enough to explain what happens before a contentious political situation is constructed strategically with the aim to mobilise others. By linking framing theory with a body of literature called sensemaking theory from organisation studies, however, it is possible to gain a better understanding of the dynamics that to come into play when and how individual activists come to interpret and understand their situation and actions in a certain way in a' self-referential manner. Integrating these two theoretical approaches in a theoretical framework thus captures both sides of the process of meaning making at the micro level, and allows for a deeper comprehension of the 'micro-foundations' of political activism. The thesis furthermore sets a first step to explore the implications of the theoretical framework in more detail, both methodologically and empirically, through a study of the meaning making accounts of Dutch political activists. The analysis of the discursive utterances of 23 in-depth interviews with activists from radical activist group GroenFront!, the more moderate activist network Referendum Platform Nederland and a group of individual citizen activists provided insights into the different dimensions which affect the form and content of meaning making accounts. The analysis has allowed for a refinement of the theoretical framework and the development of a typology of meaning making accounts which implies the need for a more dynamic and processual approach to understanding the meaning making of political activists. The thesis thus demonstrates the importance of studying the meaning making processes of activists which" precede any strategic and externally directed framing processes. As such, it allows for a much deeper understanding of the meaning making processes that underlie, activate and ultimately decide the success or failure of political activism. The implications for existing theory and research involve a fundamental extension of framing theory in the field of social movements and the need for interpretive and processual studies at the micro level of individual activists and the way in which they give meaning to their political reality

Previous research highlighted that Internet use, in particular online information

retrieval and discussions, can facilitate offline collective actions (Boulianne, 2009).

Recently, however, the Internet also has been criticized for encouraging low-cost and lowrisk

online collective actions—slacktivism—that may have detrimental consequences for

groups that aim to achieve a collective purpose (Gladwell, 2010). More precisely, it is

argued that actions such as “liking” Facebook pages or posting ingroup-endorsing

comments online make users instantly feel good, satisfy their need to act, and derail

participation in offline collective actions (Lee & Hsieh, 2013; Morozov, 2009).

In my thesis, I assessed this postulation as well as the underlying processes and

boundary conditions of the relationship between so-called slacktivist actions and offline

collective actions. After introducing a conceptualization of slacktivism as expressive lowthreshold

online collective actions, I investigated its influence on offline engagement

(Study 1, N = 634; Study 2, N = 76; Study 3, N = 63; Study 4, N = 48). Results indicated that

expressive low-threshold online collective actions reduce the willingness to join offline

collective actions. This effect was mediated by the satisfaction of group-enhancing

motives; members considered the online actions as a substantial contribution to the

group's success. The demobilizing impact of expressive low-threshold online collective

actions was qualified when members took the online actions in the co-presence of the

ingroup, all parties being mutually identifiable (Study 5a, N = 84; Study 5b, N = 99). In this

context, obligatory interdependencies between members were enhanced and fostered a

spill-over from online to offline collective actions (Study 6, N = 62).
Doctorat en Sciences Psychologiques et de l'éducation
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

The thesis took the general question of responsive curriculum development which meets both the needs of work and those of the academy as its starting point. The rationale for the topic flows out of education policy and societal pressures worldwide which are calling for an ever greater responsiveness from higher education to the workplace in the twenty-first century. Responsiveness to work requires collaborative and integrative work between communities of academic and non-academic practitioners. Differences between knowledge and practices at work and within the academy are broadly acknowledged in the literature, yet the ensuing nature and complexity of interactions between these two communities in curriculum design on the ground is poorly understood. A key point is to recognize that integration as such cannot be the goal
the differences remain, but have to turned into productive collaboration and joint development, for example, of a curriculum.

Notre recherche a pour objectif d’analyser et de comprendre le paradoxe suivant : la forte - ou plutôt intense - présence des jeunes sur la scène publique, notamment politique. Présence, toutefois, étrangement assortie d’un faible engagement de ces mêmes jeunes dans les structures classiques d’engagement politique. Et ce bien que la société tunisienne postrévolutionnaire ait fixé de nombreux défis, dont en premier chef celui du politique et de la manière d'appréhender les aspirations et les revendications des jeunes. Ces derniers ont représenté l’un des principaux acteurs de la révolution, lesquels avaient ouvert la voie à un changement politique et à une reconfiguration de l’espace public tunisien. Paradoxalement, dès la première épreuve de la transition démocratique qu’ont été les élections de 2011, celles-ci furent marquées par l’absence des jeunes qui auraient d’autant plus constitué une importante réserve électorale de partisans de la liberté d’expression. Or, il s’avère que l’abstentionnisme de ces derniers est loin d’exprimer un manque d’engagement citoyen. Ce parti pris n’est nullement arbitraire ; il est en fait une modalité d’expression politique propre à eux. Il est en quelque sorte une réponse à l’incertitude qui continue à ronger l’existence de ces jeunes et à les plonger dans un état de précarité. Celui-ci n’est pas sans rapport avec un chômage perdurant, faute d’un « nouveau » modèle de développement à même de raviver l’espoir chez eux et de leur permettre de s’intégrer à – et profiter de – l’ère du consumérisme et l’hédonisme propagés par la « culture monde » et les nouvelles technologies de la communication.Ce faisant, les jeunes s’engagent mais autrement ; ils s’inscrivent dans un nouveau répertoire politique. La reconfiguration de l’espace public tunisien est une manifestation de l’émergence de nouvelles formes d’engagement politique chez les jeunes et les reconstitutions qu'ils opèrent sur leurs rapports au politique. Par cela, nous renvoyons à leurs nouvelles formes d’expression inventées qui véhiculent d'autres valeurs, imprimant ainsi leur action politique par des manières et modalités de faire spécifiques. Ces modalités sont multiples caractérisées par une pluralité de canaux d’expression et de formes d’engagement. Ainsi, l’art de la rue, l’expression corporelle, le mode de vie, etc., illustrent bel et bien que, derrière leur désengagement des circuits politiques traditionnels, se trament et se déploient des modalités et des dispositifs de mobilisation distincts. Modalités d’expression certes encore ambiguës et inachevées, mais innovantes, autonomes, plurielles et hétérogènes, voire surtout non conventionnelles et individuelles
The present research seeks to analyze and understand the following paradox: the strong - or rather intense - presence of young people in the public scene, especially the political one; a presence, however, that is strangely coupled with a low involvement of these young people in the traditional political structures. This is despite the fact that the post-revolutionary Tunisian society has set many challenges, especially those pertaining to the way of apprehending the aspirations and demands of young people. The latter represented one of the main actors of the revolution, who had paved the way for a political change and a reconfiguration of the Tunisian public space. Paradoxically, since the first test of the democratic transition, which was none other than the 2011 elections, things were marked by the absence of young people who all the more reason would have constituted an important electoral reservoir of supporters of freedom of expression. However, it turns out that the youth abstention is far from expressing a lack of civic commitment. This bias is by no means arbitrary; it is in fact a mode of political expression peculiar to them. It is in a way a response to the uncertainty that continues to plague the lives of these young people and to maintain them into a precarious state. This is not unrelated to a persistent unemployment, mainly in the absence of a "new" model of development likely to rekindle hope among them and allow them to integrate - and enjoy - the era of consumerism and hedonism propagated by the "world culture" and new communication technologies.In the meantime, these young people show they are concerned, indeed, but otherwise; they take part of a new political range, rather. The reconfiguration of the Tunisian public space is a manifestation of the emergence of such new forms of political commitment among young people and the remodeling that they operate in their relations to politics. So this research refers to these newly-invented forms of expression that convey distinctive values, imprinting young people’s political action by specific ways and means of doing things. These means are multiple, characterized by a plurality of expressive channels and forms of involvement. Thus, the art of the street, body language, lifestyle, etc., all perfectly illustrate that, behind their disinterest in the traditional political circuits, other methods and mechanisms of mobilization are taking shape and unfolding; they are certainly still ambiguous and undefined, but yet innovative, autonomous, plural, heterogeneous and, above all, unconventional and individual

[Truncated abstract] The present study investigated whether any of the characteristics of the compound action potential (CAP) waveform or the spectrum of the neural noise (SNN) recorded from the cochlea, could be used to examine abnormal spike generation in the type I primary afferent neurones, possibly due to pathologies leading to abnormal hearing such as tinnitus or tone decay. It was initially hypothesised that the CAP waveform and SNN contained components produced by the local action currents generated at the peripheral ends of the type I primary afferent neurones, and that changes in these local action currents occurred due to changes in the membrane potential of these neurones. It was further hypothesised that the lateral olivo-cochlear system (LOCS) efferent neurones regulate the membrane potential of the primary afferent dendrites to maintain normal action potential generation, where instability in the membrane potential might lead to abnormal primary afferent firing, and possibly one form of tinnitus. We had hoped that the activity of the LOCS efferent neurones could be observed through secondary changes in the CAP waveform and SNN, resulting from changes in the membrane potential of the primary afferent neurones. The origins of the neural activity generating the CAP waveform and SNN peaks, and the effects of the LOCS on the CAP and SNN were experimentally investigated in guinea pigs using lesions in the auditory system, transient ischemia and asphyxia, focal and systemic temperature changes, and pharmacological manipulations of different regions along the auditory pathway. ... Therefore, the CAP and SNN are altered by changes in the propagation of the action potential along the primary afferent neurones, by changes in the morphology of the tissues surrounding the cochlear nerve, and by changes in the time course of the action currents. If the CAP waveform is not altered, the amplitude of the 1kHz speak in the spontaneous SNN can be used as an objective measure of the spontaneous firing rate of the cochlear neurones. However, because the SNN contains a complex mixture of neural activity from all cochlear neurones, and the amplitude of the spontaneous SNN is variable, it would be difficult to use the spontaneous SNN alone as a differential diagnostic test of cochlear nerve pathologies. To record extratympanic electrocochleography (ET ECochG) from humans, a custom-designed, inexpensive, low-noise, optically isolated biological amplifier was built. Furthermore, a custom-designed extratympanic active electrode and ear canal indifferent electrode were designed, which increased the signal-to-noise ratio of the ECochG recording by a factor of 2, decreasing the overall recording time by 75%. The human and guinea pig CAP waveforms recorded in the present study appeared similar, suggesting that the origins of the human and guinea pig CAP waveforms were the same, and that experimental manipulations of the guinea pig CAP waveform can be used to diagnose the cause of abnormal human ECochG waveforms in cases of cochlear nerve pathologies.

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Siron Franco is an artist who has, in a parallel with his pictorial work, always produced pieces that denounced social grievances and pieces of political nature which, placed in public settings, aimed at inducing the media to broadcast protests. The artist has for very long championed the environmental cause, what has led him to produce a series of pieces on the theme: paintings, demonstrations, stickers, installations, video-sculptures. This dissertation sets out to review the historical moment in which these pieces come out and presents them as postmodern art work produced in line with environmental activism. This research intends to analyze the insertion of artistic protests which have the environment as a cause, into the press and in contemporary art production
Siron Franco é um artista que, paralelamente ao seu trabalho pictórico, produz obras que denunciam problemas sociais e obras de cunho político. Colocadas em locais públicos, têm o objetivo de induzir os meios de comunicação a veicular protestos. O artista assumiu desde sempre a causa ambiental, o que o levou a produzir uma série de obras, pinturas, passeatas, adesivos, instalações, vídeoescultura que abordam o tema. O presente trabalho visa rever o momento histórico em que as ações e instalações de Siron Franco (1986-2008) se inserem e as apresenta como produções de arte desenvolvidas junto com o ativismo ambiental. A pesquisa pretende analisar a inserção dos seus protestos artísticos, que têm como tema o meio ambiente, dentro da imprensa e da produção de arte contemporânea

We have a huge amount of video data from extensively available surveillance cameras and increasingly growing technology to record the motion of a moving object in the form of trajectory data. With proliferation of location-enabled devices and ongoing growth in smartphone penetration as well as advancements in exploiting image processing techniques, tracking moving objects is more flawlessly achievable. In this work, we explore some domain-independent qualitative and quantitative features in raw trajectory (spatio-temporal) data in videos captured by a fixed single wide-angle view camera sensor in outdoor areas. We study the efficacy of those features in classifying four basic high level actions by employing two supervised learning algorithms and show how each of the features affect the learning algorithms’ overall accuracy as a single factor or confounded with others.

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar el uso y aplicación del modelo de valoración de activos de capital, CAPM, como herramienta de planificación y evaluación financiera, comparándolo con otros modelos alternativos. El CAPM propone una relación entre el riesgo y rendimiento de un activo. El riesgo está representado por el coeficiente beta, que mide la sensibilidad del instrumento financiero en relación con el riesgo sistemático, ya sea en un portafolio de activos o en la valoración de una empresa. Debido a que existen críticas sobre la validez del CAPM, en este estudio se busca conocer la efectividad que tiene el uso y la aplicación del modelo. Para ello, se han buscado evidencias empíricas, en diferentes países, y sectores económicos en las que se compara el CAPM con otros modelos alternativos, tales como el APT o el de Tres Factores Fama y French que, según la investigación realizada, serían los más utilizados. Los resultados de esta investigación muestran que el CAPM no ofrece necesariamente resultados positivos significativos en los estudios revisados. Sin embargo, ello no quiere decir que el CAPM no sea un modelo suficiente para predecir la relación riesgo – rentabilidad en los casos en los que se aplica. Se concluye por ello que, a pesar de que existen modelos alternativos tratando de superar las limitaciones del CAPM, hoy en día este modelo sigue siendo el más utilizado fundamentalmente por su sencillez y por su capacidad de explicar y predecir, de manera suficiente, en la mayoría de las aplicaciones generales.
The objective of this paper is to analyze the use and application of the capital asset pricing model, CAPM, as a planning and financial evaluation tool and to compare it with other alternative models. The CAPM propose a relationship between the risk and return of an asset. The risk is represented by coefficient called beta, which measures the sensitivity of the financial asset in relation to it´s systematic risk, either in a portfolio or in the valuation of a company. Given that there are controversies about the validity of the CAPM, the study is gad is to understand the effectiveness of the use and application of the model. In order to do that, evidence, in different countries and economic sectors, is presented in which the CAPM is compared with other alternative models, such as the APT or the Fama and French Three Factor, according to this investigation would be the most used. The results of this investigation shown that, the CAPM, even though it is not able to offer significant positives results in the studies reviewed. However, it is not a sufficient model for predictins the risk - return relationship in the cases where it applies. It is concluded for that, although there are alternatives models trying to overcome the limitations of the CAPM, this model is nowadays the most used yet, fundamentally because of its simplicity and its ability to explain and predict, in a sufficient fashion, in most of the general applications.
Trabajo de Suficiencia Profesional

La marge d'Équateur est caractérisée par un bassin avant-arc formé par un socle crétacé et une couverture de sédiments marins d'âge Crétacé à Quaternaire. Le relief de cette zone comprend d'une part la cordillère Côtière proprement dite et la plaine Côtière, située entre la cordillère Côtière et les Andes. Ce travail porte sur l'évolution et le soulèvement de la cordillère Côtière durant le Néogène. Dans un premier temps, nous avons réalisé une étude géologique régionale de la cordillère côtière. À partir de l'analyse stratigraphique et structurale des formations géologiques, nous avons réalisé une carte géologique de la cordillère côtière au 1/500 000 qui nous a permis d'effectuer pour la première fois des corrélations stratigraphique et un schéma structural à l'échelle complète de la cordillère. Dans un deuxième temps nous avons réalisé une étude géomorphologique de la zone. À partir de l'analyse de MNT, d'images satellites et aériennes nous avons défini les principales caractéristiques morphologiques de la zone d'étude. En particulier, le travail a porté principalement sur l'analyse de la géométrie du réseau hydrographique, la mesure de la géométrie des vallées et du profil en long des rivières à l'échelle de la cordillère Côtière. En complément nous avons mesuré le profil longitudinal des terrasses alluviales le long du rio Jama et analysé la morphologie des cônes alluviaux qui se déposent au pied des Andes sur la plaine Côtière. Les résultats ont permis de proposer une évolution du soulèvement de la cordillère Côtière. Les mesures des incisions relatives des rivières suggèrent que le soulèvement de la cordillère Côtière n'est pas homogène et que la cordillère est segmentée en plusieurs blocs dont les taux de soulèvement relatif sont variables: les blocs du Nord présentant les incisions les plus importantes. L'analyse des profils longitudinaux des terrasses alluviales du rio Jama montre une activité néotectonique le long des failles du système de Jama. Le taux de soulèvement estimé à partir de cette analyse est de 0.9 à 1.2 mm/ an pour le segment central de la cordillère Côtière. L'analyse du cône de Santo Domingo, situé aux pieds des Andes, révèle une importante interaction entre le soulèvement de la cordillère Côtière et le remplissage sédimentaire de la plaine côtière dont le résultat est la réorganisation du réseau hydrographique en deux grands bassins hydrographiques: Guayas au Sud et Esmeraldas au Nord. A plus long termes, la géologie et la stratigraphie montrent que la partie du Sud a subis une plus forte érosion (soulèvement ?) qu'au Nord. La mise en évidence de plusieurs discordances à l'échelle régionale montre que la cordillère Côtière s'est soulevée de façon hétérogène depuis le Plio-Pléistocène formant un grand antiforme segmenté et contrôlé par des failles régionales qui présentent une direction proche de la direction du mouvement vers le NE-NNE du bloc Nord-Andin.

Les effets du lindane (insecticide organochlore) (2,5 a 200 m) ont ete examines in vitro sur les productions de radicaux libres oxygenes (rlo) et de cytokines a activite macrophage-activating-factor (maf) par des cellules phagocytaires isolees a partir du rein anterieur de truite arc-en-ciel. Le lindane augmente de facon dose-dependante, la production de radicaux libres oxygenes par les phagocytes en activant la proteine kinase c. Le mecanisme est independant du calcium intracellulaire pour les concentrations les plus basses ou le lindane conduit egalement a une production par les phagocytes de cytokines presentant une activite maf ; cette production est independante des lymphocytes t. Le traitement des cellules avec du lindane s'accompagne d'une augmentation dose-dependante de la ca#2#+#i, plus importante pour les phagocytes du rein anterieur que pour les leucocytes du sang peripherique. Le lindane conduit a une augmentation de la ca#2#+#i par entree de calcium dans la cellule et par mobilisation de la reserve calcique du reticulum endoplasmique, a partir de 50 m. Apres 5 minutes d'exposition au lindane, une mortalite des cellules intervient, significative a partir de la dose de 100 m. Une preincubation de 5 minutes de lymphocytes t et b avec du lindane aboutit a une inhibition importante et dose-dependante, de leur proliferation mitogenque. Une contamination aigue de truites par du lindane pourrait donc conduire a une immunodepression associee a un stress oxydatif au niveau des organes lymphoides (rein anterieur en particulier) par declenchement d'une importante production d'especes reactives de l'oxygene et de cytokines maf, initiant une reaction inflammatoire et aboutissant a une cytotoxicite liee a l'exces de rlo et de calcium dans les cellules ; cette cytotoxicite se faisant ressentir au niveau des cellules lymphocytaires. Ainsi, nos resultats obtenus in vitro nous permettent d'emettre des hypotheses et de mieux comprendre les mecanismes immunotoxicologiques du lindane mis en jeu in vivo chez le poisson.

Human interactions with Information Technology tools are reproducing organisational cultural patterns in a process similar to the evolution of human tools and language. A multidisciplinary research in tool-mediated activity, culture, language and cognition will examine new concepts that can be important for the design of organisationally fit Information Technology interface tools. By using qualitative and quantitative analysis together with the fields of anthropology, philosophy, cognitive sciences and human computer interaction this thesis shows that cultural fitness is an important variable that can determine in a substantial degree the rejection or adoption of a tool in organisational environment. Qualitative and quantitative data collected from organisational simulations at the Faculty of Information Sciences and Engineering of the University of Canberra during the period 1995-1997 has been used and analysed.

Comment les formateurs d’enseignants réussissent-ils à faire face aux réformes ? Pour répondre, nous avons conçu une intervention-recherche (IR) avec une approche ergonomique de l’activité en soutien d’une demande de formateurs, qui, face à une troisième réforme en moins de dix ans, se questionnent sur la mise en œuvre d’un nouveau dispositif de formation destiné à opérationnaliser l’alternance. Cette IR est conçue avec une triple visée, exploratoire puis transformative et épistémique. Nous avons d’abord procédé à un diagnostic exploratoire pour ensuite contribuer à provoquer et accompagner un processus de développement de l’activité professionnelle auprès de formateurs engagés dans l’IR. Nos principaux résultats montrent que, pour travailler, face à ces changements à marche forcée, sans accompagnement institutionnel, ni création d’espaces d’échanges collectifs, les formateurs recyclent d’anciennes manières de faire et de penser la formation. Par la suite, le milieu généré par l’IR va permettre l’élaboration d’un collectif de travail capable de mobiliser des ressources psychosociales au service de l’élaboration de nouveaux buts permettant une reprise du pouvoir d’agir de chacun et la réélaboration de règles de métiers. A l’issue de cette recherche, nous soutenons qu’un autre mode de réforme est à envisager en mobilisant l’expertise et l’expérience des formateurs. Nous pensons qu’en utilisant les méthodes et les outils de l’analyse du travail réel, au sein d’espaces collectifs de travail, peut s’engager une réélaboration collective des prescriptions de la réforme dont l’intention n’est plus la rupture mais la transformation efficiente de l’existant par son amélioration
How do teacher trainers cope with reforms? To answer this question, we designed an intervention-research (IR) with an ergonomic approach to the activity in support of a demand from trainers who, faced with a third reform in less than ten years, are questioning the implementation of a new training scheme designed to operationalise work-linked training. This IR is designed with a threefold aim: exploratory, then transformative and epistemic. We first carried out an exploratory diagnosis and then helped to initiate and support a process of development of professional activity with trainers involved in IR. Our main results show that, in order to work with these forced changes, without institutional support or the creation of spaces for collective exchange, trainers recycle old ways of doing and thinking about training. Subsequently, the environment generated by the IR will allow the development of a working collective capable of mobilising psychosocial resources to develop new goals that will enable each individual to regain the power to act and to re-develop the rules of the trade. At the end of this research, we maintain that another mode of reform should be suggested by mobilising the expertise and experience of trainers. We believe that by using the methods and tools of analysis of real work, within collective work spaces, a collective reworking of the prescriptions of the reform can be undertaken, the intention of which is no longer the rupture but the efficient transformation of what already exists through its improvement

L'utilisation en phase liquide d'un sel de cobalt totalement reduit par un alkyl metal conduit essentiellement a la formation d'hydrocarbures. Lorsque la reduction est incomplete, on note une production d'alcools limitee dans le temps, avec une selectivite maximale pour la demi-reduction. Par contre en creant des centres metalliques sur un support constitue de cobalt oxyde, la production d'alcools augmente legerement et devient stable. Ainsi la synthese de produits oxygenes necessite la presence simultanee de centres metalliques et oxydes

Over the last decade, there has been rapid growth in research into the influence of the physical environment on physical activity. Previously, individual and social factors dominated research into the influences of physical activity. This new area of study has been built on the understanding that the physical environment may create an opportunity or a barrier to engagement in physical activity behaviours (Sallis & Owen, 1997). This research develops objectively measured features of the physical environment in order to investigate relationships with walking behaviour. Public health research of this nature is still at a preliminary stage, although research expertise outside of public health including transportation, urban planning and geographic information science has much to contribute to this emerging field. This study investigated walking in the neighbourhood in a sample of adults residing in Perth, Western Australia. Objective measurement of the physical environment using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was conducted including measurement of street connectivity, residential density, land use mix and retail floor area ratio at three different geographic scales (suburb, census collection district, 15 minute walk from a survey participants home). These measures were then combined into an index known as a walkability index and validated against survey participant reported data on walking within the neighbourhood using binary logistic regression. Among other findings, the evidence presented shows that depending on which geographic scale the physical environment is measured at and what type of walking in the neighbourhood is reported, the strength of relationship varies between an objectively measured walkability index and walking behaviour in the neighbourhood. These findings highlight the need to differentiate between walking for transport and walking for recreation, health and exercise when investigating the relationship between physical activity and the environment. These findings also show the importance of geographic scale of measurement in the relationship between physical activity and the physical environment, and the need for current high quality geographic data in this type of research.

Etude des modifications des proprietes du nickel sur support d'oxydes de terres rares (lanthane et cerium) en comparant avec d'autres supports. Les caracterisations physicochimiques (reduction chimique, adsorption-desorption a temperature programmee) montrent que les oxydes de terres rares sont des supports facilement reductibles. Toutefois les mesures de chimisorption ne permettent pas de determiner la taille des particules en raison d'interactions electroniques entre le metal et le support. C'est pourquoi, les catalyseurs sont caracterises par des reactions d'hydrogenation. Mise en evidence de centres reactionnels d'adsorption du monoxyde de carbone par spectrometrie infra rouge

Dans un contexte de refondation de l’École en France, nos travaux de recherche (2015-2018) s’intéressent à l’activité de travail de trois personnels de direction (principal et adjoint(s)), en poste de pilotage dans un collège REP+ (Réseaux d’Éducation Prioritaire renforcée) du sud de la France. Dans ce milieu de travail dit difficile, comment ces encadrants éducatifs exercent-ils leur activité réelle, pris entre la norme prescriptive et la décision à prendre dans le quotidien de travail ? Quel pouvoir d’agir au sens de Clot ? Comment cette exploration peut-elle développer l’activité des encadrant(e)s et celle du chercheur ? Notre intervention-recherche (2015-2018) met en synergie le champ théorique de l’ergonomie de l’activité autour d’un cadre méthodologique de la clinique de l’activité, et l’approche ethnographique. Cette association nous permet d’amorcer des éléments de réponse quant à l’activité des encadrants et celle de la chercheure. En particulier, la mobilisation subjective des encadrant(e)s au travail serait relativement structurante de leur prise de décision dans le milieu. Au-delà des normes prescrites, des traces d’activité relevant d’un niveau plus « sensible » semblent donner corps au processus décisionnel et participer à légitimer la décision prise. Ainsi, la valorisation des traces subjectives et intersubjectives pourrait constituer une ressource de formation individuelle et collective non négligeable dans l’activité de direction au quotidien. En outre, l’approche théorique constituerait une piste exploratoire, comme une des voies d’accès à l’émergence des traces peu visibles dans ce milieu, favorisant un double développement professionnels-chercheure
Our research work (2015-2018) focuses on the work activity of three senior management staff (principal and deputy) on a flight deck at a REP + college (Priority Reinforced Education Networks) in the south of France. In this difficult work environment, how do these educational supervisors exercise their real activity, caught between the prescriptive norm and the decision to be made in the daily work? What power to act in the sense of Clot? How can this exploration develop the activity of the supervisors and that of the researcher? Our research-intervention (2015-2018) puts in synergy the theoretical field of the ergonomics of the activity around a methodological framework of the clinic of the activity, and the ethnographic approach. This association allows us to start answering questions about the activity of the supervisors and that of the researcher. In particular, the subjective mobilization of supervisors at work would be relatively structuring of their decision-making in the community. Beyond the prescribed standards, traces of activity on a more "sensitive" level seem to give substance to the decision-making process and help to legitimize the decision taken. Thus, the valorization of subjective and intersubjective traces could constitute a significant individual and collective training resource in the day-to-day management activity. In addition, the theoretical approach would constitute an exploratory track, as one of the ways of access to the emergence of the little visible traces in this environment, favoring a double professional development-researcher

O Vírus da Imunodeficiência Humana (HIV) é o agente etiológico da Síndrome da Imunodeficiência Adquirida (AIDS). A AIDS é uma doença de distribuição mundial, e estima-se que existam atualmente pelo menos 36,9 milhões de pessoas infectadas com o vírus. Durante o seu ciclo replicativo, o HIV promove diversas alterações na fisiologia da célula hospedeira a fim de promover sua sobrevivência e potencializar a replicação. A rápida progressão da infecção pelo HIV-1 em humanos e em modelos animais está intimamente ligada à função da proteína acessória Nef. Dentre as diversas ações de Nef está a regulação negativa de proteínas importantes na resposta imunológica, como o receptor CD4. Sabe-se que esta ação resulta da indução da degradação de CD4 em lisossomos, mas os mecanismos moleculares envolvidos ainda são totalmente elucidados. Nef forma um complexo tripartite com a cauda citosólica de CD4 e a proteína adaptadora 2 (AP-2), em vesículas revestidas por clatrina nascentes, induzindo a internalização e degradação lisossomal de CD4. Pesquisas anteriores demonstraram que o direcionamento de CD4 aos lisossomos por Nef envolve a entrada do receptor na via dos corpos multivesiculares (MVBs), por um mecanismo atípico, pois, embora não necessite da ubiquitinação de carga, depende da ação de proteínas que compõem os ESCRTs (Endosomal Sorting Complexes Required for Transport) e da ação de Alix, uma proteína acessória da maquinaria ESCRT. Já foi reportado que Nef interage com subunidades dos complexos AP-1, AP-2, AP-3 e Nef não parece interagir com subunidades de AP-4 e AP-5. Entretanto, o papel da interação de Nef com AP-1 e AP-3 na regulação negativa de CD4 ainda não está totalmente elucidado. Ademais, AP-1, AP-2 e AP-3 são potencialmente heterogêneos devido à existência de isoformas múltiplas das subunidades codificadas por diferentes genes. Todavia, existem poucos estudos para demonstrar se as diferentes combinações de isoformas dos APs são formadas e se possuem propriedades funcionais distintas. O presente trabalho procurou identificar e caracterizar fatores celulares envolvidos na regulação do tráfego intracelular de proteínas no processo de regulação negativa de CD4 induzido por Nef. Mais especificamente, este estudo buscou caracterizar a participação do complexo AP-1 na modulação negativa de CD4 por Nef de HIV-1, através do estudo funcional das duas isoformas de ?-adaptina, subunidades de AP-1. Utilizando a técnica de Pull-down demonstramos que Nef é capaz de interagir com ?2. Além disso, nossos dados de Imunoblot indicaram que a proteína ?2-adaptina, e não ?1-adaptina, é necessária no processo de degradação lisossomal de CD4 por Nef e que esta participação é conservada para degradação de CD4 por Nef de diferentes cepas virais. Ademais, por citometria de fluxo, o silenciamento de ?2, e não de ?1, compromete a diminuição dos níveis de CD4 por Nef da membrana plasmática. A análise por imunofluorêsncia indireta também revelou que a diminuição dos níveis de ?2 impede a redistribuição de CD4 por Nef para regiões perinucleares, acarretando no acúmulo de CD4, retirados por Nef da membrana plasmática, em endossomos primários. A depleção de ?1A, outra subunidade de AP-1, acarretou na diminuição dos níveis celulares de ?2 e ?1, bem como, no comprometimento da eficiente degradação de CD4 por Nef. Além disso, foi possível observar que, ao perturbar a maquinaria ESCRT via super-expressão de HRS (uma subunidade do complexo ESCRT-0), ocorreu um acumulo de ?2 em endossomos dilatados contendo HRS-GFP, nos quais também detectou-se CD4 que foi internalizado por Nef. Em conjunto, os resultados indicam que ?2-adaptina é uma importante molécula para o direcionamento de CD4 por Nef para a via ESCRT/MVB, mostrando ser uma proteína relevante no sistema endo-lisossomal. Ademais, os resultados indicaram que as isoformas ?-adaptinas não só possuem funções distintas, mas também parecem compor complexos AP-1 com diferentes funções celulares, já que apenas a variante AP-1 contendo ?2, mas não ?1, participa da regulação negativa de CD4 por Nef. Estes estudos contribuem para o melhor entendimento dos mecanismos moleculares envolvidos na atividade de Nef, que poderão também ajudar na melhor compreensão da patogênese do HIV e da síndrome relacionada. Em adição, este trabalho contribui para o entendimento de processos fundamentais da regulação do tráfego de proteínas transmembrana no sistema endo-lisossomal.
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the etiologic agent of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). AIDS is a disease which has a global distribution, and it is estimated that there are currently at least 36.9 million people infected with the virus. During the replication cycle, HIV promotes several changes in the physiology of the host cell to promote their survival and enhance replication. The fast progression of HIV-1 in humans and animal models is closely linked to the function of an accessory protein Nef. Among several actions of Nef, one is the most important is the down-regulation of proteins from the immune response, such as the CD4 receptor. It is known that this action causes CD4 degradation in lysosome, but the molecular mechanisms are still incompletely understood. Nef forms a tripartite complex with the cytosolic tail of the CD4 and adapter protein 2 (AP-2) in clathrin-coated vesicles, inducing CD4 internalization and lysosome degradation. Previous research has demonstrated that CD4 target to lysosomes by Nef involves targeting of this receptor to multivesicular bodies (MVBs) pathway by an atypical mechanism because, although not need charging ubiquitination, depends on the proteins from ESCRTs (Endosomal Sorting Complexes Required for Transport) machinery and the action of Alix, an accessory protein ESCRT machinery. It has been reported that Nef interacts with subunits of AP- 1, AP-2, AP-3 complexes and Nef does not appear to interact with AP-4 and AP-5 subunits. However, the role of Nef interaction with AP-1 or AP-3 in CD4 down-regulation is poorly understood. Furthermore, AP-1, AP-2 and AP-3 are potentially heterogeneous due to the existence of multiple subunits isoforms encoded by different genes. However, there are few studies to demonstrate if the different combinations of APs isoforms are form and if they have distinct functional properties. This study aim to identify and characterize cellular factors involved on CD4 down-modulation induced by Nef from HIV-1. More specifically, this study aimed to characterize the involvement of AP-1 complex in the down-regulation of CD4 by Nef HIV-1 through the functional study of the two isoforms of ?-adaptins, AP-1 subunits. By pull-down technique, we showed that Nef is able to interact with ?2. In addition, our data from immunoblots indicated that ?2- adaptin, not ?1-adaptin, is required in Nef-mediated targeting of CD4 to lysosomes and the ?2 participation in this process is conserved by Nef from different viral strains. Furthermore, by flow cytometry assay, ?2 depletion, but not ?1 depletion, compromises the reduction of surface CD4 levels induced by Nef. Immunofluorescence microscopy analysis also revealed that ?2 depletion impairs the redistribution of CD4 by Nef to juxtanuclear region, resulting in CD4 accumulation in primary endosomes. Knockdown of ?1A, another subunit of AP-1, resulted in decreased cellular levels of ?1 and ?2 and, compromising the efficient CD4 degradation by Nef. Moreover, upon artificially stabilizing ESCRT-I in early endosomes, via overexpression of HRS, internalized CD4 accumulates in enlarged HRS-GFP positive endosomes, where co-localize with ?2. Together, the results indicate that ?2-adaptin is a molecule that is essential for CD4 targeting by Nef to ESCRT/MVB pathway, being an important protein in the endo-lysosomal system. Furthermore, the results indicate that ?-adaptins isoforms not only have different functions, but also seem to compose AP-1 complex with distinct cell functions, and only the AP-1 variant comprising ?2, but not ?1, acts in the CD4 down-regulation induced by Nef. These studies contribute to a better understanding on the molecular mechanisms involved in Nef activities, which may also help to improve the understanding of the HIV pathogenesis and the related syndrome. In addition, this work contributes with the understanding of primordial process regulation on intracellular trafficking of transmembrane proteins.

A Research Report submitted to the Department of History of Art, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts, 2016
Statistics indicate that over the past 16 years (since the year 2000), there have been over 30 black lesbians in South Africa, who have been victims of rape (and in some cases, brutal murder as well) as a result of homophobic violence, which is aimed at “curing” lesbians of their homosexuality. The aim of this research report is to examine how activist methods, such as art exhibitions and public performances, are challenging homophobic violence. The report explores the effectiveness of activist artworks (which include public performances and works by South African artists Zanele Mutholi and Gabrielle Le Roux) in raising awareness and educating South Africans about homophobic violence, which is a daily reality for many members of the South African LGBTQ community. For the purpose of this report, the Queer and Trans Art-iculations exhibition, which was held at the Wits Art Museum (WAM) in 2014, is compared to the annual Johannesburg Pride parade of 2012. These events are analysed in terms of their effectiveness in creating awareness about homophobic violence and how they can improve on being more informative and effective in the future. The importance of this research is to add to the existing body of work around art activism as it explores the ways in which activist artists attempt to make social and political change regarding the South African LGBTQ community.
MT2017

Reading the book Perform or Else by Jon Mckenzie along with the social distancing, isolation, and all the ongoing challenging and forced experiences of the 2020-21 Covid-19 pandemic era, on one hand, and my interests in performance art and physicality, on the other hand, made me think how can I create a work that represents an image of the body, the concept of action, and the idea of togetherness which are all essential for performance art, and/or for any performance. All art disciplines combine theory and practice in order to depict the relationship between bodies, art, and education, and as history proves, theory is always intended to be put into practice. The theoretical and practical in this written thesis begins with its title This Is Not a Thesis; continues by furthering the idea of Perform or Else, asking instead Thesis or Else; and goes on to serve its purpose of being a theoretical concern, a narrative, a genre in and of itself, an exercise in authorship, and furthermore, function as a documentation of documentation of my art – performance – practice. The series of written pieces, performances (rejected proposals), and images (documents) compiled here are meant to create a space between authorship and performance art. This Is Not a Thesis demonstrates the rejection and acceptance of the same thing at the same time.

The research is based on the belief that the Earth's survival is reliant on an understanding of the interconnectedness between people and the planet. The premise that creative expression is an inherent need in human beings and a powerful agent for social change is at the core of this study. The arts permeate all aspects of life and can play a positive pro-active role in economic and social upliftment. The study therefore explored a contemporary public context in which artists intervene in society to provide practical and functional social spaces but also, with the ecological crisis of the planet, to create an awareness of the interconnectedness of life. Place-making was of specific concern and one of the aims was to examine ways of re-shaping the appearance and meaning of public spaces. An equally important issue was the role and responsibility of both the artist and the commissioning process in a social context and the relevance of individual expression as modes of addressing social concerns and as a tool of public empowerment within a new democratic South Africa that can have a genuine impact on community well-being and social inclusion. The research therefore exists in between the arts, social sciences and the ecology of place: that is, the understanding of the role of creative intervention within social spaces. The study provides a historical context and development of new trends in public and collaborative community arts, contextualises the notion of public and argues for a repositioning of assessment criteria for the arts within a social public domain and in the interest of the people. It is based on a critical survey of international collaborative arts and its potential as a guide to alternative solutions and implementation within a South African context for creative interventions and regeneration of public spaces and empowerment and capacity building of its citizens. The research discusses the relevance and the position of the arts and craft industry as a means of poverty alleviation, job creation and empowerment in South Africa. Rebuilding community demands both the rejuvenation of social spaces and the restoration of community esteem together with mutual and self-respect.
Art History, Visual Arts and Musicology
D. Litt. et Phil (Art History)

Tese de doutoramento em Sociologia, apresentada à Faculdade de Economia da Universidade de Coimbra
La presente investigación se propone analizar cómo se configura la acción política por medio del activismo que se centra en el arte como práctica política. Discute en que medida se reinventa la acción política feminista con y a través del arte, las varias formas de entender y poner en práctica la relación entre el arte y la política, el lugar de las artes feministas comprendidas como prácticas políticas con sus propios repertorios y el lugar de los feminismos en el trabajo artístico. Las categorías de análisis que entrecruzan esta investigación son: arte y política, acción política, activismo feminista desde el arte, acción política artística, políticas feministas, renovación de la política, renovación del arte, y potencia política del arte. Como las preguntas que motivan esta investigación no se resuelven solo en el ámbito teórico sino que son los modos de hacer, las prácticas, las diferentes vivencias, las que pueden dar posibles respuestas, ampliar las miradas y hacer otras preguntas, fue importante hacer partícipes de esta investigación a quienes rompen justamente con formas tradicionales de las políticas feministas en Colombia. Dos colectivas feministas: La Tremenda Revoltosa Batucada Feminista y Féminas Festivas, dos grupos artísticos feministas: el grupo de teatro La Máscara y la banda de punk Polikarpa y sus Viciosas y dos artistas feministas: Ana María Villate y Diana Molina son las sujetas de esta investigación; coproductoras del conocimiento que de aquí se deriva desde sus activismos que potencian lo político en el arte constituyendo las expresiones artísticas en prácticas políticas feministas. Esta propuesta es un ejercicio de Investigación Activista Feminista, un trabajo de construcción colectiva de conocimiento situado desde y para la acción política con la metodología de las Producciones Narrativas. La construcción de las narrativas se realizó a partir de sesiones de trabajo colectivas e individuales, entrevistas y observación participante en las actividades que fue posible acompañar durante el trabajo de campo; las narrativas construidas se disponen y manejan en la tesis de tal manera que constituyen el eje articulador de los análisis aquí desarrollados. En cuanto a la estructura de la investigación se presentan los principales debates del movimiento feminista en Colombia, en relación con dicho movimiento en Latinoamérica y el Caribe para comprender las políticas feministas que lo caracterizan. Se parte de los estudios sociales del arte y sus diferentes miradas sobre la relación arte y política considerando la política en el arte, la estetización de la política, el arte político y el arte activista. Para abrir los límites de la política se aproxima a las propuestas que se encuentran sobre la política y su redefinición en los feminismos, a las prácticas políticas de las sujetas de la investigación y el reconocimiento de otras prácticas para pensar cómo se renuevan y se hacen otras políticas; asimismo se aproxima a los movimientos sociales y su apuesta por redimensionar la política, pensando la cultura como un hecho político, y la articulación de los feminismos con los movimientos sociales en la participación concreta de las sujetas de esta investigación en la vida política del país. Para ampliar la mirada sobre el arte, se retoman los aportes de la sociología en los territorios del arte y la cultura y se incluye el análisis decolonial, las lecturas de la crítica institucional y las experiencias de las artistas y activistas sujetas de la investigación en el mundo del arte. Asimismo, se aborda la potencia política del arte relacionado con la importancia política de lo simbólico. Se presenta la noción de acción política artística y feminista en relación con las artes feministas en los activismos analizados, además de los modos de hacer de cada colectiva, grupo artístico y artista que llevan a comprender como hacer del arte una práctica política feminista. Finalmente se presentan unas reflexiones metodológicas en cuando a las potencialidades y dificultades de las Producciones Narrativas y se problematiza la relación activismo-academia, presentando así los límites, aprendizajes, retos y propuestas suscitadas en esta experiencia de investigación.
A presente investigação propõe-se analisar como se configura a acção política através do activismo que se centra na arte como prática política. Discute em que medida se reinventa a acção política feminista com e através da arte; as várias formas de entender e pôr em prática a relação entre arte e política; o lugar das artes feministas entendidas como práticas políticas com os seus próprios repertórios; e o lugar dos feminismos no trabalho artístico. As categorias de análise que atravessam esta investigação são: arte e política, acção política, activismo feminista a partir/através da arte, acção política artística, políticas feministas, renovação da política, renovação da arte e potencial político da arte. As perguntas que motivam esta investigação não se resolvem apenas em âmbito teórico, mas são os próprios modos de fazer, as práticas e as diferentes vivências que podem dar respostas, ampliar os ângulos de visão e formular outras perguntas. Por isso foi importante integrar nesta investigação quem rompe precisamente com as formas tradicionais das políticas feministas na Colômbia. Duas colectivas feministas: La Tremenda Revoltosa Batucada Feminista e Féminas Festivas; dois grupos artísticos feministas: o grupo de teatro La Máscara e a banda punk Polikarpa y sus Viciosas; e duas artistas feministas: Ana María Villate e Diana Molina são as sujeitas desta investigação; coprodutoras do conhecimento de aqui se deriva a partir dos seus activismos potenciadores do que há de político na arte e transformadores das expressões artísticas em práticas políticas feministas. Esta proposta é um exercício de Investigação Activista Feminista, um trabalho de construção colectiva de conhecimento situado desde e para a acção política, com recurso à metodologia das Produções Narrativas. A construção das narrativas realizou-se a partir de sessões de trabalho colectivas e individuais, entrevistas e observação participante nas actividades que me foi possível acompanhar durante o trabalho de campo. As narrativas construídas dispõem-se e são usadas na tese de forma a construírem o eixo articulador das análises aqui desenvolvidas. Quanto à estrutura da investigação, apresentam-se os principais debates do movimento feminista na Colômbia, em relação ao mesmo movimento na América do Sul e Caraíbas para compreender as políticas feministas que o caracterizam. Parte-se dos estudos sociais da arte e seus diferentes olhares sobre a relação arte-política, considerando a política na arte, a esteticização da política, a arte política e a arte activista. Para abrir as fronteiras da política aproxima-se às propostas encontradas sobre a política e a sua redefinição nos feminismos, as práticas políticas das sujeitas da investigação e o reconhecimento de outras práticas para pensar como se renovam e se fazem outras políticas; da mesma forma faz-se uma aproximação aos movimentos sociais e à sua aposta para redimensionar a política, pensando a cultura como um facto político, e a articulação dos feminismos com os movimentos sociais na participação concreta das sujeitas desta investigação na vida política do país. Para ampliar o nosso olhar sobre a arte, retomamos as contribuições da sociologia nos territórios da arte e a cultura e incluímos a análise descolonial, as leituras da crítica institucional e as experiências das artistas e activistas sujeitas da investigação no mundo da arte. Da mesma forma abordamos o potencial político da arte relacionado-o com a importância política do simbólico. Apresenta-se a noção de acção política artística e feminista em relação com as artes feministas nos activismos analisados, além dos modos de fazer de cada colectiva, grupo artístico e artista que leva a compreender como fazer da arte uma prática política feminista. Finalmente, apresentam-se reflexões metodológicas relacionadas com as potencialidades e dificuldades das Produções Narrativas e problematiza-se a relação activismo-academia, apresentando assim os límites, aprendizagens, desafios e propostas suscitadas nesta experiência de investigação.
The present research analyses how political action is shaped in activist practices engaging in art as a political practice. It discusses to which extent feminist political action reinvents itself through art, and exposes different understandings and practices regarding the link between art and politics, feminist arts as political practices with their own specific languages, and the position of feminisms in artistic work. The categories of analysis in this study include: art and politics, political action, feminist activism through art, artistic political action, feminist politics, renovation of politics, renovation of art, political renovation of art. The questions triggering this research may not be solved only on a theoretical level. Rather, a range of modus operandi, practices, and experiences need to be taken into account so as to produce possible interpretations, amplify perspectives and generate further questions. Therefore, it was considered essential to involve in this investigation precisely those subjects who do not conform to the traditional forms of Colombia’s feminist politics. The subjects of this investigation include feminist collectives: La Tremenda Revoltosa Batucada Feminista and Féminas Festivas; feminist artistic groups: theatre group La Máscara and punk band Polikarpa y sus Viciosas; and feminist artists: Ana María Villate and Diana Molina. These subjects are co-producers of the knowledge systematized in this study, which derives directly from their activisms, and the ways in which they strengthen political intervention with art by contributing to feminist politics through their artistic expressions. The proposed analysis is an exercise of Feminist Activist Research, based on a collective construction of knowledge situated in - and for- political action, using the methodology of Narrative Productions. The construction of narratives was based on individual and collective work sessions, interviews, and participant observation in the activities which were accessible during the field work; the constructed narratives are weaved in the thesis in such a way that they constitute the main pillars of the analysis developed here. Regarding the structure of the investigation, the principal debates of the feminist movement in Colombia are described and linked to similar movements in Latin America and the Caribbean, in order to appreciate their particular configurations within feminist politics. The research is based on social studies on art, in particular the range of perspectives on the relationship between political art and activist art. In order to transcend the borders of politics, this study builds on the theories regarding politics and its redefinition within feminist moments, and in the political practices of the research subjects, in order to reflect how other politics are renewed and created. This study approaches social movements and their struggles to redefine politics by understanding culture as a political issue, and by capturing the articulation between feminisms and social movements observing the active participation of the research subjects in the country’s political life. A range of sources, including sociological inputs in the fields of arts and culture, as well as a decolonial analysis, the contributions of critical institutional studies and the experience of artists and activists involved in the research, have been used in order to widen the perspective on art. Additionally, the study explores the political power of art in connection with the political importance of symbols. The proposed analysis articulates the notion of political, artistic, and feminist action with feminist arts in the analysed activisms. Additionally, it observes the practices of each collective, artistic or activist group, which help us to understand how art may be transformed into a feminist political practice. Finally, the study presents some methodological reflexions regarding the potentialities and difficulties of Narrative Productions, problematizing the relationship between activism and academia, and presenting the limits, lessons, challenges and propositions which arose during the investigation experience.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2004.
Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on May 10, 2006). Supervisor: Michael P. Young and Anne E. Kane. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 246-252). Also available from UMI.

A imparidade do crédito verifica-se se existir uma evidência material e objectiva que resulte de um ou mais eventos, com impacto na redução do justo valor do crédito e que ocorram depois do seu reconhecimento inicial nas Demonstrações Financeiras. A imparidade do crédito pode ser definida como a diferença entre o valor de balanço e o valor actual dos cash flows futuros descontados à taxa de juro efectiva inicial. Os Bancos cotados começaram a utilizar este conceito depois da adopção das IFRS em 1 de Janeiro de 2005. De modo a evidenciar a utilidade desta informação, investiguei a relação entre imparidade do crédito, a rendibilidade dos activos e a rendibilidade do capital próprio nos sete maiores bancos portugueses (em activos totais). Os resultados empíricos sugerem que as perdas por imparidade do crédito podem prever a rendibilidade dos activos e a rendibilidade dos capitais próprios. A relação entre estes dois rácios e a imparidade do crédito, para além de ser significativa é negativa. Assim, entidades externas, como por exemplo analistas e investidores, podem utilizar as perdas por imparidade do crédito para prever e comparar a rendibilidade dos bancos.
Credit impairment exists if there is objective and material evidence as a result of one or more events that impact negatively the fair value of a credit and occur after the initial recognition of the credit in the financial statements. Credit impairment can be defined as the difference between the assets carrying amount and the present value of estimated cash flows discounted at the credit’s original effective interest rate. Quoted banks started to use this definition on their financial statements after the IFRS adoption on January 1, 2005. To provide evidence on the informativeness of this definition, I investigate the relation between credit impairment losses, return on assets and return on equity on the seven largest Portuguese banks (in total assets). The results suggest that credit impairment losses can predict return on assets and return on equity. The relation between these ratios and credit impairment is significant and negative. Thus, third parties like analysts or investors can use credit impairment losses to predict and compare the profitability of banks.

This thesis evaluates the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit and similar credits to determine whether they are suitable to increase physical activity levels in Canada. It begins by reviewing the literature on physical activity to establish that increasing physical activity is a worthy public policy goal. It then reviews the literature on tax expenditures and health behaviour interventions to provide information in order to evaluate the credits. The credits are then described and their stated purpose is discussed. This description establishes how quickly the credits expanded from one small credit to many. One of the credits, the Active Families Benefit, requires a new concept to evaluate it as it is not simply a tax measure or a spending measure. The term hybrid tax measure is introduced to explore this credit. An evaluation of the credits considering their effectiveness, efficiency and equity in determining their suitability to increase physical activity is performed and the conclusion is made that they are unlikely to be effective and that the inequity of the credits is problematic, particularly in light of this ineffectiveness finding. It is recommended that the credits be repealed and no new credits be created, but as repeal is unlikely, alternative recommendations are also provided.

No
A novel series of 1,4-disubstituted aminoanthraquinones were prepared by ipso-displacement of 1,4-difluoro-5,8-dihydroxyanthraquinones by hydroxylated piperidinyl- or pyrrolidinylalkyl-amino side chains. One aminoanthraquinone (13) was further derivatized to a chloropropyl-amino analogue by treatment with triphenylphosphine-carbon tetrachloride. The compounds were evaluated in the A2780 ovarian cancer cell line and its cisplatin-resistant variants (A2780/ cp70 and A2780/MCP1). The novel anthraquinones were shown to possess up to 5-fold increased potency against the cisplatin-resistant cells compared to the wild-type cells. Growth curve analysis of the hydroxyethylaminoanthraquinone 8 in the osteosarcoma cell line U-2 OS showed that the cell cycle is not frozen, rather there is a late cell cycle arrest consistent with the action of a DNA-damaging topoisomerase II inhibitor. Accumulative apoptotic events, using time lapse photography, indicate that 8 is capable of fully engaging cell cycle arrest pathways in G2 in the absence of early apoptotic commitment. 8 and its chloropropyl analogue 13 retained significant activity against human A2780/cp70 xenografted tumors in mice.

Money laundering involves activities which are aimed at concealing benefits that were acquired through criminal means for the purpose of making them appear legitimately acquired. Money laundering promotes criminal activities in South Africa because it allows criminals to keep the benefits that they acquired through their criminal activities. It takes place through a variety of schemes which include the use of banks. In this sense money laundering control is based on the premise that banks must be protected from providing criminals with the means to launder the benefits of their criminal activities. The Financial Intelligence Centre Act 38 of 2001 (‘FICA’) in aggregate with the Prevention of Organised Crime Act 121 of 1998 (‘POCA’) form the backbone of South Africa’s anti-money laundering regime. Like its international counterparts FICA imposes onerous duties on banks seeing that they are most often used by criminals as conduits to launder the benefits of crime. In turn, POCA criminalises activities in relation to the benefits of crime and delineates civil proceedings aimed at forfeiting the benefits of crime to the state. This study identifies the idiosyncrasies of the South African anti-money laundering regime and forwards recommendations aimed at improving its structure. To this end nine issues in relation to money laundering control and banks are investigated. The investigation fundamentally reveals that money laundering control holds unforeseen consequences for banks. In particular, a bank that receives the benefits of crimes such as fraud or theft faces prosecution if it fails to heed FICA’s money laundering control duties, for example, the filing of a suspicious transaction report. However, if the bank files a suspicious transaction report, it may be sued in civil court by the customer for breach of contract. In addition, if the bank parted with the benefits of fraud or theft whilst suspecting that the account holder may not be entitled to payment thereof, it may be sued by the victim of fraud or theft who seeks to recover loss suffered at the hand of the fraudster or thief from the bank. Ultimately, this study illustrates that amendment of some of the provisions of South Africa’s anti-money laundering legislation should enable banks to manage the aforementioned and other unforeseen consequences of money laundering control whilst at the same time contribute to the South African anti-money laundering effort.
Criminal and Procedural Law
Mercantile Law
LL.D.

This qualitative study uses narrative inquiry (Connelly & Clandinin, 1988, 1990, 2001) and self-study to investigate ways to further understand and facilitate the integration of holistic philosophies of education with media literacy pedagogies. As founder and director of the Youth Media Literacy Project and a self-titled Imagitator (one who agitates imagination), I have spent over 10 years teaching media literacy in various high schools, universities, and community centres across North America. This study will focus on my own personal practical knowledge (Connelly & Clandinin, 1982) as a culture jammer, educator and cancer survivor to illustrate my original vision of a ‘holistic media literacy pedagogy’. This research reflects on the emergence and impact of holistic media literacy in my personal and professional life and also draws from relevant interdisciplinary literature to challenge and synthesize current insights and theories of media literacy, holistic education and culture jamming.