Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'MAGIC Analysis'

The Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov (MAGIC) telescopes are able to detect gamma rays from the ground with energies beyond several tens of GeV emitted by the most energetic known objects, including Pulsar Wind Nebulae, Active Galactic Nuclei, and Gamma-Ray Bursts. Gamma rays and cosmic rays are detected by imaging the Cherenkov light produced by the charged superluminal leptons in the extended air shower originated when the primary particle interacts with the atmosphere. These Cherenkov flashes brighten the night sky for short times in the nanosecond scale. From the image topology and other observables, gamma rays can be separated from the unwanted cosmic rays, and thereafter incoming direction and energy of the primary gamma rays can be reconstructed. The standard algorithm in MAGIC data analysis for the gamma/hadron separation is the so-called Random Forest, that works on a parametrization of the stereo events based on the shower image parameters. Until a few years ago, these algorithms were limited by the computational resources but modern devices, such as GPUs, make it possible to work efficiently on the pixel maps information. Most neural network applications in the field perform the training on Monte Carlo simulated data for the gamma-ray sample. This choice is prone to systematics arising from discrepancies between observational data and simulations. Instead, in this thesis I trained a known neural network scheme with observation data from a giant flare of the bright TeV blazar Mrk421 observed by MAGIC in 2013. With this method for gamma/hadron separation, the preliminary results compete with the standard MAGIC analysis based on Random Forest classification, which also shows the potential of this approach for further improvement. In this thesis first an introduction to the High-Energy Astrophysics and the Astroparticle physics is given. The cosmic messengers are briefly reviewed, with a focus on the photons, then astronomical sources of γ rays are described, followed by a description of the detection techniques. In the second chapter the MAGIC analysis pipeline starting from the low level data acquisition to the high level data is described. The MAGIC Instrument Response Functions are detailed. Finally, the most important astronomical sources used in the standard MAGIC analysis are listed. The third chapter is devoted to Deep Neural Network techniques, starting from an historical Artificial Intelligence excursus followed by a Machine Learning description. The basic principles behind an Artificial Neural Network and the Convolutional Neural Network used for this work are explained. Last chapter describes my original work, showing in detail the data selection/manipulation for training the Inception Resnet V2 Convolutional Neural Network and the preliminary results obtained from four test sources.

The work presented in this Thesis has been carried out for the MAGIC experiment during three years of PhD student-ship at the University of Padova, Department of Physics G. Galilei, in association with the Padova section of National Institute of Nuclear Physics (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, INFN), under the supervision of Professor M. Mariotti, PhD Michele Doro and PhD Villi Scalzotto. The two MAGIC (Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov) telescopes, located in the Canary Island of La Palma (Spain), are a stereoscopic system based on the IAC (Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov) technique and detect Cherenkov light emitted by atmospheric showers of charged particles that originate in the Earth’s atmosphere. These showers are predominantly generated by charged primary cosmic rays, such as protons and light isotopes, which impinge the Earth’s atmosphere isotropically, and by a percentage of gamma–rays, whose direction points back to the region of the cosmic emission. Thanks to sophisticated data reduction algorithms it is possible to efficiently extract the gamma–ray signal of the observed sources from the hadronic background in the energy range between ∼50 GeV and ∼20 TeV, allowing studies in different scientific fields such as galactic and extragalactic high energy Astrophysics, Cosmology and Particle Physics. The scientific activities of the MAGIC experiment are carried out in synergy and complementarity with satellite experiments, like AGILE and FERMI, and ground-based experiments, like H.E.S.S., VERITAS, and Milagro. The MAGIC telescopes, operated by a collaboration of about 150 physicists in more than 20 institutes, spread in several European countries, belong to the second generation of Cherenkov telescopes and have innovative features compared to previous IAC experiments related for example to the size of the reflecting surface area (about 250 square meters), to the lower energy threshold (below 100 GeV) and to the tracking velocity in case of observations of transient phenomena such as the Gamma Ray Bursts. In particular, the start of the operations of the second telescope MAGIC-II and the possibility to perform stereoscopic observations allow a lower energy threshold and a better sensitivity (by a factor ∼2) compared to the single MAGIC-I telescope observations. Currently, the MAGIC telescopes represent the more sensitive world-wide ground-based detector for gamma-rays in the energy range between ∼50 GeV and ∼150 GeV. During the PhD student-ship, my research activity focused on two principal occupations. The first one, orientated on technical issues, concerned the upgrade of a specific part of the software of the MAGIC experiment required for the stereoscopic data taking (which started since fall 2009), i.e. the calculation of the Effective Collection Area. The second one, more focused on scientific topics, was addressed to the possible indirect detection of dark matter with the MAGIC-I telescope. In particular, I contributed to the analysis data and to the related publications of the observations of interesting sources for possible detection of gamma–ray signal from self-annihilation processes of dark matter, like the dwarf spheroidal galaxies (satellite of the Milky Way) Draco and Willman 1 and the galaxy cluster Perseus. During the three years of PhD student-ship, I spent, on a whole, 4 months in the site of the MAGIC telescopes, as data taking operator and shift leader. I also contributed in June 2009 to the commissioning of the second telescope MAGIC-II for a period of 4 weeks. This Thesis is divided into eight chapters. Chapter 1 will be dedicated to a brief introduction on the physics of cosmic–rays and of astrophysical gamma-rays, on the current experimental methods for their detection, on the main mechanisms active in the Universe for the production of very high energy gamma-rays and on the main astronomical objects known as gamma-ray emitters. In chapter 2, a description of the main physical characteristics of the hadronic and electromagnetic atmospheric showers, the subsequent Cherenkov light emission and the Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov technique will be given. In chapter 3, the main hardware components of the MAGIC telescopes will be illustrated, together with the main innovations introduced for the second telescope. In chapter 4, the standard analysis chain of the MAGIC-I telescope finalized to the extraction of the physical quantities of main interest, such as the significance and the gamma-ray flux of a given source, will be described. Subsequently, the new tools required for the stereo analysis of the MAGIC telescopes data will be introduced. The current performance of the stereoscopic system (whose commissioning phase was successfully accomplished during 2009) will be also shown. Chapter 5 will be dedicated to the alt-azimuth dependence of one of the main quantities which characterize the detection of Cherenkov light by the MAGIC telescopes, i.e. the Effective Collection Area. Indeed, while the Zenith effect on this quantity is well known and related to the increased atmospheric depth the atmospheric showers must pass through for increasing Zenith angles of observation, a possible Azimuth dependence is associated to the geomagnetic effects induced to the development of the showers and to the particular geometric configuration of the two telescopes system. The fixed direction between them, in fact, breaks the circular symmetry typical for the observations performed with a single telescope. In view of the start of the operations of the second MAGIC telescope and of the stereoscopic observations, the introduction of the Azimuth dependence of the Effective Collection Area has been therefore systematically taken into account and successfully implemented in the analysis software of the experiment. The results of tests performed on both Monte Carlo simulated data and real data will be shown. In chapter 6, a brief introduction on the dark matter topic will be reported: the main experimental evidences and some of the models and candidates proposed in literature to describe the dark matter nature will be discussed. In particular, the attention will be focused on the indirect dark matter search which is based on the possibility for MAGIC to detect gamma–rays as a result of annihilation or decay of dark matter particles. Gamma–ray signals are searched for in places where dark matter is concentrated, like, for example, the dwarf spheroidal galaxies satellite of the Milky Way. Chapter 7 will be dedicated to the data analysis of the observation carried out by the MAGIC-I telescope of Segue 1, a source considered to be a dwarf spheroidal galaxy satellite of the Milky Way, whose stellar kinematics seems to indicate a high mass–to–light ratio, making this celestial object extremely interesting from the point of view of indirect dark matter searches. The data of this source required particular cares due to the fact that a 3.5 apparent magnitude star was present in the field of view of the source during the whole survey. The adopted techniques used to face the problems related to the light of that star will be illustrated. This analysis allowed to determine, for energies above 100 GeV, upper limits on the flux emission derived form different assumed power law spectra. A paper on Segue 1 observation carried out by the MAGIC-I telescope, based on the results achieved by this analysis, is in preparation. Finally, in chapter 8, the general conclusions of the work presented in this Thesis will be given.
Il lavoro presentato in questa Tesi è stato svolto nell’ambito dell’esperimento MAGIC durante i tre anni di Scuola di Dottorato all’Università degli Studi di Padova, Dipartimento di Fisica G. Galilei, in associazione con l’Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, sezione di Padova, sotto la supervisione del Professor M. Mariotti, del Dott. Michele Doro e del Dott. Villi Scalzotto. Il sistema stereoscopico di due telescopi MAGIC (Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov), situato nell’isola canaria di La Palma (Spagna), è basato sulla tecnica IAC (Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov) per la rivelazione della luce Cherenkov emessa da cascate di particelle cariche che si originano nell’atmosfera terrestre. Tali cascate atmosferiche sono generate preminentemente dai raggi cosmici carichi, quali protoni e isotopi leggeri, che entrano isotropicamente nell’atmosfera terrestre, e da una percentuale di raggi gamma, la cui direzione di provenienza punta direttamente alla regione cosmica di emissione. Grazie a sofisticati algoritmi di riduzione dei dati è possibile estrarre efficacemente il segnale di natura gamma dal quello di natura adronica per energie comprese tra ∼50 GeV e ∼20 TeV, permettendo studi in diversi settori scientifici quali l’Astrofisica galattica ed extragalattica delle alte energie, la Cosmologia e la Fisica delle Particelle Elementari. Le attività scientifiche dell’esperimento MAGIC vengono portate avanti in sinergia e complementarità con gli esperimenti gamma posti su satellite, quali AGILE e FERMI, e quelli posti a terra, quali H.E.S.S., VERITAS eMilagro. I telescopi MAGIC, realizzati da una collaborazione internazionale di circa 150 fisici appartenenti ad una ventina di istituzioni di diversi paesi della comunità europea, rientrano nella seconda generazione di telescopi Cherenkov e presentano rispetto ai precedenti delle caratteristiche innovative legate per esempio alla grandezza della superficie riflettente (circa 250 metri quadri), all’abbassamento della soglia energetica al di sotto dei 100 GeV e alla velocità di puntamento nel caso dell’osservazione di fenomeni improvvisi, come ad esempio l’esplosione di raggi gamma (Gamma Ray Bursts). In particolare, la messa in opera del secondo telescopio MAGIC-II e la possibilità di condurre osservazioni stereoscopiche permettono un abbassamento della soglia energetica ed una sensibilità di circa un fattore 2 superiore a quella ottenuta con il singolo telescopio MAGIC-I. Attualmente, i telescopi MAGIC rappresentano il rivelatore posto a terra più sensibile al mondo per raggi gamma di energie comprese tra ∼50 GeV e ∼150 GeV. Durante il lavoro di dottorato ho svolto la mia ricerca in due principali attività. La prima, di tipo tecnico, ha riguardato l’aggiornamento di una specifica parte del software dell’esperimento MAGIC necessario in vista della presa dati stereoscopica dei telescopi MAGIC (iniziata alla fine del 2009), ovvero il calcolo dell’area efficace collettrice. La seconda, di tipo più prettamente scientifico, è stata rivolta alla possibile rivelazione indiretta di materia oscura con il telescopio MAGIC-I. In particolare, ho contribuito all’analisi dati e alle relative pubblicazioni delle sorgenti osservate dal telescopio MAGIC-I candidate per la ricerca di possibili segnali gamma dovuti ad auto annichilazione di materia oscura, quali le galassie nane satelliti della Via Lattea Draco e Willman 1 e il cluster galattico Perseus. Durante i tre anni di dottorato ho passato complessivamente 4 mesi a La Palma, nel sito dei telescopi MAGIC, come operatore di presa dati. Inoltre nel mese di Giugno del 2009 ho partecipato per 4 settimane alla fase di commissioning del secondo telescopio MAGIC-II. Questo lavoro di Tesi è suddiviso in otto capitoli. Nel capitolo 1 verranno brevemente introdotti la fisica dei raggi cosmici e dei raggi gamma di natura astrofisica, gli attuali metodi sperimentali per la loro rivelazione, i meccanismi attivi nell’Universo per la produzione di raggi gamma di alte energie e le principali sorgenti cosmiche note di raggi gamma. Il capitolo 2 sarà dedicato alla descrizione delle principali caratteristiche fisiche degli sciami atmosferici di natura adronica ed elettromagnetica, alla susseguente emissione di luce Cherenkov prodotta da essi e alla tecnica di rivelazione IAC, su cui i telescopi MAGIC sono basati. Nel capitolo 3 verranno descritte le principali componenti hardware dei due telescopi MAGIC e le innovazioni introdotte per il secondo telescopio. Nel capitolo 4 si discuterà la catena di analisi standard del telescopio MAGIC-I per l’estrazione delle principali quantità fisiche di interesse, quali la significanza del segnale proveniente da una data sorgente e il suo flusso. Successivamente verranno brevemente descritte le principali novità introdotte per la corrente analisi delle sorgenti osservate stereoscopicamente. Le attuali performance del sistema stereoscopico (la cui fase di commissioning è stata portata a termine con successo durante il 2009) saranno inoltre presentate. Nel capitolo 5 verrà introdotta la tematica riguardante la dipendenza alt-azimutale di una delle principali quantità che caratterizzano la rivelazione di luce Cherenkov da parte dei telescopi MAGIC ovvero l’area efficace collettrice. Infatti, se da un lato l’effetto zenitale su tale quantità è ben noto e correlato alla maggiore profondità atmosferica che gli sciami percorrono nel loro sviluppo per angoli zenitali via via maggiori, una possibile dipendenza azimutale è associata agli effetti che il campo geomagnetico induce sullo sviluppo degli sciami stessi e alla particolare configurazione geometrica del sistema di telescopi. La direzione fissa tra di essi, infatti, rompe la simmetria circolare di osservazione tipica delle osservazioni effettuate con un singolo telescopio. Alla luce della messa in funzione del secondo telescopio MAGIC-II e della osservazione stereoscopica delle sorgenti, l’introduzione della dipendenza azimutale dell’area efficace colletrice è stata dunque presa sistematicamente in considerazione e implementata efficacemente nel software di analisi dati dell’esperimento. Saranno riportati inoltre i risultati di test effettuati su campioni di dati Monte Carlo e di dati reali. Nel capitolo 6 verrà fatta una breve introduzione sulla materia oscura: saranno discusse le principali evidenze sperimentali, alcuni modelli che la descrivono e i principali candidati proposti in letteratura per spiegarne la natura. L’attenzione sarà focalizzata sulla ricerca indiretta di materia oscura che si basa sulla possibilità per i telescopi MAGIC di poter rivelare segnali indiretti sotto forma di raggi gamma, provenienti da annichilazione o decadimento di particelle di materia oscura, da parte di sorgenti caratterizzate da alte densità di tale tipo di materia quali, per esempio, galassie nane sferoidali satelliti della Via Lattea. Il capitolo 7 sarà dedicato all’analisi dati dell’osservazione effettuata da parte del telescopio MAGIC-I della sorgente Segue 1, ritenuta essere una galassia nana sferoidale satellite della Via Lattea, la cui cinematica stellare sembra indicare un elevato rapporto massa–luminosità, rendendo tale oggetto celeste estremamente interessante dal punto di vista della recerca indiretta di materia oscura. I dati di tale sorgente hanno richiesto particolare attenzione dovuta al fatto della presenza di una stella di magnitudo apparente 3.5 nel campo di vista della sorgente durante l’intera osservazione. Le tecniche adottate per trattare i problemi legati alla presenza di tale stella saranno illustrati. L’analisi ha permesso di determinare, per energie maggiori di 100 GeV, limiti superiori sul flusso della sorgente assumendo diversi generici spettri di potenza. Un articolo sull’osservazione della sorgente Segue 1 condotta dal telescopio MAGIC-I, basato sui risultati di questa analisi, è in fase di preparazione. Infine, nel capitolo 8, verranno riportate le conclusioni generali su questo lavoro di Tesi.

This study is a business case analysis of a Medium Altitude Global ISR Communication (MAGIC) UAV system. The MAGIC platform is analyzed together with three other medium-altitude ISR platforms. A cost model for RDT and E and O and S for the MAGIC is developed based on historical data. A baseline case for MAGIC is then developed with Average Production Unit Cost (APUC) of $17M, RDT and E cost of $510M, and discount factor of 0.025 for the analysis. A Net Present Value of Life Cycle Cost (NPVLCC) and a return ratio as defined by the ratio of the NPVLCC of alternative platforms to the NPVLCC of MAGIC are used in the analysis. Results are presented for 500, 1000, 2000, and 3000 nm ranges. MAGIC outperforms Reaper and Global Hawk, while Predator outperforms MAGIC at the 500 nm. MAGIC outperforms all others in the 1000, 2000 and 3000 nm range. The analysis is extended to cover other payloads for the same ranges. The results show that MAGIC is favored over Reaper for 1000 nm and 2000 nm range, and the return ratio is marginal for 500 nm. MAGIC is favored in all ranges when compared with Global Hawk.

This thesis examines news articles to see if obesity has been framed as a moral panic by looking at how the coverage understands the causes of obesity and its solutions. A qualitative textual analysis of 100 articles and 28 images from Time and Newsweek was done spanning 1986 to 2012. I found that the obesity "epidemic" was first discussed as problem of individual responsibility and that the best cure was medicine. The narrative shifted to childhood obesity around 2004 and cited parents as the responsible party while suggesting family bonding as a solution to childhood obesity. I find that the media dialogue around obesity points to individuals rather than systemic factors as the cause of obesity and, in so doing, takes the focus off of social and economic inequalities that are also factors in the obesity epidemic.

Latino students are the only ethnic group more likely to enroll in community colleges than four-year institutions. However, they transfer to four-year institutions at much lower rates than their white counterparts. This gap in transfer rates for Hispanic students is of significant concern to higher education researchers and policy makers because of its broad impact on overall educational attainment for Hispanics. Research on Latino transfer rates has focused predominantly on quantitative data, which paints a clear picture of what is happening, but falls short in explaining why transfer rates continue to be low. Researchers have offered both structural (social reproduction theory and the community college "cooling out" theory) and agency explanations (transfer aspirations and self-efficacy) for low transfer rates. This dissertation expands our understanding of Latino student transfer through a qualitative, interview-based study, which gives voice to six Latino students at an urban community college in the Ohio Valley. Individual interviews were conducted with transfer-ready students and were then transcribed and analyzed through narrative analysis. Each of the students in this study planned to earn an associate‘s degree and then transfer to a four-year institution, but despite these goals they had done limited transfer planning. Although the community college provides access to these students, the students also struggle financially and wonder if they‘ll be able to afford the American Dream. Within the context of the community college and American culture, the students are navigating cultural values, gender roles, and expectations as they pursue their education. The students pursue their educational goals and persistence within the context of strong family connections. They are navigating an unfamiliar education system, often in a foreign language. As they experience education in another language, they are actively engaged in the production of their own cultural identities. Despite the obstacles these students face – particularly financially), the student narratives are grounded in a strong sense of personal agency and a belief that education will provide them with a better future.

Magic mushrooms, more than any other psychoactive substance, are steeped in mythology. Since their (re)discovery by the West in the mid-20th Century they have been constructed as spiritual sacraments, recreational drugs, psychological tools and gateways to metaphysical realities (Letcher 2007). Each of these conceptions represents multiple and competing discourses which constitute magic mushrooms and the experiences they occasion. In this thesis I address how these multiple and competing discourses are utilised and negotiated by people who consume magic mushrooms in the contemporary social world. Data was generated for this study through active interviews, combing narrative and semi-structured styles, which were conducted in person, via Skype and by telephone. Twenty three participants (7 female, 16 male; aged 19-60) were recruited to the study representing varied styles and frequencies of magic mushroom use; from psychedelic enthusiast ‘psychonauts’ to more casual poly-drug users. Using Foucauldian Discourse Analysis I explore the discourses participants mobilised and negotiated in constructing accounts of the meanings surrounding magic mushrooms. Analysis focused upon three key aspects of magic mushrooms, their use and the experiences they occasion: ‘what magic mushrooms do’; how participants conceptualised the ways they ‘alter reality’, ‘what magic mushrooms are’; ‘natural’ drugs or beings with agency, and ‘what magic mushrooms are for’; recreation or spiritual improvement. In addition I explore the relationships between discourses; how magic mushroom users construct new and complex understandings by negotiating, wrestling, and playing with available discourses, to make sense of experiences which often appear ineffable and bizarre. In exploring these discourses and the relationships between them, participants constructed magic mushrooms in three broad ways: as ‘just drugs’ as ‘drugs of distinction’ and as ‘neo-shamanic sacraments’. I discuss these ways of conceptualising magic mushrooms in light of the dominant neo-liberal order and the limited potential of magic mushrooms to provide a counter-cultural alternative.

Introduction The process of decision making has been widely studied within different academic paradigms. Many theories and models have been developed from this research activity. However, there is a lack of in-depth research on individuals’ experience of decision making. The present research explores this topic with Clinical Psychologists. This group of professionals are trained to be expert in a specific discipline, which emphasises the need for making informed judgements and for justifying decisions. Objectives To provide an in-depth account of how Clinical Psychologists experience decision making in the context of clinical practice. To relate the analysis to theories and models of decision making and to research on factors thought to influence judgement and decision making. Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven Clinical Psychologists. These were transcribed and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) methodology. Outcomes Elements of the decision making environment such as managing one’s conflicting beliefs and difficult emotions, responding to uncertainty and changeable scenarios and normative versus unique elements of one’s practice were elucidated in the analyses. The contribution of this work to research in decision making and the development of clinical practice are discussed.

This thesis seeks to define how Francis Barrett’s The Magus, Or Celestial Intelligencer is indicative of a transitional period (1800–1830) of English Magic. The intention and transmission of Barrett’s The Magus is linked to the revival of occultism and its use as a textbook for occult philosophy. This thesis provides a historical background preceding this revival. The aim of the thesis is to establish Barrett’s text as a hybrid interpretation of Renaissance magic for a modern audience. It is primarily by this hybridization that a series of feedback loops would begin to create the foundation for modern occultism. This study utilizes a careful study of primary sources, including a systematic examination of The Magus within its intellectual and social contexts.

In our lives we will have to make hundreds upon thousands of choices. The effects of these choices will follow us with varying intervals; some effects may be brief while others may literally last a lifetime. In these moments that we are forced to chose, it ultimately comes down to two options, what we should do, and what we want to do. Essentially, it is a choice between the head and the heart. Playwrights depend on these moments of choice, for it is the basis of almost all plays. At some point, the protagonist must make a choice, even if the choice is not to choose. In the early part of the 20th Century, a religious philosopher by the name of Aleister Crowley helped to define these choices, or as he referred to them, Wills. In essence, he stated that everyone has a True Will and a conscious will, and the path that you will ultimately follow is contingent on the choices you make in your life. Following your True Will, the path of the heart will lead you to a sense of Nirvana, while following your conscious will, the path of the head leads to a life unfulfilled. While some called him demonic (he occasionally referred to himself as The Beast With Two Backs) others saw him as a sage someone to esoterically explain the chaotic and industrial world of the early 1900 s. Aleister Crowley seemed to be one of those few men that you either loved, or hated, or hated to love. At the dawn of the 20th Century, he was an English philosopher and religious guru that made a call to arms to the general populous to start living a better life. His theories will be explained fully in Chapter One, but ultimately he wanted everyone to achieve their True Will and leave their conscious wills by the wayside. He felt that this process could be achieved through what he referred to as his theorems on magick. It is unknown exactly how the idea came to him to add the k to the original magic; however speculation reveals he might have taken from the original Greek word magikE. Contrary to the modern definition of magic (the art of producing illusions by sleight of hand), Crowley felt that his magick was significantly more complex. Pulling on philosophies from the Egyptians and the Celts along with basic Buddhist principles, he defined his magick within his twenty-eight theorems . Ultimately, he philosophized that magick was a way to enlighten a person, or, for the purposes of this thesis a character s True Will4 and to avoid following their conscious will. In layman s terms, Crowley saw it as an argument between the head (conscious will) and the heart (True Will). While the main focus of this thesis is on the tension and outcome of the decision of a character to follow their True Will or their conscious will, it is impossible to talk about these two concepts without discussing, at least in part, magick. Crowley saw magick as the practice and process to achieve True Will. This study, therefore, involves both homonyms, magic and magick. By applying this process as defined by Crowley in his self-named theorems to plays and musicals that have been defined as strictly magic, I am looking for not only the exact moment in which the main protagonists in each play define and execute their decision to follow their True or conscious Wills, but also to critically examine their journey to that fatal decision. I describe it as such because I feel that a characters fate may truly depend on the choice that they make. These philosophies are not new to the philosophical world. Other theorists such as Schopenhauer and Nietzsche and their relation to Crowley s theories will be discussed later; however I felt that because Crowley is the one who his responsible for rejuvenating the word magick from the Greeks in the 20th Century, I should be able to use his theories as a modern lens to examine A Midsummer Nights Dream, Marisol, and Wicked. I plan to take plays that cross both genre and era and consider not only (1) what can be illuminated using this Crowlean lens , but I also to highlight (2) any universal truths, by which I mean any ideological or philosophical ideas that appear in all three plays, that can be found in works as diverse as the ones that I have chosen. While their connection to True Will may be tangential in nature, if there are things in common in these plays that are brought to light using Crowley s lens, then I feel it is worth noting. By examining these two factors I will be able to see if critics have accurately defined these plays. My goal is to add the Crowlean lens to the already existing approaches to critically examining a theatrical piece. This lens, as defined before, is simply taking Crowley s concepts of True Will and conscious will and their link to the progression of magick within a character to illuminate the characters choices leading up to their breaking point in which they must ask themselves Do I chose what I should do, or what I want to do? The three plays I chose were done for specific reasons. The basic criterion was to choose on a basis of (1) chronology, (2) genre, (3) and magical reference5. I took three plays that entertained the religious, philosophical, and fantastical nature of what I felt best applied to Crowley s theories. Keeping in mind that Crowley interpreted his magick as a philosophy, a religion, and a way of life to ultimately achieving True Will, I felt it pertinent to explore these aspects of each play as well. In the musical Wicked, the philosophical nature of the piece asks the question Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them? This question can be answered through a variety of subjects. By exploring these issues within the context of its main character, Elphaba, (pronounced EL-fa-ba), and a variety of themes throughout this musical (including behavior, appearance, deception, honesty, courage and labeling) we find that True Will and conscious will in the land of Oz are flowering. Defining our True Will, according to Crowley, takes constant affirmations and diligent calculations of our feelings and utilizing those to aid in making the right choice for that specific moment6. In this fashion, Marisol marries the idea of what the author calls magical realism in a post-apocalyptic New York City with a fervent religiosity all while underscoring the political nature of the 1980s indigent cleanup initiated by then mayor Ed Koch. Through the character of Marisol Perez, we find that not only is the choice between True Will and conscious confusing, but it can be potentially lethal. Within the structure of this play is also where Crowley s spiritual views on True Will and conscious will become highlighted. The Lovers (Helena, Demetrius, Hermia, and Lysander) in Shakespeare s fantastical A Midsummer Night s Dream is the perfect backdrop to explore Crowley s more eccentric philosophies on magick and how these philosophies relate to True and conscious will. In essence, I plan to not only explore the choices that these four individuals make due to acts of both types of magic(k), but their ultimate consequences as well. It also must be noted that during the process of this thesis, the one overarching theme throughout all three plays dealt with Crowley s theory of self-preservation. I feel that this is innately tied into the idea of True Will. By achieving True Will, we are inherently attempting to make the best choices for ourselves. This inherently keeps alive the innate human instinct of survival. At the end of this thesis, I hope to defend that Crowley s concepts of True Will and conscious will, when applied in tandem with Crowley s concepts of magick, can be a valid lens to examine theatrical works, old and new alike.
M.A.
Department of Theatre
Arts and Humanities
Theatre MA

Based on what is said about the background and structure, this thesis presents a discussion of the use of NMR spectroscopy as a tool for species discrimination and metabolic profiling of microalgae. The results of various analyses including NMR and statistics are evaluated from what is known from already established identification methods such as pigment chromatography and chemotaxonomy, and the chemical composition of microalgal cells. The main focus is on the application of HR MAS on whole cells, which means quick and easy sample preparation with no extraction involved and large information output in terms of metabolite composition in a single analysis run.

The extragalactic γ-ray sky is completely dominated by active galax- ies, where by active we mean that a significant fraction of the emitted energy is not due to the standard components of a galaxy: stars, gases and interstellar dust. Every detected active galaxy seems to be powered by a compact region at their center; explaining why active galaxies are often referred as Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs). About 1% of all galaxies are AGNs, believed to be fueled by the accretion onto a supermassive black hole, the central engine of the active galaxy. In addition, about 10% of AGNs display powerful jets of particles and radiation. The current model of AGNs is highly anisotropic and many of the observational characteristics of AGNs can be attributed to the way we are observing it and, in particular, to the orientation of the relativistic jets with respect to the observer. Among AGNs, blazars, which host a jet oriented at a small angle to the line of sight, are of particular interest for γ-ray astrophysics. The emission from these objects is dominated by relativistic beaming effects, which dramatically boosts the observed photon energies and luminosity, the reason why we expect that the observation of blazars at γ-ray energies should be the most fruitful. To confirm our guess, after the launch of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, bearing on-board the Large Area Telescope (LAT), which provides virtually continuous observation of blazars between 20 MeV and 300 GeV, many new discoveries refined the current modeling of blazars, by providing useful insights into jets and other AGN features. On the other hand, at the same energies, other observations found puzzling results, bewildering astronomers and astrophysicists. In addition to the LAT, Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov (IAC) telescopes (namely MAGIC, HESS and VERITAS) provided a good coverage at even higher energies (typically above 30 GeV) and the benefit of simultaneous observations was apparent just after the first broadband paper about PKS 2155−304 (Aharonian et al., 2009). More insights should be gained when the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) will become operational, as it will cover an extended energy window with respect to operating IAC telescopes and will reduce the sensitivity threshold. In addition, CTA will have a huge energy overlap with the LAT, allowing for the first time a reliable way to correlate data obtained by the two detectors. In this Thesis, we present in-depth studies of LAT γ-ray observations of blazars, complemented by multifrequencies observations which are an essential tool to model their behavior. On one hand, we will discuss the characterization of a TeV blazars sample that were simultaneously observed both by Fermi and MAGIC instruments. The joint observations and the ideal coverage provided by the synergy of the two instruments naturally motivates the extrapolation of Fermi spectra to MAGIC energies, with the aim, in the near future, to extend this effort to CTA realm. On the other hand, we will discuss a flux-limited sample of bright blazars detected by Fermi in the first 3.5 years of operations. These objects, displaying extreme outbursts, make up less than 10% of the sources detected by Fermi in its second source catalog. We discuss the characteristics of the sample with respect to the entire catalog of AGNs detected by Fermi and adding some considerations with respect to previous γ-ray observation carried out by EGRET. At the end of this work, we will then focus on one of these objects, that met particular attention for being a gravitationally lensed system, PKS 1830−211.
Il cielo extragalattico nei raggi gamma è completamente dominato da galassie attive, dove per attive si intende che una significante parte di energia emessa non è generata dalle usuali componenti delle galassie: stelle, gas e polveri interstellare. Ogni galassia attiva è una sorgente altamente energetica, variabile e molto compatta associata a un buco nero supermassiccio che si trova al centro del sistema. In questi oggetti è il nucleo, il cosiddetto motore centrale, ad essere la fonte di energia, da qui deriva il nome di Nucleo Galattico Attivo (AGN). Soltanto circa l’uno per cento delle galassie conosciute sono AGN e di queste, circa il dieci per cento degli AGN sono caratterizzati da un potente getto composto da radiazione e materia. Data la forte anisotropia di questi oggetti molte delle loro proprietà osservative sono dovute al punto di vista, in particolar modo dall’orientazione del getto rispetto all’osservatore. Nel modello unificato degli AGN, i blazar hanno un ruolo centrale per l’Astrofisica dei raggi γ, interpretati come galassie attive osservate in direzione del getto relativistico. La loro emissione risulta dominata da effetti relativistici che accelerano i fotoni osservati ad energie estreme. Questo ha indotto a credere che tali oggetti potessero essere importanti sorgenti di raggi γ. A conferma di ciò, il Large Area Telescope (LAT), lanciato in orbita a bordo del satellite Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, che opera nell’intervallo di energie 20 MeV − 300 GeV, ha permesso di raffinare il modello descrittivo dei blazar portando ad una maggiore comprensione dei meccanismi che ne sono alla base. Allo stesso tempo, i risultati ottenuti grazie al LAT hanno portato anche scoperte del tutto inaspettate, così da rimettere in discussione alcuni fondamenti del modello degli AGN. Gli strumenti in grado di studiare energie ancora più elevate di quelle monitorate dal LAT (generalmente sopra i 100 GeV), sono i telescopi Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov (IAC, in particolare MAGIC, HESS and VERITAS). Il beneficio che può derivare dalla sinergia di questi strumenti con il LAT è stato evidente sin dalla prima pubblicazione riguardante la sorgente PKS 2155−304 (Aharonian et al., 2009a). Per di più, notevoli progressi saranno raggiunti quando Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) diverrà operativo. Questo strumento infatti sarà in grado di studiare un intervallo di energie più esteso rispetto ai precendeti esperimenti IAC, osservando per la prima volta alcune bande di frequenze e in particolare con una sensibilità maggiore. Inoltre CTA osserverà in parte lo stesso spettro di frequenze del LAT permettendo per la prima volta osservazioni simultanee tra le due tipologie di strumenti. Questa Tesi presenta uno studio approfondito di osservazioni di blazar nella banda γ effettuate con il LAT accompagnate da dati multifrequenza, strumento indispensabile per lo studio di questi oggetti. Nella prima parte verranno discusse osservazioni simultanee di blazar osservati ad energie del TeV, simultaneamente dal LAT e da MAGIC. La sinergia di questi due strumenti infatti permette di osservare l’emissione γ dei blazar senza soluzione di continuità, cosa che in futuro si prevede di estendere a CTA. Nella seconda parte della Tesi verranno discussioni dei blazar estremamente luminosi osservati da Fermi nei primi 3.5 anni di operazioni in uno stato di alta emissione (flare). Questi oggetti, caratterizzati da estreme condizioni, costituiscono meno del 10% di tutte le sorgenti rilevate da Fermi, incluse nel secondo catalogo. Le carattestiche generali di questi oggetti verranno presentate e confrontate con quelle delle sorgenti del secondo catalogo Fermi. Inotre verranno anche discusse in luce delle precedenti osservazioni condotte da EGRET nella banda γ. Infine, l’attenzione verrà focalizzata su uno di questi oggetti, PKS 1830+211, di particolare interesse dato che si tratta di un sistema soggetto all’effetto di lente gravitazionale.

Purpose: This study focuses on describing and explaining Djinn, Iblis and magic from an Islamic point of view. There are many stories that can be told but the author focuses on the parts of the stories that is known to the majority of Muslims. One of the many interesting aspects studied in the essay is how people in Babylon, in contrast to today's Muslims, view Islam's interpretation of magic and Djinn.  In order to present these perspectives and their change over time, a number of Muslims are interviewed of various religious backgrounds, liberal, conservative and orthodox. In addition, various studies are used that describe the social structure in Babylon where witchcraft according to Islam was first taught. The information from these works is intertwined with Carl Gustav Jung's and Marie-Louise von Franz's book Man and his Symbols (1964). These studies, together with the interview results, provide the opportunity to compile logical conclusions.  Method: The first two questions are about explaining what Djinn is based on the general Islamic interpretation and who Iblis are. In order to be able to present this information in the results section, the author starts from the qualitative method, intertextuality, which is about texts always being based on previous writings.  The second sub-result focuses on describing what Sihr (Magic) is from an Islamic perspective. It also describes how these rituals are performed. For this, a multimodal method is used to analyze the book Shams al-maarif al-Kubra.  The third sub-result focuses on an analysis of various interviews conducted to create an understanding of how Muslims view Djinn and Sihr. The answers to these are then related to the perception of this in ancient Babylon. A conversation analysis is performed to analyze the interviews.  Theory: In this study, the result is intertwined with the theory (Socialization). Social construction includes human reality. A society is created through interaction between individuals. This is called externalization. The natural character that is then added to a society takes place through objectification. Individuals who apply to the specific society may then accept and integrate with the independent character of society, which at this stage, has been normalized and assumed to be natural.  Result: The result of this study is threefold. According to Islam, Djinn are invisible spirits that God created from poisonous, smokeless fire. Iblis, also known as Lucifer or Satan, is part of the Djinn kin. According to the story, he refused to bow down to Adam, challenged God and thus plays an important role in man's cosmic destiny. According to Islam, magic is rituals performed to make contact with evil Djinn who in turn performs various services for the magician. The services are not provided free of charge. Magicians must perform certain rituals which, according to Islamic tradition, are extremely serious sins. The book Shams al-Maarif al-Kubra teaches readers how to perform certain rituals and draw magical symbols. The third result focuses on compiling data from the interviews conducted that are presented under appendices. Religion was of paramount importance to the Babylonians and formed a large part of their daily lives. In comparison with today's Muslims, it can be stated that they find it more difficult to live by the idea that there are constantly invisible beings and forces around them.

Abstract  In 1924 an investigation into the poor relief of the Saamis in Sweden was conducted. Thus, non-reindeer herding Saamis came into the lime-light for the first time. Previous research has focused on reindeer-herding Saamis in the sense that they were “the true Saamis”. Instead, the aim of this thesis, is to disclose how the non-reindeer herding Saamis were constructed by using a discourse analysis approach. It includes those called Parish Lapps, found in thirty replies to a questionnaire of the Nordic Museum in Sweden conducted in 1945. The bias presented there included the magic abilities of the Saamis. The findings illustrate that these notions, as well as the official discourse, influenced the communal discourse. Other bias exist in Swedish society today, and previous special rights of reindeer-herding is brought to the fore onto the political agenda, leaving the non-reindeer herding Saamis, and their history, on the margins. The non-reindeer herding Saamis were depicted as “the other”, not fully included in the “true Saami” way of living, always in exclusion to the Swedish residential manner.

Notre recherche interroge la philosophie existentielle du premier Sartre en la replaçant dans le paysage de la philosophie française post-comtienne du début du XXe siècle et en restituant un moment anthropologique où le problème de la magie traverse les sciences psychologiques et sociales. En suivant les différentes voies du transfert de conceptualité par lequel la notion de magie devient chez Sartre le magique, nous étudions trois pôles de l'ontologie phénoménologique sartrienne, à savoir la conscience intentionnelle, la réalité-humaine et l'être-dans-le-monde. Notre hypothèse est que, selon différentes modalités allant de la thématisation à l'effacement, le magique joue un rôle déterminant dans l'élaboration de l'existentialisme dont nous retraçons la genèse à partir des premiers travaux philosophiques et écrits littéraires de 1927. Face à l'héritage d'une anthropologie positiviste à la méthodologie analytique, Sartre privilégie une approche synthétique et conçoit la conscience dans ses dimensions affective et irrationnelle. Les figures de la pensée magique sont alors mobilisées pour penser l'ouverture au monde de la conscience ainsi que ses rapports à soi et aux autres dans les termes d'une spontanéité irréfléchie et absolue. Nous faisons ensuite retour sur l'anthropologie sartrienne telle qu'elle conçoit la réalité-humaine à partir de ses attitudes et de ses conduites, et notamment à travers la manière dont elle affronte sa propre liberté, fondamentalement et irrémédiablement exposée à la contradiction. Cette structure de la réalité-humaine comme projet existentiel conduit Sartre à repenser l'être-dans-le-monde à partir de ce que nous appelons la dépossession originaire par laquelle l'ontologie est ramenée au magique
This research deals with Sartre's early existential philosophy by resituating it in the field of French post-Comtian philosophy in the early twentieth century and by re-establishing an anthropological moment in which the issue of magic is explored in the psychological and social sciences. Following the different paths of the conceptual exchange through which the notion of magic becomes that the magical in Sartre's view, we study three poles of sartrian phenomenological ontology : intentional consciousness, human reality and being-in-the-world. The hypothesis advanced by this thesis is that the magical, according to different modes ranging from topicalization through obliteration, plays a determining role in the elaboration of existentialism whose genesis is traced here from Sartre's very first writings in 1927.Faced with the legacy of a positivist anthropology in terms of an analytical methodology, Sartre privileges a synthetic approach and conceives consciousness in its affective and irrational aspects. Images of magical thought are called upon for rethinking openness to the world of consciousness and its relationship to itself and to Others. Returning to Sartrian anthropology, we question how consciousness can be grasped as an irreflexive and absolute spontaneity and how human reality is interpreted through its attitudes and behaviours; in particular through the way it faces its own freedom which is fundamentally and irremediably exposed to contradiction. This structure of human reality as existential project leads Sartre to reconsider being-in-the-world as based in originary dispossession through which ontology is brought back to the magical

Although psychological research into manic experiences is increasing, it remains an underresearched phenomenon. In particular, there is a dearth of qualitative research exploring these experiences in a clinical sample of people diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. This study examined six participants’ experiences of mania using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Through semi-structured interviews, the participants provided detailed accounts of how they made sense of and experienced their manic states. Three master themes were described: “A mixed relationship with mania,” “A separate and controlled self”, and “The struggle to be different.” The first master theme explored the participants’ mixed and ambivalent relationship with their manic experiences. These were viewed as both alluring and dangerous, but overall the perceived costs had outweighed the benefits, for all but one of the participants. Most participants described losses in relation to giving up their manic experiences, as well as losses related to the destructive consequences of their episodes. The second master theme examined perceptions of mania as a separate, uncontrollable phenomenon, over which they had little influence. It was hypothesised that these explanations served to relieve these participants from underlying negative emotions, such as guilt, regret, shame and selfstigma. The third master theme described how manic experiences had represented struggles to be different. These included a struggle against society; a struggle to experience a preferred self; and a struggle to access very unique experiences or abilities. A number of issues were discussed in relation to the above themes. These included positive and conflicting appraisals of high moods; loss; entrapment and helplessness; ambivalence; negative moral emotions and a preferred manic identity. A range of therapeutic approaches were suggested as potentially helpful for some of these issues. These included Motivational Interviewing, Narrative, Constructivist and Compassion therapies. Additionally, the findings of the study provided support for existing therapies for Bipolar Disorder; particularly Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Interpersonal & Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT).

The purpose of this study is to analyze the distribution, forms, and function(s) of iron amulets deposited in the late Iron Age gravefields of Lovö, with the goal of ascertaining how (and so far as possible why) these objects were utilized in rituals carried out during and after burials. Particular emphasis is given to re-interpreting the largest group of iron amulets, the iron amulet rings, in a more relational and practice-focused way than has heretofore been attempted. By framing burial analyses, questions of typology, and evidence of ritualized actions in comparison with what is known of other cult sites in Mälardalen specifically– and theorized about the cognitive landscape(s) of late Iron Age Scandinavia generally– a picture of iron amulets as inscribed objects made to act as catalytic, protective, and mediating agents is brought to light.

Este trabalho visa abordar conceitos estéticos, musicais e históricos (relacionados à época do Iluminismo) que envolvem as transcrições para violão \"Six Airs Choisis de l\'Opéra de Mozart: \"Il flauto magico, arrangés pour guitare\" Op. 19 do compositor e violonista espanhol Fernando Sor (1778-1839), publicadas entre os anos de 1823 a 1825, em Londres, e baseadas em árias de A flauta mágica k620 (1791) de Mozart. O processo de transcrição empreendido por Fernando Sor exigiu, inclusive por necessidades históricas (aproximadamente 35 anos separam essas obras), uma mudança de concepção da escritura instrumental, pois, para Sor, tratava-se de verter a essência de um pensamento musical concebido no meio operático e apresentá-lo sob o conceito sonoro de um instrumento solo emergente, como foi o caso do violão no final do século XVIII e primeiras décadas do século XIX. Assim, do ponto de vista instrumental, elementos como textura, estilo de acompanhamento e conceito de condução de vozes, para citar apenas alguns aspectos, sofreram mudanças de concepção, resultando muitas vezes quase em uma nova composição e, até mesmo, outra percepção da forma musical, porque, acima de tudo, o elemento dramáticoliterário está ausente.
This paper aims at addressing the aesthetic, musical and historical concepts (related to the Enlightenment) that involve the guitar transcriptions \"Six Airs Choisis de l\'Opéra de Mozart: \"Il flauto magico, arrangés pour guitare\" Op. 19 by Spanish composer and guitarist Fernando Sor (1778-1839), published between the years 1823 to 1825, in London, and based in Mozart\'s Die Zauberflöte k620 (The Magic Flute). The transcription\'s process undertaken by Fernando Sor required, even for historical purposes (the compositions were created 35 years apart), a change in the concept of instrumental writing. For Sor, it was a question of translating the essence of the musical thought conceived in an operatic way and presenting it under a sonorous concept of an emerging, solo instrument as had been the case of the guitar in the late 18th century and in the first decades of the 19th century. From the instrumental perspective, therefore, elements such as texture, style of accompaniment and the voice leading concept, to name but a few, have undergone conceptual changes, often resulting almost in a new composition and even a different perception of the musical form since, above all, the elements of drama and literature are absent.

[1] Four specimens of zoned tourmaline from granitic pegmatites are characterised in detail, each having unusual compositional and/or morphologic features: (1) a crystal from Black Rapids Glacier, Alaska, showing a central pink zone of elbaite mantled by a thin rim of green liddicoatite; (2) a large (~25 cm) slab of Madagascar liddicoatite cut along (001) showing complex patterns of oscillatory zoning; and (3) a wheatsheaf and (4) a mushroom elbaite from Mogok, Myanmar, both showing extensive bifurcation of fibrous crystals originating from a central core crystal, and showing pronounced discontinuous colour zoning. Crystal chemistry and crystal structure of these samples are characterised by SREF, EMPA, and 11B and 27Al MAS NMR and Mössbauer spectroscopies. For each sample, compositional change, as a function of crystal growth, is characterised by EMPA traverses, and the total chemical variation is reduced to a series of linear substitution mechanisms. Of particular interest are substitutions accommodating the variation in [4]B: (1) TB + YAl ↔ TSi + Y(Fe, Mn)2+, where transition metals are present, and (2) TB2 + YAl ↔ TSi2 + YLi, where transition metals are absent. Integration of all data sets delineates constraints on melt evolution and crystal growth mechanisms. [2] Uncertainty has surrounded the occurrence of [4]Al and [4]B at the T-site in tourmaline, because B is difficult to quantify by EMPA and Al is typically assigned to the octahedral Y- and Z-sites. Although both [4]Al and [4]B have been shown to occur in natural tourmalines, it is not currently known how common these substituents are. Using 11B and 27Al MAS NMR spectroscopy, the presence of [4]B and [4]Al is determined in fifty inclusion-free tourmalines of low transition-metal content with compositions corresponding to five different species. Chemical shifts of [4]B and [3]B in 11B spectra, and [4]Al and [6]Al in 27Al spectra, are well-resolved, allowing detection of very small (< ~0.1 apfu) amounts of T-site constituents. Results show that contents of 0.0 < [4]B, [4]Al < 0.5 apfu are common in tourmalines containing low amounts of paramagnetic species, and that all combinations of Si, Al and B occur in natural tourmalines.

Doutoramento em Química
The main scope of this work was to evaluate the metabolic effects of anticancer agents (three conventional and one new) in osteosarcoma (OS) cells and osteoblasts, by measuring alterations in the metabolic profile of cells by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy metabolomics. Chapter 1 gives a theoretical framework of this work, beginning with the main metabolic characteristics that globally describe cancer as well as the families and mechanisms of action of drugs used in chemotherapy. The drugs used nowadays to treat OS are also presented, together with the Palladium(II) complex with spermine, Pd2Spm, potentially active against cancer. Then, the global strategy for cell metabolomics is explained and the state of the art of metabolomic studies that analyze the effect of anticancer agents in cells is presented. In Chapter 2, the fundamentals of the analytical techniques used in this work, namely for biological assays, NMR spectroscopy and multivariate and statistical analysis of the results are described. A detailed description of the experimental procedures adopted throughout this work is given in Chapter 3. The biological and analytical reproducibility of the metabolic profile of MG-63 cells by high resolution magic angle spinning (HRMAS) NMR is evaluated in Chapter 4. The metabolic impact of several factors (cellular integrity, spinning rate, temperature, time and acquisition parameters) on the 1H HRMAS NMR spectral profile and quality is analysed, enabling the definition of the best acquisition parameters for further experiments. The metabolic consequences of increasing number of passages in MG-63 cells as well as the duration of storage are also investigated. Chapter 5 describes the metabolic impact of drugs conventionally used in OS chemotherapy, through NMR metabolomics studies of lysed cells and aqueous extracts analysis. The results show that MG-63 cells treated with cisplatin (cDDP) undergo a strong up-regulation of lipid contents, alterations in phospholipid constituents (choline compounds) and biomarkers of DNA degradation, all associated with cell death by apoptosis. Cells exposed to doxorubicin (DOX) or methotrexate (MTX) showed much slighter metabolic changes, without any relevant alteration in lipid contents. However, metabolic changes associated with altered Krebs cycle, oxidative stress and nucleotides metabolism were detected and were tentatively interpreted at the light of the known mechanisms of action of these drugs. The metabolic impact of the exposure of MG-63 cells and osteoblasts to cDDP and the Pd2Spm complex is described in Chapter 6. Results show that, despite the ability of the two agents to bind DNA, the metabolic consequences that arise from exposure to them are distinct, namely in what concerns to variation in lipid contents (absent for Pd2Spm). Apoptosis detection assays showed that, differently from what was seen for MG-63 cells treated with cDDP, the decreased number of living cells upon exposure to Pd2Spm was not due to cell death by apoptosis or necrosis. Moreover, the latter agent induces more marked alterations in osteoblasts than in cancer cells, while the opposite seemed to occur upon cDDP exposure. Nevertheless, the results from MG-63 cells exposure to combination regimens with cDDP- or Pd2Spm-based cocktails, described in Chapter 7, revealed that, in combination, the two agents induce similar metabolic responses, arising from synergy mechanisms between the tested drugs. Finally, the main conclusions of this thesis are summarized in Chapter 8, and future perspectives in the light of this work are presented.
Este trabalho teve como principal objetivo estudar os efeitos metabólicos de alguns fármacos (três fármacos convencionais e um em desenvolvimento) em células de osteossarcoma (OS) e osteoblastos, através da medição de alterações dos perfis metabólicos celulares por metabolómica usando espectroscopia de Ressonância Magnética Nuclear (RMN). O Capítulo 1 apresenta um enquadramento teórico deste trabalho, começando por identificar as principais características metabólicas que descrevem o cancro em geral, assim como as famílias e mecanismos de ação dos fármacos usados no seu tratamento. São ainda apresentados os fármacos usados atualmente na quimioterapia do OS, bem como o complexo de Paládio (II) com espermina, Pd2Spm, com potencial atividade anticancerígena. Seguidamente, é explicada a estratégia da metabolómica celular e apresentado o estado da arte de estudos metabolómicos do efeito de agentes anticancerígenos em células. No Capítulo 2, apresentam-se os princípios das técnicas analíticas usadas neste trabalho, nomeadamente ensaios biológicos, espectroscopia de RMN e análise multivariada e estatística dos resultados. Os detalhes e procedimentos experimentais relativos aos métodos usados são descritos no Capítulo 3. O estudo da reprodutibilidade analítica e biológica do perfil metabólico de células MG-63 medido por RMN de alta resolução e rotação segundo o ângulo mágico (HRMAS) é apresentado no Capítulo 4. Avalia-se o impacto de vários fatores (integridade celular, velocidade de rotação da amostra, temperatura, duração e parâmetros de aquisição) nas características e qualidade do espectro de RMN HRMAS de 1H, definindo-se então os parâmetros de aquisição dos espectros a adquirir subsequentemente. Avaliam-se também os efeitos do nº de passagens celulares e do tempo de armazenamento no perfil metabólico de células MG-63. O Capítulo 5 descreve o impacto metabólico de fármacos convencionais usados atualmente na quimioterapia do OS, estudado por metabolómica por RMN de células lisadas e análise de extratos celulares aquosos. Os resultados mostram que as células MG-63 tratadas com cisplatina (cDDP) sofrem um aumento dramático do teor de lípidos, alterações dos níveis de constituintes dos fosfolípidos (compostos de colina) e de indicadores de degradação do DNA, associados a fenómenos de apoptose. Nas células expostas a doxorrubicina (DOX) ou a metotrexato (MTX) foram identificadas alterações metabólicas mais ténues, com a quase total ausência de alterações no teor de lípidos. Foram também detetadas alterações em metabolitos relacionados com o ciclo de Krebs, stress oxidativo e metabolismo de nucleótidos, interpretadas tentativamente à luz dos mecanismos de ação de cada um dos fármacos. O impacto metabólico da exposição de células MG-63 e osteoblastos a cDDP e ao complexo de Pd2Spm é apresentado no Capítulo 6. Os resultados mostram que, apesar de ambos os fármacos poderem ligar ao DNA, as alterações metabólicas que decorrem da sua ação são muito distintas, nomeadamente no que respeita às variações nos teores de lípidos (ausentes para Pd2Spm). Ensaios de medição de apoptose mostraram que, contrariamente ao verificado para células MG-63 expostas a cDDP, a redução do número de células por exposição a Pd2Spm não se deve a fenómenos de morte celular por apoptose ou necrose. Além disso, este último complexo exerce um efeito mais marcado em osteoblastos do que nas células cancerígenas, o inverso parecendo acontecer com a exposição a cDDP. Contudo, os resultados da exposição de células MG-63 a regimes de tratamento combinado com base em cocktails de cDDP ou Pd2Spm, descritos no Capítulo 7, mostram que, em combinação, os dois agentes induzem respostas metabólicas semelhantes entre si, decorrentes de mecanismos de sinergia entre fármacos. Finalmente, sumariam-se no Capítulo 8 as conclusões deste trabalho e apontam-se perspetivas de trabalho futuro.

Two adjacent caldera systems, the Mahogany Mountain and the Three Fingers caldera constitute voluminous rhyolitic volcanic deposits on the eastern margin of the Oregon-Idaho graben during the middle-Miocene. Both calderas are part of the Lake Owyhee volcanic field that in turn is part of widespread rhyolite deposits associated with the Columbia River Basalt province. We focus on establishing relationships between intracaldera units of Three Fingers caldera and caldera-forming tuff of Spring Creek and surveying the distribution of entrained mafic clasts which often display anomalous concentrations of rare earth elements. Previous mapping identified two intra-caldera facies and one outflow facies of the tuff of Spring Creek, in addition to a younger rhyolite within the caldera (Trp). New 40Ar/39Ar dates show these units are nearly time equivalent at 15.64 ± 0.08 Ma for Trp and 15.64 ± 0.09 Ma for tuff of Spring Creek. Field evidence shows extensive coverage of Trp and associated facies emplaced after a period of sedimentation within the caldera. The main reinterpretations are: i) the mostly devitrified units of Trp are time equivalent to flows and domes of glassy, vesicular, or brecciated rhyolite previously mapped as intra-caldera tuff of Spring Creek; and ii) mafic clasts present in dense glass and porous rhyolite are fragments of mafic lava flows entrained by the subsequent eruptions. New geochemical and mineralogical evidence clearly distinguish the outflow tuff of Spring Creek and intracaldera rhyolites. Compared to the outflow tuff, intracaldera rhyolite flows are less Fe-rich, (2 vs. 3 wt.% FeO), and higher silica (77 vs. 74 wt.% SiO2) rhyolites that lack vitrophyric texture. I interpret the investigated area as a rhyolite dome field, erupted subsequent to caldera collapse. The proximity of vents resulted in a complex stratigraphic overlap of rhyolite flows and clastic debris issued from coalescing domes. The predominance of high-standing dome interiors reflects the more resistant nature of dense devitrified rhyolite as compared to pumiceous, glassy, or brecciated facies of intra-caldera rhyolite. Enrichment of REE in mafic clasts is highly variable, and does not correlate with their entrainment in a specific facies of intra-caldera rhyolite. Individual clasts contain up to 2400 ppm Nd, 1800 ppm Ce, and 1400 ppm La in the most enriched samples. Linear regression shows these highly anomalous concentrations are not correlated with variations in major element chemistry between enriched and un-enriched clasts. The geographic extent of mafic clast-bearing units is limited to less than 5 percent of the area mapped, and their distribution within these units is typically volumetrically insignificant, limiting their economic potential. Mechanisms for enrichment of REE within these rocks is however significant to our understanding of a yet unexplained phenomenon and may lead to further discoveries with greater economic potential.

The aim of this study is to provide insight into the percussion music of Dave Maric through an analysis of a trilogy of pieces with backing track, Trilogy (2000), Sense & Innocence (2002/2014), and Thrice Into Flames (2017). The present study examines Maric’s influences, analyzes his compositional style, and provides a performance guide. Brief biographical information is provided to introduce Maric. His compositional style is examined by analyzing tonal language and formal structures. The tonal language of these pieces combines octatonic scales and diatonic scales. In terms of form, Maric uses mathematical sequences to determine proportions between sections, including the Fibonacci sequence. The performance guide includes sticking suggestions, transcriptions of backing track cues, and additional comments.

The Wildcat Creek Tuff is a thin (~3-12 m), rhyolite to andesitic ash-flow tuff with a minimal extent of 1500 km2 in Malheur county, eastern Oregon. The previously undated tuff yielded a single crystal, anorthoclase 40Ar/39Ar age of 15.49±0.02 Ma and thus is closely related to mafic and silicic volcanism of the Columbia River Province. The tuff texturally stands out by its high proportion of co-mingled mafic inclusions appearing as dark, scoriaceous, and phenocryst-poor fragments, and their proportion dictate bulk tuff compositions ranging from rhyolite (74% SiO2) to andesite (59% SiO2). Glass analyses confirm rhyolite end member at 74-75 wt.% SiO2 and two mafic members, one at 59-60 wt.% SiO2 and the other at 56-57 wt.% SiO2. Rare plagioclase and even rarer pyroxene phenocrysts with compositions clustering at An60-74 and An35-45, and Mg17-19 and Mg80-84, respectively, similarly suggest two andesitic magmas with the 60% member being the dominant mafic composition. It has distinctly lower TiO2 and CaO, slightly lower FeO, and comparable Al2O3, MgO, and alkalis. Eruption of crystal-poor dacitic to basaltic-andesitic cognate components is also observed in other Miocene ash-flow tuffs from eastern Oregon, like the Rattlesnake, Dinner Creek, and the Devine Canyon Tuffs, as well as other less voluminous tuffs. However, the high proportion of mafic components in the Wildcat Creek tuff seems currently unrivaled. The co-eruption of intermediate magmas with rhyolite implies that mafic magmas were tapped from a common reservoir, and these magmas increased in proportion during the course of the eruption(s). This continued up to the point where nearly all deposited tuff material consisted of andesite. This is consistent with progressively deeper magma withdrawal, in turn implying that mafic magmas resided below the rhyolites as a discrete magma batch. Dacitic components of voluminous rhyolitic tuffs have been recently interpreted as remelted samples of a crystal mush after crystal-poor rhyolites where extracted. Dacitic Wildcat Creek Tuff samples do not bear any evidence of this. To the contrary, small negative Eu anomalies, normal Ba and Sr concentrations, and nearly aphyric nature are consistent with a large portion of mixing between Wildcat Creek Tuff rhyolites and regional mid Miocene, Fe-rich, and crystal poor basaltic andesite magmas that occur ubiquitously as lava flows.

Doutoramento em Química
This thesis reports the application of metabolomics to human tissues and biofluids (blood plasma and urine) to unveil the metabolic signature of primary lung cancer. In Chapter 1, a brief introduction on lung cancer epidemiology and pathogenesis, together with a review of the main metabolic dysregulations known to be associated with cancer, is presented. The metabolomics approach is also described, addressing the analytical and statistical methods employed, as well as the current state of the art on its application to clinical lung cancer studies. Chapter 2 provides the experimental details of this work, in regard to the subjects enrolled, sample collection and analysis, and data processing. In Chapter 3, the metabolic characterization of intact lung tissues (from 56 patients) by proton High Resolution Magic Angle Spinning (HRMAS) Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is described. After careful assessment of acquisition conditions and thorough spectral assignment (over 50 metabolites identified), the metabolic profiles of tumour and adjacent control tissues were compared through multivariate analysis. The two tissue classes could be discriminated with 97% accuracy, with 13 metabolites significantly accounting for this discrimination: glucose and acetate (depleted in tumours), together with lactate, alanine, glutamate, GSH, taurine, creatine, phosphocholine, glycerophosphocholine, phosphoethanolamine, uracil nucleotides and peptides (increased in tumours). Some of these variations corroborated typical features of cancer metabolism (e.g., upregulated glycolysis and glutaminolysis), while others suggested less known pathways (e.g., antioxidant protection, protein degradation) to play important roles. Another major and novel finding described in this chapter was the dependence of this metabolic signature on tumour histological subtype. While main alterations in adenocarcinomas (AdC) related to phospholipid and protein metabolisms, squamous cell carcinomas (SqCC) were found to have stronger glycolytic and glutaminolytic profiles, making it possible to build a valid classification model to discriminate these two subtypes. Chapter 4 reports the NMR metabolomic study of blood plasma from over 100 patients and near 100 healthy controls, the multivariate model built having afforded a classification rate of 87%. The two groups were found to differ significantly in the levels of lactate, pyruvate, acetoacetate, LDL+VLDL lipoproteins and glycoproteins (increased in patients), together with glutamine, histidine, valine, methanol, HDL lipoproteins and two unassigned compounds (decreased in patients). Interestingly, these variations were detected from initial disease stages and the magnitude of some of them depended on the histological type, although not allowing AdC vs. SqCC discrimination. Moreover, it is shown in this chapter that age mismatch between control and cancer groups could not be ruled out as a possible confounding factor, and exploratory external validation afforded a classification rate of 85%. The NMR profiling of urine from lung cancer patients and healthy controls is presented in Chapter 5. Compared to plasma, the classification model built with urinary profiles resulted in a superior classification rate (97%). After careful assessment of possible bias from gender, age and smoking habits, a set of 19 metabolites was proposed to be cancer-related (out of which 3 were unknowns and 6 were partially identified as N-acetylated metabolites). As for plasma, these variations were detected regardless of disease stage and showed some dependency on histological subtype, the AdC vs. SqCC model built showing modest predictive power. In addition, preliminary external validation of the urine-based classification model afforded 100% sensitivity and 90% specificity, which are exciting results in terms of potential for future clinical application. Chapter 6 describes the analysis of urine from a subset of patients by a different profiling technique, namely, Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS). Although the identification of discriminant metabolites was very limited, multivariate models showed high classification rate and predictive power, thus reinforcing the value of urine in the context of lung cancer diagnosis. Finally, the main conclusions of this thesis are presented in Chapter 7, highlighting the potential of integrated metabolomics of tissues and biofluids to improve current understanding of lung cancer altered metabolism and to reveal new marker profiles with diagnostic value.
A presente tese reporta a aplicação da metabolómica ao estudo de tecidos e biofluidos humanos (plasma sanguíneo e urina), com o intuito de caracterizar a assinatura metabólica do cancro pulmonar primário. No Capítulo 1, apresenta-se uma breve introdução sobre a epidemiologia e a patogénese deste tipo de cancro, bem como um sumário das principais alterações metabólicas tipicamente associadas ao cancro em geral. Descreve-se ainda a abordagem metabolómica, nomeadamente os métodos analíticos e estatísticos utilizados, assim como o estado da arte da sua aplicação em estudos clínicos do cancro do pulmão. No Capítulo 2, apresentam-se os detalhes experimentais deste trabalho, no que diz respeito ao grupo de indivíduos envolvidos, à colheita e análise das amostras e ao posterior tratamento dos dados. O Capítulo 3 descreve a caracterização metabólica de tecidos do pulmão (de 56 doentes) por espetroscopia de Ressonância Magnética Nuclear (RMN) de alta resolução com rotação no ângulo mágico. Após a otimização cuidada das condições de aquisição e a identificação detalhada dos sinais espetrais (mais de 50 metabolitos identificados), os perfis metabólicos dos tumores e dos tecidos adjacentes não envolvidos (controlos) foram comparados por análise multivariada, tendo sido discriminados com uma exatidão de 97%. Os metabolitos que mais significativamente contribuíram para esta diferenciação foram: glucose e acetato (diminuídos nos tumores), lactato, alanina, glutamato, GSH, taurina, creatina, fosfocolina, glicerofosfocolina, fosfoetanolamina, nucleótidos de uracilo e péptidos (aumentados nos tumores). Algumas destas variações corroboraram alterações típicas do metabolismo do cancro (e.g., glicólise e glutaminólise aumentadas), enquanto outras sugeriram novas pistas sobre a possível relevância de processos como a proteção antioxidante e a degradação proteica. Um outro resultado novo e importante descrito neste capítulo foi a dependência da assinatura metabólica em relação ao tipo histológico do tumor. Enquanto as principais alterações observadas nos adenocarcinomas (AdC) se relacionaram com o metabolismo fosfolipídico e proteico, os carcinomas de células escamosas (SqCC) apresentaram perfis glicolíticos e glutaminolíticos mais pronunciados, sendo possível construir um modelo válido para a discriminação destes subtipos. No Capítulo 4, apresenta-se o estudo metabolómico por RMN de plasma sanguíneo de mais de 100 doentes e quase 100 controlos saudáveis, do qual resultou um modelo multivariado com uma taxa de classificação de 87%. A distinção entre os grupos foi feita essencialmente com base nos níveis de lactato, piruvato, acetoacetato, lipoproteínas LDL+VLDL e glicoproteínas (aumentados nos doentes), juntamente com os níveis de glutamina, histidina, valina, metanol, lipoproteínas HDL e dois compostos não identificados (diminuídos nos doentes). Estas variações foram detetadas desde os estádios iniciais da doença e a magnitude de algumas delas dependeu do tipo histológico, embora não permitindo discriminar AdC de SqCC. Para além disso, mostra-se neste capítulo que o desequilíbrio dos grupos controlo e cancro em termos da idade dos indivíduos poderá ter alguma influência nos resultados, e apresenta-se uma tentativa exploratória de validação externa, que resultou numa taxa de classificação de 85%. O estudo por RMN do perfil metabólico da urina dos doentes com cancro do pulmão e dos controlos é apresentado no Capítulo 5. Comparativamente ao plasma, o modelo construído com os perfis urinários apresentou uma taxa de classificação superior (97%). Após uma avaliação cuidada da possível influência do género, idade e hábitos tabágicos, um conjunto de 19 metabolitos foi proposto como estando relacionado com a doença (incluindo 3 compostos desconhecidos e 6 parcialmente identificados como metabolitos N-acetilados). Tal como no caso do plasma, estas variações foram detetadas em doentes no estádio inicial e mostraram alguma dependência em relação ao tipo histológico, obtendo-se um modelo válido para a discriminação AdC vs. SqCC, ainda que com um poder preditivo modesto. Para além disso, o teste preliminar de validação externa revelou 100% de sensibilidade e 90% de especificidade, o que é um resultado bastante promissor em termos da potencial utilização dos perfis urinários em aplicações clínicas futuras. No Capitulo 6, descreve-se a caracterização dos perfis metabólicos da urina (de um subgrupo de indivíduos) por cromatografia líquida de ultra-eficiência acoplada a espetrometria de massa (UPLC-MS). Embora não avançando muito na identificação estrutural de possíveis marcadores, este estudo reforçou o valor diagnóstico da urina, já que os modelos multivariados resultantes apresentaram taxa de classificação e poder preditivo elevados. Finalmente, no Capítulo 7, apresentam-se as principais conclusões deste trabalho, realçando o contributo da metabolómica integrada de tecidos e biofluidos para a compreensão do metabolismo alterado do cancro do pulmão e para a deteção de novos perfis marcadores com valor diagnóstico.

A study was conducted in which a computerized battery of information processing tasks (called the COGLAB) was administered to three subject groups: patients with schizophrenia, patients with bipolar disorder, and normal controls. The tasks included Mueller-Lyer illusion, reaction time, size estimation, Wisconsin Card Sort, backward masking. and Asarnow Continuous Performance.

Melt inclusions record valuable information about pre-eruptive melt volatile concentrations. However, a vapor bubble commonly forms in inclusions after trapping, and this decreases the dissolved CO2 concentration in the trapped melt. To quantify CO2 loss to bubbles, Raman spectroscopic analysis was used to determine the densities of CO2 vapor in the bubbles. The samples analyzed in this study are from two Cascade cinder cones near Mt. Lassen and two Mexican cinder cones (Jorullo, Paricutin). Using analyses of dissolved CO2 and H2O in the glass in the inclusions, the measured CO2 vapor densities were used to reconstruct the original dissolved CO2 contents of the melt inclusions at the time of trapping. The Raman-restored CO2 values are similar to restored CO2 values calculated using a model of cooling and olivine crystallization in the trapped melts. This thesis includes unpublished co-authored material.

Bakgrund: Bipolär sjukdom är en livshotande sjukdom som karaktäriseras av hypomani, mani och depression som påverkar både personen själv och dennes anhöriga. Då sjukdomen inte kan botas riktas behandlingen mot att lindra symtomen. Problem: Bipolär sjukdom ger en komplexitet som kan vara svår för vårdpersonalen att hantera då förändringar i stämningslägena kan vara såväl subtilt som påfallande. Därav behöver vårdpersonalen kunskap för att kunna ge ett adekvat stöd. Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva kvinnors upplevelser av att leva med bipolär sjukdom. Metod: Fem självbiografier analyserades med hjälp av kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: I resultatet framkom fyra kategorier och tretton underkategorier. Kvinnorna uttryckte att livet med bipolär sjukdom var som en känslomässig berg- och dalbana där stämningslägena var uppe eller nere, vilket gjorde livet svårt att hantera och svårt att skapa en identitet. Vidare beskrevs relationernas inverkan på kvinnorna. Slutligen beskrevs vardagen med bipolär sjukdom som kantades av kontrollförlust, bristande konsekvenstänk samt strategier för att hantera sjukdomen. Slutsats: Att leva med bipolär sjukdom är som att leva i en känslomässig berg- och dalbana. Sjukdomen kan leda till problem med identitetsskapande. Personens interaktion med omgivningen påverkas och det kan uppkomma problem med att hantera vardagen.
Background: Bipolar disorder is a life-threatening disease characterized by hypomania, mania and depression, which influences both the affected as well as the relatives. The disease cannot be cured and the treatment therefore aims to ease the suffering. Problem: Bipolar disorder gives a complexity that can be difficult for health professionals to handle as the changes in mood can be both subtle as striking. The health professionals need knowledge to be able to provide adequate support. Purpose: The purpose is to describe women’s experiences to live with bipolar disorder. Method: Five autobiogrophies were analyzed with a qualitative content analysis. Result: The result gave four categories and thirteen subcategories. The examined women expressed that living with a bipolar disorder were like an emotional rollercoaster. Their mood were either up or down, which made their life hard to handle and to form an identity. At last, aspects of relationships and the everyday life was described. Conclusion: To live with bipolar disorder is like living in an emotional rollercoaster. The disease can lead to problems in creating an identity. People’s interaction with the surrounding environment is affected and problems with handling the every day life. Keywords

Denna uppsats hanterar hur kvinnliga karaktärer porträtteras i romantisk komedi genom att närmare studera begreppet ”Manic Pixie Dream Girl”. Detta begrepp leder till missförstånd om kvinnans roll i filmens värld och skapar diskussioner om jämställdhet och västerländsk berättarkultur. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka två kvinnor i två olika romantiska komedier uppfyller de kriterier som nämns av Manic Pixie Dream Girl-begreppets myntare, Nathan Rabin, har lagt fram och om det således är motiverat att argumentera att karaktärerna upprätthåller sexistiska synsätt. Den teoretiska grund som uppsatsen bygger på kommer främst från feministisk teori, men även från Laura Mulveys teori om skopofili och den manliga blicken. För att analysera det utvalda materialet används en skräddarsydd karaktärsanalytisk metod. Resultatet visar att, trots att de kvinnliga karaktärerna må uppfylla några eller flera av de kriterier som Rabin ställer fram så innebär inte det direkt att karaktärerna är endimensionella och, i förlängning, overkliga porträtt av kvinnor i allmänhet.
This essay deals with how female characters are portrayed in romantic comedies by studying the "Manic Pixie Dream Girl"-phenomenon closer. This concept leads to misunderstandings about women's roles in the world of cinema and creates discussions about equality and Western storytelling. The purpose of this essay is to study two women in two different romantic comedies and study if they meet the criteria Nathan Rabin, the man who coined the term “Manic Pixie Dream Girl”, has announced to be qualities of a Manic Pixie Dream Girl and whether it is justified to argue that the female characters maintain sexist ideals. The theoretical basis on which the essay is based primarily comes from feminist theory, but also from Laura Mulvey’s theory of scopophilia and “the male gaze”. To analyze the selected material I have chosen to use a customized method of character analysis. The results show that, despite the fact that the female characters may meet some or more of the criteria Rabin have announced, the material does not directly imply that the characters are one-dimensional and, in extension, improbable and unreal portraits of women in general.

Abstrakt

Bakgrund: Det är nödvändigt att skydda patienten och dess omgivning vid maniska tillstånd. Personer i maniskt skede är ytterst känsliga för både inre och yttre stimuli. Omvårdnadspersonalen behöver använda olika metoder i omvårdnaden för att kunna förstå, närma sig och arbeta med patienter som lider av mani.

Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att belysa omvårdnadspersonalens syn på faktorer som är viktiga i omvårdnaden av patienter i maniskt skede.

Metod: Studien utfördes med kvalitativ ansats där tre semistrukturerade fokusgruppintervjuer genomfördes med omvårdnadspersonal på psykiatriska avdelningar. Intervjuerna analyserades med innehållsanalys.

Resultat:.Resultatet i studien visade att ett gemensamt förhållningssätt hos omvårdnadspersonalen är en viktig faktor i omvårdnaden av patienter i maniskt skede. Olika omvårdnadsåtgärder såsom att begränsa, minska stimuli, tydlighet och att tillgodose sömnbehovet är delar som är betydande i omvårdnaden. Att agera på ett etiskt sätt med respekt för patienten är ett förhållningssätt som omvårdnadspersonalen framhäver.

Slutsats: Använder sig omvårdnadspersonal av ett gemensamt förhållningssätt med olika omvårdnadsstrategier skapas bättre möjligheter till god omvårdnad vid manisk episod. Omvårdnadsplaner som alla berörda parter kan ta del av är nödvändigt för att kunna ha ett gemensamt förhållningssätt och följa olika uppsatta mål och riktlinjer i omvårdnaden.

 

Nyhetsmedia har en stor påverkan på samhället, det är till dem vi med största sannolikhet vänder oss till när en stor händelse drabbar oss. Under de senaste åren har nyhetsmedia fått motstå kritik för hur de särbehandlar olika fall och händelser beroende på vem gärningsmannen är. Vi ville utforska om det faktiskt stämde att vita gärningsmän blir klassificerade som psykisk sjuka, när icke-vita gärningsmän blir beskrivna som terrorister. Genom att fokusera på representation, gestaltningsteorin och attributdagordningen utfördes en multimodal analys på Aftonbladets och Dagens Nyheters rapportering kring händelsen i Trollhättan respektive Drottninggatan. Målet var att se om det fanns några tendenser för särbehandling vid rapporteringen och porträtteringen av gärningsmän och deras dåd. Studien gav inte några definitiva resultat, däremot lade vi bland annat märke till att det fanns nyanser i artiklarna som kunde peka på särbehandling. Vi märkte bland annat att porträtteringen av gärningsmännen skilde sig drastiskt, när Rakhmat Akilov beskrivs som den invandrade brutala gärningsmannen med IS-sympatier, gestaltas Anton Lundin Pettersson som den tillbakadragne, svenska killen som tyckte om hårdrock OCH Nazityskland.
The influence news media has on society is huge, we most certainly turn to the news media whenever a big event affects us. For the last couple of years critique has been directed towards the news media concerning the coverage of crime and how some cases get special treatment depending on who the perpetrator is. We wanted to investigate if it actually is true that white criminals get described as ‘mentally ill’, while non white criminals are categorized as ‘terrorists’. By focusing on representation, the Attribute framing theory and the Framing theory, we did a multimodal analysis on the Swedish newspapers Aftonbladet's and Dagens Nyheter’s coverage of the events in Trollhättan and at Drottninggatan. Our goal was to distinguish if there actually are any tendencies for special treatment while covering a case and portraying a perpetrator within the news media. With this study, we weren’t able to come to any conclusions, but the study did show that there were some nuances which pointed towards special treatment in the news articles. For instance we discovered that there were some differences in the portraying of the perpetrators; while Rakhmat Akilov was described as the immigrating veil criminal who shared sympathies with ISIS, Anton Lundin Pettersson was portrayed as the shy guy from Sweden who was passionate about metal AND Nazi Germany.

碩士
義守大學
管理碩博士班
104
Magic performance among Performing Arts becomes very popular recently, and with the increase of competitors, competitive differentiation and other factors, making the competition fierce, and thus formed the industrial trend. Therefore, the study sets magic industry as the focus of research, using In-depth interviews with three different types of respondents in magic industry: magic company managers, professional type magic performers, and amateur type magic performers, a total of ten people were interviewed; also, using participant observation, sets researcher himself into the industry, and collecting information. Research results show that the company managers and professional performers are important junction point of magic industry value chain, and amateur performers complemented by the role of human resources and technology providing. Furthermore, diversification and internationalization could be a good guideline of magic industry business strategies, and professional innovation could create competitive advantage. Finally, through Michael Porter''s Five Forces Analysis, realized that industry competitive strength and bargaining power of suppliers are with high level threatening, bargaining power of buyers is moderate, and the remaining is low. Therefore, the study suggests that magic industry needs more international outlook and escape from the conventional framework of imitation, in order to receive a stronger competitive advantage. And further, it could make Taiwan and Taiwan’s magic performance famous enough to open bright future.

Effective collaboration in a team is a crucial skill. When people interact together to perform physical tasks, they rely on gestures to convey instructions. This thesis explores gestures as means to assess physical collaborative task understanding. This research proposes a framework to represent, compare, and assess gestures’ morphology, semantics, and pragmatics, as opposed to traditional approaches that rely mostly on the gestures’ physical appearance. By leveraging this framework, functionally equivalent gestures can be identified and compared. In addition, a metric to assess the quality of assimilation of physical instructions is computed from gesture matchings, which acts as a proxy metric for task understanding based on gestural analysis. The correlations between this proposed metric and three other task understanding proxy metrics were obtained. Our framework was evaluated through three user studies in which participants completed shared tasks remotely: block assembly, origami, and ultrasound training. The results indicate that the proposed metric acts as a good estimator for task understanding. Moreover, this metric provides task understanding insights in scenarios where other proxy metrics show inconsistencies. Thereby, the approach presented in this research acts as a first step towards assessing task understanding in physical collaborative scenarios through the analysis of gestures.

碩士
南臺科技大學
應用英語系
105
This study investigates the lexical coverage and word frequency of children book series, Magic Tree House, to understand if they are appropriate reading materials for EFL elementary students to reach adequate reading comprehension. The series of books are divided into two sections: book 1-28, and book 29-55. Book 1-28 are considered the most popular and original, which will be explored in this study by using corpus analysis programs, AntConc and AntWordProfiler. Also, a word level list of BNC/COCA word list and a MOE 1,200 word list will be used in the study. Major findings are summarized as follows: (1) There are 55% of function words and 45% of content words in the Magic Tree House text; (2) The lexical coverage by MOE 1,200 word families list is found to reach 79.53% ; (3) With the use of BNC/ COCA word list, it takes 4,000 words to reach 95% coverage, and 7,000 words to reach 98% coverage; (4) There are 1,220 words which appear in the reading materials more than 12 times. The results of this corpus-based research provide valuable implications for primary and secondary school EFL teachers to choose suitable reading materials for learners.