Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Works (Virgil)'

In this dissertation, I argue that two dominant perspectives on farming in Canada—the technoscientific capitalist perspective on modern industrial farming and the popular vision of hard-won survival on the family farm—both draw on narrative and aesthetic strategies that have deep roots in distinct, but related variations of the georgic tradition, which arrived in Canada in the eighteenth century and continues to shape literary representations and material practices today. Critics of Canadian literature have tended to subsume the georgic under the category of pastoral, but I argue that the georgic is a separate and more useful category for understanding the complex myths and realities of agricultural production in Canada precisely because it is a literary genre that focuses on the labour of farming and because it constitutes a complex and multi-generic discourse which both promotes and enables critique of dominant agricultural practices. I argue that, despite its sublimation beneath the pastoral, the georgic mode has also been an important cultural nexus in Canadian literature and culture, and that it constitutes a set of conventions that have become so commonplace in writing that deals with agricultural labour and its related issues in Canada that they have come to seem both inevitable and natural within the Canadian cultural tradition, even if they have not been explicitly named as georgic. By analyzing a variety of texts such as Oliver Goldmith’s The Rising Village, Isabella Valancy Crawford’s Malcolm’s Katie, Susanna Moodie’s Roughing It in the Bush, Frederick Philip Grove’s Settlers of the Marsh, Martha Ostenso’s Wild Geese, Al Purdy’s In Search of Owen Roblin, Robert Kroetsch’s “The Ledger,” Christian Bok’s Xenotext, Rita Wong’s Forage, and Phil Hall’s Amanuensis, I recontextualize Canadian writing that deals with agrarian work within two distinct but related georgic traditions. As Raymond Williams and others have shown, the georgic’s inclusion of both pastoralizing myths and material realities makes it useful for exploring ecological questions. The georgic is often understood in terms of what Karen O’Brien has called the imperial georgic mode, which involves a technocratic, imperialist, capitalist approach to agriculture, and which helped theorize and justify imperial expansion and the technological domination of nature. But as ecocritics like David Fairer, Margaret Ronda, and Kevin Goodman have argued, the georgic’s concern with the contingency and precariousness of human relationships with nonhuman systems also made it a productive site for imagining alternatives to imperial ways of organizing social and ecological relations. Ronda calls this more ecologically-focused and adaptable georgic the disenchanted georgic, but I call it the precarious georgic because of the way it enables engagement with what Anna Tsing calls precarity. Precarity, as Tsing explains, describes life without the promise of mastery or stability, which is a condition that leaves us in a state of being radically dependent on other beings for survival. “The challenge for thinking with precarity,” she writes, “is to understand the ways projects for making scalability have transformed landscape and society, while seeing also where scalability fails—and where nonscalable ecological and economic relations erupt” (42). By tracing the interplay between imperial and precarious georgic modes in Canadian texts that have mistakenly been read as pastoral—from Moodie’s settler georgic to the queer gothic georgic of Ostenso’s Wild Geese to the provisional and object-oriented georgics of Robert Kroetsch and Phil Hall—I argue that the precarious georgic strain has always engaged in this process of thinking with precarity, and that it holds the potential for providing space to re-imagine our ecological relations.

This study is an excavation and examination of the works of Virgin Islands poets, Cyril Creque, I. P. Gimenez, and Antonio Jarvis, who wrote in the first half of the twentieth century. It looks at the historical and literary context that fostered them and provides a thorough study of one aspect of each man's poetry. In particular Creque's Romanticism is examined, as are Gimenez's vernacular poems, and Jarvis' dual consciousness. All three are examined from the perspective of the tensions created by their being products of the United States Virgin Islands, a territory at once Caribbean and American. The study set out to refute the assertions of critics that Virgin Islands poets were mere imitators of the European style. What has been revealed is a rich tapestry of original imagery and language, reflective of the Virgin Islands unique history and culture. A thorough examination of selected poems of each writer was conducted, as was research on each writer. This research was supported by available data and to a significant extent by information gathered from interviews with persons who knew the subjects of the study. This dissertation is, most likely, the first comprehensive critical work on Virgin Islands poetry and on Creque, Gimenez, and Jarvis. As such it will be useful to scholars interested in the literature of the Virgin Islands and also of the Caribbean and the United States of which the territory is a part. It verifies, not only the presence of a poetic heritage, but testifies to its quality as well as its significance in the two poetic traditions of which it is a part.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), an oncogenic virus that ubiquitously establishes life-long persistence in humans, encodes viral miRNAs in two clusters, BHRF1 and BART. EBV also regulates expression of a large pool of cellular miRNAs, including miR-155, miR-146a, miR-21, miR-29, and miR-34a. These miRNAs targets both viral and cellular genes involved in the entire viral lifetime from lytic infection to oncogenesis, including viral replication, immune responses, cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, and cell proliferation, and are indispensable for persistent infection, latency establishment and maintenance, and cancer development. Among them, circulating miRNAs and unique miRNA profiles are promising diagnosis and prognosis biomarkers alone or with other traditional biomarkers. Elucidation of the precise mechanisms of action of these miRNAs in EBV latent infection will improve our knowlege of EBV persistence and oncogenesis, and may foster new strategies to target these miRNAs for treatments of EBV-associated cancers.

Background: T cells play a key role in controlling viral infections; however, the underlying mechanisms regulating their functions during human viral infections remain incompletely understood. Here, we used CD4 T cells derived from individuals with chronic viral infections or healthy T cells treated with camptothecin (CPT) - a topoisomerase I (Top 1) inhibitor - as a model to investigate the role of DNA topology in reprogramming telomeric DNA damage responses (DDR) and remodeling T cell functions. Results: We demonstrated that Top 1 protein expression and enzyme activity were significantly inhibited, while the Top 1 cleavage complex (TOP1cc) was trapped in genomic DNA, in T cells derived from individuals with chronic viral (HCV, HBV, or HIV) infections. Top 1 inhibition by CPT treatment of healthy CD4 T cells caused topological DNA damage, telomere attrition, and T cell apoptosis or dysfunction via inducing Top1cc accumulation, PARP1 cleavage, and failure in DNA repair, thus recapitulating T cell dysregulation in the setting of chronic viral infections. Moreover, T cells from virally infected subjects with inhibited Top 1 activity were more vulnerable to CPT-induced topological DNA damage and cell apoptosis, indicating an important role for Top 1 in securing DNA integrity and cell survival. Conclusion: These findings provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms for immunomodulation by chronic viral infections via disrupting DNA topology to induce telomeric DNA damage, T cell senescence, apoptosis and dysfunction. As such, restoring the impaired DNA topologic machinery may offer a new strategy for maintaining T cell function against human viral diseases.

Recently, linear ubiquitin assembly complex (LUBAC)-mediated linear ubiquitination has come into focus due to its emerging role in activation of NF-κB in different biological contexts. However, the role of LUBAC in LMP1 signaling leading to NF-κB and interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7) activation has not been investigated. We show here that RNF31, the key component of LUBAC, interacts with LMP1 and IRF7 in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-transformed cells and that LUBAC stimulates linear ubiquitination of NEMO and IRF7. Consequently, LUBAC is required for LMP1 signaling to full activation of NF-κB but inhibits LMP1-stimulated IRF7 transcriptional activity. The protein levels of RNF31 and LMP1 are correlated in EBV-transformed cells. Knockdown of RNF31 in EBV-transformed IB4 cells by RNA interference negatively regulates the expression of the genes downstream of LMP1 signaling and results in a decrease of cell proliferation. These lines of evidence indicate that LUBAC-mediated linear ubiquitination plays crucial roles in regulating LMP1 signaling and functions. IMPORTANCE We show here that LUBAC-mediated linear ubiquitination is required for LMP1 activation of NF-κB but inhibits LMP1-mediated IRF7 activation. Our findings provide novel mechanisms underlying EBV-mediated oncogenesis and may have a broad impact on IRF7-mediated immune responses.

Case reports describe significant norovirus gastroenteritis morbidity in immunocompromised patients. We evaluated norovirus pathogenesis in prospectively enrolled solid organ (SOT) and hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients with diarrhea who presented to Texas Children's Hospital and submitted stool for enteric testing. Noroviruses were detected by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Clinical outcomes of norovirus diarrhea and non-norovirus diarrhea patients, matched by transplanted organ type, were compared. Norovirus infection was identified in 25 (22%) of 116 patients, more frequently than other enteropathogens. Fifty percent of norovirus patients experienced diarrhea lasting ≥14 days, with median duration of 12.5 days (range 1–324 days); 29% developed diarrhea recurrence. Fifty-five percent of norovirus patients were hospitalized for diarrhea, with 27% requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission. One HSCT recipient developed pneumatosis intestinalis. Three HSCT patients expired ≤6 months of norovirus diarrhea onset. Compared to non-norovirus diarrhea patients, norovirus patients experienced significantly more frequent ICU admission (27% vs. 0%, p = 0.02), greater serum creatinine rise (median 0.3 vs. 0.2 mg/dL, p = 0.01), and more weight loss (median 1.6 vs. 0.6 kg, p < 0.01). Noroviruses are an important cause of diarrhea in pediatric transplant patients and are associated with significant clinical complications.

Feminist scholars have long assumed that Tertullian, a second-century Church Father, was a misogynist. This assumption is based almost exclusively on the infamous “Devil’s gateway” passage in the opening chapter of De cultu feminarum. However, feminist scholars have read this passage in isolation without reference to its wider context in De cultu feminarum and without considering other passages from Tertullian’s treatises. Furthermore, they have failed to recognize the influence which ancient rhetoric had on Tertullian’s work. By reading the “Devil’s gateway” passage in a wider context, and by engaging in a detailed analysis of Tertullian’s use of rhetoric, it becomes evident that Tertullian’s comments in that passage are not based on misogynistic view of women. Rather, they serve a specific rhetorical purpose in one particular treatise. Furthermore, by looking beyond the “Devil’s gateway” passage to other passages in which Tertullian makes reference to women, it is clear that his comments in the “Devil’s gateway” passage are not representative of his view of women. An examination of themes such as Mary, the anthropology of woman and woman’s role in the social order reveals a more nuanced picture of Tertullian’s view of women, than the one offered by some feminist scholars. By bringing together two areas - Tertullian’s use of rhetoric and feminist critique of Tertullian and of the Fathers in general - I will challenge the assumption that Tertullian was a misogynist and show that in some areas Tertullian can make a positive contribution to the feminist question.

OBJECTIVES: The integrin α4β7 is the gut-homing receptor for lymphocytes. It also is an important co-receptor for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) via glycoprotein (gp)120 binding. Depletion of gut cluster of differentiation (CD)4 T cells is linked to chronic inflammation in patients with HIV; however, measuring CD4 cells in the gut is invasive and not routine. As such, establishing a peripheral marker for CD4 depletion of the gut is needed. We hypothesized that α4β7 CD4 T cells are depleted in the peripheral blood of treatment-naïve patients with HIV compared with healthy controls. METHODS: The study groups were treatment-naïve patients with HIV and uninfected controls. Subjects were included if they were 18 years or older with no history of opportunistic infections, active tuberculosis, or cancer. We collected peripheral blood and examined on whole blood using flow cytometry for the following cell surface markers: CD4, CD45RO, chemokine receptor type 5, C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4), and the integrin β7. We collected demographic information, including age, sex, and ethnicity, as well as viral load (VL) and CD4 count. Two-samplettests and Fisher exact tests were used to compare the differences between the two groups. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated between CD4 count and log10-VL and percentage of CD4+/CD45RO+/β7+and log10-VL in patients. RESULTS: Twenty-two subjects were enrolled in the study (12 patients with HIV and 10 controls). There were no differences in age or sex between the two groups. There were more Hispanics and fewer Asians in the group comprising patients with HIV compared with the control group (7 vs 2 and 0 vs 4,P= 0.05, respectively). Patients infected with HIV had significantly lower frequencies of CD4+/CD45RO+/β7+cells (median 12%, range 5-18 compared with uninfected controls: median 20%, range 11-26,P= 0.0007). There was a statistically significant difference in the percentage of CD4+/CD45RO+/C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4+cells between patients (72%, range 60%-91%) compared with controls (79%, range 72%-94%,P= 0.04). The percentage of CD4+/CD45RO+/chemokine receptor type 5+did not differ between the group of patients with HIV and the control groups (22%, range 11%-57% vs 27%, range 14%-31%;P= 0.8, respectively). There was no correlation between percentage of CD4+/CD45RO+/β+cells and log10-VL as measured by the Spearman correlation coefficient (r= 0.05,P= 0.88) in patients infected with HIV. CONCLUSIONS: Memory CD4 β7+cells are reduced significantly in the peripheral blood of untreated patients infected with HIV, which could be used as a noninvasive indicator of intestinal CD4 T cell loss and recovery. Further studies are needed to examine whether depletion of these CD4+/CD45RO+/β7+cells in the peripheral blood parallels depletion in the gut of treatment-naïve patients with HIV and whether levels return to control levels after treatment.

This thesis explores the works of the Colombian writer Fernando Vallejo in terms of autobiography and fiction. Using the theoretical approaches of Philippe Lejeune in his book On Autobiography and Serge Doubrovsky in his book Fils: Roman this thesis will draw distinctions between autobiography and what Doubrovsky calls "autofiction" in Vallejo'­s collection of five texts known as El rio del tiempo. Lejeune has shown that the canonical form of autobiography is characterized by the equation author=narrator=character. However, if we apply this clear-cut definition to Vallejo's book, a series of question arise: Who is speaking in his novels? Can we unequivocally attribute the narrator's ideas to Vallejo himself? Or if his novels are mere autobiographies, why does Vallejo use some blatantly fictitious situations? Fernando Vallejo'­s work underscores the fine boundary between fiction and autobiography and the impact that this relation has on his readers. In his writing, the present time and past time are fused in the capricious channel of his memory, confirming that every autobiography, no matter how sincere it is, is also a form of storytelling.
Master of Arts

Purpose: Low productivity, poor quality and rising costs are some of the problems within the building industry. These problems can be attributed to the complexity of the building industry, low digitisation and outdated ways to manage building projects. Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) is a way of working which can reduce these problems and lead to improvements and higher efficiency.  VDC is used by several actors in the building industry, mainly during the design process but not so much during construction even though it would render an even bigger effect if used then as well. The aim of this study is therefore to investigate difficulties and incentives regarding implementation of VDC in construction. Method: This qualitative study is based on a literature study and a case study which provides good validity and reliability. The case study includes observations and interviews with personnel at two different building projects as well as a design process manager. Findings: Difficulties found in this study are the building industry´s high level of institutionalization, lack of information concerning the meaning of VDC and poor communication of the educations, guidelines and management documents that exists regarding the use of VDC. Further difficulties are the low level of VDC knowledge within the construction teams and compatibility issues and costs that may arise when introducing new technology. Among the incentives found are the way VDC contributes to a greater product through more thought-through solutions, increased understanding and increased involvement of all concerned. Using VDC leads to clearer communication, easier management and a better overview of projects and safer workplaces as risks are more easily detected. Another important incentive found is the positive attitude among the construction team members towards the use of VDC. Implications: The result of the study provides a basis for successful implementation of VDC in production. To overcome the difficulties noted, clear communication about what VDC is and how it is used is recommended, as well as designing management documents and developing and communicating VDC education to construction team members. It is also important to involve the staff in changes of work procedures, take notice of their opinions and to take advantage of their experience. Limitations: The result ought to be applicable to companies where VDC is used in the design process and that has similar ambitions as the company this study was carried out in cooperation with. Keywords: Virtual Design and Construction, building virtually, 3D-models, construction management, change in work-processes.
Syfte: Byggbranschen har problem med bland annat låg produktivitet, bristande kvalitet och stigande byggkostnader. Många av dessa problem kan härledas till branschens komplexitet, låga digitalisering och omoderna sätt att styra projekten.  Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) är ett arbetssätt som kan minska dessa problem och leda till förbättringar och effektiviseringar. VDC används av flertalet aktörer i branschen men då till största delen under projekteringsfasen av ett projekt trots att det skulle ge ännu större effekt om det även användes under produktionen. Målet med detta arbete är därför att undersöka hinder och drivkrafter gällande införande av VDC i produktionen. Metod: Arbetet är en kvalitativ studie och bygger på en litteraturstudie och en fallstudie vilket ger god validitet och reliabilitet. Under fallstudien har observationer gjorts och semistrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts med personal från två olika projekt samt med en projekteringsledare. Resultat: Arbetet visar på hinder som byggbranschens höga grad av institutionalisering, bristande information om innebörden av VDC samt bristande kommunikation om de utbildningar, riktlinjer och styrdokument som finns kring VDC-användning i projekt. Andra hinder är den bristande kunskapen hos produktionspersonalen och de kompabilitetsproblem och kostnader som kan uppstå vid införandet av ny teknik. Drivkrafter som arbetet belyser är bland annat att VDC bidrar till en bättre slutprodukt genom mer genomtänkta lösningar, ökad förståelse och ökat engagemang av samtliga berörda. Att använda VDC leder till bättre och tydligare kommunikation, enklare styrning och bättre översikt av projekten och säkrare arbetsplatser då risker lättare upptäcks. En annan viktig drivkraft är de anställdas positiva attityd till VDC. Konsekvenser: Arbetets resultat ger förutsättningar för en lyckad implementering av VDC i produktionen. För att övervinna de hinder som uppmärksammats rekommenderas en tydlig kommunikation om vad VDC är och hur det ska användas, att styrdokument utformas och att VDC-utbildningar till produktionspersonalen vidareutvecklas och förmedlas. Det är även viktigt att involvera personalen i förändringsarbetet, ta hänsyn till deras åsikter och dra nytta av deras erfarenhet. Begränsningar: Resultatet bör vara tillämpbart på företag där VDC används i projekteringen och har liknande ambition som företaget arbetet utförts i samarbete med. Nyckelord: Virtual Design and Construction, virtuellt byggande, 3D-modeller, produktionsplanering, förändringsarbete.

Viral communication method is shown to be useful for spreading messages in social media. However, only few studies have investigated how public organizations use this method successfully to promote their works in social media. To fill this gap, a qualitative analysis on data from observations and interviews has been conducted. The purpose of this study is to answer a research question: how can a government succeed in promoting their works in social media by using viral communication method? The results found several processes and factors that support the fruitfulness from three perspectives: the messenger, the message and the environment. Moreover, it is pointed out that the most important process is creating memorable messages. Therefore, this study proposes essential characteristics of memorable contents.

The purpose of this study was to analyze and measure the short-term and long-term impacts of a chronic disease self-management program (CDSP) for individuals living with HIV/AIDS. This study was a follow-up study on an HIV/AIDS Organization in Southern California’s (HAOSC’s) CDSP programs in 2007 and 2008 called “Newly Empowered Women” (NEW), a six (6) week CDSP for women diagnosed with HIV/AIDS which sought to promote self-efficacy through education and self-management skills. A retrospective longitudinal study on the female clients who participated with this program in 2007 and 2008 determined whether clients retained the skills taught in the CDSP and if they attained self-efficacy through improved behavioral changes in better overall self-management that were influenced as a result of their participation. Behavioral changes were examined and measured in the areas of self-rated health, anxiety and stress, social activities, communication with physicians, and the client’s overall self-confidence in managing symptoms related to the disease. The measurement of change in these areas informed the study on the effectiveness and practicality of the skills being taught in the CDSP and their effectiveness in the promotion of self-efficacy. It also highlighted which skills seem to be most helpful and impactful to clients, and if the skills they learned were retained over time. The study measured the short-term impacts from completion of the CDSP to the 6-month follow-up period and also measured the long-term impacts the CDSP had on client health outcomes three (3) and four (4) years after the initial program was implemented to see if there was a correlation between increased self-efficacy and improved health outcomes. Participant CD4 and viral load counts were analyzed, as these are determinant biological markers in measuring the immunological impacts of the disease. Measuring these variables over time for individuals that were in a CDSP gave the study insight into the CDSP’s short-term and long-term effectiveness in the promotion and sustainment of self-efficacy for individuals living with HIV/AIDS and how the effective management of their chronic illness can lead to overall better health outcomes. Additionally, this study sought to better understand the experience of the women who participated in the CDSP through incorporating a mixed methods qualitative approach, by interviewing some of the women who had participated in the CDSP to identify common themes or lessons learned, best practices of the program, and areas for improvement. Although this study was not able to show that changes in behavior and increased self-efficacy impact health outcomes, more complex analysis should be done in this area, as this study highlighted the positive impacts a CDSP can have on increasing self-management skills and promoting self-efficacy over the short-term and long-term for individuals diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.

1. Impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the aircraft industry [Electronic resource] - https://avianews.info/vliyanie-pandemii-koronavirusa-na-aviastroitelnuyu-otrasl/ 2. Coronavirus hits the aviation industry [Electronic resource] - https://www.vedomosti.ru/business/articles/2020/03/25/826192-koronavirus-aviatsionnoi-promishlennosti 3. Airbus reports Full-Year (FY) 2020 results [Electronic resource] - https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2021/02/airbus-reports-full-year-2020-results.html 4. Report on market size, share and production trends manufacturing market [Electronic resource] - https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industryanalysis/aerospace-parts 5. Антипенко Н.В., Рибак О.М. Пироженко Ю.В. Підвищення рентабельності перевезень шляхом модернізації Економіка. Фінанси. Право. Щомісячний інформаційно – аналітичний журнал. – К. 2020. р., С. 10-15
Криза, що спіткала світовий ринок авіаційних перевезень, позначилась і на індустрії авіабудування. Лідери ринку вже сьогодні змушені призупиняти виробництво авіаційної техніки та вживати оперативні заходи що до її модернізації з урахуванням нових вимог до запобігання вірусних загроз та впровадження додаткових заходів гігієни. Ці вимоги включають не тільки технічне переоснащення виробництва планерів, а й впровадження додаткової дезінфекції робочих місць, основного та управлінського виробничого персоналу авіабудівельних заводів. Наступною тенденцією, що негативно вплинула на ринок виробництва авіаційної техніки стало падіння цін на нафту. Високі ціни були одним з найважливіших чинників, які впливали на розробку літаків - поява нового покоління лайнерів Airbus A-320NEO і Boeing 737MAX, наприклад, була обумовлена створенням нових більш економічних двигунів. Тепер, як вважають деякі експерти, після різкого зниження цін на нафту і скорочення світового авіапарку потреба в нових, більш економних літаках вже не стоїть так гостро.
The crisis that hit the world air transport market also affected the aircraft industry. Today, market leaders are forced to suspend the production of aircraft and take prompt measures to modernize it, taking into account the new requirements for the prevention of viral threats and the introduction of additional hygiene measures. These requirements include not only the technical re-equipment of glider production, but also the introduction of additional disinfection of workplaces, main and managerial production staff of aircraft plants. The next trend that negatively affected the market for aircraft production was the fall in oil prices. High prices were one of the most important factors influencing the development of aircraft - the emergence of a new generation of Airbus A-320NEO and Boeing 737MAX, for example, was due to the creation of new more economical engines. Now, according to some experts, after a sharp drop in oil prices and a reduction in the world's fleet, the need for new, more economical aircraft is no longer so acute.

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The focus of this research was the investigation of the participation of the Catholic Church through the engagement of a group of sisters and postulants of the Congregation of the Benedictines of the Virgin Mary in the Slum Movement active in the mid-70s and 80s of the 20th century in the region Metropolitan of Recife, focusing on the community now known as Planet of the Apes, located in the neighborhood of Jardim São Paulo. It sought to discern the dialogical relationship between the social challenges of that moment and the symbolic contents of the Catholic religion, as interpreted and lived during the episcopate of Dom Helder Pessoa Camara (1964- 1985). The question that was asked was how the Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Virgin Mary was involved, through non-assistential social actions, in the transformation of an occupation into a community, in the troubled political scenario that was our country. For this, bibliographical research was used, with authors representing Liberation Theology, and the exploitation of documentary and imagery records deposited over the years in the archives of the Community Center of the Planet of the Apes Community.
O foco dessa pesquisa foi a investigação da participação da Igreja Católica, através do engajamento de um grupo de irmãs e postulantes da Congregação das Beneditinas da Virgem Maria, no Movimento de Favelas ativo em meados das décadas de 70 e 80 do século XX, na região metropolitana do Recife, tendo como foco a comunidade hoje conhecida como Planeta dos Macacos, situada no bairro de Jardim São Paulo. Buscou-se discernir a relação dialógica entre os desafios sociais daquele momento e os conteúdos simbólicos da religião católica, tais como interpretados e vividos durante o episcopado de Dom Helder Pessoa Camara (1964- 1985). A pergunta a que se buscou responder foi como a Congregação das Irmãs Beneditinas da Virgem Maria envolveu-se, através de ações sociais não assistencialistas, na transformação de uma ocupação em uma comunidade, no conturbado cenário político em que se encontrava nosso país. Para isso, recorreu-se à pesquisa bibliográfica, com autores representantes da Teologia da Libertação, e à exploração de registros documentais e imagéticos depositados, ao longo desses anos, nos arquivos do Centro Comunitário da Comunidade Planeta dos Macacos.

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

The primary purpose of this study is to provide a transcription for solo organ of Virgil Thomson's Symphony on a Hymn Tune. The study is two-fold: first, to explore the early life and career of Thomson with a focused view on how his organ and composition studies influenced the composition of Symphony on a Hymn Tune; and second, to present an original transcription of the work in a performing score for solo organ. In addition to the final score, the study provides an analytical overview along with a description of methodology used to create the transcription, and a discussion of issues encountered by the performing organist in playing the transcription. Discussions encompass organ registration, tempi, manual suggestions, articulation, phrase markings, and dynamic expression. Musical examples both from the author's transcription and Virgil Thomson's organ works are included as necessary. Two appendices are included. Appendix 1 presents the specifications for the Aeolian Skinner organ of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, on which the transcription was originally performed. Appendix 2 itemizes the registration lists used for the original performance of the organ transcription.

This study analyzes Virgilio Piñera’s concept of performance in relation to his representation of mass media products and technologies. The central argument is that Piñera’s notion of theatrical representation connects fiction with politics in subversive ways, challenging assumptions of naturalness at different levels, from that of the gendered self, to the family and the nation. To support this argument, the study focuses on Piñera’s representation of a variety of mass media genres as these inspire everyday life performances, mainly in Cuba but also in Argentina. While fictional models and sentimental narratives from the mass media most often convey oppressive conceptions of gender, family, and nation, the author’s representation of the media’s pervasive influence questions and denaturalizes those conceptions. Piñera stresses the disruptive potential of individual performance against the repetitive character of both the mass media industry and the social reenactments of its sentimental myths. His references to mass culture thus destabilize structures of power, including stereotypes of both sexuality and gender. The analysis shows that Piñera’s fictions exhibit important characteristics of queer aesthetics. The study comprises a time span of almost three decades, from the early 1940s to the late 1960s, and focuses on a selection of Piñera’s criticism, drama, poetry, and narrative. Within those texts, special attention is given to references to photography, radio programs, romance novels, movies, and popular music. The organization of Piñera’s texts in this study answers to both thematic and chronological considerations. Chapter 1 outlines the study’s objectives and methodology, also providing a background on critical studies about Piñera. Chapters 2 and 3 deal with plays and short-stories written before the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Chapter 2 examines texts that represent both family and nation in relation to a variety of mass media genres, from Cuban “radionovelas” to Hollywood gangster films. Chapter 3 focuses on two narratives, written in Buenos Aires, that address posing and self-representation in relation to issues of sexuality, masculinity, and power. Chapter 4 deals with a selection of poems written, for the most part, after 1959. In these poems, the literary use of photography stresses theatrical self-representation, often in direct resistance to revolutionary reformulations of masculinity in the figure of the “New Man.”
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Жуки родини кокцинеліди, або сонечка (Coleoptera, Cocinellidae) виступають класичними об'єктами досліджень популяцій на основі фенетичних і еволюційно-екологічних підходів. Цьому сприяють їх широке розповсюдження, масовість і характерний поліморфізм по забарвленню і малюнку покривів. Мета роботи – дослідити фауну, екологічні особливості кокцинелід (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) території ПЗ “Михайлівська цілина». Об’єкт дослідження – кокцинеліди (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) території ПЗ “Михайлівська цілина». Предмет дослідження – фауна кокцинелід, поширення їх в межах району дослідження, трофічні зв'язки, фенології життєвих циклів. Методи досліджень – польові та лабораторні методи дослідження, методи статистичної обробки цифрових результатів. Елементи наукової новизни одержаних результатів: в роботі узагальнені еколого-фауністичні дослідження по кокцинелідам в екосистемах ПЗ “Михайлівська цілина», в результаті чого для цієї території було зареєстровано 16 видів. Встановлено, що фауна сонечок досліджуваної території багата, оригінальна та має складну таксономічну структуру. Встановлені домінантні, субдомінантні, малочисельні та рідкісні види сонечок. Практичне значення одержаних результатів: результати проведеного дослідження можуть бути корисними при складанні кадастру видів тварин як Сумської області, так й України, організації екологічного моніторингу тощо. Отримані дані вносять суттєвий вклад у вивчення екології досліджуваної групи комах. Інформація щодо біотичного розподілу видів сонечок важлива для вивчення ролі цієї групи в екосистемах.
Beetles of the coccinellida family, or ladybugs (Coleoptera, Cocinellidae) are classic objects of population research based on phenetic and evolutionary-ecological approaches. This is facilitated by their wide distribution, mass and characteristic polymorphism in color and pattern of the covers. The purpose of the work is to study the fauna, ecological features of coccinellidae (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) in the territory of the Mykhailivska Tsilina software. The object of research is coccinellidae (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) on the territory of the software "Mikhailovskaya Tsilina". The subject of research - coccinelid fauna, their distribution within the study area, trophic connections, phenology of life cycles. Research methods - field and laboratory research methods, methods of statistical processing of digital results. Elements of scientific novelty of the obtained results: ecological and faunal researches on coccinelides in ecosystems of the software "Mikhailovskaya virgin land" are generalized in the work, as a result of which 16 species were registered for this territory. It is established that the fauna of suns of the studied area is rich, original and has a complex taxonomic structure. Dominant, subdominant, small and rare species of sundews have been established. Practical significance of the obtained results: the results of the study can be useful in compiling a cadastre of animal species in Sumy region and Ukraine, the organization of environmental monitoring and more. The obtained data make a significant contribution to the study of the ecology of the studied group of insects. Information on the biotic distribution of sun species is important for studying the role of this group in ecosystems.

abstract: HIV/AIDS is the sixth leading cause of death worldwide and the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age living in low-income countries. Clinicians in industrialized nations monitor the efficacy of antiretroviral drugs and HIV disease progression with the HIV-1 viral load assay, which measures the copy number of HIV-1 RNA in blood. However, viral load assays are not widely available in sub-Saharan Africa and cost between 50-$139 USD per test on average where available. To address this problem, a mixed-methods approach was undertaken to design a novel and inexpensive viral load diagnostic for HIV-1 and to evaluate barriers to its adoption in a developing country. The assay was produced based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). Blood samples from twenty-one individuals were spiked with varying concentrations of HIV-1 RNA to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of LAMP. Under isothermal conditions, LAMP was performed with an initial reverse-transcription step (RT-LAMP) and primers designed for HIV-1 subtype C. Each reaction generated up to a few billion copies of target DNA within an hour. Presence of target was detected through naked-eye observation of a fluorescent indicator and verified by DNA gel electrophoresis and real-time fluorescence. The assay successfully detected the presence of HIV in samples with a broad range of HIV RNA concentration, from over 120,000 copies/reaction to 120 copies/reaction. In order to better understand barriers to adoption of LAMP in developing countries, a feasibility study was undertaken in Tanzania, a low-income country facing significant problems in healthcare. Medical professionals in Northern Tanzania were surveyed for feedback regarding perspectives of current HIV assays, patient treatment strategies, availability of treatment, treatment priorities, HIV transmission, and barriers to adoption of the HIV-1 LAMP assay. The majority of medical providers surveyed indicated that the proposed LAMP assay is too expensive for their patient populations. Significant gender differences were observed in response to some survey questions. Female medical providers were more likely to cite stigma as a source problem of the HIV epidemic than male medical providers while males were more likely to cite lack of education as a source problem than female medical providers.
Dissertation/Thesis
Ph.D. Molecular and Cellular Biology 2011