The thesis comprises a classification and analysis of 64 tales told by Indian inhabitants of the rural communities around the highland town of Canar, Southern Central Ecuador, The informants all had Quichua as their mother tongue and, with the exception of 4 texts, used it in the telling of the tales. These were tape-recorded, transcribed with the help of a Quichua assistant, and are presented in full together with English translations. The classification of texts is based largely upon criteria of contents, although both genre and tale structure are also taken into account, all three considerations being closely interrelated. Classification according to content owes something of theory and method to the Finnish-American school led by Aarne and Thompson (Thompson 1955-58, Aarne and Thompson 1951). The discussion of genre definition takes Bascom's article (1965) as a starting point, and also takes into account more recent statements on the subject. The consideration of structure as a criterion at the classification stage is in accordance with the arguments of Propp (1968) and Dundes (1962b, 1964). The classification scheme resulted in a breakdown of the tales into four sections (A-D), The largest of these is Section A, whose 32 tales will be shown to adhere to a common structural framework, whilst the sub-sections into which they are divided reflect their differences in surface content. Sections B and C are both examples of tale cycles, bound by this definition to be grouped together. Section D comprises humorous tales, largely borrowings from mestizo culture, with little in common on grounds of structure. The analysis seeks to examine the relationship between tales within the sections, at the levels of both structure and content if this is appropriate; where it is not, remarks are confined to content alone. The analysis of both structure and content calls for some comparisons to be drawn with material from elsewhere. Such comparisons are confined to the Ecuadorean highlands, to a lesser extent Peru, and incidental reference is made to other geographical areas, especially where borrowings are concerned, Structural analysis was most applicable to Section A, an apparently heterogeneous group of legends and folktales which, it is argued, are bound together by common underlying features of structure. These features appear to derive from the local legends of the area, and have then encouraged the adoption and development of certain folktales whose structure was compatible with such already existing forms. The theoretical basis for this approach is to be found in Dundes (cit.), Maranda and Kongas Maranda (1971), and Hymes (1971). The breakdown of texts to reveal their structure takes both the 'syntagmatic' and the 'paradigmatic' aspects of the latter into account (see Dundee's intro, to Propp 1968:xi-xii). In order to reveal more clearly the paradigmatic characteristics of the texts, and the structural affinities that exist between tales at this level, use is made of Levi-Straussian terminology and the methods he uses for the schematic cross-comparison of tales have been adapted (Levi-Strauss 1970, 1972), Analysis of content follows two main lines: in the case of the legendary material it is particularly appropriate to examine the relationship that apparently exists between the local belief system and oral narrative. In the case of folktales, it is relevant to consider content on comparative lines, examining the nature and/or distribution of episodes as they occur in Canar and as they are found elsewhere in Andean narrative tradition. The works of Morote Best were particularly useful for this purpose (1950b, 1953b, 1954, 1957, 1958a, 1958b). The main aim of the thesis is therefore to analyse the structure and content of the tales in order to show the underlying relationships that bind them within a coherent system of narrative tradition. Some connections at both these levels are also to be seen between sections as well as within them, and these are pointed out. Material introduced from outside was adopted, it is suggested, for its compatibility with that which was already there. In addition to this, possible social and cultural reasons for the appeal of particular kinds of tale in the area are discussed as relevant.

Submitted by EDER DOS SANTOS SOUZA null (ederss1@hotmail.com) on 2016-02-22T16:46:13Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Mestrado Eder - Versão final PDF.pdf: 2546548 bytes, checksum: 615e4055c346082151679fa203acec00 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Paula Grisoto (grisotoana@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-02-23T14:44:17Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 souza_es_me_arafcf.pdf: 2546548 bytes, checksum: 615e4055c346082151679fa203acec00 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-02-23T14:44:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 souza_es_me_arafcf.pdf: 2546548 bytes, checksum: 615e4055c346082151679fa203acec00 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-01-22 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Descreve-se R. marabaensis n. sp. coletada em maio/2014 na reserva Murumurú, município de Marabá, Estado do Pará, Brasil. Observaram-se caracteres morfológicos da cabeça, tórax, abdômen e de ovos. Foram consultadas as descrições morfológicas de 19 espécies de Rhodnius, porém exame mais detalhado foi realizado comparativamente com R. prolixus e R. robustus que ocorrem na região Norte do Brasil. Observou-se também exemplares de 18 espécies de Rhodnius depositadas no Laboratório Nacional e Internacional de Referência de Taxionomia de Triatomíneos do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Os caracteres morfológicos mais notáveis que distinguem R. marabaensis n. sp. são o vértice da cabeça em forma de quilha, o comprimento do segundo segmento da antena, forma do prosterno, mesosterno, metasterno, conjunto de manchas no abdômen, genitália masculina, faces posterior e ventral da genitália externa feminina e os caracteres morfológicos de ovos. A análise filogenética do fragmento do gene Cytb também mostrou diferenças com outras sete espécies de Rhodnius avaliadas. Como foram examinados exemplares de Rhodnius jacundaensis Serra, Serra & Von Atzingen, 1980 [nomen nudum] depositados na Casa da Cultura de Marabá essa espécie entra em sinonímia com R. marabaensis n. sp., pois foi verificado que se tratavam da mesma espécie. / The species Rhodnius marabaensis sp. is described. It was collected in May 2014 in the Murumurú Environmental Reserve in the city of Marabá, Pará State, Brazil. The morphological characteristics of the head, thorax, abdomen, and eggs have been determined. The morphological descriptions of 19 previously described Rhodnius species were consulted; however, R. prolixus and R. robustus, which also occur in the northern region of Brazil, were examined in more detail. The exam included specimens from 18 Rhodnius species held in the Brazilian National and International Triatomine Taxonomy Reference Laboratory at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The most notable morphological features that distinguish R. marabaensis sp. nov. are the keel-shaped apex of the head, the length of the second segment of the antennae, the shapes of the prosternum, the mesosternum, and the metasternum, the set of spots on the abdomen, the male genitalia, the posterior and ventral surfaces of the external female genitalia, and the morphological characteristics of the eggs. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that this species’ cyt-b gene fragment differed from the other seven Rhodnius species that were evaluated. Rhodnius jacundaensis Serra, Serra & Von Atzingen, 1980 [nomen nudum] specimens deposited in the Marabá Cultural Center were examined and were found to be synonymous with R. marabaensis sp. nov. / CNPq: 162356/2013-7

Introduction Three cases of M. ozzardi infection from 2 suburban communities in Iquitos, Peru, led to a suspicion of local transmission. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of filariasis by M. ozzardi and its associated factors among these communities. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study was performed, as well as an epidemiological survey and a thick smear blood test. Larvae and mosquitoes were collected. The adjusted OR (aOR) using multiple logistic regression was calculated. Results A total of 433 participants were enrolled; 58% were women. The prevalence of M. ozzardi was 1.4% and the associated factors included being a fisherman (aOR: 8.7; 95%CI: 1.1–76.0) and being on the Alto Nanay river (aOR: 11.2; 95%CI: 1.2–112.5). No significant evidence of simulidos or culicoides was found. Conclusion The low prevalence of M. ozzardi found suggests a foreign infection, probably derived from the Alto Nanay river. / narrospide@ins.gob.pe / Introducción Tres casos de infección por Mansonella ozzardi (M. ozzardi) en muestras de malaria que provenían de 2 comunidades periurbanas de Iquitos (Perú) dieron la sospecha de transmisión local. El objetivo del estudio fue determinar la prevalencia y factores asociados con la filariosis por M. ozzardi en estas comunidades. Materiales y métodos Se realizó un estudio transversal en las comunidades de Laguna Azul y La Unión en Iquitos. A todos los pobladores se les tomó una gota gruesa para la detección de M. ozzardi y se les realizó una encuesta epidemiológica. Se realizó colecta de larvas y mosquitos para identificación de potenciales vectores. Se calcularon los OR ajustados (ORa) usando regresión logística múltiple. Resultados Se evaluaron a 433 personas; 58% fueron mujeres; la mediana de edad fue de 20 años; 58,2% fueron migrantes, 3,7% pescadores y 12,9% habían viajado por las cuencas del Alto Nanay. La prevalencia de M. ozzardi fue de 1,4% (6/433) y el más joven de los casos tuvo 31 años; se encontró asociación con ser pescador (ORa: 8,7; IC 95: 1,1-76,0) y con haber realizado viajes por la cuenca del Alto Nanay (ORa: 11,2; IC 95: 1,2-112,5). No se evidenció densidad significativa de vectores simúlidos o culicoides. Conclusión Las comunidades estudiadas tuvieron una baja prevalencia de M. ozzardi y por la edad de los casos y los factores asociados encontrados se sospecha infección foránea a la zona de estudio, en especial en la cuenca del Alto Nanay.

Planícies amazônicas alagáveis apresentam espécies arbóreas que estão sujeitas a um pulso de inundação proveniente das chuvas anuais. Muitas destas espécies apresentam estratégias de adaptação ao alagamento, germinando suas sementes e estabelecendo as plântulas antes do próximo período de cheia. Este é o caso de Macrolobium acaciifolium (Benth) Leguminosae (Caesalpinoideae), que ocorre nas cotas altitudinais mais altas das várzeas e igapós amazônicos. Neste trabalho, pela primeira vez foi caracterizado o sistema de mobilização de reservas ao longo do período de germinação e estabelecimento das plântulas de M. acaciifolium, com o objetivo de compreender os mecanismos fisiológicos e bioquímicos relacionados à sua estratégia em face à inundação. O experimento teve duração de 56 dias, nos quais foram realizadas coletas destrutivas e análises não-destrutivas de sementes e de diferentes partes das plântulas para análises de crescimento, fotossíntese, carboidratos não estruturais (frutose, glucose, sacarose e amido), xiloglucano de reserva e análises citoquímicas correspondentes à detecção de proteínas, amido e xiloglucano de reserva. Após análises citoquímicas e de açúcares, é reportado pela primeira vez na literatura científica, a existência de uma semente que acumula simultaneamente amido e xiloglucano de reserva na parede celular. Não foi observada a presença de corpos protéicos, que é uma característica comum de armazenamento de nitrogênio em sementes de Leguminosae, o que indica que a plântula provavelmente estabelece a assimilação de nitrogênio pelas raízes ao invés de armazenar e mobilizar reservas para isto. Nas sementes de M.acaciifolium xiloglucano e amido juntos perfazem 21,6% da massa da semente quiescente. No início da germinação, parte do amido é degradado e há um aumento concomitante de xiloglucano que leva a um equilíbrio entre as duas reservas. Dos 10 aos 14 dias após a embebição (DAE), o amido dos cotilédones é exaurido com concomitante desenvolvimento das raízes e do caule das plântulas. A partir de 20 DAE, o xiloglucano passa a ser degradado e a mobilização ocorre sem alterações na estrutura do polissacarídeo na parede celular e simultâneo acúmulo transitório de galactose, glucose, xilose e amido. Os produtos de degradação do xiloglucano levam à produção de folhas e ao estabelecimento da fotossíntese. As observações feitas neste trabalho sugerem que M. acaciifolium apresenta mecanismos de adaptação aos pulsos de inundação da Amazônia durante o processo de germinação e estabelecimento das plântulas / The Amazonian floodplains display tree species that are subjected to yearly inundation pulses. Several of these species colonize these regions are well adapted to the flood pulses, germinating their seeds and establishing seedlings before the next pulse comes. This is the case of Macrolobium acaciifolium (Benth) Leguminosae (Caesalpinoideae) that occur in the upper part of the riverbanks of the amazonian várzeas and igapós. In the present work, we characterized for the first time the system of storage mobilization along the period of seed germination and seedling establishment with the objective of understanding the physiological and biochemical mechanisms related to the strategy of M. Acaciifolim to face the next flooding season. The experiment was performed for 56 days in which destructive and non-destructive analyses of the seed and different parts of seedlings were performed for analyses of growth, photosynthesis, non-structural carbohydrates (fructose, glucose, sucrose, raffinose and starch), storage xyloglucan and corresponding cytochemical analyses to detect proteins, starch and storage xyloglucan in cotyledon tissues. After cytochemical and sugar analyses, it is reported for the first time in scientific literature the existence of a seed that accumulates starch and storage xyloglucan on the cell wall simultaneously. The presence of protein bodies, a common feature of seeds of the Leguminosae, was not observed, indicating that seedlings probably establish nitrogen assimilation very quickly through the newly formed roots instead of using a storage mobilization system for this reserve type. In seeds of M. Acaciifolium starch and xyloglucan correspond to 21,6% of the quiescent seed mass. At the beginning of germination, some starch is degraded with a concomitant increase in storage xyloglucan so that the yields of the two polymers become equal. From 10 to 14 days after imbibition (DAI), all starch is mobilized to support root and stem growth. From 20 DAI, xyloglucan is completely degraded without changes in its structure and with transient accumulation of galactose, glucose, xylose and starch. The products of degradation of storage xyloglucan lead to the production of leaves and photosynthesis establishment. The observations made in this work suggest that M. Acaciifolium show unique mechanisms of adaptation to the inundation pulses in the Amazon during the germination and seedlings establishment

No description available.

This study is about how two different indigenous groups in two different places of the enormous border area of the Amazon forest in Brazil (approximately 12,000 km) have been resisting displacement and appropriation, prejudice and pre-conceptualizations, ever since Brazil became Brazil and even before. The ability of these groups to resist, entangled to their capacity to endure in face of the colonization of their ways of living, enacted them to becoming political (Viveiros de Castro 1998; Isin 2002; Starn, de la Cadena 2008; Blaser 2010; de la Cadena 2010) in distinct forms depending on the geographies of relationships, land use and various forms of mobility through border areas they have been living in and within. In looking at these “resistances” and “endurances” at different places, I argue that the fact that a group of Ashaninka people became political by moving to and throughout the border between Brazil and Peru and the many reinventions Macuxi and Wapishana people in the present day Raposa Serra do Sol Indigenous Territory went through for becoming Indigenous peoples at the Brazilian borders with Guyana and Venezuela have corroborated the role of their “existences” in delineating and re-inventing geographical borders by managing the meanings and effects of these very borders on their lives as integral (and integrated) part of the forest. In a general way, it can be said that borders in Brazil came hand in hand with the appearance of the terminology “Indians” in this country, which prompted me to ask what politics emerged out of it. In a particular manner, by looking at how this politics was practiced through the articulation of the indigenous groups mentioned above allowed me to historicize their own stories about the articulation of their existence or permanence in places that coincided with the space of the border amidst the forest. As I begin this dissertation, I will show that the creation of such space meant no coincidence for governments and their legislative instruments, which equalized the space of the border with territories necessary for the expansion of economic frontiers since the 18th century. Also, and most importantly, it will be discussed that these spaces coincided with the spaces where some indigenous groups were living and moving through on a constant basis making the forest what it was but, especially, considering it the integrative space of their worlds of living and articulating relationships. The politics emerging out of the negotiation of this last world - beyond borders - with the world created and limited by the national borders, as according to the actual and contemporary political practices of the abovementioned indigenous groups, is an important part of this study. This politics will be contextualized vis-à-vis the politicization of the Amazon rainforest as a territory of dispute and a region of political possibilities (Escobar 2008) based on life projects (Blaser et al 2004) as opposed to governmental projects. Ultimately, this dissertation is an exercise in understanding how some indigenous groups kept on resisting by living in spaces constantly changed by the advances of economic frontiers that intersected with the production of borders and with the changing policies toward managing the landscapes cut across by these same borders. Opposing the idea of borders as the productive site of affirmation by negation, for the indigenous groups I engaged with in this dissertation borders are an integrated place of relationships to human beings, to other beings and to the forest within them; in other words, a landscape in constant change because of peoples’ action. The mobility of some indigenous groups throughout the forest and their contribution to design landscapes on it as related to a cosmology not centered in the human [although relying on a particular conceptualization of the human] brought to the fore of this research the aspect that there are inter-relations between nature, culture and society that do not correspond to distinctive, visible and hierarchical separation, let alone to the limits of an Indigenous Territory. In this sense, approaching different borders to understanding different indigenous standpoints on them means also approaching new worlds of knowing and living to which all sorts of borders are also imposed, including within the very Indigenous Territory. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

During these last recent years cloud computing and cloud services have started to gain traction, which has been most notable among companies. Amazon have proven to be one of the powerhouses on providing scalable and flexible cloud computing services. However, cloud computing is still a relatively new area. From an outsider’s point of view, the overwhelming information and available services might prove to be difficult to familiarize with. The aim of this thesis is to explore how Amazon Web Services can be applied during software development and observing how difficult it might be to use these services. Three test applications that utilized different Amazon Web Services were implemented to get an insight into how Amazon Web Services can be applied from a cloud computing beginner’s point of view. These applications were developed in an iterative manner, where a case study was performed on each application. At the start of each new iteration a literature study was conducted, where sources were reviewed to see if it provided essential information. In total, nine different Amazon Web Services were used to implement and test the three respective test applications. Results of the case study were interpreted and evaluated with regards to the learnability and appliance of Amazon Web Services. Issues that were identified during the development process showed that Amazon Web Services were not userfriendly for users that have little to no experience with cloud computing services. Further research on other Amazon Web Services, such as Elastic Cloud Computing, as well as other cloud computing platforms like Google or IBM, may provide a deeper and more accurate insight on the appliances of cloud computing. / Under dem senaste åren så har molntjänster blivit ett allt mer populärt område, speciellt inom företag. Ett av dem största utgivare inom molntjänst branschen är Amazon som erbjuder skalbara och flexibla molntjänster. Molntjänster är dock ett relativt nytt område, vilket innebär att någon som inte är insatt i ämnet kan finna all tillgänglig information överväldigande och svår att bekanta sig med. Målet med det här tesen är att utforska olika Amazon Web Service som kan användas inom mjukvaruutveckling och observera problem som kan uppstå med dessa tjänster. Tre testapplikationer som använde sig av Amazon Web Services var skapade för att få en fördjupad kunskap om hur dessa tjänster fungerar och vad för möjligheter de har. Dessa applikationer utvecklades iterativt och en fallstudie utfördes för varje applikation. I början av varje ny iteration genomfördes en litteraturstudie, där källorna var kritiskt granskade för att se ifall dem innehöll väsentlig information för tesen. Sammanlagt användes nio olika Amazon Web Services för att implementera och testa de tre olika testapplikationerna. Resultaten från fallstudien tolkades och utvärderades med avseende på Amazon Web Services lärbarhet och tillämpningsbarhet. Problem som samlades ihop under utvecklingsprocessen visade att Amazons Web Services inte var särskilt användarvänligt för utvecklare med liten eller ingen erfarenhet inom Amazon Web Services. Ytterligare forskning inom andra Amazon Web Services som Elastic Cloud Computing och forskning som undersöker andra molntjänst plattformar som Google Cloud, skulle kunna bidra med en djupare förståelse och mer exakt inblick kring tillämpning av molntjänster.

How companies deal with machine learning is currently a highly-discussed topic, as it can facilitate corporate manual work by training computers to recognize patterns and thus automate the working procedure. However, this requires resources and knowledge in the field. As a result, various companies like Amazon and Google provide machine learning services without requiring the user to have deep knowledge in the area. This study evaluates Amazon Machine Learning program for a tag system with data from the media company Newstag. In order to make this evaluation, a larger amount of data with tags was obtained from the company. The result of the study indicates that Amazon's program do not work for multilabel classification. / Hur företag ska hantera maskininlärning är i dagsläget ett mycket omtalat ämne då det kan underlätta företags manuella arbeten genom att träna upp datorer att känna igen mönster och på så sätt automatisera arbetsprocessen. Detta kräver dock resurser och kunskaper inom området. Som ett resultat av detta erbjuder olika företag som Amazon och Google maskininlärningstjänster utan att det krävs att användaren besitter djupa kunskaper inom området. I denna studie utvärderas Amazon Machine Learning programmet för ett taggsystem med data från medieföretaget Newstag. För att kunna göra denna utvärdering erhölls en större mängd data med taggar från företaget. Resultatet av studien pekar på att Amazons program inte fungerar för multilabel klassificering.

No description available.

The logging industry of the Amazon is a topic that has received little attention in the literature, beyond specific single firm case studies. This has not allowed estimation of cost and production functions that can be used to predict changes in the industry in response to external market factors or government policies. Cost functions and rents are very important to characterize the dynamics of industry behavior, as well as providing important information for future policies. This study relies on a survey of 527 firms to estimate harvest, transportation, and milling cost functions for the logging industry in the Brazilian Amazon, finding variables such as labor cost, distance from the forest to the sawmill, equipment and frontier type to significantly affect the total and marginal cost of each activity. Rents are also estimated for different sampled milling centers, and a cost minimizing mathematical programming model is presented that explains the advance of the logging frontier in Brazil. / Master of Science