Computers have become an indispensable resource in assisting us in our daily life. While they do a good job most of the time, sometimes they can create a seemingly endless nightmare. Horrible user interfaces, bugs, errors, hardware issues and other factors are various causes of user frustration. The current approach is to either prevent it from happening or to fix the issue after it has appeared. In this study, an alternative approach is explored which makes use of distraction through mood induction. By using cute images of infantile animals it was argued that this could alleviate computer frustration. For this study, 60 participants were used to test this theory by first doing a frustrating task and a consequent treatment or control exposure. Mood and frustration levels were collected throughout the test and later analyzed. Additionally, opinions and reactions were collected using a follow-up interview and observations. Findings suggest that looking at cute images helps alleviate frustration caused by computers.

Disertacijos tikslas yra įvertinti Kauno m. 25-64 metų gyventojų sergamumo ūminiu miokardo infarktu, medicinos pagalbos ir trumpalaikio bei ilgalaikio išgyvenimo pokyčius 1996 m. bei 2003-2004 m.: išanalizuojant 25-64 metų Kauno m. gyventojų sergamumo ūminiu miokardo infarktu, mirštamumo nuo ūminio miokardo infarkto ir mirtingumo nuo išeminės širdies ligos rodiklių pokyčius 1996-2004 m.; įvertinant medicinos pagalbos apimtį bei ypatumus Kauno m. 25-64 metų gyventojams, ištiktiems ūminio miokardo infarkto, 1996 m. bei 2003-2004 m.; nustatant 25-64 metų Kauno m. gyventojų, ištiktų ūminio miokardo infarkto, trumpalaikį išgyvenimą 1996 m. bei 2003-2004 m.; įvertinant 25-64 metų Kauno m. gyventojų, ištiktų ūminio miokardo infarkto, ilgalaikį išgyvenimą 1996 m. bei 2003-2004 m. / The aim of dissertation is to evaluate the trends in morbidity of acute myocardial infarction, medical care and the short term and long term survival in Kaunas population aged 25-64 years in 1996 and in 2003-2004: to analyze the trends in the rates of morbidity of acute myocardial infarction, lethality from acute myocardial infarction and mortality from ischemic heart disease in Kaunas population aged 25-64 years from 1996 to 2004; to evaluate the extent and peculiarities of medical care provided for Kaunas population aged 25-64 years, who experienced acute myocardial infarction, in 1996 and in 2003-2004; to determine the short term survival after acute myocardial infarction in Kaunas population aged 25-64 years in 1996 and in 2003-2004; to evaluate the long term survival after acute myocardial infarction in Kaunas population aged 25-64 years in 1996 and in 2003-2004.

In this essay, I study Toriyama Sekien’s yōkai (supernatural beings) catalogues and undertake a diachronic examination surrounding Sekien's imprint on his contemporaries and modern times, striving to highlight the aesthetic dimension that adds to the popularity of yōkai today. Through an image analysis based on a modified version of Roman Jakobson's communication model and a diachronic examination of Sekien’s influence on the imagination of the Japanese people, I have investigated how and why Sekien chose to depict yōkai in his catalogues as kawaii (cute). The questions that have driven my study are as follows:    1. Why does Toriyama Sekien kawaii use aesthetic codes in his four catalogues?    2. In what ways have Toriyama Sekien's catalogues influenced the Japanese people's imagination and world view?    The study is anchored in cute studies theories, and with the theory Displacement of Meaning, I have identified possible answers to how Sekien has influenced the Japanese people's imagination: (1) kawaii aesthetic codes are found in Toriyama Sekien's work, because Sekien tried to make his creations as attractive as possible. To accomplish this, he used aesthetic elements which cute studies theories have found control what we perceive as kawaii and thus attractive. (2) Toriyama Sekien demystified the supernatural, took it out of context and allowed Japanese people to take the supernatural out of its traditional setting. This paved the way for yōkai as consumer items and (3) allowed modern creators to fill the yōkai (consumer items) with nostalgia and reintroduce them as symbols of a lost and idealized past.

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La leucémie myéloïde aigue (LMA), cancer du sang causé par une prolifération excessive des précurseurs myéloïdes à un stade précoce de maturation, est associée à une survie variant entre 20 et 30% à cinq ans en dépit des traitements de chimiothérapie les plus intensifs. L’antigène CD33 est exprimé chez les cellules malignes dans 90% des LMA ce qui en fait une cible de choix pour le développement d’immunoconjugué (IC). Trois IC composés d’un anticorps monoclonal anti-CD33 couplé à la maytansine, une toxine s’attaquant aux fuseaux mitotiques, ont été créés. Nous avons étudié l’effet de ces IC sur des cellules primaires et des lignées cellulaires LMA et étudier les mécanismes pouvant expliquer différents niveaux de sensibilité. Les études effectuées ont permis de déterminer que le niveau d’expression du CD33 n’explique pas la variation de sensibilité face aux IC. Il a été démontré que les IC anti-CD33 sont internalisés rapidement par la cellule et que le conjugué est retrouvé au niveau de l’endosome en premier lieu. Il a été confirmé que le lysosome est essentiel à l’effet anti-mitotique induit par le conjugué. Aussi, il est proposé que la protéine SOCS3 pourrait jouer un rôle dans la résistance aux IC anti-CD33 en dirigeant le complexe IC-CD33-SOCS3 vers le protéasome et ainsi empêcher la libération du composé toxique par le lysosome. Nous avons aussi conclu que les variations d’agent de liaison et l’augmentation du nombre de molécules toxiques entre les 3 IC n’ont pas été suffisantes pour augmenter leur efficacité à éliminer les cellules LMA. L’évaluation de ces IC ainsi que l’identification des mécanismes de résistance permettra de cibler les patients les plus susceptibles de bénéficier de ce type de traitement et potentiellement d’identifier de nouvelles voies pour améliorer l’efficacité des traitements. / Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a cancer where hematopoietic precursors are arrested in an early stage of development, is associated with a poor survival rate of 20 to 30% over five years, despite intensive chemotherapy treatments. In approximately 90% of AML cases the malignant cells express CD33 antigen, which makes it a target of choice for development of immunotoxin based therapy. Three immunoconjugates (IC) composed of anti-CD33 monoclonal antibody coupled with maytansine derivative, which prevent tubulin polymerization and thus formation of mitotic spindle, were designed. These three IC were tested for their activity against several AML cell lines and primary AML patient cells and we investigate mechanisms responsible for variation in sensitivity to IC treatment. In this report, we show that differences in number of CD33 molecules on AML cell surface does not explain the observed differences in IC sensitivity. We demonstrate that binding of huMy9-6 antibody to CD33 induces rapid internalization and that it is first process through endosome. We confirm that lysosomal processing is essential for the antimitotic effect induced by IC treatment. Also, we provide evidence that SOCS3 protein may play a role in resistance of AML cells to anti-CD33 therapy by directing IC-CD33-SOCS3 complex to the proteasome and therefore affecting lysosomal decoupling of IC-CD33 and intracellular release of maytansine derivatives. Finally, the linkers and maytansine derivative modifications were not sufficient to increase sufficiently the efficacy of conjugates to eliminate higher numbers of AML cells. The identification of mechanisms responsible for increased resistance of AML cell lines and primary AMLs may allow us to identify IC responsive AML cells and also identify strategies to improve the efficacy of IC treatment.

La leucémie myéloïde aigue (LMA), cancer du sang causé par une prolifération excessive des précurseurs myéloïdes à un stade précoce de maturation, est associée à une survie variant entre 20 et 30% à cinq ans en dépit des traitements de chimiothérapie les plus intensifs. L’antigène CD33 est exprimé chez les cellules malignes dans 90% des LMA ce qui en fait une cible de choix pour le développement d’immunoconjugué (IC). Trois IC composés d’un anticorps monoclonal anti-CD33 couplé à la maytansine, une toxine s’attaquant aux fuseaux mitotiques, ont été créés. Nous avons étudié l’effet de ces IC sur des cellules primaires et des lignées cellulaires LMA et étudier les mécanismes pouvant expliquer différents niveaux de sensibilité. Les études effectuées ont permis de déterminer que le niveau d’expression du CD33 n’explique pas la variation de sensibilité face aux IC. Il a été démontré que les IC anti-CD33 sont internalisés rapidement par la cellule et que le conjugué est retrouvé au niveau de l’endosome en premier lieu. Il a été confirmé que le lysosome est essentiel à l’effet anti-mitotique induit par le conjugué. Aussi, il est proposé que la protéine SOCS3 pourrait jouer un rôle dans la résistance aux IC anti-CD33 en dirigeant le complexe IC-CD33-SOCS3 vers le protéasome et ainsi empêcher la libération du composé toxique par le lysosome. Nous avons aussi conclu que les variations d’agent de liaison et l’augmentation du nombre de molécules toxiques entre les 3 IC n’ont pas été suffisantes pour augmenter leur efficacité à éliminer les cellules LMA. L’évaluation de ces IC ainsi que l’identification des mécanismes de résistance permettra de cibler les patients les plus susceptibles de bénéficier de ce type de traitement et potentiellement d’identifier de nouvelles voies pour améliorer l’efficacité des traitements. / Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a cancer where hematopoietic precursors are arrested in an early stage of development, is associated with a poor survival rate of 20 to 30% over five years, despite intensive chemotherapy treatments. In approximately 90% of AML cases the malignant cells express CD33 antigen, which makes it a target of choice for development of immunotoxin based therapy. Three immunoconjugates (IC) composed of anti-CD33 monoclonal antibody coupled with maytansine derivative, which prevent tubulin polymerization and thus formation of mitotic spindle, were designed. These three IC were tested for their activity against several AML cell lines and primary AML patient cells and we investigate mechanisms responsible for variation in sensitivity to IC treatment. In this report, we show that differences in number of CD33 molecules on AML cell surface does not explain the observed differences in IC sensitivity. We demonstrate that binding of huMy9-6 antibody to CD33 induces rapid internalization and that it is first process through endosome. We confirm that lysosomal processing is essential for the antimitotic effect induced by IC treatment. Also, we provide evidence that SOCS3 protein may play a role in resistance of AML cells to anti-CD33 therapy by directing IC-CD33-SOCS3 complex to the proteasome and therefore affecting lysosomal decoupling of IC-CD33 and intracellular release of maytansine derivatives. Finally, the linkers and maytansine derivative modifications were not sufficient to increase sufficiently the efficacy of conjugates to eliminate higher numbers of AML cells. The identification of mechanisms responsible for increased resistance of AML cell lines and primary AMLs may allow us to identify IC responsive AML cells and also identify strategies to improve the efficacy of IC treatment.

Ce mémoire propose de mettre à jour l’impact d’une culture visuelle donnée dans la formation et la construction d’une identité féminine japonaise. L’idéal en question, connu sous le nom de kawaii, prône le caractère mignon, adorable et enfantin de la gent japonaise. Les représentations féminines y étant rattachées diffèrent en fonction des lieux et des clientèles visées. Ces différents façonnements ont par la suite une influence prépondérante sur la vision, la perception et l’acceptation sociale des Japonaises, notamment face à leur identité, mais aussi face aux rôles qu’elles entretiennent dans la société moderne. L’esthétisme du kawaii a vivement été critiqué dans les milieux anthropologiques. Nombreux sont ceux qui perçoivent cette image enfantine de manière négative, lui attribuant une influence particulièrement néfaste. Cependant, ces jugements découlent d’une incompréhension liée à des connotations spécifiques, ainsi qu’à des erreurs épistémologiques. L’hégémonie médiatique rattachée à l’idéal du kawaii provient surtout d’une politique économique favorisée par le gouvernement, répondant au nom de Cool Japan. Les représentations féminines y étant associées prônent le caractère docile, innocent et inférieur de la femme. Ces images ne sont pourtant pas représentatives des identités et des rôles véhiculés par la femme japonaise. Elles ne servent qu’à renforcer des présuposés culturels. De par le kawaii, les intellectuels, qu’ils soient Japonais ou non, ont bien souvent fait endosser aux Japonaises des identités et des rôles stéréotypés, qui sont pourtant loin d’être le lot de la jeune génération. / The overall objective of this thesis is to update the impact of a given visual culture in the formation and construction of a female identity in Japan. This ideal, known as kawaii, advocates cuteness and childish behaviour. The female representations related to this ideal differ according to the different groups and locations analyzed. As a result, these variances have an important influence on the vision, perception and social acceptance of Japanese women, particularly when they are linked to their identity. The aesthetics of kawaii has been strongly criticized by the anthropological community. Cuteness has often been looked in a negative way as having harmful consequences for Japanese women. However, these judgments stem from a misunderstanding related to epistemological errors, as well as the misuse of the connotations of Japanese words. The hegemony attached to the ideal of kawaii mainly comes from an economic policy promoted by the government and known as Cool Japan. The female representations found in this policy are linked to the inferior state of Japanese women. Despite that, these images are not representative of identities and roles associated with Japanese women. They mainly reinforce cultural stereotypes. Through the kawaii phenomenon, intellectuals, be they Japanese or not, have often endorsed fixed identity and stereotyped gender roles for Japanese women, which are far from the reality of the younger generation.

This thesis explores ideas of everydayness, the mundane, and the repetitive emptiness of consumer culture. It looks at the malaise that plagues everyday life and examines several attempts throughout history to break from its grips which revolve around a search for a more ideal state. This research includes utopias of modernism, the transcendental, the communal living of Shakers and Early Christians, ascetic monks and The Desert Fathers. These ideas have shaped my studio practice as I construct installations based on worlds which allude to the eternal, the otherworldly, and the fragility of our physical world when compared to more eternal spiritual archetypes.

Ce mémoire propose de mettre à jour l’impact d’une culture visuelle donnée dans la formation et la construction d’une identité féminine japonaise. L’idéal en question, connu sous le nom de kawaii, prône le caractère mignon, adorable et enfantin de la gent japonaise. Les représentations féminines y étant rattachées diffèrent en fonction des lieux et des clientèles visées. Ces différents façonnements ont par la suite une influence prépondérante sur la vision, la perception et l’acceptation sociale des Japonaises, notamment face à leur identité, mais aussi face aux rôles qu’elles entretiennent dans la société moderne. L’esthétisme du kawaii a vivement été critiqué dans les milieux anthropologiques. Nombreux sont ceux qui perçoivent cette image enfantine de manière négative, lui attribuant une influence particulièrement néfaste. Cependant, ces jugements découlent d’une incompréhension liée à des connotations spécifiques, ainsi qu’à des erreurs épistémologiques. L’hégémonie médiatique rattachée à l’idéal du kawaii provient surtout d’une politique économique favorisée par le gouvernement, répondant au nom de Cool Japan. Les représentations féminines y étant associées prônent le caractère docile, innocent et inférieur de la femme. Ces images ne sont pourtant pas représentatives des identités et des rôles véhiculés par la femme japonaise. Elles ne servent qu’à renforcer des présuposés culturels. De par le kawaii, les intellectuels, qu’ils soient Japonais ou non, ont bien souvent fait endosser aux Japonaises des identités et des rôles stéréotypés, qui sont pourtant loin d’être le lot de la jeune génération. / The overall objective of this thesis is to update the impact of a given visual culture in the formation and construction of a female identity in Japan. This ideal, known as kawaii, advocates cuteness and childish behaviour. The female representations related to this ideal differ according to the different groups and locations analyzed. As a result, these variances have an important influence on the vision, perception and social acceptance of Japanese women, particularly when they are linked to their identity. The aesthetics of kawaii has been strongly criticized by the anthropological community. Cuteness has often been looked in a negative way as having harmful consequences for Japanese women. However, these judgments stem from a misunderstanding related to epistemological errors, as well as the misuse of the connotations of Japanese words. The hegemony attached to the ideal of kawaii mainly comes from an economic policy promoted by the government and known as Cool Japan. The female representations found in this policy are linked to the inferior state of Japanese women. Despite that, these images are not representative of identities and roles associated with Japanese women. They mainly reinforce cultural stereotypes. Through the kawaii phenomenon, intellectuals, be they Japanese or not, have often endorsed fixed identity and stereotyped gender roles for Japanese women, which are far from the reality of the younger generation.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:37:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 CatianeKDS_DISSERT.pdf: 1265888 bytes, checksum: c49a11fa200b7c8a1e4318a81e04203f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-05-18 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico / Child facial cues evoke attention, parental care behaviors and modulate for infant- caretaker interactions. Lorenz described the baby schema ( Kindchenschema ) as a set of infantile physical features such as the large head, round face, high and protruding forehead, big eyes, chubby cheeks, small nose and mouth. Previous work on this fundamental concept was restricted to positive perception to infant face, and did not show consistent results about the development individuals perceptions, regarding the physical attributes that worked as markers of cuteness. Here, we experimentally tested the effects of baby schema on the perception of cuteness of infant faces by children and adults. We used 60 none graphically manipulated photos of different stimulus children faces from 4 to 9 years old. In the first task for the adults experimental subjects, ten stimulus photos were shown, whereas for children experimental subjects, four stimulus photos were shown at a time, with a total of six rounds. The second task involved only adults, who indicated the motivation of affective behaviors and care directed to children through a Likert scale. Our results suggest that both participants judged similarly the cuteness of children's faces, and the physical features markers of this perception were observed only for younger stimulus children. Adults have attributed more motivations of positive behaviors to cuter stimulus children. The recognition of the baby schema by individuals of different ages and genders confers the universality and power of children's physical attributes. From the evolutionary perspective the responsiveness to baby schema is significant to ensure aloparental and parental investment, and the consequent children survival / As informa??es da face infantil evocam aten??o, comportamentos de cuidado parental e modulam as intera??es entre adultos e crian?as. Lorenz descreveu o esquema infantil ( Kindchenschema ) como um conjunto de caracter?sticas f?sicas da face, tais como: grande cabe?a, face arredondada, testa proeminente e alta, olhos grandes, bochechas arredondadas e salientes, e nariz e boca pequenos. Trabalhos pr?vios tiveram uma concep??o fundamental restrita as percep??es positivas ?s faces infantis, e n?o apresentaram resultados consistentes sobre o desenvolvimento da percep??o dos indiv?duos quanto aos atributos f?sicos que funcionavam como marcadores de fofura. N?s testamos experimentalmente o efeito do esquema infantil sobre a percep??o de fofura das faces infantis por adultos e crian?as. Para isso, utilizamos 60 fotos das faces n?o manipuladas graficamente de diferentes crian?as-est?mulo de 4 a 9 anos de idade. Para isso, utilizamos 60 fotos das faces n?o manipuladas graficamente de diferentes crian?as-est?mulo de 4 a 9 anos de idade. Na primeira tarefa para os sujeitos experimentais adultos eram mostrados dez fotos-est?mulo e para os sujeitos experimentais crian?as quatro fotos-est?mulo por vez, num total de seis rodadas. Na segunda tarefa participaram apenas os adultos, que por meio de uma escala likert indicavam a motiva??o de comportamentos afetivos e de cuidado direcionado para as crian?as. Nossos resultados apontam que ambos os participantes julgaram de forma similar a fofura das faces infantis, e as caracter?sticas f?sicas marcadoras dessa percep??o foi verificada apenas para as crian?as-est?mulo mais novas. Os adultos atribu?ram maiores motiva??es de comportamentos positivos as crian?as-est?mulo mais fofas. O reconhecimento do esquema infantil por indiv?duos de diferentes idades e g?neros confere a universalidade e pot?ncia dos atributos f?sicos infantis. Sob a perspectiva evolutiva a responsividade ao esquema infantil ? significante por assegurar investimento parental e aloparental, e a consequente sobreviv?ncia das crian?as