Made available in DSpace on 2015-09-25T12:23:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Alisson_Albuquerque_MLI.pdf: 758891 bytes, checksum: 1629753424d51f48bde9712e04df3834 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-05-12 / The literature is a propitiate way so that several speeches, beyond what is said about the own literary phenomenon, be presented/recreated in the sense of envision possibilities of reconstruction/reframing of the subjects in the cultural space, once these ones can, on one side, make part and/or to understand the status quo hegemonic, as well as they can, on the other hand, accomplish, with effect, the (re)appearance of new "individual" subjects - ethnic minorities and class, nationals and gender -, which insist in a fight -demarcate territories and to look for the recognition of cultural values that should be given. For this optics, we left from the literary production of representation homoerotic that, as the feminine representation, it works a speech appraiser of the condition of the gay subjects in the sociocultural context, mainly when it is taken into consideration that these suffer, as it discusses Silva (2007), the prejudice, the homophobia or intolerance. Then, with base in what seems be the most important criterion to consider the existence of a literature of gay expression - the homoerotic thematic, we had the objective, in that master's degree dissertation, to observe and to discuss the representations homoerotic, analyzing the condition homoaffective in the novel "Stella Manhattan" (1991) and the book of short stories "Keith Jarret no blue note" (1996), both by Silvano Santiago, with the intention of verifying the representations of the homoerotic desire, as well the aspects that, hypothetically, could make possible the constitution of a "gay aesthetics", according to the thought of some theoretical as Wilton Garcia (2000, 2004), for example, have been enough to deconstruct the duality homoaffective that ranging from the practice of homosexual and heterosexual and homophobic and makes the expression of gay desire a possibility of institutionalization of the gay in the context sociocultural and construction of "identity". So, I intend this work to establish a link between what is conventionally known as gay literature, considering its existence, and how the homoerotic themes and recurring elements of this literature are approached in works that we proposed to examine. For this, we will take as reference some texts that talk about the aspects of the conceptual issues and historical notions of gender, sexuality and homoeroticism, the questions surrounding the relationship between literature and homoeroticism, considering the erotic aspect of the term. Finally, the identity / sexual homoerotic through a wide study on the expression of gay literature, and later through the works that are part of our corpus analysis Stella Manhattan (1991) and book of short stories "Keith Jarrett on Blue Note" (1993), both of Silvano Santiago. / A literatura é um meio propício para que diversos discursos, além dos que já dizem respeito ao próprio fenômeno literário, sejam representados/recriados no sentido de vislumbrar possibilidades de reconstrução/ressignificação dos sujeitos no espaço cultural, uma vez que estes tanto podem, por um lado, fazer parte de um status quo hegemônico, como também podem, por outro lado, cumprir, com efeito, o (re)surgimento de novos sujeitos individuais minorias étnicas e de classe, nacionais e de gênero , os quais se empenham numa luta demarcar territórios e buscar o reconhecimento de valores culturais que lhes deveriam ser conferidos. Por essa ótica, partimos da produção literária de representação homoerótica que, como a de representação feminina, aciona um discurso avaliador da condição dos sujeitos (nesse caso, os gays) no contexto sociocultural, principalmente quando se leva em consideração que estes sofrem, como discute Silva (2007), o preconceito, a homofobia ou a intolerância. Então, com base no que parece ser o critério mais importante para considerar a existência de uma literatura de expressão gay a temática homoerótica, tivemos o objetivo, nessa dissertação, de observar e questionar as representações homoeróticas, analisando a condição homoafetiva no romance Stella Manhattan (1991) e no livro de contos Keith Jarret no blue note (1996), ambos de Silviano Santiago, com o intuito de verificar se as representações do desejo homoerótico, bem como os aspectos que, hipoteticamente, poderiam possibilitar a constituição de uma estética gay ou da literatura gay como um gênero, segundo o pensamento de alguns teóricos como Wilton Garcia (2000, 2004), por exemplo, têm desconstruído a dualidade homoafetiva entre a prática homo e heterossexual homofóbica e denotam o desejo como uma possibilidade de institucionalização do gay no contexto sociocultural e de construção de identidade sexual e/ou de gênero. Assim, busca-se, com este trabalho, estabelecer uma relação entre o que se convencionou chamar de literatura gay, considerando a sua existência, e a temática homoerótica somada aos recursos imagéticos nas obras que propusemos analisar. Para tanto, tomamos como referência alguns textos em torno dos aspectos relacionados às questões conceituais e históricas das noções de gênero, sexualidade e homoerotismo; às questões que envolvem as relações entre literatura e homoerotismo, considerando o aspecto erótico do termo; por último, às identidades sexuais homoeróticas através de um estudo panorâmico acerca da literatura de expressão gay, e, posteriormente, através das representações do desejo gay nas obras que fazem parte do nosso corpus de análise.

Nesta dissertação apresentamos o relato de uma proposta de inovação na abordagem da Física para o Curso Técnico em Radiologia Médica – Radiodiagnóstico, do Colégio Cenecista São Roque, localizado em Bento Gonçalves/RS. Motivados pela carência de trabalhos direcionados ao ensino técnico e pela necessidade em tratar a Física Moderna de modo mais conceitual, nos propusemos a elaborar uma página na internet como instrumento de apoio à disciplina de Proteção Radiológica. Considerando como marco teórico a teoria sóciointeracionista de Lev Semenovich Vygotsky e visando uma maior conscientização dos alunos quanto aos efeitos biológicos das radiações, adotamos como conceito central a dualidade onda-partícula. Tal referencial teórico considera como elemento fundamental para a aprendizagem a interação em sala de aula e dessa forma procuramos direcionar nossas aulas de modo a incentivar o debate. Os materiais didáticos desenvolvidos e adaptados para nossa prática constam de roteiros exploratórios, simulações computacionais de fenômenos físicos e leitura de textos de divulgação científica. Utilizando como ferramenta simuladores Java Applets disponíveis na internet, foram explorados os efeitos fotoelétrico e Compton. Através de um software educacional, desenvolvido no Instituto de Física, que simula o interferômetro de Mach-Zehnder abordamos o caráter dual das radiações. Este modo de abordar a Física despertou o interesse dos alunos levando-os a participar mais das aulas e a fazerem relações dos conteúdos estudados em sala de aula com os fenômenos físicos que regem o radiodiagnóstico. / In this dissertation we report an innovative approach in teaching Concepts of Quantum Physics to a technical level course in Medical Radiology, namely Radiodiagnostic at Colégio Cenecista São Roque in Bento Gonçalves/RS. The main reasons for this work are twofold: first, there is a small number of papers in the literature concerned to technical teaching and even less in this field specifically. Second, the students are required to get some conceptual understanding of Quantum Physics - an abstract subject most of them has never heard before. We have chosen the wave-particle duality as a central concept to introduce Quantum Physics given that analogies with classical wave mechanics could be more easily recovered. The dual character of electromagnetic radiation and the probabilistic nature of Quantum Physics were then emphasized since these concepts are fundamental for a better understanding of biological effects of radiation. It is also important to clarify Physics is part of our everyday and that even many of the norms that will rule their professional lives are based on the actual scientific knowledge. We believe better prepared technicians will be professionals more conscious of the importance of their own role in society. Working within Lev Semenovich Vygotsky framework we have fomented and motivated the learning through interaction among students in the classroom and through the debate among them. We have also elaborated a homepage during the semestre as a support tool to the discipline of Radiological Protection. Texts, interesting links, related news from newspaper have been continuously added as the students were suggesting or asking for. Besides the homepage, we have elaborated specific didactic material like exploratory scripts to guide the students through virtual simulations as for the Wave-particle duality in the Virtual Mach-Zehnder Interferometer and for the Photoelectric Effect. The students in general showed themselves very receptive to the innovations since they could be more active during the classes. Their final comments are interesting and they can give hints where this approach can be still improved and what they like it most.

Esta pesquisa objetiva compreender o processo de estruturação das redes sociais virtuais organizacionais, as quais são espaços de colaboração, interação e compartilhamento de conhecimentos, ideias e projetos. As redes foram estudadas a partir da Teoria da Estruturação, de Giddens (2009), destacando-se a dualidade da estrutura e as reflexões quanto ao contexto de ação (dimensões tempo e espaço). A pesquisa compreendeu um estudo de caso em uma Instituição de Ensino Superior, tendo três redes sociais virtuais organizacionais, denominados “Fóruns”, como unidades de análise. A organização está distribuída geograficamente em 10 Campi localizados em diferentes cidades, de modo que essas redes têm o papel de integrar os atores e possibilitar as trocas de experiências, auxiliando no processo de construção da identidade das áreas e da Universidade. Os Fóruns têm como propósito discutir e deliberar sobre assuntos relacionados aos cursos de graduação em diferentes níveis de conhecimento, sendo caracterizados pelas diversas áreas do conhecimento e possibilitando a participação espontânea dos atores em qualquer tempo. A investigação deu-se através de observação participante, entrevistas e análise de documentos. Os resultados apontam que as redes constituem-se à medida que os grupos determinam os seus objetivos de trabalho, o que remete à definição de uma agenda de trabalho, de recursos, papéis e estruturas. Cada rede possui um coordenador responsável, que se configura como o mediador e o incentivador das interações que ocorrem presencial e virtualmente. As ferramentas virtuais, também, são determinadas pelos atores com base nas atividades a serem desenvolvidas, podendo abranger tecnologias de comunicação ou instrumentais como editores de texto colaborativos. Foram elencados os elementos constituintes das redes sociais virtuais organizacionais, os quais não são estanques e podem alterar-se conforme os Fóruns mudam os seus propósitos de ação. Percebe-se que, a cada encontro, ou quando determinados novos objetivos e tarefas, ou nas inserções de novos membros, a rede reconfigura-se, reproduzindo outras características, alterando a sua composição, emergindo novas estruturas, novos papéis e novas regras, os quais são definidos pela coletividade. Os resultados apontam que a rede é um espaço participativo de integração e de construção da identidade dos cursos, das áreas de conhecimento e da Universidade. Para que a rede tenha significado para os atores é necessária à existência de elementos que sirvam como elo entre os atores e que justifiquem o trabalho coletivo. A rede torna os atores mais reflexivos e é um espaço de reflexão sobre a Universidade e a atuação docente, desenvolvendo as interações pela lógica do debate. Os participantes utilizam os seus conhecimentos e as experiências para reforçar os discursos, assim como as normas norteiam e justificam as ações dos atores. A rede dá acesso a todos os níveis hierárquicos da organização e a recursos materiais, financeiros, informacionais e de conhecimentos. Portanto, a rede é um ambiente de articulação e legitimação das decisões e das normas organizacionais, dando substancialidade para a organização. Dessa forma, as redes consolidam-se a partir da rotinização das práticas, formando estruturas, construindo uma identidade compartilhada que serve de elemento agregador para o grupo. / This research aims to understand the structuration process of organizational virtual social networks, which are opportunities for collaboration, interaction and sharing of knowledge, ideas and projects. The networks were studied based on the Theory of Structuration, Giddens (2009), highlighting the duality of structure and reflections on the action context (time and space dimensions). This research is a case study performed in a Higher Education Institution, and the analysis units were three organizational virtual social networks, called ‘Forums’. The organization is geographically distributed in 10 campi located in different cities, and the networks have the role to integrate the actors and enable the sharing of experience, assisting in the process of the identity construction of the areas and the University. The Forums aimed to discuss and deliberate on issues related to undergraduate courses at different levels of knowledge. They were characterized by different areas of knowledge and allowed the spontaneous participation of the actors at any time. The investigation was carried out through participant observation, interviews and document analysis. The results show that networks are formed as the groups determine their work objectives, which lead to the definition of a work schedule, resources, roles and structures. Each network has a coordinator responsible for being the mediator and the instigator of the interactions that occur in person and virtually. The virtual tools are determined by the actors based on the activities to be developed, and they may include communication or instrumental technologies such as collaborative text editors. We listed the elements constituent of organizational virtual social network, which are not steady and may change as they change their Forum purposes of action. Therefore, it is clear that at each meeting, when some new goals and tasks are determined, or in the insertion of new members, the network reconfigures itself, reproducing other features, changing its composition, and bringing out new structures, roles and rules, which are defined by the community. The results show that the network is a participative space of integration and identity construction of courses, areas of knowledge and the University. The network is meaningful if the actors identify elements that serve as a link between them and justify the collective work. The network makes the actors more reflective and is a reflection about the University and the teaching practice, developing the interactions by the logic of the debate. Participants use their knowledge and experiences to strengthen the speeches. The norms guide and justify the actions of actors. The network gives access to higher levels of the organization as well as to material, financial, informational, and knowledge resources. Therefore, the network is an environment of articulation and legitimation of decisions and organizational norms, giving substantiality to the organization. Networks are consolidated from the routinization of practices, forming structures and the establishment of a shared identity that serves as an aggregating element to the group.

It is well-known that in 2 + 1 dimensions the flux attachment transmutes the statistics of a particle.The aim of this master thesis is to study the dualities between bosons and fermions induced by Abeliantopological gauge fields in 2 + 1 dimensions. Chapter 1 and 2 are reviews of known results about thepath integral quantization of Chern-Simons theory and the regularization of the fermionic path integral.In the following chapters, we will derive the statistical transmutation and various Abelian dualities in2 + 1 dimensions.

Let Mk(∞) (Gamma, nu) denote the space of weight k weakly holomorphic weight modular forms with poles only at the cusp (∞), and let widehat Mk(∞) (Gamma, nu) subseteq Mk(∞) (Gamma, nu) denote the space of weight k weakly holomorphic modular forms in Mk(∞) (Gamma, nu) which vanish at every cusp other than (∞). We construct canonical bases for these spaces in terms of Maass--Poincaré series, and show that the coefficients of these bases satisfy Zagier duality.

Motivated by the AdS/CFT correspondence, new supersymmetric solutions to Type IIB and Type IIA supergravity are presented. These solutions contain $AdS_5$ or $AdS_4$ factors and are generated using T-duality symmetries of supergravity. The technique used to generate these solutions consists of performing a series of non-Abelian and Abelian T-dualities, sometimes with coordinate shifts in-between, to Freund-Rubin type seed backgrounds. An added bonus of the gauge fixing procedure inherent in non-Abelian T-Duality is the freedom to generate backgrounds with extra free parameters, some examples of which are presented. Aspects of the dual field theories of these new solutions are analyzed using holography techniques. The supersymmetry of these new backgrounds is also discussed. In addition to supergravity backgrounds with AdS, the study of generalized Calabi-Yau manifolds in the context of flux compactifications is briefly reviewed. The particular case of the resolved cone over $Y^{p,q}$ and its admission of generalized SU(3) structure solutions is examined. Contrary to geometries with $AdS$ factors, whose field theory duals are conformal field theories, these types of geometries can be phenomenologically interesting to study, as their gauge theory duals are minimally supersymmetric and confining, thus they could someday help aid our understanding of strongly-coupled QCD (Quantum Chromodynamics).

The literature on short selling documents substantial evidence that short sellers are generally informed investors (e.g., Diamond and Verrecchia, 1987; Asquith and Muelbrook, 1996). This dissertation investigates three specific implications of informed short selling for a firm and its investors. The first essay investigates if short selling discourages managers from pursuing over-optimistic projects by reducing equity market timing. By conditioning short selling on firm overvaluation, this essay shows that short selling reduces managerial equity market timing and increases leverage. This moderating impact of short selling is more pronounced in smaller firms and those with low institutional ownership or higher intangible assets. Furthermore, the results show that board independence facilitates the above effect of short selling which helps protect shareholder interests. The second essay investigates if board independence reduces informed short selling prior to earnings announcements. This essay estimates short sellers’ correct prediction of the direction of unexpected quarterly earnings through Logistic regression and finds that short sellers’ correct prediction decreases in firms with independent boards relative to firms with non-independent boards. Furthermore, this effect is more pronounced in firms with CEO duality and large board size. The quasi-natural experiment using the exogenous shock to board independence from the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, provides further support to our hypotheses. The third essay provides Sell recommendations by examining pre-announcement short selling of firms ahead of their earnings announcements. The methodology makes Sell recommendations for firms with the highest short position prior to their quarterly earnings announcement. The post-announcement raw, excess, and abnormal returns of firms having the Sell recommendations are statistically and economically significant for multiple-holding periods showing the methodology’s significant trading strategy implication. This dissertation significantly contributes to short selling, governance, capital structure, and investment literature.

The holographic principle has become an extraordinary tool in theoretical physics, most notably in the form of the Anti-deSitter Conformal Field Theory (AdS/CFT) correspondence, in which classical gravitational degrees of freedom in N-dimensions are related quantum field theory degrees of freedom in N − 1 dimensions in the limit of a large number of fields. Here we present an account of the AdS/CFT correspondence, also known as the gauge/gravity duality, from its origins in the large N 'tHooft expansion, up to Maldacena's proposal that type IIB string theory in the presences of D-branes at low energy is dual to an N = 4, d = 4, U(N) super Yang-Mills on AdS5 × S5 . We begin with an extensive review of (super)string theory including D-branes. We then present the general formulation of the AdS/CFT in the supergravity background of AdS5 × S5 , along with several examples of how it is used in terms of the identification of bulk fields with operators on the bound- ary of a CFT. We move on to discuss two applications of the gauge/gravity duality. The first is the application of the holographic gauge/gravity correspondence to the QCDk-string. The second applies the AdS/CFT formalism to a Kerr black hole solution embedded in 10-dimensional heterotic sting theory. These two applications of the holographic gauge/gravity duality comprise the original work presented here. We follow with summaries and discussions of the background material, the original work, and future investigations.

Due to various corporate scandals and failures, there has been a renewed interest on the role of boards in the performance of firms. This thesis examines the relationship between the key board characteristics and firm performance. Unlike most studies on boards which predominantly use only financial variables affecting governance, I take a different approach by combining them with non-financial variables. This combined set of variables is used for theoretical and empirical modelling. Based on the extant literature, I develop a conceptual framework and a set of hypotheses to examine the relationship between board characteristics and firm performance. Board characteristics considered in this research include board size, director ownership, CEO duality, gender diversity, educational qualification of board members and number of board meetings. Additionally, I use board size as a moderating variable to examine how the effect of other board characteristics is contingent on board size. Firm performance is measured by return on assets. I test my hypotheses on a longitudinal sample of 156 firms over a four year period from 2004 to 2007. My sample includes all firms listed on New Zealand stock exchange as on November 2007. Empirical analysis is undertaken using Generalised Least Squares analyses. The findings of the study show that board characteristics such as board size, CEO duality and gender diversity were positively related with firm performance, where as director ownership, board meetings and the number of board members with PhD level education was found to be negatively related. Board size was found to be moderating some of these relationships, indicating the critical role being played by board size in the design and role of corporate boards. The findings also provide partial evidence to different governance theories, further indicating the need for theoretical pluralism to gain insights into boards’ functioning. The study contributes to the understanding of board-performance link by examining both the traditional variables such as board size, CEO duality, and number of board meetings as well as other organisational attributes such as gender diversity and competence variables represented by women and PhD holders, respectively. The theoretical framework and the findings of my thesis are expected to stimulate scholars for further research to identify the contingency conditions upon which the board characteristics and firm performance may be dependent.

The purpose of this paper is to extend, as much as possible, the modern theory of condition numbers for conic convex optimization: z* := minz ctx s.t. Ax - b Cy C Cx , to the more general non-conic format: z* := minx ctx (GPd) s.t. Ax-b E Cy X P, where P is any closed convex set, not necessarily a cone, which we call the groundset. Although any convex problem can be transformed to conic form, such transformations are neither unique nor natural given the natural description of many problems, thereby diminishing the relevance of data-based condition number theory. Herein we extend the modern theory of condition numbers to the problem format (GPd). As a byproduct, we are able to state and prove natural extensions of many theorems from the conic-based theory of condition numbers to this broader problem format.