Analisa, na perspectiva da Economia política da comunicação, as particularidades do uso de vídeos na rádio Gaúcha em um contexto de convergência e de disponibilização de conteúdo online, utilizando como ideia central a vigência da fase da multiplicidade da oferta (BRITTOS, jul.-dez. 2002). Hoje, o rádio inserido em múltiplos ambientes e temporalidades, incorpora uma narrativa multiplataforma, onde o sonoro segue como linha mestra da informação, mas também dialoga com diferentes linguagens: fotografia, infografia, texto escrito e vídeo. Partindo do conceito de rádio expandido (KISCHINHEVSKY, 2016), propõe um problema fundamental: como os vídeos são utilizados pela rádio Gaúcha, o porquê desse uso e em que medida ocorrem adaptações, afastamentos e aproximações em relação à linguagem audiovisual vigente no telejornalismo. O principal objetivo geral é analisar de que maneira a emissora explora o potencial dos vídeos e qual é o papel exercido por eles na produção jornalística. Aplicando como metodologia a análise de conteúdo (BARDIN, 2011), usa como base os patamares de (1) noticiabilidade; e (2) linguagem audiovisual tradicional e concentra o seu foco nas reportagens Os desafios do emprego na crise, Coronéis do Futebol e Gaúcha Me Leva; na cobertura especial das eleições presidenciais dos Estados Unidos; e no programa Sala de Redação. Como resultado, observase que existe maior preocupação em usar o vídeo para expandir o conteúdo, explorando o potencial informativo/localizador das imagens e agregando à notícia e às transmissões informações exclusivas não veiculadas na versão sonora. A linguagem visual empregada, no entanto, ainda não desenvolveu a totalidade de suas potencialidades. / It analyzes, from the perspective of the Political economy of communication, the particularities of the use of videos in Gaúcha radio broadcasting in a context of convergence and availability of on-line content, using as central idea the validity of the multiplicity of supply phase (BRITTOS, Jul. -dez 2002). Today, radio inserted in multiple environments and temporalities, incorporates a multiplatform narrative, where the sonorous follows as the main line of information, but also dialogs with different languages: photography, infographics, written text and video. Having as its main theoretical basis the concept of expanded radio (KISCHINHEVSKY, 2016), proposes a fundamental problem: how the videos are used by Gaúcha, the reason for this use and to what extent adaptations, departures and approximations occur in relation to the audiovisual language in force in the telejournalism. The main general objective is to analyze how the broadcaster explores the potential of the videos and what role they play in journalistic production. Applying as methodology the content analysis (BARDIN, 2011), uses as base the levels of (1) newsworthiness; and (2) traditional audiovisual language, and focuses its focus on the issues of Os desafios do emprego na crise, Coronéis do Futebol, Gaúcha Me Leva, United States presidential elections and the Sala de Redação program. As a result, it is observed that there is a greater concern to use the video to expand the content, exploring the potential information / locator of the images and adding to the news and the transmissions exclusive information not conveyed in the sound version. The visual language employed, however, has not yet developed the full potential.

A pesquisa identifica e analisa como o jornal nativo digital Nexo conforma editorial-mente a informação jornalística ao articular seções e temas, potencialidades da web, modalidades, gêneros e formatos jornalísticos. O quadro teórico se constitui com base na abordagem do cenário de convergência jornalística, tendo em vista processos de mu-danças estruturais e inovações. Reflete-se ainda sobre o jornal enquanto dispositivo, debatendo-se sobre as especificidades do ciberjornalismo e da conformação de um ci-berjornal. Os procedimentos metodológicos adotados são a pesquisa bibliográfica, a pesquisa documental e a análise de conteúdo. O corpus de análise é composto por mate-riais coletados entre os dias 11 e 24 de setembro de 2017, com capturas de tela sempre às 23h, em cinco espaços – seções do site, home do site, página do Facebook, newslet-ters e matérias. Os resultados evidenciam uma nova proposta de enquadramento em seções e temas; diferentes abordagens para periodicidade, atualidade, universalidade e publicidade; uma articulação multiplataforma; a exploração de modalidades, formatos e gêneros diversos; o uso de hipertextualidade e memória para construir um jornalismo explicativo; e a utilização de multimidialidade e interatividade como possibilidades de inovação editorial. / The research identifies and analyzes how the digitally native newspaper Nexo editorially conforms its journalistic information by articulating sections and topics, web potentiali-ties, modalities, and journalistic genres and formats. The theoretical framework is based on the approach of journalistic convergence, structural changes and innovation process-es. It also reflects about the newspaper as a device, debating on the specificities of cyberjournalism and the conformation of a cyberjournal. The methodological proce-dures adopted are bibliographic research, documental research and content analysis. The corpus of the analysis is composed of material collected between September 11 and September 24, 2017, capturing the screen always at 11:00 PM, in five areas – the site sections, home page, Facebook page, newsletters and news stories. The results show a new proposal for framing sections and topics; different approaches to periodicity, topi-cality, universality and publicity; a multiplatform articulation; the exploration of diverse modalities, formats and genres; the use of hypertextuality and memory to construct an explanatory journalism; and the use of multimediality and interactivity as possibilities for editorial innovation.

Ecólogos de comunidades têm como um dos principais objetivos identificar padrões de abundância e distribuição de espécies ao longo das regiões e ambientes, e inferir sobre os processos norteadores desses padrões. Para tanto, duas linhas teóricas complementares são principalmente utilizadas: limitação de similaridade e filtros ambientais. Enquanto a primeira prediz que as espécies dentro de uma comunidade devem ser distintas nas suas características como resultado da competição (divergência), a segunda espera uma alta similaridade entre espécies coexistentes (convergência), uma vez que elas são filtradas sob certas condições ambientais. Estudos sobre diversidade funcional podem nos dar uma ideia da proporção de divergência e convergência na estruturação das comunidades, enquanto a composição funcional pode indicar a direção das respostas funcionais aos filtros ambientais. Ambientes campestres predominantemente cobrem o bioma Pampa, no sul do Brasil, e nesta região as florestas são restritas a zonas ribeirinhas e a pequenas encostas. As inundações são uma pressão comum em matas ribeirinhas, mas dadas as condições da região elas também são vulneráveis à dessecação por evapotranspiração e ventos. Em contraste, as florestas de encosta são mais sombreadas e úmidas. No presente trabalho, temos como objetivo principal caracterizar a diversidade e composição funcional destes ambientes florestais. Esperamos encontrar padrões de convergência para os atributos de florestas ciliares, devido às condições ambientais mais severas. Estabelecemos 18 unidades amostrais de 250 x 10 m em três regiões do Pampa, nove para cada tipo de floresta. Todas as árvores com pelo menos 5 cm de DAP (diâmetro à altura do peito) foram medidas. As regiões representam um gradiente de precipitação e temperatura. Seis atributos funcionais das espécies arbóreas foram avaliados: área foliar, área foliar específica (SLA), conteúdo de matéria seca foliar (LDMC), altura máxima, síndrome de dispersão e tamanho do fruto. Índices de diversidade funcional e seus tamanhos de efeito padronizados (SES - standardized effect size) dada a riqueza local de espécies foram estimados para cada região e tipo florestal. A composição funcional foi analisada através de média dos atributos funcionais ponderada pelas abundâncias nas comunidades (CWM), com posterior análise de variância para verificar diferenças entre as florestas e regiões. Os valores de CWM de área foliar e proporção de zoocoria foram menores nas florestas ribeirinhas de todas as regiões, enquanto o tamanho do fruto, SLA e LDMC só foram influenciados pelo fator região, sendo a SLA menor na região de menor precipitação e temperatura médias anuais. Altura máxima média das comunidades diferiu tanto conforme o tipo de floresta (maior na encosta) quanto à região (maior na região com condições climáticas mais favoráveis). Os valores do SES para riqueza funcional e dispersão funcional não demostraram padrões de divergência ou convergência significativos. Apenas a riqueza funcional para altura e tamanho de fruto foi distinta de acordo com o ambiente e a região das florestas avaliadas. Os resultados deste trabalho, ao contrário do esperado, demonstram não haver padrões de divergência e/ou convergência funcional para as florestas do Pampa, em termos do ambiente em que ocorrem (ciliar ou encosta) ou mesmo região. Contudo, a composição funcional variou tanto em relação ao ambiente quanto à região. Isso pode indicar uma seleção de espécies com distintas estratégias adaptativas de acordo com as diferentes influências ambientais em escala local e regional. / Community ecologists aim at identifying patterns of species abundance and distribution along regions and environments, inferring on their main driver processes. Two complementary approaches rule community assembly: limiting similarity and environmental filters. While the first predicts that species within a community should be distinct in traits to avoid competition (divergence), the second expects a high similarity between co-occurring species (convergence), since they are filtered out to occur under certain environmental conditions. Functional diversity can give us an idea of the proportion of divergence and convergence in the structure of communities, while the functional composition might indicate the direction of trait responses to the environmental filters. Grasslands predominantly cover the southern Brazilian Pampa, and the forests are restricted to riparian zones and hillslopes. Flooding is a common pressure on riparian forests, but given the environmental conditions of the region they are also vulnerable to desiccation by evapotranspiration and winds. In contrast, slope forests are more shaded and humid. We aimed at characterizing functional diversity and composition of these forest environments. We expected trait convergence for riparian forests because of the harsher environmental conditions. We established 18 sampling units of 250 x 10 m in three regions of the Pampa, nine for each forest type. All trees with at least 5cm DBH were measured. The regions represent a gradient in precipitation and temperature. Six functional traits of the tree species were assessed: leaf area, specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), plant height, dispersal mode, and fruit size. Functional diversity indices and their standardized effect size (SES), considering the local species richness, were estimated for each region and forest. Functional composition was analyzed through community-weighted mean of traits (CWM), with further analysis of variance to verify differences between forests and regions. CWM of leaf area and zoochory were lower in riparian forests of all regions, while fruit size, SLA and LDMC were only influenced by the region. SLA was lower in the region with lower annual mean precipitation and temperature. Maximum height shows response for the type of forest (higher CWM in hillslope forests) and region (higher in the region under more favorable climatic conditions). SES of functional richness and dispersion did not show a recurrent pattern of significant divergence or convergence related to the factors. The results of SES, contrary to our expectation, are not indicating any patterns of trait divergence and/or convergence for the forests. Only the functional richness of height and fruit size differed according to the habitat and the region of the studied forests. However, both forest environments and regions differed in terms of functional composition, indicating the assembling of species with distinct adaptive strategies in relation to different environment influences for local and regional scale.

The purpose of this study is to analyze how the mobile augmented reality game Red Bull Secret Gig was made in practise by its users. Red Bull Secret Gig was a game that was a part of the release of Swedish pop star Robyns new album. The prize of the game was two tickets to a secret show with the pop star. Interviews, group interviews walkthroughs of the game written by its creators and posts published in the official Facebook group for the game has been used as a material base for analyzing Red Bull Secret Gig. The theoretical framework for this study consists of communication theories such as Stuart Hall’s Encoding/Decoding, Henry Jenkins theories about convergence culture, participatory culture, astroturfing, engaging as labor and collective intelligence and also theories about gamification and motivation. Findings include elements of the game being designed to be motivational for its users, how users came together to figure out how to gain points in the game, users bad experiences of the game, Red Bulls presence in the game,  how users different economic and social situations could affect their progress in the game and the price of the prize. Conclusions of this study includes the official Facebook group being dependent on users engagement, users feelings and opinions about Red Bulls presence being split and users perception of the ticket being for free.

Thesis. 1978. Ph.D.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Vita. / Bibliography: leaves 136-144. / Ph.D.

The physical mechanisms and predictability associated with extreme daily rainfall in South East South America (SESA) are investigated for the December-February season. Through a k-mean analysis, a robust set of daily circulation regimes is identified and then it is used to link the frequency of rainfall extreme events with large-scale potential predictors at subseasonal-to-seasonal scales. This basic set of daily circulation regimes is related to the continental and oceanic phases of the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ) and wave train patterns superimposed on the Southern Hemisphere Polar Jet. Some of these recurrent synoptic circulation types are conducive to extreme rainfall events in the region through synoptic control of different meso-scale physical features and, at the same time, are influenced by climate phenomena that could be used as sources of potential predictability. Extremely high rainfall (as measured by the 95th- and 99th-percentiles) is preferentially associated with two of these weather types, which are characterized by moisture advection intrusions from lower latitudes and the Pacific; another three weather types, characterized by above-normal moisture advection toward lower latitudes or the Andes, are preferentially associated with dry days (days with no rain). The analysis permits the identification of several subseasonal-to-seasonal scale potential predictors that modulate the occurrence of circulation regimes conducive to extreme rainfall events in SESA. It is conjectured that a cross-timescale interference between the different climate drivers improves the predictive skill of extreme precipitation in the region. The potential and real predictive skill of the frequency of extreme rainfall is then evaluated, finding evidence indicating that mechanisms of climate variability at one timescale contribute to the predictability at another scale, i.e., taking into account the interference of different potential sources of predictability at different timescales increases the predictive skill. This fact is in agreement with the Cross-timescale Interference Conjecture proposed in the first part of the thesis. At seasonal scale, a combination of those weather types tends to outperform all the other potential predictors explored, i.e., sea surface temperature patterns, phases of the Madden-Julian Oscillation, and combinations of both. Spatially averaged Kendall’s τ improvements of 43% for the potential predictability and 23% for realtime predictions are attained with respect to standard models considering sea-surface temperature fields alone. A new subseasonal-to-seasonal predictive methodology for extreme rainfall events is proposed, based on probability forecasts of seasonal sequences of these weather types. The cross-validated realtime skill of the new probabilistic approach, as measured by the Hit Score and the Heidke Skill Score, is on the order of twice that associated with climatological values. The approach is designed to offer useful subseasonal-to-seasonal climate information to decision-makers interested not only in how many extreme events will happen in the season, but also in how, when and where those events will probably occur. In order to gain further understanding about how the cross-timescale interference occurs, an externally-forced Lorenz model is used to explore the impact of different kind of forcings, at inter-annual and decadal scales, in the establishment of constructive interactions associated with the simulated “extreme events”. Using a wavelet analysis, it is shown that this simple model is capable of reproducing the same kind of cross-timescale structures observed in the wavelet power spectrum of the Niño3.4 index only when it is externally forced by both inter-annual and decadal signals: the annual cycle and a decadal forcing associated with the natural solar variability. The nature of this interaction is non-linear, and it impacts both mean and extreme values in the time series. No predictive power was found when using metrics like standard deviation and auto-correlation. Nonetheless, it was proposed that an early warning signal for occurrence of extreme rainfall in SESA may be possible via a continuous monitoring of relative phases between the cross-timescale leading components.

Esta tese analisa o processo de decisão sobre o sistema de TV digital a ser adotado no Brasil, levando em conta questões políticas, tecnológicas e econômicas. Em 29 de junho de 2006, o governo brasileiro anunciou que o padrão japonês ISDB-T servirá de base para o Sistema Brasileiro de TV Digital. O objetivo do trabalho é mostrar que a força política dos radiodifusores venceu a força econômica das operadoras de telecomunicações na disputa pela TV digital. A escolha feita pelo governo permite que as emissoras de televisão mantenham seu modelo de negócios baseado em publicidade. A televisão é o meio de comunicação mais disseminado no Brasil. O governo brasileiro anunciou que traria uma fábrica de semicondutores ao País, como parte das negociações, mas não conseguiu. Universidades e centros de pesquisa brasileiros tiveram sucesso em propor inovações para a TV digital. No entanto, deve haver dificuldades para transformá-las em produtos. / This thesis analyses the process of decision on the digital TV system to be adopted in Brazil, taking into account political, technological and economic issues. On June 29th, 2006, the Brazilian government announced that ISDB-T, the Japanese standard, will be used as the basis of the Brazilian Digital Television System. The main goal of this text is to show that broadcasters political power had won over telcos economic power on the digital TV dispute. After the governments choice, television networks will be able to keep intact their business model, based on advertising. Television is the most popular media in Brazil. During talks with international groups, the government announced that it would attract to the country a semiconductor plant and it has not happened. Brazilian universities and R&D centers succeeded in proposing inovations to digital TV, but will not be easy to turn them into products.

"December 2002." / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 254-269). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese.

Midline convergence of organ primordia is an important mechanism for shaping the vertebrate body-plan at various stages of development, such as the morphogenesis of the heart and endoderm. Down regulation of wnt or noncanonical wnt signalling components, such as dishelleved (Dvl) or RhoA GTPase (RhoA), impairs midline convergence of the heart primordia and endoderm in zebrafish. This suggests that wnt signaling plays an important role in regulating midline convergence. At the early patterning stage of the zebrafish kidney, the two pronephric-glomerular primodia (PGP), which derive from intermediate mesoderm, converge towards the midline and fuse to form a functional pronephros. In contrast, during development of the mammalian kidney, the pronephros degenerates as the mesonephros develops without midline convergence. The hypothesis is thus that there is/are mechanisms underlying midline convergence of PGP in zebrafish, which is/are in addition to the control of the non-canonical wnt/Dvl/RhoA pathway and specific to kidney morphogenesis. In this study, the aim was to identify genetic factors that are specifically involved in the mechanism of PGP midline convergence by establishing a cell lineage tracing transgenic system with Cre-loxP, followed by the analysis of selected mutant embryos using the cell lineage tracing system, whole-mount in situ hybridization (WISH) and immunostaining. The cell lineage tracing system was generated, and tested. Constructs, in which β-actin promoter drives the transcription of the reporter genes, were microinjected into zebrafish embryos at 1- to 4-cell stages. The mRNAs in microinjected embryos (5 dpf) were analyzed by RT-PCR. The results show that the constructs induced indiscriminate alternative splicing. RNA splicing mechanisms were not affected by transcription termination when the polyA signal was located in introns. To provide an alternative approach, three mutants were selected after screening of available ENU zebrafish mutants. These mutants were chosen not only because of their genetic importance in cell adhesion and motility but also because of their respective developmental defects in tissues surrounding the PGP, such as the notochord (no tail, ntl), somite (spadetail, spt), and endodermal tissues (zygotic oneeyed pinhead, Zoep). Spt and ntl are key targets of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signalling in the trunk and tail respectively. EGP-CFC gene oep is a Nodal signalling cofactor. Firstly, a rapid genotyping technique was developed, which was applied in identifying the mutant alleles. Since the tools for tracing PGP using transgenes were unavailable, the three mutants were analyzed by WISH and immunostaining. Zygotic mutation of Zoep causes a PGP midline convergence phenotype of variable severity due to maternal Oep effects. In more than 90% of Zoep-/- embryos, PGP midline convergence was impaired. Even though the abnormality could be observed as early as 15 hpf, the differentiation of the PGP was not affected. Heart primordial phenotypes were also observed but they did not correlate with that of the PGP phenotypes. Embryos homozygous for mutations in T-box transcription factors, ntl or spt had normal heart midline convergence phenotypes. PGP midline convergence abnormality was observed in spt-/- but not in ntl-/- prior to 36 hpf. In addition the extracellular matrix (ECM) might play a key role in the mechanisms of PGP midline convergence. Furthermore, PGP midline convergence proceeds from 10 hpf (the specification of intermediate mesoderm) to 48 hpf (fused pronephric glomerulus) in wild type zebrafish embryos. The process was quantified by 2D image analysis of the PGP distance. Prior to 18 hpf, PGP midline convergence is closely correlated with the midline convergence of mesoderm but not at later stages in Zoep-/-. Spt is essential for PGP but not for cardiac primordium midline convergence. Data from this research suggests that there is not one universal mechanism, which controls all the midline convergence of organ primordia. Indeed, specific factors, which depend on tissues and development stages, are also required.

A cultura da convergência abarca a questão tecnológica do fluxo de conteúdos, ocorrendo através de múltiplos suportes midiáticos e as questões de mudança de comportamento do público, que se apropria das redes digitais para buscar de diferentes experiências de entretenimento e de informação. Os sujeitos buscam um produto midiático que não se finde na sua própria exibição, mas sim proponha conteúdos que vão além de um único dispositivo de distribuição e necessitem do engajamento do público para que aconteçam efetivamente. Os fãs são personagens centrais da mudança na forma de operar da mídia de massa por serem pioneiros na adaptação às novas tecnologias de comunicação e informação e nos processos de produção e consumo participativos. A partir disso, esta pesquisa busca um olhar sobre as interações que fazem parte do comportamento dos fãs, tanto nas relações entre eles quanto com a indústria midiática. Para tanto, estudam-se os fãs de Star Wars, mais especificamente, os membros do Conselho Jedi do Rio Grande do Sul (CJRS), a fim de que através de um objeto empírico, consolidado e permanente se possa investigar o comportamento deste grupo no contexto de cultura da convergência, onde as interações entre eles e com o mercado de mídia são transformadas. / The convergence culture includes the technological issue of the content flow going through multiple media and the issues of changes in public behavior which appropriates itself of the digital networks seeking for different experiences of entertainment and information. The individuals look for a media product that doesn‟t finish itself in its own exhibition, but propose content that go beyond a single distribution device and require the engagement of the audience to actually happen. The fans are central characters in the change of mass media operating way because they are pioneers in adapting the new technologies of communication and information and in participatory processes of production and consumption. From this, this research seeks a look at the interactions that are part of the behavior of fans, both in relations between them and with the media industry. To this end, the Star Wars fans are studied, more specifically, the members of the Jedi Council of Rio Grande do Sul (CJRS), so that through a consolidated and permanent empirical object, it became possible to investigate the behavior of this group in the convergence culture context where the interactions between them and the media market are changed.