This thesis is a study of constructions of reality in visual and textual representations in current exhibitions in the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm with comparisons to the Natural History Museum in Gothenburg and minor excursions to other museums. The study also includes seven giant screen films in Cosmonova: an IMAX theatre which is part of the Swedish Museum of Natural History. The study consists of three parts: I. Historical and theoretical contextualisation: The emergence of museums is understood as an aspect of modernity and nature, and analytical concepts from semiotics, deconstruction and discourse analysis are presented and discussed. This part also includes a discussion of anthropomorphism and andropocentric stereotyping and a study of the emergence of the environmental question in society, science, museums and in the disciplines of sociology and cultural studies. II. Empirical analysis: Starting with questions what stories modern exhibitions in museums of natural history tell and how animals, bodies, humans and the environment are represented in the exhibitions and films I discuss different aspects of the dualism of nature and culture in relation to other dualisms such as animal/human, nature/society and ecology/economy. The dualism nature/culture that is expressed in exclusions of conventional signs for human culture is problematic from an environmental perspective. I pose the question of whether or not the marginalized phenomenon of the cabinet of curiosity that combine both “naturalia” and “artificialia” and displays phenomena classified as abnormal, can provide a key to narratives about co-evolution, environmental issues and variations in morphology and behaviour. III. Discussion: The potential for transcending the dualism of nature and culture, both theoretically-and practically-speaking, and particularly in relation to the environmental question, is discussed, as is the possibility that museums can be(come) reflexive sub-political arenas for dialogues between politics, science and people.

A subset of 199 Melissotarsus insularis and 130 Diaspididae specimens were analyzed to 1) determine the species status of M. insularis and 2) to explore the relative intimacy of the relationship between M. insularis and Diaspididae. An analysis of molecular variance and the observed lack of association between clades and distinct habitats on the M. insularis phylogeny suggested that while M. insularis exhibits isolation by distance, it does not apparently diversify by habitat. When cryptic COI pseudogenes were accounted for, the majority of the genetic diversity exhibited by M. insularis was limited to a divergence of 3% or less suggesting that M. insularis represents a single, albeit broadly distributed, species. A cophylogenetic reconstruction of the relationship between M. insularis and Diaspididae yielded 14 “cospeciation” events but was not significant unlike reconstructions of host-parasite relationships. Analyses of reduced datasets suggested that incomplete taxon sampling may significantly affect cophylogenetic reconstruction results. / National Science Foundation (grants No. DEB-0072713, DEB-0344731 to BLF and DEB-0842395 to BLF and MAS), a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant to MAS and a Leaders Opportunity Fund grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation to MAS

Thesis (doctoral) - Universität, Tübingen, 2000.

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of History, 2005. / Title from first page of PDF document. Document formatted into pages; contains [1], ii, 89 p. : maps. Includes bibliographical references (p. 70-89).

This research report explores the link between the novels of Ingrid Winterbach / Lettie Viljoen, a third culture and the neo-Victorian novel. The study is therefore situated within the cultural-philosophical framework of a third culture, which implies that the two cultures of science and literature do not function as separate disciplines, but as an organic unit. Researchers in the interdiscipline of literature and science identify the Age of Science (1879–1914) – including the Victorian era (1837–1901) – as a historical period where the existence of such a third culture was observed. This period was characterised by numerous scientific discoveries, and Darwin’s theory of evolution generated heated debates in Victorian society. Nineteenth-century literature (and specifically the Victorian novel) therefore reflects the spirit of an age where the interaction between science and literature was particularly evident. In our information-driven society, the focus is once again on scientific discovery and dissemination of knowledge, prompting social critics to typify the current period as “neo-” or “retro-Victorian”. The contemporary imagination still problematises Darwin’s theory of evolution, and fiction such as Winterbach’s therefore not only renegotiates the fixed modernistic boundaries between science and literature, but also revisits the nineteenth- century genres simptomatic of a similar third culture. Winterbach’s novels (1984–2006) display a distinctive predisposition towards natural history and Darwinistic principles and are therefore postmodern adaptations of nineteenth-century conventions. Darwinistic concepts such as growth, metamorphosis,transformation, evolution and the origin, naming and extinction of species are therefore accentuated. Winterbach’s fictionalisation of a nineteenth-century worldview can be linked to the work of her ancestors in the Afrikaans literary tradition, Eugène Marais and C. Louis Leipoldt (both amateur scientists). Her popularisation of scientific knowledge and revisitation of Victorian codes also link her to a neo-Victorian novelistic movement (a contemporary permutation of the Victorian tradition). Her oeuvre therefore also displays similarities to that of her British contemporary, A.S. Byatt, a prominent neo-Victorian novelist. An exploration of the natural world in this tradition, however, also implies an exploration of supernatural spheres, a trend which is equally evident in texts by congeners such as (George) Eliot, Marais, Leipoldt, Winterbach and Byatt. / Afrikaans / D.Litt. et Phil. (Afrikaans and Theory of Literature)

This work concerns the research and application of data visualization techniques to depict ongoing activities in mankind’s investigation of space as part of a larger open-source visualization- and science-outreach software known as OpenSpace. It involves the construction of a physically accurate virtual environment of our local star group and solar system so as to facilitate development of a robust and generalized solution capable of articulating mission-science to its viewers. The research part is focused on deploying data visualization methods suitable for contextualizing scientific findings towards the general public in a pedagogical manner, with the end goal to provide a fully operational New Horizons visualization on the day of encounter with Pluto for the first public broadcast of OpenSpace across the globe.

Orientador: Maria Margaret Lopes / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Geociencias / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-05T17:53:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Varela_AlexGoncalves_D.pdf: 1047512 bytes, checksum: 55836c1b2765c3729fc2a9fac91c9937 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005 / Resumo: No ano de 1796, o ministro da Marinha e Ultramar do Governo mariano, D. Rodrigo de Sousa Coutinho, elaborou um programa político-reformista que visava modernizar a administração do Império Português, para assim assegurar o domínio da parte mais rica ¿ o Brasil e, sobretudo, salvar o Reino e a Monarquia Portuguesa. Entre as medidas tomadas pelo ministro estava o estudo das ¿produções naturais ¿ coloniais, uma vez que as considerava como fontes de riquezas que ajudariam a promover o desenvolvimento da nação portuguesa. Para o mapeamento, exploração e análise do mundo natural das colônias, D. Rodrigo se aliou aos naturalistas, que foram contratados em diversas regiões da América Portuguesa. Na Capitania de São Paulo, os estudiosos arregimentados para trabalhar a serviço da Coroa foram: João Manso Pereira, Martim Francisco Ribeiro de Andrada, e José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva. O objetivo da Tese de Doutorado consiste em discutir a contribuição da atividade científica praticada pelos mencionados naturalistas ilustrados, através de suas viagens e memórias científicas, para o processo de institucionalização das ciências naturais na referida Capitania. Suas memórias científicas no campo da História Natural constituíram-se como as principais fontes de análise da pesquisa, uma vez que elas foram o principal instrumento que permitiu observar a concepção de ciência com que os naturalistas operavam, sua postura teórico-metodológica, quais as apropriações que fizeram das modernas teorias científicas e como buscaram aplicá-las ao seu contexto local, entre outras questões. Tais textos foram analisados por meio do cruzamento com o contexto histórico, cultural e científico em que foram concebidos, permitindo assim observar como se deu a produção da ciência em seu ambiente local. Portanto, as memórias produzidas pelos naturalistas mencionados constituíram-se como a ¿pedra preciosa ¿ para refutar a tese de que a América Portuguesa, em especial a Capitania de São Paulo, caracterizou-se por um grande vazio de práticas científicas no período compreendido entre o final do setecentos e o início do oitocentos / Abstract: In 1796, the Navy and Overseas Minister of the Mariano¿s Government, Dom Rodrigo de Sousa Coutinho, elaborated a political-reformist program which aimed to modernize the administration of the Portuguese Empire, guaranteeing this way the command of its richest part ¿ Brazil, and above all, save the kingdom, and the Portuguese Monarchy. Among the measures took by the Minister was the study of the colonial ¿natural productions¿, once he considered as wealth sources which would help to promote the development of the Portuguese nation. In order to map, explore and analyze the colonies¿ natural world, D. Rodrigo allied with the naturalists, hired in many regions of the Portuguese America. In the Captaincy of São Paulo the allocated studious to work to the Crown¿s service were: João Manso Pereira, Martim Francisco Ribeiro de Andrada e José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva. The object of the Doctorate Thesis is to present the scientific activity practiced by these Enlightened naturalists, through its scientific memories, discussing these activities contribution to the process of institutionalization of the natural sciences in the Portuguese America, in special of its referred Captaincy. Their scientific memories in the field of Natural History constituted as the principal sources of the analysis of the research, once they were the main instrument that allowed to observe the conception of science by which the naturalists work, their theoric-methodological posture, what did they take from the modern scientific theories and how they get in applying them to the local context, among other questions. Such texts were analysed by means of crossing its historical, cultural and scientifical context in which they were conceived, allowing them to observe how the productions of science happened in the local environment. Therefore, the memories produced by the naturalists above mentioned constituted as the ¿precious stone¿ to refute the thesis that the Portuguese America, in special the Captaincy of SP, characterized as a great blank of scientific practices in the period between the final of the 1700¿s and the beginning of 1800¿s / Doutorado / Doutor em Geociências

Abstract Uterine leiomyomas are the most common benign tumours in females. They are myometrial neoplasms, may present single or multiple, and may be located in various sites of the uterus. Leiomyomas distort the uterine cavity and the uterus itself, causing abnormal vaginal bleeding, reduced fertility and also pelvic pressure and pain symptoms. The aim of this study was to elaborate current knowledge on familial uterine leiomyomas and to explore the possible association between uterine leiomyoma and cardiovascular disease risk factors, and also the association between leiomyomas and endometriosis. The natural history of familial uterine leiomyoma study showed significant differences between familial and non-familial leiomyoma cases, familial cases having more severe clinical characteristics. They presented with multiple uterine leiomyomas and were more often symptomatic. They were also diagnosed at a younger age. The prevalence study on uterine leiomyomas and endometriosis offered confirmation of an association between the diseases. Uterine leiomyomas and endometriosis seem to decrease female fertility independently of each other. Uterine leiomyomas related to the hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC) tumour syndrome were studied in regard to their clinical characteristics and immunophenotype. The study provided evidence that women with HLRCC may be identified through distinct leiomyoma clinical characteristics, and routine-use IHC of CD34 and Bcl-2. Distinguishing these leiomyoma cases from sporadic ones may identify families affected by fumarate hydratase (fumarase, FH) mutation. Uterine leiomyoma and cardiovascular disease risk factors were studied in The Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC1966). The study showed an association between leiomyomas and raised cardiovascular disease risk factors, serum lipids and metabolic syndrome in particular. These findings may suggest that there are shared predisposing factors underlying both uterine leiomyomas and adverse metabolic and cardiac disease risks, or that metabolic factors have a role in biological mechanisms underlying leiomyoma development. This study provides novel information on clinical characteristics of familial uterine leiomyomas and on the immunophenotype of HLRCC-related leiomyomas. The study also offers significant confirmation of associations between uterine leiomyomas and both endometriosis and several CVD risk factors. / Tiivistelmä Kohdun leiomyoomat ovat naisten yleisin hyvänlaatuinen kasvain. Ne ovat myometriumin neoplastisia muutoksia ja ne ilmenevät joko yksittäisinä tai monilukuisina, ja ne voivat sijaita missä tahansa kohdun myometriumia. Leiomyoomat muuttavat kohdun ja kohtuontelon säännöllistä muotoa. Lisäksi ne aiheuttavat vuotohäiriöitä, alentunutta hedelmällisyyttä, ja lantion alueen painetta ja kipua. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli laajentaa nykyistä tietämystä suvuittain esiintyvistä kohdun leiomyoomista ja selvittää mahdollista leiomyoomien ja kardiovaskulaaritautiriskin assosiaatiota, ja lisäksi selvittää leiomyoomien ja endometrioosin assosiaatiota. Suvuittain esiintyvien kohdun leiomyoomien taudinkulkua selvittävässä tutkimuksessa osoitettiin merkittäviä eroja suvuittain ja ei-suvuittain esiintyvien leiomyoomien välillä. Suvuittain esiintyvien leiomyoomien kliininen taudinkuva oli vaikeampi, leiomyoomia oli kohdussa useampia ja ne aiheuttivat useammin oireita ja lisäksi ne diagnosoitiin nuoremmalla iällä. Kohdun leiomyoomien ja endometrioosin yleisyyttä selvittävä tutkimus antoi lisävahvistusta sille havainnolle, että nämä taudit assosioivat keskenään. Tutkimustuloksen mukaan leiomyoomat ja endometrioosi vähentävät naisen hedelmällisyyttä toisistaan riippumatta. Perinnöllinen kohdun leiomyomatoosi ja munuaissyöpä (hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer, HLRCC) -kasvainoireyhtymään liittyvän kohdun leiomyoomia selvittävän tutkimuksen tuloksien mukaan HLRCC-naisten kohdun leiomyoomien kliiniset ominaisuudet poikkeavat satunnaisesti esiintyvien leiomyoomien ominaisuuksista. Naisella HLRCC voitaisiinkin tunnistaa näiden poikkeavien ominaisuuksien perusteella, sekä immunohistokemiallisilla värjäyksillä CD34 ja Bcl-2. Fumaraattihydrataasi (fumaraasi, FH) -geenin mutaatiota kantava suku voitaisiin siten tunnistaa yksittäisen HLRCC leiomyoomatapauksen avulla. Pohjois-Suomen syntymäkohortti 1966 (Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966, NFBC1966) tutkittiin kohdun leiomyoomia ja kardiovaskulaarisairauden riskitekijöitä. Tutkimustuloksien perusteella kohdun leiomyoomat assosioivat koholla olevien kardiovaskulaarisairauden riskien kanssa, erityisesti seerumin lipidien ja metabolisen syndrooman suhteen. Näiden tutkimustulosten perusteella voidaan esittää, että leiomyoomien ja terveydelle epäedullisen metabolian ja kardiovaskulaaritaudin riskien taustalla on mahdollisesti joitain yhteisiä altistavia tekijöitä, tai että metabolisilla tekijöillä on rooli kohdun leiomyoomien tautimekanismissa. Tämä tutkimus on tuottanut uutta tietoa suvuittain esiintyvien kohdun leiomyoomien kliinisestä taudinkuvasta ja HLRCC:n liittyvien leiomyoomien immunofenotyypistä. Lisäksi tämä tutkimus esittää lisävahvistusta kohdun leiomyoomien ja endometrioosin assosiaatiolle sekä useille kardiovaskulaaririskitekijöille.

Doctorat en sciences psychologiques / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Field guide -- Map -- Nature trail plant species -- Plant identification key -- Species test plot -- Climate -- Cloud identification -- Desert soils -- Tortoise station -- Animal track and pond.