The following study is part of a larger study examining techniques that might be of use in the release program of the Puerto Rican Parrot (Amazona vittata), including marking, capturing, and radio-tracking. The portion of the study reported here documents the vocal behavior of A. vittata during the reproductive season and examines the possibility of using vocalizations to identify individuals, determine the sex of individuals and determine the location of an individual's breeding territory. Objectives of this study included: 1) cataloguing and categorizing the vocal repertoire of A. vittata, 2) determining whether the vocal repertoire was sex-specific and region-specific and 3) determining if an individual's vocal repertoire could be used to identify it. The vocal repertoire was characterized using a hierarchical method and 147 calls were described. The repertoire was found contain a high percentage (76 %) of graded calls. Evolutionary strategies that may explain the complexity of such a repertoire are discussed. The vocal repertoire was found to be both sex- and region-specific. Characteristics analyzed included time and frequency parameters of sonagrams. Three methods were used to determine the feasibility of vocal recognition of individuals. These methods included: bird-call pairing, sonagraphic analysis, and linear predictive coding. Sonagraphic analyses in combination with linear predictive coding techniques show the most promise as tools in voice recognition of the parrot, however, further research will be necessary to determine how reliable voice recognition may be as a method for identifying individuals in the field. / Master of Science

This thesis presents a comprehensive analysis of chess openings through the lens of data science. Utilizing the python-chess library, this study analyzes millions of chess games and thousands of opening sequences to define the term of ‘sharpness’ in chess openings and to evaluate if it relates to popularity in different levels of play. The methods used in the study involve data mining, extraction, and transformation in addition to statistical modeling, leveraging Python for all of these methods. Keyfindings of the research indicate that sharpness can be quantified and sorted through chess engine evaluations and applied to opening sequences. Another key finding is that the preferences of opening choice vary significantly between low-level and high-level players. The results point out certain opening sequences that should beintroduced to players’ opening repertoires based on the sharpness factor. The significance of this research is its contribution to both the field of data science and the chess community. For data scientists and statisticians, it showcases the application of analytical techniques to define a new take on the fuzzy concept of sharpness in such a complex game as chess. For chess players and enthusiasts, it offers a new perspective on opening strategies, potentially enhancing their opening theory knowledge.

Ziel der hier vorgelegten Untersuchung war es, die Bedeutung von S. aureus-Exotoxinen/Superantigenen als Pathogenitätsfaktor bei der AD zu analysieren, da kausalpathogenetisch ausgerichtete Experimentalansätze sowie systematische klinische Untersuchungen zu dieser Thematik bei Patienten mit AD ausstanden. In einer Querschnittsstudie war eine Assoziation zwischen dem Grad der S. aureus-Besiedlung und dem Schweregrad der AD nachzuweisen. Von 74 Kindern mit AD waren 60 (81%) mit S. aureus kolonisiert. S. aureus Exotoxin-sezernie-rende Stämme wurden bei 40 Patienten (53%) von der Haut isoliert. Am häufigsten wurden SEA- und SEC-sezernierende Stämme nachgewiesen, gefolgt von SEB, TSST-1 und SED. Der ausgeprägteste Schweregrad der AD wurde in der mit Exotoxin-sezernierenden S. aureus-kolonisierten Gruppe beobachtet. Für die Schwere der Erkrankung, gemessen am SCORAD-Score wurde eine Varianzaufklärung von 30% für die Exotoxine und 50% für die S. aureus-Infektion errechnet. In einer Subgruppe von Patienten wurde der Einfluß von S. aureus-Exotoxinen auf intradermale T-Zell-Rezeptor-Vß-Repertoir-Veränderungen untersucht. Bei den Patienten mit chronischer AD, die mit SEB-sezernierendem S. aureus besiedelt waren, war mittels immunhistologischer Untersuchung in der Haut nachzuweisen, dass zwischen 25% und 65% der intradermalen T-Zellen das zugehörige Superantigen-reaktive Vß-T-Zell-Repertoire gegenüber 5% bis 17% der T-Zellen im Blut exprimieren. Weder in der Haut noch im Blut war eine Akkumulation nicht-superantigenreaktiver T-Zell-Subpopulationen nachzuweisen. Auch fand sich keine selektive Akkumulation von Vß-T-Zell-Subpopulationen bei Kindern mit S. aureus-Kolonisierung ohne Exotoxinnachweis. Die Ergebnisse belegen, dass bei Kindern mit AD und positivem S. aureus-Exotoxinnachweis auf ekzematöser Haut ein Grossteil der dermal akkumulierten T-Zellen auf diese S. aureus-Exotoxine/Superantigene reagieren können und wesentlich an der Pathogenese der AD beteiligt sind. In einer Teilpopulation bei 58 Kindern mit AD wurden Prävalenz und Rolle von Serum-IgE-Antikörpern gegen die S. aureus-Exotoxine SEA und SEB untersucht. Bei 34% der Kinder mit AD (20/58) konnten wir spezifische IgE-Antikörper gegen SEA und/oder SEB nachweisen (45% zu SEB, 10% zu SEA und 45% zu SEA und SEB). Alle gegen SEA und SEB sensibilisierten Kindern waren mit S. aureus kolonisiert gegenüber 71% (27/38) der nicht-sensibilisierten Kinder. Der Grad der S. aureus-Besiedlung, die Prävalenz von SEB-sezernierendem S. aureus auf der Haut, sowie die Prävalenz von S. aureus-Hautinfektionen war in der sensibilisierten Gruppe höher. Die höchste Varianzaufklärung von 37% wurde zwischen dem Vorliegen von S. aureus-Hautinfektionen und dem Nachweis spezifischer SEA/SEB-IgE-Antikörper ermittelt; diese stellen somit einen Risikofaktor für eine Sensibilisierung gegen S. aureus-Exotoxine dar. Die SEA/SEB-sensibilisierte Gruppe zeigte einen höheren Schweregrad der AD, höhere Serum-Gesamt-Spiegel und eine polyvalente Sensibilisierung gegen Inhalations- und Nahrungsmittelallergene. Insgesamt belegen unsere klinischen, immunologischen und statistischen Ergebnisse, dass die S. aureus-Exotoxine einen wesentlichen Einfluss auf die Immunpathogenese der AD haben. Eine orale Therapie mit CyA kann bei S. aureus-kolonisierten Kindern die S. aureus-Besiedlungsdichte reduzieren. In der S. aureus-infizierten Gruppe war die Prävalenz von Exotoxin-produzierendem S. aureus und die Krankheitsaktivität höher, wobei eine Verminderung der Besiedlung nicht beobachtet wurde. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit erlauben den Schluss, dass S. aureus-Exotoxine als Triggerfaktor die Exazerbation der AD im Kindesalter wesentlich unterstützen. Deswegen sollte in ein therapeutisches Konzept eine konsequente Prävention bzw. eine Behandlung von S. aureus-Infektionen einbezogen werden. Kinder mit bereits schwerer AD profitieren von einer immunmodulatorischen Therapie. / Background: The skin of patients suffering from atopic dermatitis (AD) exhibits a striking susceptibility to colonization with S. aureus. Some strains of S. aureus secrete exotoxins with T cell superantigen activity (toxigenic strains) and abnormal T cell functions are known to play a critical role in AD. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of exotoxin production by skin-colonizing S. aureus on disease severity and the presence of T-cell subsets in lesional skin. Furthermore, we investigated the effect of oral cyclosporin A in severe pediatric atopic dermatitis on disease severity and S. aureus colonization density. Methods: In a cross sectional study of 74 children with atopic dermatitis, the presence and density of toxigenic and non-toxigenic strains of S. aureus was correlated with disease severity. In a subgroup of patients the T cell receptor (TCR) Vß repertoire of peripheral blood and lesional T cells was investigated and correlated with individual superantigen activity of skin colonizing S. aureus. Furthermore, in a subgroup of patients, the presence of IgE antibodies to SEA and SEB was correlated with severity of the disease and the total and other unrelated allergen-specific IgE titers and density of colonization with S. aureus strains on atopic skin and episodes of superficial S. aureus skin infections. Eleven children with severe AD (SCORAD score > 50) were treated for eight weeks with 2.5 to 5 mg/kg CyA. In five children the skin was only colonized with S. aureus whereas the remaining six patients had clinically relevant skin infections with requirement for systemic antibiotic therapy. The isolates from the latter patients were sensitive for the selected antibiotics. Clinical and microbiological investigations were performed before and after CyA therapy. Results: 53% of children with AD were colonized with toxigenic strains of S. aureus producing SEC, SEA, TSST-1, SEB and SED in decreasing frequency. Children colonized with toxigenic S. aureus strains presented with higher disease severity as compared to the non-toxigenic and S. aureus negative groups. The influence of exotoxin production on the SCORAD score was determined as R2 = 0.3 (ie, 30% of the SCORAD score is explained by exotoxin production), whereas infection with S. aureus revealed R2 = 0.5. Patients colonized with toxigenic S. aureus exhibited shifts in the intradermal TCR Vß repertoire which correspond to the respective superantigen-responsive T cell subsets. In a subgroup of patients, twenty of 58 children (34%) were sensitized to superantigens (45% to SEB, 10% to SEA, 45% to SEA and SEB). In this group, severity of AD and levels of specific IgE to food and air allergens were higher. The degree of disease severity correlated to a higher extent with the presence of SEA/SEB-specific antibodies than with total serum IgE levels. Density of colonization with superantigen-secreting S. aureus strains was higher in the superantigen IgE-positive group. Sixty-three of these children experienced repeated episodes of superficial S aureus skin infections. The influence of S. aureus skin infection on the presence of SEA/SEB-specific antibodies was determined as R2 = 0.37 (ie, 37% of the the presence of SEA/SEB-specific antibodies is explained by S. aureus superficial skin infection). In the group of patients, who were treated with CyA, clinical signs and symptoms of AD improved in all patients (mean SCORAD score reduction from 74 to 29). However, disease severity was more supressed by CyA in the "colonized" patients compared with the patients with clinical S. aureus infections. Furthermore, there was a significant decrease in S. aureus density on atopic skin after CyA treatment in "colonized" patients but not in "infected" patients. The prevalence of exotoxin producing strains was higher in the "infected" group. Conclusion: The data demonstrate that S. aureus released exotoxins can modulate disease severity and dermal T cell infiltration. Patients, suffering from AD may take profit from both consequent prevention or treatment of S. aureus skin infection as well as immunmodulating approaches.

Orientador: Enokibara Enokibara / Resumo: A presente pesquisa insere-se no campo da história do paisagismo, enfocando a arborização, e pretende contribuir para o entendimento da inserção das espécies vegetais empregadas na arborização urbana do Estado de São Paulo no início do século XX. Seu objetivo é analisar o papel do Serviço de Distribuição de Mudas e Sementes (SDMS) da Secretaria da Agricultura, Comércio e Obras Públicas (SACOP), tendo como referência de análise os Relatórios Anuais da Secretaria, entre os anos de 1892, quando a SACOP é criada, até 1916, quando a distribuição de mudas e sementes a particulares deixa de ser feita de forma gratuita pelo governo. Nesse contexto, a pesquisa analisa a estrutura física e organizacional criada ou direcionada para atender as demandas de produção e distribuição de espécies através do SDMS. O enfoque recai sobre a distribuição realizada pelo Instituto Agronômico do Estado (IAE), no período de 1909 a 1912, por meio do levantamento e análise das “Cartas de Envio”, documentos da Instituição onde eram registradas todas as espécies, quantidades, requerentes e as cidades de destino das solicitações. Paralelamente, a pesquisa analisa, por meio de registros fotográficos da época, a inserção das espécies solicitadas no meio urbano, ratificando a importância do SDMS para a configuração de um repertório vegetal arbóreo pelo Estado de São Paulo. / Abstract: This research is inserted in the field of landscaping history, focusing on afforestation, and aims to contribute to the understanding of the insertion of plant species used in the urban afforestation of the State of São Paulo in the early twentieth century. Its objective is to analyze the role of the Seedling and Seed Distribution Service (SDMS) of the Secretariat of Agriculture, Trade and Public Works (SACOP), taking as its reference for analysis the Annual Reports of the Secretariat, between 1892, when SACOP It was created until 1916, when the distribution of seedlings and seeds to privates ceased to be free of charge by the government. In this context, the research analyzes the physical and organizational structure created or directed to meet the demands of species production and distribution through SDMS. The focus is on the distribution made by the State Agronomic Institute (IAE), from 1909 to 1912, through the survey and analysis of the “Letters of Shipment”, documents of the Institution where all species, quantities, applicants and the destination cities of the requests. At the same time, the research analyzes, through photographic records of the time, the insertion of the requested species in the urban environment, confirming the importance of SDMS for the configuration of an arboreal plant repertoire by the State of São Paulo. / Mestre

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The purpose of this essay is to provide performance and interpretive background and suggestions for David Maslanka's Give Us This Day. This essay serves as the first significant research document on the work and is intended as a source for musicians seeking information about the work. The essay includes a biography of David Maslanka, as well as descriptions of the history and commissioning of Give Us This Day, its compositional process, and its performance and interpretive issues. Information was accumulated through interviews with David Maslanka, Gary D. Green, director of bands at the University of Miami, and the consortium head, Eric Weirather.

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Depuis quelques années, et après que la catégorie de « souffrance » a occupé l’espace public français, de nouveaux mots occupent le devant de la scène pour décrire et souvent dénoncer les maux du travail. « Fatigue » « Stress », « burn out » ou encore « Risques psycho-sociaux » sont autant de nouvelles catégories aujourd’hui mobilisées pour nommer les maux des travailleurs. Alors que le débat sur les maux du travail revient régulièrement dans l’espace public, la question de l’origine de ce nouveau répertoire utilisé pour nommer les maux du travail interroge. Ces mots reflètent-ils réellement les conditions sociales des travailleurs? A quels enjeux discursifs et épistémologiques leurs usages peuvent-ils renvoyer ? Pour répondre à ces questions, cette thèse propose une analyse généalogique des répertoires sémantiques des maux du travail, en portant intérêt aux trajectoires sociales de ceux qui les ont promus. En identifiant les causes historique et épistémique possibles de ce répertoire, cette thèse apporte des outils méthodologique et théorique pour stabiliser et harmoniser notre pensée commune du travail. Elle contribue aussi, de cette manière, à éclairer les conditions d’émergence de la sociologie du travail en particulier, et celle des sciences des hommes et des femmes au travail de façon plus générale. / In recent years, following a period during which suffering occupied a predominant space as a category shaping French public debate, new words have begun to move to the fore when it comes to denouncing workplace ills. Fatigue, stress, burn out, and phsycho-social risks are examples of new categories used today to name worker-experienced harm. While public debate over worker suffering is regularly revisited, the question of the origin of this new repertoire of concepts is problematic. Do these words really reflect the social conditions in which people work? What is at stake discursively and epistemologically when these concepts are used ? To answer these questions, this thesis endeavors to analyze the genealogy of the semantic repertoire of workplace suffering, by bringing particular focus upon the social trajectories of the people who promoted some of its different constituent concepts. By identifying some of the different possible historical and epistemological causes of this repertoire, this thesis offers new methodological and theoretical tools to stabilize and harmonize our commun thinking about work. In this way, it also helps shed light upon the conditions under which a peculiarly sociological approach to work, along with a more general social-science approach, have been able to emerge.

Cette recherche a pour objet l’étude de la manifestation des langues au niveau du répertoire linguistique et au niveau du répertoire identitaire dans un milieu plurilingue, à savoir les lycées d’Aït Ourir au Maroc. Au niveau de la pratique, l’analyse des conversations a dévoilé que l’alternance codique est une pratique courante chez les enseignants et les élèves et que le poids de chaque langue dépend de son utilité. Au niveau identitaire, l’identité plurilingue est dominante et le poids de chaque langue correspond à celui de la biographie linguistique de nos enquêtés. Le rapport entre le répertoire linguistique et le répertoire identitaire est disproportionnel. En effet, la comparaison synchronique a dévoilé que les langues de notre étude n’ont pas le même poids aux deux niveaux. D'une part, les tours monolingues sont dominants par contre l’identité monolingue est faible. D'autre part, les tours mixtes n’ont pas de poids tandis que l’identité plurilingue est prépondérante. En outre, la comparaison diachronique a permis de déduire que le changement est continu au niveau de la pratique alors qu’il tend à être stable au niveau identitaire de l’adolescence à l’âge adulte. Ce qui indique que l’identification en une langue ne dépend pas de sa pratique. / This research aims at studying the different aspects of language use at the levels of linguistic and identity repertoires in a multilingual environment; namely high schools in Aït Ourir, Haouz Province, Morocco. The analysis of conversations in the daily usage of languages revealed that Code Switching is a common practice among teachers as well as pupils; and that the weight of each language used depends more on its usefulness to the purpose of speaking. At the identity level, multilingual identity is dominant and the weight of each language is dependent up on the linguistic biography of the person surveyed. Thus, the relationship between the linguistic and identity repertoires is disproportionate. Indeed, synchronically comparing the languages in study confirmed that they don’t have the same weight at the two levels. The monolingual turn-taking is dominating whereas the monolingual identity is weak. On the other hand, the mixed turn-taking is meaningless whilst multilingual identity is significant. Moreover, the diachronic comparison enabled us to deduce that the change is ongoing in practice while it seems steady from adolescence to adulthood which shows that identifying in a language doesn’t depend on its practice.

Instrument privilégié des compositeurs d’aujourd’hui, l’accordéon est désormais doté d’un vaste répertoire de musique savante : que ce soit en solo, en musique de chambre, dans l’ensemble ou l’orchestre, la profusion des œuvres est le témoignage d’une intégration de plus en plus grande de cet instrument à la création musicale et l’orchestration contemporaine. Cette recherche explore le développement de la création musicale contemporaine pour l’accordéon en Europe depuis 1990 : la constitution d’un corpus de plus de 9100 œuvres – Ricordo al futuro – est le point de départ d’une étude sociologique sur les raisons qui ont motivé ce développement, un regard sur la définition d’une nouvelle identité sonore de l’instrument et une analyse des différentes conceptions esthétiques du répertoire des accordéonistes en Europe. Par la création d’outils à destination des interprètes et des compositeurs, cette recherche se donne pour objectif d’encourager la diffusion d’œuvres récentes auprès de tous les publics. / Cherished by many composers today, the contemporary accordion posseses a vast body of art music. Whether it be solo, chamber, ensemble or orchestral repertoire, the sheer abundance of works with accordion rightfully reflects a growing integration of the instrument within musical creation and contemporary orchestration. This project explores the development of European contemporary music composed for the accordion since 1990, seen through the making of Ricordo al futuro, a vast corpus consisting of more than 9100 works. This database has been used as a starting point for an investigation into the coining of a new sonic identity, a sociological study on the reasons which have triggered this development and a meticulous analysis of the diverging aesthetic conceptions of accordion repertoire in Europe. By creating tools destined for both performers and composers, this research project aims to help circulate this new and extremely rich repertoire to as many audiences as possible.