Xylella fastidiosa é o agente causal de uma série de doenças que ocorrem em plantas economicamente importantes como laranjeiras, videiras e cafeeiros, causando no Estado de São Paulo prejuízos relevantes à indústria citrícola. Esta bactéria Gram-negativa é restrita ao xilema das plantas e à porção anterior do trato digestório dos insetos vetores das famílias Cicadellidae e Cercopidae, conhecidos como cigarrinhas. Tentativas de elucidar os mecanismos de virulência e patogenicidade adotados por esta bactéria apontam a formação do biofilme como etapa fundamental para o estabelecimento da infecção e o consequente desenvolvimento da doença na planta, mas fatores adicionais parecem contribuir, tais como a produção de toxinas. As bacteriocinas são proteínas com atividade antibiótica contra cepas próximas à espécie produtora e que já foram associadas à virulência e patogenicidade de outras bactérias. Uma varredura in silico no genoma de X. fastidiosa 9a5c revelou 13 sequências codificadoras de microcinas putativas no cromossomo. Transcritos de todos esses genes foram detectados por RT-qPCR em culturas de X. fastidiosa 9a5c, e análises comparativas com genomas públicos (cepas Temecula1, Dixon, Ann-1, M23, M12, EB92-1 e GB514) e recém sequenciados por nosso grupo de pesquisa (cepas U24d, J1a12, 3124, Hib4, Pr8x e Fb7) revelaram que cada cepa possui seu próprio arsenal de bacteriocinas. Diferenças encontradas in silico entre os loci de bacteriocinas nas cepas foram demonstradas experimentalmente. Nossos resultados comprovam a variabilidade predita nos quatro clusters de bacteriocinas que identificamos, o que é esperado para genes relacionados à adaptação e patogenicidade. Destes loci, três foram detectados por RT-PCR como transcritos policistrônicos. Nossa tentativa de detectar essas proteínas em culturas de X. fastidiosa (através de sequenciamento de polipeptídeos por HPLC-MS/MS) foi capaz de identificar uma das bacteriocinas putativas e, portanto, o conjunto de nossas observações apóia a continuidade dos estudos para elucidar o papel das bacteriocinas na fisiopatologia de X. fastidiosa. / Xylella fastidiosa is the causal agent of diseases that affect several economically important crops such as sweet orange trees, grapevines and coffee trees, causing in the State of São Paulo considerable losses mainly to the citrus industry. This Gram-negative bacterium is restricted to the plant xylem and to the upper gastrointestinal tract of its insect vectors, the sharpshooters from the Cicadellidae and Cercopidae families. Attempts to elucidate the virulence and pathogenicity pathways employed by this bacterium point the biofilm formation as a fundamental step for the establishment of the infection and the consequent development of the plant disease, but additional factors seem to contribute to these processes, such as the production of toxins. Bacteriocins are proteinaceous antibiotics that act against closely-related species and have been previously associated with virulence and pathogenicity in other bacteria. An in silico screening of the X. fastidiosa 9a5c genome revealed 13 coding sequences as putative microcins in the chromosome. Transcripts from all those genes were detected through RT-qPCR in X. fastidiosa 9a5c cultures, and comparative analyses on the public genomes (Temecula1, Dixon, Ann-1, M23, M12, EB92-1 and GB514) plus the ones recently sequenced by our group (U24d, J1a12, 3124, Hib4, Pr8x and Fb7) revealed that each strain possesses its own arsenal of bacteriocins. Differences found in silico among the loci in all strains were experimentally confirmed. Our results demonstrated the predicted variability in the four bacteriocins clusters as expected for adaptation and pathogenicity-related genes. Three out of the four bacteriocins loci were detected by RT-PCR as polycistronic transcripts. Our attempt to detect these proteins in X. fastidiosa cultures (using HPLC-MS/MS polypeptide sequencing) identified one of the putative bacteriocins, and therefore our observations warrant further efforts to elucidate the role of bacteriocins in the X. fastidiosa physiopathology.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T18:15:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Carolina Boari Caraciola.pdf: 5966014 bytes, checksum: 24a092553408ee5f3f923a25ca18b3c1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-03-16 / The aim of this paper is luxury. The word from Latin origin Luxux, refers to abundance, refinement. Until the XVIII century, luxury had a negative connotation by being considered the cause of the sadness and decadence of the people, being considered expenditure beyond necessity. Although the definitions of luxury are ephemeral, the concept appeared in France during the reign of Luis XVI. Then, the bourgeoisie, in the age of modernity, has made use of the luxury to show economic majority. To date, luxury is linked to pleasure, pomp, desire, rarity, good taste, elegance. With the advent of the globalized conglomerates, which detain the most renowned sector brands, the luxury market became highly profitable, available to a growing number of customers who can afford to buy extremely expensive products on demand, or just a scent, wherein both of them provide the magic of the segment; magic which, is to be exploited in the advertisements. In the view of this context, which demands for careful investigations, the purpose of this study was to explore the multiple perspectives of luxury: its origin, meaning and reframing over time, the market, the tendencies, as well the administrative preponderance of globalized conglomerates, its democratization and modernization. Now this matter regards the nature of semiotic attributes on which the luxury brands rely to keep loyalty of their customers. Our hypothesis is that the consumption of luxury became a sign of prestige and differentiation. In contemporary society, luxury is responsible for providing differentiated status to those who wear it. There is not consumption that is not coupled to the enticement of advertisement. The luxury brands cultivate their tradition, pointed out in their advertisements; the symbolic attributes of the products that they make available. Due to being considered as the maison of the most prestigious and feature in the segment of the luxury, Louis Vuitton was taken as corpus of the present work. To develop it, the most important authors of the literature available about the luxury theme were referred to, as well as the pieces of information about the historical evolution of the chosen brand. Starting with the analysis of the brand, since its origin, to the present days, it was possible to determine the transformation that occurred in the luxury segment, as well as the role of the advertising in this process. The communication of luxury products exploits the magic side of the goods that it supplies, enhancing the users prestigious, by acting as a kind of extended ego. Through the application of Charles Sanders Peirce semiotics in one of two ads of the advertising campaign called Journey, of Louis Vuitton, whose themes are the trips of personalities who mark their field of work, it was possible to conclude that there was a transformation in the advertising messages of the goods: until 2007, Louis Vuitton used models with little human expression and emphasized the product as the main character of the narrative; after the Journey campaign, the strategy of communication was the brand humanization, linking itself with humanitarian causes, reframing luxury through values like altruism, benevolence, drafting their features of tradition and rarity, however, minimizing the aspects connected to pomposity / O objeto de estudo deste trabalho é o luxo. A palavra originária do latim luxux, refere-se à abundância, refinamento. Até o século XVIII, o luxo possuia uma conotação negativa, por ser considerado o responsável pela infelicidade e decadência dos povos, sendo definido como um dispêndio além do necessário. Embora as definições de luxo sejam efêmeras, a noção surgiu na França, durante o reinado de Luís XIV. A seguir, a burguesia, na época da modernidade, fez uso do luxo para mostrar superioridade econômica. Contemporaneamente o luxo vinculase a prazer, fausto, desejo, raridade, bom gosto, elegância. Com o surgimento de conglomerados globalizados que detêm as mais renomadas marcas do setor, o mercado de luxo tornou-se altamente lucrativo, disponível a um número cada vez maior de clientes, que pode adquirir produtos caríssimos, sob encomenda, ou apenas um perfume, sendo que ambos proporcionam a magia do segmento, magia esta, a ser explorada nos anúncios publicitários. Diante desse contexto, que reclama por investigações cuidadosas, o objetivo deste estudo foi explorar os múltiplos aspectos do luxo: sua origem, significação e ressignificação através do tempo, o mercado, as tendências, tais como a predominância administrativa de conglomerados globalizados, sua democratização e modernização. A questão que se coloca versa sobre a natureza dos atributos semióticos de que as marcas de luxo se valem para manter a fidelização de seus clientes. Nossa hipótese é que o consumo de luxo tornou-se signo de prestígio e diferenciação. Na sociedade contemporânea, é o luxo que se responsabiliza por conferir status diferenciado a seus usuários. Não há consumo que não esteja atrelado à sedução publicitária. As marcas de luxo cultivam sua tradição, destacando, em suas publicidades, os atributos simbólicos dos produtos que disponibilizam. Por ser considerada a maison de maior prestígio e destaque no segmento, a Louis Vuitton foi tomada como corpus do presente trabalho. Para desenvolvê-lo, recorremos aos autores mais importantes da literatura disponível sobre o tema do luxo e a informações sobre o histórico evolutivo da marca selecionada. A partir da análise da marca, desde sua origem, até os dias atuais, foi possível constatar as transformações ocorridas no segmento de luxo, bem como o papel da publicidade nesse processo. A comunicação de produtos de luxo explora o lado mágico dos artigos que oferta, realçando o prestígio do usuário, ao funcionar como uma espécie de ego estendido. Através da aplicação da semiótica peirciana em dois anúncios da campanha publicitária Journey da Louis Vuitton, cujo tema são as viagens de personalidades que marcaram suas áreas de atuação, foi possível concluir que houve uma transformação nas mensagens publicitárias de produtos de luxo: até o ano de 2007, a Louis Vuitton utilizava modelos com pouca expressão humana e destacava o produto como personagem principal da narrativa; após a campanha Journey, a estratégia de comunicação passou a ser a humanização da marca, vinculando a mesma a causas humanitárias, ressignificando o luxo através de valores como altruísmo, benevolência, destacando suas características de tradição e raridade, porém, minimizando os aspectos ligados à ostentação

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / On title page: Master of Philosophy (Ancient Cultures). Bibliography.

Xylella fastidiosa é o agente causal de uma série de doenças que ocorrem em plantas economicamente importantes como laranjeiras, videiras e cafeeiros, causando no Estado de São Paulo prejuízos relevantes à indústria citrícola. Esta bactéria Gram-negativa é restrita ao xilema das plantas e à porção anterior do trato digestório dos insetos vetores das famílias Cicadellidae e Cercopidae, conhecidos como cigarrinhas. Tentativas de elucidar os mecanismos de virulência e patogenicidade adotados por esta bactéria apontam a formação do biofilme como etapa fundamental para o estabelecimento da infecção e o consequente desenvolvimento da doença na planta, mas fatores adicionais parecem contribuir, tais como a produção de toxinas. As bacteriocinas são proteínas com atividade antibiótica contra cepas próximas à espécie produtora e que já foram associadas à virulência e patogenicidade de outras bactérias. Uma varredura in silico no genoma de X. fastidiosa 9a5c revelou 13 sequências codificadoras de microcinas putativas no cromossomo. Transcritos de todos esses genes foram detectados por RT-qPCR em culturas de X. fastidiosa 9a5c, e análises comparativas com genomas públicos (cepas Temecula1, Dixon, Ann-1, M23, M12, EB92-1 e GB514) e recém sequenciados por nosso grupo de pesquisa (cepas U24d, J1a12, 3124, Hib4, Pr8x e Fb7) revelaram que cada cepa possui seu próprio arsenal de bacteriocinas. Diferenças encontradas in silico entre os loci de bacteriocinas nas cepas foram demonstradas experimentalmente. Nossos resultados comprovam a variabilidade predita nos quatro clusters de bacteriocinas que identificamos, o que é esperado para genes relacionados à adaptação e patogenicidade. Destes loci, três foram detectados por RT-PCR como transcritos policistrônicos. Nossa tentativa de detectar essas proteínas em culturas de X. fastidiosa (através de sequenciamento de polipeptídeos por HPLC-MS/MS) foi capaz de identificar uma das bacteriocinas putativas e, portanto, o conjunto de nossas observações apóia a continuidade dos estudos para elucidar o papel das bacteriocinas na fisiopatologia de X. fastidiosa. / Xylella fastidiosa is the causal agent of diseases that affect several economically important crops such as sweet orange trees, grapevines and coffee trees, causing in the State of São Paulo considerable losses mainly to the citrus industry. This Gram-negative bacterium is restricted to the plant xylem and to the upper gastrointestinal tract of its insect vectors, the sharpshooters from the Cicadellidae and Cercopidae families. Attempts to elucidate the virulence and pathogenicity pathways employed by this bacterium point the biofilm formation as a fundamental step for the establishment of the infection and the consequent development of the plant disease, but additional factors seem to contribute to these processes, such as the production of toxins. Bacteriocins are proteinaceous antibiotics that act against closely-related species and have been previously associated with virulence and pathogenicity in other bacteria. An in silico screening of the X. fastidiosa 9a5c genome revealed 13 coding sequences as putative microcins in the chromosome. Transcripts from all those genes were detected through RT-qPCR in X. fastidiosa 9a5c cultures, and comparative analyses on the public genomes (Temecula1, Dixon, Ann-1, M23, M12, EB92-1 and GB514) plus the ones recently sequenced by our group (U24d, J1a12, 3124, Hib4, Pr8x and Fb7) revealed that each strain possesses its own arsenal of bacteriocins. Differences found in silico among the loci in all strains were experimentally confirmed. Our results demonstrated the predicted variability in the four bacteriocins clusters as expected for adaptation and pathogenicity-related genes. Three out of the four bacteriocins loci were detected by RT-PCR as polycistronic transcripts. Our attempt to detect these proteins in X. fastidiosa cultures (using HPLC-MS/MS polypeptide sequencing) identified one of the putative bacteriocins, and therefore our observations warrant further efforts to elucidate the role of bacteriocins in the X. fastidiosa physiopathology.

The United States entered World War I without a policy governing the burial of its overseas dead. Armed only with institutional knowledge from the Spanish-American War twenty years prior, the Army struggled to create a policy amidst social turmoil in the United States and political tension between France and the United States.

In today's car industries, low investment costs and high production rates are sought. By using nut piercing in the stamping dies in the manufacture of body components, otherwise necessary subsequent tempos can be reduced. The goal of the work was to implement nut piercing from below in a reference die to be able to use this type of operation in future projects. The main problem when implementing nut piercing from below is to be able to handle and evacuate the scrap piece that remains after the punching. By studying the equipment in the reference die, a deeper understanding of the process could be obtained, at the same time as information and necessary material were collected by expertise and the case company's suppliers for nut piercing. The recommendation to the case company provides a solution proposal for scrap evacuation as well as the components involved to be able to carry out the operation.

This thesis investigates the function of representations of the Orient in fantasy literature for children with a focus on The Chronicles of Narnia as exemplifying its most problematic manifestation. According to Edward Said (2003:1-2), the Orient is one of Europe’s ‘deepest and most recurring images of the Other… [which]…has helped to define Europe (or the West) as its contrasting image, idea, personality, experience.’ However, values are grouped around otherness in fantasy literature as in no other genre, facilitating what J.R.R. Tolkien (2001:58) identifies as Recovery, the ‘regaining of a clear view… [in order that] the things seen clearly may be freed from the drab blur of triteness or familiarity.’ In Chapter One, it is argued that this gives the way the genre deals with spaces and identities characterized as Oriental, which in Western stories are themselves vested with qualities of strangeness, a peculiar significance. Specifically, new ways of perceiving the function of representations of the Other are explored in the genre of fantasy. Edward Said’s concept of imaginative geographies is then introduced and the significance of this concept in light of the fictional spaces of fantasy is explored. Next, fantasy’s links to representations of the Orient in Romance literature are explained, and the way in which these representations are determined by the heritage of Orientalist discourse is examined. Finally, the issue of children’s literature as colonial space and the implications of this in a fantasy framework are discussed. Chapter Two begins by introducing C.S. Lewis and explaining the ideology at work in The Chronicles of Narnia. The order in which The Chronicles should be approached is then established, and the construction of identity in the first three of The Chronicles is examined. Chapter Three focuses on The Horse and His Boy, the book in which the pseudo-Oriental space of Calormen most prominently figures. Chapter Four is devoted to the last two books of The Chronicles with emphasis on the role played by the Other in the destruction of Narnia in The Last Battle. In Chapter Five, I sum up the essential problems of representing the Orient as illustrated by my study of The Chronicles of Narnia. Representations of the Orient in The Chronicles are compared with pseudo-Oriental constructions in Castle in the Air, by Diana Wynne Jones, Emperor Mage and The Woman Who Rides Like A Man by Tamora Pierce and both Voices and The Earthsea Quartet by Ursula K. Le Guin. The similarities and differences evident in the representations of the Orient in all these works are traced and the implications of them are explored. Le Guin in particular is noted as an author who demonstrates some ways to break free of Orientalist paradigms of identity. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / English / Unrestricted

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The essay analyzes the final series of work by the French postmodern artist Yves Klein. The Fire paintings were created in 1961-1962 during a performance at the research laboratory of the National Gaswork of France, located outside Paris. Klein used a two-meter-long gas pipe to spray fire on wet canvas and damped Swedish cardboard to create an abstract, minimalistic body of work. The founder of Nouveau Réalisme Klein took traces of fire through a canvas and created a series including more than 150 oeuvres. In this research, semiotic philosopher Charles Sanders Pierce's method has been applied to analyze 23 selected artworks that devise the incarnation of the myth through five different analysis theories: fire, the creation, universe, man, and passion. Through layers of conceptual ideas, the research shows that Klein's body of work is more mystical than rational, just like the artist's personality. The analyst concludes that the 23 selected Fire paintings are constructed with ambiguous philosophical questions about existence and invoke our imagination with inspiration from alchemy. As in the Nouveau Réalisme manifesto, the essence of the paintings was to create traces of life. The research substantiates that the conceptual series of oeuvre represents the creation of life and universe, as the end of our physical life marks the beginning of our reincarnation. The inspiration for the Fire paintings came from Catholicism, Rosicrusian Order, spiritualism, judo, alchemy, and contemporary historical situations and science during 1950-1960.

Thesis (MPhil (Ancient Studies)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / The question that this thesis aims to examine is how the motifs of the myth of Demeter and Persephone have been perpetuated in three modern works of fiction, which are Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood by Meredith Ann Pierce, Chocolat by Joanne Harris and House of Women by Lynn Freed. It is the aim of this work to substantiate that the issues that the ancient myth of Demeter and Persephone highlights, are still of value in this modern world and that the same human issues that women had to come to terms with then, continue to be relevant today. Briefly, the myth of Demeter and Persephone is about Demeter, the Olympian goddess of agricultural fertility, whose daughter Persephone is abducted by Hades, the god of the Underworld. The myth tells of Demeter’s grief at the loss of Persephone, and her desperate search for her daughter. Due to her grief, she stops all plants from growing which could be fatal to the mortals, and would have repercussions for the immortals that they serve. Demeter and Persephone are eventually reunited and the earth flourishes with growth once more. However for one-third of the year Persephone must descend to the Underworld to be at the side of Hades, at which time it is winter and plants do not grow. Then for two-thirds of the year she ascends to be with her mother, Demeter, and plants blossom and ripen, and it is the time of spring and summer. The impact of myth is not dead.