Thesis (Ph. D. in Religion)--Vanderbilt University, May 2006. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

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Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O médium Chico Xavier (1910-2002) impôs-se no cenário religioso brasileiro como uma das personalidades mais admiradas e polêmicas do país dada a sua postura de afirmar se comunicar com espíritos de pessoas falecidas, atribuindo a elas seus mais de 400 livros psicografados, assim como pelas atividades assistenciais desempenhadas. As comemorações, em 2010, do centenário de seu nascimento teve ampla repercussão, com numerosas matérias na mídia, (re)lançamentos de livros e produção de filmes. Foi nesse contexto que se desenvolveu esta pesquisa sobre as representações sociais produzidas sobre ele por pessoas com ou sem religião, de acordo com a Abordagem Estrutural da Teoria das Representações Sociais. A coleta de dados foi feita através de um questionário padronizado, aplicado via "web", ao qual se associou uma tarefa de evocação livre ao termo indutor "Chico Xavier". Foram analisadas as respostas de 1960 sujeitos, dentre espíritas (56,6%), católicos (15,5%), teístas (12,1%), umbandistas (4,6%), ateus (4,2%), evangélicos (4,1%) e agnósticos (2,8%). A análise das evocações permitiu identificar os seguintes termos, possivelmente centrais, mais compartilhados por esses grupos: amor, caridade e humildade evocado por espíritas, umbandistas, teístas e católicos; espiritismo, mediunidade-psicografia por teístas, católicos, agnósticos e ateus; católicos e teístas distinguiram-se pela referência à bondade e paz; e evangélicos e ateus referiram-se a engano-mentira; agnósticos evocaram ainda o termo caridade; e ateus, os termos charlatão-fraude e doente mental. A construção de árvores de co- ocorrências confirmou os temas "amor" e "espiritismo" como mais característicos de Chico Xavier, sugerindo a existência de duas representações distintas. Nesse sentido, "amor" parece organizar as representações de católicos, espíritas, umbandistas, teístas, e "espiritismo", as de evangélicos, agnósticos e ateus. A análise do questionário revelou o seguinte ranking decrescente dos grupos quanto à sua proximidade com relação a Chico Xavier: espíritas, umbandistas, teístas, católicos, agnósticos, evangélicos e ateus. Em seu conjunto, os dados revelaram afinidades de representação entre os grupos, sendo principalmente semelhantes as representações dos espíritas e umbandistas, e dos teístas e católicos. Observamos uma representação de Chico Xavier construída a partir de três planos de significação: o da "virtude", o do "pertencimento" e o da "verdade". No primeiro, caracteriza-se pela valorização de "amor", que o situa numa ordem de sentido mais abrangente, reconhecendo-o como alguém capaz de ter vivido e demonstrado tal virtude de forma irrecusável, tornando-se dela um exemplo; no segundo, pela valorização de "espiritismo" ocorre sua identificação dentro de limites grupais, como alguém que viveu segundo sua crença e dela se tornou uma figura de destaque. E o terceiro, atravessando esses dois planos, pela atribuição de um sentido de "verdade" ou "mentira" sobre o que ele viveu/ensinou quanto à vida após a morte e a comunicação com espíritos. Desse modo, Chico Xavier, em geral, é representado pelos espíritas, umbandistas, teístas e católicos como alguém virtuoso que viveu/ensinou a verdade; e pelos evangélicos e ateus como um espírita não-virtuoso que viveu/ensinou mentiras. Os agnósticos posicionaram-se, principalmente, de modo ambivalente, mas com pequena tendência a enfatizar a virtude e a verdade em Chico Xavier. / The medium Chico Xavier (1910-2002) was interposed as one of the most admired and polemic character in the Brazilian religious landscape, since his affirmation of being able to communicate with death people's spirits, assigning to them more than 400 books psychographed by him, as well as the care activities developed. In 2010, the centenary of his birth's celebrations had a wide repercussion, with various articles in the media, book's (re)launched and movies' productions. On this context it was developed this research about the social representations produced about him by people with or without religion, according to the Social Representation Theory's Structural Approach. The data collect was done though a standardized questionnaire, applied though "web", in which was associated a free recall task to the inductor term "Chico Xavier". The answers of 1.960 participants were analyzed, among spiritistits (56,6%), catholics (15,5%), theists (12,1%), umbandistas (4,6%), atheists (4,2%), evangelicals (4,1%) and agnostics (2,8%). The evocations analysis allowed to identify the following terms, possible centrals, as most shared by those groups: love, charity, humility - evoked by spiritists, umbandistas, theists and catholics; spiritism, mediunity-psychography - by the theists, catholics, agnostics and atheists; catholics and theists were distinguish by the reference to goodness and peace; and evangelicals and atheists referred to deception-lie; agnostics evoked yet the charity term; and atheists, the terms charlatan-fraud, mentally ill. The building of the co-occurrences' tree confirmed the themes "love" and "spiritism" as the most characteristic of Chico Xavier, suggesting the existence of two different representations of the medium. On this way, "love" seems to organize the catholics', spiritists', umbandistas', theists' representations and "spiritism", the evangelicals', agnostics' and atheists' ones. The questionnaire analysis revealed the following groups' decreasing ranking regarding the proximity relative to Chico Xavier: spiritists, umbandistas, theists, catholics, agnostics, evangelicals, atheists. Altogether, the data showed representations' affinities between the groups, mainly being similar the spitirists' and umbandistas' and theists' and catholics' representation. We observed a Chico Xavier's representation built from three different signification's planes: of the "virtue", of the "belonging" and of the "truth". On the first one, it's characterized by the appreciation of "love", which situates him in a wide meaning's order, recognizing him as someone capable of having lived and demonstrated this virtue in a irrefutable way, making him an example; on the second, by the appreciation of "spiritism" happens his identification inside group limits, as someone who lived according your beliefs and became a prominent figure of them. And the third, passing through these two planes, by the attribution of a "truth" or "lie" meaning about the things he lived/taught about life after death and the communication with spirits. Thereby, Chico Xavier, in a general way, is represented by the spiritists, umbandistas, theists and catholics as someone virtuous who lived/taught the truth; and is represented by the evangelicals and atheists as a non-virtuous spiritist, who lived/taught lies. The agnostics positioned themselves, mainly, in an ambivalent way, nevertheless the small tendency to emphasize the virtue and the truth in Chico Xavier.

A fim de contribuir para o conhecimento da composição química da aguardente de cana de açúcar e da eficiência de algumas etapas de sua produção, verificou-se o perfil qualitativo e quantitativo de 15 ácidos orgânicos (ácidos acético, lático , glicólico, pirúvico, oxálico, malônico, succínico, glutárico, caprico, citramálico, málico, láurico, cítrico, mirístico e palmítico) num total de 98 amostras de aguardentes, sendo 15 delas (destiladas e coletadas diretamente de alambiques), para cada fração de \"cabeça\", \"coração\" e \"cauda\". Destas, cinco amostras (oriundas do mesmo vinho) também foram destiladas tanto em colunas quanto em alambiques, para efeito de comparação. As demais são aguardentes prontas para o consumo, as quais foram atribuídas as qualidades de envelhecidas e descansadas. O objetivo deste trabalho é conhecer os perfis químicos qualitativo e quantitativo dos ácidos orgânicos em aguardentes de cana de açúcar, procurando correlacioná-los com o processo de destilação da bebida. O método de análise dos ácidos orgânicos consiste numa pré-concentração da amostra através da secagem completa de 20 mL de aguardente à temperatura ambiente e posterior adição de 200 µL de solução derivatizante. Um cromatógrafo para fase gasosa (CG) Hewlett-Packard modelo 5890, equipado com detector de ionização por chama, e uma coluna capilar DB-5 (5%-Phenyl-methylpolysiloxane) com dimensões de 50 m x 0,20 mm x 0,33 µm, foram utilizados durante a execução do trabalho. Para o tratamento dos resultados analíticos, efetuou-se a aplicação de métodos multivariados de análises (quimiometria), a fim de se observar tanto as similaridades entre os destilados de alambiques e colunas, quanto as frações de \"cauda\", \"coração\" e \"cabeça\", do destilado de alambique, como também observar as correlações entre a análise sensorial de aguardentes envelhecidas e descansadas, com os teores ácidos das mesmas. / In order to contribute to the knowledge of sugar cane spirits chemical composition and better understanding of the different distillation process during beverage\'s production, the qualitative and quantitative profile of 15 organic acids (acetic, lactic, glycolic, pyruvic, oxalic, malonic, succinic, glutaric, capric, citramalic, malic, lauric, citric, myristic and palmitic) have been studied in 98 sugar cane spirits samples. Fifteen of them (distilled and collected directly from alembics) for each fraction \"head\", \"heart\" and \"tail\". Five of these samples (obtained from the same wine) were distilled in both columns and stills, for comparison effect. The aim of this work is know the qualitative and quantitative chemistry profiles of organic acids in sugarcane spirits, correlate them with distillation process of drink. The methodology adopted for organic acids analysis was based on sample pre-concentration through complete drying 20 mL of spirit at room temperature and subsequent addition of 200 µL derivatizing solution. Hewlett-Packard 5890 model gas chromatograph (GC) equipped with flame ionization detector and capillary column DB-5 (5%-Phenyl-methylpolysiloxane) with dimensions of 50 m x 0.20 mm x 0.33 µm was used in this study. Multivariate analysis methods (chemometrics) were applied to the analytical results in order to observe similarities between alembic and column spirits, three fractions from alembic distillate and to evaluate the correlation between sensory analysis proprieties of aged and \"rested\" sugarcane spirits and to their acids contents.

É consenso entre enólogos que o glicerol contribui para o corpo e sabor adocicado dos vinhos, por analogia, propôs-se investigar a presença e o papel do glicerol em aguardentes de cana. O método adaptado para a quantificação de glicerol, que envolveu a derivatização das amostras com cloreto de benzoíla, uma posterior etapa de extração em fase sólida (SPE) para clean-up das amostras e análise via HPLC-DAD, apresentou boa sensibilidade (limites de detecção e quantificação iguais a 0,25 e 0,74 mg L-1, respectivamente), exatidão de 97,5 % e precisão de 93,5 %. A reação de derivatização entre glicerol e o cloreto de benzoíla, estudada por cromatografia líquida hifenada a espectrometria de massas, foi quantitativa com esterificação das três hidroxilas da molécula. Antes de se avaliar a influência do glicerol no sabor doce da cachaça, as concentrações de açúcares totais foram medidas empregando-se o método DNS (limites de detecção e quantificação iguais a 37 e 125 mg L-1, respectivamente). Verificou-se que não houve uma relação entre os teores de glicerol e açúcares totais com a nota doce, determinada a partir de análise sensorial das amostras, para o conjunto de amostras não adoçado. Com base em um teste triangular não houve diferença sensorial significativa entre uma cachaça sem glicerol e outra com glicerol numa concentração de até 35 g L-1. A mediana do teor de glicerol detectado em 51 amostras de cachaça foi de 4,3 mg L-1. A mediana dos teores de açúcares totais para 59 amostras de cachaça não adoçada foi abaixo do limite de quantificação. A mediana dos teores de açúcares totais para 8 amostras de cachaça adoçada foi de 17 g L-1, expressos em glicose. / There is a consensus among enologists that glycerol contributes to the body and sweet taste of wine, by analogy; it was proposed to investigate the presence and role of glycerol in sugar cane spirits. The adapted method for glycerol quantification, which involved the samples derivatization with benzoyl chloride, a further solid phase extraction (SPE) step for samples clean-up and analysis by HPLC-DAD showed good sensitivity (limits of detection and quantification of 0.25 and 0.74 mg L-1, respectively), 97.5 % of accuracy and 93.5 % of precision. The derivatization reaction between glycerol and benzoyl chloride, studied through liquid chromatography hyphenated to mass spectrometry, was quantitative with esterification of the three hydroxyls of the molecule. Before evaluating the influence of glycerol in cachaça\'s sweet taste, total sugar concentrations were measured by DNS method (limits of detection and quantification were 37 and 125 mg L-1, respectively). It was verified that there was no correlation between the contents of glycerol and total sugars with the sweet score, determined by the samples sensory analysis, to the samples which no sugar was added. Based on a triangular test, there was no significant sensory difference between a cachaça without glycerol and another with glycerol concentration up to 35 g L-1. The median glycerol concentration detected in 51 samples of cachaça was 4.3 mg L-1. The median level of total sugars for 59 samples of cachaça without sugar addition was below the limit of quantification. The median level of total sugar for 8 samples of cachaça with sugar addition was 17 g L-1, expressed as glucose.

Esta tese é resultado da pesquisa realizada entre as famílias tupi guarani, que compõem a aldeia Ywy Pyhaú, situada no município de Barão de Antonina, sudoeste do estado de São Paulo. Trata-se de uma etnografia cujo intuito é abordar as múltiplas dimensões do movimento da pessoa, dentre eles os sonhos (xeke rupi...), tema que orientou a pesquisa de doutorado e guiou a escrita desta tese. Além dos sonhos se apresentarem como possibilidades de relações entre os diversos tipos de gente que habitam o cosmos, é através deles que recebem seus mborei (cantos-reza), aconselhamentos e mensagens divinas, bem como, revelações de Nhanderu, que podem tanto interferir no dia-a-dia das pessoas e em suas decisões pessoais quanto servir de impulso a eventos maiores como, por exemplo, as mudanças nos locais onde constituem suas aldeias. Evidenciando assim, que aquilo que experienciam durante o sono, influencia sua vida desperta. No entanto, por se tratar de uma das dimensões do movimento da pessoa, não é possível dissociar os sonhos de outras tantas capacidades e, consequentemente, discutir a seu respeito sem abordar, também, suas práticas de territorialidade, suas formulações acerca de seus corpos-espíritos, assim como a importância que atribuem às relações entre parentes. Em suma, pretende-se demonstrar, articulando temáticas tão variadas, que para as famílias tupi guarani viver junto aos parentes, em uma terra boa, é o que as fortalece, e possibilita que tenham bons sonhos, ocasiões nas quais recebem saberes e poderes das divindades. / This dissertation is the result of research carried out among tupi guarani families, which make up the village Ywy Pyhaú, and live in Barão de Antonina city, southwest of São Paulo state. This is an ethnography that has the intention of approaching the multiple dimensions of the person\'s movement, including dreams (xeke rupi); a theme that guided this doctoral research and the writing of this thesis. In addition to dreams presenting themselves as possibilities of relations among the different types of people who inhabit the various Tupi Guarani worlds, it is through them that people receive their mborei (song-prayer), as well as counseling and divine messages and Nhanderu´s revelations that can both interfere in their daily lives and in their personal decisions, and major events, such as changes in the locations of their villages. This shows that what they experience during sleep, affects their waking life. However, because the dream is one of the dimensions of a person\'s movement there is no way of dissociating them from many other capacities. This, in turn, gives rise to the discussion of the territorial practices of the tupi guarani families, their formulations about the body-spirits and the importance they attach to relations among relatives. In short, by articulating these different themes, this ethnography intends to demonstrate, that living with relatives in a good land, is what strengthens the Tupi Guarani and enables them to have good dreams, those by which they can receive knowledge and power from the divinities.

In many African traditional societies, the felt needs of people are usually met by the services of the shaman or other traditional medicine specialists. These needs vary and they could include the need for protection against witchcraft and evil spirits. Another need in Africa is for physical and psychical health. These needs are felt by many Africans inside and outside ecclesiastical structures. Despite centuries of western influence and teaching by missionaries, these felt needs have not gone away. The sensitivity to the spirit world and its impact on the human and material word still remains a firm belief in the African socio-spiritual reality. In its missiological responsibilities in the past and now, the church in Africa continues to display a theological deficiency in addressing this vacuum in African spirituality. Consequently, many African Christians are trapped in the dual, two-tier or split-level Christianity. This shows itself in times of existential crises in which many committed and respectable African Christians revert to traditional religious practices as a means of meeting their spiritual needs, due to the church’s inability to do so. This observed lack of traditional Christian theology and its irrelevancy to African life, has left many African Christians in a dilemma. It is this lacuna in Christian theology and practice that the researcher seeks to address in this study. By analysing documents on spirits in the first-century Jewish world and the two-volume work of Luke-Acts, the researcher endeavours to show the relevance and possible appropriation of the New Testament message to African spiritual realities. This is based on the understanding that the world of the first-century Jews and other communities in the Mediterranean region at the time, has more in common with Africans than the extremely naturalistic, rationalistic and abstract-oriented worldview of the early western missionaries who initially brought the gospel to Africa. Central to the researcher’s thesis, is the argument that, if early Christians, as exemplified by the Lucan audience, could respond to the fears, problems and realities of the spirit world by using God-ordained, spiritual and biblically acceptable means and not magical ways, African Christians, too, who find themselves in similar situations, can do the same. The contention in this study is that the rediscovery of the aspect of the spirit world of the New Testament message will go a long way towards resolving the problem of split-level Christianity in Africa. This task remains a theological imperative for New Testament scholarship in order for the church to present a holistic message to the masses of Africa and to demonstrate how the immanence of the Christian God in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, relates to the daily needs of spirit-sensitive Africans – a message that Luke tried so hard to convey to his readers in the first century. / Thesis (PhD (New Testament Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / New Testament Studies / unrestricted

Les travaux sur les déterminants de la criminalité intègrent peu le facteur de lamondialisation. La présente thèse vise à pallier ce déficit de réflexion sur la question et à évaluerdans quelle mesure le processus d'ouverture commerciale influe sur les marchés criminels et plusprécisément sur la criminalité économique. L'objectif est également d'utiliser des données desociologie et de sciences politiques pour affiner l'analyse de l'offre par le prisme de la criminalitéorganisée, et ce alors même que les travaux économiques actuels ne s'intéressent qu'à la marge à sescaractéristiques et à son impact sur les marchés criminels transnationaux. Le premier chapitre révèleque la mondialisation, envisagée doublement comme l'augmentation exponentielle des échanges demarchandises et l'accroissement des inégalités, ne permet pas d'expliquer la criminalité dans sonensemble. Pourtant, le résultat est tout autre si l'on précise la problématique en ne retenant qu'unecatégorie d'infractions : la contrefaçon. L'enjeu est alors de spécifier dans quelle mesurel'augmentation de ces fraudes économiques est symptomatique du processus d'intégrationéconomique mais également de la présence d'associations criminelles implantées localement. Enfin,la troisième partie s'attache à réaliser une étude sur les contrefaçons dans la filière vitivinicole enItalie et en France. / Studies on the determinants of crime generally do not incorporate the factor ofglobalization. This thesis aims to assess to what extent the process of trade opening affects criminalmarkets and specifically economic crime. The objective is also to integrate sociology and politicalscience data through the prism of organized crime. The first chapter reveals that globalization,defined as the exponential increase of trade in goods and increasing inequalities, does not explain thecrime as a whole. However, the result is far different as regards economic crime as more specificallycounterfeiting. The objective is then to specify to what extent the increase in these fraud issymptomatic to the process of economic integration and is directly linked with criminal activism.Finally, the third part focuses on a study case on counterfeiting in the wine sector in Italy and France

In this dissertation, the researcher discusses the topic: “The Communicative Power of Sacrifices: A Predominantly South African Perspective with Special Reference to the Epistle to the Hebrews”. It investigates blood sacrifices among Xhosa people, and includes some Zulu and Tsonga thoughts, as well as a few examples from elsewhere in Africa. The research findings support the fact that both animal and human blood sacrifices are still performed today. The comparison between biblical blood sacrificial rituals and African ones reveals striking similarities and a few differences. The existence of such similarities poses a pertinent question: to determine whether or not African traditional religious sacrifices, like biblical sacrifices, could also be acknowledged as originating from God. This seems indeed difficult, because such an affirmation would suggest that God has revealed Himself through African traditional religious sacrificial rituals, and would therefore call into question the unique and exclusive biblical claim to revelation. Neyrey’s (2005) model of benefactor-client, benefactor-patron has been instrumental in illustrating the mutually influential communication and exchange existing between deities and their worshippers. In order to obtain benefactions from superiors, subordinates have to use inducement and influence - inducement has to do with all sorts of gifts and services, while influence refers to reasons for doing what one does, hence requests, petitions and the like. In religious terms, inducement is called sacrifice, and influence is called prayer. The intensification of the materialisation of anticipated benefits by worshippers entails the multiplication of interactive contact through blood sacrificial rituals, as well as the strengthening of ties between deities and their worshippers, creating a seemingly unbreakable bond. The results of this study’s qualitative, empirical research in Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal and North West provinces have substantiated the above ideas. In the Epistle to the Hebrews, the communicative power of the blood sacrifice of Jesus provided worshippers with eternal salvation, forgiveness of sins and the removal of guilt feelings. Unlike Old Testament animal blood sacrifices, Jesus’ once and for all blood sacrifice has communicated powers for soteriological, psychological and sociological benefits. This superior power should be scholarly defended through amicable dialogue. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / New Testament Studies / unrestricted

This master's thesis deals with a topical subject of intellectual property rights infringements as an example of a misleading commercial practice. The aim of the theoretical part is an analysis of the available data covering the topic. The paper also contains Czech and European statistics of goods infringing intellectual property rights. The thesis then focuses mainly on the issue of an illegal alcohol trade. The objective of the practical part is an analysis of consumer preferences and behaviour of Prague residents in the purchase and consumption of spirits. Another objective is an analysis of a change of consumer preferences and behaviour of Prague residents as an impact of recently revealed cases of a sell of harmful alcohol. The objectives are met via a quantitative questionnaire survey.