Super postmodern : the influence of Japanese popular culture on Philippine contemporary visual arts

Thesis (Ph. D. in Art)--University of Tsukuba, (A), no. 5802, 2011.3.25Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-131

A New P System to Model the Subalpine and Alpine Plant Communities

In this work we present a P system based model of the ecosystem dynamics of plant communities. It is applied to four National Hunting Reservoirs in Catalan Pyrenees (Spain). In previous works several natural high- mountain- ecosystems and population dynamics were modeled, but in those works grass was considered unlimited and changes in plant communities were not taken into account. In our new model we take advantage of the modularity of P systems, adding the plant communities to an existing model on scavengers dynamics. We introduce the plant community production and two possible changes or evolutions in communities: due to less grazing pressure, and due to recovering pastures with human management as for example re or clearing

Toxicity of a dental adhesive compared with ionizing radiation and zoledronic acid

Background: To determine the toxicity of aqueous dilutions of a universal self-priming dental adhesive (DA) and comparing these with those elicited by exposure to ionizing radiation (IR), Zoledronic acid (Z) treatment and the synergic effects of the combined treatment with IR+Z. Material and Methods: The genotoxic effect of DA was determined by the increase in the frequency of micronuclei in cytokinesis-blocked in cultured human lymphocytes before and after exposure to 2Gy of X-rays. The cytotoxic effect was studied by using the MTT cell viability test in normal prostate cell lines (PNT2) after exposure to different X-ray doses (0Gy-20Gy). The cell lines divided into different groups and treated with different test substances: DA in presence of O 2 , DA in absence of O 2 , Z-treated and control. Results: An in vitro dose-dependent and time-dependent cytotoxic effect of DA, Z and IR on PNT2 cells ( p >0.001) was demonstrated. DA without-O 2 , following the recommendations of manufacturers, had a more pronounced effect of increasing cell death than DA with-O 2 ( p <0.001). In the genotoxicity assay, DA at 25% of its original concentration significantly increased chromosome damage ( p <0.001). The samples studied were found to be toxic, and the samples photo-polymerized in absence of O 2 showed a bigger cytotoxic effect comparable to the additive toxic effect showed by the combined treatment of IR+Z. Conclusions: Additional effort should be carried out to develop adhesives, which would reduce the release of hazardus substances; since toxic effects are similar to that reported by other agents whose clinical use is controlled by the health authorities

Interactive procedural simulation of paper tearing with sound

International audienceWe present a phenomenological model for the real-time simulation of paper tearing and sound. The model uses as input rotations of the hand along with the index and thumb of left and right hands to drive the position and orientation of two regions of a sheet of paper. The motion of the hands produces a cone shaped deformation of the paper and guides the formation and growth of the tear. We create a model for the direction of the tear based on empirical observation, and add detail to the tear with a directed noise model. Furthermore, we present a procedural sound synthesis method to produce tearing sounds during interaction. We show a variety of paper tearing examples and discuss applications and limitations

Future Prospects for Ascochyta Blight Resistance Breeding in Cool Season Food Legumes

Legume cultivation is strongly hampered by the occurrence of ascochyta blights. Strategies of control have been developed but only marginal successes achieved. Breeding for disease resistance is regarded the most cost efficient method of control. Significant genetic variation for disease resistance exists in most legume crops with numerous germplasm lines maintained, providing an excellent resource for plant breeders. Fast and reliable screening methods have been adjusted to fulfill breeding program needs. However, the complex inheritance controlled quantitatively by multiple genes, has been difficult to manipulate. Successful application of biotechnology to ascochyta blight resistance breeding in legume crops will facilitate a good biological knowledge both of the crops–pathogen interaction and of the mechanisms underlying resistance. The current focus in applied breeding is leveraging biotechnological tools to develop more and better markers to speed up the delivery of improved cultivars to the farmer. To date, however, progress in marker development and delivery of useful markers has been slow in most legumes. The limited saturation of the genomic regions bearing putative QTLs in legume crops makes difficult to identify the most tightly linked markers and to determine the accurate position of QTLs. The application of next generation sequencing technologies will contribute to the development of new markers and the identification of candidate genes for ascochyta blight resistance

La presencia de Don Quijote de la Mancha en la microficción argentina

Don Quixote has had a fundamental influence throughout the history of Literature, and it continues doing it with the microfiction, a current genre and a priori so far from its original characteristics. The stories and characters known to the readers allow ellipsis to the Argentine writers to focus on other purposes: to rebut, to honor or to try to change the original history. As well, the truth-fiction games of the Cervantine novel also find a perfect place to keep appearing in this new genreDon Quijote de la Mancha ha ejercido una influencia fundamental a lo largo de la historia de la literatura, y lo sigue haciendo con los microrrelatos, un género actual y a priori tan apartado de sus características definitorias. Las historias y los personajes conocidos por los lectores permiten hacer elipsis a los microrrelatistas argentinos para centrarse en otros propósitos: rebatir, homenajear o intentar cambiar la historia original. Asimismo, los juegos de verdad-ficción de la novela cervantina también encuentran un lugar perfecto para seguir apareciendo en este nuevo género. &nbsp