<p>Any information represented in the brain, whether an individual is aware of it or not, holds the potential to affect behavior. The extent of visual perceptual processing that occurs in the absence of awareness is therefore a question of broad import and interest to the field of cognitive neuroscience. A useful approach for examining the extent and quality of visual processing that occurs in the absence of awareness is the dissociation paradigm. In this approach, experimenters track implicit measures of the visual process of interest across conditions of awareness modulated by visual presentation manipulations. Object-category discrimination by the visual system represents a relatively sophisticated level of representation that may or may not occur in the absence of awareness. Here, electrophysiological measures (scalp-recorded event-related potentials, or ERPs) of object-category discrimination by the brain (the face-specific N170 ERP component and the longer-latency face-specific negativity) were tracked across conditions of visual awareness as manipulated by multiple presentation paradigms (sandwich masking, object-substitution masking, the attentional blink, and motion-induced blindness). In addition, where possible, other related comparisons examining lower-level visual processes and higher-level attentional processes were employed to help delineate the specific level and mechanism by which awareness was disrupted in each case. The experiments implicated a unique set of mechanisms of reducing awareness for each method, while providing insight into the complex relationships between the various phases of visual processing in the human brain and awareness. Ultimately it was observed that neural indices of face-specific processing are differentially susceptible to disruption exerted by these various methods, and that there do in fact exist conditions in which awareness can be disrupted while leaving various facets and phases of face-specific processing intact. These findings help to establish object-category discrimination as a process that can occur in the absence of visual awareness, and contributes to our understanding of the neural factors that influence and determine behavior.</p> / Dissertation

Purpose - The purpose of the research is to study how category management is implemented by Chinese Lianhua supermarket. Design/methodology/approach - This paper is adopted a single case study of qualitative ap-proach with explanatory and exploratory design as our research strategy. The method of the re-search is developed by the following three steps: (1) based on the previous literature, we elaborate category management background, its definition, explain category management process, analyze its demand side and the benefits it brings to retailers; (2) according to the above literature and theories, we create a working model which combines category management and its demand-driven side feature (i.e. customer focus, category management collaboration and strategic retailing positioning) in order to analyze the implementation of category management in Chinese super-market retailing; (3) we find a Chinese supermarket that is carrying out category management and conduct a case study based on it. With consideration of the working model, we explain how cate-gory management is implemented in the supermarket, find barrier and challenges during the im-plementation and make the corresponding suggestions to the current situation. The case study is based on interviews with major representatives from Lianhua supermarket and one of its suppli-ers in order to achieve insight into the essence of the problem. Findings and analysis - The implementation of category management in Lianhua supermarket includes “strong outlet” strategy aiming to deal with the supermarket development in a fierce competitive environment. Besides, Lianhua supermarket closely carries out the category management process and adapts the process according to its own positioning. Insufficient systems to support the implementation of category management, collaboration with suppliers is still on the fence, lack of internal managerial techniques and conflicts between category concentration and customers’ personalized shopping are the major barriers and challenges facing to Lianhua supermarket during its implementation of category management. Authors suggest Lianhua supermarket to invest IT resources, establish win-win strategic relationship, enhance top management commitment, improve internal collaboration and improve category performance measures. Research limitations – This research only restricts insights of category management on single case and specific geographical location. As for whether the research is also applied to other industry, the researched hasn’t been concerned and needs further research. The case study in the research is conducted only from retailer’s point of view. Findings obtained from the interviews are mostly from Lianhua supermarket side. The inadequate interview from supplier side is a clear limitation of the study, but it leaves an interest for future research.

The aim of this project was to examine which factors are important in influencing communication between health professionals and patients. Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) was the theoretical framework adopted in this project. CAT proposes that individuals are influenced by their personal and social identities and that, in many cases, it is an individual's group or social identity that is most salient in an interaction. The underlying theoretical assumption in this project was that communication between health professionals and patients is characterised by intergroup rather than interpersonal salience and convergent methodologies were used to test this proposition. In addition to CAT, the linguistic category model (LCM), which is also used to investigate individuals' perceptions of intergroup salience, was adopted to complement the findings derived from CAT. There were seven studies in this project. The first study described the methodology for obtaining the data set used in Part 1 of the thesis. Participants wrote retrospective descriptions of a satisfactory and unsatisfactory conversation with a hospital staff member which they had experienced as a hospital in-patient. Study 1 provided a profile of the participants. In Study 2 the stimuli were participants' written recollections of 69 unsatisfactory and 79 satisfactory conversations. The LCM was used to test for differences in participants' perceptions of differing levels of intergroup salience between the two types of descriptions. While intergroup bias was evident, the results were complex. In Study 3 a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the same data set was conducted. This study explored differences between patients' and health professionals' goals, sociolinguistic strategies, and the patients' descriptions of the health professionals across the two types of conversational descriptions. Results revealed differences in goals, strategies, and descriptions. In the descriptions of satisfactory conversations, participants reported goals concerning reassurance and developing relationships. These two goals were not evident in the descriptions of unsatisfactory conversations, where attending to role relations was of greater importance. Participants reported the use of different sociolinguistic strategies for themselves and for health professionals across the different conversation types, which indicated that, for reports of satisfactory conversations, participants viewed their interactions with health professionals as more personal and positive than in the unsatisfactory ones. Participants described the health professionals in their descriptions of satisfactory conversations in more undifferentiated terms than the health professionals in the descriptions of unsatisfactory ones. Study 4 comprised two parts. First, using the data set from Studies 2 and 3, a qualitative analysis was conducted which explored thematic differences between the descriptions of satisfactory and unsatisfactory conversations. This analysis indicated more interpersonal themes for the satisfactory interactions and more negative intergroup themes for the unsatisfactory ones. Second, 134 participants rated 16 exemplar descriptions from the data set on 13 items derived from CAT. In general, the exemplars of satisfactory descriptions were rated as containing accommodative use of discourse management, emotional expression, and interpersonal control strategies. Exemplars of the unsatisfactory interactions were rated as more overaccommodative or counteraccommodative on these strategies. Study 5 introduced Part 2 of the thesis and involved a second data set. The stimuli were real-time videotaped interactions between health professionals and patients. Participants rated 25 videotaped interactions on 28 questions developed to tap the intergroup and interpersonal salience of the interaction. Of these 25 interactions, participants rated seven as highly intergroup and seven as highly interpersonal. These 14 interactions formed the stimuli for the Study 6. In Study 6 an LCM analysis of these 14 videotaped interactions compared the intergroup with the interpersonally rated interactions for levels of intergroup bias. The interpersonally salient interactions suggested lower intergroup bias than did the intergroup ones. This and other findings from the LCM analysis are discussed. Study 7 used a CAT perspective to examine six of the 14 videotaped interactions used in Study 6. These six interactions represented three videotaped interactions that were rated as highly intergroup, and three that were rated as highly interpersonal.. Participants provided ratings on both interactants' strategies, and health professionals' goals. They also rated the interactions for outcome measures, including patient satisfaction, and effective communication. Results indicated that the interactions rated as interpersonally salient were perceived as attending to relationship needs and emotional needs. Generally the interpersonal interactions were also rated as providing a more satisfactory outcome than the intergroup interactions. Together the seven studies provide evidence that interactions between health professionals and patients are essentially intergroup interactions. However, such interactions have the potential to move through dimensions of high intergroup and high interpersonal to dimensions of low intergroup and low interpersonal. Each pair of combinations provides different outcomes of communication effectiveness and satisfaction for the patient. Further, this research project demonstrates the ability of CAT to pick up on the dynamics of health provider and patient communication. It also highlights the usefulness of convergent methodologies to understand the complexities of patient and health professional interactions.

Γίνεται αναφορά στην Ιστορία της έννοιας του καθολικού, του συγκεκριμένου καθολικού, και της Θεωρίας Κατηγοριών. Κατόπιν, παρουσιάζεται η απόπειρα τυποποίησης μέσω της Θεωρίας των Κατηγοριών εννοιών με το οντοτολογικό status του συγκεκριμένου καθολικού, όπως και η χρήση της έννοιας του συγκεκριμένου καθολικού ως ερμηνείας κάποιων καθολικών κατασκευών που απαντώνται στη Θεωρία Κατηγοριών. / Category theory as mathematical theory of concrete universals and concrete universality as an interpretation of universal objects in special categories.

Intensionality is a phenomenon that occurs in logic and computation. In the most general sense, a function is intensional if it operates at a level finer than (extensional) equality. This is a familiar setting for computer scientists, who often study different programs or processes that are interchangeable, i.e. extensionally equal, even though they are not implemented in the same way, so intensionally distinct. Concomitant with intensionality is the phenomenon of intensional recursion, which refers to the ability of a program to have access to its own code. In computability theory, intensional recursion is enabled by Kleene's Second Recursion Theorem. This thesis is concerned with the crafting of a logical toolkit through which these phenomena can be studied. Our main contribution is a framework in which mathematical and computational constructions can be considered either extensionally, i.e. as abstract values, or intensionally, i.e. as fine-grained descriptions of their construction. Once this is achieved, it may be used to analyse intensional recursion. To begin, we turn to type theory. We construct a modal &lambda;-calculus, called Intensional PCF, which supports non-functional operations at modal types. Moreover, by adding Löb's rule from provability logic to the calculus, we obtain a type-theoretic interpretation of intensional recursion. The combination of these two features is shown to be consistent through a confluence argument. Following that, we begin searching for a semantics for Intensional PCF. We argue that 1-category theory is not sufficient, and propose the use of P-categories instead. On top of this setting we introduce exposures, which are P-categorical structures that function as abstractions of well-behaved intensional devices. We produce three examples of these structures, based on Gödel numberings on Peano arithmetic, realizability theory, and homological algebra. The language of exposures leads us to a P-categorical analysis of intensional recursion, through the notion of intensional fixed points. This, in turn, leads to abstract analogues of classic intensional results in logic and computability, such as Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem, Tarski's Undefinability Theorem, and Rice's Theorem. We are thus led to the conclusion that exposures are a useful framework, which we propose as a solid basis for a theory of intensionality. In the final chapters of the thesis we employ exposures to endow Intensional PCF with an appropriate semantics. It transpires that, when interpreted in the P-category of assemblies on the PCA K1, the Löb rule can be interpreted as the type of Kleene's Second Recursion Theorem.

This thesis investigates the neurobiological pathways that underpin learning of visual categories, and the behaviour associated with these neural systems. The work contains two strands. The first assesses the neural and behavioural predictions of the COmpetition between Verbal and Implicit Systems (COVIS) account of category learning. The second aims to examine the brain regions implicated in the prototype effect after transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). COVIS predicts there are separate explicit and implicit category learning systems. According to COVIS, the explicit system optimally learns rule-based (RB) categories and relies upon the frontal lobes for working memory (WM) and executive functioning processes, and the medial temporal lobes (MTL) to store decision boundaries. In contrast, the implicit system employs the basal ganglia to procedurally learn information-integration (II) categories through stimulus-response associations. Experiment 1 found little evidence of separable implicit or explicit systems in an fMRI study that investigated category decision making processes during RB and II category learning using conditions matched in difficulty, category separation and number of relevant stimulus dimensions. Contrary to the predictions of COVIS, the MTL was more active during the II condition compared to the RB condition, an area that should be more engaged by the explicit system. There was also extensive neural activation overlap found between RB and II learning. Experiments 2 and 3 aimed to generalise these neural findings to activation during feedback processing in RB and II conditions. Experiment 2 was a behavioural study which showed that adding a feedback delay necessary for fMRI data analysis did not differentially impact RB or II learning. Experiment 3, including this feedback delay, found the same neural pattern of results as Experiment 1 offering further support that the MTL is more engaged in II learning than RB learning. There was also again considerable overlap in the regions involved in the two tasks. Taken together, Experiments 1 to 3 found no evidence for the neurally dissociable category learning systems predicted by COVIS. Experiments 4, 5 and 6 investigated the behavioural dissociation reported by Smith et al. (2014) that deferring feedback to the end of a six trial block selectively impairs II learning compared to a unidimensional RB condition. Experiment 4 replicated this result. However, when equating the number of dimensions relevant for RB and II learning in Experiment 5, both conditions were hindered by deferring feedback, with Experiment 6 confirming that conjunctive RB learning was impaired by deferred feedback compared to immediate feedback. I concluded that the dissociation reported by Smith et al. is attributed to the use of a unidimensional category as a comparison for II performance, and that when the number of relevant stimulus dimensions between conditions are controlled there is little evidence for the separable systems of COVIS. Experiment 7 used tDCS to investigate if RB or II learning was differentially affected by anodal stimulation to the left DLPFC. Although there was no significant difference in learning between category conditions, during anodal stimulation participants improved less across blocks than those receiving sham stimulation. While the results suggest that the effect of tDCS on RB and II learning may be more tangible during stimulation, the numerical pattern of the data warrants further research into the possibility that RB participants are more affected by tDCS than II participants after stimulation to the left DLPFC. Strand 2 of this thesis aimed to further previous work that suggests anodal stimulation to the DLPFC during a prototype distortion task induced a prototype effect (better responding to unseen prototype trials than other category exemplars derived from this prototype) that was not present in sham participants. Contrary to this past work, Experiments 8 and 9 found that anodal stimulation to the left DLPFC inhibited a prototype effect that was present in sham participants. Experiment 10 implemented a combined tDCS and fMRI task and found that anodal participants engaged the stimulated DLPFC and the MTL more than sham participants in measures of the prototype effect. Based on these findings, this thesis argues that anodal tDCS to the left DLPFC inhibits perceptual learning by disrupting error prediction processes. Anodal participants are also considered to use generalization more than sham participants when perceiving category exemplars, a process attributed to the MTL.

This thesis presents a characterization of those categories with weak factorization systems that can interpret the theory of intensional dependent type theory with Σ, Π, and identity types. We use display map categories to serve as models of intensional dependent type theory. If a display map category (C, D) models Σ and identity types, then this structure generates a weak factorization system (L, R). Moreover, we show that if the underlying category C is Cauchy complete, then (C, R) is also a display map category modeling Σ and identity types (as well as Π types if (C, D) models Π types). Thus, our main result is to characterize display map categories (C, R) which model Σ and identity types and where R is part of a weak factorization system (L, R) on the category C. We offer three such characterizations and show that they are all equivalent when C has all finite limits. The first is that the weak factorization system (L, R) has the properties that L is stable under pullback along R and all maps to a terminal object are in R. We call such weak factorization systems type theoretic. The second is that the weak factorization system has what we call an Id-presentation: it can be built from certain categorical structure in the same way that a model of Σ and identity types generates a weak factorization system. The third is that the weak factorization system (L, R) is generated by a Moore relation system. This is a technical tool used to establish the equivalence between the first and second characterizations described. To conclude the thesis, we describe a certain class of convenient categories of topological spaces (a generalization of compactly generated weak Hausdorff spaces). We then construct a Moore relation system within these categories (and also within the topological topos) and thus show that these form display map categories with Σ and identity types (as well as Π types in the topological topos).

O ambiente econômico atual de alta concorrência impulsiona a busca inteligente por soluções que capacitem as empresas a apresentarem reduções de custos e aumento de rentabilidade, além de proporcionar a satisfação do consumidor, fatores fundamentais para a garantia de sobrevivência e crescimento. É sob esse contexto que surge o ECR (Efficient Consumer Response), iniciativa em que fabricantes de produtos de mercearia, varejo, atacado e demais facilitadores trabalham em conjunto para reduzir custos desse canal de marketing e possibilita maior valor ao consumidor. O Gerenciamento por Categorias é uma ferramenta que faz parte do ECR e permite a redução de custos de fornecedores e varejistas propiciando melhor exposição, abastecimento e variedade de produtos; calendário eficiente de promoções; maior giro e menor estoque, aumento na rentabilidade e preços competitivos, ao mesmo tempo em que focaliza práticas de merchandising e marketing eficientes orientadas para o cliente, foco principal desta ferramenta. Esta dissertação procurou conhecer o relacionamento entre fornecedor e varejo com a utilização da ferramenta, identificando as opiniões dos varejistas sobre seus fornecedores e vice-versa, apresentando os principais pontos de divergência e semelhança entre estas opiniões, além de identificar e caracterizar as variáveis do relacionamento entre os parceiros que prejudicam e os que favorecem o processo de Gerenciamento por Categorias. Devido à natureza dos objetivos estabelecidos, foi adotado o método exploratório com base em estudo de caso. Foram analisados uma rede de varejo supermercadista e dois fornecedores de categorias distintas: café e limpeza. Utilizaram-se questionários eletrônicos estruturados e entrevistas para levantamento das informações. Foi possível identificar pontos convergentes e divergentes quanto ao conceito de parceria, mostrando a necessidade de alinhamento em alguns aspectos fundamentais do conceito para melhor atendimento das expectativas dos parceiros. O tempo de parceria e a utilização de um instrumento legal menos formal (maior interação interpessoal) mostraram afetar negativamente o relacionamento. Os principais problemas levantados no estudo são referentes às variáveis: comunicação, investimento específico, comprometimento, confiança e cooperação, contradizendo o que estas empresas afirmam ser importante para uma boa relação de parceria. O relacionamento entre fornecedor e varejo no Gerenciamento por Categorias precisa ser mais bem desenvolvido, estimulando o maior envolvimento dos parceiros, principalmente os varejistas que se mostram com menor empenho no desenvolvimento do relacionamento e da ferramenta. Embora existam divergências entre os parceiros, as empresas participantes deste estudo disseram estar satisfeitas quanto aos resultados obtidos com a implantação do Gerenciamento por Categorias. / The very competitive recent economic environment propels the intelligent search for solutions that enable the companies to present costs reduction and profitability increase, besides meeting the consumer satisfaction, which are the fundamental factors for survival and growing warranty. It is under this context that the Efficient Consumer Response (ECR), an initiative in which manufacturers of products, such as, from grocery stores, from retail, from wholesale, and other facilitators, work together to reduce costs of this marketing channel and enable higher value to the consumer. The Category Management is a tool from the ECR, it allows the costs reduction of suppliers and retailers, providing better exposition, supply, and variety of products; sales promotion efficacy calendar; bigger rotation and lower inventory, profitability increase and competitive prices, by also focusing on efficient merchandising and marketing practices directed to the client that is the main focus of this tool. The present dissertation aimed at reporting the relation between the supplier and retail by using the tool, identifying the retailers opinions about their suppliers and vice-versa, presenting the main divergence and similarity points among these opinions, besides identifying and characterizing the relation variables between the partners that injure and those that favor the Category Management process. Due to the established objectives nature, the exploratory method was taken based on the case study. A supermarket retail chain and two different categories of suppliers coffee and cleaning were analyzed. Structured electronic questionnaires and interviews to survey information were used. It was possible to identify convergent and divergent points as to the partnership definition, showing the need of aligning in some fundamental aspects of the definition to better serve the partners expectations. The partnership time and the use of a less formal legal instrument (better interpersonal interaction) seemed to negatively affect the relation. The main issues that were reported in the study refer to the variables: communication, specific investment, commitment, trust, and cooperation, which are opposed to what these companies state to be important for a good partner relation. The relation between the supplier and retail in the Category Management needs to be more developed, encouraging the greatest involvement of the partners, specially the retailers that have better performance in the relation and tool development. Although there are divergences between the partners, the companies that are participating of this study stated that they are satisfied as to the results obtained with the Category Management implantation.

Este trabajo de título tiene como objetivo el diseñar una metodología para realizar una administración de categorías de consumo masivo en el formato hipermercados, abarcando decisiones estratégicas y tácticas (estas últimas acotadas a surtido eficiente y exhibición en góndola), culminando con la implementación y una propuesta de revisión periódica. Todo esto trabajando desde uno de los proveedores de la categoría, como asesor directo del cliente bajo la figura de “capitán de categoría”. Además se busca evaluar el real impacto de esta gestión implementando el surtido propuesto en la mayoría de las salas LIDER de Chile y midiendo sus resultados. Es por esto que este trabajo se desarrolla en el área de Category Management de Procter & Gamble Chile, en asociación con la cadena de supermercados LIDER. La metodología consiste en desarrollar los 8 pasos necesarios para realizar un desarrollo de categorías de consumo masivo (Cuidado del Cabello en LIDER en este caso) haciendo énfasis en que el aporte de este trabajo de memoria es involucrar la implementación y medición del rendimiento de este proyecto en particular. Además, se profundiza en la implementación de los surtidos propuestos, generando propuestas de planogramas (mapas de la góndola) para las salas involucradas. Lo fundamental del desarrollo del trabajo de memoria es que se valida y documenta toda la metodología necesaria paso a paso, incluyendo análisis e indicadores necesarios, creando un documento completo que abarca desde los aspectos generales del proceso de negocios del Category Management, como la definición de una estrategia de crecimiento, hasta los aspectos operativos como la planogramación de góndolas e implementación, pasando por el desarrollo de tácticas, planes de acción, análisis completo de la categoría, y scorecards con el cliente. Los resultados de la aplicación de las propuestas muestran un aumento de la participación de mercado de la categoría en LIDER de un 5%, equivalente a un 19% de las ventas. Además, mejoraran notoriamente los índices de penetración y lealtad, junto con indicadores complementarios desarrollados en el trabajo. Para trabajos futuros se recomienda incluir análisis de precios y promociones como parte importante de la administración de categorías y complementaria a las tácticas de surtido eficiente y exhibición presentadas en este trabajo.

The main theme of the thesis is to present and compare three different viewpoints on semi-abelian homology, resulting in three ways of defining and calculating homology objects. Any two of these three homology theories coincide whenever they are both defined, but having these different approaches available makes it possible to choose the most appropriate one in any given situation, and their respective strengths complement each other to give powerful homological tools. The oldest viewpoint, which is borrowed from the abelian context where it was introduced by Barr and Beck, is comonadic homology, generating projective simplicial resolutions in a functorial way. This concept only works in monadic semi-abelian categories, such as semi-abelian varieties, including the categories of groups and Lie algebras. Comonadic homology can be viewed not only as a functor in the first entry, giving homology of objects for a particular choice of coefficients, but also as a functor in the second variable, varying the coefficients themselves. As such it has certain universality properties which single it out amongst theories of a similar kind. This is well-known in the setting of abelian categories, but here we extend this result to our semi-abelian context. Fixing the choice of coefficients again, the question naturally arises of how the homology theory depends on the chosen comonad. Again it is well-known in the abelian case that the theory only depends on the projective class which the comonad generates. We extend this to the semi-abelian setting by proving a comparison theorem for simplicial resolutions. This leads to the result that any two projective simplicial resolutions, the definition of which requires slightly more care in the semi-abelian setting, give rise to the same homology. Thus again the homology theory only depends on the projective class. The second viewpoint uses Hopf formulae to define homology, and works in a non-monadic setting; it only requires a semi-abelian category with enough projectives. Even this slightly weaker setting leads to strong results such as a long exact homology sequence, the Everaert sequence, which is a generalised and extended version of the Stallings-Stammbach sequence known for groups. Hopf formulae use projective presentations of objects, and this is closer to the abelian philosophy of using any projective resolution, rather than a special functorial one generated by a comonad. To define higher Hopf formulae for the higher homology objects the use of categorical Galois theory is crucial. This theory allows a choice of Birkhoff subcategory to generate a class of central extensions, which play a big role not only in the definition via Hopf formulae but also in our third viewpoint. This final and new viewpoint we consider is homology via satellites or pointwise Kan extensions. This makes the universal properties of the homology objects apparent, giving a useful new tool in dealing with statements about homology. The driving motivation behind this point of view is the Everaert sequence mentioned above. Janelidze's theory of generalised satellites enables us to use the universal properties of the Everaert sequence to interpret homology as a pointwise Kan extension, or limit. In the first instance, this allows us to calculate homology step by step, and it removes the need for projective objects from the definition. Furthermore, we show that homology is the limit of the diagram consisting of the kernels of all central extensions of a given object, which forges a strong connection between homology and cohomology. When enough projectives are available, we can interpret homology as calculating fixed points of endomorphisms of a given projective presentation.