A Análise de Conceitos Formais (FCA) é uma teoria matemática que formaliza a noção de conceitos e hierarquias conceituais. De importância central a esta teoria é uma estrutura algébrica denominada reticulado de conceitos. Esta estrutura é definida em função de um conjunto de objetos, outro de atributos e uma relação que indica os atributos apresentados por cada objeto. Uma representação gráfica de um reticulado de conceitos, por meio de uma interface computacional, é capaz de expor regularidades presentes em dados a um usuário, e este pode então realizar tarefas de análise exploratória de dados. Este tipo de aplicação de FCA vem sendo empregado em dezenas de projetos pertencentes a áreas diversas, como medicina, serviços de inteligência, engenharia de software e bioinformática. Mostramos neste trabalho um sistema de análise exploratória de dados baseado em FCA, e sua utilização sobre dados reais. Também é mostrado como reticulados de conceitos podem ser empregados em interfaces de recuperação de informação. Do ponto de vista algorítmico, analisamos métodos computacionais para a determinação do reticulado de conceitos, e também de uma subestrutura simplificada, o conjunto de conceitos. O tamanho de um reticulado de conceitos pode ser exponencial em função dos tamanhos dos conjuntos de objetos e de atributos. Assim, é de vital interesse o estabelecimento de cotas superiores para o número de conceitos de um reticulado. Neste trabalho, apresentamos as cotas já conhecidas presentes na literatura. Também estabelecemos uma nova cota superior, e mostramos famílias de casos em que nossa cota superior é mais justa que as demais. Para algumas famílias particulares, nossa cota é polinomial, enquanto que as demais são exponenciais. / Formal Concept Analysis (FCA) is a mathematical theory that formalizes the notion of concepts and conceptual hierarchies. Of central importance to this theory is an algebraic structure termed concept lattice. Such structure becomes defined after being given one set of objects, one of attributes, and an incidence relation describing the attributes held by each object. A graphical representation of a concept lattice, by means of a computational interface, is capable of unfolding regularities present in data to an user, who is then able to conduct exploratory data analysis tasks. This sort of FCA application is currently deployed in tens of projects belonging to a wide range of areas, such as medicine, intelligence services, software engineering and bioinformatics. We show in this work an FCA-based system of exploratory data analysis, and its use over real data. Moreover, it is shown how concept lattices can be employed in information retrieval interfaces. From the algorithmic viewpoint, we analyse computational methods for the determination of a concept lattice, and also of a simplified substructure, the concept set. The size of a concept lattice can be exponential when compared to the size of the objects and the attributes sets. Therefore, it is of paramount interest the establishment of upper bounds for the number of concepts of a lattice. In this work, we present the upper bounds already known in the literature. We also establish a new upper bound, and show families of cases in which our bound is sharper than the others. For particular families, our bound is polynomial, whereas the other bounds are exponential.

O cenário nacional aponta maior proporção de idosos e consequente aumento de expectativa de vida na população. Assim, o objetivo da atenção à saúde dos idosos é de manter sua funcionalidade, autonomia e independência por um maior tempo possível. Neste contexto, que surge a preocupação em se desenvolverem pesquisas que avaliem a funcionalidade desta população. O objetivo deste estudo foi de analisar o conceito de Incapacidade Funcional em idosos, utilizando o Modelo Híbrido de Desenvolvimento de Conceito, que consta de três fases: a Fase Teórica, a Fase de Campo e a Fase Analítica Final. A Fase Teórica foi desenvolvida por meio da Revisão Integrativa da Literatura; a busca dos estudos primários ocorreu nas bases de dados LILACS, MEDLINE E CINAHL, com a utilização de descritores controlados e não controlados delimitados de acordo com a especificidade de cada base de dados. Foram pré-selecionados 1.113 trabalhos, porém 58 foram elegíveis após aplicação dos critérios de inclusão. A Fase de Campo se deu em duas etapas: a primeira consistiu em aplicar uma entrevista semiestruturada no domicílio para identificar os idosos elegíveis para a segunda etapa, na qual se utilizou a técnica de realização de grupos focais. Foram realizados quatro grupos sendo dois de idosos com idades entre 60 e 79 anos, e dois com idosos com mais de 80 anos. Durante os grupos, foram abordados os antecedentes, os atributos e as consequências do conceito de incapacidade funcional. A análise dos grupos foi feita por meio da análise de conteúdo temática. Na Fase Analítica Final, os dados da Fase Teórica e de Campo foram identificados e analisadas suas semelhanças, divergências e diferenças. Os dados mostraram que a incapacidade funcional em idosos é multidimensional, está relacionada aos aspectos físicos, pessoais, sociais, ambientais e emocionais, sem que esteja restrita somente à presença de patologias ou à incapacidade em realizar atividades de vida diária de maneira independente, mas também no prejuízo da manutenção da autonomia e do bem-estar do idoso. A incapacidade funcional ocorre em distintos contextos, está relacionada à idade avançada, à presença de condições crônicas, resultados acumulativos de hábitos de vida, prejuízo no desempenho de papéis sociais e condições ambientais desfavoráveis. Os resultados da incapacidade funcional são deletérios e trazem prejuízo tanto para o idoso, quanto para a família, estão relacionados à diminuição da expectativa e da qualidade de vida, perda da independência e autonomia, ao aumento de custos, adequações ambientais, e principalmente ao prejuízo emocional. O estudo de conceito de incapacidade funcional no idoso com a utilização da metodologia do Modelo Híbrido permitiu fortalecer a compreensão e consequente utilização na prática com o idoso / The national setting points to a greater proportion of elderly individuals and a consequent increase in the population\'s life expectancy, thus, the objective of the healthcare of the elderly stands on the maintenance of their functionality, autonomy and independence for as long as it is possible. In this context, a concern emerges regarding the development of studies to assess the functionality of this population. The aim of this study was to analyze the concept of functional disability in elderly individuals using the Hybrid Model of Concept Development. This model is comprised of three phases, namely the Theoretical Phase, the Field Phase and the Final Analytical Phase. The Theoretical Phase was developed by means of a literature integrative review, in which the search for primary studies took place in the LILACS, MEDLINE and CINAHL databases with the use of controlled and non- controlled descriptors that were limited according to the specificity of each database. A total of 1,113 studies were preselected, however only 58 were found eligible after the application of the inclusion criteria. The Field Phase took place in two steps. The first step consisted of a semi-structured interview in the house of the elderly individuals for identification of those who were eligible for the second step; the focus group technique was used in this moment. Four groups were performed, with two groups including elderly individuals between 60 at 79 years of age and two groups including elderly individuals over 80 years of age. During the groups, the researchers approached the antecedents, attributes and consequences of the concept of functional disability, and the groups were analyzed by means of the thematic content analysis. In the Final Analytical Phase, the data collected in the Theoretical and Field Phases were identified and their similarities, divergences and differences were analyzed. These data showed that functional disability in the elderly is multidimensional. It is related to physical, social, personal, environmental and emotional aspects, not restricted only to the presence of pathologies or the incapability of performing daily living activities independently, but also in the damage of the maintenance of the autonomy and wellbeing of the elderly. Functional disability occurs in different contexts, being related to the old age, the presence of chronic conditions, accumulative results of life habits, damage in the performance of social roles and unfavorable environmental conditions. The results of functional disability are damaging and bring harm both to the individuals and to their families, being related to reduced expectancy and quality of life, loss of independence and autonomy, increased costs, environmental adjustments and, especially, to emotional damage. The study of the concept of functional disability in the elderly with the use of the Hybrid Model methodology has allowed to reinforce its understanding and consequent use in the practice with the elderly

Des familles de logiciels similaires proviennent fréquemment de pratiques de réutilisation de clones de logiciels existants, qui sont ensuite enrichis ou dépouillés de fonctionnalités pour suivre de nouvelles exigences. Avec le temps, ces variantes se multiplient et se complexifient, et il devient difficile de les maintenir, de les faire évoluer. L’ingénierie des lignes de produits logiciels regroupe un ensemble de méthodes visant à faciliter le développement et la gestion de telles collections de logiciels similaires. Documenter la variabilité est le point central de ce paradigme ; on la représente à travers des modèles de variabilité, qui servent de supports à la grande majorité des processus propres à l’ingénierie des lignes de produits. La migration complète ou partielle de ces familles de logiciels vers des approches de type lignes de produits permet la simplification de leur exploitation. La rétro-ingénierie, la modélisation et la gestion de la variabilité sont reconnues comme une phase cruciale et ardue de cette migration. Par conséquent, de nombreuses approches ont été proposées pour étudier des descriptions de familles de logiciels dans ce but. Plusieurs d’entre elles s’appuient sur l’analyse formelle de concepts, un cadre mathématique de groupement hiérarchique qui organise un ensemble d’objets et leurs descriptions dans une structure canonique mettant naturellement en évidence leurs aspects communs et variables.Dans ce manuscrit, nous défendons l'idée que l’analyse formelle de concepts, plus qu’un outil, offre un véritable cadre structurel et réutilisable à l’étude de la variabilité des familles de produits.Dans un premier temps, nous établissons un panorama des informations sur la variabilité qui sont mises en évidence grâce à ce formalisme, et discutons de son spectre d’applicabilité. Nous étudions les points communs entre les structures conceptuelles produites par l’analyse formelle de concepts et les modèles de variabilité. Dans un second temps, nous illustrons l’utilisation originale de ces structures conceptuelles comme support à des opérations de conception et de recherche d’informations. Enfin, nous élargissons notre champ d’étude aux informations plus complexes définies par des modèles de variabilité qui ont été étendus pour en améliorer l’expressivité, et dont la rétro-ingénierie est encore peu étudiée à ce jour. Nous montrons comment certaines propriétés de l’analyse formelle de concepts permettent de généraliser son utilisation à des descriptions de variantes plus complexes, et étudions son application pour la manipulation d’attributs multivalués et de cardinalités, en complément des caractéristiques booléennes traditionnelles. Nous évaluons notre approche sur des données issues de dépôts tels que SPLOT, fork-insight et de matrices de comparaison de produits de wikipedia. / Software families often rise from reuse practices as cloning existing software products which are then enhanced or pruned to fulfill new requirements. With time, these variants grow in number and in complexity, and become more and more complex to maintain. Software product line engineering gathers a set of methods that aims at facilitating the management and development of such collections of existing variants. Documenting variability is the central point of this paradigm; This variability is represented in variability models that support a large part of software product line engineering processes.The partial or complete migration from software families to a product line approach eases their exploitation.Reverse-engineering, modeling and managing variability are known as crucial tasks of the migration: therefore, numerous methods have been proposed to study descriptions of software families for this goal.Some of them are based on formal concept analysis, a mathematical framework for hierarchical clustering which organises set of objects and their descriptions in canonical structures highlighting naturally their commonalities and variability.In this thesis, we defend that formal concept analysis, more than a tool, is a relevant structural, reusable and extensible framework to study variability of software families.First, we propose an overview of variability information which is highlighted thanks to this framework, and we discuss its scope of applicability.We study the common points between the conceptual structures of formal concept analysis and variability models.Then, we show how to use these conceptual structures to support research and modeling operations.Finally, we broaden the scope of this study to take into account more complex information about extended variability.We evaluate our method on data taken from the SPLOT repository, fork-insight and product comparison matrices from wikipedia.

Bakgrund: Förlossningsrädsla drabbar ungefär en femtedel av alla gravida kvinnor och barnmorskor möter dessa i sitt arbete. Syfte: Syftet var att analysera begreppet förlossningsrädsla ur ett barnmorskeperspektiv. Metod: En begreppsanalys med en hybridmodell. Först en teoretisk fas med litteratursökning, därefter en fältstudiefas där fem barnmorskor intervjuades följt av en sammanfattandes syntes med resultatet från den teoretiska fasen och fältstudiefasen. Resultat: Förlossningsrädsla är något som kan drabba kvinnor innan, under eller efter graviditet och förlossning. Förlossningsrädsla kan vara primär eller sekundär. Vid primär förlossningsrädsla kan kvinnan sakna tilltro till sin förmåga att föda barn och vid sekundär förlossningsrädsla har kvinnan haft en tidigare traumatisk förlossningsupplevelse. Barnmorskorna beskrev förlossningsrädsla som ett komplext begrepp. Kvinnorna använde oftast inte ordet förlossningsrädsla utan barnmorskorna tolkade vad de märkte eller såg hos kvinnan som yttringar av förlossningsrädsla. Slutsats: Barnmorskor använder begreppet på olika sätt och efterlyser en tydligare definition och arbetssätt kring förlossningsrädsla. Förlossningsrädsla innebär ett stort lidande för den gravida kvinnan och därför anser författarna till detta examensarbete att det förebyggande arbetet är viktigt och att barnmorskan har en central och betydelsefull roll. Kliniks tillämpbarhet: Barnmorskor kan använda sig av studien för att utveckla sin kunskap kring förlossningsrädsla samt se hur andra barnmorskor ser på begreppet förlossningsrädsla. / Background: Fear of childbirth affects about one-fifth of all pregnant women and midwives face these in their work. Aim: The aim was to analys the concept fear of childbirth from a midwife perspective. Methods: A concept analysis with a hybrid model. First a theoretical phase with a search for literature, thereafter a fieldwork phase where five midwifes where interviewed followed by a final analytic phase. Results: Fear of childbirth is something that can affect women before, during or after pregnancy and childbirth. Fear of childbirth for primiparous women can be a lack of confidence in her ability to give birth, and for multiparous women have had a previous traumatic birth experience. The midwives described that fear of childbirth was a complex concept. Women did not usually use the word fear of childbirth, but the midwives interpreted what they noticed or saw in the woman as manifestations of fear of childbirth. Conclusion: Midwives use the concept in different ways and call for a clearer definition and way of working with fear of childbirth. The fear of childbirth is a great suffering for the pregnant woman and therefore the authors of this thesis consider that preventive work is important and that the midwife has a central and important role. Clinical Applicability: Midwives can use this study to develop their knowledge of fear of childbirth and see how other midwives view on the concept fear of childbirth.

O cenário nacional aponta maior proporção de idosos e consequente aumento de expectativa de vida na população. Assim, o objetivo da atenção à saúde dos idosos é de manter sua funcionalidade, autonomia e independência por um maior tempo possível. Neste contexto, que surge a preocupação em se desenvolverem pesquisas que avaliem a funcionalidade desta população. O objetivo deste estudo foi de analisar o conceito de Incapacidade Funcional em idosos, utilizando o Modelo Híbrido de Desenvolvimento de Conceito, que consta de três fases: a Fase Teórica, a Fase de Campo e a Fase Analítica Final. A Fase Teórica foi desenvolvida por meio da Revisão Integrativa da Literatura; a busca dos estudos primários ocorreu nas bases de dados LILACS, MEDLINE E CINAHL, com a utilização de descritores controlados e não controlados delimitados de acordo com a especificidade de cada base de dados. Foram pré-selecionados 1.113 trabalhos, porém 58 foram elegíveis após aplicação dos critérios de inclusão. A Fase de Campo se deu em duas etapas: a primeira consistiu em aplicar uma entrevista semiestruturada no domicílio para identificar os idosos elegíveis para a segunda etapa, na qual se utilizou a técnica de realização de grupos focais. Foram realizados quatro grupos sendo dois de idosos com idades entre 60 e 79 anos, e dois com idosos com mais de 80 anos. Durante os grupos, foram abordados os antecedentes, os atributos e as consequências do conceito de incapacidade funcional. A análise dos grupos foi feita por meio da análise de conteúdo temática. Na Fase Analítica Final, os dados da Fase Teórica e de Campo foram identificados e analisadas suas semelhanças, divergências e diferenças. Os dados mostraram que a incapacidade funcional em idosos é multidimensional, está relacionada aos aspectos físicos, pessoais, sociais, ambientais e emocionais, sem que esteja restrita somente à presença de patologias ou à incapacidade em realizar atividades de vida diária de maneira independente, mas também no prejuízo da manutenção da autonomia e do bem-estar do idoso. A incapacidade funcional ocorre em distintos contextos, está relacionada à idade avançada, à presença de condições crônicas, resultados acumulativos de hábitos de vida, prejuízo no desempenho de papéis sociais e condições ambientais desfavoráveis. Os resultados da incapacidade funcional são deletérios e trazem prejuízo tanto para o idoso, quanto para a família, estão relacionados à diminuição da expectativa e da qualidade de vida, perda da independência e autonomia, ao aumento de custos, adequações ambientais, e principalmente ao prejuízo emocional. O estudo de conceito de incapacidade funcional no idoso com a utilização da metodologia do Modelo Híbrido permitiu fortalecer a compreensão e consequente utilização na prática com o idoso / The national setting points to a greater proportion of elderly individuals and a consequent increase in the population\'s life expectancy, thus, the objective of the healthcare of the elderly stands on the maintenance of their functionality, autonomy and independence for as long as it is possible. In this context, a concern emerges regarding the development of studies to assess the functionality of this population. The aim of this study was to analyze the concept of functional disability in elderly individuals using the Hybrid Model of Concept Development. This model is comprised of three phases, namely the Theoretical Phase, the Field Phase and the Final Analytical Phase. The Theoretical Phase was developed by means of a literature integrative review, in which the search for primary studies took place in the LILACS, MEDLINE and CINAHL databases with the use of controlled and non- controlled descriptors that were limited according to the specificity of each database. A total of 1,113 studies were preselected, however only 58 were found eligible after the application of the inclusion criteria. The Field Phase took place in two steps. The first step consisted of a semi-structured interview in the house of the elderly individuals for identification of those who were eligible for the second step; the focus group technique was used in this moment. Four groups were performed, with two groups including elderly individuals between 60 at 79 years of age and two groups including elderly individuals over 80 years of age. During the groups, the researchers approached the antecedents, attributes and consequences of the concept of functional disability, and the groups were analyzed by means of the thematic content analysis. In the Final Analytical Phase, the data collected in the Theoretical and Field Phases were identified and their similarities, divergences and differences were analyzed. These data showed that functional disability in the elderly is multidimensional. It is related to physical, social, personal, environmental and emotional aspects, not restricted only to the presence of pathologies or the incapability of performing daily living activities independently, but also in the damage of the maintenance of the autonomy and wellbeing of the elderly. Functional disability occurs in different contexts, being related to the old age, the presence of chronic conditions, accumulative results of life habits, damage in the performance of social roles and unfavorable environmental conditions. The results of functional disability are damaging and bring harm both to the individuals and to their families, being related to reduced expectancy and quality of life, loss of independence and autonomy, increased costs, environmental adjustments and, especially, to emotional damage. The study of the concept of functional disability in the elderly with the use of the Hybrid Model methodology has allowed to reinforce its understanding and consequent use in the practice with the elderly

A segurança do cuidado cirúrgico tem emergido como problema global de saúde pública. O processo de recuperação cirúrgica é dinâmico e prolongado, pode ser influenciado por diferentes fatores, os quais afetam a recuperação do paciente em direção negativa ou positiva. Os eventos adversos no pós-operatório acometem cerca de 78 a 86% dos pacientes, sendo as alterações com a ferida cirúrgica uma das principais complicações. O objetivo geral do estudo foi realizar a análise do conceito recuperação cirúrgica retardada. Para tal, elegeu-se o modelo de análise de conceito de Rodgers para fundamentar a condução do estudo e a revisão integrativa para alcançar a segunda atividade do modelo adotado. Na condução da revisão integrativa, a busca dos estudos primários ocorreu nas bases de dados PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE e LILACS com a utilização de descritores controlados e não controlados delimitados de acordo com a especificidade de cada base de dados. Na estratégia de busca adotada, os descritores controlados e não controlados foram combinados de diferentes formas para assegurar ampla busca. Assim, dos 1.155 estudos primários potencialmente elegíveis, desses, 103 eram estudos secundários, 836 não contemplavam os critérios de seleção delimitados e 150 referências eram duplicadas. Portanto, a amostra da revisão integrativa foi composta de 66 estudos primários. A extração de dados dos estudos primários incluídos foi realizada com auxílio de instrumento elaborado, o qual foi submetido à validação aparente e de conteúdo. A síntese dos resultados evidenciados foi realizada na forma descritiva, possibilitando a construção das outras atividades propostas no modelo de análise de conceito de Rodgers. Na análise do conceito recuperação cirúrgica retardada, o antecedente identificado foi experiências prévias, abrangendo aspectos fisiológicos, psicológicos, ambientais e os relacionados ao procedimento cirúrgico, capazes de influenciar o processo de recuperação. Os atributos da recuperação cirúrgica retardada foram definidos como: alteração no processo de recuperação cirúrgica, comprometimento das funções fisiológicas, comprometimento das funções psicológicas, nível de energia (força) reduzido, capacidade limitada para restabelecer atividades e extensão do tempo de recuperação. Os consequentes do conceito recuperação cirúrgica retardada são expressos por: manifestações clínicas, reintervenções, dependência de cuidados e redução na qualidade de vida. Assim, a recuperação cirúrgica retardada foi definida como alteração no processo de recuperação cirúrgica, envolvendo comprometimento das funções fisiológicas e psicológicas, desencadeando demanda alta frente à reserva de energia do paciente que limita a capacidade de restabelecer e executar atividades da vida diária, estendendo o tempo de recuperação para o alcance de estado de saúde melhor ou equivalente ao período pré-operatório. A compreensão do conceito recuperação cirúrgica retardada possibilitará caracterizar os fenômenos, descrever situações e estabelecer comunicação efetiva, fornecendo competências para a realização da monitoração e avaliação do paciente cirúrgico, permitindo assim, a implementação de intervenções efetivas, e consequentemente o alcance de resultados melhores e bem-estar do paciente. / The safety of surgical care has emerged as a global public health problem. The surgical recovery process is dynamic and lengthy and can be influenced by different factors, which affect the patients\' recovery in the negative or positive sense. Adverse postoperative events affect between 78 and 86% of patients, with surgical wound alterations as one of the main complications. The general objective in this study was to analyze the concept delayed surgical recovery. Therefore, Rodgers\' concept analysis model was elected to support the research development and the integrative review to accomplish the second activity in the model adopted. In the course of the integrative review, the search for primary studies mainly covered the databases PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE and LILACS, using controlled and non-controlled descriptors, selected according to the particularity of each database. In the adopted search strategy, the controlled and non-controlled descriptors were combined in different manners to guarantee a broad search. Hence, out of 1,155 potentially eligible primary studies, 103 were secondary studies, 836 did not comply with the established selection criteria and150 were repeated references. Thus, the integrative review sample consisted of 66 primary studies. Data were extracted from the primary studies with the help of an instrument, which was submitted to face and content validation. The results were synthesized descriptively, permitting the construction of the other activities proposed in Rodgers\' concept analysis model. In the analysis of the delayed surgical recovery concept, previous experiences were identified as the antecedent, including physiological, psychological, environmental and surgical procedure-related aspects, which can influence the recovery process. The attributes of delayed surgical recovery were defined as: alteration in the surgical recovery process, commitment of physiological functions, commitment of psychological functions, reduced energy (strength) level, limited ability to reestablish activities and extent of recovery time. The attributes consequent to the surgical recovery process are expressed as: clinical manifestations, re-interventions, dependence on care and reduced quality of life. Hence, delayed surgical recovery was defined as alteration in the surgical recovery process, involving the commitment of physiological and psychological functions, putting a high demand on the patient\'s energy reserves which limits the ability to reestablish and perform activities of daily living, extending the recovery time to reach a health condition that is better or equivalent to the preoperative period. The understanding of the delayed surgical recovery process permits characterizing the phenomena, describing situations and establishing effective communication, providing competences to monitor and assess surgical patients, thus permitting the implementation of effective interventions and, consequently, the achievement of better patient outcomes and well-being.

With the growing number of large data sets, the necessity of complexity reduction applies today more than ever before. Moreover, some data may also be vague or uncertain. Thus, whenever we have an instrument for data analysis, the questions of how to apply complexity reduction methods and how to treat fuzzy data arise rather naturally. In this thesis, we discuss these issues for the very successful data analysis tool Formal Concept Analysis. In fact, we propose different methods for complexity reduction based on qualitative analyses, and we elaborate on various methods for handling fuzzy data. These two topics split the thesis into two parts. Data reduction is mainly dealt with in the first part of the thesis, whereas we focus on fuzzy data in the second part. Although each chapter may be read almost on its own, each one builds on and uses results from its predecessors. The main crosslink between the chapters is given by the reduction methods and fuzzy data. In particular, we will also discuss complexity reduction methods for fuzzy data, combining the two issues that motivate this thesis. / Komplexitätsreduktion ist eines der wichtigsten Verfahren in der Datenanalyse. Mit ständig wachsenden Datensätzen gilt dies heute mehr denn je. In vielen Gebieten stößt man zudem auf vage und ungewisse Daten. Wann immer man ein Instrument zur Datenanalyse hat, stellen sich daher die folgenden zwei Fragen auf eine natürliche Weise: Wie kann man im Rahmen der Analyse die Variablenanzahl verkleinern, und wie kann man Fuzzy-Daten bearbeiten? In dieser Arbeit versuchen wir die eben genannten Fragen für die Formale Begriffsanalyse zu beantworten. Genauer gesagt, erarbeiten wir verschiedene Methoden zur Komplexitätsreduktion qualitativer Daten und entwickeln diverse Verfahren für die Bearbeitung von Fuzzy-Datensätzen. Basierend auf diesen beiden Themen gliedert sich die Arbeit in zwei Teile. Im ersten Teil liegt der Schwerpunkt auf der Komplexitätsreduktion, während sich der zweite Teil der Verarbeitung von Fuzzy-Daten widmet. Die verschiedenen Kapitel sind dabei durch die beiden Themen verbunden. So werden insbesondere auch Methoden für die Komplexitätsreduktion von Fuzzy-Datensätzen entwickelt.

We introduce a new software system called Formal Concept Analysis Research Toolbox (FCART). Our goal is to create a universal integrated environment for knowledge and data engineers. FCART is constructed upon an iterative data analysis methodology and provides a built-in set of research tools based on Formal Concept Analysis techniques for working with object-attribute data representations. The provided toolset allows for the fast integration of extensions on several levels: from internal scripts to plugins. FCART was successfully applied in several data mining and knowledge discovery tasks. Examples of applying the system in medicine and criminal investigations are considered.

Abstract Aim: this paper is a report of a concept analysis of forgiveness and its practice within the social work area. Background: worldwide interest in and funding for forgiveness research has brought about a body of knowledge from many disciplines that could be clinically useful to social work. At this time forgiveness interventions are used in social work in other countries, primary in the USA. The social workers in the Scandinavian countries need to focus on this important area of inquiry. Method: forgiveness was explored from a philosophical perspective and from forgiveness interventions from a variety of areas suitable for social work. Concept analysis was used to identify the concept of attributes, antecedents and consequences. A total of twelve works from both disciplines was included in the analysis. Findings: a clear definition of forgiveness emerged from the analysis. Forgiveness has three primary attributes. First, is the forgoing or letting go of a negative response (resentment) that resulted from a hurt. Secondly, is the giving of a positive response to the offender, that is, changing a negative judgement of the offender to a more positive one. Thirdly, forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation. Forgiveness is within the victims control but reconciliation needs the cooperation of the offender. Forgiveness is also different from forbearance, pardoning, excusing and forgetting. Forgiveness is suitable as a method in the Scandinavian social work, within a variety of areas; with children, families, alcohol abusers among others. Conclusion: a clear definition and understanding of forgiveness is needed to educate social workers on beginning interventions in this area. Conceptual and theoretical work is needed in social work to promote knowledge development in this area.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is frequently described as a chronic illness. It is also a life-threatening illness, although this is rarely discussed. When people with CKD face declining kidney function, they need technological assistance to extend life. Many people receiving treatment will also die within 5 years. The experience of living with CKD is often difficult to articulate, and little is known about the aspects of this illness that are often ineffable, difficult to discuss, or beyond words. The purpose of this dissertation is to present four papers in which I investigate the concept of the unsayable and illuminate how this concept may be helpful in exploring individuals’ stories of living with CKD. Located in social constructionism, this narrative research explores the unsayable aspects of experience for people living with CKD as portrayed through their stories and symbols. In the first paper, I present a concept analysis of the unsayable and I define the unsayable as that which is not expressed yet alluded to through language and may be conscious or unconscious. Although the unsayable is intertwined with language, it also transcends articulation. In the second paper, I offer a qualitative meta-synthesis and I show how people with kidney failure have experienced restricted freedom that brings about distant connection, dependent autonomy, abnormal normalcy, and uncertain hope. In the third paper, I present a narrative inquiry using secondary analysis of 46 interviews conducted over 3 years with 14 people living with CKD. Narrative expressions of the unsayable include the following: living with death, embodied experiences that were difficult to language, that which was unthinkable, unknowable mystery, and that which was untold / unheard. Lastly, I offer a narrative visual analysis of symbols that represent living with CKD for 13 participants. Descriptive themes of the symbols include hopes and inspirations, reflections on “who I am,” and confrontations of illness. Participants’ expressions through symbols are described through stories of memories, emotions, and poetic devices. Consideration of the unsayable may offer insights for nurses who work to support individuals and promote quality of life for those living with this chronic and life-threatening illness. / Graduate