Cette thèse se propose d’étudier la grammaticalisation, processus d’évolution linguistique par lequel les éléments fonctionnels de la langue se trouvent remplacés au cours du temps par des mots ou des constructions de contenu, c’est-à-dire servant à désigner des entités plus concrètes. La grammaticalisation est donc un cas particulier de remplacement sémantique. Or, la langue faisant l’objet d’un consensus social bien établi, il semble que le changement sémantique s’effectue à contre-courant de la bonne efficacité de la communication ; pourtant, il est attesté dans toutes les langues, toutes les époques et, comme le montre la grammaticalisation, toutes les catégories linguistiques. Dans cette thèse, nous étudions d’abord le phénomène de grammaticalisation d’un point de vue empirique, en analysant les fréquences d’usage de plusieurs centaines de constructions du langage connaissant une ou plusieurs grammaticalisations au cours de l’histoire de la langue française. Ces profils de fréquence sont extraits de la base de données de Frantext, qui permet de couvrir une période de sept siècles. L’augmentation de fréquence en courbe en S concomitante du remplacement sémantique, attestée dans la littérature, est confirmée, mais aussi complétée par l’observation d’une période de latence, une stagnation de la fréquence d’usage de la construction alors même que celle-ci manifeste déjà son nouveau sens. Les distributions statistiques des observables décrivant ces deux phénomènes sont obtenues et quantifiées. Un modèle de marche aléatoire est ensuite proposé reproduisant ces deux phénomènes. La latence s'y trouve expliquée comme un phénomène critique, au voisinage d’une bifurcation point-col. Une extension de ce modèle articulant l’organisation du réseau sémantique et les formes possibles de l’évolution est ensuite discutée. / This work aims to study grammaticalization, the process by which the functional items of a language come to be replaced with time by content words or constructions, usually providing a more substantial meaning. Grammaticalization is therefore a particular type of semantic replacement. However, language emerges as a social consensus, so that it would seem that semantic change is at odds with the proper working of communication. Despite of this, the phenomenon is attested in all languages, at all times, and pervades all linguistic categories, as the very existence of grammaticalization shows. Why it would be so is somehow puzzling. In this thesis, we shall argue that the components on which lies the efficiency of linguistic communication are precisely those responsible for these semantic changes. To investigate this matter, we provide an empirical study of frequency profiles of a few hundreds of linguistic constructions undergoing one or several grammaticalizations throughout the French language history. These frequencies of use are extracted from the textual database Frantext, which covers a period of seven centuries. The S-shaped frequency rise co-occurring with semantic change, well attested in the existing literature, is confirmed. We moreover complement it by a latency part during which the frequency does not rise yet, though the construction is already used with its new meaning. The statistical distribution of the different observables related to these two phenomenal features are extracted. A random walk model is then proposed to account for this two-sided frequency pattern. The latency period appears as a critical phenomenon in the vicinity of a saddle-node bifurcation, and quantitatively matches its empirical counter-part. Finally, an extension of the model is sketched, in which the relationship between the structure of the semantic network and the outcome of the evolution could be discussed.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:31:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Juliana Santos Graciani.pdf: 10872847 bytes, checksum: cd763f608845d88a2ab33ef2404687e2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-03-27 / The research aimed to reflect on the educational practice by analyzing the Plans Pedagogical Integration Program of Social Educators Activities AABB Community in light of the foundations of Social Pedagogy and Social Community Psychology, assuming that the theoretical aspects and methodological these can contribute to the understanding of this social project. We use this research, qualitative methodology and the technical procedure of document analysis, referring to the activities of Pedagogical Plans sent to the competition 2013. Agenda Case For the research was requested to accept the use of authority term of the Contest data and for the choice of the criterion of educational practices we chose to analyze all 105 experiments sent. The analysis was performed from the three categories of Community Social Psychology (Active Participation, Strengthening Affective and Community Impact Bonds) and the four fields of Social Pedagogy (Epistemological, sociopedagogical, sociocultural and sociopolitical). As for the results obtained, the Socio-cultural domain and Active Participation category were those most stood out, soon after, the sociopolitical domain, and finally simultaneously with the same score, the Epistemological and socio-pedagogical fields of Social Pedagogy and the categories of strengthening Affective Links and Community Impacts, prevailed in second and third place in the Community Social Psychology. We conclude that the educational practices encouraged the artistic actions, cultural, sports, environmental, social and educational complementation and citizenship, favoring the personal, family and community exercise of educational proposals with the changes in the reality experienced individually and in society, aspects that the transversalizam theoretical and practical foundations of the relationship between science Social Pedagogy and Social Community Psychology front of the educational practice / A pesquisa teve como objetivo geral refletir sobre a prática educativa por meio da análise dos Planos Pedagógicos de Atividades dos Educadores Sociais do Programa Integração AABB Comunidade, a luz dos fundamentos da Pedagogia Social e da Psicologia Social Comunitária, partindo do pressuposto que os aspectos teóricos e metodológicos destas podem contribuir para a compreensão deste projeto social. Utilizamos nesta pesquisa, a metodologia qualitativa e o procedimento técnico da análise documental, referente aos Planos Pedagógicos de Atividades enviados ao concurso Capa da Agenda de 2013. Para a realização da pesquisa foi solicitada a aceitação do termo de autorização de utilização dos dados do Concurso e para a escolha do critério das práticas educativas optamos em analisar todas as 105 experiências enviadas. A análise foi realizada a partir das três categorias da Psicologia Social Comunitária (Participação Ativa, Fortalecimento dos Vínculos Afetivos e Impacto Comunitário) e dos quatro domínios da Pedagogia Social (Epistemológico, Sociopedagógico, Sociocultural e Sociopolítico). Quanto aos resultados obtidos, o domínio Sociocultural e a categoria Participação Ativa foram as que mais se sobressaíram, logo a seguir, o domínio Sociopolítico, e por último simultaneamente com o mesmo score, os domínios Epistemológico e Sociopedagógico da Pedagogia Social e as categorias relativas ao Fortalecimento dos Vínculos Afetivos e os Impactos Comunitários, prevaleceram em segundo e terceiro lugar da Psicologia Social Comunitária. Concluímos que as práticas educativas incentivaram as ações artísticas, culturais, esportivas, ambientais, de complementação socioeducacional e de cidadania, favorecendo ao exercício pessoal, familiar e comunitário de propostas educativas que produzem transformações na realidade vivida individualmente e em sociedade, aspectos estes que transversalizam os fundamentos teóricos e práticos da articulação entre as ciências Pedagogia Social e Psicologia Social Comunitária frente à prática educativa

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T16:57:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Carlos Antonio da Silva.pdf: 10617204 bytes, checksum: d66b49805e3cbdfd0cb8e3dadccc0a91 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-05-16 / This thesis has as research object to analyze the difficulties and the meanings for students of a course in Production Engineering, through a sequence of tasks using calculation of area measurements based on principles of mathematical modeling, as a resource facilitator in introducing the concept of integral polynomial functions. For the developing of such a sequence we started from geometric figures supposedly known to students in order to lead them to the definition of integral. The research had two directions: theoretical and empirical. The first was developed by documentary studies that provided historical information on engineering courses, especially the Production Engineering. Recent results of research in mathematics education show the potential use of Principles of Mathematical Modeling in teaching. The empirical research was based on these principles as an approach to teaching Calculus and was developed in two phases consisting of activity, each of which divided into two stages, one for solving tasks and another for the socialization of results. In the first phase were developed four activities that involved the exploitation of calculating measures of areas of figures to introduce the concept of integral. In the second, students performed eight activities about the involved ideas in the concept of integral, and modeling was explored in the last three. At this stage a differentiator was the performance of the first phase participants who returned now as observers in order to verify what actually was learned after a semester of implementation of tasks, watching younger colleagues perform similar activities to theirs. With this type of qualitative research - action research, we sought to provide students the meaning of the integral elements and explore the criticality and analytical instruments that were the researcher's own observations, reports and resolutions of the students, recordings of conversations in different moments and the comments of participants in the first phase. The procedures analysis reveals that it´s possible to insert Principles of Mathematical Modeling in activities to be developed in the classroom and that fit the curriculum, especially satisfying the criterion of time devoted to subjects. The results also show a consistency in terms of learning, so that when students, after six months, review such content, searching real problems and presenting solutions relevant applications inside and outside the industry, and also when the group of students who participated in the first stage demonstrated evidence of learning while playing, in the second stage, the role of observers, argued that had really learned integral and that the application in engineering is of extreme relevance. We believe that such research can be performed from the basic concepts of physics, thus reinforcing the importance of research as producers of materials that can implement the work in the classroom and change the course of the teaching of Calculus / Esta tese tem por objeto de pesquisa analisar as dificuldades e os significados manifestados por alunos de um curso de Engenharia de Produção, por meio de uma sequência de tarefas usando cálculo de medidas de área baseadas em princípios de Modelagem Matemática. Na elaboração de tal sequencia partiu-se de figuras geométricas supostamente conhecidas dos alunos com a finalidade de conduzi-los à definição de integral. A investigação teve dois direcionamentos: teórico e empírico. O primeiro foi desenvolvido por meio de estudos documentais que forneceram dados históricos sobre os cursos de engenharia, especialmente, a Engenharia de Produção. Os resultados recentes de pesquisas em Educação Matemática mostram as potencialidades do uso de Princípios da Modelagem Matemática em atividades de ensino. A pesquisa empírica fundamentou-se nesses princípios como abordagem para ensino de Cálculo e se desenvolveu em duas fases compostas por atividades, sendo cada uma delas divididas em dois momentos, um para resolução de tarefas e outro para a socialização dos resultados. Na primeira foram desenvolvidas quatro atividades que envolveram a exploração do cálculo de medidas de áreas de figuras planas para introdução do conceito de integral. Na segunda os estudantes executaram oito atividades sobre as ideias envolvidas no conceito de integral e a Modelagem foi explorada nas três últimas. Nesta fase um elemento diferenciador foi a atuação dos participantes da primeira fase que voltaram agora como observadores a fim de verificarem o que de fato foi internalizado pelos participantes depois de passado um semestre da execução das tarefas, observando colegas mais novos realizarem atividades semelhantes às deles. Com essa pesquisa qualitativa do tipo pesquisa-ação, buscou-se proporcionar aos alunos significação aos elementos da integral e explorar a criticidade e como instrumentos de análise tivemos as observações do próprio pesquisador, os relatórios e resoluções dos estudantes, as gravações das conversas nos diversos momentos e as observações dos participantes da primeira fase. A análise dos procedimentos revela que é possível inserir Princípios da Modelagem Matemática em atividades a serem desenvolvidas em sala de aula e que se adaptam à estrutura curricular, atendendo especialmente ao critério tempo dedicado às disciplinas. Os resultados mostram, ainda, uma consistência em termos de aprendizagem tanto quando os discentes após seis meses retomam tal conteúdo, buscando problemas reais e apresentando soluções e aplicações pertinentes dentro e fora das indústrias e, também, quando um grupo de estudantes que participou da primeira fase demonstra indícios de aprendizagem ao desempenharem, na segunda fase, o papel de observadores, alegando que realmente haviam aprendido integral e que sua aplicação na engenharia é de extrema relevância. Entendemos que tal pesquisa possa ser realizada a partir de conceitos básicos da física, reforçando assim a importância das pesquisas como produtoras de materiais que possam implementar o trabalho nas salas de aula e mudar o rumo do ensino de Cálculo

Orientador: Marcos Cesar de Oliveira / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Fisica Gleb Wataghin / Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-24T17:07:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Oliveira_ThiagoRodriguesde_D.pdf: 2410853 bytes, checksum: 48f52d2d48ef1be2ecb155881b8e16df (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Resumo: Esta dissertação tenta contribuir ao entendimento das possíveis interconexões entre a Teoria de Informação Quântica e Matéria Condensada, um novo campo de pesquisa em amplo desenvolvimento. Mais especificamente, investigamos o papel do emaranhamento, ou correlações quânticas, em transições de fase quânticas contínuas. Enquanto o papel do primeiro na Teoria de Informação dispensa apresentação, as últimas são de grande interesse por exibir um comportamento universal, o qual se origina na divergência de um comprimento de correlação. É esta origem mútua em correlações de ambos os fenômenos que cria uma expectativa de uma possível relação entre estes. Nosso trabalho, embasado no estudo do modelo XY unidimensional em um campo transverso, aponta evidências de um favorecimento do emaranhamento multipartite em detrimento do bipartite na transição, e assim da importância do primeiro no estabelecimento de correlações de longo alcance. Nessa tarefa, acabamos por definir uma classe de medidas de emaranhamento multipartite, generalizando o Emaranhamento Global introduzido por Meyer e Wallach em2002. Mostramos que algumas destas classes provêem informações adicionais à do Emaranhamento Global, além de serem escritas de forma simples em termos de funções de correlação. Tal simplicidade permite o estabelecimento de uma relação formal entre uma dessas classes e transições de fase sinalizadas por divergências na energia. Ao final estudamos o papel da quebra de simetria no emaranhamento bipartite e multipartite, evidenciando, uma vez mais, a maior importância do último em relação ao primeiro. Em uma segunda parte, examinamos o uso de estados de produtos de matrizes na aproximação de estados fundamentais de sistemas críticos. Estes estados podem ser vistos como o ansatz utilizado no Grupo de Renormalização de Matriz Densidade (DMRG), quando este é encarado como um método variacional. Analisando o poder de aproximação de tais estados, agora no modelo de Ising, descobrimos que a "dimensão" do ansatz (ou número de graus de liberdade renormalizados) é uma variável relevante do grupo de renormalização de maneira análoga ao tamanho finito do sistema. Isto possibilita uma análise de escala em relação a essa "dimensão" dos estados de produto de matrizes, com uma possível obtenção de propriedades críticas a baixo custo computacional / Abstract: This thesis attempts to contribute to the understanding of possible connections between Quantum Information and Condensed Matter theories, a new field of research in broad development. Specifically, we investigated the role of entanglement, or quantumcorrelations, in continuous quantum phase transitions. While the importance of the first in the theory of Quantum Information is well known dispense presentation, the latter are of great interest as they exhibit a universal behavior, which descent fromthe divergence of the correlation length. This mutual origin of both in correlations is what creates an expectation of a possible link between them. Our work, based on the study of XY dimensional model in a transverse field, brings evidence of multipartite entanglement being favored, in detriment of bipartite in the transition, and thus in the importance of the first in the establishment of long-range correlations. During our journey, we define a class of measures of multipartite entanglement, generalising the Global Entanglement introduced by Meyer and Wallach in 2002. We show that some of these classes provide additional information to the Global Entanglement, as well as being written in a simple way in terms of correlation functions . This simplicity allows the establishment of a formal relationship between those classes and phases transitions marked by non-analycities in the energy. At the end, we studied the role of spontaneous symmetry breaking in the bipartite and multipartite entanglement, demonstrating once again a major role of the last over the first. In a second part, we examine the use of Matrix Product States to approximate ground states of critical systems. This class of states can be seen as the ansatz used in the Density Matrix Renormalization Group (DMRG), when this one is understood as a variational method. Analyzing the power of approximation of these states, now in Ising model, we found that the "dimension" of the ansatz (or number of renormalized degrees of freedom) is a relevant variable in the renormalization group, in a analogous way to the finite size of the system. This enables an analysis of scaling regarding the "size" of Matrix Product States, with a possible acquisition of critical properties at low computation cost / Doutorado / Física da Matéria Condensada / Doutor em Ciências

As teorias científicas surgiram da necessidade do homem entender o funcionamento das coisas. Novos métodos e técnicas são então criados com o objetivo não só de melhor compreender, mas também de desenvolver essas próprias teorias. Nesta dissertação, vamos estudar várias dessas técnicas (aqui chamadas de algoritmos) com o objetivo de obter estados fundamentais em sistemas de spin e de revelar suas possíveis propriedades de auto-organização crítica. No segundo capítulo desta dissertação, apresentamos os algoritmos de otimização: simulated annealing, algoritmo genético, otimização extrema (EO) e evolutivo de Bak-Sneppen (BS). No terceiro capítulo apresentamos o conceito de criticalidade auto-organizada (SOC), usando como exemplo o modelo da pilha de areia. Para uma melhor compreensão da importância da criticalidade auto-organizada, apresentamos vários outros exemplos de onde o fenômeno é observado. No quarto capítulo apresentamos o modelo de relógio quiral de p-estados que será nosso sistema de testes. No caso unidimensional, determinamos a matriz de transferência e utilizamos o teorema de Perron-Frobenius para provar a inexistência de transição de fase a temperaturas finitas a temperaturas finitas. Esboçamos os diagramas de fases dos estados fundamentais que obtivemos de maneira analítica e numérica para os casos de p = 2, 3, 4, 5 e 6, no caso numérico fazendo uso do algoritmo de Bak-Sneppen com sorteio (BSS). Apresentamos ainda um breve estudo do número de mínimos locais para o modelo de relógio quiral de p-estados, para os casos de p = 3 e 4. Por último, no quinto capítulo, propomos uma dinâmica Bak-Sneppen com ruído (BSR) como uma nova técnica de otimização para tratar sistemas discretos. O ruído é introduzido diretamente no espaço de configuração de spins. Conseqüentemente, o fitness (adaptabilidade) passa a assumir valores contínuos, num pequeno intervalo em torno do seu valor original (discreto). Os resultados dessa dinâmica indicam a presença de criticalidade auto-organizada, evidenciada pelo decaimento em leis de potências das correlações espacial e temporal. Também estudamos o método EO e obtivemos uma confirmação numérica de que sua dinâmica exibe um comportamento não crítico com alcance espacial infinito e decaimento exponencial das avalanches. Finalmente, para o modelo de relógio quiral, comparamos a eficiência das três dinâmicas (EO, BSS e BSR) no que tange às suas habilidades de encontrar o estado fundamental do sistema. / In order to understand how things work, man has formulated scientific theories. New methods and techniques have been created not only to increase our understanding on the subject but also to develop and even expand those theories. In this thesis, we study several techniques (here called algorithms) designed with the objective to get the ground states of some spin systems and eventually to reveal possible properties of critical self-organization. In the second chapter, we introduce four fundamental optimization algorithms: simulated annealing, genetics algorithms, extremal optimization (EO) and Bak-Sneppen (BS). In the third chapter we present the concept of self-organized criticality (SOC), using as an example the sandpile model. To understand the importance of the self-organized criticality, we show many other situations where the phenomenon can be observed. In the fourth chapter, we introduce the p-states chiral clock model. This will be our test or toy system. For the one-dimensional case, we first determined the corresponding transfer-matrix and then proved the nonexistence of phase transitions by using the Perron-Frobenius theorem. We calculate the ground state phase diagrams both analytically and numerically in the cases of p = 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. We also present a brief study of the number of local minima for the cases p = 3 and 4 of the chiral clock model. Finally, in the fifth chapter, we propose a Bak-Sneppen dynamics with noise (BSN) as a new technique of optimization to treat discrete systems. The noise is directly introduced into the spin configuration space. Consequently, the fitness now take values in a continuum but small interval around its original value (discrete). The results of this dynamics indicate the presence of self-organized criticality, which becomes evident with the power law scaling of the spacial and temporal correlations. We also study the EO algorithm and found a numerical con_rmation that it does not show a critical behavior since it has an in_nite space range and an exponential decay of the avalanches. At the end, we compare the e_ciency of the three dynamics (EO, BSD and BSN) for the chiral clock model, concerning their abilities to _nd the system\'s ground state.

[pt] Esta tese busca utilizar os novos conceitos físicos relacionados à física do estado sólido e à mecânica estatística - teoria do caos e geometria fractal - na análise do comportamento de sistemas dinâmicos não-lineares. Mais pormenorizadamente, trata-se de estudar o comportamento de um modelo numérico elasto-plástico com função de escoamento de Mohr-Coulomb, usualmente empregado em simulações de materiais geológicos - cimentados ou não -, quando submetido a carregamentos externos, situação esta geralmente encontrada em problemas afeitos à mecânica dos solos e das rochas (p/ex., estabilidade de taludes e escavações subterrâneas). Mostra-se que tal modelo geomecânico de muitos corpos (many-body) interagentes é conduzido espontaneamente, ao longo de sua evolução temporal, à chamada criticalidade auto-organizada (self- organized criticality - SOC), estado caracterizado por apresentar evolução na fronteira entre ordem e caos, sensibilidade extrema a qualquer pequena perturbação, e desenvolvimento de interações espaço-temporais de longo alcance. Como a evolução de qualquer sistema dinâmico pode ser vista como um fluxo ininterrupto de informações entre suas partes constituintes, avaliou-se, para tal sistema, a entropia de Tsallis, formulação original proposta pelo físico brasileiro Constantino Tsallis, do Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas (CBPF), tendo se mostrado adequada à sua descrição. Em especial, determinou-se para tal sistema, pela primeira vez, o valor do índice entrópico, que parametriza a aludida forma entrópica alternativa. Ademais, como é característico de sistemas fora do equilíbrio regidos por uma dinâmica de limiar, mostra-se que tal sistema geomecânico, durante o seu desenvolvimento, teve a sua simetria translacional inicial quebrada, sendo substituída pela simetria por escala, auto-semelhante (i.é., fractal). Em decorrência, o modelo exibe a chamada invariância discreta de escala (discrete scale invariance - DSI), fruto do processo mesmo de ruptura progressiva do material heterogêneo. Especificamente, as simulações numéricas sugeriram que o processo de ruptura progressiva do material elasto-plástico se dá por uma transferência multiplicativa de tensões, em diferentes escalas de observação hierarquicamente dispostas, acarretando o aparecimento de sinais bastante peculiares, caracterizados por desvios oscilatórios sistemáticos do padrão em lei de potência, o que possibilita a previsão de sua ruína, quando ainda em fase preparatória. Assim, esta pesquisa mostrou a eficiência de tal método de previsão, aplicado, pela primeira vez, não somente aos resultados das simulações numéricas do referido modelo geomecânico, como aos ensaios de laboratório em rochas sedimentares, realizados no Centro de Pesquisas da Petrobrás (CENPES). Por fim, é interessante assinalar que o material elasto-plástico investigado neste trabalho teve seu comportamento compartilhado por um modelo matemático bastante simples, fundamentado na função binomial multifractal, reconhecida por descrever processos multiplicativos em diferentes escalas. / [en] This thesis aims at applying new concepts from solid state physics and statistical mechanics - chaos theory and fractal geometry - to the study of nonlinear dynamic systems. More precisely, it deals with a two-dimensional continuum elastoplastic Mohr-Coulomb model, commonly used to simulate pressure-sensitive materials (e.g., soils, rocks and concrete) subjected to stress-strain fields, normally found in general soil or rock mechanics problems (e.g., slope stability and underground excavations). It is shown that such many-body system is spontaneously driven to a state at the edge of chaos, called self- organized criticality (SOC), capable of developing long- range interactions in space and long-range memory in time. A new entropic form proposed by C. Tsallis is presented and shown that it is the suitable theoretical framework to deal with these problems. Furthermore, the index q of the Tsallis entropy, which measures the degree of non- additivity of the system, is calculated, for the first time, for an elastoplastic model. In addition, as is usual in non-equilibrium systems with threshold dynamics, the model changes its symmetry, from translational to fractal (that is, self-similar), leading to what is called discrete scale invariance. It is shown that this special type of scale invariance, characterized by systematic oscillatory deviations from the fundamental power-law behavior, can be used to predict the failure of heterogeneous materials, while the process is still being build-up, i.e., from precursory signals, typical of progressive failure processes. Specifically, this framework was applied, for the first time, not only to the elastoplastic geomechanical model, but to laboratory tests in sedimentary rocks as well. Finally, it is interesting to realize that the above- mentioned behaviors are also displayed by the binomial multifractal function, known to adequately describe multiplicative cascading processes.

There is a saying that we should not attempt to fix what is not broken, but we cannot afford to stick tothat mindset if we want to be able to design products and services that matter to the user. We shouldbroaden our views, explore new things and see what we can learn from them and use that knowledge toexpand on our existing methods. In recent years there have been a lot of work regarding how normsinfluence us to act and feel in certain ways, what if the knowledge behind norms could be utilized withindesign? To answer this question a study was conducted where two so called norm creative methodswere tested in a series of focus groups to see what potential the methods held in regard to improvingexisting methods or serve as basis for the creation new methods within user research.

This thesis is concerned with the analysis of economic network formation. There are three novel sections to this thesis (Chapters 5, 6 and 8). In the first, the non-cooperative communication network formation model of Bala and Goyal (2000) (BG) is re-assessed under conditions of no inertia. It is found that the Strict Nash circle (or wheel) structure is still the equilibrium outcome for n = 3 under no inertia. However, a counter-example for n = 4 shows that with no inertia infinite cycles are possible, and hence the system does not converge. In fact, cycles are found to quickly dominate outcomes for n > 4 and further numerical simulations of conditions approximating no inertia (probability of updating > 0.8 to 1) indicate that cycles account for a dramatic slowing of convergence times. These results, together with the experimental evidence of Falk and Kosfeld (2003) (FK) motivate the second contribution of this thesis. A novel artificial agent model is constructed that allows for a vast strategy space (including the Best Response) and permits agents to learn from each other as was indicated by the FK results. After calibration, this model replicates many of the FK experimental results and finds that an externality exploiting ratio of benefits and costs (rather than the difference) combined with a simple altruism score is a good proxy for the human objective function. Furthermore, the inequity aversion results of FK are found to arise as an emergent property of the system. The third novel section of this thesis turns to the nature of network formation in a trust-based context. A modified Iterated Prisoners' Dilemma (IPD) model is developed which enables agents to play an additional and costly network forming action. Initially, canonical analytical results are obtained despite this modification under uniform (non-local) interactions. However, as agent network decisions are 'turned on' persistent cooperation is observed. Furthermore, in contrast to the vast majority of non-local, or static network models in the literature, it is found that a-periodic, complex dynamics result for the system in the long-run. Subsequent analysis of this regime indicates that the network dynamics have fingerprints of self-organized criticality (SOC). Whilst evidence for SOC is found in many physical systems, such dynamics have been seldom, if ever, reported in the strategic interaction literature.

Das Auftreten von Supraleitung in Systemen mit schweren Fermionen, erstmals entdeckt in CeCu_2Si_2, wird mit der Nähe zu einem quantenkritischen Punkt in Verbindung gebracht. Daraus ergibt sich ein komplexes Zusammenspiel von Magnetismus und Supraleitung, das in der vorliegenden Arbeit durch Messungen der spezifischen Wärme, der Wechselfeldsuszeptibilität und durch inelastische Neutronenstreuexperimente an verschiedenen Einkristallen von CeCu_2(Si_{1-x}Ge_x)_2 untersucht wird. Der Schwerpunkt liegt auf der genauen Charakterisierung des magnetischen Anregungsspektrums von CeCu_2Si_2 des S-Typs. Die Ergebnisse der Neutronenstreumessungen implizieren stark, dass die Kopplung der supraleitenden Cooper-Paare durch überdämpfte Spinfluktuationen vermittelt wird, die in der Umgebung eines Quantenphasenübergangs gehäuft auftreten. Unter Substitution einiger Si- durch Ge-Atome in CeCu_2Si_2 stabilisiert sich die magnetische Ordnung, und die Supraleitung wird zunehmend unterdrückt. Neutronenstreumessungen ergeben, dass dies bei 2 % Ge-Substitution dazu führt, dass sich Magnetismus und Supraleitung gegenseitig verdrängen, während sie bei 10 % Ge-Substitution mikroskopisch koexistieren. - (Die Dissertation ist veröffentlicht im Logos Verlag Berlin GmbH, Berlin, Deutschland, http://www.logos-verlag.de, ISBN: 978-3-8325-2456-2) / The occurrence of superconductivity in systems with heavy fermions, discovered for the first time in CeCu_2Si_2, is often linked to the vicinity of a quantum critical point. This results in a complex interplay of magnetism and superconductivity, which is studied by means of specific heat and ac susceptibility measurements as well as neutron scattering experiments on different single crystals of CeCu_2(Si_{1-x}Ge_x)_2 in the present thesis. The focus is put on the detailed characterisation of the magnetic excitation spectrum in S-type CeCu_2Si_2. Neutron scattering results strongly imply that the coupling of superconducting Cooper pairs is mediated by overdamped spin fluctuations, which accumulate in the vicinity of a quantum phase transition. By substituting Si by Ge atoms in CeCu_2Si_2 magnetic order is stabilised and superconductivity successively suppressed. Neutron scattering experiments demonstrate that 2 % Ge substitution leads to magnetic order being displaced by superconductivity on decreasing temperature, whereas both coexist microscopically in the case of 10 % Ge substitution.

The present knowledge of angular distributions of neutron-induced fission is limited to a maximal energy of 15 MeV, with large discrepancies around 14 MeV. Only 238U and 232Th have been investigated up to 100 MeV in a single experiment. The n_TOF Collaboration performed the fission cross section measurement of several actinides (232Th, 235U, 238U, 234U, 237Np) at the n_TOF facility using an experimental set-up made of Parallel Plate Avalanche Counters (PPAC), extending the energy domain of the incident neutron above hundreds of MeV. The method based on the detection of the 2 fragments in coincidence allowed to clearly disentangle the fission reactions among other types of reactions occurring in the spallation domain. I will show the methods we used to reconstruct the full angular resolution by the tracking of fission fragments. Below 10 MeV our results are consistent with existing data. For example in the case of 232Th, below 10 MeV the results show clearly the variation occurring at the first (1 MeV) and second (7 MeV) chance fission, corresponding to transition states of given J and K (total spin and its projection on the fission axis), and a much more accurate energy dependence at the 3rd chance threshold (14 MeV) has been obtained. In the spallation domain, above 30 MeV we confirm the high anisotropy revealed in 232Th by the single existing data set. I'll discuss the implications of this finding, related to the low anisotropy exhibited in proton-induced fission. I also explore the critical experiments which is valuable checks of nuclear data. The 237Np neutron-induced fission cross section has recently been measured in a large energy range (from eV to GeV) at the n TOF facility at CERN. When compared to previous measurements, the n TOF fission cross section appears to be higher by 5-7 % beyond the fission threshold. To check the relevance of n TOF data, we simulate a criticality experiment performed at Los Alamos with a 6 kg sphere of 237Np. This sphere was surrounded by enriched uranium 235U so as to approach criticality with fast neutrons. The simulation predicts a multiplication factor keff in better agreement with the experiment (the deviation of 750 pcm is reduced to 250 pcm) when we replace the ENDF/B- VII.0 evaluation of the 237Np fission cross section by the n TOF data. We also explore the hypothesis of deficiencies of the inelastic cross section in 235U which has been invoked by some authors to explain the deviation of 750 pcm. The large distortion that should be applied to the inelastic cross sections in order to reconcile the critical experiment with its simulation is incompatible with existing measurements. Also we show that the nubar of 237Np can hardly be incriminated because of the high accuracy of the existing data. Fission rate ratios or averaged fission cross sections measured in several fast neutron fields seem to give contradictory results on the validation of the 237Np cross section but at least one of the benchmark experiments, where the active deposits have been well calibrated for the number of atoms, favors the n TOF data set. These outcomes support the hypothesis of a higher fission cross section of 237Np.