The aim of this study was to explore women's perceptions of ageing in order to shed light on how individual women feel about getting older. The qualitative interpretive research paradigm was chosen for the purposes of this study. In-depth interviews were held with three women who gave their accounts of their perceptions of ageing. The data was analysed using hermeneutic thematic analysis. The accounts of the participants were reconstructed in terms of themes which emerged. Recurring themes in the accounts of all three participants were linked with the literature. This study provided rich descriptions of women's perceptions of ageing and helped to create new insights and meanings both for the participants and the readers. The information gained could serve as guidelines for clinical practice and future research. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Nous nous sommes donné pour objectif d'étudier les questions posées par la traduction littéraire en B à partir du coréen effectuée en binôme par un traducteur coréen et un cotraducteur spécialiste de la langue d'arrivée, et d'en préciser les conditions de réussite.En matière littéraire du coréen vers le français, ce couplage vise à pallier l'absence de traducteurs français capables de travailler seuls.L'opération traduisante étant effectuée par des traducteurs coréens travaillant en B, l'exigence formelle de la traduction littéraire implique l'intervention d'un réviseur français.De plus en plus d'œuvres coréennes sont traduites selon cette modalité et publiées en France. Nous avons analysé les différentes étapes du processus, de la compréhension à la réexpression, à la lumière e la théorie interprétative de la traduction en tentant de montrer pourquoi le concept clé de la déverbalisation légitime la cotraduction, l'activité traduisante étant une opération de texte à texte, non de langue à langue. La première partie de notre recherche est consacrée à l'étude du cadre théorique (définition des notions auxquelles nous recourons, description de la théorie interprétative) et pratique (aperçu de l'état présent de la traduction française des textes littéraires coréens). Dans la deuxième partie, nous avons analysé des exemples de traduction en montrant le cheminement des échanges entre le traducteur et le cotraducteur, et en précisant la nature du guidage donné par le premier au second ainsi que la nature de la contribution de ce dernier. Nous aboutissons à la conclusion qu'une pratique souvent considérée seulement comme un pis-aller peut prétendre à produire des textes d'une réelle qualité littéraire dès lors que la technique mise en œuvre respecte les conditions que nous tentons de définir ici. / Our aim was to study the issue of literary translation when it is carried into the B language of the translator (here from Korean to French) with the assistance of a co-translator native speaker of the target language and to point out the conditions of success. In the field of literary translation from Korean into French, this kind of team-work aims at overcoming the lack of French translators able to produce literary standard translations by themselves. When the translation is done by a Korean translator working into his B language, a thorough work of editing and rewriting is required due to the formal requirements of literary writing. An increasing number of Korean novels and short stories are translated by such a dual team and published in France.We analyze the different steps of the process of translation, from understanding to reformulation in the light of the Interpretive Theory of Translation, trying to show why the key concept of “de-verbalization” makes co-translation justifiable, translation being defined as an operation from text to text not from language to language.The first part of our research is devoted to the theoretical aspects of our study (definition of some key notions, mainly of the Interpretive Theory of Translation) and its practical aspects (general survey of translated Korean literary works into French). In the second part, we analyze a large number of our translation samples with the objective of showing the sort of dialog the translator and her co-translator entertain, and underlining the nature of guidance proposed by the first one to second one and the contribution of the last one.Our conclusion is that, thanks to this dual-team process, often wrongly considered as a lesser evil, we are able to produce quality literary translation provided that the method implemented takes into account the conditions we describe here.

The software development continues to become more competitive and demanding, placing pressure on developers. Changes in the international political climate have resulted in shrinking military budgets, putting developers of defence software under further pressure. At present, systematic reuse is probably the most realistic way of addressing this pressure by improving software development productivity and quality. Software product line (SPL) engineering provides a comprehensive approach to systematic software reuse and is becoming widely accepted. The focus of this interpretive case study was ground station software development in a small multidisciplinary project-centric company which produces avionics systems for military aircraft. The purpose of the study was to investigate the potential implementation of systematic software reuse in the company. The study consisted of three phases, a literature study, a contextualisation and a set of field interviews, and used elements of the Carnegie-Mellon Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Product Line Practice Framework to examine the suitability of SPL engineering for the company. The findings of the study highlight the potential challenges that SPL engineering poses for the company, and emphasise how the company's project-centric structure could impede its implementation of systematic software reuse. / Computing / M.Sc. (Information Systems)

An increasing number of reports indicate that managers are opposed to performance appraisal. It is important to understand why managers have favourable or unfavourable attitudes towards performance appraisal and it is necessary to investigate the causing factors of these attitudes. The aim of this research was therefore to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that influence managers’ attitudes towards performance appraisal. This study was conducted within the interpretive research paradigm and situated in a medium-sized organisation within the financial services industry. The sample was purposefully selected and the data were collected through in-depth interviews and naïve sketches. The data were analysed applying Tesch’s descriptive analysis method. The main findings indicated that managers who needed to conduct performance appraisals perceived and experienced performance appraisal as an uncomfortable and emotional process that might cause them to become defensive. Moreover, it was revealed that the managers experienced uncertainties about aspects of performance appraisal, such as the purpose of performance appraisal, what must be measured and frequency of performance appraisal. As a result of such uncertainties, managers might not always have the ability or readiness to conduct performance appraisals, especially when the performance appraisal contains negative performance feedback. Furthermore, the organisational context might put managers in an undesirable situation to distort performance ratings of employees in order to achieve organisational goals or the manager’s personal goals, which in turn influence the attitude of the manager. The findings of the study can assist organisations in influencing managers’ attitudes more positively and in enhancing the overall performance appraisal process. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The main aim of this diploma thesis is to work out the optimization project proposal of the interpretive trails in the selected area of the Třeboň basin. The result of the optimization is creation of new product in the area of interest. The aim of the project is to contribute to the revival of some places in the nature trail through the innovative product.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Understanding enterprise and performing actions to achieve the desired goals is to unravel the rules, customs, habits, social rules, dreams, emotions and meanings that constitute it. It is to recognize that economic rationality is intertwined with subjectivity, ultimately. It is to understand the individuals and the relationships they build their organizational culture. Interpreting the culture of an organization is to recognize the ambiguities arising from experiences that are unique to each individual who composes it and cannot be given a concept that refers only to homogeneity. The culture is heterogeneous, composed simultaneously by consensus, clarity and consistency of events. It is formed by the differences, making subcultures and it is ambiguous in that consensus, clarity and consistency exist in certain circumstances, being ephemeral.In a family business functions and activities of the company are fostered by relatives. The enterprise starts the process of growth and there are multiple challenging and limiting factors to their continuity, allowing or not that the business can persist over generations and by time developing activities toward the future and achieving long-term success. Organizational culture may be indicated as a factor taxpayer of the continuity of family businesses, emerging from the need to understand which would be the events in those companies that interfere in its perpetuity. Therefore, the aim of this study is to answer as the cultural events, from the standpoint of integration, differentiation and fragmentation of a family organization at Uberlandia, act limiting and/or enabling its continuity? The study has a qualitative approach and it is descriptive. The method of procedure used was based in ethnography. The case study was used as a strategy to reach the proposed objective. As regards to techniques for data collection were used non-participant observation, participant observation and search for documents focusing on five categories: How Things Work, The jokes that people make; Adequacy of Physical Structure and Equipment, Remuneration Policy and Relationships Among Pairs and Other Groups. For data interpretation, a content analysis and discourse analysis were performed. The choice of object was caused by information that characterized the enterprise declaredly a family organization. It was noted that the marked influence of organizational culture in the universe of these enterprises as well as revealed characteristics associated with cultural events which unveiled topics allowing the enrichment of literature and contributing to studies on family businesses. The presence of an organizational culture from the perspective of integration, differentiation and comminution could be verified. At the same time the culture had demonstrations that can enable its continuity. Other events that go against them, limiting perpetuity, were found. Or due to interweaving of family and business, that permeates the culture of the organization, constantly linking the two institutions, there is the presence of events, which limit both its continuity as possible, simultaneously. It was noted that relative influence not only is one of these enterprises but also is essential, directing and motivating the harmony of the organizational system / Compreender uma empresa e executar ações para alcançar os objetivos desejados, é desvendar as normas, costumes, hábitos, regras sociais, sonhos, emoções e significados que a constituem; é reconhecer que a racionalidade econômica se entretece com a subjetividade; enfim, é entender os indivíduos e as relações que constroem a sua Cultura Organizacional. Interpretar a cultura de uma organização é reconhecer as ambiguidades resultantes das experiências que são próprias a cada indivíduo que a compõe, não podendo assim, ser-lhe atribuída uma noção que remete apenas à homogeneidade. A cultura é heterogênea, composta simultaneamente pelo consenso, claridade e consistência das manifestações; é formada pelas diferenças, compondo subculturas; e é ambígua, em que o consenso, a clareza e a consistência existem em determinadas circunstâncias, sendo efêmeros. No negócio de família as funções e atividades da empresa estão amparadas pelos familiares. A empresa inicia o processo de crescimento e surgem múltiplos fatores, instigantes e limitantes de sua continuidade, permitindo, ou não, que o negócio possa se perpetuar por gerações e pelo tempo desenvolvendo as atividades em direção ao futuro e obtendo sucesso em longo prazo. A cultura organizacional pode ser apontada como fator contribuinte da continuidade das empresas familiares, emergindo a necessidade de compreender quais seriam, então, as manifestações imbricadas nessas empresas que interferem em sua perpetuidade. Assim, a proposta deste trabalho é responder como as manifestações culturais, sob a perspectiva da integração, diferenciação e fragmentação, de uma organização familiar de Uberlândia, atuam limitando e/ou possibilitando à sua continuidade? O estudo possui abordagem qualitativa e é descritivo. O método de procedimento utilizado buscou aporte na etnografia. O estudo de caso foi utilizado como uma estratégia para alcançar o objetivo proposto. No que se refere às técnicas para coleta de dados foram utilizadas a observação não participante; observação participante e; pesquisa de documentos, centradas em cinco categorias: Como as Coisas Funcionam; As Brincadeiras e Piadas que as Pessoas Fazem; Adequação da Estrutura Física e Equipamentos; Política de Remuneração; e Relacionamento Entre os Pares e Outros Grupos. Para interpretação dos dados, foi realizada a análise de conteúdo e análise de discurso. A escolha do objeto se deveu por informações que caracterizavam a empresa, declaradamente, uma organização familiar. Foi constatada a influência marcante da cultura organizacional no universo dessas empresas, bem como reveladas características associadas as manifestações culturais, que desvendaram temas, possibilitando o enriquecimento da literatura e contribuindo com os estudos sobre empresas familiares. Pôde ser verificada a presença de uma cultura organizacional sob a perspectiva da integração, diferenciação e fragmentação. Ao mesmo tempo em que a cultura apresentou manifestações que podem possibilitar sua continuidade, foram encontradas outras manifestações, que vão de encontro destas, limitando a perpetuidade. Ou ainda, devido ao entretecimento entre família e empresa, que perpassa pela cultura da organização, estar constantemente associando ambas as instituições, há a presença de manifestações, tanto que limitam como possibilitam sua continuidade, simultaneamente. Pôde ser verificado que a influência familiar não só faz parte dessas empresas, como também são imprescindíveis, direcionando e motivando a harmonia do sistema organizacional. / Mestre em Administração

A key part in the development and verification of digital systems is simulation. But hardware simulators are expensive, and software simulation is not fast enough for designs with a large number of gates. As today’s digital zesigns constantly grow in size (number of gates), and that trend shows no signs to end, faster simulators handling millions of gates are needed. We investigate how to create a software gate-level simulator able to simulate a high number of gates fast. This involves a trade-off between memory requirement and speed. A compact netlist representation can utilize cache memories more efficient but requires more work to interpret, while high memory requirements can limit the performance to the speed of main memory. We have selected the Counting Algorithm to implement the experimental simulator MICA. The main reasons for this choice is the compact way in which gates can be stored, but still be evaluated in a simple and standard way. The report describes the issues and solutions encountered and evaluate the resulting simulator. MICA simulates a SPARC architecture processor called Leon. Larger netlists are achieved by simulating several instances of this processor. Simulation of 128 instances is done at a speed of 9 million gates per second using only 3.5MB memory. In MICA this design correspond to 2.5 million gates.

As síndromes coronarianas agudas são responsáveis por uma elevada taxa de mortalidade no Brasil e no Mundo. As falhas diagnósticas, principalmente quando o paciente é atendido em serviços de pronto socorro, por clínicos gerais, certamente contribuem para esse quadro, embora amenizadas pelos sistemas cardiológicos de tele-medicina. Entretanto, muitos serviços de emergência não têm acesso a esses sistemas e, além disso, possuem uma limitada capacidade diagnóstica em casos de coronariopatia aguda. Neste trabalho foi desenvolvido um sistema de inteligência artificial baseado na lógica \"fuzzy\", capaz de auxiliar um médico generalista no diagnóstico desses casos, sem fazer uso de tele-medicina, nem de exames laboratoriais. O sistema utiliza um eletrocardiógrafo interpretativo para suprir as deficiências do médico na análise do eletrocardiograma. Usando a história clínica, o exame físico e o laudo eletrocardiográfico automático, dados são inseridos em uma planilha Excel que fornece uma sugestão de diagnóstico e de respectiva conduta terapêutica. O sistema demonstrou um bom desempenho, sendo, assim, uma solução viável e de baixo custo para o diagnóstico precoce de síndromes coronarianas agudas em unidades primárias de pronto socorro. / Acute coronary syndromes are responsible for a high mortality rate in Brazil and worldwide. Diagnostic failures, especially when the patient is treated in emergency services by general practitioners, certainly contribute to this condition, although tele-medicine cardiology systems are possibly responsible for the reduction of that mortality rate. However, many services do not have access to these systems and also have a limited diagnostic capacity for diagnosing cases of acute coronary disease. We have developed an artificial intelligence system using elements of \"fuzzy\" logic, capable of assisting a general practitioner in the diagnostic of these cases, without making use of tele-medicine or laboratory tests. The system uses an interpretive electrocardiograph that can overcome the general practitioners\' deficiencies in the analysis of the electrocardiogram. The physician, starting from the important elements of the clinical history, the physical examination and the electrocardiogram automatic report, enters data into an Excel program that will provide a suggestion of diagnostic and therapeutic management. The system is low cost and has shown great performance, so it is a viable solution to the problem of early diagnostic of acute coronary syndromes in primary emergency units.

Hamad Medical Corporation, the main healthcare provider in the state of Qatar, sponsored this study to investigate the use of electronic records management as the basis for a novel information management system in its Nursing Department. To assess the viability of an electronic records management system a questionnaire survey of a representative sample of the staff and interviews with key post holders were under taken. Results obtained indicated a wide spread dissatisfaction with the existing manual system. However, introduction of any computer-based technology requires great care. To assist with identifying any issues with this technological change, Soft System Methodology (SSM) was employed to discern what changes could be made to improve the current problematic situation found in the Nursing Department. In fact the change archetypes uncovered (procedural, attitudinal, structural and cultural) formed an innovative input into obtaining a roadmap for development of the electronic staff records system. This roadmap was facilitated by the use of Nominal Group Technique (NGT) and Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM): In fact the roadmap was an ISM intent structure. The roadmap suggested that change could be affected by having written policy documents and the top goal to be achieved reflected an improvement in manpower placing and budgetary forecasts. The use of a multi-methods approach meant that as well as this study's main objectives being reached, the process encompassed some methodological innovations. This study is the first to use the output of SSM to facilitate the NGT and ISM interactions. Equally, it is the first study of its sort to be applied to the Nursing Department at HMC, Qatar, which is an example of a cross-cultural eastern philosophical tradition. The methods used here revealed some significant findings, and have helped in the development of an electronic records management system for use at HMC, Qatar.

Selected South African high school students’ perceptions of stereotypes in William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” are the center of attention in an attempt to establish or refute the existence of a uniform interpretation in the interpretive community. The textual reader responses were collected by using a questionnaire. The results show that the respondents use stereotypes to understand encounters with literary texts and as tools to connect the content of the text with their own experiences. The stereotypes also provide a framework for the readers to position themselves with or against the text and the depicted characters. Consequently, the female respondents are more inclined to distance themselves from sexist values than the male readers. Next to all the readers condemn racist values and racist language detectable in the text. Overall, the readers distance themselves from negative values and identify themselves with positive values. The results show that readers use a variety of stereotypes as aids to interpret the characters, events, values and structure of society in “A Rose for Emily”.