We extend Urban's construction of eigenvarieties for reductive groups G such that G(R) has discrete series to include characteristic p points at the boundary of weight space. In order to perform this construction, we define a notion of "locally analytic" functions and distributions on a locally Q_p-analytic manifold taking values in a complete Tate Z_p-algebra in which p is not necessarily invertible. Our definition agrees with the definition of locally analytic distributions on p-adic Lie groups given by Johansson and Newton.

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This thesis brings together three studies, beginning with a preliminary qualitative study to survey the scene, and expanding by means of corroboration by an actual survey with a questionnaire, in order to investigate the mechanisms of foreign language anxiety (FLA). Surveying the scene by collecting exploratory qualitative and quantitative data from anxious learners, for gaining new insights from these individuals' perspectives, provided first the insight and then the necessary evidence that reframing anxiety as the "anxious self" - anxious about what to do in L2 classes or L2 spoken environments, about how others will respond and about the likelihood of taking successful action in L2 when necessary - might offer a useful approach to link anxiety research to other areas of second language acquisition (SLA), where the importance of the self-concept has been recognised, as well as to clinical psychology, which has long employed relaxation, guided-imagery and systematic de-sensitization in shaping the self-concept of the individual. A five-week intervention programme, based on this new approach, was designed with the purpose of reducing learners' anxiety levels. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative measures, the impact of the programme on Turkish learners of English was documented, and results indicated that participants showed significantly lower levels of language anxiety, neuroticism, L2 (second language) stage fright, safety-seeking behaviours and quitting tendencies at the end of the programme. The findings also confirmed that visualisation training helped learners to improve their anxious self images, which resulted in increased levels of self-confidence and resilience to anxiety. The employment of relaxation techniques was shown to effectively relieve the somatic symptoms of language anxiety. The use of systematic de-sensitization activities showed positive results over the course of the study, supporting participants' ability to remain relaxed in anxiety-provoking situations. Co-operation and rapport in the classroom had also improved by the end of the programme and findings confirmed that conceptualising anxiety as a dimension of self could be a productive and effective approach, offering rich pedagogical implications.

Vocabulary knowledge is a multifaceted construct for which complete command comprises mastering various types of knowledge. Achieving this full mastery is deemed challenging and problematic for second language learners, and yet it is key for successful and appropriate language use (Webb & Nation, 2017). By understanding how these various kinds of knowledge behave and relate, practitioners can better systematise when and how they are introduced to the students, and thus facilitate the overall vocabulary learning process. Nevertheless, little is known about how these multiple types of word knowledge are acquired by learners of a second/foreign language. This thesis attempts to contribute to bridging this gap by empirically exploring the knowledge, acquisition and conceptualisation of overall vocabulary knowledge in second languages. Five studies are devoted to this aim. Study 1 examined the knowledge and order of acquisition of four different components of vocabulary knowledge (form–meaning link, collocations, derivatives and multiple meanings) in recall and recognition. It shows that those components vary considerably in their difficulty for second language (L2) learners, and implicational scaling analysis revealed that a consistent order of acquisition of these components can be established. Study 2 investigated how various factors typically identified as influencing vocabulary learning affect the mastery of those four word knowledge components. The results suggest that cognateness status of the target words has the strongest effect on knowledge of most vocabulary aspects by Spanish learners of L2 English, followed by frequency and proficiency. Importantly, this cognate influence raised the question of whether the order of acquisition of word knowledge components retrieved in Study 1 was unique to L2 English learners of cognate languages. Study 3 explored the theoretical conceptualisation of vocabulary knowledge by attempting to provide empirical support for its multidimensionality. Structural equation modelling analyses exposed that the various types of vocabulary knowledge were so interconnected that they could not be considered separate dimensions. This finding suggests that the different aspects of vocabulary knowledge are better seen as various word knowledge difficulty levels that comprise a unidimensional construct. Finally, Studies 4 and 5 tried to provide generalisability to the previous findings by replicating Studies 1 and 3, respectively, with Chinese L2 learners of English. Study 4 investigated the hypothesis that the order of acquisition outlined in Study 1 for Spanish learners depended partially on the cognate status of the participants’ language. The implicational scaling analysis with the non-cognate Chinese population, however, corroborated the order of acquisition of vocabulary aspects previously suggested, indicating that a universal vocabulary acquisition order might exist. Study 5 also confirmed the finding that vocabulary knowledge is not empirically multidimensional. In addition, it provided evidence for the fact that the vocabulary knowledge construct functions similarly across the Chinese and Spanish learners of English as a unidimensional concept. Taken together, the results presented in this thesis support the notion that mastering the various components involved in word knowledge is a slow and incremental process, and demonstrate that some of them seem to be consistently acquired before others. Nonetheless, the findings also suggest that these different types of word knowledge cannot be considered separate dimensions in the learners’ mental lexicon, and thereby the multidimensional structure of vocabulary knowledge might need to be reconsidered. Overall, while more research is needed, these findings offer useful insights for the learning and teaching of vocabulary in a more systematic and efficient manner.

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Este trabalho descreve a síntese eletroquímica, a caracterização eletroquímica e estrutural e as propriedades ópticas dos filmes de poli(p−fenileno) (PPP), poli−3−metiltiofeno (P3MET), polipirrol (PPI) e dos derivados poli−p−fenileno−3−metiltiofeno (CP3MET) e poli−p−fenileno−pirrol (CPPI). Nossa motivação pode ser justificada pelo fato de o PPP e dos derivados serem polímeros conjugados eletroluminescentes na região do azul e importantes candidatos a serem empregados como camadas ativas em dispositivos emissores de luz (LEDs). Os filmes foram eletroquimicamente sintetizados sobre eletrodos de óxido de estanho dopado com flúor (FTO) em um meio não−aquoso de acetonitrila e perclorato de tetrabutilamônio. A resposta eletroquímica dos filmes de PPP, P3MET, PPI, CP3MET e CPPI foi investigada por voltametria cíclica em uma solução livre de monômeros, quando se verificou a formação de filmes eletroativos e estáveis eletroquimicamente. As propriedades ópticas dos filmes foram investigadas por espectroscopia de absorção in situ no UV−VIS, uma técnica amplamente usada para se estudar a estrutura eletrônica da maioria dos polímeros. Os espectros de UV−VIS dos filmes de PPP, P3MET, PPI, CP3MET e CPPI foram obtidos a diferentes potenciais, quando se verificou a ocorrência da transição π− π∗ dos filmes em seu estado neutro e a formação de estados polarônicos e bipolarônicos dos polímeros durante a sua oxidação. A caracterização estrutural dos filmes foi investigada por espectroscopia FT−Raman e FTIR, quando se verificou que o espectro dos filmes de CP3MET e CPPI, preparados por eletrooxidação de co−monômeros, apresentavam apenas as bandas características dos filmes dos homopolímeros, P3MET e PPI / This work describes the e1ectrochemical synthesis, structural and electrochemical characterization, and the optical properties of poly(p−phenylene) (PPP), poly(3−methylthiophene) (P3MET), polypyrrole (PPI) and their derivatives poly(p−phenylene−3−methylthiophene) (CP3MET) and poly(p−phenylene−pyrrole) (CPPI) films. Our motivation cab be justified by the fact that poly(p−phenylene) (PPP) and its derivatives are conjugated polymers that emit in the blue range of energy, and they appoint as potential candidates as active layers in displays (LEDs). The films were electrochemically synthesized on fluorine−tin−oxide glass (FTO) electrodes in a nonaqueous medium contend acetonitrile and TBAClO4. The electrochemical response of the PPP, P3MET, PPI, CP3MET and CPPI films were investigated by cyc1ic voltammetry in a monomer−free solution with the films showing a typical electroactive response. Their optical properties were investigated by in situ UV−VIS absorption spectroscopy, a technique widely used aiming at understanding the electronic structure of most polymers. The UV−VIS spectra of the PPP, P3MET, PPI, CP3MET and CPPI films were obtained at different p−doping states, i.e., at different applied potential allowing us to calculate the π− π∗ transition of the films at their neutral, and polaronic and bipolaronic states. The structural characterization of the films was investigated by FT−Raman and FTIR spectroscopy, where it was verified that the films prepared by the electrooxidation of co−monomers showed only the bands that were typical of those ones observed in the spectra of the homopolymers, P3MET and PPI.

English-medium instruction (EMI) is a growing trend in higher education around the world. In Japan, EMI has recently expanded dramatically and over one-third of Japanese universities now have EMI programs serving both international and domestic students. Amid this rapid growth, much of the EMI development has been ad hoc or characterized by difficult implementation. EMI stakeholders face critical linguistic, cultural, administrative, and institutional challenges. This study explores good practice in EMI programs in Japan by presenting a longitudinal view of four newly implemented undergraduate EMI programs. Findings indicate that the success of an EMI program depends on how stakeholders deal with issues related to program plarming and curriculum development. Effective communication among EMI stakeholders, and between program-level and university leaders, is a key factor in planning, as is the selection, recruiting, and support of faculty members. Stakeholders also need to be aware of the program's position in the university community and how program budgeting may influence its development. The curriculum must be designed based on a realistic understanding of students' incoming language proficiency and has to include effective means to measure and support that proficiency. EMI programs should also strive for internal coherence and meaningful connections to mainstream Japanese-medium programs.

Includes bibliography.

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