Semantic distance is a measure of how close or distant in meaning two units of language are. A large number of important natural language problems, including machine translation and word sense disambiguation, can be viewed as semantic distance problems. The two dominant approaches to estimating semantic distance are the WordNet-based semantic measures and the corpus-based distributional measures. In this thesis, I compare them, both qualitatively and quantitatively, and identify the limitations of each. This thesis argues that estimating semantic distance is essentially a property of concepts (rather than words) and that two concepts are semantically close if they occur in similar contexts. Instead of identifying the co-occurrence (distributional) profiles of words (distributional hypothesis), I argue that distributional profiles of concepts (DPCs) can be used to infer the semantic properties of concepts and indeed to estimate semantic distance more accurately. I propose a new hybrid approach to calculating semantic distance that combines corpus statistics and a published thesaurus (Macquarie Thesaurus). The algorithm determines estimates of the DPCs using the categories in the thesaurus as very coarse concepts and, notably, without requiring any sense-annotated data. Even though the use of only about 1000 concepts to represent the vocabulary of a language seems drastic, I show that the method achieves results better than the state-of-the-art in a number of natural language tasks. I show how cross-lingual DPCs can be created by combining text in one language with a thesaurus from another. Using these cross-lingual DPCs, we can solve problems in one, possibly resource-poor, language using a knowledge source from another, possibly resource-rich, language. I show that the approach is also useful in tasks that inherently involve two or more languages, such as machine translation and multilingual text summarization. The proposed approach is computationally inexpensive, it can estimate both semantic relatedness and semantic similarity, and it can be applied to all parts of speech. Extensive experiments on ranking word pairs as per semantic distance, real-word spelling correction, solving Reader's Digest word choice problems, determining word sense dominance, word sense disambiguation, and word translation show that the new approach is markedly superior to previous ones.

Analitzo els rituals a santuaris no monumentals fenício-púnics de la Península Ibérica, Eivissa i Sardenya (ss. VII-II a. C.) tenint en compte la Teoria de la Pràctica (Bourdieu) i la ritualització (Bell). Estudio els rituals com a processos dinàmics i contextuals construïts a travès de la percepció dels paisatjes i les corporalitats dels participants als santuaris (gesticulacions, sentits i decoració). Defineixo els rituals en relació amb les rutines diàries (menjar, beure o caminar) ja que son activitats ritualitzades que es realitzen amb un èmfasi especial. Finalment, interpreto els rituals com a àmbits en què es construeixen tradicions i es negocien dinàmiques de poder. / Se analizan los rituales en santuarios no monumentales fenicio-púnicos de la Península Ibérica, Ibiza y Cerdeña (ss. VII-II a.C.) tomando en consideración la Teoría de la Práctica (Bourdieu) y la ritualización (Bell). Se estudian los rituales como procesos dinámicos y contextuales construidos a través de la percepción de los paisajes y las corporalidades de los participantes en los santuarios (gestos, sentidos, movimientos y decoración). Se concluye que los rituales están en relación con rutinas diarias (comer, beber o caminar) en tanto que actividades ritualizadas que se realizan con un énfasis especial. Finalmente los rituales se interpretan como ámbitos en los que se construyen tradiciones y se negocian dinámicas de poder. / Rituals in Phoenician and Punic non-monumental sanctuaries from the Iberian Peninsula, Ibiza and Sardinia are analized, taking into account the Theory of Practice (Bourdieu) and the Ritualization Theory (Bell). Rituals are studied as dynamic and contextual processes constructed through the perception of the landscapes and the corporealities of the participants in each sanctuary (gestures, senses, movements and decoration). I conclude that rituals are related to everyday practices (eating, drinking, walking) as ritualized activities overemphasized. Finally, rituals are interpreted as arenas in which traditions are constructed and power dynamics are negotiated.

This thesis deals with the objective and subjective cognition of beauty by a scholastic philosopher Thomas Aquinas. The initial chapters provide historical sources and a source of St. Thomas´s beauty, because beauty was not the main topic of theology and philosophy in the Middle Ages. From the definition of beauty, we know that beauty belongs to the cognitive power, thus next chapters present the activity of the senses and reason, by which we recognize beauty. (Pulchrum autem respicit vim cognoscitivam). This cognitive power results in the objective characteristics of beauty, ie.: a) integrity; b) proportion; c) clarity.) The penultimate chapter justifies the importance of knowledge of objective and subjective beauty, from which it follows in us enjoyment (delectatio et amor). If there is a reason to evaluate the knowledge and principles relating to the beauty, there is a necessary overlap present knowledge such as science. The final chapter addresses the interesting question of modern science - aesthetics: "Whether beauty, as written by Thomas Aquinas, is a specific distinct transcendental or only implicit transcendental initiated by the philosophers of the 20th century?" The thesis tries to show the importance of studying medieval philosophy in shaping topics such as beauty and art.

The collection of sonnets Rings of a Thundering Tree (2000), by R.K. Belcher, is rich in metaphorical imagery; lending itself particularly well to textual analyses of imagined sensory perceptions. Although perspectives on or theories about metaphor can be deployed in such analyses, an imagined sense of sensory perception in itself theoretically frames the study of this poetic imagery. In this regard, the titles of the sonnets within this collection and their themes, as well as the title of the collection and the theme of ”South African decay” (with which this title is linked), are explored with an emphasis on imagined sensory experiences. / English Studies / M.A. (English)

Text in German / The society in developed countries is ever aging. Consequently, the proportion of the population living in retirement homes increases steadily. A central focus of pastoral counselling in retirement homes is the proclamation of the Gospel. However, many of their residents are affected by dementia. As the course of their disease progresses, their mental capacity decreases. This creates special tension for the counselling of residents of retirement homes. It moves in the tension field between counselling as proclamation of the word (Thurneysen) and focusing on dialogue as propagated by the pastoral care movement. Thus, the question arises of how the biblical message can be proclaimed to the affected people. This present research paper points out various approaches of dealing with people affected by dementia. Among these are activating approaches, such as occupational therapy, drawing or music therapy, reality orientation training, “warme zorg” (warm care) and security therapy. All of these approaches are related to the surroundings. Furthermore, approaches will be examined which influence the interaction with affected people: such as validation, person-centered care according to Tom Kitwood (2008), psychotherapy and maieutic listening. Finally, therapies will be considered which relate to the person and biography of people with dementia – such as reminiscence therapy, memory training and biography work. Moreover, the paper specifically investigates which particular features apply to small bible study groups in retirement homes. Eventually, it displays how affected people can be reached by hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting and sensing. In order to be able to stimulate the sense of hearing, one can include, for example, poems or sounds. The sense of vision is stimulated by pictures or symbols. Various flavors or foods appeal to the sense of smell. Skins and other objects activate the sense of touch. The findings gained from literature will be compared to praxis. For this purpose, various episodes will be documented using the empirical method of participating observation. All observations have been carried out in the Emil-Sräga Haus in Singen (Germany) where the author of this paper works as male nurse and counselor. / Practical theology / M.Th. (Practical theology)

A percepção consciente e inconsciente do indivíduo tem um peso determinante no conforto do usuário em relação ao ambiente construído. Quando se diz respeito à percepção humana, estudos mostram que 75% daquilo que o indivíduo percebe, referem-se ao sistema visual, 20% relaciona-se a percepção sonora e somente 5% provém dos outros sentidos, como tato e olfato. Neste sentido, o objetivo deste trabalho é mostrar como as variações das características do ambiente construído, associadas à visão e a audição, influenciam a percepção do indivíduo, traduzidas em sentimentos negativos ou positivos. Dessa maneira, será possível avaliar como as características percebidas do ambiente construído podem influenciar os usuários em relação ao ambiente. Ao perceber um ambiente, cada indivíduo o faz de maneira distinta. A pesquisa visa à identificação de como a percepção do usuário influencia a maneira de observar e sentir o ambiente e de que forma esses aspectos impactam nas características do projeto. Através da identificação de algumas características de projeto e de alguns sons relacionados com os ambientes construídos, foi elaborado um experimento composto por um questionário, contendo nove imagens e quatro sons que abrangem essas características. O questionário foi aplicado em estudantes dos cursos de Engenharia Civil e Arquitetura e Urbanismo da Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, nos meses de novembro e dezembro de 2014. Com a aplicação do experimento, associando as imagens e os sons, com afetos positivos e negativos da escala PANAS (Escala de Afeto Positivo e Negativo), concluiu-se que, a percepção do indivíduo em determinadas características do ambiente, proporcionam um aumento de sentimentos ligados aos afetos positivos e em outros casos, aos afetos negativos. Sendo que a variação observada foi em relação a intensidade de sentimentos de afeto negativo. Foi analisado ainda a percepção em relação aos sentimentos e as características de projeto, em relação à orientação profissional e em relação ao gênero. Através dessa pesquisa, pôde-se perceber que o uso de maior incidência de iluminação natural, a utilização de pé-direito alto, a utilização de cor “fria” são características, que para a maioria dos entrevistados, trouxeram maior conforto e sentimentos relacionados aos afetos positivos, quando comparadas às outras características. / The conscious and unconscious perception of the individual has a significant influence on the user's satisfaction with the built environment. When it comes to human perception, studies show that 75% of what the individual perceives refer to the visual system, 20% is related to sound perception and only 5% come from other senses such as touch and smell. In this sense, the objective of this work is to show how variations in built environment characteristics, associated with sight and hearing, influence the individual's perception, translated into positive or negative feelings. In this way, it will be possible to assess how the perceived characteristics of the built environment can influence users towards the environment. When perceiving an environment, each individual makes it in a distinct way. The research aims to identify how the user perception influences the way to observe and feel the environment and how these aspects impact the design features. By identifying some design features and some sounds related to the built environment, a composed experiment with a questionnaire was elaborated, contending nine images and four sounds that enclose these characteristics. The questionnaire was applied in students of the courses of Civil Engineering and Architecture and Urbanism of the Federal Technological University of the Paraná, in the months of November and December of 2014. With the application of the experiment, by associating the images and the sounds, with positive and negative affection of the PANAS Scale (Scale of Positive and Negative Affection), it was concluded that the individual's perception in certain environmental characteristics, provide increased feelings connected to the positive affects and in other cases, the negative affects. It was also analyzed the perception of the feelings and design features in relation to vocational guidance and in relation to gender. Through thisresearch, , it could be perceived which features have more impact on positive and negative feelings and which guarantee and provide comfort to the users of built environments.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-07-29T16:10:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao_Rosivaldo_Almeida.pdf: 452888 bytes, checksum: daae3bb99a30822f647105ff40a881d0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-08-17 / The work "NOT STUDIED, IT IS IN AND GO PRO COUNTRYSIDE HOE HANDLE": SENSES AND MEANINGS ASSIGNED TO SCHOOL FOR WORKERS IN RURAL GOIÁS is a research project carried out of the Coordination Education, Labor and Social Movements of Post-Graduate Education, Federal University of Goias, in order to grasp the meanings assigned to the school by rural workers in Pennsylvania This is a case study from the municipality City of Goiás. José de Souza Martins is the theoretical study of the concept of rural workers and small owner, as well as the expansion of capital in countryside. Pierre Bourdieu contributes to better systematize the meanings and the meanings of school today. The research showed that the design of rural workers in the school's social advancement of their children and they found means to leave the country to city, especially by entering elementary school. / O trabalho NÃO ESTUDOU, FICA NA ROÇA E VAI PRO CABO DA ENXADA : SENTIDOS E SIGNIFICADOS ATRIBUÍDOS À ESCOLA PELOS TRABALHADORES RURAIS EM GOIÁS é uma pesquisa desenvolvida junto à Linha de Pesquisa Educação, Trabalho e Movimentos Sociais, do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação da Universidade Federal de Goiás, com o objetivo de apreender os sentidos e significados atribuídos à escola pelos trabalhadores rurais em Goiás. Trata-se de um estudo de caso desenvolvido no município Cidade de Goiás. J. S. Martins é o referencial teórico do estudo acerca do conceito de trabalhador rural e pequeno proprietário, bem como sobre a expansão do capital no campo. Bourdieu contribui para melhor sistematizar os sentidos e os significados da escola na atualidade. A pesquisa evidenciou que na concepção dos trabalhadores rurais a escola é ascensão social dos seus filhos e o meio por eles encontrado para sair do campo rumo à cidade, sobretudo, ao concluírem o ensino fundamental.

This paper will raise issues concerning to a phenomenological ethics. For that, we will seek to find subsidies through the passage of the logos of the aesthetic world to the logos of the cultural world in Merleau-Ponty. One common thread will be determined by this philosopher, with the intent to understand the original nature in the life-world. This thread is called original presence which, in turn, can be identified in both the aesthetic logos as in cultural logos. Merleau-Ponty makes a profound analysis of the studies raised by Husserl, namely a later Husserl, where we find the discovery of a phenomenology of life. Through the discovery of reflexive-body, Merleau-Ponty celebrate the incarnation of the phenomenology of life raised by Husserl. These two philosophers give a strong emphasis facing our attitude toward the opening of the world, the other and the logical objectivity. To better understand this philosophical perspective, we have the contribution of Waldenfels that will extend the concept of attitude and will make, thus, a phenomenological ethic more evident, where this attitude needs to give an answer or rather can not not respond, as the opening of the world create in us a challenge of which I am led to a concrete attitude. This challenge is generated by claims that dialogue with the law (rule) and justice (ethics). This dialogue, in principle, generates a strangeness that drives us to a threshold, creating a gap, allowing a new constitution process. When Waldenfels says that the Ethos begins on the plain of the senses, wants to talk that what affects us depends on the body itself that is affected and that what affects expresses sense for us. In other words, what claims out to us as the possibility of meaning indeed passes through the plain of the senses, must be understood and lived by the own body. In Waldenfels we can find a clear responsive ethics and an ethics of the senses, allowing the construction of a phenomenological ethics. / Este trabalho levantará questões concernentes a uma ética fenomenológica. Para isto, procuraremos encontrar subsídios através da passagem do logos do mundo estético para o logos do mundo cultural, em Merleau-Ponty. Um fio condutor será determinado por este filósofo, com o intento de entender a natureza da vida no mundo. Este fio condutor é chamado de presença originária que, por sua vez, pode ser identificado tanto no logos estético como no logos cultural. Merleau-Ponty faz uma profunda análise dos estudos levantados por Husserl, especialmente o Husserl mais tardio, no qual encontramos a descoberta de uma fenomenologia da vida. Por meio da descoberta do corpo-reflexionante, Merleau-Ponty celebra a encarnação da fenomenologia da vida levantada por Husserl. Estes dois filósofos conferem uma profunda ênfase em relação a nossa atitude através da abertura do mundo, do outro e da objetividade lógica. Para melhor compreendermos esta perspectiva filosófica, teremos a contribuição de Waldenfels que estenderá o conceito de atitude e tornará, assim, uma ética fenomenológica mais evidente, na qual nossa atitude precisa dar uma resposta ética, ou melhor, não pode não responder, pois a abertura do mundo cria em nós um desafio que nos guiará a uma atitude concreta. Este desafio é gerado por clamores que dialogam com a lei (regra) e a justiça (ética). Este diálogo, em princípio, gera uma estranheza que nos leva a um limiar, criando uma fenda, permitindo um novo processo de constituição. Quando Waldenfels diz que o Ethos começa da planície dos sentidos, quer falar que o que nos afeta depende do corpo próprio que é afetado e que o que nos afeta exprime sentido para nós. Em outras palavras, o que clama a nós como possibilidade de sentido precisa realmente passar pela planície dos sentidos; deverá, portanto ser entendido e vivido pelo corpo próprio. Em Waldenfels, podemos encontrar claramente uma ética responsiva e uma ética dos sentidos, permitindo a construção de uma ética fenomenológica.

The purpose of the master thesis Thomas of Ireland: De tribus sensibus sacrae scripturae - editio princeps, commentary and translation is to study the treatise De tribus sensibus sacrae scipturae. This hitherto unpublished text is part of a trilogy which also includes the treatises De tribus punctis christianae religionis and De tribus hierarchiis all written by Thomas of Ireland, an author active at the University of Paris around 1300. The latter is known chiefly for his collection of authorities called Manipulus florum, which was one of the biggest bestsellers of the time. The De tribus sensibus sacrae scripturae contains a theoretical section which briefly exposes the principles and rules of the literal and mystical exegesis of the Bible. But most of the treatise consists of an exemplary exegesis of verse Wisdom 9, 1 with long excursuses on subjects such as astronomy or translatio studii. The present work includes the critical edition of the treatise from the five known manuscripts with the ms. Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Latin 16397 as the base manuscript. The edition of the text is accompanied by a study of the manuscript tradition and a description of the manuscripts which the author has been able to access. In addition, the text is set in the context of the works of Thomas of...

Cette thèse entend poser les fondements philosophiques d’une « conversion écologique » en éclairant la dimension ontologique de la crise écologique. Tout en s’inscrivant dans le sillage de l’Encyclique Laudato Si’, où le Pape François lance un vibrant appel à la conversion écologique, l’auteur s’efforce de penser les enjeux proprement philosophiques liés à cette notion. En s’appuyant sur des auteurs tels que Heidegger et Hans Jonas, la première partie de la recherche montre la nécessité d’une véritable « conversion » face au péril métaphysique que représente la technique envisagée ici comme dévoiement de notre « être-au-monde ». Dans un contexte marqué par la résurgence du catastrophisme, l’auteur entend ici souligner la dimension humaniste qui constituait l’horizon de la pensée de ses fondateurs (Günther Anders, Jacques Ellül) tout en confrontant leur vision à celle du « Principe Espérance » porté par Ernst Bloch.La seconde partie de la thèse consiste à poser les fondements éthiques et religieux du concept de conversion. De la metanoia platonicienne aux thérapies de l’âme stoïciennes et épicuriennes, l’auteur explore la place de la connaissance de la nature (physis) dans le « retour à Soi » (epistrophè) de ces sagesses grecques. Peut-on voir en elles la source d’une véritable « conversion écologique » par laquelle il s’agirait autant de convertir notre regard sur la nature que d’être converti par elle ? Si oui, quelles en seraient les modalités ? Dans cette perspective, quels sont les apports de la metanoia chrétienne par rapport à la metanoia platonicienne ? En quoi la « conversion des sens » portée à la fois par la mystique franciscaine et la « prière du cœur » des Pères neptiques dans le monde orthodoxe, constitue-t-elle une étape capitale pour penser la conversion écologique comme conversion du corps et du cœur ? Pour mener à bien cette analyse, l’auteur emprunte la méthode phénoménologique afin de mettre en lumière les liens entre conversion et réduction.La dernière partie, plus spécifiquement consacrée à l’écologie contemporaine, s’appuie sur les modalités de la conversion écologique esquissées avec les penseurs grecs et chrétiens pour penser une transformation profonde de notre « affect du monde ». En s’appuyant sur les notions merleau-pontiennes de « chair du monde » et de « monde brut », l’auteur cherche à penser une « empathie universelle » comme socle d’une nouvelle éthique environnementale. A travers une relecture merleau-pontienne de deux grands courants de l’écologie que sont l’écologie profonde (deep ecology) et la wilderness, l’auteur jette les bases d’une ontologie relationnelle dans deux directions. La première envisage la conversion écologique comme un approfondissement du Soi. Dans le sentiment de la wilderness, c’est autant la nature vierge à l’extérieur de nous que le « monde brut » au plus intime de nous-même, qu’il s’agit de préserver pour ouvrir la voie à une expérience transformante du monde telle que la décrit Henri-David Thoreau dans Walden ou la vie dans les bois. La seconde vise un élargissement du Soi par lequel la réalisation de Soi devient indissociable, par un mouvement d’identification, de celle de notre environnement, jusqu’à faire l’expérience charnelle de ce « Soi écologique » dont nous parle Arne Naess en écho à la « chair du monde » merleau-pontienne et aux théories de la Gestalt dont s’inspirent les deux auteurs. Conscient des limites de la pensée occidentale pour cheminer vers cette non - dualité, clé d’une empathie universelle, l’auteur montre, dans la dernière partie de son analyse, l’influence de la pensée bouddhique sur la deep ecology et explore une spiritualité de la résonance avec le bouddhisme zen japonais incarné dans la figure de Maître Dogen, jusqu’à penser une « échologie de la Joie ». / This thesis is an attempt to provide the philosophical foundations for an ecological conversion while revealing the ontological aspects of the ecological crisis. Following the path described in the Laudato Si’ encyclical letter, where Pope François launches a vibrant call for ecological conversion, the author seeks to adress the philosophical issues in relation to this notion. Refering to philosophers such as Heidegger and Hans Jonas, the first part of this research accounts for the necessity of a true ecological conversion to face the metaphysical « peril » represented by the technical way of mind which leads to an unauthentic « being-in-the-world ». As catastrophism rages, the author underlines the humanistic aspect of its founders’ thought (Gûnther Anders, Jacques Ellûl) while confronting their vision to Ernst Bloch’s « Principle of Hope ».The second chapter of the thesis aims at laying down the ethical and religious foundations of the concept of conversion. From Plato’s metanoia to stoïcian and epicurian soul therapies, the author explores the importance of the knowledge of nature (physis) in the process of epistrophè (return to one’s « Inner Self »). Can these therapies be considered as the roots of a true ecological conversion throughout which we could not only modify the way we look at nature but also be transformed by it? If the answer is yes, what would the terms be? From this perspective, what is the specificity of Christian metanoia compared to Plato’s? To what extent can the doctrine of the “spiritual senses” experienced by both the Franciscan mystic and the neptical Fathers’ « Prayer of the heart » - be considered a crucial step to a living experience of ecological conversion that appeals to our body and heart? To carry out this research, the author relies on the phenomenological methodology, evidencing the links between conversion and reduction.The last part, more specifically dedicated to modern ecology, relies on the definitions of ecological conversion outlined with greek and Christian authors to think through a deep change in our « affect for the world ». Refering to Merleau Ponty’s notions of « flesh of the word » and « wild being », the author endeavours to develop the concept of “universal empathy” as the corner stone of environmental ethics. Through a merleau-pontian interpretation of two major ecological schools of thought, wilderness and deep ecology, the thesis provides tools for elaborating a relational ontology based on two concepts. The first one, called deepening of the Self, refers to the wilderness. The author shows that what has to be preserved is not only territories such as natural reserves but the “wild being” in the innermost part of ourselves so as to enable us to be transformed by nature itself through this experience of wilderness described by famous authors such as Henri-David Thoreau in Walden life in the woods… The second one, called “enlargment of the Self” refers to the experience described by Arne Naess as identification to other living beings as a source of self-realization, echoing the merleau-pontian “flesh of the word”.Aware of the limits of western thought to reach this universal empathy based on non-duality, the author points out, in a conclusive paragraph, the influence of the buddhist way of mind on Arne Naess’s deep ecology, explores a spirituality of the resonance with the world through zen buddhism embodied by Master Dogen, and goes as far as thinking an “echology of Joy”.