NOGUEIRA, Marílio Salgado. O uso da multimodalidade em materiais didáticos virtuais dos cursos de graduação de Ensino a Distância- EaD. 2014. 171f. – Dissertação (Mestrado) – Universidade Federal do Ceará, Departamento de Letras Vernáculas, Programa de Pós-graduação em Linguística, Fortaleza (CE), 2014. / Submitted by Márcia Araújo (marcia_m_bezerra@yahoo.com.br) on 2014-08-26T14:56:28Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2014_dis_msnogueira.pdf: 18354670 bytes, checksum: cdb829a689bdf23a246c4ecc6aa73c1a (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Márcia Araújo(marcia_m_bezerra@yahoo.com.br) on 2014-08-26T17:01:03Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2014_dis_msnogueira.pdf: 18354670 bytes, checksum: cdb829a689bdf23a246c4ecc6aa73c1a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-26T17:01:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2014_dis_msnogueira.pdf: 18354670 bytes, checksum: cdb829a689bdf23a246c4ecc6aa73c1a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Distance education has established itself as an alternative modality of learning which meets new socio-political-economic demands in the educational field (BRENNAND, 2002). A consequence of this new learning modality is the increased need for virtual learning materials. This paper presents the results of an evaluation of the multimodal resources employed in virtual learning materials, and a discussion of how such use has contributed in the development of virtual learning materials. The background for the study are the linguistic theories on multimodality, such as functionalism, which takes into consideration, for any given communicative situation, the purpose of speech events, as well as the participants and the discursive context involved, i.e., the use of language (Halliday, 1994). The principles of social semiotics were also considered, which focus on the main representational and functional modes expressed in a text, while also trying to investigate and understand the social, historical and cultural factors involved in the production of meaning in any semiotic mode ( HODGE and Kress, 1998; Kress and van Leeuwen, 1996; Halliday, 1978). Social semiotics and functionalism are among the bases upon which the Grammar of Visual Design (Kress and van Leeuwen, 1996) was developed, and it proposes similar metafunctions to those found in systemic functional grammar theories. Kress and van Leeuwen’s work is, therefore, the main basis for the analysis of multimodal resources in virtual learning material presented in this paper. The study adopted exploratory-descriptive methods of survey type. Two English disciplines and their respective virtual learning materials were selected for investigation, namely Theories of Language and Second Language and English Language 3B. These disciplines are part, respectively, of the curriculums of the first and third semesters of the blended-modality BA Course in English Language Teaching at the Federal University of Ceará – UFC. In this course, students have both distance classes and regular in situ classes. Three research instruments were used for data collection, a checklist and two questionnaires, which were adapted to the different categories of participants: students, instructors and coordinators. The analysis revealed that three types of language are employed in the virtual learning materials under study: verbal language (83 %), non-verbal (15 %) and verbal-visual (2 %). Therefore, it was concluded that most multimodal resources are expressed by means of verbal language. In addition, it was found that a significant number of multimodal elements relate to the texts of origin through specification (illustration) or through similarity, and have impersonal or neutral functions. Furthermore, it was observed that the specialists from the University in charge of designing the virtual materials decide to change or withdraw from the text some of their multimodal resources, at the moment of their insertion in the virtual environment. This process results in the loss of some of the original meaning of the texts. There is also a small percentage of multimodal features which are not part of the social context of the readers, making it difficult to understand the content of the teaching material. Finally, it was found that the multimodal resources are well distributed and organized on the computer screen. From all that, it can be concluded that it is essential that all parties involved in the process virtual learning materials design have the necessary linguistic knowledge, especially concerning social semiotics. It is also important that material designers take the social and cultural background of the student into consideration in order to create efficient materials and that the possibility of purposeful insertion of other multimodal features in the text is considered as a way to contribute for the construction of textual meaning. / A Educação a Distância tem surgido como uma alternativa de modalidade de ensino para atender a uma nova demanda sócio-política-econômica (BRENNAND, 2002). Consequentemente, essa nova modalidade também tem exigido a produção de material didático virtual. Para tanto, esta pesquisa propõe realizar um diagnóstico dos recursos multimodais usados em materiais didáticos virtuais, tentando compreender de que maneira tal uso tem contribuído na elaboração de materiais didáticos virtuais. Para subsidiar teoricamente a pesquisa, este trabalho procurou respaldo na Semiótica Social, cujo foco incide sobre os principais modos de representação e função por meio de um texto, como também tenta investigar e compreender os fatores sociais, históricos e culturais utilizados para produzirem o significado de qualquer modo semiótico; (HODGE e KRESS, 1998; KRESS e VAN LEEUWEN, 1996; HALLIDAY, 1978). Essa teoria encontra subsídio no Funcionalismo, que em uma situação comunicativa, considera o propósito do evento da fala, seus participantes e o contexto discursivo, ou seja; o uso da linguagem (HALLIDAY, 1994). Tanto a Semiótica Social quanto o Funcionalismo estabeleceram a base para a elaboração da Gramática do Design Visual, produzido por Kress e van Leeuwen (1996), cujas metafunções são baseadas nos princípios da Gramática Sistêmico-Funcional. E por vez, nortearam os estudos sobre a multimodalidade que serviram de base para a análise dos recursos multimodais no material didático virtual. Em consonância com os objetivos deste trabalho, esta pesquisa foi conduzida por uma metodologia exploratório-descritiva, do tipo survey, em que houve a seleção de duas disciplinas, uma do primeiro semestre, denominada de Teoria de Língua e Segunda Língua, e outra do terceiro, denominada de Língua Inglesa 3B, e de seus respectivos materiais didáticos virtuais, do curso de graduação semipresencial em Letras Inglês da Universidade Federal do Ceará – UFC. Para a obtenção dos dados, foram utilizados três instrumentos de pesquisa, uma Lista de Checagem e dois questionários, adaptados para cada um dos participantes, alunos e professores coordenadores das disciplinas. Com a análise, foram observadas nos materiais didáticos virtuais três tipos de linguagens: verbal, com 83%; não-verbal, com 15%; e verbo-visual 2%. Constatou-se também que a maioria dos recursos multimodais é expresso pelo tipo de linguagem verbal. Também, um número considerável de elementos multimodais estabelece uma relação com o texto por especificação (Ilustração) ou por similaridade e possuem uma função de impessoalidade ou neutro. Ainda, alguns desses recursos multimodais inseridos pelo autor são trocados ou retirados no momento da transição do meio impresso para o meio virtual por uma equipe de transição da instituição, o que faz perder o efeito de sentido original do texto; também há um percentual mínimo de recursos multimodais que não estão inseridos dentro de um contexto social do leitor, dificultando a compreensão do conteúdo do material didático; e, por fim, os recursos multimodais são bem distribuídos e organizados na tela do computador. Concluímos que é fundamental que todos os envolvidos no processo de elaboração do material didático virtual, tenham o conhecimento linguístico, em especial, sobre a Semiótica Social; ao inserir os recursos multimodais, que seja observado o universo sócio-cultural do aluno para a construção de sentido eficiente; e vejam a possibilidade de inserir outros recursos multimodais no texto de forma consciente para auxiliar na construção de sentido.

Youth in photographs in Mladý svět magazine (1959-1989) Jana Teplá Abstract: The aim of this study is to analyze the way youth was visually represented in the photographs in Mladý svět magazine and to find out whether and how this representation has changed during the period from 1959 to 1989 depending on the changes of discourse practices and socio-cultural practices. The study also aims to uncover how the discourse of news photographs has mingled with the discourse on youth in socialist Czechoslovakia. The specific objective of this research is to analyze the photographs of Czechoslovak youth on the front pages of the magazine with focus on the news values and the ideological messages they mediate. For the analysis of photographs were used mixed methods. Quantitative content analysis was applied to determine the news values, social semiotic analysis was applied to identify the ideological messages and oral history method was used for the extension of the contextual framework. The research part is divided into three periods of time with respect to changes in the wider socio-cultural context: the 1960s (January 1959 to December 1967), the period of the Prague Spring and shortly after the occupation by the Warsaw Pact troops (January 1968 to March 1969), and the period of "normalization" (April 1969 to...

Submitted by Mariane Frascareli Lelis null (mariane_lelis@yahoo.com.br) on 2017-11-30T18:22:34Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação de Mestrado_Mariane Frascareli Lelis_Versão Final.pdf: 5611005 bytes, checksum: af23f900ca84891610e36491f738cf23 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Minervina Teixeira Lopes null (vina_lopes@bauru.unesp.br) on 2017-11-30T18:47:39Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 lelis_mf_me_bauru.pdf: 5600116 bytes, checksum: 7e000fbc59e0387abd96a65e4279f824 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-11-30T18:47:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 lelis_mf_me_bauru.pdf: 5600116 bytes, checksum: 7e000fbc59e0387abd96a65e4279f824 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-10-27 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Um dos principais desafios da TV Unesp, emissora da Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” – Unesp, é ser vista por diferentes segmentos de públicos para além da cidade de Bauru/SP, local onde opera em sistema de TV aberta. Considerando que a Unesp é uma instituição multicampi, as ações voltadas a dar visibilidade aos conteúdos da emissora encontram nos sites de redes sociais importantes ferramentas de divulgação. Partindo da compreensão da trajetória das TVs universitárias no Brasil, das especificidades da TV Unesp e dos desafios da busca pela audiência deste segmento no ecossistema midiático contemporâneo, marcado por novas possibilidades advindas da digitalização, buscou-se analisar de que modo um site de rede social como o Facebook constitui um efetivo aliado neste propósito. Sob o olhar da sociossemiótica, abordagem teórico-metodológica para análise das estratégias de visibilidade adotadas pela TV Unesp, foi possível identificar como a emissora tem atuado frente a públicos segmentados num processo de ajustamento, nos termos propostos por Eric Landowski (2014). Adotando-se o critério de efetividade das publicações analisadas, observouse que embora a emissora utilize o Facebook para promover e divulgar seus conteúdos televisivos, as estratégias e ações realizadas não configuram um planejamento que direcione com clareza a busca de posicionamento frente aos seus públicos de interesse no contexto midiático. / One of the main challenges for the Unesp TV, Unesp – Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” ‘s network, is to be seen by different public segments beyond the city of Bauru/SP, place where it operates in an open broadcast TV system. Considering that Unesp is a multi-campus institution, the actions towards giving visibility to the contents of the network are found in social networks websites which are important promoting tools. Using as a start point the comprehension of the Universities TV’s trajectory in Brazil, the specificities of UNESP TV and the challenges in search for audience in this segment of the contemporary mediatic ecosystem, it is marked by new possibilities deriving from digitalization, it was seeked to analyze how a social network website like Facebook constitutes an effective ally in this purpose. Through the view of social semiotics, a theoretic-methodologic approach for the visibility strategies analysis taken by UNESP TV, it was possible to identify how the network has faced the segmented publics in an adjustment process, in the terms proposed by Eric Landowski (2014). Taking the publications analyzed effectiveness criteria, it was observed that although the network uses Facebook to promote and diffuse its television’s content, the strategies and actions made don’t meet a planning that directs with clarity the search of positioning with their interest publics in the mediatic context. / CAPES: 00.889.834/0001-08

With the unprecedented rise in the use of visuals, and its undeniable omnipresence in organizational contexts, as well as in the individual's everyday life, organization and management science has recently started to pay closer attention to the to date under-theorized "visual mode" of discourse and meaning construction. Building primarily on insights from the phenomenological tradition in organization theory and from social semiotics, this article sets out to consolidate previous scholarly efforts and to sketch a fertile future research agenda. After briefly exploring the workings of visuals, we introduce the methodological and theoretical "roots" of visual studies in a number of disciplines that have a long-standing tradition of incorporating the visual. We then continue by extensively reviewing work in the field of organization and management studies: More specifically, we present five distinct approaches to feature visuals in research designs and to include the visual dimension in scholarly inquiry. Subsequently, we outline, in some detail, promising avenues for future research, and close with a reflection on the impact of visualization on scientific practice itself. (authors' abstract)

Title: I saw it on Facebook – Youth presentation of self on Facebook Authors: Nicole Dreher & Anders Skoglund Presented: 01.06.2010 Purpose: The purpose of this thesis was to examine how the, in the study, participating youths make their presentation of self on their Facebook profiles. Methodology: The method used in the thesis was a social semiotic analysis focusing on the social semiotic concepts: semiotic resource, semiotic potential, affordance, denotation and connotation. A social semiotic analysis of composition was also used with the purpose to gain a deeper knowledge of the social semiotic affordances of Facebook’s composition. Theoretical perspectives: The theoretical base of this thesis consists mainly of Erving Goffman’s theory on presentation of self in everyday life as well as relevant theories to youth culture in sociology and identity in social psychology. Conclusions: The results show that the youth’s presentations of selves mostly takes place in their profile picture, status updates, groups, fan pages and through their communication with other users on their wall. The borders between front and back stage on Facebook entirely depends on the norms that the reader expects the profile owner to uphold. The most frequent reason for impression management among the participating youths seemed to be to uphold a façade on front stage, i.e. Facebook, amongst their friends. Most of the participants’ use of Facebook confirms theories from previous research on the Internet generation – that they use it to communicate, network and to express opinions. The results also showed that the profile owner, through their status updates, can revise and reform their presentation of self at any time. / Denna uppsats undersöker hur de deltagande ungdomarna gör självpresentationer på sina Facebook- profiler. Detta kommer att undersökas genom en socialsemiotisk metod med fokus på begreppen semiotisk potential, affordance, konnotation, denotation. Det teoretiska ramverk som ligger till grund för uppsatsen är Goffmans dramaturgiska perspektiv som liknar livet vid en teater. Alla sociala interaktioner sker på en scen och individen har olika roller beroende på kontexten. Varje framträdande har, likt teatern, en bakre och främre region, där den främre är den roll du har vid uppträdandet och den bakre är den privata regionen. Goffmans perspektiv tar även upp intrycksstyrning vilket används för att styra det som släpps ut på scenen, den främre regionen. Det teoretiska ramverket innehåller även socialpsykologins identitetsbegrepp samt ett avsnitt om ungdomar, deras kultur och hur de förhåller sig till Internet. Uppsatsen undersöker även, med en socialsemiotiskmetod hur scenen Facebook är komponerat för att se vilka möjligheter av självpresentation det finns. Scenen Facebook är komponerat med tre olika spalter, där den mittersta är störst och har den primära funktionen. Den västra spalten innehåller profilbilden med kompletterande information, i syfte att påvisa vem profilägaren är. Mittenspalten har två olika innehåll, den ena är informationssidan som återger biografiska uppgifter om profilägaren samt vilka grupper och pages denne tillhör. Den andra är wall:en, Facebooks centrala del, här kartläggs de aktiviteter profilägaren gör, till exempel: skriva på någons wall, kommentera på bilder, lägga upp egna bilder eller bli taggad i bilder. Det undersökningen kom fram till var självpresentationen sker främst genom grupper och pages, statusuppdateringar, profilbild och kommunikation på wall:en samt att den varierar beroende på aktivitet. Vid hög aktivitet är det klarare vad som är menat att publicera och vad som regleras med intryckskontroll. Vid låg aktivitet var det ett problem att se vad som var intrycksstyrning och vad som var ett slentrianmässigt användande av Facebook. Det kom även fram att den profilbild som visas ofta är representativ utifrån materialet. Den som hade en humoristisk profilbild hade även en profil med ett humoristiskt tema. Humor var även det mest genomgående temat bland profilerna och ofta med subkultur kopplat till detta.

The present dissertation concerns social organization of feedback in ongoing hairdressing education. The central aim is to explore feedback between teacher and student in multimodal interaction within classroom assessment, as co-production of action and student’s participation. Classroom assessment and feedback are understood as social actions situated in interaction. The empirical data consists of video recordings from two vocational schools. From 31 hours of video material, selections of feedback interactions were made. At first, teacher and student communication in feedback cycles and loops was analysed from a social semiotic perspective. Secondly, examples of student initiated feedback loops were analysed from a conversation analytic perspective. Thirdly, a single case of a teacher and a student interacting through feedback related to creative subject content was analysed from a conversation analytic perspective.  The analyses show the importance of collaborative use of artefacts and embodied communication in the production of mutual understanding; opening for student initiatives in actions of assessment as well as feedback. Silence and body position were found to be important resources giving the student space to display concern. Participation in feedback practices within creative subject content emerged in a trajectory of problem detection to problem solving, resulting in tacit dimensions of hairdressers’ knowing made explicit. The findings indicate the importance of taking a participatory perspective on multimodal interaction when exploring actions of assessment and feedback between teacher and student. This study shows how feedback is not only given from the teacher, but also locally produced as a collaborative practice between teachers and students, displaying tacit dimensions of professional knowledge and subject content. / Den här sammanläggningsavhandlingen handlar om återkoppling mellan lärare och elever i frisörutbildning. Med hjälp av videoinspelningar under pågående undervisning utforskas klassrumsbaserad bedömning och återkopplingspraktiker. Eleverna är dels nybörjare som arbetar på övningsdockor, dels elever i slutet av sin utbildning som tar emot kunder i sitt klassrum. Videoanalyserna ger möjlighet att få syn på multimodala aspekter av interaktionen och resultatet visar tydligt hur både kropp och material är viktiga resurser i deltagarnas samspel. Avhandlingen visar genomgående hur bedömning och återkoppling utgår både från lärares professionella yrkeskunnande och från elevernas egna initiativ på specifika områden där något problem behöver redas ut i relation till deras pågående arbeten. Studiernas detaljerade analyser av deltagarnas multimodala interaktion synliggör hur bedömning och återkoppling kan förstås som sociala handlingar där tal, kropp och artefakter samordnas för att skapa gemensam förståelse och mening. Avhandlingens bidrag riktar sig mot yrkesutbildning men även andra former för utbildning, eftersom bedömning och återkoppling praktiseras i varje klassrum och utbildningskontext. Avhandlingens delstudier ökar kunskapen om hur återkoppling kan förstås som sociala handlingar där varje deltagare bidrar i skapandet av ömsesidig respons. Att förstå interaktion som multimodal, synliggör hur återkoppling i pågående undervisning möjliggörs genom deltagande och samspel mellan lärare och elever.

In this dissertation, I address the relationship between the content and design of governmental websites and the ideological interests of the overseeing political administrations. Three case studies contrast the contemporary political climates in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the Republic of Colombia, and the United Stastes with the form and function of their respective military recruitment homepages. Through a semiotic, and specifically multimodal lens, I aim to determine to what degree there is evidence of the governing poltical party’s ideological perspective on the websites. To accomplish this task, each case study is introduced by a brief contemporary history in order to provide a summary of key political events within state. Each case study then includes a detailed analysis of 3-4 governmental homepages. Within those analyses, a comprehensive multimodal analysis is conducted for the most evocative content on each homepage. Finally, conclusions are reached for each case study, paying special attention to the content found along the reading path.

A Familiar Context - a survey and comparison of mathematical language in the most widely-used mathematics textbook and in the standardized national tests for grade 6 students in Sweden. Studies have shown that language has a crucial role when students learn mathematics but there is a lack of empirical surveys mapping how mathematical language is used in different practices. One aspect of mathematical language called personification, which is associated with something that generates personal interest or contributes with a familiar context, seems to affect low-performing students in a negative way in their problem solving in the subjects of algebra and geometry. The overall aim of this study is to perform an empirical survey and analysis over how the personification of the mathematical language is used in the most commonly used mathematics textbook and the standardized national tests for students in grade 6 in Sweden. To answer this purpose, two research questions have been formulated: To what extent are natural language, mathematical imagery and mathematical symbols personalized in the field of algebra and geometry? How do typical mathematical tasks differ in the subjects of algebra and geometry? Method: Selected mathematical tasks from the most commonly used mathematics textbook and the national tests were analyzed in regards to personification. These selected tasks were also analyzed in regards to the concepts, metonymy and metaphor which can be used to distinguish the core of natural language in mathematical tasks. Results: There are differences between the uses of personification in the subjects of algebra and geometry. Personification was also found to be more common in the national tests than in the mathematics textbook. A comparison between the typical tasks from each subject area in the mathematics textbook and the national tests also showed that metaphorical form, a concept like personification associated with familiar context, is used more in the national tests than in the mathematics book. Conclusions: A clear difference in the use of personification and metaphorical form between textbooks and standardized national tests in mathematics for year 6 students was identified. Such differences in language usage may impair mathematics knowledge assessment. It is therefore important to make authors aware of how language use can affect a student's problem solving ability and raises the question as to whether personification and metaphorical form should be included in testing mathematical knowledge?

This essay examines how the picture book characters Mamma Mu and Kråkan are presented in text and illustrations. The purpose is to analyze how the interaction between the characters play out and how it can be interpreted from a critical gender perspective, and how picture books can set a scenery on how children perceive the world. The analysis is based on three entries from the book Mamma Mu bygger koja. Through a social semiotic theory approach and a multimodal method, the essay examines how the book’s various semiotic resources may reproduce gender norms. The essay discusses the differences and similarities in how Mamma Mu and Kråkan are presented. The analysis shows several differences, partly in how their facial expressions and mood are expressed, how detailed their actions are visualized, and in attitudes towards each other. The conclusion is that Mamma Mu has a calm and friendly demeanor and approach towards Kråkan. Kråkan, on the other hand, has a harsh, heated and diminishing demeanor and actions towards Mamma Mu. The author states that the way the female and male characters are portrayed in this picture book could replicate outdated and problematic gender norms and therefore should be problematized and questioned.

Magister Artium - MA / The study focuses on the application and use of linguistic landscapes in health institutions. Furthermore, the research is centred on a social semiotic analysis of the healthcare signage at selected public and private hospitals in the Western Cape with comparisons being drawn between Melomed Private Hospital and Tygerberg Academic (Public) Hospital. Access to healthcare facilities in South Africa is a continuing concern in terms of gaining healthcare information and services. Currently, most research in the area of access to healthcare facilities and information focuses on the limitations and challenges of access to the health services and information in rural areas of South Africa. There is limited research that focuses on the influence spatial material in place and linguistic landscapes have on access to hospital facilities within urban areas, in the Western Cape. The research is an explorative and analytic study of the official or formal as well as unofficial or informal signage at a private hospital (Melomed) and a public hospital (Tygerberg academic hospital) in the Western Cape. The research is based on the tenets of social semiotic theory of multimodality and linguistic landscapes and multilingualism theorems. The conceptual framework of the study includes subtopics such as navigation/way-finding, placement of signage, and language diversity and health signage among others. The data for the research project is of a qualitative nature and, is concerned with understanding the process and the social and cultural contexts which underlie the production and consumption of unofficial and informal signage at a private hospital (Melomed) and a public hospital (Tygerberg academic hospital) in the Western Cape Province. Linguistic Landscapes (LL) utilises signs and symbols to communicate messages to the public. Signage are an expected and common feature within both private and public health institutions and are classified in accordance with the message(s) it intends to convey. These signs and symbols are used to communicate messages or directions to the public in the absence of hospital personnel. During the presentation and analysis of the data, the differences and similarities between Melomed private hospital and Tygerberg academic (public) hospital were looked at. The data presented that Tygerberg academic (public) hospital has a vast amount of informal signs constructed in and around its hospital buildings with a mixture of older and new signs displayed, often next to each other. Therefore, it became evident that Tygerberg hospital does not have a uniformed standard when it comes to its LL. In contrast, Melomed private hospital’s signs are constructed from the same grey metallic materials and are displayed with a singular text format. Furthermore, it was discovered that Melomed only utilise one official business language, English, unlike Tygerberg who strives to use the three official languages, English, Afrikaans and IsiXhosa, prevalent in the Western Cape region. Additionally, Tygerberg academic (public) hospital’s irregular placement of signage demonstrated to be another complex facet. This complexity was partially attributed to its complex structural layout and building design. Melomed’s strategically placed signage, as opposed to Tygerberg, led to the conclusion that the placement of signs, symbols and directories at hospitals can impede or aid the navigation and information provision. The impediment of navigation and information provision can cause visitors, patients and staff extra anxiety which can prolong their arrival at their destination. Moreover, the study concludes that no provisions were made at both Tygerberg and Melomed hospitals to adapt to the recent demographical changes in terms of the influx of migrants and foreign nationals and that the geographical locations of health institutions have a major impact on access to its products and services.