Classical partitioning problems, like the Max-Cut problem, ask for partitions that optimize one quantity, which are important to such fields as VLSI design, combinatorial optimization, and computer science. Judicious partitioning problems on graphs or hypergraphs ask for partitions that optimize several quantities simultaneously. In this dissertation, we work on judicious partitions of graphs and hypergraphs, and solve or asymptotically solve several open problems of Bollobas and Scott on judicious partitions, using the probabilistic method and extremal techniques.

Consider an m x zero-one matrix A. An s x t submatrix of A is said to be even if the sum of its entries is even. In this paper, we focus on the case m = n and s = t = 2. The maximum number M(n) of even 2 x 2 submatrices of A is clearly ( 2n) 2, and corresponds to the matrix A having, e.g., all ones (or zeros). A more interesting question, motivated by Turán numbers and Hadamard matrices, is that of the minimum number m(n) of such matrices. It has recently been shown that m(n) ≥ 1/2 ( 2n) 2 - Bn 3 for some constant B. In this paper we show that if the matrix A = A n is considered to be induced by an infinite zero one matrix obtained at random, then P(E n ≤1/2( 2n) 2 - Cn 2 log n infinitely often) = 0, where E n denotes the number of even 2 x 2 submatrices of A n. Results such as these provide us with specific information about the tightness of the concentration of E n around its expected value of 1/2 ( 2n) 2.

[pt] Existem diversas formas de se conceber e perceber a arquitetura, entre tantas, porém, acredita-se que determinadas obras denotam silêncio, manifestação fenomênica que proporciona determinada mobilização empática. Sendo a arquitetura uma arte que envolve questões relacionadas ao espaço material no qual o homem habita, busca-se entender o que faz uma obra construída ser caracterizada essencialmente pelo silêncio e o que é necessário, em termos materiais, para que isso possa acontecer. Para tanto, esta pesquisa se apoia no conceito de tectônica que, de acordo com Kenneth Frampton (1995, 1998), consiste em uma das dimensões essenciais da arquitetura. Sendo assim, além de discussão relacionada ao conceito de tectônica, como referencial teórico-metodológico, mobiliza-se o termo silêncio, ideia intrínseca à pesquisa, com o objetivo de analisar certas expressões arquitetônicas que possibilitam o seu surgimento, percebível sinestesicamente, na arquitetura. Assim, foram selecionados três projetos para análise: a Casa Azuma, a Capela Bruder Klaus e o Museu Brasileiro da Escultura - MuBE. Obras onde o silêncio encontra-se em evidência e comprovam que, apesar do ruído sempre existir, é possível vivenciar o silêncio, por intermédio da arquitetura. / [en] There are several ways to conceive and perceive architecture, among many, however, it is believed that certain works denote silence, phenomenal manifestation that provides a certain empathic mobilization. Since architecture is an art that involves issues related to the material space in which man lives, the aim is to understand what makes a constructed work become essentially characterized by silence and what is necessary, in material terms, for this to happen. Therefore, this research is based on the concept of tectonics which, according to Frampton (1995, 1998), is one of the essential dimensions of architecture referring to constructive poetics. Thus, in addition to the discussion related to the concept of tectonics as a theoretical-methodological reference, the term silence, an idea intrinsic to the research, is mobilized, with the objective of analyzing certain architectural expressions that allow its emergence, synesthetically perceivable in architecture. Thus, three projects were selected for analysis: the Azuma House, the Bruder Klaus Chapel and the Brazilian Museum of Sculpture - MuBE; works where silence is in evidence, proving that, even though noise has always existed, it is possible to experience silence through architecture.

Kobayashi Takiji's (1903-1933) Kanikōsen (The Crab Cannery Ship, 1929), the outstanding work from the proletarian literary movement, experienced an influx of new adaptations into various mediums during the years that preceded and followed the "Kanikōsen boom" of 2008. This thesis focuses on two manga adaptations that provide readers with starkly different takes on the original story. Using theories by Scott McCloud and Azuma Hiroki, I first attempt to draw parallels between the form of manga and that of the novel. Then, I examine the manner in which the most explicitly political content of the novel is adapted into the manga versions. Through this examination of form and content, it becomes apparent that, despite their differences, both adaptations reinforce a vague, individualist-humanist ideology that undermines the notions of class consciousness and class struggle that are central to the narrative of Kanikōsen. This diminishing of the explicitly "Red" aspects of the original reflects the Japanese public's general aversion to politics that has persisted since the early 1970's until this day.