This essay explores monstrosity in two contemporary horror stories: “The Whistlers” by Amity Argot, and “Whitefall” by C.K. Walker, focusing on how the humans in these texts are monstrously transformed. The monsters and monstrosity present in the texts are read against some of the cultural anxieties of postmodernity, and against various monstrous frameworks such as that of the zombie, the terrorist, and the monstrous space and nature. Both texts present monstrous spaces intent on perverting humans by eroding them physically until they reach a state of bare life that mimics zombification and may allegorize socioeconomic inequality, displacement, and the effects of capitalism; as well as by enticing them to commit atrocities against each other and transgress the very moral boundaries that defined them as human, up to and including cannibalism. In this way, these monsters reveal humans as their own annihilators, laying bare an innate human monstrosity that emerges from the traumatic conditions of postmodernity.

This thesis explores the variable behavior of bare nouns in Persian. Bare singular nouns realize different grammatical functions, including subject, object and indirect object. They receive different interpretations, including generic, definite and existential readings. However, the task of understanding the reasons for, and limits on, this variation cannot be achieved without understanding a number of pivotal features of Persian sentential architecture, including Information Structure, prosody, word order, and the functions of various morphological markers in Persian. After a brief introduction, chapters 2-3 deal with bare noun objects, firstly comparing them with nominals marked with indefinite morpheme -i suffixed to the noun, and the determiner yek. A bare noun object differs from morphologically marked nominals as it shows properties associated with noun incorporation in the literature (chapter 2). Of particular interest are the discourse properties of these ‘quasi-incorporated’ nominals. With respect to the discourse transparency of Incorporated Nominals, Persian belongs to the class of discourse opaque languages within Mithun’s classification (1984). However, under certain circumstances, Persian bare nouns show discourse transparency. These circumstances are examined in chapter 3, and it is proposed that bare nouns do introduce a number neutral discourse referent. There are no overt anaphoric expressions that could match such number-neutral antecedents in Persian. But covert anaphora lack number features, and hence can serve as means to pick up a number-neutral discourse referent. Also, in case world knowledge tells us that the number-neutral discourse referent is anchored to an atomic entity or to a collection, then an overt singular pronoun or an overt plural pronoun might fit the combined linguistic and conceptual requirements, and may be used to pick up the number-neutral discourse referent. This proposal is phrased within Discourse Representation Theory. In the second half of the dissertation, the interpretation of bare nouns in different positions and with different grammatical functions are discussed. Under the independently supported hypothesis of position>interpretation mapping developed by Diesing (1992), we will see the role of the suffix -ra in indicating that an object has been moved out of VP. Following Diesing, I assume that VP-internal variables are subject to an operation of Existential Closure. In many cases, VP-external –ra-marked objects have a different interpretation to their VP-internal, non-ra-marked, counterparts, because of escaping Existential Closure. For subjects, there is no morphological marking corresponding to –ra on objects, and we have to rely on prosody and word order to determine how a VP is interpreted using theories of the interaction of accent and syntactic structure. We assume that VP-internal subjects exist, under two independent but converging assumptions. The first is prosodic in nature: Subjects can be accented without being narrowly focused; theories of Persian prosody predict then that there is a maximal constituent that contains both the subject and the verb as its head. The second is semantic in nature: Bare nouns require an external existential closure operation to be interpreted existentially, and we have to assume existential closure over the VP for our analysis of the interpretation of objects. So, this existential closure would provide the necessary quantificational force for bare noun subjects as well. It is proposed that both subject and object originate within the VP, and can move out to the VP-external domain. The motivation for these movements are informational-structural in nature, relating in particular to the distinctions between given and new information, and default and non-default information structure.

This thesis explores the variable behavior of bare nouns in Persian. Bare singular nouns realize different grammatical functions, including subject, object and indirect object. They receive different interpretations, including generic, definite and existential readings. However, the task of understanding the reasons for, and limits on, this variation cannot be achieved without understanding a number of pivotal features of Persian sentential architecture, including Information Structure, prosody, word order, and the functions of various morphological markers in Persian. After a brief introduction, chapters 2-3 deal with bare noun objects, firstly comparing them with nominals marked with indefinite morpheme -i suffixed to the noun, and the determiner yek. A bare noun object differs from morphologically marked nominals as it shows properties associated with noun incorporation in the literature (chapter 2). Of particular interest are the discourse properties of these ‘quasi-incorporated’ nominals. With respect to the discourse transparency of Incorporated Nominals, Persian belongs to the class of discourse opaque languages within Mithun’s classification (1984). However, under certain circumstances, Persian bare nouns show discourse transparency. These circumstances are examined in chapter 3, and it is proposed that bare nouns do introduce a number neutral discourse referent. There are no overt anaphoric expressions that could match such number-neutral antecedents in Persian. But covert anaphora lack number features, and hence can serve as means to pick up a number-neutral discourse referent. Also, in case world knowledge tells us that the number-neutral discourse referent is anchored to an atomic entity or to a collection, then an overt singular pronoun or an overt plural pronoun might fit the combined linguistic and conceptual requirements, and may be used to pick up the number-neutral discourse referent. This proposal is phrased within Discourse Representation Theory. In the second half of the dissertation, the interpretation of bare nouns in different positions and with different grammatical functions are discussed. Under the independently supported hypothesis of position>interpretation mapping developed by Diesing (1992), we will see the role of the suffix -ra in indicating that an object has been moved out of VP. Following Diesing, I assume that VP-internal variables are subject to an operation of Existential Closure. In many cases, VP-external –ra-marked objects have a different interpretation to their VP-internal, non-ra-marked, counterparts, because of escaping Existential Closure. For subjects, there is no morphological marking corresponding to –ra on objects, and we have to rely on prosody and word order to determine how a VP is interpreted using theories of the interaction of accent and syntactic structure. We assume that VP-internal subjects exist, under two independent but converging assumptions. The first is prosodic in nature: Subjects can be accented without being narrowly focused; theories of Persian prosody predict then that there is a maximal constituent that contains both the subject and the verb as its head. The second is semantic in nature: Bare nouns require an external existential closure operation to be interpreted existentially, and we have to assume existential closure over the VP for our analysis of the interpretation of objects. So, this existential closure would provide the necessary quantificational force for bare noun subjects as well. It is proposed that both subject and object originate within the VP, and can move out to the VP-external domain. The motivation for these movements are informational-structural in nature, relating in particular to the distinctions between given and new information, and default and non-default information structure.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-12T20:22:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Mauro Hinz.pdf: 2658972 bytes, checksum: 50ee82c291499d5ddc390671e05329d4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-09-29 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The outsourcing of computing services has been through constant evolutions in the past years, due to the increase of demand for computing resources. Accordingly, data centers are the main suppliers of computing service and cloud-based computing services provide a new paradigm for the offer and consumption of these computing resources. A substantial motivator for using cloud computing is its pricing model, which enables to charge the customer only for the resources he used, thus adopting a pay-as-you-use cost model. Among cloud-based computing services, the service type Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) is the one mostly used by companies that would like to outsource their computing infrastructure. The IaaS service, in most cases, is offered through virtual machines. This paper revisits the cost models used by data centers and analyses the costs of supply of virtual machines based on IaaS. This analysis identifies that electricity represents a considerable portion of this cost and that much of the consumption comes from the use of processors in virtual machines, and that this aspect is not considered in the identified cost models. This paper describes the Virtual Power Model, a cost model based on energy consumption of the processor in cloud-based, virtual machines in IaaS. The model is based on the assumptions of energy consumption vs. processing load, among others, which are proven through experiments in a test environment of a small data center. As a result, the Virtual Power Model proves itself as a fairer pricing model for the consumed resources than the identified models. Finally, a case study is performed to compare the costs charged to a client using the cost model of Amazon for the AWS EC2 service and the same service charged using the Virtual Power Model. / A terceirização dos serviços de computação tem passado por evoluções constantes nos últimos anos em função do contínuo aumento na demanda por recursos computacionais. Neste sentido, os data centers são os principais fornecedores de serviço de computação e os serviços de computação em nuvem proporcionam um novo paradigma na oferta e consumo desses recursos computacionais. Um considerável motivador do uso das nuvens computacionais é o seu modelo de tarifação que possibilita a cobrança do cliente somente dos recursos que ele utilizou, adotando um modelo de custo do tipo pay-as-you-use. Dentre os serviços de computação em nuvem, o serviço do tipo IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service) é um dos mais utilizados por empresas que desejam terceirizar a sua infraestrutura computacional. O serviço de IaaS, na grande maioria dos casos, é ofertado através de instâncias de máquinas virtuais. O presente trabalho revisita os modelos de custos empregados em data centers analisando a formação dos custos no fornecimento de máquina virtuais em nuvens baseadas em IaaS. Com base nesta análise identificasse que a energia elétrica possui uma parcela considerável deste custo e que boa parte deste consumo é proveniente do uso de processadores pelas máquinas virtuais, e que esse aspecto não é considerado nos modelos de custos identificados. Este trabalho descreve o Modelo Virtual Power, um modelo de custo baseado no consumo de energia do processador por máquina virtual em nuvens IaaS. A constituição do modelo está baseada nas premissas de consumo de energia vs. carga de processamento, entre outros, que são comprovados através de experimentação em um ambiente de testes em um data center de pequeno porte. Como resultado o Modelo Virtual Power mostra-se mais justo na precificação dos recursos consumidos do que os modelos identificados. Por fim, é realizado um estudo de caso comparando os custos tarifado a um cliente empregando o modelo de custo da Amazon no serviço AWS EC2 e o mesmo serviço tarifado utilizando o Modelo Virtual Power.

Recently, Zn-XAl-YMg coatings have emerged as lighter-weight substitutes for traditional Zn-based coatings for the corrosion protection of steels; however, little is currently known concerning the interactions between the oxides present on advanced high strength steel (AHSS) surfaces and the Zn-Al-Mg bath. In the current contri- bution, the selective oxidation and reactive wetting of a series of C-Mn AHSS were determined with the objective of providing a quantitative description of this pro- cess. The process atmosphere pO2 was varied using dew points of −50◦C, −30◦C and −5◦C. The surface oxide chemistry and morphology were analysed by means of SEM and XPS techniques. Reactive wetting of the selectively oxidized surfaces using a Zn-1.6 wt.% Al-1.6 wt.% Mg bath was monitored as a function of annealing time at 60 s, 100 s and 140 s at 800◦C. The resulting bare spot defects in the Zn-1.6 wt.% Al-1.6 wt.% Mg coating were assessed by means of SAM-AES and FIB, while coating adhesion was analysed by 180◦ bend tests. Annealing the steel substrates resulted in the formation of surface MnO, which varied based on pO2 and Mn alloy content, and that this MnO greatly reduced the wettability of the steel by the Zn-1.6 wt.% Al- 1.6 wt.% Mg bath, resulting in bare spot defects. It was determined that the reactive wetting of the steel substrate was dependant on the oxide morphology and oxidation mode, which was a function of both alloying content of Mn in the steel and annealing pO2 process atmosphere (dew point). Finally, it was concluded that the bare spot area percentage on the coated panels was statistically invariant for annealing times of between 60 s and 140 s at 800◦C. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / Metallic coatings are applied to steels that are not naturally corrosion resistant. The aim of this research was to determine how well a coating containing zinc, aluminum and magnesium adhered to high strength automotive steel. It was deter- mined that manganese oxides formed on the steel during heating prior to applying the metallic coating. The manganese oxides prevented good adhesion between the steel and the coating, resulting in bare spot defects in the coating. The bare spot defects are undesirable as they leave the steel exposed and therefore susceptible to corrosion and are unsightly when painted.

This thesis explores the relationship between Marcel Duchamp’s oeuvre and the texts of the Comte de Lautréamont, arguing that the author’s works comprise an overlooked and undervalued source of interest and ideas for the artist. Scholars have done an extraordinary job of documenting and analyzing a number of Duchamp’s literary sources and inspirations. Their work has elucidated the roles of Raymond Roussel, Alfred Jarry, Stéphane Mallarmé, Jules Laforgue, and Jean-Pierre Brisset, among others, for Duchamp. The work of Lautréamont, however, has received proportionally little attention, despite several indications of its importance for the artist. Among the few who have proposed such a connection, none have yet offered a broadly documented or sustained argument. Other historians, generally working under the premise that Lautréamont only came to Duchamp’s attention by way of the Surrealists, have explicitly rejected the possibility that the Uruguayan-French poet had any meaningful position in Duchamp’s library prior to the Surrealist championing of the author. This thesis proposes otherwise, making the case that Lautréamont was more fundamentally important to Duchamp than yet realized. Historical documents as well as statements by the artist himself and those closest to him suggest a stronger engagement by Duchamp with the works of Lautréamont than has been previously proposed. This relationship seems to have begun by as early as 1912, well in advance of the Surrealists’ discovery of the author, and it lasted throughout Duchamp’s life. Furthermore, an examination of Duchamp’s body of work demonstrates a number of strategic and thematic resonances between artist and author that reinforce what the archival evidence suggests. These resonances should be understood as open readings, rather than exclusive readings. They are proposed as additions to the existing constellation of understanding of Duchamp’s oeuvre, rather than as foreclosures upon other ways of reading Duchamp’s body of work. / text

The subject matter of the diploma thesis is the bare noun phrase and its referential properties with focus to (in)definiteness. The aim is to present an empirical evaluation of factors that influence the interpretation of definiteness of bare noun phrases in Czech. The first part of the thesis recounts on existing theories of reference and definiteness, both in general and with focus to Czech as a language without obligatory determination. Our basic assumption is that the interpretation of definiteness of bare noun phrases is based on their position within a syntactic and semantic sentence structure, topic-focus articulation and word- or situational context. We focus on the relation between definiteness and an absolute position within a sentence, a verb-relative position and modification of the NP. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

A espacialização de atributos dos solos é necessária com vistas ao planejamento e monitoramento do solo. As imagens do satélite Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) são utilizadas em estudos relacionados aos recursos naturais por fornecerem informações da superfície das terras em áreas amplas e de difícil acesso. Nesse trabalho objetivou-se gerar uma imagem multitemporal de solo exposto através de imagens de satélite e, com ela, mapear atributos da superfície do solo. A área de estudo é a região de Piracicaba, SP, onde foram selecionadas treze imagens do Landsat TM. Amostras da camada mais superficial dos solos foram coletadas em 740 pontos, e nelas analisados vários atributos do solo. Por meio da reflectância espectral dos objetos das imagens de satélite foram obtidas informações de solo exposto e eliminados outros alvos. As imagens foram adquiridas em série histórica e sobrepostas, gerando uma composta final com solo exposto. Os atributos do solo que obtiveram boa correlação com as bandas dessa imagem foram quantificados por meio da técnica de regressão multivariada e espacializados. Mapas pré-existentes de geologia e pedologia auxiliaram no entendimento da variabilidade espacial da textura e cor dos solos na paisagem. A taxa de variação do solo exposto em uma imagem individual variou de 7 a 20 %, enquanto a unificada atingiu 53 % da área total. Valores de reflectância entre as bandas TM3 e TM4 contrapostos representando a linha do solo e curva espectral média de espectros de amostras de solos obtidas em laboratório apresentaram semelhança com as de satélite. Entre os atributos estudados, a argila obteve a melhor correlação com R2 de 0,75, erro baixo e RPD acima de 2. Outros atributos relacionados com a argila também obtiveram boa correlação, como matéria orgânica (MO) e capacidade de troca de cátions (CTC) com R2 de 0,4 e 0,34 respectivamente. / The knowledge of spatial distribution of soil attributes is necessary for soil planning and monitoring. Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) images are used in studies related to natural resources for providing the land surface information in large areas and in areas of difficult access. This work aimed to create a multi-temporal image of bare soil through satellite scenes and map soil attributes from the surface. The study area is located in Piracicaba region, SP, where thirteen Landsat TM scenes were selected. Samples of the soil superficial layer were collected at 740 points, and several soil properties were analyzed. Spectral reflectance of different objects from satellite images was obtained and only exposed soil information was selected. Images were acquired in historical series and overlapped, generating a final composed image with bare soil. Soil attributes that presented good correlation with the bands were quantified by multivariate regression and mapped. Pre-existing maps of geology and soil helped in understanding soil texture spatial variability and color in the landscape. The soil variation rate in an individual exposed image ranged from 7 to 20%, while the unified reached 53% of the total area. Obtained values of reflectance between TM3 and TM4 bands representing the soil line and average spectral curve of laboratory soil samples were similar to the satellite ones. Among the soil attributes studied, clay presented the best correlation with R2 value of 0.75, low error and RPD value above 2.0. Other attributes related to clay also presented good correlation, such as organic matter (OM) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) with R2 values of 0.4 and 0.34 respectively.

Esta dissertação investiga nomes nus e classificadores numerais do chinês mandarim, assim como a distinção lexical entre nomes contáveis e massivos do chinês. O objetivo deste trabalho é estudar e avaliar as possíveis denotações dos nominais do chinês mandarim. O texto é divido em três partes. Na primeira, investigam-se nomes nus do chinês mandarim, que manifestam número geral. Defende-se que o número geral não ocorre em sintagmas nominais em que existe numeral. No Chinês mandarim, nomes nus podem ser interpretados como indefinidos, definidos e genéricos de acordo com suas posições sintáticas e contextos em que ocorrem. A hipótese defendida na segunda parte da dissertação é a de que, no chinês mandarim, há distinção lexical entre nomes contáveis e massivos. Um fator importante na distinção contável-massivo do chinês mandarim é a presença de classificadores e suas relações com os nomes. Defende-se que a combinação entre os nomes e os classificadores é seletiva e, com base nisso, os nomes comuns do chinês podem ser divididos em nomes contáveis, nomes massivos, nomes coletivos, nomes abstratos e nomes próprios. Além de classificador, mais uma evidência para a contabilidade dos nomes do chinês é o morfema men. A terceira parte da dissertação avalia a presença de classificador nos sintagmas nominais com numerais. Defende-se que diferentes grupos de classificadores possuem diferentes funções: classificadores individuais são marcadores gramaticais de contabilidade e não têm a função individualizadora e, os outros grupos têm suas restrições na combinação com os nomes. A combinação entre numeral e classificador pode ser tratada como um núcleo complexo que ocorre morfologicamente como um item lexical, mas o numeral pode-se omitir dentro deste complexo e classificador não. Sendo assim, Os classificadores devem ser tratados como um sufixo na sua ocorrência dentro do complexo [Num-CL], mas como um clítico em outras ocorrências. / This dissertation investigates bare nouns and numeral classifiers in Mandarin Chinese, as well as the lexical distinction between count and mass nouns of Chinese. The goal of this work is to study and assess the possible denotations of nominals in Mandarin Chinese. The dissertation is divided in three parts. In the first part, the bare nominals in Mandarin Chinese will be investigated and they have general number. We argue that the general number can not happen in noun phrases when they contain numerals. In Mandarin Chinese, the bare nouns can be interpreted as indefinites, definites and generics, according to their syntactic positions and contexts in that they happen. The hypothesis presented in the second part of this dissertation is that in Mandarin Chinese, there is the lexical distinction between count and mass nouns. One important factor in this count-mass distinction of Mandarin Chinese is the presence of classifiers and their relationships with the nouns. We argue that, based on the selective combination between names and classifiers, the common nouns of Chinese can be divided in count nouns, mass nouns, collective nouns, abstract nouns and proper nouns. Besides the classifier, one more evidence for the accounting of Chinese\'s names is the morpheme men. The third part of the dissertation assesses the classifiers presence in the noun phrases with numerals. We argue that, different groups of classifiers have different functions: the individual classifiers are grammatical markers of accounting and they do not have the individualizing function, while the other groups have their restrictions in the combination with the nouns. The combination between the numeral and the classifier can be treated as a complex head that happens morphologically as a lexical item, but the numeral in which can be omitted in some contexts and the classifier can not. Thus, the classifiers should be treated as a suffix in his occurrence with the complex [Num-CL], but as a clitic in other occurrences.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T18:12:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Andre Oliveira.pdf: 62201460 bytes, checksum: 7bd1951f3685c007ed4c8fd33e190d34 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-11-30 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Zombies have been part of people s imagination for many centuries. However, for the last twenty years, a zombie culture has been developed and it has been taking its place throughout different types of media, such as audiovisual and press. Moreover, this culture has also been present in people´s celebrations and manifestations, for example: festivals, parties, performances, etc. The purpose of this dissertation is to identify how the new versions of zombies constitute not only a form of entertainment, but also a political metaphor, representing the disqualification of human life (bare life) and the fine line between life and death. This research comprises from the pioneer movie Night Of The Living Dead (1968), directed by filmmaker George Romero, to recent work related to films, comic books, photographs and images found online. The methodology brings together bibliographical research and the analysis of images which were selected from diverse media. The theoretical context is formed by the political studies of the fictional genre, which are based on body horror, proposed by Benjamin Noys (2005), and the analysis of Auschwitz Living Dead, known as Muselmann and transformed into one of the important paradigms of contemporary political philosophy by Giorgio Agamben (2008). The study of the way man s natural life influences power mechanisms will be carried in the field of communication throughout the corpomidia theory (KATZ & GREINER, 2005). The expected result is the questioning and discussion of the apathy that is brought by zombies, which characterizes some of the fundamental dimensions of current social behavior in society and in the media / O personagem zumbi faz parte da imaginação humana há muitos séculos, no entanto, nos últimos vinte anos tem constituído a chamada cultura zumbi que ocupa diferentes ambientes midiáticos como a mídia impressa, audiovisual e uma pluralidade de manifestações urbanas (festivais, festas, performances etc). O objetivo desta dissertação é identificar como as novas versões dos zumbis constituem, mais do que mero entretenimento, uma metáfora política, representando a desqualificação da vida humana (vida nua) e o limiar entre a vida e a morte. O corpus da pesquisa reúne desde o filme pioneiro Night Of The Living Dead (1968), dirigido pelo cineasta George Romero, até experiências recentes (cinema, quadrinhos, fotografias, imagens de internet). A metodologia alia pesquisa bibliográfica e análise de imagens selecionadas em diversas mídias. Integram o contexto teórico, os estudos políticos do gênero ficcional baseado no cinema de terror ou body horror propostos por Benjamin Noys (2005) e a análise dos chamados Mortos-Vivos de Auschwitz, conhecidos como Muselmann , e transformados em um dos importantes paradigmas da filosofia política contemporânea por Giorgio Agamben (2008). O estudo da implicação da vida natural do homem nos mecanismos e nos cálculos do poder será ainda abordado tendo como referência a área da comunicação, através da teoria corpomídia (KATZ & GREINER, 2005). O resultado esperado é a problematização de uma certa apatia, representada pelos zumbis, que caracteriza algumas dimensões fundamentais do comportamento social hoje, na vida e em seus diversos ambientes midiáticos