The huge popularity of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels and Philip Pullman’s challenging trilogy His Dark Materials flagged up a widening audience and increasing status for children’s literature in the West. As Sandra Beckett (2009) notes, children’s fiction is now being embraced with enthusiasm by adult readers, writers, critics and publishers. From this increased profile there has emerged the distinct publishing category of ‘crossover’ fiction. In contrast to earlier children’s novels with broad audience appeal, contemporary crossover works are noted for their contextually radical resistance to conventions and bold innovations in content, style and form. Whilst this has given rise to greater critical interest, however, the focus in general has been on adult authored fiction, rather than the now growing body of work being produced and promoted by children and adolescents themselves. In effect, adult critics and reviewers either exclude or take for granted young authors’ fictions as being formulaic and/or lightweight. The purpose of this study has been to investigate the implications of this stance. Drawing on Mikhail Bakhtin’s (1965) theory of carnival and its associated concepts, I have conducted a comparative analysis of published fiction by adult and teenage authors whose works have been identified as subversive and/or marketed as crossover texts. A Bakhtinian perspective on style, structure and themes in each confirms, or otherwise, their radical status before consideration is given to the implications of any differences in approach. Given John Stephens’ (1999) observation that boundaries between children’s and adults’ fiction are more fundamentally blurred in the fantasy and sub-fantasy modes, the influence of genre has been investigated too. My findings indicate that radical texts with broad audience appeal can, in fact, arise through a variety of narrative forms and writing styles and regardless of authorial age. At the same time, characteristic differences in ‘perspectives’ are shown to mark off adolescent from adult authors’ works. I conclude that the young writers’ near-perspectives can produce hybrid fictions which might be understood as breaking new ground. The fresh insights this study contributes, then, demonstrate that any comprehensive account of the vibrant and ever-shifting contemporary literary scene must encompass broader and altogether more considered critical review of young adults’ input than has been offered to-date.

Data clustering, which partitions data points into clusters, has many useful applications in economics, science and engineering. Data clustering algorithms can be partitional or hierarchical. The k-means algorithm is the most widely used partitional clustering algorithm because of its simplicity and efficiency. One problem with the k-means algorithm is that the quality of partitions produced is highly dependent on the initial selection of centers. This problem has been tackled using genetic algorithms (GA) where a set of centers is encoded into an individual of a population and solutions are generated using evolutionary operators such as crossover, mutation and selection. Of the many GA methods, the region-based genetic algorithm (RBGA) has proven to be an effective technique when the centroid was used as the representative object of a cluster (ROC) and the Euclidean distance was used as the distance metric. The RBGA uses a region-based crossover operator that exchanges subsets of centers that belong to a region of space rather than exchanging random centers. The rationale is that subsets of centers that occupy a given region of space tend to serve as building blocks. Exchanging such centers preserves and propagates high-quality partial solutions. This research aims at assessing the RBGA with a variety of ROCs and distance metrics. The RBGA was tested along with other GA methods, on four benchmark datasets using four distance metrics, varied number of centers, and centroids and medoids as ROCs. The results obtained showed the superior performance of the RBGA across all datasets and sets of parameters, indicating that region-based crossover may prove an effective strategy across a broad range of clustering problems.

Using a discourse analytical approach this thesis examines a selection of user reviews concerning Stephenie Meyer’s Young AdultNovel Twilight, published at LibraryThing 2009-07-01 – 2010-12-31. The aim of the study is to identify and shed light upon the conceptions relating to target audiences distinguishable in the reviews and todiscuss the possible consequences of categorizing fiction by age of theintended reader. In order to accomplish this, the study examines the conveyed images of Young Adult fiction and grown ups’ reading of Twilight.The thesis concludes that several discourses regarding Young Adult fiction are distinguishable in the material; some of which concern level, quality, and writing style, others thematic and contentbasedaspects, while one concerns fiction aimed specifically at girls. The thesis also concludes that grown ups’ reading of Twilight is sometimes portrayed as normal and sometimes as abnormal, and that some aspects of the book are made out to be problematic for an older audience while other aspects are made out to be less so.Furthermore the results suggest that discourses which associate a certain kind of content with a certain target group might have a restricting effect upon potential readers. / Program: Bibliotekarie

Ce travail a porté sur la synthèse et l'étude de nanoparticules à transition de spin du réseau tridimensionnel Fe(pyrazine)[Pt(CN)4]. L'objectif principal de ce travail était d’étudier l’effet de l'environnement (matrice) sur les propriétés de transition de spin des nanoparticules de Fe(pyrazine)[Pt(CN)4]. Dans un premier temps, la synthèse en microémulsion et l’étude de quelques paramètres permettant de varier la taille des particules ont été menées. La morphologie de deux tailles de particules a été étudiée en particulier par tomographie électronique. Les propriétés des particules de Fe(pyrazine)[Pt(CN)4] de 10 nm récupérées sans enrobage sont présentées et révèlent une coopérativité comparable au composé massif. L’étude a ensuite été poursuivie en modifiant uniquement l'environnement des particules en gardant les autres paramètres (taille, composition, forme) constants. Des particules de Fe(pyrazine)[Pt(CN)4] de 10 nm ont été protégées par différentes molécules telles qu’un dérivé calix-8-arène comportant des pyridines, le para-nitrobenzylpyridine (pNBP), un polymère (PVP) ou encore par croissance par voie sol-gel d’une coquille de silice de différentes épaisseurs. L’effet de l’environnement des nanoparticules sur les propriétés de transition de spin a été mis en évidence de manière très claire et la compressibilité de la matrice a été proposée comme élément permettant de moduler cette coopérativité. Par ailleurs, l'influence de la nature du réseau inorganique modifié par insertion d’iode dans le réseau de Fe(pyrazine) [Pt(CN)4] des nanoparticules a été étudiée, afin d’augmenter la température de transition autour de l’ambiante. Un effet particulièrement important été observé sur la coopérativité de la transition de spin des particules enrobées. Les résultats ont été discutés dans le contexte de récentes études de modélisation. / This work is focused on the synthesis and study of the spin crossover nanoparticles of 3D Fe (pyrazine) [Pt(CN)4] network. The main objective of this work was to study the environment (matrix) effects on the spin crossover (SCO) behavior of the Fe(pyrazine)[Pt(CN)4] nanoparticles. At first, microemulsion synthesis and study of some parameters affecting the size of the particles have been conducted. The morphology of particles of two sizes has been studied in particular using Electron Tomography. The properties of the 10 nm Fe(pyrazine)[Pt(CN)4] particles recovered without coating are presented and reveal cooperativity comparable to the bulk compound. The study was followed by changing only the environment and keeping other parameters (size, composition, shape) constant. 10 nm Fe(pyrazine)[Pt(CN)4] nanoparticles were protected by different molecules such as a derivative of calix-8-arene having pyridine groups, para-nitrobenzylpyridine (pNBP), a polymer (PVP) or a silica shell of different thicknesses grown via sol-gel process. The effect of the environment of nanoparticles on the spin transition properties has been demonstrated very clearly and the compressibility of the matrix has been proposed as an element to modulate the cooperativity. In addition, the influence of the nature of the inorganic network modified by insertion of iodine in the network Fe(pyrazine)[Pt(CN)4] nanoparticles has been studied to increase the transition temperature around ambient temperature. A particularly significant effect was observed on the cooperativity of the spin transition of the coated particles. The results were discussed in the context of recent modelisation studies.

Submitted by CARLOS EDUARDO DO NASCIMENTO null (carloseduardo.n.art@gmail.com) on 2017-02-06T22:26:19Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Entrega.pdf: 795537 bytes, checksum: 727981bbf9778470b920850e0a94bf72 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by LUIZA DE MENEZES ROMANETTO (luizamenezes@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2017-02-09T19:23:23Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 nascimento_ce_me_ia.pdf: 795537 bytes, checksum: 727981bbf9778470b920850e0a94bf72 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-09T19:23:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 nascimento_ce_me_ia.pdf: 795537 bytes, checksum: 727981bbf9778470b920850e0a94bf72 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-12-19 / Este trabalho tem como objetivo, estudar, através de pesquisa bibliográfica e entrevistas com profissionais da área, a versatilidade vocal do cantor crossover ao transitar por vários estilos de canto oriundos de outras culturas e algumas diferenças básicas entre o canto erudito e popular. Essa pesquisa possui caráter descritivo de natureza qualitativa, descrevendo as características e a complexidade do canto crossover, compreendendo os processos dinâmicos vividos pelos profissionais que atuam nessa abrangente área, com o intuito de possibilitar, um entendimento das particularidades desse tipo de canto. Para a investigação do tema deste trabalho, foram feitas entrevistas com profissionais que atuam hoje no mercado como cantores e professores crossover. Como resultado, observamos que esses profissionais, conseguem desenvolver uma voz flexível e versátil através da manipulação do seu trato vocal e que a conscientização do modelo fonte/filtro constitui uma importante ferramenta para ajudar nisso. Outro achado dessa pesquisa, foi destacar algumas características bem específicas e distintas entre o canto lírico e o popular as quais o cantor multi-estilístico precisa estar atento. / The aim of this thesis is to study, through bibliographical research and interviews with professionals in the field, the vocal versatility of the crossover singer when moving through various styles of singing originated from other cultures, and several basic differences between classical and popular singing. This research has a descriptive aspect of qualitative nature, describing the characteristics and the complexity of crossover singing, understanding the dynamic processes experienced by the professionals that work in this wide field, in order to allow comprehension of the peculiarities of this type of singing. For the investigation of the thesis’ theme, interviews were conducted with professionals who currently act in the market as singers and crossover teachers. As a result, it was observed that these professionals are able to develop a flexible and versatile voice through the manipulation of their vocal tract, and that the awareness of the source/filter model is an important tool for achieving it. Another finding of this research was to highlight some very specific and distinct characteristics between classical and popular singing, which the multi-stylist singer needs to be aware.

The use of mortar and pestles has long been associated with acorn processing in California. Based on ethnographic and archaeological evidence, groundstone was used to process a multitude of resources, including small mammals. Twenty groundstone artifacts recovered from the Rock Camp Site in the San Bernardino Mountains were analyzed for protein residues using the crossover immunological electrophoresis (CIEP) method. Using previously obtained data from the Summit Valley, a comparative analysis was done to determine if processing small mammals on groundstone was a common occurrence throughout the San Bernardino Mountain region.

Une large hystérèse centrée autour de la température ambiante constitue l'un des objectifs principaux de la recherche sur les matériaux commutables fonctionnels. Dans le domaine très étudié de la conversion de spin, un tel comportement apparaît très rarement. Un nouveau composé, le complexe [Fe(PM-PeA)2(NCSe)2] présentant une large hystérèse autour de la température ambiante a été synthétisé, sous forme de monocristal et de poudre. Ce composé a été la base de deux axes de recherche. Le premier concerne l’étude multi-échelles des relations structure-propriétés en combinant la diffraction des rayons X sur poudre et sur monocristal, à température variable. Un focus tout particulier a été fait sur l’échelle microstructurale, très peu explorée à ce jour. Pour la première fois,la taille des domaines cohérents et le taux de microdéformations, ont été quantifiés pour un composé moléculaire discret à conversion de spin. Le deuxième axe concerne l’investigation de la transition de spin induite par la pression. L’étude in situ par diffraction des rayons X sur monocristal a permis une caractérisation complète de la structure cristalline des deux états de spin, sous pression. Par la suite, un suivi fin de la transition de spin, révélant une piezo-hystérèse, a été fait grâce à la diffraction des rayons X sur poudre, sous pression in situ à l’aide du rayonnement synchrotron. Les expériences couplant pression et température ont donné accès à des informations cruciales, telles que la variation des modules d’élasticité avec la température, les effets de la température sur la pression de transition, le caractère coopératif de la transition et la largeur de la piezo-hystérèse. / Spin crossover (SCO) compounds with a large hysteresis centered around room temperature (RT) are being constantly pursued although such behavior is very rare and most often noticed in coordination networks. In this context, a new molecular discrete compound, the complex [Fe(PM-PeA)2(NCSe)2], showing a large SCO hysteresis spanning RT has been synthesized in both singlecrystal and powder forms. Then, two research lines emerged. The first one concerns the multi-scales study of the structure-properties relationships, combining single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction at variable temperature. A particular focus has been made on the microstructural scale, almostunexplored until now. For the first time, the coherent domain sizes and the micro-deformation rate has been quantified for a molecular discrete SCO compound. The second part of this work investigates in detail the pressure-induced SCO. The in situ single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies has been carried out to perform a complete characterization of the crystal structure under pressure. Thereafter, an accurate high-pressure X-ray diffraction measurement on the powder, with a synchrotron radiation,provides a fine track of the pressure-induced SCO and showed a piezo-hysteresis. Experiments coupling pressure and temperature brought crucial information pertaining to variation of bulk moduli withtemperature, the piezo-hysteresis width, the temperature dependence of the pressure transition and pressure-induced SCO abruptness, are provided in detail for the first time.

The usual convention for assigning a treatment to an individual is a "one-size fits all" rule that is based on broad spectrum trends. Heterogeneity within and between subjects and improvements in scientific research convey the need for more effective treatment assignment strategies. Precisionized treatment (PT) offers an alternative to the traditional treatment assignment approach by making treatment decisions based on one or more covariates pertaining to an individual. We investigate two methods to inform PT rules: the Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) method and the Boosting method. We apply these methods in the context of a crossover study design with a continuous outcome variable, one continuous covariate, and two intervention options. We explore the methods via extensive simulation studies and apply them to a data set from a study of safety warnings in passenger vehicles. We evaluate the performance of the estimated PT rules based on the improvement in mean response (RMD), the percent of correct treatment assignments (PCC), and the accuracy of estimating the location of the crossing point (MSE((x_c )). We also define a new metric that we call the percent of anomalies (PA). We characterize the potential benefit of using PT by relating it to the strength of interaction, the location of the crossing point, and the within-person intraclass correlation (ICC). We also explore the effects of sample size and overall variance along with the methods’ robustness to violations of model assumptions. We investigate the performance of the Boosting method under the standard weight and two alternative weighting schemes. Our investigation indicated the largest potential benefit of implementing a PT approach was when the crossover point was near the median, the strength of interaction was large, and the ICC was high. When a PT rule is used to assign treatments instead of a one-size fits all rule, an approximate 10-30% improvement in mean outcome can be gained. The MLE and Boosting method performed comparably across most of the simulation scenarios, yet in our data example, it appeared there may be an empirical benefit of the Boosting method over the MLE method. Under a distribution misspecification, the difference in performance between the methods was minor; however, when the functional form of the model was misspecified, we began to see improvement of the Boosting method over the MLE method. In the simulation conditions we considered, the weighting scheme used in the Boosting method did not markedly impact performance. Using data to develop PT rules can lead to an improvement in outcome over the standard approach of assigning treatments. We found that in a variety of scenarios, there was little added benefit to utilizing the more complex iterative Boosting procedure compared to the relatively straightforward MLE method when developing the PT rules. The results from our investigations could be used to optimize treatment recommendations for participants in future studies.

Grace aux progrès énormes des techniques de refroidissement, des expériences actuelles avec des atomes fermioniques piégés atteignent des températures extrêmement basses de l'ordre du nanoKelvin. Le but principal de ces expériences est l'étude de la transition nommée "BEC-BCS crossover". Pour cela, on change le champ magnétique autour d'une résonance de Feschbach, ce qui implique que la longueur de diffusion change des valeurs répulsives (a positif), à travers la limite unitaire (a infini) aux valeurs attractives (a négatif). Du côté BEC, où le système forme un condensat de Bose-Einstein de molécules fortement liées, aussi bien que du côté BCS, où les atomes forment des paires de Cooper qui ont une grande extension par rapport à la distance moyenne entre les atomes, on s'attend à ce que le système devienne superfluide, à condition que la température soit inférieure à une certaine température critique. Afin de trouver des signes sans équivoque de la superfluidité, il est nécessaire de regarder des observables dynamiques comme l'expansion du nuage atomique lorsque le piège est éteint ou des oscillations collectives du nuage. Le travail effectué au cours de cette thèse est une étude de la dynamique des modes collectifs dans les gaz de fermions froids. Nous avons développé un modèle basé sur l'évaluation de la matrice T. L'utilisation de l'équation de transport de Boltzmann pour les particules permet ensuite une étude semi-numérique des modes collectifs dans tous les régimes d'interaction. Cette étude a permis de mettre en évidence pour la première fois que la fréquence du mode radial quadrupolaire est supérieure à deux fois la fréquence du piège, comme cela est vérifié expérimentalement et contrairement aux premières théories n'incluant pas les effets de champ moyen. Les résultats obtenus ont aussi mis en évidence la nécessité d'une résolution numérique complète de l'équation de Boltzmann et de l'amélioration des techniques de détermination des observables physiques du gaz. Cette résolution numérique de l'équation de Boltzmann a montré que la détermination du temps de relaxation par la méthode des moments est erronée de 30%, ce qui influe fortement sur la détermination de la fréquence et de l'amortissement du mode collectif. Enfin, l'amélioration de la méthode des moments, considérant l'ordre supérieur, permet d'améliorer sensiblement l'accord avec le résultat numérique. Une telle investigation n'avait jamais été réalisée et montre la nécessité de considérer les moments d'ordre supérieurs pour l'étude des modes collectifs par l'équation de Boltzmann d'un gaz de fermions dans la phase normale.

Les gaz ultrafroids permettent d'étudier sous un angle nouveau des hamiltoniens complexes issus de la matière condensée, tels le modèle de Fermi-Hubbard. Cette thèse présente une nouvelle méthode de mesure de l'équation d'état d'un gaz ultrafroid, autorisant une comparaison directe avec la théorie. Elle repose sur une mesure de la pression à l'intérieur d'un gaz à partir de son image in situ. Nous appliquons cette méthode à l'étude d'un gaz de fermions en interaction résonnante, un gaz de 7Li en interaction faible servant de thermomètre. De manière surprenante, aucune des théories à N corps du gaz unitaire ne rend compte intégralement de l'équation déduite de cette analyse. Le développement du viriel extrait des données à haute température est en accord avec la résolution du problème à trois corps. A basse température nous montrons, contrairement à un certain nombre d'études antérieures, que la phase normale se comporte comme un liquide de Fermi. Enfin, nous obtenons la température critique de superfluidité grâce à une signature claire sur l'équation d'état. Nous avons aussi mesuré la pression de l'état fondamental en fonction du déséquilibre de spin et de la force des interactions - mesure directement utile à la description de la croûte des étoiles à neutrons. Nos données valident les simulations Monte-Carlo et sont en accord avec les corrections Lee-Huang-Yang au champ moyen pour un superfluide fermionique ou bosonique. Nous observons que, dans presque tous les cas, la phase partiellement polarisée peut être décrite comme un liquide de Fermi de polarons. La masse effective du polaron déduite de l'équation d'état est en accord avec une étude de modes collectifs.