abstract: Phishing is a form of online fraud where a spoofed website tries to gain access to user's sensitive information by tricking the user into believing that it is a benign website. There are several solutions to detect phishing attacks such as educating users, using blacklists or extracting phishing characteristics found to exist in phishing attacks. In this thesis, we analyze approaches that extract features from phishing websites and train classification models with extracted feature set to classify phishing websites. We create an exhaustive list of all features used in these approaches and categorize them into 6 broader categories and 33 finer categories. We extract 59 features from the URL, URL redirects, hosting domain (WHOIS and DNS records) and popularity of the website and analyze their robustness in classifying a phishing website. Our emphasis is on determining the predictive performance of robust features. We evaluate the classification accuracy when using the entire feature set and when URL features or site popularity features are excluded from the feature set and show how our approach can be used to effectively predict specific types of phishing attacks such as shortened URLs and randomized URLs. Using both decision table classifiers and neural network classifiers, our results indicate that robust features seem to have enough predictive power to be used in practice. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Computer Science 2017

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:28:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-02-18Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:18:03Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_vc_me_jabo.pdf: 1083755 bytes, checksum: 2d0de83ba52c01f35f8a0ede2c3b555e (MD5) / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / O uso de pastagens é a alternativa mais econômica para a alimentação de ruminantes. É de suma importância o conhecimento das características morfogênicas e estruturais dos pastos, uma vez que as mesmas determinam o índice de área foliar do relvado, refletindo diretamente no pastejo pelos animais. O experimento foi conduzido no período de janeiro/2010 a junho/2010, com o objetivo de avaliar as características morfogênicas, estruturais e a dinâmica do perfilhamento do capim tanzânia em diferentes índices de área foliar residual (IAFr), sob pastejo rotacionado por cabras Anglonubiano. Os tratamentos consistiram de três IAF residual (0,8; 1,6 e 2,4). O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos completos casualizados, em arranjo de parcelas subdividas no tempo, com seis repetições e um total de 18 unidades experimentais. Para determinação do período de descanso foi adotado o critério de 95% de interceptação luminosa (condição de pré-pastejo). Foram avaliadas, no pré e pós pastejo, as alturas do dossel, IL, IAF, massa de forragem e as características morfogênicas e estruturais dos pastos. A altura média, IL e IAF dos dosséis no pré pastejo decresceram com a diminuição do IAFr. No pós pastejo, os IAFr 0,8 e 2,4 apresentaram maior e menor valor de IL, de 35,93 e 62,50%, respectivamente. No pré-pastejo os valores dos componentes de massa dos pastos mantidos sob IAFr 2,4 foram superiores (P<0,10), quando comparados aos pastos sob IAFr 0,8. Houve um aumento nos valores de massa verde seca (8696,85 kg/MS/ha) e massa seca total (12082,00 kg/MS/ha), conforme o ciclo de pastejo, devido principalmente à contribuição da massa seca de colmo (MSC). O período que compreendeu o último ciclo de pastejo teve a TApF 32% menor quando comparada aos primeiro e segundo ciclos de pastejo. O último ciclo de pastejo (Abr/Mai) apresentou TAlF inferior comparadas aos... / The use of pastures is the most economical way to feed ruminants. It is of paramount importance the knowledge of the morphogenetic and structural characteristics of the pasture, since they determine the leaf area index of the sward, is directly reflected by the grazing animals. The experiment was carried from janeiro2010 to June/2010, in order to evaluate the morphogenesis, structure and dynamics of tillering of Guinea grass in different residual LAI under rotational grazing by goats Anglo Nubian. The treatments consisted of three residual rLAI (0.8, 1.6 and 2.4). The experimental design was a complete randomized block, with a split plot arrangement, with six replication and a total of 18 plots. For the determination of rest period has been adopted the criterion of 95% light interception (under pre-grazing). There were evaluated before and after grazing, the sward heights, IL, LAI, herbage mass and the morphogenetic and structural characteristics of the pastures. The average height, canopy LAI and IL pre grazing decreased with decreasing rLAI. In the post grazing, the rLAI 0.8 and 2.4 showed higher and lower LI of 35.93 and 62.50% respectively. In the pre-grazing values of the components of the mass of swards under 2.4 rLAI were higher (P<0,10) when compared to pastures under rLAI 0.8. There was an increase in the values of green dry mass (8696,85 kg / DM / ha) and total dry mass (12082,00 kg / DM / ha) as the grazing cycle, mainly due to the contribution of the dry mass of stem (DMS). The period that included the last period of grazing had LAI 32% lower when compared to the first and second grazing cycles. The last grazing cycle (Apr / May) had markedly lower compared to previous cycles (Mar / Apr). The lifespan of leaves (VPD) was affected by treatments (rLAI) and the grazing season (P<0.10). The rLAI 2.4 resulted in longer life compared to rLAI 0.8 and 1.6. No significant rLAI ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul / The research that resulted in this master thesis was developed on a dirt road Instruction Campo de Santa Maria, RS. The main objective was to study the erodibility of the surface soil horizons A, B and C. The methodology consisted in the literature; field investigations and laboratory stage. In the latter were carried out tests of physical and chemical characterization, direct shear strength tests, cone penetrometer dynamic test, testing for indirect evaluation (breakdown, laboratory cone, infiltration rate and loss by immersion) and direct (Inderbitzen) erodibility . The results were compared with the proposed Bastos (1999) to estimate the soil erodibility unsaturated located in Porto Alegre.A road evaluated this on a probable fluvial terrace. Based on results of direct shear tests showed greater susceptibility to erosion to the horizon C. The test of dynamic cone penetrometer confirmed the results found by Pittelkow (2013) and Santos (2014) showing greater penetration resistance for the crust layer. In indirect evaluation of erodibility - by estimating the erodibility factor (KUSLE) soil horizons A, B and C, was between 0.24 and 0.40, making sure it can not separate these materials on the erodibility. The breakdown test showed increased susceptibility to erosion for the B and C horizons, regardless of the moisture condition. The results of the laboratory test cone was unsatisfactory with the results observed in the field. The MCT methodology presented a good relationship of correspondence between the results of the tests and the behavior of soils in the studied sites, primarily for the air condition to dry moisture, proving their applicability to the materials. Direct evaluation made through the tests Inderbitzen confirmed that the loss of soil generally is greater the larger the slope of the ramp and flow test. According to this assessment to the horizon samples B and C there was a tendency of higher values of erodibility in dry condition the air. It was also found lower values of erodibility of the horizon, standing from about 0 to 13.8 g / cm2 / min / Pa, for natural moisture condition and dry air, respectively. B horizon values stood at an intermediate level, for samples in natural moisture condition. The values for K for the C horizon stood at 65.8 g / cm2 / min / Pa for the natural moisture. Did not establish critical hydraulic stresses for the A and B horizons, the natural moisture condition, but for the other conditions ranged between 0.94 and 1.29 Pa for the horizon and 0.95 and 1.17 Pa for the B horizon to horizon C values were between 0.90 and 1.19 Pa. The B and C horizons were the materials most potentially erodible. The criteria had better correlation with geotechnical proposed Bastos (1999) were the erodibility coefficient obtained in Inderbitzen test and the erodibility criteria MCT methodology. / A pesquisa que resultou nesta dissertação de mestrado foi desenvolvida em um perfil de solo típico do Campo de Instrução de Santa Maria, RS. O objetivo principal é a avaliação da erodibilidade dos solos superficiais dos horizontes A, B e C que compõem esse perfil de solo. A metodologia aplicada consistiu no levantamento bibliográfico; investigações de campo e na etapa de laboratório. Nesta última foram realizados os ensaios de caracterização física e química, ensaios de resistência ao cisalhamento direto, ensaio do penetrômetro dinâmico de cone, ensaios para avaliação indireta (desagregação, cone de laboratório, infiltrabilidade e perda por imersão) e direta (Inderbitzen) da erodibilidade. Os resultados foram classificados segundo a proposta geotécnica de Bastos (1999) para a estimativa da erodibilidade de solos não saturados na região de Porto Alegre. O perfil de solo esta situado próxima a jazida de empréstimo que esta sobre um provável terraço fluvial. Os resultados obtidos nos ensaios de cisalhamento direto demonstraram maior susceptibilidade à erosão para o horizonte C. O ensaio do penetrômetro dinâmico de cone confirmou os resultados encontrados por Pittelkow (2013) e Santos (2014) demonstrando maior resistência à penetração para a camada de crosta. Na avaliação indireta da erodibilidade através da estimativa do fator erodibilidade (KUSLE) os solos dos horizontes A, B e C, situou-se entre 0,24 e 0,40, verificando que não se consegue separar estes materiais quanto à erodibilidade. O ensaio de desagregação demonstrou maior susceptibilidade à erosão para os horizontes B e C, independente da condição de umidade. Os resultados do ensaio de cone de laboratório não foram satisfatórios com os resultados observados em campo. A metodologia MCT apresentou uma boa relação de correspondência entre os resultados dos ensaios e o comportamento dos solos nos locais estudados, principalmente para a condição de umidade seca ao ar, comprovando sua aplicabilidade a estes materiais. A avaliação direta, feita através dos ensaios de Inderbitzen, confirmou que geralmente a perda de solo é tanto maior quanto maior for à inclinação da rampa e a vazão de ensaio. Segundo esta avaliação, para as amostras dos horizontes B e C verificou-se certa tendência de valores mais elevados de erodibilidade na condição seca ao ar. Também se verificou valores mais baixos de erodibilidade do horizonte A, situando-se de aproximadamente 0 a 13,8 g/cm2/min/Pa, para a condição de umidade natural e seca ao ar, respectivamente. No horizonte B os valores situaram-se em um patamar intermediário, para as amostras na condição de umidade natural. O valore de K para o horizonte C situou-se em 65,8 g/cm2/ min/ Pa, para a umidade natural. Não se conseguiu determinar as tensões hidráulicas críticas para os horizontes A e B, na condição de umidade natural, mas para as demais condições situaram entre 0,94 e 1,29 Pa para o horizonte A e 0,95 e 1,17 Pa para o horizonte B. Para o horizonte C os valores situaram-se entre 0,90 e 1,19 Pa. Os horizontes B e C foram os materiais mais potencialmente erodíveis. Os critérios que obtiveram melhor correlação com a proposta geotécnica de Bastos (1999) foram o coeficiente de erodibilidade obtido no ensaio Inderbitzen e o critério de erodibilidade da metodologia MCT.

Erosion is a natural geological phenomenon that occurs in the upper layers of the Earth, but can be accelerated by man especially when used improperly. A large loss of soil by erosion occurs on the dirt roads that was diagnosed in the Campo de Instrução de Santa Maria (CISM) where training occurs with armored vehicles and other large area. This study aimed to understand and to set the erosive processes on a dirt road located in CISM and how specific objectives sought to understand how the area used, the type of material involved and its resistance to the process erosive using for this test of physical characterization and erodibility. The results of this study may contribute to the maintenance of roads CISM. This research began with a literature review on the topic, fieldwork for recognition of the area, for description of erosional features and gathering of samples for be tested through test physical characterization and erodibility. The sampled points of the road were: the Crust, E2, E6 and E7, and the horizons B and C of the borrow pit. The tests of the erodibility were performed with the samples E2 , E7 and Crust and compared to data obtained by Sant Ana, 2012. The road lies over an area of alluvial terrace where if find argisoil. The road crosses a flat-topped hill with NW-SE direction. Were described in place, ridges and ravines related to lack of drainage, the presence of compacted layer (crust) with mud crack, alcoves of the regression, ducts and pot erosion. Geotechnical tests confirm the fragile nature of local soil, reaffirming human action a accelerator of the erosion in the area. / Erosion is a natural geological phenomenon that occurs in the upper layers of the Earth, but can be accelerated by man especially when used improperly. A large loss of soil by erosion occurs on the dirt roads that was diagnosed in the Campo de Instrução de Santa Maria (CISM) where training occurs with armored vehicles and other large area. This study aimed to understand and to set the erosive processes on a dirt road located in CISM and how specific objectives sought to understand how the area used, the type of material involved and its resistance to the process erosive using for this test of physical characterization and erodibility. The results of this study may contribute to the maintenance of roads CISM. This research began with a literature review on the topic, fieldwork for recognition of the area, for description of erosional features and gathering of samples for be tested through test physical characterization and erodibility. The sampled points of the road were: the Crust, E2, E6 and E7, and the horizons B and C of the borrow pit. The tests of the erodibility were performed with the samples E2 , E7 and Crust and compared to data obtained by Sant Ana, 2012. The road lies over an area of alluvial terrace where if find argisoil. The road crosses a flat-topped hill with NW-SE direction. Were described in place, ridges and ravines related to lack of drainage, the presence of compacted layer (crust) with mud crack, alcoves of the regression, ducts and pot erosion. Geotechnical tests confirm the fragile nature of local soil, reaffirming human action a accelerator of the erosion in the area.

Submitted by Erika Cristina Nesta Silva null (erikacnsdreamer@yahoo.com.br) on 2017-09-01T21:28:30Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Silva_ecn_prud.pdf: 23057027 bytes, checksum: 0ed7ba79c2ce840394cd84eb5c9239d0 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Monique Sasaki (sayumi_sasaki@hotmail.com) on 2017-09-11T19:04:49Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_ecn_dr_prud.pdf: 23057027 bytes, checksum: 0ed7ba79c2ce840394cd84eb5c9239d0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-11T19:04:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_ecn_dr_prud.pdf: 23057027 bytes, checksum: 0ed7ba79c2ce840394cd84eb5c9239d0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-07-21 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / Os depósitos e relevos tecnogênicos originam-se a partir de ações diretas e indiretas das sociedades, estas capazes de alterar as características da estrutura superficial das paisagens e, com isto, as formas de relevo e os materiais superficiais e subsuperficiais. Estas formações são cada vez mais observadas e estudadas, mesmo que com nomenclaturas diferentes de acordo com o referencial utilizado. No presente estudo, são investigadas as formações de relevos tecnogênicos na cidade de Presidente Prudente-SP, estas relacionadas ao histórico de uso e ocupação urbano e rural. As áreas elegidas para o estudo são: Conjuntos Habitacionais Jardim Humberto Salvador e Augusto de Paula; parte do Setor Leste da cidade de Presidente Prudente e Vila Nova Prudente. O objetivo geral é, portanto, a análise das transformações da paisagem através da reconstituição geomorfológica do relevo tecnogênico nas áreas de estudo. Para o cumprimento deste objetivo foram realizados procedimentos de campo, laboratoriais e de gabinete, que incluíram coleta de amostras de depósitos tecnogênicos em área de planície tecnogênica; análise granulométrica e fracionamento de areia; mapeamento das alterações ocorridas nas paisagens, especialmente das formas e feições tecnogênicas a partir da estereoscopia das fotografias aéreas de 1962, 1978, 1995 e uso de imagens atuais do Google Earth; realização da classificação dos terrenos tecnogênicos, considerando a presença de feições e formas de relevo de origem agradacionais e degradacionais. Através desses procedimentos, foi possível reconhecer que, ao longo do tempo, as feições tecnogênicas se alteraram bastante, ocorrendo, por exemplo, deposições tecnogênicas em áreas de fundos de vale cujos sedimentos são oriundos de processos erosivos instalados nos demais compartimentos do relevo (topos e vertentes) e, posteriormente, o retrabalhamento destas deposições, através da instalação de processos erosivos em áreas de planície. Com relação aos materiais manufaturados e sedimentos de origem tecnogênica, quando estudados em detalhe, possibilitaram reconhecer aspectos da tecnogênese, como o volume das deposições tecnogênicas e as possíveis áreas fontes desses materiais, como antigas áreas de deposição de resíduos sólidos domésticos. Assim, os procedimentos adotados têm se mostrado eficazes para o reconhecimento de diversas características relativas a formação e evolução de formas e deposições tecnogênicas, sendo possível a reconstituição dessas formas. / Technogenic deposits are a result of direct and indirect actions of society. They are able to alter the surface structure characteristics of landscapes, and consequently, the landforms and characteristics of surface materials. These formations have been increasingly observed and studied, even though the usage of different nomenclature, according to the referential utilized. At this study, it is investigated the formation of technogenic reliefs in the city of Presidente Prudente-SP, they are related to the historical usage and the urban and rural occupation. The chosen housing complex areas to be studied are: Jardim Humberto Salvador and Augusto de Paula housing Complexes; part of East Section of Presidente Prudente and Vila Nova Prudente. The general objective is the analysis of the changes in the landscape through geomorphological reconstitution of technogenic relief in these areas. In order to fulfill this objective, it was accomplished fieldwork, laboratorial and desktop procedures, which included collecting samples from technogenic deposits in area of technogenic floodplain; particle size analysis and sand fractionation; mapping the alterations which occurred in the landscapes, especially the technogenic forms and features through stereoscopy of aerial photos from 1962, 1978, 1995 and use of current images of Google Earth; classification of the technogenic grounds, considering the presence of features and forms of aggradation and degradation relief origin. Through these procedures, it was possible to recognize that as times goes by, technogenic features changes abundantly, as an example is the technogenic deposition in valley floor areas, whose sediments comes from erosive processes installed in other compartments of the relief (top and slope), and afterwards, occur the rework of these depositions, through the installing of erosive processes in plain area. Regarding the manufactured materials and technogenic sediments, when studied in detail, provide the possibility to recognize technogenic aspects, such as volume of technogenic deposition and possible source area of these materials, such as old deposition area of solid domestic waste. Thus, the adopted procedures have shown to be efficient towards recognition of the diverse characteristics concerning the formation and evolution of forms and technogenic deposition. / FAPESP: 2013/01302-0

Submitted by Automa??o e Estat?stica (sst@bczm.ufrn.br) on 2017-03-14T21:32:46Z No. of bitstreams: 1 PetrucioRicardoTavaresDeMedeiros_DISSERT.pdf: 5937912 bytes, checksum: c98c0e639d8348140e2635081d9744f4 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Arlan Eloi Leite Silva (eloihistoriador@yahoo.com.br) on 2017-03-15T22:29:35Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 PetrucioRicardoTavaresDeMedeiros_DISSERT.pdf: 5937912 bytes, checksum: c98c0e639d8348140e2635081d9744f4 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-15T22:29:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PetrucioRicardoTavaresDeMedeiros_DISSERT.pdf: 5937912 bytes, checksum: c98c0e639d8348140e2635081d9744f4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-07-20 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior (CAPES) / O foveamento ? uma t?cnica de vis?o computacional capaz de promover a redu??o da informa??o visual atrav?s de uma transforma??o da imagem, em dom?nio espacial, para o dom?nio de multirresolu??o. Entretanto, esta t?cnica se limita a uma ?nica f?vea com mobilidade dependente do contexto. Neste trabalho s?o propostas a defini??o e a constru??o de um modelo multifoveado denominado MMMF (multifoveamento em multirresolu??o com f?veas m?veis) baseado em um modelo anterior denominado MMF (multirresolu??o com f?vea m?vel). Em um contexto de m?ltiplas f?veas, a aplica??o de v?rias estruturas MMF, uma para cada f?vea, resulta em um consider?vel aumento de processamento, uma vez que h? interse??es entre regi?es de estruturas distintas, as quais s?o processadas m?ltiplas vezes. Dadas as estruturas de f?veas MMF, propomos um algoritmo para obter regi?es disjuntas que devem ser processadas, evitando regi?es redundantes e, portanto, reduzindo o tempo de processamento. Experimentos s?o propostos para validar o modelo e verificar a sua aplicabilidade no contexto de vis?o computacional. Resultados demonstram o ganho em termos de tempo de processamento do modelo proposto em rela??o ao uso de m?ltiplas f?veas do modelo MMF. / Foveation is a computer vision technique for visual information reduction obtained by applying an image transformation in the spatial domain to the multiresolution domain. However, this technique is limited to a single fovea context-dependent mobility. This work proposes the definition and the construction of a multifoveated model called MMMF (Multiresolution Multifoveation using Mobile Foveae) based on an earlier model called MMF (Multiresolution with Moving Fovea). In the context of multiple foveae, the application of various MMF structures, one for each fovea, results in an increase in processing time, since there are intersections between regions of different structures, which are processed multiple times. Given MMF structures, an algorithm in order to get disjoint regions which are to be processed is proposed, avoiding redundant regions and thereby reducing the processing time. Experiments are proposed to validate the model and to verify its applicability in the computer vision context. Results show the gain in processing time of the proposed model compared to the use of multiple MMF structures.

A Web (World Wide Web) foi uma maneira revolucionária de aproximar os indivíduos e fomentar a comunicação entre os mesmos. As plataformas que possibilitam ou facilitam a interação social muitas vezes não se traduzem em negócios sustentáveis. Parte desse problema recai sobre deficiências na definição de requisitos funcionais em devido a falta de compreensão sobre os atributos de valor na visão dos usuários (atuais ou potenciais) destes serviços. Neste contexto surgem os aplicativos sociais que englobam os mais diversos meios de compartilhamento de informações. Eles extraem, processam e classificam os dados publicados em plataformas, como as redes sociais, que podem ser definidas como o principal aplicativo social por permitir a construção de perfis públicos e semi-públicos, além de manter a interação entre usuário e conteúdo dinâmico. Cada rede social possui diferentes funcionalidades fazendo com que um usuário utilize diversas delas simultaneamente. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo principal levantar e analisar o valor percebido pelos usuários de três redes sociais amplamente difundidas, Facebook, Instagram e Linkedin à luz de seis categorias de atributos de valor para usuários de redes sociais: socialização, comunicação, informação, entretenimento, comercial e auto-expressão. Da mesma forma, os diferentes atributos de valor percebido serão relacionados com as funcionalidades disponíveis nestes aplicativos a fim de analisá-los e comprovar suas particularidades. Para tal, foram realizadas pesquisas com questionário, entrevistas semi-estruturadas e grupo focado. A partir dos desdobramentos dos atributos de valor em funcionalidades, torna-se possível desenvolver e comercializar com sucesso novas redes sociais ou manter redes já difundidas através da fidelização de seus clientes. Considera-se de grande importância a análise dos atributos de valor, por estes muitas vezes serem confundidos pelos usuários quando relacionados às funcionalidades existentes em redes sociais, podendo assim ser sugeridos desdobramentos desses atributos. / The Web (World Wide Web) was a revolutionary way to approach individuals and foster the communication among them. Platforms that enable or facilitate social interaction often do not become sustainable business. Part of this problem lies on deficiencies in the definition of functional requirements due to lack of understanding regarding the value given by the users (current or potential) to those services. Emerge, in this context, social applications that comprehend many different means of information sharing. Those applications extract, process and classify the published data on platforms such as social networks, which can be defined as the main social application because it allows the construction of public and semi-public profiles, and also maintain interaction between the user and the dynamic content. Each social network presents different features which makes the user to use several of them simultaneously. This research aims to understand and analyze the value given by the users of three widely disseminated social networking, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn taking into consideration six categories that can express this value of those social networking services: socialization, communication, information, entertainment, business and self-expression. Likewise, those different categories will be related to the available features in these applications in order to analyze and prove its particularities. For this purpose, surveys throughout questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and focused groups were used. It is relevant to understand what is considered important by the users of social networks. Relating the Social applications tools with the perceived value by users, it becomes possible to develop and successfully sell new social networks or to maintain well known networks through customer loyalty. It is also considered the importance of analyzing the perceived value, these have often being mistaken by users as related to existing features in social networks, splits these attributes can therefore be suggested.

O objetivo desta dissertação é a proposição de uma análise do objeto nulo no português brasileiro examinando-se o seu condicionamento em função dos traços semântico-pragmáticos do DP (Determiner Phrase) antecedente. Segundo Schwenter & Silva (2003), ainda que haja muitos estudos a respeito do estatuto sintático dessa categoria, poucas pesquisas vêm sendo dedicadas à forma como os traços do antecedente podem condicionar a alternância entre o emprego de objetos nulos e posições preenchidas por pronomes manifestos. O traço semântico animacidade do antecedente é uma constante quando se discute o assunto (como em Bianchi & Figueiredo Silva, 1994; e Schwenter & Silva, 2002). Além desse, aponta-se também o traço pragmático da especificidade, como no estudo de Cyrino (1997), considerado o ponto de partida para o desenvolvimento das pesquisas sobre o objeto nulo em português brasileiro. Já Menuzzi e Creus (2004) propõem outra possibilidade para o condicionante da retomada anafórica do objeto direto: o gênero semântico do DP antecedente. Na visão desses autores, os traços de animacidade e especificidade de Cyrino (1997) podem ser reduzidos a esse único traço, o gênero semântico. Essas duas hipóteses foram comparadas por meio de um estudo de corpus. O resultado a que se chegou revela que as duas propostas apresentam resultados semelhantes. A construção denominada elipse de VP também foi alvo de estudo. Tendo em vista a semelhança existente, na estrutura superficial, entre a elipse de VP e o objeto nulo, como registrado por Raposo (1986), procurou-se observar se os traços que parecem condicionar o emprego do objeto nulo atuam de forma similar para a elipse de VP. Fez-se uso do mesmo corpus para avaliar essa predição. E os dados recomendam que se verifique essa hipótese. / The purpose of this dissertation is to provide an analysis of the null object in Brazilian Portuguese from the perspective of semantic and pragmatic features of the previous DP (Determiner Phrase). According to Schwenter & Silva (2003), there are many researches about the syntactic status of this category, but very little is known about how the features of the previous DP may condition the variance between the use of null objects and filled positions with overt pronouns. The semantic feature “animacity” of the previous DP has been a constant topic when discussing this issue (as in Bianchi & Figueiredo Silva, 1994; and Schwenter & Silva, 2002). The pragmatic feature of “specificity” appears with it, such as in studies of Cyrino (1997), considered to be the starting point to the development of researches about the null object in Brazilian Portuguese. Menuzzi e Creus (2004) propose another possibility to the conditioner of the resumed anaphors of the null object: the semantic genre of the previous DP. As stated by these authors, the features of animacity and specificity from Cyrino (1997) may be reduced to this single feature, the semantic genre. These two hypotheses have been compared through a corpus study. The achieved result reveals that the two proposals present similar results. The construction called “VP ellipsis” has also been examined. Taking into consideration the similarity observed between the VP ellipsis and the null object in the surface structure, as pointed out by Raposo (1986), it aimed at verifying whether the features that apparently seem to condition the use of the null object act similarly to the ellipsis of the VP. The same corpus has been used to evaluate this prediction. The data recommend verifying this hypothesis.

abstract: Temporal data are increasingly prevalent and important in analytics. Time series (TS) data are chronological sequences of observations and an important class of temporal data. Fields such as medicine, finance, learning science and multimedia naturally generate TS data. Each series provide a high-dimensional data vector that challenges the learning of the relevant patterns This dissertation proposes TS representations and methods for supervised TS analysis. The approaches combine new representations that handle translations and dilations of patterns with bag-of-features strategies and tree-based ensemble learning. This provides flexibility in handling time-warped patterns in a computationally efficient way. The ensemble learners provide a classification framework that can handle high-dimensional feature spaces, multiple classes and interaction between features. The proposed representations are useful for classification and interpretation of the TS data of varying complexity. The first contribution handles the problem of time warping with a feature-based approach. An interval selection and local feature extraction strategy is proposed to learn a bag-of-features representation. This is distinctly different from common similarity-based time warping. This allows for additional features (such as pattern location) to be easily integrated into the models. The learners have the capability to account for the temporal information through the recursive partitioning method. The second contribution focuses on the comprehensibility of the models. A new representation is integrated with local feature importance measures from tree-based ensembles, to diagnose and interpret time intervals that are important to the model. Multivariate time series (MTS) are especially challenging because the input consists of a collection of TS and both features within TS and interactions between TS can be important to models. Another contribution uses a different representation to produce computationally efficient strategies that learn a symbolic representation for MTS. Relationships between the multiple TS, nominal and missing values are handled with tree-based learners. Applications such as speech recognition, medical diagnosis and gesture recognition are used to illustrate the methods. Experimental results show that the TS representations and methods provide better results than competitive methods on a comprehensive collection of benchmark datasets. Moreover, the proposed approaches naturally provide solutions to similarity analysis, predictive pattern discovery and feature selection. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Industrial Engineering 2012

abstract: Many researchers have pointed out that sentence complexity plays an important role in language maturity. Using cohesive devices is a critical method to composing complicated sentences. Several grammatical researchers give cohesive devices different definitions and categories in the perspective of pure linguistics, yet little is known about the Chinese learners' acquisition situations of cohesive devices in the field of Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (TCFL). Combined with these definitions and pedagogical theories, the acquisition situations of four grammatical features of cohesive devices and eleven logical relations are discussed in this thesis. This thesis expects that through discovering different features of cohesive devices among different student levels, educators of Chinese will gain a more comprehensive understanding of the acquisition orders and features of conjunctive devices. In this study, I examine the teaching orders of cohesive devices in selected textbooks from first-year Chinese through fourth-year Chinese. Three groups of students were required to complete two essays based on the same topics and prompts. Twenty-eight valid writing samples are examined in total, including ten writing samples from fourth-year students, another ten from third-year students, and eight from second-year students. The results show that there are no obvious differences among the three levels of students in their use of certain grammatical features and logical relations of cohesive devices. Students in these three levels have difficulty understanding how to connect paragraphs together fluently and accurately in their compositions. Pedagogical implications include some suggestions about designing instructional writing assignments in order to give more clearly pedagogical instructions for teaching cohesive devices. In addition, comprehensible directions that explain which logical relations should be taught every academic year are proposed. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. East Asian Languages and Civilizations 2013