Na presente pesquisa estudamos o comportamento do sujeito pronominal no português uruguaio (PU) falado na região de fronteira entre Brasil e Uruguai (Santana do Livramento-Rivera). Associando alguns pressupostos da Teoria de Princípios e Parâmetros (CHOMSKY, 1981), mais especificamente o Parâmetro do Sujeito Nulo (pro-drop), e da Sociolinguística Variacionista (WEINREICH, LABOV e HERZOG, 1968), analisamos uma amostra de língua oral composta de falas de 37 informantes, investigando as seguintes questões: (1) no português uruguaio teríamos uma mudança linguística em curso no que se refere ao Parâmetro do Sujeito Nulo, de modo que ele venha a se tornar um sujeito pronominal pleno?; (2) quais são os fatores linguísticos e sociais condicionantes dessa produção e em que direção vai essa tendência, português brasileiro (PB) ou espanhol (E)? A análise dos fatores sociais e linguísticos selecionados permitiu observar que o PU também passa por um processo de mudança paramétrica, ainda que mais lenta, devido ao fato de estar submetido à pressão simultânea de duas línguas, e se apresenta como uma língua em que, em alguns contextos, a realização do sujeito pronominal é plena e, em outros, ainda conserva as características das línguas pro-drop. Confirma-se, ainda, que essa disputa não está terminada, embora haja indícios nos dados da geração mais nova de que as regras do espanhol vêm ganhando alguma força, talvez pela pressão da escola e dos meios de comunicação. Tudo indica, então, que a base do PU é o PB, porém algumas características do E estão presentes nesse aspecto da gramática. A análise realizada confirma a maior parte das hipóteses iniciais e dá indícios de que o PU e o PB poderiam configurar-se como duas línguas distintas, da mesma forma que o PB e o PE, como aponta Galves (1998), isto é, tudo parece indicar que, mesmo quando os enunciados superficialmente se parecem, a língua interna (Língua-I) seria diferente e os enunciados dos falantes teriam estatutos diferentes, algo que, no entanto, será necessário demonstrar com um outro modelo de coleta de dados, de natureza mais introspectiva. / In this research we study the behavior of the pronominal subject in the Uruguayan Portuguese language (PU) spoken in the border region between Brazil and Uruguay (Santana do Livramento-Rivera). Associating some assumptions from the Theory of Principles and Parameters (CHOMSKY, 1981), specifically the Null Subject Parameter (pro-drop), and from the Variationist Sociolinguistics (WEINREICH, LABOV and HERZOG, 1968), we analyze a sample of spoken language consisting of 37 informants, in order to investigate the following questions: (1) would we have in the Uruguayan Portuguese language a language change in progress with regard to the Null Subject Parameter, so that it will become a full pronominal subject? (2) what are the linguistic factors and social conditions of production and in which direction will this trend, Brazilian Portuguese (BP) or Spanish (E)? The analysis of social factors and selected language programs suggests that the PU is also undergoing a process of parametric change, albeit slower, due to the fact of being subjected to the pressure of two languages simultaneously, and is presented as a language that, in some contexts, the performance of the pronominal subject is full, and in others it still retains the characteristics of pro-drop languages. It is also confirmed that this dispute is not over, although there are indications in the data of the younger generation that the rules of Spanish are gaining some strength, maybe due to the pressure of school and the media. The analysis confirms most of our initial hypothesis and provides evidence that the PU and CP could be framed as two distinct languages, in the same way as the PB and PE, as appointed by GALVES (1998), that is, everything seems to indicate that, even when the statements superficially resemble, the internal language (Language I) would be different and the production of the speakers would have different statutes, something which, however, would just be demonstrated by means of another more introspective model of data collection.

The aim of this paper is to study whether there is a correlation between how subject pronouns are introduced in Spanish teaching and the pupils' difficulties regarding both their use and the understanding of verb conjugation. What is being investigated is: a) to what extent and in what contexts subject pronouns appear in Spanish textbooks, and b) how secondary education teachers of Spanish work with subject pronouns in the classroom. My conclusion is that the subject pronouns are under-represented in Spanish textbooks, probably due to the interpretation of the null subject parameter and Spanish as a pro-drop language. As far as the work with subject pronouns in the classroom is concerned, a more in-depth analysis needs to be carried out in order to be able to demonstrate a reliable correlation between the teaching method and the students' results. / Syftet med detta arbete är att studera om det finns ett samband mellan hur subjektspronomina introduceras i spanskaundervisningen och elevernas svårigheter kring både användandet av dessa och förståelsen för verbböjning. Det som undersöks är: a) i vilken utsträckning och i vilka sammanhang förekommer subjektspronomina i läromedel för undervisning i spanska, och b) hur högstadielärare i spanska arbetar med subjektspronomina i klassrummet. Min slutsats är att subjektspronomina finns underrepresenterade i läroböcker i spanska, förmodligen på grund av den tolkning som görs av nollsubjektsparametern och spanska som pro-drop språk. Vad gäller arbetet med subjektspronomina i klassrummet behöver en mer fördjupad analys genomföras för att det ska kunna påvisas ett tillförlitligt samband mellan undervisningsmetod och elevernas resultat.

Neste trabalho discutimos os principais argumentos da inferência bayesiana subjetivista. Posteriormente, a partir de uma revisão da literatura dos testes de hipóteses, os principais testes são analisados sob a ótica da teoria da decisão, particularmente no que tange às hipóteses precisas. Adicionalmente, funções de perda para testes de significância, seguindo a proposta de Fisher e do FBST, são analisadas e comparadas. / This work discusses the main points of the bayesian subjectivist inference. Posteriorly, from a literature review of hypothesis testing, the main approaches are interpreting from a decision-theoretic viewpoint, particularly regarding the precise hypotheses. Additionally, loss functions for tests of significance, following the proposal of Fisher and FBST, are analyzed and compared.

Esta dissertação estuda, em uma perspectiva comparativa entre o português brasileiro (PB) e o português europeu (PE), a representação do argumento dativo de terceira pessoa em um corpus de língua escrita formal, constituído pelas traduções brasileira e lusitana feitas diretamente do espanhol do romance Cem anos de solidão de Gabriel Garcia Marques. A análise detém-se ao comportamento de três variantes do dativo o clítico lhe/lhes, os PPs a/para ele(s)/ela(s) e o pronome nulo nos contextos de predicados ditransitivos, inacusativos, causativos, incoativos e inergativos. Dentro do quadro teórico da Teoria Gerativa e da Teoria da Variação, pretende-se explicitar diferenças entre o PB e o PE que possam corroborar, ou não, a hipótese de que essas duas variedades do português apresentam gramáticas distintas. / This dissertation discusses, in a comparative perspective between Brazilian Portuguese (BP) and European Portuguese (EP), the expression of the dative argument of the third person in a formal writing corpus constituted by the Brazilian and European translations directly from Spanish of the book A Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marques. The analysis considers the behaviour of three dative variants the clitic lhe/lhe, the PPs a/para ele(s)/ela(s) and the null pronoun in ditransitive, inaccusative, causative, incoative and inergative predicates. In the context of the Generative Theory and the Variation Theory, the goal is to show differences between BP and EP that can confirm, or not, the hypothesis that the two variants of Portuguese reveal distinct grammars.

Esta dissertação estuda, em uma perspectiva comparativa entre o português brasileiro (PB) e o português europeu (PE), a representação do argumento dativo de terceira pessoa em um corpus de língua escrita formal, constituído pelas traduções brasileira e lusitana feitas diretamente do espanhol do romance Cem anos de solidão de Gabriel Garcia Marques. A análise detém-se ao comportamento de três variantes do dativo o clítico lhe/lhes, os PPs a/para ele(s)/ela(s) e o pronome nulo nos contextos de predicados ditransitivos, inacusativos, causativos, incoativos e inergativos. Dentro do quadro teórico da Teoria Gerativa e da Teoria da Variação, pretende-se explicitar diferenças entre o PB e o PE que possam corroborar, ou não, a hipótese de que essas duas variedades do português apresentam gramáticas distintas. / This dissertation discusses, in a comparative perspective between Brazilian Portuguese (BP) and European Portuguese (EP), the expression of the dative argument of the third person in a formal writing corpus constituted by the Brazilian and European translations directly from Spanish of the book A Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marques. The analysis considers the behaviour of three dative variants the clitic lhe/lhe, the PPs a/para ele(s)/ela(s) and the null pronoun in ditransitive, inaccusative, causative, incoative and inergative predicates. In the context of the Generative Theory and the Variation Theory, the goal is to show differences between BP and EP that can confirm, or not, the hypothesis that the two variants of Portuguese reveal distinct grammars.

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar os conjuntos fortemente nulos e fortemente magros. Mais especicamente, iremos apresentar algumas aplicações e avaliar a independência de ZFC de armações envolvendo tais conjuntos. Com relação às aplicações, daremos alguns exemplos de conjuntos fortemente nulos e fortemente magros, estudaremos a aditividade do ideal formado pelos subconjuntos fortemente nulos da reta real, apresentaremos uma análise da relação entre a propriedade fortemente nulo e translações de subconjuntos da reta, mostraremos equivalências da Conjectura de Borel em espaços métricos, com a armação R-BC e com uma armação envolvendo jogos. Com relação a análise de independência de armações de ZFC, mostraremos que a Conjectura Dual de Borel é independente de ZFC e que a negação da Conjectura de Borel é consistente com ZFC. / The present work aims to present the strongly null and strongly meager sets. More specically, we will present some applications and evaluate the independence of ZFC from statements involving such sets. With respect to the applications, we will give some examples of strongly null and strongly meager sets, we will study the additivity of the ideal formed by the strongly null subsets of the real line, we will present an analysis of the relation between the strongly null property and the subsets of the line, of the Borel Conjecture in metric spaces, with the statement R-BC and with a statement involving games. Regarding the analysis of the independence of ZFC statements, we will show that the Borel Dual Conjecture is independent of ZFC and that the negation of the Borel Conjecture is consistent with ZFC.

<p>The study and understanding of molecular interactions is fundamentally important in today's field of life sciences and there is a demand for well designed surfaces for biosensor applications. The biosensor has to be able to detect specific molecular interactions, while non-specific binding of other substances to the sensor surface should be kept to a minimum.                                                                                                                                                                                The objective of this master´s thesis was to design sensor surfaces based on self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and evaluate their structural characteristics as well as their performance in Biacore systems. By mixing different oligo (ethylene glycol) terminated thiol compounds in the SAMs, the density of functional groups for bimolecular attachment could be controlled.  Structural characteristics of the SAMs were studied using Ellipsometry, Contact Angle Goniometry, IRAS and XPS. Surfaces showing promising results were examined further with Surface Plasmon Resonance in Biacore instruments.<p>Mixed SAM surfaces with a tailored degree of functional COOH groups could be prepared. The surfaces showed promising characteristics in terms of stability, immobilization capacity of biomolecules, non-specific binding and kinetic assay performance, while further work needs to be dedicated to the improvement of their storage stability. In conclusion, the SAM based sensor surfaces studied in this thesis are interesting candidates for Biacore applications.</p></p>

The study and understanding of molecular interactions is fundamentally important in today's field of life sciences and there is a demand for well designed surfaces for biosensor applications. The biosensor has to be able to detect specific molecular interactions, while non-specific binding of other substances to the sensor surface should be kept to a minimum.                                                                                                                                                                                The objective of this master´s thesis was to design sensor surfaces based on self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and evaluate their structural characteristics as well as their performance in Biacore systems. By mixing different oligo (ethylene glycol) terminated thiol compounds in the SAMs, the density of functional groups for bimolecular attachment could be controlled.  Structural characteristics of the SAMs were studied using Ellipsometry, Contact Angle Goniometry, IRAS and XPS. Surfaces showing promising results were examined further with Surface Plasmon Resonance in Biacore instruments.Mixed SAM surfaces with a tailored degree of functional COOH groups could be prepared. The surfaces showed promising characteristics in terms of stability, immobilization capacity of biomolecules, non-specific binding and kinetic assay performance, while further work needs to be dedicated to the improvement of their storage stability. In conclusion, the SAM based sensor surfaces studied in this thesis are interesting candidates for Biacore applications.

The focus in this thesis is on the calculations of an empirical null distributionfor likelihood ratio tests testing either separable or double separable covariancematrix structures versus an unstructured covariance matrix. These calculationshave been performed for various dimensions and sample sizes, and are comparedwith the asymptotic χ2-distribution that is commonly used as an approximative distribution. Tests of separable structures are of particular interest in cases when data iscollected such that more than one relation between the components of the observationis suspected. For instance, if there are both a spatial and a temporalaspect, a hypothesis of two covariance matrices, one for each aspect, is reasonable.

In this thesis, the boundary errors are defined for the NFM to explore the convergence rates, and the condition numbers are derived for simple cases to explore numerical stability. The optimal convergence (or exponential) rates are discovered numerically. This thesis is also devoted to seek better choice of locations for the field nodes of the FS expansions. It is found that the location of field nodes Q does not affect much on convergence rates, but do have influence on stability. Let £_ denote the distance of Q to ∂S. The larger £_ is chosen, the worse the instability of the NFM occurs. As a result, £_ = 0 (i.e., Q ∈ ∂S) is the best for stability. However, when £_ > 0, the errors are slightly smaller. Therefore, small £_ is a favorable choice for both high accuracy and good stability. This new discovery enhances the proper application of the NFM. However, even for the Dirichlet problem of Laplace¡¦s equation, when the logarithmic capacity (transfinite diameter) C_£F = 1, the solutions may not exist, or not unique if existing, to cause a singularity of the discrete algebraic equations. The problem with C_£F = 1 in the BEM is called the degenerate scale problems. The original explicit algebraic equations do not satisfy the conservative law, and may fall into the degenerate scale problem discussed in Chen et al. [15, 14, 16], Christiansen [35] and Tomlinson [42]. An analysis is explored in this thesis for the degenerate scale problem of the NFM. In this thesis, the new conservative schemes are derived, where an equation between two unknown variables must satisfy, so that one of them is removed from the unknowns, to yield the conservative schemes. The conservative schemes always bypasses the degenerate scale problem; but it causes a severe instability. To restore the good stability, the overdetermined system and truncated singular value decomposition (TSVD) are proposed. Moreover, the overdetermined system is more advantageous due to simpler algorithms and the slightly better performance in error and stability. More importantly, such numerical techniques can also be used, to deal with the degenerate scale problems of the original NFM in [15, 14, 16]. For the boundary integral equation (BIE) of the first kind, the trigonometric functions are used in Arnold [3], and error analysis is made for infinite smooth solutions, to derive the exponential convergence rates. In Cheng¡¦s Ph. Dissertation [18], for BIE of the first kind the source nodes are located outside of the solution domain, the linear combination of fundamental solutions are used, error analysis is made only for circular domains. So far it seems to exist no error analysis for the new NFM of Chen, which is one of the goal of this thesis. First, the solution of the NFM is equivalent to that of the Galerkin method involving the trapezoidal rule, and the renovated analysis can be found from the finite element theory. In this thesis, the error boundary are derived for the Dirichlet, the Neumann problems and its mixed types. For certain regularity of the solutions, the optimal convergence rates are derived under certain circumstances. Numerical experiments are carried out, to support the error made.