Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2016-06-28T14:00:51Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Frederike Monika Budiner Mette_.pdf: 1183497 bytes, checksum: b6f7318149f58c4698b6c94c25e81eb7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-28T14:00:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Frederike Monika Budiner Mette_.pdf: 1183497 bytes, checksum: b6f7318149f58c4698b6c94c25e81eb7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-29 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A presente tese realizou uma pesquisa sobre o processo de tomada de decisão individual que ocorre no contexto de compra a crédito, a partir de teorias e estudos da psicologia econômica e do comportamento do consumidor. Pretendeu-se analisar o efeito do tipo de produto e das condições de pagamento na intenção de compra a prazo dos indivíduos, assim como a influência das diferenças individuais nesta relação. Assim, utilizou-se uma metodologia experimental com a qual foram realizados três experimentos, a fim de testar as hipóteses construídas a partir de um modelo teórico. No Experimento 1, com 8 grupos experimentais e uma amostra de 279 pessoas, identificou-se que há um efeito negativo na propensão de compra a prazo quando há um desconto para pagamento à vista, independentemente da cobrança de juros a prazo. Se não há o desconto à vista, a propensão de compra a prazo aumenta. Além disso, concluiu-se que os indivíduos que apresentam altos índices de materialismo e impulsividade tendem a comprar mais a prazo. Para o Experimento 2, com 8 grupos experimentais e 314 respondentes, a coleta de dados foi similar à primeira, alterando somente algumas manipulações. Como implicação, encontrou-se resultados para os quais, se há desconto nas condições, menor tende a ser a propensão de compra a prazo. Além disso, provou-se que o tipo de produto possui um efeito na compra parcelada. Já no Experimento 3, buscou verificar somente os efeitos relacionados às manipulações dos tipos de produtos, com 4 grupos experimentais, e uma amostra de 171 pessoas. Averiguou-se um efeito cruzado para a interação produto e tipo de produto, ou seja, quando o tipo de produto for hedônico, há maiores variações na média de intenção de compra a prazo pelo produto do que se ele for utilitário. Concluiu-se, também, que o produto utilitário apresentou uma maior intenção de compra a prazo. / This thesis aimed to conduct a research on the individual decision-making that occurs in the credit purchase context, from theories and studies of economic psychology and consumer behavior. It was intended to analyze the effect of the product type and payment conditions in the credit purchase intention, as well as the influence of individual differences in this relationship. It was used an experimental methodology with three experiments in order to test the hypotheses from a theoretical model. In Experiment 1, with 8 experimental groups and a sample of 279 people, it was identified that there is a effect on the credit purchase propensity when there is a discount for cash payment, regardless of the interest rates. If there is no discount, the lower tends to be the credit purchase propensity i as there are no interest charges in the payments. Furthermore, it was concluded that individuals with high levels of materialism and impulsivity tend to buy more than those who have a high financial literacy. For Experiment 2, with 8 experimental groups and 314 respondents, the data collection was similar to the first, changing just the manipulations. As implication, it was found results that if there was no discount the lower tends to be the term purchase propensity, in the same way that the first one. By the way, it was proven the that the produt type influenced in the credit payment. In the Experiment 3, it was sought to verify only the effects related to the type of products, with 4 experimental groups for both products, and a sample of 171 people. It was found a crossed product interaction effect when the type of product is hedonic, so there were greater variations in the average of credit purchase intentionwhen the product was utilitarian. It was also proven that the utilitarian product has a higher forward purchase intention, so the bigger the effect that was noticed by the product variation.

La thèse porte sur l’étude de l’emploi stylistique du lexique juridique français dans la prose de Georges Simenon. Il existe un nombre considérable d’ouvrages consacrés à la terminologie juridique, aux concepts de loi et de crime, au comportement discursif des avocats, à l’analyse linguistique des textes de lois, aux problèmes de la traduction du lexique juridique, à l’interférence linguistique, à l’étude des particularités pragmatiques, structurelles et sémantiques des textes des traités, et ainsi de suite. Dans notre thèse, le lexique juridique est étudié du point de vue de la stylistique, ce qui constitue sa nouveauté théorique aussi bien que pratique. Dans le premier chapitre, nous examinons certains termes d’appartenance juridique exclusive selon le classement de Gérard Cornu et nous montrons qu’une sixième partie d’entre eux sont susceptibles, au moins potentiellement, d’acquérir des sens figurés. Dans le deuxième chapitre, nous étudions 53 termes juridiques utilisés par Georges Simenon au sens figuré décrivant de différentes situations de la vie courante, qui, dans la plupart des cas, ne sont pas liées au droit. Dans le troisième chapitre nous analysons, du point de vue opposé, les figures stylistiques employées pour caractériser de différentes situations juridiques présentes dans la prose de Georges Simenon. Ainsi, même si ces figures stylistiques sont relativement peu nombreuses, les recherches effectuées montrent que Georges Simenon, malgré son intention affichée, n’est pas parvenu à éliminer complètement les figures stylistiques, un des éléments constitutifs essentiels du langage poétique. / Our thesis concerns studies of the stylistic use of the French legal vocabulary in Georges Simenon’s prose. In fact, legal terminology, concepts of law and crime, discursive behavior of lawyers, texts of laws, problems of legal translation, those of linguistic interference, those of pragmatic, structural and semantic peculiarities of the language of international agreements, for instance, were examined by different linguists. So, contemporary linguistics are interested in studying legal terminology from different points of view. On the other hand, during the last decades, linguostylistic studies are also developing very quickly. In our thesis, legal terminology is studied from the point of view of stylistics, and this approach constitutes its’ theoretical and practical novelty. In the first chapter we examine some terms belonging exclusively to legal terminology, in accordance with Gerard Cornu’s classification, and we show that in reality approximately one sixth part of them can acquire, at least potentially, some figural meanings. In the second chapter, we study 53 legal terms used by Georges Simenon in their figural meaning to describe different situations from everyday life which, in the most of cases, are not associated with legal situations. In the third chapter we analyze, from the opposite point of view, stylistic figures used to characterize different legal situations presented in Georges Simenon’s prose. To summarize, even if these figures are relatively small in number, our thesis shows that the writer, in spite of his artistic intention, was not able to eliminate them completely and that they remain one of the most important elements of the poetical language.

No description available.

Cette étude traite du sujet des emprunts lexicaux dans le domaine de la finance islamique. Etant donné que ces emprunts sont employés dans un environnement nouveau totalement différent de celui dont ils sont issus, ils rencontrent une confrontation au système de la langue receveuse. C’est cette confrontation qui se manifeste à tous les niveaux linguistiques : graphique, morphologique, morphosyntaxique, morpholexical, sémantique, contextuel et syntaxique que nous nous proposons d’étudier dans notre recherche. Au niveau graphique, nous discutons et analysons la variance formelle que les emprunts de ce domaine ont reçue en français. Au niveau morphologique, nous abordons le sujet des sigles et leur formation dans le domaine de la finance islamique. Concernant la morphosyntaxe, nous nous intéressons à la problématique de la singularisation ou la pluralisation d’un emprunt et le choix du genre de cet emprunt. Au niveau morpholexical, c’est le problème de la dérivation de ces unités qui est analysé et observé dans le corpus. Au niveau contextuel, nous reprenons la question du transcodage et du double transcodage des emprunts que nous essayons de développer, en ajoutant à la littérature déjà existante un axe qui n’a pas été traité auparavant : la problématique de transcodage des emprunts composés. La syntaxe des emprunts, sera traitée dans cette étude à partir de deux points primordiaux. Le premier étant la combinaison lexicale des emprunts avec les lexies de la langue receveuse ; le deuxième concerne, quant à lui, le comportement sémantico-syntaxique des emprunts. / This study deals with the subject of lexical loan words in the Islamic finance field. Therefore, and because these words are used in a new and totally different environment, they encounter a confrontation with the recipient language system. Hence, the purpose of the present thesis is to study this confrontation at all linguistic levels; be it graphic, morphological, morpholexical, semantic, contextual and syntactic. On the graphic level, the analysis will focus on the formal variance that loan words of this domain received in French. On the morphological level, we address the subject of acronyms and their formation in the Islamic finance field. With regard to the morphosyntax, our interest lies not only on the singularization or the pluralization of the loan words but on the choice of the grammatical gender of these loan words as well. On the morpholexical level, an analysis of the problem resulting from the derivation of these units as observed in the corpus. On the contextual level, we address again the issue of transcoding and double-transcoding of loan words that we are trying to develop. A concept that will add to the existing literature an axis that has not been dealt with before: the case of transcoding compound loan words. To sum up, this study deals with the syntax of loan words from two points of view. Firstly, it focusses on the lexical combination of loan words with the lexis of the recipient language and secondly, it focusses on the semantic-syntactic behavior these loan words.

<p>This dissertation focuses on gender-related terms as well as adjectives and demonstratives in connection with these terms used in texts from the period 1670–1720. The material in the study has been drawn from both English and American sources and comes from three text categories: depositions, examinations and journals. Two of these text categories represent authentic and speech-related language use (depositions and examinations), whereas the third (journals) is representative of a non-speech-related, non-fictional text category. While previous studies of gender-related terms have primarily investigated fictional material, this study focuses on text categories which have received little attention so far. </p><p>The overarching research question addressed in this study concerns the use and distribution of gender-related terms, especially with regard to referent gender. Data analyses are both quantitative and qualitative, and several linguistic and extra-linguistic factors are taken into account, such as the semantic domain to which the individual gender-related term belongs, region of origin and referent gender. Adjectives and demonstratives collocating with the gender-related terms are also investigated, as previous research has shown that referent gender has an impact on the use of adjectives as well.</p><p>The results show that the use of gender-related terms is influenced by both region of origin and referent gender. It is suggested that this is due in part to the difference in nature between Early Modern English society and the early American colonies, and in part due to the social roles which men and women had. Referent gender also has an impact on the type of adjectives used in connection with gender-related terms: adjectives collocating with gender-related terms denoting men have positive connotations to a larger extent than do adjectives collocating with their female counterparts; meanwhile, gender-related terms denoting women tend to collocate with negative adjectives. </p>

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Department of Chinese

A hybrid system is a dynamical system that exhibits both continuous and discrete dynamic behavior. Hybrid systems arise in a wide variety of important applications in diverse areas, ranging from biology to computer science to air traffic dynamics. The interaction of continuous- and discrete-time dynamics in a hybrid system often leads to very rich dynamical behavior and phenomena that are not encountered in purely continuous- or discrete-time systems. Investigating the dynamical behavior of hybrid systems is of great theoretical and practical importance. The objectives of this thesis are to develop the qualitative theory of nonlinear hybrid systems with impulses, time-delay, switching modes, and stochastic disturbances, to develop algorithms and perform analysis for hybrid systems with an emphasis on stability and control, and to apply the theory and methods to real-world application problems. Switched nonlinear systems are formulated as a family of nonlinear differential equations, called subsystems, together with a switching signal that selects the continuous dynamics among the subsystems. Uniform stability is studied emphasizing the situation where both stable and unstable subsystems are present. Uniformity of stability refers to both the initial time and a family of switching signals. Stabilization of nonlinear systems via state-dependent switching signal is investigated. Based on assumptions on a convex linear combination of the nonlinear vector fields, a generalized minimal rule is proposed to generate stabilizing switching signals that are well-defined and do not exhibit chattering or Zeno behavior. Impulsive switched systems are hybrid systems exhibiting both impulse and switching effects, and are mathematically formulated as a switched nonlinear system coupled with a sequence of nonlinear difference equations that act on the switched system at discrete times. Impulsive switching signals integrate both impulsive and switching laws that specify when and how impulses and switching occur. Invariance principles can be used to investigate asymptotic stability in the absence of a strict Lyapunov function. An invariance principle is established for impulsive switched systems under weak dwell-time signals. Applications of this invariance principle provide several asymptotic stability criteria. Input-to-state stability notions are formulated in terms of two different measures, which not only unify various stability notions under the stability theory in two measures, but also bridge this theory with the existent input/output theories for nonlinear systems. Input-to-state stability results are obtained for impulsive switched systems under generalized dwell-time signals. Hybrid time-delay systems are hybrid systems with dependence on the past states of the systems. Switched delay systems and impulsive switched systems are special classes of hybrid time-delay systems. Both invariance property and input-to-state stability are extended to cover hybrid time-delay systems. Stochastic hybrid systems are hybrid systems subject to random disturbances, and are formulated using stochastic differential equations. Focused on stochastic hybrid systems with time-delay, a fundamental theory regarding existence and uniqueness of solutions is established. Stabilization schemes for stochastic delay systems using state-dependent switching and stabilizing impulses are proposed, both emphasizing the situation where all the subsystems are unstable. Concerning general stochastic hybrid systems with time-delay, the Razumikhin technique and multiple Lyapunov functions are combined to obtain several Razumikhin-type theorems on both moment and almost sure stability of stochastic hybrid systems with time-delay. Consensus problems in networked multi-agent systems and global convergence of artificial neural networks are related to qualitative studies of hybrid systems in the sense that dynamic switching, impulsive effects, communication time-delays, and random disturbances are ubiquitous in networked systems. Consensus protocols are proposed for reaching consensus among networked agents despite switching network topologies, communication time-delays, and measurement noises. Focused on neural networks with discontinuous neuron activation functions and mixed time-delays, sufficient conditions for existence and uniqueness of equilibrium and global convergence and stability are derived using both linear matrix inequalities and M-matrix type conditions. Numerical examples and simulations are presented throughout this thesis to illustrate the theoretical results.

This dissertation focuses on gender-related terms as well as adjectives and demonstratives in connection with these terms used in texts from the period 1670–1720. The material in the study has been drawn from both English and American sources and comes from three text categories: depositions, examinations and journals. Two of these text categories represent authentic and speech-related language use (depositions and examinations), whereas the third (journals) is representative of a non-speech-related, non-fictional text category. While previous studies of gender-related terms have primarily investigated fictional material, this study focuses on text categories which have received little attention so far. The overarching research question addressed in this study concerns the use and distribution of gender-related terms, especially with regard to referent gender. Data analyses are both quantitative and qualitative, and several linguistic and extra-linguistic factors are taken into account, such as the semantic domain to which the individual gender-related term belongs, region of origin and referent gender. Adjectives and demonstratives collocating with the gender-related terms are also investigated, as previous research has shown that referent gender has an impact on the use of adjectives as well. The results show that the use of gender-related terms is influenced by both region of origin and referent gender. It is suggested that this is due in part to the difference in nature between Early Modern English society and the early American colonies, and in part due to the social roles which men and women had. Referent gender also has an impact on the type of adjectives used in connection with gender-related terms: adjectives collocating with gender-related terms denoting men have positive connotations to a larger extent than do adjectives collocating with their female counterparts; meanwhile, gender-related terms denoting women tend to collocate with negative adjectives.

Τα τελευταία χρόνια η ανάπτυξη της τεχνολογίας καθιέρωσε όρους όπως εξ αποστάσεως εκπαίδευση και ηλεκτρονική μάθηση συμπληρώνοντας την συμβατική εκπαίδευση με μια μορφή επικοινωνίας. Έτσι η νέα αυτή μορφή εκπαίδευσης προσαρμόζεται σε προγράμματα της πρωτοβάθμιας, δευτεροβάθμιας και τριτοβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης. Η εισαγωγή των Τ.Π.Ε στην εκπαίδευση και κατ επέκταση στην πρωτοβάθμια εκπαίδευση λειτούργησε ως εργαλείο μάθησης, ως εποπτικό μέσο διδασκαλίας, ως γνωστικό και διερευνητικό εργαλείο αλλά και ως εργαλείο επικοινωνίας και αναζήτησης πληροφοριών. Στην παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία θα δημιουργηθεί, θα χρησιμοποιηθεί και θα παρουσιαστεί μια πλατφόρμα ηλεκτρονικής μάθησης για τις ανάγκες του μαθήματος πληροφορικός γραμματισμός -Τεχνολογίες της Πληροφορίας και των Επικοινωνιών <Τ.Π.Ε> στην πρωτοβάθμια εκπαίδευση. Στα πλαίσια της διπλωματικής θα γίνει συγκριτική μελέτη των διαθέσιμων πλατφορμών ηλεκτρονικής μάθησης όπου μια από τις οποίες θα επιλεγεί για την υλοποίηση του μαθήματος. Στη συνέχεια θα υλοποιηθεί μία σειρά θεωρητικών μαθημάτων, test αξιολόγησης, σετ ασκήσεων καθώς και θα δημιουργηθεί ένα εικονογραφημένο λεξικό με όρους πληροφορικής για την καλύτερη διεξαγωγή του μαθήματος μέσω της πλατφόρμας αλλά και ένα πλαίσιο με συμβολές χρήσης διαδικτύου ώστε οι μαθητές να είναι πάντα ενήμεροι για το τι πρέπει να αποφεύγουν στο διαδίκτυο. Το τελικό προϊόν θα αποτελεί ένα εργαλείο στα χέρια του εκπαιδευτικού μιας και θα τον βοηθάει στη διαδικασία της εκπαίδευσης του μαθήματος Τ.Π.Ε. και στην προσαρμογή του ανάλογα με τις ανάγκες του. Αλλά και για τους μαθητές θα αποτελεί μία νέα εμπειρία μιας και θα δίνει νέα διάσταση στον παραδοσιακό τρόπο μάθησης. Οι μαθητές θα μπορούν μέσα από τεστ να μαθαίνουν να απασχολούνται δημιουργικά και να αξιολογούν την πρόοδό τους. Έτσι το μάθημα θα πάρει έναν διαδραστικό χαρακτήρα και θα γίνει πιο ελκυστικό για αυτούς. Η συνεχής ανάπτυξη των τεχνολογιών επιδρά και στον τομέα της εκπαίδευσης με την εισαγωγή νέων μεθόδων όπως η κινητή μάθηση μέσω της οποίας οι μαθητές θα έχουν πρόσβαση σε πολλές πηγές μάθησης, όπου κι αν βρίσκονται, οποιαδήποτε στιγμή. Έτσι η εκπαιδευτικής μας πλατφόρμα θα μεταφερθεί και για συσκευές mobile ώστε οι μαθητές να έχουν πρόσβαση στο εκπαιδευτικό υλικό ανά πάσα στιγμή. Τέλος, η πλατφόρμα θα δοκιμαστεί από εκπαιδευτικούς και από μαθητές για να παρατεθούν αποτελέσματα και στατιστικές για την αξιολόγηση και βελτιστοποίηση του τελικού προϊόντος. Καθώς και θα παρουσιαστεί μια πολύ πρόσφατη τεχνολογία τα MOOCs, που στηρίζονται στη φιλοσοφία της ανοικτής μάθησης με βασική αρχή λειτουργίας τους τη συνεχή αναζήτησης πηγών από το περιβάλλον και την προσαρμογή τους στις πηγές ανατροφοδότησης από αυτό. / Recently, the development of technology has introduced terms such as distance education and computer literacy, thus complementing traditional learning with a form of communication. Hence, this new type of training is adapted to the curricula of primary and secondary schools as well as universities. The implementation of Technology of Information and Communication (Τ.I.C) in education and primary learning , in particular, worked as a learning tool, as a visual means of instruction, as a cognitive and exploratory tool, as well as a means to both communicate and to look for information. In this thesis a platform of electronic learning will be created, used and presented for the needs of the subject of T.I.C in primary education. Throughout the thesis a comparison will be made between the existing platforms of electronic learning whereas one will be selected in order to conduct the lesson. Furthermore, a series of theoretical lessons will take place, evaluation tests, a set of tasks and a picture dictionary will be created with computer terms in order for the lesson to be conducted in the best possible way by using the platform. Moreover, a context will also exist with advice on the use of the Internet in order for the students to always be informed as to what to avoid on the Internet. The final product will consist a tool in the hands of the instructor since it will assist him/her in the process of teaching the T.I.C subject and in the adaptation of it according to the needs. This will also be a new experience for the students since it will provide a new dimension to the traditional way of learning. The students through tests will be able to be creatively occupied and to evaluate their progress. Thus, the lesson will become interactive and more appealing to them. The ongoing progress of technology affects the field of education with the introduction of new methods such as mobile learning through which students will have access to many sources of learning wherever and whenever they wish. This way our educational platform can be applied to mobile devices so that the students can have access to the educational material at any moment. Finally, the platform will be tested by both educators as well as students so as to reach results and statistics concerning the evaluation and improvement of the final product. A really recent technology, that of MOOCs, will also be presented which is based on the concept of open learning. The basic principle of its function is the ongoing search of resources from the environment and their adaptation to the sources of feedback from it.

A hybrid system is a dynamical system that exhibits both continuous and discrete dynamic behavior. Hybrid systems arise in a wide variety of important applications in diverse areas, ranging from biology to computer science to air traffic dynamics. The interaction of continuous- and discrete-time dynamics in a hybrid system often leads to very rich dynamical behavior and phenomena that are not encountered in purely continuous- or discrete-time systems. Investigating the dynamical behavior of hybrid systems is of great theoretical and practical importance. The objectives of this thesis are to develop the qualitative theory of nonlinear hybrid systems with impulses, time-delay, switching modes, and stochastic disturbances, to develop algorithms and perform analysis for hybrid systems with an emphasis on stability and control, and to apply the theory and methods to real-world application problems. Switched nonlinear systems are formulated as a family of nonlinear differential equations, called subsystems, together with a switching signal that selects the continuous dynamics among the subsystems. Uniform stability is studied emphasizing the situation where both stable and unstable subsystems are present. Uniformity of stability refers to both the initial time and a family of switching signals. Stabilization of nonlinear systems via state-dependent switching signal is investigated. Based on assumptions on a convex linear combination of the nonlinear vector fields, a generalized minimal rule is proposed to generate stabilizing switching signals that are well-defined and do not exhibit chattering or Zeno behavior. Impulsive switched systems are hybrid systems exhibiting both impulse and switching effects, and are mathematically formulated as a switched nonlinear system coupled with a sequence of nonlinear difference equations that act on the switched system at discrete times. Impulsive switching signals integrate both impulsive and switching laws that specify when and how impulses and switching occur. Invariance principles can be used to investigate asymptotic stability in the absence of a strict Lyapunov function. An invariance principle is established for impulsive switched systems under weak dwell-time signals. Applications of this invariance principle provide several asymptotic stability criteria. Input-to-state stability notions are formulated in terms of two different measures, which not only unify various stability notions under the stability theory in two measures, but also bridge this theory with the existent input/output theories for nonlinear systems. Input-to-state stability results are obtained for impulsive switched systems under generalized dwell-time signals. Hybrid time-delay systems are hybrid systems with dependence on the past states of the systems. Switched delay systems and impulsive switched systems are special classes of hybrid time-delay systems. Both invariance property and input-to-state stability are extended to cover hybrid time-delay systems. Stochastic hybrid systems are hybrid systems subject to random disturbances, and are formulated using stochastic differential equations. Focused on stochastic hybrid systems with time-delay, a fundamental theory regarding existence and uniqueness of solutions is established. Stabilization schemes for stochastic delay systems using state-dependent switching and stabilizing impulses are proposed, both emphasizing the situation where all the subsystems are unstable. Concerning general stochastic hybrid systems with time-delay, the Razumikhin technique and multiple Lyapunov functions are combined to obtain several Razumikhin-type theorems on both moment and almost sure stability of stochastic hybrid systems with time-delay. Consensus problems in networked multi-agent systems and global convergence of artificial neural networks are related to qualitative studies of hybrid systems in the sense that dynamic switching, impulsive effects, communication time-delays, and random disturbances are ubiquitous in networked systems. Consensus protocols are proposed for reaching consensus among networked agents despite switching network topologies, communication time-delays, and measurement noises. Focused on neural networks with discontinuous neuron activation functions and mixed time-delays, sufficient conditions for existence and uniqueness of equilibrium and global convergence and stability are derived using both linear matrix inequalities and M-matrix type conditions. Numerical examples and simulations are presented throughout this thesis to illustrate the theoretical results.