This thesis presents a series of experiments where endorsement rates, latencies and measures of cognitive ability were collected, to investigate the extent to which people search for counterexamples under necessity instructions, and alternative models under possibility instructions. The research was motivated by a syllogistic reasoning study carried out by Evans, Handley, Harper, and Johnson-Laird (1999), and predictions were derived from mental model theory (Johnson-Laird, 1983; Johnson-Laird & Byrne, 1991). With regard to the endorsement rate data: Experiment 1 failed to find evidence that a search for counterexamples or alternative models took place. In contrast experiment 2 (transitive inference) found some evidence to support the search for alternative models under possibility instructions, and following an improved training session, experiment 3 produced strong evidence to suggest that people searched for other models; which was mediated by cognitive ability. There was also strong evidence from experiments 4, 5 and 6 (abstract and everyday conditionals) to support the search for counterexamples and alternative models. Furthermore it was also found that people were more likely to find alternative causes when there were many that could be retrieved from their everyday knowledge, and that people carried out a search for counterexamples with many alternative causes under necessity instructions, and across few and many causal groups under possibility instructions. .The evidence from the latency data was limited and inconsistent, although people with higher cognitive ability were generally quicker in completing the tasks.

We have investigated several monomial and permutation progenitors, including 2*8 : [8 : 2], 2*18 : [(22 x 3) : (3x2)], 2*16 : [22 : 4], and 2*16 : 24, 5*2 :m [4•22], 5*2 :m [(4x2) :• 2], 103∗2 :m [17 : 2] and 103∗4 :m [17 : 4]. We have discovered original, to the best of our knowledge, symmetric presentations of a number of finite groups, including PSL(2, 7), M12 , A6 : 2, A7 , PSL(2, 25), 25 :• S4, 24 : S3, PSL(2, 271), 12 x PSL(2, 13), and U(3, 7) : 2. We will present our construction of several of these images, including the Mathieu sporadic simple group M12 over the maximal subgroup PSL(2, 11), PSL(2, 17) over D9, PSL(2, 16) : 2 over [24 : 5] and PGL(2, 7) over S3. We will also give our method of finding isomorphism classes of images.

The evolutionary forces that led to the unprecedented expansion of the human brain and the extreme cognitive prowess possessed by humans have always attracted a great deal of attention from the scientific community. Presented here is a novel theoretical perspective, where the driving force on human brain evolution was the need for enhanced ability to infer social values of conspecifics in the face of degradation and loss of chemosensory signalling mechanisms necessary for social communication present in most mammals. The lack of chemosensory communication of biologically relevant information between humans in the face of the need to make adaptive and accurate social evaluations, led to an exaption of mammalian chemosensory brain regions for the more complex task of inferring social values from behavioural cues that are variable, ambiguous, or otherwise difficult to detect and interpret. This change in social processing from perceptual evaluation to inferential computation placed a premium on cognitive capacity, thus selecting for larger more powerful brains. These selective processes would have left an indelible mark on the human brain, where the human homologues of regions involved in mammalian conspecific chemical communication, in particular the target regions of this study the amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPC), should be involved in the processing of biologically relevant information and social inference. Several experiments were conducted to examine the role of these brain regions in social inferential processing using the lesion deficit method. First, given that conspecific chemical communication is particularly relevant for biologically imperative evaluation for the purposes of reproduction, VMPC and amygdala damage may result in abnormal mate-related decisions. Second, normal social attributions exhibit the correspondence bias, however damage to the target regions may result in an abnormal lack correspondence bias. Third, the current hypothesis is contrasted with another leading hypothesis, the Social Brain Hypothesis whose proponents predict a relationship between group-size and social cognition. Finally, if the target brain regions are truly integral in inferring social information, then damage to these regions will interfere with the ability to utilize transitive inference in social situations, and potentially in using transitive inference in general. Damage to the target areas produces limited effects on mate-related decisions and preferences. However, the current hypothesis may suggest that the target brain regions are only involved when the problem is inferential in nature rather than simpler perception of social information. In support of this notion, damage to the target regions results in a lack of the correspondence bias when making economic decisions. This alteration in social attributions actually leads to more `rational' decision-making in this context. In contrast to the predictions of the Social Brain Hypothesis, damage to the target regions produces no observed reduction in social group size, nor is there any observed relationship between perspective-taking ability and group size. Finally, damage to the VMPC produces deficits in using transitive inference in a non-social context perhaps hinting at the underlying computations of this region in inferring social information. In conclusion, it appears that the notion that the human brain regions that have been exapted from their duties in chemosensation and communication in mammalian brains has at least some validity. Moreover, these brain regions have been shifted by evolution to a more computationally complex process of social inference possibly providing the push toward larger and more powerful human brains.

[Formulae and special characters can only be approximated here. Please see the pdf version of the abstract for an accurate reproduction.] This thesis concerns the study of homogeneous factorisations of complete graphs with edge-transitive factors. A factorisation of a complete graph Kn is a partition of its edges into disjoint classes. Each class of edges in a factorisation of Kn corresponds to a spanning subgraph called a factor. If all the factors are isomorphic to one another, then a factorisation of Kn is called an isomorphic factorisation. A homogeneous factorisation of a complete graph is an isomorphic factorisation where there exists a group G which permutes the factors transitively, and a normal subgroup M of G such that each factor is M-vertex-transitive. If M also acts edge-transitively on each factor, then a homogeneous factorisation of Kn is called an edge-transitive homogeneous factorisation. The aim of this thesis is to study edge-transitive homogeneous factorisations of Kn. We achieve a nearly complete explicit classification except for the case where G is an affine 2-homogeneous group of the form ZR p x G0, where G0 is less than or equal to ΓL(1,p to the power of R). In this case, we obtain necessary and sufficient arithmetic conditions on certain parameters for such factorisations to exist, and give a generic construction that specifies the homogeneous factorisation completely, given that the conditions on the parameters hold. Moreover, we give two constructions of infinite families of examples where we specify the parameters explicitly. In the second infinite family, the arc-transitive factors are generalisations of certain arc-transitive, self-complementary graphs constructed by Peisert in 2001.

The main goal of this thesis is a contribution to the classification of all incidence geometries of rank two on which some group PSL(2,q), q a prime power, acts flag-transitively. Actually we require that the action be RWPRI (residually weakly primitive) and (2T)1 (doubly transitive on every residue of rank one). In fact our definition of RWPRI requires the geometry to be firm (each residue of rank one has at least two elements) and RC (residually connected). The main goal is achieved in this thesis. It is stated in our "Main Theorem". The proof of this theorem requires more than 60pages. Quite surprisingly, our proof in the direction of the main goal uses essentially the classification of all subgroups of PSL(2,q), a famous result provided in Dickson’s book "Linear groups: With an exposition of the Galois field theory", section 260, in which the group is called Linear Fractional Group LF(n, pn). Our proof requires to work with all ordered pairs of subgroups up to conjugacy. The restrictions such as RWPRI and (2T)1 allow for a complete analysis. The geometries obtained in our "Main Theorem" are bipartite graphs; and also locally 2-arc-transitive graphs in the sense of Giudici, Li and Cheryl Praeger. These graphs are interesting in their own right because of the numerous connections they have with other fields of mathematics.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / Esta dissertaÃÃo trata do comportamento do clÃtico das estruturas de-transitivas mediais quanto à alternÃncia ausÃncia/presenÃa, no falar popular fortalezense. Teoricamente, o trabalho ancorou-se na associaÃÃo dos postulados da SociolinguÃstica Variacionista (LABOV, 1963, 1972, 1978, 1982, 1994, 2001; WEINER; LABOV, 1977; WEINREICH, LABOV; HERZOG, 2006) e do Funcionalismo LinguÃstico Norte-Americano (GIVÃN, 1984, 1993, 1995, 2001), resultando na configuraÃÃo teÃrica denominada de Sociofuncionalismo (TAVARES, 2003). Em termos metodolÃgicos, a pesquisa contou com uma amostragem de 36 inquÃritos do tipo DiÃlogo entre Informante e Documentador (DID), extraÃdos do Banco de Dados Norma Oral Popular de Fortaleza (NORPOFOR). Foram acionados alguns grupos de fatores linguÃsticos (forma verbal, tipo de mudanÃa indicado pelo verbo, pessoa gramatical do sujeito e modalidade) e extralinguÃsticos (faixa etÃria, sexo e escolaridade) os quais podem exercer influÃncia no contexto variÃvel em questÃo. Os 626 dados coletados passaram por tratamento estatÃstico atravÃs do uso do programa computacional GOLDVARB X, que realizou uma rodada multivariada do fenÃmeno mediante a acomodaÃÃo estruturada das ocorrÃncias e das variÃveis controladas. Os resultados demonstraram a primazia da presenÃa em relaÃÃo à ausÃncia. Por ordem de seleÃÃo estatÃstica, mostraram-se como significativos para o fenÃmeno: a) faixa etÃria â com predominÃncia de ausÃncia do marcador pronominal mÃdio entre os mais velhos e de presenÃa entre os mais jovens; b) a pessoa gramatical do sujeito â com propensÃo de ausÃncia na 1 e de presenÃa na 2 e na 3Â; c) o tipo de mudanÃa indicado pelo verbo â com predominÃncia de ausÃncia nos fatores posiÃÃo, estado fÃsico e condiÃÃo e de presenÃa no fator estado mental; d) a escolaridade â com propensÃo de ausÃncia entre os informantes que tÃm de 9 a 11 anos de estudo e de presenÃa entre os que tÃm de 0 a 4 anos e de 5 a 8 anos. Concluiu-se, portanto, que o clÃtico mÃdio està passando por um processo de variaÃÃo no PortuguÃs Oral Popular de Fortaleza, segundo a influÃncia de variÃveis internas e externas à lÃngua. / This dissertation is about the behavior of the clitic of the middle de-transitive structures concerning to the alternance of absence/ presence in the fortalezense popular spoken language. Theoretically this work has been anchored in the association of the postulates of the Sociolinguistic Analysis (LABOV, 1963, 1972, 1978, 1982, 1994, 2001; WEINER; LABOV, 1977; WEINREICH; LABOV; HERZOG, 2006) and the North American Linguistic Functionalism (GIVÃN, 1984, 1993, 1995, 2001), resulting in the theoretical configuration called Sociofunctionalism (TAVARES, 2003). Concerning to methodological aspects, the research had a sample of 36 inquiries of Dialogue-type between Informant and Documenter (DID), extracted from the database of the Norma Oral do PortuguÃs Popular de Fortaleza (NORPOFOR). Some groups of linguistic (verbal form, type of change indicated by the verb, subject grammatical person and modality) and extralinguistic factors (age group, gender and schooling) which can influence the variable context studied were triggered. The 626 collected data have gone through statistics treatment by the use of the computational program GOLDVARB X, which performed a multivariate round of the phenomenon by the structured accomodation of the occurences and controlled variables. The results have showed the primacy of the presence in relation to the absence. Through the order of statistics selection, the following have appeared as significative to the phenomenon: a) age group â with the predominance of absence of the medium pronominal marker among the elders and the presence among the youngers; b) the grammatical person of the subject â with propensity of abscence in the 1st and the presence in the 2nd and in the 3rd; c) the type of chance indicated by the verb â with propensity of absence in the factors of position, physical state and condition and of the presence in the factor of mental state; d) the schooling â with propensity of absence among the informants who are from 9 to 11 years of study and the presence among the ones who are from 0 to 4 years and from 5 to 8 years of study. It was concluded, then, the medium clitic is going through a process of variation in the popular oral Portuguese spoken in Fortaleza, according to the influence of internal and external variables to the language.

[pt] Uma classe homoclínica de um campo vetorial é o fecho do conjunto de pontos homoclínicos transversais associados a uma órbita periódica hiperbólica. Provamos as propriedades seguintes. 1. As classes homoclínicas de campos vetoriais C¹ genéricos em variedades de dimensão n são conjuntos transitivos maximais, saturados, e isolados se e somente se omega-isolados. 2. Os campos vetorias C¹ genéricos não têm ciclos formados por classes homoclínicas. 3. As singularidades de codimensão 1, i.e., com um único autovalor positivo ou um único autovalor negativo, de campos vetoriais C¹ genéricos estão contidas em conjuntos transitivos maximais. 4. Os campos vetoriais C¹ genéricos com finitas classes homoclínicas têm finitos atratores cujas bacias formam um aberto denso da variedade. 5. Existem conjuntos localmente residuais de campos vetoriais C¹ em uma variedade de dimensão 5 exibindo finitos atratores e repulsores, porém infinitas classes homoclínicas. Conseguimos também uma condição suficiente para que um conjunto atrativo (at-tracting set) seja C 1 fracamente robusto. Observamos que esses resultados generalizam propriedades conhecidas dos campos vetoriais Axioma A. / [en] A homoclinic class of a vector field is the closure of the set of transverse homoclinic points associated to a hyperbolic periodic orbit.We prove the following properties. 1.The homoclinic classes of generic C¹ vector fields on n-manifolds are maximal transitive sets, they are satured sets and isolated if and only if (omega)-isolated . 2. Generic C¹ vector fields do not exhibit cycles associated to homoclinic classes. 3.Codimension 1 singularities, i.e. with a unique positive or negative eigenvalue, of generic C¹ vector fields are contained in maximal transitive sets. 4.Generic C¹ vector fields with finitely many homoclinic classes have finitely many attractors the union of the basins of which form an open dense set of the manifold. 5. There are locally residual sets of C¹ vector fields on a 5-manifold exhibitinf finitely many attractors and repellers but infinitely many homoclinic classes. We also show a sufficient condition for an attracting set to be C¹ weakly robust. Let us observe that these results generalize well Known properties of Axiom a vector fields. / [es] Una clase homoclínica de un campo vectorial es la clausura del conjunto de puntos homoclínicos transversales asociados a una órbita periódica hiperbólica. Fueron provadas las propriedades siguientes. 1. Las clases homoclínicas de campos vetoriales C¹ genéricos en variedades de dimensión n son conjuntos transitivos maximales, saturados, e aislados si y solo si son omega-aislados. 2. Los campos vetoriales C¹ genéricos no tienen ciclos formados por clases homoclínicas. 3. Las singularidades de codimensión 1, i.e., con un único valor propio positivo o un único valor propio negativo, de campos vectoriales C¹ genéricos están contenidas en conjuntos transitivos maximales. 4. Los campos vectoriales C¹ genéricos con finitas clases homoclínicas tienen finitos atractores cuyas bacias forman un abierto denso de la variedad. 5. Existen conjuntos localmente residuales de campos vetoriales C¹ en una variedad de dimensión 5 que exhiben finitos atratores y repulsores, no obstante infinitas clases homoclínicas. Conseguimos também una condición suficiente para que un conjunto atrativo (at-tracting set) sea C1 débilmente robusto. Observamos que esos resultados generalizan propriedades conocidas de los campos vetoriales Axioma A.

Let G be a finite permutation group acting on a finite set Ω. Then we denote by σk(G,Ω) the number of G-orbits on the set Ωk, consisting of all k-subsets of Ω. In this thesis we develop methods for calculating the values for σk(G,Ω) and produce formulae for the cases that G is a doubly-transitive simple rank one Lie type group. That is G ∼ = PSL(2,q),Sz(q),PSU(3,q) or R(q). We also give reduced functions for the calculation of the number of orbits of these groups when k = 3 and go on to consider the numbers of orbits, when G is a finite abelian group in its regular representation. We then consider orbit lengths and examine groups with “large” G-orbits on subsetsof size 3.

Im Bereich von Entity-Resolution oder deduplication werden aufgrund fehlender global eindeutiger Identifikatoren Match-Techniken verwendet, um zu bestimmen, ob verschiedene Datensätze dasselbe Realweltobjekt darstellen. Die inhärente quadratische Komplexität führt zu sehr langen Laufzeiten für große Datenmengen, was eine Parallelisierung dieses Prozesses erfordert. MapReduce ist wegen seiner Skalierbarkeit und Einsetzbarkeit in Cloud- Infrastrukturen eine gute Lösung zur Verbesserung der Laufzeit. Außerdem kann unter bestimmten Voraussetzungen die Qualität des Match-Ergebnisses durch die Berechnung der transitiven Hülle verbessert werden.

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